Lup Teren (Wolf Land Series Book 1) Read online

“Do werewolves live long as well?”

  Nodding his head, Nicolae stated, “Purebreds…like your father…can live for hundreds of years if they stay safe. They mature slowly. To the point they often have to abandon their worldly lives before humans notice they are not aging normally. It can be extremely traumatic, especially for those with human families or close human ties. Those who are turned can also live just as long. It depends on the strength of the one who turned them. If they are sired to a purebred from one of the first bloodlines, they can live almost as long as the one who turned them. But the usual age for a mutt is a little over a hundred, sometimes a few decades more.”

  An uneasiness began to creep through her bones. “How does someone get turned?”

  Nicolae grimaced as he glanced down at his wrist. “You would have to be bitten by a Werewolf during transition or in wolf form.”

  “I see,” she mumbled feeling her guilt return in full force.

  “Do not worry, Miss Jacobs,” he soothed, “your bite will not affect me.” She wanted clarification, but decided against asking. “Humans have also been infected through scratches,” he continued.

  Scratches?

  Her eyes widened before she whispered, “Barney Fife said he had gotten scratched by a massive copper-colored dog.” Raina paused. “I don’t think it was a dog.”

  “Damn!” Nicolae regained his scowl. “Not all humans survive the change. Perhaps he did not.”

  “What if he did?” she asked meekly, examining his tense profile.

  “We will deal with it if the need arises,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  Needing to change the subject, she asked, “What about me? What’s unique about me?”

  “You are a hybrid. I am not certain what your abilities are, but they will no doubt be extraordinary,” he said with a huge, flirty smile. “Just like you.”

  The loud menacing growl that came from the back seat made them both turn. From his spot near the window, Antonio’s fangs had extended and thickening sideburns now graced his once smoothly-shaved face. But it was the warning snarl Antonio gave that made her hesitate.

  Now that she could understand what each bark, growl, howl, snarl, and whimper meant she immediately moved back to her seat, putting at least four feet between her and the Hunter. A blush spread across her face and from her peripheral vision she saw a broad grin on Antonio’s ruggedly, handsome face.

  Jealous bastard.

  Chapter Twelve

  “May I come in?” Raina pushed open the shed door, sticking her head through the narrow opening. “If you’re busy I can come back.”

  “I’m not busy,” Antonio said, still cleaning the double-barrel shotgun he carried. The strong smell of gun cleaner made her a little queasy. “Come in if you’d like,” he encouraged flatly, his mind focused on the task at hand.

  Raina sighed longingly against her will. The man was gorgeous, even when he moped…like he was currently doing.

  “You’ve been in here for over two hours. I started missing you,” she admitted trying to keep her voice from quivering.

  “Really,” he smirked. “Wasn’t Nicolae his usual charming self?” They both chuckled. The crooked smile he graced her with made her heart rate quicken.

  “He’s busy too. He’s been on a conference call with someone named Ann-Sarah for the past half hour.”

  “Ah, yes,” was Antonio’s only response. His clipped reply warned her not to ask any more questions about Ann-Sarah or Nicolae’s conversation with her.

  Trying to get her mind off of everything that had happened within the last two days, Raina studied her friend’s demeanor. His furrowed brow. His pensive eyes. His clenched jaw. His inability to look at her for longer than a few seconds. All nonverbal habits she had remembered from their childhood that silently screamed his annoyance.

  They had driven for over a day, heading south, stopping at a small coastal town in Georgia near Savannah. Another safe house owned by the pack, she assumed, was their current dwelling while they awaited orders from her father. It was a quaint white and gray, Victorian-styled, beach house with large windows, a picturesque view of the Atlantic and all the modern amenities including Wi-Fi, cable television, fully equipped gourmet kitchen, and stylish contemporary furnishings.

  The trio had been there for several hours and Antonio had barely looked at her, yet alone spoken to her. The silent treatment was driving her mad. She couldn’t stand it any longer.

  “Are you ever going to forgive me?” She felt the tears welling in her eyes and heard her emotion-laden voice crack.

  Suddenly, he looked up. A perturbed look spreading across his handsome face before he admonished, “There is nothing to forgive.”

  “Yes, there is,” she replied in a soft-spoken mutter. “I made you kill those men at the cabin. Nicolae said they were your first kill. I know how much you despise taking a life. Any life. Even when we were children you could never bring yourself to hurt anything. Remember that spider I wanted to squash when we were ten, but you threatened to beat me up if I did…” she stopped realizing she was rambling.

  The handsome Spaniard smiled then, a melt-your-heart kind of smile that had her squirming uncomfortably as her own arousal surfaced.

  “I killed those men to protect all of us. It was my choice and I’d do it again if I had to do it all over again.” His features softened. “You didn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to do. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, only partially believing him.

  “I hated doing it,” he sighed sadly, “but there was no other choice. What’s done is done.”

  “I understand.” She stepped closer needing to hug him, but he held up a hand halting her advance.

  “You should go now,” he ordered sulkily, returning to his weapon.

  “You’re still mad.” Her heart dropped. “Why?”

  “I’m not mad,” his denial came too quickly.

  “Then why are you pushing me away again?”

  Taking a deep breath he huffed, “I can smell you.”

  “So?”

  Both eyebrows hitched until they were under his hairline as he explained, “We have enhanced senses, Raina.”

  “I still don’t under…” her word trailed-off as she blushed, finally, understanding dawned. Cautiously, she took a step backwards. Instinctively, she inhaled as well. “You’re turned-on as well.”

  A slow, ravenous smile spread across his unnaturally handsome features.

  “Then you know why you need to go,” he stated without emotion, while enchanting brown eyes left her face and landed on her breasts. Those traitorous nipples instantly hardened into needy peaks.

  Turning toward the door, her back toward him she asked, “Will Nicolae turn into a wolf because I bit him?”

  “No,” he exhaled. “Romani are immune to our bite. They take a variety of herbs and plant extracts that make them resistant to everything, including the common cold.”

  Relief filled her. “That’s good to know.” Another thought came to mind. “Is that what’s in the tea? Herbs.” Antonio nodded his shaggy head. “It suppresses my wolf.” Again another head nod. “Have I always been like this?”

  “No,” the sincerity of his words clear. “Your Lycan-side didn’t show itself until the night of my attack. While you were recuperating in the hospital, they started to manifest. Your parents had hoped your Romani genes would be able to suppress your wolf indefinitely. That was before…” He ended his explanation and returned to cleaning his firearm.

  Facing him, she asked, “That was before what?”

  “Forget I said anything,” he mumbled.

  “I can’t forget about it.” She walked toward him, stopping a few feet from where he sat on an old wooden bench. “This is my life you people are playing with.”

  “Your life,” he snarled. “What about my life?” His anger palpable and rapidly increasing due to her remark. “I didn’t ask for this, Raina. It was forced on me…because of…” H
e stopped again, his cheeks reddened, eyes almost jet black.

  “You were attacked because of me?” She felt another migraine coming on and pressed her fingertips to her throbbing temples. “Why? Why you?”

  “I’ve said too much.” The sexy Spaniard rested his gun on the table and stood suddenly reaching her in two long strides, his body towered over hers. The scent of highly randy, agitated male filled her nostrils and her nether regions.

  “Tell me, Antonio,” she pleaded, stepping forward until her breasts almost bumped his plain, white t-shirt. “I want to know. I need to know.” Placing both palms on his chest, feeling all of those cotton-covered muscles rippling beneath her touch made her crazy with desire. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, eyes focused on her hands. The contrast between her olive skin and the white cotton somehow comforting.

  “It’s not your fault.” His hands came up to cover hers, which were still placed on his hard chest. “None of this is your fault.”

  Tiptoeing, she looped her arms around his neck, the action making their bodies smash together. “I’m still sorry.”

  Her words and train of thought came to a halt as Antonio joined them at the lips. His demanding tongue pushed past her defenses, immediately finding hers. Before she could evaluate their actions, the man was everywhere at once.

  Inside of her mouth, where his tongue stroked hers until she felt like she’d self-combust. On her body, where strong hands roughly kneaded her bottom like a baker kneads dough. All the while, their groins rubbed against each other as he bent his knees to align them better.

  All of those sensations at once were overwhelming. Her upper lip began to perspire. The palms of her hands did the same.

  “Raina,” he growled low in his throat. The husky tone making her panties dampen to the point there would be no hiding how much he was turning her on. “I don’t think I can stop.”

  She swallowed loudly before commanding, “Then don’t.”

  That was all it took for Antonio to lose any semblance of self-control he had. Before she knew what was happening, he had her pinned to the worktable, her denim covered legs wrapped securely around his waist. The impressive erection nestled in the vee of her legs creating an incredible friction.

  “I need you,” he moaned into her mouth.

  She moaned back, “I need you too.”

  Through a lust-filled cloud she heard the zipper of her jeans being yanked down. The sound loud in the extremely quiet shed. Next, the button was ripped off, the metal clanked as it hit somewhere on the concrete floor.

  “Raise your hips,” he ordered. And she did.

  With no time to assess what was about to happen, the sound of material ripping brought her back to the present. Looking down at her lower body, she gasped. She was naked from the waist down and Antonio was between her thighs. His mouth hovering a few inches above her clean-shaven mound. Thank goodness she’d shaved earlier.

  Panic stricken, she began to tell him to wait, but he lowered his head and gave her labia a long, slow, wet lick. Of their own accord, her hips bucked forward and he took the opportunity to get a better grip on her upper thighs. Wedging his shoulders between her opened legs, he used one hand to spread her lower lips, exposing her completely to his gaze.

  “You are so beautiful.” Another growl left him, this one telling her to brace herself. She did.

  Without preamble, Antonio sucked her labia into his mouth, biting it gently with his teeth then soothing the slight pain with quick flicks of his hot, wet tongue.

  “Antonio,” she whimpered, as he began slow swipes between her puffy folds. “That feels wicked.”

  Ignoring her completely, the ravenous, sexy Spaniard continued working her sex until she felt her arousal dripping down her inner thighs. The smell of honey filled the cozy space.

  “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to taste you, Raina?” She shook her head no, fingers clutching at his silky, blonde hair. “Since our last year in secondary school.” He sucked her clit into his eager mouth and massaged it with his tongue. The unique suctioning motion it created made her legs begin to tremble and a familiar sensation could be felt growing in her belly. Pausing briefly, he added, “But you were dating that ass-hat of a jerk, Dexter Warren. The guy was such a tool. I wondered what you ever saw in him. Every time he touched you I wanted to rip him to shreds.”

  “I didn’t know you were attracted to me,” her words choppy and hard to understand. “You always swooned over blondes.”

  He chuckled against her sopping mound, the vibrations revving her libido up another notch. “I didn’t want to ruin our friendship.”

  Again, he bent, licking and sucking and nibbling at her sex. This time the sensation in her stomach started to spread downward into her pelvis, growing and building and tingling until she felt it and managed to squeal, “I’m coming!”

  Unable to control herself, her upper body bowed off the table as she yelled when the orgasm slammed into her making her entire form tense, lodging her sex more firmly against Antonio’s still sucking mouth. Still he continued that mind-blowing suction, until another tightening feeling grabbed her clit. This time her release flowed through her nether regions like a slow-moving mountain stream, warming her extremities and filling her with contentment.

  As she lay recovering from two fabulous orgasms, she heard the familiar sound of metal against metal lowering bombard her ears. Glancing down, her eyes widened at the unfamiliar sight of Antonio’s, her best friend, confidant, and man who’d seen her at her most embarrassing moments, large hands pumping a large…no…massive…no, still not the right word…ginormous cock she’d ever seen…in her dreams or in porn.

  Swallowing hard, she stated shakily, “That won’t fit.”

  He chuckled again, the sound causing another gush of liquid arousal to seep from her core. “Don’t worry. I’m sure I can make it fit.” The cheeky smirk he graced her with didn’t ease her apprehension. Not in the least.

  What little commonsense she had left, reared its ugly head making her ask, “Should we be doing this?” Her heart began pounding as he studied her with a blank expression. “Our friendship and babies,” she babbled, “I’m not on birth control.”

  “I want more than friendship or sex, Raina,” he growled. “I want forever. I want lots of children with you too,” he snickered playfully at her wide-eyed stare. “Don’t look so shocked. Soon, but not now.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll pull out. I promise.”

  “I should be getting my period next week, so we should be okay. Wait!” Her mind began to race. “Do wolves get STD’s?”

  Shaking his head, he answered, “We don’t contract sexually transmitted diseases like humans, but we are highly fertile.”

  “I see,” she said. “I guess having unprotected sex wouldn’t be such a wise idea.”

  He shook his head again. “I promise to pull out. I wouldn’t want to mate you accidentally.”

  “Mate me? What’s that?” Her voice dropped as Antonio draped over her body, kissing her with a gentleness she’d never felt from a man. Especially a man she now knew could tear a tree in two with his bare hands without breaking a sweat. He was amazing. And he was going to be hers. Right. Now.

  With deft fingers, he undid the plastic buttons of her blouse and pushed the material aside to reveal her material covered breasts. A sigh of relief rushed past her lips at the knowledge she had worn one of her sexy bras instead of one of her everyday boring ones. Thank heavens Nicolae, being a man, packed only her special occasion undergarments.

  “Oh, no,” she gasped on a breathy moan as Antonio licked the upper swells of her cleavage. His slightly rough tongue against her smooth, sensitive skin felt incredible. “Nicolae.”

  He frowned then. “What about Nicolae?”

  Raina glanced toward the closed door. “What will he think?”

  “I don’t give a shite what he thinks,” he scoffed, holding his shaft firmly with one hand and pressing it against her slippery folds. “All I wan
t to do is this.” His breath hitched as he began to move his hips in a slow circle, pushing himself further inside her tight channel until the broad head of his cock lodged inside. “Carajo!” he yelped. She couldn’t remember her Spanish right now, but she knew that the sentiment was mutual.

  “Oh,” she gasped as the mushroom shaped head stretched her opening to its capacity.

  With expert thrusts, he worked his rock-hard member deeper until he was half way inside. Holy! Hell! He was only halfway inside and she felt as if she was about to burst from being expanded too far.

  “Are you alright?” His breathing coming in choppy puffs, face strained with the need to continue.

  “It’s a bit painful, but it feels too damn good to stop,” she mewled. “Hurry, Antonio, I need you.”

  It was then that he began moving his slender hips again, making him slide another inch inside of her depths.

  “Damn it!” he hissed. “You’re tight and wet and amazing. Your muscles are squeezing my cock so hard it’s difficult to not come right now.”

  “Fight it,” she begged, needing to enjoy him longer. Much, much longer.

  Expertly, he propelled forward again and to her relief he seated himself. Balls deep. The feeling of being completely stretched made her moan, loudly.

  “You feel so good,” Antonio moaned loudly on a raspy exhale. “So snug. You fit me perfectly, Raina. I knew you would.”

  “Antonio,” she grimaced, feeling another type of pressure building inside of her. This one, however, was beginning in her temples. “Oh! No!” Not now. She pushed desperately at his chest. Instantly, his brown eyes widened as he realized, before she did, what was happening. Almost painfully, he pulled out of her, fighting against her inner muscles which immediately missed his presence. Succumbed with agony, she clutched her head with both hands and screamed, “How do I make it stop?”

  “Conio!” Antonio pulled up his jeans and anxiously looked around the room for something. Anything. “Breathe through it, sweetheart,” his voice velvety soothing, but the sound which frequently calmed her, this time made her cringe.