Blood Challenge (12 page)

“Last night was too fast.” He said it as a statement of fact.

“It was perfect.” Ellie frowned at him. Why was he torturing her by skimming her mound with his pinkie, but not touching her? “I forgot where we were.”

“That’s the mating frenzy.” His voice lowered an octave as he slid closer, bridging the gap between them. He threw his leg over hers, immobilizing her. “It’s already spread through the village that we’re a true mating pair.”

She shook her head, struggling to uphold her end of the conversation when Rica thumbed her nipple. His hand then slid half an inch lower, causing his pinkie and ring finger to hover over her pussy. “What does that mean?”

“They say the frenzy seizes you when the mated pair are a true love match. As much as the romantics don’t want to admit it, most of our mated pairs aren’t in love when they join. If you lose yourself in your mate, it’s said you’re in love with them.” He chuckled. “Even among our kind, the romantics run rampant.”

“I didn’t lose myself,” she said in a sharp tone. “I was aware of them watching.”

He nodded. “For all of a minute.” Rica seemed pleased with himself when he said that. He obviously liked the idea of his mate being madly in love with him.

Ellie stuck out her tongue. “I’m certain you weren’t lost in me either.”

His sudden turn to serious surprised her. “Oh, I was, Ellie. I couldn’t get enough of you.” His hand slid lower to cup her pussy. He squeezed lightly while tugging on her nipple. “I barely resisted the urge to wake you up a few hours ago. I’ve been waiting for you to open your eyes so I could lose myself in you again.”

She arched against his hand, moaning when he slipped a finger inside her lips. “I thought you’d never do that.” She was pleased with her cool reply, which was such a contrast to the fire burning inside her. “Um, just like that.” His finger circled her clit, coaxing the shy bud from its hiding place. Ellie tried parting her thighs, but his legs held her immobile.

“Like this?” He trailed his finger from her clit to the opening of her pussy. Rica flirted with the entrance, but didn’t slide his digit inside her.

Ellie shook her head, rubbing her cheek against the softness of the pillowcase. “Deeper.”

Immediately, his finger slipped a few inches inside her. She was damp with arousal, but not wet. She gasped at the friction. She was a little sore from last night, but it felt too good to ask him to stop.

She uttered a sound of protest when he withdrew his finger to cup her pussy again. Her breath came in short spurts when he squeezed her pussy, engulfing her swollen clit with her own slick folds. He moved his fingers on each side of her lips in opposite directions, causing them to rub against her clit. She went from damp to dripping in seconds.

Rica threw back the covers with his other arm. He inhaled, and his eyes darkened. “You smell so sweet, Ellie. I want to taste you.”

He didn’t wait for permission. She wouldn’t have denied him, but she didn’t have the chance to anyway. As he spoke, he slid down the bed, until his mouth was near her pussy. His legs draped over the footboard, but he didn’t seem to mind the discomfort.

Just having him so near increased her arousal, making her even slicker. Now that his leg was off hers, she was free to roll onto her back and part her thighs. Rica followed her movements, and his nose hovered above her pussy. He inhaled deeply again, and she felt his breath caressing her clit when he exhaled.

She stiffened with shock when he buried his nose inside her pussy and breathed in her scent before breaking away. She wondered what she smelled like to him. Did he have the keen sense of smell of a wolf, or had his human characteristics blunted the ability? She started to make a mental note to follow up on that question, but all thought fled when his tongue surged into her.

There hadn’t been any warning, and he wasn’t subtle with his strokes. Rica appeared determined to devour her. His tongue squirmed inside her, seeming to be everywhere at once. He drew her clit into his mouth and sucked forcefully, causing Ellie to cry out.

She buried her fingers in his long hair, needing something to hold on to. When his tongue entered her opening, swirling around her tight walls, her cry changed to a breathless groan. She arched her hips, ignoring the dart of pain from her protesting muscles.

The way he pleasured her was fast and possessive, but he didn’t lack finesse or skill. The sensations built to a fever pitch, causing Ellie to continuously buck her hips. As wonderful as his tongue felt, it wasn’t enough to satisfy her. “Rica, I want your cock inside me.”

That she could vocalize a coherent thought surprised her.
a
cacophony of confusing emotions whirled through her—pleasure, of course, but also a disturbingly intense emotional connection she felt forming with Rica. Surely, it was just because of the physical connection. She was mistaking physical attraction and sex for something deeper. She hardly knew Rica. How could she feel anything for him yet?

“Of course, Ellie.” His raspy response sent shivers down her spine. Rica moved up beside her, tracing a trail with his tongue from her pussy, up her stomach, to where he paused to suckle a turgid nipple.

She arched her back. Her hands grasped his hair tighter, but he made no sound of protest. “Rica, please.” Her hazy thoughts tried to focus on every moment of the experience, but she couldn’t concentrate on anything except having his cock inside her. She released a handful of hair to grope blindly for his cock when he slid higher up the bed. It lay against her thigh, and she squeezed his thick shaft, pausing to stroke the mushroom-shaped head. His breath hissed between his teeth, making her smile.

His body engulfed hers as he moved fully on top of her. His cock nestled into the folds of her pussy. Rica supported his weight with his arms, locked on either side of her head. Ellie shifted restlessly, knowing there was something she had to remember. As Rica started to enter her, she blurted, “Do you have protection?”

Rica froze, staring down at her with a frown. “No.”

“Shouldn’t we…ah.” She moaned as his head slipped inside her. “Rica, I…”

His mouth fastened over hers, cutting off the thought. His tongue surged into her mouth as his cock plunged inside her. Ellie couldn’t resist responding by arching her hips. What difference did it make now? They hadn’t used protection last night, and if her injection was no longer protecting her, it was too late now. Her tongue tangled with his as his cock filled her completely.

She spread her thighs and locked her legs around his hips, tightening the muscles to hold him inside her. How had she been able to go so long without a lover? Rica moved his mouth from hers, and their gazes locked. His eyes burned dark-blue, and there was a hint of barely restrained wildness in their depths. It had been easy to do without a man, because no other man had ever made her feel like this.

His eyes never wavered from hers as his hips bucked against her, alternately plunging and withdrawing his cock from her hungry depths. She cried out with each thrust, arching against him, determined to have all of him. Her cries turned to a keening moan when Rica’s cock spasmed inside her, triggering her orgasm. The walls of her pussy contracted around his cock, milking him for each drop of release. She continued to arch mindlessly against him, until only a faint tremor radiated from deep in her pussy.

Ellie realized she had been holding her breath and let it out in a harsh exhalation. Rica’s weight carefully settled on her, and his arms wrapped around her, holding her close. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder and snuggled closer. He was so large she might have felt overwhelmed by him, except for the way he held her. His tenderness caused her to feel safe and protected, rather than suffocated or smothered. She couldn’t remember ever feeling as though she belonged in a man’s arms before, until Rica.

* * * * *

She must have dozed off again in his arms. She opened her eyes sometime later in the morning to discover he was gone. She wondered what had awakened her. Was it the delicious ache between her thighs, or the all-over boneless sensation of satisfaction?

No, it was the door, she realized, when someone knocked again. Golatia or Davinia must be checking on her, to see how her first night as Rica’s mate had gone. She slid from the bed and searched for something to wear as the knocking increased. Her clothes were still at Davinia’s, and she hadn’t come to Rica’s in anything except the sash and her parka. She didn’t know where Rica had put it. Her boots were probably still at the clearing. “Just a minute,” she called when the knocking increased in pitch.

She went to Rica’s closet and found a robe. She pulled it from the hook and slid her arms into it. She belted the tie as she rushed to the door, and hitched up the hem to keep from tripping. There was no peephole. She opened the door and froze when she saw an older woman with a teenager. Ellie self-consciously ran a hand through her messy hair. “Yes?”

“Good morning, Lupina.” There was more than a hint of reverence in her tone. “We’ve come to welcome you.”

“Oh, er, okay.” Ellie stepped back and allowed them to cross the threshold. She was disconcerted by the way they both inclined their heads and stood before her. She closed the door and looked around the living room of her new home. She gestured to the sofa. “Won’t you have a seat?”

They scurried across the room and took a seat. Both looked nervous. Ellie felt the same way as she took a seat in the large chair near the stone fireplace. Silence descended. They seemed to be waiting for her to say something, but she didn’t know the protocol. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. I don’t believe I caught your names.”

“I am Afina. This is my daughter Carin, Lupina.”

Ellie frowned. “What is Lupina?”

“You are the Alpha’s mate. It is a term of respect.”

She nodded. “Thank you. Please just call me Ellie.”

Afina shook her head. “We couldn’t, Lupina.” She looked shocked by the idea. “It wouldn’t be proper.”

What could she do? She couldn’t argue the woman into submission. Ellie wondered if her new position came with any influence. She thought about ordering the woman to call her by her given name, but decided not to. She would look like a fool if she didn’t have any real authority. Not that she wanted any over these people. “I would offer you coffee or tea, but I don’t know where Rica keeps anything.”

Once more, Afina looked surprised. “Would you like coffee, Lupina? I will make it for you. I’m certain I can find where the Alpha keeps his supplies.”

Ellie waved her hand. “No, I’m fine, but thank you.”

That was about the extent of their conversation. The silence lagged. Each time Ellie managed to find a question to ask, the mother answered it quickly, without expounding, and always ending each answer with “Lupina”. Her daughter never spoke. It was with relief when she saw them off a few minutes later.

She had barely closed the door behind them when there was a knock. She opened it to find a group of six women of varying ages standing on her doorstep. Some held dishes, and they all insisted on welcoming her to the Pack. She soon grew used to the title of Lupina, and the conversation lasted longer.

When the women finally left, Ellie thought she would have time to shower and find something to wear, but someone knocked again. She wasn’t surprised to open the door and see another group of women. She let them in with a small sigh, wondering if the stream of visitors would ever end.

* * * * *

Late that afternoon, Davinia managed to break through the tide of women and bring her clothes. Ellie took a hot bath and dressed in her own clothes before joining her friend in the living room. “Have there been any other guests?”

“A few. I told them you were resting.” Davinia grinned. “I don’t believe you’re regarded as an outsider any longer, Ellie.”

She shrugged. “They’re only doing their duty.”

Davinia shook her head. “No, it isn’t that. They didn’t welcome me as Lupae.”

“What’s Lupae?”

“The Beta’s wife. The women report to you, and then me, in theory, but they find their own methods of defiance if they don’t want to follow the leaders’ wives.” Davinia smiled at her. “No, I think it must be the romantic in them. They believe you and Rica are in love, so they can overlook the fault of you being an outsider and a human.”

“Maybe they’ve read my mind and have seen I don’t plan to stay beyond the spring thaw.”

Davinia arched a brow. “Werewolves aren’t telekinetic or clairvoyant.”

Ellie frowned. “What about Golatia?”

“Who knows? I suspect she has vampire in her lineage. Perhaps a witch or two. Werewolves aren’t naturally psychic though.”

She licked her lips, suddenly nervous. “What about you? Are you psychic?” Did Davinia know why she was really here? Did she care?

Her friend hesitated. “I was before marrying Viggo. Once I stopped living by the old ways—namely, drinking blood—my powers dimmed. I have an occasional flash of the future, and I can sometimes feel Viggo’s emotions as my own, but that’s the extent of my power.” Her gaze dropped to Ylenia, sleeping on the floor in a bundle of blankets. “And I knew the moment I conceived. Within days, I knew she would be a girl.”

Ellie breathed a sigh of relief. She strove for a light tone. “So, I guess you can’t use your psychic powers to tell me where my new husband is?”