Gerri jerked awake when the master bedroom door slammed into the wall. She’d closed it just in case Yern entered the house to eat or use the guest bathroom, which happened to be just a door down. The outline of a big man framed the doorway. She’d left the living room lights on but they were down the hall a bit so she couldn’t make out much of whoever stood there.
“Gerri?”
She’d recognized that growl anywhere. “Wen?”
“What in the hell are you doing here?” He took a few steps closer, then halted.
“Trayis brought me.”
He just stood motionless. She shoved off the covers and scooted to the edge of the mattress, then flipped on the lamp next to the bed. Wen was staring at her with a furious expression on his face and his eyes were dark. The color hadn’t quite reached black but close.
“That sneaky bastard,” he finally muttered.
“He was going to tell you tomorrow, along with the rest of the clan. He invited me back. I accepted.” Was he angry that she was there, or just angry that Trayis hadn’t told him yet? She climbed out of bed but didn’t approach him. “He said I’m still clan and gave me the option of returning.” She straightened her shoulders and prepared to do battle with him if he ordered her to leave.
He didn’t start a fight. He just stood there staring at her. He didn’t look happy to see her though. That hurt.
“I wanted to come back. This is where I was raised. Living with humans sucked ass, Wen. I know I’ll face some problems with the clan until some of them adjust to me again but at least I’m not living behind bars on my windows. I don’t have to worry about being mugged or murdered on a daily basis. I have a job here. Trayis gave me one. You got me fired from the last one I had, remember? I told you it’s not easy for me to find work since I never graduated high school and I sure as hell couldn’t afford college.”
He blinked but said nothing.
“It doesn’t mean I expect anything from you, if that’s what you’re worried about. You made it clear you couldn’t mate me. Fine. But I’m still going to live here. We can avoid each other if that’s what you want.” She remembered then that Trayis was going to force Wen to take a desk next to hers in his office. “Say something.”
He didn’t.
Now she was getting angry. “What are you doing here anyway? In my house?”
“Trayis didn’t want me to get into another fight with my father so he had Tymber escort me to a guest house. This one. He set us up to be here together. I came inside and picked up your scent.”
“You got into a fight with your dad?”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, blowing it out. He turned, lifted his hand, and ran it though his hair. “That sneaky bastard,” he said again.
Her anger drained, only to be replaced by amusement. “Your dad or Trayis?”
He turned back to her and actually smiled. “Trayis.” He took a few steps closer and his attention focused on her body. She wore a nightshirt that hit her thighs.
“Eyes up here and off my legs. You didn’t answer me. You got into a fight with your dad?”
He held her gaze. “Remember the homecomings I told you about?”
She did—and jealousy instantly rose. “Some woman was waiting in your bed?”
“At their home. They always insist that I eat dinner with them on the days I return, no matter how late the hour.” His expression hardened into a grimace. “Gerbin always did that.”
She closed the distance and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing against his chest. “I’m sorry. You’re not him, and that’s so fucked up.”
He stiffened but then his arms came up, loosely hugging her. He relaxed and pulled her closer. “I’m glad you’re here.”
She kept her head tucked down, cheek pressed against his shirt. “I’m kind of upset with you but I’m so happy you’re healed. You are, aren’t you? I didn’t see any bandages, and that T-shirt you’re sporting is pretty tight.” She ran her fingers along his back, feeling only warmth and smoothness under the soft cotton of his shirt.
“I meant to come to you after that fight but I was injured. Micah took good care of you, didn’t he?”
“Micah was great. That’s not why I’m upset.” It was easier not looking at him while they talked. “Sherry.”
His body turned rigid against her once more.
“Yes, I know she gave you blood. I was worried sick when Micah said you were injured so he let me use his phone to call you. She answered while you were in the shower. She assumed I was Stellia. I didn’t correct her.”
Wen let her go with one arm. His fingers slid into her hair and gave it a tug that forced her head up. She looked into his eyes then. He frowned.
“I didn’t fuck her, Gerri. It wasn’t like that. Hell, I don’t even remember drinking her blood. I had passed out from blood loss at that point. Graves said my fangs were out so they just shoved her arm in my mouth. Instinct took over to feed, since I was so hurt. I am part Vampire. I never break my word. It’s over between her and I.”
She believed him. “It sounded like she was in your room while you were in the shower because she talked to you and you answered.” She paused. “And she called you ‘babe’. That sounds pretty intimate.”
His eyes turned black and he growled. Gerri gasped when he suddenly lifted her off her feet. He strode over to the bed and threw them both on it. Wen nearly crushed her under his body but he adjusted fast, using his arms and legs to pin her down as he lifted his chest so she could breathe. Their faces were inches apart. He wiggled his hips against her legs and she spread them until his lower body fit between her thighs.
“I didn’t fuck her, Gerri,” he snarled. “I washed off the blood and she was in Micah’s room. So was I. That’s where Graves took us. I’d taken too much blood from her so she was recovering on the bed, fully clothed, so she didn’t faint.”
She wiggled and freed her arms enough to touch his face. Hair had sprouted on his cheeks. “Okay. I trust you. Do you need to shift?”
He seemed to calm enough to get himself back under control. The excess hair went away, his eye color returned to blue, but the fangs in his mouth remained. “No. I went for a run with Tymber before I came here. I’m just pissed. I’d never break my word to you.”
“I was jealous,” she admitted. “I really hate her. How sad is that? I haven’t even met her and yeah, I want to strangle her for calling you babe and being anywhere near you when you were in the shower. Did she get to see you naked and wet?”
His expression softened. “Doubtful. She paled every time she sat up on the bed from blood loss. I don’t even know how she managed to make it inside the hotel and up to the room in that condition. I was too out of it to remember that part myself. I had to ask Graves how he got me to the room.”
She stopped caressing his face and lowered her hands to his shoulders, resting them there. “Are you upset that I’m here? I don’t want to go back to my old apartment or to that life. I know you can’t mate me but I want to be close to you. We could be lovers. I thought about that. We’ll use condoms and shower after we’re together. That way your scent won’t linger on me. We’ll have to be careful about not touching when we’re not in this room, since contact can be smelled on our clothing if we hug.”
“I don’t want to sneak around with you.”
“Oh.” His words hurt but she wasn’t surprised. He’d made it clear about his parents and how they would react if they found out.
“I don’t plan to hide that you’re mine any longer.”
Gerri gaped at him, stunned yet hopeful. “What are you saying?”
“Do you honestly believe you could live this close to me and I would be able to stay away? Trayis knew that when he brought you to the clan. There’s no fucking way I’d be able to sleep knowing you were alone in a bed I could so easily share with you. I’d go insane within days worrying about you, wondering if other men were considering pursuing you. Fuck that. You’re mine, G.L. You’re here and you’re staying. I’m headstrong, sometimes do stupid shit, but I’m not a total moron.”
She smiled. “You can occasionally be a bit of a bonehead.”
“True but not about you or this. Trayis has left me with no choice.”
His last words almost made her want to flinch. “Do you resent that? Or me?”
“No. He’s right. I haven’t been happy because you weren’t in my life. I’ve tried my best to do right by my parents but it’s time to claim you.” His gaze slid to her shoulder, then studied her eyes. “I’m going to get off you, we’ll strip, and then I’m going to bite you. Are you ready to become my mate?”
“I’ve always been ready.”
He smiled. “Me too. You’re going to have to drink from me.”
“I know how it goes.”
He lifted up and climbed off the bed, yanking at his boots. “Get undressed.”
She didn’t have to be told twice. After so many lonely years, Wen would finally be her mate. Her deepest fantasy was about to happen.
She was able to get naked faster than him, since she only had to toss off the nightshirt and get rid of her undies. Wen didn’t say a word as he pulled his T-shirt over his head then unfastened his jeans, pushing them down his long legs.
“You sure about this, G.L.? There’s no going back once we bond.”
“I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” He was her heart and always had been, for as long as he’d been a part of her life.
“Nervous?”
“A little. I’m not a fan of pain and you’ve got some awfully big fangs.” She smiled though, teasing him a bit. “Of course, everything on you is big.” She openly admired his stiff cock when he straightened. “You look excited.”
He chuckled. “I am. I’ll bite while you climax. It will distract you. I promise.” He took a step closer.
She held up her hand. “Wait.”
He froze. “What?”
“I don’t have fangs. Don’t we exchange blood at the same time in a mating ritual? How do you want to do that?”
“We’ll figure it out.” He moved fast, wrapped his arm around her waist and hoisted her off her feet. He turned and they landed on the bed side by side, against each other. “Step one. Get her naked in a bed.” Amusement teased his voice and showed in his glowing blue eyes.
She laughed.
He rolled on top of her, adjusting until once again his hips were between her thighs. This time clothing didn’t separate their skin. “Step two, pin her down so she can’t get away.”
“I can’t wait for step three. Did they teach this to you as a young VampLycan?”
“Blame Angelo. He’s Micah and Graves’s father. He claimed his mate in the woods while he was walking her home to her parents after a pack event. They got into an argument and she threatened to date other Lycans because some women had been flirting with him. He lost his mind, since he knew she was his. Took her to the ground, seduced her, and that’s how it went down.” He laughed. “It wouldn’t have been so bad except it had rained earlier that day. She was kind of pissed about having to tell her parents they were mated while both of them looked as if they’d been mud wrestling. Their clothes were ripped up too. He nagged us boys to never make that mistake.”
“I met them.” Gerri laughed too. “I can’t imagine Angelo doing that to Mandy. She’s so tiny.”
“She had more clothes left on her than he did, from what I heard. Don’t let her size fool you. She’s pretty strong and had wanted to mate Angelo for a while. He’s two years older than her and didn’t want to take her the day she turned eighteen. He wanted her to have at least a year to enjoy being an adult before she started having his cubs. One of the downsides to being full Lycan is the males get the urge to impregnate their mate right away.” He frowned all of a sudden. “You met them? How?”
“I’ll tell you later. Right now…” She ran her hands over his arms. “I have this super-hot guy on top of me with some sexy fangs. Don’t be a tease, honeybun.”
He growled, his eyes glowing brighter. She didn’t look away from him, knowing he wasn’t trying to control her mind. He was just seriously turned on. So was she. He kissed her, his mouth taking full possession. Gerri moaned, meeting his passion.
The scent of him filled her nose and she knew his pheromones were filling the room. Wen smelled like pure sin and sex. She wrapped her legs around his hips and ground her pussy against him. He broke the kiss and tried to lower down her body.
She fisted his hair to keep him in place and shook her head. “I’m ready and wet. Feel me?”
“I want to taste you.”
“Later. We have forever for that.”
“I don’t want to rush this.”
“Are you kidding? I’ve always wanted you. Fuck me and bite me, Wen. Now.”
He grinned. “So bossy.”
“Get used to it, honeybun.”
A deep laugh blasted out of him. “Promise to never call me that in front of anyone else.”
“But I want to lick you and savor everything about you. Honeybuns are my favorite. I always crave them.”
He lowered his face, brushing hot, sensual kisses along her throat. His fangs came into play, lightly biting her. “You drive me insane in the best way.”
She lifted her legs higher, digging her heels into his ass, trying to urge him to enter her. “Fuck me,” she moaned.
He nipped her hard, then twisted his body a little, arched his back, and reached down. She knew what he was doing and helped by holding still when he gripped his shaft, rose up a little, and guided the head of his cock to her pussy. He groaned deep as he slid in a bit. He released himself and then used his upper arms to cage her under him tighter.
“Yes,” she urged. “Do it.”
“I’m not going to last long,” he warned.
“Me either.” She bucked her hips. “Stop teasing.”
“Gentle or rough?”
The words came out snarled but she understood. “Don’t hold back. Take me.”
Gerri moaned louder as Wen thrust into her deeply. His cock felt big, thick, and incredibly hard. He didn’t try to kiss her mouth but stayed at her neck, licking and lightly biting. She clung to him as he powered into her. Between the sensation of him physically inside her and the way he smelled so incredible, she felt nearly overwhelmed with pleasure.
“Oh God,” she cried out, knowing she hadn’t lied about coming fast. Ecstasy built as he pounded into her. Wen sank his fangs into her throat, the sharp jolt of pain sending her over the edge. She almost screamed but didn’t have the breath to do it. She threw her head back, her mind blown from the power of her orgasm.
Wen didn’t slow, only fucked her harder, making animalistic sounds as he clamped his mouth tighter onto her throat. He lifted one arm and shoved his hand near her mouth. It was wet, and she realized what he’d done. The soft, meaty area of his palm bleed. He must have used a claw to tear it open. She closed her mouth around it, drinking.
Wen groaned, and she felt him coming inside her. He shook from the force of his release, riding her until the last tremors shook his body. They both drank, locked together. Wen released her throat first, running his tongue over the bite a few times. He pulled his hand back and kissed her, the taste of blood on their lips.
“My mate.”
“My mate,” she repeated.
“I’m never going to let you go, G.L.”
“I’m counting on it.”
He slowly began to move inside her again, and she moaned. “What are you doing?”
“No rest for the wicked. Do you want to know how I’m feeling? I’m inside my mate. I’m going to be here for a while.”
The blood she drank suddenly hit her system. Adrenaline and heat made her claw at him, desperate to hold him tighter. “Please!”
“Get used to the blood highs, my sexy little powerhouse. It’s going to be a long night but I’ll let you get some rest in between.”
“Shut up and make me come again.”
He laughed. “Bossy mate.”
“Tease.”