Lucas loosened his grip on her hands and stepped back. "So you know, but I don't know about you." He looked over at Elric, who appeared ready to spit fire, "What makes you think you can take me?"
Elric took a step forward, towering over the other man, "Stop touching her."
Something in his voice was incredibly terrifying, even Lucas seemed to feel it because he released her instantly. She sagged back, her wrists throbbing where Lucas had held them in a bruising grip.
"I feared you would not understand if I stopped it too soon. I can see I waited too long." Elric cursed, "Even touching your hands is too much." He turned on Lucas, who was trying to creep out the door and grabbed him by the shirt collar, yanking him off his feet. "I will kill him."
She gasped and slid off the counter, nearly losing her balance but somehow making her way to him and putting a hand on his arm, "Stop. Let him go, it's not worth it."
Elric's face tightened and twisted in disgust revealing to her how much rage burned through him. He scoffed, "Not worth it? He attacked my mate. What is worth it?"
She took a step back, "I'm not your mate."
"He attacked a human."
"Would you have cared if it wasn't me?"
That stopped him for a moment, Lucas struggling fruitlessly in his grasp, feet dangling helplessly above the floor. Elric turned to her stating frankly, "Yes. Yes, if I saw that happening to anyone, I would stop it." He shook his head with a dark expression, "Shifter or human, that is purely evil."
She felt proud of him, admiring the small amount of progress he had made, which was a new sensation for her. Even with her heart pounding, she felt relief flooding her because, once again, he had saved her. With what happened the day before and then this, she realized she was sort of lucky that he appeared in her life.
Even if he was turning it upside down.
"Let him go. He's not worth it," she said seeing Lucas's face turning purple.
Elric took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly. He appeared more than capable of holding Lucas there forever and not being the least bit bothered by it. His dark eyes leveled on her own, "What did he do to you?"
"Nothing. He got close, sort of pinned me, but he didn't even get to kiss me."
Elric's face contorted with disgust, "Then I shall have to show him how it feels to be pinned."
Without warning, he threw Lucas into the wall and slammed his whole body against him, knocking Lucas out cold. She ran forward looking down at Lucas, "You could have killed him."
Elric shook his head, stating flatly, "It takes a great deal more than that to kill a wolf, but he will be unconscious for a while." He turned his attention to her and she fidgeted nervously. Energy radiated off him and she didn't know what to make of it. "So, shall we discuss why you refused to heed my advice entirely?"
She took a step back, biting her lower lip, "I didn't have to. It didn't make any sense."
Elric backed her up another step. He was impossibly large, strong, and very angry. "I read his mind. I saw his thoughts. Do you think I would tell you something like that for nothing?"
"I don't know you," she said wringing her hands in front of her. He was getting so close to her, but instead of feeling afraid as she had been with Lucas, she felt her whole body responding to how alpha Elric was.
She was getting aroused.
"You are getting to know me," he said bringing a hand up to twist a lock of her hair.
"How was I supposed to know you could read minds?" she snapped. "It's not normal!"
"For humans, no, it is not."
"What about wolves?" she asked. "You called him a wolf."
"I did, because he is one," he said tossing a disgusted look down at Lucas.
She laughed nervously. Why do I feel like I'm about to melt into a puddle at his feet? she wondered. Elric's arm snaked around her waist and pulled her into him as if she were weightless.
"You are mine," he declared holding her tight against his hard, muscled chest. "I will not let anyone touch you."
She stared up at him, wetting her lips with her tongue. She wanted to tell him to shut up. That he didn't own her. That she was just being nice to him and they would only ever be friends.
She couldn't fool herself anymore. She wanted him.
She wrapped her arm around the back of his hard neck as he looked down at her with sparkling dark eyes. "Fine," she said so softly it was almost a whisper. "Don't let anyone touch me."
He leaned his head down until their foreheads almost touched, "I want to touch you."
"So, then touch me."
He lowered his head until his lips were a fraction from hers, teasing her with the electric charge between them for several long, tense, erotic seconds. Every breath made her crazy, her whole body felt like it was straining to be closer to him. She instinctively sought out his power, his strength, his warmth.
His lips closed over hers, they felt like velvet and tasted sweet, almost like honey, but better. The scent of cedarwood and cinnamon surrounded her. She felt as if she were falling, time rushing all around her. She moaned, opening for him as his arms wrapped around her. Mythical creature, or not, he gave her the best kiss of her life.
***
Elric's insides knotted as their lips met. It was undeniably pleasurable holding her tight against him, but also extremely dangerous. He never felt anything so powerful before. He had experienced pleasure in his human form as he never had a shortage of willing admirers now and before his hibernation.
This was different. This seared him, not just in his body but to his soul. He pulled away from her mouth, gazing down at her for a moment. So perfect. He dove in for another kiss, pinning her against the wall. She moaned, the sound electrified his body. He delved further, stroking inside her mouth as he pressed into her soft, warm body.
So human, so fragile, so his.
Another man had been touching her. A wolf had been touching her. He couldn't blame humans, he had been so enraged it didn't matter who was to blame. From the moment he watched them go into the back room, his nerves had been on high alert. He didn't sense anything wrong, at first, and he knew if he burst in on her when nothing happened she would be angrier with him than before his first warning.
He hated the wolf the instant he smelled him. He wanted the mutt nowhere near his mate. Wolves were proliferating faster than any other shifter species, and most of them were trouble. The rare good ones were truly good. Noble, royal even, but the bad ones were depraved and usually had family. He would have to deal with that later. At that moment, he wanted only to wipe away every trace of the other male from her body. Her own sweet scent filled the air - orchids and fresh rain.
He breathed it in deep, pulling back to rest his lips on her soft hair for a long moment, catching his breath. She looked up at him and he came down for another kiss, his arms entwining around her like he might keep her there against him forever. He wouldn't mind. He would kiss her, just the same, reveling in every blissful moment.
When he finally stepped back his heart pounded in his chest, his body felt as if it were an inferno and he wanted more. He was totally astounded. Judging from her wide, dilated eyes and slack posture against the wall, she was as well. He frowned, perhaps he should have given her more time to recover. He had been too jealous to see straight. The other male had gotten closer to her than he had ever been and he wanted, needed, to fix that. He also understood what happened might have traumatized her and he didn't wish her to feel he was taking advantage of her.
She didn't appear to be thinking about any of what happened. Her molten chocolate eyes wandered over him, her small, pink tongue darting out over her lips every time they wandered low on his body. He was instantly hard and quickly turned away from her, trying to regain his composure. They were in the salon she still needed to close. They shouldn't be doing this here.
"Sorry," he said gruffly.
He heard a rough sigh from behind him, "Seriously, you're going to apologize for that?"
He turned back to face her, "You went through something awful."
She shrugged and walked past him attempting to appear calm, though he could see the tremble in her legs. "All the more reason to have something to take my mind off it," she replied breathlessly. She sat at the counter and exhaled slowly, regaining control. Her brown eyes moved to him, "What was that?"
He shook his head from side to side, his body still unaware it was over, "I truly do not know."
"I thought you knew everything," she said with a devious grin.
"Normally, I feel as though I do, but this is a mystery."
She gave him another soft smile and began closing the register, "Man, every day is an adventure with you, isn't it?"
He walked over to Lucas's prone form and dragged him over to the front door, opening it and dragging him down the sidewalk. He deposited the lame wolf in front of a closed store and walked back to where Ann waited.
"When he wakes up, he shall know not to return," Elric told her. He didn't want to call the enforcers about this, not unless he had to, and one fresh wolf didn't make that call necessary.
Once inside he grabbed a broom to sweep up hair the way he watched the others do when cleaning up. He surprised himself for actually wanting to be helpful. Then again, he needed something to take his mind off spreading Ann on one of the counters and taking her.
"Thanks, for rescuing me," she said softly.
"That is twice in two days. Do you always get into this much trouble?" he asked.
"I thought he wasn't human."
He frowned, "He is weaker than I am. I will lump him, and most shifters, in with the humans regarding my general lack of respect."
She glared at him, "You know… tomorrow's my day off. So, we're going out in the world together and doing something good."
"I would much rather stay home and do something good," he said lifting his eyebrows.
She stifled a laugh, "No, we're going out."
"Fine," he relented. "Where are we going?"
"The animal shelter."
"The what?"
"I've been wanting to adopt a cat, and since you're going to be with my anyway, you'll get to help."
"A cat… Why?" he asked doubtfully.
"I like them, and there are some that need homes."
He folded his arms, "Why do they need homes?"
She bit her lip and looked away from him, "Um…"
"Because their human owners abandoned them, correct?"
"Not always. Sometimes their owners were sick, or died, or they were bred on the street to feral cats." She sighed, "It's not always the worst case scenario, Elric. You need to cut people some slack, and take a look at the people who work at the shelter, too."
He shrugged, "What about them?"
"For everyone struggling, or even doing something bad, there are others trying to help. That's why you need to get out. You need to see some of the complexity in human life."
He sighed, "I shall accompany you tomorrow. If you will agree it is a date."
"O-okay," she agreed nervously.
"I make no promise I shall come to love humans."
She shook her head from side to side, "I don't blame you. Honestly, sometimes you make me question them, but I can't give up on the world. I live in it."
That hit him hard. It was too easy to think the worst of people, but the last thing he wanted to do was chase that hopeful light out of her eyes when that hope happened to be the very thing that so attracted him to her. He looked over at her, "I shall try to be less negative."
She smiled, "I appreciate that. I'm sure you have your reasons, but give us a chance. Surely, your oracle must know something about humans is worth saving if she wants you to help us so badly to wake you now."
He sighed, "Doubtful, she is merely an old woman who enjoys controlling things."
She giggled, "And you're just some unknown mythical creature with a really bad attitude."
He set the broom aside and stepped over to the counter, crowding her. He enjoyed the nervous look she gave him, the little twitch of her mouth as she smiled slowly. The way her body seemed to writhe minutely the instant he came close. "You believe me now?"
"I saw your skin change. You can read minds. Knives bend off you. Honestly, believing you're whatever you are is the easiest part."
He nodded, "Good. We can progress then."
"But I'm still a human, and it's important to me that you start understanding my world," she said firmly.
"We are starting tomorrow, are we not?" he asked folding his arms and looking around the salon.
"Yes," she replied as she scooped up her keys and walked to the front door. "Now, let' get home. I'm going to show you how to cook, then we're going to watch some of my favorite shows, for your observations."
"Oh, joy," he rolled his eyes playfully.
"You get to sit on the couch with me and eat a lot of food."
His eyes snapped to hers. She had his full attention. Maybe understanding humans wouldn't be so bad after all.