Wild Thing, You Make My Heart Sing {Open}

[Alana Vox]

If Alana hadn’t liked Jacob so much she wouldn’t have stayed so close to him but, as it was, she really liked to be close to people she liked. It was something she was accustomed to. This was how wild animals worked, well, most wild animals that huddled together to touch and keep warm. She didn’t sense that Jacob disliked it. If she had sensed that she would back off, but she was usually pretty good at sensing things.

Seeing him smile when she looked up from his art, that pleased her and made her smile as well. He appeared plagued by something deep down that she could not understand but wanted to.

There was one thing she did not understand though. The word cursed. She had heard it spoken, but she never knew exactly the term. It was a word her mother had spoken when they had figured out Alana’s condition. She assumed it was just a staple of who she was, explaining exactly that she was a shifter.

Jacob looked wounded after she spoke the word. It had her wondering the true meaning behind it. Maybe it had nothing to do with what she was? She couldn’t wait to get a better understanding of things.

She tilted her head as Jacob spoke with a gruff voice and grief ridden eyes. He lifted his shirt and repeated the word, showing her his tattoo. Her eyes watched as a panther slid across his abdomen and before he pulled his shirt down she reached out to touch it.

She didn’t fear him or what he was showing her. Something in her still believed he wasn’t that different from her. She had a beast living in her and so did he. To her it didn’t matter how they made their presence known.

Her hand that had reached out felt his shudder. She pulled away, feeling as though she had witnessed something she shouldn’t have. Her blue eyes fell down on the bed, feeling bad for Jacob, but at the same time, she thought he was perfect how he was.

When Jacob reached out to tuck a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear, she turned towards him. She did not see him as someone to fear, quite the contrary. She faced Jacob and slid a knee between his legs while taking his face in her hands. She shook her head then, letting him see that she did not see him as this terrible being. She repeated his words, holding his eyes with hers. “Jacob not cursed,” she said the words softly, yet sternly.

He still had this confused look on his face, which she hadn’t realized was from speaking her brother’s name. She was still so happy to have remembered some small part of her life. It was a relief to think her memories weren’t gone forever, just hidden.

[Jacob Blackfeather]

The question of who Carson was remained unanswered for the moment. It was too soon, but the shifter was soaking up communication like a sponge. All the things Jake wanted to know about the blonde would come in time; though not soon enough as far as he was concerned. He was way past curious; he was desperate to know everything about her.
Funny thing was, he was learning from her as well. Words didn’t matter all that much when you could get lost in another person’s eyes. And at the moment, he was lost. Her sky blue eyes were too vast, and the man felt like he was soaring within them. He could almost; almost hear what she was thinking.

But all contemplation flew out the window when suddenly Alana was pressing into him; invading his space and opening his legs as she came forward to grasp his face. Her breath was a cool wind upon his lashes, and Jacob let his dark eyes slide closed, inhaling the intoxicating scent of her. His name was a purr across her lips, and the mere sound of it caused a heat to surge through him; lighting his blood on fire with an unfamiliar sensation he couldn’t ignore.

Maybe it was the fact that like the first moment he’d met her; he’d never experienced such intimacy with a female before; his body was alive with raw male awareness.
Or…perhaps it was the fact that her touch seemed to cleanse away the darkness that had settled over his aura when the spirits had seeped into him. Her fingertips replaced that oily shadow with something pure; light; brand new. He felt clean again.

Whatever had caused the impulse was beyond him, so it was something completely instinctual when Jacob opened his eyes and let out a husky, shuddering breath. His hands trembled as he pressed himself into the crease of her body; gripping her hip with one hand and pulling her into him as he found the back of her neck with the other; bringing her mouth roughly against his lips.

He groaned quietly as he parted her mouth with his tongue, urgently seeking hers out and upon finding it, devouring her like he was a starving man and -she- the fest. Hesitantly he drew his lips back; drawing his tongue along the crease of her mouth; savoring the taste of the woman.

When he began to fall back into the mattress, bringing her along with him and his body tightened in anticipation of what was to come, Jacob suddenly came to his senses.
What the hell was he doing?
She didn’t need this kind of invasion, especially not after what had happened earlier in the evening. She probably couldn’t even understand it. He certainly couldn’t fathom what was going through his mind (and his body).

“I’m sorry…” He whispered hoarsely and drew back from her, gently untangling himself from her lithe limbs. Jake scooted across the bed and stood, unable to even look her in the eyes. “Oh god, Lana…I’m so sorry.”

Jacob dragged a trembling hand through his raven hair and edged towards the bathroom. “I gotta’…I gotta’ take a shower.” He told her and pressed his hand to his chest where his heart thundered so fiercely, he thought he heard the sound echoing off the walls.
A leopards’ hearing is keen and intense. Could she hear it too?

Abruptly, he closed himself up in the steamy bathroom, panting as he leaned against the door for support. He needed a cold shower and NOW. Hopefully the icy water would shock some sense back into him because all he wanted to do was go back into that room and finish what he had started.

Maybe by the time he was done she would still be out there. Maybe she wouldn’t be repulsed by the sight of him. God, he hoped so.

Hastily Jacob pulled the tee-shirt over his head and whispered his fingers along the hard lines of his body. The spirits were restless; craving more stimulation.
He couldn’t help but feel the same way. Curse them! What would happen if he lost control? It was even more a reason -not- to put Lana through this…this…whatever it was.

[Alana Vox]

Alana loved Jacob’s dark eyes. She stared into them, watching them sparkle. Her smile reached her eyes as those dark eyes slid shut. The scent coming off of Jacob was masculine. She inhaled deeply, taking it all in. His scent lingered in the back of her throat. The sound of his heart beating, it was all so heady.

He was so handsome. She found herself just staring at his face as his eyes closed and seemed to be stimulated by something. She wished she could hear what he was thinking about. He seemed so intent on reveling in some form of beauty, the way his face was captured in such a beautiful look.

She was about to stroke his cheeks again, pull him back from wherever he was, when he let out a shuddering breath and pulled her close. His hands trembled against her hip and back. She got that feeling again, that innate yearning to push against Jacob when he pulled her mouth down against his, capturing her lips roughly. A sound of pleasure came from the back of her throat as she tasted his lips.

When he parted her lips and she felt his tongue on hers, she definitely had never experienced anything like this before. His smell was now stuck in her nose and the back of her throat. She hesitated at first, until she realized how wonderful it felt to have their tongues mingling around one another. Her hands slid towards his ears and her thumbs stroked over them, holding his face close to hers.

As he pulled his mouth from hers and licked her lips, she shuddered over him and chased after his lips as he fell back against the bed. Her mouth came down onto his hungrily, but he pulled away. It was unexpected as he did it. She sat back quickly as he pulled away and lowered her gaze. Her eyelashes pressed against her pink hued cheeks.

He seemed so apologetic, and she couldn’t help to think it was something to do with her. She looked down at her body, as he took off to the restroom, and wondered what made her so different from any other typical woman or maybe it was the leopard. She hadn’t thought that maybe that’s what turned him off. Whatever the reason, she wasn’t sure when she would ever figure it out.

Maybe it was time for her to go, but Jacob had done a lot for her. She wouldn’t leave without letting him know. She slid off the bed and brought her hand to the door, closing her eyes for a moment before she did anything. All these human emotions made her feel like a train wreck. It was so much easier in leopard form. Letting out a sharp exhale, part of her breath hit the door and blew back against her face, slapping back against her damp cheeks.

“Jacob?” She called out through the door, not feeling right just opening it.

[Jacob Blackfeather]

Yeah when my world is falling apart
When there's no light to break up the dark,
That's when I, I, I look at you
When the waves are flooding the shore,
and I can't find my way home anymore
That's when I, I, I look at you

It seemed as though Jacob was steeled to the spot. The shower was mere inches away, but he could not drag his back away from the measly piece of wood that separated him from the shape-shifter in the next room.
Guilt and longing tore at his soul; his mind and insides were a virtual torrent of emotions he couldn’t escape from, nor was he sure he wanted to.

His heart still rumbled with a thunderous staccato and his hands were shaking as he lifted them to rub over his weary eyes. Rest…what they needed was rest. The both of them.
The female had been dragged away and held captive, stripped and drugged, and shot at.
He’d had his soul ripped apart by the malevolent spirits, and had taken them back into his body along with the stolen essence of another.
The remembrance was enough to make Jake nauseous again, but that died away quickly when he heard Alana moving around in the other room.

Was she leaving?

Panic struck the man and his heart tightened in a vice.
What could he say to her to make her understand? To make her trust him and stay?
Jacob turned around to press his forehead against the door, waiting; listening for the sound of the front door opening and then shutting behind her.

But that sound did not come.
He wasn’t even aware he’d been holding his breath until the sound of Lana’s shaking voice came from just on the other side of the flimsy doorway. A husky exhalation rushed out of him, and the hammer within his chest speed up once more.
She hadn’t left! It was a miracle!

Abruptly, and without actually thinking through what would happen next, Jake threw the door open. Alana looked so confused; heart-broken even, and the shame that mere expression caused almost brought him to his knees.
“Lana…” Jacob didn’t even recognize his own voice. It was too hoarse; too full of emotion. Honestly he didn’t even know what to say. She wouldn’t be able to understand him and it would confound her more. The last thing he wasn’t to do was chase her away.

“I didn’t mean to…” The words tumbled over themselves on his lips. His hands were shaking so bad. God. His mouth was really dry. “It’s just that…” How could he explain that being with her made the hurt fade?

Without thinking he seized her hand and pressed it to his tawny chest. Mercifully, the spirits remained still and the only thing he felt was the way her touch seemed to sear him all the way to that pounding, imperfect organ.

[Alana Vox]

The door flung open, startling Alana. She hadn’t expected Jacob to even answer it. She was positive he didn’t want to see her, positive that he didn’t like her or the creature she turned into. Her breath caught in her throat at how upset he looked. It confused her, making her think maybe this had nothing to do with her. Was it the life he stole that had him upset? She could see that as upsetting, but she had been so drugged up that when it all went down she wasn’t so bothered by it. It seemed more like a dream to her.

Her brow furrowed as he started to speak. His emotion filled voice had her feeling sad for him. No..it seemed more protective than sad. She wanted to take that sadness away from him. She really would if she could, but there she was unable to tell him how she thought again. Having no voice was a problem that she desperately wanted to fix.

Her eyes searched his brown ones as he grabbed her hand and pressed it against his broad chest. It made her hand hot and alive with the fierce pounding beneath it, but she got it. For some reason, the dots connected. It was almost like she could feel those spirits beneath his chest go still upon her touch. Her fingers caressed over his smooth skin.

His touch had made her feel human, something she had been thriving for and reason she was trying to keep from her leopard form, so she knew how he felt. To have someone’s touch calm your beast, that was something extraordinary. To convey that she understood and felt the same way, she reached out for his free hand. Her eyes shimmered as she brought it to her chest, squeezing his fingers gently as she pressed his palm over her beating heart.

Her eyes expressed a lot of the emotions she was feeling at this point in time. They spoke of adoration, innocence, and concern. She might not have the words to speak, but she could speak with her eyes and her heart. Her innocence might have people perceiving her as a child, but she was a woman and had all the same needs.

And she showed him just what her needs were by closing that small space between them. Her chest pushed against his abdomen while her forehead dropped against his chest. Standing up against him like this she realized just how tall Jacob was compared to her. The thought made her smile as she lifted her head again to look up at his handsome face. Her hand still held his over her heart while keeping her other hand pressed over his.

[Jacob Blackfeather]

Everybody needs inspiration
Everybody needs a song
A beautiful melody
When the night's so long
Cause there is no guarantee
That this life is easy

Jacob was holding his breath again, and his chest begun to burn from it. He didn’t know if Lana would comprehend what he was trying to say when he hardly understood it himself, but at the moment keeping her here with him was the only thing he could focus on…not the way his body had reacted to the kiss, nor the death of the human, not even the way the all consuming loneliness seemed a distant memory.

Her eyes were like two windows into her soul; azure mirrors that seemed to reflect the same innocent desperation, fierce protectiveness, even the apprehension that he felt.
When the shifter reached for his shaking hand and pressed his palm to her pounding chest, it was only then did Jake let out the breathe that he had been holding in.
Relief washed over him like a tide. The trembles stilled and his shoulders sagged in pure liberation, a slow, reticent smile crept over his lips.

Her head against his chest felt amazing. Jacob had never known a trust as powerful as the one that flowed through his soul and into hers, and it was…remarkable. He slid a strong arm around her waist and held her against him, relishing the way her small, lithe stature seemed to fit perfectly into his larger frame.
Lana lifted her gaze back to his and his dark eyes fell to her lips, a heat surging through him with the remembrance of the way they felt and tasted.

He resisted the urge to press his own to them again. She had forgiven him for before but he didn’t want to risk it. It had been incredible, but not knowing if it was something she understood or wanted was a heavy weight on his heart.
Instead he forced a comfortable, open smile though he was anything but relaxed. The way his heart thundered and skin tingled against her touch made it impossible to calm down.

What now?

He pulled back a little, shifting his hand from her chest to tap bashfully on the end of her nose. “Are you hungry? Thirsty?” Jacob asked the questions and followed it with a hand gesture to her belly and then to her mouth. The communication between them was getting easier and easier to understand.
“Do you want to rest?” He pointed to the bed and then let his fingertips whisper across her eyelids briefly, his face growing red with the sudden realization that she -might- think he was suggesting what had happened earlier.

“I can sleep there…” He pulled his hand away from her face and immediately gestured to the recliner chair across the room.

[Alana Vox]

Alana was unsure about a lot of things, but she knew her body’s functions and her body enjoyed the touch from Jacob. What she wouldn’t give to speak how she felt? There were so many feelings going through her, which was evident by the ache in her chest. The feel of his lips on hers. She couldn’t stop thinking of that.

His dark eyes were so deep and vast. She thought she could get lost in them. To her he was unremarkable in every way. She wondered if there wasn’t anything wrong with him. She knew she was nothing close to being as perfect as him. There wasn’t one thing that she couldn’t think that wasn’t wrong.

He stepped back then and started asking questions. They were easy to understand as he made gestures with his hands. When he asked if she was hungry she shook her head. She was not hungry, far from it. This whole night had made her a little queasy. Although, when he brushed his fingers over her eyelids with a feather of a touch, she nodded. She was exhausted and wanted some rest. What she wanted was to feel another body next to her. The need for flesh against flesh was great for most felines. Alana was no exception. She wanted that to get some comfort or she knew she probably wouldn’t sleep tonight.

Jacob was gesturing to the couch. She shook her head with a worried look. How could she explain her needs to him? She needed just one night with a body next to her. Then she’d be straight for days.

She brought her hand down onto her chest then onto his. Her eyes drifted towards the bed before she pointed towards it. Her worried gaze slid back towards Jacob’s face to see if he understood. He might think she was strange. It didn’t really seem to bother her. She knew she was strange.

As strange as she felt, she felt more like being closer to Jacob. Her hand still in his she jerked him back against her body before he could tug her towards the bed. She was spontaneous, but this was probably the most spontaneous thing she’d done with a man. Coming up on her tippy toes, she used her other hand to grab Jacob behind the neck and bring his lips towards hers. The moment their lips met her body tingled from her head to her toes.

Her lips hung from his for a moment, tasting the inside of his mouth like he had hers. She didn’t want to pull away, but she did. When the kiss broke a smile graced her face. His lips were so soft and tasted so wonderful.

[Jacob Blackfeather]

Yeah when my world is falling apart
When there's no light to break up the dark,
That's when I, I, I look at you
When the waves are flooding the shore,
and I can't find my way home anymore
That's when I, I, I look at you

Alana wasn’t hungry and Jake could completely understand. Though his nausea from the earlier events had subsided, he didn’t imagine he would regain his appetite for at least a few days.
She nodded in response to his question about being tired, and unbidden, a relieved sigh slipped from him. He was so exhausted himself, Jacob believed as soon as his head hit the pillow he would fall into much needed sleep he -hoped- would revive him in spirit as much as body.

Her reaction to his suggestion about sleeping on the little loveseat surprised him, and when her hand went to her chest, then his, and then traveled to the bed, he didn’t quite understand.

Jacob’s dark eyes went from the bed and back to her virtuous face; her eyes were wide and expression full of guileless anticipation. Before he could even begin to comprehend what she was asking of him, the striking female was pulling his mouth down over hers again and drinking him in like a desert thirsty for the rain.

The mouthy embrace didn’t last for but a few glorious moments, but it was long enough to push any notions that his kiss from before had upset her. The male exhaled heavily and closed his eyes, pulling her back against him and breathing in the pure, enthralling scent of her.
As before, Jacob’s heartbeat resumed that thunderous staccato; his body and his mind hearing her wordless plea. Mouth parted as he struggled to regain his breath, Jacob reopened his eyes and gazed down on her, finding a tranquility he hadn’t felt in months since the massacre on his tribe in those unfathomable aquamarine orbs.

He squeezed her hand gently in his own silent response, moving with her slowly toward the bed and only letting go of that dainty palm for a moment as he folded back the covers and then slipped underneath, reaching out again in order to bring her down on the mattress beside him.
Jake’s chest rose and fell as he drew in deep lungfuls of air; his head swimming with images and the remembrance of how her lithe body felt pressed against his own.

It was a strange and wonderful feeling; this desperation to be as close to her as possible, and he could hardly comprehend the way his arms acted of their own accord to pull her into his chest as they lie face to face; body against body. As exhausted as he was, Jake couldn’t have forced his deep russet eyes shut if he’d wanted to. They were caught in Alana’s crystalline gaze; searching, seeing, feeling.

Slowly he leaned in toward the shifter; eyes still holding hers until he found her lips again. The kiss was gentle, but the desperation was apparent in the way his breath shuddered out and mingled with hers. Trembling hands found the small curve of her waist; his fingers clutching the material of the oversized shirt she wore as he pulled her body against his.
He didn’t quite know what was happening, and in all honesty he didn’t care whether it was wrong or not. All he knew was that she tasted like heaven, and felt too good to let go.

[Alana Vox]

Almost everything Alana did had its share of innocence, except for kissing Jacob. She knew exactly what she wanted and was doing. From the moment she had run into him she had started off touching him. He was like an exotic, forbidden fruit. If she bit into him she wondered if she would be poisoned for life.

This unbridled passion for Jacob was something she had never felt or experienced before, bringing forth even more of her innocence. And the way her body reacted when he squeezed her hand gently, moving them to the bed. Her hand felt empty when he released it and crawled into bed. Her light blue eyes traveled over his body before she realized he was reaching for her again.

When he reached out her hand dropped back into his, and she was tugged down onto the bed next to Jacob. Her eyes peered into his dark gaze. His eyes were full of knowledge. It felt like he was peering into her soul. He leaned in, keeping her eyes pinned with his as his lips found hers. She let out a sound, almost like a purr as she returned that kiss and her eyes dropped shut, enjoying the taste and feel of him.

His hand came down to her waist and fist the shirt she was wearing, pulling her against his hard, taut body. Instinct had her arm sliding under his arm and sliding up his back, holding them against one another. She didn’t understand this need or feeling, but she wanted or needed to feel his flesh against hers.

The need for flesh on flesh, she understood that part. He might not understand it, but it was the leopard part of her. The part she didn't quite understand yet was this new feeling of lust that came out of hiding from somewhere. It was a new and intriguing feeling. It was so human, and she wanted to experience whatever it was offering, which is why she brought both her hands down to the hem of the borrowed shirt. She broke the kiss for a moment and practically yanked off the shirt then tossed it aside. Her chest hit the air and instantly a chill seeped into her skin.

Her arm slid back under his arm, going slowly now as she reveled in the feel of his skin while her fingers memorized each spot it slid over. She didn’t seem that nervous about any of this, but she wouldn’t be nervous about something that had always been considered natural to her.

When her chest finally pressed against his, she let out a throaty sound. He was so warm. She could hear his heart pounding. Her free hand dropped over it, pressing gently over the wondrous beating organ.

[Jacob Blackfeather]

When I look at you,I see forgiveness,
I see the truth.
You love me for who I am,
Like the stars hold the moon,
Right there where they belong.
and I know I'm not alone.

Jacob felt like he couldn’t breathe. His lungs burned as he kissed her, the only air he took in from shallow gasps as their lips parted for a moment, and then reconnected.
He felt as if his heart was pounding so intensely that it was going to break through the cage of his ribs and come through his chest; the rumble of it echoed in his ears and was the only sound he could hear save the little purr that escaped the shape-shifter in his arms.

And God, what that sound did to him.

Jacob had always been the kind of male that had looked, but never touched. Even before the violent incident with his tribe he’d never touched a female in the way that his hands were drawn to Alana; the way his fingers whispered over her gentle curves. He had always, always been too withdrawn; too unsure of himself. Not to say he hadn’t looked at them as a normal male does. On the contrary, he had longed to be like the other men in his tribe, but he couldn’t fathom trying to take a woman when he didn’t believe he was worthy of one.

But it was different now… in this moment.
Jake wasn’t sure if it was a surge of self-confidence from having rushed in to be her hero, or the way her body against his made him forget the darkness and despair. All he knew was that he ached for her; to know her in every way imaginable. To touch and feel and taste every part of her.

When Lana pulled out of his arms, Jacob’s russet eyes were torn open in fearful worry.
Had he done something wrong? Had he gone too far?
His mouth dropped open in marvel and his breath was stolen from him when the female drew the over-sized tee-shirt over her head to reveal the wonder that was underneath.
Unbidden, his brow creased and he drew his tongue across his lower lip when his chocolate gaze fell to her soft, pale breasts the tight little buds in the center of them.

Holding his breath, Jake couldn’t move when she came back down to press against him, and he gently lifted his hand to tentatively touch her chest, a raw groan escaping him when he wrapped his palm around her breast and begun kneading it.

On instinct, Jacob found her lips again, the kisses becoming more fervent; full of desperation.

His body was like steel; hard and throbbing with a need he had only experienced in hazy dreams and visions.
Letting out a shuddering breath, he reached down between them to tensely pull the button of his jeans aside, but he paused there…

Oh god, was she untouched, like him? He didn’t know what the hell he was doing.

[Alana Vox]

This was a whole new experience for Alana. Every time Jacob touched her with the heat behind his lips or his fingers she thought her chest was going to explode. If she could speak she would tell him exactly how wonderful he was making her feel in this very moment, but she couldn’t. She hate having no voice, but she was learning that what she couldn’t speak she could show through other means, whether it was a look or using her hands. It wasn’t as good as words, but it definitely worked.

The way his hands touched her breasts made them ache, made her whole body ache with a need she didn’t quite understand. When his fingers brushed over the taut buds in the center of her breasts she let out a moan that sounded foreign to her ears. No, she definitely had never experienced anything quite like this before.

She was already eyeing his moist lips and met him halfway, crushing her lips against his in a rough, fevered rush. She wanted his taste and his scent all over her. It had become a necessity, giving her possessive thoughts.

He was reaching down between them, bringing his lips away, which she chased with her own. She didn’t want his lips to leave hers. They were so soft and tasted wonderful. She made a sound, something of a protest while trying to pull him back in. She didn’t want this to stop, but maybe he wasn’t enjoying it as much as she was or maybe she was doing this all wrong.

Reluctantly, she pulled her mouth away from his. Her silvery blue eyes searched his dark ones, trying to understand what made him stop. Her small hands slid down his chest, loving the feel of all the strength in his body. She felt safe around him, complete. The tattoos didn’t bother her, nor did she pay attention to them as her fingers brushed in gentle feathered strokes over his skin.

However, she was not going to ever make him do something he didn’t want to do, so she leaned into his hard body and inhaled, taking in his scent, but making no other moves. She wouldn’t be upset. If he wanted to stop, that was okay. As long as he was close to her, close enough to hear the pounding organ beneath his chest, she would be fine. There was a semblance of calm just being up against him, even if she did want to crush her lips back up against his.

She was in deep trouble and trouble spelled Jacob.

[Jacob Blackfeather]

To Be continued <3