Primal Bonds 2 (Tales of Beastkin)

8. Shiro

8

Shiro

I strolled leisurely beside Adam through the extensive gardens, my eyes wide with awe as I took in the breathtaking scenery surrounding us. Lush greenery stretched out as far as the eye could see, meticulously manicured lawns, sculpted topiaries shaped into fanciful animal forms, and vibrant flower beds creating a verdant paradise. In the distance, I could see an orchard brimming with fruit-laden trees, their branches drooping low with the weight of their bounty.

A gentle breeze caressed my face, carrying the sweet perfume of the flowers and the earthy scent of freshly turned soil. After so many years spent in the confines of The Institute, being surrounded by such splendor was almost overwhelming.

Here and there, I spotted other beastkin tending to the gardens—trimming hedges, raking soil, or carefully pruning wayward branches. Whenever they noticed Adam, they would pause in their tasks to offer a respectful nod or murmur of greeting.

“Good day, Master Adam.”

“The gardens are looking splendid today, sir.”

Their words carried an undercurrent of respect, a clear acknowledgment of Adam’s position as their leader and patriarch of the Sullivan Clan. Their gazes would then drift to me, eyes widening with undisguised curiosity as they took in my exotic appearance. I couldn’t blame them—a rare white foxkin like myself must have been an unusual sight, even in this sanctuary for our kind. After lingering momentarily on my delicate features, they would politely avert their eyes and return to their tasks, leaving me to continue basking in the garden’s splendor.

One gardener approached us directly—a lean, wiry man with floppy rabbit ears protruding from beneath a wide-brimmed hat. He had been munching on a carrot, the crunch of his chewing filling the air until he swallowed hastily.

“Good afternoon, Master Adam,” he said, dipping his head.

Adam inclined his head. “Sam, I trust you and your crew are keeping our gardens in pristine condition as always.”

The beastkin—Sam, apparently—puffed out his chest with pride. “But of course, sir. It’s our pleasure to maintain the beauty of these grounds.” His gaze flickered to me, and a warm smile crinkled the corners of his eyes. “And you must be young Shiro I’ve heard so much about from Madi. A white foxkin—how delightfully rare!”

“Hello,” I said, nodding my head in greeting.

“Sam is our head gardener,” Adam supplied, his hand coming to rest reassuringly on the small of my back. “His expertise with plants and cultivation is unparalleled. In fact, many of the fruits and vegetables we consume are grown right here on the estate by him and his team.”

Sam nodded, his chest swelling even further with pride. “Indeed, the clan is practically self-sufficient. In fact, if you’ve a mind for it, we have a lovely little beastkin market every Saturday—the Everbloom Market—where we sell some of the produce. Beastkin merchants gather to sell our wares—fresh produce, handmade crafts, baked goods, you name it. If you’d like, you’re more than welcome to join us and get a taste of the wares.”

The idea piqued my interest, thoughts of exploring the lively market and sampling the array of goods making my mouth water. But before I could respond, Adam spoke up, his voice taking on a firm edge.

“While I appreciate the invitation, Sam, I must insist that Shiro remain within the confines of the estate for the time being. His safety is my top priority.”

Sam’s ears drooped slightly, but he nodded in understanding. “Of course, Master Adam. As the young one’s protector, his well-being is paramount. My apologies for overstepping.” He offered me an apologetic smile. “But rest assured, Shiro, the gardens and orchards are yours to explore whenever you wish. Help yourself to anything that strikes your fancy.”

With a final deferential nod toward Adam, Sam turned and strode away, no doubt returning to oversee his crew’s efforts in maintaining this lush paradise.

Once he was out of earshot, I couldn’t help but voice the question weighing on my mind. “Am I… causing you trouble, Adam?” I asked hesitantly, my brow furrowing with concern. “With having to take such precautions for my safety, I mean.”

Adam’s expression softened, and he turned to face me fully, his intense gaze locking with mine. “Quite the opposite,” he said, stroking my hair. The tender gesture sent a shiver coursing through me. “As the leader of a powerful beastkin clan, having someone as precious as you by my side only paints a larger target on my back.”

My eyes widened at his candid admission, and I found myself shaking my head adamantly. “I’m not afraid,” I stated firmly, my heart swelling with a fierce determination. I knew the world could be a cruel, unforgiving place—especially for our kind. But with Adam at my side, I felt a sense of security and belonging I hadn’t known in years. “I trust you’ll keep me safe. And I’ll do my best to grow stronger too, to learn how to defend myself properly. That way, you won’t have to worry about me so much.”

The corners of Adam’s lips quirked upward into the barest hint of a smile. “Is that so? Well, I suppose I’ll have to enlist some instructors to train my fierce little fox, then.”

I couldn’t help but beam at Adam’s words, a smile spreading across my face as I nodded eagerly. The thought of being trained, of learning how to properly defend myself, filled me with a sense of determination. No longer would I be the helpless, cowering creature I once was.

Adam reached out then, his hand enveloping mine in a warm clasp. My gaze drawn to the stark contrast between our hands. His was so much larger than mine, the fingers thick and calloused from a lifetime of hard work and battle. And yet his touch was infinitely gentle, his thumb caressing the back of my hand in a tender caress.

We continued our leisurely stroll through the garden, and I couldn’t help but gape in awe at the lush surroundings. Rows upon rows of fruit trees stretched out before us, their branches heavy with ripe offerings—crisp apples, juicy oranges, plump peaches, clusters of deep purple grapes, and more. The air was thick with the heady perfume of blossoms and freshly turned earth. Tucked between the trees were raised beds overflowing with an array of vegetables—leafy greens, bright peppers, and plump tomatoes glistening in the sun.

It was like something out of a dream, this lush green paradise hidden away within the heart of New York City. A true oasis amid the concrete jungle, and all of it belonging solely to the Sullivan Clan.

“Has this garden and orchard always been here?” I asked.

Adam shook his head, his expression taking on a fond, almost wistful quality. “No, it was only implemented about fifteen years ago. This land used to be barren—nothing but dirt and rubble.”

My eyes widened at the revelation. To have transformed such a desolate space into this lush Eden was no small feat. “Whoever implemented it must have had a deep love for nature,” I mused aloud, picturing some wise old clan leader with a green thumb and a vision.

Adam’s lips curved into a smile, and he regarded me with an intensity that made my breath hitch. “You could say that,” he said, the barest hint of a smirk playing on his lips, his voice taking on a husky timbre that sent a delicious shiver racing down my spine.

Suddenly, Adam steered us off the main path and into a secluded alcove nestled beneath the boughs of a gnarled fruit tree. Verdant leaves dappled the ground with cool shade, creating an intimate little nook away from prying eyes. Here, surrounded by the heady fragrance of ripening fruit and the soothing whisper of the breeze, Adam drew me into his arms.

A soft sigh escaped my lips as the solid wall of his chest pressed against my back, his muscular arms encircling me in an embrace that spoke of both possession and protection. I felt utterly surrounded by his masculine presence, enveloped in the rich, musky scent that was uniquely Adam.

He leaned in then, his nose nuzzling against the strands of my hair as he inhaled deeply. “You smell so sweet,” he rumbled, his warm breath fanning across the sensitive shell of my ear.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at his words, even as my cheeks flushed with pleasure. “Well, we are surrounded by fruit trees,” I pointed out impishly. “That’s where the sweetness comes from?”

Adam pulled back just enough to meet my gaze, his smoldering eyes dancing with amusement and something deeper—something that made my heart flutter and heat pool low in my belly. “Mmm, I highly doubt that,” he said. “These fruits could never hope to compete with your intoxicating sweetness.”

Our gazes locked, and my breath caught in my throat as Adam leaned in closer, his lips a hair’s breadth from mine. This close, I could taste the barest hint of his warm, masculine scent on my tongue—earthy musk and smoked cedar. I remained rooted in place, every fiber of my being yearning for his touch, his taste.

And then, finally, Adam closed that last, torturous distance, capturing my lips in a kiss. I parted my lips for him with a breathless moan, granting his questing tongue access to explore the velvet depths. Our kiss quickly deepened into something wild and passionate, all-consuming in its hunger.

A soft whimper escaped me as I melted against the solid wall of his chest. My arms wound around his neck, fingers tangling in the strands of his hair as I stretched up onto my tiptoes. Adam’s lips moved against mine with a heated intensity, coaxing and demanding in equal measure.

I could taste the barest hint of whiskey on his tongue, the rich flavor only serving to intoxicate me further. Our kiss deepened, growing more passionate and heated with every shared breath until I thought I might spontaneously combust from the sheer intensity of it all.

By the time he finally tore his lips from mine, I was utterly breathless and dazed, my cheeks flushed and tingling from the rasp of his stubble.

“Adam…” I panted, my fingers still clutching at the man like a lifeline as I gazed up at him with heavy-lidded eyes. “Kiss me again…”

Adam chuckled, the rich sound stirring a fresh flurry of butterflies in the pit of my stomach. “My, such a demanding little fox,” he purred, his thumb tracing the swollen curve of my lower lip in a tantalizing caress. “Who knew you harbored such an insatiable appetite beneath that innocent facade?”

Emboldened by the unmistakable desire simmering in his gaze, I allowed a coy smile to curve my lips. “Only when it comes to receiving your adoration and affection,” I said impishly, unable to resist a playful grin.

Adam’s eyes darkened to molten amber at my brazen words, the fire in their depths flaring hotter, and I drew in a shuddering breath.

“Is that so?” he growled, the deep timbre of his voice sending delicious tremors rippling through me.

His powerful hands settled possessively on my hips, pulling me flush against the solid wall of his chest. The sudden contact ignited a firestorm of need within me, my body instantly betraying its desperate yearning for his touch, and I couldn’t help but whimper softly at the exquisite heat of his body seeping through the thin fabric of my clothes.

“Well, who am I to refuse such a heartfelt request from someone as precious as you,” he murmured, his words a velvet caress against the heated flush of my skin.

And then his mouth was on mine once more, claiming me in a searing kiss that left me utterly breathless and aching. I melted against him with a needy whimper, parting my lips in wanton invitation as his tongue plunged in deep to explore the velvet of my mouth.

Our kisses quickly spiraled into something wild and consuming, all heat and hunger and dizzying desire. I clung to Adam like a lifeline, my fingers tangling in the strands of his hair as I arched shamelessly into his touch, chasing that delicious friction. My hands roamed the hard planes of his chest, marveling at the solid strength lying beneath the thin barrier of his shirt. Adam rumbled his approval against my lips, the vibrations sending a fresh wave of heat lancing through me.

I couldn’t help the breathy moan that spilled from my lips as Adam’s hand slipped beneath the hem of my shirt, his calloused palm searing a scorching path along the sensitive skin of my lower back. The intimate caress only served to stoke the blazing inferno of need raging within me.

I arched against him with a breathless whine, every nerve ending in my body thrumming with desperation—a frantic, aching need that threatened to consume me from the inside out. My thoughts grew hazy, clouded by the intoxicating fog of pure, primal yearning.

I squirmed against him, silently pleading for him to continue his deliciously wicked ministrations. A heady haze of lust clouded my mind, the only coherent thought penetrating the dizzying fog being a desperate, aching need for Adam to claim me utterly—to sink himself into me until I knew nothing but the sweet oblivion of his possession.

It was as if some feral, bestial part of me had awoken, demanding to be sated—craving the exquisite torment of Adam’s touch, his possession, his claiming. I yearned to feel the solid weight of his body pinning me down, to have him buried deep inside me until there was no part of me he hadn’t staked his claim upon.

The ravenous hunger burning in my veins was all-consuming, a scorching wildfire that devoured every coherent thought until I was left trembling and mindless with need. The sinful thought sent a fresh surge of heat pooling in my core, the throbbing ache between my legs growing increasingly insistent as slick began to trickle from me in shameless need, my inner walls clenched with a desperate, aching emptiness that only Adam could fill.

Suddenly, Adam tore his lips from mine with a ragged groan. I blinked up at him with a dazed, needy whimper, bereft of his scorching touch. Confusion warred with the throbbing, insistent ache pulsing between my thighs as I gazed at him through a lust-addled haze, my chest heaving as I struggled to catch my breath.

Adam’s chest heaved with each harsh gasp, his jaw clenched tight as he struggled to regain control. When he finally met my bewildered stare, a deep, rumbling chuckle spilled from his lips.

“You’re releasing far too much of that sweet, intoxicating fragrance, Shiro,” he rasped, his voice rough with strain. “If you don’t find a way to temper it, I may very well lose what little control I have left over my baser instincts.”

I frowned up at him, my brow furrowing in confusion. “Scent?” I echoed, utterly baffled by his words. The words made little sense through the haze of burning need fogging my mind.

The corners of Adam’s lips quirked upward in an amused smirk. “Yes,” he rumbled, leaning in to nuzzle against the sensitive curve of my throat. I shivered at the intimate caress, unable to bite back the soft moan that slipped past my lips.

“Your scent is like the sweetest ambrosia—utterly intoxicating,” he murmured, his warm breath fanning across my flushed skin and sending delicious tremors racing through me. “Almost enough to drive a man mad with desire.”

I felt my cheeks flush even hotter at his words, a strange sort of thrill uncurling in the pit of my stomach. The idea that I could affect Adam so profoundly with something as simple as my scent was… intriguing, to say the least.

Biting my lip, I gazed up at him through my lashes. “I-I’m afraid I don’t know how to control it,” I admitted, my voice coming out in a breathless whisper. “This scent, I mean.”

Adam’s eyes darkened, their depths swirling with a tempest of barely restrained hunger. He let out a harsh exhalation, as if struggling to maintain his iron control. When he spoke again, his voice was strained, the words grating from his throat with obvious effort.

“In that case, we should consult Chase and get his opinion.” His hand slid up the curve of my spine in a searing caress, eliciting a trembling gasp from my lips.

“I-in the meantime,” I began, cursing the way my voice trembled with barely restrained need. “Is there… anything I can do to help temper it? This scent, I mean?”

Those smoldering eyes raked over me once more, igniting a fresh blaze of heat in their wake. “The only thing I can think of is trying to rein in these… insatiable needs of yours, Shiro,” he said.

A soft snort slipped from my mouth. “Well, if my needs are such a nuisance, maybe you should refrain from satisfying them to begin with,” I retorted.

The muscle in Adam’s jaw flexed, his eyes growing even more intense. Then, in the blink of an eye, I found myself crushed against the solid wall of his chest, his muscular arms encircling me like iron bands.

“You cut me deep, Shiro,” he growled against the heated shell of my ear, his voice taking on that sinfully rich timbre that never failed to make my knees weak. “Tasting those sweet lips of yours is one of life’s pleasures—an indulgence I could never hope to resist, no matter how intoxicating your scent becomes.”

I couldn’t help the full-body shiver that rippled through me at his words, that honeyed baritone voice caressing me like a physical touch. Heat bloomed across my cheeks, spreading in a telltale flush down the column of my throat.

“I-I don’t think I can control the scent,” I confessed breathlessly. “My body seems to release it of its own accord, especially when you’re… close like this.”

Adam hummed thoughtfully, the vibrations resonating through where our bodies were pressed flush together. “Well then, I suppose we’ll simply have to wait until tonight to continue sating these wicked little needs of yours,” he said, his hand trailing down to settle possessively on the swell of my backside.

I gasped at the intimate caress, my hips jerking involuntarily against him. The ache between my legs throbbed insistently, that familiar slick trickling from me once more in a fresh surge of need.

“U-until tonight?” I echoed faintly, my mind whirling at the blatant implication behind his words.

Adam’s lips curved into a wolfish grin. “Unless you’d prefer we seek out Chase immediately?” He quirked a challenging brow at me. “I’m sure he’d be delighted to examine the source of your… condition.”

I flushed hotly at that, my mouth opening and closing wordlessly as a wave of sheer mortification washed over me. As tempting as the thought of Adam’s hands on me was, I certainly wasn’t about to endure an intimate examination from the irreverent Dr. Chase.

“N-no, that’s quite alright,” I stammered out, ducking my head in a futile attempt to hide the raging blush staining my cheeks. “Tonight is… tonight is fine.”

Adam chuckled again, the sound utterly sinful. “Very well then,” he rumbled, tipping my chin up to capture my lips in another kiss.

This one was hungrier, more demanding—a mere taste of the delicious torment yet to come. I melted into his scorching embrace with a shameless moan, twining my arms around his neck as I surrendered utterly to the riptide of desire crashing over me.

By the time Adam finally released me, I was left utterly breathless and trembling, my lips swollen and tingling in the most delicious way. He regarded me through heavy-lidded eyes, gaze raking over me in a way that made my toes curl with pure, wanton need.

“That should tide you over until tonight, hmm?” he murmured, his voice a dark velvet caress against my heated skin.

All I could do was nod weakly, thoroughly dazed and aching for his exquisite torment once more.