Reluctantly His

Chapter Twelve

Nika sat on the window seat in Garrick's bedroom inside the mansion he called home and watched him sleep. He lay stretched out on the bed still in his werewolf form.

It was just past dawn, and she could no longer to sleep. Not that she'd slept much before she'd gotten out of bed. Thoughts of what had happened during the night wouldn't let her rest.

About twenty minutes after Garrick's and her conversation with his Anglo-Saxon god, Tiw,—she still found it amazing that she'd heard an actual god's voice inside her head—a black Land Rover Range Rover pulled into the yard of the abandoned farmhouse. Three large men had gotten out of it and approached them. They had turned out to be Wolfric, Dolf and Brand—three of Garrick's brothers-in-arms.

At the sight of Garrick, they'd taken over the charge of supporting him and getting him into the Range Rover. Once they'd all piled in, Wolfric had made the introductions while Brand drove. Dolf sat in the back with her and Garrick. Dolf had been the one to tell her all of Tiw's warriors, along with the two women who had become mates, lived together in their mansion like an extended family.

When they arrived at their home, Nika had been knocked speechless by the size and beauty of the mansion. It was a showplace home. She'd soon found out the inside was just as spectacular as the outside after she'd been ushered through the front door.

The large, open-concept foyer with its check marble floor, curving oak staircase, and crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, had her looking around gawking.

Nika hadn't had long to do much admiring before Wolfric and Brand had helped Garrick up the stairs and into his bedroom. She'd followed behind and stayed out of the way when the men put Garrick in his bed. She had cringed a bit when they pulled back the sheets and blood from his wounds soaked into them. But she'd kept her mouth shut when the men didn't seem to care.

Shortly after that, Raed and Algar had arrived and introduced themselves. Their mates had been sleeping, and they had reassured her Lexi and Kamryn were anxious to meet her. Obviously, they already knew about her.

Raed did a quick check of Garrick's wounds and declared they were slowly healing and would be gone once Garrick could shift. He'd then bandaged Nika's wound, before the men left her alone with the werewolf who was her mate. Too tired and not wanting to sort through how her life had changed, she'd climbed into bed beside Garrick and tried to sleep.

Now she could no longer keep those thoughts away. Nika ran her gaze over Garrick again. With him being stuck in his werewolf form for hours, and used to seeing him like that, she wasn't afraid of him. Actually, she liked snuggling against his warm fur as she'd done during what had been left of the night. That form was just a part of what Garrick was. As he'd told her, he was still the same man inside the werewolf.

With the threat of death at the hands of the bad werewolves no longer hanging over her head, Nika thought of how close she'd come to losing Garrick. If he'd been mortal, a few of his wounds would have killed him. Thinking about that had her admitting how she would have felt if she had lost him. It would have devastated her.

She loved Garrick, and she didn't want them ever to be separated. He'd pushed his way into her life and stolen her heart. She was more than happy he hadn't listened to her when she'd told him she wasn't ready to start a new relationship.

Garrick stirred on the bed and opened his eyes. He reached across to the side of the bed where she'd slept. Only encountering empty space, he gazed around the room until he saw her at the window seat.

Nika got to her feet and moved to sit on the bed beside him. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," he said in his gruff werewolf voice. "What time is it?"

"Very early in the morning. I couldn't sleep anymore."

His gaze searched her face. "I'm sorry you had to find out about me like this, Nika. If it had been left up to me I would have done it much gentler."

She smiled. "It's okay, Garrick." She ran her hand along his furred chest, careful not to brush one of his wounds. "I can handle you being a werewolf. I was actually thinking with you in this form, it would be kind of nice to snuggle on a cold winter's night."

Garrick gave her a wolfish grin. "I can do that, but right now, I need to be back in my human body."

Garrick flung back the sheets, and Nika eased back a bit. He slowly sat up. She held her breath, hoping it would work, as his body began to blur. This time the shift worked, and soon, a naked Garrick in human form took the place of his werewolf one.

All his wounds had disappeared with no dried blood to show where they had been.

Seeing the relieved look on Garrick's face, Nika threw herself into his arms. "I might have gotten used to you in your werewolf form, but I much prefer you like this.

Then I can do this." She captured his lips with hers and kissed him deeply.

Garrick kissed her back, twining his tongue with hers, until he had her moaning.

He then pulled back. "I want you, Nika, my mate. Let me show you how much I love you."

Her breath caught. "I need you to. I can't stop thinking about how close I came to losing the man I've fallen in love with."

"It takes more than a few werewolves to take down your mate," Garrick said with a smile. "Come." He slipped off the bed and pulled her to her feet to stand in front of him. He pulled her bloodstained shirt up and over her head. "I want to be inside you, but we both need to wash the stink of prey off us first. How does a shower sound to you?"

"Heavenly," she said.

Nika quickly reached for the button of her jeans and undid it. While she stripped out of the rest of her clothes, Garrick watched her every move. By the time she was as naked as he was, his cock had become fully erect, jutting out from his body. At the sight of his erection, she grew wet.

Garrick took a deep breath. "The smell of your arousal makes me ache to sink my cock inside your sweet pussy."

"I want you there, now," she replied huskily.

He took her hand and led her to the en suite bathroom. Garrick started the shower and lifted her into the tub before he joined her and closed the sliding glass door.

He moved her under the warm spray until her hair was wet. He grabbed the bar of soap from the soap dish and lathered it up in his hands, then began to wash her body. His large palms glided over her skin, taking particular care when he reached her breasts and pussy. His touch turned her on even more.

Her front done, he turned her into the spray of water to rinse as he brushed aside her long hair. Nika felt his lips reverently kiss the place high up on her right shoulder where Tiw's mark was.

"What does it look like?" she asked.

He kissed the spot again. "I can see Tiw's mark clearly now. It looks exactly the same as mine."

"I guess that means we're really mated now?"

"Almost. Once Tiw gifts you immortality, then we'll be truly mated."

Nika turned to face Garrick. "So we'll have forever together?"

"Yes."

"Good, because I want that."

"We'll have our chat with Tiw about it, but not until after our shower."

She smiled. "I have to agree with that. We're far from done in here."

She took the soap from Garrick and lathered up her hands, then put the bar back in the soap dish. She pressed a kiss to his chest as she ran her palms down his sides to his hips. Nika skimmed her fingers across his lower abs until she reached his cock. She wrapped her soapy hands around the shaft and gave it a thorough wash. It jerked in her grasp, and Garrick moaned.

When she was done, Nika allowed the water to wash the soap away. She then went down on her knees and took Garrick's cock in her mouth. She sucked and stroked him until he moaned as he rocked hips.

Nika stood and looked at him. His eyes had changed, going wolf. Garrick held up his hands, letting her see his claw-tipped fingers. "See what you do to me? You make me lose control."

The thought that only she did that to him excited her. "Take me, Garrick. I want to feel you deep inside me."

With a growl, he captured her mouth, sucking on her tongue until she whimpered. Lifting her off her feet, he urged her to put her legs around his waist. "Lock your legs behind me, Nika. I'm going to give you exactly what you want."

Once she had done as he'd told her, he positioned his cock at the entrance to her body and surged inside to the hilt. Holding onto her bottom, he moved her up and down his shaft. Nika strained against him, tightening her pussy around him. Bracing his feet on the bottom of the tub, Garrick pistoned into her. His cock grew even harder.

With each of his hard thrusts, Nika felt her climax build. She clutched his shoulders, loving the feel of her mate taking her, filling her with his thick cock. She moaned. "I'm almost there. Don't stop."

"I won't," he growled. "You feel so good, Nika. I'm about ready to explode."

Just as Garrick's cock swelled to lock them together, her orgasm overtook her.

She released a keening moan, and her inner walls clutched around his shaft, holding him in a tight fist. His howls of pleasure filled her ears while his cock pulsed deep inside her, filling her with his cum.

Dropping her head to Garrick's shoulder, she held onto him tight when he turned and put her back to the tiled shower wall. She felt another splash of cum. "I think Tiw is going to have to wait a little longer to make me immortal," she said once she could speak without panting.

"Why is that?"

She lifted her head to look at him. "Because once isn't going to be enough. I want to see how many times I can make my werewolf mate howl."

Garrick gave her a sexy grin. "And your werewolf mate likes the sound of that.

And I don't think Tiw will mind waiting."

Keeping her in his arms, Garrick turned off the shower and carried her to the bed. He then allowed her to have her way with him over and over again.