Hey everyone! So sorry for the later than normal upload, but my head has been elsewhere just lately, resulting in a mild case of writer's block! Hopefully, everything's back on track now!
Logan's Wolverettes: Many thanks, as always, to my faithful reviewers! Frozen Voices, nileena, Sarra Ambrai, Laudine, Sniktchick and blyrtha!
And now, on with the show ....... !
ooXoo
7. The Feral Becomes Him
"How're you feelin', mon ami?" Gambit unzipped his duffle and rooted around inside for his washbag, keeping one curious eye on his feral companion. "Not exactly de best o' days for you, eh?"
"I've had better." Logan turned away from the window where he'd been staring moodily out into the darkness and huffed a sigh. "I tell ya, Gumbo, if not fer Kristi, I'da been hightailin' it outta here so fast yer head would spin."
"Ah, de course o' true love, my friend." Remy clutched a hand to his heart dramatically. "O' course, Remy have to beat a hasty retreat from a lover on many an occasion. Dey sad to see Remy go, but de parents, dey sometimes not understand, oui?" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at the feral.
Logan snorted. "Quit it, Gumbo, this ain't no laughin' matter." He cracked open the window and leaned against the sill, letting the night air surround and soothe him. He wasn't a sensitive man by any stretch of the imagination, but his less than perfect encounter with Kristi's parents had rattled his nerves more than he would care to admit to. Ever the realist, he had suspected that the meeting couldn't occur without some sort of hitch, but even he had been unprepared for Kristi's mother's level of animosity towards him. He had overheard most of her speech in the kitchen, including her statement that she wasn't happy to have him in her home, and that saddened him greatly – for Kristi's sake more than his own. He knew he couldn't live up to most parents' ideals of the man they would like their daughter to bring home – he was a rough ill-mannered brawler who smoked too much and drank even more. He was painfully aware that his best qualities were deeply hidden – even he had problems finding them occasionally and even worse trouble remembering that they were there at all. But his heart was in the right place and he truly loved Kristi, and he had hoped her parents would recognise that and reserve final judgement until they had come to know him better. It seemed that some prejudice went deeper than simply hating a person because they were a mutant.
He huffed crossly and folded his arms, unconsciously glaring at Gambit, who was calmly unpacking his duffle and laying everything out on the bed. God, he really needed a smoke right now, but he had made a personal vow never to indulge in someone else's home unless he had been invited and, as the invitation had not been forthcoming, he had no intention of lighting up and causing further unrest. He briefly considered slipping downstairs and out of the back door – moving quietly and not disturbing the family, who had retired for the night, would be no trouble for him at all. But the way his luck was holding out, he would probably be caught trying to sneak back in and he had no desire to spend half the night explaining where he had been and why to an annoyed and obviously out-for-his-blood female. The situation was ripe for misunderstandings.
Hardly realising that his knuckles were itching with the effort of keeping his claws contained, he allowed an irritable growl to vibrate around his chest. Gambit glanced up from his unpacking.
"Dat de Wolverine I hear in dere, mon ami? He restless, non?"
"Christ, Cajun, ya'd better not let the Marsters hear ya call me that." Logan pushed away from the window sill and stalked across the space between it and his bed, reaching out for his bags. "Would it kill ya ta call me Logan fer once?"
Gambit spread his arms in an easy shrug. "Remy call ya as he sees fit, mon ami. An' right now, you is more de Wolverine dan de man."
"Yeah, an' ain't that a kick in the head." Logan tossed his bag aside in disgust and lowered himself down to sit on the edge of the bed. "I need ta keep control, Remy, now more than any other time, but this whole set up is makin' me crazy. I can feel Kristi's agitation through the bond and, added to my own, it's enough ta make me wanna howl."
Remy grinned at mention of Kristi's name. "What you need is to spend some time wit' your beau, mon ami." He flicked his eyes towards the door. "Go to her. Makin' love to your woman is sure to calm the beast."
Logan's eyes narrowed. "What the hell did ya jus' say, Gumbo?"
"Remy jus' sayin' dat hearin' your lover whisper your name as she writhes beneath you is de perfect cure for all ills, but Remy sure he don' need to remind you o' dat. De Wolverine, he don' let the grass grow beneath his feet, non?" He broke off abruptly, as Logan began to growl, the feral's hands tightening into fists. "What's wrong, mon ami? What are you ……? Oh, merde …… You and Kristi haven't ……. have you?"
Logan moved so quickly that Remy never even saw him coming. One second he was standing beside his bed, the next he was lying beside it on his back, blood oozing from a split lip.
Logan stood over him, fists clenched, an angry growl rumbling deep in his chest. For one brief moment, it looked as though he was about to unsheathe his claws and deal out more pain, and Remy slowly began to reach for the cards he always kept somewhere about his person. He didn't want to hurt his team-mate, but he would defend himself if he had to.
The feral's body shook with the effort of keeping his emotions in check, his lips curling back in a tight snarl and exposing his canines. And then he turned abruptly with a growl and stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him.
Remy swiped a hand across his lip, wiping away the blood. "Well, you coulda jus' said no, mon ami …….."
oooOOOooo
Kristi jumped as her bedroom door banged open, swinging back and almost hitting the wall behind. Logan stalked across the threshold, putting out a hand to catch the door before it hit the wall.
"Geez, Logan, you gave me a fright! I didn't sense you coming." Kristi turned from checking the contents of her wardrobe, smiling as she clutched a hand to her heart, but the feral's face was dark and she knew instantly that something was wrong. "Logan? Are you okay?"
Logan closed the door behind him, hesitating a moment as though reminding himself why he was there. When he threw the lock and turned back to his mate, Kristi took an involuntary step back, startled by the fire in his eyes.
"Logan ……..?"
He was on her in seconds, his arms encircling her like a warm muscular cage, his lips crashing down onto hers with an intensity that took her breath away. She whimpered softly into his mouth, her knees all but giving way as his tongue forced its way between her lips to plunder her sweetness.
She moaned as he abandoned her mouth to nip sharply at the delicate flesh of her ear, his tongue darting out to soothe the bite before the pain could even register. His body shook as he dipped lower to ravage her neck with desperate nips and soothing kisses and she found herself tilting her head back to give him greater access, her eyes sliding closed in blissful ecstasy. "Oh, Logan …….."
"Don't speak," he mumbled against her skin, the warmth of his lips making her gasp, breathlessly. He drifted down to nuzzle into the crook of her neck. "God, I want you, Kris ……. need you so bad …….."
In a startling flash of clarity, Kristi suddenly realised her mate's intent – the emotions coming to her through the bond all too clear in their purpose to be mistaken for anything else. Slightly panicked, she pushed against his chest, forcing him back and making him look at her. "Logan, no. We can't do this ……"
Her mate's eyes were almost fully feral and she wished, not for the first time, that she had the ability to initiate their link so that she could help him control the beast. Instead, she flooded the bond with as much refusal as she could muster, while still projecting her assurances of love so as not to anger the lust blinded feral.
Logan's grip on her shoulders was almost painfully tight as he bared his canines in a snarl. "The hell ya doin', Kris?" His voice was rough, betraying the presence of the beast prowling just below the surface of his psyche.
Kristi took a calming breath and reached up to cup his cheek, her heart almost breaking when he nuzzled into it with a possessive growl. "I know what you've come here for, Logan, but I …….. I can't ……… I can't make love to you ……… Not here …….. not now."
Logan's eyes narrowed. "You're my mate," he growled as if this was answer enough. And to him, it was. With his feral side to the fore, he could see no wrong in what he was trying to do. Kristi was his female and his to mate with when he so desired. Every instinct he possessed was screaming at him to claim her – to finally make her his in every sense of the word. Yet, even as he tried to pull her back into his embrace, Kristi could sense that he was still fighting himself – still trying to control the beast. If he truly wanted to take her, his superior strength would have made it impossible for her to resist him. She would never have been able to push him back so easily. "Logan, please …….. This isn't the time ……."
He growled then, a deep rumbling sound that vibrated throughout his entire body and made her shiver with the intensity of it. She could sense his ongoing battle and she willed the man to be strong, for both their sakes.
"You will not defy me," he rasped and his voice was hard and cruel – the beast was gaining the upper hand. "You are mine – mine to claim and I will not be denied ……"
She cried out then as he released her shoulders only to grab her wrist in a vice-like grip, and fear flowed over her – true fear of her mate for the first time since they had bonded. He was fury and fire – nature personified – and with his feral side to the fore his whole body exuded sexual dominance.
Pulling her to him roughly, he buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply, oblivious to her whimpers and her efforts to wring her wrist from his grasp. His free hand alighted on her waist and rose steadily higher, nudging under the hem of her top and caressing bare skin. She moaned softly, involuntarily reacting to the combined stimuli coming through the bond and the heated touch of his fingers, and he growled lustily into her hair.
"Logan ……. please ………" Despite her fear, she didn't know whether she was begging him to stop or to continue. Her body felt hot and cold all at the same time and her heart pounded frantically against her ribs, as if seeking to escape the confines of her chest. Her mate's hand was rough as it cupped her breast.
"No ………" she whispered.
His whole body suddenly stiffened, his breath coming in short agonised gasps. With a grunt, he released her and pulled back so abruptly that she staggered and almost fell, catching herself just in time to see him turn his back to her, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Kristi gasped as he whimpered as though in pain and a tremor passed visibly through his body.
"Logan?" Kristi stepped towards her mate, oblivious to the fact that only seconds ago she had been pushing him away. He was in pain – she couldn't ignore that. "Are you alright?"
"Kris, I ………" His voice was still rough, but already showed more control. He ran a hand through his hair. "I …….. I'm sorry …….."
And he strode abruptly from the room, pushing back the door and leaving it open.
Kristi ran into the hallway, but he had already disappeared downstairs, and the sound of the front door opening and closing told her he had taken off into the night. She sent a questing pulse through the bond, but his shields were shut down tight and he refused to respond – his mind and emotions were firmly cut off to her. Confused and more than a little frightened, she closed the door and walked to the bed, where she crawled under the covers – still fully dressed – and buried her face in the pillow. Released of her mate's overpowering influence, the full import of what had just happened came crashing down on her and she began to cry – heaving huge wracking sobs that shook her body and made her throat burn. Her mate had wanted her right there and then – she could still feel the afterglow of his desire in her mind – and she had almost given in to his need. And here her heart jolted in fearful recognition – because if her mate's strength of will and need for her could over-rule her own desires and sense of right and wrong, what hope did she have of resisting him in the future? What hope did she have of keeping the promise to her father?
A promise she knew she shouldn't have made in the first place.
Wracked with guilt and sorrow – scared and alone – Kristi cried herself to sleep ……..
…….. And when the nightmare struck in the middle of the night and her children cried out for their parents, there was only Kristi to witness their demise ……..
oooOOOooo
The house looked silent as Logan approached, but his keen hearing could already pick up the sounds of movement from within as the occupants made ready to greet another day. Logan grunted to himself at the realisation that he'd greeted it hours ago while saner people were still tucked up in their beds.
The front door opened as he drew near and David appeared, smiling warmly as he noticed the other man trotting up the driveway. "Hey, Logan. You're up early."
"Yeah." Logan didn't see any reason to tell the boy he'd just pulled an all-nighter. "Couldn't sleep."
"It's probably the strange surroundings," offered David, helpfully. "I'm the same when I try to sleep in a strange bed. I'm actually quite useless for the first couple of days when I'm away on holiday." He grinned good-naturedly and began to walk towards a vehicle parked beside Kristi's Mustang.
"Nice car," remarked Logan, admiring the sleek lines of the Dodge Viper, appreciatively.
"Thanks." David patted the glossy blue paintwork, fondly. White go-faster stripes gave the car a sporty edge. "I've always wanted one of these. Had to make a few sacrifices along the way, but it was worth it, I think. I finally fulfilled the dream. What car do you drive, Logan?"
"I have a jeep," admitted the feral, ruefully. "But I'm more a bike man, myself."
"Really? What kind?"
"Harley." Logan found it easy to talk to the young man with his carefree open attitude. "Gotta Softail at the moment. But I've had a couple o' Panheads in the past. A Norton too."
"Nice bikes." David nodded and opened his car door. "'Course, I don't know one end of a bike from the other, but I know quality when I see it. Anyway, sorry to dash off, but I oughta get going. I've got an hour's run into work this morning."
"Sure. Don't let me hold ya back." Logan stepped aside as David got into the car and started the engine. The young man waved out of the open window as he pulled out of his parking spot and idled down the driveway, the radio already warbling out an old Bryan Ferry classic.
Logan watched until the car turned out onto the roadway and disappeared from view, then turned and let himself into the house and made his way softly upstairs, pausing at the door to Kristi's room. He knew he should speak to her – at least try to make her understand why he had done what he had. However, he had no intention of making excuses for his actions. Claiming his mate for the first time was as natural an idea to him as breathing and he could no more deny his feral nature than Kristi could deny being female. But what he did regret was the fact that he had scared her – he had sensed her fear after seizing her wrist and moving closer – and it was this, more than anything else, that had brought him back to his senses.
She had cried for hours – he had sensed that through the bond – but after taking off into the night he had avoided returning to her so soon. He had needed time to collect his thoughts – to come to terms with her reasons for refusing him, for refusing her mate. The man understood and sympathised. The beast did not.
The voice that answered his soft tap at the door was quiet yet sure, and he opened it to find her standing at the dresser with a hairbrush in her hand. Her hair was hanging loose about her shoulders in untidy curls, evidence that she'd recently dried it after taking a morning shower.
Logan closed the door softly behind him and advanced several paces into the room. Kristi watched him, caution in her eyes. "I …….. uh …….." he began, unsure of her reaction. The bond was providing him with no clues whatsoever. "I ……… think we should talk."
Kristi nodded and put down the brush, leaning against the dresser with her arms folded. "I agree. I've been doing some thinking."
"You too, huh?" Logan moved to her side and picked up the brush, fingering the soft wooden handle. He could sense his mate's uncertainty now and he ached to reassure her – to let her know that nothing had changed between them and that he would never knowingly hurt her – but there were one or two things he needed to get off his chest first. "Kris, I ……… I wanted to say I'm sorry for scarin' ya last night. I lost control. That was wrong."
Kristi nodded slowly, and Logan reached out to take her hand. "I can't change what I am, Kris – what I feel. Ya know I'm feral, an' ferals usually take what they want when they want it, no questions asked. We're not used to actin' pretty an' sayin' please. But I try to keep the man in control most o' the time, Kris, even when the beast within me threatens to take me over, an' it's an uphill struggle. I don't always win. But you're my mate, an' the beast recognises that. Its instinct is to possess you fully – to mate with you an' ultimately mark you as his – an' that instinct is more than I can control. It's buried within me so deep that I can't fight it, Kris, an' the beast will not rest until you're his - mine – completely."
"But I am yours, Logan," protested Kristi, with a confused frown. "Surely there can't be more than that?"
Logan shook his head. "I need to mate with you, Kris. The instinct is so strong it's almost killin' me. An' god help me, I'm fightin' it, because I understand you're not ready for me yet an' I don't want to take ya by force. I'll do all I can to respect yer wishes, but you need to know that there'll come a day when I won't be able to control it no more an' I will have you then, Kristi. Whether yer ready fer me or not. The bond will be flooded with so much want an' need that you won't be able to resist it – or me."
Kristi shivered then, knowing his words to be true. She had already felt the effects of his lust the previous evening and she knew, when the time came, that she would be like putty in his hands, no more able to resist his desire than a dust mote borne on the wind. The thought filled her with a strange kind of longing – part of her yearned to be taken so completely by her lusty feral, yet the saner part of her mind recoiled in horror at the image, determined to protect her from her baser instincts and shield her from harm at all costs. The promise she had made to her father rose, unbidden, to her mind and, once again, she wished she had never made it, knowing it would only come back time and again to haunt her. She had intended telling Logan of it when he returned, but now, in the light of what he had just revealed to her, she knew she couldn't, in all honesty, add to the already substantial burden he had to bear. He had already promised to respect her wishes and, if push came to shove and his feral instincts over-powered his reason and forced him to take her, no amount of promises would enable her to resist him anyway.
Come what may, her future was in the hands of her mate now. His control – or lack of it – would determine her fate.
She squeezed his hand with hers. "I understand, Logan. And I'm grateful to you for being so understanding. This can't be easy for you. Heaven knows you're under a lot of pressure from my mother …….."
Logan held up his hand, the one holding the brush, as if to fend off evil. "Not a word, Kris. I know she's yer mother, but if ya go any further I'm liable to say somethin' I'll regret later."
Kristi grinned, recognising that she and her mate were back on level ground once more. "Not a word, I promise." She reached for the brush. "Can I?"
Logan looked down at the item in his hand, an idea forming. "Want me to brush yer hair for ya, Kris?"
If Kristi was taken aback by the suggestion, she didn't show it. "Okay." She looked around her room. "Where do you want me?"
Her mate raised a suggestive eyebrow. "Christ, what a question. On the bed? In the shower? Against the wall? You take yer pick, I ain't fussy."
Kristi slapped his arm with a mock gasp of corrupted innocence and Logan shrugged. "I can't help it, Kris, ya turn me on somethin' fierce. Besides, I said I would respect yer wishes an' hold back until yer ready, I said nothin' about makin' suggestions."
The young girl blushed and Logan saved her any further embarrassment by striding to the bed and sitting down. He indicated the floor at his feet. "C'mere."
Kristi obediently settled between his knees and Logan began to brush her hair, allowing the repetitive action to soothe him and re-affirm the connection between them. The bond pulsed gently between them, calming ruffled nerves and filling them both with a sense of completeness and belonging, and Logan allowed a soft purr to rumble around his chest, demonstrating his love for his mate with its tender reassurance. Kristi sighed and tilted her head back, lulled by the rhythmic motion of the brush in her hair and the almost hypnotic vibration of his purr.
A soft tap at the door broke the spell only seconds before it began to open. "Hey in there, I hope you're decent, 'cause I'm coming in!"
Nikki poked her head around the door, her face lighting up at the sight of Logan. "Ooh, it's the growly man! Hi there!"
"Hey, Nikki." Logan waved the brush at his mate's younger sister.
"Gettin' all lovey with the sis, huh? Good for you! Anyway, just thought I'd let you know I'm off to school now, Kris, but I'm planning something real cool for tonight. Gotta check it out with a couple of mates first, but I'll fill you in with the details when I get back. Okay? Bye then!"
"Nikki, wait, what are you talking about?" But Nikki ducked back out into the hallway, leaving Kristi staring at the closed door in annoyance. "Blast it!"
"Any idea what she's planning?" Logan handed her the brush and eyed his mate, suspiciously.
"None whatsoever." Kristi chewed at her lower lip for a moment. "Knowing Nikki, she's capable of anything – she's very much like Jubilee in that regard – but I'm sure she wouldn't do anything stupid ….. or dangerous."
"Like Jubilee, huh?" Logan raised an eyebrow. "You do realise we're screwed, right?"
"That's not fair, Logan. Jubilee has never done anything really dangerous. She's just a bit impetuous at times, that's all."
"We're talking about Jubilee, right? The girl who once activated the Sentinel programme all alone in the Danger Room an' then panicked an' blew half the room to kingdom come when she couldn't turn it off?"
Kristi considered this a moment, then nodded. "You're right. I'll speak to dad straight away and let him know trouble's brewing."
"On second thoughts, maybe ya oughta let it happen. At the very least, it could distract yer mother." Logan stood and stretched, giving Kristi a perfect view of his deeply muscled chest and bulging biceps. "I gotta go, Kris. Jus' remembered I oughta apologise to the Cajun."
"Why?" asked Kristi, as her mate stalked to the door. "Have you had words?"
"Somethin' like that." Logan put his hand on the door handle and turned to face her. "Don't take this the wrong way, Kris, but I bust his lip last night."
"You did what? How? Why?" She waved her hand, dismissively. "No, don't tell me! I don't want to know. Go! Make your apologies, Logan. I just hope he doesn't bear a grudge."
"So do I." Logan grinned, ruefully. "Those cards o' his can be a royal pain in the ass. Literally."
"Just play nice," she called after him as he disappeared out of the door. A disgruntled snort came back to her right before it closed.
Getting to her feet, Kristi dropped back onto the bed with a heartfelt sigh. Not even a full day into their visit and already her mother had declared an undying hatred for her mate, Nikki was planning something that would probably get them all arrested and two members of the X-Men had come to blows. What was it about visiting parents that put everyone on edge?
After two weeks, it would be a miracle if everyone returned home completely sane and in one piece.
Suddenly, facing both Sabretooth and Magneto alone and with no powers whatsoever didn't seem so bad after all ……….
NEXT: Wolverines and night clubs definitely do not mix!