Caged Heat(25)

Disgust rolled through Riel. What a piece-of-shit excuse for a man. He curled his hands into fists, and a low growl worked up his throat. It bothered him that a man would hurt a woman, especially his mate. His father had always told him that mates were a rare treasure and should be cared for and protected at all costs. How could any man in good conscience hurt the woman they claimed to love?

The sound of gunshots exploded outside. Troy pulled Natalia down to the ground and threw himself over her.

Instinct took over, and Riel shifted into his wolf. His clothes tore at the seams, and he ran for the door. When he reached the front, he realized the gunshots hadn’t been toward his home. He ran in the direction of the scent of gunpowder and ended up in front of Sam’s house. Broken glass littered the ground, and the smell of whiskey and tobacco lingered.

A black wolf ran up to him. Kane.

Kane sniffed the ground around the front of the house. “Did you see anyone?”

“No. I think they must’ve been shooting as they drove. When I got out here there wasn’t a car in sight, but I still smell whiskey and tobacco.” Riel continued to smell the same spot he figured was where the car slowed down to shoot.

Kane snarled. “I do as well. I also smell sweat and something else.”

A low growl came out of Riel. “Sweet.” Whoever was after Sam had a woman with them.

Kane growled. “Yes.”

Riel glanced back at the broken windows. At this rate, she’d end up homeless in a week the way her house kept getting attacked. He’d call in some others to help fix the backdoor and her windows in the morning. “It’s the same scent we got from the bomb in the yard.”

Kane sniffed and turned toward Riel’s home. “Someone really wants to get at Sam.”

Riel followed behind slowly. He wouldn’t let anyone get to her. She was his, and he’d be damned if now that he finally had a chance to be with her some asshole would hurt her. Not in his fucking lifetime.

Riel and Kane went back to the house. Being a shifter and never knowing when he’d need to change, he kept a closet full of clothes everywhere, including his car. He and Kane dressed and went into the kitchen. Troy was the only person in there.

Kane frowned at Troy. “Where’s Nat?”

“She went up to check on Sam. She didn’t want her to wake up scared if the noise got through her drug-induced sleep.” Troy stood and faced Riel. “I’ll look into Juan Junior.”

Riel wanted a piece of the man himself, but he didn’t want to leave Sam alone.

Kane nodded. “And I’ll find out more about the others.”

As they all headed to the front, Natalia came down the stairs. “She’s still fast asleep. I am pretty sure she’s going to go all night like this.” She fixed her gaze on Riel. “Take care of her. She’s been through hell the past few weeks, and I’d hate to see her hurt any further.”

If it were up to Riel, Sam would never even get a headache for the rest of her life. He nodded and the three left his house.

When he got back upstairs, he showered and lay down next to Sam on the bed. She turned to face him, snuggled into his side, and sighed his name. Satisfaction filled his heart.

Riel woke up to the sound of his phone buzzing on the bedside table. He was about to reach for it when another hand curled over his hand and placed it right over a naked breast. He snapped his eyes open. What he saw took his breath away.

Sam straddled his hips. Her long curls hung in a dark, silky curtain down to her elbows. The brown of her eyes was bright and clear from the long sleep. She had a sexy smirk on her face and was, much to his delight, completely naked. He mentally devoured the curve of her shoulders, her perfectly full breasts with berry-tipped nipples, the sexy indent of her waist, and down to her gleaming hot sex resting over his stiff cock.

“How are you feeling?” Maybe they should hold off on sex until she felt better. Not that his dick gave a crap about his concern. He was harder than a piece of steel and desperately wanted inside her wet heat.

She grinned, lowered her head, and licked one of his nipples. “Like I want you to fuck me until my brain turns to mush, my toes curl, and you make me come.” His blood rushed down to his cock.

He groaned. “If I’m dreaming don’t wake me up, unless I’m humping the pillow. I’d hate for you to see me doing that.”

She laughed and wiggled over him. He didn’t think it possible, but his cock grew some more and jerked. He lay there, enthralled with her movements. She twirled her tongue over one flat disc and then wrapped her lips around the tiny bud and sucked. His hips rocked under her, and his cock slid between her pussy lips, covering his erection with her dripping honey.