Mischief in a Fur Coat (9 page)

Drew was shocked. This was huge news. It meant that, even if the rest of the population died off, the shifters would remain. What an ironic twist of fate, since all the major governments were in the middle of trying to kill off shifters completely. Drew took in a deep breath and let it out, relishing the feeling of breathing normally without pain. Now that he had food in his stomach, he was feeling almost completely back to normal.

“Okay,” he said. “So, shifters are immune. I understand that part. But I’m not a shifter, and I was definitely infected with the flu. Why am I still alive? And recovering, no less.”

“Jack and Juno hypothesized that the white blood cells in shifter blood were somehow specially equipped to flight against this particular flu virus. Jack knew from his medical studies about a state of the art treatment that involves flooding the veins of a sick person with the blood of someone who is already immune to whatever disease that sick person is fighting. I don’t understand all the science behind it—I’m just a graphic artist after all. But essentially the blood becomes like an infusion of medicine that helps the person become better. Jack said the medical community had used this method to treat other major flu viruses, and he thought it might save your life if we injected you with shifter blood. It was risky, because we weren’t sure if your body would reject the blood and shut down completely. You were already so weak. But we figured you were dying anyway. It was a last ditch effort to save you.”

Drew blinked slowly, staring at Hope in disbelief. “So you guys put shifter blood in me and I was cured. Simple as that?”

Hope nodded.

“Whose blood did you use?”

“Mine,” Hope said.

Drew smiled. “So I’ve got your shifter blood running through my veins now.”

Hope smiled too. “Yeah, I guess so. I mean Jack said blood replaces itself so eventually all my blood in your veins will be replaced. But for the moment you have shifter blood in you.”

Drew’s eyes filled with tears as he looked over at Hope. “I’m sorry. I know it’s not very manly to cry, but…damn. I would have died if not for you. Thank you.”

Hope smiled. “I think in this circumstance you can be forgiven for shedding a few tears. And you should really thank Jack and Juno. They’re the scientists. Without them we never would have known how to do this, much less that it was even possible.”

Drew wiped at his eyes and smiled. “I’ll be sure to thank them. But thank you, too. You all saved my life. I have to admit I’m a little bit in shock that something like that was even possible. Wait—if I have shifter blood does that mean I can shift?”

Hope laughed. “Nope, sorry. It would be cool if that were the case, but you have to have shifter DNA in all your cells to be able to shift, not just in the blood cells.”

“Damn. That’s a bummer,” Drew said. “I’ve always dreamed of being able to shift.”

“It’s a great skill to have,” Hope said. “Although, as you’ve seen lately not everyone appreciates it. But I love you just the way you are. Even if you’re not technically a shifter, you’re as big as a bear. And you have the heart of one, too.”

Drew smiled. “Come here, you,” he said. “It’s been too long since I kissed you properly.

Hope did as she was told, and Drew set aside his now-empty plate and pulled her into his lap. She squealed as he squeezed her tight and put his lips over hers. His heart filled with warmth and joy as he held her. It felt good to be back to normal, and to have his woman in his arms again.

“Wait, where are the others?” he asked, pulling back from the kiss.

“Out hiking,” Hope said. “They were all going a little stir crazy sitting around here waiting to see what was going to happen to you.”

Drew grinned, then stood up and lifted Hope up with him. He was surprised at how easy it was, considering how weak his arms had felt just an hour before. He was rapidly getting to a place where he felt completely back to normal.

“Good,” he said, heading toward the bed with Hope in his arms. “Then we can be as loud as we want.”

Hope squealed as Drew dropped her down onto the bed. He dropped her from high enough that she bounced a bit, causing her to break out into laughter. She was overcome with a deep feeling of gratitude for the second chance at life he had been given, and she was still in a little bit of shock that he had actually managed to pull through.

After Jack and Juno injected her blood into Drew’s veins, she had alternated between feeling wildly hopeful and telling herself to be realistic and realize that there was a good chance that the treatment wouldn’t work. When she had woken up to find him sitting up and looking healthy once again, she’d had to pinch herself to really believe it was true. Now, here she was, playfully wrestling with him on the bed in the fading sunlight. The whole situation felt so surreal.

Drew snuggled next to her and tickled her stomach, causing her to giggle uncontrollably. She did her best to tickle him back, but he was too quick and too strong. He grabbed her wrists and flipped her onto her back, pinning her hands above her head.

“Nope, nope, nope,” he said, grinning. “I’m the only one who gets to hand out tickles around here.”

Hope squealed again, her heart filling with delight as she realized that Drew had almost all of his strength back. He smiled down at her, and she bit back tears of joy. He was alive! He was still with her, and he was going to be okay.

Drew let go of one of her wrists so that he could reach to wipe away one of the tears that managed to escape. “Hey,” he said softly. “It’s alright. I’m alright now.”

“I know,” Hope said. “That’s why I’m crying. I can’t believe how close I came to losing you.”

Drew leaned down to kiss her lips softly. “I love you, Hope.”

“I love you, too,” Hope said, reaching her free hand up to stroke his cheek.

Drew bent down to kiss her. His movements were slow and purposeful. He was relishing every moment, and so was Hope. After coming so close to losing him, she wasn’t going to take him for granted.

He slipped his tongue past her lips, letting it glide over the roof of her mouth before using it to dance with her own tongue. He felt so warm, and full of life, and Hope’s own body started heating up with the warmth of passion as Drew continued to kiss her.

She put her arms around him, holding the back of his head with both hands and relishing the feeling of his thick hair in her palms. She marveled at how strong he still was, even after fighting a deadly flu for the last several days. He was a bear of a man, regardless of whether he could actually turn into a bear or not. His body was strong, and his heart was fierce and loyal.

Drew broke their kiss off to reach down and pull off Hope’s shirt.

“Come on,” he said, his voice low and husky. “Let’s get this shirt off of you.”

He pulled her shirt off and tossed it aside, then reached behind her back to unclasp her bra so that he could pull that off, too. Then he slid down so his face was over her breasts, and he moved to pull her left nipple into his mouth. He ran his tongue back and forth over the hard nub, sending shivers of delight through Hope’s body. While he used his tongue on the left nipple, he moved his hand up to massage her right breast, taking that nipple between his thumb and pointer finger, rubbing it with intense force.

The tingles of pleasure running up and down Hope’s spine were relentless now. She felt the heat in her body continue to increase as Drew switched his mouth back and forth between her two nipples, always using his hand to massage the breast that wasn’t in his mouth. Every nerve ending in her body felt like it was on fire, and the familiar pressure of ecstasy started building up in her core. She savored the feeling of Drew’s bare skin against her bare skin, and she let out a little moan of approval as he started using his teeth to nibble on her nipples. He used a fierce, almost primal force as he bit down on her, letting her know that she was his. He was claiming his woman with every purposeful pass across her breasts.

After several minutes of this, Hope felt like she was going to explode from the passion building within her. She was burning up, and the liquid of desire was oozing from between her legs. She still had clothes on the lower end of her body, and she could feel them getting soaked as her body grew more and more impatient. She wanted more of him.

Drew was in no hurry, though. He pulled his head back for a moment, and used his hands to push Hope’s breasts together firmly, so they were squished against each other and the nipples were as close as they could be. Then he ran his tongue back and forth from one to the other in a rapid, continuous motion, so that each nipple was being constantly stimulated. The effect was intoxicating. The tingling in Hope’s body was out of control, and she let out a series of moans as her body became hotter and wetter with each second. Just when she thought she might truly explode, Drew stopped and pulled back again.

He looked at her and grinned, his face as sweaty and flushed as Hope’s was. “I’ve missed this,” he said.

“Me too,” Hope said, but she could barely get the words out. Her voice turned into a moan as Drew shimmied down the bed to unbutton her jeans, and then pull them off. He grabbed the hem of her panties with his teeth, and used his mouth to pull them off her legs. The movement left a wet trail of Hope’s own juices down her legs, and Drew moved back up her legs slowly, using his tongue to lick up the juices. When he reached her pelvis, he didn’t pause or slow down. He kept his tongue going until it had slipped inside of her, reaching deeply and running across her inner walls.

Hope moaned constantly as Drew pulled his tongue back to run it back and forth across her clit, while at the same time reaching his arms up so that his hands could grab a hold of each one of her breasts. With his fingers, he rubbed her nipples, and with his tongue he continued to make her feel like her insides were on fire.

She thrashed about, writhing underneath him as the feeling grew more intense. She tried to fight it, wanting to hold off as long as she could. But eventually the heat was too much, and she gave in. With a loud, long cry, she let the waves of passion overtake her. Her body exploded into a fresh wave of heat, tingling, and spasms. Her inner muscles clenched around Drew’s tongue over and over, and her heart beat wildly as she let the tremors spread through her whole body.

When her body finally started to calm down, and her heart rate slowed slightly, Drew pulled back and let out a low, husky grunt of approval.

“You taste damn good, woman,” he said. “I hope you’re ready for more, because I’m not even close to done with you yet.”

He slid off the bed for a moment so that he could pull off his sweatpants and briefs, letting his thick, stiff erection spring free. Hope’s breath caught in her throat at the sight of it. Even though she’d made love with Drew dozens of times now, the sight of his strong, massive dick never failed to take her breath away. He was unbelievably large, and he was all hers. How did she get so lucky?

Hope didn’t have much time to contemplate, because in the next moment, Drew had slid back onto the bed and positioned himself over her. His body looked so healthy and strong now, and Hope marveled at the fact that he had been at death’s door just hours before. He might not be able to literally turn into a bear, but it was obvious he had shifter blood running through his veins. He was recovering rapidly, and, luckily for her, he wanted to use his newfound strength to make love to her.

“Ready for me?” Drew asked, his voice hungry and demanding. Hope nodded, taken aback by the intensity in his eyes. He let out a low growl, and then thrust into her with great force. Hope closed her eyes and let out a moan as he filled her. His giant shaft pushed against her, putting pressure and force on every nerve ending. Tingles of heat and passion spread from between her legs, radiating out to the furthest extremities of her body. Drew started to thrust powerfully back and forth, and Hope could feel the fire and pressure building in her core a second time. She let out a series of moans as she found herself at the edge once again, and then let out one long scream as her release came without warning.

Her inner muscles clenched, squeezing over and over around Drew’s massive dick. Her body felt like it was on fire as the most intense pleasure she had ever felt continued to wash over. She screamed out Drew’s name, and he let out a low growl in response. Then he let out one last powerful thrust and came with her, finding his release at the same time as her. He stiffened and roared, pulsing into her with great force.

They spent several moments there together, in the midst of a blinding rush of ecstasy. Then, slowly, steadily, they started to breathe normally again, and their heart rates began to slow down to a normal level.

Drew gently slid off of Hope and lay in the bed beside her, pulling her into his arms. She snuggled up against his chest.

“It’s so good to have you back,” she whispered. “I love you so much.”

“Love you more,” Drew said, planting a kiss on her forehead.

Hope smiled happily. This whole day felt like a dream. She’d realized just how much she’d been taking for granted lately. Sure, the world was in chaos and, objectively speaking, it was an awful time to be a shifter. But, at the end of the day, she was safe here, and she had family, friends, and her amazing lover to keep her company. Things could be so much worse.

A few minutes later, the sound of loud laughter in the distance broke up the relative silence of the late afternoon. The others were coming back from their hike.

“Come on,” Hope said, sitting up with a smile. “Let’s get cleaned up and go tell the rest of the clan that you’re back from the dead.”