Claiming Shayla

Chapter Two

Kiesha’s question cut through the tense silence like a knife.

Alex watched Shay’s face close up tighter than a rock wall and just as hard. It was clear by her very lack of expression that her pregnancy was not open for discussion. Glancing at Shannon and then Kiesha, he didn’t believe they got her silent message, or maybe they were just ignoring it.

“Shannon?” Kiesha asked curiously.

Shannon shook her head, still engaged in her staring contest with Shay. “Nope, not me.”

“But it can’t be…Shay?”

When Shay didn’t respond, Kiesha moved to stand next to Shannon. “Shay, are you pregnant?”

Shayla finally ended the contest with Shannon by briefly closing her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“But…” Kiesha began.

A very firm, “No.”

“Shay, if you’re pregnant…”

A surge of supernatural power suddenly swelled in the room, making his skin crawl. It was coming from Shayla. “I said…I don’t want to discuss it.” Her voice came out in a guttural growl, and her eyes flashed to gold and then back to brown. He doubted Shayla was aware of what she was doing.

Shannon obviously felt it too, for she took a cautious step back and pulled Kiesha with her. Alex’s wolf came to attention. New shifters, especially those as unaware of their power as Shay seemed to be, were aggressive, unpredictable, and potentially dangerous.

Kiesha’s mouth opened. Alex cut her off. “Kiesha, leave it alone. She doesn’t want to talk. Stop forcing the issue.”

If his mate continued to push, Shayla’s wolf might see it as a challenge and attack, either to establish or determine its dominance over Kiesha. The vibes he felt coming off Shay indicated that already her wolf was a force to be reckoned with, and Kiesha was still mostly human.

Kiesha turned on him. “I’m not forcing anything. She’s my cousin. We don’t keep secrets from each other.”

“And I’m sure she’ll talk when she’s ready. Right now I don’t think she is.” Alex nodded toward Shay, silently urging Kiesha to note her expression.

The phone rang in the background. Kiesha hesitated, obviously torn. Her gaze bounced from him to Shay to the office, and back to Shay again. Finally she gave in to its urgent prompting and took off for the office den.

“I know about you and Rory,” Shannon said quietly.

“That’s my cue to leave. I’ll go see if Kiesha needs help.” Alex turned down the stove and left the room. Shannon was also an alpha and her mate a vampire. Between the two of them, she was more than capable of handling Shay if her wolf got out of hand.

“What did he tell you?” Shayla didn’t want to discuss this but sensed that unlike Kiesha, Shannon wasn’t going to let it go until she’d said her piece.

Shannon shook her head and took a cautious step forward. “Rory didn’t say anything. I figured it out on my own.”

Shayla felt a little twinge in the region of her heart. Surely that was relief she was feeling and not…disappointment?

“You’re his mate,” Shannon continued.

“No, I’m not. We don’t even like each other,” Shay disputed.

“Rory claimed you,” Shannon insisted.

Shayla’s eyes lost focus as she thought back to that time. “That was just the effect of the blue moon madness. You’re the one who told me how it affected shifters. He’d never have touched me otherwise.”

Shannon disagreed. “It was more than that. You’re his one, his true mate. I know it, but more importantly, Rory knows it.”

“Even if I believed in all this true mate, true love crap you guys keep spouting, it doesn’t apply to me. The whole thing is just a fluke of nature, chemistry. Rory doesn’t want me, not really. I’m too…” She shook her head. “He just wouldn’t,” she finished sadly.

Shannon’s eyes softened, and she gave Shayla a look of understanding. “Shay, I know exactly how you feel. I…” She glanced around furtively. “Let’s go to your room. There’s a few things you need to know, and I don’t want to chance us being interrupted.” Or overheard was left unsaid.

Shayla turned and led the way to the guest bedroom, situated off the living room. Once they were both inside, she shut the door. Then, as an afterthought, locked it. “You were saying?”

Shannon leaned against the dresser, watching her carefully. “I know what it’s like to be different.”

Shayla snorted. “Of course you do. You’re a shape-shifter.”

Shannon shook her head violently. “No. That’s not what I mean. Even among my own kind, I’m an anomaly.”

Interested, Shayla crossed to the bed and sat, drawing up her leg to prop her chin on her knee. “In what way?”

“In wolf packs, strength and cunning are everything. Strength determines your ranking in the pack and cunning your ability to maintain it. So being strong is a good thing, unless you’re a female.”

“They want the females to be weak?” Shayla asked, startled. This contradicted everything she knew of wolves.

“No, that’s not what I mean. They admire strength in females too—within reason. A strong female means strong cubs. What they don’t like are females that are abnormally strong, like me. I’m as strong as Rory, which meant not only was I the alpha-fem—the strongest female—but I was also stronger than every other male in our pack.”

Shay bit her bottom lip before stating, “I don’t see what the problem is. You just said strong is good.”

The side of Shannon’s mouth quirked up in a wry grin. “How do you feel about weak men? You know, men you can run all over.”

Shayla winced. “I see what you mean. If a man is weaker than me, I can’t respect him. I’ll walk all over him, do whatever I want to do and dare him to take exception to it.”

“Exactly,” Shannon said, grinning hugely. “With shifters, it’s even more important that the male be stronger than the female, or at least equal to her in power.”

“Why is that?”

Shannon shrugged. “If the wolf can’t respect its mate, it has a nasty habit of killing them.”

“Well, hell! That’s mighty efficient of it,” Shayla said drily.

“What it is, is a huge pain in the ass,” Shannon corrected. “Until Nikolai, I didn’t think I’d ever find a man that could handle my wolf, and I didn’t want some male’s death on my conscience.”

Shayla sighed and rubbed her weary eyes. Man was she tired. “As happy as I am for you and Nik, what does this have to do with me and your brother?”

“I know you, Shay. The hair, clothes, and abrasive manner? That’s just camouflage to hide what I’m guessing is an extremely high IQ. Don’t you see? The very thing that makes you stick out like a sore thumb among humans is highly prized among wolves. Your intelligence and strength are what Rory needs. He’s alpha. That means not only is he strong, but he’s smart as well. He has to be to lead the pack. You’re perfect for him, his equal. He couldn’t have found a better match if he’d gone looking for one,” Shannon said earnestly.

Shayla was shaking her head by the time Shannon finished her little speech. “Perfect? I don’t think so. Maybe that vampire of yours has addled your brains. Don’t you remember all the fighting we did? Rory and I couldn’t even be in the same room with each other without going for each other’s throats.”

Shannon laughed softly. “That’s because you’re too much alike, which only proves my point.”

When she continued shaking her head, Shannon came and sat beside her. “Look, I’m going to tell you some things that Rory and I rarely discuss with others. At one time my mother might have been strong, but loving my father made her weak. My father, Magnus, only mated her because she was the first female to conceive from his seed, but she wasn’t his mate and she knew it. They both did, and we all suffered for it. My mother, because she loved the bastard dearly, even knowing he despised her. Rory, because my father was determined to beat any hint of supposed weakness out of him. I was basically ignored, because I was a female and therefore beneath his notice.”

“Your father was abusive?” Shayla tried to keep the distaste from her voice. Her parents were both so loving she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around the horror Rory and his family must have lived with on a daily basis.

“Verbally and emotionally, but not physically or sexually, thank God—with me at least. It didn’t help that he was also the pack’s alpha, so there was no interference from the others. Dad called it ‘toughening us up.’ Ma was too busy trying to please him to stand up to him and was no protection for us at all. Rory protected us as best he could, mostly by taking the brunt of his ire whenever possible.”

Shannon sighed deeply and seemed to shake off the bad vibes these old memories were resurrecting. “The reason I’m telling you this is because growing up the way we did left scars. Rory’s so afraid he’ll turn out like our father that he’s refused to mate. But I think that’s only part of it. I suspect the real reason is that he’s never met a woman tough enough to stand up to him the way you do. He respects you. Yes, you aggravate and annoy the hell out of him, but that’s because he’s not used to anyone like you. No one’s ever stood toe-to-toe with him before, man or woman. He needs that in his life. You challenge him, and that’s a good thing.”

She grabbed Shay’s hand. “All I ask is that you give Rory a chance. With Nikolai being a vampire and me being a wolf-shifter, I didn’t think things could ever work between us. There were too many problems, too many reasons why we as a couple didn’t make sense, but it works. The Creator doesn’t make mistakes, so it will work for you too. And remember, this is more than about the two of you. There’s a baby involved now. One that deserves to know its father, and Rory is an excellent father. I know because he raised me.”

“Shannon, I have no intention of denying Rory his child. I know he or she will need both of us. As far as a relationship between us goes, even if I wanted to give Rory a chance, I can’t. I begin a new six-month assignment on Monday.”

Shannon dropped her hand like it was hot, and scowled fiercely. “Can’t you tell them you changed your mind? That circumstances have arisen that make it impossible for you to accept the job?”

“I wish I could, but the contract’s ironclad and there are no loopholes. It was so detailed I hired a lawyer to look at it before signing. The only reason I agreed to take it was because the money was too good to pass on. At least I’ll still be in the area.”

Shannon perked up, her manner suddenly intent. “What’s the name of the company that hired you?”

“Sparrowhawk, Inc.”

A strange expression crossed Shannon’s face, and her mouth dropped open. She seemed to convulse right before bursting into peals of laughter. “Spar…row…hawk…Inc.?” Shannon struggled to get out, still laughing so hard she was in danger of falling off the bed.

“Why? What have you heard about them?” Shayla was puzzled at her bizarre reaction, beginning to get annoyed.

“What…have…I…heard?” she gasped, laughing too hard to finish. “Oh God, this is too funny,” she added when she’d calmed, still wiping tears from her eyes.

Eyes narrowed in displeasure, Shay asked, “Mind sharing the joke?”

“Shayla.” She giggled. “You’re working for Rory.”

Hours later Shay entered the small church where the wedding was being held, still pissed that Rory had managed to outsmart and outmaneuver her. Able to think circles around most individuals, her ego was smarting at being bested. She refused to acknowledge the tiny spark of respect flickering to life deep inside.

Fortunately Kiesha had lain off. Shayla didn’t know what Alex had said to make Kiesha give her space, but it worked. Instead of nagging her, her cousin was giving her wounded looks, as if she needed one more person to worry about. Now she simply hoped Kee had enough sense to keep her mouth shut around Shayla’s parents. As traditional as her mother was, if she knew her daughter was pregnant, she’d turn this wedding into a double.

It didn’t help that she and Shannon were the last to arrive. Shayla strode up the aisle of the church, trying to ignore her churning stomach. Please, not again. The last thing she needed was for her morning sickness to reappear. She’d thrown up once already at the house, causing them to be late.

Scanning the participants standing at the altar, her gaze came to a screeching halt when it landed on Rory. Their eyes connected. Lust slammed into her so hard that she grabbed ahold of the pew to keep from toppling over.

Images of their last night together bombarded her mind in full Technicolor, with all the associated textures and smells. The present faded as she was thrust back into the past…

She lay on top of Rory, their legs tangled together and her head on his chest while she recovered from their last round of sex.

“I need to go upstairs,” she told him, lazily twirling her finger in his dense red chest hair.

“It’s still not safe. Besides, I like you right where you are.” His large, calloused hand stroked her bare skin from shoulder to hip.

“I like it here too, but”—she stuck out her tongue and licked his left nipple—“I don’t want to miss my flight. That means I need to pack tonight.”

He stiffened beneath her. “You’re not going anywhere.” It came out in a growl.

“Down, boy.” She patted his shoulder. “Don’t go all caveman on me. This was fun, but I have a job to do. Vacation time’s over.”

Rory gripped her by the shoulders and dragged her up his body until their faces were level. “You belong to me. Forget the job.”

“My job is how I earn my living.”

Rory’s grip tightened and a hint of fang showed at her words.

Shayla narrowed her eyes. “Watch the grip, wolf boy. Don’t make me hurt you. I belong to myself. No man owns me.”

“Mine,” he growled, his eyes beginning to glow.

“I don’t think so, Neanderthal. Them days are long gone.” She placed her knee right over his groin and applied a hint of pressure. “Let go or lose something very important to you,” she threatened.

Rory glared back, taking her measure. His eyes seemed to dare her to do it. More than willing to call his bluff, she applied steadily increasing pressure.

His anger a tangible thing, he released her. Shayla scrambled quickly to her feet and headed for the door, feeling his gaze drill a hole in her back. As she reached out a hand to grab the doorknob, she called back over her shoulder, “I figured you’d see things my way.”

Rory was on her in a heartbeat, driving her to the floor on her knees. He yanked her hands behind her back, forced her shoulders to the carpet, and kneed her legs apart.

His roughness caused her pussy to cream. “Let go.” Her voice came out a breathy moan. Oh yeah, that was convincing, she thought.

“Mine!” He drove into her tender muscles with one sharp thrust, sliding in to the hilt, and proceeded to set a punishing rhythm.

“No,” Shayla complained even as her pussy tightened around him, gripping him harder with each stroke.

“Mine! Say it!”

“I won’t!” She tugged on her arms, trying to free them. Then she leaped forward, attempting to escape. She wanted him and wanted this desperately, but needed to make him fight for it—fight for her.

Rory growled as her movement dislodged his cock, a sound so terrible it caused the hairs on her arms to raise. He caught her by the waist and pulled her back. “Submit!”

“Make me,” she foolishly challenged, twisting her body this way and that, trying to gain the leverage she needed to scramble forward on her elbows.

With a roar, Rory’s arm hooked her low around her torso, and her knees left the floor. He impaled her on his shaft and held her to him, his claws digging into her hips. His other arm caught her across the shoulders as he lunged forward and pinned her to the carpet, his teeth locked in the tendon between her neck and right shoulder. His body enlarged, expanding in and around her as he partially shifted.

Shayla screamed her pleasure. Yes! This was what she wanted. This was what she’d fought for. Rory, completely out of control.

“Shayla mine. Say it!”

“Yes yes yes,” she babbled. “Yours. Shayla yours.”

He grunted his approval, clutched her head by the hair, and tugged it up and to the side, baring her left shoulder. Then he bit her. Marked! She’d been double marked. Damn, there’d be no escaping him now.

Bright lights burst behind her eyelids as her body exploded. Her throat locked up tight as her body seized, then shook violently…

“Mine.” The low growl carried to her ears, snapping her out of the past.

Shayla opened eyes she hadn’t realized she’d closed to discover Rory bearing down on her, determination in every stride. Instinctively she turned to flee, not ready to face him. She hadn’t taken two steps when Rory pounced. Quicker than her next breath, he’d flipped her up in the air, over his shoulder, and was striding out of the church.

At the feel of him, her body turned to flame and her pussy gushed. A whimper caught in her throat. She needed him. God, how she needed him. She clawed at his clothing, trying to reach skin.

Rory picked up speed until her surroundings became a blur. There was the brief sensation of night air, and then she was being lowered. Shayla wrapped her legs around Rory’s waist and held on as he fell to his knees, sinking with her to the ground.

She ground her crotch against his denim-covered erection. “Please please please,” she begged, out of her mind with lust.

“Just…a…sec,” he mumbled between kisses. “Let me…”

His hand fumbled between them. A second later the panties were torn from her body. Another tearing sound and then his cock prodded her entrance. He surged into her and covered her mouth with his, muffling her scream.

She came as soon as he entered her, still on edge from her earlier flashback.

There was a ripping sound, and then his teeth sliced into her shoulder. The pain shot her orgasm to another level.

His hips hammered into her. She thought she knew what pleasure was. This…this was insanity. She clawed at him, wanting him closer. There were too many clothes between them. She wanted, needed to feel his skin next to hers. “More,” she panted. “I need more!”

Shayla pushed at his chest, trying to reach between them to get rid of his shirt.

Rory tipped her backward. Shay tightened her thighs, her legs still wrapped around his waist. He captured her hands and slammed them down over her head, pinning her to the ground.

“Skin. Touch. Need.” She tugged at her arms, the need to touch him skin to skin so extreme she was incoherent with it.

“Skin. Yes,” he agreed gutturally. Rory balanced on one knee, hips still pumping, and dragged one sharp claw down the front of Shayla’s torso. Her clothes fell open. At the sight of her body, his eyes began to glow.

Shayla bucked against him, once more tugging on her arms. “Yours. Off. Touch. Please!”

“Yes.” One swipe and his shirt was rags. He threw the tattered pieces off. Then he came to his knees, pulling Shayla up until she straddled his lap, and released her hands.

Shayla wrapped her arms around his neck and let her legs drop from his waist. She planted her boots firmly on the ground for leverage and rubbed her chest against his sinuously, like a cat. Simultaneously she kissed and licked every part of him she could reach, wallowing in his scent, his taste. “Good. So. Good,” she groaned.

Rory palmed the back of her head and brought her mouth to his neck. “Bite me!”

A tiny alarm sounded at the back of her mind but was quickly smothered. It was difficult to think with her body continuously convulsing. Another voice, one she’d never heard before, spoke. “Bite. Claim. Mine.”

She played with his neck, licking and nibbling, occasionally scraping the tendon with her teeth. Claim Rory? Was that something she wanted to do?

Rory’s hands gripped the cheeks of her ass, pulling them apart while he held her to him, spiked by his pistoning cock. He shifted angles and hit something inside that caused her back to bow and her nails to dig into his skin, drawing blood. “Shit!” She screamed the profanity into the night as another orgasm ricocheted through her body.

His claws dug into the sensitive inner area lining her rectum, hard enough to sting but not pierce through the skin. The hint of violence thrilled her, and her greedy pussy tightened on his cock.

“Bite me!” His voice joined with the one in her head. “Bite him, mark him, make him ours.”

Shayla pulled back and shook her head, confused. There was something she was supposed to remember. Some reason why she shouldn’t. She couldn’t think, and she desperately needed to.

“Bite me!”

“Bite. Mark. Claim.”

Their voices blended together, and something broke loose inside of Shayla. It rose to the surface, and her vision changed, colors bleeding to gray. A growl started low in her chest, swelling until it rolled out of her throat.

“Bite me!”

Instinct took over and Shayla lunged. She clamped her teeth down on the tendon that connected his neck and shoulder, biting him so hard she broke skin and his blood filled her mouth.

Rory howled triumphantly. “Mine,” he roared as he shifted into his half-man/half-wolf form.

The feel of his fur growing against her tongue caused Shay to jerk her mouth free.

He lifted her off him and over onto her stomach. Pulling Shay to her knees, he locked his teeth on her shoulder and drilled her from behind. Their mating was raw, intense, primal, and when it was over, all Shayla could do was lie there, drained.

He’d reversed their positions so she could sprawl on top of him instead of the hard ground.

“Never again. I won’t let you go. You’re mine.”

Shayla shivered at the certainty she heard in his voice. Something had just happened. Something important, but she lacked the cognitive ability to decipher it. She was too tired. Shifting her head to a more comfortable position, she yawned and felt her body sink deeper into his. “Where are we?” She yawned again and felt her eyes closing.

He raised his head and looked around, the movement jostling her, and she grumbled until he settled back down. “Playground.”

“Umph.” Consciousness faded as all her sleepless nights caught up with her in rush.

Shayla woke to the tantalizing scent of bacon passing back and forth beneath her nostrils. Before she was completely alert, hunger took over and she’d snatched the slice of bacon out of the air and stuffed it into her mouth. As she chewed, she debated whether she wanted to satisfy her appetite or her need for more slumber. Hunger won, and she held a hand out for more.

“If you want it, you have to open your eyes.”

Rory! Sleep was looking better and better. Mentally she reviewed what she remembered of last night while pondering the wisdom of facing him without all her faculties intact. Her conversation with Shannon and the scene at the playground all flashed through her mind in a matter of seconds. After that she drew a blank.

Where am I?

“Shayla, I know you’re awake. You’ve slept all night and half of the day. If you plan on making it to the wedding on time, you need to get up. I’m perfectly content to let you sleep the day away, but your family might take issue with it.”

At that her eyes popped open. She jackknifed into a sitting position, holding the covers to her chest, and immediately wished she hadn’t as the room spun round in circles. Putting a hand to her head to hold it in place, she closed her eyes until the dizziness faded. Damn, she knew better than that. Sudden changes in position, especially going from lying to sitting, always upset her equilibrium, courtesy of her pregnancy.

“Are you all right?” She felt his hand settle on her shoulder, steadying her. She must be swaying.

“I’m fine.” Not…but she didn’t want to get into it with Rory right now.

“If you say so. Here! You’ll feel better once you eat.” He plopped a plate down onto her lap.

The smell of meat caused her to open her eyes once again. The plate was loaded with sausage, bacon, seared strips of steak still dripping blood, and scrambled eggs. Her stomach gave a loud rumble, and she swore something shifted inside.

“I’m not really a meat eater,” Shayla told him, watching in horrified fascination as her hand—independently of her mind—reached out and snatched a piece of steak and brought it to her mouth.

Once the meat touched her lips, it was gone, and so was the rest of the food. She scarfed it down in a flurry of movement. The fork fell unnoticed onto the bed as Shayla ate with her hands. She was licking the grease off her fingers when she remembered Rory. One glance showed he was amused by her appalling display.

“Want more?” He wiggled his eyebrows and held aloft another plate full of the same.

Not even close to being satisfied, with a muttered, “Thanks,” she forced herself to calmly remove the plate from his hand and continue eating. She was halfway finished before she noticed the unused fork. No sense worrying about it now, she thought with an inward shrug.

When she was done, weariness rushed over her and a huge yawn cracked her jaw. She dropped back onto the pillows and allowed her eyes to drift close.

“It’s obvious to me from the way you demolished this food that you haven’t been feeding our babe properly.”

And as simple as that, sleep was the furthest thing from her mind. Shayla tapped her heels together three times and made a wish. Cautiously she peeked one eye open, and then the other. Damn, Glinda was wrong. She was still here. Where’s a pair of red magic slippers when you need them?

“You know I’m pregnant?” She popped herself on the forehead. “Of course you know. It’s that damn nose of yours. You probably knew before I did.”

Rory set the plates on the side table and leaned over her, a hand on either side of her body. “Aye, I know. How long have you been aware, and when exactly were you planning on telling me?”

His scent overwhelmed her, and another hunger rose to the surface in a rush. Not ready to have this discussion, she let lust consume her. Mentally she flipped through her arsenal of feminine wiles, pulled out her sexiest come-hither smile, and allowed it to form on her face. Then she reached out and grazed his torso with her nails, beginning with his ripped abdominals, past bulging pectorals, to settle on his rock-hard deltoids.

“Stop trying to distract me. We need to talk.” He grabbed her hands and pushed them down to her sides, holding her in place.

Determinedly Shay wriggled around and kicked with her feet until the covers slid down around her waist. Arching her back to draw his attention to her bare, puckered breasts, she licked her lips and exhaled his name on a sigh. “Rory.”

“No, Shay.”

“Fuck me.”

He growled, and she felt her cream coat her thighs. God, she loved it when he went primal on her. His nostrils twitched, and his eyes began to change, the gold edging out the hazel. To add to the temptation, she spread her legs wide and shifted around under the sheet until even she could smell her arousal.

“We will discuss this,” he stated as he snatched the sheet off the bed and looked down at her naked body.

Shay’s gaze followed his, and she noticed her pubic hair was already glistening with moisture. Only this man had the power to make her this wet without even trying.

Rory stood and yanked down the zipper of his faded blue jeans. The bulbous head of his engorged cock popped out to bob against his abdomen. He snarled as he shoved the pants down his legs. “Don’t think you’ll control me with sex. We will discuss the babe and our future together.”

“Whatever, just get that cock in me where it belongs.”

He planted a knee on the bed. “As long as you realize—”

The phone rang.

“Don’t answer,” Shayla commanded, already reaching out to pull him over her.

He glanced at the caller ID. “It’s Alex, probably wondering where we are.”

Loyalty to Kee warred with lust while the phone continued to ring. She noticed the time on the bedside clock. Darn, they really didn’t have time to fool around. The wedding was scheduled to start at six. It was almost three now. Finally she pushed Rory away with a sigh. “Better answer. If you don’t, they’ll keep calling.”