21 Shades of Night, page 322
His manhood rose, pushing against her thighs. She moaned softly, biting her lip as a heated sensation rushed through her.
He growled softly and then flipped them over, trapping her beneath his rock-solid chest. She gasped, but he captured her lips once again. This time, his kisses were firm and deep. His lips moved lower to nip her chin, and he grazed her neck with the tip of his nose. Heat and tension grew between her legs until she ached for something more. More of his touch.
Thane lifted the shirt over her head, immediately bringing his mouth down to kiss the tops of her breasts and cleavage. He left hot trails across her body and sucked gently on her skin.
Kalena finally did what she’d been longing to do all this time. She ran her fingers through his hair, letting the silky strands fill her palms.
A guttural moan escaped his lips, vibrating against her skin. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She parted her legs slightly, making room for his wide girth to fall into her embrace.
Thane squeezed her bra clamp together and pulled the garment aside, exposing her to his gaze. She cried out the moment he took a nipple between his lips. He laved and sucked each bud until they were taut and ultra-sensitive. Every tug sent spikes of pleasure straight to her pussy.
He kissed a heated path down the center of her body, sweeping his lips back and forth over her as he descended. The ends of his hair caressed her belly and she bit her lip to try to control her needy outbursts. As her body quaked and quivered with need, she grabbed at the quilt, fisting the cloth in her hands.
The sweatpants he had loaned her disappeared sometime during her frenzy, and she found herself completely naked on the bed. He used his fingers to tease her plump center.
“You’re pretty down here. Who made this little shape?” He slid his nose along the groomed hair fashioned into a triangle on her waxed mound.
“I did.”
Without warning, he kissed her on the clit teasingly and then pushed two fingers into her ripe opening.
“Thane…oh my God.” Warmth rushed through her, and her pussy squeezed his thick digits.
He pushed her legs further apart so that she was spread-eagled before him. “I’m going to make you come so hard and fast you’ll see more than just the imprints on my skin, you’ll see stars. And if you only remember one thing…it will be my name.”
When first his tongue sliced through her, Kalena raised her hips upward. He darted in and out of her plump folds with his tongue while his nose and lip tapped against her clit gently. Kalena’s climax built up faster than she could ever remember it doing in the past. His mouth was gentle, and he took his time, leisurely bringing her to the brink of explosion.
“Thane…please.” Her thighs pushed against the stubble on his face, but he just pressed her thighs back further, opening her up even wider.
He thrust his tongue deep within her over and over again, rendering her speechless. In this moment, she didn’t worry about what could happen and what dangers lay ahead. She forgot that she was the quiet woman who pretty much kept to herself except for a few friends. She pushed her thoughts about being jobless when she returned home because she feared returning to Silex anyway. In this moment…she just let go. Her release quaked hard and long through her, just as Thane had promised. She moaned his name as he prolonged her climax.
She was panting and breathless when he moved away, but she managed to stare at him as he unbuckled his belt and let his pants fall to his feet. His thick erection was already straining against the front of his briefs, and the cock head stuck out of the waistband. There was no second-guessing that his size was substantially larger than any she had seen before. He looked better without any clothes on, and his body was bronzed and contoured to perfection. His imprints glowed against his skin, the markings appearing from head to toe across his entire body.
“Do you see what you do to me?”
She could barely nod as she licked her lips in anticipation.
“I’m no man, Kalena. I’m a beast by nature.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But I still want you to take me.”
A groan escaped him as he eyed her naked body on the cot.
“If you’re going to do it, I want you to do it like you mean it. Don’t treat me like a delicate flower,” she said, parting her legs slightly on the bed.
His mouth parted and his tongue darted out to lick his lips. “Oh, but you are a delicate flower. One that I plan to ravish and fill with my seed until the petals are bursting with vitality.”
She swallowed, but it wasn’t enough to moisten her throat or quench her thirst for what she anticipated next.
Her breath rushed out of her the moment his cock sprang free from his briefs, causing her heart to palpitate. If she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought the tip was throbbing. Another tremor pulsed through her and her toes curled into the quilt beneath her.
The cot dipped when he climbed atop it on all fours. He held her by her left ankle, applying kisses against the inside of her leg until he was poised above her. His long, thick phallus weighed heavily against her belly.
“Thane…”
He guided his cock to her opening and sank into her moistened center inch by inch. She bit into her lip as he speared through her, thrusting in and out slowly until she had adjusted to his width. Her nails dug into his forearm as pleasure-pain spread through her loins.
Thane kissed her lips and drove in to the hilt, finally hitting home. She screamed. He captured her cries with his lips, kissing them away. When he began to move inside of her, her body flamed to life. Magnetic energy seemed to pass from him to her, finally settling deep in her core. She welcomed it, arching high into him and wrapping her legs around his torso.
Her pussy was hot and slick. His cock was long, pounding so hard into her that the cot creaked below them. The noise from the thunderstorm grew more distant as they became more in tune with each other. She could barely hear anything else above the sound of their breaths mingling together.
He shifted, raising his top half slightly so that he was driving high into her and tapping her clit. He held her gaze, his pupils blazing hot like fire. His body was slick with sweat and glowing brightly, his imprints completely revealed. She came again, shuddering against him and crying out his name. He grabbed her hips and held her to the cot, pounding her down into it. He turned his face upward and moaned in pleasure.
When he came, searing heat sliced through her core, spreading throughout her womb and then shooting upward through her veins. Like a drug, it took her on the most unbelievable high she had ever felt. She was motionless, paralyzed by the wave of sensations taking her by storm. Not only did she see stars, she saw the sun and moon.
After his climax, he collapsed on top of her, panting against her neck. Fulfilling the urge within her, she hugged him tightly to her. Lightning cracked outside of the hut, rattling the makeshift door and shaking the foundation, as if delivering them a message. But she didn’t care, she had Thane and she knew he’d never let anything happen to her.
It took awhile for his glow to dim and finally fade away. She knew it was gone because his body temperature began to return to normal.
He kissed her on the forehead and placed a quilt over their bodies. With the light from the fire, she saw him lift something round from a miniature box.
“What’s that?”
“Your ticket out of here.”
Her heart dropped. Out of here meant away from him. He’d explained why he couldn’t leave before. Why did she feel this way, like a hole was opening up inside of her? She should have felt ecstatic at the notion of breaking free of the shifter prison.
“I’m a threat to your life. I can extend your time tenfold by offering you as much of my DNA as you will take, and ensure that you have access to more in the future, but your life will never be the same again if I physically stay in it.”
“But I want you in—”
“—Kalena! Don’t make this harder than it already is. Push the button, and tomorrow we will meet the choppers by the lake we visited today. If something happens to me, you will go to the ravine and get on the helicopter.”
“But—”
“—You will tell them that their Alpha sent you. They will know you’re telling the truth with my DNA fresh in your system.”
“Alpha?”
“Yes, I’m an Alpha. Leader of my Pack.” He handed her the round device. “Push the button.”
She hesitated. “Are you ever gonna get out of here?”
“Yes. If I have to serve a small amount of time in exile while my followers obtain what they need from Silex, I will do that. And if I never get out of here, then my life will be the price paid for a problem my family caused in the first place. Before I die, or anyone else dies…I want to resolve the problem. Understood?”
She nodded. “I understand.”
He stroked the cleft on her chin. “I care about you deeply, but my responsibilities are tenfold, just like my life expectancy. My world is a world of trouble, and it has always been that way. I can’t bring you into it. When you marry a man, he should treat you like you are the only thing that matters in his world.”
“I will never marry a man, Thane,” she said, defiantly.
“Why not?”
“Because when you get out of this hell-hole, I will owe my life to you because you saved it.” She pushed the button firmly. “When you’re not under so much stress, then you can tell me if you never want to see me again. Don’t make me wait too long though. Especially now that you’ve just extended my life.”
“I had a feeling you were stubborn.” He hugged her close. “Lay next to me for a couple more hours, and then we’ll head out.”
Kalena smiled and laid her head right next to his heart. She didn’t want to let go, but sooner or later, she’d have to.
Chapter 14
THE SOUND OF pounding rain beating against the door of the hut tore Thane from his slumber. He rose from the cot at the same moment that Kalena sprang awake next to him. They couldn’t have been asleep for more than an hour. The rumbling of the storm outside couldn’t have caused the physical beating on the doorframe.
He growled and got up, not even bothering to jump into his jeans. If he needed to shift, he didn’t need them in his way.
“Thane?”
“Stay there. I’m going to check the door.”
As he got closer to the door, he heard what sounded like David calling out to him. He rushed to the entrance and yanked it open.
“Goddamn it to hell, Thane!” David’s clothes were raggedy, and he was doubled over, panting for air.
“What the fuck!” Thane grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around his bottom half.
“I know ya told me never to cross this line, but two wolves are runnin’ around tearin’ through everyone’s shelters. They done killed three of Nolan’s runners. I seen them layin’ dead in a ravine.”
“Get inside!” Thane shoved David inside, then stepped outside and turned his nose up to the air. Rain pelted his face, and he couldn’t hear anything else or see a damned thing more than two feet in front of him.
He bolted the door closed and turned to David, who was ogling Kalena on the bed.
“Well, damn…it sure didn’t take long.”
“David, look away.” Thane gathered up Kalena’s clothes and handed them to her. “Get dressed. We’ll probably have to move sooner than I thought. I’m going to check the area, but I need you two to stay put.”
“Thane, what’s going on? And who is this man?”
“There are intruders in Area S2. David is a friend.” Thane turned to David, who’d forced his line of sight at the wall rather than at Kalena.
“Are you sure they were wolves? Did you cover your tracks coming here?”
“Yes,” David spoke, sternly. “They were wolves, I tell ya.”
“Tracks,” Thane urged. “Did you leave your tracks?”
“What tracks? It’s pourin’ down watermelons and coconuts out there. Do you really think my scent stuck anywhere?”
David was right. Scent was harder to pick up in a storm.
“We pushed the button not too long ago. I didn’t expect anything to interfere with Kalena’s escape out of here.”
“These can’t be regular prisoners. They sounded like a pack of dogs just tearin’ through the forest. I heard the howlin’ and cries and broke outta my hut to catch them guttin’ a runner. I jumped in a tree, escapin’ them by seconds, literally. Had it not been rainin’, they woulda caught and killed me.” David paced back and forth. “Do you think the heads of Area S2 sent out these two to clean up and…murder us all?”
Kalena gasped.
“Try and keep calm, David,” Thane urged and went to Kalena’s side. “I’m going to find out what’s going on.”
“Oh, no,” Kalena whispered.
“Do you remember the lake…at the North gate?” he asked David.
“Yeah. That’s where we first crossed paths months ago,” David replied.
“That is where the choppers are cleared to land. If I’m not back, will you help Kalena get there?”
“You have my word.” David nodded.
“Be careful of the traps,” he warned.
“Thane?” Kalena’s voice shook with panic.
“This is the only way. I don’t know who’s slaughtering wolves, but I have to keep them at bay until you’re safe on the chopper.” He took her face gently in his hands and kissed her lips. “You agreed to let me help you. My Pack brothers will keep you safe. You have my word, and you will soon have theirs. I promise.”
“Oh, my God…okay. I just thought you’d see me off.”
“There’s no time. I’m sorry.”
She swallowed visibly and stiffened her back. “Right. You have your responsibilities. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done. I’ll do what I can to help your Pack brothers with Silex.”
She knelt on the bed until she was almost on the same level as Thane. She was still a couple inches shy, but before he could make a remark about her height, she pressed her delicate lips against his. His imprints immediately glowed as their tongues meshed together. He deepened the kiss, reveling in the taste of her. He didn’t want it to be the last time he touched her or that she touched him, but he was afraid that was the case.
Kalena finally pulled back, and he walked to the door, letting the blanket fall to the floor. David pulled the door open for him and sheets of rain billowed inside with the wind.
With the imprints still glowing hotly on his back, Thane shifted from man to wolf.
This time, Kalena’s gasp was one of admiration. As he stood there in wolf form, it dawned on Thane that she’d never seen his wolf up close. Her surprise showed in her eyes and with the parting of her lips. He’d also never seen Kalena up close while in his wolf form.
She was absolutely breathtaking as she stood there wearing his oversized clothes. He could see the rise and fall of her chest as she studied him intently.
Finally, Thane processed what his wolf had been trying to tell him all along. The wolf had already accepted Kalena as his mate.
It was too late…Thane’s plan now was to get her out of harm’s way.
He turned, crossed the threshold to his hut and lifted his snout to the clouds, letting the rain drench him.
Thane let out an earth-shattering howl, sending a warning out to the threat.
Chapter 15
THANE RACED TO the other end of the forest in the direction of David’s territory. The two murdering wolves couldn’t have gotten far, especially if they had no knowledge of the terrain. Were they new prisoners of Area S2, or were they sent to slaughter everyone here as David had mentioned?
Whether or not that was the case, Thane still had a duty and responsibilities. Gavril had grown weak and callous. He didn’t want any other innocent’s suffering the same fate as his parents at the hands of his brother. He’d ensure that Kalena made it out of this place alive as he’d promised her, and he’d ensure that the Pack he left behind in the real world continued on in the event of his demise.
He wanted freedom, but he wasn’t foolish enough to leap for it at the expense of other lives. If Gavril had custody of Danika in any shape or form, any news of his escape could be detrimental to the girl’s life. He’d stay put until they were certain she was safe, and guarantee that they had all the evidence they needed against Gavril to take him down without attracting public scrutiny.
On his last dying breath, his father had asked him to keep the family name alive and clean. And he’d promised…
It was hard to trek the rocky terrain in the mud. His paws slipped against stone and got bogged down in mud more than a few times. Despite the difficult journey, he pushed on, fleeing through territory he had no business being on. But he didn’t care.
More than a few times, he passed freshly killed wolves in the mud. It was all the evidence he needed to confirm that Area S2 had turned into a slaughter ground.
Something told him to move further along the borders near the cargo drop area—Nolan’s territory. And sure enough, it was the center of the action.
He heard the growls and the sound of teeth tearing into flesh before he reached the borderline. Just as he’d done the night that Kalena was brought here, he barged forward. Nolan and one of his runners were fighting with two black wolves.
It took Thane less than five seconds to identify the intruders as members of his Pack. Ulrick and Zeff.
Thane’s wolf rushed forward into danger without hesitation and without fully processing the situation.
Blood and guts from other dead wolves were lying around in the wake of the fighting, and the carnage filled his senses. Nolan’s runner didn’t hesitate when he saw Thane charging for his leader. He bucked forward, clawing Thane in the side. Thane yelped and clawed the runner across the snout. Zeff caught the offending wolf by the throat and bit down, delivering instant death. Blood sprayed out in all directions, showering Thane in the face.
Thane shook his body, ridding himself of the other wolf’s blood. He could see that Ulrick was in trouble keeping Nolan at bay. They struggled for power, aiming directly for each other’s throats. This was no innocent game where someone would tap out. Someone would die here tonight, and it would not be his Pack mates, those he was bound to protect.
