Feral Craving

by D. C. Stone

  With a grunt, Bari pushed the heavy bulk off of him and rolled up to his side, resting a majority of his weight on his right elbow. Something inside of him called to finish the battle. But what? He didn’t understand the urge he had to purge these demons of the evil. His beast inside knocked on his door, demanding to be set free.

  Bari choked under the onslaught, something thick crawling up his throat. It wasn’t physical but more so just a feeling.

  The need to finish this, to free the trapped souls inside these creatures came so hard, there was no chance in fighting it off. Voices bombarded his mind, spirits of both good and evil natures calling for his help. Bari turned and hunched over the second demon he’d taken down. His clenched fists held him suspended above the body, now fully changed into a demon. No evidence of a human existed at all.

  Bari’s eyes watered, prickled with pain as he leaned closer. The air from his lungs whooshed out, his ability to breathe nonexistent. He felt as if he were suffocating and couldn’t breathe. He leaned closer and as if a light switch clicked on, the ability to take in air suddenly rushed up. He gasped for breath, but the inhale didn’t stop. Instead, Bari's beast latched on to the evil soul inside the demon, and took in a long draw of breath. With the relentless calls for aid, as each spirit released, he shuddered as ecstasy centered over his body. The breath continued as if it went on forever, and Bari knew the moment the soul came to him. Like tar, the oily substance tainted his body in darkness.

  The high that overcame him rushed up, and feeling with the pleasure of a thousand orgasms, he leaned his head back, arched his back and growled out with erotic pleasure. His whole body shook, the arousal so high his cock pulsed with a thousand beats in his pants.

  He shifted and pounced on the other demon, completed the same task and surged with satisfaction to the connection with his beast. Basked in it.

  The branch snapping behind gave him a clue he was no longer alone. He rounded on the sound, and both he and his demon took in Mackenzie standing before him. His body was so jacked and ready to claim her that it physically hurt to keep himself in place.

  She held out her hand, wide eyes skimming over his body. He reached for her, tried to not take offense to the wince that coated her features. His hand wrapped around hers, and he glanced down, saw the pulsing tattoos that resembled ones very similar to the skin on the two disappearing bodies at his feet.

  A quick tug brought her body up to his, and they fit together like two halves of a puzzle. Bari dipped his head, heard the low growling rumbling from his chest but more so felt each and every damn inch of her curvy body molded to him.

  He could take her here.

  He actually intended to.

  However, a rush of panic flowed through him as voices closed in on their direction. He wasn’t a fool, knew the only reason they had bested these two was because of the element of surprise. He pulled on her arm and started to run, his original plan lost in the blowing breeze as he just wanted to get them as far from the approaching clan as fast as possible.

  Bari heard the rush of water and slowed his steps as the cliffs loomed ahead. He stopped as they cleared the forest’s edge, the long stretch of water in front of them providing no shelter from what approached. His eyes glanced at the current strong pull of the river, and he knew a few miles down there was a large, raging waterfall, which might not be the death of them, but would certainly injure them.

  He closed his eyes and let the nature of the forest try to calm him. He sensed the air still around them, heard the owls stop their hoots, footsteps ceased from animals around them, and the wind stopped brushing past. He took in the complete silence of the forest. It was almost as if the forest waited for his action, a response from the two of them, one he wasn’t really certain he could provide to anyone.

  Mackenzie shifted away from him, and he turned to glance at her. With shoulders hunched inward as if that slight move would offer her a measure of protection, he frowned and looked down at his still pulsing skin. The blue coloring hadn’t faded at all. He waited for what seemed like forever for her to turn and when she did, the look upon her face flayed him straight to his heart.

  “Mac … I would never hurt you. Don’t you know that?” The look of disbelief in his words, in him, that she wore, caused his soul to scream like a wounded animal. He knew she was distrustful; hell, how could she not be after he left her so many years ago? But it still hurt him, to the point of physical pain, that she so readily believed him capable of harming her.

  He took a step forward only to see Mackenzie take a retreating one. For everything that had gone on, the danger still surrounding them, he felt his temper loosen at the situation and more importantly at her ready belief he would allow harm to come to her. He released her hand and paced in a tight circle, struggling to not lash out in anger as he latched onto his own hurt. Taking a deep breath, he released it on a sigh before leveling his gaze to Mackenzie’s, and moved so quickly she didn’t have time to back away from him. His lips hovered inches from hers as he cupped the back of her neck and crushed his mouth against hers. He kissed her with the ferocity of his anger, his hurt and the long kept desire he held from her during the years of their separation. His blood pounded in his ears as he ravaged her lips, and his tongue pressed against the seam of her lips, demanding entrance. For a moment, he thought she would deny him until her lips parted and allowed him access. His tongue melded with hers, stroking and tangling before pulling back, their breathing ragged.

  “It pains me, more than you will ever understand or realize, to think you really believe I would harm you.” He dropped his hand from her neck and turned, walking into the forest and its shadows, giving her the out to get free of him. He had taken only a few steps in when he allowed the hurt to cocoon him, his goodbye to Mackenzie all he had left.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Mackenzie stood there frozen, her entire body reeling in shock as she watched Bari walk away. Her hand lifted as he stepped into the forest and touched on her lips, which were swollen from his searing kiss. Never, in all her time, did she think such a touch between two melting mouths could provide such heat, such pleasure, and such comfort all at once. With the acts of intimacy in her world so few and far between, she had never known, never thought of what it would feel like to take such a kiss. She thought she’d never want to experience it with him again, but now that she had another taste of it, the exquisite taste of Bari, she wanted and craved more. Her tongue darted out, and he assailed her senses again, filling her mouth with such a musky taste that it reminded her of cinnamon, of the woods, of cider, all wrapped up to define and identify him as a savage male. She blinked once, twice before she realized she had been standing on the edge of the shore, staring off at nothing in particular while everything was walking away from her. Hope filled her chest to the point where it felt as though it would combust, and springing into action, she launched herself forward, running off in the direction her best friend for so long had walked in.

  “Bari!” She yelled his name over and over, and suddenly all sounds invaded her senses as if a switch turned back on. She heard the roaring waterfall, animals scampering around in the forest, and the wind knocking the leaves and limbs together on the trees, caressing the life that filled the forest. “Bari!” Her legs moved faster, her body emitting such raw pain as she burst into the forest.

  As she ran around a tree, she stopped as he turned toward her and felt his pain as if it were her own. She walked up to him with caution, her legs wobbling beneath her body with fear such as she had never experienced before. If he turned from her now she would have no reason to live, nothing to care for and no one to love. It was then she realized, as she fell to her knees in front of him, bowing her head down in shame as a wave of raw anguish pushed through her, that she loved this male as she had never loved anyone. He completed her entire world, had been her sole source of comfort for so long, and while the emotion was not a new one, she only had been able to identify what it was now as he tur
ned from her.

  “Bari…” His name choked out of her mouth, the sound strangled with pain and apology. She didn’t know what to say, only understood as she reached and gripped his pant leg that she was lost without him, in her own little dark world. Without him no light existed, nothing to mark her path on the road to her future, and without Bari around, she would return to such a bleak state that she would cease to live. While her body and mind were her own, Bari was her soul, and she had no idea how to live or love, to care or comfort, to exist or thrive without the man standing above her.

  He knelt on one knee and rested his hands on her shoulders, pulling her upright and into the cage of his arms. He sat holding her to him, and her hands gripped at his shirt as if he would let go.

  “Hey now, Mackenzie, I’m not going anywhere unless you want me to go.” Bari rose to his feet, tugging her up with him. “We need to move and as much as I would love to stand here with you tucked in my arms, it’s not the best shelter for us.” He peered down into her eyes, and then reached to tuck a stray strand of hair that broke loose from the braid she wore it in behind her ear.

  Tucking one of her hands into his, they proceeded forward, following the line of the forest along the bank of the river. The rushing sound of water increased as they crested a steep grade to see the head of the waterfall pulsed water over a sharp drop that extended down for several meters to crash against a rocky pool before the river continued on.

  “Stay the course?” She looked to Bari to guide them.

  He took a deep breath and nodded. “This is a dangerous track to take but one I’m familiar with. The ledges on the cliffs are small so step carefully and only where I do.”

  Giving his hand a squeeze, she followed him as they started making their way down the side. At one point he had to release her hand, and she slid down over a rock until her feet touched the small ledge and then used her grip on the rocks to slowly lower herself down even more.

  “Follow my moves, Mac, and whatever you do, don’t assume a ledge is strong enough to hold your weight. These rocks can slip at times under the slightest movement so keep your weight centered in your hands on two separate rocks.”

  Moving down the cliff seemed to take hours and as they reached the bottom, she finally let out a deep breath. They turned from one task completed and he led them forward, winding through trails and thick trees, in what seemed to be a track along the edge of the river. The challenge still remained that they needed to cover so many miles in such a short amount of time and a ton of obstacles in their way, including the ones she knew still hunted them.

  She was starting to put together pieces of the puzzle and somehow realized this all related to whatever change Bari was going through. The thought should scare her, but it didn’t. She wondered briefly if she had finally lost her mind, because accepting this shouldn’t be so easy.

  As they started to move up a steady incline, she saw both of their breaths puffing condensed air the farther they got up the mountain, the cooler the air became. There would be plenty of caves to camp out in overnight and with how hard the snow storms hit up here, she knew they would have to take shelter, rather than risk being turned into ice cubes. Glancing over at Bari as he held back a branch for her to pass, she wondered what he was thinking, thought back on all they had been through and wondered if things would ever be okay between them. She loved him; that much she was aware of and could admit, and even though she hadn’t told him, it still didn’t take away from the amount of love she had. He had been so quiet since they met the falls a few miles back, and she couldn’t help but wonder just what was going on in that head of his. Did he regret being here with her? Was he thinking on the same things as she? Or did he blame her for getting into this situation? She could only wonder and couldn’t seem to get the words to form and come out of her mouth, despite wanting to do so, so very much.

  ****

  Cool air seeped into his body and nestled down into his bones. Their race ran a higher body temperature due to the advanced nature of their physical make up, but it was no protection against the elements if exposed too long. Following Mackenzie, he had been deep in thought for the majority of the trip, grunting short replies as he navigated, not expanding much upon that as he mentally tried to digest everything that occurred. Stopping behind her at the yawning cavern that was housed in the side of one of the steep grades, he allowed his senses to flare out into the dark hole to judge its safety.

  He moved inside, finding the cave to be clear of all but the most menial animals and insects. Bari dropped down to seat himself on the earthen floor, exhaustion pawing at his body.

  He felt her studying his face even as she tried to do so without his knowledge and wondered what she searched for. He turned to look at her and openly traced her features. She’d seen him at his worst, and he knew she saw what he was to become. He didn’t understand what was going on with his kind back in the woods, why they were tracking him but at last, he had figured out the familiar touch of the demons.

  It was his father’s touch.

  One that shouldn’t be possible, one that didn’t belong.

  Wasn’t he just a hypocrite? No wonder Mackenzie didn’t know whether to trust him—he was a walking contradiction.

  “Bari...” Mackenzie visibly struggled for words, her face scrunching up and her eyes darting around. “There’s no other place I’d rather be, than right here with you. There’s no other place I’d rather go, than where you walk. If anything, I’ve been searching for you for the past nine years. I’ve felt bereft without you, as if I lost a piece of myself somewhere. I don’t know exactly what’s in your heart with where you want to be, Bari, but I’m exactly where I’d like to be. Well … the coast of a nice warm island or my home wouldn’t hurt.” A forced laugh came out of her, the sound so loud in the quiet cave. Her eyes cast down as she finished speaking and looked so damn vulnerable.

  “I don’t know what you want to do, Bari, but all I want is for you to be safe. If you wish to return to what you were doing before you got hurt, then that’s okay too. I don’t expect you to stay with me just because we have a child together. We’ve had one for eight years, and now that you’re home, it doesn’t change any of it. I also understand you’re dealing with something new; hell, it’s new to me too, and I don’t know what to think about it. But I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier.” Her eyes still didn’t meet his, and he struggled to let her finish rather than pull her into his arms like he wanted to do. “I’m going to go find some hot springs to wash up. There should be some deeper in this mountain.”

  With that, she stepped around him and made her way to the back of the cave. He watched her retreat farther into the cave, a measure of anger building at her abrupt departure. From her words he could only assume she still was unclear of his intentions. If she thought he was going to turn around and head back to the hell of being without her, she was beyond wrong and even more so if she thought he wanted to be anywhere else but with her. He leaned back against the cave wall, allowing her some time to clear her head and for his temper to cool. Lacing his fingers behind his head, he stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankles as he allowed her words to repeat. She wanted to stay with him wherever they ended up. She wanted to be together, and that fit his plans perfectly. He loosened his fingers and got to his feet, his frame hunched over to keep from scraping his head on the low ceiling of the cave as he moved down the path Mackenzie had taken.

  The soft sounds of water being disturbed in the otherwise silent cave aided him in locating her easily. He paused in the shadows as he watched her cup her hands together and bring the warm water to her face, a serene pleasure reflecting from her features as it poured over her. Her breasts floated upon the water, soft ripples from her movements hiding them for a brief time before they resurfaced. He held in the groan of pure lust that bowled into him at the sight her naked, his body immediately reacting to it as he adjusted himself as best he could beneath his leather pants. Macken
zie turned, her back taking up the view he had been studying, and as she moved her arms over the water, her palms soothing the top of it, he admired the play of her muscles shifting beneath her silken skin. His eyes traced over the white scars scattered over her back and he fought down the red haze, the urge of fury. She was an education in perfection, soft skin covering the strength that was more than physical.

  His booted feet moved without thought as he left the shadows and crept forwards. He perched on a rock at the edge of the pool, his movements as silent as the cave around them, and began to remove his boots. He dropped the first one on the ground purposely, causing Mackenzie to start with a small squeal as she turned around and crossed her arms over her bared breasts. A teasing eyebrow arched up on his face as he stood after taking off the other boot and undid his leathers, shoving them down over his thighs to step free of them. “You aren’t the only one that could use a rinse, Mac. It’s not as if I have never seen you.” Tugging his shirt over his head, he dropped it next to his leathers and stood bared to her before he squatted down to enter the pool. Her eyes were wide, a hint of fear reflecting from the green irises as he sank into the water. He made no move toward her; instead he leaned his back against the edge and rested his arms upon it as he motioned with one hand for her to come closer.

  The sound of her heartbeat pounded through the room. He heard it along with the sudden rapid succession of her breath. Instead of coming to him, she stood rooted to the spot, almost like the soft sand below her feet turned to cement.

  He frowned briefly, wondering if maybe he misheard what she said earlier. Washing his face of any emotion, he shifted, and the water lapped at his skin. He watched as she tightened her arms over her chest and walked in an arc to the side of him, her gaze cast down to the water.