Savage Surrender: A Dire Wolves Mission (The Devil's Dires Book 1) (9 page)

Bez’s hand on Sariel’s hip moved down, his grip lessening. “They scare you.”

Sariel tightened her hold on his shirt and rested her forehead against his back. His words weren’t a question, they were a statement. An observation. A truth.

“Yes.”

“They won’t hurt you.” Bez released her hip and turned, his eyes nearly glowing in the low light. “I won’t let them.”

Sariel’s heart stuttered and her face heated under his stare. God, the man made her crazy…in good and bad ways.

“I know.”

Bez ran a hand over his face and sighed, his shoulders stiff. “You should get some rest.”

Sariel nodded. “Yeah…okay.”

She turned, but Bez’s hand gripped her elbow, stopping her. He pulled her back against his body, wrapping one arm around her hips and holding her tight.

“I need to listen for them,” he whispered before leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. “I can’t concentrate with you so close, and I can’t let them surprise me.”

Sariel nodded, curling into the warmth of his body, sighing when his arm tightened and pulled her even closer. “You think they’re coming tonight?”

“I know they are. It’s just a matter of when.”

“And you have people coming to help?”

“Yeah. But they’re a ways out.”

“So we wait to see who gets here first.”

Bez looked down at her, his face serious, his eyes quicksilver light. “I won’t let them touch you. Either of you.”

Sariel ran her hand along his jaw and smiled. “I know.”

He leaned down, rubbing his nose against hers before trailing his lips over her cheek and jaw to her neck. Breathing her in. Scenting her.

“You took me by surprise,” he whispered, his breath tickling her neck. “I’m not a man who’s surprised often.” He placed a single, small kiss to her neck then let her go. “You should head back with Angelita and rest while you can.”

Sariel sighed and pulled out of his arms reluctantly. She hated walking away from him, but she was tired from a long night of running, escaping, worrying, and dealing with her mate. Even just a nap would be helpful. Besides, danger was on its way and she’d need to be extra awake and aware when they arrived. Especially if she was going to be any help for Bez.

When Sariel reached the hallway, she paused and turned, watching as Bez settled into his chair once more. “What about you?”

Bez cocked his head. “What about me?”

“Don’t you need to rest?”

“No, I’m fine. I’d rather see you get some sleep.”

Sariel nodded and moved down the hall, tossing back over her shoulder, “You’re better at this being mated stuff than you realize, Bez.”

He smiled, the first time she’d seen his lips turn up like that, and it warmed her heart to no end. “Good to know, Freckles.”

S
oft hips
and thighs teased Bez as he watched his mate disappear down the hall. Just the thought of those dark eyes looking up at him, those sultry lips all swollen and wet from his kiss made him nearly insane with a possessive lust that surprised him. And the freckles…good goddamn. Like some kind of primal mating pattern stamped right into her skin. They called to him, made his fingers itch to touch her, stirred up something dirty deep inside of him. He hadn’t known freckles could be so sexy.

His mate pulled feelings from him he’d never experienced; never even known he was capable of. For centuries, he’d lived with his pack of Dire Wolves, hunting beasts great and small, traveling where others asked him to go. In defense of the Omegas, the lost Dire Wolf females, he’d become a soldier for hire, sticking close to whoever had the most power and could enable him and his pack to protect the shewolves. He’d never broken rank, gone against orders, or failed at a mission. Hell, he’d never even paused to accept a challenge thrown his way, no matter how dangerous. He’d fought werewolves, almost died from a vampire attack, and killed off more shifters than he could count…all in the name of the mission.

But suddenly, after nothing more than a look from Sariel, he no longer knew what to do next. By not telling Dante about their connection, he was technically going rogue. And though his pack would probably understand his hesitancy, he wondered if his actions would be seen as a weakness.

For the first time in his life, he felt the need to ease up on his Dire Wolf responsibilities. After this mission, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to continue hunting down criminals with the rest of his pack or if he wanted to take a break. Spend some time getting to know his mate. Maybe take her home with him and show her how much he’d prepared for this day. Because he had prepared, even if he hadn’t meant to. He had a den ready and waiting for them. He had trinkets and treasures from all over the world. Things he’d hoarded without knowing exactly why. His property was situated in the perfect spot to keep her safe, to protect her.

And protect her he would. At all costs.

The sudden silence outside caught his attention, the odd break in background noise slamming into Bez’s thoughts, pulling him from dreaming about his new mate. He stretched his senses, letting his wolf push forward. His ears rose and pricked, his mouth lengthened—half man, half wolf, he gave himself over to hearing and scent. Miles out yet, the sound of paws meeting earth whispered through the night. A pack was coming…moving closer. A quick glance at the clock had Bez slamming back to his human form and uttering a curse as he exploded to his feet. It was too early for his team to have reached the area, not to mention his guys would never have made enough noise to be heard from so far away. No, those heavy pawfalls had to be the kidnappers coming to take back the Omegas. To take Bez’s mate from him. The very thought had him moving faster and fighting back a warning roar. Those fuckers wouldn’t get near his Sariel. His mission was to save the Omega, and though he knew Blaze had meant Angelita, his mate was an Omega just the same. He would do whatever it took to keep them both safe.

Never had a mission been so personal; never had getting it right been so vital.

With little more than a flick of his wrist, he pulled his phone from his pocket and speed-dialed Levi. When his brother answered, the music blasting in the background told Bez he was already on the road.

“Status.”

Bez glanced out a window before checking the lock. “Situation FUBAR. Get your ass here.”

“Roger. Currently a little less than three hours out.”

Bez growled, moving from window to window and verifying the house was ready. “Not good enough. I’ve got less than an hour.”

“Fuck,” Levi hissed. The engine noise grew in the background, the shifter obviously pushing the engine harder. “You’re too far out for any of us to meet that time, man.”

“I know.” Bez took a deep breath as he checked the last door, dread heavy in his gut. “Just haul ass.”

“Hauling. The cavalry will get there.”

Bez hung up without another word, knowing there was nothing left to say. The cavalry would arrive eventually, but not nearly soon enough. He was on his own for this attack.

Rushing toward the back of the house, Bez zeroed in on the steady heartbeats of the women. They slept apart, one in each of the two bedrooms at the rear of the house, which worked to his advantage. Access to the attic safe room was in the hallway just outside their doors. He had a good forty minutes or so before the shifters made it to the property if their trajectory and pace stayed the same, but he didn’t want to take any chances. The sooner he got both women to safety, the better.

Bez slipped into the bedroom where Sariel slept, his attention divided between his mate and the men running closer outside. The woman was curled up on one side of the huge bed, buried under fluffy white blankets. Calm, resting, and quiet. And by the gods, was that a welcoming sight. His mate could have gone into the other bedroom, the one where Angelita slept. There were two beds in there. But no, she’d chosen the larger room—the one with a single, huge bed. A bed made for a couple.

A bed made for sex.

Focus. He had to fucking focus. The pack hadn’t changed speed; they were still far enough away for him to get the women into the safe room and work out a plan so long as he stopped thinking with his dick.

Bez hurried to Sariel’s bed. He needed her awake but calm. This wasn’t the time to scare her like he had at the houseboat. He leaned low over his mate’s body, barely inches away, placing a knee on the edge of the bed to move closer. He peeled back the blankets over her, whimpering at the sight of her nearly naked body. Damn, she smelled good, all sweet and sexy and his. Still wearing his T-shirt, which had been hiked up to reveal the delicious curves of her ass, she slept on her side facing the door. Bez wanted to run a finger down her cheek or wake her with soft kisses to her neck, but the threat loomed large in the woods, and time was not his friend.

Silently apologizing for his actions, he leaned close to Sariel and clamped his hand over her mouth. He’d expected her to react with fear. To jump, to scream, to fight back against some unknown attacker. Instead, she growled soft and purrlike as she grabbed him by the arms and pulled him down on top of her. Bez fell easily, partly because of his unbalanced stance and partly because it was his mate pulling him into bed with her. Of course, he’d fall.

Without opening her eyes, Sariel wrapped her legs around Bez’s hips and melted against him. Bez tried to resist, to pull away, but she was so warm, so soft, and so his. He tucked his face into her neck, scenting her, unable to hold back his growl. Her heat was a delicious tease, her body soft beneath his. Pliant. Willing and wanting at the same time. And he wanted, too. He wanted so fucking bad.

He rocked his hips against hers, slipping into the cradle of her thighs. Desperate to get closer. He held himself back, though, not wanting to push her too far. He didn’t even think she’d woken up all the way yet; he couldn’t just rut her through the mattress. But then her eyes opened, heavy-lidded and sleepy but open. And she gave him the most brilliant, sexy smile.

Aw, fuck.

Sariel slid her hands around his neck, holding him tightly as she sighed and shifted her hips back and forth. Bez tried to resist, to keep himself from losing his focus and giving in to the mating haze, but Sariel was a warrior against his control. She yanked him down on top of her, fighting to bring him closer. She wiggled and stretched until she’d pushed his shorts down and off his legs using nothing but her feet. Talented little mate. When she’d freed him from the fabric that was apparently in her way, she wrapped her legs around his waist again. Aligning them with every lift and buck of her hips. Driving him fucking mad with desire. She battled hard, his little mate, and even against his best judgment, he surrendered to her.

Without a single word, he pressed into the swollen heat of her pussy and wrapped his arms around her. Pulling her tightly and caging her against his body. She growled and rocked until she had him seated deep inside her, until she groaned and shivered with every single thrust. Bodies moving together, no space between them, hushed grunts and groans and gasps the only break in the silence around them. The sounds destroyed him, had his body rushing for a climax he desperately wanted to hold off on. Just a few minutes, even.

Bez closed his eyes, losing all sense of time and place as Sariel took him in, rocking her hips with his and squeezing his cock in the best possible way. So hot, so soft. And so very, very naked underneath that T-shirt. He wanted to rip it from her body, reveal every inch of her to him. The fabric had ridden up to her chest, the bottom curves of her breasts teasing him whenever he pulled back enough to look down. He wanted to see her dark nipples again, to fulfill the deep desire to touch and taste and bite the sight of them had caused when they were in the swamp. But those tantalizing circles were still hidden, still covered by his gray T-shirt, and as hard as it was to resist tearing it off her, the waiting for the shirt to rise on its own was the best tease he’d ever experienced.

“Bez,” Sariel whispered, bucking harder and clutching at the back of his neck. Bez took that as a signal she was close, collapsing on her with all his weight and thrusting harder. Plunging deep and holding there as he rocked his hips against hers. As he pressed against her sweet pussy, dying to pay her clit a little extra attention.

Her lips found the curve where his neck met his shoulder, following the kiss with a gentle bite. Bez shivered at the feel of her teeth against him and fought back a possessive growl. Damn it, they weren’t alone and had a pack of shifters closing in on them, but he couldn’t stop. The instinct to mate and mark and claim was nearly impossible to resist. He needed to pull away, to stop fucking her and to keep his dick to himself, but good God, it felt so amazing. So right. Hips rocking, flexing his back to hit the exact spots that would make Sariel shiver and sigh, he bit his lip and counted down. Thirty more seconds. He could give her that long, and then he’d have to yank himself free of the urge to mate and get her moving toward the attic. He just had to make her come in thirty seconds.

Bez slipped his hand between them, brushing his knuckle against the soft flesh of her pussy. Wet and hot and so much his. She sighed and shivered again, spreading her legs for him. Rushing him. He wanted to take his time, to explore more, but that would have to wait for next time. For the thousands of next times he’d make sure they’d have together.

He worked his finger against her clit, circling and pressing harder on each pass as she gasped and arched into his touch. Hands clutching at him, breasts pressed tightly against his chest, his name on her lips… She was close. She was also undeniably sexy. And his. All his.

“Mine.” His growl came as a surprise, but it had the best effect on Sariel. She bit her lip to hold back her cry and arched her back, finally letting go. Her pussy tightened around him, so hard and strong, he felt every pulse. The pressure caused him to come with a jolt, the two of them joined in their pleasure. Still rocking, still rubbing that little clit, still trying to give her as much as he could.

When she finally relaxed, finally sagged into the plush pillows, she opened those beautiful eyes of hers again, and she smiled.

“I wasn’t expecting that.”

Bez sighed, sliding out of her as he leaned to kiss the tip of her nose. “Neither was I. You’re quite demanding in your sleep.”

She giggled softly, rubbing her hands up and down his back. He wanted to fall onto the mattress next to her, to snuggle close and wrap his body around hers in protection. But he couldn’t. Danger was coming.

“We didn’t kiss,” she whispered, words that pulled Bez up short.

“What?”

“Well, we had…sex. But we didn’t kiss.”

Bez blinked, his brow pulling tight. How could he explain his life to her in the few seconds he had?

“I’ve never kissed a partner during sex.”

It was Sariel’s turn to blink as she stared. “You’ve never kissed…what?”

He leaned down, running his nose along the length of hers as he whispered, “I’ve never kissed another person at all, Sariel. You were my first kiss tonight.”

“Oh.” Her whispered exclamation was followed by her soft, pink tongue licking her bottom lip. Just the tip, a tiny swipe, but Bez became obsessed with it. Wanted to feel the softness against his own. Everything about her seemed soft. He liked that, liked the way she felt in his hands.

Sariel nudged her chin upward, parting her lips just a bit, and closed her eyes. Bez kept his open, kept watching her as he dropped a little lower with each breath. His first kiss had been with this woman, but it hadn’t been planned. This felt more important, somehow. More vital to the two of them as a mated pair. Such a ridiculous thing, kissing, and yet he was completely on edge.

Sariel was the brave one of the two, closing the distance between them and pressing her lips to his. He growled low and deep, shivering as her tongue swiped across his lip. Fuck, this was so much hotter than he’d ever thought. Naked, lying in a bed beside a woman, and kissing her. But it was more than just some woman. This was his mate, and he knew nothing could compare to the feelings she pulled from him. A simple brush of his mate’s lips, and he was hard again. Ready for more, needing to bury himself in her. Fully ensconced in the mating haze.

But then she opened her mouth a bit more, and her tongue entered his. Tangled with his own. And he fucking died. Or at least, his focus did. He grabbed her against him, rolling them to the side as he kissed her with as much force as he dared. She responded to his efforts, the two sliding tongues together in a way that was more like fucking than Bez had ever imagined. In and out, hot and wet. So much pressure and desire, so much lust. So much better than even their first kiss.

Sariel had just pulled back to nip his bottom lip, had just blessed him with the feeling of her teeth on his flesh and made his cock practically weep in anticipation, when Bez heard the crashing of the wolves through the woods on two sides of the property. The sound was enough to pull him free of the imperative to claim his mate, to drag him out of his lust-filled haze and set him back on task. Cursing, he bit her lip and gave her a last soft kiss. They were out of time.