Claiming Her Heart Read online

  EIGHTEEN

  Julian

  Colors and light. They inundated me the second Angelita’s teeth broke my flesh. My body practically exploded through an orgasm that seemed endless, my hips thrusting almost mindlessly as she rode me through the endless waves of sensation. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak… The only thing I could do was hang on to her and feel the pleasure ricocheting between us.

  But then something other than pleasure hit me. Something that felt like…her.

  “Leelee,” I gasped, my head thrown back and my body arching. Fuck, Angelita seemed to be just as far gone as me. Snapping her hips back and forth, her moans loud and long. Her pussy squeezing the life out of my cock. Too long, it lasted. Exhausting me.

  Fuck, she’d claimed me, and now I needed to do the same.

  Weak but recovering quickly, I rolled her over, diving down the mattress to settle between her thighs. I needed a few minutes, just a little time to give my cock, and I knew exactly how I wanted to spend them. Angelita chuckled when I dug my fingers into her thighs, at least until I licked over her clit—then she gasped and grabbed my head to guide me. I fucking loved it when she did that. I attacked her pussy, licking over the flesh, sucking on her clit, pushing her toward her orgasm. Toward when I would claim her as mine.

  Rebel had told me all about claiming bites, had instructed me on how to handle it once Angelita was ready and what I would need to do. He’d been like a father in that aspect, but some of the other Breed members had been more like big brothers. They’d given me all the dirty details. How the orgasms during the bite were the most intense—a fact I’d already verified. They’d also explained how a man should place his bite mark in a place so other men knew his female had been claimed. I’d secretly picked my spot the very first time I’d ever felt Angelita’s soft, bare thighs. Long before I’d ever actually gotten her naked.

  “Here.” I circled a spot high up on her thigh. The little divot that I knew was from her time in captivity. A scar that reminded her of the worst part of her life—one that I wanted to replace with something good. A new memory. “I want my bite to be here.”

  Angelita grabbed my hair, pulling me closer. “Wherever. Just do it.”

  I chuckled, kissing my spot before zeroing back in on her clit. “I don’t think you’re ready yet.”

  She huffed and arched, tugging on my hair. Directing me. “Please.”

  “Since you asked so nicely.” I wrapped my lips around her clit and sucked, thrusting my fingers deep inside her at the same time. Angelita released a hoarse cry before stiffening up, which was my cue. I dove lower, grabbing her knee and pushing it up and out. Opening her for me. And as she came, as she screamed my name and her muscles locked down, I bit her.

  Her entire body jerked, her cry deepening, growing louder. Sustaining as she shook beneath me. Her pleasure washed over me, reverberating through my body, causing me to come again without a single touch to my cock. Both of us sparking off the other. Joined in that moment. And when she finally came down, when her muscles relaxed, she yanked me by the hair to slide up the length of her body.

  “We’re mates,” she whispered before dropping a soft kiss on my lips.

  “We’ve been mates. It’s just official now.”

  “I like official things.”

  My silly girl. “Me too.”

  She cuddled into my arms, tucking her head beneath my chin. We still needed to deal with changing me, but I knew that would be hard for her. Angelita feared losing me, and I could understand that. Hell, after the night we’d had, I’d lived such fear. So I gave her the time she needed, stroking her naked back and breathing her in to stay calm.

  But eventually, my relaxed mate grew tense no matter what I did. It was time.

  “Are you sure about this?” she asked, her voice soft and slightly husky.

  “Yes.”

  “There’s no turning back. Once I bite you to turn you—”

  “I know. I want it. I want to be able to stand beside you as an equal.”

  Her breath shook on her inhale. “They took my family, Julian. If they ever come back, if another group decides to repeat that attempted takeover, a human might be able to escape.”

  I rolled her under me, cupping her face. “If they ever come back, I want to fight by your side, not run. If you can’t escape, then neither will I. Live or die…we do it together.”

  Wetness met my palm, her tears falling as she cried silently. Something that nearly tore my heart out.

  “We can wait for you to be ready,” I said, even though the words killed me to speak.

  But Angelita shook her head. “No, we can’t. I may never truly be ready, so tonight is as good a night as ever. So long as you’re prepared.”

  “I am.”

  She sighed before pushing me off her.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Calling for backup. We’ll do the turning bite alone, but I want others close just in case.” Something silky and smooth landed on my lap. “Put something on in case they have to come in.”

  Once I tugged my basketball shorts into place, I lay back, keeping an arm around her hip as she called Rebel and Bez, Charlotte and Sariel, Scarlett and Shadow. Our friends and family. Our support system. Damn, were we lucky to have them in our lives. No matter how tough they’d been on us, how restrictive at times, I knew they’d show up.

  “They’ll all be at Rebel’s if we need them,” Angelita said as she completed her last call. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “This can’t be undone. It’s forever.”

  I traced the indentation from my teeth on her thigh. “So is this.”

  Angelita grabbed my hand. “Okay. Then sit up.”

  She slipped behind me, cradling me in her thighs. Her breasts pressed to my back beneath what felt like a cotton shirt, and her lips found the back of my neck. One kiss, two. I took a deep breath and clutched her hand against my chest.

  “I love you, Leelee. We’re doing this together, just like everything else. You and me. Forever.”

  Her forehead landed against my spine, and her breath hitched before she whispered, “Forever.”

  .

  * * *

  Angelita

  He wanted forever with me. He always had, and if the gods and fates allowed it, he always would.

  Rebel had been very clear on what to do. Where to bite to give him the best likelihood of coming through the turning without any issues. I’d known the rules for years, had been reminded of them countless times because Julian was human and therefore a bit more fragile than me. I’d always thought I’d be prepared for this.

  I was so not prepared.

  But I felt Julian’s breaths, felt the warmth of his body against mine. He trusted me, and I couldn’t let him down. So I took a deep breath, zeroed in on the spot where I’d bite, and let the memory of Rebel’s words guide me.

  “Julian?”

  “Yeah?”

  I allowed my wolf to push forward, fur sprouting over my skin as I shifted to some sort of mixed-up creature. Half human, half not. Thank the fates Julian would never see me like this, for it had to be one hell of a scary sight. My muzzle lengthened, and my teeth grew longer, sharper. More predatory. Claws ripped through my fingertips, making me wince at the prolonged sting, but this was required. I had one shot to do this right, and I wouldn’t fail him.

  Still, as I pressed my wet nose against the nape of his neck, I growled a rough, “I’m sorry.”

  He froze for just a second before I surrendered to the animal inside of me, biting him hard right at the top of his spine. He jerked and yelped before sprawling backward against me. Unconscious.

  “It’s done.” I spoke loudly, knowing the people I needed most at that moment—other than Julian himself—were right outside the door. The whole being at Rebel’s house thing had been a bit of an exaggeration. One last lie to protect him.

  Rebel came through the door first, his worried eyes running over Julian be
fore meeting mine. “Everything okay?”

  How to answer such a question? I supported Julian as his body fell onto the mattress, then I got to my feet beside it. “I think so. I don’t… I’ve never…”

  And then I broke. I sobbed, tears falling and chest heaving. My mate, my love, my Julian looked dead as he lay still and silent. Strong arms wrapped around me, but not Rebel’s. Bez’s, and he pulled me into a hug that nearly crushed me.

  “He’ll pull through this. We’ll make damned sure of it.”

  Rebel rested a hand on my arm. “Absolutely. We even have a witch with us in case something goes sideways.”

  “I guess I’m the plus one at this party.” Scarlett ran her fingers over my cheek before holding her hands out toward Julian and closing her eyes. She stood silent for a long moment, the only sign that she was working her magic the smell of ozone on the air. “It’s already happening. His human side is dying, but the animal side is strong and taking up the loss. It shouldn’t be too long, though I don’t know much about wolf turnings.”

  “You turned this wolf around just fine.” Shadow came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist before kissing her neck. “A day, maybe two. That’s the norm.”

  “I’d put my money on him coming through tomorrow, then.” She gave me a soft smile. “Anything we can get you? Food? Something to drink? Margaritas would definitely help pass the time.”

  I laughed, pulling out of Bez’s hold and wiping my eyes. “I think I’ll stay sober for this one.”

  “Okay, well—” she looked up at Shadow “—we’ll head back to the cottage to spend time with the girls. Call if you need us for anything, okay? We’re just across the driveway.”

  “I will. Thanks.” I watched them go before taking a seat on the mattress and inching closer to my mate. “Is Charlotte going to come see him?”

  Rebel huffed a laugh. “It took me over an hour to convince her to take the bedtime shift with Eli. You won’t be able to keep her away once he goes down for the night.”

  I nodded, still feeling as if a piece of our puzzle was missing. “And Sariel—”

  “She’ll be here,” Bez said, leaving no room for doubt. “We’ll all be here.”

  “Like a party.” I swallowed hard, fighting to keep the tears from falling. To keep the panic at bay. “So… Tonight should be fun.”

  “Just the eight of us waiting for Julian to wake up and try to kick our asses in his confusion.” Rebel pulled up the desk chair, sitting down hard before kicking up his feet on the edge of the bed. “Should have brought some playing cards.”

  Bez huffed. “The last time we all played cards, Julian and Angelita won every hand.”

  “They cheated.” Rebel shot a wink my way. “Tell him.”

  I shrugged, my focus on Julian. The man who could tell by someone’s breathing pattern if they’d gotten excited. That and the fact that he could hear the rustle of someone squirming in their seat came in handy when playing cards. “We didn’t cheat. Julian’s just that good.”

  And he was.

  And he would be again.

  I just had to stay patient.

  NINETEEN

  Julian

  When Angelita had bitten me the first time, the one to claim me as her mate, I’d thought the colors and light that had exploded in my mind were some of the prettiest I’d ever remembered seeing. I’d been so wrong.

  The pictures that screamed through my head as Angelita bit me the second time? Stunning. Magnificent. Striking. They created entire worlds in seas of blues and reds, brought down from the heavens to sink into a blanket of green. I watched for minutes or hours, lost in their changing patterns. In the way they threw light all across my field of vision. It wasn’t until the brightness faded that the true nature of the gift she’d given me shone through.

  I didn’t just see light. I saw shadows. Shapes. And there, on the edge, stood the figure of a girl I’d know anywhere even though I’d never seen her before. I knew those curves, the attitude she held in every inch of her body. I would know my mate even though a pinkish-purple light bathed her in its vibrant aura. So much more dynamic than anything normal senses could see.

  My God, nothing would ever be as beautiful as my Angelita.

  Time stuttered, stopping and starting as my senses changed course. Colors faded and light darkened, but still, Angelita stood to one side. Always in that same pinkish-purple. Always close. If I strained, I could hear her whispered words, but it took too much energy, so I sought comfort in her shadow and let the changes move over me. She stood guard, it seemed, never leaving my side. Protective of me.

  The first sign that my mind had been invaded by another being was a brush of fur against me. Not on my skin, not outside my body—inside it. I could feel the footsteps of an animal moving within my head. Disconcerting, but something told me not to be afraid. Not to fight him. He and I would be joined for the rest of our days, just like Angelita and I. Might as well start off on the right foot.

  The wolf made himself at home, sniffing through my memories and thoughts. Playing them back like football tape after a big game. Studying the moments. He whimpered when he found the place where I stored the loss of my parents and my sight. Growled at the remembrances of the battle at Merriweather Fields. But when he got to Angelita? To our hours of talking over the computers and all the time we’d spent together? His growl turned needy, his whine desperate. He liked her. He wanted her. Needed to see her with his own eyes and take in her scent. I couldn’t blame him.

  What had to be hours passed that way, long bouts of nothing, and then the wolf would move or sniff out something else to learn. Sometimes quiet words caught my attention from somewhere outside my body, or the colors would light up brighter than before. It never mattered what woke me from my sleep-like state, I always searched out one thing. My Angelita in the bright light. My heart and half of my soul. I always found her.

  My wolf found her too. She riveted him, held his attention like nothing else could. A protective feeling cocooned us when he watched her, a need to keep her close and safe. To bed down with her in a warm den and block out the rest of the world. He and I would get along just fine.

  I sent thoughts to my wolf, ones of yes, ours, and must protect. Random things to know about her, about us. He absorbed all of it, his feeling of impatience growing the entire time. I felt the same—I wanted to get back to my mate. To wake up and tell her all that had happened. To figure out how to shift so the wolf inside me could get to know her in his own way.

  It wasn’t until much later that a voice broke through my fuzzy thoughts clear as day. One I’d follow anywhere.

  “Come back to me, Julian.”

  Angelita. I pushed at my mind, shoving past the haze of my subconscious. It hung heavy and thick, almost wrapping itself around me. Tangling me in its foggy clutches. The wolf jumped in with me, clawing at the tattered edges of our shared world until he dug his way back to crisp, clear reality. Working together for the sole purpose of reaching our mate.

  I came to fast, needing to relieve the fear I’d heard in Angelita’s voice. But when I opened my eyes, I froze. Colors. Still. Not shapes really, not anything as vibrant as what I saw in my head, but definitely something. I’d expected blackness with spots of gray where bright lights shone. Instead, colors bandied about the room, across the ceiling, and down over the edge of the mattress. And still, there sat a shadow of a girl inside a pinkish-purple light. My mate.

  For the first time since he appeared, my wolf worked against me. He wanted me to shift so he could take control, wanted to meet his mate. Thankfully, he listened when I thought wait to him. He didn’t like it, but he took the direction. I made sure he knew he’d get his turn, but first…

  “Leelee.”

  She jumped, her head flying back. That shadow blocked her face, made it so I couldn’t see her features, but I didn’t need to. I knew her. And I loved her.

  “Hey.” She grabbed my hand and leaned closer. “How do you feel?”<
br />
  I couldn’t resist her. I reached up and cupped her cheek, staring at that shadow she threw. “You’re so pink.”

  Her head cocked, and I laughed. That one would need an explanation.

  “Seems to have come through okay,” Rebel said, his voice moving closer. He didn’t glow like Angelita, didn’t cast the same sort of shadow either, but I suddenly knew with a surety I hadn’t felt in ages where he stood. How he moved. “How’re you feeling, kid?”

  “Good. I’m good.” I sat up and stretched, letting my senses take in the rest of the room. The rest of Rebel’s property. The beast inside allowed it…for a little bit. “But my wolf wants me to shift. He wants to meet his mate.”

  “He wanted something, and you were able to hold him back?” Bez. In the far corner, on his feet, resting one shoulder against the wall. The scratch of fabric against drywall gave him away.

  “I didn’t have to hold him back. I told him to wait, and he settled down.”

  “Well, that’s a first,” Rebel said. “You ever hear of that sort of control?”

  Bez grunted. “With mated pairs, sure, but these two haven’t been mated long enough to build their bond up like what I’ve seen in the past. The wolf should have been able to overwhelm Julian without a moment’s pause.”

  I shrugged, still staring at Angelita’s glow. “We have a common goal.”

  Angelita leaned in, the glow growing stronger. Brighter. Happier? “And what’s that shared goal?”

  “Keeping you safe and warm and close. That’s it. It’s all we both want.”

  Rebel sighed. “You two never did do things quite the way we expected.”

  “That they didn’t.” Bez stepped toward the door, a heavy shadow pulling across Angelita’s light as he distanced himself from her. “Call your team. Let’s take these two on a run.”

  “Sure thing,” Rebel said before grabbing my shoulder. “Glad you made it through, kid. Your sister would have had my balls if anything had gone wrong.”