Unleashing the Beast Read online

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Are you going to pace until they pull up?” Laura teased as Finn made another trek across the front porch of the main house.

  “Probably,” Clara teased. “You’d think he was Murphy’s dad.”

  “Ha, ha, ha,” Finn replied, stopping at the steps and dropping to sit next to Logan. “Where’s your guitar?”

  “You still play?” Laura asked her brother. He’d played a lot when she was younger. He’d been pretty good, too.

  “I’ll get it,” Clara offered and was up and running. Logan watched his mate disappear into the house and smiled.

  “She bought one for me when we were in Colorado. I lost mine when Reno was shot.”

  “Do you play it much?”

  “I do,” he said as Clara popped back out the door with it in hand.

  “Here,” she said. “I told them you were playing. They’ll be out in a minute.” She turned to Laura. “Have you heard them all sing?”

  “Them?”

  “Logan, Reno, Tah, Zane, Finn and Murphy. They sound incredible. I could listen to them all night long.”

  Laura turned to her mate. “You sing?”

  “I croon a little.” He held out his hand to her, and she rose, taking it and letting him pull her down until she sat in his lap. He dropped a kiss on her upturned lips, and she snuggled into him.

  “Just got off the phone with Daniel,” Tah said as he walked out. He was shirtless, broad shoulders and bronzed flesh gleaming and drawing Laura’s attention.

  “Careful,” Finn teased. “You’ll make me jealous.”

  Laura laughed.

  Tah grinned. “Sorry. Regan spit up all over my shirt.”

  “Where’s my favorite girl?” Reno asked as he and Amia joined them.

  “Abby’s getting her cleaned up. They’ll be out in a minute.”

  Logan strummed a few chords while they spoke.

  “What did Daniel have to say?” Finn asked.

  Tah sighed and dropped down on the steps by them. “He’s not coming back with them. Not out here anyway. They’re dropping him off at his house in town.”

  “And?” Laura asked, sitting up.

  “He’s going away for a bit. He said there are a few people he should check in with, to let them know about Isaac. Gideon and Vic are going with him,” Tah said.

  “How’s Ariel going to handle that?” Logan asked. “She’s usually with Gideon or Vic lately.”

  “I’ll keep an eye on her,” Finn said. “So will Murphy.”

  “Am I the only one worried about Daniel?” Laura demanded. “He’s hurting, too. I know how it feels when you think you’ve lost your mate.” Finn’s arms tightened around her. “I know that pain and how it makes you not care if you live or die. That’s where Daniel is right now, and it scares me.”

  “Vic and Gideon will watch over him,” Tah promised. “We’re all concerned about him. I don’t think any of us knows what to do to help in this situation.”

  “I think all we can do is wait and watch,” Abby said as she walked out to join them, Regan in her arms. Tah took the little girl from her mother and cuddled her up against his chest. Logan and Finn both leaned in to coo at her, and Laura’s heart melted. “And we’ll be here if—when—they need us,” Abby continued. “I thought I heard something about music and singing.”

  Logan began playing, and one by one, they all joined in. Laura snuggled against her mate’s chest and let his low tenor soothe her. Her man had an amazing voice, but Clara was right when she said they could all sing. They went from one song to the next without pause. Regan fell asleep on her dad’s chest, her cheek pressed close, little fists resting under her chin. He had one hand braced along her side, and her knees were bent, little butt in the air. What moved Laura was the way Tah looked at his daughter as he held her. You could tell his little girl was the love of his life, she and her mother. It was the same with all of them. Reno and Amia. Logan and Clara. Zane and Diane. Gideon and Vic. Gabriel and Kenzie. She and Finn. Such a deep bond existed between mates. She wanted that for Daniel and Ariel.

  For Murphy. Her mate’s thought entered her head, and she glanced back and gave a nod. For Murphy.

  She closed her eyes, listening to the music and letting her mind wander. The lab she’d been taken to the last time was gone, burned to the ground. It still worried her that they’d taken one of her ovaries. Diane had assured Laura she’d still be able to conceive. What concerned Laura though was what they might have done with her ovary. Had they dissected it and gotten rid of it or kept it for some other purpose? If she dwelled on it, she’d go insane. She had to remind herself they wanted to rid the world of shifters, which meant they’d have no use for harvesting her eggs and keeping them. They wouldn’t be viable unless they’d taken them immediately. Gideon had told her that.

  They hadn’t found where the lab had been moved either. Amia worried that the Blanes were coming south, following her. Laura had heard her tell Reno that Marcus Blane would never let her leave. She knew from the memories Finn had shared Amia feared her father and worried that he’d kill her mate and the members of the pride. Laura didn’t see the Blanes getting to them here. There was nowhere for them to hide.

  She must have fallen asleep. The next thing she heard was the low rumble of voices whispering above her. Finn held her high against his chest. She had one arm wrapped around the back of his neck and the other curled on his chest. She blinked her eyes open and saw Murphy standing beside them. His gaze dropped to her, and he smiled.

  “Hey there, little sister,” he said. “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “You’re back,” she replied, looking around. “Where’d everyone go?”

  “To bed,” Finn told her. “Which is where I’m taking you in a minute. I just wanted to check with Murphy about Daniel.”

  “How is he?” Laura asked.

  “He’ll be okay,” Murphy said. “He needs to get away from here for a bit. I was letting Finn know I’m heading back out with him.”

  “You’re leaving again?” Laura asked, glancing up at Finn to see how he was taking it.

  “I’m fine, baby,” Finn said. “Besides, you’d drive us all crazy with worry if you thought Daniel might be by himself. This way, we have Murph watching out for him.”

  “But…you two stay together,” she said.

  “We’re connected,” Murphy reminded her. “We’ll always be together.”

  “Thank you for doing this, for going with Daniel. It means a lot to me,” she said and lifted her hand from Finn’s chest to grab at Murphy and tug him closer. She kissed him on the cheek. “Of course, now, I’ll worry about both of you out there.”

  Finn and Murphy laughed as she’d intended.

  “I’ll see you before you leave in the morning,” Finn said.

  “I won’t leave until we do,” Murphy vowed. “Good night.”

  He turned and walked into the house, shutting the door softly behind him and leaving her and Finn alone.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with him going again?” she asked her mate.

  Finn laughed. “Yes, I’m fine. Murphy’s a big boy. He knows how to take care of himself, and he’ll keep an eye on Daniel.”

  “You’re not just staying for me. You’re staying for Ariel,” Laura realized.

  “Someone needs to watch out for her, and someone needs to make sure she still has a mate when she realizes how much she needs one. And how much her mate needs her, too,” Finn said.

  “You’re a great guy.” Laura nuzzled against his beard, planting kisses along the curve of his jaw. “Take me home and make love to me.”

  “You read my mind,” he whispered and carried her to the ATV.

  They reached the house in minutes and headed inside. Finn dropped the keys on the counter and stalked toward her, scooping her back up in his arms and carrying her to the bedroom.

  “I believe you said something about making love,” he said with a purr.

  “I did,
” she agreed.

  He set her on her feet, and they took their time undressing one another, stopping to kiss and touch as each piece of clothing was removed. He ate at her lips, his fingers stroking over her skin and skimming a path down her body until he found her core. His touch was electric, sending jolts of lust pulsing through her sex and leaving her slick with need.

  “Finn,” she moaned.

  “Shh,” he crooned. “Soon.”

  He kept her on her feet, fingers teasing while he licked at her neck. His cock pressed against her hip, leaving a damp trail along her skin. He dipped his head to the mark he’d left and sucked on it, thrusting two fingers deep into her pussy at the same time. She came with a cry, her channel rippling around him.

  “Now,” she demanded, and he lifted her with a husky chuckle.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist and gripped his shoulders, using them to give her the leverage she needed to lift up while he positioned his cock at her portal. She sank down on him, taking him inch-by-inch and making them both groan at the sensations coursing through them. Her back hit the wall, and Finn planted one hand beside her head, the other staying on her ass, holding her steady while he fucked her.

  It was so good. Incredible. The higher he took her the higher she wanted to go. She panted and mewled, alternating between sucking at the mark she’d left on him and throwing her head back so he could do the same to her.

  He lifted her away from the wall, turning them again until he was sitting on the side of the bed. He lay back, his hands gliding up her sides then cupping her breasts, thumbs rasping over her nipples.

  “Ride me,” he ordered, and she did, rising and falling at a slow and easy pace that drove them both wild. “Faster,” he urged, gripping her hips tighter.

  She rode with wild abandon and sent them both into orgasm. He surged up as he came and sucked at her skin, the mark sending fire through her and increasing the intensity of her pleasure. She latched onto the one she’d left on him and felt him shudder beneath her as another spurt of cum was milked from his cock.

  She clung to him when he reclined back onto the mattress, holding him tight while her body heaved and trembled, struggling to come down from the high he’d given her.

  “I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you feel just like this,” he promised, his breath panting above her ear.

  “I like the sound of that,” she said, turning her head into his throat. His hands ran softly down her back and over her ass before sliding back up. “I lied to you,” she whispered. “When I said I would have loved you.”

  “Yeah?” he questioned, not sounding concerned at her confession.

  She propped her head up on her fist and met his content gaze. “I knew I loved you the moment I saw you, and I still do.”

  “I love you, too, Laura,” Finn replied. “You did more than save my life. You showed me the true joy of living it.”

  “I’ll make sure to show you the joy of it every day,” she swore.

  “I like the way you think,” he said.

  “Good, because I’m thinking we should do that again in a few minutes.”

  His husky chuckle washed over her.

  “Mmm, baby,” he crooned, rolling them over until she was under him. “I like the way you think.”

  About the Author

  Lacey Thorn spends her days in small town Indiana, the proud mother of three. When she is not busy with one of them, she can be found typing away on her computer keyboard or burying her nose in a good book. Like every woman, she knows just how chaotic life can be and how appealing that great escape can look.

  So, toss aside the stress and tension of the never-ending to-do list. For now sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride with Lacey. It’s your world…unlaced.

  Lacey loves to talk to her readers and can be found at www.lacythorn.com. Join Lacey on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/authorlaceythorn Or on Twitter at @laceythorn1. And feel free to email the author at [email protected].

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