Authors: Anya Nowlan
He slid his fingers in and out of her pussy with long, drawn-out movements, causing her to buck her hips up. The air was already turning sweet with the smell of sex and constant shudders ran through Callie, threatening to dip her over the edge any moment.
“Oh my god,” she murmured as Jonah pushed in a third finger. A slight smile hung on his lips as his eyes remained on her, and Callie drank from the attention he was showering upon her. Never did she feel as appreciated and wanted as she did with Jonah, and the delicious evening was just another thing to show her how much she needed him. As much as she wanted to pretend otherwise, her life could not be complete without him. Even with her clan by her side, she was never as good as she was with Jonah – her other half. And a damn sexy one at that. “I want to touch you,” she whispered, another moan piercing through her words.
Jonah lowered himself down on her again, kissing her long and hard while plunging his fingers even deeper in her. Her muscles felt almost rigid as she clamped down around his tormenting fingers, milking them. His other hand went up to her bound wrists and undid them with nimble movements. As soon as they were free, her fingers grabbed at his hair and his flesh, pulling him tighter against her and demanding more from the kiss. He growled loudly, a tremble of respect going through Callie. His bear was powerful, and even as his mate, she felt awe in the face of his strength and spirit.
She felt empty without him inside her, and the jagged edges of her release were calling for her. Callie’s hands went down to the front of his jeans, pushing them down his hips. Jonah complied easily, pulling back to step out of his pants and leave his body naked in front of her. Callie’s breath caught in her chest, seeing her man in his full glory. His muscles were hard and almost glistened in the light of the fireplace. His broad shoulders and wide chest tapered into a perfect six-pack and then into narrow hips. And his cock… she couldn’t wait for it to be in her. It was thick and veiny and sure to bring her to a magnificent finish.
Jonah pulled Callie up by her sides, and she yelped as he spun her around. Her hands landed on the backrest of the couch and Jonah ripped down her panties without a second thought. She gasped as her breasts were mushed against the soft leather, Jonah’s wide palm resting on the back of her neck. Her legs were spread and Callie let out a guttural purr as the hard head of his cock ran the length of her wet slit.
“Is this what you want?” Jonah asked, strain and barely contained need rumbling in his voice. Callie nodded quickly, her curls bouncing wildly and her ass shoved up and towards him. She wanted him. All of him. Like a bitch in heat, she needed him inside of her, and she could barely find the words to explain it. Not that he needed her to confirm her lust and desire for him.
“Yes, please! Fuck me,” she begged, the honest craving that had grown into a frenzy over weeks of being apart now loud and clear in her words.
With a grunt, Jonah split her open around his big cock. She screamed in ecstasy, bucking against him as Jonah put one hand on her hip and rutted into her with long, slow motions. When she wanted to go fast, he knew exactly how to tease her and draw out the pleasure until she couldn’t take any more of it. His throbbing rod filled her to the brim and Callie’s consciousness frazzled at the ends as he entered her completely. The human and the bear both yearned for control, and the result was a wild, spectacular thunderstorm of emotions inside of her. Callie’s back arched and sweat broke out on her skin as Jonah plunged into her time after time, going deeper and faster with each thrust. She mewled under his touch and his hand moved from her neck to her breasts. He squeezed them, and bright lights flashed behind her closed eyelids. Brilliant colors sparked as he pushed her over the edge and made her tumble into the sweet embrace of release.
This is so good…
Callie shook and bucked against him, her screams shrill as they echoed through the room. Jonah’s face was against hers as he filled her with tight, controlled thrusts. They were fast and merciless, her pussy contracting and releasing around him with the pulse of her orgasm. Through her haze, she could feel his cock throb inside of her and his muscles go rigid. She was barely over her own peak when Jonah fell into his, Callie pushing herself against him and reveling in the sensation of the powerful man’s finish. He was so much taller and bigger than she was, but she loved the feeling of being his anchor in the storm of his release. She didn’t even notice that she was biting hard into her lower lip through her peak – enough to draw blood – before she tasted the copper in her mouth.
A small trickle tinted her lips and Jonah sucked her lower lip between his, a dark growl echoing from his throat. It made goose bumps prick up on her skin, and her nails dug into his muscled side. Jonah pulled back and laid a gentle peck on her lips, replacing the taste of blood with that of his mouth. He smiled and Callie mimicked it, her nails gliding gently up his back now. It had been too long. The beast and the need in her were hard to control when she hadn’t tasted him in so long. Her hair was matted at her forehead with sweat and a slight gleam covered her skin. She didn’t want him to pull out of her just yet – she didn’t want it to end.
“It’s been too long,” he said simply. Callie didn’t have an option to protest as Jonah slipped his arms beneath her and flipped both of them up, curling her up in his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder, comfortable in the familiar position. The way he cradled her always made her feel incredibly safe. Like nothing in the world could harm her.
“It has,” she agreed meekly.
Jonah grinned and his rough fingertips brushed up and down the length of her arm. Callie touched her lip with her tongue, feeling the small cut. The taste of blood was a cruel reminder of what could happen in their near future. Just how suddenly their happy little bubble could be burst. But, for the moment, they were safe in the comfort of their glow and being with one another.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“What do you think is going to happen next?” Callie asked, lying on her stomach in Jonah’s bed. Her dark curls bounced in front of her face as she studied Jonah. The big man stared up at the ceiling, his arms behind his head. She was breathless and awash with satisfaction, but after the third time, she couldn’t distract herself from the outside world anymore. Not even with the mind-blowing sex they were having. It was the middle of the night and she knew she would have to start moving soon if she wanted to slip unnoticed into her cabin before dawn. But it was so difficult to make herself leave his side.
“With Jackie or the war or us?” Jonah asked, looking at her with a raised brow.
“All of it,” she said after a moment of pause. It was hard to tell what was more important at that point. Though their relationship took clear precedence at that particular moment in time, she knew she had to face the rest of it the moment she stepped out of the house again.
“Well,” Jonah started, dipping his head back to stare up at the ceiling. “I don’t know if anything’s going to happen about Jackie, really. I know her well enough to know that I can never predict what she is going to think or do. If she were smart, she’d keep as much distance as she could between Montana and herself. But we know the Arders aren’t that smart when it comes to family matters.” Callie smiled to herself, letting her fingers sleepily traipse over his hard stomach. The Arders were loyal, and she was sure Jackie would do
something
, she just wouldn’t dare guess what. “And I know you don’t want to hear this, but I think a battle is coming. It’s unavoidable at this point. I can’t imagine what would make that possibility less likely.”
Callie tossed him a glance, and Jonah raised one hand to quiet her before she could object.
“Ryder’s out for blood. And we can’t let him pick us off one by one like he tried to do with Jackson. And that attack today? No way that’ll fly. I just hope he’s man enough to face us on equal footing. And that we can stop it before too many bears get hurt. It’ll be painful, but we’ve been preparing. The clan is all back, as many as we could have expected and more. We’re ready.”
The note that entered his voice was dark. Callie’s stomach churned. He didn’t want to say it, but she caught his meaning. The only way to make it stop fast and hard was for Ryder to die or surrender his claims. And Ryder wasn’t going to do either without a fight, at least not in his current state of mind. The Arders were too honest to try and get at Ryder alone, so it meant that the two clans needed to meet.
“Does Jackson think that way as well?” Callie asked, her voice cautious. Again she found herself in a situation where her loyalty to her clan and to her man were at opposite ends, and she didn’t like it one bit. Her mood sunk completely when Jonah nodded.
“He does. We talked about it today, after it happened. He can’t reason with Ryder, he’s tried. Hell, we’ve all tried. He gladly meets us when we call on him, but usually it just means that another truck gets torched or a local hassled. We don’t really even know what he’s after, other than for us to leave Cabinet. It just seems… malicious. Jackson proposed we sort out a better land deal on the other side of Cabinet for them, where none of us live anyway, and there’s plenty of room and resources to set up the Bitterroots. Ryder wouldn’t have any of it. Julian basically told him to name a number and he would pay him just to go away.” Callie’s eyebrows shot up at that. She’d thought it was just about the land, of having a new place for the clan to start over. Werebears didn’t have a lot of places to choose from. They needed open spaces, forest, wilderness untouched by the human hand – not many places came to mind – and so, Cabinet had been an obvious choice to return to.
What does he actually want then? Goddamnit Ryder, you’re really messing with my love life now.
“Name a number? Seriously?”
“Yes,” Jonah said, his expression indicating that the topic was obviously sour for him. “Julian was incredibly uncomfortable. He’s not the kind of guy to try and buy his way out of a problem, but it seemed like something we could try. Ryder just scoffed and said there wasn’t enough money in the world to make up for things. He’s bitter about something, and I don’t know what it is.” Jonah huffed and turned onto his side, facing Callie while resting his chin on his arm. He brushed his palm down her chest and over her breasts, making her nipples tighten into peaks under his touch. Callie felt a blush coming to her cheeks. He knew just how to get her off of a distasteful topic and onto a better one.
“As for us? I can’t make you change sides – I know I wouldn’t. We just have to do everything in our power to come through this alive. Avoid killing anyone. And when the dust settles, we will patch things up. All of it. One way or another, after this, there will only be one clan. Whoever wins, wins. Old rules. The strongest Alpha gets the clan. And then, we won’t have a wall between us anymore. Either way, we can be together.” He smiled sadly, and Callie thought her heart would break. As much as it was difficult for her, she knew that Jonah lived through things a lot deeper than she did. Being so close to it all couldn’t have been easy for him.
“One way or another,” she echoed. Callie leant forward and kissed him on the lips. The kiss tasted bittersweet.
***
Callie still had a bounce to her step when she joined the rest of her clan in front of Ryder’s cabin the next day. She had got home about half an hour before her cabin mates had got up and been entirely impressed with her sneaking around abilities. Alice had given her a knowing look during breakfast, but other than that, Callie figured she’d done an excellent job. She was positively glowing after her much-needed night in Jonah’s arm. Her muscles ached, and all she wanted was a quick nap, but that didn’t make the night any less worthwhile.
I miss him already,
she thought to herself as she took a place towards the back of the crowd.
She quietly considered the people around her. Half of them she hadn’t seen in forever and some were completely foreign to her. The clan had both grown in numbers and decreased in friendly faces. Not many, but some, had opted out of returning after Ryder’s call. She understood their decision, even if she couldn’t in good conscience do it herself. Some carried heavy limps and obvious painful injuries, both from the battles with the Kadin pack as well as the scuffles they’d had with the Arders. And the mood that hung over all of them was far from cheerful. She could read resentment, anxiety and a thin layer of anger floating over them. Werebears never were ones for gathering close together, and now, with the constant turmoil, tempers had begun to flare. The clan wanted all of it to end, and Callie had the sickening feeling that Ryder was planning on giving them just that. Closure.
Callie’s breath rose in steam pillars and the sky was ominously cloudy as Ryder walked out of his house and stopped on the porch. His arms were crossed on his chest, and he looked like a haunted man. The mischievous grin she had remembered him wearing like a badge of honor as a young man was gone, replaced by a constant glare. Though he was in peak physical condition his bright blue eyes seemed darker and his face sunken. He stood before his clan like a messiah of destruction, and it made a shiver run down her spine. The crowd fell completely silent. Troy and Drake were standing to either side of the stairs leading up to the porch, their dark auras blanching in comparison to the pure unfiltered rage that Callie sensed in Ryder.
This can’t be good,
she thought at the sight of him. In an instant, her happy glow disappeared. She shared a look with Alice, who seemed more worried than anything as she glanced over her shoulder at Callie.