MATED TO SERIES COLLECTION

8. VALERIA: BREAKING DOWN

His husky voice made shivers race down my spine. It was hard to concentrate when he suddenly moved his hips. My mouth fell open but no sound escaped. His lips moved lower to my collarbone. Sharp teeth racked my skin before nipping. My body jerked against his. The sharp pain was soothed by his tongue. I sucked in a breath when he bit down a little harder. He didn't break the skin, but it was hard enough to hurt.

"D-Devon?" He growled. "Y-you're starting to scare me a little."

He froze and slowly raised his head to stare down at me. Black eyes locked with mine. Movement from the corner of my eye had my head snapping toward it. David was slowly stalking closer to the bed. His eyes darted from mine to Devon.

"Get off her before you do something stupid," he ordered softly.

"I want her," Devon growled.

"And you think I don't?" He stepped closer to the bed which made Devon growl at him. "She's not ready yet. We need to prepare her before we take that step. She needs to learn more about us and her own heritage."

The sound that came from Devon's mouth was scary. He pressed his face against my throat for a few seconds before pushing himself up and away from me. I sat up and stared at him until he disappeared. David moved closer and gripped the hem of the shirt to tug it down my legs. Heat flooded my cheeks when I realized that I wore no panties beneath it. He hesitated and then took a seat next to me.

"How are you really feeling, doll?" he asked softly.

I licked my lips as I scooted up to lean back against the headboard. "I'm okay I guess."

"Why did you go outside? We warned you how dangerous it is to wonder about in a snowstorm."

"It wasn't snowing when I left here."

"It doesn't matter, doll," he muttered, shaking his head. "You don't know this area very well. Devon and I grew up here. The weather is harsh this time of year. It might seem like the snowstorm has stopped, but it could start again almost as suddenly as it disappeared."

"I won't do it again," I whispered.

He leaned forward and cupped my cheek. "I know you won't."

"I'm sorry."

His hand dropped as he sat back. David seemed to hesitate before making up his mind. "Go take a shower and then get back into bed. I'll make you something to eat and then we'll talk."

My eyes lowered to my lap. "A-are you g-going to p-punish me?"

"No," he said softly. "We should, though. You don't seem to understand the amount of danger lurking around in the woods, doll. Go, we'll talk later."

I nodded and waited until he stood before siding off the bed. Devon handed me some clothes before I could enter the bathroom. He smiled. My lips twitched but I didn't smile back. It was all a lot to take in. As I stripped, the reality started to set in. Tears filled my eyes. I opened the shower taps and waited for the water to warm. Stepping inside, I closed the door and moved to stand under the water. As my eyes lowered to the floor, the healing wound caught my attention.

How can it heal so fast?

I sat down to get a closer look. The wound was a little tender when I touched it. I had his blood inside me. My eyes fluttered close when I pressed a palm against my chest. He was a part of me now. But not for long, the little voice inside me whispered. It felt like something was missing, but I had no clue what. A part of me was . . . empty.

An image of the large wolf with red eyes flashed through my mind. The fear that came was instant. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. My head dropped to rest on my arms as more tears started to fall. I managed to stop the sob before it could escape.