ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (40 page)

The smaller of the black wolves shimmered and morphed until Sima stood before me, nude and panting. “You can relax now, Lass.” She pried the weapon from my hand and dropped it to the ground. “you’ve done a good thing. You saved Connell’s life. The other knights have been killed by the wolves. Every one of those you told us of have been accounted for.”

“And how many have we lost?” I asked, staring at Keavy’s lifeless form.

“Three,” said Connell from my side.

***

“The casualties would have been far greater if it weren’t for your information about their numbers,” Connell said, offering me a glass of burgundy wine in a tin cup.

We were seated in his tent, which he’d described as the biggest perk of being the Alpha wolf/rebel leader. A tent to himself. The fire crackled low, making the sides glow as they wavered with the breeze.

I’d accepted what they were without argument or fear. At least I’d finally understood how Connell had managed to save me that night. He’d been the wolf, tracking me and the strangers in his forest and he’d found us on time to kill the bastard trying to attack me.

“Well,” I said, accepting the cup. “I’d always heard stories about these woods. Banshees mostly, though I suppose a bunch of wolves howling like Keavy did would sound like a banshee if you didn’t know.”

“She was calling us. She knew it was the end for her and she did the right thing and saved you.” Connell drank deeply and stared into the remnants of his cup.

“I’m sorry about Keavy,” I said, softly. “I could tell she was special to you.” My throat threatened to close on the words. She was a good person and she didn’t deserve what she got. She probably deserved Connell a hell of lot more than I did. She was his kind after all.

“She was special to me,” he confirmed. “She was my niece and I promised I’d look after her. But in the end, there’s only so much we can do when facing a threat like The Duke.”

“I never did thank you properly,” I said, finishing my own drink and setting it to the side. I crawled over to Connell, nearer the fire, and all the pillows on the ground.

“For watching you dress?” he asked, his mischievous grin making a reappearance.

“Shut up and kiss me,” I said, throwing myself over him and knocking him to the ground where we rolled over and over until he lay pressed against me, kissing me, and holding my hands down on either side of my head, our fingers threaded together.

“Well now, I don’t know if I’ve had a better thank you gift than that,” he said, eyes sparkling above me like jewels.

“It gets better,” I said.

“Oh?”

“It seems everyone is after my maidenhood lately,” I said trying desperately not to blush. “What better way to protect it than to give it to the man of my own choosing?”

Connell’s eyes grew wild and his chest rumbled slightly like the wolf. I bit my lip, excited by it. “Princess, you don’t know what you’re asking. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You wouldn’t. I doubt you even could.”

“Was that a challenge?” he asked, lying over me so that every inch of our bodies lined up beneath the thin layers of cloth we were wearing. His manhood pressed against my thigh, long and hard.

“Didn’t I already tell you to shut up and kiss me?” I picked my head up to meet his lips, swollen from our last kiss and traced my tongue over the bottom row of his teeth.

Connell sat up, straddling me, and ripped off his shirt, revealing rows of perfect abs along with rippling muscles. He then leaned down and tore open my shirt.

I smiled. “You aren’t scaring me.”

“Yet. Give me a chance, Princess.”

Connell stood and whipped off his trousers, revealing what I’d never seen before. It was pointing at me like a sword, rather intimidating, but just as exciting.

I tugged my own pants off and tried not to hide myself. I’d never been naked before a man.

“You’re breathtaking,” he cooed, laying back beside me and stroking my cheek gently. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve never been more certain,” I breathed and guided his hand to my breast.

He squeezed and kneaded my breast, leaning down to tease my nipple with his teeth. I closed my eyes as his hand slid down my stomach, halting at my side.

“What’s this? Did that knight do this?” he asked, growling low in his throat.

I’d almost forgotten about the bruise. I tried to turn but he held me steady.

“It was from my father. I remind him too much of my mother, who he murdered because she’d shown kindness to another man and he’d mistaken it for unfaithfulness.” It hurt to say it out loud so I traced the skin of his arm, up and down with my finger. “I just kept getting hurt there so it never healed. I suppose it’s horribly ugly.”

Connell turned my face so I would look at him. “Every mark on you is a testament to your bravery and your beauty. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

His hand slid down over my stomach this time and between my thighs where I was wet with anticipation. His fingers explored every crevice and fold of skin expertly and I moaned lightly as he rubbed me in all the right places, slipping a finger inside of me, gently and rotating it until I groaned louder, throwing my head back from the pleasure I had never known.

He sat up and pulled me over into his lap as I squealed with delight. “Who would have thought my enemy’s daughter would be so delicious?”

“Don’t eat me, silly wolf. Deflower, yes. Eat? No.”

“Ah but you don’t know what I have in mind for my feast.” Connell laid me back again and spread my legs apart, settling his face between my legs. I felt his tongue lap and poke at my skin, sending shivers through my body. His teeth and his tongue teased and flicked, sending the flames of my desire into a raging inferno.

“I want you now,” he said, climbing back over me as he kissed and nipped at the flesh of my neck and breasts. My hips rose in agreement and I nodded, unable to form words.

He positioned himself over me and I felt him at the entrance hesitating.

“Will it hurt much?” I asked through heavy breaths as he teased at the opening.

“I’ll be as gentle as possible,” he said, slipping inside with slow angled motions. When I winced, he held there, until I nodded my consent and then worked slowly inside of me, bit by bit and past the pain of entry I found the sensation of ecstasy as he filled me.

“More,” I begged, squeezing his biceps and trying to thrust my own hips to encourage him.

His warm laugh filled my ears as he increased his thrusting motions, filling me further than I could have imagined and sending surges of pleasure through me with each movement. Soon there was no holding either of us back as the wolf in him surfaced and he lost control of himself. He thrust inside of me, making my body rise from the floor in pure ecstasy.

Wave after wave crashed over me, reducing me to puddle of sensations until finally I reached my peak and exploded in uncontrollable shudders and moans. Connell groaned as well, and I felt him release inside of me as he strained with his whole body before collapsing next to me, covered in a sheen of sweat.

We lay there for some time, his hand playing with my hair, which I’d finally loosed from the braid and taken the time to wash in a stream that Sima showed me.

“Was I too hard on you?” he asked finally, propping his head up on his hand and leaning over me.

I reached up to play with his own long locks, course and wild just like the wolf’s. “Frankly, Mr. McCriag, I think you need more practice if you think that can be my undoing.”

We laughed together. “Then practice I will. I should warn you, we wolves do have a voracious appetite.”

“Perhaps I am part wolf then?” I smacked him playfully on his bottom and bit my lip again.

This was the last thing I’d anticipated when marching down the castle hall. That night held little rest, but many new delights.

One thing was for certain. I’d tasted the sweet freedom of rebellion and I wasn’t planning on going back.

Epilogue

“Good news from the village!” Connell greeted me by sweeping me up about the waist and swinging me around in circles.

I laughed, throwing my head back as my auburn hair swirled out around me like a fan. “Do tell!”

“I’ve procured a scimitar to train you with. Oh and the king is visiting Castle Glen in a fortnight. There’ll be no way for the Duke to hide his schemes if we can send the king a message as you’ve suggested.”

“I have my doubts on the Duke though. His heart is ice, but his mind is sharp so don’t discount him,” I warned.

“Perhaps but he won’t have help from his friend, Lord Worthby. The good lord is dead. Word in the village is that he was mauled by some sort of wild beast. Throat torn out. Nasty business.”

“Connell! You shouldn’t have. You might have endangered yourself. He has men to protect—”

Connell set me down on my feet and shook his head. “It wasn’t me. Sima took issue with his treatment of the softer sex. We would have all been miserable if I’d held her back.”

I nodded, glancing back at the woman I’d grown so fond of over the past months. I threaded my fingers through his and pulled him aside from the others who’d returned from the trip to the village. “I have something to tell you as well.”

He lifted me again, pressing his lips to mine and kissing me greedily.

As always my body responded, and my thighs grew moist.

“What is it, Princess?”

              “It’s been two months since you saved me,” I said. “And I’ve noticed some… changes in myself.”

Connell laughed. “It doesn’t work that way, Princess. You have to be bitten by one of us and before you say it, I mean really bitten. I’d have to draw blood.” He flicked my nose. “Or be born with it.”

I grinned. “In that case, I may be having a litter.”

Connell stopped mid-laugh.

“I haven’t bled since the night we first made love. My breasts are tender and I dare say, larger. And I could eat the entire cauldron of Sima’s stew in one sitting.”

Connell knelt before me, pressing a hand to my belly then kissing it. “We’re having pups!”

I laughed. “Well,
a
pup anyway. It better be at least part human though, Connell,” I teased.

He rose and twirled me around once again. “We have much to celebrate tonight!” he called to the pack.

His announcement was met with howls of anticipation and excitement. It amazed me how like the animal selves they sounded even in human form. I’d enjoyed living amongst them. They were noble and honest, beautiful and kind. They cared for each other, regardless of gender. And every one of them obeyed the word of their alpha without hesitation or suspicion.

I knew why. I understood because I felt the same loyalty for Connell as they did.

“Did you forget something?” I asked, taking Connell’s hand with ease of familiarity.

“Did I?” he asked.

“You owe me that scimitar lesson.”

“You’re with child now, Ceana!” I knew he was serious when he used my real name.

I laughed. “I have to defend our pups, don’t I?”

Connell considered me with his mischievous grin and a twinkle in his green eyes.

              “Aye, Princess. That you do.”

*****

THE END

BURNING FOR THE BEAR

Chapter One

Three years ago, if someone would have told Amber that she'd be living in an isolated cabin near the tiny mountain town of Oakridge, Colorado, she would have laughed long and hard. All of her life Amber had been a city girl, the kind of girl who detested camping, the kind of girl who liked to do nothing more than curl up with some Chinese takeout and binge watch television shows in her pajamas. The comforts of the city had always seemed so important to her, but after a trip to a Colorado ski resort to celebrate the completion of her degree, Amber had fallen in love — not with a man, but with a place. The time she'd spent at Oakridge was one of the most peaceful periods of her life, and when Amber left to go back home, she knew it wouldn't be for long.

Now here she was. Amber Chase, the city girl who'd lost her heart to the mountains. The cabin she bought was nestled amongst the trees, a beautiful two story house built against the gentle slope of the mountain, so the front door let out before her driveway and the top floor let out on an area of land with a slight uphill incline. A set of stairs led to the upper level from the front of the house, providing the front door an over drop that Amber appreciated in the rain and snow. The cabin was made of wood, as were all the others in the area, but its construction was sturdy and skillful. This was no shack hastily thrown together — the cabin offered the comforts of a city house, but in a rustic setting. It was as if it had been made just for her.

But what Amber liked the best about where she lived wasn't the house or the easily accessible ski slopes, but rather the night sky. Out here, distanced from light pollution and carbon emissions, the night sky looked like a painting. The stars were bright and plentiful, the specks of light like flecks of paint shaken from a paintbrush against a dark canvas. Amber had never realized how many stars there were until she'd come to Colorado, and sometimes at night she climbed out onto her roof to gaze at the universe above and day dream. On the clearest nights she could see the bright arms of the galaxy against the stars, and if she was lucky the Northern lights streaked across the sky in colors she'd only dreamed existed in nature.

It was her love of the sky that brought her to him.

Amber had moved into her cabin four months back, and was at last starting to get settled. Summer had hit hard, and the temperatures were sweltering. The secluded cabin she lived in was miles away from the nearest house, and on nights like these Amber enjoyed her solitude. Isolation meant that nights spent stretched out across her roof, staring at the sky, could be spent as naked as she liked. With no one around to see, there was no need to think of modesty. And so Amber laid out in her panties and a loose hanging tank top and nothing more. The forest around her was abuzz with the noises of nature. But tonight, for as usual as the night sounded and felt, something was strange about the sky. The stars did not burn as brightly as they always had.

On the horizon, Amber found the cause of her problem. The sky was a muddy red color she'd never seen before, odd for this time of night. The sun had long ago set, and she was sure it wasn't a lingering sunset. There was something angry about the color, something malicious.

It was the first time Amber had ever seen the sky during a forest fire.

Each night that followed more and more of the sky was consumed with the fire's rage, and the reports started to pour in. Amber's cabin was equipped with an internet connection — a city necessity she absolutely could not live without as an author and editor — but she had no television. The radio broadcasts she tuned into from time to time to check up on the weather told her the news. Forest fires were spreading across the mountain and they'd begun to encroach upon Oakridge. Residents were not yet asked to evacuate, but were asked to keep alert in case an emergency had to be declared.

That night, with the sky soaked in rusty browns and the smell of burning on the air, Amber met him.

The insects had stopped chirping and humming, and there wasn't a nocturnal bird to be heard. Although there were no stars to see beneath the billowing smoke, Amber found the empty canvas that was the sky fascinating. Dressed in her panties and loose tank top as usual, she contemplated the encroaching fires and the evacuation they might bring. If she had to leave her home, what would become of her things? What did she want to save, and what could she realistically bring with her out of those things? And if her cabin did burn to the ground, where would she live? To leave Oakridge felt like turning her back on her heart, but what other options would she have? Until matters were settled, she'd have no choice but to move back home with her parents. The thought stung.

As caught up in her thoughts as she'd been, Amber almost hadn't heard the crashing impact of heavy footsteps nor the snap of brittle branches as a solid figure lumbered through the forest. When the sound did register, she lifted her head and sat up. There were bears in this part of the woods, she knew, and it wouldn't be the first time that some of the bolder ones had wandered right up to her cabin. Up on the roof as she was there was little danger, but Amber rarely had a chance to look at the ferocious creatures up close, and she was excited to be able to sneak a peek.

But it wasn't a bear that had crashed through the woods to approach her cabin. Amber scooted across the roof to get a better look. As the figure approached, the red Colorado night exposed her visitor more clearly. Even against the smoky night sky there was no mistaking the outline of a man. He stumbled out from the forest, each step uneven. From what she could see he was limping, bent over just slightly as he made his way towards the lights of her home. Every now and then the light from her windows would catch on his clothing, and by it she realized that he wasn't dressed like a civilian; this man, whoever he was, wore the heavy vestments of a firefighter. The reflective stripes across his shirt caught even the dimmest lights to draw attention to his location.

"Hey!" Amber called out, her heart racing. It was clear that he was hurt and lost; there was nothing around for miles. That he'd stumbled across her house at all was a miracle. "Are you okay? Do you need help?"

The man stopped in his tracks, and she thought she saw his head lift. As far as he was away it was hard to tell.

"Hello?" Amber asked again. Still, no reply. The man stood where he was.

Was she hallucinating? Maybe all the smoke on the air had finally taken its toll. But as Amber squinted and tried to decide if she was crazy or not, the man lost all strength and crumpled to the ground.

"Oh shit," it was a gasp. Amber scrambled to her feet and climbed back into the house through her bedroom window, realizing on her way to the door that she was near naked. Not willing to waste time, she grabbed her fluffy pink bathrobe and slung it on, then scooped her cellphone up from her bedside table. A pair of flats waited by the upstairs door, and she slipped into them on the run, still securing her robe in place. Moments later a click broke the silence in the house, and Amber had opened the upstairs door and broke out into the night at a run.

"Hey!" she called as she sprinted. Already she was winded, and running up the side of a mountain slope was as much cardio as she'd had in a long time, but burning lungs would not stop her from helping another person. "Hey, can you hear me? Please answer!"

In the distance she saw him. Since she'd left the roof he hadn't moved, and she figured he was incapable of moving at all. The closer she drew, the more Amber could see the details. The uniform he wore was charred and smeared black in places with ash. He'd lost his helmet, exposing his unruly brown hair soaked through with sweat. There was a pack strapped to his back, but it looked empty. When Amber dropped to her knees beside him she could see how his skin was smeared with ash, almost entirely covered with the black chalky stuff.

"Hey," she breathed, putting a hand on his shoulder. Beneath the loose material it was hard to make out much, but she assumed he was a young man, probably no older than thirty. "Hey, can you hear me? Please answer me. Let me know you're with me..."

How did you check for life? Amber didn't know how to take a pulse, and she couldn't see if his chest was moving beneath the thick layers he wore. Instead, she put her hand before his nose to check for breath. It was there. At least he hadn't died.

A moment passed, but before she could take her hand away the firefighter grabbed her by the wrist. The gloves he wore felt gritty against her skin, and his grip was firm. Amber gasped and struggled, but he proved too strong. Her hand remained before his nose as his nostrils flared as though to breathe her in. Then, slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Water," he rasped. The words were dry and brittle, and Amber knew he had to have gone on for a long time without anything to drink. It sounded like he'd just made it through the desert.

"Can you stand?" One way or the other she had to get him to the house. Either she'd drive him to the hospital, or she'd care for him until an ambulance arrived. As distanced as she was from Oakridge, Amber knew it would take time.

"I think," he replied, the words strained. The hand around her wrist loosened, then fell away. Amber hooked an arm around his shoulders, finding his body to be surprisingly sturdy. He hooked an arm around her neck and accepted her help, and together they rose on shaky legs.

The firefighter was heavy. Part of it was due to his fire resistant uniform, but Amber also knew that much of it was from the muscle hidden beneath. Together they made their way back towards her house, Amber supporting much of his weight. By the time they'd arrived she was exhausted and trembling from trying to keep him upright, and she was happy to have him lie down on the nearest available piece of furniture — her bed.