“Mmm,” she agreed then gave a yawn before snuggling her ass into his groin. He draped his other hand over her hip, letting his palm rest on her belly.
“Sleep,” he urged and let his own lids droop.
He’d known his life would change once he mated her but not the extent of it. They were going to the pride, and he was smart enough to realize it wouldn’t be for a brief visit while she shared what she needed to. They were going to join the others. He would stay and be a part of a larger whole for the first time since he’d been captured. His cougar pressed against his skin with anticipation, and Calloway finally admitted, if only to himself, that he was feeling a bit of the same emotion.
Chapter Seven
Darby’s phone rang while they were driving. She sat up straight when she saw where the call was coming from.
“Dad,” she answered, forgoing the formal hello as she waited to hear her father’s voice.
“Just arrived and wanted to take a minute to call you. Where are you?”
“On the road. With Calloway,” she added.
“Put me on speaker,” Andrew ordered, and Darby complied.
Calloway said nothing, gaze focused on the stretch of highway in front of them.
“Are you mated?” Her father’s question was blunt and to the point and took her by surprise though it shouldn’t have.
“Yes,” Calloway replied.
“Good,” her father stated. “I know she’ll be safe with you.”
“What about you, Dad?” Darby questioned. “Everything okay?”
“I’m not anticipating any trouble,” her dad stated. “I’m just searching for some answers right now. I’ll let you know what I find out when I find it. Until then, I want you to remember what I told you. What happens next will depend on you and your ability to help Utah Pearce.”
“She’ll be fine,” Calloway said with a growl. He dropped his right hand off the wheel, giving her wrist a comforting squeeze before putting it back in place.
“Yes,” her father agreed, but he sounded distracted. He muffled the phone, and she realized he was speaking to someone else. “Good to hear,” he said as he came back on the line. “I’ve got to go. I’ll check in again when I can. Remember what I said, Darby. Love you.”
“Love you,” she called but wasn’t sure he’d heard it before the line disconnected.
“Damn it!” she muttered.
“What?” Calloway asked, tossing a glance her way.
“He didn’t tell me anything about what he found out.” Her father had said he’d found out about someone, someone who was in danger.
“He said he’d call back when he got the chance,” Calloway reminded her. “You can ask him then.”
She nodded. Besides, she had enough to worry about right now. She’d been mulling over everything she could think of, trying to come up with some way to help the pride leader activate his link as alpha. She’d look like such an idiot. She could imagine it now.
Hello, Mr. Pearce.
Was that too formal?
Hello, Utah. Oh, of course, I’ll call you Tah.
Would he ask her to call him Tah or was that only for his close friends?
I’m here to help you learn how to trigger the link you have as alpha of the pride. It will let you send out a call that none of your absent pride will be able to ignore. How? Well, I’m not sure, but golly gee, I’ll sure figure it out for you!
She dropped her head into her hands with a groan.
“Stop,” Calloway warned. “It’ll be fine. You’ll be fine.”
“You can’t just command me to stop worrying.”
“I can and did,” he said in a tone filled with cocky arrogance.
She snorted and shook her head.
“You’ll be fine, Darby,” he said again. “I know you. You’ll figure it out. I have no doubt on that. You’ve always been confident. There’s no reason not to be now. Trust your instincts. They won’t let you down.”
“What did he say again?” she asked, needing to know Utah Pearce’s exact words when Calloway had spoken with him.
“He said he’d be interested to hear everything you have to share with them. He’s more than ready to do whatever it takes to stop the death toll at the hands of hunters.”
“There are still so many gaps in the history we’ve compiled. Watchers who disappeared. Journals lost or stolen. There are still things we don’t know, things we may never know.”
“Obviously, your father and others feel you know enough to put an end to this annihilation attempt or, at least, give us an advantage.”
“Mm-hmm,” she agreed. “Still, there are things I’d like to know. Like what prompted the hunters to go after your kind to begin with.”
Calloway snorted. “Please. Why do things like this ever happen? Some lunatic decides only he and those like him are pure-blooded and good enough to exist. Hunters are no different from any other sect of humanity that wants to kill off what’s different.”
She nodded, but still she wondered if there was more to it than blind hate.
“Exit coming up,” Calloway announced. “We can fuel up, grab some food and hit the restrooms.”
“Sounds good,” she agreed.
She remained quiet, lost in thought but still aware of him maneuvering them off the highway toward the well-lit truck stop. He shut her in as he went about pumping gas, and she stayed put, knowing he expected her to wait so they could go inside together. Hell, he’d probably pull her into the restroom with him if she allowed it. He didn’t like her out of his sight for even a brief moment. She’d asked him a dozen times if he sensed any danger around them, and every time, he’d said no. He was prepared though, and that made her stay primed and as ready as she could be.
“Let’s go,” he said, opening her door and holding it as she slid out of the truck.
He took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers as he led her to the convenience store entrance. They went to the bathrooms first. She went as fast as she could, and still, he was lounging against the wall when she walked out. He immediately came to her, his eyes flashing gold as he pulled her in and dropped his mouth to hers. He took her under so easily, drowning her in him and the multitude of sensations that his touch brought to life within her.
She was panting when he lifted his head and brushed one finger over her bottom lip.
“What was that for?” she whispered.
“Because I wanted to,” he stated then tugged her over to grab food and drinks before heading up to pay.
The rush of cool air hit her as they walked toward the truck.
“My senses are expanding,” she said as they crossed to the gas pumps. “I’m hearing nuances I’ve never picked up on before. Small sounds that seem amplified now. And the smells. Everything is…more. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just more than it ever was before.”
“From the mating.”
“I know,” she said. “Still, it’s one thing to read it and another altogether to experience it.”
He opened her door, helping her up into the truck. He handed her the bag filled with snacks and drinks before easing the door shut and walking around to the driver’s side. She watched his profile as he maneuvered them back onto the highway. He was gorgeous, and looking at him made her want to pound her chest and roar with pride that he was hers. She bit her lip to hold in the snort. She’d never been overly possessive and certainly not of people. Was this another change that came with the mating of a shifter?
“You going to pass out that stuff, or are you planning to hoard it?” Calloway questioned with a quick glance her way.
She reached into the bag and pulled out two waters, a bag of chips and one of the sandwiches he’d grabbed. The bag was bulging with all the food he’d picked up, which made sense with his appetite. A shiver coursed through her as she thought of how much she enjoyed his insatiability…for her, and hers for him. She could probably blame that on the mating, as well.
“Spit it out, Darby.”
“What?” she questioned.
“Whatever is spinning through your brain now,” Calloway prompted.
“Is there anything the watchers haven’t witnessed or read about when it comes to physiological changes due to mating? I’ve read about the biological changes that occur when a human mates with a shifter, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we haven’t been made aware of yet.”
“You’ll heal faster, but you guys must know that,” Calloway offered.
She nodded. “The enhanced senses. The faster healing from injury. The blood injections I’ll need from you if I become pregnant.”
“When,” he corrected. “You know there’s no using birth control for us.”
“When,” she amended, and her hand automatically dropped to her lower stomach. Good thing she’d had her implant removed from her arm weeks ago and had opted not to replace it. There was no need for any contraceptives anymore. No condoms, no pills, no implants. No method of preventing conception at all.
“Not yet,” he said as if he knew the question in her mind. “I’ll know when you’re ovulating. We both will. Our sex drives will be to the point we won’t be able to do anything but fuck during that window of time. Then it will be up to nature whether or not you conceive.”
“I’m not sure we can have more sex than we have been.”
He gave a bark of laughter. “You have no idea. When you’re fertile, we won’t leave the bed. I won’t be able to leave your side and will do my best not to leave your body. Your skin will be ultrasensitive, rendering you incapable of tolerating anyone else’s touch.”
“And you?” she whispered, leaning in and biting her lower lip as she envisioned the portrait he painted.
“I won’t tolerate another’s touch either. That’s already me, Darby. The man I am with you isn’t the one the rest of the world sees or knows. I’m not a social man. I prefer the quiet.”
She laughed. “My constant chatter must drive you crazy.”
He shook his head. “The sound of your voice is a delight to my ears. I’d spend a thousand hours listening to you and still beg for more. You’re my mate, Darby. My other half. The only woman in this entire world meant to be at my side.”
Darby swiped tears from her cheeks, his words hitting her hard and making her heart expand. She and her father loved one another. It wasn’t as if love had been denied her and Calloway was the first to give it to her. But this, what they shared, it was different, unique. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It ran deeper than the heart and would last longer than a lifetime. They were connected soul-to-soul, and that bond would only strengthen over time.
“Do we have time to make a stop?”
His heated gaze assured her he understood what she wanted. This was their connection, the connection of all mated couples. A knowing that didn’t require spoken words. He pulled off at the next exit. She thought briefly of teasing him with brief flashes of skin or touches, but the way his cock flexed behind his zipper showed her he was already primed and ready to blow.
She didn’t pay attention to anything but him. His cheeks were flushed, his breathing louder, hands clenching and releasing on the wheel. She swallowed, licked her lips then swallowed again. She wanted to taste him, to lean over and rip his jeans open and take him into her mouth. She smelled the dark spice of his desire, and it only kicked hers higher. Her juices dampened her panties as her body prepared to take him.
Suddenly, he turned and growled at her. One strong wrist flicked the key off, and she realized they were parked. They were in the shadows. She saw trees and thick grasses then didn’t care as he jerked his seat back until he was almost fully reclined. Those long fingers made quick work of the denim, and she licked her lips again as his erection sprang free. He palmed the shaft, stroking down it and gliding his thumb across the damp tip.
“You want this, baby,” he purred. “Come and take what you want.”
He lifted his hand and ran his thumb over her lip. She opened wide, sucking it in and nursing the digit, cleaning the taste of pre-cum from it. He groaned, head snapping back against the seat, cock flexing out as if begging her to focus on it. She was more than willing to comply. She reached for her jeans but couldn’t wait. She rose to her knees, bending over and dropping her mouth over that thick stalk. It was hard to work him without her hands, but she needed her jeans off.
Calloway was more than willing to help. His fingers slid through her hair, cradling her scalp as he held her head in place and shallowly thrust into her mouth. So good. So incredibly good. Pre-cum spilled, and she devoured every drop. Her tongue worked the underside of his shaft, paying close attention to the small notch just under the glans. She nibbled the head, scraping gently with her teeth before opening wider and encouraging him to thrust deeper.
She lost her balance as she kicked off her shoes and wiggled her jeans and panties farther down her legs. Calloway moved one hand to steady her hips. She overcompensated, bending forward more, and ended up with his cock deep in the back of her throat. Her eyes watered, breathing shut off as her airway was effectively blocked by his rigid flesh. Calloway cried out, pleasure ripe in his voice, and she struggled to remember how to breathe through her nose so she could give him the level of penetration he desired.
He was the one to pull her off. While she was still catching her breath, he managed to finish stripping her from the waist down and tugged her across to straddle his hips. His cock filled her, his hands pushing her hips down as he thrust up. His gaze locked on hers, staying there as he fucked her.
“Darby,” he groaned, snapping her out of the spell she’d fallen under.
She gripped his shoulders and began moving, slamming her hips down on him, wanting it hard, wanting it fast and deep. This was taking, claiming, staking ownership. It was primal. It was spiritual. It was exactly what she wanted. She dropped her head to his neck as the first orgasm ripped through her, teeth clamping onto his trapezius muscle and clenching tight.
He cried out again, bucking beneath her. One hand reached up to jerk her head to the side then his teeth clamped onto her, sinking deep into the mark he’d given her. Another orgasm ripped through her, this one taking him along for the ride. Darby blacked out for a moment, coming back to his hand stroking leisurely up and down her spine.