Charity Received (12 page)

And she sensed the bastard was trying to set her off her course, trying to steer her back the way she’d come. Sucking in a deep breath and ignoring the pain, Charity butted him with her head. The male tripped and was immediately knocked to the ground by another eager to take his place. He jumped back up and turned on a third. They became engrossed in a struggle, leaving only the one left.

The last wolf was definitely the weakest of the five, probably barely out of puberty, and she’d be damned if she’d let him touch her. Slowing her pace marginally, the male’s howl of victory made her flesh crawl. He thought she was tiring, so when she turned suddenly and raked her claws down his side, his cry of pain filled her with satisfaction. Discouraged, this male turned and fled, probably off to lick his wounds.

Poor baby.

The abbey gates were now in sight, and if she could, Charity would have wept with joy. She was safe. Her mate was so close, she could almost feel his touch ripple along her fur. Safe.

She barely recognized the blur to her left as she was knocked to the ground.

Stunned, she lay there as the male took advantage of her position and tried to mount her. She felt his hips thrusting frantically, and Charity went wild under him.

Her paws changed form, long nasty claws protruding from fur-covered fingers. She dropped to the ground and rolled to her side to dig the sharp tips into the male’s flank.

His howl of outrage and pain was his only indication she’d struck deep. The male did not budge off her, but instead sank his teeth into her shoulder to hold her still. Fear gripped Charity. She was pinned under the male, and his touch was killing her.

Every pain receptor in her body was flaring to life, overwhelming her brain and making thought impossible.

The male wolf tried to force her hips up, to endure the invasion he lusted for, but before he could move her into position, he was thrown from her. And standing over her, like an avenging angel, was Kash, a sword in both hands.

The wolf slowly gained his feet and turned, a low snarl emanating from his throat.

“Come on, you bastard,” Kash taunted as he stepped over Charity to stand between her and the threat. “Or can you only terrorize helpless females?”

The wolf focused his blue eyes on Kash, growling again, then moved his gaze to her.

Charity was lying on the ground, naked and panting heavily, having shifted to her human form once she realized Kash had come to her rescue.

At first it appeared as if the wolf was going to lunge at Kash, but then he turned and fled into the woods. Kash moved to pursue, but paused when she whispered his name. He immediately sank to his knees on the cold ground beside her and pulled her into his lap. Cradling her against his chest, he said not a word as he rose and carried her into the safety of the fortress. The yowls of defeat were quickly muted by the stone walls surrounding the abbey.

Tears spilled down Charity’s cheeks at the knowledge that she had come so close to being raped. With her face buried in his T-shirt, she didn’t pay attention to where Kash was taking her, only that she was safe. His scent enveloped her, filling her with longing, and a shudder racked her frame. As something soft pressed into her back, Charity realized he had set her onto a mattress. A pillow cushioned her head, cotton sheets her body, and all around her was the smell of musk. Of Kash.

A ripple of pain caused her back to arch and her limbs to stiffen. It hadn’t been as bad while she was a wolf, but now her womb clenched and fluttered. He brushed her hair back from her face, staring down at her, concern etched across his brow.

Another pain shot through her, making her cry out.

“What is it, chérie?” Kash swept his hands over her body as if looking for an injury, but any damage had been healed when she shifted. “Should I get Arak?”

Charity shook her head. Arak couldn’t fix whatever was the matter with her. Only Kash could. And she’d be damned before she’d tell him that.

Kash brushed a thumb over her lower lip, and she discovered she’d been biting it.

She released it and licked her lips nervously instead. Kash groaned softly, weaving his fingers in her hair as he lowered to her. Charity watched him inhale, his eyes glazing over, and she knew her heat was affecting him also. How strange.

With his fingers still buried in her hair, he forced her lips to meet his. His kiss devastated her, his taste consuming her, and her womb tightened with need.

Charity pressed her legs together, the ache intensifying as wetness spilled from her pussy and dampened her thighs.

Kash lifted his head, his nostrils flaring as he breathed deeply. “Christ, you smell so damn good. I need you, chérie. Need to be inside you. Please say you feel the same.”

Charity couldn’t respond, couldn’t force the words past the lump clogging her throat.

Her body demanded his betrayal of another, and while it tore her apart, she couldn’t stop from nodding. There was no denying she wanted him with an intense, desperate need.

He pushed off her and rose to his knees to yank the T-shirt over his head before frantically turning his attention to his jeans. Once he shoved the fabric down past his hips, his cock sprang free. The drops of fluid weeping from the slit on the bulbous head caught Charity’s attention, and she reached out to wrap her hand around the thick organ.

Her touch drew a groan from Kash, his hips flexing to push more of his cock into her fist. His response fascinated her. She slid her palm through the wetness on the tip and used it to lubricate the shaft as she glided her hand slowly down his length. It seemed to grow longer and thicker under her tightening grip, and with her free hand, she cradled his round, firm balls.

“That feels so good…too damn good,” he moaned as he watched her pump him once…

twice before he brushed her hands away. After wiggling completely out of his jeans, Kash pushed her flat on the bed and slid between her thighs, his dick caressing her slick, wet folds. The weight of him pinning her to the bed, his larger body surrounding her, made Charity feel safe. Loved.

She’d expected him to thrust deep into her body and was surprised when Kash cupped one of her breasts instead. He lifted it to his lips, watching her as he slowly swiped his tongue across the crested peak. Breath hitching, Charity arched, trying to force more of her nipple into his mouth. Chuckling, Kash complied and gently sucked her stiff flesh, drawing a whimper from her throat.

She sank her fingers into his hair and held him to her breast as she rotated her hips, pleasure bursting over her at the feel of his cock gliding through her folds.

Groaning around her nipple, he draped her leg over his hip, the broad head of his cock nudging her opening, but when she tried to lift her hips, needing penetration, Kash held her to the mattress.

At her murmured protest, he released her nipple with a
pop
and framed her face as he rose over her. “Is this what you want? My dick in your pussy? Tell me, Charity. I want to hear you say it.”

“Yes, God, please. I ache for you,” she pleaded, thrashing wildly beneath him. She wanted him balls-deep inside her, needed to feel the hard thrusts of his cock, and when he began to slowly sink into her pussy, his lips captured her cry of frustration.

“Christ,” he mumbled, pulling out then slowly easing back into her pussy. “So tight.

So perfect.”

Charity wrapped her arms around his shoulders and clung to Kash. He felt so good…

like heaven, and desperation laced her movements as her hips arched to meet each downward thrust. With her eyes squeezed closed, tears slipped free and trailed down her cheeks. She met his lips and opened as his tongue swept inside and curled around hers. She swallowed his groan, echoing with one of her own.

With a guttural moan, Kash dropped his head to her shoulder. She could feel her pussy clenching tightly around him, milking him, demanding his seed.

“So good… You feel so good. I can’t hold it back, chérie.” And with a harsh cry, Kash stilled deep inside her for a brief moment, his arms banding around her before he plunged in a series of jerking motions.

Her body rejoiced as his seed filled her, the cramps in her womb easing. His teeth sinking into her shoulder caught her by surprise as he pinched her clit. With a sob, an orgasm tore her apart as he continued to push through her tightening muscles. It seemed never ending, the strong spasms drawing pulses of semen from his dick.

Just when Charity thought she could take no more, Kash collapsed on top of her.

Several moments passed as he held her tightly, kissing softly where his teeth had marked her shoulder. Then with a grunt, Kash eased onto his side, pulling her into his arms, but Charity barely registered the action. Sleep was already claiming her, her body replete and safe for the first time in a week.

* * *

For the first time, Kash woke without Charity demanding he fuck her. Several times she’d cried out, her body seized in contractions, only to fall back into a restful sleep once her lust had been sated.

Now she slept peacefully. He could sense it within her. So, opening his mind, he called out to Arak. He wanted his brother to examine his mate, explain to him what the hell the last twelve hours had been about, to reassure him that she was okay. At the time, something about her scent had affected him so powerfully, he’d barely been able to think. The desperate desire to bury his dick inside her had overruled his mind, but now that the scent had dissipated, Kash feared something was terribly wrong.

Arak teleported to the room but stopped short when his gaze rested on Charity. He inhaled deeply then frowned. “Don’t you think your first concern should have been your mate’s health?”

“My only concern is my mate,” Kash growled in reply. “Something is not right. She had been insistent and demanding for hours.”

“And you’re just contacting me now?”

“When should I have, Arak? When she was screaming for me to fuck her?” Kash regarded his brother, and his arms unconsciously tightened around Charity. He soothed her small whimper of protest, placing light kisses on her forehead. Once she’d settled again, he returned his attention to Arak. “It seems to have passed, and now she is quiet. Please, Arak.” Arak hesitated before approaching the bed. He seemed concerned, and Kash sighed. “I will not harm you.”

That seemed to amuse Arak. “Well, you can hardly blame me for being cautious. You haven’t exactly been yourself, Kash.”

“No, I haven’t,” he admitted. “But Charity is back where she belongs.”

“I’m glad.” Arak stared down at the pair for a moment before tentatively reaching out toward Charity.

Kash sighed again, grabbed his brother’s hand, and placed it on his mate’s arm. She immediately hissed through her teeth, tensing in her sleep as she tried to roll away from Arak’s touch.

“It’s all right, my little wolf,” he whispered into her ear.

Charity turned her face into his neck and breathed in deeply before her body shuddered against his, then relaxed. Kash caressed her neck, instinctively understanding she needed his touch and his softly spoken encouragement, telling her Arak’s touch was acceptable.

He watched anxiously as the blue glow from Arak’s hand trailed over her skin, almost afraid to hear what his brother would say. He didn’t want to believe Charity’s actions could be due to what plagued those other wolves. But finding that wolf on top of her, trying to hump her, and then her actions after… For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Finally Arak pulled away.

“What is it?” Concern lined his brother’s face, and Kash suddenly felt nauseated.

Something was wrong with his mate.

“I don’t know, Kash. She’s ovulating, but for a female, that’s hardly unusual.”

“Tell me, Arak, is she okay?” he demanded hoarsely.

“I see nothing in her blood to indicate she has been infected. Nothing points to her being tainted in any way.”

Tears Kash was not even aware of hovering on his lashes slid from his eyelids and down his cheeks. “Thank God,” he murmured into Charity’s hair. He focused solely on his mate, not noticing when Arak teleported from the room. Tugging her tightly into his side, Kash let the fatigue that had been ravaging him take over. Some things still needed to be resolved. He only had Hope’s belief as to why Charity had left, but whether or not Hope was correct, he and Charity needed to have a long talk

—after they’d both rested.

* * *

It took Charity a moment to remember where she was, which was really silly considering the hard male body curled up behind her. Then it all came back to her, and she hung her head in defeat. She’d done something really stupid, but she couldn’t be too upset. She caressed her abdomen gently. Her heat had ended unexpectedly, so she could only pray that meant she would be walking away with a piece of him that Hope, as a vampire, could never have. A dream Charity’d never expected fulfilled either. A smile settled on her lips.

Excitement welled up inside her. If only she could share this with him, but Kash could never know. Charity wouldn’t hurt Hope that way. The other female had been her friend, and she didn’t deserve the way Charity had repaid that friendship.

She slipped from the bed, picked up the T-shirt Kash had discarded earlier, and pulled it over her head. Then, glancing back at the male her wolf had acknowledged as their mate, she really took in his appearance. Even in sleep, Kash looked exhausted. His olive complexion had lost its healthy glow, and he also appeared to have lost weight. Charity didn’t remember him looking so lean, though he had hardly been built like Bale and Zeke.

Looking around, she found a pair of sweatpants on a chair in the corner and carefully slid them over her legs. She had to knot the string in the waistband tightly to get them to remain on her hips, and they were entirely too long, but the elastic around the ankles kept her from tripping over the ends.

Once clothed, Charity returned to Kash’s side and looked down at him, a sense of sadness washing over her. Leaving without telling him what they’d likely created just seemed wrong, but she knew she couldn’t stay. It would be too painful for all of them.