Fourteen

Dimitri craved her. As soon as they were back to the cabin, he shifted again, taking her in his arms as soon as he possessed arms again. The entire time he stood by her as they took on Bane and his henchmen, it drove him crazy. Her strength, the passion in her voice as she stood up for herself, the way she defended the others in Bull Creek, it came as no surprise to him that his cock was rock hard when he shifted back.

He didn’t wait for her to strip. He didn’t even wait for her to be in the cabin. He ripped her clothes from her body, tossing the shreds to the ground as he devoured her mouth with his, using his hands to explore her body. He cupped her breasts in his hands, his fingers grazing across her swollen nipples, teasing them. A hum of satisfaction slipped from her lips, her gasps at his touch spurring him to a hotter fire. He felt her hand grip his cock, stroking him, as she begged him to take her, pleaded with him to fuck her.

Adira gripped his shoulders, yanking him toward the front door and through it, their lips never parting. With his foot, he kicked the door shut, the air switching from the hot Florida afternoon to the air-conditioned coolness of her cabin, chills racing up their bodies at the temperature change. Dimitri swept her into his arms and carried her to the couch, where he dropped her, and then spun her, pulling her ass into the air. “God, you were so hot out there,” he said, his voice a growl, as he ran a hand over her ass. “My woman taking on the coyotes.” He dragged his hand up her back, his nails leaving white lines along her flesh. “Mine!” he roared as he thrust into her, riding her with the hunger of his beast.

Adira’s cry of pleasure tore from her lips, and it was music to his ears, to the panther within him, driving him to thrust harder, pound into her with an animalistic hunger. He clawed her ass, his nails leaving bloodlines on her flesh as his panther’s claws darted out, puncturing her as he fucked her. She screamed but begged for more. He kept driving into her, leaning down until he could place a hand on each side of her, his mouth so close to her shoulder it drove him crazy. The scent of her filled his nostrils, urging his panther to bite her, mark her, and claim her as his, as theirs. He felt his teeth shift into fangs as he took a deep breath, her pussy clamped around his cock.

“Do it,” she hissed, her voice a throaty whisper. “Mark me. Make me yours.”

He couldn’t hold back any longer, his panther craving to fulfill her cries. He sank his teeth into her shoulder, puncturing her flesh, tasting her. She screamed, pushing back onto him, her ass pressing into him, as he lost himself in her wet warmth.

With his teeth embedded into her flesh, he felt his body shudder, his cock twitch and throb as his storm of lust exploded inside of her. Her body tensed at the same time, as her muscles spasmed around his cock, her body shivering as her own orgasm ripped through her, bringing a scream of ecstasy from her lips. He reached around, tweaking her nipples as he pulled the pearled tips downward. She moaned, shoving herself back onto his cock, her back arching as she finished her orgasm. He lifted his head, the taste of her on his lips, his tongue. He would never be able to get enough of her. Never.

Spent, he slipped from her with his climax complete, spinning so that he sat on her couch, pulling her down and over onto his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder, her arm across his waist, as he wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. “I think you have powers no one else knows about,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “You’ve definitely put a spell on me.”

She nuzzled into his chest, squeezing him tightly against her. “You’re not the only one bewitched.”

Those words made him smile. Too bad they needed to deal with a gang of coyotes. He could stay right here on the couch, naked, with her in his arms forever. “You need to be careful,” he said, pulling her tighter against him. “Bane will be more determined than ever to get at you now that you’ve stood up to him twice. He doesn’t like to be put down in front of his followers.”

“He needs to be put down, like a rabid dog.”

“Trust me, it may come to that. No one messes with my community. The residents of Bull Creek need this place, this sanctuary. I’ll not allow the likes of Bane Kastner to take it away from them. Prejudice and hatred will not win. Not now. Not ever.”

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked, shifting as she did. “Something made you become a guardian of this place.”

He ran his thumb over her bare shoulder as his thoughts drifted back to a year ago when he first moved to Bull Creek. “I didn’t necessarily plan it,” he said, his voice distant. “I left Draven Falls because of a family squabble. My parents wanted me to be someone I wasn’t and did their best to apply pressure, to force me into what they desired for their family legacy. Lainie already disappointed them by entering law enforcement, and I watched my brother succumb to our parents’ pressures, leaving him depressed and miserable. My parents behaved a lot like Bane, believing humans and shifters should remain apart. However, they took it even further, believing shifter bloodlines should remain pure; no interspecies mating should exist.” He took a deep breath. “My brother dated a human at the time, and my parents did everything in their power to ruin it. They succeeded, of course, but my brother was never the same. It destroyed him. They arranged a mating for him with another in the panther tribe back in Draven Falls, and he succumbed to their wishes. I didn’t hang around to see how it worked out, but I feel sorry for both him and his wife. They both have to be miserable, knowing it’s not what their animals wanted.”

“Was she his mate?”

“I never found out for sure, but I believe so. It’s the only reason I can think of for how devastated Fitz became, and how he just gave up on life.” He leaned over and kissed the side of her head. “Losing a mate is like death.”

She squeezed him tightly. “I’m so sorry.”

He brushed the side of her head with another kiss. “It’s why I left, why Lainie left. It’s why I won’t allow Bane to win. There’s too much hatred in this world, and too much of it wins already. It won’t win here. I won’t allow it.”

He felt her nod against his chest, her hair brushing his flesh, sending thrills throughout his body. His cock twitched at the sensation, and it took all his power to keep his panther in check. As much as Dimitri wanted to take her again right then, they needed to figure out how to deal with Bane. “So, how do we stop him?” she asked, finally allowing herself to shift, sitting up straight.

He moved as well, stretching his muscles as he did. “That’s the big question, isn’t it?” As much as he dreaded leaving her side, he pushed himself off the couch. “To be honest, outside of just killing him, I’m not sure what we can do. He’s going to keep coming at us, attacking humans and the shifters who befriend them.” He kissed the top of her head. “And witches who stand up to him. You’re marked now, love, in more ways than just as my mate. You’ve made yourself a target and, while I’m proud of the guts it took, I can’t say I like that you’re in Bane’s crosshairs. I need you to be more careful. I couldn’t handle it if anything happened to you.”

She pushed herself off his chest so she could stare into his green-gold eyes. “I won’t allow a bully to cause me to cower. Bane needs to be stopped, and we’re the only ones who can do it. He’s skirted the law so far. We can’t allow him to keep up his reign of terror.”

He couldn’t feel prouder of her than he did right then. Yet, he also feared for her safety. Bane was not someone to trifle with, even if that someone was a witch. Dimitri needed to make sure Adira was safe, but he knew he needed to do it in a way she didn’t expect. If she realized for even an inkling that he coddled her, she’d never forgive him, of that he had no doubt. Of course, he had no idea how he would go about that little task, either.

An incessant pounding shook Adira’s door as Josh screamed Dimitri’s name. One pounding wasn’t enough, apparently, as the man kept beating on the door until Dimitri opened it—after slipping his pants back on, that is. “What the hell?” Dimitri stared at the man. Josh appeared as if he had just run miles, his hair plastered to his sweaty head, his shirt soaked, and his chest heaving with his struggle to catch his breath.

Josh leaned on the doorframe, his shoulders rising and falling with his panting. “Lainie….accident….” He shook his head, still struggling with his breathing.

Dimitri felt his eyes widen. “Where is she?”

Josh waved off to the west. “Sheriff,” was all he could say.

Adira came out of the bedroom, having left the living room before Dimitri opened the door to put on some clothes. She stared at him, the pain she saw on his face reflected in her own expression. She could feel his anguish. “Go,” she said. “Make sure she’s all right. I’ll be here when you get back.”

His panther urged him not to leave, or to take her with him. But this was his sister. He needed to be with her. Adira would be fine for just a little while. Bane couldn’t retaliate that quickly. He nodded once before turning to Josh. “Get patrols started. Contain any coyotes you find in the vicinity of Bull Creek. I want answers.”

Josh nodded. “You’ll have them.”

As Josh left, Dimitri turned to Adira, walking across the floor to take her in his arms. “You need to stay inside with the doors locked and be safe. If Bane’s taken to attacking people now, especially my sister, a deputy, then who knows what he’ll try next. I need you safe.”

She placed a hand on his cheek, and his panther struggled to pounce her right then and there. He pressed down the desire, the urgency to get to his sister a priority. He leaned in and brushed a kiss on Adira’s cheek. “Remind me to send Agatha Rochester a thank you note.”

She smiled as she pushed him toward the door. “After this is over. Now go and give Lainie a hug for me. I know she’s got to be all right. I’m not thinking any other way.”

He squeezed her. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, and we’ll go for round two.” His grin made her blush, which in turn made his panther purr. He needed to get back to her. And quick.

She shoved him toward the door again. He nodded once, and then turned, rushing toward his truck, and then to his sister. If Bane did something to Lainie… If he hurt her in any way…