by Asha King
For a moment she closed her eyes and let his nearness flood her senses. Heat crawled up her body until she was burning. Her back was to the door and she felt his hand touch the wood, touch where her shoulder would be. The cord between them tightened and all she wanted was to throw open the door and let him in. Let him touch her, hold her, taste her. The bed was a few feet away and her body yearned to have him join her. She’d never in her life felt like this—felt this intense craving for another’s touch. Her body responded, nipples tightening and wetness gathering between her legs.
And everything he felt just intensified it. Despite the door between them, she could all but feel his breath, the quick beat of his heart, the hardness of his body. For a moment she let herself imagine it, throwing open that door. That was all it would take. He’d lift her onto him, tearing the towel away. Her pussy clenched at the thought.
Rationality fought back, though. Giving in to...to this would mean giving in to so much more. It would cross a line that would entangle them permanently and it wasn’t safe. Not when there was so much she still didn’t understand.
She bit her lip, clenched her hands into fists, and resisted reaching for the doorknob. Breath after breath, she drew in air to steady herself, tucked away all her desire. She wasn’t the sort of girl to blindly give in to that kind of thing, after all. Her heart raced but she struggled to calm it.
She all but felt his sigh on the other side of the door, like he sensed her resolve. Though she couldn’t hear his steps, she felt him retreat, and with him went the heat from her body until she was left in the cold dark by herself.
Chapter Twelve
Blood was splattered across the arena floor.
Lincoln didn’t always watch fights anymore. Not unless they were interesting ones that offered a good show and promised him a significant amount of money.
But he was still irritated by the disappearance of the tiger and short of killing someone himself, watching the bloodshed tended to relax him, as did the woman on her knees before him with her head on his lap.
His hand was caught in her hair, guiding her head and the speed in which her lips ran up and down his cock. She wasn’t particularly the best at what she did but she was capable and enthusiastic. Of course it was this or the arena. That tended to inspire their cocksucking skills quite a bit.
The arena was about half the size of a hockey rink with stadium seating. Every morning things were cleaned, floors bleached until they were white, Plexiglas polished. And every night, fresh blood was shed for an eager crowd. Today the seats were about seventy-five percent full, the crowd currently watching a cougar-shifter fight a low-level warlock. Both parties were severely injured and if they didn’t speed it up, he’d send in a surprise third party to kill the both of them.
His seat was high above the others where he could look down at everything without interruption from a plush, comfortable seat. Occasionally he entertained guests up there but today it was him and the nameless blonde currently laving his shaft. Though familiar pleasure built low in his sac, it seemed to hit a plateau.
He was officially too irritated to get off, it seemed.
Both hands locked on the girl’s hair and he thrust into her mouth roughly. Her fingers locked on his knees as she tried to fight him but he was stronger and she could do little to object other than squeal.
Steps sounded behind him—two of pairs, if he had to guess. Irritated, he sighed and jerked the blond off of him, still keeping her on her knees in front of him by clasping her hair.
“Take a walk, Rogers,” he said. “Angelica, speak.”
Footfalls quickly shuffled away. He waited for his second in command to explain her interruption.
She came forward but knelt beside his chair, just out of his line of vision while he stared absently at the arena below. “We possibly have something about the shifter’s whereabouts.”
“Details.”
“There’s a small town...he would’ve run far, farther than he should’ve been able to while injured, but there’s something there. I can’t sense him but Rogers caught a trace of his scent around a few stores. Faint, but it’s there. It’s our closest lead.”
Anyone else could’ve been grasping at straws to buy themselves time, knowing he disliked failure. But not Angelica. If she said they had a lead, they did.
“Shall I dispatch a team to hunt him?”
The thought of catching the fucking tiger and throwing him in the pit to be torn to pieces pleased him, made his shaft tighten with excitement.
He stood, dragged the blonde by the hair for the balcony railing. Realization made her scream and fight, but she was weak and useless; he tossed her easily over the edge. Her screams sounded, then piteous cries as she thumped on the ground. The crowd cheered for blood and the fighters knew what this meant—whoever took her life would have a point for the match.
Her screams were enough—he didn’t need to watch, instead grasping Angelica and pulling her to her feet. His lust-hazed eyes met her knowing ones and her lips yielded when his mouth devoured her. He tore at her clothes and her nails raked his back. She’d sate him, for now, and then the hunt would begin.
The tiger was all but in his grasp.
Chapter Thirteen
Addie didn’t have a class the following afternoon but she ran the desk at the community center throughout the day anyway. She was distracted, barely paying attention when people spoke to her, and repeatedly she had to ask them to repeat things. But she wasn’t entirely ready to head home yet.
She should, she knew. Erik was healing quickly now. He wouldn’t stay much longer—if she wanted answers, if she wanted...well, anything from him, now was the time to confront it.
Except there was a wall there, something she was avoiding going through. Because if she moved past it, a whole other world would open up and she wasn’t sure she was ready to face it.
“Penny for your thoughts.”
She looked up from the computer screen, where she’d been staring blankly at next week’s schedule, onto the smiling face of Robbie Milford. He’d been doing cosmetic repairs to the center’s upstairs rooms, and his faded jeans and navy T-shirt were streaked with drywall dust and paint.
“No offense, but I don’t think you have that many pennies,” she said with a semi-forced smile.
He took the chair across from the desk and pulled it closer then sat. “Wanna talk?”
“Again, no offense, but not about this.” Boy trouble was one thing—boy-tiger trouble was a whole other. “I’d rather not think about everything at the moment.”
“Okay.” He drummed his fingers on the desktop. “Let’s go get something to eat.”
She blinked and glanced at the clock on the computer. “Right now?”
“Nope, at four when the center closes. Gives me time to change. And—” he anticipated as she looked down at her casual clothes and opened her mouth to argue “—you’re fine, don’t worry. We can get a bite at Haven’s Bridge and have you home before dark.”
The clouds outside were already thick and black, yet another storm rolling in.
“At least before the power goes out,” Robbie amended.
She hesitated, but only for a moment. Honestly, it would be nice to head out for a night and feel normal...ish. “Sure.” Her smile felt forced but she still tried.
Robbie’s eyes widened like he hadn’t expected her to agree to it. “Great! Looking forward to it. I’ll finish stuff upstairs and run home for a shower. See you in a bit.” He stood tall, returned the chair, and jogged out of the office.
As Robbie disappeared, her eyes snagged on the phone. She could call her house, yes, but Erik wouldn’t answer, nor would he know to retrieve voicemail. And it wasn’t like she’d be gone long, anyway. An hour to eat after work and then home. That wasn’t much.
Besides, he didn’t own her. She could damn well go out and eat with a friend and not tell him if she so pleased.
Addie turned back to the computer and reached for the
mouse, her stomach twinging uncomfortably. Though she wanted to tell herself it was the rising storm that had her suddenly nervous, instinct said otherwise.
The weather was the least of her worries.
****
At 4:00 p.m., Addie was locking up the front doors when Robbie’s light blue truck rolled up. The sky was nearly black and wind blew hard, shaking the trees and tossing her hair about. But the rain hadn’t started yet and the power hadn’t flickered, so she figured they’d have time to eat.
She climbed in the front, buckled up, and then they were off.
Robbie made idle small talk, which she endeavored to answer though her gaze kept going to the sky. The last time she felt things were this off, Erik had showed up at her door.
She still couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.
Haven’s Bridge was fairly quiet when they pulled up. The bar was lit, light shining through the windows, but few cars were parked out front. It would be a few hours yet before the evening rush and band started, and Addie was glad of it. Some peace and quiet and a nice meal would be a good break.
Inside they found an older man who was likely a regular sitting at the bar, hunched over a bottle of beer. A sports channel played on the single TV, the volume turned low so it wasn’t irritating. Addie and Robbie took a booth seat, vinyl squeaky as they sat. A fan overhead spun, stirring the otherwise warm air.
Addie vaguely recognized the bartender who came to their table—the woman had been to a dance class or two at some point but hadn’t stayed long enough for Addie to remember her name. Her hair was bleach-blonde and sat in a high ponytail on her head, and her apron had damp handprints as if she’d just dried her hands.
She didn’t bother with a notebook when she took their orders—she’d probably been there awhile. Addie ordered a beer and a hamburger; Robbie did the same, it seeming more of an afterthought than anything he debated. Oddly, despite the meal being his idea, she had the sense he wasn’t hungry.
She tried to settle herself in the booth, fidgeting in the low lighting. At least in her jeans and T-shirt, she didn’t feel too underdressed—it wasn’t the kind of place people dressed up to visit.
Robbie, though, had cleaned up well in a button down shirt and clean jeans. His face was free of stubble and he smelled of a musky aftershave.
“So.” Addie hated small talk and shifted uncomfortably.
She expected to see some kind of waiting smile in Robbie’s expression but there was none. Just seriousness as he leaned forward, sandy brows pulled low over his eyes.
Her alarm bells were blaring again and she opened her mouth to ask what was up.
“I wanted to ease into this but I don’t think we’re going to have time,” he interrupted.
“Excuse me?”
His frown hadn’t let up. “I need to talk to you about your grandmother.”
Oh Jesus, who doesn’t? “I don’t want to talk about her.”
“I realize that but...but things are going faster than I’d expected.”
She shifted again, her hands coiling into fists under the table and feet itching to run. Roughly ten steps to the door but she didn’t have a vehicle and would have to run home.
Wait, this is Robbie. You don’t need to—
But Erik had been warning her yesterday, hadn’t he? About being careful, about not trusting anyone, even people she knew, when she was outside of her house. And she was far, far from her house now.
She looked at Robbie again—good, reliable, sweet Robbie, that logic said—
Don’t trust anyone.
The hell with logic. She had to start listening to her gut.
Addie swallowed dryly. “What about my grandmother?”
“You need to know who she was.”
“I already—”
“Because you’re the same.”
Play dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do. Listen.” He leaned forward, the table creaking under his elbows. “I know you’re probably freaked out but I’m not here to hurt you—”
“Newsflash: people don’t announce they’re not here to hurt someone when they actually don’t plan to hurt them.”
He winced and no matter how she looked at him, he still seemed like Robbie. And Robbie wouldn’t actually hurt her, she didn’t think, but thoughts were swirling in her head and she couldn’t think clearly anymore.
My house—I need to be in my house. Erik had said as much and everything in her said it was true.
“I know how this sounds,” he continued. “I told you, I wanted to wait. But there are people in town and they’re dangerous to you. It’s my job to ensure you’re safe.”
She cocked a brow in skepticism. “Your job?”
“Just listen. I know you...you have someone in your house.”
Ice flashed through her body, her veins running cold. “How do you know who’s in my house?”
He raised his hands in a defensive gesture. “We don’t have time for that. But the point is, others are looking for him and until you know the truth, you’re vulnerable. They’ll find him—and you—if you don’t listen to me.”
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m someone who wants to help you make it out of here alive.”
Shit. Oh shit.
He must’ve read her expression. “I know, I know, none of this is coming out right. If your mom had just told you—”
The bartender interrupted, carrying their beers, and Robbie sat up straight, all polite smiles again instead of dead seriousness. As the bartender set down the drinks Addie saw her chance. She locked her fingers around her purse, abruptly slid to the end of the booth, and ran.
Robbie shouted something behind her but she didn’t listen, instead ducking outside. Thunder cracked above, the wind howling around her. She only glanced around briefly before she bolted around the side of the building and down the next alley. Sure, maybe Robbie wasn’t totally nuts, but no way was she sitting in the damn bar having a conversation about this with him. She needed to be home. That was all she was sure of. Home was safety, sanctuary, and Erik...
Erik knows what’s going on. He might know what Robbie was going to say. And at least she was one hundred percent certain Erik wouldn’t harm her, which was more than she could say for a whole lot of people right in that moment.
She continued running, around another building and onto a side street. Havelock wasn’t terribly big but it had plenty of small streets and twisty corners—it was easy to lose a person who might be looking for you.
The air was cool and smelled of fresh rain, though only a fine mist was falling. Addie glanced around, gathered her bearings, and started the long way around. She hadn’t brought a cell phone—she usually forgot it at home considering she didn’t travel far enough to really need one for emergencies—but if she ducked into a store and used someone’s phone, she could get a cab home.
Home. Erik.
I hope he’s still there.
If he wasn’t, she didn’t want to think about what she’d do.
She stopped worrying, clutched her purse tightly, and ducked down another side street. The wind rushed violently between buildings and tree leaves in the distance rustled. She felt a prickle over her skin, the fine hairs on her arms rising, and then lightning cracked and thunder shook. The rain came down in sudden sheets, drenching her in an instant. There was nowhere to go for shelter but she stuck close to the building at her left, avoiding the worst of it. Her feet splashed through sudden puddles, soaking through her shoes. If she recalled correctly, there was a convenience store just around the corner—they’d have an ATM and, if she looked pitiful enough, maybe they’d let her use their phone.
Addie turned the next corner, expecting to see the convenience store, and instead her eyes settled on a bright red sports car in front of it.
Her stomach plummeted. Though she scanned the area, she didn’t see the people from yesterday. Maybe they were parked there for no reason. M
aybe...
Stop thinking about it, get inside, and call a cab. It’s a public place—even if they are dangerous, no one’s stupid enough to do something in public like that.
She took a deep breath and ran forward.
The car windows were dark and obscured by rain; she couldn’t see if anyone was inside, not without staring which she didn’t want to do. So she ignored it and dove through the door into the store. A bell jangled over her head and she swiped wet hair from her brow, blinking as she glanced around.
The clerk was a teen, some young kid she didn’t know. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and she realized the power was out.
“Electricity just went,” he said with a sigh. “Hadn’t put the sign on the door yet.”
Shit. Well, she might have a little cash in her purse and she thought the cab company in town had debit machines in the vehicles. “Phone?”
He shrugged. “Doesn’t work.” He looked her over, the expression on his young face softening. “Here, lock up, turn the sign over, and I’ll get my cell from the back—it might work.”
“I’d really appreciate that.”
He blushed, nodded, and walked around the counter, disappearing through the staff door at the rear.
Gotta love trusting small towns.
Addie shivered in her wet T-shirt, brushed tendrils of soaked curls from her forehead, and turned to face the front door just as the bell jangled again.
Her eyes widened as she recognized the lanky dark-haired guy, the one she’d seen the day before with the redheaded biker woman. The woman wasn’t with him but there were two other men who stepped into the store after him. She didn’t look at them, however—she couldn’t look away from the one she’d passed off as forgettable the day before. His eyes had settled on her, locking on, and his nostrils flared for a moment’s breath in before recognition passed his face.