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Feral Ch. 01

By: theDuskyGirl



Tianna's lips parted in a feral grin as she leaned over the handlebars of the 1098 Ducati Superbike. She sped recklessly around the curves of the road, the thick forest to her left, the sheer drop of the cliffs to her right. 

Shandaken was a blue-collar town of around 5,000. And though the town was flooded with yuppie skiers in the winter months and whenever fresh powder fell, it was a place that prided itself on its hometown values. 

Tianna Moore did not exactly fit in with those small town values but the town served its purpose and gave her what she needed, simplicity. The miles of forest surrounding the town and the respect for individual privacy that was commonplace suited her perfectly.

She'd grown up in the city, on Manhattan's upper east side, the privileged only child of a CEO and a socialite. But she'd never put much stock in interest in extravagances. She preferred to live simply. The Ducati was practically the only luxury she allowed herself; a present from her father, much to her mother's dismay. 

Her parents had attempted to convince her to remain in the city, to stay with her family and friends and attempt to lead a normal life. But Tianna wasn't normal at all. Her father, Dominic Moore, was hereditary loup garu. Unbeknownst to Tianna's father at his daughter's conception, his current lover, Alaina was a mystic, a shape shifter. Tianna's mother's shape took the form of many different variations of bird and she came from a long ancestry of shape shifting going back hundreds of years with each generation of her family sharing the same shape. 

When Dominic Moore had learned that Alaina had given birth to a daughter, there had been little cause for concern. For the Pack, to be loup garu was an inherited trait. The werewolf gene was only passed on from father to son, and those sons would be taken from their mothers in infancy to be raised by the Pack. Alaina would get to keep her daughter and Dominic Moore disappeared from her life. That is, until a five year old Tianna had thrown a tempter tantrum, bared her teeth and smoothly shifted into a sleek black wolf cub. Alaina's shock was evident. 

Though Dominic Moore had disappeared from Alaina's life he was not a difficult man to find. Unlike most of his kind, he did not shy away from public life. He was one of New York's most eligible bachelors and a notorious playboy, whose exploits were often cataloged in one gossip column or another. Alaina's shock was nothing compared to Dominic's. There were no female loup garu that he'd ever known of in the history of his race. For Pack werewolves, the werewolf gene resided in the male chromosome. Mutts were those who had been bitten. The bite of a werewolf and the after effects of the transformation placed extreme trauma on the body's central nervous system and psyche. Most bitten, didn't even survive the sickness that accompanied the bite, much less the first transformation itself. No woman had survived the change in over three hundred years. And here his young daughter was, effortlessly changing between her human form and wolf form, with swift fluid ease and without the pain that even Pack werewolves expected upon their transformation. He had wanted to take his daughter immediately.

But Alaina wouldn't allow it and Dominic did not dare defy her. Her people could prove as dangerous as his own. Alaina, did however, allow him to take his daughter to the Pack who fawned over her and treated her as a little princess. Despite that initial visit and due to her mother's protests, Tianna had not been to Pack territory in the fifteen years until she was allowed to move to Shendaken in upstate New York. Her mother and father remained at odds over the years though she loved them both, she truly needed to get away from the city for a while. Her father suggested Shendaken, to which her mother had actually agreed.

Tianna pulled into the gravel lot in front of a small dive bar on the outskirts of town. She parked the black matte superbike amidst the Harley Davidsons and pulled the helmet from her head, shaking out her long dark locks. 

"Nice crotch rocket, sweetheart," came a gruff voice from behind her. Tianna rolled her eyes skyward as she swung her leg over the bike and placed the helmet in the compartment under the seat. She turned to face the biker behind her. He was tall with grizzled graying hair and a scraggly beard that reached halfway down his chest above a rotund belly. He wore a dingy white t-shirt under a black leather vest that had seen better days. He patted the seat of the bike beside her own, a lewd grin spreading over his face, revealing quite a few missing teeth. "You should try getting something with real power between your legs." 

Tianna gave shot him a disgusted look and brushed by him. 

A large hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, halting her suddenly. His voice had grown low and menacing. "Don't walk away from me, girl." 

Tianna halted. She turned slowly and looked down at her wrist grasped in his large meaty hand. Her voice was stony. "Let go."

He did not. "Well, maybe if you were a little nicer to me, sugar." 

A slow smile slid over her pretty features. "Nicer?" Her gaze took on a yellow iridescent glow and she held up one slim hand. "Sure." She stepped closer to him, fighting the revulsion as the smell of alcohol and unwashed body greeted her. He was too focused on her nearness to notice the nails of her free hand lengthening. He released his hold on her and she ran that hand down his vest. Her voice was saccharine. "I need something powerful between my thighs huh?" 

He nodded dumbly. 

She shook her dark hair behind her shoulders and nodded towards the Ducati. "That 'crotch rocket' is the most advanced, most powerful twin-cylinder motorcycle ever built. It's got a one-hundred and an eighty horse power L-Twin Testastretta Evoluzione engine That's power." Her gaze slid caressingly over the smooth lines of the motorcycle. "But you..." she sneered, her pretty lips parting to reveal elongated canines. Her gaze glinted strangely in the moonlight. 

The large man started in fear and jerked away from her only to have her lift a hand and grab a handful of his t-shirt in a fist. His eyes widened as he struggled to pull away but she did not release him, her muscles showing no strain as she held on. She yanked him back to her. And raked her nails down over his broad belly. The cloth of the cotton t-shirt tearing though she was careful not to break the skin, yet. "Would you think it was nice if I gutted you from stem to sternum?" She drew the tip of her nail from the center of his chest downward. "Would that be nice enough for you?"

The man was trembling with fear in her grasp. 

"Is everything alright out there?" Came a voice shouted from the porch of the bar yards away.

Tianna glanced over her shoulder at the tall sinewy male figure standing on the porch, a baseball bat in hand. 

"This guy giving you trouble, Tianna?" 

Tianna released the man immediately, smirking slightly as he stumbled backwards. His mouth opened and closed though no words came out. "No," she chirped sweetly. "No trouble at all." And she turned on her heel and strode on towards the bar, hearing the revving of an engine behind her and the skitter of gravel as the Harley roared out of the lot. 

The man on the porch eyed her skeptically. He was tall with a dark hair that was coaxed into a faux-hawk and large gauges in his ears. Tattoos peaked above the collar of his tight black t-shirt that stretched over his broad chest. He lifted one dark brow, a sardonic smile tilting his lips. 

"Hi Sean," she chirped brightly. 

The bartender's gaze perused the girl with an expression of wry amusement. She was about 5'6," her slender body encased in black leather and her jet black hair falling over her shoulders framing her pretty honey-brown face. "Harassing my customers again?" 

She made a mock expression of shock, "Me? Harassing him?" She shook her head as he draped an arm casually around her shoulders. "Sean, that guy had about two hundred pounds on me."

Sean shrugged and led her towards the entrance. "Not like it stopped you before.

Tianna laughed as they pushed inside the double doors. The bar was filled with people, smoke hovered in the air. The bar was a mix of Shendaken citizenry, from barely legals to middle-aged to those well into their over-the-hill days. An 80s cover band was playing near the back of the bar and couples were dancing on a space in front of the small makeshift stage. Sean slid his arm from around Tianna's shoulders to duck back behind the bar with two bald, similarly tattooed bartenders. 

Tianna slid onto a barstool and shrugged out of her black leather cycle jacket to reveal a black lacy camisole beneath it. She handed it over the counter to Sean who placed it out of sight. 

He leaned over the counter and looked at her, "So what are you drinking for starters darlin'?" He grinned. 

Tianna returned the smile. "Shot of tequila." She held up two fingers. "Two."

Sean's dark brows shot upwards. "One of those days huh?" he asked as he poured the shot, placed a lime on the rim and slid a salt shaker towards her. 

Tianna shook her head, "Nope," and pushed one of the shot glasses back towards him. "That one's for you," she looked at him slyly. 

Sean shook his head and smiled his lopsided smile as he stood contemplating the shot in front of him, arms crossed over his chest.

Tianna laughed as she made a small sweep over the back of her hand with her tongue and sprinkled salt there. 

Sean's gaze darkened slightly as he watched the motion, feeling desire pool in the pit of his stomach. Tianna was beautiful. He'd thought so from the first time she walked into his bar. There were few African American women in the small town, and none of them looked like the one standing in front of him. Her dark hair fell in loose ringlets past her shoulders. Her skin was deep honey brown. Thick lashes framed dark snapping eyes. At the moment, she was becomingly flushed, her dark eyes glittering with some secret glinting excitement. 

Sean reached for the salt and did the same before taking the wedge of lime between his fingers. Tianna raised her shot glass in salute before licking the salt from her skin, tossing back the tequila and biting into the lime, sucking hard. 

"Whoo.." she breathed shook her head vehemently as it burned a little on the way down. She looked expectantly at Sean, "Jack and Coke." 

Sean shook his head in amazement. "A girl after my own heart." 

The band switched decades as Sean quickly mixed the drink, and began playing 'My Goddess' by the Exies. Tianna's hand shot out and grasped Sean's wrist when he set the drink down in front of her. "One dance?" 

Sean glanced down the length of the bar. The bar was packed but no one was having trouble getting drinks from the other two bar tenders. He nodded and Tianna turned to go, drink in hand. Sean leapt and cleared the bar in one smooth motion and followed her towards the dance floor, not taking his gaze from the sensuality of her gait. Tianna sauntered towards the dance floor, slinking around the bar's inhabitants, half dancing to the beat. She was clad in tight black leather pants and boots and the black lacey camisole. Her hair trailed down her back and waved about her face in ebony strands as she glanced back over her shoulder at him. He watched her walk towards the dance floor. Tianna had a grace to her walk. But this walk was distinctly predatory. Every step was a sexual invitation. 

She made her way to the dance floor and Sean joined her. Her arms twisted above her head in abandon as she sang along with the music. Every other beat or so, she would reach out to stroke his face. Sean grinned and kept trying to touch her, pull her close, but she would deftly wriggle away and shake a finger at him. He was used to the behavior. She never let him get to close, or fail to remember that they were just friends. It looked like it was going to be a long night. He studied the girl intently. Just friends or not, he'd be damned if she didn't look good. 

There was a commotion at the entrance as a new wave of people entered and headed towards the bar. Sean glanced toward the bar and back at Tianna. She grinned at him and gave him a slight shove, "Go, I'm cool here." 

Sean dropped a quick kiss on her brow and turned to go. Tianna shrugged and took a swig of her drink before continuing to dance with nonchalant abandon to the music. Draining the glass she set it down on a small round table, still dancing and singing along. 

She felt an arm snake around her waist and she was pulled up against a tall hard muscular body. She glanced down at the tanned muscular forearm, lightly dusted with fine blond hairs that was pressed against her middle and holding her tightly against the muscular frame of the man behind her. His scent washed over her in the most intoxicating assault to her senses she had ever experienced. Unable to help herself she nestled into the man's body. God, he felt good. He groaned low in his throat, the sound rumbling through her and causing heat to pool south of her bellybutton. He dropped his head to nuzzle behind her ear, and as he pressed her closer she could feel the hard length of his body pressed against her. But she couldn't stay long. What was she doing? She didn't bump and grind with townies in the middle of the dance floor. 

She turned in his arms though his hold on her didn't relax and she found herself staring up into a pair of the most startling blue eyes she'd ever seen. He was over six feet tall and deeply tanned. He was beautiful and fierce. His jaw firm and covered by slight stubble. He had firm sensual lips beneath a straight patrician nose. Those wondrous azure eyes were framed by thick lashes. His blonde locks were cropped close to his head. He wore a plain white t-shirt that was stretched tight over his muscled frame and she could feel the hard ripples of his abdomen pressing against her stomach. But it wasn't his physical allure and obvious strength that both aroused and terrified her. It was his scent.

She gasped as she met his gaze and fear crashed down upon her. Her mind reeled why hadn't she smelt him sooner. The smoke? The crush of bodies in the bar? Perhaps she had drank too much too quickly. She gave a mental curse. She should have smelled him sooner.

She was fighting down panic as she pushed at his chest with all her might but he didn't budge. He was a full fledged werewolf, and though she was many times stronger than the average man, she had no chance against a full grown alpha male. 

She'd encountered a werewolf once before. He'd ventured into Manhattan and come across her scent, tailed her and yanked her into an alleyway. He had shoved her against the brick side of the building and pressed himself against her, appallingly pressing his engorged arousal against her as his tongue traced a path down her throat. He had growled against her jaw line telling her that she smelled like a bitch in heat and any wolf within 20 miles could smell her. That was before Tianna had nearly deprived him of her entrails before me managed to escape. Little did she know that though the werewolf had survived but not for long. Dominic Moore had hunted him down and finished the job his daughter had started. 

But that...that was a mutt. She could hold her own with a mutt. This man in front of her was no mutt. He was a Pack werewolf, an alpha male and he could easily overtake her. 

Focusing, now, she could smell the faint scents of other werewolves nearby though she couldn't make them out in the crowd. 

She continued to push futilely at his chest but it was like trying to move a brick wall. "Let me go," she hissed through gritted teeth. 

"Don't cause a scene," he snarled back and began moving once more to the music 

But her struggles were further halted as the blonde werewolf stalked forward, carefully, pinning Tianna up against a similarly tall hard body and settled his hands on her hips. One of the other werewolves.

Tianna glanced over her shoulder and up at the tall handsome dark haired young man behind her. He grinned down at her, and Tianna noted his slightly elongated canines. 

The blonde werewolf took her hand, pressed it to where his heart beat beneath muscle and pulled her toward the center of the dance floor, the man behind her never missing a step or lost contact.

Tianna's breath came in shallow gasps. "No," she murmured the two men began to move to the beat of the pulsing music in near perfect sync keeping her trapped between them . They had moved so close together now that sometimes the werewolves' hands brushed as they touched her. She had no choice but to move with them. A slow heat began to burn low inside her. It pulsed and throbbed to the beat of the music, too. At the same time, they each ran a hand along her shoulder up to her neck, brushing away her hair. Then they bent their lips to her neck and earlobe and gently began nibbling and kissing their way across her skin. Tianna could barely breathe. The dark haired werewolf turned her to face him, pulling her, the blonde never losing contact.

"Tianna? Do you like this?" the dark haired werewolf whispered, bending close. 

Tianna's mind reeled. He knew her name. She blinked up at him, fear warring with arousal in the dark depths of her gaze.

Then his mouth descended over hers, his tongue gently exploring. The taste of her was addictive. She tasted sweet and of magick. He could almost forget that he was competing for her attentions. She moaned into his mouth. Abruptly, the blonde werewolf spun her away to face him. 

"Little one? You're not answering." The blonde slid his hands down to her waist and roughly pulled her against him. He insistently pressed his thick arousal against her. And then his tongue was in her mouth, her body flush to his. Tianna moaned. Her breasts ached as they were pressed against the unyielding planes of his chest. Her knees nearly buckled at the strength of his kiss. The dark haired werewolf pressed in from behind her, nipping the nape of her neck with blunt teeth. Tianna pulled back and looked up a pair of azure eyes in question. His eyes were bright and predatory. He leaned down and lightly brushed his lips across hers. His voice was husky. "Let's get out of here."

She shook her head vehemently. "No."

He leaned close, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. "We're not actually giving you the choice, darling." 

Tianna blinked up at him, a myriad of emotions flitting over her pretty features. He gazed down at her soberly. 

Tianna did the only thing she could think of. She brought her knee up between his legs. She watched in mild satisfaction at the pained expression on his face before she shoved him with all her might. He toppled back into the crowd, taking a few shocked patrons with him and knocking over a table. 

Tianna then twisted and aimed an elbow at the man behind her, catching him hard across the cheekbone and sending him reeling. 

Tianna took off through the crowd, pushing her way towards the front door. "Sean!" she shouted as the raced past the bar. He tossed her jacket and she caught it on the run and shrugged into it. Sean was snatching up the baseball bat again. "No!" she shouted, "Forget it this time, Sean!" she called over her shoulder. She didn't want him trying to defend her against full fledged alpha males. Sean was a tough guy but still no match for any one of the werewolves who were after her. 

She burst through the front door and jumped off the porch. She skidded to a halt by the Ducati and wrenching the helmet from the compartment before hurriedly placing it on her head.

"Tianna stop!" Three male figures stood shadowed on the porch. 

"Fuck off!" came her muffled retorted as she threw her leg over the bike and revved the engine. The gravel skidded beneath her tires as she abruptly whipped the bike around and took off. 


Feral Ch. 01



The blonde werewolf, Ethan, cursed flagrantly as he watched the girl take off recklessly on the cycle. She was going to get herself killed. He raced to the out of place Porsche convertible in the lot and quickly slid behind the wheel.

The other two, Nikolas and Trent, climbed into a Range Rover and took off after the Porsche. 

Tianna leaned low as she sped around the curves of the road. The forest whizzed by to her right. She knew she was being followed. She could hear the squeal of tires and the sound of a high powered engine behind her. 

But the bike could handle the curves better than the sports car and she slowly began to pull away. Tianna rounded a corner only to be find a semi truck pulling around the next upcoming corner, taking up both lanes. 

Tianna braked hard, turning the bike towards the woods to her right. The front wheel caught a large boulder, sending her flying over the handlebars. 

The impact with the ground jarred her body. Blood filled her mouth as she bit her tongue. She rolled to a halt and lay a moment writhing upon the ground in agony. She pulled the helmet from her head, rolled over onto her front and spat out the coppery bitter-tasting liquid. Pain ripped through her and she ached to her very bones. 

Attempting to stifle a cry of pain, she came slowly to her knees and then agonizingly to her feet. 

A small cry slipped past her lips as she tried to straighten. She was fairly certain her ribs were broken. Breathing was painful. 

Carefully, doggedly, she stumbled through the woods. 'Please God,' she begged. 'Help me get out of this.'

The Porsche screeched to a halt in front of the stopped semi. Ethan jumped out, quickly taking in the truck taking up both lanes and the Ducati crumpled on the side of the road. He strode to the cab of the truck and yanked the startled driver who had just taken up the radio from the vehicle. Grabbed the startled man by the shirtfront and slammed him against the side of the truck. 

Ethan was enraged. His voice came out in a low roar. "What did you do? Where is she?"

The man paled. "I'm sorry-I-I--"

Ethan lifted the man so that his toes scraped at the asphalt. "Did you not see the sign?" He growled. "The one that said 'No Trucks'?"

"I-I--"

"Where is she?" Ethan roared slamming the man back against the truck for emphasis. 

The man whimpered. "I didn't mean to. She went off the side of the road and I saw her fly off the bike. She must be in the woods."

"Ethan!" Nikolas and Trent pulled up behind the Porsche. "You should probably let him go, man." Nikolas said in a low voice. 

Ethan looked at the man trembling in his grasp with speculative disgust before dropping the man to the ground.

Ethan turned on his heel and strode toward the Ducati. He gazed down at the mangled bike, his hands on his lean hips. His sharp gaze searched the immediate woods beyond him. She was nowhere to be found. He felt relief streak through him. At least she was alive.

He turned to Nikolas and Trent. "Pull the cars off the road. I'll start tracking her," he jerked his head toward the truck driver, "and get him the hell out of here."

Ethan stepped into the shadow of the woods. His keen gaze caught sight of something shimmering upon the ground. Ethan bent and carefully touched the dark liquid. Blood. She was bleeding. She would be easier to track, but if she were bleeding heavily....Aaron would kill him if anything happened to the girl. 

He stood and sniffed the air. Her scent was all around him. Her path was difficult to track. She'd woven in and out of the trees, crisscrossing her own path to distort her tracks. 

'Smart girl,' he mused. 

Nikolas and Trent were there beside him. "Fan out, split up," he said. "Try and find her. You know what to do" 

Ethan tried as best he could to follow her scent. He could smell the others nearby. He moved silently through the trees. He could smell her fear, her panic, her pain. She was in a lot of pain. And he felt his own panic rising. He had to find her. 



Feral Ch. 02



Tianna stumbled through the trees, tears streaming down her face. She could almost hear them behind her. She could surely smell them. She went faster, as fast as her bruised and battered body would allow. She was only half loup garu, her blood dilute. Her vision wasn't as keen, her senses less attuned. She couldn't muster the strength to call up her abilities, sharpen her senses. She couldn't see and the woods around her felt ominous. Branches tore at her hair and whipped at her face. The very tree roots seemed to raise up and trip her. 

She felt like she was trapped in some B movie slasher flick and like any heroine she faced the inevitable fall. She didn't see the tree root and she most certainly didn't see the ravine that followed. 

She screamed and tumbled headfirst down the slope, pulling, attempting to grasp roots, grasses, anything to slow her fall.

She hit the bottom hard and rolled to a halt. She screamed in pain. She couldn't help it. She couldn't move as new waves of pain ripped agonizingly through her body. 

Snick, snap, snick. The stars sang out in tiny voices above her head through the canopy of the trees. She tried to move but her body protested fiercely. 

Change. If she could just change. She could heal more quickly, possibly keep running. She lay still, silent, trying to focus. She felt the tiniest twinge of muscles, the slightest shifting of bone but nothing more. She was too weak, too damaged. She lay silently staring up at the stars, tears blurring her vision. 

The darkness began to creep in at the edges of her vision and then her breathing slowed. And then her vision went back and she knew nothing. 

Ethan halted suddenly as her scream ripped through the trees. Her cry frightened him. Her cry was sharp and agonized. The scent of blood was growing stronger and he was sure any carnivore around could smell it. 

As if to confirm the thought, he heard the piercing cry of a puma ring out. And considering the condition he figured the girl was in, there was no way she would be able to defend herself. 

He quickened his pace, closely following her haphazard trail. He could smell Nick and Trent close behind him. He had to stop himself short before he shared to girl's fate and tumbled down the ravine.

The smell of the puma became overwhelming. It was right below him. With a jolt, he realized, so was the girl. 

He slid down the ravine, landing crouched. His eyes fixed on the puma crouched low over the prone figure of the girl. The puma fixed Ethan with it's yellow gaze. It smelled wolf, wolves. 

Ethan straightened to his full height. Blood rushed through his veins, the possibility of a fight calling to the wolf in him. He felt his nails lengthening, felt his muscles expanding, his canines growing. His eyes took on a feral glow. A growl started low in his gut, working up through his chest. The sound bore no semblance of his humanity. 

The puma crouched low over its unconscious prey. Ethan stepped forward and growled again full of menace. The sounds of more growls sounded from the lip of the ravine above. 

The puma flinched and darted into the woods. Ethan relaxed feeling his wolf features retreat. He stepped forward and knelt quickly by Tianna's side, "Christ," he murmured. 

She was pretty banged up. He pretty face was scratched and bruised and there was no telling what broken bones or injuries the leather biker suit might be hiding. He was afraid to move her. 

He surveyed her face. There were many tiny cuts. He winced, a twinge of worry tugging at him. She should be healing faster than this. Was it possible she was beyond healing herself. 

He heard Trent and Nick slide down the slope beyond him. 

"Is she alright?" Trent asked uncertainly. 

Ethan sighed. He slowly ran his hands over her small body, searching for broken bones. "We keep her right here 'til morning until she heals a bit. We can't move her before then." 

Trent protested, "We don't have the supplies for her here. We can't--"

"Then go get them," Ethan snarled. "Both of you. Return to Thornehall. Get the supplies and bring them back to this spot."

"But--"

"Now!" Ethan nearly shouted. "And tell Aaron what's happened." 

Nick and Trent turned and slowly made their way up the ravine. 

Ethan stared down at the girl. He had a long night ahead of him.

********

Tianna opened her eyes to gaze up through the tree tops at the starlit sky. She groaned as she attempted to shift. God, it hurt. 

She realized suddenly that she was not alone. The tall blonde man from the bar was with her. He was carefully tending a small blaze that he was attempting to coax larger. 

The amber light of the flames flickered over her his features. Lord, he was handsome and built to make a woman actually want to be a sex slave. 

Tianna gave a mental shake. She was not one of those women.

Feeling eyes upon him, Ethan lifted his head and found the girl awake and staring right at him. He stood and watched her eyes widen and become frightened. 

Ethan walked over to where she lay and crouched down beside her. He watched her try to shrink away from him and wince in pain. He gave an answering grimace at her discomfort. He reached out to sooth her and stroked her dark silken hair. He pulled a leaf from her now tangled locks. 

The motion seemed only to agitate her further. She gave a small whimper and tears filled her eyes.

Ethan drew back. "Sorry," he said softly as he lifted his hands and managed a small smile. She didn't seem convinced. He tried again. "I'm Ethan." 

She narrowed her eyes at him but still didn't speak. The name sparked a memory. Good God she hoped this wasn't the Ethan her father had told her about.

He sighed heavily and dropped to his knees beside her. "Look," he said. "I'm sorry about the bar, and chasing you and your accident. But we don't want to hurt you." 

She glared at him. "I wouldn't be hurt if your had just left me alone."

His mouth pressed into a thin line. His voice was low. "We had planned to take you before you needed to be chased. We were informed that you would be difficult." 

Tianna gritted her death. Her dark eyes blazed with rage. "Fuck you," she growled. 

Ethan smiled again. "That can be arranged darlin'," he drawled. 

Tianna wanted to smack him.

Behind him two men were sliding down the slope, packs slung over their shoulders. They came to stand beside Ethan. 

They all grinned down at her and Tianna felt like a bug under a microscope. 

The dark-haired one smiled down at her. He was kind of pretty, Tianna noted. "How is she?" he asked, glancing at Ethan. 

Ethan's jaw tightened. "Difficult." 

Tianna sneered at him. "Go to hell."

Trent, the smaller red-headed male laughed and smacked Ethan on the back. "Well I can tell she's taken a liking to you Ethan."

"She needs that mouth washed out with soap," Ethan growled low in his throat, turned on his heel and began to go through the Packs. Trent went to join him. 

The dark-haired werewolf, Nick, bent beside her. His smile seemed genuine. 

She gazed back at him warily. 

"Are you in much pain?" he asked softly. 

Tianna pressed her lips together and nodded her head. 

"Is anything broken."

Tianna nodded again. She blinked back tears. "My ribs," she said quietly. "My ribs are broken, I think." 

Worry entered his dark gaze. "Does it hurt to move?"

"Immensely," she answered.,

The man bit his lip. "Aaron's going to kill us."

She frowned. "Who's Aaron? Aaron Thorne?"

"Head of the Pack," Nick answered. 

Tianna's mind was racing. The Pack? A group of werewolves, purebloods, not mutts. whose bloodlines went back to ancient times. She decided to say nothing and fixed a blank confused look on her face. She'd visited the Pack when she was a child but she had no contact them for years. She wanted no part of them.

Nick noticed the blank expression and dismissed it. Instead he focused on her injuries. He met her gaze and nodded at the fitted black motorcycle jacket. "May I take a look?"

A look of panic flitted over her pretty features. She threw a glance towards the others. They were busy pitching tents and paying her no attention. She shifted her attention to Nick and met his gentle gaze. She nodded silently. 

Tentatively he reached for the zipper and pulled it down slowly, doing his best not to hurt her. A black lacey camisole was revealed against golden brown skin. Nick tried to ignore the generous swell of her breasts and instead his fingertips grazed the bottom of her top. 

"I'm just going to check your ribs," he said softly. 

She nodded and seemed to be holding his breath. 

He lifted the camisole to reveal dark purple bruises all along her right ribcage. Watching her face, he gently glided his fingertips over her side. She hissed in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut.

Nick withdrew his hand. He sighed. "You're banged up pretty good."

She exhaled slowly as he lowered her top. "No kidding," she mumbled. The bike suit had had protected her from cuts and scratches but not the breaks and bruises. 

"Anything else?" Nick asked. 

"As if this weren't enough?" she hissed.

He had the courtesy to look chagrinned. 

She shook her head, no. "Just bruised and achy." 

"Do you think you can move?"

Tianna snorted. "Not likely." She stopped short. Should she be admitting that she was completely helpless. 

Ethan came to stand beside Nick. "How is she?" he asked softly.

"Broken ribs," Nick supplied.

"Why can't you just let me go?" Tianna demanded. 

Both men looked at her skeptically. 

"Do you know who my parents are? If you're Pack, you know who my father is." She hissed at them. 

Ethan and Nick exchanged glances. 

"We're going to move you now," Ethan said quietly. "We'll be as careful as we can not to hurt you." 

Tianna's jaw tightened and she steeled herself. The two men got on either side of her; Ethan by her upper half on her left and Nick by her legs on her right. Both men slid their arms under her and lifted her. 

Tianna stifled a whimper of pain as they carried her across the ground an gently deposited her inside of the tents. After seeing that she was settled upon one of the pallets, they withdrew closing the flap of the tent behind them. 

Tianna sighed. She knew she wasn't going anywhere tonight. There was no way her body was going to let her. But tomorrow would be different. 

Musing to herself, she lengthened her nails. She felt her canines growing longer. She traced their sharp tips with her tongue. 

She smiled to herself. Soon. 

She allowed herself to close her eyes and give in to the darkness and the sounds of the woods around her. 

She fell asleep, a contented smile upon her face. 

"That smile worries me," Ethan growled as he peeked into the tent in which the girl lay sleeping. "She's planning something. I know it." 

Trent looked in on her. "Ah, Ethan, she looks peaceful. Where's she gonna go anyway?"

Ethan straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'll stay with her tonight." 

Trent grinned. "Why do you get to share a tent with that luscious little piece."

"Exactly," Nick mirrored Ethan's posture. 

Ethan's brows drew together as he surveyed his Pack brothers. "If she tries to run...she'll be stronger tomorrow. She'll fight. Are either of you willing to take her on?" 

Both Trent and Nick shifted uncomfortably under Ethan's glare. 

"We have to get her to Thornehall even if we have to knock her around a little before. She'll thank us later." He surveyed each man in turn. "I'm going to bed. Any other arguments."

Trent shrugged and looked sheepish. Nick simply turned on his heel and stalked into his own tent. 

Ethan nodded goodnight to Trent and then ducked into the girl's tent. He gazed down at her. She looked so peaceful; her face relaxed and serene, her hair was a dark cloud around her head. He could almost forget that she would gleefully rip him into tiny pieces if she were at full strength and given the chance. 

He gazed at her a moment before he settled down onto the pallet next to her, pulled his t-shirt over his head, and determinedly fixed his attention on the ceiling of the tent. This girl was going to get him in trouble. He was sure of that. 

*******

Tianna's eyes snapped open. It was near dawn. She lifted a hand to her face. It felt grimy and dirty. She wrinkled her nose. But there was no trace of the scratches or bruises that had been there the night before.

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself to sitting position. Her ribs were still sore and bruised but she could tell the bones had fused together nicely. 

It was then that she noticed the sleeping male werewolf at her side, the one called Ethan. He looked like Michelangelo's 'David' but even in sleep he was something fierce. 

His heavily lashed lids slowly lifted and his dark blue eyes stared at her. Tianna froze. They held each other's gaze and something crackled in the air between them. 

Ethan stared at the girl. Christ, she was beautiful. Her dark eyes were heavy lidded with sleep. Her full pink lips were slightly parted. Her raven hair tumbled wildly around her shoulders, but his gaze was drawn back to her lips. Before he could stop himself he felt his tongue sweep over his own lips.

Tianna's eyes widened. If he didn't look like the big bad wolf, she didn't know what did. She dove for the entrance of the tent. She was fast but not fast enough. He caught her around the waist. She twisted in his grasp and raked her nails across his chest, drawing blood. 

He barely flinched. He gripped both of her wrists and pinned her beneath him. She writhed frantically beneath him but it was useless. He was too strong, to heavy, and she was still too weak. A frustrated sob escaped her throat and she lay still. 

They stared at one another, breathing hard, their faces mere inches apart. Both pairs of eyes had taken on a feral glow and parted lips revealed sharpened teeth.

Tianna met Ethan's smoldering gaze. A tear slipped down her cheek and she watched as his gaze changed. Some of the feral glow left them, but still they smoldered. He bent his head and she could feel his gently breath warm against her cheek, and then his mouth moved to cover hers. 

She tasted like honey and salt. He wanted more. He deepened the kiss, letting his mouth crush hers slightly. She parted her lips and he thought he might lose his mind if he didn't take her right now. He slipped his arms around her, mindful of her injuries. Slowly he explored her mouth with his tongue. She tensed slightly and he held her more tightly, letting her know that she was safe and protected and he was in control. She relaxed in his arms and combed her fingers through his hair. 

A voice in the back of Ethan's mind whispered, 'If she's this good at kissing, what will it feel like to have her naked under you? To slide into her welcoming body, feel her nails dig into your back?" Ethan shivered. His tenuous hold on his desire was beginning to give away, and he wanted to let it go. 

'Get a hold of yourself!' Tianna's logical mind reached to regain control. 

Tianna dropped her head back, thinking that looking into those cool cobalt eyes would snap her quickly back to reality. But Ethan's eyes were soft cerulean, igniting her veins. 

When he lowered his lips once more, Tianna knew she was lost. She never wanted anything as much as she wanted to feel this man beside her, his skin bared to her touch. She wanted him to take her in his arms and tell her how much he loved and wanted her. And, God help her, she wanted him inside her. 

He began ravishing her mouth with his tongue, invading, claiming completely. The spasms inside her body startled her and she tensed. The solid wall formed by his tightening arms let her know she had nothing to fear, that he was there to protect her. Her mind was whirling, part of her knowing that this was not right, the other part only caring about the sensations coursing through her body. He fell between her thighs, his hard maleness pressing intimately against her. He gently rocked his hips against her mound and Tianna thought she would die of pleasure. She arched up against him.

His hand found the bottom of her camisole and he slid his fingers inside, reaching for the soft mound of flesh hidden beneath the scant protection of the black lace. 

Tianna held her breath knowing, that the touch of his hand would send her spiraling out of control. 

A shadow fell over them from outside the tent, "Hey Ethan." It was Trent. "What's going on in there? We can smell the heat out here."

At the first word, the fragile spell was broken. Tianna felt the words sink in and realized what she almost let happen. She pushed on Ethan's shoulders and pulled her mouth away from his caressing lips. He pulled his back and she watched his eyes actually change color, going from light cerulean to hard dark blue. 

He stood, pulling her with him. She was happy to find that her legs didn't turn traitor and let her crumble to the ground. He pulled her after him as he stepped through the opening in the tent. 

"What's going on Ethan?" Nick stood not far away, looking decidedly angry but attempting to mask it with a stoic expression. His dark eyes swept over Tianna. Tianna flushed and looked at the ground. 

Ethan stretched and yawned languidly. "Morning wood," he shrugged and smirked. "Couldn't help it." 

Nick seemed to relax, soothed by whatever he saw in Ethan's eyes. Trent simply grinned. 

"Come on," Ethan said, "Let's get out of here." 

Tianna watched as they quickly Packed up. When Ethan reached for her arm she wrenched away, ignoring the pain in her side. Her eyes were spitting black ice. "You've got morning wood?! You son-of-a-bitch, is that was? Just wanting to get rid of a hard on?" 

Ethan smirked and shrugged again. "What did you think is was, sweetheart? True love?"

That smirk was too much. He'd made a fool of her. And worse, she had let him. She would have smacked a lesser man. This wasn't a man though. Putting all her rage into the action, Tianna caught Ethan with a hard right hook. 

Tianna immediately cried out and fell to her hands in knees. The movement had caused her ribs a fair amount of pain but it was worth it. 

Ethan stumbled, off balance. He then stood stiffly. He stood perfectly still as the girl rose to her feet. There was a shallow cut on his cheek made by her ring. Nick and Trent stood, shocked expressions on their faces. 

His eyes told her of impending doom. In a move faster than her eye could follow, his hands shot out and clamped down on her upper arms. He yanked her towards him, pulling her against his immobile frame so hard she was certain she had fractured her ribs once more. 

With a cry she gritted her teeth and her head dropped forward to his chest as she gasped for breath. 

His whisper stirred the hair at her temples. "You're either very stupid or very brave," he said softly. He lifted a hand to her face and gently stroked her cheek before e let her go and pushed her away from him. She backpedaled and compressed her side, grimacing. 

He perused her dispassionately. "Don't do that again. Nobody hits me and lives. Since you're a female and there are plans for you, I'll let it slide this time. But don't press your luck, girl." 

It took all of Tianna's courage to hold her head high and follow the men through the forest instead of giving into her first instinct which was to run like hell.



Feral Ch. 03



The Trent and Nick had left the Porsche back at Greystone Manor when they had gone for supplies the night before. It was a good two hour trek back to the Range Rover by the time they reached the SUV Tianna wanted to drop. Her rapid healing had taken a great deal of energy and it took all her strength just to stand up straight. She did so, further sapping her strength but not wanting to betray any inkling of weakness. Nick bundled her into the back seat and got in next to her. Trent sat on the other side of her, as if she would jump from a speeding vehicle. The thought had crossed her mind but it would be fruitless. She grimaced at the thought of what hitting the pavement at 70 miles an hour would do to her already battered body. 

Instead she glared at the back of Ethan's head. She wondered if the other two weres would be fast enough to stop her if she were to snap his neck. Would he crash the car then? It wouldn't kill the others but it might incapacitate them just long enough for her to get away. Her lips parted in a snarl. 

Ethan's azure gaze flickered to hers in the rearview mirror. "Down girl," he murmured. 

Tianna growled jerking toward him but she was immediately restrained by Nick's arm holding her back in her seat causing Ethan to chuckle, the corners of his eyes crinkling in the rearview.

Tianna seethed but slowly sat back in her seat. "I'm fine," she hissed through gritted teeth and glanced at Nick giving him her most innocent expression. "I won't hurt him." 

The dark haired were hesitated a moment before removing his arm but he did not seem to relax his vigilance.

Tianna lifted her chin and stared at Ethan in the rearview mirror. She spoke steadily. "So I gathered that you know who I am and what I am." She cocked her head and smiled beatifically "So I'm assuming that you know who my father is and you're fully aware of the shit you're in."

There was an uncomfortable silence emanating from the male weres around her. 

She sighed and her saccharine smile stretched wider. "Oh, good." She slid a little lower and her seat and seemed to relax a bit as she savored the feeling of their wariness. 

Tianna simply gazed out the window at the lush green scenery that passed by in blur as Ethan drove swiftly to the far secluded outskirts of Shandaken. She didn't know exactly where they were headed but she had a pretty good idea.

It was about a half an hour before they pulled up to a tall wrought iron gate flanked by tall stone columns. The gates opened automatically when the Range Rover halted in front of it. 

Tianna turned as they drove through the gates and watched the iron bars swing closed, feeling as though they were indeed shutting the rest of the world out and shutting her in. The driveway wound through trees about a half-mile before Greystone Manor rose before them against the backdrop of the forest. It was a regal stone mansion with white columns and large windows. 

Everyone got out of the car and Tianna stepped out. A cool morning breeze lifted her hair and with it came a tantalizing seduction of scents. She fought the urge to close her eyes and inhale deeply the sharp tang of cedar, the faint perfume of apple blossoms, and the teasing smell of breakfast. 

She gazed up at the stone mansion feeling the pull of memory. As large as it was there was nothing menacing about the large home but rather a calm sort of expectation enveloped the place like it had been waiting there for her.

Ethan strode forward and flung open the heavy double doors, threw his bag on the floor, and stalked across the hall. Nick gave Tianna a nudge to follow and she hesitantly did so. 

Tianna followed Ethan across the majestic marble foyer and into the study but the room was empty. A folded copy of the Wallstreet Journal lay beside a chair by the fire. Stacks files and papers littered the couch and desk. 

"Where's Aaron?" Tianna demanded, halting in the doorway crossing her arms over her chest. 

"Dunno. I haven't seen him since we left yesterday evening. He must have gone out."

"Out, huh?" Tianna didn't have to ask to know that Ethan didn't mean he'd gone out in the usual sense. Going out meant that he had gone for a run--and that didn't mean jogging. 

A muscle ticked in Tianna's jaw. Did Aaron really expect her to submit to a kidnapping and then wait on his convenience? Apparently, he did. Of course he did. But Tianna wanted to go home and she wanted to go home right now. She turned on her heel and strode towards the back of the house, letting the faint memories and her instincts guide her through the kitchen and then out the back door and across a patio towards the woods.

"TIANNA!"

She ignored Ethan following behind her and quickened her pace. She hopped on one foot and then the other as she kicked off her boots. She glanced over her shoulder as she shrugged out of the leather cycle jacket.

Ethan was coming out of the house, a dark scowl on his face. 

Laughing ,Tianna ducked into the woods and ran.. She tugged her camisole and bra over her head as she ran and tossed them aside. She undid her pants and paused only seconds to push them down, kick them off them and continue running. Her legs ached to run and to carry her swiftly through the intricate world of the forest and claim it as her own. But part of her protested fiercely. 'No! This isn't yours. You don't belong here!'

She could hear Ethan crashing through the brush behind her and it made her smile. He was in for it. She waited a moment allowing him to catch up to her. 

"Tianna..." he started in warning as he halted a few yards away, his hands curled into fists, his gaze roving over her nude body. Ethan felt his loins tightening painfully as he allowed his eyes to move languidly over her exquisite form. She stood a good ten inches shorter than him but she was small and beautifully shaped. Her dark hair fell wildly about nearly delicate shoulders and that framed high taut breasts enough to fill man's hands. Her waist was small flaring out to gently rounded hips atop a pair of shapely golden legs. Christ she was perfect from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. His tone was low when he spoke. The warning was unmistakable. "Tianna, stop this now."

She shook her head and grinned roguishly at him displaying elongated canines. Her eyes gleamed. "Too slow wolf," she tossed at him and turned on her heel and bolted. 

"TIANNA!" he roared. He chased after her as she wound through the trees. Ethan cursed as he sprinted after her as he lost sight of her momentarily. He veered around a tree to see a large black wolf dashing through the woods and he skidded to a stop. 

He was in shock. It had taken her only seconds to change and she had done it on the run. She hadn't stopped and curled up into a ball willing the change to come and rip its way agonizingly though her body. She was too fast for him but even if he caught her now he was probably still strong enough to subdue her but not without getting shredded by her teeth and claws in the process. 

Breathing hard in his fury he ripped off his t-shirt and quickly divested himself of the rest of his clothing and willed himself to breath slowly. He felt power surging through his thick corded muscles and he dropped his head back and let the pain come. 

Tianna slowed her pace just slightly as she heard Ethan drop back behind her. He'd stopped to change she was sure, giving her a couple of minutes to really concentrate on Aaron's scent as she made her way deeper into the woods.

Aaron's pathway wasn't difficult to follow. She recognized the faded scent pathways winding through the forest as the weres she had spent the last twelve hours with. And then there was the very new fresh scent of an unfamiliar werewolf. Aaron.

A howl pierced her thoughts, singing urgent cry of a wolf. Tianna paused and shuddered as the howl reverberated through her. She held back the answering howl that rumbled deep in her chest. She exhaled a puff of air and shook her head, prancing on her paws. 'No, no, no' she thought urgently. 'Claim the forest if you like but not him. No. Don't claim that.'

The brush rustled behind her and she whirled around to see a large blonde wolf launch himself at her. Ethan. He caught her full in the side and knocked her on her side skidding across the forest floor, then stood over her and nipped at the loose flesh at her neck. 

Tianna snapped her jaws at causing him he pulled back.

Ethan whined and stood over her. He bent his head and prodded her with his nose, no longer aggressive but imploring her to run and play with him. 

Doing a mental eye roll Tianna lunged forward and grabbing his foreleg between her jaws she yanked him off balance. Ethan went down and she leapt atop him but he quickly flipped over and they wrestled through the thick undergrowth, nipping and kicking, and fighting for position. 

Tianna wriggled free and leapt away. They circled each other. Ethan's tail wagged and brushed against her side, running along her flank like a caressing hand. He inched cautiously closer and rubbed his side against hers. He halted suddenly put a leg in front of her to stop her and he pressed his nose against her neck.

It was strange for her. Her father had taught her to wrestle, to fight for the top position. But this was different. Ethan was being playful but there was something else. She was drawn to him. He was pushy, dominating, ruthless--a true alpha male. She hated him but she felt inexplicably pulled toward him. 

She could feel his heated breath against her skin as he inhaled her scent. Tianna sighed but her reprieve was short lived. Ethan grabbed her by the skin of her throat and threw her backwards, giving a yip of triumph as he leapt over her and pinned her. 

They wrestled for a while longer before Tianna leapt free wriggled away from him and leapt free. Ethan lunged for her but Tianna sprung to the side and took off sprinting. 

Ethan skidded, turned, and tore after her. They raced through the forest, crossing acre after acre. Tianna's legs gobbled up the ground as she put more distance between herself and Ethan but just as she started worry about venturing too far into the forest with Ethan a myriad of scents assaulted her senses, halting her as she was about to circle back. Weres, three of them. All of their scents were unfamiliar. She hadn't smelled them at the mansion. 

Tianna headed east to solve the mystery. She barely gone ten yards when Ethan leapt from the brush in front of her and growled, his teeth bared. He was no longer playful. 

Tianna stared at him, wondering if she'd misunderstood. He growled again and she was sure. He was telling her to back off. She narrowed her eyes and glared at him. She pulled her ears back and snarled. Obviously he hadn't gotten the point yet. He couldn't boss her around. She curled her lips back and growled one last warning. He didn't back down.

She flung herself at him. He met her mid-lung, knocking the wind out of her. When she had finally recovered her senses, she lying on the ground with Ethan's teeth locked onto the skin behind her head. 

She let out a low moan. She needed some practice. Ethan growled and gave her a rough shake before pulling back and looking down at her expectantly with narrowed eyes. 

Tianna doggedly pulled herself to her feet with as much dignity as she could manage but before she was even fully upright, Ethan butted her backside with his muzzle. 

Snarling, Tianna turned and gave him a glare, her lips pulling back from her teeth. But Ethan ignored her and simply butted her again, herding her in the direction of Greystone Manor.

Tianna went along with Ethan's prodding for about a half mile before she abruptly swerved to the side and tried to loop around him. Seconds after she sprinted past him two-hundred pounds of fully grown wolf dropped onto her back and she skidded to a halt. 

Ethan's teeth sunk into her shoulder, deep enough to draw blood. Tianna let out a yelp of pain and writhed attempting to fight through the initial shock. She couldn't believe it. He'd bit her! The bastard really bit her!

This time he didn't even let her get to her feet before he started herding her back towards the house, nipping at her hind legs when she showed any inkling of hesitation. 

Tired of Ethan's pushing and prodding, Tianna turned and snapped at him. When he pulled back instinctively she reared back on her hind paws and changed. 

Ethan was staring at her as she turned and stalked away from him. He followed closely behind as she went in search of her pants.

Tianna glanced back at the sandy wolf following her. She knew what he was thinking; how unlike the loup garu she was in the way that she changed. A were valued his privacy when he changed. Even for the experienced werewolf, the change was uncomfortable at best though not the energy sapping agony of a new wolf's change. They valued their privacy for another reason. The in-between state--the transition from man to wolf--was gruesome and unpleasant to watch. But as Ethan watched Tianna shimmy into the tight leather pants he wondered at her transformation.

A light had seemed to fold around her body, blurring her form. The light--the aura--he could think of nothing else to call it, was in the shape of a wolf and then the shape stretched and fluidly lengthened into a human shape, Tianna shape. When the light had faded, Tianna was standing there in all her naked glory. She'd abruptly stomped away from him as though the change had taken nothing out of her, as if it had not taxed her in the least. It was incredible. 

Ethan was not behind her when Tianna stepped from the woods. She snatched up her camisole from the lawn and yanked it over her head, nearly tearing a hole in the black lace. She shrugged into the leather jacked, stuffing her bra into her pocket. Cursing under her breath she shoved her feet into her boots and faced the forest waiting for Ethan to emerge. 

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at her booted toes. She blew out slow steady breath of air. 'Calm,' she thought, 'I am calm. Getting into an argument with him isn't going to solve anything. Calm,' she nodded to herself. 'I can do calm.'

"So what you meditate too?" Ethan stepped from the woods barefooted and bare-chested. "I don't think it's doing you any good darlin'," he drawled. 

Tianna's head whipped up and her dark eyes clashed with his serene azure gaze. He was right. Her mantra wasn't working. She exploded. "Who the hell do you think you are pushing me around?! I'm not Pack and I'm not one of your underlings. So just get it through that Neanderthal brain of your and keep your hands and paws off me! Understand?" She ripped aside the collar of her jacket displaying the rapidly healing bite mark on her otherwise flawlessly smooth shoulder. "And you fucking bit me!"

Ethan had crossed his arms over his powerful chest and cocked his head to the side as he listened to her tirade. "You finished?"

Tianna perused him warily asking herself how far she was willing to push him. He was over six feet of powerful muscle and he was much faster than she would have liked to admit. Her gaze lingered on the flat pink male nipples before moving lower to peruse the taut ripples of his abdomen, the deep muscular v-cut at his sides and the trail of light blond hair that trailed from his belly button and disappeared into the slightly distressed denim jeans. 

Ethan lifted one blonde brow and cleared his throat causing Tianna to jerk slightly and wrench her gaze back to his amused expression. His voice was husky when he spoke again. "Finished now?"

Tianna's face felt like it was on fire. "Yes," she mumbled averting her gaze.

"Good," Ethan was striding towards her and before she could even react he had bent and tossed her over his shoulder and was striding back towards the house. 

"ETHAN!" Tianna shrieked in fury. "What the fuck did I just say!? Put me down!" She punched him hard, aiming for his kidney but he barely seemed to register any pain. She hit him again. "I hope you piss blood," she snarled.

"Shh." Ethan brought his hand down hard on her bottom eliciting a squeak from her. "Behave," he admonished.

He carried her through the house and back to the study where he dumped her from his shoulder and onto the plush leather settee. Tianna glared up at him.

"Stay," he pointed at her. His tone brooked no argument.

Her jaw twitched as she held back an outburst. Her gaze followed him as he sprawled in a tall all armchair next to the settee. It was then that she realized that they were not alone. 

Standing by the window, his gaze intent on her, was Aaron Thorne. He was tall though not so tall as Ethan and all lean muscle. He was olive skinned and dark eyed. His dark hair was worn long and feathered about his shoulders. A shock of hair fell across his brow. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties though Tianna knew he was her father's age, about twenty years older than he looked. He was dressed conservatively in a black button down over dark denim and black cowboy boots. 

"Tianna." His voice was not what she expected. He spoke softly though with assurance. There was no derision in his tone, nor anger or disapproval. He sounded speculative, as though her were simply testing her name out on his tongue. 

Tianna straightened in her seat, lifted her chin, and returned his gaze. She could feel Ethan watching the exchange with interest. "Mr. Thorne," she returned evenly and watched the corner of his mouth tilt upwards in a small smile.

"So formal," he chided softly. "Call me Aaron. We're practically family aren't we?"

Tianna forced a tight smile but said nothing.

Aaron came forward and stopped in from of her. "Are you alright?"

Surprised at his question and at the look of genuine concern on his face, her eyes darted to Ethan who smiled back at her and shrugged, amusement once again lighting his cerulean gaze.

"I'm fine," she ground out glaring at Ethan.

"You're certain?" Aaron asked her, causing her to lift her gaze once more to those probing dark brown orbs.

"Yes."

"Good," Aaron nodded more to himself than to her. "Ethan will show you to your room. He said simply, turned from her and moved to sit behind a heavy mahogany desk. She was being dismissed. 

Tianna slowly rose to her feet, her hands balling into fists. "That's it?" She ground out. "You have me kidnapped and manhandled and you have nothing else to say? No explanations?"

Aaron leaned back in the armchair, steepling his fingers before his lips. One dark eyebrow winged upward. He said nothing. 

He was going to keep her here. Tianna stared at him. He couldn't be serious. She felt Ethan's hand closing over her upper arm as he propelled her from the room. Still reeling, Tianna went along mutely as Ethan lead her through the expansive foyer and up the stairs, down a series of hallways before stopping at 'her' doorway.

"Don't push him, Tianna," he warned, but she simply stared door before her silently. 

There was a slight tremor in her voice when she spoke. "Are you going to lock me in?"

Ethan shook his head. "No." 

"And your room?" she asked tonelessly.

He nodded to the door neighboring hers a little ways down the hallway. "Nick is across the hall, and Trent around the corner. Marcus, Aiden, and Aaron's rooms are in the other wing along with Dominic's."

She nodded to herself. "My father's room."

Ethan nodded. "Dominic may choose to reside in New York but Greystone has always been his home."

When Tianna said nothing Ethan gently took hold of her shoulders and turned her to face him, grimacing when she flinched at his touch. Her gaze was fixated on the center of his chest. "Tianna," he said softly, lifting her face to his with one fingertip. "You're safe here, I promise."




Feral Ch. 03



Tianna jerked away from him. "Safe from what, Ethan?" she demanded. 

Ethan simply looked at her, shoving his hands in his pockets. He at least had the decency to look somewhat chagrined. 

Tianna felt her eyes burning. She was going to cry. "Leave me alone, Ethan," she mumbled and quickly ducked into the room, slamming the door behind her before leaning against the door. A hysterical bubble up through her chest, promptly emerging as a sob.

Tianna clapped her hand over her mouth to mute the sound as she slid down the door to sit at its base. Tears streamed down her face, her chest seizing painfully with the effort of holding back sobs. 

"Tianna?" came Ethan's voice from the other side of the door. 

She reached up and turned the lock, locking him out though she realized a locked door was a flimsy deterrent. 

Ethan stared at the door handle in consternation. She was crying. He could hear her on the other size of the door. 

The girl had seemed to display the emotional depth of a teaspoon: anger, rage, fury, indignation ,fury. It was what he would have expected of Dominic Moore's daughter. 

Fiery tempers, willful disobedience, reckless determination, and a disturbingly calculating mentality were notorious Moore family traits and Aaron had warned him not to forget it when he had gone to collect the girl.

Dominic Moore could have undoubtedly been the head of the Pack had he wanted that distinction. But Dominic would never have fought Aaron nor had he wished to challenge Aaron who was like a brother to him. He had no wish to lead the Pack. Dominic Moore preferred to live his life outside the immediate constraints of the Pack though never truly leaving the Pack behind him. He'd wanted the same for his daughter, but not at the expense of her safety.

It was why he'd allowed her to come to Shendaken. The girl was under the illusion of complete freedom and independence but Dominic had wanted her looked after and protected. The girl would be an instant draw to any mutt who came across her off Pack territory. 

No mutt had trespassed on Pack territory in over a hundred years until the incident in Manhattan. The mutt had been dealt with swiftly and brutally for the infraction. He had been made an example of but the lesson concerning Tianna's safety had not been forgotten. 

Ethan had thought himself prepared for Dominic Moore's daughter. He had been prepared to deal with her fury, her resistance and her defiance. It was her quiet sobs on the other side of the door that disturbed him. 

"Tianna," he tried again. 

"Go away, Ethan!" she came her muffled shout. 

Shaking his head Ethan backed away and made his way to his own room. He flopped on the bed letting out a low groan. He couldn't quite fathom his reaction to Dominic Moore's daughter. She was everything he had imagined her to be; fierce, beautiful, and exceedingly difficult. What he hadn't counted on was his the way she pissed him the fuck off and made his cock ache with wanting her all at once. 

Covered his eyes with his arm and listened carefully. He could still hear her crying in the next bedroom. It would only be a matter of time before she calmed down and started plotting again. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if she was plotting right now. 

***

Tianna moaned, her eyelids flickering open. Panicked at her unfamiliar surroundings, she shot up to sitting position on huge four poster bed hung with pale pink drapes. The memory of where she was came slowly, doing little to alleviate her panic.

She took her time perusing the spacious bedroom. It was decorated in creams, golds and pale pinks. The room was decidedly feminine despite the clean simple lines of the furniture. There was an a sitting area and an armoir in the corner. There was also what looked like a walk-in closet and a bathroom. 

Light poured through the large windows framed by cream and gold damask curtains. Sunset? No. The light was coming from the wrong direction. She'd slept heavily through the night. She blinked rapidly. The light hurt her eyes. 

She slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed and stiffly stood to her feet and moved towards the bathroom. 

The marble countertop was crowded with feminine products; expensive bath salts, lotions, and other products. Tianna turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her hands splayed against the cool marble. She looked like hell. Her face was slightly swollen from crying herself to sleep. Her hair was a wild bird's nest around her head. Cursing she looked around the bathroom. There was a claw footed tub and a shower. She opted for the shower. She slowly removed her clothing, wincing at the movement. Yesterday's change and roughhousing had been too much too soon after her rapid healing. Her muscles protested, reminding her of the way she'd abused them. 

She lingered in the hot shower as the heated water soothed her sore muscles. She worked the expensive shampoo and conditioner through her hair and tried to ignore the dark dirty water that ran off her body and down the drain. 

She emerged and wrapped a fluffy white towel around her body before reluctantly donning her filthy leathers once more. 

When she excited the bathroom, the first thing she noticed was the telephone on the small side table next to the settee. She was across the room faster than her body appreciated and snatching up the handset. She dialed her father's number and listened.

Nothing. No dial tone. Nothing. She looked at the screen. It seemed to be working okay. She tentatively put her ear back to the handset. "Hello?"

"Tianna, I'm on the line." It was Aaron. 

"Tianna?" a second deep rumbling voice answered.

Tianna sat straight up. "Daddy?"

"Tianna, baby, are you okay?" Dominic Moore demanded.

Relief washed over her and her voice clouded with tears. "Daddy, what's going on? They kidnapped me and wrecked my bike. I wanna go home. Please tell them to let me go home."

Dominic Moore sighed. "Tia, baby, I'm sorry but you've got to stay put for now."

"What? Why?" she wanted to know, hating the way she sounded lie a pleading child. 

"We're still trying to figure some things out, Tia. Please just do as your told." 

Tianna felt as though her lungs were shrunken in her chest. 

"Tianna, please honey listen to me on this." 

Tianna bit her lip. She answered in a soft trembling voice. "Okay." 

"Tia--"

She hung up the phone. 

She sat for minutes, staring at the phone in her hand before placing it back in the cradle. 

She moved to the bedroom door and pressed her ear against the cool smooth wood. She could hear people moving about the house. 

Shaking her head she moved across the room and shoved open the large picture window overlooking the back patio two stories down. With no hesitation she jumped, landing in a crouch. She straightened slowly and rolled her shoulders. Ouch.

A slow clapping caused her to jerk her head in the direction of the house. The French doors off the breakfast room were flung open opening onto the patio. A table full of staring men (she counted six) had stopped, obviously mid-motion with forks halfway to their gaping mouths. 

Ethan stopped clapping and lifted a coffee cup in mock salute. "Nice entrance, darlin' but you could have taken the stairs. How about some breakfast?"



Feral Ch. 04



Tianna's mind was reeling when she set the phone back in its cradle. Her father knew. He knew and he was in on it. He wanted her to stay at Greystone manor with this bunch of psychopaths. 

She roughly smoothed her still damp hair back from her face, fighting the panic that threatened to rattle her. Dominic didn't dictate to her often and he rarely gave her reason to disobey him but this time she had no intention of following orders. 

Fuck it. Shaking her head she moved across the room and shoved open the large picture window overlooking the stone patio two stories down and with no hesitation she jumped, landing in a crouch. The impact reverberated though her body, jarring her aching muscles. She straightened slowly and rolled her shoulders. Ouch. She had definitely overdone it yesterday. She shook her head, mentally berating herself for not considering her body's necessary healing time. 

A slow deliberate clapping caused her to jerk her head in the direction of the house. The French doors off the breakfast room were flung open opening onto the patio. A table full of staring men--she counted six--had stopped, obviously mid-motion with forks halfway to their mouths and stared at her. 

Ethan had stopped clapping and lifted a coffee cup in mock salute. "Nice entrance, darlin'. How about some coffee?" 

Tianna glared at him. Of course, nothing was going to be easy. 

A chair scraped and a tall red haired werewolf who looked eerily like Trent stood and gestured for her to have a seat. Not knowing what else to do, she hesitantly stepped into the breakfast room and took a seat to Ethan's right. The moment she sat conversation resumed and everyone began eating once more hardly paying her any mind, with the exception of Ethan. 

Ethan piled the plate in front of her high with pancakes, bacon and eggs. "Eat."

Tianna glared at him. "I'm not hungry," she growled. 

Ethan leaned towards her, his clear blue gaze piercing her. "Bullshit. Don't be such a whiny, little girl. It won't help you."

Tianna stared at him hard. "Where's Aaron?" 

Ethan leaned back in his seat and looked t her solemnly. "Eat, and then we can talk." 

Tianna glanced down at her plate. She considered pushing the plate away from her but stomach growled in response. "Fine." 

A real smile graced Ethan's face

Tianna was ravenous. While listening to the others she learned that the other three weres had only arrived last night. The redheaded werewolf, Caleb, was indeed related to Trent. He was not his older brother as Tianna had assumed but his father. There were two other unfamiliar werewolves, twins, Conner and Isaac. They looked to be in their late twenties meaning they were probably almost old enough to be her father. They had dark hair falling past their shoulders pulled back into queues. Werewolves aged slowly, retaining their unnaturally good looks and impressive physiques late into their lives which could span over a hundred years. But this pack was incredibly young and significantly smaller than the packs of the past. 

Before Aaron had taken power, the history of the pack had been dominated by strife and violence. Only pureblood werewolves could be members of the pack which ruled over the North American territory. Europe, Asia, South America, and Africa had their own respective packs also made up of purebloods. Thus leaving mutts with no territories of their own and ever subject to the pack laws. It was only in the last 30 years in which this had changed, much in part to Aaron Thorne. 

Dominic Moore had told his daughter about the most recent sixty years of bloodshed that plagued his kind. The pack system which had been in place for centuries was challenged. The mutts had gathered and united under a shadowy leader, Drake, to challenge the packs everywhere. What had ensued was bloody. Drake and his followers had specifically targeted the pack elders and positions of power using means outside the realm of traditional loup garu combat. The mutts had resorted to assassinations, car bombs, and ambushed pack members in their human forms. It was unheard of and the pack had been completely unprepared to handle it. In a few short years, the number of pack elders had dwindled to fewer than twenty. It had been the younger generations members of the pack who acted--Dominic, Caleb, Isaac, and Aaron among them--that had taken up the mutts challenge and never failed to make a gruesome and resounding example of the insurrectionists. Modern warfare was expensive, and the mutts did not have to funds, often resorting to thievery in order to meet their demands. But they could not compete with the centuries of wealth the pack had accumulated. 

Aaron and Dominic had taken to capturing mutts. The mutts were then forced to fight for their lives in the old way and they rarely succeeded. Were the mutts to survive ( a rarity to be sure) they would be maimed and sent back as a warning to their fellow mutts. Under the swift and brutal guidance of the younger generation of the pack Drake and the mutts were suppressed within a few short years. But the pack losses had been great and their hierarchy of the pack undone. The elders were few and the leaders of packs had been annihilated. The fight between pack brothers for power and rule no longer seemed of any benefit when so much blood had been shed. And so the more democratic pack was born. 

The remaining elders gathered themselves and removed themselves from their respective packs to form one far-reaching governing body leaving the packs to choose their own leaders in whatever manner they wished. Aaron was the first pack leader to ever be elected by his own pack rather fighting for the title. Aaron was a diplomat above all else. He saw the danger of the pack's current system. The pack's treatment of the mutts had caused the rebellion to begin with. To simply continue the old system was simply going to cause further tensions and fighting in the future. So Aaron granted the mutts the Midwestern territories and encouraged the other packs to do the same, granting the mutts in their regions their own small territories. The mutts were placated and seemed to understand that they had been granted some of that which they had been fighting for. But Aaron had realized the merit in granting them their own land as well. The mutts had no sense of hierarchy or any inclinations of what to do with the land they had been given. As Aaron had known they would, the mutts began to fight amongst themselves to hold the most land, and the pack had a more complete knowledge of mutt whereabouts. No longer was the mutt merely a unaffiliated werewolf on Pack land roaming aimlessly about, but confined by the very land that had been gifted to them.

Yes, Aaron Thorne was ever the diplomat. But he always worked in the interest of the pack even if his actions were questionable to others. He was self possessed. But it would be a mistake to underestimate the ever present cool façade. He would be swift and ruthless when necessary. It was his cold reserve and endlessly calculating nature that served the pack well. 

Tianna grimaced. Aaron Thorne was not a man to be crossed. It would make getting around him that much harder. That, and his right hand, the blonde werewolf --his enforcer—sitting next to her. 

Tianna put her fork down and stared at Ethan. "I want to talk to Aaron." 

Ethan glanced at her plate and nodded. The sound of his chair scraping drew the looks of the other men at the table. It was silent as Tianna stood with Ethan and followed him into the study. 

Aaron was sitting behind a large mahogany desk, papers scattered around him. He was wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing the night before and dark stubble shadowed his cheeks. His dark gaze was hooded. 

Tianna gritted her teeth at the sight of her captor but sat when he motioned for her to sit in one of the chairs across from the desk. Ethan seated himself next to her. 

Aaron leaned back in the large leather armchair and regarded her calmly. He made a small shrug of his shoulders at the look of hostility in her dark gaze. "Your father and I are in agreement, Tianna, that the best place for you at the moment is here at Greystone," he said smoothly. 

"So it would seem," Tianna returned.

One of Aaron's dark brows winged upwards. "Are you going to obey his wishes or are we going to have to maintain your company by other means?"

Tianna flinched inwardly at the word 'obey'. Her fingers curled around the arms of the chair. Her father rarely if ever attempted to command the course her life or undermine her freedom. That he'd chosen this particular instance to do so irritated her to no end. As much as she'd like to tear the study apart, she decided that diplomacy most likely in her best interest. 

Tianna met Aaron's gaze squarely. "Dominic doesn't even attempt to tell me what to do very often, so I'm assuming he has one hell of a reason for trying it now." She lifted her chin. "So I'll stay on two conditions."

Aaron cocked his head, waiting.

Tianna drew a deep breath. "I want to go back to town for a couple days." She caught sight of Ethan forming a protest and rushed on. "It's a small town, okay. I have friends there, neighbors. If I just disappear people will worry. And I want to grab some of my things." She glanced down at her scuffed leathers. "I mean, I can't wear these everyday. I just want to grab some of my things, like clothes, my car..." 

Aaron eyed her with a bemused expression. "Anything else?"

"Yeah," Tianna crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "I want to know what the fuck is going on. And I want it understood that this is temporary. I'm not pack and I'm only here because my father seems to think it's important.

A wry smile tugged at Aaron's lips. "Fine."

Tianna stared at him. "Fine?"

Aaron shrugged. "Fine. Of course, I have some conditions of my own." 

Tianna nodded. She'd assumed there would be conditions.

"You can return to Shendaken. You have two days, and Ethan goes with you." He watched her mouth open to protest and held up a hand to halt her. "You're either going with Ethan or you're not going at all. Secondly, I'll have one of the others pick up your car if it means so much to you. And I'll tell you everything I know when you return."

Tianna scowled. "Fine."

"So go," Aaron said easily. "Make your excuses to your friends but give them no reason to suspect anything...suspicious." 

Tianna snorted. "Suspicious that I've been kidnapped by sociopathic werewolves?" She smiled a tight smile, her dark eyes hard. "Sure, no problem."

Aaron glanced at Ethan before switching his gaze back to Tianna. "Should you try to run, Ethan has both my and Dominic's permission to use whatever means necessary to bring you back." 

Ethan grinned. Tianna's face flushed with anger. 

"Other than that," Aaron smiled, "You can be on your way." 

Tianna held back an outburst and gave Ethan a mockingly sweet smile. "Shall we?"

Ethan's flaxen brows lifted. "By all means."

***

The car ride back to Shendaken was silent. Tianna sat staring out the window at the trees whirring by as the Range Rover sped towards town. 

Ethan glanced at her as he drove. "You shouldn't give Aaron such a tough time," he offered and was met with silence. "He's only doing what he thinks is best for you. We all are."

Tianna turned her narrowed dark chocolate eyes on him. Her tone was dry. "Excuse me if I'm a little skeptical. Broken bones and kidnapping must have clouded my senses." 

Ethan sighed and shook his head. 

Tianna wasn't surprised when Ethan pulled into her driveway without and direction from her. Of course, he knew exactly where she lived.

The home was a navy blue cape cod with a red door and white trim. It was small and cute, two bedroom, one and a half bathroom but it suited her needs perfectly. 

Ethan was at her side when she stepped onto the porch, keys in hand. "Wait," Ethan grabbed her wrist when she moved to unlock the house. 

"Ethan what--"

Ethan reached out and pushed the door open. He growled low in his throat. "Did you leave your door unlocked?"

Tianna shook her head mutely. No. 

Ethan stepped forward into the foyer. His voice was low. "Stay close to me. If I tell you to run, you run, understand?"

Tianna nodded, eyes wide. She had no real intention to run away if some asshole had broken into her home. 

Ethan reached back and grabbed her hand firmly in his and pulled her after him as he moved silently through the living room and dining room and kitchen. 

Tianna inhaled deeply. There was no scent of a strange unfamiliar wolf, but someone had definitely been in her house. An unfamiliar human scent lingered in the air. Everything appeared untouched, however, until they mounted the stairs to her bedroom. 

Her anger faltered and Ethan felt her fingers tighten around his. He glanced back at her and saw genuine fear and uncertainty flicker in her dark gaze as she gazed around her bedroom in dismay. 

The drawers had been wrenched from her dresser and lay shattered on the floor. They'd obviously been thrown against the wall. Her clothes were strewn across the floor. The closet door of her walk-in closet was open, its contents in similar disarray. 

The covers had been ripped off her bed. The oil paintings had been ripped down from the walls. The photographs of friends and family were still in their frames, the glass smashed and scattered about the floor. Her boots crunched as she stepped into the room behind Ethan. There was something decidedly violent about the way her bedroom has been torn apart. The scent of the unfamiliar human was strong here, permeating her space. 

"Ethan," she breathed, "what is going on?"

"Shhh!" Ethan hissed, his body suddenly going rigid. He released her hand and took a swift step towards the door. And then she heard it too; the footsteps creaking on the hardwood downstairs. 

"Tianna?!" she heard her name being called, immediately recognizing the voice. 

She made a grab for Ethan but it was too late. Ethan was already barreling down the stairs toward the intruder. 

"Ethan, NO!" she shouted tearing after him. She skidded to a stop in the living room to find Ethan straddling Sean, his forearm pressed against Sean's throat, his teeth bared. "Ethan stop it!" She shoved at Ethan but to no avail.

Ethan eased up a bit on Sean and switched his cobalt blue gaze to her. "You know this guy?" 

Tianna crossed her arms and glared at him. "Yes! And you know that! Now let him go." 

Ethan shrugged and reluctantly released her friend, taking a step back.

"Oh my God. Are you okay?" Tianna demanded helping Sean to his feet. 

Sean shook her off angrily, his hands curling into fists. He glared at Ethan. "What the fuck? What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He took a menacing step towards the tall blonde who had just tackled him moments before, only to have Tianna step between them and place a restraining hand on his chest. 

Sean narrowed his emerald gaze at her in bewilderment. The man standing across from him was one of the guys who'd chased her out of the bar last night and now she was defending him?

"Sean, please," Tianna pleaded. "It was an accident." 

Sean scowled at her. "An accident? Tackling me in your living room is an accident?" 

The blond man leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed, glaring at him. Sean pointedly ignored him and glanced down at Tianna. 

"An accident, yes," she said looking up at him. She signed. "Look, someone broke into my house and he just assumed you were an intruder when we heard you downstairs." She glanced back at the blonde werewolf. "Right, Ethan?" 

Ethan gave a noncommittal shrug, his face remaining impassive. Tianna rolled her eyes at the thought of expecting any sort of valid response from him. 

Seans' face lost some of its fury and he gently took hold of her shoulders. "Jesus, Tia," he cursed, looking her over and taking in her scuffed leathers. "What the fuck happened to you? Where's your bike?"

Glancing over her should at Ethan, Tianna grabbed Sean's hand and pulled him towards the stairs. Ethan glared at her and made to halt her when Tianna shot him a warning look. "Ethan, just give me a moment okay?" Ethan frowned but didn't follow as she led Sean upstairs. She tugged Sean into her bedroom and closed the door though it wouldn't really make a difference. Ethan could hear every word regardless.

"Shit, Tia," Sean cursed as he looked over her bedroom. He turned to face her. "What the hell is going on? Who the fuck is that guy down there?"

Tianna ran a rough hand over her hair and drew a deep breath. Her heart constricted at the idea of lying to him but the truth was dangerous. Werewolves had a history of dispensing with anyone who were too close to discovering their existence. 

"His name is Ethan," Tianna told him, meeting his gaze. "And he's a friend of the family."

Sean frowned. "Bullshit, Tia. If he's just some family friend then why were he and his buddy all over you in the bar last night?" 

Tianna flushed, remembering the way she had been pressed between Ethan and Nick as their hands roamed over her and they sinuously moved against her. 

"And why did he and a bunch of guys chase you out of the bar last night?" he demanded taking a step towards her. 

Tianna winced and took a step backwards. "Look Sean, it's complicated, okay?"

"Obviously," he crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his piercing gaze at her. 

Tianna shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. "There's one more thing," she offered hesitantly. "I'm going to be out of town for a little bit."

Sean's scowl deepened. "Tia..."

Tianna shrugged. "Someone broke into my house, Sean. I'm staying with them for a little bit." 

"Them? Where? What are you talking about?"

Tianna sighed. "The old gated manor outside of town. Like I said, they're old family friends." 

"Christ, Tianna." He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her against his chest and looping an arm around her waist.

"Sean—"

"Is he making you go with him?" he demanded. 

Yes. No. Tianna shook her head vehemently." No."

"C'mon, Tia. Stay with me if you're freaked out. But don't go with this guy. He's bad news."

'You have no idea,' she thought darkly. She looked up into Sean's handsome finely sculpted face. The look of concern and apprehension in his gaze made her breath hitch. 

"Sean, I talked to my dad and I promised him that I would stay with them. I promised." She wanted nothing more than to accept his offer but Aaron's promise of using "whatever means necessary" to bring her back was not an idle threat. 

Sean's dark brows drew together. "Are you in some kind of trouble? You can tell me." 

Tianna inhaled deeply. "It's not like that." 

"Because I can help," Sean continued on. "Or I'll find someone who can. Stay with me, Tia," he said again, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "You don't have to go with him."

"I'm sorry, Sean," she said firmly, pulling out of his grasp. "But I'll call you and let you know whenever I'm back in town for whatever."

Sean shook his head. "Right, which is why I came over last night but you weren't here." He withdrew her cell phone from his pocket and handed it to her. "It must have fallen out of your jacket last night."

Tianna glanced at her phone. Eleven missed calls, all from her mother. 

Sean shoved his hands in his pockets. "I guess your mom is pretty worried." 

"Yeah," Tianna murmured absently, staring at her phone. She shook her head as if clearing her thoughts and offered him a stiff smile. "I'll walk you to your car okay?"

"Tianna—" 

She grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door. She ignored Ethan on the couch watching ESPN in the living room although she heard him switch off the television when she led Sean past him and out the door. 




Feral Ch. 04



Sean's black 1969 Dodge Charger was parked on the curb. Tianna walked him around the side of the car to the driver's side door. He fingered his keys pensively before leaning back against his car door and pulling her against him crushing her breasts against his muscular chest, his heavily tattooed arms going around her. He watched surprise flickered in her dark eyes as he held her securely in place. 

Her glance darted towards the house, certain that Ethan was watching whether she could see him or not. 

"Tia," Sean gently wrapped his hand around her hair and forced her to meet his serious gaze. "Call me and I'll come get you. No questions asked, okay?"

"Yeah," she swallowed thickly. "Of course." Not a chance in hell.

He wrapped her in a tight hug before pressing a kiss to her brow and running a hand over her dark hair. 

The car door slammed, the engine roared to life before settling into a low rumble and he was gone. Tianna stood momentarily in the street, watching him turn the corner before striding back into the house. 

Ethan was still sitting on the couch. She was sure his relaxed posture was feigned. The TV clicked off and he set the remote on the couch. Tianna was going to ignore him completely when he spoke. "So what's up with you and the meat boy?"

Tianna shot him a scathing look as she halted in the doorway. "Don't be melodramatic. You guys don't eat people."

Ethan leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. He grinned, displaying elongated canines. "I could make an exception, sweetheart," he drawled. 

Tianna snorted, gave him the middle finger and strode upstairs to sort through her things and pack up. 

Her bedroom felt odd, as though it were somehow tainted by the presence of some unknown stranger. She could smell him on her clothes as she shoved them into a suitcase. There was no way she was going to wear any of them until they'd been washed. The idea made her queasy. 

Sighing she made her way across the hallway to the guest bedroom which had been left untouched and opened the closet. 

Her best friend Eva came to Shendaken often. Eva was from Manhattan and had been Tianna's best friend since birth. She worried incessantly about Tianna moving out into what Eva called "the middle of nowhere bumfuck," so she was a regular visitor and kept a small wardrobe there. Considering the circumstances, Tianna was sure Eva wouldn't mind if she borrowed a couple things. 

Stripping off of her scuffed leathers, she pulled on a pair of Eva's black faux leather leggings and an oversized cable knit sweater before shoving her feet back into her motorcycle boots. 

Her unease growing, she picked up her suitcase, took one final look over her decimated room and went to join Ethan downstairs. 

Ethan reached for her bag but she jerked it away from him. "I got it." She snarled and tossed it into the back of the Range Rover. 

Just as she was about to get in the SUV when the Porsche Boxter screeched to a halt behind them. Trent and Nick emerged. 

Nick was grinning broadly. "We came for your car."

Rolling her eyes, Tianna handed him her keys. "Don't drive it like you drive your penis on wheels."

Nick laughed. "Actually, it's Ethan's car."

"Figures," she grumbled climbing into the Range Rover. "The garage remote is on the keychain." 

She slumped in the front seat and watched Nick climb into her brand new maroon Jeep Rubicon. Ethan climbed into the driver's seat of the Range. 

"You know I could drive my own car," she grumbled. 

Ethan lifted a flaxen brow. "I'm not really in the mood for a car chase today, darlin'," he drawled. "You have a habit of fleeing." 

Tianna said nothing but stared out the window as he pulled out of her driveway. If possible the ride back to Greystone was even more silent and uncomfortable than before.

Tianna leaned her brow against the cool glass of the window and watched the green of the trees blur past. 

The cold sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach was spreading through her chest, freezing her lungs. She squeezed her eyes just and concentrated on breathing deeply and fighting down the panic. She didn't like feeling out of control, like her life's course was being snatched from her own hands. 

Ethan glanced at her as he drove. His gaze roved over the smooth golden brown curve of her cheek and the dark hair that fell in loose wild curls around her shoulders. He could hear her heart beating rapidly, her breath coming in low shallow gasps. Her thickly lashed eyelids were pressed shut.

"Tianna, are you alright?"

Her eyelids snapped open but she didn't look at him. Her mouth thinned into a tight line. "I'm fine." 

Ethan shook his head. She was scared, he understood that. Beneath all her bravado, she was still very young. At twenty-one, she was eight years his junior but she was lifetimes behind him when it came to pack life. He understood that Dominic had wanted to shield his daughter and yet give into her demands for freedom. But Tianna Moore wasn't just any young woman. She was the first of her kind in centuries and as such there would always be those that would seek her out. The sooner she understood that her very existence was dangerous the better. 

When the caravan of vehicles pulled up in front of Greystone manor she was out of the car before he could say another word to her. 

Tianna was retreating, fighting back tears and steadying her breath until she was behind closed doors. But the scent that hit her as she entered the huge home stopped her dead in her tracks. The heady scent of citrus and ginger was more familiar to her than anything. She dropped her bag in the foyer. 

"Mom?" She ran towards the study. "Mom!"

Alaina Ralston appeared in doorway to the study. She looked decidedly unsettled but smiled a genuine smile when she saw her daughter. 

Tianna flung herself into her mother's arms and held on for dear life. 

Alaina closed her daughter tightly in her arms and gently stroked her dark hair. "Oh sweetheart, sweetheart..." She held her trembling daughter in her arms, shooting Aaron Thorne a dark look. Her daughter had not cried in her arms since she was a child and Aaron Thorne would pay dearly for whatever he had done to Tianna to elicit such out of character behavior. Alaina Ralston took her daughter's face in her hands, her amber eyes roving over Tianna's features. "Oh, sweetheart, are you alright?"

Tianna swallowed back a sob and nodded mutely. No, she was not alright but she was not going to distress her mother further. "Mom, what's going on? No one will tell me anything."

Alaina looped her arm around her daughter's waist and faced Aaron Thorne. "And we're going to remedy that right now, aren't we Aaron?"

Tianna's demeanor quickly shifted, her face growing impassive and cold when she noticed Aaron standing in the doorway of the study. 

Her mother glared at him. "If you've mishandled my daughter in any way, you will be sorry for it Thorne." 

Aaron inclined his head. "I assure you, Alaina, that any mishaps along the way were purely accidental and unintended. For that I apologize. Please," he stepped aside and gestured for them to enter the study before him. 

Alaina grasped her daughter's hand and the two women entered the study, seating themselves in the two overstuffed armchairs facing the Alpha's desk. 

Aaron seated himself behind the desk while Ethan came to stand at his shoulder. 

Aaron looked intently at Tianna. "Im sorry that things got out of hand when we came to collect you. Ethan is not known for his finesse."

Tianna glanced at Ethan to watch him shrug indifferently and felt fury causing her hands to curl tensely around the arms of the chair. She'd like nothing better than to smack that smirk off his handsome face. 

"Here," Aaron slid a rumpled, stained manila envelope across the table. 

Lifting her brows in question, Tianna opened the envelope and reached inside to pull out a stack of color photographs, her unease growing as she slowly sifted through them. 

Each was a photograph of her; at the grocery store, the bar, on her bike, hanging out with Sean. She lifted an angry gaze to Aaron. "You've been following me?"

Aaron shrugged. "Of course, we've been keeping track of you but we didn't take those photos. We're not sure who did."

Tianna's brows drew together in confusion. "What do you mean you're not sure?"

Aaron sighed. "Ethan took the Boxter into town last week to get some supplies. When he came out of the grocery store the envelope was on the seat of the car." 

Tianna frowned. "I haven't smelled any other wolves, haven't sensed them. No other weres have been lurking around my house. I would know. It's just some human creeper, and 'human' I can handle. 

Aaron leaned forward. "I've no doubt that you can handle yourself against a human threat, Tianna, but we don't think that is the case."

Tianna shifted uncomfortably in her seat. 

Aaron continued. "If it were simply a human threat then why give the photos to Ethan? Why make that connection? How?"

Tianna was silent, uncertain. 

Aaron leaned back in his chair armchair. "The mutts have been congregating, seeming to put aside their differences. And there are rumors that Drake has returned." 

A gasp escaped Alaina's lips. "Drake?"

Tianna blinked, her father's recollections flooding her mind. Drake, the former pack werewolf expelled after attempting to usurp the former Alpha by less than honorable means. He'd then gone one to rally the mutts against the old order, resulting in decades of violence and bloodshed. 

"Why now?" Tianna asked

Aaron was silent, his mouth thinning as he seemed to consider his words carefully. 

Ethan spoke in a low voice. "Perhaps we have something he wants."

Tianna and Ethan stared at one another. "Something..." Tianna murmured, feeling dread well in the pit of her stomach.

Alaina reached over and grabbed her daughter's hand. Tianna could feel everyone's eyes on her. 

Aaron's voice was also low when he spoke. "It isn't as if men and mystic women haven't..." he glanced at Alaina, "been involved intimately before, but there has never been offspring. We have generally come to believe that we are not genetically compatible. Once again, Tianna, you are an exception to the rule." Watching her intently he seemed reluctant to speak his next words. "Do you know what you smell like to our kind Tianna?"

Tianna blinked and stared at him, recalling the mutt who had dragging her into an alley, intent on raping and mating her against her will. "You smell like a bitch in heat," he had growled.

Tianna sqeezed her eyes shut leaned forward burying her face in her hands, and let out a shuddering breath.

She lifted her gaze to Aaron. "But I scented no wolves." 

Aaron nodded. "True, if a mutt or Drake had been there, you would have known. We would have known. We think that they're using a human to track you." he made a small shrug of his shoulders. "Of course we could be mistaken, but the photographs and the break in would suggest a distinct interest in you."

Tianna lowered her gaze t her scuffed boot tips. All of her life she had revelled in the power, strength and freedom of her heritage. Now, she had never wished more than anything to be just a normal twenty-one year old. "So I'm stuck here," she ground out, once more meeting Aaron's dark gaze.

"Tia honey," Alaina began. "I think it would be best if you stayed with the pack, not just one their land. For the time being anyway."

Tianna nodded absently as she slumped in her seat. 

Alaina glanced at the two werewolves. "Could I have a moment with my daughter?" 

Aaron and nodded silently and rose from his seat. He and Ethan left them, closing the study door behind them. 

Alaina turned to her daughter and took her hands in her own. "Listen, honey," she began.

"You don't actually believe them do you?" Tianna was incredulous. 

Alaina sighed. "Our own people have noticed that something is going on with the mutts. And even we have heard the rumors of Drake's return." 

Tianna groaned. 

"Your father and I don't agree on much," Alaina told her. "But we will always agree on your safety." 

"Here at Greystone?"

Alain nodded. "Yes, here at Greystone." 

Tianna was silently considering this when her mother rose from her seat. "Are you going already?" she blurted, fighting the rapidly rising sense of panic. 

Alaina looked apologetic. "I'm sorry sweetheart, but I've got to let the council know what's going on." And then she was gone, slipping out silently. 

Tianna stood frozen, fighting the unease and fear that swelled in her chest. She gritted her teeth. Feeling as though she might scream she took off, flinging open the study door and stopping short when she saw Ethan and Aaron standing and waiting expectantly. 

"Tianna--" Aaron began but Tianna skirted around him sprinted swiftly up the stairs to the bedroom assigned to her, slamming the door behind her. 

Growling, she paced as she felt the wolf in her rebelling at the sense of confinement. She snarled at the hesitant knock on the door. "Go away, Ethan." 

The door was cautiously pushed open to reveal Nick looking a bit apprehensive. "Can I come in?"

Tianna's gaze was wary as she searched his face for any hint of malice or deception. Finding none, she nodded. 

Nick entered the room, closing the door slightly behind him though not allowing the lock to click closed. He didn't want any misconceptions about what he was doing there. "May I?" He nodded to the armchair beside the bed.

She nodded and glanced at the bed but decided to remain standing instead. 

Nick smiled ruefully, noting her preference. 

He leaned forward, elbows and knees, hands clasped. "I just wanted to talk to you," he said, his face earnest. "I wanted to let you know that I know what you're going through."

Tianna snorted and crossed her arms over her chest, shooting him a skeptical glare. "You know what it's like to be the only one of your kind and to smell like walking sex to every male werewolf who you come into contact with?"

Nick only smiled at her prickliness and shook his head. "No, but I know what it's like to run from the pack, and to fight tooth and nail to get out of it."

Tianna stared at him, reading the veracity in his hazel gaze. She sat on the edge of the bed facing him. "You weren't always pack? But your father is pack."

Nick shook his head. "Yes, my father is pack but he knocked my mother up and she split before he even knew she was pregnant. I was eight by the time he tracked me down. My mother had been dead for the past three years and I had been living with my grandparents ever since." He shrugged. "I was a handful, prone to outbursts and getting into trouble. When a man --of whom I was the spitting image—showed up claiming to be my father, they practically handed me right over without so much as a peep. He brought me here to Greystone like any other pack son. But my father was distant and pretty tough on me. To be honest I don't think he really cared for me much." 

Tianna's brow furrowed. "Then why find you at all?" 

"Because it's pack law." He answered. "If a pack member fathers a son, that son will be a wolf and that son must be brought to the pack." 

"So what did you do?"

"I ran," he answered. "I ran away at every opportunity, but he always brought me back." 

Tianna studied him, "And yet here you are. What changed?"

Nick grimaced. "College. I met this girl, Kate." 

Tianna cocked her head at the way he said the name, with awe and adoration but laden with regret. Undoubtedly there was regret there. 

Nick hesitated as if he was unsure of what he wanted to tell her. 

Tianna scoot back further on the bed. She kicked off her boots and pulled her legs up beneath her. "So what happened?"

Nick shrugged. "She was human." He stared at the tips of his black wingtips, his voice growing absent. "We were engaged after senior year. I had to keep a secret from the pack. It's forbidden. But I decided to reveal myself to her." 

His gaze shot to Tianna's shocked face at her audible sharp intake of breath. "But--" she stopped herself. "What happened?"

Nick lowered his gaze. "I had thought that she loved me so much that she would love me no matter what I was. I wasn't like the others. I wasn't raised knowing what would happen to me when I hit puberty. I rejected it, fought my changes when I could. More than anything, I just wanted a normal life. But Kate...I wanted her know who I really was...all of me..." His voice trailed off. 

"She ran," Tianna murmured, watching flickers of emotion pass over his face. 

Nick glanced at her. Her features were as soft as he'd ever seen them. It caught him slightly off guard. The girl was far too beautiful for her own good. He felt his loins tighten again his will. He gave a mental curse. 'No wonder she always had her hackles up,' he thought and pushed the lust down. He swallowed. "Yeah, she ran." He grimaced. "She called me a monster. Didn't want anything to do with me." 

Tianna let out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Nick," murmured, fully meaning it. 

Nick nodded, examining the floral patterns in the carpet. "I learned then that the pack was my family. They would be there for me unconditionally. Once I accepted that, they became my brothers. We protect each other with our lives. There's nothing we wouldn't do to defend the pack." 

Tianna leaned back on her hands, regarding him critically. "Is this the part where you pitch that I could be a part of that too?" 

Nick grinned, a rueful smile on his handsome face. "Yeah, basically." 

Tianna smirked. "Nice try, but I don't think I fit into the whole 'brotherhood' scheme of things." 

She smiled tightly as Nick rose. "Think about it, Tianna. You felt like I did. You've never belonged anywhere. You could belong here."

Tianna studiously examined her fingernails as Nick left the room.



Feral Ch. 05



**To all the amazing readers who emailed me and left messages, thank you for all your encouragement and patience. I apologized that life got in the way (grad school, work and planning my wedding). But this story and the other have constantly been in my head, still taking shape. I've been writing on napkins and scraps of paper when I should be paying attention in class or in meetings and things are slowly beginning to come together once more. I'll be working hard and stealing time to continue these stories. 

xx,

Dusky**

CHAPTER FIVE

Eva Clinton perused the tall gates of Greystone Manor as the taxi pulled to a stop in front of the driveway. 

The driver, an older man, peered through the window at the tall gate anxiously. "Are you sure this s where you'd like me to drop you off here? Not too many people come up to these parts. I don't think the family likes visitors," he said cautiously. "Do you want me to ring the bell?"

But Eva was already getting out of the cab and hauling her bag with her. "No thanks. I've got it." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Sure," Eva slammed the cab door and leaned in the passenger window, handing the man a wad of cash. "Thanks for the ride." She sent a wave of overwhelming dread in his direction for good measure and watched the cab peel away.

Smirking, Eva perused the tall gate once more. It was at least twelve feet tall, topped by wicked looking wrought iron points. It looked sturdy between two stone columns. Scaling it was out of the question. Nor did she feel the need to alert any of the inhabitants to her presence. 

Walking to the small console where one would enter the gate code. Eva placed her palm atop the metal box and inhaled deeply, closing her eyes. The box hummed and buzzed, followed by a sharp click after which the massive gate creaked and swung open just enough for her to slip through. 

She shook out her palm absently, her fingertips still thrumming and tingling with power. She began making her way down the long wooded driveway. It was so silent it was unnerving. Her gaze constantly searched her surroundings as she listened for the snap of a twig or rustle of brush. There was nothing. 

She noted the red blink of a security camera nestled in the tree branches and blurred her form as she continued on. 

When Greystone Manor emerged from between the trees, her unease grew. To have come this far unmet...

Nerves singing, she mounted the front steps and reached out to test the door handle. Unlocked. 

'Amateurs,' she thought, shaking her head. They'd obviously grown complacent, not that a locked door was ever a problem for her. Pushing the door open silently, she stepped into the marble foyer. This was very strange. 

She stopped further inside. "Hello?"

Before she could react, a blur shot forth from her periphery and slammed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs as she hit the floor hard, her skull knocking against the marble and sending her vision momentarily black. 

Groaning, she felt pinned by weight above her. The werewolf above her gave a deep growl, and his heated breath fanning against her face. Her vision cleared though it still swam nauseatingly. She would not vomit, she told herself firmly. She blinked hard.

There was not a wolf above her but a man, his face contorted in fury, his eyes glowing feral yellow. He leaned down over her and inhaled deeply. He snarled, lips pulling back from elongated canines. "Witch," he spat. 

Eva winced in pain, wriggling beneath him. "That's right, buddy. Witch." She summoned her strength. "Now get off me!"

He was off her instantly, sent flying across the room. 

Nick was slammed into the wall with such force the framed paintings shuddered and fell to shatter on the floor. Air whooshed from his lungs with the impact. 

He hovered pinned to the wall and unable to move as he watched the girl stagger to her feet and fix her gaze on him. Her eyes were black, no hint of white around the edges, just dilated with power. Her dark pin-straight hair seemed to blow around her face absent any wind. 

She grimaced, holding one palm up to him as the other gingerly kneaded the back of her head. She bared her perfectly white teeth at him. "Asshole," she snarled. 

Then there were two others rushing her from her left. She flung out her other hand, stopping them n their tracks. Their muscles strained, their eyes glowing that same feral yellow. They'd rip her to shreds given the chance. 

Eva cried out, her head pounding ferociously. Her limbs trembled with the effort of holding them all back. But it was too much—too much for a fledgling witch. Her knees buckled and she fell hard to her hands and knees, waiting for them to descend upon her. 

"No!" She felt slender arms go around her. "Leave her alone!" 

Tianna threw herself on top as her friend as she collapsed and Ethan, Nick and Trent moved toward her. 

Tianna lengthened her canines, readying herself for a fight if any one of them attempted to lay a finger on her Eva. "Back off!" she roared and each of the men complied, giving her some space though they did not leave the foyer. 

Kneeling in front of the girl, Tianna took the Eva's face in her hands. "Oh Eva," Tianna sighed, her voice pitched higher in panic. She took in Eva's black gaze and trembling lips. "What are you doing here girl?"

Eva lifted one hand to grasp Tianna's. "I heard you were in trouble. Came to check on you." 

"Jesus, Eva," Tianna shook her head. "You could have been killed!" 

Eva's eyes began to clear and she smiled a weak, chagrinned smile. "Hey, I was doing okay until you showed up." 

Tianna carefully lifted Eva to her feet. 

Eva grinned heavy lidded at her."Hey, girl, I missed you." And then she slumped into Tianna's arms, unconscious. With a low cry, Tianna struggled with her friend's unexpected weight almost losing her grip. 

Nick was there instantly scooping Eva up into his arms. 

Tianna balked immediately. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Get your hands off her!" she demanded, reaching for her friend. 

Nick stepped out of reach, lighting fury in Tianna's dark gaze. "I won't hurt her," he soothed.

"You just tried to kill her!" Tianna accused, hands balling into fists. 

Nick shifted the girl's slight weight in his arms. "We're kind of on high alert here, Tianna. A witch fries our security system and waltzes right in here...how was I supposed to react?"

Tianna crossed her arms over her chest. Ethan and Trent stood by silently. 

Ethan stepped forward. "Take her up to Tianna's room." His gaze narrowed on Tianna. "You, come with me." 

Tianna shook her head. "If you think I'm going to leave her alone with—"

"Nick, won't hurt her. He'll be very careful," Ethan attempted to mollify her and shot a pointed look at Nick. 

"But—" she glanced at Eva's prone form lying limply in Nick's arms. 

Ethan looked at Eva. "She's a young witch. Something like what she just pulled will keep her out of it for a while. She'll be fine with Nick." He looked to Nick again for affirmation who nodded silently in response. 

Tianna followed Ethan into the kitchen, casting a backward glance over her shoulder at Nick carrying Eva upstairs. 

Nick studied the young witch laying unconscious in his arms as he mounted the stairs. He'd launched himself at her the second she stepped through the front door. She was a small thing, tiny really. He winced considering the way her small body had hit the ground when he'd plowed into her. She was quite attractive when he took the time to truly look at her, considering she was a witch. Her skin was a deep almond color. Her dark inky hair hung straight to her shoulders, parted in the middle. Her eyelashes were thick and black and fanned against her smooth cheeks. Her lips were incredibly full pink and lush beneath a cute piquant nose. 

She wore a white v-neck t-shirt that was stretched taut over her high full breasts that were almost out of place on her small frame. Her slim hips were encased in dark skin tight denim which disappeared into dark brown riding boots. 

He shouldered Tianna's door open and crossed the room to the oversized four poster bed. That was when wide green eyes flickered open to stare up at him, an incredible shade of pale green circling a gold ring around the iris and flecked with gold. 

"Shit." He felt as though his skin had been scorched, everywhere he touched her like he was on fire. He watched her expression turn to shock as he abruptly released her and she fell to the floor with a thump. 

"Jesus Christ, woman," he snarled as the burnt flesh feeling subsided the moment he released her. "I'm not going to hurt you." 

She scrambled backwards across the floor until her back hit the wall. 

Despite the lingering tingling sensation in his arms, he could help the feeling of concern that took hold of him as he watched her. She sat huddled against the wall, looking frightened and deceptively frail as though she weren't capable of hurting a fly.  

He crouched down, lowering himself to her eye level and looked her in the face. "I'm not going to hurt you," he repeated. "Cross my heart." He made an X over his chest with one fingertip. 

Gritting her teeth, she held one palm up to him in warning to keep his distance. "Is that what you were doing when you knocked the shit out of me? Not hurting me?" 

The werewolf stood and crossed his arms over his broad chest. "And just what should I have done when a witch breaks into my home unannounced? It was a dumb move, little girl."

"Little!" Eva pushed herself to her feel. "Not too little to put you on your ass." 

Nick smirked. "And I'm willing to bet it's about all you got." 

"Why you—" She took a step toward him and swayed. 

Nick met her, immediately sweeping her up into his arms once more and placing her on the bed. 

She glared up at him and made to rise, opening her mouth to protest onto to be shocked into silence. She scooted back against the headboard but he was over her immediately, his hands braced on either side of her hips, bringing his face close to hers.

Eva's eyes widened at his closeness. Hs face was mere inches from her own. Holy shit, he was hot. He was deeply tanned with dark chocolate hair cropped short. His eyes were changeling hazel, now gold, beneath dark brows and unjustly long lashes. His cheekbones were defined, perhaps hinting at a Mediterranean heritage. His nose was straight above a firm sensual mouth and strong masculine jaw. Faint stubble shadowed his cheeks. 

Her breath hitched at the intensity of his gaze. He filled up her whole vision. His strong shoulders topped a broad muscular chest which narrowed to his taut middle. The thick corded muscles of his arms were clearly defined beneath the long-sleeved black t-shirt he wore. The sleeves were pushed up to reveal tanned muscular forearms dusted with dark hair.

"Going somewhere?" His voice was low, solemn but tinged with amusement.

Eva was still. Her breaths coming in shallow gasps. Dizziness threatened to overtake her. She knew if she tried to use her powers again there was a good chance she'd lose consciousness altogether. Physically, she was no match for him.

She swallowed her fear and lifted her chin. Her voice came out steady, resonating with more bravado than she felt. "Where's Tianna?"

He cocked his head, his intent gaze searching her face. "Tianna's fine. Unlike yourself," he said pointedly. 

She simply stared at him, reading his face for veracity.

The girl was tough, Nick had to admit. And she hid her fear well. He leaned in. She went stiff and her breath halted. He moved eye to eye with her, their noses nearly touching, his lips hovering over hers before he bent to nuzzle her neck and inhaled.

He growled. Her scent swirled around him, causing desire to crash over him, hitting him like a punch to the gut. She smelled of jasmine and spice, intoxicating and alluring. She shivered. 

With more self control than he was aware he possessed, he forced himself to pull back from her, his cock so hard he ached with need as he strained against his jeans. But his desire died a quick death when he saw her face. She wasn't paying him any attention at all despite his intrusion of her space. In fact, she barely seemed aware of his nearness at all. 

Her eyes were unfocused, her cheeks taking on an alarming pallor. She held trembling fingertips beneath her nose. 

"Eva?" he ventured and took her shoulders in his hands.

She still didn't acknowledge him. She stared at her fingertips covered in dark thick liquid. Blood. It trickled from her nose in a thick rivulet. 

"Damnit." Nick shot to his feet and strode to the bathroom. He yanked a hand towel off the ring and quickly doused it, running it under warm water. 

She was still staring intently at her fingertips, when he seated himself next to her. Gently grasping her wrist, he wiped her fingers clean then gently pressed the towel to her nostril. Eyelids fluttering, she reached up to cover his hand with her own. 

He ran a gently hand over her hair, dipping his head to catch her gaze. "You okay?" he asked quietly when she looked at him. 

She nodded.

Nick gave her an encouraging smile. After a few minutes, the bleeding seemed to have stopped. "See," he held up the cloth. "All better." 

Eva smiled weakly, self consciously. "It was too much," she mumbled. "My bad." Her head lulled. She sank back against the headboard and closed her eyes. The girl was lights out.

Nick set aside the hand towel and gently lifted her just enough to tug the covers from beneath her. He carefully removed her boots and set them beside the before tucking the covers around her.

He lightly rested a palm against her brow. Her skin felt hot but it would fade. He'd seen it before.

***

Tianna leaned against the counter, arms crossed over her chest, legs crossed at the ankle. "She's my best friend," Tianna said, fixing Ethan with a defiant stare. "We've been looking out for each other since we were kids. We always protect each other."

"It's not up to me," Ethan was across from her, mirroring her stance, the tips of their boots almost touching. "It will be up to Aaron when he gets back tonight. I don't make the decisions around here." 

"Oh, please," Tianna snorted. "Don't act like what you say means nothing. Even I know you're his right hand and he consults you with everything." Replaying his words, she perked up with interest. "Aaron's not around?"

Ethan shot her a warning look. "Don't get too excited. Like I said, he'll be back. He went with Caleb, Conner and Isaac on a bit of a fact finding mission." 

Tianna was about to question him further when Nick entered. 

Ethan straightened, immediately disturbed, and instantly scenting blood. 

Nick held up his hand in understanding, seeing Ethan's expression. "She got a bit of a nosebleed," he explained. "Tuckered herself out. She's sleeping." 

Her glance darting between the two werewolves, Tianna stood. "I'm going to check on her," she said softly and gave Nick a grudgingly appreciative smile. 

Ethan watched her go before switching his attention to Nick. 

Nick crossed his arms and gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "She's beat. It took a lot out of her to hold us all off like that. She's obviously still new." 

Ethan nodded, considering this soberly. "You think we should send her on her way, or talk Aaron into letting her stick around? It's pretty clear that's what Tianna wants."

Nick pursed his lips and looked speculative. He'd welcome the chance to get to know the spirited little witch better though he didn't think Aaron would find that reason enough to allow a witch to stay under their roof. "I think she should stay," he offered smoothly. "She'd obviously do anything to protect Tianna and her presence might mellow our resident she-wolf out a bit. No more high speed chases." 

Ethan seemed to mull it over before nodding in approval. He looked at Nick strangely. "Are you sure that is all brother?" He lifted one brow. "You'd like the little witch to stick around purely for Tianna's benefit?"

A smile split Nick's face. He'd never been able to hide much from Ethan. They'd been inseparable almost from the first moment Nick had set foot in Greystone Manor. He sheepishly rubbed at the stubble on his jaw. He grinned wolfishly. "I wouldn't mind keeping her around for a while, getting to know her." 

"Ha!" Ethan barked with a smile matching Nick's. "Maybe he's more dangerous than we anticipated. You spent a few unconscious moments with her and already you've taken the bait. You'll have trouble with that one, Nick." 

Nick nodded, the smile on his face not dimming one bit. "I'm fairly certain you're right about that." 

***

Tianna quietly slipped into "her" bedroom. True to his word, Eva was tucked safely beneath the covers and slumbering quite peacefully. 

Kicking off her boots, Tianna crawled onto the bed. Curling onto her side she studied Eva's still profile. She'd seen Eva like this before, worn out and exhausted after pushing herself too hard. 

Eva's mother was a great witch, more infamous than famous really. But Eva was never good enough for her mother. Or rather, Eva was too good. Sanaa Clinton leaned heavily toward the dark arts while Eva struggled valiantly against everything the dark arts represented. Eva had told Tianna once that there was a price to pay for her powers one way or another, and with the dark arts the price was more than she could abide. Every time she had dabbled, she felt as though a small shred of her soul were being torn away from her. 

Eva couldn't have been more of a disappointment to Sanaa. The daughter of two powerful dark witches should have been a force to be feared and reckoned with but Eva shied away from darkness, rooting her power in the earth and radiance. From the time Eva was fourteen, she was on her own though still under the guardianship of her largely absent mother. Her father had been killed years before by another witch, intent on taking his powers and making them their own. 

Eva all but denied her pedigree, even choosing to go to NYU with Tianna in an attempt to live a normal life. The girls were a study in opposites. Tianna had reveled in the power of her extraordinary birth while Eva shrank from her legacy, fighting against it with all her might. By the time Eva was a freshman in college, she'd wanted nothing more than to forget her powers existed at all. 

But the power inside Eva refused to lay dormant. Struggle as she might to keep her emotions in check, strange things happened when Eva grew too emotional. When she experienced her first broken heart sophomore year, her sobs and rampant emotions blew out six stories of windows in their Manhattan apartment building. 

It was Alaina, Tianna's mother who convinced Eva to embrace the power within her and introduced her to witches who rejected the darkness like herself. Eva was late to the game but her power was undeniable. Whether she was trying to prove something to herself or to her mother, Tianna didn't know. But Eva pushed herself far too hard despite all warnings. This wasn't likely to be her last nosebleed or fainting spell. 

Tianna scooted closer to her friend and closed her eyes. 

One thing she did know; together, she and Eva were always able to get through just about anything.



Feral Ch. 06



Aaron's gaze switched between Ethan and Nicholas who'd met him in the foyer as soon as he'd entered Greystone. Trent hovered anxiously behind them. "Where is she?" he demanded. 

Ethan and Nick exchanged glances. 

"Upstairs, sleeping," Ethan answered. 

"Sleeping?" Aaron's voice was harshly incredulous. 

Nick winced. "She might have worn herself out throwing me against the wall while holding off Ethan and Trent and then basically scorching my nerve endings." 

Aaron's gaze switched to Ethan critically. "And you let her live?"

Ethan shifted. "Tianna stopped me." 

"And who is she to Tianna?"

"Her best friend," Nick said. 

"They've been together since they were kids," Ethan put in.

Aaron squeezed the bridge of his nose against the impending headache. His words were issued through clenched teeth. "And what did you say her name is?"

"Eva," Nick said. "Eva Clinton."

Aaron's head jerked up and he stared at them mouth agape. "Clinton?" he growled. "As in Sanaa Clinton?" 

Ethan and Nick looked at each other. "Should that mean something to us?" 

Aaron's voice rose several octaves. "Only that if Eva Clinton is THAT Eva Clinton, then she is descendant from one of the most powerful dark witches that ever existed and is no friend to our kind." 

Ethan and Nick exchanged troubled looks. Trent let out a low groan behind them. "Oh shit." 

Aaron was tearing up the stairs, and Ethan and Nick took off after their Alpha. 

Tianna was wrenched into wakefulness by the sound of the bedroom door being flung open and crashing against the wall. 

She lunged into a protective crouch over Eva who had remained sleeping, not stirring in the least at the sound of a commotion. 

Aaron Thorne stood in the doorway of her bedroom. His hands were clenched into fists, his expression vengeful. "Leave the witch," he growled. Gone was the sedate, cultured, quietly authoritative leader of the pack. 

Tianna flinched involuntarily. Biologically, something in her yearned to obey the Alpha but she pushed the impulse down. She wasn't the wolf. She allowed the wolf free reign on occasion but she was not the wolf and she would not let the wolf control her.  

She met Aaron Thorne's vivid gaze steadily and shook her head. "No." 

Ethan appeared behind Aaron in the doorway. She glanced at him. There was a tightness behind the eyes but his face was otherwise impassive. 

Aaron took a step into the room, stopping short when Tianna tensed. 

Tianna bared her teeth at him. "You even think about touching her, Thorne, and I swear to God I'll kill you." 

Aaron gritted his teeth and titled his head, perusing the girl laying asleep on the bed, seemingly unaware that there was a werewolf in the room who had every intention of snapping her pretty little neck. He returned his hooded gaze to Dominic Moore's daughter, the little fool. "Do you even know what she is? What she is capable of?"

Tianna drew a deep breath. "I know exactly who she is and what she's capable of. But she's not her mother, Aaron. I mean—seriously—look at her!" She gestured to Eva. "She's out cold just from holding them off." 

Aaron grimaced and sighed, unfurling his fists. "Clinton women are always a threat." He eyed Sanaa Clinton's sleeping daughter and relented a bit. "Can we talk?" He looked at Tianna. "Alone?"

Tianna shook her head vehemently. "No. So you can sick your henchmen on her the moment I leave? Forget it." 

Aaron glanced at over his shoulder at Ethan. "They will do no such thing. You have my word." 

Fighting down the tide of panic, Tianna reluctantly slid off the bed. She gazed up at Aaron. "If you hurt her—"

"I will not." Aaron assured her. 

Tianna passed Nick in the hall, shooting him a pleading look. He merely nodded in reassurance. 

She followed Aaron to the opposite wing of the manor and into a small study. He closed the door softly behind her and motioned for her to take a seat on the overstuffed leather couch. She did so warily and he seated himself next to her. 

He leaned forward, seeming incredibly interested in the tips of his boots. "How did she know you were here?" His voice was low. "You told her?"

Tianna shook her head. "No." 

He looked at her, raising one dark brow expectantly. 

Tianna sighed and slumped against the cushions. She anxiously twisted the silver ring around her index finger. "When I told Ethan that she was like a sister to me, I didn't mean that lightly or metaphorically. We're blood bonded." 

Aaron's generally impenetrable façade fractured and is eyes widened. 

"It was in college," Tianna rushed on. "When Eva was still experimenting with her power. I encouraged her to really work at it. That's when we did the spell."

Aaron's brows knitted together as he considered this. "And what does this blood bond entail?" 

Tianna shrugged. "Whenever I'm feeling particularly emotional, she can feel it. I didn't have to tell her I was here." She toyed with her ring. "She would have felt my panic, my fear. She's not an idiot. It obviously didn't take her long to connect the dots." 

"Look, Aaron," she said gazing at him, hating the pleading not in her voice. "Just leave her alone. Let her stay. I promise she'll give you no problems." 

Aaron rose fluidly to his feet. He studied her intently. "I'm holding you to that." 

Tianna nodded soberly. He left her then and she leaned forward and let her head fall into her hands, letting her hair fall across her face in a dark curtain that obscured her view and closed her off from the rest of the world. 

It looked like she would be staying at Greystone until things were sorted out. Eva's presence was soothing but it didn't completely ease her anxieties. And at the moment, Ethan was at the core of those anxieties. 

She groaned, remembering the way he'd looked when he'd stepped from the forest and she remembered the way her wolf had responded to him. 

If anything, Tianna had known all her life that werewolf men were not to be trusted. She even doubted her father. She'd always wondered if he would have shown any interest in her at all were it not for her....wolfishness. Women were disposable goods to them, to be used and tossed aside. And in the instance that they fathered a son, they took the child without so much as a 'fuck you' very much to the mother. 

Tianna wasn't just some woman to them, she knew, though she doubted that her heredity made much difference to them. She was still female, and in pack culture she would have to obey and submit. Getting involved with a werewolf was unthinkable, even if that werewolf was as damned sexy as Ethan. Better to keep him at a distance. ***

Ethan paced the floor of his room letting out a growl of frustration.

Never, not once in all his life had he ever hesitated to back Aaron up. Not once. But just minutes ago he had stood completely frozen with dread. If Aaron had gone for the witch and Tianna had gotten in his way, Ethan was unsure what he would have done. 

It went against every fiber of his being not to defend his Alpha and his friend and yet there was Tianna. He couldn't imagine bringing himself to truly hurt her despite his threats. She had a tough exterior. He saw and understood that. But beneath all that bravado, swearing, and thinly veiled contempt he knew she was afraid and just barely holding it together. Her friend arriving at Greystone was a blessed lifeline to her sanity and she was obviously willing to do just about anything to protect the witch even if that meant taking on pack wolves on her own. 

He rubbed a rough hand over his face. He had to end this—whatever it was he felt for Dominic Moore's stubborn daughter. Having Tianna Moore at Greystone was anything but simple and he was a man that hated complications. He was putting his Alpha and his pack at risk with a distraction he could ill afford. Not now. He would watch over her and protect her if necessary but it would go no further than that. He wouldn't allow it. *** Eva struggled into consciousness, her head thudding dully at the base of her skull. Damn. She'd really overdone it this time. She wondered how long she'd been out. 

She was relieved to find herself in one piece. Coming here hadn't been her most brilliant or most thought out idea but she hadn't come up with an alternative. She sighed, mumbling her mantra to herself. "There is no such thing as a bad idea, just poorly executed awesome ones." 

Eva grimaced, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and pushed aside the dusky rose colored duvet. 

The room tilted when she stood and she stumbled, grasping the back of a chair until the room righted itself. She cautiously tottered to the bathroom grumbling about damn werewolves. 

Flicking on the light, she pressed her hands against the cool porcelain countertop and leaned toward the mirror, blinking away the slightly blurred vision to stare at her reflection. 

"Well, hello," she murmured to herself, absently scrutinizing her pallid face in the mirror. She looked like shit. Dark circles stood out vividly beneath her flat hazel gaze. Her normally impeccable hair stood on end, mussed into a wild nest around her head. 

Groaning, she scraped her hair back into a haphazard bun. 

The last thing she remembered was Tianna looking at her with great concern while shouting for the wolves to back off. And then the dark haired wolf, his face close to her own and his eyes soft and gently with concern. 

Her insides lurched at the thought of her friend. Where was she? If they hurt her, there was nothing and no one that could save them. The darkness surged inside her at the thought of vengeance, powerful and intoxicating. She'd kill them all. 

"No!" She slammed her palm against the countertop and gulped deep calming breaths. "No," she murmured softly. The power left her, leaving a feeling much like a gaping void in the center of her chest. 

Shaking off the feeling of unease, Eva splashed cool water on her face before padding back into the bedroom and shoving her feet back into her riding boots. She inhaled deeply, fixing her thoughts on Tianna. 

Tianna friend was close by, not frightened but her heart rate was elevated high above normal. There was a frenzied quality to her thoughts. 

Slipping into the hallway, Eva went in search of her friend. 

***

Tianna's mind was wandering, making it difficult to dodge Ethan's punches. Her thoughts were too jumbled and unfocused, full of questions and scenarios. 

Ethan's hand shot out, knocking her off balance. She tripped over his thigh as he stepped into her. She hit the mat, flat on her back and Ethan was on her instantly. 

The air whooshed out of her lungs even as heat flooded her belly and her breasts ached where his hard chest was pressed against hers. She mentally kicked herself but damn if he didn't feel good, all hard muscle and strength. A strength, she reminded herself, to be wary of. Bad. Definitely bad.

"You've got a lot to learn, girl." His voice jolted her back to reality out of her musings.

He rolled off her and to his feet fluidly. 

Tianna pushed herself up on her elbowed and stared at him, perplexed. "Excuse me?"

Ethan spared her a mere glance. "Your head's not in it. You're not here. Whatever you're thinking about, it isn't this and that will get you killed or worse." 

Tianna glared at him. She didn't want to be doing this anyway. Aaron Thorne was the reason she was sequestered in the basement with this maniac in the first place. 

The basement of Greystone had been outfitted as a gym with mats, benches, free weights and punching bags. He'd wanted Ethan to teach her to "defend herself." She'd scoffed. She could change faster than any of them. She didn't need her fists. She'd just loose her wolf on them. 

Her father had taught her a few things when she'd been in her teens when he'd realized that his daughter might be a target. And yet here she was, dumped on her ass.

She pushed herself to her feet. "Again," she demanded. 

Ethan merely snorted. This was what she hated about him; the condescending authoritarian that didn't argue but dictated. 

He glanced at her from the edge of the mat, twisting a towel in his hands. The glint in his cerulean gaze and the tightening of his lips told her that he was going to come at her and he wasn't going to hold back. 

Her heart leapt into her throat when he moved. He was like lightening slicing through the air. She blocked and feinted, realizing quickly just how much he'd been holding back. He'd thought she couldn't handle it and that pissed her off. 

She focused, bringing forth the wolf; not enough to cause a physical change but enough to sharpen her senses. 

Ethan drove her across the mat, noticing a flicker of gold in her dark eyes and the sudden almost palpable energy coming off her. 

He kept her on the defensive but when he threw his next punch she made her move. She blocked and turned his punch aside with her left hand, slamming her right palm into his jaw. 

He reeled back and she kept on him; spinning, kicking and punching as he narrowly blocked her and attempted to regain his balance. 

When he blocked her next punch she expected it and changed levels quickly, driving her fist into his stomach. When he made a grab for her she sidestepped him, grabbed the arm whizzing past her and flipped him neatly over her shoulder. She plunked down on top of him, her forearm against his throat. 

For a long moment, they simply stared at one another, their faces mere inches apart and the only sound was of their labored breathing—hers anyway. Ethan, she realized was breathing easily, not even a bead of perspiration on his brow. Tianna grimaced, wonderful. 

His face was impassive. "That was better." He made no move to remove her arm from his throat or to push her off of him. 

Tianna sighed. He'd been holding back after all. She scowled at him. "You've been holding back all this time." Her words were sharp with anger and irritation.

"Of course," he growled, and as easily as he would have swatted a fly, he yanked her arm from his throat, flipped her unceremoniously to the mat and stood smoothly to his feet. 

Tianna flushed with embarrassment and sat up. For all her self-assurances, she was clearly no match for him. Was she a match for any of them? She was suddenly uneasy. "Treating me with the kid gloves, huh?" she mumbled, yanking the useless elastic band from her hair, wincing when she yanked a few stray hairs from her skull. 

She pushed herself to her feet, feeling anger and humiliation simmering in her guts. "Again." 

***

3 hrs later...

"C'mon, Tianna focus," Ethan snarled as she stumbled off balance from his blow. He repeated the combo over and over and yet she'd been unable to block him. He was far too fast. She knew exactly how she should be reacting to what she knew was coming but she just always seemed to be a fraction of a second too slow. Him yelling at her did little more than fray her nerves. 

Ethan threw up his hands in frustration. "You think you're capable of taking care of yourself? You can't even block a shot you know is coming!"

Tianna snapped. "Isn't that why I'm down here?! You're supposed to be teaching me because I'm NOT as strong or as fast as you yet! And you yelling at me doesn't help!"

Ethan moved quickly, suddenly towering over her. "It's an uncomplicated move," he growled. "I've shown you, we've been at this for an hour, and you still don't get it." 

She gave him a two-handed shove though he didn't budge. "You showed me once!" she screeched. "ONCE! And you expect me to pick it up right away! You come at me faster than I've ever seen anyone move and then you question MY ability?!" She punctuated her next words with finger jabs to the center of his chest. "Worst. Teacher. Ever." 

Ethan lost control. He brought his hands up and gripped her shoulders hard and yanked her against him. "Spoiled bitch."

She refused to flinch despite the near painful grasp he hand on her shoulders. "Asshole," she sneered. 

And then with a low growl, he kissed her, the taste of her near driving him mad with its hints of forbidden spice and sweetness. There would be consequences for this, a price to be paid, but the thought only made the feel of her lips beneath his that much more intoxicating. 

Tianna made a small whimper of surprise when Ethan's lips crashed down over hers but the shock was short-lived. She fisted her hands in the material of his t-shirt, dragging him closer. 

There was no gentleness in the kiss. No tenderness. Their mouths warred. Their tongues stroked and sparred, each of them well aware that this was a terrible idea. 

Ethan bore her down to the mat. 

'Stupid girl,' she thought to herself but found herself unable to tear her lips from his. She wriggled beneath him, allowing him to settle between her splayed thighs. 

His large calloused hands traveled up the smooth flesh of her sides, skimming over her ribcage and her breasts before he brought them back down and slipped one hand beneath her tank top. 

Tianna moaned as his palm brushed over her flesh to her breast before he caught her hardened peak between his thumb and forefinger, gently rolling and tugging at the sensitive buds. 

Groaning and pressing his erection against her mound, Ethan left her mouth to leave a burning trail of kisses down her neck, pausing to nip at her throat with blunt teeth. 

"Ethan..." she gasped. 

"Tia?" there were light footsteps on the stairs. Eva. Her friend's voice was like a bucket of ice water dumped on her. 

Eva stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "Woah." 

Ethan was off her instantly, rolling off her and shielding her body from sight while she pulled her top down. 

Eva blinked rapidly as though attempting to clear her vision. She peeked around Ethan's large frame and glanced at her friend who was blushing violently and running a rough hand through her dark locks. "Obviously, I had the wrong idea in coming here." She didn't sound angry, simply perplexed. 

"No, you didn't," Tianna offered firmly. "That..." she stammered. "That was a mistake," she ground out and glared at Ethan. "One that will never happen again." Brushing by him she left, stomping up the stairs, leaving Ethan and the witch together. 

Ethan studied the witch who was glaring at him, arms crossed beneath her pert breasts. He could see why Nick was interested by her. She was nice to look at and—he inhaled—the seductive scent of spice and magick hung in the air about her. She scowled at his blatant perusal. Nick would have trouble with this one, especially if she was anything like her best friend. 

She stalked toward him, her heady scent washing over him. "Ethan, right?" 

He nodded once. "Eva," he acknowledged. 

Standing a mere foot from him, she extended her hand, palm up. 

Ethan lifted a flaxen brow and glanced at her small upturned hand before peering into thickly lashed hazel eyes. 

She wriggled her fingers. "C'mon. I won't bite. I just want to get to know you."

Ethan frowned, dubious, but enveloped her palm in his own. 

A satisfied smile slid over her features as her eyes drifted closed. 

Ethan felt a rush of adrenaline course through his veins and his palm tingled as though pricked by millions of minuscule pins. 

"Hmm," her eyes slid open and she slipped her hand from Ethan's grasp. 

"What was that?" Ethan asked, bemused. 

The girl shrugged her small shoulders. "You were just making out with my best friend and knowing Tianna, your lips wouldn't have gotten anywhere near her unless she wasn't into you." 

"And the witchy tingly feeling?"

"I'm a bit of an empath," she said simply. "I can sense a lot about people from touch." 

"And?"

Eva studied him, scrutinizing his handsome finely sculpted features. "I dunno if I like you for her." She shrugged again. "But you suck less than some of the other idiots she's dated before." 




Feral Ch. 06



Ethan wanted to laugh until he considered Tianna dating other men. 

Eva snickered at the myriad of emotions playing over his features. She patted his muscular shoulder consolingly. "Well, I'll see you around." 

And then she was skipping up the stairs, leaving Ethan to ponder it all. 

*** Eva found Tianna standing at the edge of the woods beyond Greystone Manor. 

Tianna glanced at her friend who came to stand beside her. 

"Thinking about a run?" Eva asked, knowingly avoiding the subject of Ethan and their sweaty make out altogether. 

Eva knew her too well. It was what she did when she was upset or anxious. She ran; her legs flying over the ground as she sped with inhuman speed through the trees, letting all emotions fall away as the wolf took over. 

"Yeah," Tianna murmured. "I think so." 

"Go," Eva encouraged. 

Tianna glanced back at the manor house uncertainly. 

"I'll be fine," Eva smiled. "I'm going too" She stared into the woods. "A little channeling and meditation to recharge will be good for me." Her face broke into a wide grin. "Race you." 

Eva took off, racing through the trees, her laughter ringing out as the pulled on a bit of magick to speed her on. 

Tianna grinned and shot after her friend. The girls raced, neck and neck until Eva stopped, breathing hard. 

"You okay?" Tianna skidded to a stop. 

"Yeah," Eva gasped and looked around at the clearing they'd stopped in. "I think this is a good spot for me. You go on." 

Tianna looked around. "You sure?"

Eva smiled. "Certain." 

With a toothy grin, Tianna was gone. 

Sighing, Eva pulled the elastic band from her hair combed her fingers through the strands until it lay around her shoulders. Sinking down to sit cross-legged, Eva closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, held it and let it out.

*** The witch hadn't been in Tianna's room when he'd gone to check on her for the third straight morning in a row. Her scent lingered but she was gone. He frowned. Seeing her there, laying pale and still had been like a sucker punch to the gut, jarring and unexpected. 

Nick shook his head. He couldn't explain it, this pull towards her. If she hadn't been unconscious he would have sworn that she'd spelled him. Every night since she'd set foot in Greystone Manor he'd dreamed of her beneath him. He'd dreamed of her beautiful breasts and her nails scoring his back as he thrust into her. 

Tianna was aware that Nick had been in the room staring at her sleeping friend but she said nothing, simply quirking an amused brow at him. He had is bad for a girl with whom he'd yet to have an actual conversation. A girl, he reminded himself, would probably like nothing better than to kick his ass with whatever magic tricks she had up her sleeve. 

Leaving Tianna's room, he tracked her scent until he stepped outside the back door. And then it hit him. It felt like a jolt of electricity, a tingle in his groin and what felt like a fist seizing his heart. 

Nick stopped dead in his tracks, struggling against the sensation only to have a current of seductive energy ripple through his body. Eva. 

He turned to the woods and followed. He tracked her easily, her scent mingled with Tianna's and then he saw her, there sitting alone in the forest. The air was fair crackling with energy, and then it subsided to a subtle thrum and shimmer of the air around her. 

Eva was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the clearing, her eyes closed. He listened, his sensitive hearing allowing him to hear the softly murmured latin words. His gaze lingered on her face, no longer pale but flushed with color against her dark hair. He let his eyes drift downward, his cock stirring as he perused the outline of her braless breasts pressed against the white t-shirt. 

He should leave her, he knew. So he took one last lengthy look at her. Here full pink lips were curved upwards in a calm and serene smile. Another ripple of near crippling desire flooded through him causing his fingers to dig into a nearby tree trunk as he restrained himself from going to her, taking her there in the woods. What had she done to him?

He turned away from her, fully intending to return to the manor for a cold shower when he smelled it. Blood. Her blood. He turned at her low sigh to see her fall limply to the ground. 

Before he could stop himself he was there beside her, pressed against her and cradling her head in the palm of his hand. "Eva!" He lightly tapped her cheek. "Eva!"

Her dark lashes trembled and her hazel eyes opened to mere slits. Blood oozed slowly from her nose and he moved to wipe it away with his t-shirt. But she was stubborn, twisting away from his touch and tossing her head.

Nick growled impatiently and held her steady, dabbing at the blood the flow which seemed to have ebbed already. He stared down at her, magic seeming to coil around them. Angry at his own sense of helplessness against her, he pressed his lips against hers. 

Eva moaned and arched against him as Nick grasped her thigh and brought her flush against his erection, rubbing against her to create more delicious friction. His head spun at the feel of the fullness of her breasts against his chest. He groaned, scenting the ambrosia of desire between her thighs. He gripped her to him, hard. 

He tugged her t-shirt up, exposing her glorious breasts. He dragged his tongue roughly across one flushed areola. "Jesus, Eva," he growled. "What have you done?"

"Nick, s-stop," Eva breathed against his ear but she lifted her hips, pressing them against his. "You should leave." 

Nick nodded, almost obediently but instead he raised his head nuzzled the crook of her neck, inhaling the scent of lavender and vanilla. 

'What the fuck did you do to me, little witch?' He wanted to ask, but all strength to resist had left him and all he could do was firmly unbutton her jeans, slip his hand within, nudge her panties aside and slip his middle finger into her wet heat. 

"Ah!" Eva bucked against him, her small hands gripping his shoulders. Nick's cock strained against his jeans, to the point of being painful. 

Nick kept his finger inside her and as he nipped at her throat and brushed his lips over her heated skin. He laved the elegant column of her throat with his tongue before gently sucking. 

He was going to leave a mark, he knew and he wanted evidence that he did this to her, wanted to her to remember this and know that that he happened. Smiling against her fluttering pulse he began to move his finger slowly, taking his time. 

Eva shuddered, and her hips bucked against his hand as she rode his finger. She wept at the power of it, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. 

"Stop it, Nick," she whispered, near pleading with him but her hips rolled against his hand as if of their own accord.

She was drunk with magic, he sensed—lethargic with it. Her power had called him to her as clearly as if she had shouted his name. He couldn't help but respond to it.

"Nick!" she wailed, her movements uncertain as she pushed at him only to draw him ever closer. She came hard, her nectar flooding over his fingers as her eyes widened and she stared up into his dark gaze. 

His fingers still inside her, he kissed her lips, swollen from the ferocity of his kisses. Tearing her mouth away she buried her face in his shoulder, trembling in his arms, hiding her face. 

"Shhh...don't hide from me, little one," Nick whispered as he cradled her close, feeling her body go soft against him. "Never be ashamed with me." 

Nick felt her shudder and stifle a confused sob against his shoulder. Holding her against him, he withdrew his finger from her sex coated in her cum. 

Nudging her face to look at him, he met her gaze steadily as he slipped that finger into his mouth. A low rumble started low in his chest. Closing his eyes, her savored her taste and another near crippling wave of desire shot through him. 

He leaned into her touch as she lifted trembling fingers to cup his face. She stared at him in wonder. 

Wordlessly, Nick lifted her into his arms and stood. Her taste lingered on his tongue. He began to make his way back towards the manor. His cock still ached with need at each step he took, urging him to take her and make her his, to bury his head between her thighs before he fucked her. 

He gritted his teeth fiercely reigning in the need. He glanced down at the girl in his arms. She was unconscious. Again. He sighed nudging open his bedroom door and laid her on his bed, carefully brushing her hair back from her brow. Her t-shirt was bunched under her breasts, revealing her smooth flat belly. He brushed his fingers over the silver bar piercing the flesh above her belly button. 

A wry smile quirked upon his lips as he lay down next to her and considered her silently. She was always passing out just when things were getting interesting. 

He placed a chaste kiss on her mouth before standing and heading for the bathroom for that cold shower. 

*** "Phew," Tianna doubled over mid-stride as the first wave of ecstasy washed over her unbidden. She bent, attempting to catch her breath as hit after hit of raw pleasure accosted her senses. It was Eva and the magic she knew, but she'd never felt anything like this. 

Tianna was used to feeling the twinges of Eva's power; it was part of the blood bond, but this...she had never felt anything like this. 

She stumbled against a tree trunk, her legs going slightly wobbly. She sank down to sit at the roots. "Wow," she breathed, pushing her sweaty hair back from her face. 

Feeling the sensations ebb and begin to recede, Tianna allowed her eyes to drift closed. She inhaled the clean earthy scents around her. This was what she loved about Shendaken. Sure, there wasn't much shopping and there was a total lack of any sort of decent nightlife but the natural beauty of the place more than made up for all that it may lack. She felt more liberated here than she ever did in the city. 

The abrupt snap of a twig jerked her out of her thoughts. 

Tianna was perfectly still, listening. She wanted to call out but something made her hesitate. The sound had come from downwind and she was unable to catch a scent. The thought made her uneasy, it was a predatory move; keeping where she couldn't see or catch their scent. She scanned the trees and the forest beyond searching for a flicker of movement. Nothing. 

Tianna stood slowly to her feet, trying not to make a sound. There was utter stillness about her and it unnerved her. 

"Ethan?" she hissed, knowing that he would hear her if he were close by. "Nick?"

Nothing. 

She was being stalked, she was certain of it. 

A sick feeling settled in her gut as a dark shadow moved from behind a tree trunk. Not, Ethan and not Nick. It wasn't any man she'd ever seen before. The wind changed course and his scent hit her full on. A werewolf. 

He stalked toward her. Tianna took and involuntary step back. He was between her and Greystone. She was fast but he'd be able to cut her off if she made a run for it. 

He was tall, well over six feet and broad. The black t-shirt he wore was stretched taut over his broad chest. He wore black cargo pants tucked into black combat boots. His hair was dark blue black against his tanned skin. His eyes were so light grey that they took on an eerie quality. Tianna supposed he would have been handsome if it weren't for the menace radiating off of him. His lips were curved up in a rather disturbing smile as his cool gaze roved over her. 

He stopped about ten feet from her, seeing her tense to flee. He smiled at her though there was little warmth in the flashing of teeth. "Imagine, running into you here." His voice was low, rumbling through his expansive chest. 

Tianna sidestepped, only to have him mirror her move. She eyed him warily but said nothing. 

A low noise, almost like a purr came from the man. "Had I known it would be so easy to find you alone, I would have taken to wandering these woods much earlier." 

Tianna started moving again, slowly stepping, watching him mirror her moves. If she could keep him distracted, she could move herself closer to Greystone. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice hard and hinting at aggression. She watched as his stance changed slightly as he sensed her enmity. 

"Ah, I'm surprised you do not know me little wolf." He grinned. "Surely, I would have thought they would have told you about me by now?" He lifted his chin. 

So he wanted to play coy. Tianna glared at him. "Get on with it." 

He frowned then. "My my. Cocky aren't we?" His cold silver gaze bored into her. "I've been following you since you split with the witch. There's no one here to save you." 

They circled one another and Tianna halted her back now to Greystone. She snorted, forcing a arrogant sneer to her face. "You think I need saving?" she scoffed, meeting his gaze directly. "You think if I needed saving they would let me out of their sight? You think they would leave me alone?" She watched uncertainty flicker in the large man's gaze and she smiled a wide predatory smile. "I'm faster than you," she told him, seeing doubt pass over his features. "I'm stronger too," she lied and summoned the wolf, allowing her eyes to shift to gold and feeling light enclose her body. "I'm nothing like you at all." 

She bared her elongated canines at him and snarled. She watched in satisfaction as he took a startled step back from her. She took his shock as an opportunity and bolted, sprinting through the trees toward the manor house. 

His roar rang out through the trees behind her and she could hear him crashing through the brush. She lowered her head and pushed herself faster. 

*** Nick was stepping out of the shower when Eva's scream shook him to his core, sending him barreling into his bedroom naked and dripping wet. She barely spared him a glance as she scrambled off the bed and raced for the door. 

"Eva!" he caught her arm, stopping her short and dragging her against him. "What is it?!" Her lovely eyes were wide with panic and fear. Of what? Of him? 

"Tianna!" she shoved him back with more strength than possible for her small frame. Nick made a grab for her again. "She's in the woods! He's after her!" Eva gasped, jerking away from him. She backed toward the door, "Get Ethan!" She was gone then, dashing out the door. 

Nick was wrenching on clothes. "ETHAN!" he shouted, his pack brother appearing in the doorway almost instantly. 

"What is it?" Ethan demanded, sensing Nick's agitation. 

"Tianna," Nick said, dragging a t-shirt over his head. "She's in the woods. Eva felt her I think. I think she's really afraid." 

"Shit." Ethan was gone and Nick could hear him tearing down the hallway. 

"Fuck," Nick cursed, jamming his feet into a pair of boots and hurrying after him.



Feral Ch. 07



Eva raced through the forest, branches tearing at her exposed flesh and clothing. 

She could hear Nick crashing through the brush behind her. Good. She'd likely need the wolf.

Struggling to concentrate as she ran, she attempted to get a handle on Tianna's location. She could feel her friend's panic—panic that was tinged with terror. The feeling was overwhelming, clouding Eva's thoughts, inhibiting her ability to think clearly. And so she ran, allowing her instincts to guide her. 

And then Ethan was there beside her, his long tempered strides keeping pace with her. "I'll get her." He threw her a glance. "Go back to the manor." 

"Forget it," Eva tossed at him and sped on. His hand closing roughly around her arm and nearly jerked her shoulder out of its socket as he halted her in her tracks. 

Furious, Eva yanked at his grasp. "Look, mutt," She hissed. "Now is not the time to get in my way." 

Ethan glared at her and snarled. He could feel the undercurrent of power just under her warm flesh where his hand was wrapped around her upper arm. "There's another wolf in these woods. Maybe more than one. I can't be responsible for you." 

"You won't be!" She tugged at his unyielding grasp. "We don't have time for this!" 

Nick crashed through the brush, stopping short when he saw them. His gaze switched between the two, taking in the tension in their faces and Ethan's hand wrapped around her upper arm. "What's going on?"

The witch's dark gaze met Ethan's. "Please, Ethan. There's no time." 

He perused her a moment before releasing her wordlessly. He spun abruptly and took off. 

Nick instantly tore after him, leaving Eva to summon the strength to keep up with them. 

She took off after the wolves, following as best she could but they were too fast and were soon out of sight. So she focused on Tianna. The wolves could follow Tianna's scent, she could follow the pull of Tianna's fear. It was unsettling. She'd never felt Tianna so frightened. Her friend didn't scare easy and the near blinding terror was causing Eva's heart to beat erratically in her chest. 

And then Tianna was gone.  Eva stumbled, reeling from the sudden loss. She had experienced some distance from Tianna's emotions before, but never had she been so abruptly and completely cut off from her friend's feelings. It scared her. It was as if Tianna had simply disappeared. Pushing herself on, she didn't even want to think what the sudden disconnect meant. 

"Ethan!" she raced in the direction they'd gone. "Nick!" Nothing. The woods were quiet around her. 

Breathing hard, Eva came to a halt. She had lost Tianna and the wolves were now moving too quickly and silently for her to follow. 

Eva felt ill, nausea roiling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't let anything happen to Tianna. Tianna was the only family she had. She swallowed thickly, apprehension swelling in her chest. She was going to have to try something different, something she'd never tried before.

She bent to pick up a fallen twig about the thickness of her index finger. She snapped the limb between her hands, her breath shallow. "Blood of my blood," she murmured. "Sister, bring me to you." Clenching her teeth so hard she though she heard her jaw pop, she dragged the edge jagged edge of the branch over her palm, splitting her flesh open. She choked back a cry of pain as she closed her fist and her eyes drifted shut. Blood seeped between her fingers. "Blood of my blood," she whispered. "Bring me to you." 

Eva felt power crackling through her chest painfully. She cried out in agony as her knees buckled and she fell forward onto her hands and knees. She sobbed as pain ripped through her. She had no business attempting a spell this powerful —this taxing—but she could think of nothing else. She had no choice. She curled her fingers in the dark rich soil beneath her palm, the connection she needed. Her life's blood seeped into the soil and she watched through blurred vision as the blood spread from beneath her palm in spindly rivulets over the ground. 

"Blood of my blood," she gasped. "Bring me to you." 

She collapsed on the forest flood, darkness taking her over. 

***
The wolf crouched over his unconscious prize. Goddamn, she smelled good. He hadn't wanted to slug her but she'd left him no choice. She'd run and then she'd fought him, snarling at him and then tearing at him with her claws. 

He took her delicate jaw between his thumb and forefinger and turned her face slightly. He grimaced. A bruise was already beginning to darken her lovely flesh. Shame. 

His gaze roved over her dark hair; it was mussed and littered with twigs and leaves.  The delicately arched slash of her brows crested her closed thickly lashed lids. She had high cheek bones and sinfully full pink lips. Awake, she was glorious—enraged and fighting him. He could see Dominic Moore's ferocity in her. Out cold, she was damn near angelic. 

His gaze moved lower, over the generous mounds pressed against the revealing little tank top she was wearing. A tantalizing slice of skin was bared to his gaze above her low slung pants. He smoothed his hand over that exposed swath of skin. She was stunning, intoxicating. No one could begrudge him just a taste. 

He slid is hand under her top. His hand nearly spanned her waist. He dragged his fingertips over her ribcage as he leaned over and brushed his lips over her cheekbone, moving toward her lips. Just a taste. 

Just as his lips hovered over hers, her eyes sprung open. He jerked back. Her eyes were liquid black, no hint of white. Her lips parted, revealing elongated canines. "Get. Off. Me." 
  
He cocked his head, staring down at her in consternation. Her voice was different, as if she spoke with two tongues. The effect was eerie. 

When he made no move, she roared at him. "GET OFF!"  Her small hands were pushing against him fruitlessly. It made him smile. He liked a bit of fight in his women. Suddenly there was a surge of energy exploding through his chest and he was flung violently away from her and sent sailing until into a tree trunk. The massive evergreen creaked and shuddered under the impact and he crumpled at its base. 

He groaned, rolling onto his hands and knees. He saw her rise with uncanny fluidity. The air crackled with electricity. He felt it buzz through him, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. 

She was staring at him with those dark eyes, her face impassive. "Listen, motherfucker," she growled. "I am not that chick." That voice again; it was like two voices pitched together. "Care to try again?"

Snarling, he lunged at her only to have her lift her palm to him in an almost casual manner. Before he was within three feet of her he was hurled back once more, skidding across the ground.  

"Asshole," she muttered almost absently. 

He pushed himself to his feet. "What are you, bitch?" he spat.

A small smile curved upon her lips but she said nothing. 

His ears perked up. He'd wasted too much time. They were coming for her already. He fixed his hard glare on her. "We're not done, bitch." He jutted a finger at her. "Remember that."

Her smile broadened, putting gleaming white teeth on display.  "Looking forward to it," she purred. 

He turned and sprinted into the forest just as Ethan crashed into the clearing. 

"Tianna!" He grabbed her by the shoulders, his stomach clenching when he looked into her blank pitch black gaze. What the fuck?

Nick was next to him. "Ethan? What's wrong with her?" He leaned in and looked into Tianna's face. "Shit, man." 

She smiled at him lazily. "Ethan."

Ethan frowned at the strangeness of her voice. "Tianna!" He shook her roughly. "Snap out of it! Tianna!"

Suddenly she slackened, her legs seeming to give out and he caught her against him. Her head dropped forward onto his chest. 

Ethan smoothed his hand over her hair, riotous and strewn with leaves and small twigs. She shuddered in his arms. "Tianna?"

She lifted her head with some effort and her head lolled back. She stared at him with that lovely chocolate gaze of hers. "Ethan?" her expression was quizzical. "What happened?"

Ethan looked into her face. "You don't remember?"

Tianna blinked rapidly. "There was a wolf. He chased me." She winced, working her jaw gingerly. "I think he knocked me out," she murmured. "And then Eva was in my head. It was like I was just watching but she was in control. He was leaning over me and then...then Eva was in charge." 

"Eva," Nick groaned, turning to the woods as though expecting her to appear. But he couldn't hear her—didn't see her— but he could smell her on Tianna's skin as if she had just been there. 

"Find her," Ethan said gruffly, hefting Tianna up into his arms. "And get back to the manor. Fast." 

Nick nodded wordlessly and took off.  It wasn't difficult to find her. He was becoming far too familiar with the scent of her blood for his own comfort. He found her sprawled in the forest floor, unconscious. Again. He could feel the residual magick permeating the air around her like a heavy shroud. 

Quickly kneeling, he tugged her onto his lap. "Eva," he tapped her cheek lightly. "C'mon, babe, wake up." 

But she didn't stir. Her flesh felt cool to the touch. She was far too cold. Even her lips bore a slight bluish tint. He was starting to panic. He listened carefully. Her pulse was thudding dully and far too slow. It was then he noticed her bloodied palm and the jagged wound that spanned its surface. It was bleeding profusely but not enough to knock her out. The magick in the air around her was so strong it made him dizzy. Whatever she had done to Tianna, it was powerful stuff. Likely it was too powerful for her to be attempting in the first place. 

"Shit," he cursed and hurriedly shifted her weight in his arms as hauled his t-shirt over his head and wrapped the material tightly around her hand. He grimaced. She was too still, too silent. Her skin shouldn't feel so icy beneath his fingertips.  He pressed his fingers to her throat for her pulse. Her heart beat slowly, dully beneath his fingertips. Her breath was shallow. Unease curling in his gut, he lifted her into his arms and took off back toward the manor. 

 ***

Tianna wriggled out of Ethan's arms when they stepped into the manor kitchen and he carefully set her on her feet though he took a firm hold on her wrist. He met her apprehensive gaze steadily. "We need to talk to Aaron about this." 

She nodded absently. Her voice was low and wavered a bit when she spoke. "Is it okay if I shower first?" She held up on hand, examining the dirt caked beneath her nails. "I'm a wreck." 

Ethan eyed her critically. Her skin was smudged with dirt. Her hair was tangled around her face. Her scent was a confusing mix of Eva and the scent of a foreign werewolf. He noted with burgeoning rage that a bruise was beginning to form along her jaw line. 

He saw her flinch at the dark expression on his face and he abruptly released her. The cocky arrogance he'd come to expect from her was nowhere to be found. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Just meet us in the study when you're done." 

The girl nodded mutely and left him in the kitchen. 

Ethan went to the study, unsurprised to find Aaron sitting at his desk. Aaron glanced up at him when he entered. "What's all the commotion? Our guests giving you trouble already?"

Ethan shoved his hands into his pockets and he met his alpha's hooded gaze. "A werewolf came after Tianna in the woods. Nick's getting Eva. I just brought Tianna back."

Aaron's dark gaze was ominous. "A stray? On our lands?" 

Ethan's expression mirrored Aaron's. "He attacked her but she managed to escape somehow.  I think..." his brows knitted together as he processed everything. "I think Eva somehow managed to inhabit Tianna's body." 

Aaron's brows shot up. "Inhabit?" The Alpha's expression was troubled. "What exactly do you mean by that?" 

Ethan cleared his throat. "I think she kind of possessed her. Tianna's eyes were dilated with magick and she smelled like Eva. I mean, the other wolf's scent was on her but mostly she smelled like Eva." 

Aaron leaned back in his armchair and let out a low growl. "That's some advanced magic. It would take a lot out of the witch to pull off something like that, even a seasoned well-taught one. How is she fairing?"

"We lost sight of her in the woods when we were tracking Tianna. Nick is looking for her now. I don't think—" 

"AARON!!" Nick's shout seemed to reverberate through the manor, breaking into Ethan's words. 

Aaron was on his feet immediately and both men were in the foyer in seconds. Nick stood there bare-chested, Eva held in his arms, the scent of her blood heavy in the air. Nick's eyes were fervent with worry. "She's so cold. She won't wake up and the blood..." 

Aaron moved closer and gently smoothed Eva's eyelid upward. Her eye was dilated and unseeing. He placed his palm on he brow. She was chilled. 

"Christ," Aaron muttered. He fixed Nick with an intent look. "Take her upstairs. Keep her warm and comfortable. I need to make a call."

"A call?" Nick sounded uncertain. "This is beyond me, Aaron. I checked her vitals She hasn't lost enough blood to be effected like this."  

Aaron nodded, already retreating. "It's not biological, Nick. It's something else. There's someone in Shendaken who might be able to help."

Nick cradled Eva to his chest and swiftly made his way upstairs to his bedroom. He shouldered open the door, holding her gingerly before carefully setting her upon his bed. She didn't stir and he reluctantly left her side to retrieve a first aid kit, basin, bar of soap, and a damp hand cloth from the bathroom .  

The bed dipped under his weight as he seated himself next to her, setting the basin on the bedside table. He took her bound palm into his lap and unwrapped his bloodied t-shirt from her hand, grimacing as the material stuck to the wound. 

Ethan was in the doorway leaning on the door frame. "Looks like she's going to need stitches."

Nick winced. "Yeah." 

"Aaron doesn't want anyone venturing out too far away from the manor just yet. I don't think we're going to be able to take her to the hospital." Ethan shrugged away from the doorway. "Looks like it's up to you." 

Nick nodded absently as he carefully probed the jagged edges of her wound. 

Ethan exhaled heavily. "I'm going to go check on the other walking disaster." 

Ethan left then and Nick sighed. He dipped the cloth into the basin and lathered it before gently cleansing her palm and washing away the blood. He checked the wound for any debris, finding none.

"I'm sorry, little witch," he murmured as he threaded the hook needle. "This is probably going to hurt."

She moaned and tossed her head as he deftly closed the wound but thankfully did not wake. He bound and bandaged her hand gently. Her skin was yet cool to the touch, her breathing labored. 

Nick smoothed his hand over her brow, brushing her hair back from her face. As his palm drifted to cup her cheek, she moaned and turned her face into his touch. As her teeth began to chatter, he scooted onto the bed and hauled her against his side. "Just hold on, little witch." He shook his head ruefully, though worry was curling icy tendrils in the pit of his gut. "We have got to stop meeting like this."

***
Ethan knocked lightly on Tianna's door but the girl door didn't answer. Hands on hips, Ethan stifled a low growl. "C'mon, Tianna. You can't stay in there forever." He pounded on the door. "Tianna!" 

Nothing. There wasn't the slightest hint of movement on the other side of the door. He tried the handle. Locked.

"Tianna," he growled. "Open this door now" 

Nothing.

With a scowl, Ethan gripped the door handle and twisted it violently, breaking the knob off in his hand. He shoved the door open only to find the room empty. "Tianna?" He followed the sound of the shower running to the bathroom door. "Tianna?" 

Damnit. Why didn't she answer him? He pushed open the bathroom door and crossed the room to draw open the shower curtain.

"Damn." 

Tianna was sitting in the bottom of the shower, hugging her knees to her chest. She was fully clothed and her dark hair was wet and plastered to her face. She didn't even seem to register that he was there as she stared sightlessly as he drew the curtain away and reached for her. The water was frigid.  

"Jesus, Tianna." She didn't resist as he lifted her out of the tub.  He set her on her feet and yanked a towel from the rack and wrapping it tightly around her. She trembled and her teeth chattered noisily. 

He lifted her into his arms and he moved into the bedroom. He seated himself in the large armchair, keeping her on his lap and held her tightly against him as he rubbed a hand vigorously up and down her arm to warm her. Surprising him, she leaned into him burying her face against his neck. She exhaled a shakily and he felt her breath hitch.

Ethan back into the chair, feeling an odd sense of satisfaction settle over him. Her trembling had begun to  cease and her breathing had become more even and deep with sleep. Ethan lightly dragged his fingers through her damp hair, combing through the wet tangles. 

She felt too good. Damnit. He knocked his head against the back of the chair. Of all the women to suddenly be attracted to...Dominic Moore's stubborn arrogant daughter.... The girl was nothing but trouble.

He heaved a heavy sigh, continuing to comb his fingers through  her hair. Not good. Not good at all.

***  
Nick stood stock still, despite the almost overwhelming urge to cross the room and tear the dark haired man's esophagus from his throat. 

A male witch, a stranger, was sitting on the bed next to Eva. One hand was upon her brow, the other pressed against the bare skin of her stomach. Her white t-shirt was bunched up under her breasts, and her chest heaved with rasping tortured sounding breaths. 

Peter and Aaron stood nearby; clearly ready to stop Nick should his emotions happen to get the best of him. 

When Eva had yet to rouse herself, Aaron had sent for the warlock. Nick had recognized him immediately from around town. He didn't like that the warlock had been in his midst and he had never once sensed a thing. And he certainly didn't like that the man had his hands on Eva as she whimpered and squirmed under his touch. 

***
Ethan started awake, Tianna still asleep in his arms. A distinct feeling of unease crept over him. There was no sound that he could pinpoint that was the reason for his abrupt waking but something was off. His hairs were standing on end, as though an electrical current were washing over him.

Eva. It was odd having a witch at Greystone. He wasn't used to being overpowered by anyone, especially not by some mere slip of a girl. Her presence was definitely unsettling. It was almost as if he could feel her approach like some odd ripple in the fabric of the air around him. 

Of course Tianna came with along with an equally troublesome friend. Likely, nothing was ever simple or uncomplicated with Dominic Moore's daughter. 

It was Eva's scream that had him out of his wrenched at his attention, quickly followed by Nick's enraged roar that had him out of his seat and gently depositing Tianna upon her bed. 

He ducked into the corridor and raced down the hall to Nick's room. The scene before him stopped him short. Nick was straining viciously against Aaron and Trent's hold, his eyes aglow and his elongated canines gnashing as he snarled. His gaze was fixed on Eva. 

A dark haired man was leaning over Eva, his hands pressed against her flesh as her body arched up off the bed and she let out another scream full of agony. 




Feral Ch. 07



Ethan gripped the door frame, feeling the wood give slightly under her fingers. The power swirling around the room was tangible, making his head throb fiercely in such close proximity. Focusing on the man leaning over Eva, he recognized him immediately. In a move that the eye could hardly follow, Ethan was across the room and slamming the warlock into the wall. Sean. 

Ethan had the material of the warlock's t-shirt bunched in his hands. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he slammed the warlock into the wall once more for good measure. He felt Sean's hands wrap around his wrists and the skin there began to sizzle, the sickening smell of burning flesh beginning to fill the room. 

Ethan gritted his teeth against the searing pain, instead rearing back and slamming Sean more forcefully into the wall. Spider web like cracks radiated out from behind Sean's body. 

"Ethan," Aaron's hand was on his shoulder, "Let him go." 

Ethan's lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing exceptionally pointed canines but he released the warlock, hurling him to the ground. 

"I asked him here," Aaron told him steadily. "I thought he could help the Clinton girl." 

Ethan momentarily shifted his gaze from the warlock to Eva. Nick was at her side the moment Aaron had released him. She stirred and he cradled her head between his hands. 

Eva blinked up at the man hovering over her, completely filling her field of vision. 

"Nick?" she rasped, her throat feeling raw and on fire. Swallowing was impossible. "What happened? Where's Tianna? Is she okay?"

Nick frowned, brushing a gentle hand over her hair. "Tianna's fine. You're a different story though. You got in over your head again with your witchy business." 

Eva gave an unladylike snort. "So what else is new? How long have I been out this time?"

Nick shook his head at her casual demeanor. "Just a couple of hours."

Eva started. "That's all?" She smiled weakly. "Sweet."

"Don't get too cocky. You had help." Sean was at Nick's shoulder, eyeing her with interest. Nick stiffened at the warlock's closeness. 

Eva reacted differently, turning toward him almost like a sunflower tracing the sun's progress across the sky. "Sean?" she murmured. The warlock grinned. 

"You know each other?"  Nick questioned, a definite edge to his voice as he stood. 

"Yeah," Eva rasped, staring at the warlock. "Through Tianna." Her brow furrowed. "What are you doing here? And why can a feel you?" She looked more perplexed than alarmed. "I've never felt you before. "

Sean took Nick's previously vacated spot next to her "I've gotten pretty good at hiding myself when necessary. I know who your mother is, Eva. I wasn't sure if I should be revealing myself to you." His gaze roved over her features. His face was soft with concern "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," she grumbled. It was difficult to stay still when all her body seemed to want was to curl towards his presence. She could feel herself drawing strength from his nearness. 

The corner of his mouth tugged upwards at her struggle and confusion. He slipped his hand beneath her neck, cradling the base of her skull in his hand. "How does that feel?" His thumb made soothing circles over the flesh just behind her ear as the pain ebbed from her limbs and the intense throbbing in her skull dulled. 

Eva moaned, her eyes fluttering closed. "That feels good," she murmured, hardly noticing Nick's growl.

After a few minutes, Sean reluctantly withdrew his touch. He was essentially allowing her draw from his power to revive herself. He didn't like the idea of leaving himself vulnerable when surrounded by hyper-aggressive werewolves. Her full pink lips formed a slight pout at the absence of his touch. 

He lightly touched her cheek. "I'll see you soon, kid, okay?"

Eva nodded, too grateful to even protest his irritating term of endearment. 

Aaron led Sean from the room. Ethan and Trent followed closely behind but Nick lingered. He regarded her silently, his hands shoved into his pockets. 

Eva curled onto her side facing him, wincing at the residual tenderness of her body. She smiled wanly at him, "So what's up with you, wolfman?" 

Nick stepped closer to the bed but did not make any move to touch. "You need to stop this, Eva."

Her dark brows lifted. "What's it to you?" She mirrored his frown, "It's not like I intended to drain myself that way. Shit happens." 

Nick wanted to grab her and shake some sense to her. Instead he balled his hands into fists against the notion. "You almost killed yourself," he ground out.

"Like I said," Eva glared at him, wrapping her arms around her middle. "Not on purpose and none of your business." 

Nick's jaw clenched so hard he heard a crack. She was right, of course. It was none of his business how far she decided to push herself. He wasn't truly sure why he should care. He barely knew her and his strong and sudden attraction to her likely had as much to do with her magical allure as it did with her pretty face and those perfect breasts of hers. Witches were nothing but trouble and she had the charming personality to match, all stubborn arrogance and not a lick of sense. 

Eva watched the dark haired werewolf's scowl deepen. When he spoke his voice was chilly. "You know, you're right, Eva. I don't know what I was thinking. My mind must have been clouded," his gaze swept over her, "by all this. Do what you want." 

He turned then and left her, closing the door behind him with a soft click. 

Eva pulled her knees into her chest with a shuddering breath. She didn't need some overprotective werewolf hovering around her and getting in her way. She didn't need him trying to control her. 

She turned her face into the pillow and sighed. Wrong move. Nick's scent inundated her senses; the smell of musk, spicy sweet aftershave and something else, wild and seductive. 

She inhaled deeply, her eyes drifting closed. No, she didn't need anyone telling her what to do. There was no reason, however, why they couldn't get along in a more intimate fashion. 

She remembered the way his body felt pressed against hers in the clearing as he cradled her in his arms, pressed his heated lips against her flesh and thrust his fingers into her. 

No, there was no reason at all why they shouldn't be able to get along. She burrowed into the covers, wrapping his scent around her as she surrendered to sleep. 

***
"What am I going to do with you, hm?"

Tianna blinked at the sight of Aaron Thorne sitting in an armchair at her bedside, the first sight to greet her as she awoke. His deep baritone startled her into lucidity rapidly. 

Groaning, she pushed herself into sitting position and regarded him blandly despite the way his voice—an alpha's voice—made her heart skitter in her chest. Fear. Biologically she was hardwired to fear and obey him.  She shoved the feeling down until it was nothing but a small coil of unease lingering in her chest.  

When she spoke, her voice hardly wavered. "That's kind of a loaded question." 

Aaron's brows furrowed and he ran a hand through his dark locks, momentarily clenching his fingers in frustration. A muscle ticked furiously in his jaw. His voice was hard, angry.  "A mutt hasn't set foot on our lands for decades. Not until the moment you show up." 

"More like abducted, less like showing up." Tianna supplied but snapped her mouth shut at the dark look he shot her. 

He continued on, his voice silky with menace. "You bring a witch—the daughter of an incredibly powerful dark witch with a penchant for mutilating our kind—into my home."

Tianna opened her mouth instinctively to defend her friend but Aaron held up a hand, effectively silencing her. 

"Someone obviously seems focused on getting to you and yet you seem intent to disobey me at every turn while undermining my every attempt to protect you." His dark gaze narrowed on her, his face grim. "So now I repeat, what am I going to do with you?"

Tianna's mouth twisted, her eyes troubled as she mulled over his words. "Couldn't it just be some coincidence?" She was grasping, she knew. "I could have some human whack job stalking me, and the wolf in the woods seemed rather surprised to see me. I don't think he expected to run into me at all." 

Aaron leaned forward, his elbows on his thighs and clasping his hands between his knees . "It is possible that the incident in the woods is a coincidence. He may have come upon you by accident, but that doesn't change the fact that there was a mutt in these woods who was very likely a scout."

Tianna started at this. A scout sent to test Greystone's defenses. A scout who didn't seem to care that the pack would track his scent and know he'd been there. It was a death wish if she'd ever seen one. A mutt who didn't fear the pack was unheard of. It was a bold and reckless move by someone who either felt they had nothing to lose...that, or something had seriously bolstered the mutt's confidence. 

Aaron could practically see the wheels turning in that pretty little head of hers. "So you see my dilemma," he drawled. "If we face a threat from outside of Greystone, I don't want to be distracted by an interior disturbance as well." His eyes were trained on her when she met his steady gaze. 

"I understand," she said softly, sounding somewhat defeated. "I won't give you any more trouble."

Aaron leaned back in the armchair, looking a bit mollified. "And the Clinton witch?"

Tianna stiffened slightly. "You won't have to worry about her. I promise."

Aaron smiled tightly as he stood. "Good. I'm glad to hear it." His gaze roved over her speculatively.  "Get some rest." 

An order. Tianna nodded with all the humility she could summon, gripping the bed sheets in her hands as he left the room. 
***
Ethan knocked once before entering Nick's bedroom. "Nick, we need to talk."

He realized belatedly that the small lump in the bed was not Niklaus. 

Eva pushed aside the covers, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She spared him a glance before turning her gaze to take in her surroundings. The room was decorated in muted greys and black with ombre wood. "So this is Nick's room?" she said lightly. She returned her gaze to Ethan. "I guess he slept elsewhere last night?" 

Ethan eyed her warily. "Obviously."

Eva slid to her feet, allowing her eyes to rove over his rigid form. Ethan stood stock still though his brows drew together as she stepped close. Taking his hand, she lifted his wrist up for inspection. 

She grimaced at the red blistered flesh circling his wrists. "Ouch," she murmured, tsking in sympathy before she brightened. "I have something for that!" 

Ethan withdrew his hand, still frowning at her. "I heal quickly. I'll be fine."

Eva shook her head. "It's a magical wound. It will take forever to heal and leave scarring if you don't treat it correctly. I can fix it."

Ethan lifted a flaxen brow. "What and have you black out again? No thanks." 

Eva shook off his comment and skirted around him. "Seriously, I can help. I'll be right back." 

Ethan rolled his eyes as he crossed the room and seated himself on the edge of Nick's bed. Eva returned momentarily, her oversized purse in hand. She scooted onto the bed next to him, one leg tucked under her and began rooting around in her bag. 

"What are you doing?" Ethan watched her. 

She handed him a roll of gauze and tossed him an indignant look. "Stop looking so suspicious. I'm not going to hurt you."

Ethan smirked a this. 

"Ah hah!" She said triumphantly as she drew a small brown glass vial from her bag. 

"And that is, what exactly?" 

Eva took his hand once again and laid it upon her knee. "Tea Tree oil." 

Ethan looked dubious. "Tea Tree oil is going to heal magical burns?" 

Eva glanced up into his face as she uncorked the vial and poured the liquid into her palm. "No, not just by itself. But with a little help from me, you should be good as new."

Ethan sighed. "Haven't you had enough magic for a couple days?" Ethan withdrew his hand only to have her catch it in her own bandaged grasp and place his palm back on her knee. 

"This is nothing," Eva assured him. "Kid stuff." 

Cupping her palm with the oil she dipped two fingers of her bandaged hand into the liquid and gently began to spread the liquid over the burnt flesh. 

Ethan held back an audible sigh at the cool soothing sensation of her fingers and the oils. He watched her silently as she worked, coating his flesh and murmuring under her breath. She worked intently, tracing circular patterns over the raw flesh as he watched the vivid redness diminish slightly before his eyes. When she finished she wrapped his wrist in the gauze and reached for him other hand. 

"Where did you learn this?" 

Eva smiled wanly, not taking her eyes off her handiwork. "I've been fooling around with magic untaught and unsupervised long enough to learn to heal my own wounds." Her smile grew. "You're the first person I've tried it on other than myself though." 

Ethan's frown returned and he snorted. "Thanks for making me your own personal guinea pig." Her fingers were making delicate mesmerizing circles over his skin once more. 

Eva chuckled softly. "So Sean did this?"

"You were awake for that, huh?"

Eva shook her head. "No. But a magical wound leaves a kind of signature before it has healed. I don't know if it's the same with all witches or maybe just because I'm a bit of an empath, but I can sense the residual energy of the being that inflicted the wound. Every witch is different in the kind of vibe they give off. 

"Interesting," Ethan grumbled absently watching her ministrations. "How's the hand?" 

Eva wriggled the fingers of her bandaged hand briefly. "Good I think," she said cheerily. "I peeked at it earlier. The stitches are pretty neat. Who did them?"

"Nick," he offered, watching her face carefully. She kept her face devoid of anything beyond mild amusement. 

"He did a good job. I assume he learned it from patching you guys up on a regular basis?"

Ethan shrugged. "Well, there's that but Nick is a doctor, used to be a surgeon." 

Eva's fingers paused their movement and her delicate brows arched. She glanced at him as if to gauge the truthfulness in his expression. 

She went back to work, tracing her fingers over his wrist. "Does he still practice?"

Ethan shook his head. "No, he's more research now." 

"What does he study?"

Ethan chuckled. "Genetic mutations." 
 
A wide grin curved upon her lips at that. "Of course."

Eva wrapped the gauze around his wrist. "All done," she smiled triumphantly at him. 

Ethan quirked a brow, examining her handiwork. "Thanks." 

They sat examining one another for a moment. 

"You're not going to give him too much grief are you?" Ethan asked pointedly.

Eva shrugged, one corner of her lips tugging up in conspiratorial smile. "Not too much. Just the right amount." 

***

Eva found Tianna in the feminine monstrosity of a room unpacking a suitcase and placing her clothes in the large painted armoire that dominated one corner of the room. 

"Eva," Tianna breathed, setting aside a stack of clothes and crossing the room in two long strides. She pulled her friend into a fierce embrace. 

"Oof!" Eva wheezed, and wriggled free. "Watch the super strength, girl." 

Tianna crossed her arms over her chest. "Eva, this has got to stop." 

"Jeez," Eva flopped on the bed and propped herself up on her elbows. "You sound like Nick."

Eva gave her a stern look as she went back to her unpacking. "Well, Nick has some sense. You should listen to him. God knows you've never listened to me." 

Eva traced her fingertips over the floral embroidery on the comforter. Her voice was soft. "I panicked." She glanced up at her friend. "I didn't know what else to do." 

Tianna's face softened. "You need to be more careful.  And I don't want you risking your life for me, Eva."

Eva met her gaze steadily. "Tell me you wouldn't do the same for me."

Tianna's shoulders slumped, her expression earnest. "Look, Eva. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you, especially if I felt like it was my fault. So please, just don't do anything rash." 

Eva pursed her lips and let out a stream of air. "Fine," she grumbled. 

"Good," Tianna sighed and went back to unpacking. "I promised Aaron we wouldn't give him anymore trouble." She paused suddenly, her back to Eva and glanced at her friend over her shoulder. 

"So...uh...what was with the orgasm in the woods, hm?"

Eva sat up, crossing her legs and running her fingers through her hair. "You felt that, huh?"

Tianna let out a low laugh. "I sure did. Nick was it? What's up with you two?" 

"Nothing." Eva frowned suddenly and picked at a thread on the bedspread. "Not yet anyway. I think he's angry with me." 

"Well it didn't feel like 'nothing.' " Tianna ventured. "Maybe we should figure out a way to dim the link a little bit? Now that we're in such close proximity?"

Eva looked at her. "Why? You planning on getting some from Ethan?"

"Please." Tianna rolled her eyes.  "Ethan has Neanderthal written all over him. I'm not getting mixed up in that." 

"Ditto," Eva quipped. "But that doesn't mean you can't have some fun with him."

"Fun?" Tianna scoffed and shook her head. "I don't think he even knows the meaning of the word." 

"I bet." Eva grinned and hopped off the bed. "I need a shower." 

"Aaron's set you up in a room just down the hall." 

Eva paused. "Let's pretend I didn't hear that." 

Tianna gave her  a suspicious once over. "What are you up to, Eva?"

Eva shrugged, affecting her most innocent expression. "Nothing at all." She gave Tianna a mock salute. "See you later, chica."

Tianna looked dubious as Eva gave a nonchalant wave and practically skipped from the room. 

Perhaps staying out of trouble was going to be more difficult than she imagined. 

***
Nick was exhausted as he trudged up the stairs. He'd spend the night unable to sleep, slumped in a wrought iron chair on the patio, his eyes trained on the woods as he listened for the telltale snap of twigs underfoot.

There was no doubt in his mind that the mutt had come for Tianna, and he was certain that he would be back. Just as he was certain that Eva would do anything to save her best friend, likely getting herself killed or worse in the process.

"None of my goddamned business," he grumbled to himself as he pushed the door open to his bedroom. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the bed. He unbuttoned his jeans only to halt suddenly, hands poised to push the denim from his hips. 

He could make out the sound of running water on the other side of the bathroom door. The floor of his room was littered with tiny Eva-sized clothing: chocolate brown riding boots, a v-neck t-shirt, dark denim jeans and lacy hot pink thong. God help him. 

He crossed the room and silently pushed open the door, steam wafting over him. On the other side of the fogged glass of the shower door, he could make out Eva's form; the narrowness of her waist, the generous swell of her breasts, and the enticing curve of her ass.

She hummed an upbeat slightly off key tune, completely oblivious to his presence. 

Nikolas stared, taking in the way her body moved and her back arched provocatively as she dropped her head back and smoothed her hair back from her face under the stream of water. 

He felt his hands curl into fists against the almost crippling urge to wrench open the shower door to get to her. He cock swelled and strained against his jeans, 

He didn't know how long he stood there watching her, but he felt as though his feet were rooted to the floor as the door slid open just a crack and one brown arm reached from within, hand reaching for a fluffy white towel hanging from the rack. 




Feral Ch. 07



Nick moved then, swiftly and silently and snatched the towel from the rack. He watched her continue to fumble around, searching for the absent towel. 

"Damnit," he heard her curse under her breath as the slammed the door open. 

Eva stopped dead in her tracks. Perhaps she had jumped the gun on this one. Sure she had known that Nick might discover her in his shower. That was kind of the point. However, the sight of a six-foot-four chiseled shirtless werewolf standing there—fists clenched, nostrils flared—was a whole other matter. 

  With a low cry she clapped her arms over the important body parts and crossed her legs awkwardly. "Nick!" She screeched.  "Towel, please." 

This wasn't just any man she'd decided to toy with. Not one of her college flings. She could see that now, and she knew she'd made a mistake. 

He was huge. His bare chest was broad and liberally dusted with dark hair tapering down over bunched and rippled abdominals and disappearing into the black boxer briefs slung low below the enticing v at his hips. His body was hard and sinewy, heavily muscled arms radiating power—every inch of him conveying strength and wildness. The way he stood spoke to that power. It was the kind of incredible strength that was just barely held in check by immense will.  

His eyes had darkened from that changeling hazel to deep gold .He inhaled deeply, his broad chest expanding. Good lord, the way he was looking at her was turning her bravado to mush—leaving nothing behind but girlish apprehension. 

"Nick," she said softer now and extended one hand, the other arm crossed tightly over her breasts. 

Nick stalked forward—that was the only way to describe the predatory graceful way he moved. 

His gaze raked over her form, a smile curving over his sensuous lips. He held out the fluffy white towel. 

She snatched the towel from his outstretched grasp and slammed the shower door shut between them. 
She let out a shuddering breath as she hastily wrapped the towel around her body, cognizant of the man separated from her by just a bit of admittedly flimsy fogged glass. 

She glared at the glass, lifting her finger to scrawl a backward message on the glass. GO AWAY!!!

She could sense him resolutely on the other side of the shower door. Lifting her chin, she smoothed her hair back from her face and slid open the glass, her expression neutral. "Privacy not one of your strong suits, huh, wolf boy?" she quipped, her tone laced with sarcasm. 

He blocked her path towering over her. "What are you doing in here, Eva?" 

Holy mother, she loved the way his lips caressed her name in that deep slightly aristocratic drawl. She mentally kicked herself, 'focus girl.' 

She lifted one manicured brow at him. "Showering, as if it weren't obvious. And now I'm leaving." She moved to side step him but he mirrored her movement, effectively blocking her way. 

He moved into her instead. She retreated until her back was against the wall. He hovered over her—not touching her—but braced one arm on the wall above her head. 

He lifted one hand to trail the back of his fingertips of her flushed damp cheek. Her scent was damn near inebriating. His wolf was near mad with need, clawing at him to take her—damn the consequences. He wrestled the feeling down, a low growl escaping his throat. He could hear the rapid staccato of her heart beating in her chest. He wondered if it was from arousal or from fear. His gaze drifted down the rapid rise and fall of her breasts against the edge of the towel. His lips twitched. Perhaps both. 

"You couldn't have used Tianna's shower? Or your own?" His voice rumbled from his chest, reverberating through her.  "You had to trip down and get into mine, huh?" 

Eva's lips moved but no sound came out. It was getting difficult to draw air into her lungs. 

"Mmm..." He lowered his head and nuzzled her cheek. His lips trailed down her throat. She felt his teeth scrape lightly against the sensitive flesh then swiped his questing hot tongue over her pulse,  His spicy male scent filled her nostrils and she shuddered, knees trembling. 

His large hands took her shoulders and drew her more fully against him. His mouth captured then, obliterating all thoughts and warnings. 

Eva shifted her body against his for fuller contact as he swallowed her moan and eased  her back against the wall. She was slight in his arms but her entire body hummed with power as though his touch had awakened it fiercely within her. 

He lifted her, mouth fused to hers and her legs wrapped around his lean waist. The towel had slipped from around her torso to bunch around her hips, baring her heavy breasts. 

Nick groaned, feeling her breasts press against his heated flesh. He slid one palm to cup one glorious breast while the other slipped beneath that sensuously curved ass of hers to hold her more intimately against him. 

She tightened her thighs, bringing her naked flesh against his lower torso and her pulse skyrocketed.  She returned his kiss eagerly, opening her mouth to him and winding her arms around his neck. She plunged her fingers into his dark hair. "Nick," she gasped his name between breaths. 

The wondrous things his hands were doing halted immediately at the sound of her voice and he drew back slightly to look into her face. Her eyes bright with excitement and her breath panted from between her lush pink lips. 

She was pliant and submissive in his arms. The very touch of her skin upon his sent tiny electric shivers of delight through his core. He made the mistake of dropping his gaze to her beautiful dusky tipped breasts. Unable to help himself, his hips bucked against her and his grip on her tightened. Letting out a low throaty moan, she rubbed hips against him creating delicious friction. 

He slammed his eyes shut and swallowed thickly. 

Eva felt the change in him immediately. She combed her fingers through his hair. "Nick?" 

Pulling away from her and carefully set her on her feet. He resolutely kept his eyes on her face as he deftly wrapped the towel around her body. 

His voice was tight and strained when he spoke. It was the kind of voice that told her all the blood had drained from his vocal cords to the immense bulge in his pants. It was at odds with the cool detached look he gave her. "You need to go now, Eva."

She blinked at him. Surely he couldn't be serious. She hugged the towel to her with one hand and reached for him with the other. "Nick—" She placed the palm of her hand against the heated flesh of his chest. She could feel his heart beating strongly under the warm skin.

He grimaced, jaw tightening. 

His large hand captured her wrist in a move so fast it was only a blur. She jumped, startled by his sudden gentle but insistent grasp on her wrist. 

"I don't understand," she murmured, her pretty growl wrinkled quizzically. She pulled fruitlessly at his grip. 

He huffed in annoyance and began tugging her behind him, ignoring her when she nearly slipped on the damp tiles. 

He bent quickly—not releasing her—and scooped up her discarded clothing, his grip still firm on her as he all but dragged her across the room. 

At the bedroom door, he shoved her things into her arms. His face was hard. "What part of 'time to leave,'  get out, is hard to understand?" 

Her brown skin flushed with anger and embarrassment. "What the fuck is your problem, wolf boy? You had no problem with my presence just a minute ago." 

Wordlessly he took her arm in a none too gentle hold and wrenched open the door. "Get the fuck out, Eva." He practically shoved her into the hallway.

She whirled on him, furious and he leaned in the doorway taking in her shocked and angry expression. "Go ahead and play your games, Eva. There are enough men in the house, I'm sure one of them will give in eventually." 

And with that, he slammed the door firmly in her face. Her enraged shriek, followed by the solid thump of one riding boot being thrown greeted in him response. 

Eva spun away from the door, fully intending to stomp away but stopped short at the sight of Aaron Thorne standing just a few feet away, one dark brow quirked in wry amusement. 
"Miss Clinton," he acknowledged, in that dry tone of his though his eyes crinkled and his lips twitched. 

"Thorne," she snarled and swept past him. 

"Oh, Miss Clinton," his voice followed her and she stopped dead in her tracks before turning to face him warily. "I would see you in the study when you are less..." he searched for a word. "Indisposed." 

"Sure thing," she ground out and strode angrily down the hall away from him. Fucking werewolves. 

***
Eva met Aaron in the study reluctantly. He was perusing the rows of bookshelves, his back to her. His broad unfettered shoulders were encased in a superbly cut navy blue jacket. Dark inky hair fell straight past his shoulders to brush between his shoulder blades. The look was dramatic yet fitting. 

"Come here, Eva." He said, gesturing her to his side without turning. Apparently the man also had eyes in the back of his head. Steeling herself, she crossed the room to him to stand next to him. 

He had opened a panel in the otherwise solid-looking bookcase and was removing a large cloth-wrapped bundle. 

"Here you are," he handed her the bundle and the panel clicked closed, creating a seamless façade. 

"Oof," Eva nearly dropped the heavy object he placed into her hands and she hugged it to her chest. She shot him a perplexed look. 

"Shall we?" He turned her lightly, hand at the small of her back and led her to the couch, pretending not to notice the way she flinched and stiffened at his touch. 

Aaron settled himself on the couch at a respectable distance as she seated herself, bundle in her lap. He draped his arm over the back of the couch. "Go ahead," he urged softly. "Open it. 

She eyed him warily. He looked relaxed and at ease in his navy suit, the collar of an immaculate snowy white shirt open at the neck and revealing swath of deeply tanned smooth flesh. 

She swallowed, averting her gaze and unwrapped the cloth bound object. As the fabric fell away, her mouth dropped open. "Oh my God," she breathed. The breath whooshed out of her lungs in shock. Her gaze flew to Aaron.

He was regarding her calmly, his expression inscrutable as his dark gaze roved over her features. 

She tore her gaze away from him to stare at the book in her lap. She carefully—almost reverently—with a hint of trepidation traced her fingers over the leather bound cover of the book. It was very old, she could sense. She traced the pentagram on on the cover with light fingertips. 

It was a grimoire, the first she'd ever touched. "Where did you get this?" she all but whispered. Aaron watched her as she seemed to pale and her eyes grew wide. "You didn't kill her, did you?" 

Caught off guard, Aaron stared at her, mouth gaping. He surprised her by throwing back his head and letting out a bellowing laugh. When he finally regained his composure she was still staring at him, her changeling eyes wide. 

He smiled at her. "You are truly frightened of me, aren't you?"

She lifted her chin at this, fire flashing in her gaze. He admired that. 

He smiled running his fingers through his hair. "No I didn't kill anyone for it." Something almost like sadness flickered in his generally enigmatic gaze. "But the witch to whom it belonged is dead just the same." 

Eva ran her hands over the aged leather binding. "It's very old isn't it?" She questioned, shooting him a glance. 

"Quite," he shrugged. "But then again, so am I . So I suppose it's relative." 

Eva glanced at him surreptitiously. "Just how old are you?"

Aaron grinned. "I was born in 1840 in Manchester."

Eva's mouth dropped open. "No way!" She was gaping at him, her eyes searching his unlined face for some telltale hint of veracity.

Aaron's lips quirked. "Way." 

"How is that possible?" she breathed, a slight frown marring her brow as she cocked her head and continued to study him. 

"I am a pureblood," he shrugged. "I am descendent from the original wolves. Like other members of the pack, I age slowly. The regenerative qualities of our DNA slow down the aging process as our cells don't degenerate or die. We don't grow old or sick or feeble."

She was looking at him curiously. "When will you start to look old." 

He chuckled at her sudden interest in him. "Not for centuries."

"Wow. And this?" she gestured to the grimoire. 

He sighed. "The witch was a friend of mine in the 1940s. We were very close," he hesitated. "And she was very powerful."

"Was it magick that killed her?" she ventured.

"No," he shook his head. "It was an air raid of all things. The blitzkrieg. I dug through the rubble of her apartment to find her body. She was surrounded by other people. The grimoire tucked in her arms." He frowned slightly then. "I think she revealed herself, attempting to save the people around her. She just wasn't strong enough." 

Eva was staring at him, mentally trying to pick apart his motives—the sound of his voice when he spoke of the long dead witch, and the slightest flicker of emotion in his dark eyes. "And you're showing me this because..."

Aaron nodded at the book. "Because I want you to have it." 

If possible, her eyes widened further. "Me?!" she squeaked, her fingers tightening around the grimoire so hard that the blood was leaving her fingers. 

"That is, if it will open for you," he mused, enjoying her shock. 

A slight frown flickered over her face. "What do you mean, 'if'?"

His gaze roved over her face intently. "Muriel," he said in a low voice. "That was her name. She spelled her grimoire, that even if it was taken from her...it could only be used by someone who was worthy of it."

She caught her lip between her teeth. She longingly traced the edge of the book. She was a fledgling witch with not training. She could feel herself deflating already.

Aaron's voice was soft and disconcertingly gently. "You remind me of her a bit," he said. "You have the same spirit, that same fire." One corner of his mouth lifted. "And she gave me nothing but grief before we became close." 

He watched her lips twitch into a semblance of a small smile at this. 

He waited patiently, waiting for her to gather her courage. And as easily as if she were opening any book at her local library, she cracked the grimoire open.

Aaron's brows rose.

She glanced at him furtively. "That's it?"

Aaron's dark brows were climbing toward his hairline. "I suppose so," he murmured. "I tried to open it once and it was almost like the damn pages were super glued together."

But Eva wasn't listening. She was carefully thumbing through the parchment pages, eyes taking in the intricate drawings and script. She noted that the handwriting changed as she flipped through them. "This is her family's book," she whispered.

If not for his supernatural hearing, he would not have heard her. "I assume your family has one as well. You come from two very powerful bloodlines."

He watched emotions flit over her features. Anger, grief, regret, longing. It was a lot of emotion for someone so young. "No, I've never had one," she said softly. "I ran away before my mother could stop me. I don't even want to know what's in our family's book." She raised her gaze to him steadily. "Why are you doing this?"

Aaron returned her unwavering gaze. "Why do you think?" 

Eva studied him soberly. "You trusted her, this Muriel," she said quietly but with certainty. "You wanted to see if you could trust me too. If I could open the book, it would be a sign."

He grinned at her. "Good girl." 

She bristled at that and hugged the grimoire to her chest. "You're not going to take it back are you?"

Aaron shook his head. "No. It chose you. That means it's yours." 

She relaxed visibly, but just barely. 

He leaned toward her. "But I want you to be careful with it, Eva. Balance."

"Balance," she repeated. 

He was watching her intently with something she would have thought was concern if she didn't know who she was dealing with. 

"It's part of your problem. You need to balance the light and the dark," he said, his sable eyes boring into her. "I know you fear your mother's blood in your veins, but if you avoid the dark completely, it will weaken you when the time comes to use it—if you need to use it. But temper your studies with the light, beat back that darkness when it threatens to take hold so that it doesn't consume you. Understand?"

She nodded, becoming unsure of herself. 

He leaned back in the couch.  "And feel free to use me." 

She lifted her brows at this. 

He chuckled. "I've known plenty of witches. Perhaps I'll be more of a resource than you imagine."

She nodded absently at this and stood, then fixed him with her direct gaze. "Thank you, Aaron." She swallowed. "I can't tell you—"

He held up a large hand to stop her right there. "Just don't make me regret it." 

She nodded vigorously and practically dashed out of the room before he could change his mind. 

She crashed right into Nikolas. She winced, cringing at his glare and dashed up the stairs in search of some privacy and her new accommodations. 

***
Julian Drake tugged his t-shirt away from his body to examine the long slashes in the fabric and the dark red stains.bThe she-wolf had shredded him with her nails but those wounds had healed almost immediately.  

The elevator doors slid open to the penthouse suite and he entered, pulling the shirt over his head and discarding it. He padded into the spacious bedroom, his eyes immediately falling on the figure beneath the snowy white sheet. 

He crawled onto the foot of the bed, stalking up the woman's body to cage her between his arms and thighs. 

A low growl left his throat as he nuzzled the dark hair back from her face and he inhaled her scent deeply as he brushed his lips over her toffee colored cheek. Jet black eyelashes trembled against delicate cheeks then fluttered open to reveal startling green catlike eyes. 

"You're back," she murmured, her voice husky and seductive with sleep, causing a stirring in his loins. 

"Yes," he answered simply, giving her a lingering kiss on the lips before she twisted her head away to survey him. 

She took in the puffy pink scars crisscrossing his chest. Her eyes flew to him. "You were caught?"

He shook his head. "No. I came across Dominic Moore's daughter, the she-wolf." He shrugged his massive shoulders. "I couldn't help myself, but I was interrupted." 

She sad up, firmly pushing at his chest. "The wolves," she demanded. "Did they see you? Did they recognize you?"

He sat back on his haunches. "No. It was something else." He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "I think the little witch was there. She possessed Tianna Moore to fight me off. Got me pretty good too."

The woman's face hardened. "Are you certain of that?"

He shook his head. "I can't be sure, but—"

"But what?" She snapped, holding the sheet tightly in her fist to cover her naked breast and raking a rough hand through her dark hair. 

He watched her face intently as he spoke. "She smelled like you all of a sudden—like jasmine, spice and blood oranges, but somehow different." 

She looked at him consideringly. "This isn't necessarily the a bad thing," she mused. "They're together in one place. We can kill two birds with one stone." She smirked. "Literally."

His look was skeptical. 

She let out a low bark of laughter. "Don't worry. You can still have the girl when I'm finished with them. You have my word." 

He nodded at this, still regarding her intently. Sanaa Clinton was a beautiful woman, her body positively humming with power. But she got ahead of herself sometimes and forgot who was in charge. 




Feral Ch. 07



"I don't think—" she began. 

His hand shot out and he grabbed her roughly by the nape of the neck and dragged her to him. "Quiet, now, Sanaa." He growled against her lips, squeezing lightly. 

The sheet fell away, leaving her nude as he circled her with his free arm, trapping her against him. Her hands were trapped between their bodies and she dug her nails into his barely healed wounds for good measure.  She smiled a saccharine smile. 

He growled at that. "Tell me you missed me," he ordered. 

She pouted at that, lifting her face to brush her lips against his. "Of course, I missed you," she purred.

Her smile stretched wider and she pulled away from him gently and sank back into the mattress. She spread her thighs wide. "Yes," she said softly. "I missed you immensely. Let me show you."



Feral Eyes



A gentle summer breeze drifts into the darkened bedroom. The sounds of nightfall began to slip in through the open window. The sound of chirping crickets happily calling to each other. He lay quietly in the darkness, smoking a cigarette. Tilting his head, he looked down appreciatively at her thick auburn hair, framing her beautiful face as she slumbered peacefully, using his chest as a pillow. His mind rolled back for what seemed like the millionth time. Trying to see through the fog enveloping his memory. Having lost the last twenty-four hours without a hint of what may have happened or where he had been.

It was Friday night, another no name bar in another no name town that had become the mainstay of his nomadic existence. The bar was dark and the music way too loud for the size of the room. The overpowering odors of stale beer, sweat and cheap perfume assaulted his senses. He sat in the corner, his back to the wall, sipping another scotch and rummaged around the pockets of his worn leather jacket. The jacket was showing it's age, its brown dye worn away in places, its surface cracked and scraped. Yet, it was comfortable and as comforting as a second skin. 

Pulling out a smoke, his eyes scanned the seedy establishment inhabited by the standard compliment of clichés. There was the balding overweight bartender in his stained white tee shirt, the old rummies at the end of the bar arguing about the score of some long forgotten sporting event. The aging floozy, with the big hair, too much make up and way too tight clothing swaying dangerously on her barstool while drunkenly slurring the lyrics to another bad country ballad, trying in vain to catch his eye. And of course the pack of good old boys shooting pool and generally raising hell at the back of the room. 

As he took another sip of his scotch he unfolded his worn and stained map, looking at it with a slight sadness in his blue gray eyes. A finger slowly traced another road he had yet to travel.

He looked up, mildly amused as the drunken woman with the big hair staggered past. She was attempting what she imagined was her best hip roll. But came off more as a human pinball as she bumped into a chair or two and bounced off the sides of tables on her way to the little ladies room to powder her nose or pass out, whichever came first. 

His eyes went icy as he fought down the urge to attack when the boys in the back hurled crude remarks after her, laughing and sneering. He took another sip of scotch and pulled his graying hair into a ponytail. He grinned inwardly to himself. He knew he was not an old man, but by no means a young one either but resigned himself to the fact that before the night was over he would probably end up tangling with one or more of the boys in the back. 

Suddenly she was there. Slipping into the bar with all the subtlety of a lightning strike. She made no noise, but the black mini dress, thick auburn hair cascading over her shoulders, six-inch heels and the fact that she was drop-dead gorgeous, stopped everyone dead. She glanced his way as she passed his table, the faintest hint of a coy smile tugged at the corner of those full luscious lips. 

Crossing to the bar, she leaned over slightly to order a drink, her perfect little behind pushed slightly out. The hemline of her dress stopped just below the gentle curve of her tight little bottom. The scene stirred animalistic instincts within him and caused him to slowly run his tongue along the edge of his sharp teeth. 

Getting her drink, she asked the now flustered bartender if he sold cigarettes. The bartender stood there as though thunderstruck but finally nodded his head toward the cigarette machine at the back of the room. 

She turned slowly and looked around the room. Their eyes met momentarily as he watched her over the rim o' his nearly empty glass of scotch. What? Was that a wink? The light was dim but he could almost swear that she winked at him. Nah, what would a knockout like her possibly see in his raggedy ass? 

Taking another sip of his scotch, he watched as she pushed herself away from the bar and strode to the back of the room. As she moved through the room, the way she walked, her alluring scent drifted over him as she passed, setting his body on fire. 

He suddenly realized that the good old boys were dangerously silent and a few had sickening leers painted on their faces as she approached the cigarette machine behind the pool table. 

Time slowed almost to a standstill. He could see every movement in sharp detail, almost as if in slow motion. He heard each coin cycle through the machine as if they were hammers beating on a sheet of steel. Her hand wrapped around the selector lever followed by a loud thunk as she gave it a yank. The swish of the pack as it slid into the tray. Time passed in what seemed like years as she bent to retrieve the cigarettes. 

One of the men stepped up behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist, lifting her into the air. Her scream of surprise was slowed to what seemed like a low long, wail. He deposited her onto the pool table and forced himself between her thighs. One of his buddies pinned her hands over her head. The rest of the crowd circled cheering and shouting obscenities. 

He glanced at the bartender for his reaction and was shocked to see him sadly turn his back and busy himself with some meaningless task behind the bar. The two old rummies hung their heads in shame and looked away. Looking back at the pool table, he could see that they were tearing her clothes off and preparing to gang rape her. His muscles and tendons coiled in preparation as he sprang out of his chair, crossing the room in a split second. 

The man between her wildly flailing legs never knew what hit him as a fist drove into his temple dropping her attacker like a two hundred pound rock. 

Growling, he turned on her next assailant, his vision blurred into a sheet of blood red as vicious snarl and a rumbling growl thundered through the tiny bar. That was the last thing he could remember of the evening.

As he lay there in bed, he felt the chill run up his spine again, remembering how the newscaster grimly reported the news of the massacre at the bar during the evening news. Shuddering as pictures of the county coroner rolling out the yellow plastic covered bodies flashed through his mind again. Afraid because he didn't remember what occurred after he attacked her first assailant. 

She stirred in his arms. Her lips tenderly kissing his chest, her tongue teasing his nipple. Looking up into his eyes and smiling, she said "I never got to thank you properly for what you did for me." Rolling on top of him she stretched her body out atop his. She kissed him passionately. Her soft flesh pressed against his. 

Wrapping his arms around her, pulling her tight against him. Kissing her, while allowing his strong hands to caress her back, the gentle curve of her bottom, squeezing it hard. 

She emitted a low moan into his mouth in response. Grinding her pelvis against his, she kissed and sucked his neck passionately, wildly. His hand slipped around a perfectly contoured ass cheek and between her creamy thighs, fingers brushing against delicate nether lips slick with her moist essence. She moaned into his mouth, grinding her hips into his as the passion built into a blaze. 

He grasped her sides gently but firmly, lifting her slightly, taking her breast into his mouth. His tongue swirled around her erect nipple. Sucking it, biting it, causing her to gasp and shudder, sending a new shower of moisture flowing over his exploring fingers. His hands wrapped around her hips as he slid down the bed, repositioning himself between her soft supple thighs. 

She stretched herself upright, breath faltering as his lips brushed against her sex. Her fingers tangled in his thick hair, pulling his mouth tight against her smooth shaven mound. 

His tongue slipped between the tender lips, stretching her, filling her, causing her to moan deeply, grinding her sex into his mouth as he attempted to devour her. He bit down gently with sharp teeth on those silken petals, sucking each in turn. His mouth seeking and finding the sensitive little bundle of nerves. Swirling his tongue around it, sucking it. He caused her to convulse uncontrollably at the sheer pleasure he was administering. He held her by the hips to steady her, running his tongue from the gentle curve of her mound to her most private of secrets, and back, lapping her rapidly. Slipping his inquisitive tongue into her tight sheath, she began to pump and ride his thrusting tongue. 

She reached back behind her, wrapping her slim fingers around his manhood. Feeling it throb hotly in her palm caused her to loose a small breathless moan as his tongue thrust deeply into her. 

Gripping her undulating hips he pulled her further into his ravenous mouth, his hips raising slightly as she stroked and pumped her hand along his length. 

She threw her head back, hair flying in disarray as her orgasm began to boil over. Her body tensed as his tongue slipped out to swirl around the tiny opening of her tight little rosebud. 

He pressed slightly to test the resistance of the tiny opening and her resolve. She responded by grinding against his mouth, forcing his tongue deeply into her. Squeezing her soft tight cheeks, separating them, he drove his hot wet tongue deeper into the tight confines of her gorgeous ass. He continued thrusting into her as she gasped through another orgasm.

She bounced off of his face and slams her pelvis onto his. Pure lust flashing through her unfocused eyes. Rocking her hips as she slid her soaking sex along his shaft until she find the blunt tip. Moaning deeply, she impaled herself on his iron like manhood. Taking him completely within the hot velvet like grip of her sex, causing him to moan and gasp aloud. A wild, feral lust took over as she thrusts her hips against his, harder and harder, faster and faster. 

Grasping her hip, he pumped his pelvis into hers. Her juices flowed, soaking him as her ass slapped wetly against his thighs. 

Digging her nails into his shoulders as she ground her mound against the base of his manhood, grabbing him by the hair and pulling him to her breast. 

His lips and teeth enveloped her nipple, sucking and biting. Squeezing the rocking cheeks of her ass with one hand, the other taking a soft breast, mauling its soft flesh, tweaking and pinching the hard erect nipple in the process. 

She let out a hoarse whisper, "yesssss" and urged him on breathlessly. She slammed her sex down atop his throbbing shaft. Taking him deeper and faster, as she begged him to make her come again. 

He sat up suddenly and rolled her onto her back causing her to raise her glistening thighs high on his hips and legs crossing at the small of his back. He began to thrust deeply, his testicles slapping wetly against her now upraised bottom. 

She began to shudder underneath him, legs wrapped around his waist, her creamy thighs gripping him tightly. Her mouth forming a tight little o as her orgasm flashed through her like a jolt of electricity. Thrashing her head from side to side, hair flying, she dug her heels into him, forcing him deeper. Her sex fluttering, squeezing him, she slowly went lax as her orgasm ebbed. 

Slowing his thrusts to a gentle grind, he rested his weight on his outstretched arms, gazing into her eyes. He noticed a wildness there that he had not seen before. This pleased him immensely. Kissing her softly, she moaned deeply and told him she wanted to be filled with his essence. Slipping out of her slowly, he rolled to the edge of the bed taking her with him. 

As he sat on the edge of the bed, she quickly straddled his lap. Grasping his hard, slick shaft she guided the blunt tip of his spear and slowly sat, impaling herself. Her thighs began to shake slightly as her stamina began to wane. 

He reached under her thighs so that they rested over his forearms, grasping her ass cheeks in his strong hands and rocked her gently against his pelvis, causing her to bury her face in his neck, gasping in pleasure. He stood slowly as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs tightly about his waist. Raising and lowering her slowly, nipping and kissing the exposed flesh of her throat he began walking slowly. He walked carefully across the room, out through the French doors, and into the cool night air all the while gently raising and lowering her on his impaling shaft. 

Moonlight washed over them, causing her skin to glow and her hair shine darkly. Her hips rolled against his, moaning deeply, her breath came in short gasps, almost as if panting. 

His passion mounted, knowing he was close to climax he began to thrust and grind deeper. Looking into her unfocused eyes, he noticed a slight glow to them. Exciting and startling him at the same time. 

His mind flashed back to the bar, he remembered whirling and snarling after slamming his fist into the side of the first clown's head. He'd caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye as the pool stick flashed toward his head. One of them had knocked him unconscious before the change could take effect. As he fell sideways, he remembered that terrifying growl that tore through the bar. 

Feeling his passion reach it's peak, he thrust into her one final time, feeling the white hot heat wash over his shaft as he flooded her spasming sheath. He grunted and bared his fangs at the sudden ice-cold shock like that of a razor cut when her fangs sank deeply into his shoulder. He loosed a purring growl when he realized that it was not he that had slaughtered those bar patrons. He slowly lowered her to the ground and drew her down onto the cool grass with him. 

As they lay catching their breath he looked into her feral, lupine eyes and heard her growl softly... "Thank you."



Feral Heart



(Author's note: This story is an official entry into the 2013 Literotica Earth Day story contest. The inspiration for this tantalizing tale came to me as I was looking for ideas, and found a picture on Google of a woman who had tied herself to a tree in protest against forest clearing. The idea blossomed from there, further inspired when I caught a few moments of one of those vampire vs. werewolf movies on TV. Be forewarned, this is a long story, and not very sex-heavy. Still, I hope you enjoy this adventurous, sometimes gory, sometimes sexy tale of what can happen when you mess with nature.)

* * * *

Three Months Ago . . . .

Writhing upon the bed, clutching handfuls of cotton sheets, she panted into the pillow. Dress pushed up past her waist, back arched and hips lifted off the mattress, she reveled in the feel of his tongue as he serviced her from behind. He licked from her swelling clit, up through swollen pink folds, to her puckered anus, then back again.

"Oh, yes, give it to me," Melissa whimpered.

Ryan's response was a knowing chuckle. He gripped handfuls of her full, pale cheeks and pushed them apart before thrusting his tongue deep within Melissa's tunnel. His lover gasped, pushed back against his talented tongue.

He straightened, positioning himself behind her. His cock was fully engorged, throbbing with anticipation. "You're going to get it, all right," he declared, before shoving inside her, almost to the hilt.

A ragged cry escaped Melissa's lips at the sudden invasion. She started to push up onto her hands, but Ryan shoved her back down, a restraining hand at the back of her neck. His thrusts became harder, rougher, making her body tremble with each pounding intrusion.

"Is this what you wanted?" he breathed in her ear as he leaned over her. He nipped at her lobe. "You wanted to get fucked?"

But she could only grunt in response, wincing repeatedly.

He took her reticence as compliance, and lifted up, gathering a handful of long, thick dark hair. She gasped again as her head was pulled back, and struggled to compensate. His loins slapped against hers loudly. The cloying aroma of sex swirled through the air.

Abruptly, Ryan pulled out, cock shiny with his lover's fluid, and rolled her onto her back. She stared up at him with a mixture of arousal and apprehension. His body was impressive, nicely muscular, bearing the scars of a hard-lived life. Melissa usually found him rakishly sexy, but there were times, such as now, that he all but frightened her.

Spreading her thighs wide with his hands, Ryan descended upon her sex, sucking a mouthful of slick, pink flesh. She gasped loudly and ground against him. But after only a few moments, he was once more spearing roughly inside her, sinking his cock all the way in before pulling it almost all the way out. Melissa panted for breath, especially given the way her legs were pushed back with her knees nearly at her shoulders.

He suddenly began driving into her faster and faster, leaning upon her body, smacking his hips against hers. She grimaced through it all, even as her body began to respond. Her vaginal muscles squeezed and clenched his cock. When she came, she could only gasp and thrash, her world spinning in random circles.

Awareness barely returned to Melissa when she realized Ryan was straddling her chest now. The fragrance of her orgasm was strong upon his offered cock. She normally did not enjoy the taste of herself, especially when it was so pungent, but she offered no protest when he took her head in his hands and slipped his cock into her mouth. Brow furrowing at the flavor that soaked into her tongue, she nonetheless suckled him, allowing him to use her mouth as he had her pussy.

A thankful sigh left her mouth when Ryan pulled back, sliding down her body to position himself between her legs once more. He entered her with ease and smothered her body with his own, rutting and rolling atop her body. Melissa clutched him with arms and legs, winced as she felt his teeth nipping her neck.

At last, he pushed himself up on his arms, looking down upon his lover with an almost wild, feral look as he savagely thrust into her again and again. She could not meet his gaze, and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the end.

When he finally came, bellowing his release to the world, she trembled beneath him, glad that it was over.

* * * *

She was taking longer in the shower than usual, Ryan noticed. He personally preferred not to shower after sex; the lingering aromas, the stickiness of the skin, the slowly-fading taste in his mouth were all part of the experience. Melissa had commented on that a few times, but had learned to accept it during the few months they had been dating.

A frown decorated his face when she finally emerged, not only clean, but dressed as well. A sheepish expression blanketed her fresh-scrubbed face.

"I thought you were staying," he said.

She took a breath, casting her glance aside. "Ryan . . . it's too much."

"What do you mean, 'too much?'"

Melissa fidgeted in the doorway of the bathroom, fingers playing along the strap of her handbag. "It's like . . . every time we make--" she huffed, corrected herself. "Every time we have sex, it gets rougher and rougher."

He smiled roguishly. "I thought you liked it rough."

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But, babe, it's honestly starting to scare me. You leave bruises and marks on me. Some of my friends think you're hurting me."

He looked insulted, but also concerned. "Am I?" he asked, sitting up in the bed. "Am I really hurting you?"

She softened, stepped to the edge of the bed. "You don't mean to," she said in a small voice. "At least, I don't think you do."

Ryan fell quiet a moment, looking down at the rumpled sheets. "I get carried away sometimes," he said, then gave Melissa a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help it."

She shook her head sadly. "I don't think you can, either." She leaned across the bed to place a tender kiss on his lips, then straightened and turned to the door. "Good-bye, Ryan."

He said nothing as she left. He listened to her sniffles, the click of her heels across the floor, the opening and closing of the creaking door. With a heartfelt sigh, he reached for the pack of cigarettes by the bed and lit one up.

Another one bites the dust, he mused.

Now . . . .

"Excuse me, sir, but we've got a problem."

Martin Milton looked up from his desk in the small, wood-walled trailer. He was a heavyset man, and despite his ruddy face and naturally gruff appearance, his clothes belied a life used to indulgence. "I don't like hearing things like that, Billy."

The young man in his inexpensive suit shifted uncomfortably as he stood in the doorway. "I know, sir, but the main crew just called in. They, uh --" his features twisted slightly as he tried to conceal his mirth. "They've got something in the way."

Milton sighed in annoyance. "Don't tell me some tree-hugging cunt got herself tied to a fucking tree or some shit."

Billy twitched. "Um, well, actually, sir . . . that's pretty much exactly what's happened."

"God damn it!" roared Milton, rotund frame lurching up behind the desk. "Fuck those God damned fucking hippie mother fuckers!"

Billy fidgeted, waiting for his employer's tirade to subside. He had seen enough of them over the years to know how to deal with them.

After nearly half a minute of expletive-laced ranting, Milton pinched the bridge of his nose and took several deep breaths, letting each one out slowly. Finally, his smallish eyes opened. "You didn't call Richard, did you?" he asked in a forcibly calm tone.

"No, sir," Billy answered. "This might be something you want to see for yourself."

Milton frowned, chubby face souring. "The fuck's that supposed to mean?"

Billy just waited.

Finally, Milton sighed and reached for his cowboy hat. "This better be worth the trip."

* * * *

The Jeep rumbled to a stop upon a freshly-turned dirt path more than a mile from the logging company's base camp. Bulldozers and cranes sat quiet all around, their chipped and weathered yellow paint standing out in stark contrast to the lush green of the forest. The air was a bit cooler here than in the base camp, but no less humid. With the onset of spring, the air had become thick and cloying. Milton hated it. At least in his home state of Texas, the heat was not quite as oppressive as it was in these Georgia foothills.

He followed his assistant from the Jeep, trudging up an incline just steep enough to make his feet ache in his expensive boots and the air to torture his lungs. Ahead, the assembled company of loggers were gathered at the edge of the forest, forming a semi-circle before a large, stately old pine. The tree was easily twice as broad as any around it and towered well over a hundred feet in height.

"All right, what in the fucking hell's got you all lollygagging up here?" Milton roared, gaining the attention of the crowd of men. Most gave him curious smirks and chuckles, and stepped aside as the company boss approached. "We ain't got time to mess with some tree-hugging cu--"

But Milton's caustic words slipped away as the assemblage parted, affording him the view that had captivated his men.

She stood against the rough bark of the tree, head held high in defiance despite the fact that her wrists were confined by crude-looking manacles. The chain attached to them wrapped around the impressive girth of the tree, with an obvious amount of slack that would allow her to sit if she so desired. Yet she stood, almost as if proud of her predicament.

But it was not to her apparently haughty attitude that Milton was attracted. It was her state of dress. Or rather, undress.

She was fully nude, and obviously comfortably so. Her skin was a rich bronze, contrasted by long, flowing golden hair that hung free around her head, only partially obscuring the view of perfectly-formed, full round breasts that sat high and proud on her chest. The hue of the hair on her head was perfectly matched by the golden thatch that covered her pubic mound. Even her eyebrows were of the same, sun-kissed color. She stood nearly as tall as most of the men ogling her, with obvious but not unseemly musculature just beneath the skin.

"--unt," Milton finally finished, after drinking in the sight before him. He made no effort to conceal his interest in the nude nymph. Never had he seen such a beautiful woman, not in print, not in his fantasies. Even Martin Milton, gruff as he was, found himself stunned.

To his credit, however, he made the supreme effort to regain his composure. Stepping forward from the throng of men, he approached the woman. "All right, sweetheart," he growled. "Nice twist going jaybird, but it ain't gonna help you none. We own this land, and all you're gonna do is get your pretty blonde snatch thrown in jail. Bitch and moan and tell me I'm the fucking devil for--"

Her words interrupted him. "You own nothing," she spat. "Not even your soul."

Milton chuckled, slipping off his hat to wipe his brow. "Well, ma'am, you're right about that. God owns my soul, and I been a good Christian all my life. But I ain't in the fucking mood to talk religion with you." He straightened and cast a look back over his shoulder. "Get some fucking bolt cutters over here and cut these fucking chains!"

"They have already tried," she said in an even tone. "No tool of man can cut these chains."

Milton turned back to her with a tired and annoyed look. "Hope you don't mind me proving you wrong."

One of the loggers stepped forward, not bothering to hide his admiration for the naked woman's body. "Uh, Mr. Milton, we tried cutting through them. Damn things must be titanium or something."

Milton scowled. "So get a saw!" he snapped. "Or burn it! Or cut down the fucking tree!"

Billy darted up. "Sir, they've already tried everything," he said. "And they can't cut down the tree when she's chained to it."

Milton snarled. "It's just fucking chain!" he cried. "Cut it off! I'm not gonna get behind schedule because some pot-smoking hippie fucking bitch wants to save the God damned planet!"

"Not that easy," said another man, coming forward with a jig saw in hand. He was older, seasoned. "I got the strongest fucking blade on this thing, and it didn't do beans to that damn chain. Just made a shitload of sparks."

Milton regarded the deformed blade on the jigsaw, then convulsed in anger. "Fuck!" He lurched toward the naked woman, slapping his hands to either side of her head upon the tree. Surprisingly, she did not flinch, staring back undaunted.

"Okay, playtime's over, bitch," Milton hissed. "You got yourself in these chains, you can get out. Pull the key outta your cooch or ass or wherever the fuck it is, but get it out. If you can't reach it, tell me where it is and I'll get it."

She remained impressively calm. "I did not place these chains upon myself, and there is no key. I desire freedom as much as you wish me gone, but there is only one way to release these bonds. Although, given your intentions here . . . I cannot say I am all too willing to be freed just yet."

Milton hung his head, allowing himself a choice view of the woman's perfect body. Her skin was absolutely flawless, he noticed; not a mark, blemish or birthmark to be seen.

"You know, honey," he said at last, lifting his head to meet her gaze. "You really should have thought this whole chaining-yourself-naked-to-a-tree plan out. I've got a dozen men and more right behind me that probably haven't seen pussy like yours in a really long time, so unless you want to have a really bad day . . . ."

But even in the face of the threat of rape, the blonde woman only smiled. It was a cold, wicked expression. "Any man who attempts to touch me without my consent will wish for an eternity in Hell before I am through with him," she hissed.

Milton chuckled darkly. "Just empty words, darlin'," he said.

She glared back. "Try it," she said harshly. "I have enough of my powers left to make good on my threat."

The pudgy man's brow furrowed in confused irritation. "'Powers?'" he asked. "What the fuck you talking about?"

She avoided his question. "It is not me you should be concerning yourself with," she said. "It is the one named Steven."

"Oh, I get it," chuckled the rotund man. "Got yourself a partner, huh? I'm guessing he's out there spiking marked trees, maybe gonna do a Rambo run on our equipment in the middle of the night? Not gonna happen, babe, 'cause we--"

"No," she said, cutting him off. "He will kill you. All of you."

Milton cocked his head, glaring. "Now you're crossing the line, girlie," he growled. "I don't take lightly to threats."

"It is not my threat, but his," she responded. "He has taken some of my power, and it has corrupted him. I know not how long it will take before he finishes the transformation, but I do know that he despises you even more than I do, and that hatred will make him come after you and your men. The only way to stop him, and free me, is to slay him." She let her words sink in, then glanced around at the other men. A cruel smile stretched across the woman's lips as her eyes returned to Milton's. "And I see none among you, especially yourself, capable of such an act."

Milton's face twisted in anger. He bushed himself back and once more pinched the bridge of his nose. "I got no time for this shit," he remarked at last. He turned away and shouted. "Billy! Get Richard on the horn! We gotta get someone out here and fast!"

* * * *

Heavy hands dragged down his face as Ryan Welch sat on the edge of his bed. He could still feel the effects of the previous night's alcohol that yet lingered in his body. He licked sticky, yet dry lips and looked around the bedroom of the small trailer which he called 'home.' A fan warbled in an open window; the cheap version of air conditioning. A musty aroma lingered in the air.

He reached a tired hand to the stack of unpacked cardboard boxes beside the bed which served as a nightstand, took up a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. The metal cap of the Zippo rang open before he flicked a flame to life. He sucked in nicotine, snapped the lighter closed, and fell back on the bed.

Gotta stop killing yourself, Ry, he told himself. Melissa's not coming back. None of them ever do.

The phone beside the cigarettes chirped.

Ryan groaned and made the effort to sit up once more. He reached for the offensive device. What now? he thought.

A message awaited him. He tapped the screen to call it up, held the phone to his ear.

"Ryan, it's Brett. We need to pull you from your normal rotation. Looks like there's a situation we need you to check out. Look in your email. Call me if you have any questions."

He slapped the phone to his thigh, noting the time. It was almost noon. Figures, he mused. I get a few days off, and they want to call me back in. They're almost as bad as the Army.

With a grunt, he pushed up from the bed and headed to the desk, the only other piece of furniture he owned other than the cheap wooden stand upon which sat the TV. He tapped the fingerpad on his laptop, making the screen flash alive. A few clicks and he was in his government email account. He stooped to read what had been sent him, eyes darkening before an amused smirk stretched his lips.

A naked woman tied to a tree, he thought. What is this? 1968?

The address given him was around eighty miles away.

He headed to the bathroom for a shower and shave, then dressed in his Fish and Wildlife Service uniform. Given the humidity of Georgia, he chose the shorts and short-sleeved shirt as opposed to the more formal uniform. Lastly, he clipped the badge and his pistol in a simple leather holster to his belt. Taking up his Mountie-esque hat, he headed to the door.

* * * *

It was after two in the afternoon when Ryan's government-issued truck arrived at the logging company base camp. A large wooden sign, the size of a small house, proclaimed "Milton Logging and Land Clearing," in massive red letters against a yellow backdrop. Beneath that, it read, "Professionalism and Efficiency Since 1994."

The base camp consisted of a series of rather simple-looking trailers. Numerous vehicles -- mostly trucks and Jeeps -- sat parked around the trailers. There were large flatbed trucks, tractor rigs, and other pieces of heavy machinery sitting around. More than a dozen men were collected beneath a pair of large tents with the sides removed. They watched as Ryan's government truck rolled in. Some of them were already grinning in anticipation.

Finding the office for the site was simple enough; it was the largest trailer and had the word "OFFICE" painted in red letters on the side. After parking, Ryan headed up to the steps and rapped on the door.

A slender man in a white polo answered the door and instantly smiled in relief. "Oh, good," he said, stepping back.

Ryan chuckled. "Nice to meet you, too."

The man blushed and held out his hand. "My apologies," he said. "It's been a long day already. I'm William Kitchen, assistant to Mr. Milton. Call me Billy."

"Ryan Welch," answered Ryan, shaking Billy's hand.

"That better be that God damned Fish and Wildlife guy!" roared a voice from beyond an open door.

Ryan cocked an eyebrow and glanced to Billy. "Mr. Milton?"

Billy nodded. "He's, uh, a little obnoxious. He's from Texas."

Ryan frowned. "So am I."

The slender man awkwardly glanced away.

"Well, God damn am I glad they sent someone out here today," grumbled Milton as he wobbled into the room. Ryan couldn't help but be amused by the man's obvious Texas swagger. He even wore a bolo tie. "I'm Martin Milton. This is my operation."

Ryan nodded. "I gathered that. Nice big sign you've got out there."




Feral Heart



Milton grinned. "Gets your attention, don't it?" he barked, but the smile faded. "They tell you what my problem is?"

Another nod. "I understand you have a naked woman chained to a tree. I'm guessing it's not a morale boost for the men."

"Fuck no it ain't!" spat Milton. "Huffy bitch thinks she can stop my operation. Wants to save her fucking forest. I ain't got time to mess with it. I want her the fuck out of here."

Ryan remained composed in the face of Milton's repugnance. "Have you tried cutting the chains?" he asked.

"Shit yeah we tried it!" Milton huffed in frustration. "Jigsaws, miter saws, bolt cutters . . . even tried cutting torches. Damn chain's too tough. Either that, or I got shitty tools. Bitch says she ain't got a key and I didn't see no key holes on them anyway."

Ryan took a breath. Of course this wouldn't be easy, he lamented. "I was told something about a collaborator?"

"Yeah, some guy named Steven," Milton answered. "We ain't seen him yet." He suddenly snapped his fingers. "Billy! You hear from the marking crew yet?"

Billy shook his head. "They haven't reported back."

"Fucking great," growled Milton. "Now my marking crew's up in the woods having a fucking circle jerk and I'm getting behind schedule."

"So, you haven't heard from some of your men, and there's an unknown, possibly hostile, insurgent in the area?" Ryan asked carefully.

Milton narrowed his eyes. "You military, huh?"

Ryan shrugged. "Served a few tours."

"Doing what?"

"Doing whatever an Army Ranger is told to do."

Milton grinned. "Well, all right," he said. "Now we got us a bad ass. Good, 'cause that bitch chained to the tree says her partner is gonna wipe everyone out."

"Really."

"Yeah, but she was talking all sorts of funky shit. She ain't right in the head. Hot as hell, but about as stable as a one-winged duck in a windstorm."

Ryan took a moment to let everything filter in. "I'll need someone to take me to where she is."

"Hell, I'll take ya."

* * * *

Ryan could understand the reason for all the fuss as soon as the woman came into view. She was, indeed, the most stunning woman he had ever seen. He had to admire both her beauty and bravery for subjecting herself to the situation . . . if, indeed, she was here of her own free will as Milton assumed.

"Not bad on the eyes, huh, son?" Milton asked as they exited Ryan's truck. Since revealing that he, too, was from Texas, Ryan had apparently made a new best friend.

"You could have at least put a blanket on her."

Milton snorted. "We tried. She refused."

"No one's touched her, I hope?" Ryan asked.

Milton looked offended. "I don't run that kind of operation. My boys are good boys."

"Just checking," said Ryan, starting for the tree.

The blonde woman uncurled herself from a seated position and stood as Ryan approached. She watched him with scrutinizing eyes that assessed every part of his body she could see.

Stopping several paces away, Ryan removed his hat. "Afternoon, miss," he said. "My name's Ryan Welch. I'm with the US Fish and Wildlife Service. You look like you're having an interesting day."

"I am certain it will prove memorable," she responded.

"So how long do you plan on staying up here like this?" Ryan asked. "Between those heavy chains, wild animals, and the dangers of exposure, you're taking quite a risk."

The woman's fierce green eyes narrowed. "As I explained to your hog-bodied companion, I am not here by choice," she said, then allowed herself a small smile. "As for the animals and the effects of nature, I have nothing to worry about that."

Beside Ryan, Milton was quivering. "'Hog-bodied?'" he sputtered. "Did you just call me a fat ass?"

The woman responded with only a haughty look.

"You little fucking--"

"Mr. Milton," Ryan said quickly, placing a restraining hand on the heavy man's shoulder. "Why don't you let me handle this?"

Milton glowered, then let out a heavy sigh. "Fine. Do your thing. I'll wait by the truck."

"Good idea," Ryan said, watching as the logging company owner grumbled his way back to the government truck. He returned his attention to the blonde woman and took a few steps closer.

"Colorful fellow, isn't he?"

She regarded Ryan with a small smile. "I have endured his kind for ages. They are all the same. Oppressive, insulting and afraid of their own shadows."

"'Ages?'" Ryan quipped, moving closer as he began to inspect the chains. "You can't be more than twenty-five, if that."

Her eyes wandered over his face as he stood before her. "If that is your belief."

He held her gaze a moment, seeing nothing but clarity in the woman's eyes. Then he directed his attention to the manacles and chains. "So what's your name?" he asked, taking up a length of chain.

"Una," she responded.

"Interesting name. Sounds European."

"I suppose it could be."

Ryan turned the chain over in his hands. It was heavy and rough, with no two links alike. It looked like a tenth-grade metal shop project gone awry. The manacles appeared equally shoddy. He noticed several recent marks on them, faint furrows into the metal caused by various tools. "Hard to see how these chains are so tough," he commented. "Given enough time, the right tool could cut right through them."

"No tool of man can sunder these bonds," Una said.

Ryan glanced back to her face. "You always talk like you're from the Lord of the Rings?"

She frowned. "I do not know who that is."

Okay, she may look sane, but I'm betting there might be some schizophrenia going on here, Ryan thought, following the chain to the manacles. As he touched one of them, Una raised her arm to make it easier. It slid down off her wrist. Ryan frowned as noticed the fresh raised welt on the inside of the woman's wrist. "What the hell is that?"

For the first time, Una's features fell. She looked ashamed. "That is a rune of dominance," she explained, then raised her right arm so that the manacle upon it also slid back, revealing a similar welt. "And this is a rune of transference."

"They look fresh," Ryan said, gently taking the woman's hand. He touched the skin beside the first welt. The mark was about an inch across and possessed the tell-tale signs of a burn.

"As of very early this morning," Una confirmed.

He met her gaze, seeing a hint of weakness there. "Who did this?"

She sighed heavily. "His name is Steven. He is the one responsible for all this. And for much more to come."

"Did he kidnap you, bring you up here?"

"He . . . took me against my will, yes," she revealed. "I was blind to his motives. I let my guard down."

"I've had that problem once or twice myself," Ryan said, giving Una a little smile of sympathy. "Sounds like you know him."

Her features hardened. "Not as well as I believed."

"So, what's the story? How'd this happen?"

She stared off at nothing for several seconds, contemplating what to say and how to say it. When she finally spoke, there was a tremor of vulnerability in her voice.

"I tell you this only because of your nature, though you may not understand it yourself," she began, returning her attention to him.

He frowned in mild confusion at her words, but said nothing, allowing Una to continue.

"I knew Steven when he was just a boy," she recalled. "His family, at one time, lived in this area. They were wholesome folk who lived in harmony with the land. I met him one day, when he had fallen and hurt himself, and gave him some healing. He would come to find me after that day. He . . ." she trailed off, smiling in fond remembrance. "He was a very exuberant boy. Later, when he had grown, I took him as a lover. It is not common that we do so, but not forbidden, either."

"What do you mean by 'we?'" Ryan asked.

She regarded him a moment, studying his features. Her own were stoic. "My kind," she said simply.

". . . which is . . .?"

Her expression did not change. "My kind," she repeated.

Ryan let out a defeated breath. "Okay. Go on."

"I know now that I should not have indulged him. But there are times in which one of my kind is simply unable to ignore her own needs. So I loved him, and loved him often. I suppose he assumed too much, because he wished to make me his bride. Try as I might to explain it to him, he could not understand why that would be impossible. He took my refusal as spurning. I did not see him again after that day."

Una hung her head and brought her hands together, massaging them with a faint rattle of chains. "Until yesterday."

"Go on," Ryan prompted. "What did he do?"

She drew in deeply, blinking her intense eyes as they drifted across the forest. "I saw him when he arrived, making a camp for himself in the forest. I did not recognize him at first, as it had been three decades and more since he left. But then he came to my tree --" she glanced at the trunk around which she was chained. "-- and called for me. I could not ignore the excitement I felt once I recognized him. Although he was aged, he was still the same man I had once loved."

Ryan struggled to accept what Una told him, as much of it went against the simple reality of the situation. If Una knew this "Steven" person as a boy, then had sex with him as, presumably, a grown man, and thirty years have passed since then . . . that would make Una at least sixty years old or more. But he suppressed his disbelief, chalking Una's story up to delusion, fantasy, and who knew what else.

"I'm guessing you, uh, went to him, then?" Ryan asked.

Una nodded, face reddening as she lowered her gaze. "I did. In the aftermath of our coupling, I did not recognize his true desire, which was to bind me and steal my power. He had somehow learned the runes that would allow him to do so, and burned the first into my skin when I was unaware. That allowed him to dominate me, making my powers useless against him.

"But then he branded me with the rune of transference, which gave him my power. It did not give him all, of course; mortal forms cannot harness the full scope of my abilities. Yet even the amount he has stolen, I fear, is too much. He cannot hope to control it. It will control him, and feed off his basest desires."

Ryan considered everything the nude woman told him. Most of it sounded like something from a cheap fantasy novel, and he wondered how much of the delusion Una herself believed. Though not professionally versed in dealing with schizophrenics, Ryan had learned a thing or two about people over the years and had always considered himself both a good and patient listener. So he decided to play into her fantasies.

"Okay," he said at last. "What is Steven going to do?"

For the first time, a semblance of real human emotion blossomed on Una's face. "He holds such anger for those who would destroy the bounties of the Earth Mother," she whispered fearfully. "To that, I can sympathize, but . . . with the corruption of my power, he will become feral. A creature of pure destruction and rage. Nothing you can do will stop him. He will be immune to all mortal weapons. Only that which can harm me can harm him."

"And, what is that, exactly?"

"What your kind calls cold-wrought iron. That is what these chains are made of, which is why I cannot sunder them. Only a weapon of such material can slay Steven."

"Look, I don't want to kill anyone--" Began Ryan.

She cut him of with a fierce look. "You will not be given the choice," she snapped. Emerald eyes blazed. "I see it in you. There is the potential. But even with that, if you have not the weapon, then the potential is wasted."

Ryan ran his hands through his hair. "Let's, uh, not get to far ahead of ourselves, okay?" he asked rhetorically. "One thing at a time. You said Steven made a camp. You know where it is?"

Slowly, Una nodded, her eyes round. "I can tell you how to find it."

"Please do."

* * * *

Milton stood beside the truck, sweltering uncomfortably as Ryan returned. "So what's going on? Gonna get that fucking cunt outta my way?"

Ryan released a breath as he stepped around to the bed of the truck. "You know, you might want to think about taking a public speaking course," he said as he unlocked and lifted the bed cover. "Dropping a bunch of four-letter words into every conversation doesn't exactly come off as polite."

Milton scoffed. "Yeah, my three wives kind'a told me the same thing."

"Might warrant some looking into," Ryan said, reaching for a black duffel. Reaching within, he withdrew a short-barreled, pistol-gripped shotgun and a box of shells. As he loaded the weapon, the sound attracted Milton's attention.

"I thought you was getting something to cut through them chains," the husky man said. "What the fuck's that for? Gonna shoot her?"

Ryan gave the man a deadpan look. "No," he said flatly.

"So what's the story with her?"

"My impression at this point," Ryan said as he slipped a handful of shells into his pocket. "Is that she was kidnapped, raped, and bound against that tree, and she's disassociated herself through some kind of . . . nature goddess fantasy . . . or something."

"So she's fucking psycho? Is that it? Why the artillery, then?"

"I have reason to believe there is a potential threat out there, and I like to be prepared." He slammed the cover closed, making Milton flinch.

"Well, okay," Milton said. "What you need me to do?"

In answer, Travis tossed a folded-up green army blanket to the man. "Put that on her and stay by the truck."

"We already tried covering her up--"

Ryan looked impatient. "Humor me, will ya?"

Milton nodded gruffly. "What you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna have a look around," Ryan said before he headed toward the woods. "There's a CB in the truck. Keep trying to call your marking crew."

* * * *

Una's directions took Ryan east, deeper into the foothills. The air became cooler as the sun was obscured by overhanging branches. Still, the humidity remained oppressive, and after only ten minutes or so, he felt the previous evening's alcohol oozing out of his pores. The beginnings of fatigue were already starting to creep in. He kept on course thanks to the compass on his watch, senses alert and trained to pick up anything he might see or hear out of the norm. Now and then a scuttling would catch his attention, or the movement of a small animal. But everything seemed typical.

He saw the small tent from a good hundred feet away, just glimpses through the trees and shrubbery. He slowed his approach, keeping the shotgun at the ready, and made the effort to move as silently as he could. He looked not only along his plane of view, but up amongst the trees as well. Birds chirped here and there, growing quiet as he moved past them. Thus far, nothing was giving him any warning signs.

The camp was small and spartan. A simple blue canvas tent with the opening hanging open faced a cold fire ringed by stones upon which was perched a large metal rack. A single folding canvas chair sat to one side, beside a plastic cooler. All dead underbrush had been cleared away, exposing the dirt-covered ground into which numerous shoe prints and bare footprints had been pressed.

Shoe prints for Steven, naked feet for Una? Ryan wondered as he knelt and touched the soil. His gaze assessed the camp. Fire hasn't been lit since last night. Twigs and leaves on top of the cooler -- it hasn't been opened today.

He pushed the flap of the tent open with the barrel of the shotgun. Within lay a single sleeping bag, a battery-operated lantern which still glowed, and a large rucksack attached to a frame. A smart phone lay on the sleeping bag, to which was attached a pair of ear plugs.

He took up the phone first, but it did not come on when he touched the screen. Of course the battery's dead, he thought ruefully. He set it back down and reached for the rucksack. Within, he found a pair of jeans, a few changes of socks, and two T-shirts, both of which were printed with the Army logo. Ryan frowned. Great. So Steven's a former soldier, too. Maybe.

There was something else, buried in the bottom, wrapped in an old towel. Ryan unrolled it, brow arching in interest as he revealed a knife. The blade looked to be at least a foot long and about four inches wide at the thickest. It was crudely made, of the same sort of metal, Ryan realized, as the shackles which confined Una. The hilt was nothing more than two pieces of wood which might very have come from a cabinet shop, held in place by tightly-wrapped strips of hemp.

While the metal was dull, the edge seemed sharp to Ryan's trained eye. It had obviously been honed, and recently.

What the Hell's going on? Ryan wondered, looking around. Something doesn't make sense. Okay, a lot of things don't make sense. If Una came up here with this guy Steven, where are her clothes? And what's the deal with the hand-made chains, and this knife? These two share the same delusion or something?

I guess that's a possibility, but . . . Ryan sighed, trying to make sense of what he had discovered thus far. But he knew he did not have enough information. He knew that what he needed was to find this Steven.

He rolled the knife back up in the towel and tucked it under his arm, then stepped from the tent. As he did so, a faint sound drifted from nearby. It was a voice, but one filtered through the static of technology.

"This is Mr. Milton calling the marking crew . . . God damn it, boys, answer the fucking call!"

Ryan glanced around, then listened, hoping to pinpoint the source of the voice.

"If you don't answer in ten seconds, you're fired! Got that? Ten!"

Ryan chuckled. That's it, Milton, keep talking. He started off toward the northeast.

"Nine!"

Ryan moved quickly through the trees, remaining vigilant, but wanting to find the source of Milton's call as quickly as he could.

"Eight!"

Weaving between the trees, he became peripherally aware of the absence of bird calls and the skittering of small animals. The forest became progressively quieter the further he ventured.

"Seven!"

A faint odor reached his senses. Ryan wrinkled his nose as he recognized it. It was the odor of decaying blood.

"Six!"

Ahead, the ground sloped downward, and there was the faint sound of trickling water. A stream, Ryan deduced.

"Five! God damn it!"

Ryan stopped cold as he saw the first body. It lay twisted upon the ground, leaves adhered to numerous open wounds. One arm was twisted and broken in several places, with bone protruding. The man's head lay at an unnatural angle, and a massive gash had been torn from his throat. Flies buzzed in copious numbers all around the corpse.

"Four!"

Further down the slope, revealed when Ryan stepped up beside the first body, lay two more. Both had been equally ravaged, with limbs twisted this way and that and massive, gaping wounds torn through cloth and flesh and muscle. One of the dead men held a bloodied lockback knife in a death grip. Another clutched the communicator through which Milton's voice squawked.

"Three!"

Ryan pried the corpse's fingers from the device and depressed the send button. "Milton, it's Ryan."

"What the fuck? Where're my boys?" came the reply.

"Out to lunch," Ryan responded darkly. "As in, permanently."

There was a long pause. "The fuck you mean by that? They ain't dead. They can't be fucking dead!"

"Milton, I need you to be calm right now." He took out his cell phone as he spoke through the communicator. "The last thing you want is to get your men spooked. Got it?"

"Yeah," came the curt reply. "Got it."

Ryan sighed, looking around the grisly scene. He frowned at his phone; no reception. "Looks like you're going to have to make some tough phone calls, Mr. Milton."

"I'm guessing you just found out there's no cell phone reception up here."




Feral Heart



"Exactly. Get down to your office and make the calls. Get me a meat wagon up here while you're at it. I'll stay up here for now." He signed off, then quickly signed back on. "One more thing."

"Yeah?"

"There's a little black bag and a big green bag in the back of the truck. Leave them up here."

"Will do, son. Take care of yourself."

* * * *

With the rolled-up towel in his hand, Ryan approached the woman as she sat at the base of her tree. The blanket lay at her feet; she refused to be covered. Her intense green eyes were locked upon the approaching man.

"He has killed, hasn't he?" she asked knowingly. "I see it in your eyes."

He squatted and set the bundle upon the ground between them. Immediately, her attention was focused upon it, and she curled her legs closer to her body.

"I would really appreciate it if you told me what's really going on," Ryan said.

"I told you. It is Steven."

"'Steven,'" Ryan repeated. "Those men weren't killed by a man. They were mangled. Arms and legs were twisted and broken like some kid's doll. They have bite and claw marks that look like they were made by a bear. But bears don't kill like that. No animal does. They only fight to survive—"

She glared at him suddenly. "Have you not listened to anything I have said?"

"What you said doesn't make sense!" Ryan snapped. "According to you, you met a guy up here, had sex with him, then suddenly, he burns a couple of so-called runes into your wrists, which somehow gives him supernatural power. He chains you up, then runs off to go through some kind of 'transformation,' which, I'm expected to believe, turns him into some kind of monster that can only be killed by . . . this!"

Una recoiled even more as Ryan abruptly unrolled the towel, revealing the crudely-made knife. She stared at it fearfully, eyes quivering, lips trembling.

Ryan glared. "Now, I want to know what's really going on," he growled.

"I-I have told you," she stammered, then looked to him with real fear in her eyes. "Please, take that away from me."

He sighed deeply. "Look, Una," he said. "I'm not in the mood for your fantasies anymore. Three men are dead --"

"I have told you the truth!" she screeched, suddenly fierce once more, lurching forward as far as her chains would allow. Her face was mere inches from Ryan's. "Steven deceived me, stole my power, and it has turned him into a force of hatred and destruction! This bloodshed is just the beginning! He will slay you all, and his bloodlust will only increase with each kill! Every life he takes drains more and more of his humanity away until . . . ."

Ryan watched her throughout her outcry, then as she sagged back to the ground in despair. "Until what?" he asked at last.

Una gave him a plaintive look. "Until he comes for me," she said in a soft, frightened voice. "Eventually, he will realize that he will never truly be free so long as I live. Once he slays me, his transformation will be complete, and the most horrific monster the world has ever known will be free to roam where it wishes."

Ryan passed a hand over his face in frustration. But he remained composed. He took up the crude knife, holding it before her. Una shrank back immediately, eyes wide and anxious.

"And I suppose this is the 'magic weapon' that can kill him," he said.

Slowly, she nodded. "Yes."

He studied her face for a moment. "Can you at least understand why all this sounds crazy to me?"

For several moment, Una stared back, her own eyes searching Ryan's. Finally, she spoke. "I can only understand that, as of now, a true monster lurks somewhere near us," she said in a quivering tone. "And that, of all these men, only you have the potential to stop it."

Ryan lowered the knife. "Yeah. You said that before."

"You truly do not know," she mused, her voice hardly more than a passing of breath over her lips.

"Know what?" asked Ryan in annoyance.

"You have the blood of my kind within you. Not much, but . . . enough to be noticed. Enough to fortify you for the battle you must wage."

He exhaled tiredly, telling himself to not be angry with the woman for her delusions. Her disassociation was a powerful one, he realized, and the only thing keeping her sane -- relatively at least -- was the fantasy world into which she had fallen. If he needed her continued compliance, he would have to play along.

"Well, we'll see what happens," he said at last. He rolled up the knife once more, noting the expression of relief that flowed over Una's face, and stood. Glancing behind him to where his truck had previously been parked, he turned and walked toward the two duffels laying upon the dirt.

"What are you going to do?" Una asked.

"Well," he called back as he hefted the bags. He headed back toward her. "I'm going to pitch a tent and hope that the dehydrated food I've got doesn't taste like shit warmed over."

Una gave him a wry smile. "You mortals and your notions of sustenance," she remarked. "I sometimes wonder how you manage to live past the fourth decade."

Ryan chuckled. "Yeah, well, I guess we 'mortals' are a little bit tougher than you give us credit for being."

"In some cases," she agreed.

He unzipped the large green duffel, then paused. Might as well make conversation, he thought. "So what are you, really?"

She cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

Ryan shrugged. "Well, you're obviously not the same as me, right? You call me a 'mortal' like you're not one."

She dipped her eyes with a thin smile. "Perhaps I misspoke," she said. "We are all mortal in one way or another. In time, I will die, just as you will."

He nodded noncommittally. "Ah. Right."

She laughed softly under her breath. "Your skepticism is obvious. But I cannot blame you for that. You humans have your own way of looking at things. Believe it or not, I understand that. I am, after all, half human."

"So what's the other half?"

She regarded him a moment. "Fae," she said at last.

His brow furrowed. "'Fae?'" he asked. "What's that?"

She suddenly laughed. "How ironic!" she exclaimed, then shook her head in wonder. "Here you are, kindred blood to my kind, and yet you are ignorant to your hidden heritage."

He soured and returned his attention to the contents of the green duffel. "Well, if you know anything about us humans, you'd know that ignorance is one of our strong suits--"

"Welch!'

Both he and Una were startled by the sudden eruption of Milton's voice from the communicator Ryan had clipped to his belt. In a swift move, Ryan snatched it up.

"Milton! What's going on?"

"Some serious God damned fucking shit, that's what!" snapped the man at the other end. "My whole trailer's been ransacked! Whoever it was tore out the phone and turned it into shrapnel! Not only that, but all the battery banks for the walkie-fucking-talkies were ripped out, too. I been walking around for half an hour looking for one that still works."

A dark look crossed Ryan's face. "What about your men?"

"They didn't see a fucking thing, the fucking morons. They were all down the road tossing a God damned football and having a circle jerk. Fucking chowderheads. Gonna dock them all a day. See how they like that on their fucking paycheck."

Ryan rolled his eyes. "Anyone missing?"

"No, I got everyone here."

Ryan allowed himself a moment's relief. "Good. Send someone out to the nearest town to call in the locals. Tell them we got three dead bodies and we need forensics on the scene. Then get everyone else up here."

"Why?"

"'Why?'" echoed Ryan. "Because there's a crazy son of a bitch out there who's already killed three of your men and obviously doesn't want anyone to contact the outside. This guy is doing a classic guerrilla run and the last thing we need is to spread ourselves out. So grab whatever you need to make a camp and get you and all your boys up here, pronto!"

Ryan could hear the irritation in Milton's voice when he came back. "Why don't you come down here, Mr. Army Ranger? We got everything we need here."

Ryan ground his teeth. "Because I'm not leaving my key witness, that's why. Everything revolves around her, and I don't much like the thought of leaving a helpless civilian out in the cold all night! Now get your ass up here!"

There was a long pause before Milton replied. "Whatever you say."

Ryan shook his head in annoyance and returned the communicator to his belt. "Your boyfriend is pretty God damned determined," he said aloud, then looked to Una with a grave expression.

She stared back. "As much as you do not wish for this, I wish it even less."

* * * *

The men arrived in their trucks less than half an hour later, having apparently scavenged whatever they could from the base camp. Ryan was pleasantly surprised that the logging company employees actually had a fair number of tents, which they pitched upon the relatively level ground to either side of the dirt road. They had also brought with them coolers full of food, water, and other items. All in all, Ryan saw no reason why the men would not be in relative comfort for at least a day or so.

"All this fucking shit because of one God damned hippie Rambo mother fucker wannabe?" queried Milton once the men had erected their makeshift camp. The sun was just gliding beneath the western horizon, bathing the world around them in shimmering twilight.

Ryan looked to Milton as the two of them stood upon the road between the two halves of the camp. "You swear more when you're scared, don't you?"

Milton glowered beneath the brim of his hat. "Not a fucking thing in this world scares me," he declared.

Ryan scoffed. "Right."

"Okay, tough guy," retorted the round-bodied man. "What the fuck scares you?"

"Lots of things," Ryan said easily. "But at least I recognize it."

The logging company owner breathed in and out through his nostrils for a few moments. "That your tent up there?" he asked, pointing.

"Yep."

"Pretty close to little miss naked princess."

Ryan leveled his gaze on the man. "And you and all your boys are camped a good hundred feet away," he remarked.

Milton's features seemed to soften a bit. For a brief moment, he actually appeared vulnerable. "Something about her just don't seem right," he said.

Ryan nodded. "I agree," he said. "Which is why I want to stay as close as I can."

The rotund man gave Ryan a grave look. "You really think this shit is that bad?"

"You didn't see the bodies," Ryan replied.

Milton swallowed thickly, then gave a slow nod. He became suddenly somber. "What are we gonna do about the . . . the bodies?" he asked skittishly.

Ryan shifted uncomfortably. "Mush as I hate to do it, but I gotta leave them there until a CSI team is able to get up here. Most I could do was cover them up and try not to disturb the scene."

"Son of a bitch," grumbled Milton, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. He breathed in and out for a few seconds. "I don't like leaving them out there."

"Neither do I," agreed Ryan. He checked his watch, glanced toward the horizon where the sun had turned orange. "Hopefully, the locals will get up here soon and they'll be able to bag up the corpses. If not . . . ."

Milton waited, watching the younger man's face. Finally, he asked, "if not, what?"

Ryan pursed his lips. "Then we're gonna have to bring them in. Can't leave them out there all night where scavengers can get to them."

* * * *

The sun set, the world cooled. Campfires to either side of the dirt road cast orange-brown shadows upon the tents. The loggers sat about quietly, soberly nursing their meals and bottled water. A few of them men indulged in beer they had brought with them. There was no levity in the air; the fact that three of their comrades lay dead deeper in the forest was a constant weight upon all.

For his part, Ryan started a small fire and heated up some water before pouring it into one of his dehydrated meal pouches. The result was something that vaguely resembled beef stew. He devoured it out of necessity and practice; during his years in the Army, he had learned to subsist on such fare, to the point where eating it was an automatic act.

"I cannot believe you are eating that swill," Una commented as she watched him eat. She had turned down all offers of sustenance, from power bars to granola to what Ryan held in his hand.

"Man's gotta eat," he commented.

She scoffed. "You are surrounded by the bounty of nature, yet you choose . . . that."

He frowned. "'Bounty of nature?'" he echoed dubiously. "I'm not about to go foraging for berries."

"You would not have to. There are numerous small animals in this area. They would provide more than whatever is within that pouch of yours."

He cast a sidelong look at her. "I don't have much of a taste for squirrel," he said.

She cocked her head. "It can actually be quite succulent," she said.

He stood from the small folding chair before his tent and approached, then sat upon the ground before the woman. Even after an entire day of being exposed to the sun in her condition, she remained naturally beautiful. In the light of Ryan's campfire, her skin looked uniformly golden. He could not help but notice the way her breasts pointed upward, dark pink nipples slightly erect.

"Is that what you eat around here?"

She shrugged. "Occasionally," she said. "I gain my sustenance from the land and sun. To be honest, I do not need to eat. But the occasional treat is welcome."

Ryan laughed suddenly, a short, abrupt sound. Lady, as far as fantasies go, yours is pretty detailed. "You're something else."

Una's brow furrowed as she contemplated his words. "Indeed I am," she finally said. A sad look crossed her face. "And there are fewer and fewer of us as time moves on. I fear there may come a day when the world of the Earth Mother is no longer protected."

He shoveled another plastic forkful of food into his mouth, chewed for a moment. "What do you mean by that?"

Her green eyes bore into his. "You," she said. "Humanity. So much potential, but you followed the path of curiosity. Whatever you think you can do, you try. And that has led to . . . this. Stripping the world of all its bounties, instead of taking them as the need arose."

Ryan thought a moment, considering Una's words. "Humanity's just another species," he said. "We do what we can to propagate and survive."

"But you do so harmfully."

He gave her a wan look. "And other species don't?" he asked rhetorically. "You're the nature spirit. You should know more than me how violent and destructive animals are."

She stared back. "I have never seen a bear use a machine to tear down trees."

Ryan rolled his shoulders. "Guess you don't watch too many cartoons," he remarked.

"I have no idea what 'cartoons' are," she said, then sighed. "But I hardly doubt it matters. Either your kind will destroy the world, or you will awaken in time to stop yourselves. I hope for the latter."

Ryan studied Una's features a moment, noting a true sense of remorse and pain and loss there. "Hey, look," he said, setting his empty pouch upon the ground. "No one wants to destroy the world. And we're already doing a lot of things to heal the damage we've caused the last couple of hundred years. I mean, we even have a day set aside just for recognizing the environment. It's called Earth Day. Should be coming up pretty soon, in fact."

Jesus, he thought abruptly. What the hell am I saying? It's like I'm buying into her mother earth fantasy.

The sarcasm upon her face was obvious. "An entire day," she commented. "I must say, I am deeply moved."

He gave her a sheepish look. "It's a start. Don't be so hard on us mortals."

She managed a smile. "And there, one of your redeeming qualities," she said. "Humor. Even if it is bleak and morbid at times."

He winked. "Maybe when this is over, I'll show you my Monty Python collection."

She cocked her head quizzically. "You have a collection of serpents?"

He chuckled. "In a manner of speaking."

The communicator at his belt came alive with static before Milton's voice broke in. "Welch."

Ryan sighed and took up the device. "As always, your timing is impeccable," he said in response.

"Well, you may be getting cozy with the Pet of the Year, but I've been watching the clock."

"I know," Ryan said back. "I have, too. We need to get those bodies in."

"Yep."

"Gonna need six volunteers."

"I'll pick them out myself."

Ryan replaced the communicator on his belt and glanced to Una. "Time to go to work," he said, and stood, snatching up the empty food pouch.

For a moment, she looked up at him with eyes wide and anxious. "Be on your guard, Ryan."

He half smiled in response, then stepped away.

* * * *

Locating the site where the three men had been massacred was a bit tricky in the dark, despite the fact that Ryan had been there before. It took he and the six "volunteers" just over twenty minutes to find the bodies, during which time they ahd entertained him with all manner of questions regarding what had happened to their fellow loggers, who Una really was, where Ryan had come from, and so on. Ryan knew enough about human psychology to recognize anxiety when he heard it, and the men were practically overflowing with it. Their chatter was merely a way to keep their minds occupied.

But it all stopped once their flashlights revealed the three partially-covered bodies laying upon the ground. Ryan had gone back to Steven's camp for blankets and anything else to drape over the corpses, but bloodied hands and mangled legs were still revealed as the lights panned over them.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," remarked one of the men, crossing himself.

Ryan looked around, peering into the shadows of the forest. The lack of expected woodland noises put him on edge. "Okay, do this quick. Two men per body. One takes the shoulders, the other the feet."

"What are you going to do?"

Ryan hefted the shotgun. "Keep watch," he said darkly. "Come on, hurry up."

The men fell to the task amid curses, muttered prayers and the occasional dry heave as their curiosity compelled them to look at the disfigured bodies. Still, they found the fortitude to do as they were instructed.

Ryan switched off his flashlight and allowed his eyes to adjust to the gloom. The world around him was not pitch black, though it came close. His experiences in similar situations allowed him to make use of other senses to compensate for his limited eyesight, such as hearing . . . and smell.

He wrinkled his nose. There was an unusual aroma on the breeze, something not unlike that of a wet dog. But it was mingled with that of an almost human odor as well . . . sweat, he realized. Human sweat. Something he had discovered during years of deployment in a variety of environments was that humans exuded a unique smell which, while subject to variation, was always uniquely human.

And it came from deeper in the forest. Close by.

He licked a finger, tested the wind, then looked to the northeast, from where the breeze blew. Eyes penetrated the darkness, reading the shadows of trees, branches, and underbrush. He focused his hearing.

Rustling. Movement. Something that sounded almost like a contemplative growl.

The invisible hand of anxiety tickled the back of his neck. He raised the shotgun.

"Listen to me and don't say anything," he intoned in a low, deep voice, addressing the men behind him. "Stop what you're doing and head back to camp."

"What?" came an incredulous reply. "We ain't going back without--"

The man's words were cut off by a ferocious snarl and blur of movement from Ryan's left. He could see no details of what it was that suddenly pounced, save that it was as large as any man, possibly larger, and covered in coarse fur. In a blinding rush, one of the men was gone amid the sound of an impact, followed by a short cry and the sickening sound of something sharp slashing through flesh.




Feral Heart



"What the fuck!"

"What was that!"

"Looked like a fucking werewolf, man!"

"Joey! Where's Joey!"

Ryan leapt toward where the now-vacated man had been standing. "Get back to the camp!" he barked, then pointed. "Now! Run!"

The men complied, the lights of their flashlights dancing across the trees and foliage of the forest as they stumbled and dashed their way back. Ryan did not watch them, focusing his attention toward the direction in which the man had been taken.  

A sudden rush of movement to his right, heading toward the five fleeing men, caught his attention. He pivoted, sighting along the barrel of the shotgun. Briefly, he saw what appeared to be the outline of a man.

He fired.

The blast from the shotgun lit up his field of view and shattered the night air. Something stumbled, growled, and lost its footing. Ryan darted forward, leaping over a fallen tree. He landed in a crouch and brought the shotgun to bear.

Before him, a figure suddenly erupted from the darkness, tall, lean, covered in short fur. Arms outstretched, fingertips flashing like the blades of knives, red eyes glowing in the darkness, it was all at once a man and something else.

It bellowed in rage upon him, with such ferocity that Ryan nearly felt it. But he was a trained soldier. Combat instincts kicked in.

Boom-chick-chak-boom-chick-chak-boom! The shotgun blared once, twice, three times, each salvo of lead shot sent into the body of the man-beast before him. It convulsed with each impact, howling and clawing at empty air, before toppling back through the dense brush.

For a moment, the air was still and fragrant with the aroma of gunpowder. Ryan drew in deep breaths. Hearing momentarily dulled, all he heard was his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Did I kill him? he wondered.

But the underbrush between he and his target shifted and rustled. As his sense of hearing returned, Ryan heard an annoyed growl . . . and a voice.

". . . kill you . . . ."

Aw, shit . . . run, Ryan, run!

So he did, darting after the men, sprinting as best he could given the terrain. He could see the dancing beams of their flashlights ahead, could hear their frantic and frightened cries.

"Go! Go!" he shouted. "Get back to camp!"

* * * *

"What the hell was that?"

"Did you kill it?"

"Where are the bodies?"

"What happened to Joey?"

Ryan winced at the barrage of questions that assaulted him once he and the five volunteers returned to the camp. The others all gathered around him as he stood mere feet from Una and her tree.

"Enough!" cried Ryan, garnering their attention. He made an effort to appear calm and in charge. "Look. Obviously, there's . . . someone out there, and he's not very fucking nice. He's already killed the marking team, and he took out Joey. I think I shot him, but I'm not sure."

"Oh, fucking hell," one man lamented.

"Whattaya mean, you're not sure?" another queried, fear blazing in his eyes.

"'Cause it's a fucking werewolf, man--"

Another man snorted derisively. "No such thing as werewolves, asshole! You been watching too many fucking movies--"

"Fuck you! You weren't there!"

Ryan huffed in frustration. "Everyone shut up!" he roared, glaring at the men. "Now, just listen to me. We need to be prepared. Arm yourselves with anything you can, and keep close. How many working walkie-talkies we got?"

"I got some juice left in mine," announced one of the loggers.

"Me, too," added another.

"Okay," said Ryan. "One for each camp. Don't use them unless you need to. Post watch, figure out who's gonna be awake when."

"And what the fuck are you gonna do?" asked Martin Milton as he bullied his way through the crowd. His small eyes were dark and angry as he settled his gaze on Ryan. "Thought you were supposed to handle this kind of situation."

"That's what I'm doing," Ryan responded in a harsh tone.

Milton cocked his head. "Don't seem like it to me," he remarked coldly. "Now I've lost four men."

Ryan met the man's gaze. "And I'm going to do my damnedest to see no on else gets killed."

"Fuck, this ain't happening," muttered one of the loggers pathetically. "I got a kid on the way . . . now we're all gonna get ripped to shreds by some fucking werewolf whatever . . . ."

"He is not what you think he is," came Una's voice, rolling over the grumblings and mumblings of the men. All attention was instantly focused on the naked woman as she sat against the tree.

"The power he has stolen from me has corrupted him, making him feral," she continued. "He is acting according to his hatred for men like you, you who would rape the land. But he can be stopped . . ." her eyes pierced Ryan's. "If you can find the strength."

Milton suddenly charged forth, feet stomping upon the ground as he barreled down over Una. "I've had enough of your bullshit, you fucking cunt!" he cried, raising his hand to strike.

But the blow did not fall. His wrist was suddenly snared, caught by Ryan as he darted to stop the round-bodied man. For a moment, the two men glared at one another.

"Back. The fuck. Down," Ryan growled.

Milton quivered with rage, jerking his hand against Ryan's firm grip. Eventually, he relented, and stepped back. Ryan released his hold, and Milton rejoined his men, fuming quietly.

"Now, like I said, keep close and post watch," Ryan ordered. "As long as we're all alert, we'll get through this. Understood?"

Half-hearted nods and disjointed responses rolled forth from the men. Reluctantly, they -- including Martin Milton -- retreated down the dirt road, returning to their camps. Ryan listened as their comments faded away.

He breathed in deeply, let it out. This isn't going to turn out well, is it? he wondered, then turned and looked upon Una. "You okay?"

The corners of her mouth curled. "Are you my champion, now?" she asked.

He rolled his eyes, then eased himself to a sitting position before her. "We need to talk."

Her fierce green eyes dug into his. "You saw Steven," she said. "You saw what he has become."

"I'm not sure what I saw."

"Tell me."

Ryan was quiet a few moments, considering his thoughts. Part of him felt he was somehow being seduced into Una's psychosis, and that what he had seen was a result of that. But another part trusted the veracity of his own senses, and that what he had witnessed fit in with Una's fantasy world only because it was real.

"I know I shot him," Ryan said at last. "At least three times."

"But you did not kill him," Una said knowingly. "You couldn't have."

Ryan frowned. "Look. I don't care what kind of body armor a guy's wearing. Three loads of twelve-gauge shot at close range will take anyone down."

"Did it?"

Her piercing question had Ryan dropping his gaze. "No. I don't think so."

"Are you beginning to understand now?"

His eyes shot back up. "How about you drop the arrogance and tell me how to kill this guy?"

She did not flinch. "I have told you already."

Ryan laughed through his nose, shaking his head. "Right. The magic knife."

She regarded him with worry. "Are you afraid?"

He laughed, a short, rude sound. "Of course I am," he said. "I've killed before. They were all ordinary men. Some were more skilled than others, some were tougher than others. But none of them could take three rounds of lead shot to the chest, then get up and say they were gonna kill me."

"To that knife, he would be just as vulnerable as any other man."

He smiled wryly. "I don't generally like to get that close,' he said, then frowned in thought. "Say you're right about all this--"

"I am," Una said quickly, her small smile returning.

He chuckled. "Why would he make the knife, if he only meant to lock you up in chains?"

"I do not know," she answered. "When he showed it to me, it frightened me, and I thought at first, for some reason, that he had returned to slay me. But the knife, he said, was not for me."

Ryan's brow furrowed. "Did he say what it was for?"

She shook her head. "Perhaps . . ." she drifted off in thought for a moment. "Perhaps he crafted it as a precaution. In case he did not like what he would become as the result of taking my power."

"An escape plan," Ryan mused. "Just like a good soldier. Always have an exit strategy."

Una said nothing. Instead, she studied Ryan's face, reading him once more.

He stood abruptly, looking down upon her. "He's going to come here, isn't he?"

She nodded morosely. "Yes. His plan from the beginning was to reclaim this land and to slaughter anyone who would deign to take it."

Ryan responded with only a curt nod, then turned and headed to his tent. Facing away from Una and looking down toward the two camps to either side of the road, he took out his cigarettes and lit up. It had been hours since he'd had one; he could actually feel the tingling rush of nicotine as it hit his system a few minutes later. He actually smiled.

A glance to his phone reminded him there was no reception. This guy Steven probably knows that already, he thought. And he took out the phone at Milton's trailer. He's cut us off from the outside, unless we send someone back to the city . . .

. . . which we did, Ryan thought heavily. Shit. If this guy's waging his own guerrilla war, he would have anticipated that. Which means that I probably sent someone to certain death. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the vehicles down there have been disabled. God damn it. This guy's reading from the God damn black ops textbook on this one.

He pulled on his cigarette. But I've read that textbook, too . . . .

"Ryan?"

He turned at the sound of Una's voice. She was watching him, eyes liquid, lips parted and moist. There was something about her at that moment that belied a sense of vulnerability, and . . . arousal?

He tapped ash from his cigarette and faced her. "Yeah?"

She dipped her eyes briefly. "I would rather not be alone just now."

He cocked his head, trying to read her as she always seemed to be doing with him. He sucked on the cigarette, blew smoke, then stepped up to her again. "Why the sudden little girl routine?" he asked.

She laughed softly, cheeks coloring in the golden light of the nearby campfire. "I may be a wood spirit, but I am also a woman. Even I like to be comforted now and then."

"Fair enough," he said, then dropped the cigarette, grounding it out, and sat once more. "I guess now it's my turn to say that you're scared."

Her cheeks colored. "I have little to be afraid of in my life, but . . . yes, I am. And angry. At myself, at these people . . . I let things progress when they should not have."

Ryan nodded solemnly. "I know exactly what you mean."

She gave him a quizzical look.

He took a breath. "About four years ago, I was in Afghanistan. My squad was sent to investigate a village, look for signs of insurgents--" he read her frown and smiled in admonishment. "--the enemy," he corrected. "Anyway, we didn't find any. They were suspicious of us, and I can't blame them. Those people haven't known what it's like to not have a war going on in their country.

"My squad leader, he . . . there was a young woman in the village. Guess he thought she was pretty. I knew what he wanted, what he was going to do. I could have stopped him. At the least I could have gone in there when we heard her crying. But the others -- my fellow soldiers -- were standing guard outside the house. I still could have gone in. What would they have done? Shoot me? They probably would have restrained me, but at least I would have tried."

Ryan picked up a twig from the ground and pretended to study it. "He comes out when he's done, looking smug and satisfied. I felt disgusted. And then . . . .

"The woman comes out, yelling and screaming, holding a pistol. A little old Russian pistol. She points it at him, crying, angry. I wished at that moment that she would pull the trigger. But she didn't. Instead, squad leader takes out his sidearm and shoots her. Twice. He just raped her, and now he kills her."

"You feel it was your fault," Una said softly.

"No. But it was my responsibility," he said firmly. "We were there to look for the enemy, not rape women. And I let it happen."

He snapped the twig between his thumb and forefinger. "When we got back, my squad leader files a report that an insurgent was "found and neutralized." I requested a transfer to a different unit. It took about a month before that happened." He met Una's eyes. "Long enough for me to watch him get his nuts and left leg blown off by an RPG."

Una smiled at the irony. "Fate avenged the woman."

Ryan shrugged. "Maybe. I'm no expert on fate. Even after what happened to him, I still did the wrong thing. Even if it meant getting myself court-martialed, or hurt, or even killed, I should have stopped him."

Her eyes studied his. "Would it have been worth it, to save a woman you did not know?"

Ryan nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, it would have."

Again she smiled. "What did you say to me earlier?" she asked, then nodded to herself as she remembered. "Oh, yes. You are something else, Ryan Welch."

He chuckled despite the moment's mood. "And there are fewer and fewer of us as time moves on."

* * * *

The hours wore on into the night. Despite the threat prowling in the dark of the forest, the loggers became relaxed, telling themselves what had killed their fellow men was just a bear and that the Fish and Wildlife agent had killed it. Even the most frightened of the men convinced themselves of the sanity-saving theory. In the morning, they all reasoned, the authorities would arrive and everyone would go home.

Ryan remained on edge, and on alert, even as he and Una continued to talk. She did not reveal much about herself, but Ryan found himself opening up more readily than he had during PTSD therapy. He told her about his failed relationship with Melissa, and all those who had come before her. He shared his experiences in Afghanistan which, in a roundabout way, had contributed to his seeking a post with the Fish and Wildlife Service.

"I wanted to get away from the military, but still have a job where I could use a lot of what I learned," he explained. "It pays well, keeps me active, I spend a lot of time outdoors . . . and I don't have to worry about guns or bombs or whether someone is lying to me or not."

"Until now," Una pointed out.

He nodded sagely. "Until now," he agreed.

He checked his watch, to discover to his surprise that it was after eleven o'clock. The air was becoming colder as the humidity began to chill. While he did not shiver, being accustomed to many environments, he was surprised that Una, in her nudity, seemed not at all bothered by the drop in temperature. Although the dark pink cherries of her nipples appeared to pucker up a bit more.

"Ryan," she said after he had checked the time.

He looked to her, noting that her eyes were beyond him, toward the dirt road. He turned to see Milton and his flunky walking toward them, looking obviously haggard. The barrel-shaped Texan removed his hat to wipe a sweaty brow as the two men stopped several paces away.

"Looks like you're getting mighty cozy with the, uh, babe in the woods," Milton commented, revealing hints of both suspicion and jealousy in his words.

Ryan stood and faced them. "You come up here to give me more grief?" he asked bluntly.

Milton looked sheepish, fingering the brim of his hat. "No, I ain't like that," he said. "I said some mean words earlier, and I ain't proud of that. Just wanted to, well, make peace, I guess."

Ryan relaxed and stepped toward the men. His gaze was on Milton. "It's been a rough day for everyone," he said. He offered his hand. "We're gonna get through this."

Milton smiled crookedly, the weariness on his face evident. He took Ryan's hand and clutched it firmly for a moment before letting go. "I sure hope so."

"Mr. Welch, sir," said Billy, still clad in his suit. "Most of the men have retired for the night. I would be willing to remind them of your directive to keep watch, if you wish."

Ryan thought a moment, quickly calculating. He smiled casually. "I don't think it would matter," he said.

"So," Milton spoke up. He looked hopeful. "You think it was what they were all saying? Just a fucking bear or something?"

After a moment's hesitation, Ryan nodded, lips pursed and chin thrust out. "Think so."

Milton smiled, then, looking relieved. "Well, good," he exhaled. "Guess we can get some sleep, then."

Ryan slapped the beefy man on the shoulder. "Have at it," he said, then watched as the two men made their way back toward one of the camps.

"You understand what is going to happen," came Una's voice from behind him.

Ryan ground his teeth. "Yes."

"Steven will strike tonight."

"I don't doubt it." He turned just enough so that he could level his strong gaze upon her.

She stared back. "You cannot save them all."

His shoulders slumped a bit, and he turned fully to rejoin Una. "I know that," he admitted as he sat once more upon the dirt. "But I'll save who I can."

The air passed between them, thick and cool. Ryan traced random patterns in the dirt with his finger. Una watched him.

Finally, she spoke. "Ryan."

He responded without looking up. "Yeah."

"Will you kiss me?"

He stopped his unmotivated tracing and lifted his head, brow furrowed. "What?"

She smiled seductively and reclined back against the tree. Her manacled hands lay to either side of her hips, and she parted one thigh away from the other. Ryan could not help but allow his gaze to be drawn down the nymph's uncommonly tantalizing body. The firmness of her lower belly gave way to the soft patch of golden-hued hair upon her pubic mound, beneath which lay succulent pink labia framed in equally golden curls. Despite the fact that Una had been naked all this time, this was the first real view of her sex that Ryan enjoyed.

"Kiss me," she said again, eyes glowing like tiny emerald beacons. "There is no one to see us. They have all succumbed to the night."

Ryan shifted, feeling the pressure in his groin as he hardened. "Steven could come at any moment--"

"Then we have no time to waste," she interrupted. Her chest rose and fell, nipples darkening upon firm, upturned breasts. Rouge spread across the base of her throat, belying arousal.

Still, Ryan hesitated, despite his own feelings of longing. "We can't," he said.

She all but glared back. "We will," she said firmly. She uncurled her legs and pushed up, settling her back against the tree behind her. The chains hanging from the manacles about her wrists jangled, ringing through the air. Una spaced her feet apart and pushed out her hips, almost obscenely offering her golden-furred sex.

Ryan fought against the arousal which gripped him. He stood before the woman, looking upon her with one part fierce resistance, another part desperate eagerness. Their eyes met. Una's lips parted as she breathed in and out. In that moment, she was so much more obviously sexual than any woman Ryan had known in his life. That she wanted him could not have been more evident.

In an instant, as if compelled by some supernatural spell, the two halves of Ryan's mind fused together. Fierce resistance and desperate eagerness blended, becoming fierce eagerness. He stepped close and reached out, slipping a hand behind her head. Una's lips glistened invitingly.

"Take me," she whispered.

Ryan said nothing. He leaned in, cupping her face with his hands, and kissed Una deeply, tasting a surprisingly sweet, fresh flavor upon her lips, her breath. He moaned, feeling his body react. He pushed against her, and her hands wandered about him amid the jangling of chains. His lips sucked hers into his mouth; his tongue danced against hers.




Feral Heart



"I want you," he managed to whisper once he was able to pull back. His features were slack, as if drunk.

"As do I, you," she responded heatedly. "In any way. Let us not waste this time we have."

He could only growl in response, overwhelmed with base passion. He lowered himself, cupping Una's firm breasts. She hissed and squirmed against the bark of the tree behind her, chains dancing from her wrists, as Ryan licked, sucked, and nipped at her breasts. Then he moved down, leaving a trail of cooling kisses upon the nymph's inhumanly golden skin. The salty-sweet flavor of her only encouraged him to delve further.

Finally, he felt the soft wisps of golden hair above her sex against his chin. He could smell her arousal, which was surprisingly more fresh and pure than any woman he had ever known before. The aroma increased his sexual intoxication. His kissed around Una's upper thighs, then down along the tendons which stood out in relief. He followed them back up toward her gloriously exposed pussy, which, even in the faint light of the nearby campfire, glistened.

So beautiful, Ryan thought briefly, before pressing his mouth to Una's sweet sex, sucking and licking between her slick folds. She tasted as fresh and clean as if she had stepped from a mountain stream, with none of the gaminess Ryan would have expected from a woman who had been sitting naked upon the ground for more than a full day.

She gasped at the pleasure of his mouth and arched her back, even as one of her hands fell to the back of Ryan's head. Heavy chains slapped against her thigh, but she ignored it. Her other hand reached up and back, clawing at the coarse hide of the tree.

"Please," she whimpered, spreading her legs even further and pushing down against Ryan's mouth. "Do not stop . . . do not . . . oh, my . . . oh . . . oh . . . oh!"

She rocked against his mouth, gasping and whimpering with each thrust, lick or suck of his tongue and lips. Her face contorted, and her back arched deeply when she finally erupted in bliss.

Una emitted no sound when she climaxed, but the tense trembling of her thighs could not be mistaken, nor the undulating convulsions of her body or the mixture of incredulity and gratification upon her glowing face. She stared down upon Ryan with a look that could be described as worshipful.

As the woman's orgasmic tremors quelled, Ryan looked up at her from between her thighs. The inhumanly sweet taste of her filled his senses. Never had he experienced such a flavor. He kissed Una's thigh, then her taut, quivering belly, before she pulled him up with her hands clutching his face. Her eyes blazed. She kissed him fiercely, tasting her own essence upon his lips.

"Now I return the favor," she whispered hoarsely, pulling back. A deliciously wicked smile upon her face, she lowered herself to a squat, knees spread far apart as she caressed the bulge in Ryan's shorts. It grew and pressed outward, making the blonde nymph lick her lips in anticipation and desire. She tugged on the zipper, moving it down, then separated the fabric of Ryan's shorts.

He sighed as his erection was released. Una's hands were deliciously cool upon his heated shaft. Her eyes glittered like flickering green flame before her tongue slipped out to swipe the head of Ryan's cock. Her gaze drifted up to his face, holding his attention as she parted her soft pink lips and slid them down the length of him.

He shuddered in pleasure, ensnared by her gaze. The eroticism of the entire scene was not lost on him. He watched intently as she devoured him to the root, and trembled with bliss. Her tongue slipped out to massage the very base of his cock. Her throat rippled around the head, sucking and pulling.

Then she slipped back, dragging wet lips along his tense shaft, until they were pursed moistly against the very tip. Then, again, she delved back down, swallowing his shaft in its entirety before drawing back to the head.

Again and again she did this, until it seemed her own animal desire overcame her. With muffled throaty sounds that were akin to a cat's deep, rumbling growl, she sucked and licked, pushed and pulled with her mouth. Blonde hair swirled around her face. Her fingertips dug into his upper thighs, almost painfully. The air was filled with the sounds of her voracious sucking.

Ryan's own base instincts kicked in after several minutes, and he suddenly clutched Una's head, stopping her. She looked up with an almost angry look, but upon reading his strong smile, allowed him to stop her.

"Let me do it," he whispered, gently pushing her back against the tree. Una breathed heavily through her teeth, lips wet with spittle, but she did as her lover desired and leaned back against the tree. With his hands braced against the rough bark before him, Ryan lined up his cock with Una's mouth and pushed forward.

She sucked him eagerly, accepting every thrust of his cock no matter how deep he wished to plunge. One of her hands came up, trailing chain beneath it, to clutch Ryan's firm buttocks. The other fell between her spread thighs, massaging her needy, wet sex.

Ryan thrust again and again, plundering his lover's talented mouth. Unlike every woman he previously known, Una became obviously more and more aroused the rougher and deeper his thrusts became. Whenever he pushed his cock into her throat, she shuddered, then groaned afterward as he pulled back. And not for a moment did she allow her lips to leave his shaft.

Finally, his need for release was impossible to ignore, and with a few last thrusts, he slapped his hands to the back of Una's head and shoved his cock as deep into her throat as he could reach. He gasped and trembled with the incredible rush, his seed pouring directly into Una's throat where it was automatically swallowed. Both of her hands clawed at his legs, leaving raking welts. But she was not trying to push him away; indeed, it seemed as if she wanted to insure he would not withdraw.

But withdraw he finally did, feeling a few trickles of semen oozing from his cock as it slid back across Una's tongue. She breathed deeply through her nostrils, suckling him for every precious drop of fluid, not wanting to release him. Her ministrations inspired Ryan who, despite the fact that he always felt light-headed and weary after orgasm, now felt energized.

He pulled back abruptly, his cock leaving Una's mouth with an audible popping sound, and pulled her up. She hissed and moaned, grabbing his head to kiss him deeply. The taste of his seed lingered in her mouth, and Ryan sucked it from her tongue. Without any direction, Una climbed into his arms, framing his torso with her lean, strong thighs. His cock, still erect, brushed through the soft fur surrounding her dampened sex.

For a moment, the kiss was broken and the two lovers stared at one another, breathless. Faces and bodies sweaty and glowing, they shared heated smiles. Una licked her lips wantonly and looked down upon Ryan's hovering, glistening cock. Then she met his eyes once more, her own fierce. "Now," was all she said.

Pushing her against the tree, Ryan latched his mouth to the base of her neck, sucking the flavor from her flesh as he pushed his hips up. His cock speared inside her, finding her snug, wet, and welcoming. Una gasped at the intrusion, then pulled him in deeper with her heels at the small of his back.

He buried himself to the hilt within her and for a moment did not move. He relished the rippling, sucking motions of her inner muscles, the pleasurably burning heat of her depths. Una's legs tensed around him. She whimpered in his ear.

Slowly, he drew back, almost until his cock slipped free, then shoved back in forcefully, making his lover grunt. Over and over, he thrust into her, making her body shudder each time. Una panted against his neck, raked her nails across his back.

They kissed, they hissed, they panted and heaved, uncaring to the world and whatever dangers may have been lurking within the darkness around them. All that mattered was the moment, and for the first time in Ryan's life, he realized he was taking a lover who shared his proclivities for rough sex. The harder he gave it to her, it seemed, the harder she wanted it.

He pinned her to the tree, savagely pounding his sex against hers. Una's claw-like nails ripped through fabric and flesh as they sliced across his back, but Ryan ignored the pain. If anything, it fueled him.

Then at last, Una thrashed as she climaxed, panting deliriously. Her body vibrated like a leaf in a windstorm, her vaginal muscles pulling incessantly upon Ryan's cock until he joined her in orgasm.

With a final thrust, Ryan buried himself deep, back arching and head falling back as his seed poured into her once more. He glared up at the dark sky, mouth open as if to call out a triumphant roar.

But the guttural bellow that rolled across the land was not his.

Heaving for breath, Ryan looked about desperately, a sudden and incredible clarity in his senses. It seemed he could smell everything, hear everything, even taste every essence upon the wind.

His and Una's eyes met. They both spoke at the same time. "He's here."

Abruptly, he pulled back, and Una dropped to the ground in a crouch amid a jingle of her chains. Quickly, Ryan tucked his slick and spent penis back inside his shorts, even as he heard the stirring of the loggers in their camps behind him.

He felt strangely fueled, as if he had been given some form of performance-enhancing drug. He looked to Una. "What did you do to me?"

She stared back, apprehensive. "I have awakened within you your true potential," she explained quickly. "Your true strength, as granted by your heritage, but which you have long suppressed. It will not last long, but it should serve you for this fight."

A chorus of cries erupted from behind him, carrying fear and pain upon the still night air. Ryan pivoted, snatching up the pistol from his belt.

"Do not forget the knife," Una reminded him. "It is the only thing that can kill him!"

Right, thought Ryan, already moving. He darted for his tent, ducking within to grab the rolled-up bundle and turn it out. The knife fell to the ground at his feet, a dull glimmer to its crudely-worked blade. He snatched it up, feeling a strange warmth radiating through his hand. He ignored it, and dashed from the tent.

Less than a hundred feet away, screams of pain and bellows of shock mingled with decidedly inhuman roars within one of the large tents. The nylon walls bulged as human bodies were hurled against it. As Ryan approached, several men ran out, horror contorting their faces. Across the dirt road, the men from the opposite camp had emerged, hesitant and unsure. Ryan noted Milton among them.

"Stay back!" Ryan yelled, then addressed the men who ran toward him. "Who's still in there?"

One of the men regarded him with wild eyes. "Fucking thing got Jose, and Mike!" he cried. "I think Paco's still in there!"

Ryan watched the large tent as it convulsed back and forth. "Get to the other camp," he ordered the three men. He cocked the hammer on his pistol. "Go! Now!"

As the men complied, scampering across the road, the large tent not thirty feet from Ryan suddenly erupted as an inhuman figure burst forth, shredding the durable fabric with clawed hands and hurling the remains of the construction to either side. In the light of the camp fires, the creature was finally and fully revealed.

Standing nearly seven feet in height, it was lean and humanoid, covered in coarse brown fur with a face like that of a blunt-nosed wolf. The growling mouth, held open wide, revealed pointed teeth, and the creature's fingers ended in gleaming claws. Burning eyes the color of sunset glowered beneath a dark brow . . . and they were immediately focused upon Ryan. The almost human face twisted in a malicious grin.

"So she has taken you, and you have taken her," the monster growled.

Ryan met the creature's stare with one of his own. "And you're about to be taken down."

Man and monster hesitated only a moment longer before charging across the ground between them. Ryan raised the pistol and fired as he ran.

Bam-bam-bam-bam-bam! The revolver thundered loudly, sending bullets which slammed into the beast-man's body, making him falter and stumble, but not stop. The monster bellowed in anger and leapt, bloodied claws flashing in the amber fire light. But Ryan feinted at the last moment, taking a half-step to the left before diving to the right. The large knife in his left hand flashed, slicing through air, fur, and flesh.

He ducked and rolled beneath the monster's talons, coming up onto his feet and pivoting. The monster stood ten feet behind him, one taloned hand pressed to its chest as it turned toward him once more. Baleful yellow eyes flashed evilly. "My knife," it grumbled.

Ryan held the blade before him as he assumed a defensive crouch. "Mine, now."

The creature took a guarded stance, flexing its claws. It now stood between Ryan and Una, who watched anxiously from her tree. Her eyes darted worriedly from the monster to Ryan.

"It won't help you," the monster intoned, taking careful steps.

Ryan's military instincts kicked in. He was aware that the rest of the loggers were behind him. "Milton!" he yelled.

"Wh-what?"

"Get you and your men out of here! Take my truck!"

That was all the men needed to scramble for the large government vehicle, and they did so with desperation.

"No!" bellowed the monster, lunging forth. "Everyone dies!"

But Ryan was quick to intercept, and as the monster dashed toward the rapidly-filling truck, he slashed the knife across the back of one of the creature's legs. The monster faltered and fell, grunting as it impacted the ground.

"Go! Go! Go!" yelled Ryan.

Milton stood in the open driver's-side door. "What about you?" he called.

"Just get the fuck out of here!" screamed Ryan. His attention switched to the monster as it rose, favoring the now-wounded leg. The sight of it was all the additional impetus Milton needed, and as his men frantically encouraged him, he ducked back into the cab and slammed his foot onto the accelerator.

The monster whirled around as the truck drove down the road. "They will come back," it gloated. "And when they do, I will slay them all, just as I will slay you."

Ryan snapped up the pistol, firing off the last bullet. It slammed into the beast's forehead, making it flinch and wince. The bullet fell, flattened, to the ground. "You're not doing a very good job so far," Ryan remarked, dropping the revolver. He switched the knife to his right hand.

The monster growled malevolently. "I will not simply kill you," it menaced. "I will devour you. And then I shall take Una one last time . . . before taking her life."

Ryan's face darkened. Flippancy was gone. The threat to Una, the monster's clear intentions, were all he needed to make his final decision. He said nothing more, but simply readied himself for the attack.

It came swiftly, despite the monster's hampering wound. The beast rushed low, talons flashing. Ryan moved deftly to avoid the attack, but a claw raked across his left thigh. The other barely missed his neck. He slashed, but found only empty air.

Man and monster circled one another, feinting here and there, testing each others' defenses. Claws and blade drew shallow wounds here and there, but neither combatant gave them much mind. Beyond them, straining at the bonds which secured her, Una watched with wide, furtive eyes and a heart palpitating so strongly in her chest she feared it might rupture.

Take him, Ryan, she thought fervently. Kill him!

But Ryan made a crucial error, and overextended his reach when he saw an opening. As the monster sidestepped him, Ryan felt a powerful, rending sensation across his back as the beast's claws cut deep. He gasped in pain and stumbled forward. But even as he started to turn to face the creature once more, it was upon him.

With a pain-filled grunt, Ryan found himself on his chest upon the broken ground, immense weight upon his back. The knife fell from his hand and clattered across the ground. Dark, dirty clawed hands cupped his face, tilting his head up. "Look upon your queen," gloated the beast upon him. "So beautiful, isn't she?"

Ryan struggled beneath the mass upon him, and for a moment, his eyes met Una's. There was real fear there, a sense of hopelessness that was all too evident. It was a look he had seen years before, upon the face of a ravaged young woman who had done nothing to incur the pain and humiliation she suffered.

The monster lowered its face beside Ryan's toothy maw dripping. "I want you to die knowing that I am going to have my way with her one last time, before ripping her heart from her chest and making her power forever mine."

A sudden energy borne of rage filled Ryan's body. He dug his hands into the dirt. "I . . . don't . . . think so," he grunted.

Then he pushed.

With an eruption of thick, chalky dirt, Ryan suddenly leapt to his feet, hurling the monster off him. The beast fell to the side, rolling and coming up upon its feet. But Ryan was quick, quicker than he had ever been. He scooped up a handful of earth and hurled it right into the creature's face, momentarily blinding him, and followed through with a leaping kick that impacted upon the monster's chest, sending it sprawling back several paces.

Landing hard upon the ground, Ryan scrambled to his feet and darted for the knife. He heard the angry roar and the rush of movement behind him.

Now or never, he realized, snagging the crude blade from the ground. He whirled about, knife at the ready. His senses told him where the beast was even before he saw it before him, and thrust.

There was a sickening splitting of flesh, a squelching of blood to the ground. Beast and man became frozen, faces inches apart. Eyes quivered, breaths were released.

Una trembled in her chains at what she saw. Ryan . . . No . . . .

He looked down, upon the momentarily confusing sight of the beast's claw impaled in his upper abdomen, just beneath the left side of his ribcage. There was something innately wrong with the fact that he could feel the heat of the invading digits of the monster's fingers, that he could see his own thick crimson blood spilling out and darkening his shirt.

He expelled once, then inhaled, wheezing, feeling a weight in his lung. He coughed, flecks of blood escaping his lips. The metallic flavor inundated his mouth. He swallowed thickly. The knife in his right hand, the harbinger of his and Una's salvation, fell to the ground once more.

Crudely, the monster jerked its hand free, making Ryan cry out in pain. "Choke on your own blood, human," the beast cackled, stepping around him toward Una.

Ryan fell to his knees, weakness invading his body even as his own life's blood trickled out. Every breath was a labor. The world around him listed this way and that. An ethereal warmth passed through him, washing over the pain.

I'm dying, he realized. A contorted smile twisted his lips. How ironic.

Behind him, the monster advanced upon Una with slow, deliberate, malevolent steps. Blazing eyes looked upon her hungrily. A thick, dark tongue passed across raggedly-sharpened teeth. "One last time for us, my sweet."

Una glared. "You do not know what you are doing, Steven," she wailed. Her eyes were liquid, spilling onto her cheeks. "If you kill me, you will never be human again. You will always be what you are: a monster."

The creature reached out a taloned hand, caressing Una's cheek with the backs of it's fingers. The nymph turned her head in defiance. "A monster is what it takes to destroy those who would rape this land," the beast said. "If only you would have understood this from the beginning, and given your power to me willingly, I would never have had to do this."




Feral Passions



As this is my first time submitting work I ask you to please be friendly with your comments. I currently do not have an editor so I apologize for any spelling/grammatical mistakes. This is the start to a longer series so there will not be sex quite yet but it will appear. Please enjoy.

New Hope





Feral: The Hunter



I had to smile when she strode into the room. Her eyes were solid, focused; her face serious. Her hair streamed behind her, bouncing with her every step. Once, I had only thought models could walk like that. Well, Delphine was by far too short and too thick to be a standard model. Not to say she wasn't stunningly gorgeous, just, not the anorexic staple of most modeldom. When she finally reached my desk, one hand lightly grazed the top, and the other reached up and swept off her orange tinted sunglasses.

Strangely, her ostentatious dress suited her. Normally, she dressed in a highly conservative, classy- but nonetheless breathtaking, way. Today... well, she was still classy, if there was ever a doubt, but there wasn't much conservation. She had a mid-leg plaid, brown and gold pleated skirt, and a black trench-coat firmly buttoned and tied, which reached to only a few inches above the bottom of her skirt. Her almost knee-high boots caught me off guard for a moment, and I couldn't help but stare at the noticeably fleshsoft golden-brown shirt she wore underneath the jacket. Though her breasts were proportionately larger in comparison with her body, she managed to hide them well, while accentuating her round hips and small waist.

It was rare that Delphine wore makeup, but I hadn't seen her in almost a year, so it's deftly possible that she had altered some of her normal dress procedures. I smiled at the thought. Her lips glittered with golden lip gloss, and there was just a hint of gold on her cheeks and above her eyes. What was this? Was she a fucking rockstar all of a sudden? Hot, but still, out of character for Miss Priss, anointed cockblocker of the State.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Barone?" I was decidedly uncomfortable with her presence, with my lust for her mind, body, soul- Perhaps I was most uncomfortable with that look of utter assassination in her eyes.

Her steady gaze continued to bore into me. When she spoke, though softly, I was reacquainted with how deadly and silken her voice was when she was upset. "Simply, Mr. Preston, I would like to know why I have been being ignored by you. Did I do something to offend you? If I have, I would gladly like to know what it is so that I may redouble my efforts and truly put my antagonistic nature to good use."

Oh. Delphine was one of my more interesting ex-students all right. She had graduated the year before, but still plagued my mind. To be completely honest, I wasn't allowed to speak with her. My wife had caught me doing something... underhanded, and had insisted that I no longer have communication with the vixen. Looking at her now, it was obvious that she may have taken notice that I wasn't responding to her messages. "Why would you think I have been ignoring you?"

I was going to play this Nixon style. Admit nothing. "Stop giving me this Richard Nixon shit, Preston. I know what you're doing. And I want to know why."

Fuck! She knew me too well. It came to no use though, I was tongue-tied. There was a deliciously fuckable brainchild in front of me, and she had caught me with my pants down. Suddenly, her eyes became soft. Thank god, the monster has retreated and she's decided to switch tactics. Her anger was something that scared people to dirty drawers, but the strategy worked, because they were more than willing to talk to make sure that the beast was not unleashed once more. The primal, feral being that would kill you rather than look at you.

"If I really have done something, I want to know. At least give me a reason before shutting me out. I didn't know I had done anything wrong, I've been speaking with all my favorite teachers and no one else seemed to mind..."

My tongue felt too big for my mouth. I kept going back and forth between wondering what kind of panties she had on, to how badly that boot in my face would hurt, to remembering exactly why I hadn't been responding to the sorceress. I found my voice. "Would you like me to be candid or civil, Miss Barone?"

"I would normally decide for civil, but please, be straight."

Standing, I walked around and motioned for her to take a seat in my chair. She took a seat languidly, and then reflexively crossed her legs, locking them. Leaning one arm against her knee, and the other on that arm, her attention entreated me to begin. "By all means, Sir."

I groaned inwardly. "Do you think it's possible to love more than a person at a time?"

Her eyes became hard again. "Yes, I believe it's possible," but before I could make my case, she injected, "But you always love one of them more."

My mouth was already half wrapped around a word, and I had to rethink my argument. Stumbling for a few seconds, I realized it didn't matter, I would use my case anyways. "Yes, well, I'm married, I have children- and yet I have the most vivid dreams about you. Some of them are as simple as working on an old lab, some are just memories, some are fictitious conversations, and others are... of a more carnal nature. Apparently, I've said your name a few times too much for the woman who shares my bed to be comfortable with. When she caught me jerking off in front of the computer one day, and your email on the screen, she said enough was enough."

"You're not allowed to speak to me," I was blushing. Fucking blushing. The heat radiated from my face.

"I am not. And it's a damn good thing too. I love my wife and children, and I happen to have a distinct regard for my earthly possessions."

She didn't look at me for a few moments, but held a sidelong glance at the floor. Her lips twitched once, and then she flicked her eyes back to me. "Your wife's name is Laura?"

I blinked. "Your point?"

"She's a tall blond, green eyes? Wears a silver necklace with a little M and C on it?"

To my recollection, Delphine had never seen my wife, or a picture before. You know that feeling that Michael Douglas' character had to have after Glenn Close boiled his bunny? Yeah, I was getting there. "Where-"

Placing a hand up, the tips of her fingers ever so slightly inclined toward me, she interrupted. "I was visiting the Borders in Plymouth. I saw her. I didn't connect it right away, no. But I remember her name was Laura, she had a necklace on with M and C, for Michael and Caleb (my sons), and ... she said she worked in the Clinton Schools. It took awhile for this to click, someone had to say something about a Michael before I went... whoa, wait a minute, here... but... I was eavesdropping. I had heard her, but not cared until she said something about meeting at the Binge and Purge. I had met someone there awhile before, and it just brought up bad memories."

"Well?"

"I was on the other side of the book cases, and she was on her cell phone. I had gotten a good look of her before diving into Sociology, she was hot. I'm just saying that I hope it was you on the phone, because she said she couldn't wait to do the 'normal F and S, honey'."

"What if it was me, Delphine? What if I was the one there, waiting for my wife to put her normal fuck and suck moves on me?"

The way the shadows glided over her dead serious face, and the way the realization hit me that Delphine hadn't known what F and S meant, left me breathless for a second after the outburst. Slowly, she began again, "Then it would mean you got the royal treatment, babe. And if it had been you, you would be smiling nostalgically now, not panicked."

My brain was at an all-stop. I didn't want to think of the possibility. That my wife was fucking another man. No, no. Delphine had always had the hots for me, her entire senior year. I put my arms down after noticing I had subconsciously began to run both hands over my scalp, through my hair. I kept going no, no, no, no, no through my head. Her face was still steady. I suddenly felt very angry, and it was all directed at her. Before I could express it though, her darkness kept me captivated as she spoke. "Before you call me a damned liar, as I know you're close to doing-" the bell rang to let school out, she paused for a moment to let it pass, "You should reconsider. I do not lie. While I can understand that you might not believe me over your wife, at least give me a benefit of a doubt. Neither say I am wrong, nor that your wife is guilty. I wasn't sure what her F and S meant, but you were the one that really made me believe what I heard."

Delphine stood regally, and began to walk by me. As she reached the crux of passing me, her hand rested on my bicep, her face turned toward mine. I was midway between the urge to strike her (I never would hit a woman, unless she was a fucking goliath about to eat me, but I had the urge) and kiss her forcefully, but resisted both. She wanted to say something, it was on the tip of her tongue, but instead she closed her mouth and went with her second choice. "You know my email. Update me on your progress. Happy Hunting, soldier." She shut the door behind her.

Her leaving was understated to her entrance, but the chill in my blood was real, enduring. Sitting down, I heard a knock on the door. I hoped it wasn't her, because I wasn't answering. When I heard keys come out, and the lock turning, I knew it wasn't her. The door cracked and I heard Delphine's now fluted voice from down the echoing hallway, "Nice to see you, Jamison. I'll talk to you sometime later!"

Fred walked in, a huge smile on his face. He wouldn't ever admit it since his wife worked across the hall from him, but he had the biggest hard on for Miss Barone his side of the school. "What's going on, Dave? I just saw Delphine leave," he peaked his head back out of the doorway, "Ugh, I forgot just how much I had missed her. As a student."

His grin betrayed him, but for once, I didn't laugh about it. I sat stupidly in the chair, and picked up my cell phone from off my belt. I went through the phone's number listing, and dialed Home. After almost four rings she picked up the phone and breathlessly answered, "Yeah? What's up, hon?"

"Just wondering what's going on. I wanted to tell you that I'm probably going to be late. I'm running over Fred's house to watch a rerun of last week's game to pick it apart for the next Linebacker meeting," I waved Fred silent as he almost spoke; it was a good thing my wife didn't know Fred had decided to opt out of coaching this year, "Oh, nothing's going on. I just came in from a run with Cara. We figured we should use our time for something productive on this half day. For once."

I could hear her smiling over the phone. When I didn't say anything, she began talking again, "Well, okay then, hon. I'm gonna visit for a little while longer. We should go out for dinner with the boys when you get home, I think I'll be too tired to cook."

Not knowing whether I was relieved or still suspicious, I tried to muster a smile. "Yeah, all right. I'll see you then."

We both hung up. I sat there wondering if I should call Cara. It would be awfully good timing for Laura to have returned from running at such an opportune moment. But if her and Cara had gone out running, then they would be together and Laura would know I was checking in on her. I really didn't feel like a big fight tonight. Especially not since I would have to tell her the origin of the battle.

I put the phone back on my belt, and my friend looked at me inquiringly. "What's going on?"

"I have to run over my house, but I want her to think I'm coming home late," thinking about Delphine, trying to have the same ability to control my emotions, I put on my best seductive face, "I have a surprise for her."

Nodding impressedly, Fred put his hand up in farewell, "Well, I guess I have nothing more to do here. See you tomorrow."

When he left, I wanted to yell until my voice became hoarse and the world stopped spinning. I wanted to scream to clear my head from all the lies. Someone was lying to me. I kinda wish I knew who, and that I didn't have the sinking feeling in my stomach that it wasn't Delphine. Getting up again, I walked out to my car and opened the door.

Coming home, my flip-flopping stomach came to a delicate halt. Relief flooded over me. Cara's car was in the driveway, and I had a phone number to get so that I could give Delphine a complete tongue-lashing. Walking in, I heard the shower running. I heard a laugh, Cara's laugh, from the bedroom. I was pretty sure that the running water covered up my arrival at home, and I had someone to goose in the shower. I took my coat off and threw it over the back of the couch as the shower stopped.

Cara yelled into the adjacent master bathroom as soon as the water stopped running. "It's about time you're out! I thought I'd have to drag out your bloated corpse before I got to shower."

An echoing, sweet voice came from the bathroom, as I came into the doorway. "Aw, baby. I told you that you could, you know," the two of them met at the bathroom doorway and passionately kissed, "-come and join me."

My jaw hung down. Shaking her head, Cara renewed her negation of the bathtime proposal. "No, I have to really be going before Casey gets home. He's been kind of suspicious lately. I need a quick shower, not-" Cara became quiet as she noticed Laura staring over her shoulder. "Laura?"

She turned and saw me, leaving. I picked my coat off the couch, and heard the thudding, bare footfalls of Laura following me. "Baby, it's not what it looks like!"

Never in my life had I a problem with blood pressure, but I was pretty fearful that was about to change. My face was red. Completely beet red, and when her hand grabbed my shoulder, I threw myself around to glare at her. "Don't even FUCKING talk to me, you conniving whore. You sat there and bitched at me for having a few fantasies about a fucking student. Fine, but at least I wasn't out there sleeping with every whore on the block like you!"

Cara had come round the corner into the living room, "Excuse me? You have no right to call your wife or me a whore-"

"I have every right, slut. If memory serves me, you're married too. Hey, Laura, tell me something, was it Cara you were meeting at the Binge and Purge after shopping at Borders, or was it another little friend you were going to fuck?"

Her mouth was slack, her eyes watering, words not wanting to form finally did, "Honey, I- how... how did you know about that?"

I didn't answer, I just stared at her. Cara's jaw was on the ground as well. "Wait a minute, Laura. You NEVER met me at the Binge and Purge-"

Oh dear, a lover's quarrel. I left them to their own devices and got into my car to drive back over Fred's.

* * *

"Fuck her! FUCK her. I hope she fucking chokes on that bitch's bush."

Fred sat at the table, his face completely unaffected by my outrage. Slight concern was in his eyes, but not anything too compassionate. We were guys, what do you expect? "Well, at least I'm glad Lisa took the kids out to eat, otherwise my children would be hearing some very colorful language I don't care to explain to them right now."

Despite myself, I laughed a little, then collapsed into a seat at the table next to him. "What the fuck, man? What did I do to her?"

"Well, I don't want to lessen what she's done, because that's fucked up, but... it's obvious you two have been growing apart. The only thing you two have in common anymore is the kids. You went out, what, half a year ago to a concert? You were sick that night, too, if I remember correctly. Puking everywhere."

"She could have told me."

"Yeah, she could have. But you could have too. Yet, you were just fine with having fantasies about your students. She had fantasies about other people too. It's just that she took it a step further than you, then was a hypocrite and dictated that you weren't allowed to do that. Even think about it."

"I love her, Fred."

"Yeah, and you will for awhile. Do you love her enough to trust her again?"

"I would have. Until I found out that she was cheating on me with more than one person."

"Whoa, whoa. Back it up. When did that happen?"

"I caught her with Cara, but the story Delph-"

We looked at each other for a second, and I shifted, then wiped my mouth nervously. I hadn't told him that Delphine had been the one who tipped me off. Fred raised his eyebrows, got up, and walked over to his fridge. "You want another beer?"

"Yeah, I do."

He slid one over to me, and I started again. I might as well tell him. "I went home and caught Cara and Laura together. But Delphine had told me that she overheard Laura talking about meeting up with someone at the Binge and Purge, that new bar in Clinton. Well, when I said that back to Laura, Cara was shocked, and wanted to know who else it was that Laura was meeting, because it wasn't her."

"Shit," Fred shook his head, "You can pick 'em, all right."

"I'm through with her. I can't trust her after that, no matter how much I love her."

"Well, I have another question then. Why was Delphine your source of information?"

"I was afraid you'd go there. To be honest, I don't know how she just happened to chance upon that. She said she was shopping at that Borders, which is believable enough... but to have such good timing as to walk in on my wife having a conversation with someone about fucking them, and then being able to recognize who she was... Plausible, but not likely. She actually came to confront me about why I was ignoring her. I told her that my wife ... had basically cut off my dick and had it in a jar in the closet. She didn't seem surprised that I had any interest in her, and she looked like she didn't really want to tell me. She even warned me that while I shouldn't call her a liar, that I should approach the situation with complete indifference, due to the probability of my wife's innocence."

"Which is why you called her."

"And lied. But, I guess. I had good reason."

"Risky if she was, in fact, innocent."

"Yeah."

We sat there idly for a few minutes, just drinking, but I couldn't hold off any longer. "Do you still have her phone number?"

"Whose?" he looked suspicious, "Delphine's? Her home number. Her father usually answers though, so that's tricky business."

Both Fred and his wife sincerely liked the girl. She was very bright and talented. They had offered to pay her through college, because she came from a kind of hard-up family. Lately that had changed, her father had won his Social Security, and she obviously had a job, but still, her lack of motivation gave incentive for the overprotective and manipulative Fred and Lisa Jamison to play mom and dad to the daughter they never had. Sure, Fred was attracted to Delphine, he owned up to that, but he was disgustingly in love with his wife, and admitted to having more fatherly instincts over the girl than anything else.

I, on the other hand, was the one that wanted to bang her.

"Give it to me anyways, I told her I would update her on my progress. And since I had planned on reaming her about lying to me, I might as well also reward her for telling me the truth."

* * *

She sat there typing away, back in her conservative dress, sitting in Fred's own chair. "Where is Jamison?"

Glancing up, she said, "He had something to attend to. I do not know what."

"Oh."

I wanted to walk out, but my legs didn't feel like functioning at that point. So, I stood there for a few minutes before she exhaled noticeably, "Yes, Mr. Preston? Any final thoughts, last words before you LEAVE?"

Nodding, I figured there were some things I had to attend to, "Yeah, I do have some unresolved questions for you, if you don't mind."

She waved her hand at me without looking, a gesture to indicate that her royal highness would listen to my low level plea to the state, but only for duty's sake. "About our little chat a week ago; you didn't seem surprised that I had any sort of attraction to you."

Still resolutely staring at the screen and typing, she answered intermittently, "I was surprised that you admitted it, but not that you had it, no. You acted differently with me than you did those other girls, and they were all over your body, so I couldn't understand it at first."




Feral: The Hunter



"You had something they didn't."

"What? A few brain cells? Yeah. That is rare to come by in this hormonal teenage wasteland."

"You had a mind, a sense of humor- an impeccable taste in music... you challenged me and all authority whenever you had the chance. And all within your limits, you never crossed the line. Only... pushed the line back a few times."

Finally, she turned in the chair and gave a coy smile. "You like wildcats, eh?"

"Actually, I do."

She stood, and what I had seen to be conservative before suddenly turned dominatrix. The black, kneehigh leather boots were beneath shining black pants, and a completely form-fitting, but covering black top. Her hair was a bronze waterfall down her back, and though she wore no makeup, her dark, steeled eyes were leveled at me with complete dominance. She would fit in perfectly with any sadomasochistic group if she had a a belt out. She didn't seem the whip type. A belt would suit her raw power better. Quietly, and demurely, she grabbed her hair clip off the desk. With a few indescribable swirls of her hair that only another long-haired woman could follow and understand, it was up in a bun.

"Tell Mrs. Jamison that I finished her site for her. All she has to do is add the necessary content at leisure."

Picking up papers, she went by me toward the door to leave. I grabbed her arm roughly, and the look on her face was pure fury. Pulling her arm from me, she hissed quietly, "Do not ever think to manhandle me again, Mr. Preston."

"Or else what?"

"You thought my revelations on your wife were nasty, wait until I get through your entire life. I told you I don't lie, which in itself is manipulation of the truth. I wasn't lying to you then, but I have no qualms with so much twisting the truths I know and may come to know, that you end up being the ultimate villain, persecuted in all arenas of life. And you think that your life is sad now. All good things get better for me."

She went to leave again, and I grabbed her again, when she went to retaliate, I grabbed her other arm. Her eyes were slitted, daring me, like an angry cat with her ears back. Leaning down to kiss her, punish her for her presumptuous behavior and blatant sexuality, I felt a searing pain on my cheek. She had turned her head and bit me. I threw her back and raised a hand to touch the damaged cheek, but it didn't seem to be bleeding.

Striding toward the door, she went to run out it. "Wait, Delphine-"

She halted, and turned her head slightly to acknowledge me. "Come back. Please. I'm sorry."

Leaning on the doorframe, she tilted her head and crossed her legs at the ankles. "You had an interest in me, I know you did, your senior year. I'm sorry, if I ... took that idea and carried it over to now. I didn't even think that you would have a boyfriend or anything at this point, I didn't think there would be an outside factor I wasn't looking at-"

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"What?"

"I don't have a boyfriend."

"Well okay, then you're just not attracted to me any more. I can understand-"

"No, I am attracted to you. You're a very good looking man."

"Then may I ask why you BIT me?"

"You grabbed my arm. And thought that you were allowed to kiss me. You are not allowed to touch me, period. Not without my express permission, you chauvinistic slob."

"Now, you know that isn't true, you're just saying that to hurt me."

"I am."

At this point I was at a loss for words or probable scenarios to draw from. She uncrossed those legs and stood up straight, closing the door. "You are a very good-looking man, very intelligent, funny- even though some of your jokes were at my expense as mine were at yours. In fact," she had at some point walked across the room and was now not even inches away from me, "I still fantasize about you. Still," she closed her eyes, "can remember what you taste like in my dreams..."

Then why? "Why won't you let me-"

Her lips pressed against mine quickly, suddenly, cutting me off. They were hungry, demanding, sweet. Her ladylike exterior couldn't hide the animal within in that instant. She was a primal creature; a hunter, a lover, a mother. Her tongue pressed against my lips again, ordering me to allow her access. She pulled back at last, and I felt decidedly cold without her body pressed to me. Moving forward again, she kissed below my earlobe, moving over to my jawline, down onto my neck, nipping when she couldn't move the shirt over any more.

It registered to my brain that there was someone else there when I came out of my stupor and saw her back on the computer, and Fred walking around me. "You okay there, buddy? You look out of it."

"Just thinking."

"Ah, well, I'm done, Jamison. Tell the Missus that all's well. I have to be going now." She shot me a look that read as 'follow closely'. The doorknob clicked behind me, and closed as she left. My eyes went back up to meet Fred's. "You know what... I have work to get done. I need to get my mind off things."

He nodded, and I practically ran out the door. Walking quickly and confidently to my room, I walked inside and went for my coat. Walking into the backroom, I felt a draft of air and heard the door click behind me. A feeling of dread went down my spine. That is, until I felt her hands on my sides, running up my body, then down, under my shirt, and rippling across my skin and muscles. Her hands were hot, not warm, and I knew she was ripe for the picking. Swiveling around, I grabbed her, lifting her and pressed her against the door.

Her legs wrapped around my waist instinctively. My hard cock felt strangled, inside my clothes and slammed against her clothed cunt. Her arms were wrapped around my neck, her breasts heaving into my chest, I just wanted to taste her. My senses kept feeding on her, smelling sweet, tasting salty and smooth- Her eyes were wild, and the woman could not keep control of her nipping teeth tonight. Fortunately for her, it was turning me on more, so I didn't retaliate too much by biting her back. Reaching below her shirt, I swiftly rounded second base.

This wasn't enough. I couldn't be satisfied with a few cheap feels. I had to get her naked as soon as possible. I had to feel all of her. I had to know she was real. When I went to lift her shirt off though, it was no go. "I will not be naked in this school," it sounded painful and forced, but I couldn't help but understand. My cock throbbed against her, and she cried out. I continued to kiss her neck, taste her. She moaned from a combination of my hard body against her, suspending her in the air, and the sensations of my hands on her breasts and tongue on her neck. Backing away, I let her legs fall to the floor.

I grabbed her hand and took her with me. Sitting in a chair, I beckoned her to sit on my lap. Oh God, her ass felt good. I unbuttoned her pants and slipped my hands in them, curling them to find her opening. I slid them up and down her slit, noting with interest as I kissed her neck that she wore no panties. She chuckled. "I didn't yesterday either."

When she said that I thrust two fingers into her and she bucked and squealed. "Shh, people are still in this school, Miss Barone."

"Fuck you."

I growled in her ear, then bit her shoulder, thrusting my fingers in and out of her again. She moaned deliciously. "I love when siren's scream for me, Delphine."

The more she bucked on my fingers, the harder I became, until finally her rhythms pushed me over the edge. My eyes closed, and I unceremoniously kept dipping into her extraordinarily tight pussy. Her soft sleeve began to clench, and I felt her cream begin to roll out of her. Her breath hitched, and her body stiffened with my own, but I didn't stop, and instead fingered her with renewed vengeance. I could see her bite her lip to keep from screaming, and she bucked a few more times until we were both spent at each others' ministrations. My boxers were full of come, her pants reeked of sex.

"I need to change immediately."

"Why? I'm sure every male in this place can smell you now anyways."

She moaned softly at the thought, and I pulled my fingers from her pants. "You have to fuck me."

"I will."

The door knob turned, and both of our eyes shot to it. My fingers were in my mouth, covered with her juices, her form was jumping up from my lap. In fact, as the door swung open, she moved to the furthest corner of the room, pretending to have been looking at the bookshelves. I had a huge grin on my face as I saw Little Old Mr. Neilson come in. Perhaps the smell wasn't as noticeable as I had imagined it to be. Likely, I was in such close proximity and so sex driven that my senses were more attuned to notice her arousal. He smiled when he saw her, grinned really. Delphine was a prize student who was loaded with looks and personality like a tiger. She was many teachers' pet.

He had a soft voice, rarely needing to raise it, because wisdom seemed to pour off of his presence. He was that little old teacher who was so damn adorable that he could get away with murder and everyone would just oooh and aaah at him. He was a little fucking elf. "You didn't come and visit me today, Delphine? I'm surprised. Normally you come to see me after you see Jamison."

"Normally?" My eyebrows furrowed. This had been the second time I'd seen her since graduation. The first time was just to yell at me. "Yeah, Miss Barone comes in about once a month and drops by Jamison and my class."

She looked utterly embarrassed in the corner. There was a frown on her lips, an almost fearful expression in her eyes. When she went to look at Neilson though, the fear fell away. All emotion left her face for a split second, and the facade was empty so that she could choose her new palate. A new set of emotions came to her face: warmth, joy, nostalgia- she was good. How had I never noticed how good she was? 

"Neilson!" They hugged, and he didn't seem to notice a thing. She had to bend down a little to hug him, but he didn't seem to mind a faceful of cleavage all too much. "How have you been?"

"Good, good. Working a lot. I'm exhausted. You, mon cher?"

"Spectacular. The business is going good and, as you know, this is the last year."

She did frown this time. "I heard, you dolt. Oh, you know I don't mean it like that... it's just such a shame they can't clone a younger you real quick and implant him with all your knowledge, because kids will lose IQ points without you, Neilson. They will."

He smiled, "I'll always have the memories of you. Well, I'll talk to you two some other time, I have to be off. It's anniversary time. I gotta wine and dine the missus," he winked, and Delphine giggled.

"She's a lucky lady."

"Obviously you are too. By the way, you smell intoxicating, Delphine."

She glared at me, but to be honest, neither of us were COMPLETELY sure he had noticed anything. He probably had, but Neilson was inconspicuous like that. He knew how to play subtlety to its fullest. The little rat. I mean elf. You fucking know what I mean. The door clicked closed behind him, and glancing over at my damsel, I saw her squeezing her legs together, one hand rubbing down the length of the outside of her thighs. The other hand reached across to grasp her shoulder. The little minx was still turned on.

Standing straighter and with more purpose than I had for years, I strode over to her. Her eyes locked to mine, looking rather heated, vague, sightless. ACDC started playing in my head, and I kept wondering if this was a dream. Her thick thighs were completely creamed right now, her body trembled helplessly when I put both hands on the small of her back, pulling her into me. I caught her dusty peached lips, running my tongue over their velveteen. She sighed into me, leaning onto me as if I was her very strength, her will to continue.

Just twenty minutes ago this was the bitch that bit me. A corner of my lips upturned. Her head and arms had found a comfortable niche on my torso, clung to me. "Let's go out for something to eat."

Her face turned toward me and she smiled, "Yeah."

We couldn't exactly go anywhere local, so we went a few towns over, same county, and sidled into a family steakhouse. "David Preston. Party of two."

"Smoking or non?"

"Nonsmoking, please."

"Your table will become available shortly," and sure enough, true to her word, a man walked up and before we could even sit she said, "John here will be glad to seat you now."

I put my hand possessively on the small of Delphine's back again, to guide her and ward off the coyotes. Sitting across from her, I noticed that her face looked flat and dull, like she had grown weary. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She forced a sparkle to come to her eyes, and a slight smile to her lips.

After a few more minutes, where her eyes resignedly swept over the menu, unable to choose, I put my hand up and brought the menu down to the table to look at her. "What's wrong?"

"It's just... Okay. Ah... There's... going to be times where I look at you and say slab the fucking cow down, but then there are the times where the very scent of meat makes me want to lie down and die."

"You're having one of those moments now?"

"Maybe just a," she squinched her forefinger and thumb together, "tiny, little bit."

"We can go, we haven't ordered yet."

"I'll just have a salad."

"Well, I'm telling you. If you throw up, I doubt I'm going to have enough appetite left to finish my meal."

"I'll remember that."

The tired darkness under her eyes gave her a gaunt, fathomless glitter. It was interesting to note that even while drained, she was sustained in her beauty, her mystery. Shadows suited her. The waiter came, John, and leaned down to take our order. His eyes raked over Delphine hungrily, like he wanted to take and have her served up, rare. As was customary, he asked me what I wanted to eat. I'd like to rip your throat out, sir, if you could offer that- "May I have the Pepper Jack Chicken Sandwich please?"

"Of course, sir. Would you like anything to drink with that?"

I shrugged the question off, "Water."

"And for the lady? I'm sure you wouldn't mind having some steak, you look like a meat-eater."

Her eyes flashed at him quickly, but her response was mild; meek even. "Well, I do like my men like I like my meat. Red and bloody. However, I think I will go with a caesar salad with a side of seasoned rice, please."

The look in his eyes showed he wasn't sure whether she was joking or serious. "And to drink?"

"Uh, sweetened ice tea."

"I will be back in a moment with your drinks."

John collected the menus and was on his little way. In quite a rush, if I might add. I smiled at Delphine. She was still a good little cockblocker. It amazed me that a girl of her integrity, her caliber, would choose someone like me. I wasn't bad, but... I wasn't exactly still young like her. I had already been married. Had two children. But she wasn't all social grace and charm, it was that small, most incredible part about her that I reveled in. Her ferocity, her raw instincts. I was a provider, I had looks, I had a brain, I had physical prowess. It was more like she was just thinking in respects to her progeny's chance of success and not her own happiness.

She was a beast trying to mate with the most successful. Genetics had no age. In spite of my docile nature, the one which tried to push her away and allowed my wife to fuck other people regardless of age or gender, she wanted me. Perhaps she figured she could bear children with a backbone like her own. Oh, Delphine.

I wanted her right here. I wanted to take my right arm and clear the table separating us with one sweep. I would then go around, pull her from that cramped little cushioned seat, and spread her out on this table. I would remove every piece of her clothing, button by button, with my teeth- That really would be great, if this cow-eyed little brat wasn't sitting two tables up, kitty corner from us. Normally, I loved kids, but this one was getting on my nerves staring at us, ogling my date. Glaring blackly, the kid's eyes widened and he turned around to sit in his seat and face his mother.

Possessively, I reached across the table and placed my hand on her's. For a second I was taken aback, but didn't move my hand. Her's was ice cold. I noticed again that her face was very pale, shadowed. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," she answered in a way that might suggest that her mind was very far away from the situation.

"Dingdingding, come back to planet Earth."

Her eyes lighted back up, and she smiled. "I'm here, base."

Twenty minutes later, Johnny-boy came out with our food and we ate quietly, small talk about politics and science and life in general. Bullshit. When we finished, I watched her chew the last bit of her food and cover her mouth with the napkin. She set the napkin back down and we stood. I had already left a few banknotes for the bill. She didn't cost much to feed, maybe she wouldn't to house either.

Of course, she did put up one helluva fight on the payment options. "Like fuck I don't get to pay my share-" and the like. Don't worry, baby. If I get my way, maybe we can make an arrangement where you pay me back in trade. Oh no, Delphine, there was my chauvinist coming out again. I mentally slapped my hand. Bad biology teacher. Bad. "Wanna do anything else before I send you on your way?"

"You know what? Let's go to the Black House." 

Continued in Feral: The Lover.



Feral: The Lover



"It's ladies night there."

"Is it?" I couldn't have cared less; I really was single-minded, wanting to rush this girl home to sate her as she had pleaded to wanting before. On the other hand, it had been awhile since I had a woman who actually wanted to go play pool. Laura had been that way too, until she knew she had me tied down. Courting has its peculiar little perks as well as its downfalls.

So, we went. I wouldn't allow her to drive. Chauvinist thing, yah know? Something about courtly honor, driving the chariot for the lady; something to those ends. Now that I think back on it, it was a bad idea. A very bad, horrid, scaly, scabby idea. We walk in, and at first I liked it; because she walked through the doors before me, and then turned right back around into me, trying to hide in my arms and torso. I was not adverse to the close contact. The smell of her hair, the softness of her body cradled in mine. However, there was a reason that this girl had turned from the pool hall.

"Problems, my lady?"

Delphine squeaked, and I rolled my eyes, hugging her a little closer, and pulling her out of the way of the door. At last she looked up. "Let's go, don't let them see-"

"Delphine?"

"Fuck," I heard her whisper under her breath. 

Wriggling her way from my grasp, she turned to the voice. There were four of them. One was a pretty big fellow, scraggly, if I may say so. Dressed in all black, he had just missed an easy shot for the seven ball into the corner pocket. Then there were two women sitting there, one who was the big and beautiful African goddess-types, and the other looked kind of crazy. Good crazy. The kind of crazy that would always be interesting. 

She wasn't bad looking, either, but she did sort of look like a loose-cannon, ready to recoil and strike at any moment. She had fiery red hair, and beautiful blue eyes. The other kind of worried me. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed also. Mr. Raphael Sans la Ringlets was walking toward the pool table about to take his shot. But when his eyes hit Delphine, they didn't leave her. By gods, they tried; to concentrate, anything- but they didn't. The man wasn't exactly handsome, but he also was not bad looking. He was still ... I guess the word in my testosterone-driven world is "competition". 

My girl smiled, and walked up to them. She glanced back to make sure I was following. Of course, I was. I wouldn't leave her alone with this party. "Group, this is Dave Preston. Dave, this is," pointing at the largest member who had called her out, the scruffy man, "Jerry," pointing to the crazy, very slightly overweight redhead, "Lizzie," then gesturing toward the mocha princess, "Felicity," and finally toward the last man, "And this, this is William."

At the mention of that last name, she seemed to subconsciously stray from my figure. Jerry grinned, "So who is this Dave? Just a friend or," smirking, "Anything more?"

Her eyes lifted to mine, and I knew that plead well, I answered, "I am a friend."

I stopped worrying about William at Jerry's answer. He sized me up and smiled; brightened, really. "Well then. Nice to meet you, Dave."

Jerry gave a look to the table. "Fuck this, you win, William. You usually do anyways. Rack 'em up and let's give Dave a game. I want to size out my competition here before I play him."

My eyes rested on Jerry's hard. Was he HONESTLY thinking about taking MY woman? He better think again if he wanted to keep his ass intact. It took awhile, but finally William scratched, and I sunk the eight ball. He took an animated seat next to Lizzie the Redhead, across from Felicia and Delphine. Jerry got up to play, and I let him break, keeping my eyes on that table. I saw William smile and put his hand on Lizzie's shoulder, too affectionate surely to be just friends. So, that's why he was here.

I hate dissecting group dynamics. There's just too much shit to consider. That's why I went into Biology instead of Behavioral Ecology. The part about this group I especially didn't like was Jerry. Who kept glancing over at the table, who kept going over to flirt, who kept getting drinks sent over to the ladies, who just kept annoying me. I didn't exactly feel threatened by him. Delphine had a lust in her eyes when she looked at me. She had nothing when she looked at Jerry, nothing but a smile. But the fact was that he was trying, right?

Right.

But then it was time to go home, and I couldn't have been happier. This shit was over with. Jerry walked back over and clapped his hand on Delphine's shoulder. "I'm glad we ran into you. Too bad you didn't play pool, but I guess you had some catching up to do. Let's not make this a one time thing. You're always welcome to come out with us. Bring Dave along too, he seems a stand up kind of guy," he smiled toward me.

That's when it happened. Jerry leaned down and kissed Lizzie on the cheek, "Let's hit it, babe."

William had already walked around Delphine, had put her jacket on, and was leaned down to whisper something in her ear. His hand was in her coat pocket, his eyes were pained. Her's looked zoned out, staring out into oblivion, into the dark skin of the walls. Her breathing was shallow, her head turning towards his when he backed away from her. William caught up with Felicity and the others, out the door. I still was over at the registration counter, putting back the pool sticks and the rack. Delphine stood, dark eyed, over at the table. She let a hand touch her cheek, her eyes closed, and then her hand went down.

The woman came back across the room to me. I grabbed her by the hand softly, and gently dragged her from the hall. Why hadn't I listened to my gut? That was what had told me to watch that blonde. But no, I rationalized it, thinking that Jerry had been the potential suitor. Perhaps I was hoping that the single one would be the lesser of the lookers. So that I wouldn't actually have someone to fear. That damn pool hall had been the biggest mistake of my life. I just hadn't realized it yet.

It had the potential to let me lose everything. 

I opened her car door, and walked around to my side. Before I could fumble through my keys, Delphine had already reached over and unlocked my side. The door handle seemed to stick, but I think now that I was just holding back on everything so that I didn't blow up at anything. Keeping my calm, I asked her, "What was that entire situation about? From the bottom to top. Who they are, where you know them from, what happened tonight. Everything. I'll accept whatever the content or lack thereof of content is, but just tell me something."

Her eyes were still closed. When they opened, I saw the fire behind them. The all-consuming flames of passion. Those flames that could only warm you, or intensify to thoroughly burn and scathe you. "I know them from work. Jerry doesn't work at Savers any more, but Lizzie, Felicity, and William do. Jerry was the only one I'm really friendly with. Him and my brother used to get along famously, and so- he and I did too. Lizzie and I get along well, but don't talk that much. We work on opposite sides of the store. Same with Felicity, I very rarely see her, but we can stand one another decently."

Taking a breath, her eyes glazed over, "I know William very well. He and I had a thing, a half kind of dating. A good friendship, I suppose. I wanted to date him. I think he wanted me too, but lost interest. I felt that, but... well. I don't like being around someone I'm attracted to. I lose myself regardless of what I know they feel. I didn't' want to lose myself this time to insanity, so I, ha- It was pretty cold-hearted, what I did. You know Glenn Close from Fatal Attraction?"

My mind went back to the bunny-boiling incident when she mentioned my wife at Borders. "Yeah, I do."

"I kind of did that, except not to those extremities. I sent him about half a dozen text messages. And, you know that I'm not actually crazy, but that I must be somewhere in me, because I pull it off hella well. I freaked him out. The only miscalculation I made was that in the end he called me. I figured he would do what he always did- ignore the problem, discard it, but he did actually call that night after he got off work. Asking if there was anything wrong. 'No, there's nothing wrong.' Then I laughed at him, Dave. Laughed. He said he had never meant to lead me on. Bullshit. He did, in the beginning. I know he did, and it was funny that he would lie to me like that.

"I don't think of him much any more, but sometimes I still see him... and think... goddamn. He's not the best-looking man, but I have such a strict regimen for men to pass to become somewhat suitable for me, that... well, it's not like I have a lot of other men to exactly keep my mind off of him. Other than you, the only men I've really been attracted to are him and Josh, if you remember him. I guess there was that other Dave I worked with. I had a thing for him too. I must have a liking toward Polish men; you're the only non-Pollack I've been attracted to."

"Actually, I'm quarter."

"Figures. Well, anyways, yeah. We haven't even talked out of cordial work agreements for the last, almost... year. We were kind of forced to today. I have no problem with Jerry, Lizzie, and Felicity, but... William was the one I was trying to hide from."

"What was that today then? When he whispered in your ear?" My voice rose without my realizing it until I heard myself.

"He was being nice. He put my coat on and said he still wanted to be friends. He put his number in my pocket."

A sneer carved my lips. "Delphine. You had a look on your face. A look I have seen myself, because I caused it on more women than just you."

That flame that had an origin in her belly licked its way again to her eyes. "Yeah, so I'm still fucking attracted to him. Why are you worried? You're a damn Grecian God."

Closing my mouth, that little sneer rubbing away, I kept driving mutely. "Take me home, Dave."

So, I did.

* * *

The office seemed smaller since the last time I had seen it. Of course, maybe then I didn't have as big a head as I seemed to now, being a manager. I kept hoping he wouldn't come in. My fingers clicked on the keys as quickly as they could to get this letter done so that I could hurry up and finish my inventory. Damn my computer for being down. Damnit, damnit, damnit.

The handle of the door turned, and my body filled with dread. For a second I had stopped typing, but I started up again. I wanted to look like I was doing something- I WAS doing something, there was no looking like about it. Fuck him. I didn't come here just to see him.

Or did I?

Did I really try that hard to fix my computer? Did I actively go out and seek for another possible computer to finish my work on? No. It was just like the good 'ole cashierin' days. People used to think I was stupid because I would come across a problem and not 'know' how to fix it. If it was a normal lane where he would have to be in close proximity, I feared the thought of him having to come by that close. He would be able to smell the intensity wafting off of me. But at those scan-it-yourself machines, where there was one cashier and four machines for four customers to work at... 

Oh, how could I forget that day where the lady dropped her credit card between the scale and machine? My first thought was to take my pen or a piece of paper and run it through to get it out. But I pushed that to the back of my mind, thinking- maybe I could call Store Maintenance...

Yet, I ended up calling my supervisor, and she told me to do the pen thing. By that time, the lady had finagled that card out anyways. I felt like an idiot. I had known what to do. But deep down I had wanted a problem so badly so I could call him to come and fix it. And the worst part is that all of this was my fault. All these problems had been my doing. Sure, it took two to tango- but it only took one to step on the other's foot with their stilettos and break a toe.

He was so good looking to me, too, but at the same time, he wasn't. I think at some point when we had been talking it just became habit. Habit to only have one person on my mind at a time. Someone I connected with. And that wasn't a lie. We had so much in common. I did connect with him. And now I just wanted him to-

I had stopped typing again, and William leaned against the wall with a file in his hand, flipping through the papers within. "Problems?"

Thinking back to the pool hall, clung to Dave, I looked up at him without feeling. "No. Just needed a moment to organize an idea."

"I see. What are you working on?"

"Work."

He cleared his throat and left to a back, adjoining part of the office. Oh no, this wasn't good. X-rated movies were playing through my head. Sometimes of just Dave, those were the okay ones, then those of just Will. Those weren't as acceptable. The ones that truly put me ill at ease were the ones where William and Dave simultaneously-

"So what have you been up to lately?"

My reply was short, hoping he would get the point, "Not much. Work."

"Nothing else? Really?" His speech was playful.

Very much like the way it used to be. I forced a silly little smile on my face, it looked glued on, and the glue was cracking at the edges from being so old and yellow. "Not really, Will. How about you?"

"Not as much as I would like. Got a house with my roommate."

I nodded, not taking my eyes off the screen. He walked up behind me. Put both hands on my shoulders and began to rub them. I was always so tense, and normally, people either tickled me because they weren't doing it hard enough, or to compensate for how tense I was, they were too forceful for enjoyment. He hit that happy medium which made me groan. My eyes closed and I threw my head back. 

His eyes ate me up from above. They were so kind, gentle, but hungry. I realized that the only things between him and I were clothes and a chair. All I had to do was turn the chair around, start unbuttoning- "Fuck."

I stiffened back up and went back to typing. Walking a small semicircle around me, stalking me like a predator. "Who was that man you were with last night?"

"Should I just stick my leg out and let you piss on it? I'm sick of you fucking territorial men. I'm not your bitch. I am not your property."

"So, he already asked about me, I see."

"Yeah, he did," I finished up the last few words of the letter to my boss, and then I sent it, and swiveled around in my chair. 

"I just was asking you in a friendly way. I want to know what's going on."

"It's not your business, or anyone else's."

"Then I guess I have the answer I wanted. He's your man. Not a bad catch, really. I mean, he's got me beat in every area. Every area. But at least let me be a friend. I didn't lie. You are an amazing person."

"Your girlfriend dumped you?" He paced back to the door, and turned to come back.

"I caught her cheating."

"And yet another winner for William. You can pick 'em, baby."

"Yeah, and if I let them go, it's because I know they're too good to be true, too good for me. Not too good for Dave though, I guess."

His bright blue eyes darkened like they had the night before. Were pained. His hair was short, and because it was blonde, you could see where his hair was already thinning, where he would be bald eventually. His chest was broad, his legs meaty; even through the work shirt and khakis. He was well built for how tall he was. Usually, the tall and skinny are the lanky types. 

Walking back slowly, he stopped right before me. Putting his hand down, I observed all its contours, for some reason feeling my stomach heat up, my legs begin to shift. His forearms were strong, his biceps hidden, but noticeable. I closed my eyes to hide myself. I normally did it so well, but between the stress of work and the onslaught of obscene and unresolved desires.... I couldn't control myself. 

William watched as I brought one hand up to my face, and he put his other hand on the arm of my chair. Now having both arms down for leverage, he leaned in to me. As I shied away, his eyes pleaded with me. "Just one time, please..."

They were so soft and tender on me, but at the same time it hit me like a train. The intensity. The complete domination I felt from him through even this gentle caress. His tongue ran slowly across my lips, asking for what they didn't need to. I opened my mouth, slipped my tongue out, and let it roam over his. For a second, I sucked on his tongue and pulled away while his mouth moved down to my neck. He hummed for just a second, and I felt shivers of pleasure run down my spine. His hand rubbed over my pussy methodically, up and down, roughly where my clit was, up and down.

My right hand clutched to his neck when my hips bucked up, causing the chair to tip, him to lose his balance- He stood. Then leaned down again, and pulled me up into him. His one hand rubbed the small of my back, and the other kneaded the flesh of my breast. I was going into sensation overload, people. She's gonna blow.

Arching my back, I didn't orgasm, but it was damn close. He pushed my back against the wall and pressed into me as hard as he could, letting me feel how hard he was. That was when he stopped and pulled away from me. I breathed a few times, like I had never breathed before, like I had just stepped out of the desert sun. I was so hot. He took my hand and went into the back, shutting the door all but a fraction of an inch. From the back niche, nothing could be seen, but we could hear if anyone came into the office.

Which meant they could hear us if they came in, but we would at least have time to get situated before they saw anything. Without much strain, he unfastened the button on my pants, pulling them down. "Do you ever wear underwear?"

"Pardon?"

"It just became familiar to see that there were no panty lines in your light tan pants. I wondered if you ever wore panties."

"No. I don't like them. I prefer free-balling."

He gave me a peculiar look, and then gazed at my pussy. "Pretty in pink. Just trimmed?"

It wasn't shaven, I'd like to see any of you men shave, but it was always neatly trimmed. "Always."

With a testing lick, he then assaulted my core. First he lapped at me, running his tongue from the base of my cunt all the way to the clit, flexing and waggling that magicmaker. Then, he began to suck on my clit, driving me absolutely crazy. My nub was rock hard now, sensitive to every little attention of his tongue. "God."

"Oh, you don't have to refer to me as that."

Even his hot breath on me was torturous. My head threw back so hard I actually hit the wall. He didn't look up, just began thrusting his tongue in and out of my virgin pussy, seeming to sense that I hadn't yet been fucked, though I had two hot prospects on my case to solve that little problem. His thumb swirled around it, and with every thrust of his tongue, I began to shriek from the feeling. Every rough tumble against my clit was in time with it. I grabbed the back of his head, and began to shove him closer, grinding into him before I realized myself. I let my nails trail down to his shoulder blades, and then draw them up. The shiver in him transferred to me, and this time I couldn't help but pull him in.

The walls of my pussy clenched in ecstasy, and my eyes rolled back into my head. "Oh fuck yes, Will. God fucking yes."

His tongue continued to lash into me until I stopped gushing come. When he stood, I jumped up, and started kissing and licking his face, making sure he had nothing left of me on him. I grabbed a tissue from the desk and buttoned my pants again. He smiled and started to walk in the other room. "Where do you think you're going?"

There was a look of confusion on him. I pulled his hand from the door and unbuttoned his pants; still hot from what he had done, grinding against him. With his fly undone, and now on my knees, I took out his cock, which was so engorged with blood, it bounced. Jumping back a little, he laughed. I glared up at him, and put my hand at the base of his shaft. My other hand demurely took care of his balls. I slowly began to smother his cock in saliva, licking and kissing my way to the base. Then I pulled my hand away, put it back, and stroked it along his very sensitive shaft. 




Feral: The Lover



He hissed, leaning his head back a little in pleasure. Putting my hand back, still gently massaging his other members, I took as much of the dick in my mouth as I could. Then dragged my lips along, sucking the salty skin. My tongue ran over the slit of his head before it went back down over his cock. I could feel every breath he took, every beat of his heart. Or maybe, no, it wasn't my heart. I could feel that too, thrumming in my throat and temple. His hand tugged at the clip in my hair roughly, and I felt that manipulation go right down between my thighs. 

In consequence, his cock went deeper into my throat, and he gasped. His fingers entangled in my hair. "Good God, Delphine."

My tongue ran up the underside, and I held his dick in my mouth, balanced it, really, as I unbuttoned my shirt. I let it fall into my hands and whispering to him huskily, it rested contentedly in my cleavage. I had a smile on my face. Orgasm tends to do that, even when you don't want it to. "You're a bad, bad boy-"

"Oh Baby, finish me off."

"Off with his head!"

With renewed vigor, I bobbed my head on his dick. He seethed and moaned, finally being pushed over the edge, taking my head in his grasp to lunge down my throat. I hummed for just a brief second, to see him jostle, and then go rigid as he came. Spurt after spurt hit the back of my throat, and I drank down as much as I could. When I was done, I stood, and Will looked at me strangely. Then he put his lips to my wet ones, slick with his come and my spit. He caught the dribble with his tongue, and took a sweeping lick from my left breast to the top of my neck, catching the rest. 

"You worried me for a second with the Alice in Wonderland comment. I mean, those teeth can be sharp, and they're around a pretty tender area there."

I smiled resignedly. "I'm so fucked, Will."

"No, actually you're not," his look denoted that was one area we had not yet breached, but he would be more than willing to-

"I- You know-" I waved it off.

"You have to make a choice. I understand. I just hope you make the right decision and pick me."

This time I grinned. "Oh, you're not biased at all."

He took my hand and looked me in the eye sincerely. "Delphine... I always asked you to tell me things. You baulked sometimes, but it seemed like I did all the time. I want to make a confession, a few to you. You were too good for me. You ARE too good for me. And I have to admit, at the time... I wasn't ... uh, sure that I wanted to give up anything, or become a better person to meet up to my standards, your standards, THE standards... You know what I mean. I realized, only a month after our falling out, before I had even started dating that new girl, the one I ended up dumping for cheating on me... that I was willing to do anything to have you. Because you would make me a better person, because I wanted to do anything for you, just to make you happy.

"You're what every man wants. You're smart, self-sufficient, and sexy. The three magical esses. I can understand if you want to go for the other guy. He's smarter than me, better looking, probably better hung and makes more money... but I'll bet the man is divorced. Isn't he?"

"Yes..." I eyed him suspiciously. 

"And he has kids, doesn't he?"

I nodded. "Well, if he would leave one wife, what's to say that you don't get a couple years and he'd do it to you? Or, well, if he has a great run of choosing losers like I usually do, and she fucked him, then still. You have to think- he's done all this shit before. And he already has two children. He might not want to be tied down, have to do all this BS again knowing it might come to the same end. It's a possibility, not a definite; maybe he's a glutton for punishment. You have to remember that he's always going to have dual devotions between you, the mother of his children, and of course his children. I would only have you. And come on, I might be 30, but how old is he? 40? You probably won't have to worry about erectile dysfunction with me for quite awhile."

Rolling my eyes plaintively, I gave my retort, "Will, I doubt he has ED, I highly doubt either of you do to much of any degree."

"Oh, and how is he, virgin? Don't think I didn't feel that little barrier you still have. Suck a lot of cock?"

"Yours was the first, baby."

"I'm getting shivers."

"But he was the first to finger me. He was my first lap dance too."

"We both have valuable firsts with you then."

"Let's see what other firsts come up too. I've never been in a situation where I had so much power. Now I know what wolves feel like when it's their spring heat. Only choose the best, most suitable mate to father and protect their children."

I could see something move behind his eyes, and he pulled me toward him again, passionately kissing me. "I'll leave you with that."

"That you will."

I stepped back out that door, and felt the weight of the world drop back down. Oh god, what a decision this was. I was so glad I had never made myself exclusive, but I had never thought that the need would arise to have to vocalize that. I figured it would have been a given. I guess I was wrong.

* * * 

It had been almost a week since she had called me. I didn't think she had been that mad, but finally, I called her house phone, not yet having been told her private line. When I called, oh god, it was horrible. It was her father. His rough voice reverberated into my soul, chilling me. Making me wonder what I would feel if I had a daughter. "Hello. Is Delphine there?"

"She's sleeping, who is this?"

At 3 in the afternoon? Well, anything was possible with that girl. "Oh, it's no one then. Don't worry about it-"

I heard someone whisper, "Who is it?" He covered the bottom of the phone, but I could still hear him somewhat, "I don't know, a guy."

When he came back on, I figured I might as well go for the gold, "Is that the sleeping one?"

His voice came again, "Yeah, I guess she got up. Here you go."

She took the phone and went, "Hi."

"Where have you been? I tried to wait you out, but I'm starting to get the feeling I'm being ignored."

"No, no, Dave. Not ignored. Weighed."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Wha... what's going on, Delphine?"

"Working all week. I've been stressing. Sorry I haven't stopped by. I should have, really. I just, just... haven't. I wasn't sleeping by the way," she paused, and I heard a door click, "Ok, the old man is out of listening range. My number is 555-8736. Call me there. In about four minutes because I have to change for work still. And if you call while I'm naked... I will be upset. We'll leave it at that. Bye."

She had barely said goodbye and the conversation had cut short. Damn. I set the microwave timer on three minutes and fifty-five seconds, and stared the clock down. Then, as soon as it went off, I called her cell phone. Two rings and this was her answer, "Mother-fuck-jesus-goddammit-goldshit-FUCK!"

"That was endearing, very ladylike."

"My pants weren't cooperating. Those bastards deserved everything they got."

"Yeah, about that, I called them earlier. Gave them 3,000 and a pep talk to keep them from actually getting on. However, I should have realized that while my offer was tempting, I'm betting being on your ass was probably too irresistible in the end." She was silent for a moment, and then I heard uproarious laughter. "You are a trip."

Then those laughs changed into small titters of uneasy giggles. There was something that she was avoiding telling me. "And what else has been keeping you so busy that you deny your unwind time?"

"I have something to tell you. That you are not going to like. And I am not going to like telling you. But it's better that I tell you, and that it's not something you find out later at some point and come to resent me. Better to rip the band aid off the gash and just dive in."

"Ok, Rain Man. Let's get on with it."

My stomach was doing flip-flops. I kind of hoped her phone would die. "I have been persuaded to ... oh I don't want to say it, Dave-" "Say it, by God, use it or lose it." "-play the field just a tiny, little bit."

"You're seeing someone else? Tell me there's only one."

"Will. He got me alone and just... attacked. Kind of."

"Fuck," I slid my hand through my hair like I often did when nervously needing something to do with my hands that didn't involve violence. I started to see her kissing that man. Him fucking her. Limbs entwined to all-

"How much have you done with him?"

"Kissed, Dave. Kissed," I had an idea that she had done just a little more, that minx, that slut, that... "I want you to call off today, Delphine."

"Excuse me?"

"When was the last time you called off?"

"Three months ago, but-"

"Please, call off, come see me."

"But Dave, I have the next two days off, I can-"

"Please, please call off," I'm fucking begging her, "and spend these three days with me. All three."

"If it's my ass, it will be yours."

"You're sick, Delphine. Unfit to work."

"I'm sick. Where will you be?"

"Home. We can go eat if you want."

"What do you have at home to make?"

I thought about this shitty apartment I was living in till the divorce was final. "Not much. I'm a normal starving bachelor."

"We shall shop. For food at another store than the one I work at. I'm buying some food for me with your money, by the way. Not too much. Just some cookies. Let me stop and grab my newspaper and head down to your place."

"Newspaper?"

"Coupons?"

"Oh. Ok. See you then."

"Yes."

We mutually hung up. Well, ok, she hung up first. But it was close. I was going to hang up just as she did. After I heard her click. Yeah. I'm justified. I waited nearly an hour before she came up. Dressed to the nine, but well, that was Delphine. Going out for groceries, and she was in dress pants and a silk blouse. "Let's go to the Savers in Highland. I'll know my way better around it."

"The chariot awaits."

* * * 

I learned something new today. While the mechanics of shopping were something I had seen done before, I apparently had never caught on due to the fact that I knew I had someone to do the majority of it. Delphine was not so sweet. She was like a drill sergeant. If I didn't know something, she was nice at first hoping I'd catch on, then there was the devil within, scorching you with unbearable insults that would be amazing if you weren't the bearing the brunt of them. I learned how to shop.

How to utilize the common sense of going for generic instead of name brand, how to use coupons on sale items, how to get scanning awards on mispriced items. I was highly impressed. I mean, these were things I knew... in the back of my head, but never had the sense to use on a larger scale than milk, or peanut butter. She bought me enough food to last me through the semester it seemed, on one hundred dollars. She insisted on paper bags inside plastic since I lived on the second story, telling me it was just easier to consolidate the groceries in one bag while assuring they wouldn't break. One clean trip. Less chance for someone to mug you.

How was someone so young so paranoid? 

Please, with her bent over there putting away groceries, how was she still wearing clothes? I came up behind her, not directly, just to her side a little to help her back up. "The things that can go bad are all put away. This can wait. Are you hungry?"

"Nooo, I should be fine."

"Ok, then would you escort me, my lady?"

I offered up my elbow, and she put her fingertips on the apex of her lips, suppressing a giggle. She linked her other elbow to mine graciously. Taking her into the bedroom, she climbed onto the bed. I gladly climbed in after her, drinking in her form. For a few moments, I just wanted to talk to her. Then I wanted to heat her up. Then I wanted just a little bit of vindication.

"How did he do it?"

"My computer broke and I had to go to the Store Maintenance office to use their computers to send a letter. Damn, I hope Janie got that inventory done-"

"And you just slipped and fell into his arms."

The look on her face showed she was getting agitated. "I don't want this territorial bull. I don't belong to either of you."

"Yet, you don't mind us belonging to you."

"I'm the woman, what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine, too. Basic principals of existence."

She sighed and moved off the bed, "You don't belong to me either, and once I set my mind on someone, I have no problem with belonging then. But this is going to be hard. If you have a problem with it, then you solve my problem too."

"No. I just want to have the chance for a rebuttal against his work. I want my chance to sway you."

"My body is your empty palate. Fill me up with color."

I started unbuttoning her blouse, untucked it from that pretty little waist band. I laid her down, more than ready to take her the way I wanted to. I straddled her small body, laying claim to her with my mouth- so far. Unclasping her bra now, I pulled it away from her, took her arms from the blouse, one by one. Watching flesh appear had a hypnotizing effect on a man. Made you want to bite, suck, caress, seize. Which I tried to do in all one swift stroke. To let you know, it didn't work out that well. I just ended up laying my head on her navel for a second trying to command my hands to do something. Anything.

Her hips came up to bump my chest. Her hands rested soundly, soothingly on the sides of my head. Looking up at her, how beautiful she was, she was letting me, I just wanted- "Delphine. I'm still mad at you for messing around with another man. But I can't really be mad, because there was nothing specific to either of us to be exclusive. Still. It's there. What can I do?"

"First. Take off my pants."

Climbing down off the bed, I unbuttoned those pants from afar and pulled them off her shrugging frame. Her socks were next. "Are your feet cold?" 

Kissing the both of them like a child's, she curled them up and pulled them away. "Rawr to you."

Then she shimmied down the bed to meet me. She pushed me back, and then turned over the bed. "Well, Daddy, give me the spanking I deserve."

My hand was already hot. Like I had already given her quite the show. Fuck. For a few moments, I couldn't do it. I let my hands ride up her body, all the way to her shoulders. Then I came back down, digging one hand into her spine, causing her to arch involuntarily. My left hand rubbed her cheek thoroughly before I raised it up. When I brought it down, I also put a finger on my right hand into her exposed cunt. She stopped the moan coming from her. "Oh, bad girls shouldn't like punishment."

I smiled. She would say something like that, wouldn't she? I spanked her again. Hard, and fingerfucked her simultaneously. This was a sickeningly perverse act that I was absolutely delighted to engage in. Laura would have never permitted this. Well, at least from me. I would feel bad, if she weren't enjoying it. I had the distinct impression she would have liked it just fine for me to have just spanked her without the added stimulation. 

"Harder, please."

I smacked the white firmness of her ass again, leaving a blush, and began to let my finger dive into her, to a certain point, periodically spanking her more. When her walls clutched in her already spectacular example of a pussy, I opened the fly of my pants and flipped her over. "The first time I want to see your face, and every lovely expression on it, little Delphine."

Her eyes were aglow in the darkness, reflecting back some before unseen light. I captured her mouth, vowing that this woman would be mine. Not some scumbag who didn't have the sense to snag her when he could. I devoured her. Pinning her legs under my arms, my fully saluting member met the air angrily. Both of her hands were partially tucked beneath her, giving the illusion that she was fully bound, breasts heaving, hair strewn across the bed. I needed very little hand direction to find the desired location. "Look in my eyes, Delphine. Look in them."

The moonface was glued to me. So I leaned down, kissed her passionately, and pushed in hard. For a second I thought she might bite down on my tongue, which probably would have hurt. Quite a bit. Fortunately, she didn't, though she did raise her hips in protest. She was so tight, so tight it felt amazing to push in and out of her, like someone had taken to masturbating me with fucking velvet. Silk. Something rare and exquisite; priceless, really. 

She was mine. I don't care where the rest of her had been, this had been mine and mine alone. How many men these days can say they really made it with a virgin? A hot one? Not many. I would have never guessed it to look at her. Delphine moaned into my mouth as I reamed her thoroughly. I felt some slight satisfaction that if she should ever fuck that bastard, there was a slim chance he was as big as I was. That he could satisfy her as well. Eight inches, all skin-covered steel. After a few short thrusts I gave her a long one to grow on. She yelped when my head hit her cervix, stretching her to accommodate me further.

With every new ramming in, her breasts jiggled deliciously. One day I would have to sit and just enjoy them as if I were a hungry child. I was coming close to that ball-tightening bliss. "Come for me, Delphine."

My pubic bone slammed onto her clit, and she cried out, arching. I did it again five or six more times in succession with my thrusts. Finally, as I almost went off the deep end without her, her pussy began to brim with sweet honey. Every shudder she had milked me until I had no choice but to ram in one last time good and hard until she had enveloped every drop of her first man. My body kind of gave out. I felt like I had just dried up all the fluid in my body.

Delphine's heated lips were on my forehead, her hand quietly stroking my head. I happily laid there on top of her for a small while. She was a sturdy lass, made for men to worship fondly. Take that Will, you might have had something with her, but I have cleaved to her. Maybe one day... We'll become that one flesh. 

I could never have seen Laura as my wife until the day of the wedding when it really hit me, but... with our hearts in rhythm together, just setting my head down to listen to her breath, I could see myself with Delphine for the rest of my life. I wanted her for the rest of my life. Someday, even, we could have one or two kids, little brainbrats, hellions. Just like her. 

Both of us kind of started in chorus. Must have had the same thought cross our minds at the same time. My cock was in there, unprotected, and I had no clue if she were on the pill. Girls on the pill were girls that expected to have sex. Was she so prepared? That was when I heard the low rumble from within her, "Dave?"

It was sweet on the air, and the way she spoke now made my heart clench in sympathy. "Don't be mad at me, Dave."

"I'm not mad at you, baby. We both wanted this."

Then it came to me. Like a prophesy. If I could get her pregnant; bye-bye, Willie-boy. I got up finally, after about fifteen minutes, and pulled the covers over her. "I'll be back; I just want to put away the rest of the groceries."

Come to think of it, I probably shouldn't walk bare-ass naked across my living room with the curtains parted and into the kitchen to put away groceries. It had to some kind of health code regulation not to touch food while wearing your birthday suit. There wasn't too much left, just a few cans, but I squatted down to the floor and opened up the cupboard to put them in. The door closed, and my head turned toward it to look up at the woman clad in my green bed sheet. "I need you again."

Her eyes were on fire, and it was quite a shame that my hard on just wasn't coming back yet. Well, until I stood up to her and felt her hot little hand run over my cock longingly. Then she pressed herself into me and caressed my face, her other hand still gripped around my shaft, sending jolts up my spine. Suddenly, it was like winning a sweepstakes for a male enhancement drug.




Feral: The Lover



It's all you really need guys. Not a pill, not a little dose of Blue there, no. Get yourselves the real thing. One hot bitch to turn you on. Or, if you're about spending money to get your jollies, hire a hooker. I don't care. I pushed her back, and let the sheets fall back from her soft breasts. Putting my head down to them, I felt like a baby they were so big. I took one ripe nipple in my mouth, rolling my tongue over it. It made a taut little peak under my ministrations. 

My hand grasped as much of the other breast as it could, not fully encompassing it, then roughly groped it. With a loud, wet suck, I left one nipple for the other, not wanting any one to feel left out. My right hand snaked up around her nape for leverage, and my left digits softly caressed her other breasts, letting a wave of cold air wash over it. She softly gasped, and I felt her shudder softly. I tried to take more of her nipple in my mouth, sucking at it like a hungry babe.

The fingers on my left hand twisted her nipple like the dial on a radio, before moving in circles around her areola. Having a mind of its own, my tongue willed my head back, where I blew on her wet bosom. Her hand ran through my hair as she pulled me closer and moaned. I wanted to make her quiver everywhere, I wanted to reduce her to incoherency, I wanted to hear her scream my name over and over- letting me know who she wanted.

Without thinking, I kissed, then bit her nipple, and a sound came out of her mouth that I wasn't quite sure as to if it was shock or outrage. Her hips bucked into me hard enough to throw me off of her. In fact, they hit me so hard that they not only threw me off of her, but back onto the floor. There was no hesitation as she straddled me. I was very aware of how cold my ass was, and how hot her cunt was. Delphine pressed into me as she leaned in to passionately tongue duel. With a slight roll of her hips, I was fully sheathed in her.

"Why the modesty?"

Half of her was still covered with that green sheet, and I had the mind to see the juncture where our bodies became one, where my cock was lodged into her very tight, slick pussy. She growled, and threw the sheet away from her, and I looked mesmerized at her thick thighs defying my body. "Ride me, cowgirl."

I let my fingers rest on her hips, which began to make short thrusts down. Allowing my head to hit the floor, I gave up with seeing too much without getting a cramp I would pay for later. From this vantage point, I could still see Delphine's upper body and I contented myself with that. Her breasts wobbled mercilessly as she drove my cock in and out of her. Both of her hands were behind her head, pulling her hair slightly, her eyes closed, her mouth closed with the exception of alternating between licking and biting her peach lips. 

Little gasps started to ooze from her followed by a few moans while she rode me for all she was worth. To get more force into it, I grabbed those hips compellingly and started to really fuck her. As my cock began to repeatedly assault her cervix, she started to shriek. Those were beautiful sounds, like music. I saw the sheen of perspiration grow on her, making her look like a glazed statue in the light of my kitchen. "Come for me, Delphine. You dirty fucking girl, riding my cock. I want to feel your pussy squeeze around my dick and flood me with your come. Come on-"

Her shrieks continued, occurring more frequently now as she renewed her efforts. I felt one of her hands working on her clit after having collected the juice from where our bodies met. The form of my lover bent over me again; she had one hand on the floor trying to use that to her advantage. Her face was buried in my chest, and her breaths came in short, feverish bursts. 

Then her pussy became vise-like, gripping my cock like there was no tomorrow, and no escape from the inevitable. I stopped holding on and waiting for her to come, and orgasmed. Every spurt of come spent in her with a few more thrusts. I hope you're ovulating, baby. I get a pay raise, and 40,000 dollars from the house my wife and I are selling. Let's go somewhere nice and start our own brood.

Where I can do this to you every night.



Feral



The scream of pleasure echoed through the woods as Renee began riding the cock hard as she could, her mate thrusting up off on the ground meeting her every single time, her claws digging into his shoulders as the sound of the bodies slamming against each other seemed to echo through the woods. Her tight pussy squeezed it hard as her leg muscles had grown so strong, making her mate groan in pleasure. He flipped her over without letting his stiff cock leave her slippery sex and began thrusting harder and faster now that he was on top. Her hands moved to his back pulling him harder against her, his balls slapping against her ass as his cock drove deep inside her, Renee arched her back pushing her newly formed tits towards her mate's face. His mouth instantly moved to her nipples, larger and more sensitive, the feeling of his tongue flicking them, his fangs biting and pulling on them, felt so good to Renee as she began squirting all over his cock. She'd never had this many orgasms in one day and she knew she nor her new mate were even close to done. 

The feeling of her pussy squeezing his cock while she came just increased his vigor to fuck her harder still, his new mate's body had become perfect as far as he was concerned. Her nipples felt fantastic as he ran his tongue all over her full, flawlessly formed breasts and bit down hard on the blood red nipples, pulling on them with his fangs. Her claws continued to rake across his back, tearing his skin open, the pain mixing so beautifully with his pleasure as he continued to thrust harder, feeling his balls swelling. 

Renee could feel her mate getting close, wrapping her legs around his to pull him in harder, craving his massive cock to go deeper inside her still, her pussy holding his cock firm as she felt him clench up and the howl of pleasure as his seed sprayed within her. Loads and loads of white hot cum filling her cunt. She screamed in pleasure as she began cumming again alongside him, her body lifting off the ground to meet his final thrust. The look of lust in both their eyes remained constant as the sounds of their breathing matched, as he pulled his cock from her pussy, and slid off her. Renee quickly moved to suck on his softening cock, her newly elongated tongue wrapping around it, cleaning the cock their juices, especially his, her newfound ambrosia.

He ran his hands through her darkened hair as she sucked on his cock till it was soft and popped out of her mouth. She moved a hand to her pussy and brought it to her lips, savoring the taste, and as she brought her hand again to lick, he beat her to the punch and took a lick of his own; his mate's juices were so delicious.

That's when the sound of a man yelling caught both their attention, Renee recognized it instantly; it was Nick shouting for her. She'd been gone for hours she realized but she no longer cared as more and more her humanity faded away. She found a new craving. 

Vengeance.

Hunger.

Especially the hunger. Her body's transformation had left her starving and she wanted to hunt now that her sexual desire had been quelled for now. She moved to a crouch and growled; her mate instantly knew and crouched as well. She had flashes of her most recent memories, Nick hitting her, treating her horribly and the aggression was realized, Renee was hungry, she wanted to hunt and prey was oh so close. She looked over at her mate and he nodded with a look of hunger in his eyes, and like that they both bounded into the woods to the sound of the voice.

----

Ten minutes later…

Nick had been walking for hours now with his flashlight calling out for Renee, his voice hoarse, his stomach growling, he knew he had acted horribly but he was just as angry now that she had vanished and he had to go searching. He heard a sound from behind him, that of leaves and twigs crunching. Turning around he couldn't believe what he saw.

It was Renee, but she was so different, she was almost a foot taller at least, long black hair, body was flawlessly toned, her breasts were massive now in comparison, she was fully naked and her eyes shined in reflection from the flashlight.

"Renee…what the hell? Am I dreaming? How?"

"Mmm do you like what you see Nick?" Renee responded in a raspy growl. All Nick could do was nod yes; he knew he wasn't dreaming, he just couldn't believe his eyes. "My mate likes it too."

Before Nick could even gasp a word he felt the claws coming through his back and heard the roar. A bloody clawed hand was sticking through his chest, and as his vision started to blur from shock, he saw Renee burst forward, fangs and claws bared as she pounced on him and finished the kill. 

After an hour or so, there wasn't much of left Nick, as Renee and her mate finished feasting upon their fresh kill, knowing they could leave the remains for the scavengers of the woods. The two, bloody and satisfied, found themselves horny as hell again, and wasted no time in fucking again, this time, Renee on her hands and knees as her mate drilled her pussy from behind, his hands cupping her tits, pinching and twisting her hard nipples as they fucked like wolves, roaring and moaning in the moonlight, only feet away from the corpse. They knew tomorrow they'd need to migrate and find new hunting grounds, but for now the two simply fucked.

As Renee felt herself squirting her sweet cum all over her mate's cock again, her mind realized she had killed Nick and there was no regret, only pleasure. The last vestiges of her humanity had faded away now and now her only concern was to continue cumming all over the massive cock that was splitting open her pussy and how she loved every second of it. She was feral now, and that brought a sexy smile to her face as she continued to scream in pleasure feeling her mate once again unload his seed inside her.