[Draven's Crossing 1] Hidden Diversions

by Selena Illyria

  Isy sidled up alongside of him. “What should I do?”

  Torger gazed down at her. “What do you mean?”

  She blinked. Dark brown eyes filled with impatience. “I missed my show today. I’ve been working with Urban on the pill line. Do you want me to continue that or do something else?”

  Her energy crackled around them. He could feel it pushing his lethargy and filling him with the need to be active. He could think of something for her to do, but it would be inappropriate to say aloud much less think about. Torger had to focus on the case at hand. “Yeah, do that, keep looking for information about the pills.”

  He wasn’t sure what else he could ask her to do. As much as he wanted to get her to stay out of it, he doubted she would. She’d just had a brush with the killer. There was no evidence of nerves or fear. She seemed to be chomping at the bit to go and dig deeper, follow the trail, find out what Evanson was hiding. Isy beamed up at him. “Thanks.”

  His heart melted a bit as a wave of warmth crashed into his chest. He felt his lips tug up into a smile. “No problem. But take it easy, okay?”

  A well plucked eyebrow rose in question. “And you too? Last I checked, bags under the eyes weren’t sexy. You’re too hot to look like you haven’t slept in a hundred years.” She gave him a cheeky smile before she danced away.

  He watched her go as his brain processed what she’d just said. They had always flirted, but she’d never come right out and said she was attracted to him. The tiresome day that he’d had faded away in that light. “Well, fearlessness isn’t exactly the sexiest thing in the world,” he shot back.

  She frowned while Urban and Jagger concentrated on trying to look busy. Isy crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you saying I’m not sexy?”

  Torger chuckled. “You get me some dirt about that pill and we’ll talk. I’m going to catch some sleep. I need it. It’s been a long day.”

  He turned and left the room. Once in his bedroom, he placed a call to Draven on what they’d found. Draven ordered him to get some sleep before he benched him. Torger didn’t want that. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his second in command, Petra Anderson, he just liked to be in control. He stripped out of his sweat pants and T-shirt before sliding into bed, naked. It wasn’t exactly the best thing to do. At any second Jagger or Urban, or even Isy, could come banging through that door with news but he couldn’t sleep otherwise.

  Besides that if his wolf decided, during sleep, to take over and go for a run, he wasn’t going to hinder it with clothing that would be ruined and cumbersome. Lately, his wolf had been desperate to break out and feel some freedom. It had nothing to do with the full moon only days away and everything to do with the unspent tension that this case was bringing on them both. There were two options that Torger could see to help ease the stress: sex with some random woman or shifting, using all the energy that the transformation brought on to gain some sense of release. His wolf would have preferred sex, with Isy especially.

  But sex was off the table, at least for now. There wasn’t time. At least in his head there wasn’t any. His thoughts came to his duty to Draven’s Crossing and his alpha status came first. Any love life he wanted would come later. Even if his yearning for Isy was growing.

  He could smell her in his house, track her progress by where her perfume drifted. The imprint of her nearness weighed against his body. He could see the mischief light up her eyes as she teased him. He knew that once she left, Urban and Jagger would give him no end of grief. Not to mention that Jagger would tell Draven and Draven would try and play matchmaker, even going so far as to get Rose in on it. They would then have to insist on double dates that would end in discomfort. Draven and Rose would act like they were the only people in the world and end up almost having sex.

  How Isy would take it he didn’t know, but his wolf would want to fuck and if Isy was near, it would be a disaster. Torger focused on trying to get some sleep. It would be the only thing he could do right that day.

  * * * *

  Torger’s cologne trailed after him leaving a teasing cloud around Isy. She tried to concentrate but her dragon wouldn’t leave her alone. Images of a naked Torger flooded her brain. Pearls of sweat formed at her hairline. Isy wanted to bury her nose in his neck and inhale, lick and nip his skin and search out if he smelled like that all over. The words on the computer screen meant nothing to her. They were gibberish in the face of him being home.

  His presence was all over the house, but it wasn’t until he came home that things coalesced and it became his place. The cabin felt empty without him. It lacked the warmth and presence that he brought. Every nook and cranny now made sense from the handmade wool quilted throw on the arm chair near the fireplace to the howling wolves salt and pepper shakers, to the huge hunting locker filled with meat he’d hunted, killed and cleaned himself.

  There were pictures on the wall of nature scenes and books about Zen and calm and relaxation as well as animals. At least those were the books on display in the more open places, not in his room. While Urban had been snooping online, he hadn’t paid her much attention. She’d slipped into Torger’s room and found some interesting things. Items that she’d only dreamed about him having an interest in. There were books with bondage scenes on his private shelves and sex toys in a chest at the foot of his bed. The thought of him using those implements of pleasure on other women had her and her dragon seeing red.

  Envy colored her emotions until she was forced to close her eyes and breathe until she calmed down. Then her curiosity had been piqued, and she couldn’t help but search for more. There was no evidence of another female presence, which went a long way to keeping her relaxed. But barely. The urge to mark him shuddered through her body in a hot tide that filled every pore and saturated every limb until she was left shaking and needed to sit down.

  As she sat on his bed, the mattress sank beneath her as if welcoming her weight. She had laid back and rolled onto her stomach, burying her face into the covers and inhaling deeply. Isy wanted to strip naked and climb under the sheets. But that wasn’t all. She wanted to strap him down to the bed, explore every inch of his body until he couldn’t take it anymore and then she wanted to give him release.

  Isy felt the tension from him. It radiated off of him in waves and turned her stomach into knots. The stress made her dragon jumpy. The beast wanted to come out and end whatever it was that was making her nervous. Rather than kill it, she would just do what needed to be done. Seduce! Besides that, she was tired of denying her attraction to him. It was tedious.

  With a glance at Jagger and Urban, she saw that they were both ensconced in whatever it was they were searching for. She was pretty sure that they wouldn’t notice her disappearance. In fact they’d probably be grateful that she left them alone. No questions and no reporter presence to worry them that she might feature whatever they said in an article or blog post, or report. Isy stood up and smoothed her hair. “I’m going to go take a nap. I need to recharge. I’ll be back.”

  Urban waved her off without saying anything, and Jagger just grunted. With those lovely parting sounds and ministrations, she walked off to have her wicked way with Torger, and she wasn’t taking no for answer. Besides, he needed it and her.

  Chapter Nine

  NO PROGRESS. NO BODIES.

  Is ‘no bodies’ good news or bad? - Isadora Jones, DC News Blast

  Torger tossed and turned in his bed. He could smell her on his covers. Her scent drifted around the room like an enticing trail he wanted to follow. His skin burned as his muscles contracted. Blood flowed straight to his cock, thickening the shaft. His balls hardened and throbbed with the need for release. With a groan, he rolled onto his stomach. His mind was split into two parts: one half didn’t think it was right to want sex much less have it with so many bodies piling up, and the other didn’t give a shit and needed to feel something good in a world full of crap. He didn’t want to think about anything. He had the All Packs meeting that was coming up after the f
ull moon. His mind was abuzz with thoughts and lists. There were things he had to do and things he had to discuss. Torger hadn’t met with his Beta yet, nor had he met the new leader of the Branson pack after the old one had been ousted. Then he had to make sure that Draven would get the old ones to meet with him about the killer. There was Evanson to deal with, and he didn’t want to think about the shit storm that could come out of accusing him of anything, especially not with the man’s wife dead. Whether he had anything to do with it or not, the public wouldn’t be happy. Muffy Evanson was a beloved figure in the community. If the Representative had anything to do with her death, there would be chaos. He needed to be sure, to dig deeper. Torger knew he’d have to ask Isy to dive into the archives and see what she came up with.

  The sweetest perfume drifted under his door. He snorted and sat up. She was near. His eyes had already adjusted to the darkness. He saw a shadow move in front of his door but it didn’t go to the guest room across the hall. He waited; the seconds ticked by. Each moment like a drip of water on his face, it seemed to last forever and there was no end in sight. He swallowed. His lips became dry as his heartbeat sped up. The jangle of a hand on the door handle rang in his ears. The delicate shells prickled at the musical sound. He waited. His heart stuttered and then crashed against his ribcage in a heavy drum beat. His body heat spiked as his wolf waited. Need coiled in the pit of his stomach. He licked his lips again, hoping, praying for what, he didn’t know. All he saw was that if she didn’t do something soon, he would. And then there would be no turning back. Everything would change for them, and he wasn’t sure how everyone would react or how everything would land.

  As the seconds ticked by, her shadow remained at the door. The hand had stopped jiggling. Opening up his senses, he allowed her emotions to wash over him. He tasted the tang of hesitation with the sweetness of eagerness. All of it was tinged with the bright spice of lust. Underneath it all, there was Isy’s own unique natural scent. Not wanting to let the torture for both of them continue, he called out, “Isy, you can come in.”

  There was a moment and then the door knob turned. Her perfume and emotions rushed into the room, driving away the stale trail she’d made before. It was as if someone had turned on the sun in his room. Heat poured over him in waves as she advanced into the space and shut the door behind her. Both of them were covered in darkness and yet he knew she stood between the door and his bed. So close and yet so far away as the cliché went. His fingers ached to hold her, to feel the silken warmth of her skin and bury his face in her neck and inhale deeply. Torger’s lips tingled with the need to kiss her, to feel her lips against his and slide his tongue into her mouth and taste her. He wondered what he’d find there. He didn’t want to think about it anymore.

  “Isy? What’s wrong?” Torger knew what was wrong but didn’t want to come out and say it. His wolf on the other hand wanted him to get up off the bed, strip off her clothes, bury his face between her thighs and eat her out until she came. His cock jerked at that urge. Heat flared along his skin, flushing through is cheeks, down his throat, and crashing into his chest. Prickles danced along his flesh as his nerve endings came alive. His sense sharpened as his wolf came into play, pushing at its restraints, demanding that they finally get what they’d longed for after so much denial. And he couldn’t move. Frozen by his guilt as his responsibility pushed forward to the forefront of his mind. Pack. Duty. Draven’s Crossing. Those words screamed in his head, and he felt a tinge of shame.

  No shame! His wolf cried out and growled at its master’s retreating libido. His skin cooled as his heart went back to its normal rhythm.

  “Torger. Shut up. Stop thinking.” Isy’s voice came out as a low, husky command. Just like that, the fire inside burst to life. It went from simmer to all out firestorm as Isy advanced toward his bed. How she knew about the war going on in his head he didn’t know. Do dragons smell things the way other shifters do? The question pushed back some of his doubts.

  The bed dipped under her weight, which served to shove back more of the pressure on his mind.

  “Can you…” The question caught around a lump in his throat. It had formed when he wasn’t looking. A nervous sweat began on his forehead. He felt large and unsure of himself, like a teenager during his first experience.

  “Your stress and frustration reeks. It’s time to put an end to that. Your doubts and concerns won’t save the people of Draven’s Crossing and it sure as hell won’t help you catch the killer. Now didn’t I tell you to shut up?” Her hands closed around his ankles. He felt them slide up his legs. The cloth abraded his skin. Even though it was smooth cotton, it felt a thousand times rougher than before. He swallowed again, not used to this side of Isy.

  Rather than ask, he did as she said and stayed quiet. He didn’t move or even dare to breathe without her say so. His thoughts drifted away with her touch. She ran her hands over his thighs. The scrape of her nails over the cotton intensified his sense of touch. The blunted pain only enhanced his need. Desire crawled through his body as blood thickened in his veins. Her unique aroma became his air. Each gulp sent his head spinning and his mind drifting. He was lightheaded with her nearness.

  “You’re going to let me take care of you. I’ll be handling your pleasure tonight. You do what I say and want without a single word, understand?” She placed a butterfly kiss on his stomach, so light it could have been the brush of the wind for all he knew. Her humid breath told him otherwise.

  Torger nodded his acquiescence. He let out a yelp when he felt her teeth sink into one ridge of his abdominals.

  “No. Let me hear you say it. Tell me, yes, Isy, I understand.” She lapped at the pained flesh with quick licks of her tongue. Each lap pulled a soft groan from his throat as the pain turned to pleasure.

  “Yes, Isy, I understand. Please.” He reached for her, wanting to bury his hands in her hair and pull her close but did nothing until told to. His alpha male self went to war over giving power to Isy. It had nothing to do with her being a woman or even a dragon. Everything in him was designed to take care of people, solve problems, and yet he was rescinding control to her. He was allowing her to take care of his problem, solve it for him and take care of him. He wasn’t sure how to respond so he did nothing. Curiosity peeked out from the wolf. It wondered how this would go, not in the least bothered by the shift in power.

  Torger remained still as Isy nibbled and licked her way up his stomach. “Your safe word is microphone. Now lie back down, arms extended over your head. I already know where all your toys are, and I’m going to use them on you.”

  Torger’s eyes widened and protests filled his mouth. In the past, he’d allowed sexual partners to use his toys on him to see how it would feel but once was enough.

  “Don’t worry, it won’t be so bad. I promise.” She purred and added a flick of her tongue to his nipple.

  He still wasn’t sure he was up for it.

  “Torger,” she began. “Let me take care of you. Give me control. Complete control and you won’t regret it. Now lie back.”

  With silent protests still swirling around his mind, he begrudgingly accepted her order and lay back on the mattress, extending his arms over his head to wait. Torger sent up a silent prayer that she wouldn’t go too far.

  She slipped off of his body, taking the imprint of her flesh with her but not her warmth. That sensation hummed over his flesh, making him yearn for her return. He heard the opening of his chest of toys and her rummaging around. Different thuds on the wooden floor made him wince and pray even harder. By the time she got back on the bed, his heart was hammering against his ribcage for a whole different reason. The lump returned to his throat, and his cock had lost some of its rigidity in the face of the unknown. Still, he didn’t utter a peep. Not when she grabbed his left wrist and slapped the cuff on it and then attached the other manacle to the bed post and did the same to his right.

  “Torger, close your eyes and spread your legs,” she ordered in that same husky tone. />
  Slowly, he followed her command, wondering what she was going to do to him tied down. He had ideas and not all of them sounded too bad, but the echo of the thuds came back to mind and the fear crept back on him. Thin trails of sweat slipped down his temple and dampened his hairline. The sheet was removed leaving him totally naked. He felt so open and vulnerable to her. What if she doesn’t like the way I look naked? What if my dick is too small? What if I look fat? I know I’m lying back but I’ve been eating a lot of junk food and downing a lot of beer lately. His anxiety became more prevalent as she wrapped a Velcro cuff around his ankle and attached it to the post on the footboard. She did the other and then climbed back up his body, placing kisses as she went, until she was once again over him. Not saying a word. No compliments or anything to put him at ease. He tugged at this bindings, even going so far as to call his wolf for help. The animal, much to his annoyance, didn’t respond. It just stared back at him, satisfaction in its gaze at finally being with its mate.

  “It’s okay,” she said softly. “I won’t hurt you…much.” Isy nipped the side of his neck before sucking the patch of skin into her mouth. “God, you’re gorgeous. So tan. Muscles everywhere. I could play with you for days. Jesus, this is going to be so much fun.”

  Fun? He wasn’t sure if he was going to have a heart attack in relief that she liked the way he looked naked or that she was going to play with him…for days. His heart continued to beat erratically against his ribcage as his breathing wheezed out of him. With every breath, his lungs couldn’t take up enough air to get him stabilized and calm. The human portion of him was scared that she’d leave him like this and Urban and Jagger would find him. They wouldn’t let him hear the end of it, telling everyone about the time Isy tied him up and left him there. Maybe even covered in whipped cream or some shit like that. Torger began to pull on the cuffs in earnest. The bottom ones gave with a loud rip that split the air, but the handcuffs remained stubbornly intact.