by Eliza Gayle
Maybe this time he’d tie her down on her stomach instead and drive into her hot, tight ass. Yes, that would be just the way to gain her submission.
Of course, not until she begged. The animal’s rage inside him would settle for no less.
“Strip now,” Malcolm demanded.
“But, Mal—” He cut her off with a jerk of her arm.
“I am your master and you will not speak to me unless spoken to, do you understand?” He waited for her answer while he watched her emotions flicker through her eyes.
Sure, he made her angry when he demanded total obedience, but he also recognized desire. She had been worked long and hard to get in his bed for quite some time, but mistakenly thought she would do it on her own terms.
The memory made him want to chuckle, but he held it in. There was no humor to be found in this dark and desperate act. The depravity that held the pain at bay came at a very high price and he understood that the day would come to pay.
But today was not that day.
He returned his focus to the woman standing in front of him with her eyes cast to the floor. She had come to understand he would only accept her if she was willing to surrender one hundred percent.
“Strip,” he repeated.
“Yes, sir,” she whispered, putting down her weapons as she began removing her clothes.
Oh yes, today her submission and payment for Lara’s latest betrayal was going to be very, very sweet.
25
Lucas padded quietly along the forest floor, searching. His paws were sensitive to every blade of grass, fallen leaf, or patch of mud, making him capable of discerning even the smallest change in the environment. He had been following an unusual scent for over an hour now and had to be getting close to finding the source.
When Kane told him Lara’s body had gone missing, he had left Kira with him and set out to search. He’d returned to the scene of the crime and retraced her death. How could a dead body disappear within minutes of the fight and with two powerful hunters nearby? However it happened, he knew for certain he had to find her before some stray hunter did and put out a call for help. The last thing they needed were the locals poking around their woods and asking questions.
He’d left his brother behind to take care of the woman not only because he needed someone to watch out for Kira, but also to give his brother some time to sort out what he’d seen. For the first time in he didn’t know how long, he had lost control with a woman.
He wanted to explain, but how did you do that when you didn’t even understand the change yourself? Everything about Kira seemed different from any woman he’d been with before and he didn’t want to believe it all had to do with the mark on the back of her neck. Right now emotions were running high and more than ever he needed to focus on his job.
Lucas let the early, cool mountain air ripple over his fur, regulating his body temperature as he continued his pursuit of the offensive scent. It didn’t smell like the witch but it carried an evil stench in a similar manner that made his stomach turn in disgust. Who was he following? And what had they decided to do about Lara?
The memory of Lara’s hands wrapped around Kira’s neck, choking her, burned in his blood again. Killing her so quickly hadn’t been enough. She should have suffered like she’d made Kira suffer. As she had made him suffer.
His need to protect Kira had grown exponentially in the last twenty-four hours and, despite taking her several times, he was nowhere near satisfied. He wanted more, needed to have her again and again. He wanted to plunge into her wetness, savor her unique sweet flavor, watch her lips wrap around him again... And he loved the way her eyes glowed with pleasure when she came.
What would it take to satisfy his hunger with her? Would it ever be enough?
He had to be careful. If the Council found out a rival clan member was staying with him and that he was her potential mate, there’d be serious consequences for him.
Who was he kidding? They would find out. It was just a matter of time. You couldn’t hide secrets in the Tail of the Dragon; they whispered on the wind. And when they found out, they would never accept an official mating between the clans.
Demands would be made. Lines drawn.
To his surprise, Kira had not spoken to him about the mating ritual or their fate. Didn’t she care enough about him to consider the possibility?
Unless she already came to the same realization he had and decided it wasn’t meant to be. His chest constricted at the thought of Kira leaving him to return to her home.
He had to stop moving to take some deep breaths and shake the heavy, ominous sensation. He struggled with thoughts of unexpected pain and discomfort as he absorbed the implications of her leaving as well as her staying.
Why did that make him uncomfortable? Not once had he ever needed or wanted a permanent companion. He enjoyed his solitude too much and could never be happy without it. Right?
26
Kira looked around the room, contemplating what to do first. Restless since she’d heard Lucas leave, she searched for ideas.
Admiring his cabin, she walked into the kitchen. A small pine table sat in the corner with only one chair underneath it.
Everything was put away and the place was as neat as a pin, which totally freaked her out. How could someone be this neat? Even the military didn’t expect this from her.
The cabinets looked hand carved and the soft, earthy colors soothed her frazzled nerves and encouraged her to relax and take some time to explore. It was obvious only one person lived here by the lack of duplicates.
His dishes didn’t come in sets, only a solitary towel hung in the bathroom and the living room only contained the bare essentials of furniture. She guessed Lucas didn’t entertain much and instead spent a great deal of time alone.
She understood that. When you don’t feel like you fit in, you choose to separate yourself from others rather than share a lot of awkward moments. Yeah, not like she knew anything about that.
Her relationships with men to date had never lasted more than one night. Of that she made sure. She loved having sex, lots of sex, and looked forward to every encounter. As long as it ended in the morning.
Now, being drawn to her mate time and time again made it almost impossible to walk away. She found that she burned for him every waking moment. She wanted him buried deep inside her at every opportunity. Just thinking of him now caused her sex to spasm, making her slick and ready. What would happen when one or both of them walked away?
Well, she knew what would happen to her physically, but what about her heart? Was she falling in love with him this quick? Could she ever trust him?
Not if he kept leaving her in the dark like this, expecting her to wait for him. She needed to be out, helping him find that bitch’s dead body, but he’d snuck out without her.
What a waste of time for him and Kane to try to hide their conversation from her by whispering outside. She had no problem walking through minds when she had a mission to accomplish or if she just plain needed to find out what was going on.
She’d heard all the shocking details about the missing body and Kane’s fruitless search. If Lucas had trusted her with this information, he would have seen she was perfectly capable of helping him accomplish any job. Just because she couldn’t shift didn’t mean her abilities weren’t useful.
She’d had a close call with Lara, which left her with the need for some payback. Sure, Lucas eliminated Lara quickly, but in hindsight it would have been a better idea to attempt an interrogation to find out who else was involved before taking such drastic measures. Kira thought about the excruciating pain she’d endured and imagined how much worse it might have gotten if Lucas hadn’t arrived when he had.
Chills raced across her body, raising gooseflesh on her arms. She had a bad feeling this was far from over. She needed to return to the latest crime scene and appropriate some intel, conduct a proper investigation. Ignoring her instincts would be a mistake.
Now that she h
ad a plan, she reached out for Kane’s location so she could slip past him. Lucas had asked him to stay and keep an eye on her. She shook her head and chuckled. “Men.” They just had no idea. Realizing he was sitting in the rocker on the front porch, she slipped out the side door in the kitchen without a sound. He and Lucas were probably going to be pissed when they discovered her gone, but hey, that was their problem.
27
Lucas continued to trail the scent for hours and still nothing. No body, no other people, nothing but a strange smell.
He had looped back around and was now only a few kilometers from his home and Kira. He longed to be with her again. To touch her, make her squirm and scream in ecstasy. His pace quickened in anticipation. Would she be spread out on his bed, waiting? Or would she be curled up with a pillow, giving him a delectable view of her full, heart shaped ass that he had an unholy love of?
His thoughts had frequently strayed to that luscious ass and he wondered if she would let him take her there. He imagined easing into her tight rosebud, seating himself to his balls. He just knew her ass would grip him so tight he’d have to use every ounce of control not to come instantly.
Through the trees he caught sight of his cabin. He jumped onto the ground and sprinted toward the house, anxious to be with his woman. He might have to consider sending out a tracker to search for the missing witch, considering neither he nor Kane had found her.
The council would also have to be notified of his return and briefed on the circumstances of his capture and escape. Once he reported in, hiding Kira would no longer be an option, but having a missing body somewhere in his woods would only endanger them all. His role required action no matter the consequences.
He shifted back to human form as his paws hit the front steps.
Kane sat outside, waiting for him to return. When he caught sight of Lucas he stood to greet him and stopped short. When he started howling with laughter, Lucas remembered he was naked from the shift and fully aroused.
A glance down confirmed his predicament. He shrugged That’s what his mate did to him. He raised his head and locked gazes with his brother. Fuck it. It wasn’t as if Kane hadn’t seem him like this before.
“Hey, bro, you having a little problem?” Kane snickered while nodding his head down to Lucas’ groin.
“Yeah, one I’m about to rectify. So thanks for your help, but hit the road.”
“Uhm...yeah...about that...”
28
Kira traveled through the dense forest for hours, trying to locate the original scene, methodically searching the brush and scattered debris along the way as well as her mind for much needed clues. Finally stepping into the clearing, she let the surge of sudden anger that had remained on the scene wash over her.
Humiliation burned her face as she remembered how easily Lara had gotten the best of her despite her extensive training. Her psychic powers were declining too rapidly. It even affected her physical abilities. Time was definitely running out for her.
After a few more minutes of self-indulgent venting, Kira moved over to the rock across the clearing from where she’d been sitting. She remembered seeing some sort of objects resting on the rocks she thought had been weapons.
Lara had turned her back on her and spent a good deal of time fiddling with the items that had rested on the rock. Where had they gone when Lara had been killed, she wondered? Had Kane picked them up and not mentioned it to Lucas? That didn’t sound right.
The first time Kane had touched her, she had sensed an almost child-like sense of honesty in him. Horn dog tendencies aside, he possessed a rare pure heart. She shook her head. No, something else was going on here and she hadn’t picked up on it yet.
Leaning forward, she touched the smooth rock with both hands and reached for the Tallan, pulling the energy of the circle inward, giving her the boost she needed to see what others could not. Color and light blended, her vision blurred as she drew the power around her.
A piercing pain struck her in the head as she saw Lara standing in the spot Kira now occupied. Lara’s essence invaded her body as she waited, causing nausea to roll through her. As Kira’s stomach revolted, Lara began touching the items on the rock.
Her words were mumbled preventing Kira from making out what she chanted. Kira’s sight followed Lara’s hands to get a closer look and saw three unusual objects: a simple bladed knife with an intricately carved handle, a small black bottle with a cork stopper, and a flat metal disk with a pentacle etched on it.
Tools of a witch.
Unable to decipher what the combination of these three objects were used for, Kira attempted to reach further into Lara’s mind. Not everyone with her gift could maneuver this deeply into another mind because it scared them. It was her ability to do it easily and effectively that made her different from most of the other woman in her Clan and why they considered her even more dangerous during her mating call.
Again, the mind numbing pain in her head struck her, fighting for a stronger hold. Dark images floated across her eyes and she knew then she couldn’t maintain the link. The darkness of Lara pulled her towards a painful abyss. She had to pull out fast before she hurt herself.
Pushing away from the dark aura around her, Lara turned and grabbed Kira’s arm in a tight vise, locking her inside. She was trapped. The mystery in Lara’s glowing eyes beckoned her irresistibly and, when her lips curled into a satisfied smile, Kira’s fear and anger knotted inside her. As the pain increased, she wavered, helpless to stop the invasion. Her last thought before succumbing to the darkness was of Lucas. She should have left him a note. Always have backup. No truer words had been spoken.
When would she ever trust?
Hearing Lara mocking her weakness, Kira opened her eyes. “Ah, are you finally going to wake up and play with me? I would have expected someone with your skills and abilities to be more fun, not so weak.” Lara glared at Kira as she lay there helpless.
“I thought you were dead,” Kira stuttered. She did feel weak and couldn’t seem to get her bearings. She sat up and scanned the area around her for a sign of something familiar. Her eyes adjusted to the dark and damp gloom of the cave. Smoke swirled in the room, accompanied by a rancid odor she couldn’t identify.
Turning back to Lara, she noticed her pupils were now black as coal and rimmed in red fire. Lara barely resembled a human woman anymore. In fact she looked more like a creature.
“Dead?” She opened her mouth and roared. “Not hardly. The lot of you are fools to think you can handle me. My revenge has just begun.”
“Revenge? For what? Where are we?” The last thing she remembered was getting into Lara’s head, but somewhere along the line she’d lost control. Her head still pounded but the adrenalin from fear and anger pushed her forward.
Lara stormed across the cave floor. Her hand swung up, slapping Kira across the face, whipping her head back against a rock wall. The resounding crack reverberated across the cave, shocking Kira from her stupor. She sprang into a crouch and swept her right leg around her body, knocking Lara off her feet and flat on her back. Quickly rising up, Kira slammed her boot against Lara’s neck, pinning her to the ground.
“Did you just bitch slap me? Are you kidding me? Enough of your bullshit. What exactly is your fucking problem?” Her anger swelled, as did her power. As Kira lifted her boot to kick Lara in the stomach, she dissolved into a mist. Kira sprang back into a fighting stance and swung around, searching the cave for Lara.
Before Kira could spot her, Lara threw up her hands, throwing two flaming energy balls at her. Kira sprang to her left but not quite fast enough as one of the balls hit her in the thigh. The excruciating pain sizzled down her leg as she slammed into the wall.
The smell of her burning flesh filled the cave along with the sound of Lara’s deep chuckle. Images swirled together, a dark haired man standing behind a snarling Lara, the scent of blood and familiar voices faded as Kira slipped into the oblivion of unconsciousness. Damn it. Not again.
&
nbsp; Akira. Damn it, Kira, answer me.
She heard Lucas in her head, but when she tried to answer him, her brain wouldn’t respond. She lay there for a few minutes more, letting her body adjust. Looking around, the swaying trees seemed too peaceful. She realized she was lying next to the same rock where Lara had stood fiddling with her Wiccan weapons.
What the hell had happened and, more importantly, what was that god awful smell? It seemed so familiar. Sitting up, she searched the area for the source. Something on the ground caught her eye. Bending over, she picked up a small vial. There was no label on it so she unscrewed the top, raised it to her nose and took a big sniff. “Eww, that stinks.” Rubbing her nose to help rid herself of the foul stench, her vision blurred, sliding her consciousness into a different reality, and it finally dawned on her. “That smells like lavender mixed with something else. Something dark.” Like a fog clearing, she realized what was going on. “Holy shit! Black magic.” Sweat broke out on her palms and her heart raced faster than it should. Her recent vision revealed not only was Lara not dead, but she had something much bigger planned and she wasn’t doing it alone.
Kira, where the fuck are you and why the hell aren’t you answering me? Lucas was in her head again.
This time she could have answered him if she wanted, but chose not to. The man in her vision...it had to be him and he was with Lara. He’d been lying to her. Stringing her along. The pain of that realization nearly knocked her down. It all made perfect sense now. The two of them were working together, He knows he’s my mate and, with the help of a black magic witch, he could harvest my powers or at the very least gain control with no trouble at all.
Not gonna happen. Wondering what her next move should be, she gathered the herbs left on the ground and stuffed them into the empty vial. Slipping the glass bottle into her pants pocket, she turned, crashing into a hard male chest.