Highland Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Read online

  He picked her up, squeezing her tight against him and burying his face in her shoulder. “Gods, how I’ve wanted to hear that.”

  She squeezed him back, feeling a sense of belonging she hadn’t had in a very long time.

  #

  Lachlan put his knee on the bed and gently lowered his tough-as-nails mate to her back then settled himself on top of her. The feel of her against him, underneath him, was enough to drive him crazy. He captured her lips while he struggled to keep himself under control.

  Sliding her hands under his shirt, Keira stroked the bare skin of his back. Lachlan deepened the kiss, loving the feel of his mate touching him. He reciprocated, pushing her shirt up to reveal the paler skin of her stomach then laying kisses against it. He slowly pulled her shirt higher and higher, giving himself a little tease instead of baring her all at once.

  “I like your body,” Keira murmured against his lips.

  “I think that’s my line.”

  He felt her mouth smile under his. “It’s mine now.” She squeezed his back with her hands.

  Lachlan pulled her shirt a little higher then brushed his mouth across the underside of her bra-clad breast. He kissed it again and again, moving toward the center until he finally buried his face between her breasts. When he’d had his fill, he pushed her shirt up until her entire chest lay exposed and then he traced his finger along the top of one breast at the bra line.

  “I’m not much for lingerie,” she said.

  “I hope you’re not apologizing. I like seeing you in your skivvies, whatever they look like.” Hers were white cotton, serviceable. He loved the way they hugged her curves.

  “Don’t men like lacey, frilly things?”

  He kissed her cheekbone. “Women think men like lacey, frilly things. Men like naked things and things that barely cover naked things.”

  She chuckled.

  “But right now, I’d like you to take it off.”

  “I’d love to. But you’re kind of pinning me down.”

  Lachlan grumbled playfully as he climbed to his feet and pulled Keira to hers. She reached behind herself and unclasped the bra which loosened tantalizingly. Then instead of merely pulling it off, she pulled the straps down her arms holding the cups in place until the only thing holding the bra was her hand.

  “Let go,” Lachlan said.

  She cocked her hip, in one instant going from a tough, hardened fighter to a coy, flirtatious lover. “What’ll you give me?”

  He stepped forward. “A hundred kisses.”

  “Where?”

  Gods, he loved this side of her. “On those sweet, pert breasts of yours, and lower, on your delicious little clit.”

  “Delicious?”

  “Delicious. And I plan to lick it on a regular basis.”

  She moaned deep in her throat. “Sounds good. All right.” Slowly, she pulled the bra cups away from her body, revealing the curves of her breasts then skin, then the dusky edges of her nipples and finally their tips.

  Lachlan couldn’t stop himself from reaching forward and rubbing them. “Beautiful. My beautiful mate.” He pinched her nipples, drawing a gasp from her, then slid his hands down her sides, noting the strong muscles, to hook her pants and tug.

  “They don’t come off that way.” Keira unbuttoned and unzipped her pants. “Now you can pull them off.”

  He pushed, catching her underwear with his fingers at the same time and baring her flat stomach, neat black curls and long, well-muscled legs. He sucked in his breath. “Beautiful.”

  “I’m just me.”

  “You’re perfect.” He grinned. “For me.”

  Keira stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and squeezed. Her skin felt soft underneath his well-used hands and he felt lucky, so lucky.

  “There’s a problem,” he said.

  “What’s that?” Her voice sounded muffled with her face pressed against his chest.

  “I want to be naked too.”

  She tipped her head to look up at him. “That’s not a problem. It’s an opportunity.” And with that, she went after the button on his pants.

  Not to be outdone, he yanked off his shirt and kicked off his boots. As soon as she pulled down his zipper, he joined her in pushing his pants and boxer briefs down to his ankles. “Much better.” He stepped out of his pants, advancing on her. “Now, about that delicious clit.”

  When she reached the edge of the bed she crab-walked backward on it, giving him tantalizing glimpses of her sweet pink pussy.

  Lachlan joined her on the bed, taking one nipple into his mouth and sucking. Moaning, Keira gripped the back of his head. When he’d had his fill, he moved to her other breast, lightly biting the nipple before licking it to ease away any pain.

  Underneath him, Keira moved her hips, spreading her legs enough so he could settle between them. “You’re very good at that.” Her voice sounded hoarse. “Had much practice?”

  He licked down her sternum toward her belly button. “With you, I’m like new fallen snow.”

  She snorted. “Full of it?”

  Laying kisses on her abdomen, he said, “You’re the one who’ll soon be full of me.”

  Keira stroked his hair as he moved even lower, the bottom half of his body coming off the side of the bed. “That sounds so good.”

  Lachlan pushed her thighs wider, revealing Keira’s pussy already damp from arousal. And the scent...Gods, he could breathe her in all day.

  Torn between wanting this first time to be amazing and the overpowering urge to mark her as quickly as possible, Lachlan managed only a few kisses to the insides of her thighs before settling himself in and taking that first long lick of her.

  Keira lifted her hips so he wrapped his arm around them to hold them in place. He was in charge. At least at the moment.

  Then he feasted. He sucked her clit for a moment, just long enough to feel her hips straining against his forearms. Then he moved downward, tongue gliding along the long, smooth stretch of her clit between her labia. Up and down, up and down. At first, her hips relaxed but before long she tensed up again, her muscles beginning to shudder as her breathing became quick and filled with little moans.

  “What are you doing to me?” She gripped the sheets in her fists as her back arched.

  Lachlan didn’t stop to answer her. Up and down, up and down. Her shaking got stronger until she froze, gripped tight, and then exploded into tremors hard enough that he had to hold on or be bucked off.

  Just when he thought she was done, her body would tighten again and another series of shudders rushed through her. He kept at her clit but inside he couldn’t stop the feeling of pride at giving his mate multiple orgasms.

  Finally her shaking died away and she pushed at his shoulder. He knew she’d be overly sensitive right now and needed him to stop so he moved to lie on top of her instead.

  Her eyelids looked ready to droop. “It’s your turn.”

  “That’s right. I finally get to make love to you and bite you.”

  “No.” She pushed his shoulder. It was such a strong, sudden move that before he knew it he lay on his back with her rising over him. “We’re not quite up to that yet.” Then she took his cock in her hand and lowered her head.

  “Lass, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “Of course it is.” Her warm breath brushed his cock when she spoke.

  “I want to last long enough to mark ye, not come like a wee boy having his first blowjob.”

  She chuckled. “I’ll keep it short, then. This time. And you can show me what a big boy you are by holding yourself together.” The look in her eye was pure wickedness.

  “Lass--” Once her mouth closed over him, he lost the power of speech. The moist heat, the strong strokes and the sight of his beautiful mate pleasuring him combined to nearly push him over the edge. He gritted his teeth and held on.

  Keira paused and licked the top of his cock like a lollypop. “How’re you doing?”

/>   “I think we’re about done.”

  “So soon?”

  He sat up. “There’ll be plenty of time later for this kind of fun. Right now I need to mark ye.” As he moved toward her, she moved backward until she lay on her back with him looming over her. “Ready, lass?”

  “Will it hurt?”

  “You asked me that once before, remember?”

  Keira licked her lips. “You said it would hurt for a second and then I’d have the best orgasm of my life. It’s hard to imagine anything better than what I just had.”

  He felt like beating on his chest with both hands. He’d just given his mate her best orgasm ever and he was about to top it. He couldn’t stop the grin spreading across his face. “Exactly so.”

  She slid her legs apart and allowed him to settle between them. “Men.”

  Lachlan captured her lips with his, running his hands over her body. This was it. He felt like he’d waited his whole life for this moment. Releasing her lips, he positioned himself and pushed into her, her wet pussy giving him no resistance.

  Keira groaned. “Is it supposed to feel this good?”

  “This is just the beginning.” He began to thrust, feeling the tension in his body rising with each stroke. “I won’t be able to hold off long, not after you sucked my cock like that.” He kissed her temple.

  “You liked it?”

  “I loved it.” His fangs slid down. He might want to go a little longer but his wolf thought otherwise. His wolf wanted his mate marked. Now. “Ready?”

  Keira sucked in her breath. “Yes.”

  Without missing a stroke, he brushed his fangs along the meaty part of her shoulder. His tongue darted out to taste her, tracing over her skin. Then he settled his teeth where he wanted the bite, his wolf clamoring. He sucked in a breath.

  Then he bit.

  #

  As Lachlan’s teeth slid into her shoulder, Keira felt a moment’s pain followed by a rush of emotion–love, contentment, joy–followed quickly by a sharp tightening of her belly catapulting her into an orgasm so intense she lost track of time, she heard nothing but her heart pounding and saw nothing but the blue-black of eyes squeezed tight.

  Over and over, the sensations washed through her like a monsoon, keeping her in their grip while she tossed in the waves, completely out of control. Even her brain felt like it clenched tight and released, clenched tight and release, awash in inky blackness.

  And then she heard breathing and knew it wasn’t her own. And then she felt a weight on top of her. And then she felt Lachlan’s teeth sliding out of her shoulder.

  Keira opened her eyes and looked into Lachlan’s. There was too much to say and none of it was adequate–‘that was amazing’ and ‘you weren’t lying about that orgasm’–but she went with what seemed best. “I love you.”

  He pressed a kiss to her lips. “I love you too.” His fingers brushed over her wound. “And now everyone will know you’re mine.”

  She should probably feel annoyed by his possessiveness but instead she felt happy to be his. “So how soon can we go for round two? And can you ever bite me like that again or is it a one-time deal?”

  Just as he opened his mouth to answer, her phone rang. She cursed. A couple of minutes earlier and she’d have had a good excuse for ignoring it but not now. It could be Gill.

  She grabbed the phone on the bedside table and curled back into Lachlan’s arms. She didn’t recognize the number but it looked like it was coming from the States. So, not Gill. Keira put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Slayer Keira Harlow?” a man’s voice said. He had a thick Boston accent.

  Not Harris, either. “Not anymore.”

  “We understand you wish to resign. We’d like to make a counter offer.”

  It didn’t escape her that he hadn’t identified himself. Would this be one of those counter offers like ‘come back to work for us or you’ll be swimming with the fishes?’ “And who are you?”

  “Names aren’t necessary. I’m your boss’s boss’s boss.”

  Holy shit. She didn’t know exactly how many layers there were in the hierarchy, but not many more than that.

  “If I understand correctly, your reason for resigning is to mate this werewolf.”

  Keira swallowed. “The Alpha of the UK, yes. I can’t live a nomadic life and be mated to him as well.”

  “This was sudden. Are you sure you’re not under some spell?”

  Keira’s eyes met Lachlan’s. She knew for sure he was listening to every word. “I am under a spell, sir, but it’s a very mundane one. I love him.”

  She heard a breath of air, not quite a sigh, coming from the man. “Very well. We’d like you to continue your librarian duties as much as you can remotely and train to become a handler.”

  Thoughts swirled in her mind. The handlers usually chose the targets. She’d be able to research marks and send her slayers out after truly dangerous dragons. She’d be in a better position to protect the ones who weren’t doing anything wrong.

  And she’d get to keep working. She hadn’t even had time to think about it but without a job, a calling, she’d rattle around this castle and go nuts. Now she wouldn’t have to.

  She looked at Lachlan. “Do you want to?” he mouthed.

  Keira nodded.

  “Then do it,” he whispered.

  She wasn’t sure what she’d expected him to say but at his words she relaxed. “I accept.”

  “Good. Someone will be in touch in the next couple of days. Until then, you’re on leave.”

  “What about my sister?”

  The man was silent for far too long. “Your sister is a special case, one I can’t talk about at this time. Since we’re sure you didn’t have anything to do with her transgression, we’re willing to keep you on.”

  Keira sat up. “Transgression?”

  “That’s all I can say. Thank you for your continued service, Slayer Harlow.” The man hung up.

  Lachlan put his hand on Keira’s back.

  “Transgression?” she said.

  “Try calling her.”

  Keira dialed. “I tried her earlier, before calling Harris, but she had her phone turned off.” Once again, the call flipped to voicemail almost immediately. Keira hung up. “I’ll try her again in a little while.”

  Together they lay back on the bed, curled around each other. “I didn’t get a chance to answer your question,” he said. “What I’ve been told is if I bite you in the same spot again, the orgasm will be just as strong as the first.”

  “Really?” Maybe being a werewolf’s mate had some perks. “Was it a stronger orgasm for you too or just me?”

  He brushed some hair off her forehead. “For me too. Best orgasm I ever had.” They gazed into each other’s eyes. “I love you, lass. I always will.”

  “I love you, too.” She hugged him, resting her head against his chest. With Lachlan’s love, she’d finally found something she hadn’t even known she was looking for...home.

  A steamy werewolf romance from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Tabitha Conall...

  Her Forbidden Alpha

  When North American Pack Alpha Darius finds his mate, Aislinn, at a peace conference with a human supremacist group, things quickly implode and he's forced to kidnap her. The kidnapping takes them to the brink of war and Darius has to make an impossible choice—his love and his sanity, or the lives of his pack.

  Read an excerpt at http://www.tabithaconall.com/her-forbidden-alpha/

  Liulf

  The Mahdrah Ahlee

  (New Scotia Pack, Book 1)

  Victoria Danann

  Copyright 2014 Victoria Danann

  Read more about this author and upcoming works at VictoriaDanann.com

  PROLOGUE

  In Moonlight, Book 4 of the Knights of Black Swan series, The Order assisted with the interdimensional migration of a North American werewolf tribe to help them avert possible extinction. In the process the king, Stalkson Grey, fell in
love with a beautiful cult slave named Luna Rejuvenata. With a demon's assistance he stole her away from the cult that held her and abducted her to another world. Eventually the captive's heart was won and she went willingly to the New Elk Mountain werewolf colony in Lunark Dimension where the wolf people’s ancestors had first settled a thousand years earlier.

  CHAPTER 1

  Even in the best of circumstances, the relationship between humans and werewolves has always been uneasy. The Highlander werewolves used to prosper by stealing from humans. Though the entirety of Scotia was fae territory, the monarchy tolerated the settling of outlying areas by humans. They were allowed to live peaceably and enjoy the proceeds of farm, fish, or timber, but were not allowed to own land. Their very presence, even as non-citizen immigrants, made them the king’s responsibility.

  In the 16th century the fae king, King Aden the Red, solved two problems at once by granting the werewolves a provisional territory of all the lands from Inverness north. For the grant of land, the wolves agreed to cease pilfering from the human villages. The wolves refused to admit to mischief or theft of livestock, but agreed they would not, in the future, find themselves in possession of any cattle, sheep, chickens or temporarily misplaced daughters. Additionally, in exchange for regular deposits of fae treasure, they agreed to protect the northeast of Scotia from invasion by the ruddy, bloody berserkers and other plundering Northmen. That codicil established them as the world’s best paid mercenaries of the time, which only enhanced their reputation as warriors no one wanted to anger. Ever.

  Though a drain on the royal treasury, the fae king counted himself lucky to strike such a bargain since not even Vikings would dispute the supremacy of werewolves when it came to a fight. Their total commitment to winning was legendary. When it came to prevailing in battle, the werewolves behaved as if the idea of self-preservation was alien to them. But truthfully, they weren’t often tested. The ale house poems sung about their prowess, which was thought to be so formidable as to be untouchable, talked about how enemies fled in fear at the sound of their collective war growl. Of course, horses were the first to flee because they were terrified of the wolf people.