Eyes on the Pride (Awakening Pride Book 8) Read online

  She was panting when he lifted his head and brushed one finger over her bottom lip.

  “What was that for?” she whispered.

  “Because I wanted to,” he stated then tugged her over to grab food and drinks before heading up to pay.

  The rush of cool air hit her as they walked toward the truck.

  “My senses are expanding,” she said as they crossed to the gas pumps. “I’m hearing nuances I’ve never picked up on before. Small sounds that seem amplified now. And the smells. Everything is…more. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just more than it ever was before.”

  “From the mating.”

  “I know,” she said. “Still, it’s one thing to read it and another altogether to experience it.”

  He opened her door, helping her up into the truck. He handed her the bag filled with snacks and drinks before easing the door shut and walking around to the driver’s side. She watched his profile as he maneuvered them back onto the highway. He was gorgeous, and looking at him made her want to pound her chest and roar with pride that he was hers. She bit her lip to hold in the snort. She’d never been overly possessive and certainly not of people. Was this another change that came with the mating of a shifter?

  “You going to pass out that stuff, or are you planning to hoard it?” Calloway questioned with a quick glance her way.

  She reached into the bag and pulled out two waters, a bag of chips and one of the sandwiches he’d grabbed. The bag was bulging with all the food he’d picked up, which made sense with his appetite. A shiver coursed through her as she thought of how much she enjoyed his insatiability…for her, and hers for him. She could probably blame that on the mating, as well.

  “Spit it out, Darby.”

  “What?” she questioned.

  “Whatever is spinning through your brain now,” Calloway prompted.

  “Is there anything the watchers haven’t witnessed or read about when it comes to physiological changes due to mating? I’ve read about the biological changes that occur when a human mates with a shifter, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we haven’t been made aware of yet.”

  “You’ll heal faster, but you guys must know that,” Calloway offered.

  She nodded. “The enhanced senses. The faster healing from injury. The blood injections I’ll need from you if I become pregnant.”

  “When,” he corrected. “You know there’s no using birth control for us.”

  “When,” she amended, and her hand automatically dropped to her lower stomach. Good thing she’d had her implant removed from her arm weeks ago and had opted not to replace it. There was no need for any contraceptives anymore. No condoms, no pills, no implants. No method of preventing conception at all.

  “Not yet,” he said as if he knew the question in her mind. “I’ll know when you’re ovulating. We both will. Our sex drives will be to the point we won’t be able to do anything but fuck during that window of time. Then it will be up to nature whether or not you conceive.”

  “I’m not sure we can have more sex than we have been.”

  He gave a bark of laughter. “You have no idea. When you’re fertile, we won’t leave the bed. I won’t be able to leave your side and will do my best not to leave your body. Your skin will be ultrasensitive, rendering you incapable of tolerating anyone else’s touch.”

  “And you?” she whispered, leaning in and biting her lower lip as she envisioned the portrait he painted.

  “I won’t tolerate another’s touch either. That’s already me, Darby. The man I am with you isn’t the one the rest of the world sees or knows. I’m not a social man. I prefer the quiet.”

  She laughed. “My constant chatter must drive you crazy.”

  He shook his head. “The sound of your voice is a delight to my ears. I’d spend a thousand hours listening to you and still beg for more. You’re my mate, Darby. My other half. The only woman in this entire world meant to be at my side.”

  Darby swiped tears from her cheeks, his words hitting her hard and making her heart expand. She and her father loved one another. It wasn’t as if love had been denied her and Calloway was the first to give it to her. But this, what they shared, it was different, unique. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. It ran deeper than the heart and would last longer than a lifetime. They were connected soul-to-soul, and that bond would only strengthen over time.

  “Do we have time to make a stop?”

  His heated gaze assured her he understood what she wanted. This was their connection, the connection of all mated couples. A knowing that didn’t require spoken words. He pulled off at the next exit. She thought briefly of teasing him with brief flashes of skin or touches, but the way his cock flexed behind his zipper showed her he was already primed and ready to blow.

  She didn’t pay attention to anything but him. His cheeks were flushed, his breathing louder, hands clenching and releasing on the wheel. She swallowed, licked her lips then swallowed again. She wanted to taste him, to lean over and rip his jeans open and take him into her mouth. She smelled the dark spice of his desire, and it only kicked hers higher. Her juices dampened her panties as her body prepared to take him.

  Suddenly, he turned and growled at her. One strong wrist flicked the key off, and she realized they were parked. They were in the shadows. She saw trees and thick grasses then didn’t care as he jerked his seat back until he was almost fully reclined. Those long fingers made quick work of the denim, and she licked her lips again as his erection sprang free. He palmed the shaft, stroking down it and gliding his thumb across the damp tip.

  “You want this, baby,” he purred. “Come and take what you want.”

  He lifted his hand and ran his thumb over her lip. She opened wide, sucking it in and nursing the digit, cleaning the taste of pre-cum from it. He groaned, head snapping back against the seat, cock flexing out as if begging her to focus on it. She was more than willing to comply. She reached for her jeans but couldn’t wait. She rose to her knees, bending over and dropping her mouth over that thick stalk. It was hard to work him without her hands, but she needed her jeans off.

  Calloway was more than willing to help. His fingers slid through her hair, cradling her scalp as he held her head in place and shallowly thrust into her mouth. So good. So incredibly good. Pre-cum spilled, and she devoured every drop. Her tongue worked the underside of his shaft, paying close attention to the small notch just under the glans. She nibbled the head, scraping gently with her teeth before opening wider and encouraging him to thrust deeper.

  She lost her balance as she kicked off her shoes and wiggled her jeans and panties farther down her legs. Calloway moved one hand to steady her hips. She overcompensated, bending forward more, and ended up with his cock deep in the back of her throat. Her eyes watered, breathing shut off as her airway was effectively blocked by his rigid flesh. Calloway cried out, pleasure ripe in his voice, and she struggled to remember how to breathe through her nose so she could give him the level of penetration he desired.

  He was the one to pull her off. While she was still catching her breath, he managed to finish stripping her from the waist down and tugged her across to straddle his hips. His cock filled her, his hands pushing her hips down as he thrust up. His gaze locked on hers, staying there as he fucked her.

  “Darby,” he groaned, snapping her out of the spell she’d fallen under.

  She gripped his shoulders and began moving, slamming her hips down on him, wanting it hard, wanting it fast and deep. This was taking, claiming, staking ownership. It was primal. It was spiritual. It was exactly what she wanted. She dropped her head to his neck as the first orgasm ripped through her, teeth clamping onto his trapezius muscle and clenching tight.

  He cried out again, bucking beneath her. One hand reached up to jerk her head to the side then his teeth clamped onto her, sinking deep into the mark he’d given her. Another orgasm ripped through her, this one taking him along for the ride. Darby blacked out for a moment, coming back
to his hand stroking leisurely up and down her spine.

  “I can’t feel my legs,” she mumbled and loved the way his husky laugh washed over her hair.

  “Yeah, the front seat of my truck isn’t the most comfortable place to have sex.”

  She looked up and grinned. “I’d do it again.”

  His cock twitched inside her.

  “Careful or it’ll be much sooner than you think.”

  She was ready to dare him, to beg for another round, when his phone went off. They both glanced at it. Calloway must have recognized the number. He sighed then answered, placing it on speaker phone.

  “Any problems?”

  Darby sat up at the commanding tone of the voice. There was no doubt in her mind who it was. It was the alpha, Utah Pearce. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she did. Calloway groaned, reaching out to hold her hips so she’d stop wiggling on his cock that had apparently jumped on board with going another round.

  “We’ve…uh…had a slight delay, but we’ll be there on schedule.”

  “Everything okay?”

  There was something about Utah’s voice that had Darby wanting to drop to her knees and bow. What the hell? Was that also from the mating, or was there just something about the alpha that made everyone respond that way. Calloway grunted, his fingers digging into her ass cheeks, making her aware she was wiggling again. Her gaze rose to his, and she tried unsuccessfully to bite off a giggle at the heat reflected there.

  “Ah,” another voice said. “Sounds about like the trip you and Abby had on the way to Colorado.”

  “Shut up, Logan,” Utah ordered. “Is she ovulating? I can send someone out to help you.”

  Her eyes widened, and Calloway was the one who chuckled this time. “Not with that, woman.”

  She blushed as the low tones of masculine laughter trickled over the line.

  “She’s not ovulating,” Calloway stated, making her cheeks grow even warmer as they openly discussed something she’d never spoken of, even with her father. “We’ll be there.”

  “Call if that changes,” Utah commanded. “It can be dangerous to travel alone in that type of heightened sexual state. It messes with your senses, keeps you focused on each other to the exclusion of all else around you.”

  “Will do,” Calloway said. “Was there another reason you called?”

  “I’ve received an encrypted message from Andrew Kline.”

  Darby gasped. Her entire body clenched, including her sex which tightened like a vise around the thick cock inside her. Calloway gritted his teeth, a hiss spilling out.

  “Your father, I believe, Miss Kline, and he said you’d be able to open it when you arrived.”

  “Yes,” she answered, head nodding though only Calloway could see her. “My father.”

  “As you can guess, we’re anxious for you to get here,” Utah continued.

  “We’ll be there,” Calloway growled, his eyes flashing with the streaks of gold she loved. “Later.”

  He disconnected without saying anything more.

  “You hung up on your alpha. You probably shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Not my alpha,” he bit out.

  “He is,” she argued then moved on when the color of his irises flashed a neon-gold hue. “I wonder what my father sent and why. I can’t believe he didn’t say anything to—”

  She broke off with a squeal as he moved, surging up and ripping the door open. He had them both standing outside the truck, her bent forward so her hands clutched his seat as he took her from behind. He bent over her, licking his favored spot on her shoulder and driving her crazy with the intensity of the pleasure rocketing through her.

  “Oh, God,” she moaned, reaching back to wrap one hand around his neck. The other dropped to grip his thigh. “Calloway!”

  “Me,” he rasped in her ear. “Focus on me, mate.”

  “You,” she promised. “Only you.”

  It was more than an hour before they managed to sate the lust enough to get back on the road. Calloway had assured her again she wasn’t ovulating, which only made her wonder how the hell either of them would survive when she was.

  Chapter Eight

  Darby was reclined in her seat when they arrived in Riverton. The afternoon sun was high, and Calloway had cranked the AC. She’d grabbed one of the blankets he kept in the backseat and wrapped up in it, falling asleep almost immediately. Between traveling, the stops for food and sex, worry for her dad, and nerves over meeting the pride and accomplishing the task she’d been given, she was exhausted. He figured the best thing for her was to let her sleep until they arrived. That way, she’d have less time to worry and stress over what she might say or do wrong when she met the alpha.

  He circled the town, keeping to the back roads as he headed toward the ranch the pride called home. He was still concerned with how he’d do around other shifters. He’d done his best to steer clear of his kind since he’d escaped the lab years ago. In the early days, when the drugs had still been heavy in his veins, he’d almost killed another male. He didn’t remember what had triggered it, and really, didn’t that say enough? All he remembered were claws sprouting as he’d sprung at the other man, prepared to rip out his throat.

  He’d avoided groups since then, sticking to the fringes and only interacting when no other option was allowed. He’d traveled from place to place, content to move on, until he’d seen Darby. One look and he’d realized she was his destiny. Part of him had known he’d been searching for her all along.

  He glanced over at her, enjoying the way the sun spilled in around her, seeming to pick up the red in her hair and make it shimmer. Even in slumber, there was a sexiness about her. From the tilt of her lips to the bare toes that peeked out from under the blanket, she was all that was beautiful and perfect to him. She was also the only reason he’d ever head where he was. For her and only for her.

  He eased the truck around a curve and wasn’t surprised to see the gated entryway ahead or the men standing by it. He was sure the pride had heard about his arrival as soon as his truck had been spotted. The town wasn’t that large, making it easy to distinguish any vehicle that didn’t belong. Smart of the pride to locate here. It would make spotting a hunter so much easier.

  He eased the truck to a stop and wasn’t surprised when Darby’s sultry, russet eyes blinked open.

  “We’re here,” he said as he put the truck in park and opened the door. “Sit tight.”

  He shut the door on her sputtering, grinning as he realized the hell he’d have to pay when he slid back in. She was definitely unhappy he’d let her sleep through the last leg of their drive.

  “Calloway,” Gideon acknowledged as soon as he stepped toward the front of the truck.

  “Gideon.”

  “This is Reno.” Gideon indicated the man with him.

  The other man nodded at him as if aware Calloway wasn’t much for physical touch, which included shaking hands. Reno was close to his height. His blue eyes showed intensity, intelligence. His stance said he was a man to reckon with, one who could back up any threat he made. Calloway was surprised when his beast didn’t rise up to assert itself. Instead, his cougar seemed relaxed.

  “Good to meet you,” Reno offered. “Tah’s up at the house, waiting for you. Follow us then we’ll show you inside.”

  With that command, they walked away. No demands. No interrogation before they could enter. Just an open-armed welcome. What the fuck? Other than Gideon, they didn’t know him from Adam or Darby either, for that matter. He certainly hoped they didn’t make a habit of accepting people this easily or his mate might be in more danger here than he’d expected.

  “What did they say?” Darby asked as soon as he opened the door. She’d scraped her hair back in a loose ponytail and was fussing with her makeup.

  “I like your hair down,” he said.

  She blinked a few times then glared at him. “I’m wearing it back. Now, what did they say? I saw Reno Esponetti speaking with you.”
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br />   “You know him?”

  “As much as I know about anyone in the pride. I’ve read about him. At least the bare bones of information the watchers have been able to accumulate. Raised by a single mom he was very close to. She was killed in an accident while he was in the military and unreachable. He served in the Marines with Utah Pearce and several of the others. Left the service around the same time they all did. Wandered around the country with Logan Dobson, another member of the pride. Reno was shot when he stepped in to protect a woman from assault. As soon as he got out of the hospital, he and Logan headed out to find the alpha, and they’ve been with him ever since. Reno’s mated to the daughter of a hunter, Amia Blane.”

  Calloway slammed on the brakes. “They have a hunter here?”

  “Amia was born a Blane, but she’s never been a hunter. Keep driving, Calloway. You’re drawing attention.”

  He noticed the truck in front of him had stopped, as well, and eased off the brake while she continued talking.

  “Amia Blane escaped her father when she was a teenager. She made it her life mission to save as many shifters as she can, and she has. She was captured several times and tortured by the Blanes for her efforts.”

  “Better tortured than dead,” Calloway grunted.

  “She was buried alive, Calloway. Placed in a coffin and dropped beneath the ground for days. From what I’ve read, her father had the chamber built so oxygen could be pumped into it, allowing them to prolong the torture of those put inside.”

  “Jesus Christ! How do you know that?”

  “We have accounts from several watchers about shifters she managed to save. A few of them discovered what happened to Amia and made record of it. I’ve always thought of her as a hero. They say she has the sight.”

  “What sight?” Calloway asked. If she could see the future, surely, she could have protected herself from what she’d gone through.