Wolf's Bane (Shifted) (10 page)

“I
am tired,” Ashley smiled at Bryce. His concern for her showed on his face.

“Go
to bed. We’ll figure the rest of this out in the morning.”

“Like
I believe that. You boys will be up half the night planning. Look at your brother Matt. He’s all wound up at the prospect of a fight.”

“He’s
the one that should have probably trained as an enforcer. Matt never backs down from anything.”

“I
do feel as if I’m in good hands.”

“You
are in good hands. Now go to bed. Get some rest.”

“I will
. Don’t stay up too late. You need rest too.”

“I’ll be fine,” Bryce grinned
. There was no way he was getting much sleep with Ashley upstairs so close to him.

Bryce
had a suite of rooms at the pack house that Drew had insisted he use when he first asked Bryce to train to take over. Now he wished he had a home to go to. Being so close, unable to take her was going to drive him crazy. He was tempted to make the announcement to the others. Even if this was neither the time, nor the place, to make such a happy declaration.

He wanted the news to be met with the same joy he felt in his heart
, not be over shadowed by plans to rid them of the Bane problem. Tomorrow, he would discuss staying with her. This would be his last night alone in his bed. If she wasn’t ready for more, he would understand, but his mate was going to sleep beside him.

Ashley made her excuses
. No one questioned her need for rest. With all the crying she had done earlier, she had to look like a mess.

“Ashley?” Jane
, Bryce’s mother, called as she started down the hallway after saying her goodnights.

“
Yes, Mrs. Woodland?”

“Jane
, please, or better yet, Mom. I know the men don’t see it, but I do. You are a welcome addition to the family.”

“How
could you tell?”

“
A woman knows. The men, they don’t pay attention to such things. I’ve seen the same look my son wears when he looks at you before. Lars still looks at me that way from time to time.”

“
I’m sorry I’ve put your family in the path of danger.”

“Now
stop that. This is in no way your fault. My boys are very capable of defending themselves as well as others. Bryce would die for you.”

“
That’s what I’m afraid of.”

“You
can’t live in fear, Ashley. Fear only cripples you. It doesn’t really solve the problem. You need to be cautious and aware, be smart about your decisions, but don’t be afraid to act. It is my understanding that Bane is coming for you whether you are here or somewhere else, whether you are my son’s mate or not.  Do you think for a second that, if you weren’t Bryce’s mate, he would act any differently… that any of my sons - who have no idea you’re Bryce’s mate – would let Bane get away with taking you back?”

“No
, I don’t suppose they would.”

Ashl
ey saw in Jane a strength that would have been doused if she had been raised Bane. This woman was strong. Her sons respected her. As they had spoken earlier, she saw that both Lars and Uncle Drew listened and valued her input. For so long, she had been trapped in a pack where woman were seen and not heard. Her home life had been the only exception to the oppression women in the pack experienced every day. Regardless of what happened to her, freeing those women, showing them there was a different way, was even more important to her now that she had met Lexi, Faith, Gwen Cheveyo, and her new mother-in-law, Jane Woodland. She knew that Bane had to go.

12

It was a little after midnight when the plans for the next few days were finalized. Bryce would escort Ashley to the lake house. To whoever followed them, it would look as if Bryce was her only guard?

Bryce’s brothers would already be at the house waiting. If Bane
’s men decided to make their move on the house, Ashley would be more than protected. Maverick had been called and agreed to be on standby in case his men were needed. Bane wouldn’t expect the Cheveyo’s men; he would have only factored the Reiner troops into whatever plan he had.

Exhaustion wa
s setting in. This one day had held a lifetime of events. Bryce needed to sleep if he was going be his best while traveling. He doubted that Bane’s men would make a move while they were on the road, but it would be the time they were most vulnerable.

Bryce
blindly headed straight for the bathroom once he entered his suite. A hot shower was the main goal. If he could stay awake long enough to enjoy it. Almost as if he was on auto pilot, he showered and threw some sweat pants and a tee shirt on to sleep in. He thought about taking the stairs to the second floor to check on Ashley. He just wanted to see her. Deciding it might scare her to have a man looming in her doorway while she was still half asleep; he chose to wait until morning.

Opening t
he door to the bathroom, his bedroom was bathed in the dim light from the doorway.

“
Hi” a small voice said as Bryce noted movement in his bed.

“Ashley
?”

“You were expect
ing someone else?”

“
No, I wasn’t really expecting anyone. I thought you went to bed.”

“I did,” Bryce could see her smile as she rolled to face him.
“Are you going to just stand there or are you coming to bed?” she asked shyly. Bryce realize he was still standing in the doorway.

“
I’m trying to remind myself to take it slow.”

“I
was thinking about that.”

“You
were?”

“Yes
, I was thinking that the only reason I was the least bit hesitant was because I was attacked.”

“
That is understandable,” Bryce agreed.

“Bryce
, I know you are not him. When you touch me, I don’t feel fear. I feel like I found peace. I started to go to my room but decided that my mate’s bed is where I wanted to be.”

“
You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

“
So, why are you still standing there? Come to bed.” Bryce could detect a slight waver in Ashley’s voice.

She was
nervous, but, hell, the woman was in his bed. He wasn’t going to just stand in the doorway all night. Ashley slid over as Bryce tucked in next to her. Feeling the warmth of her body next to his was almost too much. “Come here,” he said while pulling her back against him. Feeling her skin against his arms, he stilled for a moment. “Ash you’re naked?”

“
Yes I am,” she smiled in the dim light.

Bryce growled low in his throat
, trying to reign in the urge to flip her over and just take her, as he leaned in to kiss her.  He kissed her softly at first. He didn’t want to scare her, but her being there in his bed ready, and apparently willing, was messing with his resolve. The wolf inside him wanted to ravage her, but the man knew she had been through too much to respond to that kind of action. Slowly, he deepened the kiss as he felt her fingers in his hair. She pulled him to her, holding him there as if she thought he might escape. Not likely. This was heaven, and there was no way he was letting her go.

“
Ash?” he choked and pulled back to look at her.

“I want you Bryce
. All of you. It’s okay. I’m fine, really. Stop trying to be careful.”

“I’ll always be careful with you
, Ash. I would never hurt you.”

“
And I know that.”

“
Just tell me when to stop.”

“I
don’t want you to stop.”

Bryce reclaimed her lips
again, taking time to learn every curve of her body as his hands skimmed over her naked form. His mate was not broken. She was strong, and she was his. The little moans she emitted were moans of pleasure, not fear or pain.

“
You’re holding back, aren’t you?” Ashley asked feeling Bryce’s body shudder from restraint. She loved him. Her heart knew he was hers, and he was taking her feelings into consideration. That was the only thing Ashley needed to be sure this was right.

“
Maybe,” Bryce grinned. “How did you know?”

“
Well, for one you are still dressed.”

“I
am finding it hard to control myself.” Bryce admitted the clothing was providing a reminder, a barrier so to speak.

“Bryce
, I know you won’t hurt me. I need you, so let it go. If I have to rip those clothes off myself to prove it to you, I will.”

Bryce moved to the edge of the bed
, taking the hem of his shirt to pull it over his head. The pants came next until he was naked as well. Sliding back in next to Ashley, he looked into his mate’s eyes to be sure her words reflected what she was feeling.

“
How did I get so lucky?” he asked making her glow in response.

“
Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.” Ashley took the initiative leaning into Bryce. His hard chest was smooth and warm as she ran her hands up and around his neck.

The kiss that followed was different
. It wasn’t cautious. It was claiming. Bryce’s resolve had snapped, and Ashley couldn’t be happier. The feel of him against her, touching nipping, kissing, was pushing her toward a point she could only dream of in the past.

“Please
,” she whimpered not really knowing exactly what she was pleading for.

“
Forever Ash, I mean it,” Bryce groaned as he hovered above her. For one brief moment, Ashley’s breath caught in her throat. The trapped feeling she had felt pinned down by Richard Bane was rising. Snapping her eyes open, she forced herself to look at the man above her. Bryce, her mate. Her heart and her primal instincts both agreed, he was safe.

“
Forever might not be long enough,” she managed to gasp as he slid inside her.

The Mate fever Ashley had experienced before this was nothing compared to the raw energy that joining with Bryce
had caused. The fire churning in her blood seemed to be actually blending with him on a cellular level.

“You
okay?” Bryce’s voice pierced the blissful haze.

“
Good… so good,” Ashley muttered hoping the words were reaching the surface. If he stopped now, she thought she might die.

Ashley’s
senses were on overload, and her body was moving in a rhythm with Bryce, as if they had been doing this for centuries. She felt an explosion coiling deep inside. Her wolf was jumping for joy, reveling in the domination of her mate.