OmegaMine (13 page)

Desperate for normalcy, she denied her rising need by
clamping her thighs together but couldn’t mask her gasp when Diskant turned to
her and she glimpsed irises the color of vibrant emerald. Four long, catlike
strides and he stood in front of her. He cradled her jaw in his hands as he
lowered his head, his tongue sliding out to caress her lower lip.

One lick and her body erupted into a fit of heat. Never had
she felt a pull so strong. As if she would die if he didn’t bury himself inside
her, over and over again, until they were both spent. Strange, high-pitched
cries echoed through the small space and she realized they were whimpers
emitting from her throat. She grasped his wide shoulders to remain upright when
her knees failed her, tremors preventing her from speaking coherently. The
walls of her core went taut then released, aching for the relief she
intuitively knew only Diskant could provide.

“Fuck, Ava.”

Rough hands snagged her slacks and made quick work of the
buttons. Diskant slid the material down her thighs, skimming his fingers along
her skin. Her shoes were gone in moments, stripped away with her socks and
pants. He lifted her on the way back up and placed her ass on the chilled
counter as he took up the space between her legs. A couple of deft motions and
his cock burst free from his jeans, the plumlike tip slick and engorged.

There was no precursor, no preparation, but it wasn’t
necessary. Her eager body quivered in delight when she felt the head part her,
seek entrance and slide past the folds as Diskant shifted his hips and claimed
her entirely.

Clutching at his jacket, she buried her face in his neck,
breathing him in, and moaned in bliss when he rolled his hips and began an
all-too-familiar dance. Her body rejoiced in the motions, her pussy squeezing
tightly before letting go, over and over again. An orgasm rolled through her
and she cried out against leather and prickly skin, reveling in the tremors
that encompassed every square inch of her body, starting in her belly and
expanding outward. This was sex to the millionth power, so potent it
electrified her from head to toe.

Within seconds Diskant was following her over the precipice,
his hoarse growl both throaty and deep. A sharp thrust arrived just before she
felt him pumping his release inside of her, the last spasms of her orgasm
milking him to completion. Their combined intakes of air filled in the room,
the ticking of the nearby wall clock continuing on as their bodies descended
from the high of climax.

Breathless and confused, she mumbled, “I’m sorry. I don’t
know what came over me.”

“Shh.” Diskant silenced her with a quick kiss and slowly
eased from her body, his cock still hard and glistening from their combined
juices. “It’s normal.” He left her clothes and wrapped one arm around her waist
as the other cradled her ass, lifting her from the counter. “Where’s the
bedroom?”

She flushed in embarrassment. “You can’t be serious.”

He chuckled and began walking down the hall. “Tempting as
the thought of keeping you naked and tied to the bed is, Ava, I’m just trying
to make you comfortable. I have things I need to take care of, but not before
you’re settled.”

She tried to mask her tension at the reminder of who he
was—a shifter of extreme importance. Although she didn’t know of the complexities
his life entailed, her gut told her it wasn’t as simple as making phone calls,
scheduling dates on a desk calendar and making small talk at mandatory dinner
meetings.

So where did that leave her, exactly?

More questions than answers assailed her, and she felt that
familiar drowning feeling of worry and doubt. He said she was his mate but
she’d never seen a shifter mated to a human—aside from the one who nearly
ripped out his partner’s throat.

Was it possible to change your mind? Could he have figured
out this wasn’t what he thought it was all along?

Why did her heart ache at the possibility?

When Diskant stepped past the threshold into her bedroom,
she quickly slid free of his embrace and rushed to the closet to retrieve her
robe while he zipped up his jeans. Snagging the plush garment, she placed it in
front of her like a barrier, obscuring her thighs and what Diskant’s bulky
sweatshirt didn’t cover. He frowned at her obvious attempt at detachment and
folded his arms over his chest, becoming intimidating as hell as he blocked the
doorway.

“You can see yourself out.” She quickly looked away and
sidestepped, trying to squeeze past into the hall. “I’m going to take a bath.”

A hand grasped her wrist and he bent down. Using his free
hand, he caught her chin between his thumb and index finger and forced her to
meet his intense gaze. “Don’t think you’re getting rid of me. I said I had
things to take care of, not that I was leaving.”

Up until that moment, she’d never known it was possible to
experience both relief and sheer panic at the same time. Even as the logical
part of her grasped for comprehension, her heart absolutely thrilled in the
declaration he was sticking around. Her breath caught as his lips brushed
against hers, so soft it was bittersweet, yet maddening.

This was nothing like the night she had planned only days
before, nothing at all like the evening she’d envisioned when she’d dressed for
work and made her way to the club.

Just inside her closet, a packed suitcase waited. Her
vacation to start fresh was supposed to begin the moment she paid off her
brother, removed his worthlessness from her life and took a trip to the one
place she always felt safest to relax and unwind. Standing here, snared in
Diskant’s hold, she didn’t know if this was a beginning, middle or end.

“Listen,” Diskant shifted around and cupped her elbows in
his massive palms, “I know this must be confusing for you, and I’m aware that
we have a lot to discuss. Take your bath, relax, and when you’re finished I’ll
answer all your questions.”

Instead of revealing her plans or arguing, she simply nodded
and waited until he let go and moved from her path to scurry down the hall. She
felt his eyes on her as she rushed inside the bathroom, flipped on the lights
and closed the door.

* * * * *

Diskant didn’t allow himself to breathe until Ava was safely
tucked inside the bathroom. The moment the door closed he fished out his cell,
anxious to see who the fuck would call him over and over again. The moment he’d
slid his cock into the blistering heaven of his mate’s body, basking in her
softness and warmth, the damn thing had started vibrating against his ass.

He knew the news was bad when the phone indicated all the
calls were from Trey.

Damn
.

Trey wouldn’t pull him away from his female unless some
serious shit was going down. He pressed send just as the sound of running water
erupted behind the door. Glancing at the light spilling from under the thin
crack beneath, he strode into the living room. The line clicked over and Trey
didn’t waste any time.

“Where the fuck you been? I’ve been trying to call you for
the last ten minutes. Get your mate and go straight to Dougan’s. Don’t stop at
home and don’t fuck around.”

Dread and alarm heightened his senses. Diskant lifted his
head, scenting the air.

“What’s wrong?”

It sounded as if Trey was on the move, wind drifting through
the speaker, distorting his voice as he said, “Emory picked up a scent and
followed it to a warehouse over in the Red Hook. It’s not good news, man. Get
your mate, get to base and stay there. I’m on my way there as we speak.”

“You’d better start talking.”

“Later. Meet me at Dougan’s. We can discuss things there.”

Growling now, Diskant demanded, “What are we dealing with?”

A pause, then Trey snarled the only world that could make
Diskant’s blood shift from molten hot to ice cold. “
Shepherds
.”

Diskant snapped the phone closed without saying goodbye and
stomped to the bathroom.

Ava turned from the rising bubbles covering her legs and
abdomen. Her mouth dangled open in surprise and her eyes went wide. Even though
she only carried the first mark, he knew she would sense his shift in mood,
experiencing a surge of adrenaline that arose from danger. While she was human,
a touch of all his beasts existed inside her, and now they would always answer
his call.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered hoarsely, voice quivering.

He shook off the lush temptation she presented. Grasping her
robe resting on the sink, he walked to the tub and shut off the still-blasting
faucets before he stepped back and held the garment open.

“We have to go. Get out and get dressed.”

When she didn’t argue, he found himself grateful for their
bond for the first time. Human nature survived by questioning. Animalistic
tendency, on the other hand, was to take action and ponder later.

Sliding into the robe, she moved past him and hurried into
the bedroom. She chose a matching black bra and panties and slid them on as he
monitored the hall. All of the beasts under his skin answered the call, ready
and willing to come forth to protect what they claimed as theirs. It was ironic
that the one shifter who held the most power amongst their kind placed Ava in
the most danger. When Shepherds came to town, they remained out of sight before
going for the throat. And there was no better way to cut the oxygen supply than
to extinguish the Omega of the city.

Which begged the question—why in the hell were they here?
New York was a town the zealots rarely ventured to, a location that bred and
endorsed violence, sex and misery. Religion had no purpose in a city where gay
pride, hedonism and vulgarity were a given.

Ava stepped into her closet, tugged on a cord and quickly
chose a thin, bright blue V-neck sweater. She tugged it over her head and
yanked a pair of jeans from an adjoining hanger with the first hand she slid
through a sleeve. Her motions were frantic, her limbs trembling as her fingers
jittered on the zipper of her pants.

Cursing, Diskant attempted to relax and calm the fuck down.
His mate was teetering on the brink of something she didn’t fully understand
and had no control over. Already she felt the instinct to mate, to bring him
into her body over and over again until he cemented their union. She would
crave him incessantly, needing his touch, his presence. Adding to that by
increasing her fight-or-flight instincts via their connection wasn’t helping.

“Grab the things you might need,” he instructed softly,
attempting to remain focused and alert. “I’m not sure how many days we’ll be
gone.”

“Days?” She went still and studied him.

“I don’t have time to explain.” When she started to argue he
allowed the importance of what was taking place to slip past the emotional
barrier he’d created to protect her, ensuring that at the very least she was
able to perceive the threat. “Please, Ava.”

Her face paled and she gave a jerky nod. She settled the hem
of the sweater over her jeans and walked to the back of the closet. The compact
duffel she collected was large in comparison to her—not as tall but nearly as
wide.

At his questioning look, she explained, “I planned to make a
trip to the cabin to unwind.”

“Do you have everything you need?”

“Yes.” She crouched beside a neatly stacked shoe rack and
grabbed a pair.

“Good, we need to go.”

No more arguments or hesitation. The instincts were growing,
her bond with him guiding her reactions and responses. He didn’t have the
luxury to reflect on the wrongness of their mating occurring like this, before
there was a trust established that wasn’t the result of unavoidable changes
taking place inside her mind, body and soul.

He followed her from the closet and waited as she sat at the
end of the bed to put on her socks and shoes. His senses were sharp now, the
shifter in him prepared to change in a hurry if necessary. Directly behind the
urge to shift and protect was an undeniable amount of lust and, try as he
might, it refused to abate. As natural was it was, the timing was all wrong. He
hoped like hell that she’d be receptive to his advances once inside the safe
house full of shifters. Sex to them wasn’t anything new, just another of life’s
miraculous—and enjoyable—blessings. For her, there was certain to be a period
of adjustment.

“I’m ready.”

She stood, retrieved the duffel and moved closer to him.
When he looked down at her he saw desire etched in her features. Her eyes were
cloudy, her lips were slightly parted and her cheeks were flushed. Their gazes
caught and her breathing increased, her succulent nipples going hard beneath
her bra and shirt, informing him she was more than game for another round of
anything he wanted to offer.

Fuck if the Shepherds didn’t piss him off. He had finally
found his mate, the only female who would ever sate him entirely, and he was
being forced to leave her bereft and needy.

“Soon,” he vowed and took the duffel from her.

Her eyes widened and she looked away. It was embarrassment,
he realized. While natural to his kind, the yearning and need to couple often
was foreign to her.

“It’s going to be all right.” Placing a hand at the small of
her back, he gave her a gentle nudge. “Trust me.”

After collecting her keys and phone, they locked up and
started the trek down the stairs. He kept her directly in front of him, eyes
alert, nose sharp. The blare of televisions in various apartments merged, along
with multiple conversations and, in the distance, the sounds of an ecstatic
couple nearing sexual bliss. He tamped down his own need as the image of Pinkie
on the counter assailed him, mentally cursing his cock as it slowly rose to
life. His mate wasn’t the only one who wanted to cement their union. Ever since
he’d gotten a taste of the minx between the sheets he’d been behaving like a
teenager who had only recently discovered the joystick between his legs could
be manipulated by a flick of the wrist and a firm grip.