Her Lion Guard 2 (Paranormal Shifter Romance) Page 7

  Mary-Lou had a very different idea.

  “Fuck me,” the human woman whispered, voice low and urgent. Jonas felt a spike of lust tear through him, felt molten heat pool into his stomach. Still, he shook his head, mindful of Mary-Lou’s fragile mental and physical state.

  Mary-Lou narrowed her eyes. Jonas’ stubbornness when it came to this, when it came to sex, was often galling to the prideful woman. She was not weak. She was not a child, to be minded and coddled and told what to do. Mary-Lou hooked a thigh over Jonas’ hips and pulled, pressing the surprised Shifter flush against her.

  Jonas groaned, the sound choked off – almost pained as Mary-Lou ground up into his hardness. “I said, fuck me,” the woman hissed into his ear, bit and chewed at his throat – in admonition, in desire. Jonas felt his eyes roll in his head, felt animalistic lust chase good intentions and caution from his mind. When Mary-Lou’s small, soft hand fumbled with the zipper to his pants he let it – ground into it, into the warm tunnel of her fingers as she pushed both slacks and boxers out of the way and took his cock in hand.

  “That’s it,” Mary-Lou moaned, lifting her heaving chest to press soft breasts against Jonas’ hard body, “Let go. For once, Jonas, just – let go.” Jonas buried his face in her hair, drowned a rumble of desire in his partner’s skin. His hands mapped her body, lifted her shirt and unhooked her bra to palm at her full breasts. Mary-Lou bit her lip against a scream as careful fingers tugged at her sensitive nipples, her own hand tightening around Jonas’s straining erection. He was leaking freely now, wetting her hand and the thin pajama pants covering her thighs. Mary-Lou felt an answering wetness soak through her panties, felt herself ache and strain toward her mate in more ways than one. She pulled her hand away, ignored Jonas’ questioning whine to push at the remaining fabric that separated their bodies.

  “Now, now, now,” Mary-Lou chanted once she was bare from the waist down, her shirt and bra hiked up over the generous swell of her breasts, “In me, now!”

  Jonas, large body gorgeously naked above hers, trembled with desire. He did not dare listen, but dared deny his mate even more. He pushed into her slowly, letting both Mary-Lou and himself adjust to the incredible tightness, the fullness of their joining. Mary-Lou clawed at him, whined in his ear as he filled her up – told him how good he was, how big he felt inside of her – Jonas snarled and slammed the last few inches home, balls deep in her wet warmth.

  They moved together for long moments, for minutes that could have well stretched into hours. Mary-Lou rolled her hips with every thrust, gasped at every swipe of Jonas’ broad tongue over her lips, her collarbone, her hard nipples. Jonas’ own world had narrowed down to Mary-Lou’s body and how they fit together, the soft slick-and-slide of flesh against flesh.

  Orgasm built up gradually, rocked through them gently but powerfully. Mary-Lou tightened about Jonas with a cut-off scream, body tumbling over the edge of pleasure without warning. She continued to moan and roll against her mate, body limp and pliant as Jonas took his pleasure in her flesh. When Jonas’ movements grew ragged, when his hips ground his cock deep within her then stuttered to a gentle, pulsating halt, she gentled him through his own fall – kissed his neck and cheeks and hair, whispered loving words into his ear.

  They slept as they were, wrapped in each other in more ways than one.

  Sharp, persistent knocking shook Mary-Lou out of the most pleasant dreams she had had all week. Mary-Lou moaned in displeasure, nuzzled her head in Jonas’ naked chest in a doomed attempt to cling onto the fuzzy nothingness within her mind. But the knocking continued, and soon her pillow was moving too – the very bed beneath her shifting as Jonas tugged her into a sitting position.

  “Mary-Lou,” the Lion Shifter whispered, “It’s your mother.”

  Mary-Lou nodded. Of course it was. Who else would be standing there while she lay in bed with her mate, buck-naked and sweaty and covered in love-bites? This, Mary-Lou groused, was her life.

  “We are coming,” Mary-Lou groaned out in the vague direction of the door. “Just, just give us a minute.”

  “Take your time.” Irma’s voice was tight, controlled; Mary-Lou shook awake, recognizing that tone from long nights spent poring over dusty books.

  “You found something,” she said. Irma let out a soft hum, her steps receding down the hall and out of earshot.

  “She definitely found something,” Jonas agreed, amusement clear in his voice.

  The two stared at each other for all of a minute before scrambling off the bed and into the bathroom, laughter lighting their way.

  It was good to forget, if just for a bit, what a great mess their life had become.

  Mary-Lou and Jonas entered the kitchen just shy of half an hour later. Breakfast was already served, large mugs of steaming coffee set next to five plates of scrambled eggs and toast. Mary-Lou was about to inquire after the fifth member of the party when a deep voice boomed from behind her:

  “Mary-Lou! How are you, my dear?”

  “Nicholas!” Mary-Lou exclaimed. She gave the aged Shifter a tight hug, deeply happy to see him after such a lengthy separation. “Where have you been?” Mary-Lou demanded when she finally pulled away, a mock scowl twisting her lips. “You just up and left! No letter, no explanation – nothing!”

  “I am truly sorry if I worried you,” Nicholas grinned, clapping a large hand against Jonas’ shoulder in greeting. “But you know how it is – life is unpredictable! You have to seize the moment when you can, or you end up regretting it forever! And I don’t exactly have forever; would be a shame to spend whatever time I have left on this Earth regretting.”

  “First of all, stop it,” Mary-Lou shook her head, torn between amusement and denial, denial, denial. “And second – do you hear yourself when you speak? Because I do, and I can tell you that you, my friend, said exactly nothing. Not where you have been, not what you have been doing—”

  “Ah, ah, ah – but that’s a secret, you see?” Nicholas winked, “Nothing as appealing as a little mystery in a person.”

  “Too much mystery, and people stop caring,” Jonas muttered. Mary-Lou shot him a look, barely refraining from barraging the other man with questions. It was not the time.

  Mary-Lou narrowed her eyes. It better be the time soon; she was sick and tired of neglecting her mate for the sake of repulsive people like Wiley.

  Irma entered the kitchen, Jonathon trailing behind her with a cordless phone pressed to his ear. “Thank you, yes – thank you very much,” the older man said before clicking the device shut, focusing tired eyes on the group assembled in his kitchen. “Well,” Jonathon smiled wanly, “I think coffee is in order.”

  Breakfast was consumed quickly, with almost mechanic efficiency. Irma and Jonathon quietly discussed something or another between bites of food, Nicholas and Jonas caught up on what was happening with mutual friends, and Mary-Lou largely concentrated on not drowning in her coffee cup.

  “Alright,” Mary-Lou mumbled as the last of the dishes were cleared off the table. “What was so important that you dragged us out of bed at five in the morning?”

  Irma and Jonathon shared a look. Mary-Lou automatically straightened in her seat; this did not bode well.

  Apparently, it was Jonathon’s turn to deliver potentially unpleasant news. Mary-Lou’s father fiddled with a balled-up napkin, took a slow sip of his glass of water – stalled, in other words, and rather incompetently so.

  “I spoke with Rowfer,” he offered finally, eyes flickering from Mary-Lou to Jonas.

  Mary-Lou blinked, wondering if she was missing something. A quick look at Jonas revealed a similarly confused expression; good. If she was, at least she was not alone.

  “And?” Nicholas prompted. “What did the old geezer have to say?”

  “Rowfer is not that much older than you, Nick.” Irma laughed. Nicholas gasped out in mock-outrage, exclaiming, “I demand an apology!” even as Jonathon shushed them both.

  “Please, pay attention,” the frazzled C
oyote groaned, “This is serious!”

  Amusement died out, to be replaced with attentive worry. Jonathon sighed, obviously not happy to have killed the mood. Still, he took the opportunity to speak, eyes catching every gaze in the room in turn.

  “Rowfer had a vision. A – a premonition, of sorts – and one he felt he had to state publicly.” Irma muttered something about, God only knows why and Mary-Lou began to have a very, very bad feeling about it all.

  “What did he say?” She asked.

  “He... saw part of your powers, Mary-Lou. Part of what you could do,” Jonathon said, dragging the words out with obvious effort. Mary-Lou frowned.

  “Isn’t that good?” she asked. “It means we can stop researching – or at least know what to research about.”

  “Well—” Jonathon hesitated. “Yes…and no. He saw part of your abilities, but was unsure of their extent – of their meaning. We guess that was the reason behind his making them public knowledge. That, and a sense of justice that goes beyond good and bad.” Jonathon sighed, clearly disapproving of the whole thing.

  “What does that mean?” Jonas demanded, a bit of anger seeping in his voice. “Why did Rowfer not contact us – for God’s sake, the man was in our home but a day ago!” Mary-Lou laid a calming hand on her mate’s shoulder even as the very same questions raised doubt in her own mind.

  “What did Rowfer have to say?” Mary-Lou asked, voice calm and controlled.

  Jonathon smiled, just a tiny quirk of the lips. He was proud of his daughter, looked forward to seeing what she would accomplish – who she would become. But before that could happen, before anything could move forward, she had to survive. She had to know how, even if it broke his heart to be the one to tell her so.

  “He said,” Jonathon cleared his throat against a sudden lump of unease, repeated in a steadier voice: “He said that you had the power of conviction. The ability to bend others’ will to yours, through words alone.”

  The room fell quiet as those within it absorbed Jonathon’s words, mulled over their meaning.

  Jonas broke the silence first. The Lion Shifter let out a disbelieving snort, leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Yeah, right. Like we wouldn’t have noticed something like that.” He turned to smile at Mary-Lou; the relief lighting his expression slowly disappeared as he recognized the panic in his mate’s face.

  “Mary-Lou,” he began.

  Mary-Lou shook her head. She had a story to tell – memories of the past night, of screeching tires and Wiley’s slack, complacent face to share.

  Silence echoed in the wake of her words. Mary-Lou felt their eyes on her, felt their fear and apprehension and excitement as if it was her own. The world was closing in around her, tighter and tighter; she wished it would crush her, would let her go – anything but this constant imbalance, never-ending uncertainty.

  What now? She thought.

  What now?

  EPILOGUE

  “Make me.”

  Mary-Lou stared at Jonas, at the cup of water by his elbow. “What?” she asked.

  Jonas blinked back at her. “I said, make me. Make me give you the water.”

  “You can’t just give it to me?” Mary-Lou sighed as Jonas shook his head. “Fine. Fine, but – I am not sure I can do it.”

  “Just try,” Jonas urged. The Lion Shifter had not let up since the morning, trying to make Mary-Lou will him into this or that stupid thing. Had Mary-Lou not been so relieved of his unquestioning support, she would have been annoyed at the man’s perseverance.

  “Alright.” Mary-Lou took a deep breath. She concentrated on Jonas, on the glass of water sitting innocently beside him – thought about wanting it, wanting him to hand it to her. She opened her mouth, words of command on the tip of her tongue, and—

  Deflated like a punctured balloon.

  “I can’t,” Mary-Lou mumbled. “I don’t want to,” she amended, glaring into narrowed blue eyes.

  “Mary-Lou—”

  “Mary-Lou.”

  Irma’s voice cut through whatever argument Jonas wanted to raise. Mary-Lou lifted her eyes from where she had been mulishly glaring at the table, faltering to find Irma’s face dark with anger.

  “Turbo,” was all the other woman said. All she needed to say.

  Mary-Lou was up from her seat and running after Jonas before she had fully realized what had happened.

  Wiley Turbo stood in front of the Cabin, black boots streaked with dirt and remnants of flower petals. He had walked through the flower-path – a petty, meaningless little taunt that would cost him his balls if Irma had her way.

  Fortunately for the Wolf, he was not alone.

  The remainder of the Wolf pack hovered in the surrounding woods, staying close enough to be seen but not close enough to interfere – a diplomatic move that did not fit well with Wiley’s usual modus operandi. Mary-Lou wondered when she would get to meet the men behind Wiley Turbo, even as she hung onto Jonas’ arm like a particularly determined limpet.

  “What do you want, Turbo?” Jonas roared, violence in his every stride as he advanced on the other man.

  “Stop,” Mary-Lou hissed over Jonas’ enraged rumbling, “This is not our territory –Irma and Jonathon would take care of his ass if need be.”

  Mary-Lou spared a moment to wonder why Irma and Jonathon had not done just that. Then Wiley opened that big, smug mouth of his, and the thought was lost beneath a wave of disbelief and anger.

  “As I said last night,” the Wolf Shifter growled, “I am here to collect. Hand the human over, Jonas.”

  “You did not win the fight, Turbo.” Irma spoke up. The tigress’ voice was biting, eyes frozen with unforgiving hatred.

  “I did not lose, either. That is victory enough in the eyes of the Law.” Wiley smirked, adding slyly, “As is providing means for contestants to resolve any standing Challenge.”

  Ah. So that is why the annoying Wolf was still alive.

  Mary-Lou swallowed. “Is there anything we can do to convince you to let it go?” She asked.

  Wiley snorted. “Not on your life, human. You are mine – and I do not leave mine behind.” The last of his words were not meant for Mary-Lou; Jonas bit back a whine, some of the anger in him disappearing under the sudden weight of nameless guilt.

  Mary-Lou gripped Jonas’ hand tighter for a moment – a last, comforting gesture. She then let it go in a single, decisive motion.

  “Wiley,” she said. Wiley’s expression smoothed, the Wolf barely covering up his confusion at the sight of the human woman approaching him. “You wised up, babe?” he asked instead, hiding his uncertainty behind an ugly leer.

  “Wiley, I want you to do something for me.” Mary-Lou spoke slowly, carefully – focused on the intonation of every word, its meaning to her and Wiley. “I want you to leave,” she said and Wiley – Wiley did not snort in amusement, did not sneer with disdain. No, he – he listened, even if he did not move, even though he did not respond.

  Emboldened, Mary-Lou focused harder. A dim buzzing built behind her eyes, swirled over her eyes as a thin veil of transparent light. “I want you to leave, and never come back,” she said and felt dizzy, felt Wiley’s immediate denial push against her mind like a physical thing. “Just for now,” she amended quickly, unwilling to let the man go – not when she could prevent further struggle, postpone further bloodshed. “Just until I heal. I am no good to you like this.”

  “Of course not,” Wiley mumbled. The Alpha’s face was slack, vacant; Mary-Lou avoided looking at anything beyond his eyes, too disturbed at the sight. Still, the man spoke, agreed with her – stepped back and actually began walking away, toward the trees and his confused companions.

  “You retreat your Challenge, then?” Mary-Lou asked. Wiley shook his head and she hurried to add, “For now; you will let me rest. You swear.”

  “Yes,” Wiley murmured, repeated her words as if they were his own, “Yes! You will rest now, for what good are you to me like this. Just until you heal.” Mary-L
ou nodded. She retreated toward her pack and watched Wiley do the same.

  “I’ll be back!” Wiley called out, just before disappearing completely, “You are mine, don’t you forget!”

  Mary-Lou shivered as the man moved beyond her reach, felt the control she had over him break and fall about her like the shattered remnants of a broken mirror. Jonas rushed up to her, supported her suddenly exhausted body inside the house and to the nearest chair. Irma and Jonathon followed him closely, the latter remaining by the door to keep an eye out for potential trouble.

  “Call Rowfer,” Mary-Lou gasped. She felt empty, so empty and cold and – she shook her head as Jonas mouthed an angry No, shook and could not stop.

  “You have to,” she insisted, “Jonas, you will!”

  The golden light that burst out of her stunned Jonas into mindless agreement, warmed Mary-Lou for just an instant – the very next moment, Mary-Lou was reeling back in horror. What-what had she done?

  What could she do?

  Irma regarded her from the shadows of a doorway, unmoving. When Mary-Lou turned to look at her, the older woman had a mobile pressed to her ear.

  Rowfer arrived later that night. His appearance was preceded by a lengthy phone conversation with both Irma and Mary-Lou, during which the aged Healer had done nothing but apologize – albeit without saying the actual words. Rowfer assured them of his belief in Mary-Lou’s abilities, in her capability to lead them to a better future.

  “It is just not something you hide from others,” the aged Healer had rasped over the static line.

  Remembering Jonas’ reaction to her power, Mary-Lou was inclined to agree.

  Mary-Lou heard the commotion at the front door. She straightened in her seat by the window, face turned away from the light spilling gently through the thick glass. Again. They were to perform the ritual again, under Rowfer’s careful supervision. Mary-Lou remembered Gloria’s touch, remembered the warmth of her embrace and comfort of her knowledge seeping in her mind. She could not find it in herself to disagree even as she knew the notion of another in her mind should scare her, terrify her more than whatever tricks she found herself able to perform.