Welcome to another installment of On The Prowl. Maz and I had a
lot of fun working on this post (well I did, so I'm imposing my happiness on
her. Heh.). I made my contributions while on the road. Very interesting typing
from a car and a hotel. We hope you enjoy it!
Brian prowled the gym’s
lobby waiting on classes to end. Three days ago, he made the worst mistake of
his life by leaving the city, and his mate, without making an effort to explain
his actions and apologize for them. Three days spent in the company of the
perpetually horny bear shifter and his enthusiastic mate. Three days listening
to their cries of pleasure, Killian’s increasingly asinine schemes to woo
Nulli, and Melody’s more sensible advice. Three days.
He flopped into a chair
and buried his face in his hands. He found no peace in the Lancashire home.
Their happiness battered at his heart. Their lustful abandon only served to
remind him of what he might have lost forever. Even though he ran until his
paws were raw and bloody, still his dreams were filled with her eyes, her
laugh, her scent, her taste. He returned to her city tired, gaunt, and sore,
but determined to do all he could to reclaim his mate.
If he could find her.
Students from the last
class trickled out of one of the rooms, their voices an unintelligible murmur
of exhaustion and pique. They didn’t care for the new instructor. He wasn’t
fun. He didn’t encourage them like Nulli did. He didn’t dance. His music was
crap. It went on and on but the main thing that penetrated his desperate mind
was... new instructor. Where the hell was his mate?
“You have a lot of nerve
showing up here, cat.” The low growl, along with the distinct scent of wolf,
identified the unknown and irate female as a shifter. She cornered him away
from the flow of traffic, hands on her hips and revealing the tips of her
deadly fangs. “Haven’t you done enough damage already?”
“Who are you and what do
you know about it?”
“I’m the one she called
after your ran off to God knows where. I’m the one who answered her questions
when she was damn near in hysterics after your little stunt.” She poked him in
the chest, the tip of her claw piercing his skin and creating a pinprick wound.
“And I’m the one who had to console her after you fled with your tail between
your legs, leaving nothing but that damned letter.”
“By feeding her a rash
of half-truths sprinkled with lies?” He hissed, closing his hands into fists to
hide his claws. If he poked the woman back, he would not be as restrained as
she. “I take it you’re the ‘Elaina’ who planted that garbage in her head? Good
God, woman, she thought a single bite would turn her against her will. One
bite! Why the fuck would you tell her something like that?”
“To protect her! There
are a lot of shady shifters out there who are eager to hook up with a
knowledgeable human. It’s easier for them since they don’t have to be as
careful, but it can be dangerous for humans if they go into it blind. It was
better for her to be overly cautious. At least I talked to her about it before
I tried to mark her.”
“Yeah, and you did such
a great job with that.”
“Whatever. I’m not
apologizing for looking out for her.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her
golden eyes fixed on his. “It still doesn’t explain why you are here.”
“Not that it’s any of
your business, dog, but I’m here to speak with Ms. Nulli.”
“Speak with her? You do
have a pair the size the Texas on you, cat. She doesn’t want to speak with you.
You marked her against her will, ran out on her, dumped her the next day with a
crappy fucking letter, and then fled town!”
“I didn’t dump her!”
Brian growled and threaded his fingers through his hair, throwing it into wild
disarray. “I did what I thought she wanted; what she said she wanted. You
didn’t see her face. The horror at the thought that I had bitten her. The utter
disgust at being turned into a shifter. And then to know that she believes me
capable of turning random humans? I may be nothing more than a stray, but that
hurt. So, I gave her the only thing I felt she’d accept from me. I left.”
“And now you’re here.”
The wolf crossed her arms over her chest. The growl wasn’t as prominent in her
voice, but her fangs still gleamed in the harsh fluorescents. “If you thought
she wanted you gone so badly, why come back?”
“I need her. She’s my
mate. I have to try one more time.”
The wolf stared at him,
raising her nose to sniff the air. He held her gaze and let her see his pain,
his hope, and his aching need for the spirited woman he feared he had lost. As
the silence stretched, he felt his hope fading. If he couldn’t convince a
shifter of his sincerity, one who could sniff out a lie with ease, what hope
did he have of convincing his beautiful mate?
“Very well, but if you
hurt her again, stray, I swear I’ll set the pack on you.” Brian nodded. If he
managed to fuck this up a second time, he would let her. The shifter scribbled
an address on the back of one of the gym’s flyers and passed it to him. “She’s
gone hiking for a few days to clear her head. Left right after you did. I’ll
warn you now, she’s pissed and won’t make it easy for you.”
“I understand. Thank
you.” Clutching the note, he fled the gym. He needed to reach the cabin before
she decided to return to town.
The drive up the winding
road shredded his patience and his nerves. He cycled through what he wanted to
say, and even contemplated a few of Killian’s crazy schemes before dismissing
them with a growl. He didn’t think Nulli would appreciate most of them, and he
had no idea what the bear’s plans were for a bag of marbles, a pot of honey,
and a feather. Sometimes he wondered if his friend was entirely sane.
He missed the turn the
first time. Damn the wolf, she said he would. With a growl of frustration, he
backed up his rental and left the narrow highway. The recent rain had pitted
the road with more furrows than a freshly plowed field, but he persevered.
Thankfully, he had the foresight to rent a sturdy truck instead of the
subcompact the company had offered at first. The large vehicle conquered the
uneven terrain with ease. He wished he could conquer his racing heart as
easily.
He parked beside her car
and stared at the cabin. This was it. His chance to make things right, to
apologize, to grovel if need be. He took a deep, steadying breath and eased
from the truck. No tricks. No games. No crazy schemes from even crazier bears.
Just him, Brian Arcady, a lonely stray seeking his mate.
As he approached the
front door, the pulsing bass and rhythmic melody of a familiar song grabbed his
attention. It reminded him of Nulli’s classes. Creeping around the house, he
caught her scent before he saw her. Her warm, earthy aroma with that hint of
sweet flowers belonged in the forest. The faint tapping of keys reached his
ears, and he smiled. His mate wove tapestries of love and desire with her
words. He prayed she would include his thread into her personal tapestry and
intertwine their lives together so tight no mortal blades could never rip them
asunder.
But first, he had to
apologize.
Nulli lay in a hammock
suspended between a pair of massive trees. He drank in the sight of her tank
top hugging her firm breasts, her slim legs bare beneath a pair of shorts that
should be declared indecent, and her lovely face framed by her glorious curls.
The buds in her ears muffled his approach, so he enjoyed this unguarded moment
as long as he could. She was beautiful. She looked tired.
Releasing his breath in
a nervous sigh, he stepped into her line of sight and reached out to stop her
gentle swaying. The hurt and anger in her eyes would have robbed him of his
nerve had he not seen the flash of joy as well. Brian offered her a shaky
smile.
“Hello, Ms. Nulli.” His
smile faded when she didn’t respond in kind. He ran his fingers along the
smooth rope of the hammock, imagining it was her warmth that he felt. “I
wanted--needed to apologize, and ask if you would let me explain?”
She pulled out the ear buds and raised one eyebrow,
but her face was expressionless. "I think your letter and your leaving
we're pretty self explanatory.”
“If you mean they showed
what an utter fool I am, then yeah, I guess they were. I never wanted to
leave.” He gripped the rope of the hammock, wanting to look away but needing
her to see his sincerity. “I wanted to stay, to explain, but you were so angry,
so I did what I thought you wanted. I did what you accused me of doing again. I
gave you no choice. I just left. I’m sorry.”
Once he got started, the
words tumbled out. “I shouldn’t have bit you. I know that now. I should have
asked, but I thought-hoped that you wanted what I did, that you understood what
I meant by it. I didn’t mean to scare you, or make you think you would turn
against your will, or take away your choice in the matter. I just wanted you to
know how I felt, how I still feel.
You won’t turn. I swear
it. One bite will not turn even the most susceptible human, so there is no risk
of that. I don’t know what I can say to convince you of that. I could let you
talk to Killian, I suppose. He’s a friend of mine, a bear shifter. He’s a bit
sex-crazed, will probably say something about how flexible you are, but he’ll
answer your questions. I promise.”
"How does this
Killian know how flexible I am?" She pursed her lips and narrowed her
eyes.
“Oh, that.” Brian felt
the heat climb up his neck into his cheeks. “Um, I showed him and his mate a
picture of you on my phone. That crazy bear swiped through my pictures until he
found one of you stretching after class. You looked so graceful in the pose,
held it so effortlessly, that I had to grab a shot. I didn’t intend for him to
find it, but he’s a nosy bastard.”
"Go back a step.
What are you saying? You didn't mean to bite me?"
“Yes. Wait, no!” He
sighed and ran his hand through his mussed hair. “I’m saying I should have
asked you first. I’m saying I want more than just a casual encounter. I’m
saying... I’m asking you, if you would ever consider taking a stray to mate?”
Brian tasted blood as he chewed the inside of his lip. He’d laid his heart on
the line and it was all up to her now.
"Mate? I'm your
mate?"
“Yes, ma’am,” he
whispered. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Um, yes. That is, if you want
to be.”
"You knew I was
your mate. But you left. Then you came back. I don't understand, Brian. Are you
even sure?"
“I’m more sure of this
than I have ever been of, well, anything. I mean, I knew you had the potential
to be my mate. You smelled good, tasted good, felt utterly perfect, seemed to
know just how to make me purr... but I haven’t been around a lot of other shifters.
I didn’t know what to expect. Or how it would feel. How I would feel.
Leaving you was the hardest, and dumbest thing I have ever done. I ran because
I thought you hated me. I ran because I was scared of how badly I wanted that
to be wrong.”
She stared at him as if
she was looking into him, exposing him, searching him. She didn't speak, didn't
even blink. Nulli placed her laptop on the ground, stood, and walked away. She
didn't look back.
Each step was like a
knife in his heart. Had he really failed? Was there something else he could
have said? Was he doomed to live without his mate after finding her?
She reached the edge of
a grassy meadow before she stopped, took off her shoes, and did something he
didn't expect.
She ran.
Brian blinked. A smile
teased the edges of his lips as a low purr started in his throat. He kicked off
his shoes at the familiar scene. They still had much to talk about, but he
could not resist the challenge, the fun of the hunt. She knew how much cats
loved to play chase. He tore off his clothes, then shifted into his bobcat.
Releasing a roar, he sped in pursuit of his mate.
His paws kicked up grass
and dirt as he closed the distance between them. Her scent floated on the
breeze, fueling his need to stalk and catch the beauty before him. When he got
close, he circled around to the front to herd her towards a patch of
wildflowers. He could imagine her laying amongst them, beneath him. The thought
made him crazy.
As they neared the
flowers, he leaped towards her and shifted so that he landed on his back with
her on top of him. Weaving his fingers into her bounty of curls, he pulled her
lips to his and drowned in her exquisite taste.
She bit his bottom lip,
and grinned. "I thought I told you not to stray too far."
“Never again.” He rolled
them so he could have his vision brought to life, and it was better than he
imagined. She put the flowers to shame. He stole another kiss, caressing her
tongue with his and purring softly. “I’m an idiot, huh?”
"You're a bad
kitty." She kissed him softly before pulling back and pinching his ear.
"But you're my kitty."
“Hell yeah.” Brian
brushed her hair from her face, and hissed at the slight pain. “I am
sorry, Nulli. I won’t say I won’t screw up again, but I will try.” He reached
for her hands, kissed each one, then pinned them above her head. “There is one
thing, though, my sweet mate. Never run from a cat unless you’re prepared to
get caught.”
She rolled her eyes and
sighed. "I missed you."
He claimed her lips with
a purring groan. He peppered her cheek with teasing nips and scorching kisses
until he captured the lobe of her ear between his teeth. “I have run miles
trying to escape the pain my leaving caused. I have worn my paws bloody running
from the truth. I will never escape you, and I never want to.”
He gave the bruised skin
of her neck a gentle lick, nuzzling the tender area of his mark before dipping
lower. Brian’s kisses trailed along the edge of her shirt. He lapped and nipped
along the neckline with a constant purr.
"God, Brian, the
purring is killing me!"
“Really? I don’t think
you can die from a bit of purring, mate.” Nudging at her stretchy top, he
captured her nipple between his lips. As he sucked and licked the peak through
her bra, he ramped up his purring. Damn, he loved the way she responded to
him. “In fact, I’d say you were enjoying it.”
She wiggled under him,
and tried to lift her hands. "That's so not fair!" Soft moans tempted
him while her small shivers sent the scent of her arousal straight to his
sensitive nose.
“What’s not fair?” He
pushed the lace of her bra aside with his nose and lapped at her exposed
nipple. It crinkled in the breeze, and he kissed it with tender reverence.
“This?” Capturing it with his teeth, he sucked on the tight nub until it was
red and throbbing. “Or this?” He lapped the stiff peak then curled his tongue
around it and purred.
She tensed before
twisting her top wrist, freeing a hand. A hand that she moved down his body and
gripped his cock with. "This is fair, yes?" She held him firmly, and
pumped a slow, sensuous rhythm.
“My God, woman, you’re
trying to kill me!” He buried his face between her warm breasts and struggled
to hold on to rational thought. He couldn’t stop from pumping his hips into her
hand. “I can’t promise I won’t bite you if we continue. I want you so bad, and
you are just so damn perfect. I’ll try not to, but as long as you don’t draw my
blood, you will not turn. I swear.”
"Shh." She
continued stroking him, spreading his precome down the shaft. When he lifted
his head, she leaned forward. He attempted to move in for another kiss. She
bypassed his mouth and latched onto his ear, holding the shell in his teeth.
"You can bite me, Brian. I'm your mate, right?" She bit down a
little more before pumping harder.
“I hope you don’t like
these clothes,” he growled. Extending his claws, he sliced the material and
bared her to his greedy eyes. She was exquisite, from the glorious swells of
her breasts to her warm mocha skin to her toned and taut stomach. Just perfect.
His purrs grew as he kissed from one delightful nipple to the other, then down
her abs to nuzzle into her soft curls. “So beautiful. So delicious. You think
you like my purrs now, mate.”
Brian spread her thighs,
amazed anew at her flexibility. Catching her eyes, he grinned, winked, then
dragged his scratchy tongue along her outer lips. Holy shit, she tasted
better than a medium-rare steak! He licked every drop of her succulent
nectar from her satiny skin before teasing her sensitive clit. He licked,
nibbled and sucked the bundle of nerves. He pressed his tongue against it and
purred, encouraged by her whimpers and moans.
He released one of her
thighs to tease her further, lightly pinching and stroking her clit while he
rested her legs on his shoulders. With a growl, he plunged his tongue deep
inside her and savored his first true taste of his mate. He purred with every
thrust into her warm pussy, and he drank of her desire.
When she cried out her
release, he lowered her hips and sank into her quivering body with a roar. He
dug his hands into the soft earth by her head to protect her from his claws as
he fought not to embarrass himself. “Nulli.” Brian rested his forehead against
hers, taking long draws of breath to stave off his orgasm. “Damn, kitten.”
He withdrew slowly. Her
slick walls gripped at his cock, luring him to return to her warmth, and he
did, with a savage thrust and a growling purr. He withdrew again, only to
return with equal force. Capturing her lips, he set the broken rhythm of slow,
then fast. His purrs shook his body, from the lips that ravaged hers to his
thrusting cock.
She rose up to meet him,
matching his rhythm before drawing one leg up his side. She extended it
further, until she gripped it by the ankle and pulled herself into a split,
tightening around him all the while.
“Fuck!” Brian sat back
on his heels, watching the slide of their bodies. He stroked her clit as his
fangs pressed against his lip. He was close, so very close, but he wanted to
watch her this time. He wanted to see the beauty of her face in orgasm. The
impossible flexibility of his mate was not helping.
She reached out to him
with her other hand, sitting up a little and tucking the extended leg behind
her shoulder. She placed a palm on his chest, and then gripped his nipple tight
while she moaned.
“Dear God, do that
again!” Brian cupped the back of her neck with his hand, rubbing the bruised
join with his thumb. He increased the speed and force of his thrusts as well as
his purrs, lost in the pleasure of his mate. When she added a twist, he laid
her on the soft flowers, sank his teeth into her skin, and plunged his aching
cock into her willing flesh with preternatural speed.
When she shuddered
beneath him a second time, he roared his release to the sky.
She lowered her leg, and
they remained locked together until their breaths calmed. Nulli ran her fingers
through his hair, and smiled. "I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to
explain before." She dragged a finger to his ear and gave it a tickle.
"Since we're talking again, and seeing how we're naked in a field, should
we discuss another big topic?"
“We can do whatever
keeps that smile on your face.” He ghosted a kiss over her lips. “What did you
want to talk about, kitten?”
“First, holy hell,
you’re like a living vibrator!” She chuckled, the sound rumbling through her and
into him. “Second, since we’ve pretty much sealed the deal here, and I don’t
think either of us were prepared. What are your thoughts about children?”
Talk about taking it up a notch. Dang! Guess time will tell if there will be the pitter patter of little paws in the near future. ;)
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