by Morgan Fox
Lilly snickered and then raised her hand. Her magic wrapped around him in a tight squeeze, forcing his body to become compliant. He would do everything and anything she wanted. Ryder didn’t have a choice.
Lilly tsked under her tongue, shaking her head. “You silly hybrid. You should know better than to try and resist me. I’ll have you strapped to that bed, submitting to me, and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.”
The muscles in Ryder’s neck and arms tightened. “What do you want with me?” he asked through gritted teeth.
Her magic had him pressed flat onto the bed, while the vampires clamped the chains around his wrists and ankles. “I want you, Ryder. I need your body.”
“Why,” he growled. “What the hell could you want with me?”
“Leave us,” Lilly snapped, and immediately the vampires fled. “I suppose you should know all the details. It might make the transition a little easier once Mason returns.”
Ryder’s eyes flared open wide. “What are you talking about?”
“Mason’s coming back to me, Ryder, and you’re going to make sure he always stays with me.”
* * * *
“Mason’s as dead as a doornail, you crazy bitch,” Ryder shouted.
Lilly laughed and the sound made his skin crawl. Ryder suddenly got the creepiest feeling. The sensation rotted in his gut. Lilly thought Mason was coming back to him. Did she think he could become Mason for her?
Lilly dragged her nails over his bare chest. “You really do have an amazing body,” she told him, leaning down to bite his nipple.
Fuck!
“How is Mason going to return, Lilly?” he asked gruffly, thankful that she hadn’t had time to remove his boots or jeans.
Thank Heaven for small favors.
Lily giggled. “Ever seen Invasion of the Body Snatchers?” She licked his chest, her nails teasing the flesh at his waist. “It’s gonna be a lot like that.”
He didn’t like the sound of that. “Lilly, you can’t bite me. I won’t turn into a vampire. You’re infected blood would simply kill me.”
“I’m not going to kill you, Ryder,” she mumbled as she kissed his chest and stomach. “I’m only going to destroy your soul.”
Fuck. Fuck. Double Fuck.
Ryder’s heart jumped. He really didn’t like the sound of that. His muscles tightened against his restraints, and suddenly he really hated being tied down. “How do you plan to do that? Last I checked souls weren’t tangible items you could just hold in your hand.”
She frowned. “You ask too many questions, Ryder.” She eyed him, nibbling her lips. She flipped her wrist, and instantly his clothes were gone. “I think we should have a little fun before Mason returns. What he doesn’t know won’t kill him.”
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Lilly’s slender body straddled him, and even though his cock wasn’t hard, he couldn’t ignore the fact that her body was very wet. She was a sick, twisted bitch who got off on hurting people. He couldn’t wait to kill her.
She arched her hips, moaning as she reached back and cupped his balls. Her free hand clawed at his thighs and he hissed as her nail dug into his skin. She slipped up and down his length and he prayed his body wouldn’t betray him. No matter how wet and warm her pussy was, he never wanted to be buried inside her.
She growled, clawing his chest. “Fuck me, damn it,” she ordered.
“No,” he barked. “I will never want you.”
As he glared at her, she began to change, her Asian features morphing into something far more alluring and tempting to him. Blinking hard, he tried to block the vision. A spell, she was casting an illusion. He knew it. But still he stared at eyes that had only belonged to one other woman.
Bianca.
“Ryder, what’s happening?”
Bianca’s melodious voice soothed him. The tears that stung her eyes, the emotions in her voice, he was desperate to ease. He closed his eyes and slowly opened them. Bianca stared down at him. Her big golden eyes were a welcomed sight.
Ryder’s lips tingled, the need to claim her mouth a fierce need. “Oh, baby. How did you get here?”
She shook her head, her black hair tumbling over the pale skin of her shoulders. “I don’t know. One minute I’m with Brody in the cell, and then I’m here.”
She shifted her weight, her tender touch caressing the flesh of his body. The slight change in pressure had him groaning. His body responded.
Bianca leaned down, her mouth so close to his. “I ache, Ryder. I need you. I need you so badly.” Her warm mouth pressed to his cheek and chin, her soft lips gliding over his skin. “Kiss me, Ryder. Make the pain go away.”
Her nipples teased against him, and he groaned as her mouth and tongue laved his flesh. Her pleas were turning him inside out. His hands fisted as he realized he was still chained to the bed. Something wasn’t right. He couldn’t figure out what. His heart and mind dueled for rational thought.
“Bianca, help me get free,” he asked her.
She nipped at his chin. “Kiss me first.”
Her sweet tongue shot from her mouth, like a vise prying apart his lips. He caved, cracked under the pressure of her intoxicating touch. His need for Bianca could never be sated.
As her mouth covered his and her tongue dove into the depths of his mouth, he couldn’t catch his breath. She was robbing him of thought, sheer will. Her touch felt different, her taste not the same. The last kiss he shared with Bianca had been one filled with primal passions and need. She kissed him like it was the last thing she’d ever do on earth. This was not the same. This was a trick. This was Lilly.
Immediately he turned his face, breaking the connection of the kiss.
“Get off me, you crazy bitch,” Ryder blurted, fighting against chains. “Set me free so I can rip your damn head off.”
“Ryder,” she called his name softly, still using Bianca’s voice to confuse him.
“Stop, damn it,” he shouted. “You are not Bianca. You could never be her.”
Lilly’s presence was revealed, her eyes red and menacing. “So be it,” she spat. “If you won’t do as I need, then perhaps the last thing you’ll see before I take your soul is the death of your precious mate.”
* * * *
Bianca was helpless. Trapped inside this cell with its magical bars had left them with no way to escape. It felt like forever since Ryder had been taken away. Bianca cringed as she imagined all the horrible, wicked things Lilly could be doing to him. Her jaw clenched as the feeling of dread consumed her.
Emptiness lodged inside her chest. Somehow the link she shared with Ryder as his mate had been severed. Her eyes watered with the void left behind. Desperate, she tried time and again to feel his presence, hear his thoughts. Nothing. Repeatedly she’d reached out to him, but the connection that had warmed her soul, helped her to feel whole again was gone.
Bianca feared the worst. She didn’t want to think that Lilly had killed Ryder, but what else could cause a powerful link between mated werepanthers to break?
Brody slipped from the shadows of darkness and sat beside her, startling her from her unsettling thoughts. Having Brody close gave her a chance to breathe easy. Closing her eyes, inhaling his scent, she could almost feel as if they were home again. Tucked away in their special little hiding place away from the traitorous world around them.
He slid his strong arm around her and pulled her into a soft, comforting embrace. “I know what you must be thinking,” he said, his deep voice cutting through the air. “I’m sure he’s okay. Ryder’s tough, and there is no one else in the world like him.”
Bianca blinked, realizing she’d let herself forget where they were, if even for a second. The darkness of the prison cell came into full view. The cold slap of powerlessness struck her once more. Her heart sank.
She nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.” She lied.
Inside her belly churned, the acid rolling around and biting up into her throat. The taste was metallic and clung to h
er tongue. She was unable to swallow the vile taste down.
Knowing the evil that was Lilly, Bianca couldn’t be sure of the condition Ryder would be in when he returned. If he returned. Lilly might have feasted on him for all she knew. The bloodsucker had become insatiable and demented. Her powers had grown. Something Bianca didn’t understand.
There was no telling what Lilly was capable of. Bianca only prayed that Sebastian and the others would arrive before it was too late.
The sound of shuffling feet brought her gaze up to search through the thick blackness in front of her. Narrowing her eyes, a sudden burst of light had her rising to her feet. Gregory approached, and even if he hadn’t been holding a fire lit lantern, she would’ve known it was him from the deep woodsy scent she’d become too familiar with.
“Is it true?” he asked, stopping just before the invisible barrier. “You’re the hybrid’s mate?”
Bianca’s throat tightened, not knowing if Gregory would be angry with her for keeping the truth from him. Lowering her gaze, she nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell me of your plan?” His voice was soft, tender.
Gregory’s question brought her eyes back to lock with his. The air seized in her chest. She wasn’t sure why he bothered asking. Surely he understood that she couldn’t trust anyone. No matter how close they had been.
“I’m sorry, Gregory. I couldn’t risk being discovered,” she said plainly and then laughed. The sound was more of wonder rather than joy. “To be honest, I wasn’t exactly sure what my plan was. I was sort of figuring it out as I went.”
The corner of Gregory’s mouth rose into a knowing smile. “I knew you weren’t truly a part of Lilly’s plan.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t believe you were capable of such evil.” He reached up and pressed his hand against the invisible wall between them. “You had way too much compassion to be so heartless, uncaring.” He inhaled deeply. “What you did for my family…” He glanced downward.
Bianca’s heart bumped against her ribs. She wondered why Gregory was now confronting her. She prayed that he would find it in his heart to help her. If the lycans did as she knew they would, his family would be set free and he would no longer have to swear allegiance to the vampire queen.
“Gregory, Lilly’s going to kill Ryder if I don’t get to him.” Her words rushed from her mouth, a reflection of the urgency racing through her.
He eyed her. “No, she’s not.” His expression was curious, as if to say he was surprised she didn’t know already. “Lilly’s planning on resurrecting Mason, and she needs Ryder’s body to complete the transfer of souls.”
Bile burned at the back of her throat. Lilly was going to tear Ryder’s soul from his body, ultimately killing him. “Oh, God…she’s mad.” She clutched a hand to her chest, her heart pounding like a drum. “What am I going to do? She can’t kill him. I can’t let her.”
The thought of her life without Ryder was like a piercing blade to her heart. Bianca paced. Her mind searching for answers she knew she didn’t have. How did she not know any of this? Oh, God. She’d brought Ryder right to Lilly. Never once did she ever think anything like this was the reason the vampire queen wanted him. All this time, Lilly and Mason wanted Ryder to join forces with them. Never had it occurred to Bianca that the vampire queen would try anything to bring her lover back from the dead. Ryder was the only other hybrid in their pack and his powers had been amplified thanks to the fey witches.
Bianca’s mind reeled. “How does she plan to bring Mason back? She’s a vampire with magic. She can’t possibly be strong enough.”
“She is,” Gregory confirmed. “She’s been absorbing the energy from the lycan’s mate since Germany. She has enough power to do just about anything.”
Brie…
How did I not figure this out sooner?
Bianca’s hands pressed to the invisible wall. “Gregory, we can’t let this happen. She’ll destroy everything. You might never see your family again.”
Gregory gave a curt nod. “And now you know why I’m standing here in front of you.” He sighed, his gaze shifting to all sides of him as if to make sure they were still alone. “I’ve sensed an unnatural quiet beyond the cave. Lycans I presume?”
Bianca nodded.
“I don’t have the power to open this cell. Lilly’s magic has you bond in there.” He stiffened his spine. “Any suggestions on how I can help?”
Bianca frowned. If she had any idea of an immediate escape, she would already be working on executing that plan, but she didn’t. She was at the mercy of those who had come to help her, and right now that was Gregory.
“What about your lycan friends, or even the fey witch Tiffany?” He stared at her, the red of his eyes revealing darker more human orbs. He seemed just as desperate as she for her to escape this hell.
Bianca gasped. He was serious, but they might not look at him as a friend, and she couldn’t risk his death. “Gregory, they could kill you on sight.”
“I know, but I’m hoping that they will sense an ally in me and not kill me before I see my beloved once more. I miss my lover, Bianca. I want her back in my arms, and I want my family returned to me safely.” He turned to leave, but before he did, he glanced back. “I will do what needs to be done to save those I love. You’d do the same.”
Bianca’s breath hitched. Gregory’s mate meant the world to him. He never outwardly spoke of her, but Bianca knew the deals of his purchased loyalty. She’d been the one to bring his wife and family into custody. She was also the one who made sure they were kept in lavish surroundings, well fed, and cared for. Gregory wasn’t the killer Lilly had wanted the vampire leader to be. He was a man first, a man with a heart and the desire to protect those he cherished most.
Feeling the raw emotions that poured from Gregory had her thinking about the men in her life. While her heart was split equally down the middle, she couldn’t go on one more minute without being honest with Brody. Without telling him what was truly in her heart. He deserved to know.
Bianca stiffened her spine and faced Brody. “I love you,” she whispered. “I will always be grateful to you for all that you’ve done to ensure my happiness. You were the one who sacrificed so much to be with me.” She wiped away a fallen tear. It wasn’t brought on by sadness or regret. It was purely love. “Whatever happens with Ryder, you must know that you own a piece of my heart, my soul. You will forever be the man I love.”
His jaw opened slightly, a look of confusion lining his expression. Then the curious lines around his eyes relaxed. He rose, moving to stand chest to chest with her. For a long moment, he stared into her watery eyes. His gaze shifted from her lips back to her eyes. Each inhalation of breath brought his chest all the more closer to hers. She wanted to touch him, hold him in her arms, and feel his lips tenderly press against her mouth. She needed to feel that he understood how she felt, and what she wanted. If this was the last moment they ever shared together, it had to be with her heart and soul bare before him. No more lies, no more tears, no more secrets. Just love.
“I love you, too,” he said, sliding his hands up her arms, rubbing her chilled skin. She sighed, feeling relief flood her, bringing more tears to her eyes. “I won’t deny that I’m jealous as hell that I’m not your chosen mate.”
She sucked in a breath. “But you are,” Bianca whispered. “I did choose you. I,” she emphasized, “want you, Brody. I will always need you.”
Brody pressed his lips to hers and kissed her with warmth and passion that told her he understood her meaning. The mating bond was a birthright, something instinctively implanted within them. Even so, her heart would never be complete without Brody by her side.
“What about Ryder?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him close, but still keeping her eyes on his. “I will not lie to you. I want him. My panther needs him so much. He’s a part of me that I don’t think I can live without.”
Brody hung his head, nodding slightly. “I understand.”
/> “I don’t know what to do about any of this, but I do know that I belong to Ryder just as much as I belong to you,” she said. “I cannot ignore the way I feel.” She kissed him, emotions knotting up in her throat. “Just like I can’t ignore that one day you, too, will find your destined mate and I’ll have to let you go.”
Saying the words hurt. Knowing they were true hurt more. Once they returned to their pack and he was surrounded by those of their kind, the chances of finding the one that was meant to be his mate would increase. She’d be a fool to think otherwise. Brody would leave her and she would have to accept it.
Brody’s body tensed against hers. “What? No,” he argued. “I was destined to be with you, Bianca, and some damn mating bond will not change that.”
She smiled, loving the passion that fled from him. He gripped her shoulders. “Trust me when I say that I will never want another as I want you.”
If only that were true…
She quivered, the tingling of nerves racing through her body. “I couldn’t resist the call to mate with Ryder. It drove me to make a mess of things.” And she knew that given a chance to do it all again, she would because she was meant to be with Ryder. Even though he was hybrid, he was the other half to her panther, a part of her like no one else could ever be.
Brody’s expression softened. “You loved Ryder before you were forced apart. That is the difference. You already wanted him. The mating bond just made it more so.”
Could it be as simple as that? She bit her bottom lip nervously. “So you knew all along that I would want to be with him?”
Brody sighed. “I had my suspicion. I’d watched you for so long. I was a borderline stalker, now that I think about it.” She smiled. “You two had the kind of chemistry I was desperate to share with you.”
Bianca kissed him. “We have our own chemistry and from what I remember, it burned pretty hot.”
He grinned. “Yes, and I think it can burn hotter still.”
He crushed against her, dragging her bottom lip into his mouth, sucking and tasting her thoroughly. His arms surrounded her, pulling her up against the firm plains of his body. His strength surrounded her, and suddenly she was pressing up on her tiptoes, arms wrapping around his neck, praying the kiss wouldn’t end.