A Taste of Honey (13 page)

As his name warmed her lips, a dark silhouette emerged from the black shadows of the forest, huge and heart-joltingly familiar. He’d approached in his human form, silent but smelling of honey and hot spices.

Even as Violet’s mind whirled with apprehension, his scent drifted through her confusion, as appealing as ever. He must have made the majority of the journey in his bear form; her sharp vision combined with the light of a waning moon and a million stars allowed her to make out lots of bare, bronze skin. She was hardly able to look away to meet her sister’s eyes.

“Maybe I should head back to the gathering,” April said. “If I leave you two alone you can talk without the pressure of an audience.”

Maybe Violet should’ve protested, but she couldn’t. Ronnie’s scent grew stronger and stronger as he drew closer and closer, and for every step he took in her direction, her heart pumped out several furious beats.

“I’ll see you back at the gathering,” April said. “I’ll wait for you there until you return.”

Violet opened her mouth but no words came out. Then April was gone, a sleek lupine silhouette disappearing into the forest, little more than a nearly-silent shadow.

Violet remained on her knees as Ronnie approached. She liked – needed – the feel of the earth grounding her. The ancient mountains had seen more and endured worse than she ever had and she needed their strength. God, she needed it. Ronnie’s scent flooded her lungs and mind, making her head spin, telling her body to reach for him as she sat with her hands pressed firmly into her lap.

Ronnie’s gaze roved over her bare body, but there was nothing to cover up with, and they needed to talk. “Is it true?” she asked as he came to a halt a few short feet from where she knelt.

Chapter 7

He dropped to his knees, audibly crushing a layer of fallen leaves. “No. None of what Kristen said is true.”

Relief began to blend with Violet’s heartache, blurring the edges of her inhibitions. But it was too soon – she had to be sure. Absolutely sure. “Did you sleep with her?”

“No. Never. I’ve always avoided sleeping with any of the Roaring Water members, thinking that it could only cause trouble.” His broad shoulders rose and fell in an exasperated shrug. “Like this.”

An invisible weight slid from Violet’s shoulders, freeing her to breathe more deeply. “Then why would she do this?”

“I guess she must be pregnant and desperate for a father for her baby.”

“If she’s pregnant, the baby must have a father.”

“Maybe not one she wants.”

Violet sighed. “April said the same thing.”

“Violet…” Ronnie reached out with both hands and laid them on her shoulders. “Nothing Kristen has accused me of is true. Nothing. If it were, I’d be ashamed, but I’d tell you. I’d do anything for you – I’d die for you. You’re my mate. I love you.”

Violet’s body began to warm beneath Ronnie’s touch, but not thoroughly enough and not quickly enough. His words melted her reservations and she leaned forward, letting her cheek rest against the firm, hot plane of his chest.

Quick as lightning, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, crushing her against him. “I’m sorry about what happened and that our ceremony was ruined. But believe me, Violet – the only babies I’ll ever have will be with you.”

“Ronnie…” Her middle felt extra-warm at the thought of carrying his child, of having a family with him someday. But most of all, she was glad to be back in his arms, shielded against the cold night and even colder loneliness.

April had been right – Ronnie wasn’t lying. Violet believed him when he said he’d die for her because the past had proven him brave and noble enough to risk death in the defense of others. After all, he was a war chief. It didn’t make sense that he’d be cowardly about anything and she could hear the truth in his voice and feel it in the way he embraced her. “Sorry I left you. I was just so shocked and so embarrassed, I didn’t know what else to do. I should’ve stayed and listened.”

“It’s all right.”

She pressed herself a little more tightly against him – something that was almost impossible – and let the heat he radiated sweep over more of her skin. He was warm and solid and definitely hard. His cock pressed into her thigh, as thick as she remembered it. Her pussy tightened, taking her back to that afternoon. Now that the shock and fear Kristen’s accusations had caused had faded, Violet craved him in a visceral, undeniable way. Reaching below, she managed to fit a hand between their bodies and wrapped her fingers around his shaft.

“Violet.” His voice was a harsh whisper. “Don’t.”

“Don’t you like when I touch you like this?” Her confidence wavered. He’d sure as hell seemed to enjoy it earlier that day.

“Yes,” he groaned. “But we can’t do this. Not now.”

“Why not? I want to be close to you.”

“I won’t make love to you until the ceremony is completed and everyone knows that you’re my mate and Kristen was lying.”

“I believe you.”

“Still. I’m going to make things right. You deserve it. As badly as I want you, I’m going to wait. If you’d like, though…” He gently unwrapped her hand from his shaft, then slid his fingers between her thighs, brushing the tender flesh between them.

An answering ache flared in her clit, making it throb against his fingertips. A moan escaped her as he massaged it, his touch tender. There was no denying that her body ached for him. This wasn’t exactly what she craved, but it took her breath away nevertheless.

She gripped his shoulders tightly as he touched her, tracing the seam of her sex and just barely dipping inside, withdrawing a moment later to tease the bud above. The pressure was a little like the feel of his tongue had been that afternoon. Before she knew it, her core was tightening, her muscles tensing. He groaned as she dug her nails into his skin and his massage became rougher.

 Little bolts of pleasure zipped through her middle, messengers of imminent release. Burying an eyetooth in the soft flesh of her inner lip, she squeezed her eyes shut, shutting out sight in exchange for an enhanced sense of touch. She could still smell the forest and feel the cold night that surrounded them, but most of her sensory powers were devoted to Ronnie and what he was doing to her. She inhaled deeply, taking a fortifying breath of his scent as ecstasy gripped her.

The intensity of her climax tore through her, making her shudder. Her lips brushed Ronnie’s shoulder as she moaned. The world faded to nothing around her, leaving her bereft of all knowledge of their surroundings and recent events for a few blissful moments. Then it started to come back into focus, autumnal scents flooding her nostrils, intermixing with Ronnie’s unique smell. Memories of the past couple hours came back to her too, but Ronnie’s embrace warded against bitter feelings.

“We should head back,” he said after a few long moments.

Violet had mostly managed to stabilize her breathing during that time. Still, she nodded instead of speaking. There was no sense in remaining where they were. Everything she was waiting for – Kristen’s confession and the completion of the ceremony – could only happen back at the gathering.

Ronnie shifted, becoming a huge bear.

Violet’s heart sped even though she knew it was him and had seen him in his animal form before. Her fingers were suddenly buried in thick, night-black hair where they’d been touching smooth skin only a moment ago.

 He still smelled of honey and spice. Inhaling deeply, she pressed her cheek against his shoulder, crushing his fur against his hard muscle. It caressed her cheek like a blanket – one that was warm and infused with his scent. She savored the sensation for a few short moments before shifting, taking the form that would give her the speed, endurance and insulation needed to make it back to the others quickly.

The journey back seemed much longer than the original. Still, she savored every moment of aloneness with Ronnie, her stomach a bundle of knots at the thought of what awaited them. When the orange glow of the tribe’s fire cast its light through the tree line, Ronnie stopped.

“We don’t have any clothing,” Violet said as they stood side-by-side in their human forms. The confrontation with Kristen was going to be awkward enough without being nude. There were a lot of things worth doing naked with Ronnie, but arguing with a scheming female in front of the whole Roaring Water Tribe and the Half Moon Pack wasn’t one of them.

“You guys!” A voice carried through the darkness.

“Clarissa?” Violet would have recognized it anywhere.

“I’m right here.”

A slight figure emerged from between an oak and an elm. Her dark hair shone in the moonlight that filtered through the patchy canopy and she clutched something to her chest. “I’ve been waiting for you two to show up. I have blankets. Emmaline gave them to me – I figured you’d want something to cover up with when you got back.”

“Thanks,” Violet said, stepping forward to accept Clarissa’s offering. Hastily, she handed a blanket to Ronnie and wrapped the other around her own body. “How are things back at the fire?”

“A little tense. The pack is pretty upset and so are Ronnie’s close family members. I don’t think the rest of them know what to think. Anyway, I’ve been out here for a while now, so I’ve missed some of what’s been said.”

“Thanks again,” Violet said, drawing her blanket tighter around herself.

Ronnie draped an arm over her shoulders, warming her more effectively than the cover. Together, they walked toward the light.

The buzz of conversation was still going, much like when Violet had left. It dulled as she, Ronnie and Clarissa emerged from the woods and people began to notice them. The tribe was spread around the fire in a loose ring while the Half Moon Pack stood in a cluster on the other side. April was there with Mandy, Jack, Daniel and Noah. Both females met Violet’s eyes and smiled as if pleased to see she’d returned. Violet gave them the tiniest of nods and steeled her nerves as she scanned the crowd for the source of the night’s trouble.

Kristen still stood near the fire in the same spot where she’d decried Violet and Ronnie’s union. Only now she wasn’t alone – Ronnie’s grandparents were with her and Charles was speaking. His voice was too low for Violet to hear over the many other conversations going on but as he continued, Kristen’s shoulders slumped. She cast her eyes down when Emmaline said something, then nodded.

The conversation ended shortly thereafter and Emmaline looked up, directly at Violet and Ronnie, as if she’d sensed when they’d returned. Maybe she’d just heard the whispers of surprise that were flying around the fireside.

“Kristen has admitted that the two of you were never together and that the baby isn’t yours,” Emmaline said when she reached them. Her face was devoid of its usual cheerfulness and her dark eyes were serious. “Your grandfather has asked her to apologize to the two of you and the entire tribe.”

Relief coursed through Violet, sweet and absolute.

Ronnie used the arm he’d wrapped around her shoulders to draw her a little closer and his side heaved against hers as if he’d breathed a silent sigh of relief.

“She’s really pregnant though?” Violet asked.

Emmaline nodded. “She won’t say who the father is.”

A ripple of curiosity passed through Violet’s thoughts, but it couldn’t compete with her gratitude that the ordeal was over – or at least, almost over. Kristen was still in conversation with Charles, her shoulders hunched and head bowed.

“We can still go through with the ceremony after Kristen makes her apology,” Emmaline said.

Ronnie nodded and squeezed Violet a little more tightly.

When Charles asked for silence, the fireside crowd was truly quiet for the first time since Kristen’s outburst. “Kristen has something she’d like to say,” he said simply, motioning for Kristen to take the floor.

Kristen continued to stare at the ground. “Ronnie’s not the father of my baby,” she said, her voice so quiet that no one would’ve been able to hear it if it hadn’t been absolutely silent. “We were never together. I lied. Ronnie, Violet, everyone…  Sorry.” Her lip quivered on the last word and she looked up for the first time, staring past her tribe and eyeing the woods instead.

A woman approached Kristen, weaving her way through the others and reaching for her. Kristen’s mother, maybe? She looked about the right age and had a similarly slender build.

Kristen didn’t move when the woman laid a hand on her shoulder.

No one else moved much either. The silence continued and was broken when Kristen shrugged off the other woman’s hand and dodged her, taking off toward the forest much as Violet had done a short while ago. The heavy crunching of underbrush that followed signified that she’d assumed her bear form.

“She’s quicker than me,” said the woman who’d touched Kristen’s shoulder. “Someone should go after her – someone fast – and make sure that she doesn’t hurt herself.” Her tone was edged with anxiety and she turned, eyes searching the crowd.

Violet’s stomach lurched when the woman’s gaze settled on Ronnie. Yes, Ronnie was fast and strong and a capable protector – but really? After what Kristen had done?

“I’ll go.” Ted’s voice was so similar to Ronnie’s that Violet’s heart leapt at the sound of it.