“It’s my birthday next week,” she said, smiling brightly. Everyone came to a grinding halt.
“What!” Rian screeched. Kate, Ashby, Nic, and Sebastian looked frantic. Aleks just looked like he had been punched in the solar plexus. Rebecca looked around confused.
“My birthday is November 26th. Did I forget to tell you?” She tilted her head and looked at her friends.
“Yes!” everyone bellowed.
Connor could see the wheels turning in his brother’s head. His brother had had no idea his mate’s birthday was next week. Rebecca waved her hand at everyone.
“It’s fine, I haven’t really celebrated it since my dad passed away. I’m more excited about Thanksgiving. Uh-oh.” She sighed and rolled her eyes.
“Be right back, hafta potty.” Aleks had to help her off the couch and she disappeared from the screen.
“She would forget about her own birthday.” Madison shook her head. Connor had to agree. Rebecca was selfless like that.
“Surprise party on Thanksgiving?” Rian asked. Everyone quickly agreed.
“Rian I..” Aleks started. Rian was already nodding.
“Everyone email me your gift ideas, I’ll make it happen.”
“You’re a lifesaver, buddy, I owe you.” Aleks released a deep breath.
“If you need any help, Rian, let us know,” Kate offered. Everyone nodded.
“You bet! I love parties.” Rian had his notebook out and immediately started scribbling plans.
Rebecca came back in time to finish the rest of the movie. After everyone said good-bye, Connor made sure he disconnected everything. Madison was chuckling at him as she carried their popcorn bowl to the kitchen to put in the dishwasher. Connor followed and watched his mate putter around their kitchen. To him it was the best sight in the world.
“I called Baron about Madelyne.” Connor saw her stop what she was doing and turn to him. He continued.
“I told them to start raiding poacher camps looking for a white Bengal tiger. There’s no guarantee, but it’s a fresh perspective. Any case involving a Sentinel’s family member gets top priority, I wanted to make sure her case got reclassified.”
Madison crossed the kitchen and threw herself in his arms.
“I love you! I love you so much.” She jumped up and wrapped her arms and legs around him. He easily supported her weight and headed to the stairs. Her mouth came down on his, and she sucked each of his lips, taking his breath away. When she pulled back they were both breathing heavily. He was surprised he was able to get to the top of the stairs without killing them both.
“I love you, too, my wildcat.” He walked into their bedroom and placed her on the bed. It was true, he loved her feisty nature and that aspect of her personality had been subdued since her rescue. He wanted it back. Grinning, he thought of an idea.
“Baby, you want to try something new?”
Madison paled.
“Connor, I don’t think I can be restrained again, not so soon.” There was a tremor to her voice, and her body immediately slumped down. Connor was at her side in seconds, taking her hands.
“I would never ask you to do anything you were uncomfortable with. Actually, I was going to see if you would be interested in restraining me?” Her eyes grew wide.
“You’d do that?”
“Of course, you’re my mate,” Connor said simply.
Madison looked up at him in wonder before a wicked smile took over her face.
Oh crap.
Madison got off the other side of the bed so that she was facing Connor with the mattress between them. She slowly began to remove her clothing one piece at a time. Connor could feel himself begin to harden. He went to walk around the bed, but she shook her head. She pushed her breasts up to her heart-shaped face and ran her tongue along the top of one of the mounds. Connor shifted his stance, growling low. She unsnapped her bra and let it fall to the floor and stepped out of her panties.
She climbed on the bed and on all fours stalked him like the tigress she was. He began reciting the alphabet. Backward.
“Strip for me.” She reclined back on her elbows.
He gave her his sexiest smile and slowly pulled his T-shirt up over his head. He made sure to flex every muscle he had and was rewarded with a soft sigh. He stuck his thumbs in the waistband of his jeans and looked up at her. She was watching his every move. He ran his thumbs along the top of his jeans before cupping his groin. He let his head drop back, and he groaned at the sensation of denim on his cock. He could smell her pussy from across the room. His mouth began to water, imagining lapping at the drenched folds of her sweet pussy.
He unbuttoned his jeans and let them drop to the floor. His hard prick was dripping as it tapped his stomach. Gauging her reactions, he went to take a step forward and again she shook her head.
“Could you wear just the holster?” she asked. Grinning, he nodded and walked over to the closet. He pulled on the worn leather gun holster over his shoulders. It felt cold against his heated skin. He went back into the room and modeled it for her. She patted the bed. He crawled on, and she arranged it so that he was lying down the center.
She knelt to one side on her knees and looked down at him.
“Hands over your head and don’t move your feet. If you move I stop,” she warned. He was grinning indulgently when she caught him unawares by leaning down and swallowing his cock whole.
“Fuck!” he yelled. His hands came down toward her head, but he caught himself before he could touch her silken auburn hair.
The muscles in both arms were taut as he clenched both hands into fists above his head. She swallowed again and again convulsing her throat around him. She eased off of his throbbing prick and wrapped her tongue around the mushroom-shaped head. She lapped at him, playing, enjoying every sound she was wringing from his body.
“Madison, baby, you’re killing me.” He gasped. She smiled but didn’t say anything. She lowered her head and the next sensation nearly had him shooting his load. Somehow she had shifted just her tongue and she was running the rough surface of her tiger tongue over his balls.
“Fuck! Baby, stop. Stop or I’ll go,” he yelled. He couldn’t catch his breath, and his hands were shaking with the need to touch her.
“I’m in control, right?” she asked.
“Whatever you want.”
She nodded and straddled his hips. Reaching between their bodies, she guided his thick cock into her sopping cunt. When she lowered herself onto him, he groaned. When she raised up and allowed her body to slam down, she was able to take his thick shaft deeper and deeper into her body. It wasn’t long before her frenzied rhythm had him pounding into her, bumping her cervix.
Her head was thrown back and her body moved on its own, taking what she needed from her mate. When she looked down and met his eyes, he saw her old confidence shining in her eyes. She loved driving him to the brink before slowing down. Each moan and protest brought a smile to her lips.
“Baby, please.” She nodded and he reached down his hands to still her hips and hold her in place. He began to piston his hips, releasing every ounce of pent-up need he had built when he wasn’t able to touch her. It didn’t take long before she was screaming out her pleasure, and her orgasm triggered his own.
When her body was done milking his cock, he lifted her off his body and pulled her into his arms, taking them to their sides. She wrapped her arms around him tightly.
“Thank you for giving me what I needed,” she whispered.
“It was such a hardship. I think you fucked me blind.”
She nipped at his collarbone.
“I love you, my wildcat.” He kissed the top of her head.
“I love you, too, Professor.”
“You have a thing for my Sentinel gear don’t you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Goodnight, wildcat.”
“Goodnight, my love.”
Chapter 10
“I’m sorry I mi
ssed the meeting. Connor was feeling extra frisky this morning.” Madison grinned at Felix.
“No worries. Rian just got everyone’s input about the surprise party for Rebecca. I’ve never seen him this excited before. It wasn’t just him either, everyone couldn’t do enough to help. Rebecca has really done a lot for Arkadia.”
“She’s so tiny though,” Madison commented.
“She is fun crazy though, and extremely protective of the townspeople. I haven’t been here that long, but the little twerp has burrowed her way to my heart. I just want to carry her around in my pocket.” Felix had a clipboard and was finishing the inventory at the clinic.
“Do you think Maddox will remember to grab ketchup? I forgot to ask for it,” Madison asked. Maddox had left nearly thirty minutes ago to grab them lunch at the diner. Felix shrugged.
“Probably, the man is a genius in the kitchen. He can take basic food like rice and chicken and make it into meals that you can actually eat.” Felix sounded amazed.
“When we were kids he would make us dinner all the time. Madelyne and I aren’t very good in the kitchen,” she admitted and felt the now-familiar pang she experienced every time she mentioned her sister.
“Thank god he can cook, otherwise we would probably starve,” Felix admitted.
“Have you heard anything about that vampire? I think his name was Rhys,” Madison asked.
She couldn’t explain it, but she felt extremely close to the vampire. They had lived through hell together. She wanted to make sure he was okay.
“Prince Gabriel still has to let him feed directly from him to keep Rhys compliant. His eyes haven’t returned to normal yet, and he isn’t able to tolerate human blood. That is the most concerning issue, if he can’t live off of human blood, it’s Vampire and Shifter law to kill him.” Felix shook his head.
“If anyone can save him, though, Prince Gabriel can. During the virus epidemic you should have seen him. Always in control. That man exudes power. Rhys just needs some time that’s all.”
Madison could tell that Felix was being optimistic. But she knew council law, and they would have a fight on their hands to keep Rhys alive.
“Excuse me, I need help,” a voice said from the doorway.
Madison felt her blood turn to ice water. She and Felix turned at the same time to face the stranger at the door. She began to shake in anger. She felt her tiger rise to the surface.
“Go ahead and shift, this is an elephant gun. It can easily kill your kitty cat. Now come quietly.” The man waved an impressive long-barreled gun at them.
“You really are a dumb fuck aren’t you? Our mates are already on their way, they can sense our fear through our mate bond,” Felix said disdainfully.
The stranger gave a childlike smile and shrugged his shoulders.
“Then I guess there is no reason to keep you alive.” He raised the gun and set his sights on Madison.
Connor!
Her heart screamed her mate’s name. Next to her she heard the sounds of breaking wood and debris falling to the floor. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The blur of movement to her right had her turning her head to look at Felix. Instead of the small, red-haired man she had come to adore like a little brother, there stood a twenty foot, dark-green and brown Tyrannosaurus rex.
The intruder began a high-pitched scream. Felix didn’t waste any time, he bent down and grabbed the squealing man between his long jagged teeth. Hearing their mates outside, Felix turned and walked through the clinic wall to the street outside where it seemed the entire town stood gaping in shock.
“Holy fuck,” Madison whispered.
* * * *
“Don’t forget the ketchup. Madison likes to put ketchup on her meat loaf,” Doc said. Connor nodded and threw some ketchup packets in the to-go bag. He was going to surprise his mate by joining them for lunch.
“Is it just me or are you busier than normal?” Doc asked.
Connor had to admit he was right. It seemed like everyone was in the diner for lunch. Rebecca and Aleks sat with Ashby, Nic, and Gabriel at one table. Kate, Bran, and Caleb were chatting with Liam, Sebastian, and Kent at another table. Rian and Damian seemed to flitting from table to table talking to everyone.
A lot of the pack and pride had come in for his ma’s meat loaf. Everyone was excited about the town Thanksgiving dinner. Rebecca, being Rebecca, had created and started passing around a volunteer sign-up sheet. It was already filled. God he loved this town.
Out of nowhere a wave of panic and terror washed over him. On the other side of the counter, Doc had dropped to his knees, clutching his chest.
“Doc?” Kate asked. Everyone got quiet staring at their doctor.
In the distance a loud, inhuman roar reverberated through the diner.
Rebecca jumped up excitedly.
“Yes! Yes! He did it!” She ran from the diner. Connor and Aleks were frozen in shock when a second roar catapulted them forward.
Connor ran across the street and headed to the clinic. When he got to the building he skidded to a halt, half of the town behind him.
“What the fuck!” Aleks yelled. Rebecca was jumping up and down. Sebastian was doing fist pumps in the air. Doc looked at the large reptile and turned milky white.
“Felix?” he whispered.
Connor stared at the dinosaur that was chewing on a screaming man.
“Is that? Is that a severed arm between your teeth!” Doc demanded, his voice going up an octave. Felix ignored him. Connor edged past Felix looking for Madison. He spotted her trying to step through the rubble. He ran over and lifted her over most of the large debris.
“Spit him out this instant!” Doc ordered, his finger pointing to the ground imperiously.
“I want a ride, come on Felix, you promised me if you ever mastered a T. rex I would get a ride,” Rebecca begged, trying to climb up Felix’s back leg to secure a spot for her piggy back ride. Connor watched as his elder brother started to lose his mind.
“Becca, get down!” Aleks screamed, trying to pull his mate down.
“You are going to have people breath! Do you hear what I am saying? Can you hear what you have me saying! How are you going to floss arms out of your teeth, Felix?” Doc’s face was now flushed red, and his breathing was erratic.
“Becca, you get your cute ass down here now! You are on a freaking dinosaur!” Aleks screamed, beginning to hyperventilate. Rebecca whooped and cheered from Felix’s back, her tiny arm wrapped around the large lizard’s throat.
Connor looked over to the crowd. Liam was waving his arms at his mate.
“No! No fucking way! I am not waking up next to a fucking T. rex baby. Don’t even think about it.” Liam clutched at his mate’s arms as Sebastian sniffled. Kent was steadily trying to calm his mates down.
Rian was taking pictures of Felix with his smartphone. His head looked over to where Liam was confronting Sebastian.
“Oh hell no! You would squish Liam. Enough with the scary shit, Sebastian, you are not eating my ass!” he declared loudly. Aleks and Doc paused for a moment to stare at Rian, who surprised everyone by turning slightly pink.
“Okay that didn’t come out quite right, but you know what I mean.”
“How about a velociraptor? They’re smaller?” Sebastian asked.
“No!” Rian and Liam shouted.
“Look at the clinic!” Doc covered his face with his hands as Felix continued to chew on the intruder. Ma walked up behind him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Felix, spit that bad man out. Rebecca, one lap around town and then you are sitting down for a while, you’re getting too excited. Sebastian, I wouldn’t recommend anything bigger than an alligator, you’ll destroy the pride house. Duncan, take your brother to Mojo’s, get a shot of whiskey in him, and then bring him by the diner for something to eat. Connor, is Madison okay?” Ma asked, her voice calm and even.
Connor looked at Madison, and Madison looked at Connor.
“Why did I ever
think I would be bored living here?” Madison asked.
“Wildcat, this is par for the course.”
* * * *
“I don’t know how you talked me into making pies,” Connor complained, and he finished carrying the pies he had baked for Arkadia’s first town Thanksgiving. He looked around the gym, the decorations were exquisite and the smells were heavenly. Everywhere he looked, families were smiling and children were playing. It was a huge difference from the sight that he had seen in the gym four months ago. They had so much to be thankful for. He grinned, remembering the look on his commander’s face when he reported that their killer had been eaten by a dinosaur. Best. Report. Ever.
“Because one, you know what I’m willing to do for your chocolate pie, and two, you saw how overwhelmed your sister was getting,” Madison reminded him.
“She was looking even more puny than usual this week.” Connor looked over to where Rebecca was still crying over her surprise party. Rian evidently considered this a sign of success because he kept smiling at her and handing her tissues.
“Did your brother stop having dinosaur nightmares?” Connor shook his head.
“No, but I told him to reinforce that the dinosaur is the overprotective babysitter in his mind. Maybe he will keep dreaming about it, but maybe in the dream the dinosaur saves my nephew instead of eating him.”
“Looks like Rebecca is opening your gifts.” Madison grabbed his arm and dragged him over to where Rebecca sat in the middle of a large group. When she saw Connor she waved the small box. She struggled with the weight. She ripped off the paper and laughed when she saw he had given her a box of bullets. Aleks glared at him.
“Wait, that’s part one. Open the larger box, that’s part two.” Connor pointed to the box at her feet. She had Aleks lift the box into the empty chair beside her and decimated the wrapping paper. When she saw what the box held she gasped.
“Oh, Connor, I love it! I always wanted my own espresso machine.”
Aleks stared at him.
“I hate you.”
“Love ya, bro.” Connor grinned at Aleks, who was shooting daggers in his direction.