Desire by Midnight.........Free Read...Ethan Radcliff

Copyright Ethan Radcliff  2015...Desire by Midnight...a short story

Desire by Midnight

Ethan Radcliff

The Northern Woods of Canada

Run, run, faster, faster, her heart felt like it was going to burst in her chest. Ouch, underbrush, prickly vines, broken branches, run!

Charisa Knight ran as fast as her legs could carry her, never once looking back. She heard the gunfire, and her heart leapt in her chest. She heard the dogs, bloodhounds running in her footsteps; she prayed that they would not catch up to her. Hold on, her frazzled brain screamed; hold on, and don’t do anything stupid! Charisa was running out of steam. She now was blind; her eyes unable to focus. When the bullet hit her shoulder, it didn’t hurt, not as she expected it to; it just stung. It would bring her down, and they would kill her. Then, watch as her body returned to its normal state: a twenty three year old woman ,not the grey lithe wolf they were chasing. That, she was sure, would freak all of them out. She had to run; she couldn’t let them catch her. It meant the survival of her entire race.

****

Kyle Regan knew the wooded area behind his cabin like the back of his hand, all thirty acres of it. He’d come up for the weekend to rest after another disastrous relationship had ended. Another broken heart, Christ,     he’d left a friggin trail of them behind the last few years. He had no luck with women. He was starting to believe he’d never meet that special someone. At the moment, his future looked bleak as far as marriage and kids went.

 Tonight he was exhausted and went out to get wood for his stove when he heard the shots. Damn, he thought, frigging hunters. They were way too close, and he was going to put in a complaint to the parks commission tomorrow. Bastards were on his land, and he was sure it wasn’t the start of hunting season, only then did he give permission for a certain number of hunters on his land. He stood by his woodpile and looked up, the sky was starless and the moon full. He shook his head; people did crazy things when it was a full moon. Kyle needed a little R and R, being a New York City EMT had worn him out. He needed a rest from all the gang wars, shootings, stabbings, and the domestic fights. Shit, he could go on, but he needed a rest from all the bullshit.

Kyle never saw her coming. She hit him and knocked him down. When he hit the ground, he could have sworn it was an animal that brought him down, not a bleeding naked young woman.

“Holy shit, you’ve been shot,” Kyle said to the unconscious woman lying on top of him.

He felt her warm blood saturate the sweatshirt he was wearing. He rolled with her gently to the side and was astounded at what he saw. Her face was heart shaped; her hair was long, thick and honey colored. It was a tangled mess, littered with brush and branches. Her face was smudged with dirt and blood from her injured shoulder. He pushed her hair aside to scan her face. Christ, she was beautiful.

Kyle picked her up carefully and walked with her to his cabin; behind him, he heard the loud voices of men. Assholes, he thought. What the hell was going on? Did anyone realize they’d shot her? He was making the call tomorrow to report the assholes. He was getting his shotgun ready; if they came any closer, he’d show them he meant business.

His strong arms worked fast as he put her down on his bed. He grabbed some clean towels and hydrogen peroxide then poured the liquid over her shoulder. She gritted her teeth and screamed.

“Sorry, Honey, but what the fuck is going on?” he said trying to examine her injury.

Kyle looked down at the beautiful young woman and surmised the pain was excruciating. He’d no choice; he needed to make sure the wound was clean, so he could assess the damage. Frightened eyes that were wide with fear stared up at him. He noted that her eyes were amber colored, much like the wild deer that ran ramped on the acres and acres of his land. He held one of the towels down on her wound in an effort to stop the bleeding. He smiled faintly at her, hoping to alleviate her fear. He held the towel tight, and his gaze held hers. He wondered if she could see the questioning look on his face. What he couldn’t understand was, why she was running through the forest naked and why the hell she was shot.

Kyle heard the men and the dogs; they were close. He needed to tell them what they’d done. He grabbed his cell phone. He began to dial 911, then stopped when he heard her feeble plea.

“Please don’t call anyone. I’ll be all right. Please,” she said weakly.

Kyle put his phone down, knowing what he was doing was against his better judgment. He moved over her and carefully moved her shoulder. As he had suspected, the bullet had gone through her shoulder and exited out the back. Carefully he inspected the wound; she was lucky. He was right, the bullet had gone clean through her slender shoulder. The peroxide cleaned the area, and he pressed the cool towels on her. He then took a throw from a chair and covered her.

“What happened? Why did one of those assholes shoot you?” he said to her pulling a chair over to the bed. “I really need to get your to a hospital, Sweetheart. That bullet went clear through.”

“No, please, no hospital. I’m a really good healer. I’ll be alright,” she said her eyes pleading with him.

Kyle looked at her; damn, she was beautiful. It killed him that she was hurt. He figured she was in her early twenties, maybe twenty-two or twenty-three. Kyle was a month away from his thirtieth birthday, and he was happily unattached. The last woman in his life drove him nuts, tried to push him into marriage, but he didn’t love her. He had to admit that in looks, she couldn’t hold a candle to the young wounded woman in his bed. He was so drawn to her. His hands wanted to touch her, caress her, and his mouth wanted to taste her soft full lips. Kyle shook himself. Right now, he needed to think clearly; he needed to find out what had happened.

“Okay, for now I’ll take care of you. I’m a New York City EMT. I see gunshot wounds like this every day. If I see any infection setting in, you’re going directly to the hospital, a deal?” Kyle said to her.

She shook her head in agreement. "Thank you, I’m grateful that you’re going to keep me here.”

****

 Charisa felt her body lifted, her human body; she was no longer a lycan, a wolf. Her injury weakened her into shifting back. She was disoriented and in unbelievable pain as she held onto the strong arms which held her.

She’d heal, and heal quickly, one of the advantages of being a shape shifter and a lycan. Now, if she could find something to wear so she could sneak away at night when she was sure he was asleep. Her eyes focused, as she looked him over. He had dark thick hair, bright blue eyes, and a day’s worth of bearded growth on his ruggedly handsome face. His eyelashes were incredibly long, and his lips pouty and sensual. He was far too good looking to be out in the wilderness. Charisa pictured him on the cover of a men’s fitness magazine, showing off his sinewy muscles and his well-defined biceps through the cut off sleeves of his sweatshirt. She also saw the intricate black tattoos that extended down his right arm to the top of his hand. They reminded her of some symbols she’d seen before, but she couldn’t place them. He definitely piqued her interest; she felt the attraction, and it was strong. Before she did something stupid with him, she’d be gone.

“How about if I clean you up, and then you can tell me what the hell was going on out there?” Kyle said as he got up and got his black medical bag. He opened it and took out a syringe. He filled it up and looked at her.

“Before I bandage your shoulder, I need to give you this. It will ward off any infection for now and also help numb the area. I need to make sure that when the bullet hit it made a clean exit,” he said, knowing he was going to hurt her one more time. "Can you trust me? I’m not going to hurt you, well maybe a little with the needle, but this will help make you more comfortable.”

She nodded. He injected the fluid into her vein. Tears pooled in her eyes, and he could feel her pain. She was so slender, so feminine, and so damn lovely. He needed to check her shoulder, but he’d first let the injection take hold. Kyle disappeared into the bathroom. When he came back out, he had soap, a washcloth, and a small bucket of warm water. He sat down on the chair, his eyes wandering over her. His attraction to her was growing fast. The chair scraped the rough-hewn floor as he moved closer to the bed, taking the bucket of water and putting it on the nightstand. He took the washcloth and started washing her face.

“Okay, now what’s your name?” he asked as her as he wiped the dirt off her face.

“Charisa Knight. I’m sure you have a lot of questions, but this is all a very horrible mistake,” she said.

“Hi Charisa, my name is Kyle, Kyle Regan, and nice to meet you,” he said as he smiled softly.

Kyle needed to clean her up. How the hell was he going to do it, she was so damn gorgeous. Her naked body was going to give him a real problem. He hoped the injection would work fast. If she slept, it would be easier for him to clean her up and work on her shoulder.

“Charisa, what happened? Honey, where the hell are your clothes?” he asked washing her neck, his hand venturing further down her body heading for her full firm breasts.  He was approaching dangerous territory. He handed her the cloth. “Here, maybe you want to take over if you can,” Kyle said handing her the washcloth.

Charisa took the damp cloth from him then moved the soft throw he had over her aside. She looked at her bruised and scratched breasts and frowned. She tried to clean her chest, but she wasn’t doing such a good job. She looked up at Kyle and gave him a small knowing smile. “I guess I’m not doing such a good job, will you do this?” Charisa said handing him the washcloth.

“Jesus,” he said then let out his breath slowly. “I don’t know about this, Sweetie, you’re gorgeous and I’m only human.” Charisa giggled; of course, he was only human, and she on the other hand wasn’t.

Charisa sat up but, she was feeling woozy. The injection he gave her was taking effect. She smiled, letting the darkness take her. She needed the rest and instincts told her she could trust the beautiful young man who was helping her.

****

Kyle let out a slow breath, she was asleep. He was thankful, now he could check out her shoulder. He could also clean her up. At least she wouldn’t see the wanton desire in his eyes and on his face.

His breath caught in his throat, she was beautiful. He let one hand lightly touch her breast; they were soft and full, her nipples pale pink and so damn kissable. He bent his head and let his tongue taste one small peak, he moaned, it got hard as his tongue lathed it. She moved slightly under his caress. Kyle knew he was cheating, but his eyes went to the triangle of honey colored hair between her slender thighs.

 He wanted to see just how lovely she really was. His hand moved over her soft flat belly into the soft honey curls. He wet the washcloth and cleaned her torso, his mind on one thing and one thing only: her pussy. His cock now had sprung to life. He had to clean her. Better she was asleep, because he was going to have a real tough time with this. He rinsed out the washcloth, knowing he was going to touch her, damn it, maybe even taste her. He wanted to punch himself in the head. For Christ sakes, he never took advantage of any women who was in the state she was. But few women had the effect on him that she was having, especially one who needed his help.

Kyle had delivered babies and seen his share of naked woman, but this young woman, she was dangerously addictive. He took the cloth, cleaned the soft downy hair between her thighs, and moved aside the honey curls to expose the pink moist lips of her pussy. He opened them to reveal her small clit, which now had his cock aching. He lowered his head and let his tongue touch her soft lips and flick at her clit. She was like touching soft, creamy silk, and he found he could get lost in her soft folds.

He had never ached this bad, had never wanted to give of himself this bad, and he never wanted to see any woman cum so bad. He stopped himself; He needed to clean the rest of her and check out the wound on her shoulder. Kyle wanted this lovely young woman, and he had to keep her there in his cabin until she was healed. But first, he needed to help her. Find out what had happened and why she was running through the forest on his land butt naked. As he scanned over her, he wanted to take care of her until he had her wanting him and needing him as much as he wanted her.

Kyle checked on her shoulder. He raised an eyebrow as he examined it. The wound had already begun to heal. Next, he checked the exit wound and that too was healing. Kyle was confused, very confused. That bullet went clean through her shoulder. No one had healing powers that strong. There was a great deal about the lovely Miss Knight, which needed explaining.

His ardor cooled down after his examination and his curiosity was now piqued. He finished cleaning her and covered her up. He picked all the brush and branches from her long thick hair then let her sleep. He went and sat in his large rocking chair in front of his large fireplace and immersed himself in thought. What the fuck was going on? His arm ached and every tattoo darkened. Christ, he rubbed his arm. He’d never seen that happened before, and he’d had those markings for as long as he could remember. He covered his arm; he’d no desire to look at them. They’d been an enigma his whole life. Every time he asked his aunt about them, she shrugged her shoulders, so he never pursued it any further. As he matured, most were in awe of his tattoos so that’s where he left it. Now, he was experiencing a change. His stomach was rumbling, and his cock twinged. He took deep breaths. Shit.

****

Charisa was thankful for the dark and the time to rest. She felt like she was enveloped in clouds as she became aware of her surroundings. She turned her head and saw the vague outline of the young man who helped her, asleep on a chair in front of the stoned fireplace. She remembered how handsome he was and how her body responded. Charisa needed to mate. Her primeval instincts were at an all-time high. She was ready to bleed, to get her menses she needed copulation. She saw Kyle stir. Did he sense her eyes on him? Charisa sat up and let the covers fall from her. She watched Kyle sit up; he wore jeans and an old cut up sweatshirt. When the covers fell, it was obvious from the bulge in his jeans his cock was hard. His aroused scent was strong, and he was male, that was obvious as her eyes raked over him. A glistening in his eyes caught her attention as he took in her naked body.

 Charisa found Kyle desirable, and she needed to convince him  she was fine. She needed to entice him, because she needed to mate. Torturous fires, the fires and needs of mating had already begun. Shape shifting expelled a lot of energy. Once the shifting took place, a great deal of energy was needed to hold the animal one shifted to. Charisa had kept her lycan persona for days, and now her body was ravenous. She needed to fuck, needed a male’s ejaculation and Kyle was the most likely candidate.

“Kyle, I will tell you everything if you agree to one thing,” she said moving towards him.

“Honey, I will agree to whatever you want, just cover yourself,” he begged.

“Kyle, do I make you hot? Do I make you hard?”

“Charisa, what’s this?” he said; as he moved in the chair, the cover moving with him, revealing more of him.

“Make love to me,” she asked using all her feminine wiles.

“I can’t do that. I don’t want to hurt you, that shoulder looked pretty bad.” He moved in the rocker, letting the cover slide to the floor.

“I do believe that it’s healing nicely. Kyle I need this, please do this for me,” Charisa begged, watching him fight what he obviously was experiencing. His hard member gave away what was on his mind and now was controlling his body. Her eyes caught sight of the strange tattoos. They had deepened in color considerably and seemed to have come alive. They were mesmerizing. He got off the chair and came to the bed.

“Okay, okay, are you sure about this?” Kyle said as he came to her on the bed and sat next to her.

Charisa leaned forward and touched his stubbled face. She drew him closer and let her lips touch his. His lips were soft and so very kissable, thought Charisa. Then, she let her tongue run along his and he opened his mouth taking control. He kissed her deeply; his tongue seeking hers, entwining and rubbing together in perfect harmony. He broke away, visibly aroused.

“Honey, look at me. What are we doing? I can’t do this. You have a God damn gunshot wound in your shoulder,” Kyle said shaking his head.

Charisa was confused. Tears came to her large amber eyes. She needed to fess up and now. He needed to know what was going on with her. He needed to know he couldn’t hurt her in any way. He needed to know her story.

Her eyes were on his hard cock. She needed him. It was apparent now as her eyes took on a more amber glow. Her heart was beating faster. Her skin was crawling, she needed to be replenished. Between her shifting and her wound, her body was working overtime, and she was overheating.

“Fuck me, Kyle. I will tell you everything, but I need you in me. Please.” she begged him.

He moaned as his head lowered to her breast and  took one of her nipples in his mouth. He rolled it around on his tongue and moved in on her. He feasted on one then the other, bringing her nipples to life. He had one quest as his body shook: to taste her and eat her pussy. He was over the edge with need, and he wasted no time.

He moved over her and then up on his knees. He removed his torn and makeshift sweatshirt revealing a well-defined upper body. His skin was pale against the dark hair of his chest that sprinkled liberally down his body to his abdomen, and     thinned out as it came to his very hard six-pack. It formed a vee as it disappeared into his low riding jeans, which now were straining against his hard cock. There was no doubt that Kyle had an overabundance of testosterone. He was all male, all sinew and muscle.

“First things first,” Kyle said as he got off the bed and removed his jean. Typical of some guys, he wore nothing underneath.

Charisa ginned at him. She eyed his erection, and Kyle had nothing to be ashamed of, he had quite an impressive package. His dark downy hair surrounded his ample cock and feathered around his balls. He was so damn masculine, nothing soft about him at all. Charisa beckoned him back onto the bed, and he came to her parting her thighs with his knees. She felt her pussy gush some fluid, he excited her that much.

“Honey, I don’t know where to start first. So, since I am a pussy man, it will be right here, between your beautiful strong soft thighs. Charisa, you’re beautiful, and damn, I am eager to give you pleasure. Don’t be shy; let me see your pussy. It’s a real turn on for me. Ah shit, I love women, always have,” he said smiling faintly.

He rubbed her soft belly and eased his hand down to her small wet opening. He inserted two fingers then bent to her face and kissed her lips.

“Oh, God, that feels so good. Don’t stop Kyle. Do it harder,” she asked.

****

He obeyed and increased his pumping, his fingers enjoying their job.

Sweat broke out on his forehead. His cock grew unbearably hard. He sniffed through the air. What was that he was smelling, her sex? He’d never experienced any kind of smell before when having sex. The aroma was driving him crazy, arousing him, and he was salivating. Then he realized he was sniffing like a fucking animal. Christ, what the fuck? He couldn’t stop himself. He withdrew his fingers from her, licked them clean, then took a deep breath. He needed her; he had to bury his cock deep inside her. 

“Turn around, get on all fours now,” he demanded.

She obeyed. He mounted her, plunged deep inside of her. He pushed hard and grabbed onto her hair. The he heard it: a growl. Fuck what was that. Again, he heard the growl. Christ was that him growling? He’d never growled during sex before.

“Holy fuck,” she whispered, “What are you?”

He heard her, but couldn’t answer. His whole body was on fire. Then the pain began, heart-wrenching pain, which flowed from the very core of his being.

“Oh, God,” she yelled. “Oh, God…!” she screamed.

Fuck, he was hurting her. But he couldn’t stop the relentless pounding of his cock into her. He’d had his eyes tightly closed, and now, he ventured to open them. He focused. He was worried about her shoulder, and that’s when he saw it. All that was visible was a harsh red mark, a mere remnant t of the horrendous gunshot wound she’d had. He shook his head, but he experienced pain, which now was radiating down his spine. Yet, he kept on ramming his cock deep.

He glimpsed at his arms, which now were cradling her as he rode her. The dark tribal marks, ones people assumed were tattoos, were dark and pulsating. He’d asked about them as a child but was never given an explanation. He never remembered his father, and his mother was nowhere to be found. An old aunt, who told him she was as stupefied as he was concerning his markings, had brought him up.

But now, as he fucked this young woman, his markings were coming alive. With each thrust of his cock, the pulsating intensified, driving him, pushing him until… “Holy Fuck!” he yelled as his cock throbbed and jerked spewing his seed into Charisa.

****

Charisa heard him growl. Her body responded, and she had no idea why. Every hard stroke he took, she could feel her orgasm mounting. Her body was regenerating with each hard push. She met every thrust ramming her body into his. However, instincts told her he was no lycan. She trembled. She should stop and run. No, her body needed him and his seed. She moved further back on him and lost herself as her orgasm engulfed her, and she burst into hot molten lava. Wave after wave of pure ecstasy over took her.

“Oh fuck!” she screamed as she gripped the sheets on his bed.

A huge dark growl emanated from him. Strong talons gripped her hips and her pleasure was replaced by fear. She let her head hang down and tried to concentrate,; pushing her body to shift, but she stayed human.

Tears came to her eyes. She’d run her heart out trying to get away from the hunters, and now, she would lose her battle to this creature. It just wasn’t fair. She steadied herself for his onslaught. Instead, his grip eased up, and his cock left her body.

She scurried to the head of the bed and turned.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered. “Kyle, stop fighting the shift, your heart will burst. Let it happen.”

He was on his knees on the other end of the bed: a half-shifted creature. Her heart tore from her chest watching him. She’d seen it before. The adult shifter, having never shifted before, fight the phenomenon and die in the process. Something deep inside of her told her not to be afraid. She crawled over to him and took his half-shifted face in her hands. Large fangs were now protruding from his large mouth. She closed her eyes. “I’ll shift with you. I want you to relax. Your mind will be muddled. Your reasoning will break through, but you must let it, Kyle.”

When she touched his face, there was something so familiar about him. Their eyes met, and she gasped.

“Oh my, oh no, this can’t be,” she said, moving back and away from him.

He jumped off the bed, went to his knees, and hung his head down while arching his body. He was waiting. He was allowing the creature within to emerge, letting his body change. His arms and legs snapped and cracked first, and then his spine. His facial bones contorted, and his transformation began.

She rubbed her eyes and blinked them countless times. Her body was raging, wanting to shift, but she waited. What was before her was an impossibility. Had he never known? How?

He was no lycan. That was too vague of a description. He was Lobo. A huge, magnificent dark gray male wolf now before her stood. On his fore head was a large diamond of white fur. This was the mark of an Alpha male. Most Alpha’s broke of human form before the age of thirty.  

She edged off the bed slowly and got to her knees then crawled over to him, her head down in submission. Instincts once again kicked in. He was no ordinary Alpha; he was her Alpha, her mate. Her body now shifted with ease to her beautiful grey lithe wolf, a larger female and one meant as the mate of an Alpha.

Their minds connected.

“Ah, so it seems these marking had a meaning, one I never knew,” his thoughts entered hers.

“Yes, I’d seen them before, but couldn’t place them. I’d seen them on a few other Alphas,” she explained.

“Why did this all happen now?” he asked.

“Because of me. If you didn’t encounter your mate, another female, before the age of thirty, your ability to shift would be lost forever. I brought this change in you about. You are my mate, my Alpha.”

Their snouts touched, and their eyes closed as they both shifted back to human form. “So it all begins for us now,” he said taking her into his arms.

“Yes and inside me already grows a new life: a male, another alpha, He’ll have us both to tell him of his heritage.”

Kyle held her close. He’d never wonder about the future again. He held the future in his arms along with his destiny.

 THE END