A Kitty in the Lion's Den (12 page)

“Hurry, follow me.”

Maverick moved swiftly down the hall, following Luke into an exam room.

“Set her on the exam table and move out of my way.” There was determination and a hint of a growl in Luke’s voice, and although his lion wanted to growl in warning, Maverick shut the fuck up and did as he was told. This was new territory for him, and he needed to let the doctor do what he was best at. He watched in silence as Luke gathered what he needed and went back to Kettah’s side. Her face was so very pale, and the blood from her leg wound was a steady drip down the table and making a dark red pool on the ground. Maverick’s heart was in his throat, and he had no problems in admitting that he was scared shitless. The sound of denim tearing brought Maverick back to the present, and he drew his gaze away from the puddle of blood and watched as Luke tore away the red stained jeans, revealing the gaping cut on her leg. For fuck’s sake, he could see the damn bone.

“God, Luke. Is she going to be okay?” His voice was gravelly and thick, and when Luke shushed him, Maverick moved back until the wall greeted him. Luke quickly scrubbed his hands clean and put on gloves. He handed Maverick a gown, gloves and mask, and once they both were dressed like they were about to do some kind of damn surgery, Luke started cleaning the wound. Maverick stayed back, worry and fear gripping him hard. It seemed to take forever as he meticulously sewed her wound closed, but when that was done he wasn’t nearly finished. He inserted an IV into the crook of her arm, set her up with what Maverick recognized as antibiotics and a bag of O blood, and finally took a step back. Neither said anything for several long minutes, both males just watching her. The pasty looking completion that had taken over his mate twisted his gut painfully. “Luke.” He waited until the cougar shifter looked at him. “She’ll be okay, right?” Every part of Maverick’s body was strung tight, and he felt as though his heart would burst right through his ribs.

Luke took off the gloves, mask, and finally the gown, and Maverick followed suit. “The next few hours will be very touch and go, but I think she will be okay.” They looked back at her. “I don’t want to move her, though.” Luke stepped up to him, slapped him on the back in a comforting manner and said, “I’d ask you if you want to step out into the lobby and grab some coffee and maybe some clean clothes, but I know you won’t leave her side.” Maverick didn’t say anything, just shook his head and kept his eyes trained on Kettah. “Okay, I’ll stay in the office until she wakes.” Maverick liked the confidence in Luke’s tone, but he also couldn’t hide the slight uneasiness that he picked up in the other male. But Luke, as well as every other person in his path should be uneasy around him, because if he lost her, than Maverick wouldn’t stop his lion from taking over and destroying every fucking thing in his path. The door shut behind Luke, and Maverick was instantly by Kettah. He knelt before her, took her too cold and clammy hand in his, and lowered his head until their entwined hands touched his forehead.

The time ticked by agonizingly slowly. The seconds turned to minutes, and those into hours. But Maverick refused to move, refused to leave Kettah’s side until he knew she was okay. Luke checked in occasionally, adjusted the settings on the IV pump, and left him and his mate in peace. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of Kettah not moving, her hand twitched in his. Maverick snapped his head up and stared at her. She blinked her eyes open, and the hazel orbs that were far greener than brown found him. She looked so sick, but she was alive.

“You’re okay.”

He let out a breathless chuckle, one of relief and
love
for this female. Here she was, lying atop an exam table and hooked up to tubes, and the first thing she thought about was of him being okay.

“I am, baby.” He kissed her knuckles and brushed the thumb of his other hand across her cheek. “You feel okay?” She grimaced, and he searched her body.

“My leg hurts.” He stood and leaned over her, kissing her on the lips.

“I know, kitten, but Luke is patching you all up, and as soon as you’re healthy enough that your animal can help heal you, too, you’ll be good to go.” He leaned down and kissed her damp forehead. She was far too pale for his liking, but Luke assured him she should be okay.

 
“My father?
Konstantine?”
She swallowed roughly when he shook his head.

“No, baby, they will never hurt you again.”

Relief came from her, and she closed her eyes and nodded.

“Okay.” She opened her eyes and offered him a smile, one he kissed over and over again. “I’m glad you’re okay, Maverick, and I’m glad they won’t hurt anyone again.” There she was, still worrying about everyone else but herself. She was his fierce little cat. The door opened softly, and Luke stepped in. For a second he stared at Kettah with a bit of surprise, but then he smoothed that away and looked at Maverick. Kettah tried to sit up, but Luke was right there.

“No, no, Kettah. You need to stay lying down for a while. You are far too weak, and the rest of your IV fluids are not done. I promise once you’re stronger enough I’ll move you to a more comfortable place.”

Yeah, like my place.
But no, they couldn’t go back there because of the massacre of blood. He would build them a house, made of all new things so she would never have to look at anything that reminded her of the horror that happened. Luke checked her vitals, gave her a few sips of water, and then left them alone again. Maverick rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “You’re okay.”

“I am.” The light touch of her hand on the side of his face had him opening his eyes and pulling back. “And I love you.” Tears started to form in her eyes, and he brushed them away with his thumbs.

“No crying, baby.” He leaned in, kissed her softly, and whispered against her mouth, “and I love you, too.” He had never uttered those words before, never thought he had that kind of emotion inside of him, but it was clear that with his mate by his side, there were a lot of fucking surprises in store for him, and ones he was looking forward to.

Epilogue

Six months later

Kettah put the last box down in the living and stood up straight. It was half a year after everything had gone down with Konstantine and her father, and although it wasn’t that much time, it seemed like it had been years already. She was alive; Maverick was alive, and there was nothing that could change that, not anymore. She looked around their house, one that had just been finished being built last week. Everything was new, and not because that was how it worked when building a home from the ground up. Maverick wanted to have a fresh start with her, and didn’t want what happened at the garage to be a constant reminder. So, instead of just buying one in Sweet Water, they had purchased land in the mountains, built a home they designed themselves, and here they were, unpacking their new life.

After Maverick killed Viktor and Konstantine, there had been a moment of peace, but also of her fear mounting. Yes, her father and brother were gone, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be someone else to take their place. But the vendetta that her father had with Maverick died with him. Viktor had ended up being far too blood hungry, and because of it he had made a lot of enemies, far more than anyone had initially thought. There were always others that wanted to take control, but they were smart enough to stand down when it came to Maverick, or at least that was what her lion said, and she trusted him with her life. There was no sorrow for losing her father and brother, no tears shed and no cries to fall from her lips. When her father died, everything that had been connected to her had died with him, even the arranged marriage.

“Hey, baby.” The feel of Maverick’s warm breath brushing along the nape of her neck had her closing her eyes and smiling. She leaned back against him and rested her head on his chest. They held each other for several moments, neither saying a word, but it was one of those moments where nothing needed to be said. He lifted her left hand, and the engagement ring caught the glow from the sun, sending a million little shards of light throughout the room. “You sure you don’t want to take back your answer?” Maverick’s voice was gruff and low, and as much as he tried to hide his emotions from her even now, there was nothing about him that she couldn’t pick up on. He was her mate, and because of that his feelings were like a bright neon sign flashing right in front of her.

“You know I meant it, just like you meant to ask me to marry you.” She turned and rose on her toes to kiss him on the lips. He tightened his arms around her waist, brought her closer to him, and ground his erection into her belly. A marriage didn’t change the fact they were bound together irrevocably, but Maverick wanted that “little slip of paper”.

“Yeah, I sure as hell did mean to ask you.” Maverick murmured against her mouth. “Now, how about we break in the new bedroom?”

“The bed is in pieces in there, and doing it on the floor doesn’t sound like much fun.” She grinned against his lips. Well, it did, but teasing him was far more satisfying than just surrendering.

“I think you like being difficult, mate.” He nipped at her mouth, and her grin widened. In one move he scooped her into his arms and was striding down the hallway and into their new bedroom. Over the past six months a lot of things had changed. They were engaged, and although being mated was a far bigger commitment than a human tradition, she really didn’t think Maverick would have been ready for that. He had surprised her, as he tended to do on a constant basis, but that was a good thing. Maverick no longer worked at Dakota Dark’s, but that didn’t mean they didn’t see the male Trace any longer. They had dinner at the grumpy polar bear’s house every Sunday, and Kettah had grown close with Trace’s mate, Candace. When their home was being built that was where they had stayed, even when they said they didn’t want to intrude. But Trace and Candace had insisted they had plenty of room, and if Kettah was being honest she liked being surrounded by them. It was always happy and cheerful, if not a little loud when two alpha males lived under the same roof. It was even more of a treat because she got to play with their little wolf shifting girl, Alivia. Their daughter wasn’t even a year old yet, but she was the spitting image of her father with thick black hair and bright green eyes. Maverick still had his garage that he ran, but he had moved location, made it bigger, and it was doing better than ever. Kettah was even looking into going back to school so she could help manage the garage. Sweet Water was Kettah’s home now, and the friends she made in this quaint little town were the first ones she had ever had. She may be young, and others may still see her as a child, but Kettah had seen a lot in her short lifetime.

Maverick pushed the bedroom door open with his foot, and she blinked a few times as she saw the fully pieced together king sized bed in the center of their room. There was no other furniture up, seeing as they were just moving everything in today, but Maverick had somehow, and at some point when she wasn’t paying attention, put it together. He had even put on the black sheets that he seemed to have an abundance of. He moved toward the bed, and laid her gently in the center of it. The look her gave her had her entire body heating, her toes curling, and every erogenous zone on her body reacting to this male on a very potent level.

“Maybe we should wait.” His grin slowly spread across his face. “I mean, you might be a little sore from last night.” Heat rose throughout her whole body at the image that conjured. Oh yes, she was quite sore, but in a very, very good way.

“I’m not sore right now.” She braced her upper body on her elbows and stared at him. He filled out the worn jeans and white t-shirt so they seemed tailored just for him. He moved his hands to the button of his jeans, but stopped before he undid them.

“Is that right,
baby
?” His raked his gaze along the entire length of her
body,
and she felt her nipples spike under the thin material of her shirt.

She pushed herself up so she was sitting on the edge of the bed and reached out to take hold of the edge of his shirt. “Yeah, that’s right.” Kettah was never one for seduction, but she found being with Maverick made her feel sexier, more female, and highly attractive. The way he looked at her, touched her, and made her feel like there was no one else for him had power and courage surging through her. “How about we christen the room after all, and forget about being sore, hmm?” She lifted her eyebrow in question and pulled him closer. She knew he would only allow her to control the situation for a short amount of time, but it was these few minutes where he let go of his dominance—even if it was in the smallest of ways—that she cherished. Because she was the only one that could bring down her alpha
lion,
and that was a heady feeling. In one powerful tug she pulled Maverick to her until he was on his back and she could straddle him. Her skirt was pushed up her thighs from the movement, exposing a hell of a lot of skin, but then again not nearly enough.

“You like taking control, little cat?”

She smiled down at him, but instead of answering she started unbuttoning her shirt, pushed it off her shoulders, and went to work on her bra. That was flung to the side, but before she could shimmy out of her skirt Maverick had both halves of the material in his hands and was tearing the fabric as if it were tissue. The sound of material rending was louder than their harsh breathing combined.

“You tore my skirt, Maverick, and that was my favorite one.” He lowered his eyes to her pussy, which was covered by only a thin strip of silk.

“I’ll buy you more. Fuck, I’ll buy you an entire closet full just so I can rip them every fucking night, baby.” Chills raced up her spine at the low, dominant quality in his voice. In a matter of seconds he had her panties ripped from her body, had her turned and on her belly, and had her ass in the air. Maverick was an ass man, and Kettah had found over time that she had no qualms about that. The heat of his body surrounding hers was intense and hot like the sun. He kicked her legs farther apart with his knee, but she didn’t need to ask what he was doing. She already knew. A hand landing on each of her cheeks was the only warning she got before Maverick spread her open and started lapping at her pussy with his sandpaper textured tongue. She fisted the sheets in her hands, closed her eyes, and moaned when he started probing her entrance like she wanted him to do with the huge cock between his legs. He was skillful and knew exactly what she liked, and had her on the precipice of coming in a matter of seconds. The low growls that he made sent shockwaves right to her pussy, and her body tightened with her imminent release.
“Not yet, Kettah.”
He pulled away, but kept an almost painful hold on her ass. The hot pants of his breath along her swollen folds were torture and agony all in the same breath. And then he was back on her pussy, licking, sucking, biting, and pulling. She was a squirming mess beneath him, begging, pleading, and crying out for him to let her come.

He was a sadist, not giving her what she wanted, but chuckling with sexual amusement against her soaked flesh. Then he was dragging his tongue up her slit and to the puckered hole of her ass. There he licked at the tight ring of muscle over and over again, wetting the hole right before he pushed his tongue inside of her, fucking her ass with his mouth like a male that couldn’t get enough. It was a torrent of sensations: his mouth on her ass, his finger thrusting into her pussy, and his thumb rubbing her clit back and forth.
But when he took one of his hands and started spanking her ass, that was when the feelings really started to get intense.
The blood rushed to the sensually abused area, and her skin heated to a scorching level. He smacked her ass over and over again, moving away and alternating cheeks until the pain morphed into pleasure and everything inside of her quaked. She came so fast and hard that her breath stalled, her heart stopped, and stars danced in front of her eyes. This was how it was every time she was with Maverick, and as much as it hurt, it was also the most intense pleasure she had ever experienced. When her orgasm waned and Maverick pulled away, she knew he wasn’t about to end it like that. She was flipped onto her back, and her legs were so weak that they fell to either side of her. She was bared wide open for him, and his gaze was trained right on the most intimate part of her body. Through the haze of desire she watched him undress with sure, steady movements, and grew even drunker with arousal as he gripped his massive hard-on and stroked it from root to tip.

“What are you waiting for, Maverick?” She shouldn’t tempt him, shouldn’t tease his beast, but God, it was so arousing to do it. Kettah couldn’t drag her eyes from the sight of him standing there like a dangerous, menacing lion. The wilderness that surrounded him coated her skin like a thick blanket, and she knew no amount of time would ever erase the fact this male was more animal than human. He moved between her opened legs, placed the tip of his cock at her pussy, and slowly entered her. He never just thrust inside, but gave her body time to adjust to his length and girth, and went torturously slow. Deep, strangled sounds left him, and the flash of his lion right there at the surface was strong enough that it sucked the air right from her lungs. When he was fully encased in her body he leaned back on his haunches, took a tight hold on her inner thighs, and started fucking her with steady, paced thrusts. Sweat started to cover their bodies the faster he pumped into her. For several long moments he tortured her, but she wanted it harder and faster.

“
Christ
, baby.” He closed his eyes and got lost in the movement, and she got lost in the sight of his body hardened and tightening. His muscles stood out in stark contrast, so very defined and male. “You’re going to come for me, baby, all over my fucking cock.” He took his other hand and grabbed one of her bouncing breasts. He tweaked the nipple, pulled the tip taut so a sting of pain speared right to the point of contact. Moving his hand away from her breasts, he smacked the still tender flesh over and over again. He alternated between her breasts, bringing stinging, delicious pain to the tissue until another orgasm claimed her. Back arched, chest thrust out, and every part of her straining, she gave in to her pleasure a second time.

“I could fuck you all night, baby.
All fucking night.”
She forced her eyes open, and watched in feminine appreciation as his own pleasure tore through him, making his muscles clench and a low, very lion-like roar leave him. His cock throbbed inside of her, and she felt every single powerful jet of his cum filling her. That sensation set off small tremors in her body, and the inner muscles of her pussy clenched on their own, milking him until there was nothing left to take. He collapsed on top of her, but before he crushed her with his much larger body, he rolled and took her with him. She was pressed to his damp side, and the scent of his clean sweat, and the spicy aroma that was all
Maverick
filled her nose. A content sigh left her, but it was when her lion turned to face her, pushed the damp hair off her neck, and buried his nose at the crook of her throat that she let the happiness and pleasure of being mated to this male consume her. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulled him closer, and let out a low purr when he started lapping at the healed wound he had first given her. It was his mark, his ownership brand, and let every other shifter know that they were mates.