Lost Howl (6 page)

A flick of his fingers and her little black dress was completely backless.

The room temperature dropped a few degrees and she shivered, sipping at the hot wine.

“We need to get you under the covers. You have had a long day.”

She giggled. “Parts of it were longer than others.”

He sighed and coaxed her into sitting on the edge of the bed, setting his wine on the nightstand before removing her shoes one by one. He knelt in front of her and worked her feet with strong motions of his hands.

Amira sipped at her wine and smiled as he flexed and rubbed all the knots out of her feet. “You are very good at that.”

He laughed. “I took a reflexology short course in college. I thought it would help me with the ladies. I wasn’t wrong.”

She sighed. “As long as I am the only woman you are planning to seduce with foot rubs in the future, I can deal with that. Your past is yours, your future is mine.”

He looked up at her and met her gaze with his. He was suddenly serious. “That cuts both ways. No more human lovers for you.”

She leaned forward and kissed him, licking his lips softly before pressing her mouth to his. “After you, no human could compare.”

He smiled against her lips, took her cup and set it next to his, then with a glad cry, he tackled her to the bed, wrestling her out of her clothing while they rolled over and across the king-sized bed. When she was wearing nothing but a foolish grin, he spread her thighs and pressed his mouth to her sex without warning.

The heat of his lips and tongue seared her, and she let out a low moan. She raised her hips to him and shuddered as he delved into her with his tongue. It was longer than it should have been, and she twisted as it curled upward inside her.

He cupped her hips in his hands, and she twisted her body in his grip as he worked feverishly to drive her to release. Her pleasure spiked rapidly, and she bucked with the force of it. His tongue continued to work at her until she was limp and exhausted.

She lay back, dazed, while he quickly shed his own clothing. To her surprise, he flipped her to her belly and drew her up until she was on her hands and knees. When he thrust into her, she let out another low moan.

The slide of his cock inside her and slow withdrawal brought her arousal back to raging flames in a dozen thrusts. She saw her hands shift; her claws came out and punctured the bedding as she leaned into the surging pleasure.

Lorr bent forward and nuzzled her neck, taking her skin between his teeth as he suddenly bucked hard and fast. She couldn’t get away and her inner beast fought for supremacy.

Amira held her beast at bay while Lorr drove her arousal higher and higher. Her muzzle took shape, and she panted as they approached climax together.

His rapid, pulsing thrusts rocked her forward and back. He stroked her clit with strangely hard fingers, and she let out a series of panting moans that grew higher in pitch until she let out a low groan that shook the room.

Lorr thrust deep and held himself inside her, his cock flexed and jerked against her flesh.

She held still and shivered in the cool air as the sweat on her body began to dry and her head and limbs resumed their human shape.

He released his grip on her shoulder and nuzzled the spot where his teeth had held her.

With nothing to hold her up, she let her limbs go slack and she flattened herself on the bedding. He was right on top of her.

Mating might be driven by an urge to pass on the genes, but she was sure that it was going to be one of her favourite pastimes.

The next morning, they stood with Teal and Tony, signing their paperwork and agreeing to the basic mate contract.

Each couple at the Crossroads had the full, authorized protection of the Shifter’s Council. No clan could strike against a witnessed union or they would be ostracized and damages would be sought.

Despite her canine form, Amira had been registered as a lioness. Her pride was standing by to defend her, and seeing her grandparents’ names on the certificate caused a lump to well in her throat.

Lorr’s family names and herd name were in prominent display.

“Are you the herd master?” Amira had already signed, but now, she wanted to know what she was getting into.

“I am. It is annoying, but I am used to it. We are a small herd and it does not interfere with my social inclinations.”

She grinned. “That is my job.”

He signed the copies with a flourish and wrapped an arm around her. “I look forward to you doing your job at every opportunity.”

He leaned in and she leaned up. Their kiss met halfway and was on the road to becoming carnal when Tony cleared his throat.

“Not to rush you, but this will be better if you continue it outside in the real world. We have other couples to mail home. You need to get going.”

Amira pulled back and smiled. “Your place or mine?”

“I think we shall begin with mine. We have plenty of room for visitors.” He winked.

“Are you sure you want humans and lions in your home?”

“It is always good to try something new.”

Amira looked at Teal and Tony. “His place it is.”

They stood together in the transport area, and in a rising cascade of light, they disappeared.

The air was heavy with moisture when they arrived. In seconds, they were soaked to the skin.

Laughing, he grabbed her hand and hauled her up and onto a porch.

Amira blinked to clear her eyes and wiped the rain from her face. “So. Raining, huh?”

He grinned. “I have heard it happens all over the world.”

“I think I need to get dry and make a call to let my family know I am all right.”

“I think that is a wonderful idea.” Lorr tugged her into the house. “Come on, I will give you a tour.”

She kept her grip on her bag as he showed her the kitchen and the first floor with a huge living room. Up the stairs were the bedrooms and there were at least six that Amira could see. He wasn’t kidding. There was plenty of room for her.

He opened a double door with a flourish. “Our room.”

The space was huge, a fireplace was against one wall and a bed mirrored it. The closet was not in scale to the room, but Amira had far more practical gear than fancy clothing. It would suit her just fine.

Lorr suddenly looked nervous. “Do you like it?”

She dropped her bag in the closet and turned to him. “I think we will do very well here. Where are we, precisely?”

He laughed and hugged her. “I will give you the GPS coordinates. We are easy to find once you know where we are.”

She snorted. “Of course. It makes perfect sense. Now, where is a phone so I can call my mom?”

One hour of happy tears and laughter later, her mother and sister had been invited for a visit and had promised to bring most if not all of her wardrobe with them. It was a four-hour drive from her home, and her sister had been packing the car while Amira spoke to her mother.

When she finished the call, Lorr was hopping around like an excited child.

“I can’t believe it. Humans. I am related to humans by marriage.”

Amira poked him. “Not yet. According to human tradition, we are only living together so far. You heard Tony and Teal. We need to make this formal in the human world as well.”

He scowled. “What do we need to do for that?”

“We could just go to the local city hall. We get a license, sign more papers and pay a fee and done.” Amira shrugged.

“Don’t you want a big party and reception?” He frowned.

“I never thought about it. Weddings were always something that happened to other people.”

“Do you want a big event?” He walked up to her and rubbed her shoulders.

“I would have to invite my grandparents and their pride. That means we would literally have lions and lambs at the same event. Is that a good idea?”

He worked at the knots in her neck. “I am no more worried about your family than I am about you. You are a wolf with lion blood and you have displayed no urge to pounce on me.”

She laughed. “Not in a purely predatory way. I have wanted to pounce.”

“You have showed remarkable restraint.”

“Practice. I can’t go around slamming every man I see up against a wall so I can climb them and fuck them silly. I have been through enough heats to know when I should simply breathe deep and try to relax. The tension goes to my shoulders as you seem to be noticing.”

“The idea of being fucked silly has its merits.”

It was enough of an invitation for her. She was up and out of the chair in a flash and he was pressed against the wall while she used her enhanced strength to rip his clothing and free his cock. The violence of her actions surprised her, but his erection was thick and hard with a drop of precum at the tip. When he was dressed in nothing but shreds of clothing, she turned him and shoved him onto his back on the bed.

Her clothing went flying next and she crawled onto the bed, wrapping her lips around the head of his cock and taking him deep into her mouth as she growled around him. She heard him mutter curses, and he tried to grab her hair but she snarled.

Amira released him from between her lips, licking the flat planes of his belly; her dark hair flowed around her, and she slowly moved up his torso until she could straddle him.

Fitting him to her sex and slowly plunging down on him sent ripples of pleasure through her, and instead of a deliberate climb to climax, she began to move on him hard and fast.

She braced her hands on his belly and flexed her hips as she bounced with purpose. He cupped her breasts and massaged them while she moved around him. He grunted as she kept plunging and drawing herself upward. His release was coming on quickly, his hands shook with his effort to control himself.

Amira whispered. “Let it come.”

He groaned and gripped her hips, slamming into her over and over until he let out a strangled sound.

She smiled at the utter surprise on his face. She slowly stroked her fingers over his chest and belly, reaching behind her to cup his balls and stroke the taut flesh behind them.

His erection kicked to life, and he winced as he lifted and relaxed his hips in turn.

It was the beginning of a very long and very interesting rainy afternoon.

Two days later, her mother and sister arrived. Dorine was nervous but Lianna was curious. The Westersons were waiting and guestrooms were ready. It was time to meet the in-laws.

“Are they all sheep?” Lianna whispered the question as she looked at some of the attractive cousins in the family.

“Big horn sheep or goats, yes.” Amira was in the kitchen making potato salad, but she was keeping an eye on everyone in the common room.

“Do they ever…you know…with humans?”

Amira blinked rapidly. “I can safely say yes but it isn’t permanent. Humans just can’t keep up for very long. Actually mating takes a bit of stamina. You would tire too easily for anything long term.”

Lianna sighed. “Ah well, I can dream.”

“You could take one for a spin, but don’t expect it to stick. You know a bit about my own track record.”

“I do.”

“Well, now, I am content to have the same man in my bed night after night. While the sex is fun, knowing that I can’t hurt him is a freedom that I never fully appreciated before. It lets the experience become more somehow.”

“So, you are really happy?”

Amira grinned. “I am. I have been in touch with a local tour company, and they are willing to take me on on a trial basis. I have an orientation jaunt scheduled for next week.”

“Is Lorr willing to part with you?”

“For a few days, yes. He is working on the wedding arrangements. Now that I have met my grandparents, he wants them to become involved in my life. They will be at the wedding.”

“I can hardly wait.” Lianna was excited. “Are they nice?”

“They are wonderful and the pictures of my dad were amazing to see. I had stopped thinking of him as a person, and they had high school photos, baby pictures, everything. He was a man with friends and a real life. He chose to run with my mother, and they were content to hide from her relatives the entire time. They were my parents, they loved me and they protected me as much as they could until the last. I was lucky that you and your mother found me, but my roots are from a different tree.”

Lianna hugged her quickly. “Different roots, same tree.”

A strange sound rippled through the air. Wolves were howling.

Amira cocked her head and held very still. The howl came again.

“Lorr!”

He came to her side in an instant. “What are they saying?”

“They are gathering for an attack. They are coming for me.”

Lianna blinked. “What is coming?”

“My mother’s family. They want to claim me for their bloodline. I have no idea why.” Amira straightened her shoulders. “You and mom stay inside. This is not going to be a good thing.”

“Can we do something?”

Amira fished out her cell phone. “Call Sarah or Thomas. Tell them that the wolves are coming for me and give them the GPS marker.”

Lianna began dialing while Amira loosened her clothing and went to stand out on the porch. The wolves were still coming closer. She could hear them. They were unnatural predators and their crashing proved it. No true wolf moved like they did.

Lorr was at her side in a matter of moments. “Stay here until I give a signal.”

“I will, but if they make a move toward you, I am leaping into action.”

He turned and gave her a hard and fast kiss. “Have I told you lately that I love you?”

She grinned. “Yes, but it was during a blow job this morning. Now, do what you have to do. I will be here on standby.”

He nodded and headed for the centre of the yard. He remained there with his clothing loosened until the first wolf entered his territory.

The alpha shifted and glared at Lorr. “We have come for what is ours.”

Lorr shook his head. “Spell it out for me.”

“She is of my blood. My daughter’s child. I have the right to her fate as a breeding female.”