Teeth, Claws, Lipstick

Chapter thirteen

“What’s wrong?” I ask mom, noticing how she stiffens when we reach the front door.

She hesitates before answering. “I’m not... sure. It smells like... another wolf has been here.”

“What, one of Thorntail’s pack?” I raise an eyebrow.

“No... someone else.” But she shakes her head despite her words and continues into the house.

I swallow hard and force myself not to show the sudden unease. It must have been Sawyer – but why would he have been here?

“I’m just going up to my room.” I shout through to mom as she places the groceries on the kitchen table.

“Sure. See you at dinner.” She replies absently.

I bite my lip as I jog up the stairs. I hope she doesn’t look into it – what would happen if she found out about Sawyer? I don’t even want to think about it.

Upstairs I finally pick up on his sent. It’s barely there amongst the other smells radiating from the house – but after being exposed to it so many times, I know exactly what I’m looking for.

In my room, his scent is intoxicating – it’s stronger than my own. I close my eyes and because of the scent, I can almost picture him in my head. Climbing in through the window, walking around my room, stroking his fingers along my belongings.

Rather than being pissed off at him for being here, for touching my stuff – I just allow him sent to envelope me, take comfort in it. I fall flat on my face onto the bed and realise he must have lain there for a brief time.

A faint rustling and I lift my hand, my fingers brushing against paper, folded slightly. I pick it up, roll over and open it.

Meet me at mine at six

– S

I stare at it for a few moments; run a hand through my hair. The thought of seeing him again makes a shiver run down my spine, makes me weak at the knees.

Then I remember today with Hunter and I feel a little sick to my stomah. I choose to ignore it, push it deep down inside me and instead look at my alarm clock. 5:39.

With a small sigh of effort, I climb to my feet and make my way back downstairs. “Mom, I’m just going out for a run. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Not too late honey.” She replies distractedly.

I roll my eyes, knowing for a fact that she won’t be keeping track of how long I’ll be gone for – something that I’m thankful of.

Outside, I take off running. I think about hanging, taking on my wolf form – but I don’t want to. It’s odd – normally I welcome any khanke to be in my true form... and yet today I don’t.

I’m there in a matter of minutes, thanks to my Wolfen speed. I pause outside the small cabin and sent the air. He’s here – I can sense it... but he’s not in the house.

I do a full circle, feeling slightly wary – and then wham! Before I can even process what’s happening something hits me and knocks me down.

I turn, snarling as panic hits me – and then I hear laughter and realise it’s him. He looks down at me, laughing hard. I feel anger bubble in my stomach and I shove him off me hard.

I climb to my feet feeling my cheeks burning with indignation.

“Lyra!” He calls after me, his voice still choking on laughter.

I continue to stalk away, choosing to ignore him entirely. I can still feel my heart yammering in my chest – and I’m sure he can too.

His hand on my arm makes me whirl around, pissed off. “That wasn’t funny.”

He’s smiling, no longer laughing, his eyes one mine. I can feel my anger dwindling away. I swallow hard and cling to it desperately. I glare at him.

He raises a hand and brushes the back of it down my cheek. I feel a faint tingle in response, my skin already burning for him – but I jerk back a little.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. Sorry.” He says quietly – but he doesn’t mean it.

I shake my head, hating how he looks at me, how it makes me feel weak to the core. Finally with a sound more like a groan than anything else, I launch myself at him.

I’m not sure who’s more surprised – me or him. Him most likely. I think he thought I was going to attack him.

His body is tense in his shock at my eagerness, but slowly melts against mine. The kiss becomes intense quickly – and I feel a fire burning in my limbs, my nerve endings sparking and firing with life as I press harder against him.

He stumbles back a few steps, moving in the direction of the small house. Somehow we make it, the kiss becoming messy as we try to devour one another.

Inside, I try to fight the urge to touch him – I try to stop myself from kissing him, but it’s nearly impossible. It’s like there’s some kind of cord between us, yanking one to the other and refusing to let either of us go.

We fall on top of the bed, hands searching one another’s bodies. I want to absorb him into my skin, meld his heart into mine so that we can never separate – be one body, one mind forever.

“I told myself I wouldn’t kiss you tonight.” He grinds out with difficulty, stopping to trail kisses down my neck. “I told myself we’d talk. Properly.”

“Mhmm...”

I can’t form words let alone full sentences. It’s as if my brain is disconnected from the rest of my body. It’s just his touch that controls me, nothing else.

His hands stoke up and down my side, moving with a need I understand, I feel myself. I allow his wandering hands to follow their natural progress and move towards the front of my shirt, cupping my breasts – and bringing a sweetness I can hardly stand.

I gasp loudly when he bites down on warm skin of my neck. The Second Mark. Suddenly I want it; I want him to give it to me so we can be together. No more worrying about him being a Rogue and me belonging to a Pak – we’d be together and nothing else would matter. Nothing.

His slightly sharpened teeth pierce my skin and I moan; the sound more like some wolfen growl of pleasure. I cling to him, my nails slightly sharper as I feel my wolf trying to break free.

My nails pierce the skin of his shoulder slightly and my mouth moves there of its own accord. His blood is sweet, burning hot in my mouth – there’s something deliciously dangerous about it. Something wicked, bad... and I like it.

He stops drinking from me to kiss me again. The mingling taste of mine and his blood fills both our mouths and that heat expands through me. I shove him, knocking him onto his back and move on top of him, pausing to look down at him.

His chest heaves as he gasps in ragged breaths, his eyes slightly drooping – and so beautifully intense.

I run my hands up his chest, loving ever hard line and the moan it brings from him. I lean in to kiss him again when a sudden bang has me ram-rod straight. He sits up instantly and because of the motion I fall off the bed, landing awkwardly on the side.

The door opens and a man walks in, an older, slightly rougher version of Sawyer. I realise with sudden clarity that this must be his dad.

“Dad...” He begins eyes wide as they dart from between me and him.

I stand in one swift motion and almost fall over from the sudden movement. I feel weak as a kitten and it’s not just due to shock. I let him give me the second mark.

My head clearing quickly, I take in the man’s face. It’s a mixture of shock and confusion. And it slowly changes into something I can’t decipher.

“Uh, hi... I’m –“ I stick my hand out but before I can finish the sentence, his face takes on a look of fury.

His head snaps in the direction of Sawyer. “What the hell is going on?”

“Uh, dad – I can explain.”

“What have you been doing with my son!?” He spits in my direction.

I do a double take, blink. “What?”

He takes a threatening step towards me and before I can react, Sawyer is standing in front of me. Now it’s his dad’s turn to do a double-take, as if surprised at Sawyer’s boldness.

“Dad, please –“ He begins but once more his dad interrupts.

“What is going on here? She’s a pack member – I could smell her a mile away.” He sniffs the air. “And the stench in here... you gave her the second mark!”

I feel a coldness slide down my spine when his eyes zero in on my throat. I raise my hand to over it self-consciously, feeling the sticky blood.

“Dad, please just let me talk –“

“No! Get her out of here now!” He shoves his son to the side and Sawyer lands on the bed. I find myself standing upright, refusing to show the fear rioting through me.

“Get out of my house.” He snarls.

“I –“

“Get out and stay the hell away from my son.” He says with more force.

I look at Sawyer to find him standing again. He gives me this look that’s impossible to decipher – and feeling my gut clench painfully, I leave.