"I honestly didn't mean to. When you first arrived, I thought the spark was just the protection spell snapping into place. Then, as I got to know you, saw how fiercely independent you were, how much you cared for the people here even though you barely knew anyone, I started to wonder if there was more. My hound certainly thought so, but I told myself it was just an overreaction to the spell transfer. That it had confused him.
"But when Laz suggested using your blood to close the spell, the thought that it could hurt you knocked every last doubt out of me. That's when I started to suspect."
She stands there, her wrist still in my hand, eyes still on the door. When she finally looks back at me, my throat nearly closes. Her eyes are glassy, full of tears.
Her voice is steady anyway. "You didn't want me for your mate. I get it. You don't have to explain."
God help me, she really thinks she understands. She thinks I'm rejecting her. That I don't want her. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I stand abruptly, and she jerks back. Flinches. I file it away, but make a quiet vow to myself and my hound to one day find the man who taught her that sudden movements mean harm.
I move slowly now, giving her no reason for fear, and bring my thumb to her cheek, catching the tear that's rolled down her face.
"I want you," I say, low and fierce. Another tear slips free as she gasps. "And not just because you're my mate. You're stubborn and kind and beautiful and tough. You came to an island full of monsters and just… adjusted. You were kind to the people here even though you didn't have to be. You're fixing a spell that isn't your problem. You murmur in your sleep, and you can't cook and—" My forehead comes down to press against hers. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you for what you were to me right away. I'll spend every day proving that you can trust me."
At the word “trust,” she winces just a little. I want to punch her ex. And myself too, for not helping the situation. "I know I haven't done a great job of it so far,” I continue. She snorts, and that’s fair. "We could go down to Laz. I'm sure he has some kind of binding promise spell that would turn me into a frog if I ever lied to you again, or a fly if I betrayed you in any way." This earns a small laugh, and I bask in it.
She pulls back slightly to search my eyes. Whatever she finds there makes her sigh. "I'll think about it." A hard tightness at my center unclenches. "Can I talk to your hound?" she asks.
I cock my head, surprised. Of all the things I thought might be the biggest obstacle for a human mate, I assumed the hound would top the list. Apparently, I'm the biggest obstacle, by a considerable margin.
I let go of her and pull my shirt off over my head, then start pulling down my jogger pants.
"What are you doing?" she asks, eyes wide. I smirk.
"I'm not ruining clothes if I don't need to." I wink. She scoffs and rolls her eyes. I pull down my boxers. Then she goes very still, her eyes unabashedly finding me. Finding how firm she's made me just by being in my proximity.
My joints pop and twist. It's never a pleasant feeling, but living with it has made me mostly numb to it. My hound roars up within me. I'm still there, still in control of my actions. But my needs, thoughts, feelings merge with his.
And what he needs right now is her.
Ivy
I've never seen Hound, which is what I’ve decided to call him since I’m interacting with him more, standing in my cottage before. To keep his head from hitting the ceiling, he has to hunch severely. Green fur and sharp teeth are on display. The claws on his hands are doubled in size. I crane my neck to look him in the eye. Conall is still there. I can see it. But something deeply primal has been layered over the man. A beast of raw, feral, intent.
He moves suddenly and I step back. My legs hit the edge of the bed and I sit hard on the corner of the mattress. His knees hit the floor with a double thump, bringing his massive body to the space between my legs. His wide torso slides in, spreading me open. His clawed hands trail up my thighs and under the hem of my tank top, shoving it up to bare my torso. He leans in, nuzzling into my exposed stomach while the claws of his thumbs tease the soft underside of my breasts. The sharp coolness of them sends hot shivers racing up my spine. I can barely pull in a shaky breath.
Hound’s nose drags back and forth across my skin until his tongue flicks out, warm, wide, and rough against my cool flesh. I tremble. My hands slide into the soft fur between his ears.
Without thinking, I tug him closer, urging him on. He growls low and dangerous. His tongue trails from my stomach down to the edge of my shorts. His hands grip my hips. He slides a thick finger into eachside and tugs. The material tears under his claws with a sharp rip. I gasp and look down to find my shorts shredded away from my body.
“I liked those,” I say breathily.
You’ll like this more.Hound’s growling voice rolls through my mind, so deep it makes my toes curl and my pussy clench.
His hands smooth back down my thighs to my knees. His grip is firm as he pushes my legs wider, and I let him. He looks down. Those inhuman wolf eyes go dark and hungry at the sight of my soaked sex. I know I’m dripping for him. My pussy aches with the need to be filled by this beast. I don’t care how fucked up that is. I clench around nothing, desperate for him.
His huge hand presses against my chest, easing me back until I lie flat, legs spread wide and hanging off the side of the mattress.
Are you sure, little human?Hound asks. His voice in my thoughts is thick and rough.
“Please,” I beg, and then it hits me. “Unless Conall doesn't—” I cut off with a choked moan.
His tongue strokes slowly from my entrance up through my soaked folds, dragging over every slick inch before circling my swollen clit. His heavy hand comes down on my stomach, pinning me firmly to the sheets.
Relax, Freckles.The voice is softer now, pure Conall, warm and low like he’s trying to soothe me even while the beast between my legs ruins me. But my body is on fire.
Hound’s thick tongue drags down again and then thrusts inside me like a cock. I moan loudly up at the ceiling, the sound raw and broken. He’s so thick and long, filling me. The rough texture of his tongue scrapes along every sensitive nerve, dragging against my inner walls in a way that makes my toes curl and my breath hitch.
