Alpha’s Secret: A Bear Shifter Romance (Bad Boy Alphas Book 10)

Grizz

“Fates,” I mutter and stride to her so quickly, her eyes widen. I scoop her up in my arms and toss her on the bed so fast she gasps.

I draw back. “Did I hurt you?”

“No.” She’s laughing. “This is what I wanted.” Her hands roam over me and when I find her mouth and claim it, she arches into the kiss.

Then she wriggles down my body.

“Kit—?” I go to grab her, haul her back up, but her hands are busy on my jeans and I freeze.

“Shh,” she says. “Just relax and enjoy it.”

I huff. “That’s my line.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I know. I want to.” She unbuttons and unzips and opens my jeans like unwrapping a present. It’s dark, but I feel the reverence in her touch. Hot breath hits my skin.

“Hang on.” I can’t believe I’m stalling her, but the chance to watch her is too perfect to pass up. “I want to see you.”

I reach over, flick on the light.

She blinks up at me. I lie back and let her settle over me, reaching to stroke her face.

“Don’t let me stop you.”

“Mmm,” she purrs, and nuzzles my cock. She starts kissing it, her eyes closed as if she’s reached nirvana. Fates, she’s not gonna suck my cock, she’s gonna worship it.

Her head drops and I groan as she licks my balls, swirling her tongue like she’s licking an ice cream cone. Dizzy with pleasure, I let her take her sweet time. How did I get this lucky?

“Jordy…baby…you gotta stop.”

She jerks her head up. “You don’t like it?”

“You know I love it. But I’m gonna explode.”

She smiles, and I see the vixen in her.

“Naughty,” I growl. “Suck my cock.”

“Yes, sir.”

Fates, I’m gonna blow. “Now,” I order and she sits up, dipping her head down immediately.

That’s when I see it, a white mass of scars over her left breast.

“What the fuck?”

Her head snaps up, worry creasing her brow.

I touch the raised flesh, white weals where the skin was marred and healed. How have I not noticed this before?

“It’s nothing,” she says, her expression dulling. A huge change from her usual sunny self. Like light shutting off.

“He fucking mauled you.” I splay my hand over the raised flesh, so angry I can’t see straight.

Jordy bows her head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Who did this to you? Was it Augustine?” I can barely growl out his name.

Her eyes closed, she shakes her head. I catch her hair, holding her still. “Who?”

“I don’t know. He was another vampire. I don’t know who he was. Augustine gave me to him…as a reward. You know my relationship with him. I did as I was told.”

“And he hurt you.” It’s not a question. Fangs tearing into her like that, it had to hurt.

She jerks away and sits on the edge of the bed, folding into herself. I get a lungful of her scent. Not fear, not anger.

Shame.

My anger washes away.

“Shh, it’s okay. I know he marked you. It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” she says in a small voice that kills me.

I scoot to her, and when she shrinks away, I straddle her small body between my heavy thighs, enclosing her. My arm goes around her middle just in time for me to feel her give a dry sob.

Oh fuck.

“Hey,” I say, desperate. “Hey, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to react like that. It’s just…” I search for words to describe the rage brewing in my chest. “The thought of you getting hurt like that…makes me want to destroy worlds.”

“It’s my fault,” she says.

“Jordy, no. No way it’s your fault.”

She keeps her head bowed.

“What happened? You want to talk about it?”

She shakes her head.

“Okay, you don’t have to talk about it.” Fates, what do I say? I thrust my forearm in front of her. “See this?”

She nods.

“What do you see?”

“Tattoos. Lots of them.”

“A whole sleeve.”

“Yes.”

“Feel it, Jordy. Touch it.”

She does and I grit my teeth. Her touch still has me hard. I wait until she reaches my favorite part of the tattoo, a giant redwood. She runs her finger up the trunk and pauses. There.

“You feel that?” I ask, burrowing my face into her hair. Even her scent is perfect. “You know what that is?”

“A scar.”

“Yep. Big one. Got caught with a knife.”

“But how—” she stops. She knows what scars a shifter.

“Vampire blood. I tried to stake the fucker. Got hit with blood, and it made the knife wound scar.”

She turns in my lap, eyes wide at my declaration. “You fought a vampire.”

More than one, but she doesn’t need to know that. She looks absolutely shocked and I get it. Because I fought a vampire, and I’m still breathing.

“It’s not possible,” she whispers.

“Feel my arm.”

She does, more hesitantly. The weal runs through the heart of the redwood tattoo and becomes a wave on an ocean, the Great Wave by Hokusai. Further around my arm, on more placid water, a ship sails into the horizon. “How did you get away?

“Luck.” It’s a partial truth. “I can’t tell you much.”

“You don’t remember?”

I shrug. Something in her eyes makes me ask, “Do you remember?” I touch her scar again, gently, but she flinches.

“No.” Her face shutters again. “Not completely.”

“He’d have to spill vampire blood on you to make it scar. Lots of it.”

“I know,” she says softly.

I don’t want to ask. What sick fuck vampire tears into his victim, and soaks her in his own blood just so she’ll scar?

No wonder Jordy has nightmares.

“So how’d you scar, then?” she asks.

I don’t want to go down this road, but if it draws her away from her dark path, I will. “Same way you did. Vampire blood. Lots of it.”

“He bled on you?’

“Not by choice. It burned like a mother, but I got him, in the end.”

She’s silent, contemplating, her fingers still working down my arm. Her touch falls away, and she turns to the subject I absolutely do not want her thinking about. “You fight like a vampire. I know you do. I saw you.”

“Jordy—”

“How do you do it? How is it possible?”

I shake my head. Pressing my lips together. We cannot go there.

“Declan and Parker were talking about it. Vampires are bigger, faster, strong. Shifters are all those things, but head to head, vampires beat shifters every time.”

“He’s right. As far as I know, I’m the only shifter to ever beat a vampire. There’s a way to do it, but only I know how.” Fates, why am I telling her this? If any vampire finds out what she knows, her life is forfeit. Not to mention mine.

“How?”

“It’s a secret. I can’t tell you.”

Her hand drops to her own chest. “I dream about him, sometimes. The vampire who did this.”

“I know, Kit.” I’ve held her through those nightmares. “I’ll kill him.”

“No. I wish I was bigger, stronger, faster. So I could defend myself. But I’m not. I’ll always be small.” She sounds so sad. I want to comfort her and have no idea how. “And now I’m scarred. Ugly. Augustine was so mad after…he saw me. He never treated me the same after that.”

“He should’ve protected you,” I growl. “It wasn’t your fault.”

She closes her eyes, tears spilling, magnifying the freckles.

“Kit, sweetness,” I shift her closer in my arms. “Don’t cry. You’re breaking my heart. If I had been there, I would’ve protected you.”

“I know.”

“I’m here now. No vampire will ever touch you again.”

She shakes her head. “I’ve got to go back. You know that. You can’t take from a vampire.”

“He’s not getting his hands on you again,” I growl.

Her eyes slide to the door.

I grip her hair. “No. No running. We’re in this now, together. If you think you’re going back to him after this—”

“Grizz, please.”

“No, Jordy.” I tip her face up. “He doesn’t get to have you.”

Her eyes open and meet mine. “Then who does? Who gets to have me?”

“No one.”

“I don’t want to belong to no one.”

“You belong to yourself.”

“I know. But I want to give myself to someone.”

I shouldn’t ask, but I can’t help it. “Who?”

She licks her lips. “You.”

“Jordy. I can’t…” This is killing me. The knife in my arm, the burn of vampire blood hurts less.

“I know.” She lays her small fingers over my scared lips. “Shh, I know.”

“I’m sorry. It’s not fair to you, Kit. I should let you, but I can’t. Not until—” Not until I find someone better to take her. I should say that, but I can’t.

With a small nod, she pulls away. I let her go. But then she starts to slip down between my knees again.

“What are you doing?” Hope and alarm mixes in my voice.

“You saved me from him.” She sets her hands on my knees, her face at my crotch. “Let me thank you.”

“I want more than your gratitude,” I growl, tugging her head back by her hair.

“Then what do you want?” Her whiskey-colored eyes spear me, open and guileless and absolutely devastating. Stripping me down, wrecking every wall I’ve raised between us.

“You, Kit. I want you. But I can’t have you…” My voice grows ragged as she tugs against my hold, putting her lips right near my upright shaft.

“Just for tonight then. Just for tonight.”

If I tug her hair any tighter, I’ll hurt her, so I let her go. She wants to suck my cock? Fuck if I can stop her. I can barely think with her auburn hair spilling over my thigh, her lips skimming my cock.

“Fuck, yes. Kit, baby—”

“I love how you call me Kit,” she says, her breath blowing over my turgid length. “Your baby fox.” Her tongue darts out, and she licks me. Fuck, I’m gonna explode.

“Kit, please.”

Her smile is smug. “I like being your baby. You make me feel small and cute.”

“You are small.”

She wrinkles her nose.

“You’re cute, too, but not just that.” Reach down and spear her hair with my blunt fingers. “You’re beautiful.”

With a quiet satisfied smile, she opens her mouth and engulfs my cock. Lights flash in my brain, my hips jerk up, fucking her mouth. She goes with it, bobbing her head, her mouth providing perfect suction. She takes me to the root—insane, given how big I am and how small she is.

She’s humming—Fates—vibrations through me, my balls gonna explode.

“Jordy,” I jerk her. “I want you.” I want to come in her but there’s not time. “I’m gonna come.” I want her. She sucks harder, vacuums every bit of cum outta me.

With a roar I thrust hard into her mouth, she takes it, every inch.

Cum dribbles out of the side of her mouth. Obscene. Should be angry for defiling her, instead I want to lay her down, make her scream, wreck and ruin her and make a beautiful mess in my bed. Then hold her in my arms and croon how precious she is. She’ll let me. She’ll let me do every depraved thing I want to do, and lie there, tattered innocence, and smile.

Fisting my hand in her hair, I hold her still and kiss her, hard enough to bruise. My stubble scrapes her soft skin, but if it hurts her, she makes no sign. She wriggles under me, her legs wrapped around my hips, tugging me closer, begging for more.

I kiss down her body, browsing over her heart, breasts chafed, her hands begging.

“Please, Grizz, please, oh, yes—”

I prop her legs over my shoulders and bury my face in her snatch. Fates, she tastes so damn good. “Gonna eat you, baby. Gonna lick up every drop.” My tongue rough and wide, lapping over as much of her tender skin as I can. She writhes under the onslaught, but her hands grip my hair, pulling me tighter.

That’s it baby, let go. My hand finds her breast and plumps it, squeezing it. She’ll wear the marks from my rough stubble, my conquering hands. I pull her legs apart and attack her sweet pussy with my tongue again, drawing fresh moans. Fuck, I want more.

I flip her over and swat her ass, growling with pleasure at the red handprint on her pale flesh. I want to mark her. I want to own her. I want her to feel me in every way. I smack her again, without malice, but hard enough to leave a mark.

She arches her back and thrusts her bottom at me. “Harder,” she orders. “more.”

“You don’t give the orders here.” I thrust my fingers into her sopping pussy. It would be too rough if she wasn’t so very wet.

“Fuck, Kit, you’re so ready. You want me?”

“Yes,” she moans, her head dropping to the bed. “Yes please.”

“Gonna fuck this pussy. But not tonight. Tonight, I feast.” I lie on my back, pulling her to straddle me. She blinks, dazed, her hair falling around her face as she looks down at me. Her nipples stand at attention. Her scent surrounds me.

My hands steady her hips. She tries to move off me and I grip her tighter. “Gonna eat you. Grind into my face, baby. Get your orgasm, take it all.” I tug her lower and growl right into her pussy. “That’s an order.”

Her hips drop and she does as I command, rocking back and forth, rubbing against my face. I open wide and eat her, my tongue driving up into her tight hole, my fingers digging into her heated ass cheeks. She gasps and grinds harder, a huge moan rising from her lithe body. Her thighs clench on either side of my head. Fuck, I want to reach my cock and jack off, but if I let go, she’ll topple right over.

Her orgasm strikes like lightning and I fight to keep her upright, as her body is wracked with spasm after spasm. My arms prop her as I tongue her as deep as I can, loving the feel of her inner muscles clenching on me.

“Fuck, you’re gonna feel so good on my cock.”

With a final cry, she tips over, and I let her, rising up to arrange her on the bed. I kneel over her, a conquering warrior surveying his claim. Her pussy is soft and wet, raw and red from my beard. She’ll take my cock there, but not tonight. Tonight I mark her as mine.

I jerk my cock over her prone body. With lazy eyes she reaches up to help and I wrap my hand over her little one, tugging on my cock until my seed spurts over her body. I grab her wrist. “Touch it. Spread it over yourself.” I wait until she smears my cum all over her goosebumped flesh.

I don’t know where this is going, but tonight, she’s mine. When I kissed her by the door, I set her aside. She chose to follow me into the bathroom. To strip naked in the hall and beckon me into the bedroom. She had a chance to avoid this, and she chose me.

For better or worse her fate is sealed. But she doesn’t seem to mind.

When she’s done painting her flesh with my cum, she brings her fingers to her mouth. And licks them clean.

Fates. I’m done.

Jordy lies sweet and sated in my bed. I get a cloth and clean her, admiring every mark I’ve made on her body. Of course, that leads to me kissing every inch of her reddened flesh, from her flushed cheeks to her well spanked ass. I end up laying her over my lap again, holding her down by the scruff of her neck while my fingers work her to a final orgasm.

When the timer on the crock pot goes off, I have to fight to bring her back to reality. “Kit. Baby, time to eat.”

She’s so wrung out and droopy, I have to prop her up in my lap and hold little bites to her mouth, feeding her bit by bit. Which suits me just fine. Between bites, I kiss her, tasting the gravy. She sits up more once I get some food into her, her face still flushed from all her orgasms.

“Bad bear,” she murmurs, tracing a finger around my mouth. I nip at it.

“Bad fox, coming into my house, eating all my meat and sleeping in my bed.”

She pouts at the crock pot. “This meat’s too hot.” She looks at the piece I’m holding. “This meat is too cold.” She wriggles in my lap and despite getting off twice my cock thickens. “This meat is just right.”

“Bad fox,” I growl, and hold my hand to her mouth. “Open.”

She obeys, waiting for me to place the bite in her mouth.

“I’ll feed you my meat as often as I can.”

“Mmmm.”

I put another bite up to her lips, and she shakes her head, diverting it to my mouth. I eat the portion meant for her, and when she reaches into the stew pot, I let her continue to feed me as I fed her. I indulge her, licking the gravy off her fingers.

“Enough,” I say between sucking on her fingers. I lift her and carry her back to the bed.

“You need to eat more.”

“I’d rather eat you.”

“You already did.”

“I want more.”

She laughs.

“Later. Maybe.” I set her down and arrange the pillows behind her. “Right now I gotta clean up. You stay,” I order her when she starts to follow me. “I want you to relax.”

“Okay, Grizz,” she says happily. I hand her the sketch pad and she thanks me again.

“I’ll draw something for you.”

“I’d rather you draw something for yourself.”

She cocks her head. “Like what?”

I hold out my arm and flex my biceps under my tattooed sleeve. “You like my ink?”

Her eyes are hooded, drowsy with desire. Fates, it’s such a turn on.

“You can get a tattoo of your own, you know. If you want, you can cover up the scars.”

“Do you think I should?” She bites her lip.

“I think you’re beautiful as you are. But if they bother you, yeah, Kit. Draw something to ink over them. They’re part of you now. Might as well make them something beautiful.”

“All right,” she says softly. “I’ll see what I can draw.”

“Good girl.”

I leave her to it, knees drawn up, sketch pad in front of her, tongue peeking out as she concentrates. Cute little Kit.

I clean up the kitchen, puttering, marveling that this could be my life. Doing domestic things while a sweet little vixen waits in my bed.

My machine is blinking with a message I got just after 7 pm. I hit the play button and go back to the dishes. A rasping voice comes on, one I vaguely recognize. I freeze.

“Grizzly.” A pause and the speaker breathes hard and angry. Teeth click—a vampire grinding his fangs. My hackles rise at the sound. “You got something of mine. I want it back.” The message ends.

So Augustine figured out who took his pet fox. He wants her back.

“Too fucking bad,” I tell the message machine. If that leech was here I’d—

A soft noise makes me whirl. Jordy stands in the kitchen entryway, wide-eyed. She meets my stare with her horrified one.

“Go back to bed,” I say, without a push to make it an order. I want to go back in time and erase the message. Or better yet, to the time before her family sold her, so I could find her, seduce her and steal her away.

Too bad time doesn’t work like that.

“Was that—” Her lip trembles. More than anything I want to hold her.

“Yes.” I go to hit the delete button and she stays my hand. She hits replay and we both listen to the message again. This time, when I go to delete it she doesn’t stop me.

“Did he have your number?”

“No. Must have got it out of the books at Toxic.” I try to sound bored. My information is in the king’s files, same as everyone. “It’s okay. My address isn’t listed.”

“He’ll come for me.”

“He doesn’t know where you are. It’s okay, Kit, I got this.”

I go to the door and check the locks, just in case. Making this place my den will keep a vampire from coming over the threshold, but won’t keep out other thieves. Fortunately, they’ll probably all be human. I’m the only shifter I know who will work with a vampire.

Humans, I can take.

When I turn back, Jordy’s still by the answering machine, frozen.

“It’s all right,” I tell her again.

“You gotta let me go,” she whispers.

“Fuck no.” I cross to her and tug her to me. She squirms and I clamp down tighter. “It’s not happening.”

“Grizz, please.” Normally I like the sound of her begging, but not now. “He knows you got me. He’s not gonna stop.”

“He’s not getting you back—”

“He’ll kill you,” she blurts. Her pupils are blown. Full panic.

“He can try.” I pick her up, shaking her a little. “Calm down, Kit.”

“He’s a vampire!”

“And I kill vampires,” I snarl in her face. She stills in shock. Fuck, my secret’s out. “I kill vampires,” I repeat, quieter. I’m not mad at her. My hand itches a little, wanting to reach for the juice. I got enough blood and rage right now, I could fight the world, and win.

“You just said you killed one. That it was luck.”

“The first one I fought I didn’t kill. I got away, and that was luck,” I admit. “He killed someone I loved.” I swallow. I haven’t told anyone but Frangelico this. And I only told him so he’d know how serious I was about our alliance.

Jordy is silent and still, waiting. Or maybe she’s just trying to process what I’ve told her.

I carry her to the bed and sit, keeping her in my lap.

“It happened when I was a teen. Soon after I’d turned. A vampire was…hunting. He got a taste for shifters or maybe my mom just surprised him.”

“And you were there?”

“Not until too late. He killed her.” For a moment reality dips away. I see a galley kitchen, a wooden table, blood spilling down the wall and dripping down to the body crumpled behind the chair. “I tracked him down and barely escaped with my life. That was before I learned how to fight vampires.” I hadn’t killed the vampire murderer, but I had spilled his blood. Licking my wounds later, I felt the buzz, the burst of energy, and I figured out how I could have my revenge.

“I’m sorry,” Jordy says softly. Her face swims into view.

“It was a long time ago. I haven’t seen the bastard since.”

“But you’re still looking.”

“Yeah. As soon as I’m done with this job, I’ll go back to my hunt.”

“Does…” she hesitates.

“Ask.”

“Does Frangelico know you’re hunting a vampire?”

“He does. That’s why I partner with him. He knows my past. He supports my quest. That’s why I can’t own you, Kit. I gotta let you go. I’m not…I can’t be in a relationship.”

“So you are going to release me.”

“Not yet,” I growl more loudly than I mean to. “Not until I’ve dealt with Augustine. Punished him for what he’s done to you.”

“Grizz.” Her small hands cup my face. “You can’t keep me here.”

“I’m going to keep you safe.”

“He’ll come after you. I don’t want you to be hurt because of me. I’m not worth it,” she says, sadness flaring in her scent.

“You are to me. Don’t you ever say that again. You’re worth everything. I wanna give you the whole world.”

“Grizz.” She closes her eyes.

“I’m not giving you back to that leech,” I swear savagely. “He used you and abused you. He doesn’t get you back. Ever.”

“You can’t keep me from running to him.”

“The hell I can’t.” My bear snarling for vampire blood, I rise up and throw her over my shoulder.

Jordy

I push up to see where Grizz is taking me. He goes to his drawers and rummages around. His big hand claps down on my ass when I struggle.

“Be still.”

“Grizz, c’mon. Be reasonable.” I’d submit if I wasn’t so terrified for him. At any moment Augustine could drive up and attack.

“He can’t get in, Kit. I have a threshold. This place is my home.”

“He can send people in.”

“Humans,” he snorts as if that says it all.

“They might have guns.”

“I can heal before a bullet kills me.”

“Not a bullet to the head.” I argue. Stubborn bear. He tromps back to the bed and tosses me down. What can I say to make him care about his safety? “And what about me? I might get caught in the crossfire.”

“Yep. Already thought of that.” He’s got a rope in his hand.

“What are you doing?”

“Tying you to the bed.” He grabs my wrist and starts to secure one arm to the headboard.

Normally, the thought of big, beautiful Grizz tying me up would make me ecstatic. Tonight, I just want to howl. “That won’t work,” I snap. I’ve never been this feisty in my life. Grizz is rubbing off on me. He gets close to my face and I bare my teeth. I’ll gnaw out of anything he puts me in.

“Fine.” He grits out. Face like stone, he straightens and winds the rope around his wrist.

“What are you doing?” He’s not holding me down, but I’m too curious to run.

“Tying you to me.” He reaches for me and I scramble away. I get as far as the door before he snatches me. He’s fast as a vampire. Of course he can catch me. With one arm around my middle, he carries me back and drapes me face down over his lap.

“What are you doing?” I squawk.

“Punishment, Kit.”

“No,” I cry, but he’s already spanking me. Not too hard—not even close. If we were playing, I’d tell him I can take it a lot harder. All his palm is doing is turning me on.

Bad bear!

He slaps my butt and I kick my legs, howling.

“I thought you were submissive,” he chuckles. His fingers graze my pussy and I shriek louder. “Nevermind. You’re dripping wet.”

He tips me back up. Before I can protest, he’s looped our wrists together. I don’t know how he ties a knot one handed, but when it’s done, I tug and tug and nothing. He pulls his arm back, grinning right in my face.

“You’re stuck now.”

“How are you gonna fight a vampire tied to me?”

“Don’t need to fight a vampire. Augustine isn’t gonna find us tonight. Way I see it, I just gotta keep you tied to me so I can get a little rest. If you keep struggling, Kit, I can fuck you into compliance.”

I suck in a breath. Like that will deter me. I want to say. But I have to be strong. “You think that will work?”

“Yeah.” He cups my pussy with his other hand. “I do.”

It’s so annoying, but he’s not wrong. His fingers stroke me and I still, not wanting him to stop.

He does and I sigh, trying to remember what we were arguing about.

He holds up our bound wrists.

“You can gnaw through this. But you might hurt me. And if you leave tonight, Jordy, and run from me, you will hurt me.”

My breath catches as pain stabs my heart. There’s no way I can run from him now.

I stay awake a long time after he turns the light off, my mind spinning even as he holds me tight, safe, and warm. Wondering if he knows the truth I’ve realized: the rope around my wrist is the least of the ties that bind me to him.