Page 44 of Hart's Redemption

I burst out of the foliage and barreled into him. He let out a sharp yip of surprise as the ground came up to meet us. We rolled together, and I danced away right as he lashed out. His teeth snapped on empty air, and I pranced in place, gloating over my victory.

The celebration proved premature, however, when he almost immediately found his footing and rushed me. Air whooshed out of my lungs as we collided and went down. In no universe ever would I be in the same weight class as Elijah. We went down in a heap of fur and teeth. For all my skill in hand-to-hand combat, it was absolutely useless here. I’d been a Lycanthrope for five and a half months. Elijah had been one his whole life. For the first time in a long time, I had to admit I was grossly outmatched.

When we finally came apart, it was only because Elijah relented. While I regained my footing, the other three tussled and snickered accordingly. Back on all fours, I cast a wary glance at Elijah, fully expecting him to give me the same treatment that I’d given him that first run. Instead, he stared back at me, tail wagging, then tilted his head toward the east. My tail wagged at the promise in his eyes, and I let out a short bark to get the others' attention. Then, as a unit, we slipped back into the trees, four gray blurs and one black gliding effortlessly over the forest floor.

We ran and ran until my lungs stopped burning, and a sense of peace washed over me. The moon hovered fat and full overhead, teasing us with glimpses of white through heavy tree limbs. We raced towards it as if we could catch it and pull the massive orb down from the sky. Eventually, the trees gave way to open space, and the pure light fell unhindered around us.

I skidded to a halt and lifted my head. A note of pure elation rose from my chest to touch the stars. As my voice carriedthrough the sky, Elijah’s slightly lower timbre joined it. Then Eric’s. And finally, Tommy and Kale’s. I didn’t know how I knew whose voice belonged to whom, but the knowledge was there just the same, and it feltright.

Our song eventually faded, and I dropped my head to look at Elijah. The light shining back at me in his eyes was everything. I didn’t feel sick, or broken, or out of control. I felt loved. I felt myself.

Kale yipped in impatience, and the moment dissipated, to be replaced by humor. I turned in time to see Tommy nip at his younger brother in rebuke. Elijah and I both huffed a laugh while Eric did a fair imitation of dramatically rolling his eyes at the two’s antics. I walked over and bumped Kale with my shoulder. He looked mildly abashed at his outburst, but I was having none of it. He wasn’t the only one who was hungry.

Chapter 15

Elijah

Idustedofftheleavesclinging to my sweat-soaked body and walked to where Josh had finished transitioning back to his human form. Whether or not he believed it, he was definitely getting better at that. He’d also done incredibly well tonight. The way he’d taken off with Kale and Tommy, then led them on their own miniature hunt had been everything I’d hoped for and quite a bit more. It didn’t even matter that the things they’d been stalking had been myself and Eric. They’d worked seamlessly together, then again when we’d sought a meal. Yes, tonight had gone absolutely perfect, and only one thing could make it better.

“I didn’t realize howling could be so liberating.” Josh reached towards the sky in a long stretch that accentuated his stunning physique. My gaze traveled shamelessly over his torso, down his waist, to his exceptionally long legs. “What are you looking at?”

“I believe I made someone a promise.”

He scoffed and returned his attention to peeling off sticky leaves. “Surely, you’re not serious? We’re not exactly alone out here.”

I walked closer, my fingertips already tingling in anticipation of touching him. “You say that like it changes anything.”

His mouth twisted into a scornful frown. “Elijah.”

“Josh,” I countered, still eating up the distance. At last my hand found his skin, and he shuddered at the touch, just as I knew he would. “What was it you said before? Sex beneath the full moon is kind of the point?” I tugged him closer, and he stumbled into me. I instantly pressed my nose to the tender skin between his neck and shoulder. I loved how his scent pooled there, rich and sweet, earthy and ethereal, and so quintessentially Josh.

“But what if they come looking for us?”

“Werewolves have sex during a run all the time. No one ever bothers anyone. They’re probably still playing.” I nipped at his collar and he sucked in a hiss of air. My lips trailed up his neck until I got to his ear. I pulled the lobe between my teeth and his fingers tightened on my arms as the softest moan slipped free. That tiny sound of want sent my barely contained desire roaring to life. I loved how hungry I was for this man.

“Are you sure?”

In lieu of answering, I captured his mouth and crushed his body against mine. Not even a full heartbeat passed before Josh's hands were in my hair, urging me deeper. Somehow in my haze of lust I managed to get us closer to where my clothes were hidden and the things I’d actually remembered to pack this time.

Josh slipped in the leaves and went down onto the padded earth with a muffled thud. No sooner was he on the ground though than I was back on top of him. I dug one hand into the pocket of my folded pants while I used the other to greedily touch every part of Josh I could reach. He wrapped his legs tightly around me, and I let out a deep groan, digging my fingers into his thigh while I conquered his mouth.

He squeezed my waist, and I pressed him harder into the ground. Nothing beat those damn legs twined around me. I smiled against his mouth and pulled back. Well, almost nothing. I nipped at the sensitive inside of his thigh and behind his knee as I sat back on my haunches. Josh writhed beneath the attention, dropping dual moans of pleasure and impatience. I looked down at him laid out beneath me and it stole my breath away. He was absolutely stunning. His flushed chest heaved as he fought to catch his breath. His lips swollen from fevered kisses. The moonlight that fell in dappled patches, freckling his body.

The tiny snap of the bottle wasn’t even audible over our panted breaths. I watched Josh’s face as I ventured to his eager hole. His eyes widened, then his lids fluttered as I began to stretch him. He dropped his head to the ground even as his body arched into the touch. When it seemed like he was past the point of holding it together, I withdrew my fingers and flipped him over, then buried my full length in a single thrust.

Our dual moans filled the intimate space we’d chosen for our changes. I dug my fingers into his hips then drifted them up his back, brushing away the leaves clinging there. When all that remained was smooth skin, I wrapped an arm around his middle and brought him up so more of us could be touching.

His arm automatically reached back so he could tangle his fingers in my hair, and he pulled me down for a kiss that seemed determined to take everything I had to give. He finally brokeaway with a gasp. Another delicious moan fell out of him as he pushed into the roll of my hips. “That’s it, baby. Just like that.”

The words simultaneously wrapped around my heart and the base of my spine, radiating pleasure that made me want to stay buried inside him forever. If I had my way, I would. Deep down I knew I’d belonged to Josh long before I’d been able to admit it, even to myself. Every moment we were together drove that home.

I tightened my grip on his waist and sank deeper into our connection. “I’m yours.” My lips brushed along the nape of his neck as I buried my nose in his hair. “Say it.”

His body tightened, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to draw blood to prevent myself from coming right then. “I’m yours,” he panted.

I growled. So damn literal. “And you're mine. Say that.”

He whimpered, and his hands fluttered over my hold on him, seeking a purchase he seemed too hesitant to claim.