Jared: Mating Fever (Rocked by the Bear Book 5) (6 page)

S
asha gulps
down the glass of water I hold up to her mouth, and when she’s done, I crouch down to check her restraints. They’re tight, and my recent memory of what that feels like makes me say, “I’m going to loosen these to be more comfortable.” Her wrists are thin, and I imagine they’re fragile like glass as I hold them.

“She’s not a pet. You can’t keep her,”
Jared tells me telepathically.

“I know that. But we don’t have to be cruel. She’s—”
Human. She lives in fear of something she doesn’t understand, and I can’t let her die because of ignorance.
“I think we need to let her go before your warriors get here.”

“So she can return with help to kill us all in our sleep? No.”

I sit across from Sasha again and notice her jeans have holes from wear. Her hoodie is frayed and stained. I ask, “Where are you from?”

“South of here.”

I lean back and swing my foot as I study her for a moment. She looks like your typical college girl that might be wearing her last clothes before she breaks down to do laundry. I say, “Help me understand why a group of people I know to be human in almost every way deserve to die.”

“Because. You’re—”

Jared interrupts her. “Beasts, yeah, we’ve heard that already. But as you can see, we aren’t. So what is it?”

Sasha appears confused. “I just know you need to die.”

I glance at Jared before I say, “We could have killed you earlier, but we didn’t. Do you know why?” She shrugs, and I say, “Because we have compassion and value life. Do you?”

“Of course I do.”

I think about how Sasha was scared to death in the woods, and I wonder if she’s ever killed someone. “Then why were you hiding behind a tree with a gun waiting for the right moment to kill someone you’ve never even met? Do you do this often?”

“No! I’ve nev—” She sucks in her lips as if she can take her words back.

I say, “You’ve never killed anyone, have you?” When she doesn’t answer I say, “I haven’t either.”

I speak in my mate’s mind.
“Jared.”

“Damn it.”
Jared’s chair scrapes on the floor as he stands quickly and lifts the gun.
“I hate this.”

“Do you think your clan’s warriors will kill her?”

His tone is exasperated as he walks into the kitchen.
“I don’t know. I’ve never dealt with this before.”

His words make me think that yesterday might have been the first time Jared ever killed someone, and my stomach clenches.
“Oh, Jared.”

“Yeah.”

I get up and go to him. I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him tight. He squeezes me back just as hard and sighs before I ask,
“That man yesterday was the first person you’ve ever killed, wasn’t he?”

“Yes.”
I gaze up at my mate, and he shakes his head.
“I’m just like Sasha. I was taught that hunters are evil. How could I be so blind?”

I swallow as I recall what it felt like to be strangled and know that if Jared hadn’t yanked the hunter off of me, I’d be dead.
“No. You’re not. Yesterday you had no choice. That man was the one that shot at you the other day, and he wouldn’t have given up until we were both dead.”

“This isn’t what werebear are.”
He gazes down at me, and the pain I see in his eyes makes my chest ache.
“It’s not what I want to be.”

I reach up and place my hand on his cheek as I breathe in the man I love more than anything. His heart is kind, and I want to find a way to ease his guilt over saving us both.
“I know.”

A thud makes us both turn to notice Sasha has toppled over the chair. She must have slipped out of the restraints I loosened earlier, because she’s working frantically to remove the ankle cuffs. I move faster than I thought possible to grab her arms and yank her back upright. The chair bumps hard on the floor as she lets out a frustrated scream.

I say, “Nice try.” I can’t be mad at her for doing exactly what I would have tried to do, and I sigh before I say, “Look. We’re trying to find a way to work things out.”

Jared cuffs her again and yanks them to make them tight as the chain rattles against wood. He says, “We can’t let you go knowing the first thing you’ll do is go get help and come back to kill us.”

Tears make Sasha’s eyes glassy as she says, “So I’m just waiting until you figure out I have to die.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way,” I say. “I wish I could trust you to leave us alone.” The rumble of Jax’s car sounds in the distance, and I glance at Jared as panic floods my veins. What if Jax thinks she needs to die? Jared walks over to the door and waits for his brother.

Sasha reacts with fear too, and her words are rushed as she says, “I won’t come back. I swear it. I’ll tell them that Rand killed the brothers and died in the fight.”

As the front door pushes open, Jared says to Jax, “We’ve got a problem.”

Jax’s eyes widen when he sees Sasha, and he says, “So I see.” He glances at me as he recovers quickly. “Couldn’t wait to tie one up for me?”

I roll my eyes. “Unless you like them murderous fanatics, I don’t think she’s your type.”

“Hunter?”

Jared says, “Courtney found her in the woods carrying a rifle and hiding behind a tree. And now we’re trying to figure out what we should do with her.”

Jax squints at me. “We’re supposed to kill them.”

“I know,” says Jared. “But think about it. Why?”

Jax lets out a low growl. “Because they’ll murder us if we don’t.”

I say, “And they try to eliminate us because they think if they let us live, we’ll kill off humans.”

The lock on the front door clicks as Jared turns it, and Jax gazes at Sasha. She’s trembling as she stares back at him with hatred. For a moment I envy her courage, because I’d be bawling and begging for my life.

Jax thuds against the door with his arms crossed as he asks Jared, “Did you contact Tori?”

“Yes,” says Jared. I watch Jax push off the door and step closer to the girl. He towers over her as he asks, “What’s your name?”

She gazes up at him with a look of confusion on her face as she says, “Sasha.” She blinks and then shakes her head quickly as if Jax is trying to hypnotize her.

Jax squats down and reaches for Sasha’s fingers. They both jerk a little when he takes them. They stare at each other, and a vision flashes in my mind. Jax and Sasha are laughing at a dinner table as if they’re dating.

Jax says, “She’s my true mate. I need to get her out of here before the warriors arrive.”

“Oh my god.” I look at the girl that is destined to be with the very being she hates most in the world. And I wonder how she’s going to react when she finds out that she’s one of us. Jax reaches for the cuffs and says to her, “I won’t let anyone hurt you, but you’ve got to trust me.”

I flash to the day Jared was almost shot. He said the same thing to save me.

“Wait,” says Jared. “Once we explain, I’m sure the warriors won’t force her to go with them.”

Sasha’s wrist restraints thud on the floor, and Jax asks, “If this were Courtney, what would you do?”

Jared glances at me and says, “Go. We’ll cover for you.”

“Where are you going?” I ask.

“Someplace safe.” Jax pulls Sasha to her feet, and she stares at him with a dazed look in her eyes.

I walk over and wrap my arms around the girl as she stiffens. I say, “This will all work out. You’ll see.”

Jax tugs Sasha toward the door, and when he gets there, he looks back. “I’ll be in touch.”

Jared is next to me, and he places his arm around my waist. “We’ll figure this out, Sasha.”

She glances at me, and I think she’s looking for confirmation that she’ll be safe, so I say, “You can trust him.” I can’t tell if she believes me. Once they’re gone, I turn to Jared and gaze up into his face. “What are you going to tell your warriors?”

“I just told Tori that it was a case of mistaken identity, but they’re still coming to investigate the other incident.”

I wonder how Jax disposed of the man Jared killed yesterday and ask, “Do you think Sasha will be okay?”

“Yes.” Jared leans in close. “Never underestimate the power of true-mate love.” He kisses me, and the glow of our bond reassures me that it’s true. Jax will do whatever it takes to keep Sasha safe, because he’s finally found his destiny.

W
hen the warriors arrived
, Jared and I had cleaned up all traces of Sasha’s presence, and we were snuggled on the couch, watching a movie. My mate spared me the details of the dead hunter by leaving me inside while he sorted it out with the men Tori had sent. A cork squeaks as I twist a wine key into it. I’m still jittery from today’s activities and think a little alcohol with heated-up spaghetti for dinner will help Jared and me relax.

When Jared returns, the aroma of garlic from our food warming in the oven welcomes him as I walk over to him with a glass of Zinfandel. “Here. I bet you need this.”

“Thanks,” he says as he takes the drink. He swirls the burgundy liquid in the glass and gazes into it as he says, “I could never be a warrior.” Jared lifts his face to gaze at me. His pain is written on his face as he asks, “Why do we kill each other?”

“Ignorance that has taken generations to foster. Do you even know when this battle started?”

Jared shakes his head. “It’s just something I’ve always known.”

“Like Sasha said. It’s crazy, isn’t it?” I ask.

“Yeah.” My mate sips his wine, and we’re silent for a while before he says, “You don’t need to worry about Jax and Sasha. The true-mate connection means she’s safe. Our clan would never kill her as long as she accepts it.”

“What if she doesn’t?” I think about the hate that radiated from the girl when she talked about werebear. “She’s not going to be very open to it.”

Jared says, “It’s hard to resist.” His eyes are deeper in color now, and the heat that simmers there ignites my desire.

I step closer to him and ask, “Hungry?”

He nods as he takes my wine from me. Our glasses thump softly on the table when Jared sets them down, and he licks his lips before he says, “Very. I seem to recall a theory we need to test.”

“Oh.” I reach out and grab his waistband, and the denim is soft in my fingers as I tug him closer and say, “Dinner can wait.”

He slides his hands under my shirt to lift it up, and I quiver as his skin makes contact with mine. “Ready for me to blow your mind?” he asks.

I chuckle. I’m ready to experiment with the idea that if true mates bite each other during orgasm, they’ll both experience intense pleasure beyond the usual. I say, “I’m told that goes both ways.”

Jared waggles his eyebrows at me and tosses my top over his shoulder. I let out a low growl as I unhook my bra. As I reveal my breasts, Jared sighs and begins to strip too. When we’re both nude, tiny hairs stand up on my skin, and my mate pulls me into an embrace. He kisses me with passion that matches mine.

Our connection zings through me as I explore the hard and soft places of his body with my hands. I want to touch him everywhere and memorize the man that is all mine. He must want the same, because Jared’s hands roam all over me too as he walks us to his bedroom. My newly-magnified senses mean I’m moaning with the pleasure he brings. I ask, “God, is this what it’s always been like for you? Because I’m close already.”

We break apart, and Jared nods as he says, “Lie down, and lets see how many times I can make you scream my name.” My insides flex uncontrollably as I scramble back on the bed to comply.

Jared drinks me in with his eyes as he gazes at my body splayed out before him. He groans as he leans over me, and he kisses my mouth. But he doesn’t linger, and I tilt my head back as he moves to my neck. My eyes fall shut as Jared’s lips sear me with his love. I tremble beneath him as he nips his way down to my breasts. He laps at my nipple, and hot breath on my skin tickles as he takes his time.

His hair is soft in my hand as I thread my fingers through it and utter small cries of delight. Jared moves on down my torso, and I gasp when he swirls his tongue in my navel before traveling to the junction between my legs. When he latches on to my sex, a low rumble vibrates through my body, and my orgasm races to the surface. My mate’s hands are firm on my thighs as he pushes them further open and thrusts his tongue inside me. I buck up with my climax, and his name does come from me as I shatter.

Jared holds me there as long as he can, and when I begin to sink, he rises up and surprises me with his dominance when he flips me over like a rag doll to command, “On your knees.”

I rush to obey and expose myself to him when I bend over to lean on my forearms. “Courtney, my love.” Jared swipes his tongue over my throbbing folds.

“Jared, oh—” He continues to pleasure me with his mouth, and when I’m close to coming again, he growls before he rises.

Jared’s grip on my hips is hard enough to hurt. He rams his cock into me forcefully and begins to pump hard. The power of my mate slamming into me in a primal way appeals to my bear, and my skin tingles with the feeling of her close to the surface. I clench the sheets in my hands as my channel flexes around my mate.

Suddenly Jared stops and pulls out of me. I’m about to ask what he’s doing when he twists my hips to put me on my back again. I gaze into his eyes that flash with his bear and spread my legs to welcome him into me once again. He resumes an almost violent pace of pumping as I thrash beneath him. I say, “Oh god. Jared, I’m so close.”

He slows his thrusting and opens his mouth to reveal his fangs. I whisper, “Yes.” The memory of my change rushes to me when his teeth puncture the tender skin of my upper breast, but the warmth that begins to spread is the opposite of before. It’s like I’ve taken a euphoric drug, and I begin to lose myself, but I manage to hang on long enough to let my bear have her way. I latch onto Jared’s shoulder to bite him too. The tang of his blood on my tongue triggers my orgasm, and I’m barely aware of his roar as my own breaks free.

I soar with pleasure beyond reality before I sink slowly back to the real world. I become aware of the mattress beneath me as well as the weight of Jared as we lie together in a sweat-slicked heap. Jared rolls us to the side so he’s spooning me, and he cups my breast with one hand while he places the other firmly on my belly. He kisses my shoulder, and a tiny aftershock runs through me as he asks, “How was your first werebear sex?”

I sigh. “Glorious. Humans have no idea what they’re missing.” I twist to face him and inhale the scent of our essence. The threads of our connection are securely intertwined, and I imagine they’ll only continue to weave together as time passes. I gaze into Jared’s green eyes that seem to dance with joy as I say, “I love you so much, Jared.”

He places a tender kiss on my lips before he says, “I love you too, Courtney.”