24

Lachlan

“Are you sure you’re not running a long con to murder me?”

I chuckle as she clings tighter to my arm, carefully watching the rocky path under her feet. “I told you. There are a lot cleaner ways to get rid of you.”

“Still so comforting,” she mutters.

“It’s not much farther.”

“We couldn’t have taken your Rover?”

“It’s a shortcut,” I tell her. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

She nearly slips on a loose bit of gravel, clutching me tightly as she tries to hold herself upright. “To hell with you,” she huffs. “The damn landscape is going to kill me.”

“Och, lass. But isn’t it beautiful?”

I push a branch out of the way as the setting sun filters through the tree limbs, finally coming into the open air that flutters over the glittering waves of the loch. I hear her breath catch beside me, and seeing the wonder in her eyes—it’s almost like seeing my homeland for the first time. This loch, this shore…it’s often a reminder of everything wrong in my life. It’s a rare thing that I can just stand back and admire how beautiful it is.

“The sunsets here are amazing,” I murmur. I can’t help but laugh softly. “I’ve seen many of them.”

“Lachlan…”

I hear the worry in her voice, and I shake my head. “None of that. We’re not going to think about any of that.” I jostle the blanket that I grabbed from the back of the Rover and is now draped over my other arm. “We’re going to have a sit, and enjoy the sunset, and we’re going to save everything else for tomorrow, yeah?”

I can tell she wants to argue with me, and funnily enough, that knowledge makes me smile. I let her stew as I lay out the blanket on the sand for us to sit, settling down on top of it and patting the spot beside me. She’s still looking at me like she thinks this is silly, like she thinks she should be running off right now to God knows where to try and solve my problems single-handedly—and I think that look in her eyes makes me fall for her, just a bit.

I’ve known her for barely a month, been touching her for far less than that, and it wasn’t very long ago we couldn’t share the same space without sniping at each other. But I think the way we started has only solidified the knowledge that Keyanna MacKay is fiercely beautiful in her determination, and it’s humbling to be on the receiving end of it.

“Come on,” I say, patting the blanket once more. “Sit with me.”

She presses her lips together as she sinks down next to me—no doubt holding back her arguments—and I don’t give her time to think about it, throwing my arm around her shoulders and pulling her against me as soon as she’s close.

“There now,” I say. “Was that so hard?”

“Like pulling teeth,” she mumbles.

I grin as I press a kiss to her temple, content to just hold her for a bit as the sun continues to sink. “I do this a lot,” I tell her.

“What?” I feel her eyes on the side of my face. “Sit out here?”

“Mhm.” I nod idly. “The change starts when the sun passes the horizon, so oftentimes, I come here early to sit and wait. Just to be sure.”

She’s quiet for a moment, her voice soft when she finally asks, “Is it scary?”

“It used to be,” I tell her honestly. “The first time I changed…I was thirteen.” I give her a wry smile. “That’ll be the barn incident Blair and Rory told you about.” I sober, looking back at the water. “My mum had run off to Glasgow to be with her sister when my da disappeared, and I stayed behind to live with my granny. We knew that I would eventually succumb to the curse, and because of that, it seemed too risky to stray too far from the loch. I left after that, though. Moved up to Inverness. Tried my hand at a normal life for a while.” I breathe in deep before letting it out. “I’d tried to connect with my da, but even then he’d forgotten what it was like to be human. He didn’t recognize me.”

“I’m so sorry.”

I shake my head. “It is what it is.”

“Did it work?”

I turn my head, arching a brow at her. “Hm?”

“Living a normal life.”

“Oh. For a bit, yeah,” I say. “My da left me a trust, and since he was presumed dead, it came to me when I turned twenty-one. I didn’t need to work, technically, but I got a job working for a construction company there. I liked working with my hands, see.”

“What about your mom? Did you…” She clears her throat. “Do you two still talk?”

“Sometimes. Like I told Rhona…I think it’s hard for her. She and my da…they were the real thing, aye? Loved each other something fierce. Even after he told her the truth of his curse not long after admitting he loved her…she never wavered in her feelings. It broke her when he never came home. That he was so close and yet might as well have been dead. Plus, I think seeing so much of him in me hurts her. Not to mention knowing that what could happen to him might happen to me.”

“But you’re still her kid,” Key says indignantly. “She practically abandoned you.”

I smile despite everything, hearing that same ferocity in her tone on my behalf. “Aye, you’re right. I don’t blame her, though. Maybe I did once…but not anymore.”

“So why did you come back?”

My brow knits, pulling her closer as fear grips me. I’ve been able to keep it at bay for some time now—but with Keyanna pressed so closely against me, with something to lose literally right here in my arms…I feel it even stronger now.

“I didn’t turn back one night,” I tell her quietly. “I thought the curse had taken me, like it did my da.”

I hear her soft gasp, feel her hand clenching my thigh. “What? For how long? Has it happened again?”

“It hasn’t,” I assure her. “It took two more sunrises for me to come back, and the only reason I didn’t lose it completely is because I still kept my mind. I knew from the times I’d tried to connect with my da that if it was truly the end, I’d be nothing more than a monster. That gave me hope.”

“Why do you think it happened?”

I shrug. “I can’t be sure. It was a stressful time. Work had been grueling, and my mother had an episode…She was in a facility for a while. Lost her head for a bit. I think…I think maybe the stress of it all made it harder to come back to myself.”

She goes deathly quiet, still for so long that I have to shift so I can turn to look at her.

“What is it?”

She doesn’t look at me, staring down at her lap instead. “What if I’m just making it harder for you to keep control? What if I’m somehow accelerating the process?”

“Don’t be daft, love,” I soothe. “You bring me a peace I’ve not had in a long while.”

She tilts up her face then, biting her lower lip. “That’s not going to happen to you,” she tells me, her eyes blazing. “What happened to your dad. I’m going to make sure of it.”

I study her face, reaching to brush my fingers over her cheek. Her lashes flutter with my touch, her lips parting as if in invitation. “Aye,” I murmur. “If anyone can…it’s you.”

Her mouth is soft and open when I lean to cover it with mine, a quiet sound escaping from deep inside her throat as my tongue slips past her lips to tease hers. My palm wraps around her jaw to hold her close, reveling in the softness of her, the warmth of her tongue as it tangles with mine.

I’ve touched her countless times since we first fell into bed together—and with each time I think that maybe this will be the time where the overwhelming feelings she instills in me will settle, where they won’t threaten to overtake me completely, but each time I’m proven wrong. Every time I touch Keyanna, it feels right—like she’s made for me. Like she’s mine.

I feel her fingers creeping under the hem of my sweater, the tips of them tickling my stomach, which clenches under her touch. She slides her palm up over my abs until it glides across my chest, leaving a trail of warmth blooming in the path it leaves behind. She takes me by surprise when she moves lightning fast to straddle my waist, my hands dropping to her arse to pull her tight against me, still ravaging her mouth.

Like this, I can almost feel the beast lurking inside, like it, too, wants to claim her. Like it recognizes that she’s ours. It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to the monster that lurks beneath my skin, and maybe that’s why it feels so much harder to control it when she touches me like this. It takes all my strength to keep it at bay, to make sure that I don’t accidentally hurt her like I did that first time; the thought of hurting her makes me sick to my stomach, actually. It’s something I can’t allow.

Key begins to rock her hips in my lap, and I feel my cock thicken in my jeans, a Pavlovian response to her nearness. I groan as she grinds down against it, the devil woman, feeling her smile against my lips as her fingers slide into my hair.

She pulls back, her pupils blown. “How much time do we have?”

“A bit longer,” I tell her. My mouth quirks. “What…right here?”

“Where’s your sense of adventure?”

I watch with a slack jaw as she tugs her own sweater over her head, dropping it on the blanket beside us and revealing that there is nothing underneath. Her tight, pink nipples are already hard in the chilly air, almost begging for me to taste them.

“You’ll catch cold,” I murmur, staring as my tongue aches to tease them.

She leans in, pressing a kiss to my jaw. “Then you’ll have to keep me warm.”

“Aye,” I hum, rolling us until she’s tucked beneath me on the blanket. “I can do that.”

I cover her body with mine, rising only to help her pull off my sweater and add it to the pile with hers. It’s a flurry of movement as both of us try to shuck off our clothes as fast as we’re able, a thrill coursing between us from being so exposed to the world. It’s highly unlikely that anyone would stumble across us, and honestly, the idea of anyone else seeing her like this makes me a wee bit feral, but still…the possibility of being caught only amps up the desperation.

“So fucking lovely,” I kiss into her skin when she’s naked underneath me.

The softness of her body pressed against mine is a revelation—the way her thighs part to make room for me, the way her hands rove over my skin as if she can’t get enough of touching me—it culminates into an all-encompassing need to have her, setting off a familiar frenetic energy inside that seems directly linked to her touch.

I glide my hand down her belly to dip it between her legs, groaning when I feel how soaked she is. I slant my mouth over hers as I dip a finger inside her, letting that tight heat wrap around the digit, knowing just how good it will feel when it’s my cock.

“Already wet for me, love,” I practically purr. “This pretty cunt was made for me.”

Her arm winds around my neck, trying to bring me closer. “Lachlan.”

“Shh.” I add a second finger, twisting them, curling them to touch that place inside that has her bucking her hips. “I wish there was time to taste you. I love the way you come on my tongue. Maybe tomorrow I’ll wrap your legs around my shoulders and have your cunt for every meal, aye?”

“Stop teasing me,” she huffs.

I pull my fingers free, running them through her slick center in a slow back-and-forth pattern. “Is this not enough for you, princess?” I tease. “You need more than my fingers, aye?”

Her head tilts back and her mouth falls open when I circle her clit with my finger still drenched from being inside her, her lashes fluttering as her breath catches. “Fuck me,” she breathes prettily. “I want your cock.”

“It’s yours, love,” I murmur, pulling my hand away and making room between her legs as my cock teases her entrance. I watch her expression as I start to push inside, the wet heat of her enveloping me like a fist, so tight I could come just from this if I weren’t careful. “All yours,” I sigh.

I feel her nails at my shoulders when she’s taken me to the hilt, and I can’t help but circle my hips, that sensation of being wrapped up in Key one that never ceases to leave me dizzy.

“Och,” I groan, burying my face into her throat. “S’good.” My voice slurs with pleasure. “S’always so good.”

“Move,” she pleads, tilting up her hips as if she might somehow take more of me. “Move.”

The breeze makes the air even chillier than usual, and yet I can feel sweat beading at my hairline, can see it collecting at Key’s temples, no doubt warmed by my too-hot body. I pull her into me to keep her covered when I start to move, rolling my hips as the snug slide of my cock in and out of her makes me tremble all over.

With every withdrawal I can feel her inner walls clinging to me, and when I ease back in, it’s nothing but velvety softness that has me groaning into her throat. I feel her legs wrap around my waist, urging me closer, and I brace my arms against the blanket on either side of her head, rising up so I can watch her face as I start to fuck her steadily. Her emerald eyes are hazy and her pink mouth is parted as sharp breaths puff out of her, and I feel a hot tension licking through my body, almost as if my blood is rushing faster. As if a steady drumming of mine mine mine begins to course through me.

I see her eyes widen then, her pupils dilating as she says, “Lachlan…your eyes.”

Her hand rises so she can run her fingers along my jaw, her thumb brushing back and forth against my cheekbone. I feel my skin grow tighter and my fingers prickle, and when I glance down at my hands, I notice claws starting to sprout from the tips.

I go still, my chest heaving as I struggle to catch my breath. “Key,” I rasp. “I need—” I grit my teeth, shutting my eyes as I try to get control back. “Just give me a second.”

“Oh. Oh.” Her lashes flutter as her head tilts back, a pretty flush spreading up her neck. “I can feel you—fuck. I think you’re getting bigger.”

I clench my fingers as the claws form fully, tearing holes into the blanket beneath us, to watch as I slowly pull out of her. I gape in surprise when I notice my cock has definitely gotten thicker, longer even, maybe—but more noticeable than that…there are fucking ridges protruding down the length of it.

“What the fuck,” I whisper. I snap my gaze back up to meet hers. “Key…this has never happened.”

She reaches between us, wrapping her slim fingers around my throbbing cock and squeezing from the base to tip. I shudder as pleasure courses through me, watching as she presses her teeth against her lower lip, her eyes roving over my body.

“Wow,” she murmurs. “You look…pretty.”

My brow knits at her choice of words, but when I follow the path of her eyes, I notice shimmering patches of dark green scales cropping up on my skin. On my shoulders, my chest, hips…even a line of them running along my pelvis right up to the base of my cock.

“Key, I—” I can do little more than gape, at a loss for words. “I don’t know what’s happening.”

“Do you feel like you’re changing?”

I take a quick assessment, feeling nothing of the usual sensations that rack through me when I start to change into the beast. Instead, there is only a thrumming energy that seems to touch every part of me, feeling more alive than I ever have.

“I don’t…think so?”

She presses her hand flat over the top of my cock, forcing it down so that it slides through the wet folds of her cunt. We both moan at the sensation, and just touching her like this makes it that much harder to regain control. To even find the willpower to want to.

“I don’t want you to stop,” she tells me hoarsely. “I want you.” She gives my cock another squeeze. “Just like this.”

“Key, we shouldn’t—”

She’s already guiding my cock back to her entrance, rubbing the sensitive head there and forcing a groan to fall out of my mouth.

She does it again, teasing herself with me. “Do you want me?”

“You know I fucking do,” I grind out.

I feel her other hand cup my nape, pulling me down for a kiss. “Then take me,” she murmurs. “I can handle it.”

“Key,” I whisper. “What if—”

She covers my mouth with hers, kissing me deep before she says, “You won’t hurt me. I trust you.”

And when she slicks the head of my cock once more against her drenched opening, I lose any remaining will to protest.

I slide inside her, going as slowly as I’m able even though everything in my entire body is screaming at me to slam into her with everything I have, but she’s so much fucking tighter now. It’s almost unbearable how tight she is. The ridges on my cock press against her inner walls, and her thighs quiver around my hips, a sharp gasp tumbling out of her.

“Oh, fuck.”

“Key,” I groan. “S’like you’re fucking stuffed full of me. You’re strangling my cock.”

“Feels good,” she huffs. “Keep going.”

Her hand slides across the scales on my shoulder, and the skin there feels more sensitive, sending sparks of pleasure along them. I keep my pace slow at first, letting her get used to me, just a slow withdrawal before an easy press back inside. Even if it’s driving me fucking crazy.

“Yeah?” I push deeper, stirring my hips. “You like fucking a monster, Key?”

“It’s you,” she hums prettily, slanting her mouth over mine. “It’s just you.”

And maybe it’s because I don’t have to hide from her, maybe it’s because there’s nothing about me that makes her afraid—but when she kisses me so sweetly, her heels digging into my ass as if silently begging for more—it makes it all too easy to finally let go.

I sit back on my heels, grabbing her by the waist to pull her into my lap, and the sight of my black claws against her pale skin is erotic in a way that should be alarming. I’m careful, ever so careful not to hurt her, but I can’t stop the way I rub my thumbs back and forth along her hip bones, the viciousness of it so at odds with the wet warmth of her cunt that still hugs me so tightly.

I roll my hips harder, watching her tits bounce with the force of my thrust. “This what you need?” I do it again, my eyes drawn to the sight of those ridges disappearing inside her one by one. “You want me to fuck you like a beast?”

“Keep going,” she whines. “Don’t stop.”

“Och, I can do that,” I rumble, sliding my palm along her belly just to marvel at the contrast of my claws along her skin once more. “Gonna fill this pretty cunt until you’re bursting with it.”

Her back bows when I really start to move—the sound of my hips meeting her ass ringing out into the cool, twilight air. The sun has lowered enough to cast a rosy hue along her skin, blending with the all-over flush that’s spread over her chest and throat. The sight of my thick cock forcing its way inside her again and again looks almost violent, and yet she takes each thrust with pleas for more. She all but begs me for it.

And the monster…the monster can’t fucking get enough.

“That’s it, love,” I coo. “Look at you. You’re so good. Taking everything. You look so bloody good stuffed full of my cock like this.”

“Lachlan,” she gasps. “I’m— Can you—ah. Touch me. I need you to touch me.”

And there’s a small part of me that wants to remind her of the danger, but it’s superseded by the roaring in my ears, the rushing of my blood. I reach between her legs to dip a thumb between the lips of her cunt, circling her swollen clit as carefully as I can while still pounding into her ferociously.

She lights up as soon as I touch her, her belly clenching and thighs going taut as I roll my thumb in a steady circle, as I slip in and out of her again and again and again.

“Come for me,” I tell her, my voice too rough, too wrong, but falling from my lips as if it’s someone else’s. “I want you to come on this cock, Keyanna. Want you to come full of a monster.”

She trembles all over, as if the words themselves are amping her higher, and I see it, the moment she lets go. I feel it; the walls of her cunt ripple along the length of my cock, practically milking my orgasm out of me, forcing me to follow after her.

I let out a roar that sounds every bit as beastly as I feel—throwing my head back and pressing flush against her as I pulse deep inside. She continues to tremble beneath me with aftershocks, and I can’t seem to do more than hold her tightly, unable to let her go.

I curl my body, molding myself to her as I nuzzle just below her ear. I can feel her fingers sliding over my shoulders, up into my hair to card through the strands, and I think to myself that at this moment I feel more right than I ever have. Keyanna has insisted over and over that everything will be okay, that we’ll beat this—but I’m realizing that it’s only with her in my arms that I can almost believe it.

“I would not object to doing that again before we sort all this out,” she says with a breathy laugh, turning to brush her lips along my jaw.

A choked laugh of my own escapes me, and I press my palms on either side of her against the now slightly shredded blanket, cocking a brow at her. I don’t miss the way she shivers when the movement stirs my cock, which is now growing soft inside her—things feeling like they might be slowly going back to normal—enjoying the way it makes her eyes go hazy, the way she bites her lip after.

“You really are a devil woman,” I chuckle.

Her lips quirk, and she reaches up to glide her palm over the hard planes of my chest. “I think you might like it,” she hums.

I think I might more than like it, I don’t say.

Because as impossible as it may be, as improbable even—I might be a bit more than falling for Keyanna MacKay, the woman who should be my enemy but just…isn’t. The only one who makes me feel like maybe, just maybe…things might actually turn out all right.

“It’s almost dark,” I murmur, already mourning the loss of her.

I notice her expression fall. “Oh.”

Something squeezes in my chest at the sight of her disappointment, and I can honestly say that I have never felt the weight of the curse more than I do at this moment. I want to walk with her under the starlight, to take her back to my bed and hold her through the night. I want so many things that I’ve never allowed myself to hope for. Things that make the uncertainty of the future all the more terrifying.

I lean in close, kissing her cheek gently. “We’ll fix it, love,” I tell her. “We’ll find the answer.”

She wraps her arms around my neck in lieu of a response, hugging me tightly as if she’s afraid to let me go. As if deep down inside, she worries that letting me out of her grip will mean that I won’t come back to her. I wish more than anything I could promise her that it isn’t a possibility, that it won’t happen.

Because in a world where it feels like I’ve never had much of anything…it suddenly feels like I have everything to lose.