Krissy
My dreams that night were of a knight in black armour.
I was in the middle of the Arizona desert. It was night, but my surroundings were lit by a huge full moon. Though he was in full armour, helmet and all, I wasn't part of the costume party. My clothes were regular street fare. Mounted on a black stallion, the knight strode towards me, saguaro cacti seeming to line his path. As he closed the distance he never slowed, I had to jump sideways to avoid being trampled. The knight turned his steed around and came towards me again, this time, leaning off the side of his saddle and using one arm around my waist, he lifted me off the ground like I weighed next to nothing. He nestled me straddled over the horse in front of him, leaving me entrapped between his arms as he held the reins.
And we rode. Hard and fast.
Time and space bleeding together as they often did in dreams, One minute the horse was there, the next it was gone. I was still in the desert at night but now the arms encasing me were no longer covered in armour. Just tattoo sleeves.
The now bare hands squeezed my hips and travelled upwards, slipping under my shirt as they moved to cup and massage my breasts. I arched back into the warm solid chest behind me, tilting and craning my head to look up at the knight's face.
Jase's face.
Only his eyes were wrong. The irises were glowing this unfamiliar yellow-green colour. But he was smiling at me and I didn't feel afraid. It was only a dream, odd things were bound to happen.
It was hard to be afraid with his hands on me in this manner.
He turned me around to get a better angle to kiss me in. His mouth seemed hungry for mine, looking for access to the inside. When I obliged him, his tongue explored, massaging my own. His hands migrated back down to the front of my jeans. Jase's fingers began to press the seam of my jeans into my welcoming mons, the heel of his palm ground over my clit. I moaned into his mouth—
The sound of my own need startled me awake. I fought to hold onto the sensations of the dream even as I tried to discern where I really was.
When a muscle in my arm flexed, I realized my own hand was between my thighs. My lady bits were wet and ready and my knight was nowhere to be found.
I released a frustrated huff of air.
The morning sun bathed my bedroom in light. I untangled myself from the bedsheets and started to feel cheerful again as I remembered I would see my Black Knight shortly. Doubtful the scenario would be the same, but I wasn't under any allusions that it ever would be.
Okay…maybe just a piece of it.
But just for good measure, I thought an extra long shower was in order. No need for the thrum between my thighs to go to waste.
Jase
I could hear the truck before I saw it. I knew it was Krissy before the truck even turned onto the street. Didn't have to look Tank's way to know he sensed her too. The growl rumbling deep in his chest was plenty indication. I wouldn't call Tank paranoid, like I would Sam. Tank was just a bit of a tight-ass. Followed pack order to the letter. I suppose that's what made him a good beta. It also made it all the funnier that a wild child like Foxfire was his mate. Tank must have mentioned the mystery that was Krissy to her, because the fox shifter had talked her way into loitering around the shop to get a peek. Something about being able to work from anywhere, though I'd yet to see even one keystroke reach her laptop. My focus was on the approaching truck, but from my peripheral vision I saw her curls of blue and purple hair dancing around her head as she scrambled to get a better view from behind me.
"I don't know why all of you boys are freaking out, she smells amazing!" Foxfire declared. "I mean I've never swung that way…" She stopped her musing when I gave her a bewildered look. "What?" Her eyes rallied between myself and Tank as we remained silent. "What?!"
Krissy honked her horn as she turned into the drive in front of the shop. I left Foxfire to wonder and waved at Krissy, walking around to the driver's side as she parked and killed the engine.
She had a wide smile for me as I opened her door for her and offered a hand to help her down from the cab. "Good morning."
She seemed quite chipper, her smile briefly growing wider as she glanced at my outstretched hand.
She didn't take it, jumping out with ease.
"Good morning yourself."
I took in the sight of her. Quite the change from last night. She traded in her stilettos for Converse sneakers, opted for relaxed fit jeans and a faded purple t-shirt instead of the curve-hugging dress. She wore little to no makeup. Her hair was still tied up, but this morning it was in a more severe bun, like she was aiming to appear more professional.
She was eyeing my grease-stained coveralls thoughtfully, as if she couldn't decide whether she disapproved or not. Or maybe she was mentally undressing me.
The scent of excitement enters my nose at the same moment Krissy looks up to see me watching her. She's quick to look away and blushes, which tells me this little vixen has done exactly that.
My wolf doesn't like her discomfort so I pretend I didn't notice anything and just get down to business.
"Shouldn't take me more than an hour to check everything out. Any more than that just depends on what I find."
Krissy nodded, letting out a breath she'd been holding. "The old-timer I bought it from seems to have taken good care of it. It's me that's been neglecting it. Take all the time you need. I trust you."
That last sentence made my wolf stand at attention. Since last night, the wolf was restless, near pacing. I was at war with my desire for Krissy and my fear of the unknowns.
Looking into her eyes now, I wanted to just say Fuck it and taste her.
She held the truck keys out to me and when my fingers grazed over hers every nerve ending in my body flared. My cock went hard. The wolf prepared to pounce.
Not. Now.
Fates, I wished I at least had a forthcoming full moon to blame, but it was over two weeks away.
"Umm…" Krissy was hugging herself.
Shit!
In trying to quiet my beast, my eyes had drifted, now directed at her breasts. I must've looked as though I was leering like a perv.
"I need to call a Lyft to get me to my clinic. They're sure getting their star ratings from me this week."
Words escaped me as I couldn't decide if I needed to apologize for staring or laugh at her lame joke.
"I could drive you." Foxfire chimed in, because of course she'd been eavesdropping the whole time. "Save you the cash and wait time."
She sauntered over and offered her hand to Krissy. "Foxfire Hines. Tank over there is my honey bun."
Tank leaned further over the bike he was working on, trying to avoid offering a verbal response.
"Uh…K-Krissy Scott." Krissy got her hand shaken vigorously when she took Foxfire's. She looked back at me, unsure. "I, uh, I can get back here after six when the clinic closes, if that's okay?"
An idea came to me. "Why don't I bring the truck to you?"
"Oh. Sure."
"Great! It all works out!" Foxfire started pulling Krissy towards her car. "Leave the grease monkeys to it. I'll make sure Big Boy Jase knows the way at six."
Foxfire nudged Krissy in front of her and winked back at me. She mouthed "You're welcome." and smiled impishly.
I rolled my eyes at her as they both climbed into the car.
But the fox had in fact pulled my ass out of the fire. I hoped focusing on the truck would lull the wolf to a sense of calm.
Krissy
Foxfire was like a whirlwind.
"So you're a vet, right? I design websites. Does your clinic have a website? The right kind of webpage design can really draw in a lot of clientele!"
"I don't—"
"Not that I'm trying to push my business on you. I'm more than happy to take a look and make suggestions for a friend of Jase's."
I turned in my seat to face her, wide eyed. "Was Jase talking about me?"
Foxfire glanced back at me and chuckled. "Well, not too many of the guys in that club talk all that much. There's mostly growling." She went silent. When my eyes bulged she went on. "He just mentioned what you did and that he heard you were new to Tucson."
I relaxed my freckled face and nodded. "Yeah. I moved down from Colorado."
"Did you live around the mountains?"
I shrugged. "Denver."
"What brought you to Tucson? Got any family here?"
I shook my head. "No family. Just needed a change."
"Did something happen?"
I blinked at her duo-coloured head. Was she pumping me for information?
The whirlwind continued when I didn't reply.
"What's it like being a veterinarian? What was it that drew you to it? You must really like animals, right? I bet if it was about money you would have just been a plastic surgeon or something."
That choked out a laugh from me. "Truthfully I don't even charge what I should be half the time. I care more about the critters staying alive than making a living."
Foxfire smiled kindly.
I went still when an idea popped into my head. "Speaking of helping critters and designing websites, there was something I've been working on at the clinic that you could help me with."
Foxfire practically starting dancing behind the wheel. "Yeah?"
I went on to tell her about an adoption fair I was trying to organize for a no-kill shelter operating in the outskirts of the city. They were overwhelmed by the number of intakes and could use a boost in advocacy and donations and funds. I figured Foxfire might have some ideas for promotion.
She squealed with delight at the idea and insisted on getting started immediately.
We arrived at my clinic and after introducing Foxfire to my flabbergasted veterinary assistant, I rushed her into my office, setting a chair opposite mine at my ridiculously oversized desk for her.
Foxfire did a double take at the dimensions of my desk in proportion to the rest of my office. I couldn't argue the reaction, I got it a lot. It was solid from top to bottom and tall enough to hide a Saint Bernard behind! If I had been a man I supposed many would think I was compensating, but really I liked it because I was able to have a miniature refrigerator built into one side. In it I kept test samples and a few specialized medications that needed to be stored cold.
Once I explained it to Foxfire, she had her laptop open and her fingers flying over both the keys and touch screen within seconds.
By lunchtime Foxfire felt she had everything she needed to finish up on her own. She also mentioned getting back to the bike shop before Tank came looking for her. I said it sounded kind of possessive. Foxfire laughed and said it was just his nature. Whatever that meant.
We said our goodbyes, with Foxfire promising to make sure Jase was here at six on the dot.
Jase
"She's either really clever or really guarded." Foxfire declared when she returned to the shop, arms full of take-out bags.
Tank and I watched her approach from inside the open garage, where we sat on our shop stools between a motorcycle and the doc's truck.
She tossed one of the bags to me before setting all but one of the rest down and plopping herself onto Tank's empty lap. He was giving her a disapproving look, probably in annoyance over her absence all morning, but she was ignoring it and it quickly melted away once she handed him one of the Carne Asada tacos from her paper bag.
I admired the contents of my bag. "Did you get her to open up at all?"
"Mmm. Some." She replied around a mouthful, finishing her first taco before continuing. "I think she could tell I was fishing."
Foxfire had a talent for…well let's say annoying the crap out of someone, in such a way that she could get them to do or say whatever she wanted. It proved useful to the pack on occasion.
"What did you find out?" Tank prodded after inhaling his third taco.
Reaching for another paper bag and handing it directly to Tank, Foxfire started counting off her fingers, listing the bullet-points. "She grew up Catholic. Moved here from Denver. She's the Florence Nightingale of animals. Likes Pina Coladas, getting caught in the rain. Has a serious Jonesing for Jase…"
I nearly choked on my lunch. "She flat-out told you that?"
Foxfire balked. "Okay she didn't actually use those words per say…"
"So which words did she actually use?"
Her colourful curls wilted as she caved. "Alright so she never said she wants you out loud, but I could tell she does! You had to have noticed too."
I stuffed another taco in my mouth to avoid speaking.
"You got nothing about who marked her? Any indication what kind of shifter she is? If she even is in fact shifter?" Tank held his mate in place with his urgent query. She just let out an exasperated sigh, following my lead by scarfing down her next taco.
The collective frustration hung in the air as we finished lunch in silence. Attempting to return my focus to my job and failing, many thoughts clanked around in my mind, all of them had one common theme.
Dr. Krissy Scott.
We had a hacker friend of the pack who could surely dig up things about Krissy. It was the smart play and it wasn't the way I wanted to go. I wanted to talk to her myself, get her to trust me and open up. How would I manage that? It wasn't junior high school, no fucking way we were braiding each others hair and pinkie swearing to keep each others secrets. Take her out on a date? With my wolf clawing the walls I wasn't sure I could keep myself from claiming her in a romantic setting, even in public. Vexed as I was, the slightest mention of the good doctor was making my cock press painfully against my jeans.
"Jase."
Tank's voice was a snarling growl.
For a split second I assumed he'd read my thoughts and he was warning me to cool it.
I straightened my spine and rotated on my stool to look in his direction.
He was standing protectively in front of Foxfire and glaring out into the parking lot. She stood perfectly frozen. He growled again from deep in his chest.
It was a warning, just not directed at my train of thought.
Two strange men were sauntering up towards us. I scented the air and understood. I had been too lost in my thoughts of Krissy when I should have noticed it far sooner.
Shifters.
One of them had Tank and I beat in size by about three inches and fifty pounds. His head was shaved bald and his naked arms revealed his animal to any who wouldn't immediately recognize the scent. The image of a ferocious grizzly bear battle, one squaring off against the other from each arm, was tattooed prominently. His face was a blank slate, eyes focused but unfeeling.
The second shifter was eclipsed by the grizzly. Though his frame had definition to the muscle, I knew if it came down to a one on one fight, even with shifter strength I could take him out easily. He had so many piercings in his face and ears, he made Trey's metal seem conservative. Like his friend, he wore a shirt that left his arms bare. I was unfamiliar with his animal, so when I got a good look at his ink I was a little surprised.
Hyena?
My growls joined Tank's chorus, my shoulders hunched. The hairs on both my and my wolf's neck stood on end. Trouble.
The shifters stopped a couple of yards away from us and the hyena lifted his palms in a gesture of surrender, trying to seem non-threatening.
I didn't like the look in the hyena's eyes. There was something manic there, like he had a screw or two loose.
I let every unused piece of alpha energy I had out into my posture and glare, letting them know they were in deep shit if they tried anything.
"Sorry to drop in on you folks like this. We're new to town. Just trying to find our way around. I'm Malcolm, that's Mort. We heard through the grapevine that the shifter fights from San Diego migrated here and we're looking for a piece of the action."
The hyena wasn't misinformed. An underground shifter fight club had made its way to Tucson from San Diego awhile back. Even after a sketchy fed had the warehouse raided. Sketchy because it looked like he was connected to The Harvester, an evil sonofabitch that was abducting, breeding and experimenting on all kinds of shifters. The Tucson wolves were all too well acquainted with his activities. Sam—who'd been one of the experiments—had almost single-handedly shut down a couple of the compounds connected to The Harvester, Garrett's own sister, Sedona, had been kidnapped by traffickers. Not to mention Foxfire's father died as a prisoner.
Garrett decided in an effort to flush out the fed, Dune, that the fights would continue. With the two men standing before us now, I was inwardly cursing him for the decision. Alarm bells incessantly rang in my head, my wolf's hackles remained up. Malcolm's query of the fights was total bullshit, my wolf was certain.
"Sorry, Malcolm." I gritted through a clenched jaw. "We're not the wolves you're looking for."
"No?" That bit of crazy flared in Malcolm's eyes as he glanced back at his bulky friend, Mort. "Pity. We were hoping to make some new friends."
When Malcolm scanned over Foxfire, Tank took a threatening step forward, eyes turning wolf.
I stepped in front of Tank. I shouldn't have done it, because technically I was rankless here, but I was still fanning my alpha flame to intimidate the newcomers. They didn't know I wasn't the actual alpha of the pack.
"What I mean is, neither of us handle the details. You'll want to find a shifter named Parker." I held eye contact with Malcolm. There was no backing down now. If I faltered: major clusterfuck.
Ten seconds passed. Thirty. Sixty.
Malcolm blinked first. His laugh was truly a hyena's as he stepped back and clapped Mort on the shoulder. The bear didn't even crack a smile.
I held my ground.
"Alrighty then." Malcolm lamented. "Perhaps I'll see you at a fight sometime?"
"You'd better hope not." I warned.
Malcolm 's eyes flared yellow briefly but he cackled again and turned his back, leaving the way they'd come, Mort tailing behind.
Still laughing, Malcolm waved back at the three of us until the pair was out of sight.
Only when they were also out of scent range did I let myself relax and turn back to Tank and Foxfire.
All the spritely energy Foxfire usually had was drained from her body. She had Tank's arm in an iron grip.
"Foxfire. You okay?"
My voice jarred her. She nodded her head, the motion too sharp.
Tank was still motionless and tossing eye daggers in the direction the shifters had vanished. Her jerky movements seemed to snap him out of it.
"I'm getting you home."
She nodded again, this time her movement more controlled. Remembering something, she extracted herself from Tank long enough to write something on a piece of paper and hand it to me. The address of Krissy's clinic.
"Six sharp." She warned me as Tank guided her away.
Krissy
The remainder of my day was fairly uneventful. Mostly vaccinations and check-ups. These were the kinds of visits I had no trouble billing my clients for. It was the emergencies and the unexpected that gave me a hard time. The times I knew in my gut something was wrong, but no one else saw.
An animal might come to the clinic seemingly in perfect health. But once I got my hands on them I sensed a problem. So I would get tests done that at the time seemed unnecessary, only to later prove life-saving.
I didn't know where it came from and I kept myself from questioning it.
What mattered was that it saved little furry lives and made people happy as a result.
I checked the clock for the hundredth time today. It was nearly six at last. I excused my assistant for the day, asking her to close all the blinds in the front door and windows before she went. I wanted to be the one who greeted Jase at the front desk when he returned my truck keys.
You want to be alone with him, you mean.
Damn straight.
Jase
Half the street and the small parking area out front of the veterinary clinic were empty. After parking I climbed out of the truck and walked to the tailgate. I'd put my motorcycle in the truck bed to ride home on. Dropping the tailgate I scanned my surroundings for prying eyes. Satisfied the coast was clear, I used my superhuman strength to lift the bike off the truck and set it down in the next parking space.
I jangled the truck keys idly as I sauntered into the clinic.
The doctor was in. Krissy stood up behind a cluttered reception desk, smiling at me just the same as first thing this morning. I wondered if she even realized she was doing it.
"Are you always this punctual? Or are you just trying to make a good impression?"
I grinned at her. "Can't it be both?" I tossed her the keys, witnessing her hand fly up and snatch them from mid-air with ease. She had good reflexes. Watching her face, again I wasn't sure she was totally aware of what she was doing. She started to jangle the keys, just as I had been doing a moment before, as she came around from behind the desk. A white lab coat was hiding her lovely shape, to my dismay.
"Was there any trouble?"
I halted briefly when I thought she was referring to the shifters back at the shop. "No, you were right about the previous owner. He kept that truck in great shape. You just need to do a better job of maintaining it in the future." I chided her teasingly.
She smirked back at me. "Yes, sir. What do I owe you for it?"
I mulled it over, stepping closer to her. "It's on me this time."
An eyebrow lifted at me skeptically as she took two steps closer to me. "Really? Are you apologizing for something again?"
As I laughed and shook my head, she stopped directly in front of me. She had to tilt her head back a little to look me in the eye.
"What if I said, what I want is your word you'll come to me for all your mechanical needs from now on?" I tucked a stray piece of Krissy's hair back behind her ear and trailed my fingers down her neck. She shivered under my gentle touch as my hand came to rest back at her nape.
She looked up at me through her lashes, taking a mildly laboured breath. "Would it be okay if there were other things I came exclusively to you for?"
I languidly rubbed my thumb in a circular motion against her pulse. Her heart was racing, her eyes repeatedly darted between my eyes and my lips.
The flags she's waving here are as green as her eyes.
"Sweetness, I'm wishing every moment you'll come to me for everything."
I couldn't dance around it anymore.
Holding her head immobile in my grasp, I swooped my head down to capture her mouth with mine, but was quick to wrap an arm around her waist and lift her for better access. Krissy was dazed at first, tension flexed her neck under my hand. A few beats and I felt her open up to me. Her arms came up to wrap around my neck, tugging me closer. Lips parted farther, inviting me to explore the inside of her mouth with my tongue. She drew her hands up to tunnel her fingers through my hair, fisting large clumps aggressively. We felt both of our arousals in spite of our clothing, as she pressed her breasts with hardened tips against my chest and my package extended further against her flat belly. Our tongues twined together and then she retreated slightly so she could suck on my bottom lip before pulling away to gulp in a breath.
Her eyes were closed as she released her grip on my hair and I set her gently back on her feet, a drunken smile playing at the corners of her swollen lips.
My wolf preened with satisfaction. It was a start anyhow.
"That was—" Krissy opened her eyes and her expression of bliss was sharply replaced by one of utter shock. She gasped and shoved away from me.
"Y-you're eyes! They're yellow!"
FUCK!
I snapped my eyelids shut, jerking my head sideways. My wolf was beginning to surface.
"I'm sorry! It's okay, don't freak out, please! It's fine!" As I stammer foolishly, I'm not sure who I'm trying to reassure, her or myself.
"Jase?"
Her voice is so strained, so unsure. I don't dare look at her, for fear my eyes haven't changed back yet.
"I'm sorry." I repeat hollowly.
A surge of anger towards myself rips through me and I'd rather die than let Krissy see it. I bolt out the front door, peeling away on my motorcycle from the clinic and the beautiful doctor as fast as the engine allows.