When The Fur Flies (2 page)

He turned to his brothers and flexed his tense shoulder muscles. God, he was feeling old. “Go back and inform the others. I want all ears open for any news of the missing Elaina Dunt. It seems we are involved in this situation, whether we want to be or not.”

“The Keeper of the Treaty must be confronted.” Tray Nibet, his second in command, was eager to go after the traitor. Alexa Carver’s sworn duty was to remain neutral and keep to the treaties, but in this case, she had mistakenly taken a side and would need to be removed. If her act against the Treaty could be proven, then she would not only be removed from her distinguished position, but she’d also lose her life. Proving her misdeed would not be an easy thing to accomplish.

“We’ll talk back at the Den. I will follow shortly.” He knew the furry little ears were listening to them. He also knew the nosy little Witch would die before she let anyone harm her kin.

“You’re not coming with us?” Tray’s red eyebrows rose questioningly.

“I have something to look into. I’ll be there shortly. And Tray, don’t let the pack go hunting without my command.”

“Never, Alpha.” Tray grinned widely before leading the others from the dark alley.

“You can come out now, Kitten.” Reginald crossed his arms over his chest and waited patiently.

***

Allison’s yellow eyes narrowed at the hated nickname he’d given her the first time they ran into one another. Literally. She’d been new to the change and was experimenting with her new cat body. While running and jumping from fence, to tree, to rooftop she’d accidentally run right into his big, solid body. Thankfully he hadn’t been in Wolf form. That would have been the end of her. As it was, the collision had knocked her unconscious. She’d woken up in a soft bed under his roof of all places.

One more time she thanked the Goddess that she’d finally mastered the ability to transmutate with her clothes on. Standing in front of the Alpha’s hot, blue gaze was so much easier fully clothed. She fluidly turned back into her human form and stood up to gracefully stare at him. Though her stomach clenched nervously at being the center of his attention, she stood her ground, meeting his gaze with a confidence she was far from feeling. She held her breath as his gaze traveled slowly down her body. She wondered if he noticed all of the changes she’d gone through since he’d last seen her. Back then she was an acne-fighting, chubby sixteen-year-old with a dirty brown ponytail and a bad case of stuttering when he looked her way. She’d spent a week in his home with him, and not once had she been able to finish a sentence without blushing or wanting to hide her face in his bulky sweatshirts.

It was weird, but being with him made her feel like she wasn’t alone. She hadn’t felt accepted since before her parents died, but Reginald had made her feel that way. Leaving the Den to go back to her Coven was like ripping her heart out of her chest. She’d missed seeing him every day only to go back to her lonely existence of studying the craft. Now, here he was, bigger than ever, with his familiar scowl darkening his incredibly handsome face. Her heart started to pound, and she wiped her suddenly sweaty palms on her pants.

***

Reginald took a deep breath as he studied the changes he could see and sense in her curvy form. The greasy brown ponytail that once made her look like a mousy teen was gone. Now her long chocolate tresses hung in gentle waves over her slim shoulders. Her face was flawless with rosy cheeks beneath amber eyes that were slightly tilted at the corners. He tore his gaze from her cat’s eyes to her mouth and noticed the full lower lip. Even white teeth bit down on it nervously, making him wonder how it would taste between his own teeth. He forced a shallow breath as he dropped his eyes lower. A tiger’s eye necklace nestled at the edge of a tight, black top that hugged rounded breasts, unprotected by a bra.

Allison Carver was an awkward teenager no longer. The Alpha shifted in agitation as a certain member of his anatomy rejoiced at the attractive changes to the woman standing before him. The animal within sat up and took notice, urging his body to harden even more as he inhaled a calming breath only to mentally curse as her unique scent filled his nasal cavity. He’d memorized her scent thirty years ago during one very short week when he was forced to take responsibility for the young Witch’s safety. She’d been a gawky, stuttering teenager with a strong spirit and haunted, pain-filled eyes. The man was relieved to see her back to her Coven, but the animal hated to see her leave the Den.

“Tell me, what has reduced you to hanging around dark alleys in the middle of the night? And don’t tell me you’ve taken up chasing mice behind trash cans.” His arms once more crossed his chest, and his stance widened as if he were chastising a child.

***

He was speaking to her like a father figure. One who deemed her as nothing more than a wayward teen! She was no longer that girl who needed the big, bad Wolf to protect her while she regained her strength. By the end of this confrontation she was determined that he know it.

“I go where I please, Alpha Leclair.” She braced her hands on her hips as she spoke. Her fingers felt the cold handle of her silver athame strapped to her belt. Those laser-sharp, blue eyes dilated as he immediately dropped his gaze to her hands and hips. The black pants were skin tight for transmutation purposes, but she suddenly felt naked beneath his heated gaze.

“Is that so? All grown up and prepared to fight the world, eh?” He narrowed his eyes as he reached up to rub his scruffy chin. “I assume you heard everything, then.”

“I heard two testosterone-producing chumps discussing a missing girl as if she were a bone to be snapped over.” Allison knew she shouldn’t be antagonizing him, but she couldn’t stop the sarcasm or the challenge in her amber eyes. He was still treating her like a cumbersome child. She puffed out her chest and lifted her chin defiantly. She wasn’t a kid any longer, and if she had to knock him on his firm, mouthwatering ass to prove it... Oh, who was she trying to kid? The Alpha Wolven would eat her up in one bite. She sighed and bit at her lower lip in worry.

“How did you do it, Kitten?” His soft question was at direct odds to the knowing accusation in his blue gaze.

“How did I do what?” She fingered the cool handle nervously only to grit her back teeth when he lowered his gaze to her fingers, again.

“Don’t evade me. I know you’re in this up to your pretty kitty eyebrows. Did you really think the Vampires would just shrug off the disappearance of their Elder’s bride?”

“She’s sixteen years old!” Her passionate response made him frown. He turned his back on her with a vicious curse. She feasted her eyes on the tense muscles in his strong back and wide shoulders. She didn’t want him to be angry with her, so she found herself quick to explain her decision to act on Elaina’s behalf. “She has a family, Leclair. A father and two brothers...” He moved so fast the words clogged in her throat as he pinned her to the cold, damp wall of Medina’s First National Bank.

“You have a family. I have a family to protect. You’ve created a mess and laid it at my door, Witch.” His hands hit her wrists against the cold brick next to her head as he shoved his enraged face so close to hers that she felt his hot breath against her cheeks.

“I d-didn’t lead them in your direction.” She returned his glare with one of her own. “I w-wouldn’t do that to you. I owe you and your pack for-for saving me.” She closed her eyes briefly in mortification. The stuttering had returned the instant his big, warm hands touched her. And what was worse, her knees were threatening to buckle at the contrast between the cold wall at her back and his hard, hot body pressed to her front. She tried to slow her breathing, but there was nothing she could do about the way her body was reacting to his dominance.

“Then it was the Keeper who pointed the Vampires in our direction. She’s a relation of yours, isn’t she?” Reginald growled, sending a vibration through his chest wall that she felt against her suddenly sensitive breasts. Her nipples hardened against his heat. The feeling was delicious and far too tempting. She wanted to rub against him and purr like an infatuated kitten. “Open your eyes, Witch, and answer me.” His commands had her ire rising to her defense. He’d never called her a Witch before, and she didn’t like the insulting tone he was using. Her dark eyes snapped open with hostile intent.

“I’m not one of your pack members, Wolf. I don’t take orders from you.” She was proud her voice was steady and strong. If only she could keep her stuttering to a minimum, she wouldn’t feel like that unsure kid who spent a week following him around like a lovesick child. Her fingers curled, and long, sharp nails emerged from her nail beds. She sank the sharp ends into the backs of his hands. His breath hissed between his teeth, but he didn’t pull away or release her. She smelled the blood as it dripped down the backs of his strong hands. It should have made her sick, but instead she felt heated excitement as hot moisture leaked from between her legs. It was a strange thing to experience for the first time, and she vaguely wondered if she was losing control of her bladder.

Reginald’s nostrils flared, and the blue retinas expanded as he took in a lungful of air. His firm lips curled into a teasing grin that made the sudden ache in her lower belly intensify. “Ah, the kitten has claws, yet her pussy weeps the sweetest form of invitation.” His voice was deeper, silky with male appreciation.

“Why don’t you let me go and see how sharp my claws really are?” She hissed at him with as much rage as she could manage. Her breath caught as he pressed a thick thigh between her legs to rub it against her feminine center. “Stop! What are you d-doing?”

“Oh, pussy cat, pussy cat, how you’ve grown. You’re wet, little cat. Hot and bothered. I’d venture to guess that you’re headed for your heat. Am I right?” His intense eyes lowered to focus on her partially opened mouth. A deep growl emanated from his chest as she moistened her dry lips with her tongue. Holy hell, he was going to be the death of her yet. She had to stop this now!

“Get your hands off me. I didn’t mean to involve your pack, and I’ll m-make it right with the Vamps.”

“How do you plan to do that, Kitten?” He nudged his knee higher and smiled as she gasped at the pressure to her hot little core.

“I’ll tell them the truth. I helped her escape a fate worse than death. She’s safe now. They won’t find her.” Was that her voice? It was breathless and husky. His fault. She frowned at him in accusation. Her lower body ached where his hard thigh was pressing against her. Ached but felt so good. Her panties were soaked with her excitement, and she blushed when she thought he must feel the dampness through his jeans. Goddess! If she was coming into heat, what a hell of a time to start.

Chapter Two

“You stupid little fool!” His hands tightened on her wrists as his expression turned darker. His anger surprised her as he shook his dark head at her. “Do you think they will let it go at that? You’ll be target number one until they capture you. Then, what do you think they’ll do to get her whereabouts out of you? You stupid little cat.”

“Do you not think I didn’t already know that?” She snapped back.

“Then you have a death wish. Or were you hoping to be turned by them.” His tone turned dangerous. She felt the edge of his control slip as his grip tightened, and his eyes flashed with a dark fury.

“I have an oath to protect—”

“You can’t protect yourself!” he bit out roughly.

“You don’t know me, Wolf.” Her nails clawed deeper into his flesh as she pulled her magic around her.

“Try your powers on me, will you? I think not.” His head dropped and captured her mouth beneath his punishing kiss. She froze as his warm lips touched hers. Then everything slipped out of her control as she kissed him harder. She pushed her tongue between his lips with a desperate need to taste the moist depths of his mouth. A purr escaped her throat as the heady flavor of pure male sent her senses reeling. She felt his shock at first, but then his strong tongue tangled with hers in a way that made her purr louder. He tasted of heat and male, strong and heady.

Allison heard his moan as he came flush against her. The proof of his arousal pressed against her lower stomach, hard and bulging. Her eyes flew open to meet the dark blue gaze of a man who was starving and intending to feed upon her. He thrust lower, positioning his hardened cock at the juncture of her thighs. He pulled away from her questing tongue to catch a shallow breath as she opened her legs and instinctively tilted her pelvis to position his member directly against her opening. The feel of the hard bulge pushing against her sex made her gasp at the intense pleasure. Yet there was an ache there, demanding more from him.

“Oh, Kitten. The smell of your wet pussy is making me light-headed.” His voice was almost guttural as he bent his head to lick a delicious path from her shoulder to beneath her ear. She tilted her head to allow him access to the tender flesh of her neck.

***

Reginald felt her pounding heartbeat beneath his lips and smiled. She wasn’t innocent. No innocent kissed like she wanted to devour a man. She lifted her legs around his hips, crying out as he gently nipped the skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. The exact spot he’d mark if he were to claim her for his own. He didn’t allow his sharp teeth to break the skin, though. That would release his DNA into her bloodstream and start the change within her. He pulled back, and she lunged forward to capture his mouth once more. He was lost in a need he hadn’t expected as her sweet taste infused him like nectar.

Allison’s nails retracted, but he still held her wrists as his lower body moved against her hard. She was like a living flame, burning him with her touch. She turned her head, her breath wheezing out of her swollen lips as he bit, then licked her earlobe. The sound of a soft purr emanated from her throat, vibrating against his lips as he brushed a soft kiss there before he went slowly back to taste her sweet lips. His little cat hadn’t just grown up; she’d turned into a wanton sex kitten!

***

“Let my hands go. I want...I want to touch you.” Her voice sounded pleading to her own ears. She should have been mortified to be wrapped around the Alpha Wolf’s waist as he thrust her into the hard bricks behind her, but all she wanted was the feel of his skin on hers.