Mating Brand: 3 (Mating Heat) (16 page)

“What is it?”

“Do you have to keep being an enforcer for your pack? I
mean,” she rushed on, “I know you’d always want to fight to defend your family
but could you step down from the other duties?”

He liked that she worried about his safety. “I could.”

“Your uncle wouldn’t be angry?”

“Nope. He’d understand. Most do after we mate unless we were
born to it. Kane and Klax will always be enforcers. Those two are naturals.”

She remembered the twins. “I’m glad they are on your side.”

“Ours,” he reminded her. “This is our pack. Why don’t we
head upstairs and shower? I know I could use one and that dried blood on you is
going to drive me insane.”

She nodded. “I think I’ve fed almost everyone.”

“They can fix something themselves if they show up.” He held
out his hand. “Just don’t stare at the blood on the carpet up there. There’s
nothing I could do about it today. That’s going to require ordering new, plus
the pads. I’ll come back in a few days to take care of it.”

It was a reminder to both of them about Randy and how close
he’d come to taking her away from Brand. She clasped his hand. “Lead the way.”

The fighting had worn him out but not enough to dull his
desire to get Charma naked. He locked the door once they were inside the attic,
grateful for the privacy. The broken window had helped air out the stench of a
recent kill but not by much. He was torn between the desire to just take her
home or remain at the alpha house for a few more hours. His dick decided,
though, when his mate walked into the bathroom, stripping. The sight of her
bare back was enough to make him groan.

She turned her head, meeting his gaze. “You coming?”

“Yeah. I plan to.” He grinned, hurrying to join her.

She laughed. “You know that isn’t what I meant. I was
distracted but now…” her nose flared. “You smell so good.”

The sight of her fangs spurred him to tear off his pants and
pin her against the wall once she’d stripped bare. He didn’t care if they both
had blood on them. He just wanted to kiss her.

“Water,” she urged as he lifted her high enough to press his
hips between the parted thighs she’d wrapped around him.

He groaned but turned, releasing her with one hand to yank
open the shower door and step inside. She clung to him the entire time. It only
took seconds to turn on the water and pin her against the tile. Warm water
sluiced down their bodies. His mate found his lips, kissed him.

It took control not to just bury himself balls-deep in her.
It quickly slipped away, though, when her nails dug into his shoulders, urging
him on. He lifted her a little higher, pressed her back firmly against the tile
and drove home. Her pussy clamped around him. He growled and tore his mouth
away from hers to avoid drawing blood. Her cries of pleasure assured him that
he wasn’t causing pain while he fucked her hard and deep.

The sharp stab of her fangs biting into the top of his
shoulder sent him into the mother of all orgasms. He locked his knees to keep
them both upright as he rode out her climax. Her muscles clenched and
unclenched around his shaft, milking every drop of cum from him. He shook from
the force of it.

“Wow,” Charma panted.

Slowly coming down from the high, he nuzzled her throat and
opened his mouth, his tongue tracing the column down to her shoulder. His fangs
were out so he used them to gently nip her skin. She shivered in his arms and
gasped. His dick had started to soften but it instantly hardened again, ready
for another round.

“Mating heat,” he rasped. “I’m not done with you.”

“Good. Put me down though.”

“No.” He liked her exactly where she was—in his arms, pinned
against the wall. He loved having her thighs wrapped around his hips. He lifted
his head and stared into her eyes. “The heat has backed off enough to allow me
to take my time, hon.”

He started to move again, almost withdrew his cock
completely, paused and then drove home, deep. Watching the way her eyes
narrowed and her features twisted with ecstasy turned him on even more. Her
fingernails kneaded his shoulders, a reminder of her leopard blood. She ran her
tongue over her lips to wet them and moaned while he kept up the leisurely
pace.

“Faster,” she ordered.

“No. I want to enjoy watching your every expression this
time.”

“Bastard.”

He laughed, knowing she didn’t mean it. He’d missed playing
with her. She’d snap soon, always did during her heat, and he couldn’t wait.
Charma was aggressive as hell and he kept teasing her until she hissed. He
tensed, believing he was prepared for what she’d do. He was wrong. His old
Charma would have bitten him again, urging his wolf to surface. Instead she
used his shoulders to lift up suddenly, the slippery, wet tile against her back
helping her dislodge his dick, and she bucked sharply. His feet slipped and he
fell back but tried to protect her as they went down. Charma released his waist
with her legs and his back hit the other side of the stall. He landed on his
ass on the tile with her coming down on top of his thighs.

He was stunned for a second but took note that he wasn’t
injured. Just his pride. She laughed and rose, her hand reaching between them
to grab the base of his shaft. She straddled his lap higher and adjusted his
dick to the entrance of her pussy. She released him to grip one of his biceps
and ground her hips down, taking every inch of him.

He didn’t even mind when she wrapped her other hand around
the back of his neck, getting a good hold on his hair and began to frantically
ride him. It felt too good to do anything but enjoy it. He watched her face
when she tipped her head back, seemingly oblivious to the water that rained
down on them.

Brand gripped her hips, helping her move on him faster and
used his feet against the opposite wall to brace so they didn’t slide around.
He glanced between them, loving the way her breasts bounced. He wanted to catch
one of her nipples with his mouth but he couldn’t dip his head enough with her
fisting his hair. White-hot bliss seared through him as he started coming again
when she did.

“Brand!” she yelled and slumped against him. Her grip on his
hair eased.

He adjusted his hold, hugging her tightly while they
recovered.

“Did I hurt you?” She kept her face down, resting it against
his chest.

“Never. Do I have any hair left?”

“Sorry.” She laughed though.

“Liar.”

“You were just out there fighting so don’t bitch about a
little hair tugging.”

“How about being body-slammed in the shower? I think the
drain is going to leave an imprint in my left ass cheek.”

She laughed harder. “I hit my knees on the way down so we
can compare bruises later.”

His hands slid down from her hips to cup her ass and he
squeezed. “Are you hurt?”

She raised her chin and grinned at him. “It hurts so good.”

He sobered, staring into her eyes. “Damn, I missed you.”

Her mood changed from playful to serious. “I’d rather die
than live without you.”

“Me too. We agree. Only neither of is allowed to die. We
have a lot of time to catch up on.”

“It’s a deal.”

Four weeks later

Charma paced the living room, glancing at the clock for the
hundredth time in half an hour. She had to trust that Brand would be home for
dinner. She’d said it would be ready at five o’clock. She glanced again at the
time. He had less than twenty minutes before the pot roast came out of the
oven.

“Calm down,” Bree ordered. “They are going to walk through
that door at any second.”

“We haven’t heard anything.” That made her afraid.

“They didn’t want anyone tracing their whereabouts. You know
that. That’s why they left their cell phones at home. The last thing the Harris
Pack needs is another war with the pride council.”

“They could have bought one of those disposable cell phones.”

“They didn’t want any incoming calls on this line from that
area. Come on, Charma. You know all this. It’s going to be fine. Have some
faith.”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “I wish I could have
talked him out of this. It was insane.”

“He’s got all his cousins with him. They insisted they go
and he’s got the twin enforcers too. They scare the crap out of me every time
they look my way.”

That distracted Charma enough to stop pacing and stare at
her baby sister. “Are you happy living with werewolves? No one treats you bad,
do they?”

Bree scoffed. “Not more than once. I ran down to Rave’s bike
shop yesterday to drop off something I found at the alpha house that belongs to
him and one of his employees made a rude comment. Rave grabbed him by the
scruff of his neck and made him kiss the counter.” She winced. “That’s what he
called it but the guy lost a few teeth. I was assured they’d grow back but it
was brutal. Rave offered them to me to make a necklace. I said no thanks.
Werewolves are more aggressive than leopards.”

“What did the guy say to you?”

Bree smiled. “I think he’s been punished enough. I’m not
going to tell you. You’ll get angry and tell Brand. He’s already on the hunt
for one male. I made Rave swear not to repeat it to anyone or I was afraid
Braden and his brothers would go after the guy too. He’d lose more than a few
teeth for those crude comments.”

It was a reminder that Brand wasn’t home and she glanced at
the clock.

“It’s going to be fine,” Bree murmured. “You don’t see me
freaking out.”

“You’re younger and can’t imagine all the horrible things
that I am picturing. I remember when you used to think Garrett was hot. He is
so not.”

Her sister winced. “That’s an understatement if Brand gets
his way.”

“I asked him to rethink this.”

The front door opened and Charma spun, raking her gaze over
Brand as he entered the room. She flinched at the sight of a fresh wound near
his temple but he otherwise looked okay. She rushed forward and leapt, her arms
wrapping around his shoulders.

“You’re home.”

“Always.” He hugged her, pulling her farther up in his arms.
“We Harrises kicked ass and nobody on our side was hurt.”

They were moving and she realized he’d carried her down the
hallway and kicked the new bedroom door closed, giving them privacy. She lifted
her head, staring into his eyes. “Is it done and over with?”

“Yeah. The bastard is dead. I killed him myself.”

“Good.”

He studied her. “You okay?”

She nodded. “I’m just so happy that you’re alive and home.”
Her gaze flicked to the wound on his face. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“Just some bruises and a few claw marks. He wasn’t a good
fighter. I’m almost depressed over how easy that son of a bitch was to kill. I
kept in skin so they’ll think a human killed him when they find his body.”

“What about scent?” She didn’t want to offend him. She
thought he smelled wonderful but her half-shifter side could detect he was a
werewolf. A full-blooded shifter had an even better sense of smell.

“He’s taking a bath in the river near where the pride lands
end. They won’t pick up anything off him by the time he’s found.”

“Are your cousins okay?”

“They didn’t have to fight at all. They stayed back and just
watched my back when I took on Garrett. You’ll never have to worry about him
coming after you.”

“I told you he wouldn’t bother.”

“I don’t believe that for a second. The guy had an ego and
there’s a good chance he’d have heard about where you ended up one day.
Shifters tend to talk about a wolf and she-cat mating. His pals would have
teased him until he wanted payback. I just made damn sure he’s never a threat.”

She couldn’t deny that Garrett might have wanted revenge if
he discovered that she’d left him for someone else. The fact that Brand was a
werewolf would have really set off his temper. “I can’t believe he was alone
when you found him.”

He cleared his throat and glanced away.

“What?”

He met her suspicious stare. “Um, I might have had a little
help with that.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I called your sister Meg and talked to her mate. He wasn’t
a fan of Garrett’s. I like Cole. He’s a pretty cool guy for being a pussy.”

“You involved them?” That surprised her.

“I told Cole what Garrett had done to you and how I wanted
to make sure you were safe. I needed to get your ex alone without his
entourage.”

“What did Cole do?”

He hesitated.

“What did he do, Brand? Did he put himself and Meg in
danger?”

“No. He just kind of implied that Bree had come back and she
was hiding out by the river. He mentioned that she didn’t feel safe coming home
after finding out Percy had told Randy he could have her after her coming-out
party.”

Her eyes widened. “Why would Garrett want to see Bree? I
keep telling you he had to have felt relieved when I ran away. He sure as hell
wouldn’t want me to return to the pride by asking her where I’d gone.”

Anger deepened Brand’s voice. “He wanted you because of your
looks and because you could breed him litters. Meg was taken and you have to
admit that Bree looks a hell of a lot like you. He’s suddenly single. Think
about it.”

She did and it turned her stomach. “Bree never would have
agreed to mating him. Never. He had to know that.”

“You didn’t agree either but he forced the matter.” He moved
them to the bed and shifted her a little so he could sit.

She straddled his lap. “I’m glad he’s dead.”

“Me too.”

“Did you tell him we mated?”

Brand grinned. “Your scent was all over me. I didn’t have
to. He was shocked at first when he ran into a werewolf in his territory but
then he inhaled. It was priceless, seeing his expression right before I decked
him. I made sure he knew why he was going to die.”

“I really don’t want to hear the details.”

He nodded. “It was faster than I planned but I was pissed.
He started telling me how I’d regret mating you and why.”

She could imagine, remembering what he’d said about her to
the enforcers that day in his father’s office. “You’re sure you’re not hurt?”
She sniffed and picked up slight traces of blood but none of it was fresh. His
clothes were new since she didn’t pick up Garrett’s scent or that of the
laundry detergent they used. They had that right-out-of-the-store smell.

“I’m great, hon. It’s over. They’ll find him floating in the
river. We covered our tracks. A jerk like him had to have made a shitload of
enemies so it will be a long list of suspects. Shifter law is on our side
anyway. He was a danger to my mate.”

She still fretted, not wanting to bring another war to their
pack.

He seemed to read her mind. “We handled them the first time
around and I doubt they’ll want to come back. Just a few of them survived and
it was only because we allowed it in order to send a message to your council.”

“Percy is pretty vindictive, especially when it comes to his
oldest son.”

“He sent most of his toughest enforcers here to fight. They
died. He can’t be that stupid.”

She wasn’t convinced Percy could be sensible when he was
angry but kept silent.

“We’ll deal with whatever happens.”

“I just hope this doesn’t blow back on Cole or Meg.”

“We thought of that. All Cole has to do is play dumb by claiming
that’s the information he had. It’s not as if Bree is ever going back there now
that she’s become part of our pack. Cole also seemed pretty certain that Percy
wouldn’t dare attack his pride.”

“Darbin would kill him.”

“I met him. He’s cool.”

“You met the pride leader? Why?”

Brand hesitated. “Your parents and brother moved into his
pride with Meg after they realized you weren’t coming back. I assume you’d like
to have access to them when you miss your family.”

“Yes.”

“We talked and decided we’d meet up halfway, in neutral
territory. We’ll send a few pack to protect you and Bree, he’ll send a few
pride to protect your family, and we’ve worked out a treaty between our people.
We’re no longer enemies.”

Charma felt a little overwhelmed by her mate’s thoughtfulness.
“Thank you.”

“I don’t want you to have to give up the rest of your family
to be with me.” He hesitated. “You’re going to really want them around in the
coming months.”

She frowned. “What does that mean?”

His hands cupped her hips and he leaned back a little,
glancing at her stomach. “Your scent has changed.”

She blinked a few times, trying to make sense of what he
said.

“You’re pregnant, hon.”

She gaped at him, stunned.

“You are.” He grinned. “We’re going to have a baby.”

“But…”

“I’m sure. I had my cousins take a whiff of you a few days
ago when we were at the alpha house. It’s not just wishful thinking on my part.
You went into heat, I was already in heat, and jackpot.” He chuckled. “We’re
expanding our family.”

Her heart pounded with excitement. Tears filled her eyes but
she blinked them back. She reached down and touched her stomach in wonder. She’d
always dreamed about children with Brand. He covered her hand with his. She
looked up into his eyes.

“You are,” he repeated. “We’re going to be parents. We just
need to get our doctor to schedule you an ultrasound soon to find out if we
have enough bedrooms or if I have to build an addition on the house before they
are born. We’ll want all of them sleeping on the same floor as we are.” He
winked. “You might be carrying more than one.”

“You think so?” She’d always known it was a real possibility
to get pregnant with a small litter.

“I hope so but I’m going to worry until you give birth.” His
grin faded. “That’s why I took care of Garrett today. No way in hell was he
going to get a chance to harm you again.”

A new thought struck. She bit her lip, pondering if she
should say anything.

“What is it?” He arched an eyebrow. “I know you too well.
What’s on your mind?”

“What do you think they’ll look like? Do you worry about
that?”

“I hope, if we have any girls, that they look like you. That’s
a given.”

She laughed. “You know what I mean.”

“It doesn’t matter. They are ours, hon. Chances are they
will be able to shift. You’re half and I’m full-blooded. I know they’ll be as
cute as hell, whatever a part wolf, part leopard looks like in fur. It’s also a
given that, in skin, they’ll look like every other kid.” He paused. “It’ll work
out.”

“I’m so happy but I’m a little scared.”

“The pack will accept them. They’ll never be snubbed or
teased. No one would dare. I’d kick their asses.”

He did know her too well. She let go of her fears. “Okay.”

“I’m kind of a badass,” he teased.

“You are.” Her gaze lowered to his chest. “And you’re really
sexy.”

“I think we should celebrate by getting naked.”

“You always suggest that and I always agree.”

Brand leaned closer until their noses touched and stared
deeply into her eyes. “We’re together and the world is right. Relax, Charma. It’s
all downhill from here. We’ve been through the worst when we were apart.
Nothing we ever face could be as bad as life was without you.”

“That’s very true.”

The playful glint returned to his gaze. “I want you to know
that you saved me when you came home. Someone was offering me up to their
grandmother as a boy toy. She wanted to become a cougar. I much prefer
belonging to a sexy leopard.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“Seriously. Do you think I would have made some grandma a
happy woman?”

She reached for the buttons on his shirt. “Let’s find out in
about twenty-five or thirty years when our kids start having babies. I’ll be a
grandma then.”

“I can’t wait. I’ll embarrass our grandkids by chasing you
around and carry you off to bed every chance I get.”

Charma choked up and hugged Brand. “I don’t know what I’d do
without you.”

He held her tightly. “You’re never going to have to find
out.”