CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 

Riktor awoke with a start. Blinding white light filled his vision. A foul taste of rancid meat and the metallic tang of old pennies rolled over his tongue and filled his mouth. His stomach roiled. Riktor grimaced and fought to smile, trying to keep down what little he had in his stomach. He shoved off the sheets and sat up. Bursts of pain went off all over his body, particularly on the right side of his neck.

He stood and swayed on his feet. His vision blurred and dizziness washed over him. An acidic burn seared its way up his throat. He shoved down his misery and rushed to the bathroom where he fell before the toilet and retched out the bile in his stomach.

He placed his head against the cold porcelain and tried to breathe. Goose bumps rippled over his skin and prickles of cold surrounded him. A freezing wind brushed against his back.

A cool hand moved down his back, and a cold cloth pressed against his forehead, wiping away the moisture.

He started and tried to move away from the touch.

“Shh, it’s OK. It will pass,” Michaela murmured. Her humid breath ghosted over his ear.

Tension ebbed away, and he relaxed into her touch.

“What—?” he croaked.

“I’ll explain once you’ve showered and brushed your teeth. Come on, can you stand?” Michaela moved back to give him room.

With shaky movements, he backed up and tried to get to his feet.

Michaela didn’t help him. Instead, she flushed the toilet and moved away from him.

He took a few moments to gather his strength, and with great effort, he straightened up. His wolf whimpered in the distance, but Riktor could barely hear it.

“Your wolf will be weak for a while.” Michaela came over, wrapped an arm around his waist, and guided him to the shower.

“Winthrop hit you hard with his silver cuffs. Your neck and back will hurt until you either shift fully or wait until the next full moon and shift then. Either way, you’re in pain. Ace has put Amber under house arrest in her suite until you decide what to do with her.”

Her words were cut off when he stepped under the deluge of scalding hot water. He let out a pained snarl.

“I’m sorry, wolfman, but you reek. We could only get so much sand, dirt, and blood off of you before putting you to bed.” She shut the door behind them.

He let out a groan when she started to scrub his back.

Michaela ran the sponge over a sensitive area.

He let out a hiss.

“This was one of the places he hit you with the silver. We determined it to be pure. He used wool padding to block contact with his own skin and Amber put it on him using gloves.” Mickey used gentle pressure to clean his back.

Amber.

“Why?” The word came out on a pained rasp.

“Winthrop promised her the resort in exchange for your money, which would be used to pay off his debts and maybe, even his brother, who, Amber claims, was threatening to raise a stink with the Council about the way Winthrop was running the pack and how he was ousted.” Michaela’s touch moved to sweep over and between his buttocks.

She gave him a firm slap on the cheek. “Could bounce a quarter off of this bubble butt and get change back.”

He let out a groan. The pain turned to a sweet burn that raced around his groin and filled his cock. His shaft thickened and lengthened. Arousal simmered in his blood.

“You know, the details of our first night as a married couple are still fuzzy after the elevator. Wanna refresh my memory?” she purred.

“How could you want to have sex now?” As much as Riktor wanted to be with her and remind both of them, it hurt just to inhale.

“Actually sex with your mate helps speed up the healing process. It’s a bond, spiritual and physical, between mates.” She pressed hard, biting kisses over his back.

He shivered. His cock jerked. He reached down and wrapped a hand around the shaft.

She continued her slow torture. Mickey traced his scars with her teeth, bringing the pain back to red-hot life. But unlike when they were made, he wanted more of her sweet pain.

“Fuck,” he managed to get out through clenched teeth. “Why does this feel so damn good?”

He grunted when her fingernails skated over his sides and the area where Amber had bitten him.

“Because I’m your mate, wolfy.” She bit down on a thick bit of flesh and tugged it hard into her mouth, sucking on it until it became too hot and sensitive.

He cried out. His cock jerked in his hold. “Mickey!”

She released the aching skin and lapped at it with quick flicks. “You used my nickname. That’s a start.”

“Well, you did jump in when I needed you.” He paused. His sluggish thoughts tried to identify the area she’d just been stimulating. “Did you give me a hickey on my butt?” His eyes widened and his vision blurred from the deluge of water.

She let out a wicked, dark chuckle and gave him another spank on the ass. “You’ll find out later, for now, try this.”

He gasped out when he felt the light dance of her tongue over his asshole right down to his perineum. Riktor reached out and balanced a hand against the damp walls. “What are you…?”

She giggled. “Never had that done before, hmm? First time for everything. Next time you can have control. Just let go and trust me.”

He ground his teeth. Some of his previous reserve rose up. Did he trust her?

She didn’t give him time to think. Mickey took hold of one of his balls and massaged it while she bit, licked, and kissed her way down one leg and up the other. Her pressure changed from hard kneads one second to gentle tugs and somewhere in-between.

She pleasured him, focused solely on him.

“I fucking love being a Dom but this…I don’t mind.” She was so beautiful and sexy it stole his breath away. Her every touch drove his desire, his need, even higher. The part of him that loved control came alive and gave him something to suggest. “Massage one of your breasts but don’t stimulate your nipple.”

“Bastard, but OK.”

He turned his head to watch her slide out in front of him, get down on her knees, and readjust her hold on his testicle. With one hand, she cupped and worked her right breast while she tugged and massaged his left ball.

Pleasure soared inside of him, lit him like Christmas lights as he watched her carry out his order. The sensation transferred to his drive to work his cock faster, with sharper tugs and sharp twists of his wrist just under his cockhead.

He watched her pleasure herself all while she explored him with her mouth and tongue. For the first time in years, he felt alive and comfortable in his role. It didn’t even bother him that she controlled more of his pleasure than he did. Nothing compared to the high of having a sub under his control and giving her the pleasure and comfort and safety that he felt every day.

He shuddered. A wave of need coasted up inside of him, threatening to break. Riktor paused and pinched the edge of the flared helmet. Some of his desire abated, for the moment and he returned his concentration back on her.

“Massage your other breast and again, don’t stimulate your nipple,” he ordered.

“Yes, sir.” She transferred her hold to the other breast and followed his instructions.

All his aches and pains dulled. Something inside of him clicked. The wolf howled in his head, long, loud, and clear.

He felt his strength increase. Warmth flooded his limbs. He continued to watch her. His dark lashes veiled his view.

The water fell around them. Her skin glistened under the dim glow of the overhead pot light. Steam swirled around them. Her damp curls framed her face. Pleasure lit up her eyes. The moment stretched out until he could feel the wave cresting inside of him once more. With force of will, he pushed back the desire to cum.

Not yet, he told himself.

He continued to pump his fist while she worked his balls.

“Now you can pinch and tug on your nipples and work your clit,” he ordered in a rough voice.

Instead, she moved her head closer and lapped at his sac, sucking one into her mouth with gentle tugs.

He groaned.

She covered his hand with hers and together, with more pressure, they worked his cock up and down in slick motions.

She paused and released his testicle, followed by her hold on him and her mound, and reached around him to bring a bottle of soap into view. She squirted out a bit and slathered it onto his dick, using that hand to return it to her breast while the other one traced a slick trail down the center of her body to part her folds and rub the distended nub. She returned to her previous work of sucking on his balls, first one and then the other, never letting him get used to her rhythm.

Riktor matched the pace of her hand between her legs with his strokes on his cock.

He released his shaft just as he felt the tingle at the base of his spine. Riktor reached down and tugged on her hair with gentle pulls. “Stand up.”

She rose up to her full height.

“Turn around,” he ordered. Bass deepened his voice.

She followed his instructions.

“You didn’t pinch your nipples. You deserve a spanking for that. Put your hands on the wall and stick that delectable ass out.”

He watched her comply. His wolf was hungry to sink deep into its mate and become one with her once more.

Flashes of memory hit him. Her ripping at his clothes. Him tearing off her panties when they entered the elevator and that one blissful moment when he sank into her wet heat.

He needed to replicate that again. This time without being drunk on pheromones.

The water inundated them from overhead. He reached out and grabbed her hip and guided his cock to her entrance. He thrust forward, sinking his cockhead inside her grasping channel. Riktor continued to push until he became fully seated inside her. He reached around and gave her clit a gentle tap.

She gasped out. Her body shook. He felt the first tremor of her orgasm. Her vaginal walls rippled around his shaft.

“No coming.” He bent over her and bit down on her shoulder.

She bucked.

“After this, I will take you to Black Howl, strap you down, and teach you control,” he murmured.

“Please!” she begged.

“For now you’ll get rewarded for taking care of me.” He withdrew and plunged forward, fucking her slowly.

He watched her nails lengthen until they turned into claws.

She raked the walls, leaving deep gouges and cracks in the tile. “Please,” she pleaded.

“Please what, Mickey? Say it,” he barked. The edge of a growl shook his words.

“Please, Riktor, fuck me harder.”

He reached out and grabbed a thick bundle of her curls and held on. Riktor increased the pace.

“Yes, yes, yes, just like that. I want to come for you, wolfy, and only you.” She moaned and pushed her hips back, meeting his thrusts.

His wolf howled and approved of that confession.

“Damn straight you will.” He fucked her harder, giving her what she needed and holding onto her hip and hair in a tight grip. The shift slammed into him.

The ache started in his shoulders and shuddered down his body. Only his fingernails changed. Sharpened claws tipped his fingers. The points dug into her flesh. The scent of fresh blood tinged the humid atmosphere around them. He kept thrusting until the wave drew back inside of him.

He drew back and grabbed her neck, holding her body still. Riktor pumped into her, over and over again, getting lost in the rhythm. His mind went black. Everything around him hushed. The slap of flesh against each other filled his ears, drowning out the splatter of water all around him.

The wave crashed into him, dragging him under and into a riptide. Everything went blank. He came with a howl that shook the walls and rattled the windows.

Mickey joined him. Her pussy clenched around him, milking him for every drop of his seed.

Something burst in the center of his being. His body shook. He went on autopilot. His vision flashed white. For a moment his world titled, and he lost himself and all his senses.

When he returned to his body, his legs shook, and he slipped out of her and fell to the floor of the shower. Mickey came to his side in a flash and cradled his head. She gave him a shy smile. “Guess we need to be more careful. How do you feel?” Concern filled her face.

He reached up and brushed some hair out of her face. “Better,” he whispered.

Riktor noted that his nails had returned to their original length and some of his aches and pains had faded or disappeared.

“Now to get you cleaned up.” Mickey helped him to his feet.

This time they cleaned up and dried off and climbed into bed.

“Heh, those maids work fast,” she muttered against his chest.

He inhaled and noted these were freshly laundered bedclothes.

“That’s what I pay them for,” he chuckled. “We’ll talk after I get better.”

“Uh-huh.” She wrapped an arm around his middle and let out a soft snore.

Riktor fell asleep with her head on his chest, her breathing slow and deep. For the first time in a year he felt at peace, but in the background, something still bothered him.