Mary and the Bear

Chapter Thirteen

Shannon prepared for bed, the sleeping pill she ingested making her movements sluggish. Today, she'd accomplished a lot. Home Depot was delivering her supplies tomorrow. She had to pay extra for the Sunday delivery but it was worth it.

In the store, she ran into a human who'd worked for her brother a few years back. He still did the occasional odd job and agreed to be at the house when the supplies arrived. All in all, she couldn't complain about the way that her day went.

Her shower made her even sleepier. She dried off half-heartedly and dropped the towel on the floor. She'd pick it up tomorrow. Yawning so wide that she heard her jaw crack, she cut off the light and dragged herself into bed. She fell into a deep, dreamless sleep the minute her head hit the pillow, unaware of the presence that entered her room and stood watching her.

Nikolai materialized next to the bed of the she-wolf he'd rescued, after scanning first to make sure she was asleep. What started as fascination was quickly becoming an obsession. It was becoming more and more difficult to stay away from his wolf.

Just the mere thought her essence was enough to cause his fangs to throb in his mouth. He wanted to devour her. He wanted to gorge himself in her feminine cream, and then satiate himself with her blood.

With each visit, he pushed the limits of his control. Merging deeply with her mind, he would psychically stroke and caress her body, arousing her mercilessly. He couldn't seem to help himself. Every time she was close to the edge, her wolf took control, she started to shift and he had to leave. While the blood bond he'd formed with her gave him some control over her mind, he couldn't control her beast. It was too strong.

At the end of the bed, Nikolai used his mind to pull down the bed sheet, baring her naked body to his view. Though he'd examined her thoroughly many times before, he still could not determine what it was about her that fascinated him so. She was small, like a red-haired pixie and short like one too. He doubted she'd come to his breastbone when standing.

There was something different about her tonight. Something wrong. He expanded his senses until he found the source of the problem. There was a faint metallic scent of medicine emanating from her body. With their mental link engaged, he searched deep. Whatever she took, it didn't hinder his ability to connect with her subconscious mind, but it rendered her beast defenseless.

Her beast was helpless. A wicked smile crossed Nikolai's face. Her beast sensed him and tried to stir, but the medication was too powerful. It knew he was there but couldn't do a thing about it. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he took advantage of the opportunity she had unknowingly provided him with.

Using phantom fingers, he gently stroked the brow of her eye, gliding his hand down her cheek to finger her lips. Her full lips parted beneath his touch, inviting him to come inside. He ignored her invitation in favor of stroking his fingers elsewhere.

His fingers ghosted down her neck, causing her to arch her neck in response. Goosebumps pebbled her flesh. He continued his exploration to her generously shaped breasts. Her flesh cried out to him, demanding that he cease with the mind games and touch her flesh to flesh. For a second, he considered giving into the temptation to take her while she was helpless. His code of honor would not allow him to do so. Abandoning the thought, he went back to touching her using nothing more than his eyes and his mind.

He toyed with her breasts, causing her nipples to pucker. Using his mind, he gave her the sensation of mouths suckling on her breasts. Playing her body like a master musician, he touched her simultaneous all over. Mouths suckled on her nipples and between her legs while phantom fingers stroked and caressed all over her body. He kept a firm grip on her mind, having no fear that she would awaken and catch him toying with her.

Her body began to undulate. Her legs spread wider apart as her fingers gripped the sheet. Her heartbeat raced, causing the blood to rush through her veins. The heat of her excitement caused her blood to cry out to him, begging him to taste it.

His beast stirred as blood lust began to rise. His eyes traveled over her, noting every detail. The rapid rise and fall of her chest. Tightly puckered nipples. The rosy flush of her skin as the blood rushed through her veins and arteries. The glistening red curls covering her mound. Her swollen clit, begging to be touched. He could see the clasp and release of vaginal muscles as phantom fingers thrust relentlessly in and out of her foaming pussy.

The more he stared, the more he hungered. A taste, temptation whispered, just a taste. What can it hurt? Yes, he thought, just one small taste. Maybe if he tasted her just this one time, he could discover what her hold over him was.

He planted a knee on the bed, followed by one hand, and then the other, like a great big cat stalking prey. His eyes were completely focused on his target, the glistening flesh between her legs. A fog of lust covered his mind. One taste. That's all he wanted. One taste and then he could leave and never return.

Bracing himself above her undulating body, he timed his movement just right. Quick as a cat, he swiped at her with his tongue. The taste of her caused his fangs to explode in his mouth as his eyes bled to red and began to glow. Unable to resist, he went back for more, and more, and more until his fangs were pressed tight against her flesh. He lapped at her, trying to get more and more of her essence into his mouth. Pressed as he was against her, it was inevitable that his fangs would nick her flesh, drawing forth a bead of blood.

The taste of her blood caused his beast to break free as blood lust took control. Like a snake he struck, sinking his fangs deep into the femur artery running beneath the skin of her inner thigh. He drew deeply, her rich blood rushing through his body and bringing a surge of power with it.

He was barely aware of her convulsing beneath him as orgasm after orgasm streaked through her body. Her blood was addictive—thick, rich, and powerful. He wanted to gorge. Some small part of his mind that hadn't been swallowed by the blood lust screamed at him to pull back. Too much. He was taking too much.

Using every bit of control in his possession, he closed the wound and yanked himself away from her. He licked away the last bit of blood smeared upon his mouth. His chest fell and rose sharply as he fought against the urge to take her, mark her and claim her as his own for all eternity.

He stood rigidly beside the bed, eyes closed and hands balled into fists as he fought to regain control of his body, fighting his instincts. He broke the link between them, knowing the distance was necessary but hated losing contact with every fiber of his being.

After a period of quiet meditation, he was able to gain control. His fangs retracted and his eyes returned to their natural black color. His hands began loosening from the fist they were in and his breathing even out to a nice, slow and steady rate. When he was ready, he opened his eyes and focused on the woman lying before him. Steely determination entered his gaze. He wanted her and he would have her. No one would be allowed to stand in his way. She was his.

Walking around the bed until he was closer to her head, he once more linked his mind with hers and placed her under compulsion. Bringing his wrist to his mouth, he allowed his fangs to drop and ripped a hole in his skin, causing the blood to flow. Pressing his wrist against her mouth, he compelled her to drink.

When she'd drunk enough of his blood, he commanded her to stop. Bringing his wrist back to his mouth, he licked the wound closed. Instinctively, he started a mating ritual so old it was imprinted on his DNA. Two more blood exchanges and she would be his. Giving her one last lingering look, he dematerialized and left the house. Soon. Very soon, he would claim her.

Mary Elizabeth awakened surrounded by delicious warmth. It took her sleep-dulled mind some time to recognize the source of the heat. Hugh lay curled against her back, his arm around her waist the only thing keeping her on the bed. The man was a bed hog, probably due to his size. If they were going to make a habit of this, she would need a larger bed. Her queen size just wasn't big enough.

She pushed back into him, trying to get a more secure position on the bed. She bit back a groan as muscles protested her every move. She was going to pay for last night. She could feel it in her bones. She felt raw and achy, not unlike the time when she lost her virginity. She guessed it was understandable. Her previous experience hadn't prepared her for someone of Hugh's size and strength. A long soak in the tub and a day or two to recuperate and she'd be fine.

Gingerly she lifted Hugh's arm from around her waist, trying not to wake him. His arm tightened briefly in protest before relaxing, allowing her to slide from under it. She froze as he moved, only to relax when all he did was roll onto his back.

Once more on the edge of the bed, she debated her next move. Any move she made was bound to be painful and she wasn't a large fan of pain. Deciding it might be easiest to roll her feet to the floor and sit up, she followed the thought with action. So far, so good. Now came the hard part, standing up.

Taking a deep breath in preparation, she planted her feet on the floor, braced her hands on the mattress and pushed off of it into a standing position. Well, it was more of a crouch. She was hunched over like an old woman with a bad case of osteoarthritis. She took her first step and sucked in a harsh breath at the pain that shot through her pelvis. She could do this. She was a strong woman. She could handle a little pain in light of all of the pleasure she received last night. Telling herself to ‘buck up,’ she forced herself to stand straight and walk into the bathroom. It didn't matter that a baby could have crawled faster. She was walking and that was the important part. It was at times like these that she wished she had a master bathroom. The bathroom had never seemed further away than it did now.

Hugh watched her hobble from the room, cursing himself with every step that she took. He wanted to get up and help her. It hurt him to see her in so much pain, knowing that he was the cause of it all. The only thing stopping him from carrying her was the knowledge that she would be embarrassed by his assistance. She obviously didn't want him knowing she was hurting, or she wouldn't have taken such care not to wake him. She had no way of knowing that he had awakened with her first movements, his entire being focused on her, even in the deepest sleep.

He couldn't kick himself hard enough or far enough for hurting her like he had. He renewed his vow to himself to make sure he never lost control like that again. He couldn't understand what happened. Protecting your mate was a priority with shifters. It was so deeply ingrained that it was instinct. What he did last night went against everything he believed in. Every principle he'd ever been taught. It was a valuable lesson, one he'd be sure not to repeat.

While he'd been castigating himself, his mate had made her way out of the room and into the bathroom. The least he could do was to be useful and get breakfast started. He got out of bed and slipped on his jeans. As he neared the bathroom, he heard the faucet turn on for the tub. Good, she was taking a bath. That ought to help. Knocking lightly on the door, he called out, “I'm making coffee and breakfast. You going to be in there long?"

"I should be out by the time the coffee's done. You need to come in here before I get in the tub?"

"Naw, I'm cool. I can wait until you get out.” If necessary, he'd head down to the restaurant rather than make her come out of there. He hoped the hot water would undo some of the damage he'd done.

Mary Elizabeth stretched, trying to loosen up tight muscles. Once she got moving, it really wasn't that bad. She was hyperaware of parts of her body that she normally took for granted. Her sex was all swollen and bruised. There was a dull ache deep inside where his cock had hammered against her cervix. Just thinking about it brought back the remembered pleasure, and an echo of the pain.

He was a large man and like most large men, he didn't always know his own strength. She wasn't blaming him. The truth was, she couldn't wait for him to do it again. It did something to her ego to know that he found her so desirable that he'd lost control. When a man who valued control as much as Hugh did lost it, well how could she not be flattered and a little puffed up about it. Made her wonder what would happen if she actually tried to make him lose control. Now there was something worth thinking about.

She eased into the tub, spread her legs and let the heat soothe her. It felt so good. She could feel it right down to her bones. She lay there until the water began to cool. After draining some off, she poured more hot water into the tub until it was as hot as she could stand it. She soaked until it cooled as well. Washing swiftly, she pulled the drain and got out of the tub. She was still a little tender down there but otherwise she felt a whole lot better, ready to face the world.

She came out of the bathroom and dressed in something loose and comfortable before joining Hugh in the kitchen. Due to the sensitivity of her vulva, she'd forgone wearing underwear and chose to wear a loose, flowing skirt that fell below her knees. Teemed with a tunic that came down to her hips, she believed it would totally disguise the fact that she was bare beneath her clothing.

Hugh had made himself right at home in her kitchen, making coffee and scrambling eggs for breakfast. To go with the eggs, there was toast and breakfast sausages. When she entered the kitchen, Hugh kissed her briefly before leaving for his turn in the bathroom.

She poured a cup of coffee and help herself to some eggs and toast, leaving the bulk for Hugh. Judging from the massive amount of food on the stove, he still needed to eat.

While she was sitting at the table listening to the shower come on, she mentally reviewed the morning thus far. Although not sure what she expected to happen, this wasn't the notorious ‘morning after’ that everyone spoke so much about. It was all so, well, ordinary. It felt as though they'd been waking together a long time, long enough to fall into a routine. There was no worrying about bed hair or morning breath. They'd just gone about preparing for the day as though they'd been doing it together for years. It was kind of unnerving, yet relaxing at the same time.

In the shower, Hugh went over his plans for the day. It was a workday and there was just enough time to swing by his place and change clothes before reporting in. The diner was closed on Sunday mornings but opened at eleven for lunch. There was a lot to do between now and then, especially since he'd given his help the day off to make up for calling him in last night. He really hated leaving Mary Elizabeth alone. The last time he left, she had second thoughts about their relationship. He didn't want to chance that happening again. That bridge was crossed and there was no going back.

He returned to the kitchen just as she finished eating. Looking pointedly at all the remaining food, he asked, “That's all you're going to eat?"

"I wasn't sure if you'd eaten. Besides, I've never been a breakfast eater."

"You need to start. You'll need plenty of energy if you plan to keep up with me.” He wagged his eyebrows suggestively, letting her know indirectly exactly what he was referring to.

She blushed engagingly, making him smile. “I'll keep that in mind,” she said dryly.

"You do that. Now, what are your plans for today?"

She shrugged and looked around as though an idea would jump out at her. “I hadn't really thought about it. I don't believe I planned on doing anything. Why?"

"I have to leave and I don't want to. Come down to the diner with me. Sit and talk with me while I cook. If you're feeling really generous, you can make some desserts to go with today's dinner. I'll pay you for them."

"Are you going down there now?"

"No, I need to swing by my place first and put on my work clothes. Then I'll come back here to the diner.” If he had of been thinking, he would have brought clothes with him last night. He'll make sure in the future to leave enough things here that trips home wouldn't be necessary, at least until he convinced her to live with him. One step at a time.

"Are you sure I won't be in the way?"

"There'll be no one in the kitchen but me."

"You're doing all the cooking yourself, with no help?'

"It won't be the first time. Besides, the menu's planned and the food's all prepped. I've just got to get it going and keep it coming. No big deal."

"If you say so."

His mind already on what needed doing, he headed for the door after extracting one last promise from her to come down. “Think about making those desserts. My customers will really like them. You can make them downstairs in the diner."

"I'd rather do it here, where I know where everything is."

"Nothing too fancy or time-consuming, then. I want you with me."

"I'll keep that in mind and be down as soon as they're done."

"Use the back door. I'll leave it open."

"Alright. Go before you're late."

He glanced at his watched and cursed. “I've got to go. Come down or I'll come and get you. The customers will just have to wait."

"I'll be there."

"You'd better.” He grabbed another kiss and left.