Crimson Sunrise (7 page)

“You have the softest touch,” he rasped in a throaty growl. Trapping my hair in his hands, he tucked it behind my back.

The buttons along the front of his jeans gave me trouble, and Caleb released my hair to open them with a deft flick of his wrist. A trail of dark hair made a path from his belly button down, and I reached out, touching the soft thatch just above his boxers. The muscles in his abdomen flexed and the hands on my back went motionless.

“Stand up for a minute,” I murmured.

I tried to pull them down without his help but my hands were trembling. Together we removed the last of his clothing, until he stood entirely naked before me. His chest was smooth and hairless, missing the silky hair that adorned his arms, legs, and stomach. I touched his bare skin first, awestruck by the contrast of my pale skin against his darkened tan. Leaning across the mattress on my knees, I started placing kisses on his chest.

As I moved down his body, Caleb remained motionless, chest heaving ever so slightly. His erection was enormous and appeared painful, the dark blue veins along the shaft engorged and pronounced; the large head wide and prominent.

“I want to touch you.” My voice was not entirely my own, going husky and deep.

He grasped my hand and guided it to him, hissing when my fingers wrapped skin as soft as silk. The velvety flesh was slightly slick and very warm, hotter than Caleb’s usual balmy temperature.

“You can do anything you want to me.” He allowed his hand fall to his side and gave me control.

The first few strokes were experimental, my loose fingers moving lightly across the skin. When Caleb’s hips began to move, I mirrored the smooth thrusts, mesmerized by the muscles in his thighs and abdomen that contracted. My thumb rotated over the thin slit at the tip, revolving in a slow circle.

Bending at the waist, I lowered my head to taste him. It was something I’d dreamed about. Something I’d regretted forgoing our first time together.

“Damn it,” he cursed suddenly and gripped my wrist. I peered up at him, worried I’d done something wrong. He bent to kiss me and said, “I’m sorry. I want you too badly. If you don’t stop, I won’t last.”

He released my wrist and grasped my waist with strong hands, urging me onto my back against the pillows. Our lips met and parted, tongues touching eagerly. His scent and dominating presence was overpowering, reminding me of just how dangerous he was capable of being. Yet the hands that drifted to my panties were unfailingly tender, his fingers brushing softly against the tingling skin.

“Do you remember how it felt when I tasted you?” He slipped the thin strip of cotton from my legs and nuzzled my inner thigh. My eyes widened as the memory surfaced and I nodded slowly, cheeks burning. He moved between my thighs, broad shoulders pressing my legs apart and out. Then he instructed, “Relax, beautiful. I’ve been waiting weeks for this.”

The heat of his mouth started at my knees and slowly moved upward. I shivered when I felt his warm breath caress the outside of my sex, groaning in anticipation of what was to come. Then his tongue licked in a firm decisive stroke as his steady hands cupped my bottom and lifted me to meet his mouth. I cried out and shuddered.

The familiar and enticing scent of forest and pine engulfed me, and I whimpered with need, undulating madly beneath him. The memories didn’t compare with the rightness of being with the one person I loved more than anything. Caleb wasn’t as easy or as patient as I remembered, tonguing me so deliberately that an orgasm arrived the moment he slid two fingers deeply inside my body, latched onto the swollen nub at the top of my sex, and sent me into wave after wave of pure unadulterated bliss.

“Caleb!” I screamed, unable to deny the pleasure he gave me. Each thrust of his fingers extended the ecstasy, until I thought I couldn’t take more.

Tanned shoulders and a dark head appeared as the last spasms tore through muscles, breaking through the pleasure, and I reached for him blindly. He guided the large bulbed tip of his erection to the slickness created by his mouth and my arousal, sliding the head up and down, and inched effortlessly within. He moved into me slowly, taking his time and groaning as the head of his length made solid contact with the softness of my womb.

The realization that we were finally together once more, united as mates, created warm tears that pooled in my eyes. Once upon a time, I thought I would never feel his touch or the weight of his body as he surrounded me like a second skin.

“Emma? What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

Shaking my head and closing my eyes, I cleared my throat and hoped my voice didn’t break. “It’s just been so long, too long, and I...”

“Look at me.” The hands that held my hips were possessive, holding me in place. When I met Caleb’s gaze his irises were a vivid ice blue.

“I’ll never leave you again.” His voice was a heady growl that matched his stare. “
Never
.”

I used the hands latched around his neck to lift myself. Arching my back and pressing my breasts against his chest, I claimed his lips. I could taste myself on his tongue, as well as his own unique flavor. It was beyond erotic, reminding me that we were only whole when together. He slid free of my body and returned with a smooth, decisive stroke, burying himself so deeply my body quaked.

“I’ve missed you like this,” he said thickly, thrusting all the while. “Ready for me, wanting me as much as I want you.”

“I love you,” I panted, clinging to him like a drowning person. “I’ll always want you like this.”

Caleb lifted his head, gazing down into my face. “I love you more than anything, Emmaline.”

My eyes slid closed and I allowed my back to tumble into the pillows as he took control, thrusting powerfully, holding my pelvis in a way that ensured he went deeper with each entry.

Caleb dipped his head and the thin stubble along his chin brushed against my sensitive skin. He nuzzled me gently, until his mouth claimed one of my nipples. I bucked against him, groaning at the impossibly wicked sensation.

“Please,” I whimpered, writhing uncontrollably. The sensations were building with the combined scent of Caleb and the pheromones his body produced. The need for release was palpable, a pleasure that was becoming an agony. My insides clenched and released, sharp spasms so strong they clasped him tightly inside me.

Caleb moved faster, pumping his hips, sliding in and out of my body, harder and rougher. I wound my fingers into his hair, tugging him against my sweat-slicked skin. He released my right hip and his fingers latched onto the throbbing bead protruding from the hood of my sex, sending me tumbling into a mind-shattering climax. My scream was silenced by his lips, the passion filled cries of pleasure and release muffled within his mouth.

Each time he buried himself deeper, extending and increasing the thrashing of my limbs and hips. I rose up to meet each thrust when he reclined back and lifted my legs, mindless with the need to sate him. As his body tensed, I rose up, clawing at his chest. He came down, pressing his head into the hollow of my throat.

“You’re mine, Emma,” he proclaimed in a low throaty growl. “There will never be any other for me, or for you.”

“Promise?” It was impossible to mask my vulnerability as the word escaped. I wouldn’t survive losing Caleb a second time. I wasn’t afraid to admit it to him or myself.

Large hands framed my face, forcing me to look him in the eye. The same raw emotion was right there, revealed to me openly.

“Always,” he breathed against my lips.

I felt his release deep inside my body then, a hot spasm of fire that seemed to go on and on, and watched the beauty of his face as he marked me with his body, his seed, and his scent. In that moment, there was nothing but Caleb, shrouding me, surrounding me, cherishing me, and claiming me irrevocably as his own.

Chapter 4—White Dust

I woke as the sun crested the horizon. Tendrils of light shone off the snow and sparkled along the ceiling, creating miniature beads and crystalline prismatic rainbows across the room.

I’d fallen asleep on my stomach, sprawled across Caleb’s warm chest. I didn’t remember dozing off as he played with my hair and traced the indentions along my back. I was merely aware of the contentedness that swept over me, pervading me completely for the first time in my life.

Shifting slightly, I groaned at the welcoming soreness in my muscles. Caleb’s warm hand ran along the cool skin of my back and I sighed happily.

“Good morning,” he said softly, sounding as gratified as I felt.

“Good morning.” I smiled and turned my head to look at him. His eyes were peaceful as he observed me through his long, dark lashes.

“How do you feel?” He brushed my hair off my back, his fingers teasing the skin. I shivered as tiny goosebumps appeared on the surface.

“Everything seems to be working.” I groaned as I moved. “Sore, but working.”

We hadn’t stopped after the first or the second time. Caleb was gentle but thorough, showing me just how enjoyable time alone could be.

“I’m sorry.” He smiled ruefully, running his palm along my back in a soothing motion.

I moved across his chest, toward his neck, and nestled in the comforting crook as his arms pulled me close. Everything felt as it should. This was good. This was right. I closed my eyes, absorbing it all, and basked in the moment, creating a memory frozen permanently in time.

“What would you like to do today?” His fingers returned to their comforting movements up and down my spine, trailing lightly along the skin, tracing each delicate column.

“Hmmm.” I tried to focus. My hands roamed across his chest before going lower across his stomach.

He growled, grabbed me, and flipped my body underneath his. I looked up, smiling and laughing at his expression. A strange sound came from my luggage, a melody I recognized somehow. Caleb’s face changed from playful to agitated.

“What is that?” I giggled at his expression.

“It’s Derek.” He kissed me, jumped easily from the bed, and walked to the bags.

“How do you know it’s Derek?” I asked curiously.

“Only Derek would program
I’m Too Sexy
as his personal ring tone.” He rummaged through one of the bags as he spoke, the sound became louder, and I finally placed it.

I snickered and reached for the blanket, arranging myself under the assorted sheets and quilts as Caleb retrieved the phone. I leaned against the headboard, admiring Caleb who seemed completely at ease in the buff. He found the cell and fished it out. The ringtone was unmistakable.

“What do you want?” Caleb snarled playfully after he flipped the small phone open and placed it against his ear, looking at me and grinning crookedly. Suddenly, his gaze lowered, his brows come together, and his smile vanished. He started to pace and I sat up, fear creeping into my chest.

“When?” he asked, averting his head as I tried to see his face. “How long?”

He stopped speaking, listening to the other end of the line.

“We’ll get on the first flight out... No, I understand, you were right to wait. I heard my phone last night but we were indisposed... Are you sure she’s not with a friend? You’re sure? Okay, we’ll be there soon.”

Caleb threw the phone down and stared at me, his voice was heavy and thick with worry. “We need to get what we can together and book the first flight out. It’s Sammie. She’s gone.”

****

We arrived home the next morning, our trip called short for the most serious and dire of reasons. Sammie had told Beverly and Chris she wanted to rent some movies the morning we left and had taken the family truck into town. After several hours passed, Beverly and Chris became concerned and drove to the store. They found the truck parked in the lot, but no Sammie.

Derek and Sarah were the first to start the search. They combed for Sammie’s scent at the store—which vanished just past the Blackney’s truck—leading them to believe she was voluntarily or forcefully placed in another vehicle. The clerk didn’t see a thing. The various racks of DVDs blocked out the glass windows layered with movie posters. Sammie never even made it inside the store.

One question remained at the forefront of my mind. Who would want to harm Sammie? She was the most gentle of us all, so trusting and friendly. Deep down, we all feared that was what caused her disappearance. Sammie was a werewolf, which meant she wasn’t a weak target. Whoever approached her knew what they were doing. It was either that or they already had her confidence and trust.

The police had been contacted, a report had been filed, and now the question arose: Where did we go and what did we do to find her? It all boiled down to the one thing none of us had answers to—who would take Sammie and why?

I waited anxiously with Beverly and Chris, their home becoming a prison, the walls closing in with each second that ticked away on the clock. My abilities wouldn’t help, and there was nothing I could do to contribute to the effort. Billy, Sam, and Haven had all made it before us, and so far none of them had any leads. For all intents and purposes, Sammie had simply vanished.

I followed the movements of Caleb, his family, and his pack mates. Unsure of what to say, afraid in my heart that somehow I was the cause of this. My gut told me I knew where this was coming from, even if everyone else said it was impossible.

Phone calls to my father confirmed Caleb’s original thinking. The royal house wouldn’t risk the penalty that would occur for breaking the terms set by Caleb when he challenged Decimus. The bloodlines were too important, too valuable. Even at the cost of Decimus’s pride.

Then a lead came in, courtesy of the werewolves in Miami. Several of their pack members had gone missing as well, under frighteningly parallel circumstances. The missing werewolves were all young. They were all trusting. And with the exception of one, they were all female. Searches had turned up empty, the trails ending at forgotten vehicles.

Everyone had gathered inside the Blackney’s basement, and it was crowded. Billy, Derek, Sam, Caleb, Haven, and Chris took up a hell of a lot of space.