Chapter Seventeen

His hand went around her neck. She tried to stay perfectly still as she waited for him to choke her to death. His other hand picked up her burned hand. She was avoiding looking at it, but now that he was peeling her fingers back one by one; she sucked in a breath and looked down.

In the middle of her hand was a raised design. She didn’t know what it was it could be a picture; it could also be a different language.

He roared. She shook then she looked at him with suspicion. The roar wasn’t the loud one from earlier it was softer, and it sounded differently. Then another one came out.

“Are you talking to me?”

He took his claws away from her throat allowing her to breathe easier. He took the back of one claw that was smooth and traced what was on her hand.

“It’s a word, isn’t it?” Her body was shaking. A smile was on her face. It had to be a word.

She brought her finger up and traced it. He moved his head in approval. He stepped back and roared in pain as he clutched his chest.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” That was the first roar he had given her. The I want to kill you roar. What changed?

He fell to his knees and began backing away from her. The fur on his shoulder moved giving her a glimpse of a tattoo? Couldn’t be a tat he wasn’t human. Did other species have tats? Maybe, why should they only belong to humans? Great, now she was going to have to get closer to look.

“Lucca, my shifter, I need to get closer to you.” She went to her hands and knees to crawl towards him. He snapped his jaw at her making her halt.

“Hey, remember me? I’m menace the female who would never hurt you. I just want to see your shoulder. Please, I fed you last night. There’s more yummy steak upstairs. If you turn back into a male, I’ll even try my hand at cooking you that steak. I’m coming closer don’t snap those teeth at me.”

He watched her like a wild animal. At any moment, he might decide to attack, but for now; he watched her approach.

“Good Lucca. You owe me something big. Bigger than the boots and the shoes you bought me. I’m going to touch you now.” There was a warble in her voice, but she pretended she couldn’t hear it.

Her hand raised gently touching his shoulder. “Your fur is soft,” her voice was as soothing as she could make it as she stroked him. “I like it.”

Her fingers went deeper until she was touching flesh. “You run hot in this from. It doesn’t feel too bad; I'd never need a cover.

She ran her finger over the area she could now see. It wasn’t a tat there were grooves in his skin. Could it be? It made some weird sort of logic if she thought about it.

“I’m going to touch you a little longer, press my whole hand against you.” She placed her palm against him and began to slide it over his shoulder until her hand fit against the grooves in his body. It was a lock and a key.

He roared again and pulled her on top of his body using one hand to keep her hand steady. She laid her head against his throat and allowed her body to relax. Fate had already been tempted it was just a matter of whether it decided to kill her or not.

His body began to move; she raised her head to watch him shift. Once again, he was Lucca. He raised her hand and showed it to her; the marking on it was gone.

“He is one of the animals that makes up my DNA sequence. They are usually very intelligent, but the male who held me tortured him past the point of reason and then said you commanded it be done. He was born; I was born with that mark that can only be seen when I am shifted.”

“Tell me about the mark?”

Lucca stood. “Let’s do it upstairs you're shivering.”

“My people are born with that mark. The males have it on their shoulders the females on their hands, but it is unique. No two are the same. He explained as he carried her upstairs and laid her on the bed.

“The female's mark is flat and so is the males until they reach the start of puberty. Then the male's mark begins to deepen until he reaches adulthood. That is the last sign that he is officially a male with the ability to leave his parents dwelling. The female mark is different it begins to push away from her flesh as she works. A bit chauvinistic maybe, but the hard work shows that she is not lazy and will make her mate a good wife. When two people with the same mark come together, they can mate, but the female must be willing to place her mark in the male. It is the reverse of the male claiming his mate with his body.”

“You knew I was your mate when you saw the mark?”

“I did. It was hard to believe after so many years that I tried to fight it in that form. You mean too much to me Menace. No matter what form I am in, I’ll always be attracted to you.”

“When you are in your other form or forms, look don’t touch, remember that.”

“I’ll remember.”

He pulled her close and kissed her. His teeth nipped at her lips until she opened for him.

“That’s my menace.” He stroked her tongue slowly as his fingers stroked down the side of her neck.

She sucked his tongue into her mouth taking his taste deep inside of her. His mouth sealed on her kissing her as his body stroked hers.

“Lucca,” she whimpered. “I need you. I have to feel you real and whole touching me.”

“I didn’t do anything to deserve you, but someone knew I needed you.” He reached down and took her shirt in his hand pulling it over her head.

“Shower?”

“No time.” He stripped her bare as her hand caressed his chest.

“Well, shifting left you naked.”

“One of the positive things.” He pulled her to him before kissing the globes of her chest. His hands covered her body slowly stroking it. “What do you want?”

She pushed him until he was on his back then she told him to roll over.

“How sensitive are you?”

She started at the back of his neck nipping on him. She licked him loving the saltiness of his skin.

He let out a deep breath. The feel of her mouth on him had him tied in a ball. How could something so simple make his body shake with need? He let out a deep groan as her hands stroked down his back. A smile touched his lips as she used her tongue to stroke him following the path of her hands.

He shuddered when she stroked down his spine. Her soft hands had so much strength. He could still feel the pride his beast felt when he watched her. She had been so scared, but she kept it deep within and approached him. How could he not love the feel of his strong mate loving him?

Her hand pinched at his ass making him tighten. The sound of her laughter made him relax. She bit him bringing a groan from him. She caressed his ass again before going down to his legs.

“I love your body.”

He looked over his shoulder. “I think that’s what I’m supposed to say.”

“Then say it.”

He twisted and grabbed her pulling her over his body until she was lying on the bed.

“You’re sassy, menace.”

“Glad you like it.” She sucked his nipple into her mouth before she bit it.

“I like it.” He took her nipple into his mouth and sucked while he plucked the other one between his fingers.

He stroked down her body making swirling patterns on her skin as he went lower. He stopped at her belly button to trace the outside of it.

“You’re so small, but you’re so strong.”

“I’m not strong.” Her hands clutched at his arms trying to stay afloat in the midst of the sensations he was evoking in her body and her mind.

He blew on her belly before going lower.

“I like that about you. You think you’re just living life, which keeps you from seeing your strength. My menace, just a strong woman.”

He went down further kissing her. Her body tensed she knew he was going to taste her. The feel of his hands on her legs had her opening them wider her knees falling to the side of the bed.

She lifted her upper body to look down at herself.

“Beautiful, you’re wide open for me.”

She wasn’t one to judge how she looked in the midst of passion, but she agreed with him. The way he was looking at her, eating her up with his eyes was beautiful. She wouldn’t forget this moment. It was a moment in time she wanted to hold on to forever.

She fell back on the bed when he licked her clit. Then he blew on it drawing a high keening sound out of her.

His fingers came up to pinch her clit while his tongue dived deep within her. She clutched his hair trying to stop the shocks of pleasure going through her body.

“I want you in me.” Her voice trembled making it hard to get the words out.

He looked up at her.

“I need you.”

A slow smile took over his lips and invaded his eyes making them a brighter blue. He slowly crawled up her body while she licked her lips at the sight of his thick cock bobbing as he moved.

“See something you like?”

She nodded before she took him into her hand. She squeezed then slid her hand up and down him.

“Soft hands.” He settled between her legs, telling her more than he could say with his eyes. “Hold on baby.”

He lifted his hips and slammed down making her gasp for breath, then not giving her a chance he pulled out and pounded against her again.

Pleasure invaded her body making her dizzy making her hold onto him tighter. Her legs went around him as her heart soared and her mind replayed how much she was beginning to care about him.

She met him thrust for thrust even as she fell deeper into the spell he seemed to have over her. Her eyes opened to look at him. His eyes were glazed in his sweat slicked skin. The look he gave her when he looked at her made her heart skip a beat. She wasn’t the only one falling under a spell; they were falling together.

How was she going to protect him? He was the only person in the world she had, and she would never see him get hurt again. Even as she thought the words, she knew that shit happened. Her arms wrapped tighter around him.

“Are you with me menace?”

“I’m here. Lucca make me yours.”

He thrust again going as deep as he could, and she let go as her body lost all rhythm. All she could do was cling to him as she was thrown around in a whirlwind. There was no telling where she might land, but as long as she was with him, she didn’t care.

His voice roaring in her ears was all she could hear when he fell with her. She opened her eyes in time to watch his canines drop. His tongue came out and licked her shoulder before he bit her making her pussy convulse again.

Her world went black.