Beauty and the Brute [Werescape III] (17 page)

chuckled.

He shot a glance over his shoulder. “Aren't you listening, Lorelei?"

"Yes.” All I could do was rest here and listen to whatever he felt like explaining. At least, he felt like talking.

Trance plodded forward through branches of every height, tree trunks of every color and thickness.

"The countryside is riddled with Shifter outposts. At least one per Territory. We'll reach one every couple days,” he whispered.

But Yale's maps showed land so broad how could we ever reach the Mississippi? Wouldn't it be safer to stay at a Shifter sanctuary? “I've seen maps. How far can Trance travel each day?"

"Walking? Fifty to sixty miles. A story before AEI speaks of a man riding fifty-eight miles a day from the Texas Territory to far beyond New Pittsburgh. I know it's possible. Trance and I have made the same pace before."

Would the one question I really wanted answered set off my Shifter's fierce indecipherable brute of a facade? “Why west of the Mississippi?"

"Yale would be a fool to follow you there."

Not Yale again. He's got to be dead. “You really think he's coming?"

"If Yale's alive, he's not a warlord to give up because of a chase.” His whisper faded into nothing. “Yale rode out with Glover and Titus that morning, Lorelei."

A chill shook my shoulders hard.

"Glover's an animal.” I tightened my arms around my mate's steely waist.

"You say that like he's turned on you."

"I saw what he did to women. Then, whenever he'd get close enough, he'd whisper what he'd do to me if he ever caught me away from Titus."

Brutus’ back stiffened for a moment, and he touched his chin to his shoulder, eyeing me with his profile. “If the Normal shows up, the bastard won't get a chance to make another promise he can't keep."

Oh, if I wasn't in love with my big Shifter now, it wouldn't be long the way he made my heart warm into a patter.

He grinned and turned back to the path the big stallion forged through the sea of foliage.

All smug. And sparkling with his stunning grin in profile. If he kept up talking and smiling, I'd be one happy little mate of his.

"You're quiet,” he whispered.

"And you're talking a lot."

"Wolf stopped pestering me. I can think about things other than mating again."

"I'd rather you think about mating.” I squeezed his big chest. “And if you didn't have that ass of yours planted in that saddle, I'd squeeze it for good measure."

He chuckled, softly. “You're a wicked woman, Beauty."

"It's all your fault. You pin me down and have your way with me."

He growled and kicked Trance into a trot.

Something was out there. “What's wrong?"

"I'm going to beat my nuts to death so I don't have to get out of this saddle and teach you a lesson about appropriate travel topics."

The huge man had literally shifted into a humorous talkative man. A drastic change from how he'd been just this morning before our little bathing excursion. But he deserved to be teased.

"It would be torture to mate a man who never spoke. And that stare, Brutus, could kill anyone who glances your direction. I prefer you talking and grinning. And teaching me what life is all about."

"I suppose I'd be foolish to argue with my woman.” He pulled Trance back to a walk.

"Although, men say mates talk too much."

Oh! “Men. Don't make me tell you about men!"

He tossed me another glance and grin. “I can see you've been sent to improve my sanity."

Good. He'd better just get used to being social. Until he got used to the idea, he could explain more about where he was taking us. “Now, west of the Mississippi, what's there?"

He sighed. “You are curious about our future, aren't you?"

Maybe he'd take pity on me and answer my questions. Discuss things kept from those who need to know. “It's been pretty damned boring sitting back here the past few days, Brutus."

"We're going to one of the most reclusive groups of Shifters."

Reclusive? “There are Shifters more reclusive than a wandering warrior who despises Normals and those of the infamous outpost of Death Summit?"

His chest shook with silent laughter again. “Yes, Beauty. Few people know of the Black Hills clan or their ferocity. So, I'm taking you there. If we don't make it as far west as I'd like by autumn, we'll stay there."

"If they're as reclusive as you claim, will we be permitted to stay?"

He chuckled again. “Oh, yes, Beauty. You are the wise one. Don't worry. The Lakota always welcome thogktekA misunka oyumni. It is said to bring bad luck upon their clan to turn me away."

"What do those unusual words mean?"

"My name?” He turned his arched brow to me.

I nodded. “Experienced warrior brother who wanders.” He blinked. “Warrior Who Wanders in short."

Probably winked, the enormous smug brute. But those were his qualities that would undoubtedly keep me alive. Besides, I never cared for the weak men born into power anxious to perpetuate their ties to Yale. Even if that meant marrying his daughter. No, a witty Shifter who loved to lavish me with his affection whenever he felt frisky is certainly the man I

needed in my life.

"Okay, listen up, Beauty. We're headed for the Missouri River west of New St. Louis,” he suddenly announced. “If we're lucky, we can reach a Shifter outpost outfitted with a boat that can shuttle us upriver faster than Trance can travel. Easier for all of us, at least. What do you think?"

"I'm going wherever you go. Since you know all about this part of the world, your plan sounds good to me."

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marking Beauty. Not even after she declared she would go wherever we went. That she'd follow. You'd think the dumb mutt would get all sentimental and freaking territorial over her declaration. Not once. So, we kept moving onward to the shifter outpost, The Divide, on the

Illinois Territory's side of the Missouri River.

One little thing like mating could drastically change a person's world. Just like The Divide could drastically affect our travel time. These outpost Shifters used hovercraft to secretly shuttle people up and down the Missouri at night. Now to convince them to run us northwest to South Dakota. Then we'd cross the Territory to the Black Hills. As long as the hovercraft hadn't departed upstream already. But time was always the singular component of any venture that bit my tail.

"How much longer?” she asked softly.

"Watch for the water.” That should keep her busy. Poor thing. We spent most of our time on horseback. That left little time for entertainment outside of our breaks throughout the day and our exercise at night.

"I think you passed it up,” she said. “I see water back to our left."

"Let's go.” I pulled Trance's reins until he turned to straighten out his body with his thick neck.

Water gleamed in the distance between trees.

"God, I hope that boat's there. I'm so sick of riding horses,” she droned.

How could I blame her? It took a lot of endurance and determination to sit a horse as long as we had. And she didn't ride horses often. “Let's find the post."

"I could use a bath."

What a waste of time. “Why do you need a bath?"

"You're an animal."

If anyone else called me an animal, I'd take offense. But uttered from her sexy little mouth meant I'd covered her in her woman's scent so much she worried she stank. That lovely note was as seductive as her grabbing my ass.

My cock swelled three sizes.

At least. I'll blame it on Wolf and his ridged werewolf cock. Bigger all the way around. And he couldn't stay in the chasm when his mate trembled from impending orgasm. Not to mention, our two weeks travel were more about Wolf's Mating Fever than anything else.

Besides, what's wrong with a Shifter and his mate's scent? I liked everyone downwind knowing

Beauty was mine. Alas, my mate had her ideas about life. Not to mention, I could have my way with her during the stop. “Alright. Since an animal doesn't understand cultural things like a good woman does, you'll have your bath."

A demonic chuckle escaped Beauty. “You just want to have sex, you animal!"

She had the funniest sense of humor. Sex humor that is. I'd nurtured it like a growing flame in a bundle of moss and plant fibers on a windy day. Scoffing should have worked to quiet her at this point. Would have turned away the wisest warrior. Not my mate. She just playfully smacked my upper arm.

Feeling playful, no doubt.

All the better. When we reached The Divide, she'd be sorry she made fun of all the time we had together. To bond. To explore each other. We would have to keep our attraction to ourselves around the other Shifters. It wasn't nice to tease those lacking mates. “Listen,

Lorelei.” I caught her green gaze over my shoulder.

"What?"

"When we reach the outpost, you and I mustn't taunt the unmated with clinging, kissing, or be caught during mating."

"Etiquette is important. And you say I'm the cultural expert.” She snorted. “See, you just want to mate."

Oh, yes. And when I have her on the ground, gasping for breath incapable of movement after a few orgasms, she'll be thinking of nothing but the next chance I get to fit her moist heat like a glove to my cock again.

Her wily hand slid beneath my waistband and wriggled through the shirttail I stuffed there.

As if I were the only one with an animal's sex drive. I eyed her over my shoulder. “Looks like you have a wild hair yourself."

She blinked innocently and curled her fingers around my swollen shaft. “You're the one who brought it up, my dear."

I'll my dear her. Right over at the nice little break between the trees. I steered Trance straight for the glistening water.

Her handhold tightened. The pad of her thumb rubbed across the smooth bulge of my cock's head. “I love it when you get an idea stuck in your head."

Perfect statement for a cocky comeback. “Sweetness, give me a few minutes, and my head will be happy to plant my idea deep inside your womb, one searing burst of seed at a time."

She cackled, stroking my firm length with a gentle touch. “Such idle threats."

Beauty had turned into a sex fiend. “I've ruined you."

"For everyone else,” she whispered. “But I feel like I got the prize."

If she only knew how few men stumbled upon a virgin mate who purred when melting in their arms. And people thought I was insane for roaming the continent. Not with my content wannabe she-wolf. I had only found her because I wandered.

Play, Wolf yapped.

Well, we'd better take care of everybody, or there'd be no rest for the wicked with a leaping

Wolf and touchy-feely woman under foot. I drew up on the reins and slid from the saddle to take care of a heated burst of Mating Fever.

Wrenching my erection. Accidentally.

Well, we'll take care of that. I grabbed Beauty's sinister little smile from the saddle and descended to sit on my tail with her straddling my lap.

She frowned. “I've been straddling that horse for hours. Can't we go swim? Stretch our legs?"

As if I didn't have stretching in mind. “Undress, little enchantress."

Lorelei yanked her tank-top's hem from where it was tucked into her pants and pulled the ribbed fabric over her head. To speed up things for her sanity. Some Shifters apparently liked to torture their mates. He was watching. Always watching. But not doing anything with his fingers pinching one of his shirt's buttons still in its buttonhole. What was he thinking? I

tossed the shirt aside.

His eyes flashed into a golden burn.

Well, I'm getting to bathe. Or else. “I don't care if we do it first or last, but I better get a bath, Brutus."

"The pants.” He nodded.

Always a strip show. I'd get his goose. I reached for my bra's little hook between my breasts.

He growled. “Pants."

Gooseflesh tickled down my arms.

The ornery sound he made always gave me a chill. It wasn't meant to scare me. Rather, show me how serious he and his Wolf were. And there was nothing more pleasant than a serious

Shifter intent on mating. The tease. I rolled my eyes, rubbing the small metal closure.

He snarled, snatched me against the soft cotton covering his solid chest, and sank his hot warm mouth to the sensitive bend in my neck.

Oh the mixture of delicious sensations. The scrape of his circle beard. The suction. His tickling tongue. I couldn't do anything but loop my arms around his shoulders and hang on.

Begging for more thorough commands for submission.

His hands worked even more magic, sliding down my back with the touch of a feather, grabbing my ass, pulling me into the only thing that could have made my eyes open. As he so loved to taunt, the bone he offered his Wolf.

I'm fortunate Wolf shares.

He leaned me back over an arm, marching reverent kisses down to the straight edge of my black bra's cup.

His favorite. I could barely keep my hands curled around his neck as far as he'd leaned me backward away from his body. But he'd move down. So wonderfully down. Who'd complain? I

just kept my eyes shut and waited for him to melt everything inside me into a pile of mush at his feet.

Those sharp teeth of his nipped my breast's delicate skin.

Over and over. Promising how they'd work the tightness out of my nipples just a little bit over, under the bra's satin. The only thing worse was the gentle rock of a horse between my legs while I clung to mate's steely muscles. I ached so damned bad down there that I'd probably come the second he touched me. There.

He gurgled a content growl. “I smell you, Beauty."

The hot breath of his making my skin sizzle. “Well, then you better get my pants off before they're too wet to remove."

Growling louder, he leaned me all the way back to lie atop his legs, rubbing his huge hands down my belly, down to stroke the tops of my thighs, back up to dink around with the button on my jeans. “Do you want me to take these off, Beauty?"