Beneath a Spring Moon (10 page)

Chapter 1

The Thaw

The sound of chirping birds pulled her from her deep slumber. She scented the air before she opened her eyes, and lifted a paw to her muzzle. The air was thick with the smell of dew and moist dirt—telltale signs the snow had melted.

Her jaws stretched over a yawn and when she peered through the slits between her heavy eyelids, she found herself in the comforting darkness of her cave. The light sound of water drops echoed in the space and the stark light of day glowed around the corner, illuminating the entrance.

She scented the air again and picked up a familiar smell. Her eyes searched the darkness, but she found nothing in the shadows. She blew out a breath and rolled her body before getting to her feet. Her limbs felt heavy and her claws clicked against the stone floor. She shook her head and reared up on her hind legs, her bear body stretched to its full height.

Her skin felt loose and her muscles tight, the result of a long winter's hibernation.
I'll need to move around and find some food before I can feel normal again.
Another sniff and she made her way toward the entrance to the cave with slow steps. The sunlight stabbed at her eyes, blurring her vision.

She blinked through the burning sensation until her eyes adjusted. Something rustled nearby, and she released a low growl of warning.
I'm not in the mood right now, vermin.
Whatever it was, it stopped moving.

The ground outside was cool and moist, and the pads of her paws sank into the earth as she stood to inhale the breeze. Her keen nose was able to pick up the scent she'd noticed in the cave, and when her stomach began to growl she ignored it and followed the trail.

She moved through the forest for more than a mile before the musky smell grew strong enough to make her dizzy. When she sniffed the air again, she smelled blood, and growled deep into her chest. The sound of crunching leaves tickled her sensitive ears. She held her ground.
Come on. Show yourself.

After several minutes, another bear plodded into view. He was large, with thick, brown fur. He dragged a deer carcass in his jaws and stopped in his tracks when he saw her. Her response was immediate—she lifted her front paws from the dirt and brought her weight forward when she slammed them into the dirt. The thump on the ground was her show of size and strength to the other bear. She eyed the kill, sizing up his offering.
Not bad.

The male bear pulled the deer closer before he dropped it. When she growled again, he did too, and showcased rows of large, sharp, white teeth and long, curved canines.

They reared up at the same time, claws at the ready, seeking purchase in each other's fur. No real damage was done, so she changed tactics and threw herself forward in an attempt to bite his shoulder.

She groaned when she felt his teeth on the side of her neck, and when he began to pull on her skin, she shook her head to free herself. It was no use. He bit down harder and began to drag her along.
I'm too weak right now. Damned hibernation!

She swatted at him with a paw, and his teeth dug in deeper
. If I had eaten, I'd be a match for him.
Her muscles protested, despite the adrenaline that rushed through her veins. She looked up in time to see the cave they were headed into, and she pressed her paws into the ground—a last-ditch effort to gain some form of control.

She wanted to put up a real fight, but her body wouldn't cooperate. Her muscles tired, and her breaths forced. As she was tugged into the darkness, she growled, frustrated with her body's betrayal.

When they reached the back of the cave, he pushed his shoulder into her body in an attempt to force her to the ground. She resisted and was rewarded with an even deeper bite to her neck. Her next growls were born of frustration as she tried to fight, but the effort was wasted.
He's too strong.
She had no choice. She relented and sank to the ground. She felt his weight on her back in an instant, and when he released his hold on her, she shook her head to dissipate the stings on her neck where his teeth had been. He hadn't broken the skin, but he’d made his point. He'd won in this contest of strength, his dominance clear.

His growl rumbled against her back, and she closed her eyes in defeat and allowed the change to come. When her lids parted, her human hands were stretched out in front of her, and when she looked over her shoulder, the male had completed his shift as well.

A smirking human male stood, tall and cocky, above her. The skin of his face was a bit weathered, and his cheeks and chin sported a decent amount of stubble, just the way she remembered.
How long has he been awake?
Curly brown hair the color of pine bark hung around his face and just above his large shoulders. His eyes were the color of honey—rich and warm. Even in the darkness, they had a soft glow, like the dying embers of a fire.

His chest was broad and well-defined above a flat abdomen that sported an eight-pack. His thighs and calves were as developed as the rest of his body, and his manhood hung free. It was thick in its flaccid state, and it hung low, the tip resting just past the middle of his thighs.

"You're still stubborn." The baritone of his voice was deep. He dropped to his knees and wrapped a strong arm around her waist as he spoke.

"And you're still impatient." He lifted her as if she was a feather and placed her gently on all fours on a soft fur blanket nearby. The air was much colder without her fur, and small shivers passed through her muscles. She wanted to stretch in her human form, but she didn't get the chance. In the space of a breath she felt his large hands grip her cheeks before he spread them wide. "Joseph!"

A moment later, she felt his hot tongue against her. His hold on her increased and he tilted her hips forward while he made long passes through her folds. Her body reacted almost instantly. Heat built inside her and spread through her body like a brush fire.

He groaned into her, and pulled one side of her labia into his mouth, sucking hard. She hissed out a breath and gripped the fur blanket beneath her. She wanted to feel even more, and she lowered her upper body to give him more access.

She felt her skin being pulled by his mouth, his suction unyielding until her flesh reached its limit and snapped back to her body. Her skin throbbed where his mouth had been, and when he returned his tongue to her slit, she wriggled her hips against him. She didn't have to wonder how wet she was; the sounds of his slurps bounced around the cave.

When he turned his attention to her opposite flap, he sucked on it just as hard, and she rose up on her hands and arched her back. A long moan tumbled from her throat, and she used her palms to push her body against him. When he ended the blissful torture of her labia, he nibbled her nerve bundle with his full lips. The sensation made her wobbly on her knees as wave after wave of pleasure crashed into her.

"I can't take this!" She tried to crawl away, but Joseph had other ideas. He increased his hold on her cheeks, and pressed his fingers deep into her flesh to keep her in place. He growled deep into his chest and held her close.

"Don't you dare try to run from me, Dara."

"I wasn't running, I just…" Her own moan cut into her speech when he sucked her clitoris into his mouth. The pressure was intense, and she could feel his tongue flicking like a hummingbird's wings over her pulsing bundle.

Her thighs began to quiver, and all coherent thought left her head. Hunger was a distant memory as the edge of her climax closed in.

And then he was gone. His hands, his face, the heat from his mouth, and the arrival of her orgasm, all gone.

"Damn it, Joseph. What the hell?" She whipped her head around in time to see him lift the corner of his mouth into a smirk. In a flash, his hands were hooked into her hips and he pulled her onto him, pushing into her like a thick, hot…
Damn he's big!

Her entire body felt like one exposed nerve, and her thoughts wafted through a dense fog. He pumped into her with wild abandon. Grunts, groans, and squeezes were his only form of communication as he impaled her. No, impaled was too mild a word for what he did. He ground into her with force, as if he was intent on marking her as his from the inside. He filled her, and every stroke pulled pleasure from deep in her core.

"Oh God, don't stop!"

Her breasts swayed and shook beneath her, and as she began to squeeze around him, her nipples tightened, hardening for him.

The sound of skin slapping against skin echoed around the empty cave. The sounds of their passion filled the air like members of a salacious choir. It was primal, and he took her body as if his movements were the only way to make his heart beat. Muscled legs braced her each time she sank onto him, and their heat all but scalded every time she made contact.

It was perfect. He gave her just what she needed to come alive for the season. Rough and needy, forceful and frantic, he worked her over as only a bear could. He awakened both halves of her being, and as she neared oblivion, her ursine nature came forward to meet his challenge.

She used her hands for leverage and began to push back onto him. The deep rumble in his chest in response inflamed her, and she moved against him with more force. One of his hands left her hip. A moment later, his fingers tangled in the hair on the back of her head. He fisted a handful, and bucked harder against her.

When he pulled her head back, she spasmed around him. Her legs gave out, but she never hit the ground. He changed his hold and wrapped his arms around her waist. He didn't still his movements, and he burrowed into her, riding through her orgasm.

Her body continued to respond. A wave of carnal bliss circled around her center, and her mind reeled. He shifted her weight and pulled her back against his chest while he sat on his heels. He bounced her in his lap and moved an arm to her right breast, where he twisted and tugged on her nipple.

She was almost delirious from the orgasm that wouldn't end. Her heart pumped liquid fire through her veins, and pushed her higher into her euphoria. She covered his hand with hers and held on tight. "F-Fu-u… Oh Go-" Coherent words required too much effort, so she gave up and let her moans do the talking.

Joseph rubbed his opposite hand down her belly and trailed his fingers into the dark hair of her delta. She grabbed his wrist and tried to hold him still, but he pushed forward. "Please… C-can't… take any-more." She felt his teeth on her shoulder a moment later, and she gasped and relaxed her grip.

He continued his pace, lifting his hips up and down while she turned into a puddle on top of him. When he found her now hypersensitive clitoris, he drew circles against it with his fingertips.

Another scream.

Her world spun out of control, and there were only two things she could register—Joseph as he pistoned in and out of her, and the orgasm that had morphed into an enemy intent on killing her with pleasure.

"Shit… Dara… Dara I'm gonna come…"

He swelled inside her and she felt herself stretch even more. She could barely think when she felt him pull out. When he released her, she dropped in a heap onto the fur. She trembled and shuddered. The soft hairs of the animal skin tickled her ears as she rolled her head from side to side. Several moments passed before she managed to roll onto her side.

Joseph's climax forced a roar-like sound from his chest, and a moment later, splotches of his hot seed landed on her chest, arm, side, and hip. When his breathing calmed, he pressed close, and his heat kept her warm. His lips were soon on the back of her neck, his hot breath behind her ear.

She was spent, almost unable to move and certainly unwilling. Her eyelids began to droop, and she struggled to process the sensory overload. A bite to her shoulder forced a moan, and she closed her lids tight as small shudders coursed through her.

"You need to eat. I made that kill for you." He spoke close to her ear before he licked a long line up the side of her neck. "You need to get your strength up."

Food was the last thing on her mind, and she pressed herself into his abdomen in an effort to envelope herself in his scent and warmth.

"Dara…"

She wanted to complain, but that would require too much energy, so she stayed right where she was. Without warning, Joseph moved away, leaving her cold and more than a little surprised. When she looked over her shoulder, he stood behind her in all his bear glory. He snorted, the sound loud in the now-quiet cave, and growled again.

Dara sighed and morphed into her bear. She wasn't happy about this, and she opened her mouth to show her teeth to let him know it.

He nudged her shoulder and herded her to the cave entrance. For the second time that day, she was blinded by the light of the sun. They walked together to the deer carcass, and Joseph stood guard while she fed.

She didn't want to admit it, but she felt better after the meal. Joseph transformed next to her and ran a hand through her fur. "Come on, let's get some water."

She remained in her bear form and followed as he moved naked through the forest. The strong muscles of his back and shoulders flexed beneath his skin each time his arms moved. When she lowered her gaze to his taut, strong buttocks, she heated up. Her mind flashed back to the cave and her inner muscles clenched involuntarily. She was sore, but it was a delectable sensation, the kind you get after being thoroughly reamed.

* * * *

They returned from the stream in their bear forms. Their fur dripped with water, a result of playful wading. As soon as they entered the cave, Joseph changed into his human form and pulled on her ear. "Let me see you."

She shifted in front of him, and he pulled her close. His eyes shone with desire, and when he leaned forward, he brought their lips together in a deep kiss. His tongue sought entry, and when she allowed him in, he claimed her mouth. Their tongues played in an erotic dance reminiscent of their earlier copulation.

When he released a growl, she felt it in her teeth and on her tongue. Her heart raced when he slid a hand down to squeeze one of her cheeks, and her body seized when he ran his fingers through the crack of her ass.