Sanctuary (A Hunted Novel Book 1) (12 page)

“You feel so good,” he ground out. “I want to watch you come.”

Tess bit her lip, shuddering at his words. “Harder,” she coaxed.

Nate’s eyes lit up as he quickened his pace. Tess hummed,
yes, just like that.

Her stomach clenched as her orgasm built, her legs tensing as she gripped Nate tighter with her thighs. She closed her eyes as her body exploded. Spots flitted beneath her lids as Nate continued his delicious rhythm. He growled, and she opened her eyes in time to watch him throw his head back as he rode out his orgasm. She shivered as his length spasmed inside her, filling her with his seed. Tess squeezed him tighter, and ground her hips against his, wanting to draw out every ounce of pleasure.

He collapsed on top of her, panting breathlessly against her neck. Nate lazily nuzzled her neck as they both came down from their high.

Tess closed her eyes enjoying the feel of him above her. Fantastic. That was the only word to describe what had just happened. She let out a long breath as she grazed her hands up and down his back. The skin was raised from where she’d marked him. Tess smiled to herself.
My wolf
. Her breath caught at the thought.
No. He’s not mine, but this was fun. There that sounds better. 

“What do you say we forget Netflix for now and go back to the bedrooms. It’s late anyway,” Nate suggested, shifting so he could place a soft kiss to her forehead. She ground her teeth as his cock moved inside her. His length was still hard and still buried so deep.
I want him again.

Tess shivered as her core began to ache with want again. “Okay,” she whispered with a tremble.

***

T
ess shivered as she blinked her eyes open. Her body tingled and goose bumps erupted on her skin. She drew the covers tighter against her. A chill cascaded through her as her arm grazed against a warm body. She turned and bit her lip as she stared at Nate’s naked back.

Muscles rippled across the tanned plains. Long claw marks covered his back. She grinned.
Mine. I did that. I marked him.
They would disappear completely once he shifted; leaving permanent scars wasn’t her cup of tea. He was too gorgeous to deform. She stifled a moan as she remembered the way his muscles had worked as they’d had sex. Her center ached pleasantly. Desire pulled in her and her core gushed, begging to be filled again.

Last night had been amazing. She smiled and let out a long breath. If she stayed in bed, perhaps they’d pick up where they’d left off last night. Her next heat cycle was months away, so pregnancy wouldn’t be an issue. She reached out her foot and trailed her toe along his calf. The muscles pulsed beneath her toes, causing her to grow wetter.
Come on Nate wake up.

Something crawled over her neck and she flipped over, searching the room. No one was there. What is going on? Her hand went to the back of her head and she trailed her fingers down to her shoulder blades. Nothing. Tess froze, shivering as another chill zipped through her. What is that?

Great. Now I’m losing it. You’re tired. It’s been a long few days go back to sleep.

A quick glance at the digital clock on the end table told her it was almost ten in the morning.
It’s actually kind of late. You haven’t slept past eight a day in your life. I was up until four am. It’s not like I’ve slept the whole day away.

She closed her eyes and burrowed back into the pillows. Sleep gnawed at her, but just as she was about to drift off, prickles swept over the back of her neck again.

What the hell?

Tess shot up, her hand smacking the back of her neck. Nothing.
I’m just exhausted and my mind is playing tricks on me.
She shook her head, drawing her knees into her chest. Her eyes flicked to Nate, he slept soundly, his breathing coming in soft, even breaths.
At least I’m not disturbing him with my craziness.

Running a hand through her snarled hair, she shook her head. With a sigh, she looked at Nate again. His hand went to the back of his neck and he scratched at it before dropping his hand onto the bed.

Coincidence?

Tess bit her lip and leaned forward. A black blemish bloomed on the back of his neck. Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched the mark morph into a paw. The paw split, half of it like a wolf’s paw, the other half like a cats.

No. No. No.
Tess gripped the sheets tightly against her as she stood up and ripped them off the bed. Nate mumbled and rolled over, but stayed asleep. Tess wrapped the sheet around her and sprinted out of the room.

The bathroom was down the hall and to her right. She flipped the lights on and stopped in front of the mirror. Her hands shook as she shoved her long hair to one side. Turning, she angled herself so she could see the back of her neck.

No. No. No.
A similar mark had blossomed on her neck as well. She closed her eyes and sank to the floor. She’d never seen it happen before. To her knowledge it hadn’t happened to any shifter in years—decades even, but she knew exactly what the marks meant. Mates. Her and Nate had formed a bond, one that only true mates could achieve. It all made sense. The undeniable attraction, the inability to focus, her and Nate were mates.
Great
.
Now what am I going to do? What is he going to do? Is he going to be mad? What if he hates me?
She gasped at the thought. Just because they were mates didn’t mean they had to act on it, but if they didn’t consummate their union, they would never find love or comfort in another’s embrace. If her and Nate didn’t complete the bond, then they would be miserable, but if they did complete... well it was safe to say they would make a lot of people upset. What were they going to do?

N
ate’s eyes popped open as he sat up. He took in his surroundings and let out a long breath. The spot next to him was empty, and the sheets were cold. He scratched the back of his head as he looked for Tess. He slid out of bed and quietly moved to the door. The hallway was empty, and silence enveloped him. He peered into Tess’ room across the hall. Nothing. Where was she? Did she regret what had happened? He really hoped not. Last night had been amazing.
I need to find her and make sure she’s okay. Please don’t let her have any remorse.

Stepping out into the hallway, he looked down at the dirty floor. The tracks from earlier were still there as well as a new set of prints. A single pair of footprints led away from his room. They stopped in the bathroom and then headed down the hall. What was she up to? Was she okay? Why hadn’t she woke him up?

Were they going to have an awkward morning after encounter? After last night, he wouldn’t have thought so. His cock hardened as he remembered the way it felt to be inside her. It would’ve been nice to wake up beside her so they could have continued where they left off. Arousal surged through him at the thought. He had to find her.

Nate moved effortlessly through the abandoned compound. The trail ended at the security room. She’d probably gotten up to continue the search for her family. Can’t blame her for that. He slipped inside. Tess sat on a desk, her feet planted on the seat of a chair. She looked up from the papers she was looking at then back to them without saying anything. Her cheeks flushed, and a dark red blush bloomed all the way to her ears. Is she going to pretend like nothing happened at all? Fine. He could play along for now.

He took a look around, peering at the monitors where the cameras were. The sun was up, and other than a few wild animals, there was nothing going on above ground.

“What time is it?” he asked, keeping his eyes on the screens.

“A little after eleven,” Tess commented as she shuffled through papers.

“How long have you been up?” he asked. He’d slept maybe seven hours, which was longer than he was used to. Most nights he got five hours of shuteye if he were lucky. The little minx had worn him out though. He hadn’t slept that hard in ages. Shoot he hadn’t even heard her leave the room.
You’re losing your game. If she can sneak out on you, then someone could just as easily sneak in.

“About an hour,” she sighed sounding irritated. “I couldn’t sleep. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

Nate shook his head. Her inability to sleep probably had something to do with this strange compound. He was surprised he slept as long as he did. There was too much dust, and if he thought about it too much, then he got a bout of claustrophobia from being buried underground. He rubbed his nose, trying to stifle an oncoming sneeze as he also tried to control his thoughts. The last thing he needed was for a bout of entrapment to take over.

“I thought there might be some type of log that documented what happened here. You know, who built the place and lived here.” She set a stack of papers down into a pile and then picked up another set.

Tess shifted on her perch, avoiding his gaze. Really? Would it kill her to look at me and acknowledge that something happened between us last night? As the silence stretched on, he realized that Tess was still pretending nothing happened.

“Find anything interesting?” he asked curiously. No need to start an argument. Maybe she’s found something important.

“A few things.” She hopped down off the desk and sauntered to him.

She’s not sauntering you idiot—it’s called walking. For crying out loud, the girl isn’t even making eye contact. Keep yourself together.

“According to these files the place was built back during the Cold War.” She handed a stack of files to him.

“Huh,” he mumbled as he shifted through the papers. This was definitely an interesting, and odd development.

“It explains why it’s underground,” she continued as she crossed her arms over her chest. “It was originally built by a small group of human fanatics. One of them married a werecat, and that’s how our community acquired this place. Anyway, from what I can tell, this compound is an emergency shelter, which is why no one lives here.”

“Makes sense. I’ve never heard of our type, other than snakes, living underground,” he reasoned. He looked around at the four walls and suppressed a shiver. They were trapped in a box underground. It was a little unnerving.

“There’s something else,” she whispered, shifting slightly on her feet as she looked down at the ground.

“What?” he asked apprehension churning in him.

Tess shook her head still staring at the floor.

“Tess?” he questioned. What isn’t she saying?

“There are radio frequencies to call other prides. This bunker is a rendezvous point.” She trudged over to the large desk and plucked a piece of paper off it. Turning, she handed it to him.

He glanced over the neatly written numbers for a long moment. There was no way of knowing which of these prides were still in existence. This place had been empty for a long time. What if they called, and a hunter answered? They could lead their enemy here by accident.

She took a step back. “I know what you’re thinking, but—”

“No,” he interrupted. “Absolutely not. Staying and waiting for your family is a minimal risk, but calling out... no. You don’t know whom you’re going to get,” he argued.

“This is the only chance I might have—that my family might have to reunite with a pride. I can’t ignore that.” She met his eyes, fixing him with a glare. “We both know that I’m not really welcome at Sanctuary, and after last night...” she trailed off, shaking her head. “They’re really going to hate me.”

“That’s not true,” he insisted. They couldn’t possible dislike her more than they already did. In time, the members of Sanctuary would learn to accept her, and anyone else from her pride, if they found them.

“Really?” she asked skeptically. “The welcoming I got was overwhelming friendly,” she added with a sarcastic eye roll. “I can only imagine what your mother will have to say about
us
.”

He didn’t have any intention of telling his mother about what had happened with Tess. Whatever that was, it couldn’t happen again, especially not when they returned to Sanctuary. He would be the dutiful son and mate with another wolf upon the first full moon of his twenty-fifth birthday.
No. No. No. What are you saying? You can’t do that you need her
. Ease her worries and argue with yourself later. “I admit that some wolves carry a grudge against cats, but not everyone there does,” he pointed out. “Every time a new species comes, it’s a little rough.”

“I appreciate that you’ve been helpful, Nate, but...” she trailed off and looked away. Her face paled, and she wrapped her arms around herself protectively.

There’s something she isn’t telling me
.
But what?

“Tess?”

“Last night complicates things,” she whispered. “I don’t know where we are supposed to go from here. I think we might be better off alone so we can think.”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. She’d been happy to have him up until sometime this morning—or so he thought. Perhaps he should go. No doubt he was already in trouble with the council.
I can’t leave her. If I walk away now I’ll never forgive myself. I’ll always wonder what happened, and if she’s okay. The secrets have to stop. Don’t let her walk on you.

“Nate—”

Her voice was cut off by the shrill sound of emergency sirens. Tess jumped back, in her confusion mistaking the noise for alarms, and turned to the monitors. He chuckled to himself as he dug out his cell phone.

“It’s my mom,” he explained.

She frowned, but let out a heavy sigh.

“Hello,” he answered, walking out into the hallway. If he had any hope of convincing Tess to come back to Sanctuary, it wouldn’t do well to have her hear his mom’s bickering.

“Nate. Thank God. Where are you? Are you hurt?” she asked quickly.

“I’m fine,” he stated.

“I was worried when the others showed up without you. They said you were providing a distraction, but then you never came home. Where are you?” she repeated.

“Ohio,” he answered evasively.

“You went there alone with
her
?” she hissed.