by Becca Van
* * * *
Andre inhaled deeply and nearly groaned as blazing desire rushed through his body, tightening his muscles with need and his cock with hunger. He palmed his mate’s cheek, being careful not to touch the mask over her face, and turned her head away from him. His eyes honed in on the slow sluggish pulse of her carotid artery and he licked his dry lips nervously. He felt guilty that he, as well as his flight pod brothers and elder, were taking her freedom of choice away, but he wasn’t about to let his mate die.
He watched the tips of his fingers glide seemingly of their own accord, lightly up and down the soft warm skin of her neck as he brushed the tresses of hair away from her skin. His dragon was chuffing and chanting and the urge to pierce her skin and sink his elongated fangs into her flesh was almost a compulsion, but he wasn’t about to let his inner beast have the upper hand, because the last thing he wanted to do was bite down hard enough to cause her more pain.
Taking another deep breath was a mistake, because he was so close to her skin, her naturally sweet feminine scent invaded his olfactory sense, causing his cock to harden even more if that were possible and jerk in his pants.
He didn’t remember moving or even thinking about it but when his tongue licked over her skin and her delectable flavor exploded onto his taste buds, a low rumbling growl formed in his chest and out of his mouth.
He kissed and nibbled his way down the outside of her throat, cursing his actions for how wrong they were when his mate wasn’t even conscious, but he couldn’t seem to help himself. When he reached the crook of her neck and shoulder he let his dragon surface and struck.
Her warm essence coated his tongue and he growled with need as he swallowed the sweetness of his mate. His fangs injected the bonding DNA, and he felt her twitch beneath his hand. Andre hadn’t even realized that he’d placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her still as he claimed her, but was pleased he had when her cold skin began to warm beneath the palm of his hand and fingers. He felt the tether forming from his heart to hers and hoped that it would be strong enough to hold and be a complete bond between them all.
His fangs emptied and retracted and he took the time to bathe the mating mark he made to claim his mate, glad that the antibiotic excretions on his saliva would heal the wound almost straightaway.
He lifted his head and stared down into her beautiful face, willing her to open her eyes, but his mate didn’t so much as twitch. Andre wanted to remain at her side until he was staring into her gorgeous blue eyes once more but he needed to move out of the way so that Aiden and Alex could claim her, too.
He stepped back as Alex moved toward him and swallowed convulsively around the tight emotional constriction in his throat. Even though he was now bonded to Calysta the link wasn’t a strong one. He hoped like hell that she wouldn’t freak out and deny their claim on her, and although he was thankful that she wouldn’t die, he had a feeling their troubles were only just beginning.
* * * *
Alex stared down at Calysta with a heavy heart. She was damn small and pale and although he knew she would never agree with him, she was fragile. He hated what he was about to do but there was no other choice. It was either claim their mate and have her live, or hope that Lance’s magic was enough to keep her alive long enough so she healed. He wasn’t willing to take a chance on the latter and was damn glad the others weren’t either.
The only other time he’d felt such fear was the night all their parents had died at the hands of the hunters and the witch. But this time he wasn’t just a kid and they had some control over the outcome.
Alex slipped an arm beneath her neck and head, raising her shoulders from the bed but he made sure not to move her too far since she still had a gaping hole in her chest. He was relieved that she was no longer bleeding but until each of them had claimed her as theirs she wouldn’t heal completely.
Being as gentle as he could, he held her still and lowered his head to her shoulder right next to where Andre had marked her. Blood pumped through his body, tautening his muscles. His cock pulsed and leaked pre-cum but he ignored that part of his body as much as he could. He swiped his tongue over her skin, cleaning the area he was about to bite and then he bit down.
A growl erupted from his chest as his fangs slid into her flesh and her blood coated his tongue. He swallowed her precious life-giving essence and moaned as the sweetness flowed down his throat. His DNA trickled from his teeth into her body to flood her bloodstream. He felt the connection between them forming but as he locked onto it and followed it from his heart to hers, he could see and sense that the bond wasn’t as strong as it should be. His fangs receded and he licked over his mark, sharing the healing properties in his saliva and when he finally lifted his head he was pleased to see that the bite he’d given her was totally healed. All that was left was the imprint of his fangs and teeth which would remain in her skin for all time.
When he saw movement across from him he met Aiden’s gaze. “The bond isn’t strong but hopefully once you claim her, the healing will begin.”
“It already has,” Aiden replied. “The bleeding has stopped and I can see the inner damage has lessened.”
“Then you need to claim her, too, Aiden.” Lance clapped a hand on Aiden’s shoulder. “We can all feel her pain now and the longer you wait, the longer she will suffer.”
* * * *
Aiden cleared his tumultuous mind and breathed deeply to calm his racing heart and no matter how hard he tried not to feel guilty, he couldn’t dispel the emotion from his gut. He had a feeling they were going to be damned no matter what they did, but the only thing he cared about was making sure their mate lived. Consequences be damned.
He clasped her chin with his index finger and thumb, turning her head gently so that she faced away from him and placed his nose against her skin, breathing in deeply of her wonderful vanilla and honeysuckle scent. Underlying that perfume was the natural smell of warm woman and the aroma went straight to his hard, aching dick. His dragon rumbled a growl of approval and need as he laved his tongue over her skin and as he pierced her, sank his fangs into her flesh. He growled with lust.
Pre-cum spurted from the tip of his cock and his balls drew up toward his body and although he was close to coming, he was able to stave off disgracing himself by inhaling through his nose. When the last of his essence pumped into Calysta’s body his fangs shortened and he licked his mating mark, making sure to clean and heal his mate’s wound.
He felt the bond snap into place but it was nowhere near as strong as it should be.
“It’s not a strong bond.” Aiden sighed with frustration.
“No.” Lance met his gaze.
“What were we supposed to do?” Alex ran his fingers through his hair.
“There was no other choice,” Andre stated firmly, but even Aiden could hear the worry in his voice. “We only just found her. We couldn’t just let her die.”
Lance and Alex nodded in agreement.
Aiden cursed the fates for having to claim his woman like this, but it was better to have a weak bond and her to be still alive, than to lose her altogether. He was sure man and beast would go insane without having her by his side, alive and well.
He hoped that Calysta wasn’t angry with them when she healed and awakened but only time would tell. When he looked at her chest he was glad to see that the injury was nearly closed and her vitals were a lot stronger. Her lips were no longer tinged blue, and her pale cheeks now had a little color back in them. Calysta was out of danger and would survive.
Aiden turned his head and met each of his flight pod brothers’ gazes before looking at Lance.
“Did you find whomever harmed our mate?” he asked angrily.
“No.” Lance sighed and shoved his fingers through his hair. “The fucker must have been using a sniper scope and rifle. We were looking for him when you called us back to save our woman.”
“You didn’t even catch a scent on the breeze?” Aiden asked incredulously. Their drago
n senses should have picked up any humans who were close by.
Andre stepped up to his side and clasped his shoulder. “It had to be a hunter. One that isn’t taken over by the madness as yet. You know as well as we do that if the bastard was a long way away, and he was downwind that our animals wouldn’t have smelled the prick.”
“What you should be asking …” Alex paused to clasp Calysta’s hand and lift it to his mouth. He kissed the back of it before meeting all of their gazes, one after the other, before settling on Aiden’s.
“What?” he prompted.
“Why was a hunter following our mate?”
Aiden cursed under his breath. He hadn’t even thought of that scenario, but now that Alex had voiced the words his gut clenched with dread.
“You think she’s aligned with the hunters?”
Lance shrugged nonchalantly but all of them turned to stare at their woman.
What the fuck were they going to do if she was in with the ones hell bent on eradicating their race?
Chapter Six
Calysta floated on a sea of pain so intense she couldn’t stand it. If she could have cried she would have, because she’d never felt such agony in her life. She could feel herself weakening as her blood spilled from her body. Cold infused her frame to her bones and she didn’t think she’d ever feel warm again.
She could hear deep voices but was too tired to even try to figure out what they were saying. Her heart pumped sluggishly and she was having trouble breathing. This was it. She was dying and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
Something was placed over her face and although she drew air into her lungs it wasn’t enough to fill the organs. She tried to lift her hands to get whatever was over her face and nose off, but her limbs were so heavy and she just didn’t have the energy to do anything.
Warm fingers touched her head and she wanted to nuzzle into the gentle touch and soak up the heat, but she couldn’t move. Something warm and moist tickled over the flesh which joined her neck and shoulder and her gut clenched with desire.
How can I feel lust when I’m dying?
The thought, though fleeting, was a conundrum. When she felt a sharp pain where the tickle had just been her whole body jerked and then she relaxed against whatever she was lying on again.
Although she knew she had her eyes closed she saw a bright light in the distance and a peaceful calm washed over her. The tumultuous thoughts ceased and tranquility enfolded her very being. The light grew bigger and brighter and she frowned as she remembered seeing something similar in her dreams.
Am I sleeping? Am I dreaming everything? Surely I couldn’t imagine so much pain.
She blinked slowly in her dream world and the light dimmed. Standing a few feet away was a beautiful woman and she was smiling. Calysta took in the style of her dress and the vibrant hue of the gown.
“I know you?” she asked more than stated, sure that she had seen this woman before. Her mind raced, and the previous dream came across her mind. “You’re Lady Guinevere.”
“Yes.” Lady Guinevere smiled.
Calysta blinked and then gasped. She hadn’t seen the woman move but she was standing right beside her. She reached out and brushed the hair back from Caly’s face.
“You’ve been gravely wounded, Calysta Adani. Your mates are trying to save you.”
“Mates?”
“You don’t remember?” Lady Guinevere tilted her head and stared deeply into her eyes.
Calysta saw herself as if she was floating above her body and watched as four sexy men stalked toward her. They were so big, tall, and handsome. Memory returned and she gasped with fear and she saw herself stumble back and then bend over at the waist. She’d been shot in the chest. No wonder she felt like she was dying.
“Are you here to guide me to heaven?”
“It is not your time. You have a long, happy life to live before you breathe your last breath. You and your mates need to be vigilant. You are being hunted.”
“By who?”
“I cannot see who is after you. I have tried but the fates are not allowing me to see more. What I do know is that you are the key to the hunters’ downfall. There is magic in you, Calysta Adani, but you have not allowed it to flow free.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t have any magic. I don’t even believe in magic.”
“You need to trust in your mates. They will release your powers.”
Calysta blinked and when she opened her eyes Lady Guinevere was moving away from her. The light grew bright again and she had to squint to keep the brightness from hurting her eyes. And then the lady and the light were gone.
She was back in the dark, her body feeling insubstantial. Another bite to the opposite shoulder caused her mouth to open on a soundless cry, but not from pain. The sensations racing through her agony-filled frame were too much for her consciousness, and she gratefully sank down into dark oblivion.
* * * *
Calysta slowly surfaced from sleep and although she wanted to roll over and snuggle down into the warm comfort of the bed, she couldn’t stop the inevitable. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked the haze from them. When she realized she was in a strange room her heart flipped in her chest and she began to pant. As she pushed up to a sitting position she noticed that she wasn’t wearing her clothes but a large button-down cotton shirt. The sleeves had been rolled up and when she peeked under the covers she saw that the material was bunched around her hips, and she wasn’t wearing any panties.
Her eyes quickly wandered around the room searching for her clothes and gun but she didn’t see them. When she noted the size of the room and the bed she was in, her eyes widened. She’d never seen such a massive bed in her life and wondered why anyone would need something so big.
And then an image of four very tall, brawny men flashed in her mind’s eye and she knew the answer. But what she didn’t know was where she was or how she’d come to be here.
She tilted her head and listened, trying to hear if anyone was close by, her muscles tense, but when she didn’t hear anything she relaxed again. When she noticed the pain in her lower abs and when she moved her legs, her bladder protested. With a flick of her wrist she pushed the covers aside and headed toward the door off the side of the room. She sighed with relief when she found the bathroom and hurried across the cool rock floor toward the closed door.
After doing her business and washing her hands she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was tangled and sticking up every which way and when she lifted her hand to push it back from her face, she grimaced. She smelled of sweat and even her face was slightly oily as if she hadn’t showered for days, but that was the least of her worries.
She needed to get out of here and fast.
After a quick search under the vanity she sighed with frustration when she didn’t find anything she could use as a weapon and hurried back to the bedroom. She looked in the bedside drawers and closet but still didn’t find anything. The only thing she could think to use was the bedside lamp and although she could probably do some damage with that, she didn’t think it would be enough, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.
She pulled the cord from the power socket, gripped the thin stem of the lamp in her right hand and walked out of the bedroom. She was surprised to find a large sitting room, but when she looked across at the kitchen she gasped at how clean and modern all the appliances were.
Get your damn head back in the game, Caly. You need to get the hell out of here.
She opened the entry to the apartment a crack and peered out in case someone was about. Her tense muscles relaxed slightly but tensed once more when she saw the long hallway. She wished she’d been able to find her guns but her search had come up empty handed.
When no one appeared and she didn’t hear voices, she stepped into the hallway and took slow measured steps. Her bare feet made no sound on the cool rock floor and for that she was glad. She didn’t want to alert her captors or whatever they were to t
he fact she was up and about.
She froze when she heard a loud booming laugh and pressed her back up against the rock wall. A soft click sounded and then to her amazement the wall behind her began to move. Caly took a step back and when the gap in the wall was big enough she hurried through.
Cool wind cut thought the thin cotton shirt and she shivered but cold was the least of her problems. Picking her way around the small rocks she rushed to the edge of the cliff. Her gaze flitted quickly, searching for a way down to the valley below but there was no way down. The rock wall was sheer and she would end up breaking her neck if she attempted the climb.
When she heard a rustle behind her she spun and raised her arm up as she turned, the lamp in her hand above her head.
“What are you doing out here?” Lance asked as he walked toward her.
“I...Where am I?”
“You’re in our home.” Lance halted a few feet from her. He looked relaxed and almost bored, but she could see an intense emotion in his eyes. His scent wafted to her on the breeze and although she wanted to close her eyes and inhale him, she kept them open and reverted to breathing through her mouth. But she should have known that wouldn’t help, especially after the way her body had reacted to him and his friends when she’d first met them.
“And where is that exactly?” Caly lowered her arm, clenching her fist tightly around the lamp.
“The Wind River Mountains.”
“How the hell do I get out of here?” She glanced back over her shoulder.
She should have known better. The moment she looked away Lance pounced. He wrapped a large, warm muscular arm around her waist and lifted her from her feet. Before she could protest he slid his free arm beneath her knees and carried her back inside.