by Rosanna Leo
“You took pity on him, Killian. It was more than he would have done for you.”
“No. I was a scared teenager. I’d never killed before, never had to defend anyone other than my brothers against my parents. I didn’t have the balls. I should have slaughtered him where he slept.”
“Don’t beat yourself up. You were a kid. You’ve had to play adult for so long, and I know it’s second nature for you to assume responsibility. But you didn’t make a mistake that day. You showed mercy.”
He raised his face and his forlorn gaze washed over her. “What did mercy get us? More dead bodies.”
“Well,” she said, grasping at any straw she could see. “What about the police? Can’t we just let them handle Crane?”
“You have to understand, Nina. Shifters are still very much an underground society. Yes, our people work on the same police forces as humans, but we handle our criminals in a more straightforward manner. Very few shifters make it into human jails. If a shifter goes bad, or rogue, we handle him.”
“You kill him.”
“In order to save others, yes.”
“So why has no one else ever handled Crane?”
“Deep down, the man’s a coward. He surrounds himself with blank-faced brawlers. They keep him secure. But now we’re going to find the chink in his armor. He needs to die, and by my hand.”
She hung her head in her hands as her stomach heaved. The more he talked, sounding like some sort of modern-day, fur-sprouting William Wallace, the more the chills assaulted her. He might as well paint himself blue and run off hollering, wielding a sword. It would end just as badly as Braveheart’s adventure.
No, her jaguar cried. He can do this and we need to support him.
She did, or at least, she was trying her best. But the very thought of him receiving even a scratch turned her inside out. She wanted to believe but at the end of the day, she couldn’t bear to think Killian might be a casualty in this war.
“Help me,” she whispered, distraught. “Help me believe.”
He put his arms around her and his heat enveloped her from head to toe, making her nipples pebble and her womb clench. Damn, it didn’t seem fair he should have such sway over her. She wanted to be angry with him, wanted to hit him, but her whole frame collapsed into him.
His fingers found the back of her neck and he brought her face close. “Nina, I promise you I’ll make it all better.” His hand danced down her spine toward her ass. He squeezed her flesh, sliding his finger between her cheeks. “I’ll take care of you. You have my word.”
She met his gaze, hot and lusty, and desire reduced her to an unthinking beast. She needed to copulate with him, to ride him, to have him fuck her as if it were the last time. And she needed it now. Clawing her way out of her shirt, she tossed it to the floor. Her bra followed. His lips parted, wet with hunger, and he bent his head to suckle at her breast. As her nerve endings whirred, like a black city skyline lighting up after a power outage, she clutched at him, digging her fingers into his hair. He claimed her all over again, with low moans and impassioned nips. Her nipples rioted, stiffening with pleasure in his mouth and her world went black in delirium.
One more bite and he released her breast. He lay her down on the bed and rose up over her, shielding her from the world with his strength.
“Sweet thing,” he promised on a growl. “Tonight I’ll show you how you belong to me. I will possess you, Nina. Every last inch of you.”
Chapter 14
“DO it.” The need in her whisper shocked her.
Animal hunger flashed in his eyes. He stood and tore at his clothes, sending them flying. When he finally stood nude before her, it occurred to her he did resemble a warrior. Power surged through his bulging arms, wide chest, and thick cock. She wanted his power inside her, deep down inside her.
Killian grabbed at her jeans waistband and the zipper broke under his marauding hand. He ripped at the opening and tugged the jeans down her legs, bringing her panties with them. When he spied her pussy, already wet for him, his mouth opened into the smile of a predator. A famished, meat-eating predator.
“Please, Killian.” She writhed on the bed, her legs tensing.
The evening shadows played with his face. They haunted his eyes, giving him a sinful allure, bringing out the darkness he’d tried so hard to dispel. The same shadows drifted across his features, sharpening his cheekbones, putting a savage curl into his lips.
In this light, she almost feared him and what he could do, and yet she still wanted him.
“Turn over.”
She didn’t question him, just obeyed his command. He loomed over her back, sliding his body atop hers, pressing her into the mattress. His hot breath landed on her ear.
“You doubted me, Nina. Doubted my ability to keep you safe. And now you’re going to pay for it.”
He leaned back, rising off her back, and his hand met with her ass in a resounding crack.
“Oh!”
Understanding her body so well, knowing her cries were laced in pleasure, he spanked her again. She arched her back, angling her bottom toward him to feel more, but he held her in place with his other hand.
Crack. Crack. The most wonderful tingling erupted all over her cheeks as he ministered to both, keeping his punishment even and regular. Even as she struggled in his grip, part of her wanting to flee, her moisture coated her pussy.
“Do you believe I’ll take care of you?”
“Killian, please.”
Crack. “You didn’t answer me. Do you trust in me?”
“I don’t trust Crane.”
Crack. “That’s not what I asked.” Crack.
Heat spread across the fleshy parts of her ass and she jiggled under his touch. Just as she feared he’d slap her again, large fingers slipped into her seam, stroking and penetrating. Worshipping. Claiming her as effectively as his brand on her soul.
As Nina veered toward an embarrassingly-potent orgasm, she reached behind her back, trying to dislodge him and assert her own power. The sensations were too strong. She bit her lip, trying to hold back her sobs of yearning.
He teased her lips, spreading them, plumping their fullness, but never circling her clit where she needed him most. “Please.” She wasn’t above begging. Not now.
All of a sudden, he stopped touching her. The bed dipped as he shifted his weight and moved off her. As tears filled her eyes, she turned and sat on the bed, feeling so alone and so cold.
“Killian?”
He stalked toward a dark green wing chair in the corner of the room, sat, and steepled his fingers in front of his face. He glared at her. “You don’t trust me, and you don’t get to come.”
The tears streamed down her face and she swallowed a cry. Why? Why was she crying at this…this farcical behavior? Who did Killian Moon think he was? A fucking caveman?
With a defiant hand, she touched her pussy, determined to finish what he started.
His eyes fairly blazed. “Oh no, you don’t.” He jumped out of the chair and grabbed her hands in one of his. With his other hand, he reached into his bedside table and produced some silken ties. Before she could even formulate a word of protest, he’d flipped her back onto her stomach, brought her hands behind her back and tied them. She lay prostrate on the bed, bound for his pleasure or her humiliation. She couldn’t quite figure out his endgame. All she knew was the throbbing in her core, her shameful need, and her tears.
He knelt on the bed at her head and supported her shoulders. With a gentle hand, he caressed her jaw. “You trusted me with your heart, Nina. I need to know you trust me with your safety and with the safety of our people. And to prove you can have faith in me, I’m going to show you I understand your body better than you do.”
With that, he slid his thumb between her lips and made her open her mouth. He fed her his delectable cock, inch by inch. She licked and sucked and swallowed, wanting him all over her. As he cursed, he kept a strong hand
at the back of her head, letting her know he controlled their play.
He controlled her heart. And although she wished she had the nerve to bite his dick off for being so macho, she savored him instead. As she took him to the back of her throat, relishing his taste, her womb sent out sweet flutters of needy agony. How she wished he’d put his cock inside her.
She’d never come from giving a blow job, but if he didn’t take that thing out of her mouth, she would.
As if sensing how close she was, he released her head and slid out of her. His cheeks were red, but he was pale everywhere else, as if their lovemaking shocked him, too. Once again, he cupped her cheek and asked, “Do I have your total faith?”
“I’m just scared, Killian.”
Disappointment streaked through his glare. He moved off the bed again and positioned himself behind her. The bedside table drawer creaked open again and she heard the telltale signs of a condom wrapper being unwrapped. There was a clicking noise, one she recognized as the lid on a container of lube. And then, sweet coolness at her back door.
Her back door. Oh my God, I’ve never done this.
I know, he answered. But you’re about to. Trust me to give you what you need, Nina. I will always give you what you need.
His finger prodded at her ass, smoothing the lube all around the tight entrance. First, he penetrated with his finger, stretching her. She clenched, unfamiliar with the feelings of tight anticipation.
“Relax. Breathe. I won’t hurt you.”
She let out a sigh and her body yielded. He advanced with his finger, easing past the snug ring of muscle. He then stopped moving, letting her decide how to move for them. As he waited, she was spurred on by the heady new sensations and squirmed, realizing something.
It felt so good.
As he sensed her acquiescence, he touched his other hand to her pussy, finally making contact with her swollen clit. Nina almost shrieked in relief. The low chuckle of satisfaction at her back only intensified her reaction.
“See? I know what you need.”
“Yes,” she moaned. “More.”
“That’s my girl.”
He eased his finger out of her derriere and quickly moved into the washroom. After washing his hands, he returned and slid on the condom. He positioned himself behind her once again and this time she felt a larger presence at her crack. He slid his thickness between her cheeks and she wriggled against him, wanting him nearer. With a guiding hand on her ass, he gently spread her and she heard him pant as he took in the view.
“You’re so beautiful, Nina. Let me come inside and touch you where no one else has ever touched you.”
She sucked in a breath and he penetrated her, only with his tip.
“Slowly, slowly,” he murmured, his voice a comfort. “Give yourself to me.”
With expert precision, he seated himself inside her, scoring every inch of her in the process. She gasped, wondering how it was he could feel even bigger this way. He muttered some curses, the control slipping from his voice, and once again held still so she could adjust to their new intimacy. Her peripheral vision obscured. Her gut clenched with the need to push against him and ecstasy found a new home inside her.
Clearly on a quest to drive her insane, he reached around with his hand and began to massage her clit with long, torturous strokes. As she ground against his hand, needing release more than she needed air, Killian began to thrust. Each sensuous movement drove her closer to the precipice. His thighs tightened behind her. Her slit wept. A crazed explosion of pleasure totaled her body.
Sweet, sweet madness.
As shockwave after shockwave reduced her to mush, Killian rode out his lust, grunting her name. “Nina, Jesus. Ah, fuck, baby, you feel so good.”
Thrust. Thrust. Quaking stillness as he came, and then the most reverent kisses on her spine.
He withdrew and eased her to the bed, covering her with the sheet. She lay still, closed her eyes and listened as he cleaned up in the bathroom.
Tingles of delight danced up and down her toes and her toes flexed. He was right. He’d known exactly what to do to light her up like a Christmas tree. He really did know what she needed and he deserved her unreserved support.
What kind of mate would she be if she didn’t at least hear him out?
Killian returned and got into bed with her. He gathered her close to his chest and gazed at her. His brow, so stormy and possessive before, now boasted new furrows of worry. “I do love you.”
“I know. And I trust your judgment. I never meant to make you feel otherwise. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”
He ran his thumb over her lip and then followed with a soft kiss. “I won’t. And I’m sorry I didn’t share my plan with you sooner. I’d rather burn in hell than give you reason to be scared, my mate.”
Overcome by his powerful words, she tucked her head under his and kissed his neck and chest.
His hand slipped toward her bottom and he gave it a pat. “I hope I didn’t hurt you. Are you okay?”
“As long as I have you.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Her jaguar curled up next to his Alpha cat, content and in complete agreement.
* * * *
A female voice, one tinged with quiet cruelty, woke her from her sleep. Wake up, girl. Don’t disturb Killian.
Nina rolled over in his arms, turning toward the wall, banishing the cobwebs from her temporal lobe.
Oh, hurry up. Are you listening to me?
She opened her eyes, wondering if someone had broken into their cabin.
I’m not in your cabin, slut. I’m in your head.
Mary Moon. How could she hear her?
Didn’t my son explain? she taunted. Now that we’re family, we can hear each other if we choose, so I choose to let you hear me.
The way Mary spat the word family, she could almost envision the curl in the other woman’s lip. What do you want?
It’s quite simple, Nina. I want you, out of my son’s bed. Your human filth has polluted his sheets long enough.
Go to hell.
Insolent little bitch. Don’t forget, Nina. We hold the power. August Crane has a terrible band of warriors at the ready, prepared to take Gemini Island by force and destroy everyone there. My son may think he can fight us off, but we’re simply too strong.
Killian believes he can handle Crane and I believe him.
He’s kidding himself. The only reason Crane hasn’t rained hellfire on the island yet is because I’ve begged him to wait.
Wait for what?
For you, of course. You have the power to make it all go away.
What are you talking about?
The woman’s snickers echoed in her ears. I’ll make it nice and simple so your inferior brain can grasp it. Give up my son and surrender yourself to me, and I’ll make sure no one from the Ursa Lodge gets hurt.
Give up Killian? Never.
You might want to give it some thought. I hear you have a couple of pregnant friends on the island. The Great Alpha would love to get his hands on those women and their babies. He bears a particular disgust for shifter/human spawn, but he’ll be pleased to eradicate anyone on the island.
As terrible images flew through her head, making her almost sick to her stomach, Nina entertained the option Mary gave her. If I leave Killian, you won’t let Crane hurt him or our friends?
If you leave Killian and offer yourself in his place, it shall be done.
I don’t believe you. You’ll just kill me and come back for the others.
Not necessarily. August wants blood. Right now, I think any blood would do. Still, I’d rather it be yours than my son’s, even if he is an ungrateful bastard.
So either way, I die.
Come now, Nina. Let’s be honest, you cock-sucking piece of mortal trash. You must have known I wouldn’t allow such a presumptuous whore to mate with my son and get away with it.
But Killian will be crushed. We’re mates. You might as well ask me to plunge a dagger into his heart. He loves me.
And if you don’t sacrifice yourself for the greater good, he’ll mourn many more than just you. She let out a huff of frustration. Don’t worry, girl. When Killian falls to pieces, the Alpha Brethren will be there to offer him support. I’ll get my son back.
Nina grasped for a way around the miserable plan, but saw none. He and I are connected in spirit. How am I supposed to get away from him without him knowing?
I’m sure you can be resourceful. Besides, Killian’s life is at stake. You have twenty-four hours, Nina. You’ll find us at our home in Gemini Grove. Don’t disappoint me.
Like a phone wire being cut, her connection to Mary crackled and severed.
As Killian reached out in his sleep to pull her close to him, she masked her thoughts, just in case he gleaned any hint of her despair and woke up in a panic.
Either way, she’d lose him, but she could give him this chance to live.
Oh, right, her jaguar protested, its eyes wild. You die, he dies. That’s how it goes for our people. Your bond is too strong for him to survive without you.
Shush and let me think! And then, feeling badly for her outburst, she gave her desolate jaguar a pat on the head.
What was she supposed to do? Not knowing, and desperate to cling to him for as long as possible, Nina curled into him. She sent him mental vibes of love and warmth and he sighed. As his sweet breath mingled with the sour taste in her own mouth, she breathed him in. She laid her head against his chest, stifling her tears, and memorized the beat of his heart.
Chapter 15
"GIOIA, it would be better if you use your teeth. Let him feel your bear bite. Destroy him."
Killian glanced over as Anton's tiger friend Matyas counseled a group of the female shifters on how best to fell an enemy. Because the Hungarian tigers had so much experience fighting, they'd volunteered to take the women through a few paces. Before Anton had returned to Hungary with Marci, his homeland had been ruled by his vicious father and many shifters had been forced to fight for their own existence, never mind their positions at court.