by Franca Storm
“You okay?”
Her lips were on him in the next second, kissing his neck, his shoulders, his arms, trailing down his chest. Fucking hell. He shuddered from the amazing sensations racking his body.
Summoning his self-control, he pressed a hand to her chest, easing her back. “It’s too close to the full moon. I can’t… this heat is… you need to leave,” he choked out.
“I can’t. It’s too… strong,” she rasped. “Ryan,” she cried, fearfully.
“I know,” he panted, fighting to hold on to his faculties. “Fuck.”
He lost the battle.
His mouth crashed down on hers.
Grabbing handfuls of her hair, he used the grip to jerk her flush against him, relishing the feel of her soft, sexy body pressed to his. She responded, kissing him back with an urgent fervor.
He grasped her waist and pulled her onto his lap on the couch so that she straddled him.
She moaned when his hands slid under her tank, running up and down her back, then to her stomach, her soft, perky tits.
He couldn’t think.
There was just need.
Desire.
Fucking fire.
“Christ, darlin’.”
He licked her neck, tasting her, just like the animal that he was, making her purr.
He nipped her gently, along her shoulder, her collarbone, and then the tops of her tits. He didn’t bite hard enough to break her skin, but he was fighting himself just to hold back with her, to tame the wolf within. It’d been a long time since he’d been with a non-wolf and it was a struggle not to unleash.
But he couldn’t. Only another wolf could handle him like that.
He ground his cock between her legs and she yelped at the feel of him. He saw a medley of disbelief and fear on her face.
“Don’t worry. You’re more than ready. I can feel your heat against me, darlin’.”
He reached for her tank top. But as he started to peel it from her body, a sudden sensation had him stilling.
An ice-cold rush of air.
It only meant one thing.
“Fuck,” he muttered, releasing her shirt and glancing over her shoulder to look upon the intruder. “Vamps aren’t welcome here.”
“Oh my God,” Cora cried, scrambling off his lap hastily. It had him groaning at the sudden loss of her heat. Disappointment continued to nag at him when he watched her fix her shirt, then step back even further. Dammit.
They both turned to face the unwelcome visitor.
“Luca,” Ryan spat with distaste. “You always did have the worst fucking timing.”
Luca’s fierce gaze drilled into his. “Did you taste her?”
“Depends what you mean by that.”
Luca snarled and lunged at him.
Ryan’s eyes shone, readying for a shift.
“Stop!” Cora yelled.
Her sudden desperate call had both of them halting their attack.
“She is mine,” Luca snarled.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “I beg to differ, brother.”
“Brother?” Ryan heard Cora exclaim.
CHAPTER 4
Ryan shuddered as the ice-cold water of the shower rained down over his body. Wolves detested the cold, as a rule. They were warm-blooded creatures after all. But he’d needed to do something to cool his body down as quickly as possible after what’d just gone down.
Stopping like that with Cora had been a major feat. Then, being thrown into a confrontation with Luca immediately after? He’d nearly lost control of the wolf.
His body was feverish with his need for her. Despite the shower, he just couldn’t shake it.
He’d never felt anything like it in his life. Not even when the full moon was high in the night sky.
Footsteps entering his bathroom pulled him from his thoughts. He sensed the intruder instantly and he narrowed his eyes. He could feel the bastard’s disapproval and barely-contained rage even at a distance. It was radiating off him in waves.
“Is this your new mission in life, Luca? Cock-blocking me?”
He heard the vampire blow out a frustrated sigh. “How did this happen? How did she come to be here?”
“She killed two of Michael’s poisoned wolves. She thought they were mine. One of them clawed her.”
“So, what? You gave her the antidote and then you thought you’d fuck her for your troubles?”
“Shut your fucking mouth!”
“I’ve struck a nerve?” Luca asked, the incredulity in his voice obvious.
“Don’t talk about her like that.”
“You care for her? This isn’t just about the full moon being so close?”
Ryan ripped the shower curtain aside. Luca snatched a towel off the rail beside him and tossed it his way. Ryan caught it with ease and wrapped it around his waist.
“Her eyes were glowing for me.” Ryan ruffled his hair to dispel the excess moisture. “As were mine.”
Luca shook his head. “Impossible.”
“By the way, I smelled you on her when she first walked into my bar.”
“So, you knew she was mine and you still tried to take her?”
Ryan scoffed. “Yours? Becoming delusional in your old age, are you?”
“Ryan,” he groused.
“Look, I didn’t see your bite mark on her, so I figured she’d just run into you somehow. Or, that you’d sent her to me to bust my balls, which is what I suspected at first, cuz that’s all she was bringing to the table. You know, until she calmed down and I had a second to realize what was really going on.” His eyes flashed. “That she’s my girl.”
“Incorrect. She is my mate.”
“An Alpha’s eyes glow like that for only one. Their true mate. You know that.”
Luca shot forward with a burst of vampire speed and slammed him against the bathroom wall. The force of his assault had several tiles shattering at the impact. “She is King Vazra’s daughter, Ryan!” he bellowed. “The Princess of the White Realm. She is betrothed to me!”
Ryan forced himself to feign shock at his words. But he’d figured out the truth of her origin the moment he’d realized she was his. It was shrouded in secrecy, but the White Realm princess had been rumored to be his. She’d been lost to him, though. Until now, apparently. What had possessed her to come to him all of a sudden? After all this time?
Her origin made sense of all her abilities. Her incredible healing. The fact that she’d survived an attack from Michael’s wolves.
“She is mine,” Luca said, releasing him and stepping back.
“She almost brought out the wolf in me, Luca.”
Luca’s gaze snapped to his. He knew how much control Ryan had over his wolf. He understood exactly what he was telling him. “You’re sure?”
“Of course, I’m fucking sure. And you barging in like that? I was seconds away from wolfing out.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t let you bond with her.”
Ryan took an angry step towards him and growled, “I can’t allow you to either.”
Luca snarled back at him.
And then something suddenly occurred to Ryan. “How did you know?”
“What?”
“How did you know she and I were together here?”
“I… read her thoughts. I saw—”
“What?”
“I saw you making love to her, sharing blood, bonding with her.”
“You saw that in her thoughts?”
“Yes.”
“She wanted it then. She wanted me.”
“Not just you.”
“What?”
“I came to her in a dream and she was very… receptive.”
Ryan thrust his fist into his face, propelling him through the open bathroom door and across the bedroom floor. “You tried to manipulate her with your bloodsucker mind tricks?” he thundered, striding towards him.
“I was trying to show her the truth.”
“You compelled her!”
Luca jumped to his
feet and shook his head. “I cannot compel her.”
“What? You’re the Vampire Prince, the son of Nathanial, King of the Dark Realm. You can compel anyone outside of the family.”
“Not her.”
“Because she’s Vazra’s daughter?”
Luca shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps. I do not know.”
Ryan growled, frustrated at the situation. He pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. Once he was dressed, he prepared to figure out a plan with Luca.
And then he realized something. He scented the air. As he’d feared. “She’s gone.”
Luca concentrated for a moment. “Do you hear that?”
“Yeah. Her bike. She’s taking off.” Ryan snatched his leather jacket off the back of a chair and shrugged it on. He held his hand out to Luca. “Take us to her. Now.”
“It’s been a while for you. It might make you sick.”
“I’ll take my chances.”
“Fine.”
Ryan braced himself for the sickening feeling of teleportation, a gift only the royals possessed.
CHAPTER 5
Cora breathed a sigh of relief as she shut the door to her apartment and strode on in.
Alone at last.
She needed a beat to get her head together. With Ryan and Luca arguing away, she’d seen her opportunity to take off and obtain some much-needed space.
She couldn’t believe all the shit that’d gone down in the last several hours.
One minute she’d been living a peaceful, mundane human life, then Luca had shattered it all in one fell swoop.
Not only had she discovered she wasn’t actually human, but she was apparently betrothed to a Vampire Prince, while also being intensely drawn to an Alpha wolf.
It was clear to her now that when Luca had awoken her, it’d sparked something primal to life within her. She’d misinterpreted it as the urge for the hunt, a residual effect of being a Seeker. But now she realized what its intention had really been.
To lead her to Ryan.
She knew, because, not only had her encounter with those wolves sent her on her way to him, but the primal sensation was exactly the same sensation she felt when she was in close proximity to him. It was so powerful, so hard to fight. She hadn’t actually wanted to fight it. It’d felt so… natural.
That was more than could be said for the situation with Luca. He’d claimed that she belonged to him. But the connection between them wasn’t anything like the one with Ryan. No, it felt… forced.
Regardless, though, both connections had left her feeling majorly out of control and not just because she wasn’t used to experiencing sexual desire, due to that failsafe thing Luca had mentioned. It was just strong stuff, plain and simple. The worrying thing was that she wasn’t the only one who seemed out of control. A Vampire Prince and an Alpha wolf out of control around her? She couldn’t think of anything more dangerous.
The fact that they were apparently brothers wouldn’t make it any easier either. How was that even possible? They were both of different species. And they were completely different, their personalities polar opposites. There didn’t seem to be a common thread between them. The only thing that pointed at all to them being siblings was the rivalry between them. Even just hearing the first few minutes of their argument through the thin walls of Ryan’s apartment had shown her how antagonistic they were with one another.
Cora headed into her bedroom. She needed to change out of her bloodied, sweaty, shredded clothes.
Reaching her wardrobe, she snatched out another similar biker jacket. If there was one thing she had plenty of, it was leather. It was a remnant from her old Seeker days. It’d provided protection from hits and falls alike. It wasn’t just for the bike. She pulled out a pair of boot-cut jeans and a pale blue, V-neck t-shirt. Peeling off her dirtied pants, she slipped on the jeans quickly. She slid off her shredded jacket and her dirtied tank top, until she stood there in just her bra and jeans.
And that was when she felt it.
A sudden rush of dark energy.
What now?
A chill swept through the room and she spun around to see Luca and Ryan materializing from a flash of vibrant red magic.
“Wonderful,” she groused.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again too, princess,” Luca returned.
Ryan doubled over, resting his hands on his thighs, choking out stilted breaths.
“What’s wrong?” she worried, stepping forward.
Luca rolled his eyes. “Teleportation sickness. It’ll pass soon enough.”
“Oh. It looks bad.”
Luca waved his hand dismissively. “He will be fine.” He sauntered over to her. “Now, where were we before you look your leave of me? Three times now.”
“Three times? There was the alley, then Ryan’s place.”
“And the dreamscape.”
She tensed. “What?”
He stepped closer until there was barely an inch of space between them. “You must remember, princess. It is impossible not to. It was extremely vivid, was it not?”
Her cheeks heated as she recalled what’d happened in what she’d thought was a private space.
He smirked. “Ah, I see by your reaction that you remember well.”
“You violated my mind? Is that what you’re telling me?” she demanded, anger spiking. “Not to mention, my body!”
“You desired me.”
“Did I? Thinking about it, I recall being hesitant until your eyes flashed at me. It was magic, wasn’t it? You were spelling me to allow you to fuck me?”
“You did what?” Ryan roared.
He was beside them in a rush of wolf speed. His hand shot out, closing around Luca’s throat. “Motherfucker!” he thundered, hauling Luca off his feet and holding him there in front of him.
That familiar flash of red fire shone in Luca’s eyes. “Release me, or you will suffer the consequences, brother.”
“Release you?” Ryan spat. “I should rip your fucking throat out!”
Cora saw Luca’s palms spark with red magic. Oh no. “Ryan!” she called. “Let him go.”
“Cora,” he protested.
“Please,” she urged, watching as Luca’s magic flared. She couldn’t let him strike Ryan. Just the idea of him being hurt cut at her.
His eyes met hers. They softened as they looked upon her. He let out a low growl of frustration and then opened his hand. Luca dropped to the floor with a thud. Grumbling, he scrambled back to his feet. He reached out to her, but Ryan slammed his palm into his chest, knocking him back.
“Princess, it’s not what you think. Yes, I used magic. But it only opened you up to suggestion. The rest was all your own wants and desires.”
“Bullshit,” Ryan said.
“He’s right. I don’t believe you, Luca.”
“Of course not, because there is so much that you do not know.” His eyes bored into hers and she jolted as she suddenly heard his thoughts in her head.
Allow me to show you what you need to see, to teach you what you need to learn.
She shook her head. I can’t trust you.
He grinned. Impressive. You’re mind-linking with me without any prior instruction. Remember that this mind-link is proof that you belong to me, that we are bound.
“Are you mind-linking with her?” Ryan snapped.
“Yes,” Luca told him, smugly. “You see now? We are bound. That wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Can you do that with her? I think not.”
Hurt flashed on Ryan’s face and she hated it. It was gone in a second, though, replaced with him furrowing his brow in confusion.
The chirp of a cell phone cut through the awkward silence in the room.
Luca pulled a phone from his coat and eyed the call display. She heard him grumble under his breath. “I must take this. I am needed.” He gestured to the living room. “May I?”
“Sure.”
Cora blew out a breath and snatched up her clean top, slipping it on quickly,
relieved to finally be fully clothed in their presence. That had just made things way more awkward. As she slipped on her leather jacket, Ryan came to her.
He sniffed her suddenly, drawing her scent to him.
“What are you doing?” she asked with amusement.
“Just checking.”
“Checking what?”
He met her gaze. “Luca said you were pure.”
“Pure?”
“A virgin,” he clarified. “I didn’t pick up on it before. The heat between us masked… everything else.”
She looked away, uncomfortable.
He lifted her chin gently, guiding her eyes back to his. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
She shook herself out of his grip. “I’m glad I stopped you from shifting.” She grinned. “I didn’t want wolf hair all over the apartment.”
He laughed. “That’s real fucking funny, darlin’.”
“What color are you?”
“White.”
“Wow. I didn’t know there were any white wolves. I’ve come across several and they were all dark. One tonight was auburn.”
“I don’t think I like the idea of you coming across so many wolves. At least I know you haven’t slept with any of them.”
“I forgot how possessive wolves can be. Especially the Alphas.”
His eyes clouded with desire. “Once a wolf finds his mate, all bets are off, darlin’. He never lets go.”
“A wolf has to claim his mate first.”
“You know a lot about my species. I like that,” he said, stepping closer.
She tensed at his brazenness, the heat between them overwhelming her once again. “How big are you?” she asked, trying to cut through the tension.
He smirked at her. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to his dick. “I’d rather show you, instead of just settling for telling you, darlin’.”
She gasped as she felt him rock-hard, through his jeans. She pulled her hand away quickly, blushing furiously. “I meant the wolf.”
He chuckled. “I know. Maybe one day I’ll shift for you and then you’ll see.”
“All right,” Luca called out, coming back into the room. “Let’s go, shall we?”
“Go where?” she asked.