by Eliza Gayle
“I’m so sorry it took me so long to get here,” he said.
She shook her head, still unable to form words as the scalding flood of emotions from the past two days engulfed her.
Adrenalin coursed through every vein, pushing everything else away, leaving her raw and open. Hot flames of desire licked at her skin when Lucas wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and slanted his mouth over hers, licking and nibbling at her lips.
The taste and heat of his kiss flooded her and brief thoughts of her mating call flared up again. She wanted him, her body so hot she feared she might combust, but the thought of him becoming her mate without love scared her to death.
She liked him. Despite the stubbornness he displayed at every turn, she sensed his intentions were honest and true. Yes, she was attracted to him, craved him even, but she didn’t love him any more than he loved her.
When his tongue slid between her lips, she moaned at the delicious friction he created with the rough texture of his tongue.
How was she supposed to deny this?
Her arms tightened around his neck as he devoured her mouth and pulled her tight against him, his rigid erection fitting perfectly between the juncture of her thighs. She liked the possessive way he held her, rubbed against her, as if seeking more touch and more pleasure for them both.
“If we don’t stop now, I will take you right here,” he warned, his voice rough and dark, sending a direct pulse of pleasure straight to her center. His free hand cupped her breast, tracing the skin to her sore nipple where he gently caressed the tender area, wiping away the lingering pain.
“I don’t care.”
He trailed kisses from her jaw to her neck and onward until his warm breath floated across the puckered flesh of her taut nipple. He moved against her hips, his shaft rubbing the full length of her damp heat.
Wetness pooled against her panties and, so help her, she wanted him right here and right now. No waiting. No thinking about what they should be doing. Or if this was the right thing. Now. Only him. Nothing mattered beyond the need of having him inside her right now.
“I’m not sure I can be gentle this time.” His breathing sounded labored as she imagined him fighting for control. “The animal in me wants to mount you, take you hard. You’re mine, damn it.”
“It’s okay. I’m okay”
“No, it’s not. I should have protected you.”
“You saved me.” She bit at his flat, pointed nipples then. Hard nips that made him unleash a series of growls. A sexy, possessive sound rumbled through his chest. Her sex clenched, more moisture spilling onto her sensitive skin.
His nostrils flared and she knew he smelled the extent of her arousal. She unwrapped her arms and legs from around him, nearly tumbling them to the ground. She hastily jerked her panties from her legs and relaxed back against the rock, lifting herself up to part her thighs just enough.
“Kiss me, Lucas, I need you.” The sound he made should have worried her, but it didn’t. This primal, nature of his animal half touched something deep and dark inside her. A place that created liquid fire in her body at every thought of her mate. Something that refused to be denied.
His hand snaked out and reached between her thighs, running his fingers through her kinky curls. His fingers swirled through the moisture and slipped inside.
“Yes!” she hissed through clenched teeth, drowning in the pleasure of friction surging over her. That simple jolt nearly threw her over the edge. Her climax was already building, and if he hit just the right spot...
His head bent to her apex and he lapped at her. The breath left Kira’s lungs, leaving her unable to utter a sound. His lips wrapped around her clit and sucked while he used his fingers to make her wild. She heard herself scream as the passion flooded through her and she hit the point of no return, tumbling head first over the edge.
She pulsed around his fingers and writhed against his mouth, light and flame overtaking her senses. So wrapped up in the haze of her orgasm, she was surprised to find herself flipped onto her belly, Lucas pressing against her backside before sliding lower to nudge her opening. Rough hands dug into her hips as he worked his length inside in short, hard thrusts.
“Yes, please—please,” she begged for more.
He sank balls deep inside her slick channel, pushing her against the rock and sending jolts of pleasure through her. She faced forward, searching for something to grab onto for leverage and came face to face with Kane who stood about twenty feet off to the side, watching. In her desperation and need for Lucas she’d forgotten she had seen two big cats.
He was naked as well, his hand working between his legs as Lucas pounded into her. His dark beauty entranced and fascinated her as she studied the way he stroked himself from base to tip with a tight fist. She had never watched a man touch himself before, and the sight of it struck her as darkly erotic and turned her on even more.
With every pulse and thrust of Lucas inside her, teasing her nerve endings and sensitive walls, she came closer and closer to the edge again. Faster and faster Lucas took her, until he swelled inside her. She writhed beneath him, pushing against him, taking him deeper. The heat built impossibly high until she screamed out his name, her body exploding just as he jerked against her in his own release. Lucas pulsed inside her at the same time Kane let loose with a wail and his orgasm shot to the forest floor.
As the waves of aftershocks began to fade, Kira collapsed onto the rock. Too satisfied and too tired to feel bad about what had happened or the fact she had momentarily enjoyed the fact someone had watched, she closed her eyes and thought of her mate. When they had come together, her body had once again burned for him to complete the mating ritual. Instinct had demanded it.
She had even experienced a moment of anger when he didn’t bite her.
Now that the fever had begun to cool, she didn’t know what to think or how to process these feelings. Instead, she kept her eyes closed, afraid to look at Lucas and see regret while she still felt the dark pleasure of him coursing through her veins.
Lucas slid from her body and gathered her in his arms. “Akira, come home with me. Let me take you to my bed, feel you safe in my arms. I need more time,” Lucas whispered in her ear.
His voice sounded ragged and confused, just like she felt. She nodded against his chest, not ready to speak. Afraid to break the tenuous bond they had just formed. At her consent, he picked her up and began carrying her home.
23
Lucas worried. So much so that he’d walked away from Kane, leaving him to deal with the mess. But killing Lara while on top of Kira had scared the shit out of him. She had looked so pale and frightened. Yet he’d taken her as if he had never been with another woman. Adrenaline and emotion had been high and the urge to mate with her had been a compelling force. Just as he’d been about to come he’d looked down at her neck, the mark calling out to him. His mouth had watered with the need to bite into her succulent flesh in the one spot that would change their lives forever. Thank God for Kane and his voyeurism. Seeing him across the clearing with his fist wrapped around his dick had provided enough of a distraction to keep him from doing something both he and Kira would later regret.
She made him feel and he wasn’t too sure if that was a good thing or not. He had to maintain control at all times and unnecessary attachments were out of the question. He had a tough job and sometimes it got ugly. That didn’t make him a lot of friends.
He turned to look at her sleeping form. Would he want to take her as a mate? It didn’t matter. His clan would never allow it. Shapeshifters did not mix well and were forbidden to mate with other races. It was one of the many reasons they isolated themselves from other clans.
Kira stirred, mumbling something in her sleep he couldn’t quite understand. He ran his fingers through her hair and spoke softly to her trying to comfort her as he would a child, but touching her like this caused his blood to heat. He definitely couldn’t get enough of her. She’d tormented his dreams for so lo
ng and now here she was: all soft flesh and beautiful heat. He lowered his head down to hers and touched her lips with his own for a gentle kiss. They were silky soft and slightly swollen from their earlier encounter.
He needed to know what they would feel like wrapped around his cock? That image caused a slight growl to escape his lips.
Would you like me to show you?
He started, not expecting her to have heard his thoughts. She giggled and her eyes popped open. “It’s hard to get any rest around here when all you can think about is sex.”
He rolled on top of her, pinning her in place. “You little minx. Don’t you know it’s not polite to listen to others’ private thoughts?” he growled. He pressed against her leg as she squirmed around, trying to get out from under him.
“Is that a no?” she asked. Before he could answer she got a leg out and around him, flipping him onto his back. She straddled his hips, raking his naked torso inch by inch with her inquisitive gaze. From a distance he knew his chest appeared hairless, but in reality there was a layer of blond fur that covered every inch of him.
“It’s so soft. I’ve never felt anything like it.” Bending to take one of his hardened nipples between her teeth, she smoothed her hands over his muscled abs. Her hot mouth exploring his skin drove him insane. He needed to be inside her, filling her. Wanted to feel him stretching her again. Desperate to touch her again, he traced his fingers along the sensitive skin of her side, admiring the dip of her waist and outward curve of her hips. He rested his hands on her waist, reaching his fingers around her body. Their bodies fit, like they were made for each other. Amazing.
She bit at his nipples again, back and forth between the two, sending shivers of sexual need straight to his aching cock. When her lips began a trail down to his belly, his hands bit into her waist as he fought the urge to take her with violence.
She wanted this time to explore and he would try to give it to her, even if it killed him.
She reached for his buckle and unfastened his pants. “I don’t understand why you even bothered to dress.” His cock sprang free, bouncing against his abs before she fisted him with both hands. He sucked in a sharp breath, silently pleading with her to let him fuck her mouth. Yeah, this kind of restraint was not in his nature.
She bent down and cautiously licked around the tip, the skin pulled tight and throbbing for release. A drop of cum beaded at the top and she greedily licked him clean. He tried thrusting his hips to get inside her mouth, but she held fast and refused to be rushed.
“Be patient. You’ll get your turn to be in control later.” She eyed him wickedly as he arched his eyebrow.
“I don’t give up control to anyone, Kira. It’s not who I am.”
“Then don't think about it as control. Instead you'll be letting me please you in my own way.”
He paused, considering her request before assenting. “Only if you let me play, too.” He saw the moment she realized what he was talking about. A sly smile curved her lips upwards.
“Deal.”
Wiggling her body around so she could get to him from a different angle, she thrust her ass in the air, positioning her glistening pussy right in front of his face.
Fuck yeah. He stroked her hips, savoring the moment before he dove in.
On a moan she engulfed him all the way to the back of her throat. “Ooh, fuck! Yes.” He grabbed her ass to keep himself from shooting off the bed as she began sucking him in and out of her mouth.
He needed a distraction to regain some control or this would all be over in a matter of minutes. He stroked two fingers along her slick folds before pushing them into her opening. Her satiny walls caressed him as he curved upward searching for her inner sweet spot, the one that would make her quiver and beg and forget all about being in charge.
When her lower body jerked against his face, he knew he’d found it. He flicked it a few times to watch her reaction and then started a stroke in and out of her in a strong but slow movement, designed to tease and torment her sweet heat.
He smiled when her muscles squeezed around his fingers as he picked up the pace and fucked her harder.
She responded by grazing her teeth along his shaft, causing his muscles to clench in fevered agony. He tilted his head up and ran his tongue along her entire slit, up one side and down the other, paying close attention to her gorgeous clit with every pass.
She moaned around him.
Sucking him in as deep as she could take it, Kira kept a tight fist at the base. She felt his orgasm rising as his shaft swelled even more with each pulse. Encouraged by his reactions, she thrust her lips around him faster. His fingers and tongue were driving her wild and she couldn’t hold back much longer. The direct pressure he continued to apply on her G-spot with every stroke was more than she could bear.
She was losing control... Her orgasm burst free around his fingers and her muscles convulsed, clutching him tightly.
At nearly the same time he pulsed in her mouth and flooded her with his release. She continued to suck and lick as fast as she could until she’d taken every last drop and he slumped against the mattress.
His fingers slipped from her as her knees buckled and she fell limp across his strong thighs.
For a few blissful moments she basked in the feelings of euphoria they created together. There was no denying he completed her and the urge to tell him, share the moment overwhelmed her. Her mouth opened and then snapped shut. What the hell was she thinking? How could she forget her problems? Like slamming into a brick wall—her body locked up.
“Kira, what’s wrong?” He sounded so worried.
She rolled off of him and grasped the sheet, covering her breasts. “Nothing.” She couldn’t tell him. Wouldn’t take away his choice. In the long run he’d resent it and she would eventually pay for that. “I just want to get cleaned up.” Tears welled in her eyes that she desperately wanted to hide. Yanking the sheet around her body, she practically ran to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
24
Malcolm paced around his office. It had been twenty-four hours since he’d heard from Lara and it was unsettling to say the least. The idiot little witch probably screwed up again and didn’t want to tell him.
Looking down at his hands, he realized he’d been clenching his fists so tight he had broken the skin.
God, not having his powers drove him crazy. He wanted to reach for her telepathically and couldn’t. He wanted to run wild and free through the woods in his cougar form, and couldn’t. It was pure misery being forced to live like a mortal, but with a raging beast inside him always fighting to get free.
It was way past time to find a solution. The debilitating pain of a caged animal diminished his strength and the only control he still maintained was his hold over the witch who worked with him. Fortunately, no one else had noticed the change in his abilities either and still feared the wrath of a former Death Enforcer. However, that tenuous hold wouldn’t last forever.
His brothers alone held the answers he sought, but were not willing to go against the council to even speak to him. Their lack of faith and inability to stand on their own would eventually lead to their downfall.
He’d kept his part in Lucas’ capture a secret in the hope that lack of information would eventually lead to him lowering his guard. It did not.
Now he would have to rethink his strategy once he had his hands on his brother again. Dealing with his family’s ignorance for all of these years had to come to an end.
Sure, he had dabbled in the dark arts with a few witches in his time, but he hadn’t planned on risking exposure to mortals by doing so. But in his eyes the punishment most certainly did not fit the crime.
Those witches had been such fun. They were the most sexually adventurous women he’d met.
Unlike the uptight feline bitches of his clan. Remembering his last attempt at a little light bondage with a feline made the scars on his back itch. He had needed more. He’d ached to be in complete control of ever
y aspect of his life, and for a while those three witches had fulfilled all of his desires. He should have known they couldn’t be trusted to keep his secrets.
Just like Lara. Another dark witch who had promised to help him. Like him, she’d been banished by her Coven and even the other dark witches feared her. In the past she’d been eager to serve him, but recently—in fact, ever since he had gotten her to capture Lucas—he sensed her evasiveness. She seemed to have an agenda he couldn't uncover and now seemingly had gone off the plan and on her own.
“Dammit, I have to find her and it looks like I’ll have to do it myself.” But, first things first. He had to do something about the crippling pain locked inside him.
So far he’d found only one way to a temporary reprieve and just thinking about how to punish Lara when he found her had his dick rock hard and desperate for release.
He needed a clear head and a plan to go after his family and his wayward witch and for that he needed a partner.
Thinking over the possibilities, he called for Krissy to join him in his office. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and withdrew the restraints and his thick leather whip.
Krissy would have to endure Lara’s punishment for now.
The door slid quietly open and the voluptuous Krissy sauntered in. She was dressed in combat gear, having just come from the training field. Her tank top molded to her large breasts, showing her peaked nipples. Her snug camouflage pants barely concealed what he knew to be long, lean legs. He imagined spreading those legs wide and tying them down to his bed one at a time.
They’d look even better with red welts striping them. His cock stiffened more. When she was tied up and helpless, her body would ache in anticipation. Hot tears would streak her face as she begged for him to whip her more.