Vanessa woke up cocooned in warmth. Last night drifted afresh in her memory. But her legs were tangled in two blankets, pillows strewn across the bed. No Noah. Slightly disappointed, she already quit on the day. Wasn't Silas going to visit today? Yes he was. And her mood did a U-turn because the last she had seen him, she had been in her pigtails. Evan was lounging in the main hallway of Noah's house. He never found it fascinating the way others did and went over his brother's instruction. Someone named Silas… blah blah blah. He caught on pretty easily at Mikhail's escapist tendencies. Mikhail lied so well. Even better than Noah. Because Noah had to instruct and Mikhail had to get the work done. Of course he needed more tricks up his sleeve. So he was asked to fish for information while Silas treated him. How did he know Gregory Flynn? Mainly that. Flynn. Huh. Wasn't Gregory Flynn Vanessa's father? Why can't they just ask her? Unless… the last he saw her, she was so freely smiling a
Vanessa was arrested on the spot. Eyes signalling at Evan to take a step back, as instructed. She would move if she could but behind her was the kitchen slab, and she had the faintest fear if she put some distance between her and Evan, he’d restrict her. That would be an equivalent of male aggression already permeating this room. Not just a rush of testosterone, these were wolves. The resulting damage manifold. “Evan.” Noah growled, slowly moving towards them. His voice razor sharp. He was pulling a rank, commanding in his alpha voice which left no room for disobedience. Evan stepped back, even though his eyes stayed on Vanessa. Evan was no petulant child. He was not up for reprimand in front of someone he had decidedly wanted to impress and court, like normal pack mates did. Except between him and Vanessa, there was a ghost of third person, throbbing under his skin, the one he quite had never gotten over. And while he wasn’t ready for anything life-altering, he cared about her. How
She wasn’t in her room. Nor in the library, guest room, or any other rooms in this behemoth of house. His frustration amped up. First, she looks at him like he has hurt her in immeasurable ways when she was the one tending to Evan Ryder, innocent, caught unawares of his want and affection. Lust. Shameless lust. Even if she was innocent, a deer caught in headlights, she needed a good reminder of why he marked her. Of why he had chosen, allowed, and rejoiced in her earthly presence to be distracted when unknown threats creeped on them anew. He found her atlast, legs folded like a child, swinging in his mother’s garden, her thighs bare, feet covered only in socks. It irked him. She didn’t mean to seduce, yet she did. The moonlight caught in her hair, tempting him to fist the silky strands. That was how she was made, to wear a simple flannel, reaching just the curve of her bottom, and sit there, not a care in the world.Vanessa sensed Noah behind her, made no move to acknowledge him. Not
Her feet barely touched the ground beneath and she was too lost in her own pleasure.The color rose to her cheeks, flushing her breasts the same hue. Those mounds moved slightly in a sensuous rhythm. Her breathy little moans spurred into quick gasps and whimpers. What a sight to behold. "That's it, beautiful. Don't hold back now." His low encouragement cut through the haze. She shook from head to toe. The rush began in her centre, right in her pelvis, and spread everywhere. Tingling first, then in a wave. Her clitoris pushed against the seam of his jeans and she was undone. Everything fractured, and she came in a rush of low toned expletives.Who knew she could curse so passionately? Noah thought. Loose limbed, sated and his.He nuzzled her neck, giving her a few minutes to gather herself. Something tight coiled in his chest when she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder."Are you going to purr?" Vanessa knew she was still rubbing up against him. The sudden burst of energy hadn
Three bodies, all male changelings, lay criss-cross atop each other. The hard time on trees had covered some of their limbs, indicating the bodies had been here for at least a day or two. The repugnant smell blanketed thin air. Noah came to stand beside her, hands in his pocket when he spoke."Why do they smell like that?" He didn't ask anyone in particular. "The ice doesn't dull the smell, does it?" Vasic hummed. He was kneeling next to them, opening and closing their eye lids as if he'd find something he previously missed."I can't smell anything but them. Who do you think would do this and leave it out here?" Simon fixed his eyes on Noah, expecting an answer somehow.Noah decided it was time to tell them. Simon adorned no tin foil hat to be fooled by his diplomatic, non-answer answers. "Last time this happened. It was five years ago. Rudrig decided to butcher three changelings who trespassed to set an example.""That's barbaric." Vanessa hadn't realized she had spoken out loud.
Noah squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel his temples throbbing. “Lets go to my place Simon. I’ll tell you everything I know.” He felt her hands rubbing his back. His Ms.Flynn, who had proved to be far more objective than he had thought her capable. Giving her a sounding kiss, he ushered her back to the car, with Smon in toe. “Aren’t blood rogues a tale of old times?”, her cursory approach was welcomed by Simon. Because Noah would go a step further if she conversed with the brooding alpha, making his presence bearable. Simon wasn’t sure demanding information out of Noah Abel, one he didn’t voluntarily share was a good idea. He felt betrayed but it was caustic to corner him right at the heels of three deaths on his territory.“No. The numbers have dramatically lessened but we have pups that are born rogue. We can’t keep them on a leash so we have to let them go.” He was wrung tight.“How come the pack members don’t notice it? I mean, the little one is born one minute, and gone the
Soon as they reached the compound, Noah was half-dragging Vanessa, their hands held tightly together. "Simon." He said, as men usually did, a bye. Indicating that he and Vanessa needed to talk and he'd have to wait, no matter how long it took them to get to the bottom of this. She was seething behind him. If, he could find some restraint on his mouth breathing Neanderthal ways, she could meet him in the middle. "Noah. I am not going anywhere with you." She put her foot down, literally. He had to stop then.His eyes, black of abyss, reflected back her anger. Noah had practiced, with every fibre of his being, to blunt the edges of his need, his anger, his wants so they wouldn't spearhead a life crafted with care, each minute detail splayed for scrutiny. Not that anyone now told him how things under his control should be done. In the relative past, when he was still an Alpha in training, they had. And the lessons tattooed themselves on his very soul. Like it or not, Vanessa Flynn was
"Don't. Don't distract me." She heaved a sigh. His thumbs grazed the ankle, feather light touches, meant to evoke comfort but all she felt was the need for his hands to travel upwards and do what they were so adept at. Noah didn't realize, at first, that his attempt to simply touch her, without an ulterior motive could tighten his body all over. Damn it. It was her, he thought. The way she sighed, melted at the briefest touch. "I like my hands on you." His wolf didn't resist this confession. He was astonished at how Vanessa's wolf lurked in the shadows this time. "I can sense your wolf."Vanessa simply nodded and hung her head. She was tamer than him. Her wolf was more attuned to her need for a clear head. It never poked in matters the human had not yet processed. "I… accept it. What you said. I don't understand how our ancestors lived with it. But it's not your fault."His wolf yipped in glee. The relief coursing through his body was the last straw. "I could eat you right now."
'Love does find a way afterall. No matter what obstacles are laid before us, if our love is pure, it will win at the end, no matter what.' Vanessa thought as a smile lit her face up. She was sitting comfortably on a couch, in a large sweatshirt that belonged to Noah, now her husband.She thought back to their wedding ceremony, it was a wonderful affair filled with laughter, love and hope. All their friends had come, looking clean in their dresses and suits. Noah had left last night, in wolf form, hollering and calling loudly to the moon. A makeshift bachelor party- a wild run in the forest and then some chilled beer at a cliff with a nice view. That left Vanessa to sit back at home, thumbing through her favorite book and smiling now and then. It was midnight when she decided to call it a night and go to bed- her last night as a single lady. Just then, she caught sight of a rustling figure outside the window. It was Noah, his hair windswept and his cheeks red from being drunk. He was
She watched his face, less shy about its location on the map of her body. He was smiling to himself, mischievous, his eyes on his work. Small pool of sweat gathered at her lower back, at the dimples he liked so much. He was finger painting.She gasped, trying to twist away as he wrote more. But he didn't have to. "Noah...." Was she going to weep? She didn't want to weep. "Is that a yes or a no?" The wolf was relaxed this time around. Like it had gotten what it wanted for the time being, she knew the decision was equally human. "Yes! Yes, I'll marry you." "If you can stop snotting, maybe then..." She hit his shoulder. When he kissed her, on the psychic plane, his wolf appeared. Battered, strong, feral. And with him- a bond. It was a great shining thing, like a falling moon. An orb born of love tumbling in the creeks, in the meadows. She had only to catch it. And she did. With it came a smaller bond-Ian. Unafraid, she linked herself to it. The distance between them felt like sph
The last thing she remembered was his claws digging in her ass, and their pleasure sated bodies a tangle of limbs. Where was he now? Not next to her. But he had slept, the bed held his impressions. Coming to herself, she blushed. His smell was so strong on her, hers had nearly vanished. She had an inkling that these were the signs of mating bond completing itself. Even he would smell more like Vanessa than himself. The animal was playing for keeps, and it wanted to be kept as an equal. She found him sitting on the porch stairs. She grabbed his shirt, shivered at how sensitized her skin felt, trying desperately to keep herself from looking at the spot of blood on lavender sheets. Thankfully, they weren't white. His marks, teeth, hand, claws pulsed in her body. Her body held his secrets more tenderly than it did anything else. He sensed her approach, straightening his legs, making space for her between them. She went, hiding behind her hair. His content was contagious. Bare chested
The satisfaction coursing through him was so arrogant, so unfaltering in its ownership, her wolf quivered a little in fear. If he consumed her, would she live to see another day? Intrigued, he rubbed his jaw against the inside of her legs, her scent decadent, strong. He fumbled with his jeans before pulling them down. His wolf wanted to take. To turn her around on hands and knees, mount her, and when she'd arch her neck in pleasure, take a bite. It'll hurt but he'd share the pain. "Noah?" She was still here. Legs spread, waiting for him. He smiled. His mind was playing tricks on him, he won't take her like an animal. That'll have to wait. He suddenly dipped his head and she shoved a discarded pillow to her face. Which was a good thing. Because the scream that tore out of her was no human. Her eyes shifted, her wolf begging to have her equal measure of the sensations. His eyes still on her face, he licked her between her thighs. The tender bud begged for his attention, which in h
When he threw up his shields, she was back in front of him. Tonight, there was no leash. She wanted to play, he'll abide. The wolf bared its teeth.... She shot out with a grin. Adrenaline shot through her, she was nowhere near as fast as him. But she could read his thought clear as a bright sunny day. Apart from the high of the chase, she was humbled by the trust. He lowered his shields to nil and let her in. She had yet to do that.He was getting closer, the wolf didn't try to hide the heavy breathing, his massive lungs resounding in warning because he wanted her to know when he was near. Claws out, canines protruding, Noah was no longer human. Not a single part of him. Heart raising hard and fast, she sharpened her run into the direction of lower range, a steep one her much smaller body could maintain running at. Noah's much larger frame would tumble at this speed, so he pulled out an old trick. He laid down and rolled like a barrel. Laughter bubbled inside of her. 'Nice trick.'
"I am sorry I made you feel unwelcome. Consider this an apology." He kissed her knuckles, a small key pressed to her palm, the soft crinkle of paper-a note. She couldn't read his thoughts anymore. But he walked away with a purpose. Dusk clambered in the Nebraska, the summer of dragging afternoons fast learning to evade the gossamery warmth for autumn seeping in sycamore trees, yellow golden leaves ready to replace the greens. Beyond the moonbeam dancing stream, stood two peaks, protecting the land from the unknowns, so many unknowns. The peaks, they are not exultant, and they no longer believe themselves to be the instrument of some great intention. They are, but a shadow of those living beings looking up at them, creatures grasping at life with stained hands. Waiting. Hoping. Vanessa hid her gasp, swallowing the thick ball of emotion in her throat. A heavy weight ruffled the decidous low hanging branches in the trees but she didn't have to turn around to know who it was. Her soul
Home.The black villa doors opened to reveal the place she had thought would save her from the mountain of debt she had buried herself under. The debt was the answer she had been waiting for, and apparently so was Silas. Greggory Flynn, she had kept his ashes in a thurible, had never given her complete answers. They arrived, to find Mikhail, Beatrice and Rourke waiting for them in the foyer. Vanessa was searching for Mrs.Kemp and her cupcake smelling apron. Beatrice looked healthier but the awkward distance between her and Mikhail didn't go unnoticed by anyone. "This here, little heathen, has more body count than me, brother. What do you say to that?" Evan dragged Vanessa from under Noah's arm to his side, strangling her in a side hug. Vanessa was beyond grateful. She didn't know how to break ice with Mikhail. The last time he had her tied to a chair in the basement, he had his reasons but that didn't make it okay. She didn't know where to go with him from here. She loved Noah but
Vanessa shuffled inside her closet, her claustrophobia all but gone. She was done packing but not ready to head back home. Things felt so incomplete. In past two days, she had tried to access Calvin's mind but had failed. When all of them, Selene, Falkner, Silas, Noah, Evan and Jodie convene for finalizing border control policies she had to tell them. She wanted everyone to know there were others like her, the Communion will want a hard proof. "Come in." She knew it was Evan. "Hii. I am resigning. Consider this official." He had been in a jolly good mood, he always was when he worked on secret plans but this time, Vanessa knew it was about Jodie. His mind was a back to back movie night on weekends, filled with lewd imagery of things he'd like to do to her.The powers did have it's shortcomings. "Resigning?" His shields were up. "Yes." Evan folded his legs, sat on the newly purchased futon, which Noah had gifted Vanessa because she liked to sleep on the floor. Bed after thirty six
He begrudgingly admitted nudity was her last preserve right now. She shifted but did a very poor job of hiding herself, the swell of her ass, small and pert with tan lines- he groaned- held his attention. Until he moved it to her shoulder. Stripes, more stripes of red, white, yellow, blue. What the fuck was it? How did she get bruises this bad? Before he could ask, she begged for a clothing. Anything he might have. He stripped off his shirt and threw it to her. She scrambled into it like she was on fire. No more inadvertent strip show, his cat saddened by the perspectiveShe knew what he was going to ask. It was always there, in the manner people stood, slightly skewed, uncomfortable of her reaction even before she had reacted. Scars. He had seen them. And she knew he won't let it go. "You aren't going anywhere until you answer me." Lonely, she wanted to be with her own kind after being denied association for so long. Walter Desmond's death made her breath for the first time, free