The Secret Page 7

  He was overcome by emotion, and embarrassed by the lump in his throat when Carlos cast his eyes up to meet his. Carlos released Sunny’s nipple and, reaching across her, put his hand on the back of Declan’s head, urging him to meet his lips in the space over Sunny’s chest. The kiss was deep and unhurried as Carlos’s tongue thrust against his, mimicking the way they’d thrust in each other’s bodies. In Sunny’s body.

  He broke the kiss and looked at her. She squirmed, her expression needy and avaricious, her skin hot to the touch. They returned their focus to her. Declan slid down the bed, spreading her thighs wide to settle between them. He inhaled her sweet scent before stroking her clit with his tongue. She jerked, crying out at the first touch. He thrust a finger inside her pussy, then a second as Carlos returned to her nipples. Flicking them, squeezing them, before sucking one in his mouth.

  He removed his fingers from her cunt and replaced them with his tongue and a groan of pleasure. She tasted so good. He rubbed his thumb over the small bud of her clit, working the ball of nerve endings while his tongue worked her channel. With a scream, her orgasm coated his tongue, and she bucked against him until he put one arm over her pelvis to hold her still.

  He wanted her to come again and again. To drink her up each time. To brand her as his. And he did. With her next orgasm, he moved his head to her thigh, biting and sucking on her skin until he knew she would bear a mark. For a few days at least. He grinned. He’d just have to replace it when it faded. Hands stroked his back, his flanks, distracting him from the thought. He turned his head to Carlos.

  “Take her now.”

  Yes. He could clearly read Carlos’s intention, shivered at the promise in his eyes. Tonight he’d fuck Sunny, and Carlos would fuck him. Tomorrow? Well, who knew what it would bring.

  He sat back on his heels, stroked his hands up her thighs, and wrapped them under her ass to lift her up as Carlos stacked a couple of pillows under her butt. He leaned forward for one last lick of her pussy before moving into position. He heard the squirting sound of the lube as he pushed his cock inside her, watching her eyes widen as she saw Carlos move into position behind him.

  She pouted. “I can’t see this way.”

  His laugh broke off as Carlos pushed just the head of his cock in his ass. “You just need to feel, baby,” he panted.

  Carlos stroked his back before moving to grip his hips. “Ready?” he whispered. Declan could hear the excitement in his voice, saw it mirrored in Sunny’s eyes.

  He didn’t reply to the question, just started to slowly ease into her pussy. Trying to draw out the pleasure. Carlos wasn’t so restrained, and when he rammed into Declan, the action pushed him to the hilt inside Sunny. Everyone froze, taking time to adjust. Sunny recovered first.

  “More,” she demanded.

  They moved together, Carlos and Declan withdrawing and thrusting at the same time. The pace was slow, unhurried, maddening the three of them with desire. It was so much more than simple lust.

  Declan kept his gaze on Sunny as his cock slid in and out of her hot, wet cunt. Her eyes changed, glowing like they did in her lion form, growing dazed and heavy-lidded with the heat the three of them generated together. So fucking beautiful.

  “You want more, baby?” he whispered. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She gave him a jerky nod instead. “Touch yourself, then. Show us how you like your pretty nipples handled.”

  She cupped her breasts, lifting them like an offering, then splayed her fingers so they surrounded but didn’t touch her nipples. He groaned. It was his turn to demand more, but it wasn’t necessary. Never taking her gaze from his, she took each nipple between thumb and forefinger. She rolled them until she panted, tilting her hips to catch his cock on each withdrawal. Then she squeezed, her touch no longer teasing as her nipples turned a rosy red.

  Bending his head, he took one between his lips, sucked it hard against the roof of his mouth. She cried out when he bit her. Her pussy spasmed, milked him, as he slammed into her and Carlos into him.

  The werelion came first, with a roar, nipping Declan’s back before rolling to the side. He came up on one elbow, watching them, reaching a finger out to stroke them where they were connected. Declan gritted his teeth against the urge to come now.

  Sunny protested when he slowed his strokes, her soft murmurs almost like a choked cry. He lifted her legs over his shoulders and caught his breath when he looked down at them. Her pelvis was raised off the bed, her thighs spread wide for him. The view was intoxicating. Next to him, the lion purred and reached between them, stroking Declan’s cock a moment before finding Sunny’s clit.

  She grew slicker around him as Carlos heated her body up again, drew pleasure from her with each stroke of his thumb. Her eyes glazed over; her face flushed. Declan’s thrusts grew hurried, then frenzied as the wolf inside rose, demanded the submission, the total surrender, of its mate.

  Between his thrusts and Carlos’s attention to her clit, Sunny didn’t stand a chance. She came, screaming in pleasure. Her cunt clamped down around him, holding him inside her when he came, filling her womb with spurts of cum.

  He let her legs down and fell on top of her. Sunny didn’t know how long she lay under him, but when her mushy brain started to function again, she looked around for Carlos. He came out of the bathroom, rubbing a towel over his wet hair and holding a damp washcloth in his hand.

  With a long lick on her neck and a whispered promise to return, Declan stood, kissing Carlos as they passed each other and he entered the bathroom. She heard the shower turn on and considered getting up to join him, then dismissed the idea with a sigh. No way were her legs getting her that far yet.

  Carlos knelt between her thighs on the bed and leaned forward to wipe her brow with the cloth before moving down her neck, over her collarbone. Lingered on her breasts. His cock grew hard as she watched, and she groaned.

  “Honey, there is no way…”

  She cut the words off when he gave her that slow, teasing smile, her heart hammering in her chest. But he didn’t push her. He cleaned her, moving the cloth down her belly and finally between her thighs. It stroked, rasped over her sensitive skin, and after a moment he tossed it aside. He lay down next to her, his chest to her back, and slowly ran his hand down her body.

  “Sleep,” he whispered, promised, his hand moving to cup her sex. “I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

  She drifted to sleep and woke with him moving in her. Slowly. Leisurely. She tried to twist around to face him, but he held her still, lifting her leg over his hip, cupping her breast, teasing her nipple while he licked her neck with long, wet strokes. With a moan, she let him have his way.

  He never hurried, never rushed, even when Declan lay down in front of them and wrapped his hand around his cock. She moistened dry lips as she watched him. He stroked his cock in a long, slow twist that kept the same pace as Carlos’s thrusts in her pussy. She had a hard time deciding which was hotter.

  She could see the pleasure build on his face, and hers rose in tandem. When cum pearled on the head of his cock, he rubbed his thumb over it and lifted it to her mouth. Keeping her gaze on his face, she sucked the digit into her mouth and rolled her tongue over the drop, groaning at the salty, masculine taste. With a shudder, he rolled to his back, his hand pumping his cock harder until he jerked, his cum shooting across his belly.

  “Oh God,” she whispered, unsure if it was the vision Declan made sating himself or Carlos’s long, deep, slow strokes that pushed her into orgasm. He buried his head in her neck when he followed them, his big body tense and shaking at her back.

  “Sleep now,” he whispered, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so well.

  Chapter Ten

  Sunny woke alone, her body pleasantly sore and her soul content. She took a deep breath, taking her mates’ scents deep into her lungs, and listened for activity in the house. It was too quiet. She didn’t even hear Jaz. Scowling, she got up and pulled on the first clothes
she grabbed from the closet. She didn’t bother with shoes, but put on heavy wool socks. The wood floors were cold.

  She checked Jaz’s room first and, finding it empty, went downstairs. No one was there either. Her sister had been free a week, recovering with the swiftness of most weres, and had started to venture downstairs and even outside. Maybe the guys had taken her for a run?

  Not likely. Not without letting her know. Where the hell had they gone? Opening the back door, she stepped out in the chilly December morning. It had snowed overnight, and a set of footprints led from the house to the woods. Not a problem, but the other set, from the road cutting across the yard, were alarming. She crossed to where they disappeared into the woods and caught a familiar scent, one she’d hoped never to smell again.

  Burns wasn’t dead after all, and like Carlos had feared, he’d tracked them down. One set of prints must be his. The other, smaller and narrow, could only be Jaz’s. Shit. Where the hell were Carlos and Declan?

  She ran back to the house for her weapons and boots, but paused before heading back into the woods to follow Jaz. She took a moment to try and call them on their cell phones, but was shunted straight to voice mail. They’d be furious if she went looking for Jaz without backup, and they were right. It was foolish to go alone. But she couldn’t leave her sister unprotected, couldn’t risk Burns kidnapping her again.

  She went. A few feet into the trees, the tracks split apart. She wanted to follow Jaz but suspected Burns was trying to get in front of her for an ambush, so she peeled off to the left and followed him.

  She jumped when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Thank God, she’d turned it to silent last night and hadn’t thought to reset it today. Carlos’s name was on the display screen, and she answered, hoping like hell her voice wouldn’t carry too far.

  “Where the hell are you?” she snapped.

  There was a pause, and she could imagine his eyes narrowing at her tone. He might even threaten to punish her later. She shivered, remembering the paddle he’d shown up with a few days ago. Who’d known what a turn-on that would be?

  “On the way back. We went to debrief Julian and grab some supplies. What’s going on?”

  “Burns is here. Somewhere in the woods stalking Jaz. And I’m a tracker, not a fighter, remember?”

  He snarled. “Do you mean to tell me you’re out there alone?”

  “I can’t abandon my sister.”

  A twig cracked nearby, and she crouched down, looking around carefully.

  “Get your ass back. We’re turning down the drive now.”

  He hung up before she could protest, but truthfully, she was relieved. She wouldn’t leave her sister out here to fend for herself, but she knew they needed help. She heard movement again, and the breeze shifted enough to bring her Burns’s scent. He was between her and the house.

  She took her bearings, terror and adrenaline flooding her system as her body prepared itself for flight. She’d have to try to circle back to the house. She could do it. She was fast and agile. With her feline abilities, she should be able to outrun a wolf. Except this was no ordinary wolf.

  She heard a lion’s roar in the distance behind her and knew it was Carlos’s order to get moving. It’s now or never, Sunny. Ignoring the shaking in her limbs, the racing of her heart, she moved in the opposite direction of the house. When she reached the clearing, she took another path that wound back to the house and picked up her pace.

  She sensed movement behind her, could swear she felt hot breath on her neck. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw nothing, and with straining ears heard nothing, but she snapped forward again when she caught rustling in the brush. Slowing to a walk, she edged closer with care, cursing the wind that blew from behind her. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Jaz peeked around a thick tree.

  “Oh thank God,” she said, walking forward, gaze panicked. “He’s here.”

  “I know.” She took her sister’s hand and urged her down the path. “Carlos and Dec are hunting him. We need to get back to the house.”

  They ran, and Sunny was relieved when she could see the house through the trees. They were almost safe, but where were Carlos and Declan? They must have gone into the woods after her. Then they were on the lawn, running for the porch. They were halfway there when Burns in human form and two gray wolves came around the corner. Shit. Burns had brought backup for the hunt, and she and Jaz were the prey.

  “You’ve caused so much trouble I might not let you live.” He addressed Sunny with an evil smile. “And you, my dear,” he said, turning to Jaz, “think of all the pain you put yourself through, and your secret is unveiled anyway. Now you’ll have to be punished again, of course.”

  Jaz cringed, and Sunny pulled her close to her left side, reaching for the butt of the pistol strapped to her right.

  “It’ll go worse for you if you try that,” Burns said. “Now move to the van.”

  The wolves at his side growled and split up, moving toward her and Jaz. When they refused to move, one of the wolves leaped forward, his teeth clamping around her calf. Sunny cried out when it broke her skin and she smelled her own blood. The wolf didn’t release her. It pulled until she fell to her ass, then starting yanking her toward the waiting van. Desperate to get free, she kicked it with her other leg, smiling at the satisfied crunch when her boot connected with its skull, but it still didn’t let go.

  They drew closer and closer to the van, and she squashed down her rising panic, fought back the tears threatening to spill. She just needed to slow the wolves down. Carlos and Declan would come. They’d never allow her to be taken. With a curse at her stupidity, she freed the gun on her side, took aim and fired. The punishing grip on her leg was gone in an instant as the wolf fell dead.

  It hurt like hell when she forced herself to her feet, her gaze desperately seeking out her sister. Burns was dragging her to the van, the remaining wolf protecting his flank. Fuck. She couldn’t risk shooting. She might hit Jaz. But what choice did she have? There was a third man inside the vehicle, motor running, ready to take off. She would not let them take her sister. She’d failed to protect her once. Never again.

  Then Carlos was running toward them in human form, Declan’s huge black wolf at his side. Burns snarled and threw Jaz at them before jumping into the van with the wolf. It squealed down the drive. She sagged in relief. It had been too damned close.

  She opened her mouth to thank them, but snapped it shut when she got a look at their expressions. They were furious. At her. She didn’t protest when Carlos ordered them all to pack, but it wasn’t until they were all piled in the Excursion and were on the road that she spoke.

  “Where are we going?”

  “My pride.” His tone did not invite conversation. Well, too damned bad.

  “You think we’ll be safe there?”

  “Yes,” he said curtly. His knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. She sighed. Didn’t look like he was getting over it any time soon. “Get the boxes, Dec.”

  Declan pulled two small jewelers’ boxes out of the glove compartment, handing one to her and the other to Jaz.

  She gasped when she opened it. Inside lay a gold ring, encrusted with emeralds and rubies. She’d never seen anything so lovely. She glanced over to see what they’d given her sister. Hers was a simple silver band with one ruby and one emerald.

  “What are these for?” Sunny asked, taking the ring from the box and sliding it on her right ring finger.

  “Left hand, kitten.” Carlos was watching her in the rearview mirror with an intense expression. Of course. Being mated was more than marriage. Most weres didn’t bother with the human ceremony, but most mates wore wedding bands anyway. “It shows everyone who you belong to. Gold for my mate. Silver for anyone I take under my protection. Like your sister.”

  “It would be better if I went my own way.” Jaz’s voice was bitter. “I got caught because I trusted the wrong person. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  Decl
an shook his head. “No. You stay with us. Your father was right. There are men hunting you. You both need protection.”

  “And we already know what you are,” Carlos added. “As do Asa and Fisher.”

  “He tried to…wanted to…protect me. Fisher. I could see it in his eyes,” Jaz whispered.

  Sunny could no longer interpret Carlos’s and Declan’s expressions, but she knew they were keeping something from her. She didn’t attempt to hide her worry. What would be the point? They knew her too well.

  “It’s going to be okay, kitten. Trust me.”

  “Do we have a choice?” she whispered. She could see the longing in her sister’s eyes. For safety. To belong somewhere. She shook her head. “Guess not.”

  “Merry Christmas, kitten,” he said softly, gently. He meant it. He wanted her to be in his life, wanted to make a life with her. For the first time in a long time, she absorbed those words without a snarl, with hope instead of self-pity.

  She leaned back in her seat, distracting herself by studying the glittering ring. No one spoke, and several hours had passed when they pulled off the highway and onto an unmarked dirt road. A few miles later, it dead-ended in front of a large colonial. Actually, after she gave the building a critical eye, mansion would be the best descriptor. She thought she saw others like it through the trees.

  They were just south of Savannah. It was late afternoon, beginning to grow dark, and the first thing she noticed when she stepped out of the vehicle was the smell of the ocean. Then the noise registered. Music. Voices. Laughter.

  “Are we crashing a party?”

  Carlos grinned and took her hand. “It’s Christmas Eve. My brother throws a big bash every year.”

  Jaz winced at the announcement, and Sunny could smell her reluctance, her rising fear. Carlos pulled her close, tucked her under one shoulder. “Don’t worry, little sister. No one will harm you here.”

  Her heart swelled. She couldn’t have loved him more than she did at that moment, as he protected her sister. It was a stunning, startling realization. She loved the way he listened to her, the way he touched her. And now the way he’d taken her family as his own. He pulled her under his other shoulder, and Declan took her free hand as they walked toward the back corner of the house.