Seduced by Danger

by Stephanie Julian

  When she nodded and said, “Go on,” his gaze narrowed for a few seconds before he continued.

  “He gave me the names of five men. The man who’d discovered you and your sister originally, the three men who kidnapped you and killed your parents, and the man who ran the operation in New York. Frank Bennett.”

  She thought for a minute. “He was the bald one, wasn’t he? The one who never—”

  “Yeah,” Michael broke in before she could continue. “That’s him.”

  With her hand on his chest, she felt his heart begin to thud in an angry rhythm. And he grimaced in pain though he tried to hide it.

  Leaning forward, she brushed her lips over his, no pressure, just a fleeting touch before she sat back. It served the purpose. He stilled.

  And she burned just a little hotter.

  “Go on, Michael.”

  After another brief pause, he did. “Bennett’s the last on my list. And I know where to find him.”

  “That’s great. But I want to know about the spell, Michael.”

  His mouth tightened, as if he weren’t going to answer but then he sighed. “I paid a strega to create a cloaking spell, kind of like a glamour, but one that would make me completely invisible when I invoked it. No one, not even the most sensitive ward, would be able to detect me. It worked perfectly. I was never caught.”

  “But you almost died.”

  “Because the spell was tied directly to my arus and, through that, to my nervous system. It had to be, to give it enough power to work.”

  “You did that, knowing it would drain you and kill you.”

  Cara didn’t make it a question and he didn’t bother to answer. The answer was right there in his eyes.

  She blinked away her own tears and had to restrain herself from reaching for him only because she knew if she did, she’d hurt him.

  “Michael…”

  “Cara, I made you a promise. I told you I’d make it safe for you and Aron. And as soon as I can, I will go after Frank Bennett and I will kill him.”

  “But the spell was broken when Sal and…when he saved your life. You can’t go after him by yourself. You’re going to need help.”

  Michael’s eyes narrowed. “That’s the second time you’ve hesitated like that, Cara. What aren’t you telling me?”

  Damn, she had to be careful. Sal had told her not to let Michael know that the Goddess Hinthial had revived him. No one could know she had been there. She still wasn’t sure why the goddess had been with Sal but you didn’t question a deity.

  “I’ve told you everything, Michael. But if I had known you were going on a suicide mission, I would have done everything I could to keep you with me.”

  Cara was hiding something.

  Michael didn’t know what and that was just as confounding as the fact that she’d changed.

  The Cara he’d known before hadn’t questioned. True, she’d been on the run for two years and had been traumatized for several years before that. In the past year, she’d raised a child on her own while learning to live by herself for the first time in her life.

  Stood to reason she’d have changed. And he couldn’t say he didn’t like the new Cara.

  She spoke with a confidence she’d never had before. And she spoke her mind, something he’d tried so hard to get her to do in the two years after her escape. She’d been so damn docile before, it had nearly driven him nuts.

  He’d wanted her to get angry, to rail and rage against the men who’d imprisoned her. She never had and he’d never been able to understand that.

  She should’ve hated every man she’d been forced to fuck, but she had never mentioned them.

  Three years after they’d met, when he’d asked for her exclusively for a week as a reward for a job well done, she’d displayed no anger, no fear, no fight when her captors had simply handed her over like she was a bag of laundry.

  He’d gotten angry on her behalf. And he’d known she was his and he was going to take her. When she’d gotten pregnant that first week, when he’d realized that what he’d sensed as a connection between them was fed by a connection with the child they’d created, he’d started working on a way to get her out.

  And now he wanted to complain because the woman he’d left behind had become the woman he’d always wanted her to be?

  “Michael?”

  He broke away from his thoughts and refocused on Cara, staring down at him, exasperation clear on her face. And beneath it, heat. The heat he’d only seen in her expression when she looked at him.

  “I want you to stop, Michael,” she continued. “I want you to stay with us.”

  Blessed Goddess, what he wouldn’t give to finish this so he could wash the blood off his hands and hold his son. “I can’t. I have to kill Bennett. When he’s dead, this will all be over.”

  It was the one thing that had kept him going. When Bennett was dead, Cara and Aron would be safe.

  Cara sighed and let her hand drift down to his chest, just above his heart. He forgot to brace for pain and was surprised and grateful when he felt only warmth radiate from the point of contact.

  His eyes drifted closed as he sighed and he felt her heat seep further into his body.

  She tensed, as if to pull away, and he placed his hand over hers. “Don’t move. Let it lie there. It helps.”

  So much so, he wanted her to do more than just put her hand on his chest. He wanted her to move that hand lower on his body, to his aching cock. How had he gone from being in so much pain to wanting her so badly?

  Her hand relaxed and the heat spread, easing more of the ache from his body.

  “This isn’t over, Michael,” Cara said. “If you won’t stop then I want you to talk to Teo and his brothers about getting help.”

  He forced himself to bite back the immediate “Hell no” that popped into his head.

  Instead, he looked her straight in the eyes and said, “All right. I’ll talk to them.”

  If she wanted him to talk to her sister’s family, he’d talk. Didn’t mean he’d accept their help though.

  This was his fight. He’d finish it the way he’d started it. Alone.

  Her gaze narrowed as her index finger tapped him in the chest. It should have hurt, considering how he’d felt when he woke. Now, the tiny motion made his cock twitch and harden.

  And her gaze narrowed even further even as the heat in her gaze intensified. “Michael. I know that look. I know what you’re thinking. When you left the first time…”

  She didn’t finish her sentence and he realized he was holding his breath, waiting for her to finish.

  Instead, she bent forward to kiss him.

  He sucked in a breath just before her lips touched his and every ache and pain in his body faded away. As if he’d never felt better.

  He didn’t stop to give it a lot of thought though. Instead, he kissed her back.

  She relaxed into him immediately and he wrapped his arms around her, bringing her tight against him.

  But as soon as her breasts pressed against his, she pulled back with a little gasp.

  “Blessed Goddess, I’m sorry. I should go.”

  Her expression looked stricken and he sat there, dumbstruck for several seconds as she shook her head then got up to leave. He grabbed her hand and held on, keeping her on the bed.

  “What’s wrong? Cara?”

  She shook her head again, refusing to meet his eyes. “Nothing. You need to rest. You don’t need me—”

  She tugged on her hand again but he wasn’t letting her go.

  He wanted to say, “Yes, I do need you, Cara. More than you know.” But he couldn’t do that to her. He would be leaving as soon as he could to finish off Bennett. And he probably wouldn’t make it out alive.

  He took a closer look at her and saw an emotion he’d never wanted to see on her face again. Shame.

  Why—

  She wanted him. She needed sex and she wanted him but she thought he wasn’t up to it.

  Relief mixed wi
th his desire for her, drowning out the lingering pain.

  “Cara, strip.”

  Her eyes flew open as she stared at him like he was crazy. “What are you talking about? You can’t mean… No.” She shook her head. “You’re in no shape—”

  “Cara, if I didn’t feel well enough, I’d let you know. But,” he waved a hand toward his straining cock, “believe me when I say I’m up for anything you want.”

  She bit her lip and shook her head. “No, Michael. You’re not.”

  Instead of wasting any more words, he sat up, ignoring the slight twinges in his muscles, cupped her chin and kissed her.

  He didn’t use a lot of force but he didn’t let her pull away either. And when he felt her desire rise like a wave of heat around her, he slid his tongue into her mouth.

  Like he’d flicked a switch, Cara moaned and kissed him back, letting her tongue tangle with his for several seconds until she tried to pull back again.

  Michael refused to allow her to do it. Instead, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and twisted until he had her flat on the bed. Her eyes flew open and she stared at him as he stripped her t-shirt and shorts from her body in seconds.

  He had no qualms about using her own nature against her. He wanted her, she wanted him. More importantly, she needed him.

  And that made him feel like he could run a marathon right now.

  He stopped for a brief second after she was naked to take in her gorgeous body. Her full, round breasts quivered as she drew in each breath. The pale expanse of her stomach. Her smooth, naked mound and long, slim legs.

  He wanted those legs spread wide while his fingers played with her clit. While he gave her the sexual energy she needed to live.

  With deliberate motions, he lifted one leg so he could sit on his knees between hers, keeping her open for him.

  He laid one hand on her mound as he used the other to lift her hand and bring it to his cock. With their gazes locked, she wrapped her fingers around him as she took a deep breath. Then her tongue came out to lick her lips and she tightened her hand around him, almost to the point of pain.

  His body responded with a surge of heat, blood pounding into his cock. He saw her lips lift in a smile as the lingering doubt in her eyes vanished.

  She pumped her hand from the root to the tip and back again, keeping a steady pressure. Letting his gaze drop, he watched her hand work him, watched her slim fingers slide on his darker flesh.

  Mesmerized, he saw her lift her other hand to cup his balls, felt her fingers caress the sac then move back to caress the sensitive skin between his anus and his balls. The sensation sent a raft of shivers through him and a drop of pre-cum slid from the tip of his cock.

  He sucked in air as her talented hands stroked, caressed and tormented. He felt cum boil in his balls and his gaze shot to hers.

  “Cara…”

  His strangled cry made her grip him even more tightly. His cock responded with a surge and, in a flash, Cara lifted her body off the bed and bent to take him into her mouth.

  As he watched, she sucked him in hard, took him deep and used her own hands to play with her clit. He tried to hold on, tried to make it last but her mouth and his tangled emotions conspired against him.

  He came with a shout, pumping his release into her mouth. She held him there until his last spasm, moaning around him as she reached her own orgasm.

  She gave him one last lick before falling back on the bed, a satisfied smile on her face as she stared up at him.

  He collapsed beside her and was asleep before he could say a word.

  Chapter Three

  When Michael woke next, he remembered to open his eyes slowly.

  No burn, no headache. No Cara either.

  He wiggled his fingers and toes then moved to his arms and legs when nothing hurt. By the time he’d sat up, the only thing that hurt was his stomach. He was starving.

  He looked around, noticing the complete absence of light around the windows. Must be night. At this time of the year, that had to mean it was after nine p.m.

  Now sitting on the edge of the bed, he listened to the sounds of the house, hearing a faint rumble of adult voices. Not close. Probably downstairs.

  Out of bed, he found his clothes folded on the chest against the side wall. Now dressed, he headed out to find the voices.

  And froze in the hall when he felt the presence of his son close by. Concentrating, he let his connection to Aron draw him to the room two doors down the hall.

  His chest tightened with anxiety and a deep-seated longing to see his son.

  The door was cracked open so it only took a small push for it to swing wide enough to let him in.

  And his heart nearly beat out of his chest when the boy stirred in the bed and looked straight at him.

  Michael froze, dreading the moment Aron would scream in fright at the strange man standing in his dark room. Instead, Aron sat up, his sturdy little body covered only in a t-shirt and diaper.

  A nightlight on the wall next to the door gave enough light for Michael to see him clearly. Would Aron recognize him? Or had he been gone too long?

  Great Gods, please don’t let him scream.

  Aron stared at him for several seconds, reaching up to rub his eyes and yawn.

  Then he held out his arms. “Daddy. Pick me up.”

  Michael thought his heart might have stopped once again but he moved to the bed, reached out and lifted the boy against his chest.

  Blessed Goddess, he must have grown almost a foot and gained fifteen pounds.

  Aron wrapped his arms around his neck and his legs around his lower chest and hugged him tight.

  His eyes filling with tears, Michael held Aron, careful not to squeeze him too tight but unable to speak for fear he’d lose control and cry.

  Aron remembered him, knew who he was and accepted him. Fierce joy lit through him and he held Aron and rocked him, just as he had when he was a baby.

  “Wanna drink, Daddy. Get me a drink.”

  Michael pulled back to look at Aron. The boy didn’t look sleepy at all. In fact, he had a little smile on his face, as if he knew he was going to get whatever he wanted.

  And he would.

  “Okay, luri,” the Etruscan endearment “brightness of the stars” rolled off his tongue without thought, “we’ll get you something to drink.”

  With a smile, Aron laid his head back down on Michael’s shoulder.

  They didn’t speak again as Michael took him down the stairs. When they reached the first floor, Michael stopped. The voices were louder and coming from the back of the house. He identified at least five different people, including Cara.

  Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Michael listened. The voices weren’t coming from the sitting room to the left of the stairs, nor were they coming from the room at the end of the short hallway leading from the front door. He figured everyone was gathered in the kitchen at the back of the house.

  Since he refused to be a coward, he forced himself to walk back there and face whatever awaited him.

  He wasn’t prepared to see ten people crammed into Sal’s kitchen. Of those, he knew Cara, Sal, Lacey and her mate Teo.

  The other six… Well, if he had to hazard a guess, he’d say the three men were related to Teo. They all had the same dark hair and the same assessing gaze.

  The three women… Mates, of course.

  “Well, don’t just stand there, son.” Sal jumped off his chair next to Cara at the head of the table. “Come on in and sit down. We were hoping you’d wake soon.”

  While everyone looked at him, Michael tightened his arms around Aron. He had the completely unreasonable fear that Aron would see all of these other people and want to go to one of them.

  Or that Cara would somehow reject him and—

  Vaffanculo, he was an idiot. Since when did he need to be accepted by anyone other than those he chose to be accepted by?

  But this was Cara’s family. And yes, that mattered. As it never had before.


  As Sal moved by him to grab another chair from the formal dining table in the next room, Michael nodded in the general direction of the table then walked to Cara’s side. As he approached, her lips curved in a smile though he was pretty sure it was directed at Aron, who had lifted his head to check out the room.

  “I see your son managed to wheedle his way out of bed,” Cara said. “You were supposed to be asleep, little man. Did you wake your daddy?”

  Aron grinned, his lips curved in the smile of a child who knew he was adored. And able to get away with just about anything if he looked cute enough.

  “No,” Aron said. “He came to get me.”

  Michael’s gaze flew back to Cara’s, his back stiffening. “He was awake when I went in the room. I thought he’d be asleep.”

  Cara’s quick smile eased the tightness of his spine. “He’s been asking for you. Somehow he knew you were here. I’ve had a hard time keeping him from tearing down the doors but you needed your sleep.”

  “Cookie?” Aron slapped his hands on the table as Michael settled him on his lap, making all the adults smile.

  Lacey, Cara’s fraternal twin, took a chocolate chip cookie from the plate in the center of the table and handed it to Aron, who grabbed it as if it would disappear. “Here you go, cookie monster.” Her eyes lifted to his, the smile on her face welcoming. “Hello, Michael. It’s nice to see you again.”

  He swallowed, trying not to let everyone in the room see how nervous he actually was. “Lacey.” He transferred his gaze to the man sitting next to her. “Teodoro.”

  Teo nodded then pointed to the other people at the table. “Rio, Rosie, Ellie, Antonin, Cam and Stella. The men are my brothers. The women are their obvious better halves. How are you feeling?”

  Considering he was up and moving without pain, he figured he felt pretty damn good. “I’m fine. I want to thank you—”

  “No need.” Teo cut him off. “Cara and Aron are family. That means more than anything to the de Feos. We take care of our family.”

  Michael nodded, noting he hadn’t been included in that little grouping. And he understood. He was Mal. He’d never be anything else to these people. No matter—