Brogan watched El as she talked with Rowan, their heads bent close together. The serious looks on their faces told him not to interrupt. Instead he took his time to absorb every detail of his mate as she focused intently on what Rowan was saying. He knew she had questions, she’d asked him a few earlier.
When he’d woken with El in his arms, their bodies flush together and covered with the smell of sex, he’d known all was right with his world. His fear of hurting her had eased with their mating. She matched his needs with demands of her own. Life together would be a ride worth taking.
Bringing up the fact he’d neglected to use any form of protection had turned out better than he’d hoped. She’d assured him she was committed to staying and while unplanned, a pregnancy wouldn’t be a bad thing. He wondered what she’d say when she found out she was already pregnant.
It didn’t matter whether it was the right time to conceive or not, their mating released hormones that brought on ovulation. One more part of being turned he hadn’t mentioned. He couldn’t bring himself to feel guilty, the image of a very pregnant El had fused itself to his mind and he couldn’t shake it. She would be beautiful full with child. His child.
He left the room with a smile that wouldn’t quit and returned to his study where he waited to hear from the Council. The storm had passed hours ago and the phone lines were back on so he expected to hear from William soon. It would all depend on how quickly Marcus had informed the Council of his supposed wrongdoing.
Quinn had questioned the wisdom of waiting for the summons and suggested contacting the Council first but Brogan thought that would make him look guilty of whatever charge Marcus brought against him. The thrill of going up against his enemy raced through his veins. It had been a while since they’d bumped heads.
Heading for the window, he stared out at the snow-covered yard. Six o’clock at night and it was darker than midnight. The storm may have passed but the remaining clouds blocked out what was left of the day. He wouldn’t be fronting the Council tonight. They’d have to wait for morning, if they called him in at all.
It was taking too long for them to contact him. Something was up and Brogan could only wonder what went through the mind of a man bent on getting even for an injustice that never happened. Marcus had accused him and Quinn of numerous things, the least of which being they’d stolen leadership of the pack from him.
Sovereign wasn’t something one could take. It was given by the Council in accordance with the laws that governed their pack. He hadn’t even wanted it at first, knew a lot of their people looked down at him because his mother was non-blood. His father might have been able to trace his lineage back to the first full-bloods to populate the area but that made no difference to those prejudiced against anyone without pure coyote parents.
“I’m worried they haven’t called yet,” Quinn spoke behind him.
Brogan turned to face him, leaned back on the windowsill.
“Me too. Marcus is up to something. The niggle in my gut tells me it’s not going to be good. We need to be ready for anything.”
“I’m worried he’ll attack you this time. He wants sovereign, so getting to you would be the ultimate goal for him,” Quinn reasoned.
“Well we can’t do anything until the Council calls, if they call.”
As if on cue, a shrill ring cut off Quinn’s reply.
Brogan pushed off the window and walked the ten feet to his desk. The phone rang once more before he snatched it up.
“Hello.”
“Brogan, this is William. I won’t bother with the pleasantries. We’d like you and your regal to front the Council and explain some things that have been brought to our attention.” Always one for getting straight to the point, William wasted no time now.
“Sure, we’ll be there in the morning,” he said.
“We’d like you to come into town now.”
“No. The snow is still thick on the ground and I’m not risking the drive in when it’s already dark. We’ll be there at nine in the morning.” He wouldn’t budge on this. Driving in these conditions with full visibility would be bad enough. He wasn’t about to do it at night.
“Fine. We’ll be waiting.”
The phone clicked in his ear. He placed it back on the desk and faced Quinn. “They wanted us to come in now.”
“I heard. Marcus is definitely up to something if he’s got them convinced they need to see you this late.” Quinn sat in the chair in front of the desk, legs stretched out.
“We knew he’d exaggerate, if not outright lie about what happened. Obviously he’s spun a mighty tall yarn.” Brogan skirted the desk and took his own chair. “And William asked for you to attend.”
“As regal, I would be there anyway.”
“Yes, but he said you and your regal, which for me means Marcus has concocted some tale where we’re both involved.” He steepled his fingers beneath his chin and thought about what William asking for the regal to attend meant.
“I guess me burying the body would have them asking to see me,” Quinn conceded.
“Probably. We’ll find out tomorrow.”
“Was that the Council?” Rowan asked from the doorway.
“Yes, we’ve been summoned for tomorrow morning.”
“Did they say what Marcus accused you of this time?” Rowan’s frustration at Marcus and his continued campaign to have Brogan removed as sovereign rang in her voice.
“No. William didn’t even mention him, just asked that my regal and I front the Council.” He shrugged.
“Great. So you can’t even go in there prepared. Ring them back and ask what’s going on,” she ordered.
Quinn chuckled and Brogan lifted an eyebrow in question.
Rowan’s face flushed red but she didn’t back down. “You might be sovereign, Brogan, but I’m royal and that gives me just as much right to be informed by the Council as it does for them to summon you both.”
“Rowan, I know you see your position as important and it is. You’re the heart of our people but when it comes to things like this the Council still functions in the old ways. Women aren’t included in the management of the pack.” Brogan hated to remind her of the narrow mindset of their people. He didn’t much care for the reminder himself.
“Fine.” She turned on her heel and left.
Brilliant. Now he had to worry about his sister’s nose being out of joint.
Quinn rose from his chair. “I’ll go unruffle some feathers, shall I?”
He laughed. “Yes, that would be good. I know your kind of unruffling has her in a daze for hours.”
Quinn shot him a lecherous grin. “Duty calls and I must do my part as regal.” He bowed low before they both burst into laughter.
With Quinn gone he finished up some paperwork. El found him as he filed the last sheets away.
“Are you busy?”
“Never too busy for you.” He got up and came around the desk to meet her.
“Can we talk?”
“Sure, what’s on your mind?” He hoped she wasn’t upset with him over Rowan’s snit.
“You turned me, right?”
He nodded.
“How do I change?”
Brogan sucked in a breath. She wanted to shift? He’d told her earlier there was no rush and she’d agreed to learn all she could before trying for the first time but she’d obviously changed her mind in the last few hours.
“Now?”
“Yes, I know I said I’d wait but I want to feel what it’s like and I think it might help me to understand the new senses I’ve developed in the last few hours.” She sniffed the air. “I didn’t need to look for you with my eyes, I just followed my nose.”
Ah, the increased sense of smell. Being able to smell him clearly would be a bit weird for her.
“What else have you noticed?”
“I think my vision is sharper but I’m not one hundred percent sure of that, and my hearing is better. I could hear you on the phone earlier and when you were talking with Rowan. I could have been in the room with you it was that clear.”
“Those are the most prominent improvements you’ll have, but there are a few others. For instance you’ll have extreme sexual arousal during your time of heat.” It was a shame she wouldn’t be in heat for a few months, he was looking forward to the experience.
“Extreme? More than what I have been since I got here?” Her astonished tone made him laugh.
“Oh, yeah. You won’t be able to go more than a couple of hours without mating.” He stopped laughing when her eyes almost bugged out of her head and her mouth fell open. “It’ll be fine, El. You won’t ovulate like a human, it’s not as frequent.”
She snapped her jaw closed. “Still…hours?”
“Let’s worry about that another time.” Taking her hand he led her from the room.
“Where are we going?”
“Upstairs. You’ll want the privacy of our room to shift.”
“Isn’t your office private enough?”
“El, you’ll need to get naked to change, remember?”
She stumbled beside him and he cupped her elbow to steady her.
“Um, no. I forgot that part. I guess it wouldn’t be nice for Rowan or Quinn to walk in on us.”
“You’ll learn that getting naked in front of other shifters is a natural and frequent thing. No one will be looking at you.” He would, but that was fine since she was his to look at.
“I doubt I’ll ever be able to get naked and shift in front of anyone,” she mumbled under her breath.
He smiled as he led her upstairs to their room. Funny how it had changed to theirs the second he’d taken her. Whether she noticed him calling it theirs or chose to ignore it he didn’t care. She’d soon learn that when coyotes mated, they shared everything.
El followed Brogan into his bedroom. The first thing she noticed was all her things had been moved in there. And second, he was already taking off his clothes. Staring slack-jawed, she watched the magnificent specimen he revealed inch by inch.
When he finished undressing he closed the distance between them and grabbed the hem of her shirt.
“Come on, let’s get naked,” he teased.
She let him strip the top over her head. When he went for the snap on her jeans she reached for his cock. Satin on steel, the hard length pulsed against her fingers. She tightened her grip, stroked down to the base and back to the head where a drop of cum beaded on the tip.
“El…keep that up and I won’t be teaching you how to shift,” he growled as she repeated the movement.
Smiling, she looked at him from under her lashes and used a seductive tone of voice. “Would that be so bad? We could get back to the shifting thing after we—”
She didn’t get to finish. Her jeans were shoved down her legs as he put a foot on the bunched up denim and lifted her off her feet. The fabric slipped off, leaving her in her panties and socks. Not exactly a sexy look but Brogan didn’t seem to care. He had her pinned to the bed with his body before she could take a breath. His mouth crushed hers as his tongue invaded and conquered any objection she might have. He stole her breath, gave her his and drew her down a path of carnal needs and wants she gladly followed him.
Their hips thrust up and down, grinding their heated flesh together. The silk barrier of her panties was no match for the fire burning between them. He reached down, grabbed the elastic edges and ripped the flimsy covering from her body.
El gasped as a growl issued from Brogan’s throat. He pushed a knee between hers, shoved her legs apart to make room for his hips. His mouth ate at hers and his tongue thrust deep, laying claim to all that he touched. All thought fled when he gripped her thighs and pushed them wider and probed the slick channel at her core.
One thrust and he drove himself deep, impaling her on his throbbing flesh. His balls pulsed against her ass and the stinging hot globes branded her skin. Brogan ripped their mouths apart, dragged in a breath and stared at her from lust-filled eyes. His dilated pupils were rimmed with molten gold.
“You burn my cock with your pussy. You’re so tight and hot I lose myself inside you every time.”
He jerked back, slammed forward, withdrew again until the head of his cock rested at her opening.
“I want this to last forever but each time my cock touches your wet folds I’m lost in the rush.” He slid in, slow and steady until pelvis met pelvis.
Matching moans of pleasure spilled past their lips. With frustrating slowness he continued to fill her over and over with deep, smooth strokes. Each lunge sent her higher but not enough to push her over the edge she frantically gripped at. Desperate nails clawed at his back, tried to urge him faster.
Lifting her legs, El curled them around his hips and dug her heels into the back of his thighs. She arched into him, used her legs to pull him down, force him deeper. Harder. Faster. She tilted her head, her mouth grazed his neck and she bit down on the corded muscle under her lips.
He reared back, sent his cock driving into her, hitting her G-spot and clit. The results were explosive. The orgasm rolled through her, tossed her into a kaleidoscope of color and light before scattering her to the ends of the earth.
Her pussy filled with Brogan’s seed. Hot bursts slashed into her as he pounded his length in and out. She licked his neck, the metallic taste of blood flowed across her tongue. Heavy lids lifted and she stared at where she’d bitten him. Shocked at her actions, she gasped. “Oh, God!”
“It’s okay, El. Lick the broken skin, your saliva will help it heal,” he panted.
“But…”
“Shh. I’m fine, it didn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt. It’s what we do when we mate, a natural part of the process.” Each word exploded on a puff of air as he struggled to catch his breath.
Crushed beneath Brogan’s dead weight and the wound she’d inflicted staring her in the face, El fought back tears and lost. Emotions tumbled inside her, tangled up and flowed over. A sob filled her chest, shook her shoulders and slipped past her throat.
“El?” Brogan rolled them to the side. “Baby, what’s wrong?” He brushed the hair from her face, the tears from her lashes.
“I…I…” She hiccupped.
“Are you hurt?”
She shook her head.
“Then what is it? Was it something I did?”
Another shake of her head.
“Baby, you’re killing me here. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I…bit you,” she cried.
“Ah, baby, it’s okay. Honest. I told you, it’s normal. Please, stop crying,” he pleaded.
She sniffed and buried her head into his chest. The storm of emotions receded, bringing relief from the crying she couldn’t begin to explain. It wasn’t just the bite. Over the last forty-eight hours so much had happened. She’d flown halfway around the world, reunited with a dear friend she’d missed terribly, almost froze to death through her own stupidity and met a man who rocked the world she lived in.
She’d made a life changing decision, one that turned her life upside down and inside out while altering her physically as well as emotionally and leaving her struggling to find her feet in a world she didn’t understand. She clung to the one lifeline, the one constant, in a world that had spun out of control.
Brogan.