Jude was conscious of his open appraisal and wondered what he thought. She was curvier then most of her pack. Her hips and thighs tended towards plump instead of the long, lean lines of women like Sam and Natasha. Still, she’d been told that her curves gave her a more feminine feel in a man’s hand.
Dresden, in animal form, was magnificent. His coat was almost blue it was so black and appeared sleek. Unlike the thick fur of her wolf, his coat was made up of short hair. Would it feel like silk, she wondered? Jude, wanting to run her hands down the long length of him, shifted slightly closer.
Dresden sensed her interest and paced slowly back and forth. Panthers were solitary creatures, coming together for a few days to mate before heading back out on their own. Dresden, far from home, had gone longer then most since last mating and found himself responding to the woman’s attention. He found the fact that she was a werewolf intriguing. He’d fucked plenty of human females in his time but never a lycan that wasn’t a panther.
Jude watched the play of muscles as Dresden moved back and forth in front of her. She’d been waiting for someone to come along that interested her, someone that would challenge her. None of the males in the pack offered up much in the way of excitement. She’d coupled with a few of them over the years and none of them sent her heart beating or her blood racing the way the sight of Dresden and all his power did. Already, she could feel herself growing wet at the thought of him.
Dresden paused mid-step as the first hint of her desire hit the air. Lifting his head, he sniffed, surprised at the slightly sweet scent. Back to pacing, Dresden continued to watch her. Never having been part of a pack, he wasn’t used to women seeing and appreciating him in animal form. When panthers came together to mate it was in animal form, remaining that way until the female conceived. He found that he wanted her to touch him, to learn how her hands would feel against his animal. Deciding, Dresden prowled closer, brushing up against her leg and inviting her to touch.
Surprised, Jude slowly lowered herself until she was kneeling beside him. Taking advantage of the invitation, she reached up and cradled his jaw in the palm of her hands before running them down his neck, across his chest and finally down the length of his back. His coat was sleek and short, silky but not exactly soft. Unlike a wolf, Dresden stood closer to the ground and was wider across the chest. His paws were enormous and contained retractable claws that he could use to climb trees as well as strangle his prey. Shivering a bit at the thought, Jude stood and stepped back. “Thank you.”
Dresden backed away slowly, keeping his eyes on her face. He could feel himself growing hard and had caught the spike in her arousal from touching him. He wasn’t sure what she wanted or expected; it was rare for lycans of different species to associate with one another – let alone couple. You didn’t cross-breed and lycans of different species could never produced offspring.
Jude watched Dresden back away from her; noting the time, she realized that she’d been gone longer then she meant. “I’d better get back; Nafarius and Roland will kill me if they find out I was out here alone.”
Dresden didn’t move, didn’t give any indication that he heard or cared, he just kept watching her. Not sure what she’d expected, Jude slowly backed up until she reached the edge of the clearing. It wasn’t until she was sure that she was out of sight that she turned her back on him and ran home.
She slowed as she neared the clearing; keeping an ear out for Nafarius or Roland, Jude was relieved to find a number of pack members moving about. Everyone appeared to be busy and were unlikely to take note of her return.
Jude had just stepped out from the tree line when she felt a hard grip on her arm. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and turned, prepared to take the worst of it from Nafarius or Roland. Opening her eyes, she was surprised and relieved to find herself staring into Sam’s bright green eyes. Her relief at not having been caught by either Nafarius or Roland was short-lived.
“Next time you pull a stunt like that I’ll skin you myself,” Sam said. She’d been worried at finding the young woman gone, relieved at seeing her slipping into the clearing and furious at Jude’s stupidity. Just then the wind shifted and Sam caught the distinct scent of panther. Her eyes narrowed slightly but all she said was, “I suggest you make sure Nafarius and Roland catch a glimpse of you soon before either one of the notices you were gone.”
Jude nodded, “Thank you for not saying anything.”
“Don’t make me regret my decision,” Sam warned. She watched Jude until she was sure that the young woman would remain with the pack. Jude was one of her favorite pack members; young and full of life she was easy to be around.
“Samantha?”
Sam turned at the sound of her name to find Jonas and Lillian watching her. “It’s Sam.”
Lillian smiled, “Of course. Do you have a minute to talk?”