Kodiak's Claim (22 page)

But he wasn’t done. His fingers pulled free of her throbbing sex but took the place of his tongue on her clit. He rubbed and rolled her nub as his thick cock head probed at her core.

Not quite over the ecstasy of her first orgasm, Tammy felt her second building. Then, and only then, did Reid allow himself to slide into her welcoming channel.

She couldn’t help the convulsive squeeze as his thickness stretched her still-shuddering sex. He grunted. “So fucking tight and sweet.”

“And about to come again if you don’t hurry.” She panted, unable to stop herself from rotating her hips to draw him deeper.

“Don’t worry about me, city girl. I’m going to fuck you and claim you and make you scream when you come again.”

And he did. He thrust into her, hard, fast strokes as his fingers pinched her clit. She screamed just as he predicted, and when he came, he fucking well roared.

It was the sexiest sound ever.

The next day, with Tammy safe at his aunt’s house—along with his gun-toting ursa and a bevy of curious cousins—Reid called a clan meeting. He addressed several matters, first and foremost Gene’s apparent vendetta against him and the town. Patrols were established, and the decision to send extra men in scout vehicles with truck shipments was made, an extra layer of protection until they caught the mad polar and his band of rabid friends and exterminated them.

As expected, the hot-blooded people he ruled approved of his no-mercy plan. But how would they react to his other news? Time to find out. He brought up the fact that he’d claimed Tammy. Less brought up than declared, “I’ve taken a human as my mate. If you don’t like it, you can kiss my hairy ass.”

Not surprising, no one decided to take him up on his offer. Actually, they seemed happy he’d decided to settle down.

“About time,” someone shouted.

“She’s cute,” hollered another—a man Reid marked for a later talk. Just in case.

“Town could use some fresh blood.”

Only one person dared mutter, “Thinking with his dick instead of the good of the clan.”

But given one-hundred-and-three-year-old Jameson still believed woman shouldn’t show their ankles in public, Reid didn’t pay him much mind.

All in all, it went better than expected.

Not long after he adjourned the meeting and suffered the back slaps and commiserations from the men over getting shackled, his phone rang. It was Boris.

“I found her.”

“Jan? She’s okay?”

He heard a commotion and the murmur of arguing voices before Jan’s smooth tone came on the line. “Of course, I’m fine. No thanks to big dumbass here, tromping around like, well, a big ol’ moose and leading the enemy right to me.”

“I took care of him,” Boris said.

“With my help,” she corrected.

“Taking down one wolf doesn’t constitute help.”

“It does if it’s trying to chew your leg off,” she retorted.

“You’re trying my patience, woman,” Boris grumbled in the background.

“I’ve already told you where to shove that. Would you like help?” Jan asked sweetly. “I assume that waggling finger means no? Then, in that case, if you don’t mind, I’m talking to my boss. A civilized man. A man who isn’t afraid to go after what he wants, unlike certain people.”

“Are you calling me a coward?”

“Yes. I’m also willing to find some yellow paint and smear your belly with it.”

“I am not afraid,” he yelled.

Reid pulled the phone away from his ear and couldn’t help casting it an incredulous glance as the pair continued to argue. Given they seemed to have forgotten him, and were obviously fine, he hung up. Maybe this incident would finally bring Boris around to the fact that he and Jan were meant to be together.

Highly unlikely. But then again, miracles could happen. Look at him and his city girl. Speaking of whom, he missed her already.

With his clan business more or less taken care of, or delegated, he hurried back to his aunt’s house and walked in to an interesting scene.

His five cousins, ranging in age from mischievous to troublemaker, all stared at Tammy with wide eyes and open mouths.

They weren’t the only ones sporting that expression. His city girl spun to face him and squeaked, “I roared at them.”

“Can’t say as I blame you. These rascals probably deserved it.”

“No, you don’t understand. I roared, as in like an animal roar.”

Reid winced. Oops. He’d kind of hoped to address Tammy’s
situation
before she noticed it. He gripped her by the arm and tugged her to the front hall, where he handed her clothing to layer on.

“What’s going on, Reid?”

“We’ll talk about it at my place,” he said as he stalled. He pulled her from the house, practically shoving her into his still-warm truck.

“I don’t want to wait, Reid. I want to know what’s going on now!” Yeah, that last word came out with a bit of a grumbly, growly note.

He didn’t reply as he backed out of the driveway and spun out onto the road.

“Reid? Why are avoiding my question?”

“We really should talk about this in private.”

“I don’t want to wait. I want to know what’s happening now.” When he didn’t answer, she snarled, “Answer me, dammit.” She slapped a hand over her mouth then squealed as she noted the claws on said hand.

Apparently this conversation wouldn’t wait. Midway to his place, on a road bereft of houses, Reid pulled over and tried to find a way to tactfully explain. Fuck that.

“You’re a shapeshifter.”

He winced at her shrieked, “What?”

“I kind of suspected when I saw you strapped to the gurney, but I figured it out last night. Your, um, scent and extra vigor in bed kind of gave it away.”

“You mean I stink? Of what? And how did this happen? I thought that couldn’t happen with sex or a bite.”

“It can’t. But, in rare cases, sometimes a blood transfusion can change a human.” He thought it wise not to mention at this point in time that she was lucky to be alive. And sane. Not everyone came through the procedure as well as she had.

“You mean Gene wasn’t kidding when he claimed he was turning me into an animal?” Tammy slunk down in her seat with a moan. “Oh god. This is not happening.”

“It’s not that bad.”

“Says you. You just told me I’m a shifter.”

“Which, once you get the hang of it, is actually pretty cool.”

“So what animal am I?”

“Judging by your scent? Bear. Polar I think.”

“Ugh. You mean I’m like that Gene dude’s mutant daughter now?”

Damn. She was. Crap. Would that change his plans to hunt his old friend? Probably not. Unlike vampires, she didn’t need her maker alive to survive.

“It’ll be fine. You’ll probably have your first change during the full moon in about two weeks, and I’ll be there every step of the way with you.”

“I’ll be fine?” She laughed, a touch of hysteria threading the sound. “I’m going to turn into a freaking polar bear on the next full moon, and you say everything is fine?”

“Of course it is because you’re with me.”
When rationalization fails, resort to alpha tendencies.
Oh, and kisses. He dragged her onto his lap, not exactly the most comfortable or amorous of spots given the steering wheel at her back, but he didn’t care. Tammy needed reassurance, and by damn, he was going to give it to her.

Cramped or not, they managed to steam up the windows, fill the cab of his truck with the sweet aroma of her arousal, and give his springs a good rocking. He should have known he wouldn’t get off that easy.

She waited until they got to his house before she gave him some payback.

When her cell phone rang, she dug it out of her pocket and answered. “Hey, Mom. Sorry I cut you off earlier. Things got kind of busy. Looks like I’m going to be staying here a while.” A stream of excited chatter came through the receiver. Tammy rolled her eyes. “No, they’re not holding me prisoner. And, yes, this is my decision. I’ve met a guy, and we’re going to try and make a go of it. You know, shack up together.” More excited chatter and Reid shook his head. It sounded as if Tammy was getting an earful.

“Is he what?” Tammy’s voice rose. “No, I am not asking him that. Tell you what, ask him yourself.”

With a smirk, Tammy tossed him the phone and walked away, stripping as she went.

As Reid gaped at her bare backside as it swished up the stairs, it took him a moment to grasp what the female voice on the phone was asking. When he did, he could only repeat, “Did you just seriously ask me if the Northern Lights mutated my sperm?”

And what did his city girl do as he stammered his way through the most awkward conversation of his life? Laughed, winked, and disappeared upstairs.

When he finally managed to reassure Tammy’s mother that no, he wasn’t a psycho bearded woodsman who would keep her daughter locked in a shack to breed mutant Northern Light babies—although he was tempted at one point to mention they might have cubs—he tore up the stairs after his newly acquired mate.

He found her sprawled across his bed, reading. She rolled onto her back and smiled at him. “And now we’re almost even.”

“Almost? If you ask me, you owe me. I thought the frying pan and silver in the ass were bad, but conversing with your mom? Way beyond cruel.”

She laughed. “You totally deserved it for keeping the whole I’m-now-a-bear thing secret.”

“Speaking of secrets, your mom is coming for a visit.”

“What?” Tammy sat up. “What for?”

“Why, to help plan the wedding of course.” Did he sport an evil smile at the look of horror on her face? Yeah. He did.

“Wedding? What wedding?”

“Our wedding. It’s not necessary because, technically, by shifter law, we’re mated.”

“Mated!” She yelled the word. “When did that happen?”

“When I announced it to the clan this morning at our meeting.”

“Without asking me first?”

“I’m alpha. We don’t ask. We declare.”

“You’re really pushing it, Reid.”

“Not yet, but I will be.” Right into her velvety softness.

“I’m really beginning to rethink this whole living together thing,” she grumbled. “You’re bossy.”

“I thought we’d already ascertained you weren’t leaving. Ever.”

“Says you.”

“Yes, says me.”

“What I’d like to know is how we went from shacking up to getting married because I know for a fact we never discussed it.”

“Minor details. Besides, I know how girls love that kind of thing. And your mom seemed real keen on it.”

“I can’t marry you. I’m not even sure I like you right now.”

He pinned her to the bed and pulled her arms above her head. “Screw like. Admit it, you love my ass.”

“It’s big and hairy.”

“So is yours now,” he replied, only to wince as she kneed him uncomfortably close to a certain sensitive area. “I was talking about your polar one.”

“Sure you were,” she growled.

“Do I have to prove, once again, how much I love your rounded splendor? Please say yes.”

Forget waiting for her answer. He showed her. Once. Twice. Stopped for some food. Then a third time.

As they lay in a curled heap, hours later, after he’d gotten her to admit she might, just might, love him a little, he smiled. Much like the gold miners had decades ago, this Kodiak had made his claim.

And if anyone dared harm the woman he loved with every fiber of his bearish being, he’d kill them, old friend or not.

A few weeks later, during the full moon.

The itching and irritability started a few days before the lunar event. Tammy equated it to a severe form of PMS, but to his credit, Reid bore it. He took all of her temper and foibles in stride. But before you thought he just caved to her and let her get away with it, it should be noted that Reid wasn’t about to let anyone, not even his mate, walk all over him.

She yelled. He roared. She hollered again. He threatened to spank her. She dared him to try. He did. So she bit him. And they had wild sex.

Could she point out that she’d never been happier? Even when he finally got her to admit she loved him. He, of course, cheated though. After a particularly vigorous night, he brought her breakfast in bed, with, of all things, donuts brought in from the latest supply run.

Around a mouthful of sweet, melting goodness, she mumbled, “I wuv you.”

To which he replied, “I love you, too.”

With that first declaration out of the way, it became easy for Tammy to ease into her new life. As promised, Jan found her some work within the company, and they became the best of friends, which meant Tammy got an earful about that idiot, Boris. The same Boris that she heard got caught kissing Jan more than once, leaving her looking flustered, but pleased.

The upped patrols and vigilance that Reid instituted proved unnecessary. The attacks on the town and their vehicles stopped. Of Gene and his band of animal friends, not a sight or sound or hair was found. But Tammy knew Reid didn’t trust this lull, and so the stepped-up protection remained.

Tammy wasn’t afraid though. Despite her initial shock at her new state of being, she’d quickly adjusted to and learned it wasn’t all bad. For one thing, she healed pretty damned quick now and felt great. The occasional animal roar and sprouts of hair and claws when she got emotional did kind of freak her out. As did the first time her bear tried to communicate with her in her mind. But where Reid sometimes failed to quell her panic, Ursula always came through.

Who knew chocolate chip cookie dough was the cure-all for just about any ailment? When that failed, upside-down, brown sugar-rich pineapple cake, still hot, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, sure helped.

Life took on a pleasant routine. A happy one, marred by only one thing. Tammy’s fear of her first change. Reid did his best to reassure her. “It’s not that bad. You’ll see.”

As the full moon approached, while filled with trepidation, Tammy couldn’t deny a certain element of excitement.

The first time she shifted, it took her breath away, not just because of the pain but because of the stream of curses she let out during the process, curses that turned into grunts and howls.

Bears don’t howl.
This one did. She did.
OhmyfuckinggodIamabear.