Chapter Nine

Candy stilled her movements as she heard the cry slip past Annie’s lips.  


“Annie?”  She asked, unsure of why her mate was crying.


“Y, y, yeah?”  


“Did I do something wrong?  I’ve never been with a woman before and if I did something wrong, please let me know.”    Candy said as she sat up to look at her mate.  Annie had her hands over her face as her shoulders shook.


“No, no.  You were perfect.”  She said with a sob.  


“Then why are you crying baby?”  Candy asked as she moved to lay beside Annie.


“I just, I didn’t... I’ve never, it’s never felt that amazing before.”  Annie said with a hiccuping sob.


Candy gently grabbed Annie’s wrists, pulling her hands away from her face.  She stroked the heated red skin of Annie’s face.  “What do you mean?”


“I mean that sex has always been something that I enjoyed but I’ve never felt the way that you made me feel just now.”  Annie whispered, her blush deepening as a slow smile slid across Candy’s lips.


“You mean that you’ve never had an orgasm before?”  


“I thought I had, but it was never like that.”  Annie said trying to pull her hands away to cover her face.


“If it wasn’t like that, then your previous lovers weren’t taking care of you.”  Candy said, pulling Annie’s hands to her face so she could kiss her fingertips.  


“There was only the one.”  Annie confided as she moved to roll onto her side.  “Would you like me to, to return the favor?”  


Candy smiled at her mate’s innocence,  Tracing her fingers over Annie’s wrist, her eyes moved over the freckles on Annie’s shoulders as she traced her fingertips over her skin.  Mapping out her love’s flesh, “Maybe another time.  I don’t think I could hold back from claiming you if you did.  I know it takes a lot out of humans and I don’t want to risk it hurting the babies.”  


“Oh, I didn’t know that.  Does it, will it hurt when you claim me?”  


“A little, but from what I’ve heard it’s worth it.”  Candy answered, her eyes finally meeting Annie’s and she realized how tired her mate must be.  “Why don’t we get some rest?”  


Annie worried the inside of her cheek as she watched Candy in the dimly lit room. She had so many questions.  Questions she hoped that the beautiful woman could help her answer. For the first time in her life she felt content.  


Not longing as she always felt after her and Beau’s couplings.  Something inside of her felt full, still ready for more.  Never as empty as she had felt before. She closed her eyes, enjoying the fingers that were moving through her thick hair before trailing down her shoulder and then her arm.  Annie felt the bed shift as Candy pulled the sheet over them and settled down.  Her hand resting on Annie’s hip as she let her body relax, the way her lover’s thumb brushed over her hip bones made her feel warm.  


It had been so long since Annie had felt comfortable enough to relax and not worry about what was coming.


Or how Beau would use it to hurt her.  


***


The sharp knock on the door pulled Annie from the most restful sleep she had ever had.  She rubbed her eyes, looking around the room when the knock happened again.


“Crap, it’s Drake.”  Candy said as she scrambled about the room, throwing on a shirt as she tossed one to Annie.  


The two women hastily dressed, before Candy crawled over the bed to press her lips against Annie’s.  She rolled off the bed with a grace that was pure shifter as she moved to answer the door.  


“Come in, Drake.”  She said as she pulled the door open and moved to sit back on the bed beside Annie.



Drake stepped into the room and raised an eyebrow at Candy as he took in the sight of Annie sitting on her bed.  Her hair tousled with sleep as she watched him with wide eyes.  Eyes that he wished didn’t hold fear in them. She was his mate’s sister and he didn’t want her to be afraid of him.  He could smell the faint traces of their recent coupling in the air and he wondered what Candy was getting at.  


The pretty wolf had only had eyes for Eli as long as he could remember.  Drake hoped this wasn’t some strange power play to hurt his mate and Eli.  Women were strange creatures, he liked to think that he knew Candy and that she wouldn’t do something like that.  


“Hi, Annie, Candy.” he said as he stepped further into the room, with a cup of coffee in one hand and a set of clothing tucked under his arm. 


 Annie couldn’t help but fear the worst. Was he coming in here to tell her she had to leave, that Beau was demanding that she come back home with him?

“Morning,” she whispered, worrying her lower lip as she worked her fingers over the hem of her shirt.  Candy reached over and gave her hands a small squeeze, Annie looked over at her giving her a small smile of thanks.


“I wanted to talk with you. I’m Drake, by the way I know our earlier meeting wasn’t how I wanted to meet the in-laws-“


“You’re sending me back aren’t you?” Annie asked, feeling her eyes mist over as her throat went dry.


“No, why would I-“ Drake said and Annie looked down, unable to meet his eyes. “I would never send you back to somewhere you wouldn’t want to do.  You’re my mate’s sister, I don’t think that Abby would forgive me if I did that.  Plus I could never send you to a pack that doesn’t take care of their members and from what I’ve gathered no one was looking out for you.”


Annie’s shoulders slumped as she took a deep breath, “Thank you, what if Beau comes looking for me?”


“He won’t.”


“You can’t say that, I know he will. I’m carrying his babies.” Annie confided, she knew that there was no way to miss that she was pregnant.  


“He can’t.”


“Are you saying-”  Candy started to ask but Drake cut her words off.


“I’m saying that he won’t ever threaten Annie or her children again.  He’s gone.”  Drake said as he took a sip from the coffee cup in his hand.  “I brought you some clothing, it may be a bit big.  We can take you to get some things later if you need it.”


At Candy’s soft growl, he looked over at his friend.  “Or maybe Annie will.”