Palm Haven Shifters: Complete Five-Part Series Read online

  His hand landed on her wrist to still her fingers.

  “If you keep doing that I’m going to embarrass myself. I know you don’t believe that this could work… but let me try to convince you,” he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

  She couldn’t find her voice; she only nodded to him as he pushed her back on the bed. His hand ran up and down her sides, each pass pushing her shirt further up. Ashley had so often been ashamed of her too-plump shape, but not with him. Never with him.

  The hungry look in Callan’s eyes made it impossible to feel anything other than sexy as hell. He wanted her. He dreamed about her. Knowing that was the biggest turn-on she’d ever had. Callan was the biggest turn-on. He did unspeakably wonderful things to her body, her magic, and even her heart.

  Callan lifted her shirt over her head and started to peel her jeans from her thighs, trailing hot kisses down the insides of her legs, over her tattoo, as the denim was removed.

  The bra was the last thing to go and soon she was laid bare before him, resisting the urge to cover herself. He was clearly appreciative of what he saw.

  “Fuck, Ash, you look good enough to eat,” he growled, throwing her knees over his shoulders.

  She squealed with laughter and her body quivered and clenched in anticipation. A shot of warm air hit her clit and made her shudder. His tongue followed it, lapping at her wetness. Memories of the water tower, of the first time they’d been to his house, of him rescuing her time and again, filled her mind.

  His tongue circled her clit, eliciting a surprised gasp from her as he sucked the tiny bud into his mouth. Ashley couldn’t think anymore. She rocked her hips against his face as he thrust his tongue inside of her.

  “Oh, Callan!” she moaned, her hands reaching for fistfuls of his hair while his hands held her against his face. She thrashed and squirmed as he held her fast, no escape from the delicious torture of his tongue.

  He traced the length of her slit and he slipped a finger inside her needy sex. She bucked against him while he drew circles over her clit with his tongue while she fought desperately to remember how to breathe.

  “You’re so beautiful like this,” he said. He curled his finger inside of her and Ashley’s back arched off of the bed.

  “That’s it, come for me, sweetheart,” he cooed, dipping down to draw her sensitive bud between his teeth.

  Her muscles tensed and for a moment she was certain time actually stopped. Power surged through her, feeding the orgasm, driving her pleasure higher and higher into the stratosphere.

  Callan was relentless, he drew one orgasm into another before actually being satisfied. She still struggled to catch her breath when he slid into her all at once.

  A sharp cry rang through the room. She’d imagined Callan inside of her hundreds — maybe thousands — of times, but nothing could compare to reality. As strange as it seemed, having Callan buried inside of her felt like coming home.

  “Oh my god,” she said, clutching his shoulders for dear life.

  “You feel incredible. You’re so amazing,” Callan groaned, withdrawing slowly before pounding into her again.

  She arched off the bed and sexual energy bubbled in her chest. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to contain it. It was too much. It felt too good.

  “Right here with me,” Callan said, his lips descending on hers keeping her tethered as magic threatened to carry her away.

  Her nails dug into his back as he drove her higher and higher. He rolled his hips to the side and captured her gasp with another kiss. She was flying. Soaring. She was so high that she didn’t know if she’d ever touch the ground again.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and drew him in deeper.

  “I’m so close,” she cried, desperation tinging her voice.

  Callan dipped his head down and pulled a hard sensitive nipple between his teeth. She arched her back and clung to him as stars burst behind her eyes. For a moment, there was only Callan, only his cock and the place where their bodies joined. Nothing else in the universe existed. Sparks flew from her fingertips and she struggled to rein the magic in.

  “Let it go, Ash, let me carry you through it,” Callan urged, locking eyes with her again.

  She felt all of him there with her. Both halves, holding her, protecting her, channeling the powers that threatened to overwhelm her. She could do this with him. Only with him.

  A cry of ecstasy escaped her lungs and caught Ashley by surprise. Her thighs ached with the effort of holding on to him, but Callan pressed her further and further until her world exploded. Her bones turned to jelly and her insides a ball of molten lead as her body clenched and spasmed around him.

  “Oh god,” he groaned. Her muscles rippled around him as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her and he jerked and slowed until he found his completion deep within her.

  They both struggled to catch their breath for a few minutes. Finally, Ashley sighed and a little bubble of laughter escaped her lips.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her onto his chest. They’d only been laying there twenty minutes when Ashley spoke up.

  “What exactly are you looking for here?” She asked, pulling away from him, dread bubbling in her stomach.

  “What do you mean?”

  She abused her bottom lip with her teeth and refused to meet his eyes. Why couldn’t she just accept that this was a good thing? Why did she always have to question everything?

  “I mean… I’m Coven, you’re Ursa. It’s not something that anyone is going to let happen and you know that as well as I do. So what are you trying to do here? Am I just a piece of ass or are you trying to hurt the Coven?” She lifted the sheet to her shoulders, not sure if she was more ashamed of her nakedness or her accusation.

  His eyes flashed with anger; she could have sworn that she saw the bear staring back at her for a moment.

  “I don’t give a damn what anyone says can or can’t happen. My bear has chosen you for a mate. That’s all there is to it, Ashley. I thought that you understood that when you came here with me. I thought you knew…” he paused, anger fading into something else. Rejection?

  “Knew what?” Ashley asked, her voice softening.

  “How I feel about you, Ash. I’m crazy about you. Every last damn inch of you. I know we don’t know each other that well, but my bear has made up his mind already. I can only ignore him so much and it’s harder to ignore my own feelings.”

  Her mouth hung open for a moment and she expected Callan to kiss her. When he didn’t, she frowned. Of course, she needed to go to him now. He’d pursued her this long, he needed to know it wasn’t one-sided. Needed to know that she cared even if she had trouble expressing it.

  “I… didn’t know.” She dropped the sheet and splayed a hand over Callan’s broad chest.

  “Well, now you do. I would like it very much if you would give us a chance,” he said, holding her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

  “I guess being with a bear isn’t the worst thing I could do,” she laughed. His lips quirked to the side, but she knew that wasn’t enough. He deserved more. She examined his naked body, raised pink scars the only evidence left of his earlier scuffle with wolves. Shifters really did heal fast.

  She nibbled her lip again.

  “Well?” he prompted.

  Ashley sighed. “I don’t know how to deal with this. I’ve always been told one thing and now I’m discovering another… What I do know, is that our world is on the verge of imploding. And if tonight was any indication of things to come… we’re not guaranteed anything. Not each other. Not even tomorrow.”

  His hand slid over her thigh now and squeezed, urging her to get her thoughts out. She had to get it off of her chest. Get it out in the open.

  “One day…” Her voice caught in her throat and Ashley cursed herself for getting emotional, “One day I might wake up alone again. The next time you run into wolves you might not get away from them. I don’t know how long until that day comes
…”

  “Ashley, that’s not going to—”

  She leveled him with a stern look that silenced his protest. “I think… I think I’d rather enjoy the time I do have with you. The people that told me this isn’t supposed to work… well, I think it’s pretty clear I can’t trust them now. But I trust you,” she said, her hand sliding around the back of his neck.

  “God help me, but I trust you, Callan. More than that. I… well… This mate thing totally affects me, too.”

  “Ashley Montgomery, are you trying to tell me you love me?” Callan asked with a feigned look of surprise.

  The little bubble of laughter that caused was enough to make her brimming tears spill from her eyes and she nodded.

  His lips fell on hers. Soft. Sensual. Full of unspoken emotions that made Ashley’s innards turn to lava all over again.

  Would she never satisfy her craving for Callan?

  “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he said, brushing away the salty tears.

  She shook her head and laughed again. “It’s okay. They’re not bad tears… just overwhelmed.”

  His fingers skated down her bare arms reverently and Ashley let herself be wrapped up in his embrace.

  Her eyes roved down the hard planes of his body, past his waist and the strip of hair that led the way further south, down further until she saw his already stiffening appendage, responding to her eyes and nearness.

  “Are you convinced yet?” he asked, burning embers of desire flaring behind his eyes.

  “Convinced of what yet?” She asked, licking her lips absently.

  A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That this can work.”

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a casual shrug despite the eruption of butterflies that danced through her intestines, “I could maybe use some more convincing.”

  “It will be my pleasure,” Callan answered with a growl, pinning her to the bed for what she hoped was the next of many many times yet to come.

  The End.

  Bound to the Wolf

  Chapter 1

  SONYA

  Sonya had no sooner closed her door to the strange witch when panic struck her. If the witches knew where she and Manuel were, the pack wouldn’t be far behind. Her on-again-off-again relationship with Manuel’s father had been brief, passionate and, ultimately, violent. She didn’t know what he was until it was too late. He’d been looking for someone powerful enough to carry his child, to continue the legacy of his pack.

  She had no clue he was a shifter.

  He had no idea she was a witch.

  No one did.

  From a very young age, Sonya managed to keep her gifts a well-hidden secret. Her mother knew about her powers, but warned her that flaunting them would only invite trouble. If there was one thing the superstitious old woman had taught her, it was how to lay low. And then Estrella had gone and blabbed to some Coven witch about everything.

  Now she’d have to move them again. Estrella no doubt meant well, but somehow word would get back to Diego. It always did. She touched the bruise on her neck gingerly.

  Tears sprang to her eyes unbidden. Things with Diego hadn’t always been bad. Once upon a time, he’d been kind to her, showering her with affection. Everything changed when he became Alpha and the pressure of leading a group of blood-thirsty wolves took its toll.

  It wasn’t long before Diego grew angrier, eventually turning violent. For a long time, Sonya kept an eye out for a glimmer of the man she remembered, hoping he’d return to them.

  Then she found the bruises on her young son and knew she had to leave. They’d managed to stay under the radar for nearly a year when Diego came breaking down her door a few weeks ago. She wasn’t proud of the things she did to get away from him and she certainly didn’t want to do it again.

  After a harrowing night with Diego, Sonya had packed up a few necessities, scooped up her young son and fled for her mother’s. She wouldn’t risk any harm coming to her son. Not again. If it were just Diego, Sonya might try to confront him, but the fact was, he had an entire pack behind him. Unwaveringly loyal to their leader — her ex. She would not let the clan get their hands on Manuel even if it meant outing herself as a witch. She wouldn’t have her sweet baby boy turned into a slobbering rabid dog like his father.

  Estrella was right about one thing though: they couldn’t stay here. She’d thought that Palm Haven was far enough from Diego’s territory, but with other shifters in town, it was only a matter of time until he paid her a visit. If Estrella had kept her big mouth shut, maybe they could have kept hiding for a while. Maybe she would have actually been able to enroll Manuel in pre-school without worrying about pulling him out just when he’d made friends. Maybe.

  But now they’d never know.

  Now she had to pack. She couldn’t just sit around waiting for Diego or another shifter to come by. For all she knew, the Palm Haven wolves were even more brutal than the ones she knew back home. Diego was the Alpha of the Summer Springs clan and there was no chance that she could find refuge for an Alpha’s offspring with another clan. That would just be inviting a war into their backyard.

  No, if Sonya wanted her son to be safe, she was going to have to protect him herself and the only way she knew to do that was to run away.

  She hastily stuffed a few necessities in a bag and started gathering snacks and toys for Manuel: his favorite rabbit plush, a blanket that he’d had since he was a baby and a few other activities to keep him occupied. Bless his heart, the kid was used to picking up and moving in the middle of the night, but that didn’t make it any easier on her. She always felt a stab of guilt every time they did this. He’d been on the run probably for as long as he could remember and he probably didn’t even know why.

  It was better that way.

  She scooped her sleeping four-year-old out of bed into her arms and grabbed the couple of bags containing the majority of their belongings.

  “Mama?” Manuel asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes with a big yawn, “What’s wrong?”

  She realized what she must look like to him: tears streaked her face, her hands shook with anxiety and her eyes had a wild panicked look like a rabbit cornered by a hungry fox. No wonder his face suddenly reflected her own fear.

  “Nothing baby, nothing’s wrong, we’re just going to take a little trip, go back to sleep, sweetheart.”

  The boy squirmed in her arms, turning to look her in the eyes. It was like looking into a mirror – his big hazel eyes could stare straight into her soul. The unruly mop of curly black hair that topped his head was purely Diego’s influence, though. He blinked, his long lashes making her heart melt in an instant.

  “Are the wolves going to take me away?” He asked, showing far too much awareness for his own good.

  Sonya’s heart stopped. She’d tried so hard to hide everything from him, but kids were smarter than adults gave them credit for.

  “No, sweetheart, why would you say that?”

  He yawned before slipping his tiny hand into hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. Sonya felt fresh tears gather in her eyes but refused to let them fall. She didn’t want to upset Manuel any more than she already had.

  “Because, I know you’re scared of wolves and you don’t want me to know,” he answered without hesitation.

  Had she really been careless enough to let Manuel see how desperate the situation was? She always tried to give him a normal childhood – birthday parties and sleepovers gave her panic attacks, but she wasn’t going to deprive her son.

  “Oh honey, but that’s nothing to do with you,” she lied. “I will never ever let anything happen to you.”

  “Then why did that lady want to take me away?”

  Her stomach dropped through the floor. She had to tell him the truth. She couldn’t keep lying to him about what and who he was. But he was so little.

  A knock on the door saved her from making the difficult decision. She gave her son a look he knew to mean he should stay put as she sat him down and h
urried to the door, her heart thundering.

  A quick glance out the peephole let Sonya breathe a sigh of relief. It wasn’t Diego. That didn’t mean much though. Diego could have any of his lackeys come in his place to avoid spooking her.

  She looked back to her son and shooed him away.

  “Go back to bed,” she whispered. “Don’t come out of your room for anything, okay?”

  He nodded, his eyes wide with fear. She knew he heard the shakiness in his Mama’s voice. He didn’t know what she was so scared of, but she’d like to keep it that way.

  Surely he saw the panic in her body language. He may not be old enough to understand all of the nuances of the situation, but he knew enough to see his Mama was upset with something and she knew he’d worry.

  Sonya watched her son skitter off to his room and made sure his door was completely closed before turning her attention back to the front door. Another glance out of the peep hole gave her a better look at the stranger: straight dark hair, a confident stance that didn’t quite reveal the full extent of his physicality and dark hooded eyes, unreadable through the tiny lens. Did she dare open the door to another stranger?

  Leaving someone at her front door was only going to attract attention, though.

  Her hand worked deftly to unlock the myriad of locks on her front door. Paranoia was an understatement, but no amount of security was enough when it came to her child.

  She opened the door a crack, the chain still on – it wasn’t much protection, but it made it clear to the person on the other side that she wasn’t about to just let him into her house.

  “Hello,” he said, his voice smooth and rich like chocolate silk. The latent magic inside of her crackled to life. Her fingers twitched even as they gripped the door with white knuckles. She hadn’t felt her powers respond to someone’s presence since Diego… was he nearby?

  She didn’t say anything. He was at her front door; he could do the talking.