Shield - A New Species Fanfiction (Wild at Heart Chronicles, Book 1)

Chapter 30

CHAPTER 30

It was the acrid stench of smoke that startled Shield from his deep sleep. He secured his hold around his mate's waist and sniffed the air, his heart rate spiking when the scent triggered an unpleasant feeling inside him. It wasn't natural smoke, like the kind he'd smelled billowing from a cluster of wooden blocks during what Paige had explained was called a campfire.

But the one currently tainting the air, he was certain, originated from a weapon recently fired.

As a cub, he had learned to associate the stench with the military staff at the testing facility.

Shield eased himself from the bed gently, tucking the blanket around Paige, before he padded toward the window he'd open during the night. The male didn't know how late it was, although the concept of time still eluded him. Nevertheless, his eyes sought the time box over the nightstand across the room but he found the screen to be blank. Shield frowned. He glanced in the direction of the cleansing room, certain Paige had left a small light bulb on for him. She knew Shield did not care for absolute darkness, for it reminded him too much of his imprisonment inside the basement.

That light was gone, too.

Strange.

Shield crept closer to the window, parting the curtains as he pushed the glass door open. Usually, the ground below was lit by Medical's many light fixtures but he was surprised to find the area completely bathed in darkness.

A power outage?

"Is it time for breakfast already?" Paige grumbled, her words thick with sleep. "Ugh, who burned the toast?"

Shield turned to regard his mate, thankful the light from the moon offered him a little help with his night-vision. It wasn't as sensitive as that of a feline Species, but it was at least much better than a canine or primate's. He saw in vivid detail how his little warrior sat up and stretched her arms, a small yawn escaping her soft lips. She arched her back, granting him a full view of her naked breasts as her wings unfurled before they tucked themselves against her back to ease her movements.

He felt heat stir within his groin, and he couldn't help but glare down at the insatiable thing.

Shield had lost count of how many times he had mounted his female, but he knew after their last heated session not a drop of seed remained in his sack.

So how can his body be preparing him for more?

When the delicious scent of his mate reached him, he knew why. Sometime during dusk, after they had eaten their meal, Paige had reached the peak of her heat cycle. He remembered tackling his mate against the wall, much like he'd done in the hospital corridor, only this time Paige had willingly parted her thighs and allowed him to ravish her like an animal struck by his mating frenzy.

Paige had been the most adamant participant of the two, sucking, scratching and biting him wherever she could find purchase on his sweat-drenched skin. More than once, he had found himself at her mercy, and more to his surprise he discovered his animal side was more than willing to submit to her fervent touch.

Perhaps there was more dominance to his little warrior's avian nature than he thought.

"Shield, what's wrong?" Paige rubbed the sleep from her eyes, casting an uneasy glance about the room. "Something feels...weird."

Ah, so his mate could sense these things, too?

Good.

"There is no electricity in the building," Shield informed her in a low voice, gesturing to the blackness outside the window. "And I smell smoke."