Chapter Sixteen
‡
Later that night, Tynan carried the small female away from the campfire. The moon had traveled far enough to shine fully into the small mating area.
Tynan laid Darcy gently on the soft grass and covered her with his body, sharing his warmth. This far up in the mountains, the nights were far too cold to be in a naked human form. Bracing himself on a forearm, he smiled down at her. Olive skin, black hair and eyes. He wondered if she had some of the old Romani blood that had come to the islands with the Travelers. Gypsies they’d been called in the old days. He’d met many when he was fostered in Ireland.
She set her hands on his shoulders, and her eyes were as dark as the night sky. “Tynan.”
“Yes, lass?”
“When does this stop?” She pressed her face against his chest with a soft moan.
Pity slid through him. Although her body wanted to mate, her mind was obviously in a tangle.
He understood, having spent the last decade fighting his own body, living in Seattle, rather than a forest where he belonged. “The heat will disappear at moonset.” A glance at the sky told him that she had a while to go. Gawain had said Owen would return, so the little female would have another male to see to her needs if she wished.
And for the next few minutes, he would enjoy satisfying her. She was small and delightfully built, fragrant with her arousal, and sweet, as well. He stroked her cheek, down her neck, and captured a firm, round breast. The way she arched into his hand made him smile. As he kissed her swollen, ripe lips, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
Even if his schedule had permitted travel to Gatherings, he rarely visited shifter towns. Any law enforcement officer knew how easily a tech-savvy hunter could track someone through satellites, GPS devices, and street cameras. No one suspected he was Daonain, but that could change the moment he put a paw wrong. He’d leave no back trail to be sniffed out.
Yet he’d missed attending Gatherings and spending time with Daonain females.
Darcy squirmed under him in an unspoken demand that he move. Her body wanted a cock.
He grinned. This pushy little kit would probably walk all over younger, less knowledgeable males—and coerce them to fuck her immediately.
Unfortunately for her, she only had very experienced males tonight. She wouldn’t be getting any slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am quickies. Mature males preferred to savor their matings.
How soft she was. He ran his knuckles along the underside of her breast, feeling the tender skin, hearing her shaking inhalation, seeing her dusky nipple pucker to a rigid peak.
She tasted of female musk and the mint that Donal had found growing along the stream. The healer knew his herbs.
A shame Darcy was so new. If she were more experienced, Tynan and Donal would have taken her together, extending their time, and pleasing them all.
Ah, well.
Ever so slowly, Tynan kissed his way down her body, smiling at the way her belly quivered under his lips. He wouldn’t stop until he had her entire body trembling and her cries became incoherent.
And then he’d take her and satisfy them both.
*
After her third mating of the night, Darcy’s legs had turned to jelly. When she tried to stand, Tynan had to grab her or she’d have crumbled right then and there. She felt her face redden with her flush. “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize, lass.” He scooped her up and carried her to the stream to wash off.
Setting her on her feet in the water, he held her up with an arm around her waist. As the shallow creek flowed around her calves, she was still so overheated it was surprising the icy water didn’t start to steam.
A cougar padded out of the bushes, and Owen’s scent reached her a second before he shifted to human. “I think you could use some help.”
“I could, it is true.” Tynan moved to stand behind her, wrapped both arms around her waist, and held her against his warm body.
Owen stepped into the stream and went down on a knee in front of her.
She frowned. “I thought you were mad at me.”
“I was.” His deep voice was as rugged as the surrounding mountains. “You screwed up. But so did I. I should’ve realized you didn’t know the dangers. And that you were acting on your concern for others. Can you accept my apology?”
Shocked, she stared down at him.
In the moonlight, his hair appeared as dark as her own, and beard growth shadowed his jaw. Even down on one knee, the rough, deadly cahir was so tall his head came level with her shoulders.
And he wanted her to forgive him. She hadn’t lost him for a friend. Relief made her voice shake. “Accepted.”
Tynan handed him a handful of the leaves plucked from the banks, and Owen ran the soft bundle over her body, releasing the scent of mint. When he cleansed between her legs, ever so gently, the mint added a tingle to the coolness of the water against her swollen, sore flesh. She sucked in a breath.
“Sorry, kitten,” he murmured, not stopping until he was satisfied.
He rose. “Let’s go back to the fire and give you a chance to warm up.”
Tynan scooped her up, kissed the top of her head, and, to her surprise, handed her to Owen. “Her legs are getting wobbly.”
“I’m not surprised.”
Darcy stiffened. “I’m sure I can walk now.” Surely, the cahir didn’t want to lug her around.
He didn’t put her down. His arms were thick with muscle, and he carried her easily, holding her so close his body warmed her.
At the fire, Donal and Gawain moved aside, making a space for Owen to set her down.
As she curled her legs to one side in the soft grass, he sat behind her. Right behind her. His chest pressed against her back, and his long legs bracketed her sides and thighs. With the fire in front and Owen behind, she felt toasty warm.
And oddly happy.
The wind was a light breeze against her body. The fire crackled cheerfully, and a salamander was dancing in the flames. Its tail sent a spiral of pretty sparks upward into the black sky.
With a sigh, Darcy leaned back, and Owen’s arms came around her waist.
And she felt his cock thickening against her buttocks. She tensed and tried to…unobtrusively…scoot away.
With a huffed laugh, he pulled her more firmly against him. “Little cat, a male rises if he gets even a whiff of interest from a female. Doesn’t mean anything will come of it.”
“No?”
“No, you’re not ready for anything at all right now. If and when your need returns, you make a choice again—and you may or may not want me. Just relax and let me keep you warm.” His gravelly tone held no room for argument.
In all reality, she was so tired all she really wanted was to be held.
Only…
“Do you even like me?” she asked, whispering the pitiful question.
Owen’s muscles tensed as if she’d slapped him. “Darcy, I—”
“Never mind.” Blinking back unexpected tears, she looked down, feeling more alone than ever before, even in captivity. Wasn’t it horrible that sometimes she missed the lack of change she’d had in the prìosan. Maybe she’d never have discovered how many other kinds of pain were in the world.
No, she was being childish. Foolish. Her thinking was messed up by all the needs rioting through her system. The males were probably laughing at how naïve she was.
Biting her lip, she studied the scuffed-up dirt around the fire…and wanted to scream. Heat was already rising within her, and she did want Owen. She always had.
She’d just hoped that he liked her…a bit. She didn’t want to be with someone—even him—if she disgusted him. Would his body, his own needs, make him mate with her even if he hated her?
The thought made her want to throw up. “This is awful.”
“Let me ex—”
“Maybe I don’t like you either.”
Owen leaned forward so his cheek rested on hers and his unshaven chin scratched her shoulder. “Listen to me, little cat. Even with a full moon heat, if a female dislikes a potential partner, she doesn’t get aroused. Your body and mind must agree.”
“But I would never have mated”—she shook her head—“so many males.”
“Mmm, numbers are irrelevant. Right now, the only question in your body and mind is: Is this male worthy of a child of my body? Do I want to carry a cub from this male?”
“Oh.” Truly, that was an entirely different matter. Against the rising haze of need, Darcy looked around at the males.
Donal, the healer, whose knowledgeable touch had roused her completely—and who had been so very kind.
Tynan, who saw things in black and white, and fought for what was right. He had been slow and incredibly, sexily thorough.
Gawain, called by the Goddess, was like the blades he made, sparkling silver over a steel core. He’d made her first mating something beautiful.
She would be proud to carry a child from any of them.
Then there was Owen.
Her body was filling her with need already. With each brush of his hands against her skin, she smoldered with the desire to have him cup her breasts. To kiss her.
The cahir had rescued her from the Scythe in Seattle. Had come after her here in the forest. Would protect her with everything in his power. He was blunt and bossy and…would never lie to her.
Yes, she would love to carry his cub.
When she tried to push to her feet, he rose and helped her up. Silently, he waited, leaving the choice to her—and she knew this was the difference between humans and the Daonain. A Daonain female couldn’t control coming into heat, but the decision regarding who she would mate with was all hers.
She extended her hand and held her breath. Would he want to be with her? Truly?
His dark wicked eyebrows were drawn together, making him look harsh, yet the corner of his mouth tipped up. A second later, his big hand engulfed hers in warmth.
In the tiny mating clearing, the moon danced on the edge of the trees. The light wouldn’t last long, and wasn’t that a shame; Owen wanted to see the little female. It had been a long time since he’d truly enjoyed mating. But Darcy was special. Being with the little cat was…different…somehow.
He laid her down on the soft meadow grass and stretched out beside her, propping his head up on his hand. “You asked me a question.”
“I noticed you didn’t answer.” In the moonlight, her eyes were liquid pools of night. “You told me a female wouldn’t mate someone she disliked. But I bet males are different.”
Did she have any idea how appealing her clever mind was? “’Tis true males are less discriminating. He can mate someone he doesn’t particularly favor. In a way, we see it as our duty to the race.”
Her tiny sniff said she knew this would be the fact.
He grinned. “However, there is a wide gap between like and dislike. No male can rise for a female he hates.”
Her soft lips formed an O.
He ran the back of his knuckles over her softly curved cheek, feeling the increasing warmth. As he moved down, he found the pulse in her neck was delightfully rapid. Her collarbone gave him a path to her sternum and down to rest between her breasts.
She was holding her breath.
He gave her the honesty she’d asked for. “I like you, Darcy.”
At the release of her held breath, he smiled despite the ache in his chest. He was an ill-tempered weasel for making her doubt her appeal.
Awkwardly, he gave her the rest of the truth she was owed. “I was…poorly treated…as a cub and somehow figured all females were manipulative and self-centered. Since I’m gnome-stupid, it took me this long to realize not all females are the same.”
Her expression held compassion, and she stroked his shoulder in a way he enjoyed all too well. “I’m sorry you had such a rough time, and your mother was so cruel.”
She knew about his mother. By the God, the females had been gossiping about him. He started to pull back, then closed his eyes and wanted to groan. Aye, he was an idiot.
“Even knowing better, I keep seeing females as the enemy.” He laid his palm on the side of her face. “Please grab me by the tail and yank if you see me fall into the trap.”
Her lips curved. “Now there’s a nice invitation.”
He knew this female had the courage to tell him when he was messing up.
And now…after all the unkind words he’d given her, he owed her the good ones, as well. He stroked a finger over her lips. “I like your honesty—how you come right out and say what you want, what you’re feeling.”
Her startled look was a delight.
He trailed a finger down her pointed…stubborn…chin. “I like that you don’t cave in, and you have the courage to do what you think needs to be done.” He snorted. “Although the Cosantir might not be as appreciative.”
Before she could overthink his warning, he took her hand, kissing the callused fingers. “I like your talent with those human devices. Your delight in making something work reminds me of Gawain’s pleasure in a finely crafted blade.”
Whether with tools or lives, this little tinker tried to fix whatever was broken.
Ah, the smile had reached her eyes.
He put his hand between her lovely breasts. “Perhaps more than anything, I like your loyalty to your villagers and your brothers. Even when you’re afraid, you press on.”
Her lips were soft under his, and he took his fill before lifting his head long enough to whisper, “Yeah, I like you, Darcy.”
And he wanted her with a need that throbbed through him from his paws to his whiskers. His balls ached as if a gnome was squeezing them.
Still… He was going to take his time and enjoy every second he had with her. He kissed her cheek and nibbled on her jaw, under her ear, and down. The hollow at the base of her neck held her scent, the fresh green of oak moss after spring showers. He tasted between her small breasts, kissed the undersides, and licked over the puckered nipples.
She gasped, and her back arched up.
Nice. He could spend some time here. He licked around one nipple, then closed his lips around the peak and sucked. Nibbled, sucked.
Under his hand, her heart was beating violently against her sternum. Her moan made him smile.
He fondled her beautifully formed breasts, enjoying the firmness and the softness, feeling them swell until the skin was tight and the nipples long and pointed.
“Please. Please, Owen, I need more.” She tugged on his hair, interrupting his play, and reminding him of his duty. In the moonlight, her dark eyes met his straightforwardly.
And he realized this one night wasn’t going to be enough for him. He hadn’t lied to her…he did like her, and he would want her even when the moon wasn’t full. It might be fun to mate a female not influenced by the full moon heat. A female—this female. “All right, little cat.”
“I’m not little, damn it.”
His lips twitched. Fuck, she was cute. “No, you’re definitely full grown.” And he would thank the Mother for the gift of her. “And I’ll give you more.”
But, rather than impaling her on his cock as she’d obviously hoped, he moved down. As he licked her belly, he was pleased to see her ribs were now hidden under beautifully soft flesh. When he rubbed his chin on the crease between her thigh and pelvis, she inhaled sharply, and her hips started to rise.
“Oh, none of that now,” he murmured, breathing her in. Her fragrance here was richer, more sensual, redolent with her excitement. Under his hands, she was almost quivering. “You’ll have more fun if we take our time.”
“You-you dumb dumbass, I don’t want to go slow. Take me, dammit.” Her voice—he did love her sultry voice. Instead of her tone rising to shrill, her cute demands were even more throaty than usual. The smoky sound laced around his heart.
He ran his hands up and down her legs before settling between her soft thighs. “I will. When I’m ready.” Smiling, he teased his tongue over her pussy, savoring the musky taste of her—and silencing her completely.
Her hips squirmed enough that he ruthlessly pinned her down. Wasn’t it nice his cahir’s hands were so big he could hold her in place as well as use his thumbs to part her folds?
The moonlight showed the sweet nub of nerves was swollen and ready for his tongue. He puffed a warm breath over it—and she jolted upward. She’d need a light touch.
Using just the tip of his tongue, he teased around the nub, wanting to bring his fingers into play, as well. However, new to mating, she would be tender inside.
Instead, he’d tease her in a different area.
Mother of All, every drag of Owen’s tongue sent her higher. Oh, she needed more, wanted him to take her.
But his hands mercilessly pinned her hips to the ground, and she couldn’t even move as he teased her to the brink, then slowed, then teased her to the edge again.
Her clit was impossibly sensitive and so swollen it throbbed. Nothing had ever felt so good, if only he’d let her come. Why didn’t he let her come? Just a tiny extra…
He moved a hand down and her breath caught as she waited for him to touch her pussy, to enter her. His hand slid lower, and he slid a finger between her buttocks.
She stiffened. “What…?” She felt his finger circle her anus. “Not there.”
His lips closed around her clit—and his laugh vibrated through the exquisitely sensitive nub until nothing else registered. Then his finger moved again right there, engulfing her in strange tingling sensations that somehow only added to what she felt from the front.
He licked around her clit, and his finger circled back there, and a clawing need rolled through her in an entirely new way. Oh, oh, oh.
As he sucked in teasing pulls on her clit, the pressure at her core increased until she trembled on the precipice. Every nerve in her lower half was awake and needy.
His finger breached the tiny rim of anal muscles.
Oh my Gods! The shocking sensation flung her right off the precipice into a molten lake of pleasure. Wave after wave of sensation surged through her, flooding her from toes to scalp until everything in her body simmered with satisfaction.
“Ah, now, what a nice reaction.” Like a cougar setting a giant paw on a cub, he held her down with a hand on her pelvis and studied her with intent eyes. He licked over her clit and watched her as she shivered. Licked again.
“It’ll do for the moment. Come here.” Lying down beside her, he pulled her over his body as if she were a blanket.
Her head spun for a second. She was on top. Of Owen. His body was a furnace beneath her and so, so hard.
Freed of the full moon need—for a minute or two—she propped herself up with her forearms on his chest. She had questions.
Owen smiled as the soft waves of her hair spilled over him in a black wave, cool against his skin.
She frowned at him. “You touched me…behind. It felt so strange.”
Inexperienced. Embarrassed. Yet so refreshingly straightforward. Fuck, he really did like her. Reaching up, he gathered her silky hair and rearranged it down her back, letting the last of the moonlight illuminate her face. “I did. You’re undoubtedly getting sore, so I used the other hole.” He paused and decided to be equally honest. “When shifters share a female, they often use both holes. I wanted to see if anal sex was something you might eventually enjoy.”
“Share a female?” The moonlight showed her cheeks darkening with a flush. “Sex with…” She shook her head, muttering to herself. “Of course they would. Don’t be a stupid tinker.”
“You’re not stupid, little cat.” He combed his fingers through her hair, releasing the lingering scent of her shampoo. “Far from it. Did you think you would learn all about the Daonain in a month?”
Her exasperated grumble made him grin.
“You don’t smile enough,” she murmured, running her fingers over his lips, tracing the lines beside his mouth. “So, what you’re saying, brothers mate a female at the same time. Do only lifemates do that?”
“Anyone. If the littermates want and the female agrees. Most littermates believe enjoying a female together makes a mating more special.”
“I thought you and your brother had been apart since you were teenagers. How do you know?”
“Females don’t reach maturity until early twenties. Males are old enough somewhere between sixteen and eighteen. Gawain and I attended two Gatherings before our lives went separate ways.”
“Oh.”
Those two Gatherings had been quite educational for him and Gawain. Their experienced partners had taught them exactly how to please a female—and how to share a female for the enjoyment of them all. “We were energetic, enthusiastic and”—he gave her a rueful smile—“we mated so many females from moonrise to moonset that our dicks were raw when we finally staggered out into the morning sun.”
Her eyes widened, and she burst into husky, infectious giggles.
His dick throbbed, letting him know it wouldn’t mind some energetic exercise.
As her laughter faded, her gaze lowered. As she traced a finger over various scars on his chest, she bit her lip.
He gave her hair a tug. “Ask, Darcy.”
Ask, he said, as if talking about this stuff was easy. Maybe it was for normal shifters, but not so much for ones who’d been brainwashed by neurotic human inhibitions. As she tried to figure out how to phrase the question without revealing her own neurotic anxieties, she traced a long silvery scar from his shoulder down his chest. A light scattering of silky dark hair covered his contoured, solid pectorals—and didn’t conceal the myriad of past wounds he’d taken.
He laid his hand over hers, and his voice deepened to a growl. “Darcy.”
Fine. “Donal and Tynan are littermates. So are you and Gawain. But none of you wanted to…share me.” Did I do something wrong? Is there something wrong with me? Those words didn’t come out at all.
He snorted and pulled her down to kiss her. A sweet, comforting kiss she sure hadn’t expected from the stern cahir. “Little cat, we didn’t even discuss sharing you. You’re too new to mating. Two males at once can be frightening—and would certainly be more cocks than you were ready for at once. One was enough, I think?”
“Oh.” At the teasing quirk of his eyebrow, her tension relaxed. “Yes. It was.” She blushed, remembering how Gawain had pressed inside her, hurting her, and filling her, and it had been wonderful.
The memory sparked an internal glow, one she was beginning to recognize. Her need was rising again, even more demanding this time.
She wiggled and realized her stomach rested on a very long, very erect cock. “Speaking of sharing…” She rubbed her pelvis against him, feeling his shaft jerk against her stomach. “It’s selfish to keep certain things to yourself.”
“Is it now?”
Oh, she loved when she could make him laugh.
“Then take what you need.” He ran his hard hands up and down her arms. “I’m all yours.”
Her mouth opened as delight surged over her. He was so very…dominant. “Really? I can…do what I want?”
“Aye.” He opened his hands, letting her know she was free.
Pushing away the growing urgency, she leaned forward and initiated her first kiss. His lips were firm, and he kissed her back, letting her tongue fence with his…and she found his limits when she started to squirm on him.
Suddenly his hand was wrapped in her hair, holding her while his tongue invaded and plundered without mercy.
He released her eventually…when her head was filled with a hum of desire, and her breasts throbbed for his touch.
“Sorry.” His lips twitched. “I can only stay on the receiving end for so long before instincts take over.”
That was a good warning, she decided. Rather than answering, she kissed his chin, nipped his jaw, and felt his hands crush her arms before he remembered and released her.
She moved down to lick along his collarbone, tease out the flat nipples…and see if she could make them peak the way hers did.
They peaked, but were still tiny.
His stomach had ridges of muscle, like an old-fashioned washer-board. Farther down, his cock jutted upward from a dark tangle of hair. After giving him a second to object, she wrapped her hands around his shaft.
Oooh wow. Long, ever so long. Satin skin over a granite core, his erection radiated heat. Thick veins twined from the base to the mushroom head, and his woodsy scent was dark and strong here, enticing her to taste.
She licked over him and heard him inhale through his nose.
Her pussy swelled, demanding she straddle him and put him inside.
Not yet.
Instead, she licked around the head and closed her lips around the shaft, feeling him pulse with his own hunger. He needed her, too. Satisfaction seeped into her.
The taste of the salty drop from the tip of his cock made her center clench. She took him deeper in her mouth, sliding him up and down. The vision of how his shaft would feel inside her sent more wetness between her legs.
Sent more urgency through her.
She couldn’t wait. “Um.”
“Yes, kitten?” His face was strained as he quite obviously kept himself from taking what he wanted.
“Do people do matings this way? Can I?”
Her query was awfully inarticulate, but he understood. His grin flashed. “Aye, tinker. You can…for a while. Then I will take over…and take you.”
That warning again.
She better not wait. Straddling him, she tried to figure out how to get the two parts to go together, and he obligingly reached down and held his cock up.
Perfect.
She was wet and slick, and the head slid right in, although the burn of her tender tissues made her suck in air. But need drove her on, and she took more of him, easing down gently as he moved his hand away.
Her center stretched around him—and oh, he felt so good. She rose up, slid down, and…realized he wasn’t all in. Leaning forward, she braced her hands on his shoulders. “It doesn’t fit.”
His chuckle was reassuring. “It will, just take it slow.”
He cupped her dangling breasts and ran his thumbs over her nipples.
The added sensation, heat and abrasion, made her wiggle, and she slid back down more.
His purr of approval made his chest vibrate.
Up and down. Oh, she could feel the stretch deep within. Each time she went a bit lower until finally, breathless at the sensation, she felt his groin against her buttocks. “In.”
“Aye.” His eyes were half-closed with pleasure, his lips curved, and he looked so different that she leaned forward, lifting up so she could kiss him.
But she went too far and his shaft almost came out.
Laughing, he closed his big hands on her hips, seating her firmly back on his cock…much faster than she’d done it. She gasped at the feeling of the sudden fullness.
Before she could move, he lifted her up and yanked her down again, taking control.
A thrill ran across her nerves. Under her knees, the ground seemed to soften as she gave over to him and let go. Deep in her core, the coil of pleasure began to contract.
He was moving slowly, being careful not to hurt her, she realized, but… “More. I want more.”
An eyebrow went up, and his eyes lit. “More you will get.” He tried to move his hand down between them, but she was leaning too far forward and his hand was too big.
His eyes narrowed, and then he smiled, a wicked light in his eyes. “No, I think you will take me another way, little cat—one that puts your ass in the air for me.”
Before she could understand what he meant, he lifted her off entirely, pulling his cock out and setting her in the grass. She started to roll over to her back, when he grasped her around the waist and turned her, positioning her on her arms and knees.
“What are you doing?” Belatedly, she realized he’d knelt behind her, and her ass was…right there.
He ran his hands over her bottom, massaging her. “Fuck, I adore your ass.”
“Uh, thanks?”
Laughing, he flattened his hand under her pelvis, holding her hips up. Then she felt him press his shaft against her pussy.
She frowned. The other males hadn’t done it this way. “This isn’t—”
“You’re going to take me—and you’re going to come this way.” He relentlessly pressed in, past the tiny burn of abused flesh at the entrance, and filled her.
Oh Gods.
He purred as he started sliding in and out, going deeper each time, filling her so full she had trouble finding her breath. The way he felt was…amazing. Her core compressed with excitement, with need, and she leaned forward and back, trying to make him move faster.
He laughed. “Push little cat.” Gripping her hips, he forced her to the speed he wanted. Controlling her. “I’ll speed up soon enough. First, let’s get you ready.”
As he pressed back in, he leaned forward. The angle changed and he went even deeper, making her gasp.
Bracing himself on one arm, he slid his other hand down her pelvis and over her clit.
The intense burst of pleasure was shocking, and she clenched around his cock, making him groan. His fingers never stopped, circling her clit, teasing over it, even as he continued the slow in-and-out. The pressure within wound tighter and tighter. Her body drew to a razor’s edge, and she hung there, quivering.
Then he gripped her hips with both hands and his thrusts grew deeper as he took her, hard and fast. Within seconds, the rhythm took her over, pushing her ever higher, and then…then everything inside her convulsed, shattering her with overwhelming pleasure as she spasmed around his cock.
Owen watched the little cat’s back bow with her release—so fucking beautiful—and he kept thrusting, keeping her going until the clenching around his cock began to slow.
Then he let his body take over, and he hammered into her with short fast strokes as the pressure built at the base of his spine, until his balls were drawn up so painfully taut that he wanted to bellow out his need. With the last thrust, he pressed deep, deeper, and released. The heat streamed out his balls, through his cock, filling the little cat with his seed.
For the first time, he hoped his seed would find a home. He wanted to see her belly swelling with his cub. Wanted to—By the God, what was he thinking?
He shook the wayward thoughts out of his head and leaned down to kiss her hair.
She was trembling, panting, and her heart was pounding so vigorously he could almost hear it. The new shifter’d had two days of running as a cat, then an entire night of mating. Talk about being exhausted.
“Poor kitten,” he murmured, straightening and running his hands over her back. The feeling of the scars from where she’d been whipped flattened his mouth. By the God, he’d see that never happened again.
He frowned as he eased himself out of her. When she started to fall forward, he gently rolled her onto her side. She was half-asleep, and he should get her back to the fire. The moon had set. She could rest now.
But… He’d heard some females, after mating, some wanted to be held. He’d never… And yet…
He lay down behind her and pulled her back against his chest, curling around her to keep her warm, to protect her…to show her that she wasn’t alone.
When she sighed and wrapped her hands around his forearms, keeping him close, a tiny sprig of contentment uncurled inside his chest.