by Nikki Winter
“My domesticated tiger,” Kamali hummed.
He rubbed his cheek against her cotton-clad upper-leg. “It was you who said that with the right incentive, even the wildest beast can be tamed.” Kaisal pressed a kiss to the covered flesh beneath him. “I think domestication looks good on me…along with everything else.”
She snorted. “Does this mean I can get you a collar and rename you Fluffykins the Great?”
Lifting his head, he waggled his brows and replied, “Only if it the collar comes with four-inch leather boots, a sex swing, and a flavored lube box set.”
Kamali blinked and without another word placed her hand on top of his head and pushed it back onto her thigh. “Obviously a full stomach makes you delusional.”
Kaisal laughed and gently bit her. “Not completely full, princess.”
She went still. “Kaisal…”
He nuzzled the inside of her knee as his hands came up and ran over her calves. “Hmm?”
“What, pray tell, do you think you’re doing?”
Hooking a finger into the waistband of her yoga pants, he pulled at the elastic and listened to it snap back. “If I have to tell you then I’m obviously losing my touch.”
Cupping his face, she nudged it upwards so she could stare down at him. “We still have a few issues to deal with. One of them being our hostage.”
He smiled and brushed his lips over the inside of her palm. “We’ll run across that bridge hand-in-hand when we get to it later.” Kaisal scooted the stool backwards. “But right now I’d like to make up for time lost last night when the love of my life decided to take away my chances of hearing her purr for me.” Hands around her waist, he pulled her off of the counter and into his lap, making her straddle his thighs. He ran his nose from her earlobe to her shoulder. “She always smells so good—like every sweet thing the gods ever created for our enjoyment.” Kaisal slid his hands up her back and beneath her T-shirt as she gripped the nape of his neck and moved his head slightly to the right in order to nip him just under his chin. “I love that smell. I love the little noise she makes in the back of her throat when I do this…” He glided the tip of his tongue over her mark as he pulled the strap of her tank out of his way, noting the hitch in her breathing. “And the way she growls when I do this.” Taking a hand from her back, he grasped the rise of her ass and squeezed. “Makes my control slip just a bit.
“But I think what I love the most is the way she sounds when I cause her to experience la petit mort.” With one hand cupping her buttocks, the other on her back and his lips on her mark, he put pressure on all three, provoking her into undulating against him.
Kamali’s chest heaved, feeling the points of her nipples with every breath as they brushed his chest. She nibbled at his jaw line and murmured, “I’ll purr for the remainder of the night if you would just. Keep. Touching. Me.”
“I can.” Kaisal’s eyes closed, and a hard shudder racked him as Kamali’s scent intensified. “I can keep touching you.”
Her mouth continued its path from his jaw to his lips. “Good.” Then she bit his bottom rim and tugged hard enough that if his attention hadn’t been on fucking her dizzy before, it most certainly was now. He took his hands away from her nubile form and put them on the counter, gripping as she plundered his mouth. Kaisal didn’t want to risk bruising her, and the way her tongue stroked over his almost guaranteed he might do just that if he didn’t garner some form of discipline.
“You lied,” she whispered. “You just stopped touching me.”
He rubbed his face against hers and felt his chest bulk at the sensation of her soft skin. “If I don’t stop I might hurt you.”
Kamali pushed his hair back and growled, “Every pleasurable experience we have comes with a little pain, Kaisal.” She rolled her hips and his eyes crossed beneath his lids. “Sensitivity so acute that your breath shortens, your skin pimples, and your stomach clenches. Those things happen every time you touch me. We’ve broken furniture and a door but I’ve never once felt anything less than completely loved. Stop holding back. Stop thinking that at the first sign of your beast I’ll run out of fear rather than the need to be caught.” Lifting his forearm, she waited until he opened his eyes before she found his mark and latched onto it.
Kaisal gave a short roar and, after getting loose from her jaw, hiked her up with one arm and used the other to shred the adorable but now ruined yoga pants she was wearing. He fumbled with the string on his sweatpants and eventually slit it open in frustration. She laughed, but it turned into moan when he freed himself and slammed her down onto his cock in one frenzied motion. Putting her hands to his shoulders, she used him for leverage as she moved over his length in a fast-paced slide of flesh against flesh. Kamali obviously wasn’t fazed by how his clawed hands grappled with her shirt so he could palm her bouncing breasts, and she didn’t seem to care in the least when his canines lightly raked over her lip as he kissed her. She simply continued to move, bringing her hips down simultaneously with his upward thrusts, a little grunt leaving her with every connection.
Her smell made him close to feral, and the way her claws dug into his shoulders as the walls of her pussy clamped around him in a silken hold pushed him farther and farther away from rationality. Kaisal had been the one to begin their game but his mate was quickly ending it, and he needed to make certain she crossed the finish line first.
This was why he pulled his mouth away from her own, located her mark, and locked onto it. Kamali’s head went back with a gasp before she snarled, “Yes…yes…yes…”
Her sex convulsed then dragged out the climax that had been building in Kaisal’s shaft until it spilled over inside her.
She bent backwards over the counter, shoulders resting on the granite, panting in clear exertion. Kaisal put his head to her chest and could hear the way her heartbeat had accelerated.
“Well,” Kamali breathed. “At least we didn’t break anything this time.”
He went to respond but she moved a bit and a plate went sliding across the island, crashing onto the floor.
Kaisal buried his face into her torso and tried to stop the shaking of his shoulders but she caught it anyway and hit him lightly. “And you can just shut it, Fluffykins the Great.”
Gods, he adored this woman.
Sitting up, he kissed her temple and suggested, “Let’s discuss that bridge.”
***
They’d put him in some shitty little back room in a cabin, making sure the doors and windows were constantly guarded. The only advantage he had was that they’d been courteous enough to make sure said shitty room had a bathroom attached to it. Rave sniffed in disgust as he looked around. Weak. They were all so fucking weak. Who gave their hostage comforts? And why had Verochka stopped Kamali from taking his throat? It was probably some misguided act of heroism. He could already see the way she’d softened the tiger. He was putty in her hands and seemed content to remain that way.
Rave grunted and stared at the door to his holding cell. A few hours after he’d healed enough, he’d attempted to ram the goddamn thing and make a run for it but Verochka’s sibling had been waiting on the other side with a sadistic smirk on his face and a knife in his hands. “Please be gracious enough to give me a reason to make Dublhainn’s dreams of a safari-themed office come true,” he’d said. Rave didn’t know who Dublhainn was, but if he’d had enough strength to fight he would’ve snapped the asshole’s neck along with the tiger’s.
He was beginning to become irritated waiting for the verdict. It didn’t matter, really. Since Verochka had stopped Kamali from killing him once, he estimated they’d probably hand him over to the elders or banish him as a repercussion. Neither of which would hold Rave for long, because at the first opportunity he’d leave devastation in his wake getting back to the princess and her mate so he could destroy everything they loved.
Rave was meditating on that very satisfying thought when the door to the room swung open. He stood tall from his previous resting place
against the window and watched Verochka stride in with Kamali following.
His lip curled. “Isn’t it nice for the royal bitch and her lumbering servant to visit?”
There was no reaction. Not even a facial tic. Both stared at him with a resolve in their gazes that gave him pause.
“What?” Rave snapped, shaking off the sense of caution that had bound him briefly. “No response? No gloating?”
Kamali’s head simply tilted, her eyes narrowing just a bit.
“The fuck are you here for, then?” he snarled, kicking over a small nightstand. “What did you come for?”
Silence.
Rave’s lips curved just around the edges and he snorted before it became a full-blown laugh. Taking a seat on the small bed, he said, “About to pardon me with an act of mercy, princess? Gonna wax poetic about how I can learn and grow and transform into the squishy motherfucker behind you?” Lying back, he folded his arms across his chest, looked to the ceiling, and smiled. “Because you can’t kill me, can you? You’ve thought about it, fantasized even, but the actual act frightens you, doesn’t it?”
When she didn’t answer, he turned his head and found himself staring into the frigid, hard gaze of a lioness. And Rave didn’t see a pardon in that gaze. He didn’t see mercy or the desire to change him. He saw the desire to kill.
His amusement faded as Kamali took a step forward. “I’ve always asked myself when our kind would realize that being a predator didn’t mean you couldn’t become prey. I questioned when we would understand that an over-inflated sense of self-worth was what got us hunted down and gutted time and time again. I even queried as to who would be so foolish as to get between a mother and her child. I’ll quite possibly never have any of those answers, Rave.” She angled toward him just a bit and in a low tone finished with, “I don’t want you to experience the same ignorant frustration so allow me to answer all your questions in order. No. No. Yes. No.”
Before he could respond, before he could even process what it was she’d said or understand what it was she was about to do, her arm rose, her claws unsheathed, and she swiped downwards.
Rave stared on in astonishment as she quickly drew her hand back and came away with his jugular, leaving him to reach for his throat and feel nothing but torn flesh.
“I can see the equation forming just on the outer edges of your mind, Rave.” Kamali gave him a cruel little smile. “You’re questioning how you’ll manage to leave this room alive.” She flicked her claws and blood sprayed. “The answer to that is quite simple. You won’t.”
As Rave bled out, he revisited a previous thought: this was why he’d always known he shouldn’t underestimate the bitch.
***
Naresh sighed. “So I guess Dublhainn really won’t get that lion-skin rug.”
Kaisal and Kamali looked away from the pride members who were carrying Rave’s wrapped body out of the cabin and then looked to each other. Both smiled and cast their stares to Naresh.
With a sigh, Kaisal put an arm around his brother’s shoulders and said, “After you hear exactly how vicious my mate is, your disappointment shall change, little brother.”
The pair walked off, leaving Kamali to stand and watch one of the security team guards dig a hole for Rave’s body to be burned in. As far as she was concerned, there would be many more ashes before the week was over—many, many more. And she’d kindly show everyone the reason why Nico should’ve passed up on committing unforgiveable offenses against herself, her son, and the Oriade name as a whole.
Sixteen
“Why do I have any of you around? You’re all fucking useless!” Nico spun with his arms out wide in the middle of the foyer. “I have half of my goddamned pride missing along with my second and no one can tell me where the fuck they are!”
Fury had a stronghold on him. Rave hadn’t answered any of the numbers Nico had listed for him. A pride that had once been forty strong with the addition of those who’d been willing to betray Enilo was now back to twenty members, and all of them were currently standing around with dumbfounded looks on their faces.
After his conversation with Rave three days ago, Nico finally understood what his second had been telling him. It was clear that the other male had every intention of killing Kamali along with Callum, which went completely against everything Nico wanted.
Without Kamali, his rule wouldn’t be solidified, and he’d never gain access to hidden Oriade finances and businesses. He’d attempted to look for any clues that would tell him where Rave was so he could either convince him what he was doing would ruin everything they’d worked so hard for or slit his throat for his blatant disobedience. He still hadn’t decided, and the inability to locate someone he’d once considered a brother only mounted his frustrations. Things were falling apart, and he needed to regain control before his leadership was questioned and everyone began to contemplate doing to him what they’d done to Enilo. Nico couldn’t have that happen. Not after they’d come so far.
“I want every single one of you searching,” he snarled, maintaining eye contact with those bold enough to stare back at him. “I want them found! All of them!”
Walking toward his office, he tossed over his shoulder, “Most of all and most importantly, I want Kamali kneeling at my feet by the end of the week!” Flinging open the double doors, he roared, “And who the fuck turned on classical music in my office? How many times do I have to tell you to keep your mangy asses out of my space?”
“Well, considering it doesn’t rightfully belong to you,” a velvety feminine voice replied from inside the room, “I would think none of them care about the boundaries you’ve set.”
Nico swung around and caught sight of his imported leather chair turning slowly. And in it sat the source of his exasperation. “Kamali…”
She gave a slight finger wave before propping her feet up on his desk. “Hello, friend.” Looking about the space, she said, “You’ve done some redecorating. All the leather and red brings to mind a super villain’s lair.”
He could only stand there. The fucking audacity. It was simply astonishing. The bitch looked comfortable. She looked like she was at home. Strolling toward the desk, he propped his hands on the edge and leaned forward. “I don’t know how you managed to slip past the security defenses or where you’ve gotten the actual gall to simply wander into my den but, sweetheart, I am going to relish marking up that pretty little face.”
Kamali only gave him a wide-eyed blink and stilled. Nico smirked and went to inhale the scent of fear he knew had to be underlining the bravado she’d just shown but he came away smelling nothing. The only aromas he could sense were his own and that of his pride.
His eyes narrowed. “Scent blockers, princess?”
She only smiled.
Nico slammed his hands down on the desk several times. “Don’t fucking mock me!” He jabbed a finger in her direction. “I should drag you by your hair from here, and yet I’ve been gracious enough to refrain.”
“I’m not mocking you, Nico,” the lioness replied in a mild voice. “I even brought you a gift.” One hand disappeared into her jacket pocket and came out with a lion-shaped paperweight before she tossed it at him.
He caught it mid-air and ran his fingers over the smooth glass. “The fuck is this?”
“Rave’s ashes,” she responded calmly, leaning backwards in a relaxed position. “I thought you’d want to know precisely where your second was before his absence drove you mad.”
Nico’s stare jerked down to the figure. “You’re lying.”
Kamali closed her eyes. “You wish I were, love. But deep down you know I’m not. I took away your favorite toy because he decided to play in my yard.”
A low rumble started in his gut and launched into a full-out bellow. Nico threw the paperweight just over her head and watched it shatter on impact against the wall, ashes floating about in a cloud.
She reopened her eyes and a pout graced her mouth. Lifting her legs and placing them to the floor, s
he said, “That was rude. We spent hours looking for the right one to put him in, and now you’ve gone and ruined it.”
He gripped just under the desk and flipped it to the side, ridding himself of the one thing blocking him from reaching her completely. “I’m going to hurt you, princess. I’m going to decimate everything you prize, and when you’ve been broken down to nothing, I’ll make sure you witness the death of your son with a front-row seat.”
She’d killed Rave. She’d killed his anchor. His friend had never been perfect but he was his second. There were some lines a person just didn’t cross. She had danced on them.
“Heh.” Kamali chuckled a bit. “That monologue definitely erred on the side of a super villain.”
With a snarl, he went to reach for her but she held a hand up. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Nico.” She then nodded just over his shoulder. “They may not appreciate it.”
The soft padding of claws clicking against the hardwood floors echoed out and he tensed. The lioness’s eyes danced with laughter. “In this aspect, you and Rave are very much alike. Your ego constantly clouds your better judgment, and it leaves you missing the smallest details. You really didn’t think I’d come here alone, did you?” Her head cocked.
Low growls sounded behind him and he rounded. Nico then went motionless. Tigers. Fucking. Tigers. They blocked the doorway. The largest one stood front and center, ears back, eyes like stark glaciers standing out against heavy black stripes and white fur.
“You asked how I managed to slip past security defenses,” Kamali practically purred. “My mate—the one glaring at you like you’ll be his next meal—is the reason for that. He, along with the rest of the Verochka pride—which is also mine now—have some truly gifted individuals among them. Watching them work is amazing. They, as a whole, are comprised of some of the brightest minds I’ve ever encountered.”