He narrowed his eyes, studying her face, almost as if he was trying to determine if she was telling him the truth about her treatment…or not. “You know why I’m here, right?”
She took a deep breath—one that filled her nostrils with his warm, masculine scent—and it didn’t help to steady her nerves. “Yeah, I know. But maybe you should explain it to me. In your own words.”
With a sharp nod, he said, “I came to rescue you.”
“But…why?”
Crossing his massive arms over his chest, he spoke in another dark, sexy rumble that made her shiver. “’Cause someone had to do it.”
“But why you? Why risk yourself this way for someone you don’t even know?”
He ran a hand over his face, a gritty sound of frustration vibrating in his throat. “If you’re looking for a logical explanation, I can’t give you one. All I can tell you is that it’s something I had to do.”
“Well, I won’t leave without Raine,” she told him, not knowing what else to say. The guy was clearly out of his mind.
“Neither would I. The three of us are going to get out of this place together. And if we can’t find a way out on our own before Friday, then my brother and friends will help us.”
Rubbing her palms over her knees, she said, “Raine told me that your brother’s girlfriend was able to track you here, and that they’re not far away.”
He nodded again, and a gleaming lock of auburn hair fell over one of his eyes, making her fingers itch to push it back. For a second Chloe found herself wondering if his skin would be as hot to the touch as it looked, and then she shook her head, forcing herself to pay attention to what he was saying. “They’re not going to let us rot away in here. But, I think it’s going to be safer for us all if we make it out before then.”
She couldn’t help the bitter burst of laughter that broke from her throat. “And how are we meant to do that? You might have made it out of your cell, but there are guards all over this place.”
“Raine told you about Gregory DeKreznick, right?”
This time it was Chloe who nodded. “She said he’s a Casus who wants to kill Westmore. He’s even planning to somehow attack the compound.”
Watching her closely, he went on to say, “He’s also the Casus responsible for your awakening, and the initial reason you were captured.”
“I know,” she murmured, already familiar with the fact that each time a Casus managed to escape from Meridian, its return to this world caused the primal blood within one of the Merrick descendants to rise up, kick-starting their awakening. The Casus received a massive power charge when they killed and fed upon a fully awakened Merrick. One so great they could actually pull another Casus across the divide and back to this world, which made Merrick kills a coveted prize. And according to the rules that had been established to keep the monsters in line, they were each exclusively entitled to the Merrick they’d personally caused to “wake up.” As far as Chloe understood, it was considered a serious taboo to tamper with another Casus’s Merrick.
And that, right there, was why she’d been taken.
“When I was kidnapped, Westmore told me that I’d been taken simply to get back at this Gregory guy for disobeying his orders. Then things changed,” she explained, remembering how ill she’d felt when she’d first learned why Westmore intended to offer her as a gift to Anthony Calder. With the death of her older sister, Monica, the Casus monsters had learned that the pleasures they found in raping and killing—an act Raine had told her they called a “blood fuck”—were increased by a Mallory’s curse. Now “blood fucking” a Mallory witch who was also part Merrick was considered their ultimate high, which made her a hot commodity to the depraved bastards.
Clearing her throat, she added, “Now they no longer care about taunting Gregory. Instead they’ve decided to give me to—”
He cut her off, the look on his face disturbingly savage. “I know about Calder,” he growled, his eyes beginning to glow with a strange, predatory fire. And then, as if he suddenly realized how angry he’d sounded, he took a few deep breaths, and in a calmer tone, he said, “When Gregory attacks the compound, it’s going to create all kinds of chaos, which could give us the opportunity that we need to escape. So you’re going to be freed long before their plans with Calder can be put into action.”
“You really believe that?”
His voice dropped, the blue of his eyes still burning with that strange glow as he said, “I’m not going to let them hurt you, Chloe.”
“So, I guess this means you’re pretty righteous, huh?” she asked after several moments of heavy silence, their gazes locked onto each other with crackling intensity. “One of those rare heroes that no one thinks even exists anymore.”
He gave a deliciously rough bark of laughter that made her toes curl. “Nah,” he drawled, rubbing a palm against his stubble-covered jaw. “I wouldn’t go that far. My brother, Kierland—he’s the righteous one.”
“Then what are you?” she asked, lifting her brows. “The badass?”
“Yeah, something like that,” he replied in another quiet drawl, the hunger in those smoldering eyes too sexy to be real. Chloe blinked and rubbed her eyes again, wondering if she was still a little out of it. She had to be, because it looked like the guy was actually…interested in her, and she knew that couldn’t be right. Raine had been pretty clear about the kind of women Kellan Scott got involved with…and they were nothing like her. It would have been like comparing night to day. A flashy red Ferrari to a quirky little Mini Clubman.
Hello? Earth to Chloe, the all-too-familiar voice of her conscience hissed in her ear. Are you forgetting about the curse?
Oh. My. God. For a few seconds there, she actually had forgotten, which was ridiculous—but come on. The gorgeous hunk had honestly claimed that he’d risked his life to save hers. What woman wouldn’t get a little muddled after hearing something like that?
Still, she’d forgotten how careful she needed to be around men, because the instant she started talking to a guy, spending time with him, the curse that had plagued the Mallory witches for centuries would start to affect him. If he had even the slightest casual interest in her, the curse would blow that interest out of proportion, heightening it to an extreme, unnatural level. She’d seen it happen before, and it was happening again…
Right. At. That. Moment.
Chloe had heard things about the Lycan sex drive—not to mention Kellan Scott’s reputation. The guy liked women, and with all that adrenaline he’d said was burning through his system, he was probably burning on excess mojo, and here she was, cranking it up even higher.
Though every female on the maternal side of her family tree had suffered from the Mallory curse, it had affected Chloe more strongly than anyone else in her family, and she’d never been able to figure out why. Maybe it was because she’d always tried too hard to contain it, determined to control it, that it seemed to work that much harder against her? Or maybe it was just one of those rotten quirks of nature that couldn’t be explained?
Whatever the reason, she was like a walking, talking lightning rod when it came to others’ emotions. If someone hated her, like the Casus, then that hatred intensified until they boiled with it.
And the same could be said for desire. For lust. But it wasn’t real. Was just an illusion. Like love at first sight and happily-ever-afters. At least for her. Chloe had seen her mother get lucky with Olivia’s father, and now Olivia had apparently found her own dream stud. So that meant her chances were shot. No way in hell was lightning going to strike three times in one family.
Though it sounded maudlin, she’d always known she would live her life alone. So, her way of dealing with that knowledge had been to withdraw from the world, with the exception of her family and a handful of friends she’d made in college. She worked at home, running her own web design company, and made a good living. For safety, the Harcourt ranch-style family home in Kentucky had been remodeled into separate living quarters, enablin
g Chloe and her sisters to live close to one another, and yet retain a certain degree of privacy. As her eyes slid closed, she drew in a deep breath, and for a moment she could almost smell those familiar scents that reminded her of home. Smells she missed so much it was a physical ache inside her heart. Liv’s warm sugar cookies baking in the oven. The smoky blend of Monica’s favorite perfume. Her niece’s strawberry bubble bath.
She missed her family so much she could feel the pain like a wound. Something torn open, bleeding and raw, that no amount of time was going to heal.
After the death of their parents, the three of them had only had each other, and their sisterly bonds had grown into ones of true friendship. Raine had told her about what had happened to Monica, but Chloe could scarcely allow herself to believe it. Her heart broke for her older sister and for her niece, Jamie, who had absolutely adored her mother. The sorrow Chloe felt over the loss of her sister would have overshadowed everything else—her fear, her anger, her worry—if it weren’t for the change building within her. That sorrow could have grown so great that she was consumed by it, but the primal creature fighting to get out of her was determined to keep her focused on survival, refusing to let her give in.
As if summoning it with her thoughts, a sharp burst of heat began to ripple beneath her skin, and Chloe could feel the Merrick stretching within her. Could feel its hunger slithering through her body. Coming on even stronger than it ever had before. She wanted to keep talking, asking Kellan about her family and confirming the stories Raine had told her about Liv and Jamie, but she could no longer focus as the Merrick’s presence took command. Words began to tickle the tip of her tongue that she never would have the guts to say. At least not when she was in her right mind. But she still felt panicked, worried the Lycan might be able to read her dirty, sexual thoughts just by looking at her, feeling like they were scrawled across her forehead in bright neon lights.
Nervously tucking her hair behind her ear, she fought to stay calm, painfully aware that she had to do something. That she had to get him to go back to his cell, before she made a complete and utter fool of herself.
If he didn’t go, she was going to do something embarrassing. It was inevitable. Because the Merrick had finally found something that it wanted, its hunger mounting as it took in the sight of the dark, dangerous-looking werewolf, the need clawing at her insides like a wild animal determined to break free of its cage.
“Kellan,” she said shakily, struggling to take in enough air, “you…uh, you need to go back.”
“What’s wrong?” His rugged features were etched with concern as he stared at her through the heavy iron bars. “You’re shaking like a leaf,” he muttered, his hands curling around the metal rods in a powerful grip, as if he intended to break them open.
“No!” she gasped, holding up her hands like a barrier. “Please, don’t…don’t come in here!”
For a moment, he appeared stricken, but then he shook the emotion off with a wolfy roll of his shoulders and head, hardening his expression. “I’m not going to hurt you, damn it. I came to the compound to help you, Chloe.”
“I know that,” she gasped, licking her lower lip, her Merrick purring with anticipation as he followed the movement of her tongue with his eyes. “It’s just that…just that I’m…”
“What?” he demanded in an even grittier tone, his hands curling tighter around the bars, and she had the strangest sense that he was trying to hold himself back from her.
“I need…damn it. I can’t do this. I need…” The words felt strange in her mouth, as if they weren’t her own, and dizziness swamped her. Her pulse grew louder, deep and deafening, her heart beating faster…and faster. A wave of blistering heat climbed up over her skin, making the air around her feel charged. Alive.
She couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t see.
And then it all built into one stunning, electrifying moment of awareness, her vision instantly sharpening, her hearing so acute she could count the heavy, ragged beats of his heart—and Chloe knew the Merrick was suddenly sharing her body, as if she had two separate entities living within her.
The cursed, introverted witch who shied away from sexual relationships.
And the primal Merrick who wanted Kellan Scott buried hard and deep inside her, riding her with all the savage ferocity of his beast.
With a throaty laugh, Chloe felt her hands flinging the blanket away as her bare legs slid over the side of the cot. Sinuously moving to her feet, her voice was nothing more than a silky purr as she said, “Break the lock on the door, Lycan. I need you inside me. Right now.”
The words landed between them with the jarring force of a bomb blast, and they both froze in reaction, their eyes going comically wide.
O-okay. She’d, uh, obviously been wrong. Apparently she did have the guts to say those embarrassing words that had been tickling her tongue. Or rather, the Merrick did.
And she’d clearly shocked the hell out of Kellan. His eyes were still round, the color in his face so dark he looked like he’d been fried by the sun. He opened his mouth. Closed it. Finally managed to croak her name. “Chloe?”
“I know, I’m sorry!” Each syllable was a struggle to get out, the muscles in her throat constricted with emotion. “I didn’t mean to say that. I just…God, it’s hot in here, isn’t it?” Breathless and burning, she started ripping at the buttons of the shirt they’d given her, revealing the delicate white lace of her bra.
“Shit,” he choked out, taking a step back, and then another, while his powerful hands curled into hard fists at his sides, the veins bulging beneath his skin. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”
“I don’t wanna kill you,” the Merrick drawled, fighting her for control. It wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d given them what they needed…and it wanted him now. “I just wanna fu—”
“Enough!” he snapped, and she flinched from the harshness of his voice, her bottom lip quivering. He looked furious, aroused and worried all at the same time, his chest heaving. The blue of his eyes overtook the green, smoldering with a hot, predatory glow. “You’ve got to fight this, Chloe. I’ve learned enough about you to know that this…this isn’t what you want.”
She tried to make sense of his words, but the fever in her brain was burning hotter…brighter, making it impossible to think. Maybe it was the mix of her Mallory and Merrick blood, or maybe it was simply the fact that she’d been fighting the hunger for so long, but she couldn’t control herself. After all this time, she finally had an outlet for the visceral need ripping her to pieces. A tall, gorgeous, mouthwatering hero who’d come to save her—who could give the ravenous Merrick everything it wanted.
“Please, Kellan? I need this so badly.” She wrapped her arms around her middle, trying to control her shivering, her body flashing from hot to cold. “Please help me.”
“Damn it,” he growled, while a muscle ticked forcefully in his jaw. “That’s just your Merrick talking. The hunger caused by your awakening.”
“But it’s—”
A loud thud suddenly sounded above them, as if something heavy had been dropped on the floor, and Kellan tilted his head back, cutting a hard look toward the ceiling. There were raised voices and shouts, the commotion growing louder as heavy footsteps followed.
“Get back in bed and pretend to be asleep,” he suddenly barked, his dark gaze locking with hers as he lowered his head.
“But what are you going to do?”
“I have to get back in my cell,” he told her, his expression grim. “They might be coming down here with our water, and if they catch me out here, they’ll separate us. I can’t let that happen.”
“You’re going back now?” she all but sobbed, throwing her arms wide. “You’re just going to…to leave me like this?”
“Well, I’m sure as hell not going to touch you when there’s an audience. I’ve promised myself not to touch you at all!” he growled, running his burning gaze over the exposed strip of flesh revealed
by her gaping shirt. He seemed almost transfixed by the smooth inner curves of her breasts, the white cotton only just covering her nipples. Then he shook himself in another move that looked decidedly wolflike, before muttering something under his breath that she couldn’t quite make out.
“Kellan?”
He dared another brief look at her face, then ground his jaw and turned, heading back toward his cell, the heavy door giving a low groan of protest as he pulled it open, then let it close behind him.
Bristling with frustration, Chloe snatched up her pillow and hurled it toward the metal wall that separated their cells, before climbing under the blanket on her cot and pulling the thin wool over her head.
I will not beg him again, she vowed, shaking so hard that her teeth chattered. I will beat this.
Chloe repeated the words again and again, motivated as much by the mortifying way that she’d acted as she was by the pain still tearing through her body. It’d just…it’d just caught her by surprise this time. But next time…next time she’d be ready. If he tried to visit her again, she would demand that he leave. Would resist the Merrick’s attempts to lure him into feeding her with everything that she had.
You can do it. If you focus and fight, you can do it.
After all, they had only a handful of days to live at the most, right? Despite the Lycan’s determination, she didn’t think they had a chance in hell of actually making it out of there. She could make it that long, no matter how badly it hurt to deny the Merrick its needs.
But as another wave of sharp, visceral craving swept through her, she groaned from the agony, terrified by just how intense the hunger might become.
In the next instant, the scent of blood overwhelmed her senses, and she lifted her hand to her mouth, touching her fingers to her throbbing lower lip. Her fingers came away wet with blood, but she couldn’t believe it.
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