Heated Summers Copyrights © by JoJo_Classic
Hey guys this is a new story that I've been conjuring up in my mind for a while and finally managed to get down on paper - er, computer? - and will work on since I'm officially on holidays now! Woohoo!
Anyway, this story is a lot more aduilt themed than my other stories so if you're not comfortable with that kind of thing, then please don't read this and check out my other stories which revolve more around teenage love affairs than this more graphic language and scenes.
:) Enjoy!
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Chapter One
Ashlin
The silence inside the small, confined area was stifling. The air was thick with palpable tension, a mood that was foreign and unwelcome considering the present company. A foul taste lingered on my tongue from the harsh words earlier spoke.
Yet, no regret could be mastered from the words spewed in heat.
My father's fingers flexed around the steering wheel, curling and gripping it as if he wished it was my neck he was wrapping his fingers around. The rigid lines of his arm muscles and clicking jaw spoke volumes of his anger. His steely green eyes remained fixed on the road, the crinkled lines creasing his face definitely not ones that developed from merriment.
No, my father was not the type of man who laughed or smiled. He wasn't the type of man who bellowed laughter at dinner, or even smiled affectionately at his children. He wasn't a bad man by any means, just hard pressed to show his emotions, especially the kind of emotions that meant letting his guard down.
His sons learnt the hard way of loving a father not as receptive to the sentiment. Quick to discipline and harder to please, the Marone boys had a lot to live up to. Their father's opinion meant the world to them, and any sort of disobedience was considered a serious offence in the eyes of Leonardo Marone. This only made the Marone Sons more determined to earn their father's praise - a near impossible feat.
Their efforts were wasted in the end. All because of one blue-eyed baby girl that had been brought to this world unexpectedly, stumbling into a world of stoic, warrior men who cared about power and dominance only.
In the eyes of my father, I could do no wrong. Kicked out of ballet classes at the tender age of five for bitch slapping the other girl who could do a better split than me? The girl must have deserved it. Exposing my older brother's porn stack to his latest girlfriend? Hilarious, though Victor sure didn't seem to think so at the time.
These were faults none of my brothers could have gotten away with if they had attempted it. But me, being the only girl amongst five hard-boned men, I seemed to be the only one who could melt my father's ice encased heart.
I think it's because I reminded him so much of my mother.
Then again, maybe it was my adorable personality.
I felt my body unintentionally jerk as pain flared in my lower abdomen. I gritted my teeth in annoyance and resentment, sending my father a withering sideways glance.
"It hurts," I hissed, stifling back a groan when the pain kicked up a notch.
Dad barely spared me a blink. "It'll pass,"
"No," I growled angrily, tilting my head back and releasing a sigh of relief when the pain slowly began to fade, though I didn't allow myself to think it was gone completely. "It will not pass, dad. I'm in heat. Do you know what that means?"
"Ash-"
"It means this pain won't go away until I sleep with someone, that's what."
A feral snarl ripped from my father's chest. When his cold green eyes flashed yellow, I reluctantly admitted that my choice of words were completely uncalled for and he had reason to lose control, no matter how iron his will was. No father wanted to know that their daughter would be in agonizing pain unless she slept with a guy. Especially when his daughter was an angel who could do no wrong in his eyes.
As quickly as he lost control, he regained it back. His yellow irises melted back to their usual cold, pale colour. His mouth was still twisted in an ugly snarl and his voice was so harsh that I feared mental whiplash.
"Ashlin! Stop. We've discussed this. You are not to remain in the clan while your experiencing your first...heat." Dad swallowed thickly, looking slightly green and a lot of the pissed-off shifter wolf I knew him to be.
I scowled at him. "And yet your sending me to live with Uncle Jim. A man, who I remind you, is not blood related to me." Repulsion twisted my stomach at the thought of getting it on with Uncle Jim. Ugh. No, Dad didn't have to worry about that happening during my stay.
Apparently dad knew this and I could see him relax slightly. "I have nothing to fear with Jim. He'll keep his hands off you, that I am certain of. You're like a daughter to him. "
Jimmy, or Uncle Jim as I liked to call him, was pure human and hitting his late forties, a few years younger than my dad. To be fair, he was pretty good looking and well in shape for his age, but he was practically family. He was also really well respected in our pack, having saved my dad from a near-death experience that included a hunter, a bad tempered Alpha male and a rabbit when they were teenagers - a dangerous combination considering the men. Ever since then, Uncle Jim had been a sort of Protector for the Red Woods Wolf Shifter clan, and also one of the few rare humans who were knowledgeable about the Shifter world. His loyalty to my father was strong, and vise versa. Dad knew Jim would look after me, no matter the cost.
Even at the expense of his own life.
But it wasn't living with Uncle Jim for a few weeks that had my stomach tied in knots. I loved Uncle Jim, I did, and at any other time I would have been stoked to spend a few weeks at his amazing cabin that he kept deep in the woods. But it was the fact that I knew, without a shred of doubt, that without a males touch - a shifter males touch - I would be in absolute agony for the next few weeks. These star-bursts of pain I was experiencing at the moment were only the beginning of what was to come for me.
And I hated my father for putting me through this.
For a female shifter, when they reached woman-hood they went through a process called 'Heat'. Heat was a type of unbearable lust that consumed a woman until her thoughts were only solely focused on sex and dampening the insane lust she harboured. If a woman went longer than a week without having broke her Heat, the pain became unbearable to the point where the woman would become paralysed for...well no one really knew how long because it's never happened before. No one was ever stupid enough to attempt it.
Until now.
The lucky ones who found their mates before reaching twenty didn't have a problem with their Heat. In fact, it made it even more pleasurable for both parties if they were True Mates, that insatiable hunger and lust bonding them even closer.
But those unfortunate females that didn't find a mate were forced to keep a unbound shifter male at their side for the whole full moon or suffer the consequences of the Heat. When the cycle was over, the female didn't experienced the Heat again until the next year around the same time. The cycle continued until they found their Mates to break the curse.
I was cursed for the next several years until I found my mate.
It would have been easy for me to find a willing participant from my clan. There were a lot of un-mated males that would have gladly spent the full moon in my bed.
But that didn't sit well with my father at all. He couldn't stand the thought of a male touching his precious, innocent daughter so sexually.
"You're strong enough to fight it off, Ash," my father had explained while trying to force me into his truck.
But I wasn't. As much as I wanted to impress my father and prove my strength and worth within the family, I wasn't my brothers. I didn't crave his affection and approval enough to torture myself in a way that would surely make it feel like I was dying.
I just wasn't that suicidal.
"Here we are,"
Startled by the sound of his voice, my head jerked up to see that he was right. We were here at Uncle Jim's.
Jim's house was built deep into the woods, surrounded by wildlife which I knew the man loved. Hunting small game was his hobby, and what better place to do it than in your own backyard? The long gravel driveway that lead up to his house was fenced by a gate. Dad had parked just at the entrance, like he always did. Experience told me that this was because if he ever needed a quick escape, he had one.
I managed to hop out of the truck before another wave of heat washed over me. But seeing as how there were no unattached shifter males not related to me around, the tingling sensation quickly morphed into a slicing pain in my stomach and chest. I stumbled against the side of the truck and gasped, my back arching when the heat speared my spine.
My animals howled.
"Oh!" I cried out, hot tears blurring my vision. "This is all your fault!"
My father, who had tried to gently grab my elbow, recoiled at the harsh tone of my voice, unused to me snapping at him like that. "Ash, sweetie, you have to understand-"
"I'm in pain, daddy!" I bit back a sob, running a hand shakily through my hair, pushing it back from my sweat coated face. I felt hot and damp, my skin sleek with sweat. The morning sun was barely up in the sky but already I could feel the harsh beams burning my skin. My whole body was on sensory overload.
"It will get easier, baby girl, I promise,"
My legs trembled with the effort to stand. I glared at him, mastering all the resentment and hate I felt towards him echo in my next words.
"No. It won't."
Then, before he could protest, I ripped my duffel bag from his hands, throwing it over my shoulder and stalking down Uncle Jim's dirt driveway, not bothering to wave a goodbye or kiss his cheek like I usually did.
By sending me away he'd irrevocably marred our relationship.
I wondered when - if - I returned home, would I ever be able to look him in the eye?
Uncle Jim, who had been standing at his door way and watching the whole scene, opened his arms to me. His hard lined face was the same handsome face that fought in countless battles, the scar running from the edge of his jaw to his chin making him appear fierce and weapon-abled. His baby blue eyes were filled with understanding and compassion, his wide embrace offering acceptance and comfort.
With a sob, I accepted it, throwing my arms around his neck. He patted me on the back, murmuring soft words that I assumed were meant to ease down the rioting emotions inside me.
But all I wanted to do was cry because, in reality, his arms didn't offer the kind of comfort I really needed.
***
Two days later...
"How are ya feeling, sweetheart?"
I looked up from my cup of coffee with a weak smile. Uncle Jim, dressed in his usual ripped jeans and checkered top, settled into the seat across from me, his worried gaze searching my face.
"I'm fine, Uncle J," I tried to reassure him, even though my tongue felt as heavy as led in my mouth.
"Really?" his brow rose skeptically. "Because those bruises under your eyes say otherwise,"
I grimaced and gingerly touched the skin under my eyes. The past two days had been horrific. While I tried to enjoy my stay and Jim's company, I had several heat flashes. Uncle Jim was always there to hold me and, for a bit, his touch numbed the pain. But since I wasn't attracted to him by any means - and with him being pure human and all - my inner beasts were acting up and his comforting touch only prevented the pain from attacking for so long.
The nights were the worst. I'd lay in bed tossing and turning for hours and even when I did manage to sleep, the damned pains would always wake me up. It got so bad the night before that Uncle Jim had called my father and begged for him to send a male shifter our way. Jim, who was almost as ornery about my virtue as my father.
Predictably enough, because the man was my father after all, the answer was resounding no.
"It's been hard," I shrugged nonchalantly, "But I'm pulling through."
Barely. My fingers trembled as I lifted the cup to my dry, chapped lips. My body was already beginning to weaken. I hadn't even bothered dressing this morning, instead throwing on a pale pink robe that covered the basics. No undergarments were needed. The smooth silk brushed against my sensitive skin, sending delicious thrills through my nerves before being brutally replaced, reminding me that it was nothing compared to a touch of a man.
Sigh. A girl just can't win.
"He's worried about you, Ash," Jim said softly, warily.
I stiffened, my fingers curling tightly around the mug in my hands. In a deliberately cool voice I said, "If he were really worried about me, he'd wouldn't have sent me away."
"He was doing what he thought was best." Jim defended his life-long friend loyally. "You're his daughter, Ashlin. His little girl."
I could feel my beasts awakening, sensing my unease and anger. "I'm not a little girl anymore, Jim. I understand he's worried for my virginity, but really, that's for me to decide, not for him to dictate."
"I know. I said he's doing what he thinks is best. Not that it's the right thing."
We both fell silent.
As much as I wanted to forgive my father for his stubbornness, it was a quality that I had inherited from him, making it almost impossible to look past my own anger and resentment towards the man that raised me.
"Hey I got an idea," Jim said suddenly, grinning away the tension. "How about you go take a cool dip in the lake? I know how much you used to love skinny dipping as a child," he clucked his tongue in memory, eyes twinkling.
I gasped in horror. "You saw?" Ew.
Uncle Jim laughed. "Hell no! But the young lads from the summer camp's I hosted sure got a good look. They like to talk, ya know?"
"Huh. No wonder why I got so many offers to sit right by the fire. They all got a good look at my goodies," I wanted to be mad, but since it had been a good five years ago, I could only laugh along with my uncle and flush embarrassingly. If they did get a look, it wouldn't have been much. I hadn't developed until my sixteenth year.
"Actually, I think a dip in the lake might just be what the doctor ordered," I admitted, pushing back the stringy locks of dark hair from my face. My beasts were pacing restlessly, exhausting my mental restraints. When one went a bit randy, they were easy to control, but in this case both were loosing their cool, making me in turn loose a large amount of control.
If my memory served correct, then a dip in the cold depths of the lake should be enough to cool them down a bit.
Not bothering to get myself a towel, I immediately headed for the back door.
"Er, Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"Like what?"
"How about a bathing suit?"
I clucked my tongue at him, "That kinda defeats the point of skinny dipping, doesn't it?"
Then I was gone, Jim's laughter trailing behind me.
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