Page 26 of Hope in his Darkness
“Say it. Say you’re my mate and I can claim you.” He growls against my chest as he licks my nipple. I know his animal is close to the surface. The very air feels like it’s charged around us.
“I’m your mate and you can claim me.” The next instant he’s inside me taking me to heights of pleasure I never knew existed.
Before I know it, his teeth are grazing my neck along my collar bone. His tongue licks along the edges like he’s tasting me, finding the perfect spot to mark me. My body is humming with pleasure when he punctures my skin. I can feel the warm trickle of my blood, but there’s hardly any pain, all I feel is euphoria. He pummels into me while his teeth are still latched to my neck, for a second, I fear he will rip my neck open. Then he suddenly releases my neck and roars in my ear as he comes apart. A feeling of completeness consumes me as I look into his eyes and see the same contentment reflected back at me.
“All I want to do right now is revel in the fact that you’re mine, but we have some business to attend to.” I’m thinking he’s talking about the bar, but then I start to feel strange. Like my skin is too tight and I need to stretch it out. Brody grabs me and tosses me over his shoulder again butt naked. I’m about to protest when instead of words coming out of my mouth a growl comes out instead. Oh, shit.
“Hold on baby, let me get you outside. Dad will kill me if I let you change inside the house.” There’s something inside my body trying to get out, I can feel it right under the surface. It feels like claws are trying to break through my skin, and maybe they are. Maybe that’s how I’ll shift, it will claw its way out of my body. As soon as we are outside, Brody sets me down on my feet and steps back.
“Alright baby, go ahead and let her have your body. Just relax and she’ll take over.” When I listen to his voice and try to relax my body, I feel the change happen. One minute I’m standing there with human legs and the next I’m standing on all fours with furry legs. I blink up at Brody then back down at my legs. I'm a gorilla, a big ass gorilla, not as big as Brody or Cole but still, I feel huge. Next thing I know Brody shifts and rubs his head against mine with affection and I hum my approval. This is where I’ve been heading my whole life without even knowing it.
The End
Epilogue
Hope
Six Months Later
It’s after midnightas I snuggle closer to Brody’s body, trying to soak up his warmth when my phone rings from the nightstand behind me. Brody moans in his sleep before gripping my waist a little tighter. I use my arm not currently being pinned to the bed to reach back for my phone. It takes a few tries of blindly grabbing for it to finally make contact.
No sooner do I have it in my hand it stops ringing. Great, that was a waste of time. Whoever it was can leave a damn message I think to myself as I go to put it back on the nightstand. No sooner do I reach backwards to put it back then it starts to ring again. Ugh! Guess whoever it is doesn’t think I need to sleep. Probably some damn sales person, or that fucking car warranty bullshit. I don’t recognize the number, so it could be either one.
“Hello.” I croak out, in my least friendly voice. I only use my friendly voice for people who call me at decent hours of the day.
“Hello, this is Marybeth Leonard. I’m calling from the Parkside Psychiatric Hospital. Am I speaking to the daughter of Carl Mason?” I practically jump out of Brody’s arms, sitting straight up in bed. Brody grumbles his disproval of being moved.
“Babe, come back.” He moans in his sleepy voice. I can’t speak, my mouth is hanging open starring at the phone like its grown two heads. Why would a psychiatric hospital be calling me about my dad? I haven’t seen him in months.
The last time I saw him was when I tried to pick up the things I still had in the trailer. Brody, Cole, and Clay all went with me, but he refuse to let me in, shouted obscenities through the door, and threaten to call the cops if we didn’t leave. Yeah, he’s a real winner in the parent category. Guess not having my income anymore really pissed him off. Brody was ready to bust down the door but I told him it wasn’t worth it. I haven’t seen or heard from my dad since then.
“Miss...Miss are you there? Is this Carl Mason’s daughter I’m speaking to?” Brody rolls toward me, his hand flapping against the bed in search of me and it wakes me from stupor.
“Yeah, yeah, this is Hope (Insert last name here), I’m (insert dads name here) daughter. How can I help you?” I’m pretty sure I sound like a complete idiot, but the lady on the other end doesn’t seem to notice.
“Yes, we have your father here at our facility. He’s under a seventy-two hour evaluation hold.” What the hell is going on? I’m just about to ask when I feel Brody’s body against my back. He plants kisses along my shoulder blade, sending shivers down my spine.
