I licked at her lips, biting at them, devouring them, and then licking them again. I slipped my tongue inside her mouth, stroking the depths, finding her tongue and tangling it with my own. Her moans pushed me higher, causing my fangs to drop as I mapped her body with my hands. From her shoulders, down her back, over her leather-clad ass. Grasping the firm, round globes in my hands, I pulled her up into me, rubbing my cock against her. A deep shudder ran through me as I felt her hands slide up under my shirt, her nails raking across my back. I was so fucking hard, I hurt.

  Pulling back, I groaned her name. Sliding her thin leather coat from her shoulders, I threw it toward the chair, her shirt soon following. In seconds, her bra was off, and her light pink nipple was in my mouth. I felt her hands in my hair, holding me tightly against her breast as I licked and sucked.

  “Griff!” she cried out, her fingers sliding into my hair, holding me to her. “Please!”

  My breathing was harsh, as I rasped around her nipple, “Please what?”

  My hands were at her waist, moving to slide her pants down over her hips, taking her underwear with them. I wondered briefly if they matched her dark red, silky bra I’d removed seconds before, but didn’t take the time to check. I wanted her naked, her skin against mine, my dick sliding in her hot, wet pussy. Everything else could wait.

  I went to remove my jeans, but Shyla’s hands were already there, sliding the button through, the zipper down, and my pants off. “Fuck,” I snarled, realizing I still had my boots on.

  Shyla grinned, kneeling down in front of me, my cock waving in front of her face. “Let me help you,” she breathed, and then I saw her lick her lips at the pre-cum that appeared on the tip of my cock. “Mine,” she growled, right before her tongue shot out to lick it off.

  “Shyla!” Her name was torn from my throat as my dick jerked, more pre-cum emerging. She licked at it greedily, her hands going to the laces on my boots, making short work of them. Soon, she was sliding them off, along with my pants. I wanted to be inside her, but before I could lift her up, she covered my cock with her lips, sliding her hot mouth down over my length, encasing it in heat. “Fuck,” I roared, sinking my hands into her hair, holding her still for a moment. She looked up at me, and I could see the little smirk on her lips. “Baby, I’m not going to last long if you do this.”

  Her green eyes darkened even more, and she slowly slid her mouth back up, licking the head of my dick, and then sliding back down, once more covering me in heat. I let her do it a few more times, but then I couldn’t take anymore. Grasping her hair, I pulled her head back, my dick popping out of her mouth as she grinned up at me. “You’re gonna pay for that,” I promised, leaning over to scoop her up in my arms, laughing as she began to squirm.

  “Griff, put me down. I’m too heavy.”

  Covering those soft pink lips with mine again, I quickly made my way over to the bed I’d used the night before, laying her on top of it. “You are fucking perfect, Shyla,” I told her, my gaze raking over her body. “Just perfect.”

  I saw her chin tremble, but then the most beautiful smile graced her lips as she held her arms out to me. It was an invitation I wasn’t going to pass up. Getting on the bed, I crawled over her, holding myself up on my arms. I stopped, knowing my cat was in my eyes, as I growled, “I want to claim you, Shyla. I know it’s fast, but I don’t want to wait.”

  “So, don’t,” she whispered, sliding her hands over my shoulders and twining them around my neck. “We’re both shifters, Griff. We know this isn’t something we can fight.”

  I paused, frowning down at her. “I don’t want you to think like that, sweetheart.” I didn’t, I realized. I wanted her to want me because she did, not because her cat did, and not because of our shifter genes.

  Shyla gently ran a hand over my head, then down the side of my face to rest on my jaw. “I want you to claim me, Griff. Everything else will work itself out.” When I still hesitated, she leaned up and kissed me. “Do it, Griff. I need you.”

  When she wrapped her legs around my waist, making my dick rub up against her wetness, I was gone. I couldn’t fight it anymore. She was right. We were shifters. It would all work out in the long run. I wouldn’t accept anything less. She was mine, and I was never letting her go.

  With a deep growl, I found her entrance with my thick, straining length, and began to push inside. Shyla accepted me, slowly, inch by inch. Soon, I was all the way in, surrounded by her wet heat, struggling not to come like a fucking teenager. Burying my face in her neck, I breathed in deeply, hoping to calm myself. Instead, it just made me harder as her scent soaked into my lungs.

  I started to move. I tried to go slow, but she was making soft little mewling noises that turned me on so much, soon I was pounding into her hard and fast. She cried out, unwrapping her legs from around me and digging her heels into the bed as she tilted her hips up and met me thrust for thrust. Sweat beaded on my forehead and my gums ached as I moved my mouth over to her shoulder.

  “Fucking do it,” Shyla snarled, digging her fingers into my head and pushing my face into that soft skin that was calling to me.

  Opening my mouth wide, I sank my fangs into her, just as I felt her own teeth clamp around my shoulder. I growled deeply, as my balls pulled up and my whole body stiffened at the same time her walls clamped tightly around my dick as she came. The orgasm that rocked through me was like nothing I’d ever felt before, and I let out a roar as I shot inside her, claiming her not only with my bite, but also with my seed.

  “Mine,” I growled, licking at the mate mark I’d left on her shoulder, my hips still moving as I finished inside her hot depths.

  “Mine,” she moaned, her own tongue licking at the mark she’d left on me, sending fire shooting to my dick again.

  Finally, after several moments, I slid out of her and slipped from the bed. When she whimpered softly in protest, I smiled. “Be right back, baby.” Grabbing a washcloth from the bathroom, I made quick work of cleaning her up before pulling the covers back and having her slide under them. Laying down beside her, I pulled her to me, stroking her hair as I kissed her forehead gently.

  At first, I thought she had fallen asleep, then I heard her whisper, “What did I do?”

  8

  SHYLA

  My head rested on Griff’s chest as he held me close, our legs intertwined. It should have been one of the happiest moments of my life, finding and claiming my mate, but all I could think about after the fact was how he didn’t know me. Didn’t know the things I’d done since being kicked out of the only real home I’d ever really had. What if he couldn’t accept me after he found out? I hadn’t thought of that when I was begging him to bite me, dammit.

  “Talk to me, Mate.”

  I swallowed hard, my hand sliding over the smooth skin of his stomach to rest on his chest over his heart. What if he hated me?

  “Shyla, please, tell me what’s wrong.”

  Sighing, I lifted up so that I could look him in the eyes. He deserved the truth about who he was mated to. Deserved to have me face him as I broke the news to him. “I should have told you this before we bonded, Griff. I’m sorry.”

  “Told me what?” he asked, running a hand gently down my hair. “Shyla, you can tell me anything.”

  Tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them fall as I whispered, “I’m not a good person, Griff. Not really.” When he raised his eyebrows as if waiting for more, I shrugged. “My stepdad kicked me out of the house when I was fourteen. I’m not really sure why, but I must have done something wrong since I haven’t spoken to him or my mom in the past sixteen years. I tried. I called, so many times, always leaving messages. Until they changed their number. I used to be close to my mom, so I must have done something really wrong for her to not return my calls.”

  “Their loss,” he growled, wrapping my thick hair around his hand and holding me still as he placed a kiss on my lips. “They are the ones in the wrong. Who the hell kicks their kid out at fourteen?”

  I wanted to believe him, but I couldn’t. “I did things I’m not proud of after that. It started out with stealing. First it was food because I was so hungry, my belly ached constantly with emptiness. Then, it was money, or things I could sell for money. It was cold. I was freezing, and needed clothes, shoes, a place to stay.”

  “Shyla, stop,” he growled, cupping my cheek and making me meet his gaze. “You did what you had to do to survive. That isn’t on you. That’s on your parents.”

  “There’s more,” I whispered, swallowing hard. He waited patiently for me to continue, tilting his head to the side as he watched me intently. “When I was around eighteen, I began to realize that I had a gift for finding things. I was really good at it.” Biting my lip, I looked away from him. “Really good. It didn’t matter what it was. Information, an object, a person. At first, all I did was find them, and I got paid decent money for it, but then it started becoming something… more.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Let’s just say I skate on the edge of the law, Griff,” I whispered, lowering my head to look at his chest. “Dipping below the line on occasion. Sometimes, way below that line. I’ve done so many things I’m not proud of, but most of them I wouldn’t change.”

  “What are you getting at, Shyla?”

  I had to tell him. There was no other way. Stiffening my spine, I raised my head and looked him the in eyes. “I’ve killed before, Griff. Many times. All evil bastards who hurt others, but I am still responsible for their deaths. There are people out there, family of those whose lives I’ve taken, who would come after me in a heartbeat if they knew.”

  Griff’s eyes narrowed on me, and he said gruffly, “Shyla, you just shot and killed at least five men that I know of at the bar. Did it look to you like I gave a shit?”

  I paused, my tongue sneaking out to wet my lips as I thought about what he’d said. “No,” I murmured.

  “I’m a member of an MC, a fucking enforcer, Shyla. We steal, we sell illegal weapons, you saw me tear out Mad Dog’s throat myself.” When my mouth opened slightly and I struggled with what to say to that, he growled, “You are a fucking survivor, Shyla. You did what you had to do over the years to survive.” When I licked my lips again, his eyes heated up and his tone turned to a deep growl. “You are a survivor, and you are mine. I protect what’s mine. I don’t give a fuck what you did in your past. If any of those bastards come after you now, I will eliminate them. Plain and simple.”

  I sat up, throwing my leg over his waist, and leaning over him to place my hands on the bed beside his head. “You really mean that, don’t you?”

  “Hell yeah, I do,” he growled, his eyes going to my lips again. Grasping my hips, he moved me down so that the tip of his cock teased the center of my pussy that was already wet with need. “And, I will spend the rest of our lives proving it to you.”

  I moaned as he slid inside me, gasping his name loudly, wondering how I’d gotten so lucky.

  “We better make this quick,” he rasped, slamming his hips up to bury himself deep. “Brady will be back soon.”

  I grinned, moving my hands to cradle my full breasts. I began to move, playing with my nipples as I moaned loudly.

  “Jesus, baby.”

  I cried out when I felt his hand go to my clit, pushing on it and then I lost my breath as he began rubbing it in quick circles. My cat pushed to the surface, my fangs punching through my gums as my eyes went to the mark on his shoulder. “Mine,” I snarled, leaning down to sink my fangs deep.

  Less than an hour later, Brady was back with food for us. This time, when Griff pulled me down on his lap, I went without complaint. My cat purred contently in my chest as I nibbled on a fry, my thoughts on my sister and how we were going to get her free of the coyotes who had her.

  “So, what kind of cat are you?”

  “Don’t be a dick, Brady,” Griff said, taking a big bite of his cheeseburger.

  Brady shrugged, digging into his own as he watched me carefully. “She’s family now. She can tell me.”

  “It’s okay,” I said, laughing softly. “I’m an ocelot.”

  “So, like a house cat,” Brady drawled, and I saw the mischief in his eyes. I felt Griff stiffen beneath me, but I didn’t think it was because of what Brady said. I could tell he was teasing me, so Griff had to know that, too.

  I pretended to bare my fangs at him, as I teased back, “Look out, Demon, us house cats have claws and can be quite feisty.”

  He laughed, a rusty sound that made me think he didn’t do it often and seemed to even surprise him. The hand Griff had on my hip tightened, and he whispered in my mind, Thank you, sweetheart.

  I looked over at him in surprise, sending him a questioning look.

  My brother doesn’t laugh. Ever. Not since he saw our mother killed.

  By Mad Dog. I remembered that being said at the bar earlier, now. How could I have forgotten that Griff and his brother had been just as affected by the Lycaon Wolves as I was?

  Yes.

  I want to kill him again. Unable to contain the growl that built in my chest, I shoved a fry into my mouth, almost choking on it.

  “Thanks,” Brady muttered, taking a drink of his soda. When I looked over at him, unsure how to reply, he said, “For caring. I think I’m going to like having a sister.”

  I glared at him, grabbing another fry and ordering, “Stay out of my head, asshole,” before popping it into my mouth.

  He laughed again, but suddenly his eyes went black, and I knew his cat was showing as he pulled out his huge ass hunting knife and stood. That was when I heard the rumble of several bikes heading our way. I gasped, sliding from Griff’s lap, my hand going to the Glock that was once again strapped to my thigh.

  “That’s a lot of fucking Harleys,” Griff growled, holding his hand out to me. Not thinking twice, I gave him my Glock, and grabbed the other one at my hip.

  “Holy shit,” Brady said in awe from where he stood by the window, before slowly sliding the knife back into its sheath. “It’s our guys.”

  “What? I thought only a few were coming?”

  “Guess not. It looks like the entire fucking crew.” Brady looked over at me, nodding slowly. “Makes sense. They want to help your mate, too. Family sticks together.”

  I didn’t know what to say as I slowly put my Glock back into the holster at my hip. I felt those damn tears flooding my eyes again as I followed Brady and Griff out of the room and into the parking lot where what had to be over twenty bikes were pulling in. They were all there for me. It had been so long since I’d had anyone to lean on, anyone to help me with… anything. I didn’t know what to do. What to say. So, I stood there mutely, watching as they all parked their motorcycles and then came over to stand in front of us.

  Griff slipped an arm around my waist as he handed the Glock back to me, and I blushed as I slipped it back into its place on my thigh. I looked back up to see a tall man with clear blue eyes and raven black hair watching me in amusement. I knew who he was without even seeing the patch declaring him president of the club on his cut. Wraith. The corner of his mouth turned up into a small grin and he cocked an eyebrow. “Doesn’t look like you need our help after all.”

  I held his gaze for a moment, before I looked around at all of the club members surrounding us. I felt Brady move closer to me, as if protecting me, and felt a catch in my throat at the thought. All of these men were there for me. To help me find my sister. This was what having a family felt like. Reaching over, I slipped my hand in Brady’s, squeezing it gently as I leaned into my mate. “My sister does.”

  Wraith nodded, his eyes going to where I held onto Brady, then coming back to me. “You and Shadow have completed the mate bond.”

  It wasn’t a question, but I answered it, anyway. “Yes, we have.”

  “You’ve accepted Demon into your family?”

  That was a strange way of putting it. “They accepted me into theirs,” I finally said quietly. “I didn’t have a family before. Now, I do.”

  “Your sister?”

  “I’ve never met her,” I admitted, lifting my chin slightly. I decided to just lay it all out for the entire club. They had a right to know, after everything they were doing for me. “I just found out she existed when she was kidnapped from a place owned by the Lycaon Wolves. My mother called me because she knows that I’m good at…” I paused, “well, finding things. It’s my gift.”

  “Her parents kicked her out at fourteen,” Griff growled, his arm tightening around my waist.

  “I’ve been alone ever since,” I said, bowing my head for a moment. Taking a deep breath, I raised it again to look at all of the Dark Leopards crew. “I may not know Avery, but she’s still my sister. I can’t leave her with the coyotes who have her now.”

  “Fucking coyotes,” a huge beast of a man snarled, his dark eyes full of rage. “Worse than the fucking wolves.”

  “Don’t worry, Big Bry,” another man, this one not quite as tall, but just as big said. “You’ll get your chance to fuck them up.”

  “Hell, yeah! We’re going to eat those fuckers for dinner.”

  My heart filled as all the men shouted their agreement, and a tremulous smile crossed my lips. “Thank you. All of you.”

  9

  SHADOW

  “Shadow and Demon will infiltrate the house and find out where they’re keeping Avery,” Wraith ordered in a hushed tone, “while the rest of us surround it and start picking off these coyote fuckers.”

  “I’m going in, too,” Shyla hissed quietly, lifting her chin and glaring at Wraith, as if daring him to deny her.

  “I know you want to be in there, little one, but Shadow and Demon have a gift. One that helps them communicate if they get in trouble without alerting everyone around.”

  “A gift I share with them,” Shyla argued stubbornly. “I’m going.”

 

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