Wicked Wolf Page 16
“Fucking bitch,” Finn snarled.
“Language, Finn,” Gina snapped.
“Is this really the time?” he asked incredulously.
“No, but it’s calming me, so get over it.” She looked at Helena then dismissed her to face Shannon. “I’m a witch so you need to watch your tone. I’m not your wolf. I don’t need to respect you. As for who wronged who, we all know what really happened. If you’re in some kind of denial, that will be something we’ll all deal with later.” She looked over at Gideon. “Or maybe that’s something you’ll have to deal with on your own because I don’t really care. Now, about the challenge? I don’t care either. I’ll fight as wolf or as human. We all know I’m stronger. If she tries anything that goes outside the rules, the entire Pack, as well as my brother, are here to judge.” She narrowed her eyes at the elder. “Don’t start a war you can’t win.”
With that, she kissed Quinn one more time, squeezed Finn’s hand, and then strode into the circle.
She was a witch, a wolf, and a woman who loved a man who loved her back. She would one day be the Enforcer and had fought the prejudice of those who didn’t think she was good enough for her blood and didn’t like how she’d come into her powers.
She wouldn’t lose today.
And from the look on Helena’s face, the other woman knew it too.
“Human with claws,” Helena spat. “We’ll fight as human.”
Gina cracked her knuckles and let her claws come through her fingertips. It was a hard shape to keep if the wolf wasn’t strong enough. She didn’t think Helena would be, but maybe the other woman thought she could handle it.
“Good enough for me.” She kept her eyes on Helena just in case the other woman tried something. She wouldn’t put it past her considering her background.
“As humans then,” Gideon said. “Fight fair, and fight tough. Begin!”
Gina dodged right as Helena swiped at her. The other woman growled and snapped, trying to get at Gina, but Gina was faster. Helena clawed at her but Gina rolled out of the way. She used her right arm to grip Helena’s upper arm and pull her close. The other woman screamed then bit at Gina’s neck.
Freaking bitch.
She didn’t want to prolong the fight; she wasn’t a damn cat. Instead, she stepped up, wrapped her hand around Helena’s neck, and flipped the other woman onto her back.
She slid her claws into the other woman’s skin gently, careful not to nick an artery. “Yield,” she growled, her voice low. “You have no say here. You were never going to win. He’s mine. And you know what? He chose me, same as I chose him. Just go away and let us live.”
Helena whimpered then slammed her palm into the ground twice.
The crowed erupted in cheers, and it was the first time Gina had heard them. She’d put all of that out of her mind while she was fighting. Now that the adrenaline was starting to leave her system, she just wanted to get out of there.
“Gina wins. Helena is forfeit,” Gideon yelled.
“Wait!” Shannon screamed.
“Shut up,” Gideon said. “You’ve had your say. Helena, you are hereby banished from the Pack and from the den. You’ve hurt this Pack enough.”
With that, Helena screamed, but Gina didn’t care. Others came to take care of the now banished woman—most likely to just kick her off Pack lands—but all Gina could scent or feel was Quinn as his arms wrapped around her.
“Mine,” he growled before taking her lips.
She pulled away, gasping. “Mine.”
He was hers, for forever and eternity.
Thank the goddess.
Chapter Twelve
Gina’s back slammed into the wall again, and she screamed, wanting more. They’d just made it through the door, barely closing it behind them, when Quinn had pushed her against the wall and licked and sucked at her neck.
“Lock the damn door,” she panted. “I don’t want to be interrupted this time.”
Quinn pulled back and grinned. “Take off your clothes before I shred them.” He stomped to the door, snapped the lock closed, then started to strip. She had her shirt and bra off in the next breath. As she toed off her shoes, she worked on getting her pants off, her hands shaking.
“Next time I will peel you out of your clothes layer by layer and make it slow. Savor every bit.”
She shivered at his words, at his promise.
“This time, though, I want you naked and spread out over my table. I can’t wait anymore.”
She cupped his face and kissed him, tangling her tongue with his. “Goddess, I’ve missed your cock.”
He snorted then picked her up by the waist before depositing her on the table. She sucked in a breath at the coolness on her overheated skin. “You’ve had my cock once, Gina. How can you miss it?”
She rolled her eyes then reached out and gripped his length. He groaned and pumped into her hand. “I want more of you. I need more. Only once wasn’t enough.”
He kept thrusting his hips then lowered his head and kissed her. “You can have me every day for the rest of our lives. How about that?”
“More than once sometimes?” she teased.
He pulled away then knelt between her legs and parted her thighs. “Anytime you want me. I’m yours.”
She opened her mouth to say something then groaned as he licked her pussy in one long swipe. “Goddess help me, I love your mouth on me.”
He hummed against her clit, and she wrapped her legs around his neck, pulling him closer. He kept his hands on her lips and lapped at her, spearing her with his tongue before biting down on her clit. Her breasts ached, and she leaned up on one arm so she could pinch her nipples, needing release. He licked her again, this time growling against her, and she let her head fall back, screaming his name as she came.
Quinn stood up before she came down off her high and entered her in one stroke. “Fuck, Gina. You’re still so damn tight, and I can feel you squeeze me since you’re still coming.”
She licked her lips then reached up to cup his face. “Fuck me. Make love to me. Just do me. I don’t really care what you thought, just be with me.”
He kissed her hard then squeezed her hips in a bruising grip. “As you wish.” He pulled out of her, and she whimpered at the loss. Before she could tell him to return, he slammed back into her, sending her body into overdrive. She gripped the edge of the table so he didn’t knock her off then met his hips, thrust for thrust. Her breasts bounced, and her body ached from where he pistoned inside her, but she didn’t care. She wanted more.
“Goddess, I love you.”
He grinned then went faster. “Love you too, baby.”
He leaned forward as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She kept up with him then moved to cup his face. The movement forced her to slide across the table, but her legs kept her stable. She had to touch him and couldn’t hold back.
He held her close as he moved, pumping in and out of her, bringing them closer together as he rose along the crest.
“You’re my witch, my wicked witch,” he panted.
She met his gaze and let the tears fall at his words. The love in the word that had once hurt her made her fall in love with him all over again. She cupped his face, rocking her hips so she could feel every inch of him.
“You’re my wicked wolf, Quinn. My wolf. My everything.”
He kissed her then slammed into her once more. She came on a rush and felt him come inside her, filling her until they both lay panting on the table, their bodies sweat-slick and spent.
“This is going to be one hell of a ride,” he murmured, holding her close.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said back, knowing it was the truth. They’d mated in the oddest of circumstances, but now they were united and together. She wouldn’t change that for anything. The moon goddess had chosen right, even if Gina had doubted at first. Thank the goddess.
There were times to drool over a sexy wolf.
Staring at her mate across the table du
ring a council meeting was totally one of them.
“If you two are quite done mooning over one another, are we ready to call it a day?” Parker asked, laughter in his voice.
Gina blushed, but Quinn looked unrepentant. “What were we saying?”
Parker rolled his eyes but didn’t stop smiling. “We were saying that we’re ready to set up the next phase of the council.”
“Oh good. Sorry. I’ll pay better attention.”
Quinn coughed, and she kicked him. Jerk. Sexy jerk, but still a jerk.
“So the maternals are working well together then?” Quinn asked, his voice calm. See? Jerk.
“Yes, we’ve had meetings between the Redwoods and Talons to see what kinds of activities we can do together,” Kimberly, the Talon maternal, said.
“And the security runs are going well,” Lorenzo put in. “Nothing too dramatic, but we’re starting to trust each other a bit more.”
“It’ll take time,” Gina put in. “But it’s a start.”
“As for our next meeting, you’re going to need another Talon,” Quinn said, and Gina’s heart warmed.
Lorenzo grinned. “Yeah, since you’re going all Redwood with your mate.”
Gina smiled. She couldn’t help it. Jesse was officially healthy enough to go through the process of becoming a Redwood. It would hurt Quinn when he broke the bond, if only for a moment, but Kade and Gideon would shield Jesse from the pain. It was what they could do for the children. Now Jesse was a little ball of energy running around as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Gina wouldn’t have changed any choices she’d made on the path of Jesse’s health and her mating. It had been rocky as hell, but it was so worth it.
She still remembered the way Quinn and Jesse had become part of her whole family.
Gina had held her breath, praying to the goddess that everything would work out. It wasn’t like either of them could really kill one another.
Right?
Her father had folded his arms over his chest, not blinking.
Quinn had held his arms at his side, apparently trying to look non-threatening.
“You hurt her. I’ll kill you.” Her dad hadn’t smiled when he said it so she’d known it was the truth.
Quinn had nodded solemnly. “Of course. But if I hurt her, she’ll get first dibs at killing me.”
Her dad had smiled then and lowered his arms. Before Gina could hit Quinn for his remark, Kade had lowered himself to his knee to talk to Jesse.
Apparently the whole dominant-male thing where they threatened death made them family.
Who knew.
“I’m going to step away from the council,” Gina put in, and Parker sighed. “I have to. I’m going to be shadowing Adam more and more, and Quinn can take over my spot.”
“I think Max Brentwood, Gideon’s cousin, would be a good replacement for me,” Quinn said. “I’ll ask him and Gideon if the rest of you agree.”
Lorenzo and Kimberly nodded. “We’re fine with that,” Kimberly said. “Though, Gina, we don’t want to lose you completely. After all, you’re a founding member of the Council of the Northwest Packs. You can’t get rid of us that easily.”
“I’ll be around, but I think you guys are on the right track.”
“The next step, of course, is to make sure that other Packs around the United States are on similar pages,” Parker put in.
Gina let out a breath. “We’ve always held the same laws of the moon goddess, but the Packs around the country have never been united before.”
Parker shook his head. “We’re not going to form one Pack between the Redwoods and the Talons, and we sure won’t be doing that with the entirety of the wolf civilization, but from what Kade and Gideon are saying, we’re going to need to find a way to work together. Just in case.”
Something was coming. They all felt it. They just didn’t know what it was. Forming trust and alliances between the two Packs was only the first step. It wasn’t going to be easy and sure as hell wouldn’t be fast, but they’d find a way to ensure the safety of their race.
They were wolves, after all, and they were stronger than most. They hadn’t lived this long for nothing.
In fact, all the wolves were being extra cautious. Helena had been sent off Pack lands, but they would be keeping an eye out for her. She had confessed later that she’d only wanted to come back for the protection. It made sense considering lone wolves were becoming scarcer. It was harder for them to live in the human world without the Pack’s protection. Helena had wanted a home and she had gone about it the wrong way. While Gina didn’t want the other woman to die at the hands of those who might want to hurt her, she couldn’t really put much effort into wanting Helena as part of either Pack.
After they finished their meeting, they said their good-byes and headed outside. Gina leaned into Quinn’s hold, inhaling his scent.
“How does it feel to have finished your final council meeting as a Talon?” she asked as they walked to their car.
Quinn stopped her then kissed her softly. “It feels like I’m with my mate, and that’s all that matters.” He cupped her face and grinned. She loved when he smiled. He hadn’t done it when they’d first met, and now he did it all the time.
“You ready to go home and make sure we’re mated?” she teased.
Quinn’s eyes darkened, and he nipped her lip. “You have the best come-on, witch.”
“What should I have said? Do me?”
“That would have worked too,” he said then picked her up.
She squealed then wrapped her legs around his waist. “I’m so glad I came to that council meeting even though I was scared to death about going.”
Quinn met her gaze and licked his lips. “I’m glad you came as well. No matter what happens with the Packs, it’s you and me. We’ll figure out the rest as we go, but we’re a unit.”
Her wolf nudged at her, content in the arms of their mate. “Forever, my wicked wolf.”
“Forever, my wicked witch.”
Next up in the Redwood Pack and Talon Pack World:
Tattered Loyalties
Sign up for the 1001 Dark Nights Newsletter
and be entered to win a Tiffany Key necklace.
There’s a new contest every month!
Click here to subscribe.
As a bonus, all subscribers will receive a free
1001 Dark Nights story
The First Night
by Lexi Blake & M.J. Rose
Turn the page for a full list of the
1001 Dark Nights fabulous novellas...
1001 Dark Nights
Click to purchase
WICKED WOLF by Carrie Ann Ryan
A Redwood Pack Novella
WHEN IRISH EYES ARE HAUNTING by Heather Graham
A Krewe of Hunters Novella
EASY WITH YOU by Kristen Proby
A With Me In Seattle Novella
MASTER OF FREEDOM by Cherise Sinclair
A Mountain Masters Novella
CARESS OF PLEASURE by Julie Kenner
A Dark Pleasures Novella
ADORED by Lexi Blake
A Masters and Mercenaries Novella
HADES by Larissa Ione
A Demonica Novella
RAVAGED by Elisabeth Naughton
An Eternal Guardians Novella
DREAM OF YOU by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A Wait For You Novella
STRIPPED DOWN by Lorelei James
A Blacktop Cowboys ® Novella
RAGE/KILLIAN by Alexandra Ivy/Laura Wright
Bayou Heat Novellas
DRAGON KING by Donna Grant
A Dark Kings Novella
PURE WICKED by Shayla Black
A Wicked Lovers Novella
HARD AS STEEL by Laura Kaye
A Hard Ink/Raven Riders Crossover
STROKE OF MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
A Midnight Breed Novella
ALL HALLOWS EVE by Heather Graham
A Krewe of Hunters Novell
a
KISS THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
A Desire Exchange Novella
DARING HER LOVE by Melissa Foster
A Bradens Novella
TEASED by Rebecca Zanetti
A Dark Protectors Novella
THE PROMISE OF SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
A MacKenzie Family Novella
FOREVER WICKED by Shayla Black
A Wicked Lovers Novella
CRIMSON TWILIGHT by Heather Graham
A Krewe of Hunters Novella
CAPTURED IN SURRENDER by Liliana Hart
A MacKenzie Family Novella
SILENT BITE: A SCANGUARDS WEDDING by Tina Folsom
A Scanguards Vampire Novella
DUNGEON GAMES by Lexi Blake
A Masters and Mercenaries Novella
AZAGOTH by Larissa Ione
A Demonica Novella
NEED YOU NOW by Lisa Renee Jones
A Shattered Promises Series Prelude
SHOW ME, BABY by Cherise Sinclair
A Masters of the Shadowlands Novella
ROPED IN by Lorelei James
A Blacktop Cowboys ® Novella
TEMPTED BY MIDNIGHT by Lara Adrian
A Midnight Breed Novella
THE FLAME by Christopher Rice
A Desire Exchange Novella
CARESS OF DARKNESS by Julie Kenner
A Dark Pleasures Novella
Also from Evil Eye Concepts:
TAME ME by J. Kenner
A Stark International Novella
THE SURRENDER GATE By Christopher Rice
A Desire Exchange Novel
About Carrie Ann Ryan