He could hear her gasping for breath and he knew she was close to coming. He slid up her body, thrusting inside her so hard she whimpered.
He grinned. “That’s two.”
Her golden eyes went wide. It was the hottest fucking thing he’d ever seen, watching her dark eyes turn tawny. She always managed to hold off the change until he was fucking her, letting him watch it happen while he was deep inside her body. He was proud at the measure of control it took to keep the Puma at bay for that long, while at the same time he was desperate to break it.
“Keep your eyes open.” Her lids drooped in a sensuous daze but didn’t close as he pounded into her. She kept her gaze locked on his, her arms and legs struggling futilely against the bonds he had her in. He reached down, stroking her clit with his thumb, snarling in triumph as she screeched. He leaned over her, whispering in her ear. “That’s three.” Her body bowed up, quivering at the force of her orgasm.
She nipped his earlobe as her body settled back onto the mattress and he came, the pleasure so intense it robbed him of breath. He collapsed on top of her, his cheek resting against hers, his whiskers abrading her sleek skin.
One salty tear wound down her cheek to fall against his. “Where are you?”
He lifted his head. Sorrow filled her face, his heart nearly ripping in two at the sight. “Sarah.
Baby.”
Gabe woke up sweating and horny as all hell. He started to whip the sleeping bag open but remembered in time that he was in a tent in the middle of a snowy field. Fuck. If it wasn’t for the fact that so far he loved what he was doing, this job would suck. Part of him wished he’d told James to fuck off and claimed Sarah the way he’d wanted to. The other part knew James was probably right, that it would have been ten times worse to taste Sarah and leave her behind.
He punched his pillow and prayed he’d be able to sleep without any more dreams. James snored beside him, loud enough to rattle the insulated cloth. If I get back to sleep at all.
After about twenty minutes he gave up. Stripping quickly, he unzipped the tent and slipped out into the night. It was fucking cold, but it wouldn’t be for much longer. Shivering, he zipped the tent back up and made sure it was secure before he shifted and allowed his Puma out to run.
His paws dug into the snow, the cold air rushing past his whiskers. It felt glorious to let his Puma out without the presence of the Bear who was training him. He’d have to go back all too soon, but for now he’d allow the night air to wash the dreams of his Sarah away.
Chapter Two
March
Gabe shivered and pulled off his parka. Damn, this last hunting lesson had been harsh. He wasn’t certain he’d ever feel his toes again. “I’m going to call Max, let him know how things are going.”
James waved, hanging up his cowboy hat and heading towards the kitchen of his three-bedroom cabin.
He’d promised Gabe a nice thick stew in return for learning snow tracking.
Gabe hung up the parka and pulled off his snow-encrusted boots, leaving them on the mat by the door.
It had become routine in the last three months. James hated wet floors. The last time Gabe had forgotten to leave his boots on the mat he’d found them in his bed, snow and all.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Max. “Hey, Max.”
“Gabe! How’s it going out in the Montana wilderness?”
“Fucking cold. How’re things in Halle?” How’s Sarah?
“Fucking cold.”
Gabe snorted. “I’m learning some new tracking techniques.” He’d need them in the winter months in New York. He’d be heading there soon with James to spend a couple of weeks. So far he’d been all over the territory he’d be protecting, learning the land in a way only a solitary shifter could. He’d never know it as well as a native, but he’d be able to track the different terrains he’d be dealing with. He’d met the other two Hunters, a young Fox named Desiree Holt and an older Coyote named Edmund Graves.
Both had interesting insights into the areas where they lived. Desiree lived in New Jersey; Graves lived in New York City. Gabe had been surprised when he heard that. Coyotes and Wolves didn’t get along very well. To learn there was a Coyote Pack that close to Rick’s Wolves had startled him. Afterwards James had taken him back to his home in Montana to learn what he called “real snow tracking”.
Gabe’s responsibility would mostly be to the Pennsylvania area, but he’d be called to assist the others whenever needed and vice versa. With luck he’d never need to.
Daniel, the Hunter who’d been killed, had also been a Fox and a friend of Desiree’s. She’d been instrumental in bringing the rogue who’d killed him to justice.
“I even have the secret handshake now.” The amused snort from the kitchen let him know James could hear everything. “I can call in the other Hunters if someone like Rudy ever shows his snout in Halle again.” The growl from the other room reminded him of his place. “Or anywhere else in Pennsylvania.”
“Good. Adrian and Sheri want you to call them, by the way.”
“Will do.” He didn’t know them well enough to miss them yet, but he and Adrian had developed a rapport that would only grow stronger with time. Before too long he expected his relationship with Adrian would be similar to the one Max shared with Simon, his Beta.
“And Emma says bring her back something, but make sure it doesn’t have antlers or fur.”
Gabe laughed. Emma was a riot. “Taken care of.” He’d already packed a Kachina doll for the Curana in his luggage for when he returned to Halle. He’d picked it up in Arizona, the current seat of the Senate.
“How’s Sarah?”
Max sighed. “I’m not sure. She knows what you’re doing, but I think she’d feel better if you’d call her and talk to her.”
“I have.” Many times. Sarah understood what he was doing but was hurt when he wouldn’t tell her where he was. He couldn’t, by shifter law, tell her where he was while he was in Arizona. The Senate’s compound was highly restricted. Only those on Senate business were allowed in or out. Sarah wouldn’t have been able to be with him there even if she knew where it was. Knowing that had eased some of it, but her frustration was slowly building. He could hear it in her voice every time he spoke to her.
Then he’d been sent to help hunt down the rogue in New York. He hadn’t been able to call until the man was captured and brought to justice. He’d proven to himself that he really did have what it took to be a Hunter. The pride he’d felt at his accomplishment had spilled over when he’d gotten hold of his mate afterwards. Even so, he’d kept to what James had told him, calling Sarah only after he’d left the area. If he’d seen her he’d have claimed her. After all these months of mate dreams nothing would have stopped him.
The one time he’d managed to get an entire week in Halle she hadn’t even been there. She’d made other plans for the holidays, assuming that he’d be too busy to make the trip to Halle. They’d both been upset by that. If he’d known she’d make other plans he would have told her a lot sooner that he was coming to visit. Hell, who was he kidding? He’d had every intention of marking her ass before an hour in Halle had passed. But he’d decided to surprise her, and instead the surprise was on him when she wasn’t even there.