Hunted By Firelight by Krista Street

Chapter 12

~ WYATT ~

Warm water cascaded around me as I leaned against the shower wall. I squeezed my eyes shut, picturing the way Avery had gazed up at me with confusion, longing, and lust.

My wolf was pacing inside me again, urging me to push Avery more, demanding that I speed up the mating process. He wanted to claim her—now, today—even though she wasn’t ready for that.

But the urge to claim her as ours overtook all reason with him. He desperately wanted me to sink my teeth into the smooth flesh of her neck until our magic again took root, marking her forever as ours.

But I couldn’t do that. I’d pushed far enough today, maybe more than I should have, but when I’d scented her jealousy and seen how she’d responded to me physically, I hadn’t been able to control myself.

Especially since her new skittishness around me was a far cry from how she’d been only two days ago. I knew she still didn’t fully trust me, she had no reason to, but I also knew that I just needed to be patient.

I finally pushed away from the wall and washed my hair, then scrubbed the dried blood from my body, before I finishing with a much needed shave.

When done, I turned off the shower and closed my eyes, remembering the feel of Avery’s round ass pressing against my groin and how her slim back had melded to my chest. When I’d been standing behind her, looking over her shoulder, I’d had a perfect view of her round breasts pressing against her shirt. Only two days ago, those luscious globes had been in my mouth as I sucked her tits raw.

My cocked throbbed.

Damn. Just . . . damn.

∞     ∞     ∞

I stood by the window looking out at the fountain and the thick forest that surrounded Bavar’s estate as Avery showered.

Even though I was technically on a rest day, there were still a few things I wanted to do. I wanted to speak with Bavar, to see what his plan was should his estate fall under attack. I wanted to contact Nicholas, to learn if there had been any new findings at the Bulgarian libraries. The more Squad Three could learn about the men who’d tried to abduct Avery, the better.

And whether I liked it or not, I needed to write a report for Wes given there’d been an attack on fae lands’ soil this morning—I also needed to tell him about Marnee using her siren song.

I bristled at that thought.

The door cracked to the bathroom, and the sound of Avery’s shuffling feet drew my attention. She stood at the threshold, her hair freshly washed and dried. It curled around her shoulders, shorter strands framing her face as she wore one of the outfits that she and Charlotte had bought.

My breath sucked in as my gaze traveled up and down her frame. All thoughts of what I wanted to do fled.

She’d picked a simple pair of tight slacks and a cropped sweater. The sweater was a vibrant pink and made of a shiny material—both the color and material were often found in fae clothing. It made her breasts appear more prominent, and a hint of her taut abdomen flashed into view, teasing me mercilessly every time she fidgeted or stretched.

Fucking hell. How was I supposed to resist her when she looked like that?

She peered up at me uneasily, shifting her weight back and forth from foot to foot. “Does this look okay? I can’t remember if this is what people normally wear or not?”

I swallowed, then nodded, unable to form a coherent response.

“I should change,” she said in a rush, already closing the door. “Maybe I should ask Char—”

I had my hand on the door, stopping her from closing it before she could. My free arm shot out, encircling her around the waist before I thought better of it. My thumb rubbed against the bare skin on her back, just above her waistline where the taunting sweater revealed a peek of her gorgeous skin.

“You’re beautiful,” I whispered. “You just took me by surprise is all. No need to change. You’re perfect as you are.”

Her hands pressed against my chest—almost as if she were guarding herself against me—her palms warm through my shirt. A flash of violet light lit her eyes but died as quickly as it’d started.

I didn’t know what to think of that hint of power which now swam in her veins, but if her pounding heart was anything to go by, my actions had taken her by surprise.

I could only hope it was a good surprise.

“You, um, really think so?” she asked uncertainly.

Since she wasn’t pulling away from me, I kept my arm where it was. My wolf urged me on, begging me to lean down, inhale her scent and kiss her parted lips.

“Yes, I really think so,” I replied huskily.

She bit the corner of her mouth, a musky tint coating her scent. A low grumble of satisfaction filled me, and I knew before I began dipping my head that I was going to follow my wolf’s urgings.

Screw doing those list of things I’d thought about earlier. I was taking advantage of my rest day.