Quinn's Quest: Legacy, Book 4 (18 page)

He’d never thought about having a mate, a woman of his own. His focus, his entire life had been built around survival. And that had been enough for him. Until he’d met Bethany.

Her spine was long and slender. Her ass supple and heart-shaped. She was absolute perfection. He leaned forward and dropped a trail of kisses down the center of her back.

His cock slipped between her thighs and rubbed against her pussy. She moaned and stroked herself over his hard shaft. His balls drew up close to his body.

Inside him his wolf howled. His senses heightened. His vision grew sharper. Gripping the base of his shaft, he guided the tip toward her pink opening. She was so wet. So hot.

He pushed the head of his cock inside her and the inner muscles of her sheath closed around it. He swore and slammed home, thrusting the rest of his penis deep. She took him easily, as if she’d been made for him.

And maybe she had been. She fit him like a wet leather glove, soft and silky and tight.

He reached around her and cupped her breasts. Her nipples bore into his palms. Bethany moaned and pushed back. Quinn started to move.

Bethany lost herself. There was no other way to describe it. Heat enveloped her. Lust swamped her. Sexual longings controlled her. She was more animal than human.

She wanted. She needed. She had to have Quinn.

From the first touch of his hands on her breasts she was lost. He played her body like a master. His fingers probing, his tongue setting fire to her most sensitive flesh.

She’d come twice already. It had given her only momentary release. Instead of being allowed to wallow in her sexual release, the sensations flooding through her had only grown more intense, more demanding.

She was out of her mind with need.

Bethany could feel her wolf inside her, practically clawing to get out. It was both scary and exhilarating.

By the time Quinn rolled her over onto her stomach and helped her up onto her hands and knees she was more than ready for him to claim her. She needed his thick cock driving into her pussy, filling her, driving her over the edge. This time would be different.

But more than that, she needed Quinn. She wanted the emotional closeness, the connection with him that went beyond the physical sensations battering them both.

He spoke to her, his words lost in her haze of sexual desire. But the tone reached her. She felt his lips against her spine, tender and caring. Then his cock plowed into her hard and deep and everything reached a flashpoint.

His hands were firm as he held her breasts. The feel of his callused palms against her nipples brought her some relief. But it wasn’t enough and they both knew it.

Quinn withdrew until his cock was almost fully out of her. Then he slammed inward. Her inner muscles rippled and clutched. Her essence coated her channel and his shaft, a mixture of her cream and his seed where he’d already come once inside her.

The smell of sex permeated the air. Bethany could distinguish the musky scent of sex, the salt from their skin, the lavender soap she’d used in her shower earlier as well as the sandalwood soap Quinn had used.

She inhaled deeply, pulling it into her lungs.

Quinn withdrew and thrust deep again. She clutched at the comforter beneath her hands, gripping the material with all her might. Even the air flowing over her skin was hot, like a million fingers caressing her sensitive skin.

With each stroke, Quinn seemed to grow larger inside her. It got harder for him to forge into her and he changed tactics. Going from long strokes to short, fast ones.

He tugged at her distended nipples, drawing a groan of pleasure from her. For a woman who’d never been interested in sex, she’d certainly tapped into that part of herself.

One of Quinn’s hands dropped from her breast and went to the notch of her thighs. He found her clit and stroked it. Once. Twice. That’s all it took. Her orgasm struck with the force of a hurricane, sweeping away everything in its path.

Only Quinn’s hands on her held her up. He continued to thrust. Faster and faster even as she came undone. His cock swelled and locked inside her. He made a sound halfway between a yell and a howl as hot liquid spurted into her depths, soothing the sexual longings, settling the storm.

His mouth was hot against her nape and he nipped, using his sharp teeth to pin her down. It was a sign of dominance. She shook him once, trying to dislodge him. He growled and nipped harder, grinding his hips against her butt, reminding her without words that he was dominating her, taking her.

For a modern woman it was wrong. She was independent, a woman who stood on her own two feet.

For a female werewolf who’d just been claimed by her mate, it felt incredibly right. It was the joining of two lives. Even though the act was physical, Bethany could feel the emotional and mental chains forging between them.

Quinn was locked inside her for what seemed like forever. Finally, he stopped moving against her and released his hold on her neck. He eased her down onto the mattress with his cock still buried inside her and turned them onto their sides so she wasn’t smashed between his big body and the bed.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. What had just occurred between them was too profound. It had been more than Bethany had expected. What this meant for their future she didn’t know.

Her breathing finally settled and she shivered as the light sheen of sweat covering her body began to evaporate. Quinn wrapped his arms more firmly around her, as though offering her his body heat.

His lips were warm and firm against her nape. His tongue laved the spot where he’d nipped her. She imagined she’d have a small bruise to show for his amorous attention.

He’d marked her as his. Not only with his cock but also with his teeth.

When he finally moved away, she wasn’t sure she was ready to face him. But she wasn’t a coward. She rolled onto her back so she could see him.

As always, he looked too damn good for her peace of mind. His big body glistened with sweat and his chest hair was damp. His cock was still semi-erect. While she watched, it twitched and started to lengthen. She shook her head with disbelief. The man was a machine.

“Bethany?”

Back to business. She took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Yes?”

“I want to show you my wolf.” That certainly wasn’t what she’d been expecting. She hadn’t seen any of the pack in wolf form. Hadn’t seen anyone transform totally into a wolf. Her only experience had been with Chrissten and Brian. Strange how she hadn’t asked and no one had pushed her.

But now the time had come. If she was going to embrace every aspect of her heritage, and she really didn’t have any choice, this was as good a beginning as any. Quinn was her mate. What that entailed exactly was anyone’s guess. She supposed they’d figure it out as they went along.

“Okay.”

Quinn rolled off the bed, his expression unreadable, except she was starting to get used to reading his subtle reactions. He retreated behind this inscrutable mask whenever he was uncertain.

Bethany sat up in bed and wrapped her arms around her legs. She didn’t try to cover herself. After what they’d just done it seemed stupid to be bashful. Plus, he was making himself vulnerable to her. It seemed only fair she do the same in return.

He stood next to the bed and waited. She gave him a nod and the transformation began almost immediately. Bones cracked and reformed. His hands morphed into paws tipped with sharp claws as he fell forward onto all fours. His skull changed shape, getting flatter on top and more rectangular than round. His jaw lengthened and fur began to cover his body.

It took only seconds and the man she’d just had the most amazing sex with was gone. In his place was a magnificent wolf. His fur was brown mixed with blond patches that matched his hair color. Thick muscles shifted and rolled as he paced silently around the room. His posture was alert, his ears erect. His mouth was open and he was panting, exposing two rows of very sharp teeth.

But it was his eyes that drew her. They were Quinn’s eyes. Pale blue and filled with a longing for something she didn’t immediately recognize. Then she knew. She understood that he wanted the same thing she did—acceptance.

“Come here.” She patted the mattress next to her. He made one leap and was beside her. “Whoa, that was quick.” He was graceful and agile and so very powerful.

She reached out her hand and then pulled it back. “Is it okay to touch you?”

“Yes.”

She jerked away when she heard the word in her head, rubbing her temple. “Did you just speak to me?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, nobody mentioned anything about hearing voices.” Bethany’s heart pounded. This was crazy.

“Mated pairs can share their thoughts when they choose. You have to be open to it. I didn’t know if it would work between us because we are half-breeds.”

That made sense to her. “I think I’d rather stick to talking out loud, at least until I get used to everything else.” As though a door between them had been closed, she felt Quinn shut her out.

She bit her bottom lip but refused to feel guilty about it. She didn’t admit to herself how much she missed the close connection either. If Quinn was determined to walk away from her once he found his sister then it would be better for her if she kept some of her protective shields in place.

Bethany reached out and stroked his flank in an offering of apology. She didn’t want him to think she didn’t accept his wolf, because she did.

“You’re gorgeous like this. So strong. So powerful.” He shifted so his head was beneath her hand. She scratched behind his ears and leaned closer, nuzzling her face against his.

She felt it then. A strange itching beneath her flesh. A prickling. A yearning.

Her wolf was trying to get out. Maybe it was her proximity to Quinn in his wolf form bringing her wolf so close to the surface. Whatever the reason, there wouldn’t be a better time to try to shift.

From what she’d been told, it happened naturally and didn’t hurt. Although from what she’d seen it seemed impossible that it wouldn’t be painful to some degree. After all, her entire body was being torn apart and put back together again but with fur, thicker and more compact bones and sharp teeth.

Better to try now when it was only her and Quinn to witness the event. She didn’t want to try it on her own in case something went wrong. She had pictures in her head of her being stuck halfway, like something out of a horror movie. She shivered with fear. She didn’t want that. Nor did she want her first time to be in front of a group of people.

Sensing her discomfort, Quinn licked her face. His tongue was rough, but his intent was clear. He wanted to comfort her.

She threw her arms around him and held on for a brief moment. “I can do this,” she told herself, speaking the words aloud for courage.

Quinn tilted his head at her and she could almost hear his question. She reminded herself she would have been able to hear him if she hadn’t shut him out.

Frowning, she rolled off the bed. She sensed Quinn starting to change and held up her hands. “No. Don’t change. I want to try this. Do you think I can?”

The enormous wolf lowered his head, nodding once.

Bethany refused to pay any attention to the doubts that plagued her. Her heart was racing like a locomotive. Her legs were trembling. But she was determined to try this.

“Here goes nothing.”

Chapter Ten

At first, nothing happened. Bethany swallowed back her disappointment. Maybe it was too soon.

Her wolf pushed at her skin and a low growl rumbled up from deep in her chest. She closed her eyes, hoping that might make the transformation easier. She saw the creature immediately. The picture in her mind was perfectly clear. The female wolf was beautiful—slender, with a graceful power that could not be denied. Her fur was varying shades of light brown. The creature’s eyes were hazel.

My eyes
, she thought.

No, our eyes
.

There was no difference. They were one and the same. Part of one another. Her muscles rippled and she jerked back, as though she could separate from the wolf and run away from this part of herself.

Fear ripped through her, but she quickly controlled it.

She could do this. She
would
do this.

Taking another deep breath, she focused on her wolf, on that
other
part of herself. Between one heartbeat and the next her hands began to change. Her fingers shortened and her nails lengthened.

She panted hard, desperately trying not to panic, accepting the change. Willing it to happen.

She bent over at the waist as her bones cracked and reformed. She should have been horrified by what was happening to her body, but instead was more intrigued by the entire process. It didn’t hurt. Not really. It seemed more normal than she’d imagined it would, like contorting herself into a particularly difficult yoga pose. The strangeness of it filtered through her brain even as her instincts took over and just did what needed to be done. She could feel her body actually contorting and taking on a new shape.

It happened so quickly she barely had time to begin to study the sensations rocketing through her before it was over. She was a wolf. Her new body was thickly muscled, compact and very strong.

The texture of her skin had changed. The cool air of the room no longer bothered her. Why would it? She had a thick coat of brown fur to keep her warm.

A warm muzzle rubbed against her jaw and she opened her eyes. Everything looked different. Sharper. Quinn was staring at her, concern in his pale blue eyes.

She was panting hard. Her tongue lolling out of her mouth. How unladylike was that? The thought made her laugh, but it sounded more like a chuff than a laugh. It was such a human reaction. And she was no longer totally human.

She glanced down at her forelegs, wishing she could see more of herself. Quinn circled her, sniffing her flanks, pausing between her back legs. He was sniffing her butt. She whirled around and nipped at him.

He growled and pounced on top of her, bringing her down to the floor and clamping his powerful jaws around her throat. He didn’t break the skin, didn’t hurt her, but he was certainly asserting his dominance. She growled back to let him know she wasn’t pleased.