by Dana Archer
Right here. Right now.
After seven hundred years of life, they didn’t care what body she inhabited or if she could bear them young. She held the power to calm them, offering his wolves the peace promised to them by their goddess. That meant more to the animals than breeding or leading the pack.
He agreed. Living with the constant strife of housing three dominant wolves who rarely got along took its toll on a male. Claiming his human true mate, though, would be the most selfish thing he’d ever do. Even more selfish than when he’d married one incarnation of her and posed as Elizabeth’s husband for over a decade. That had been…wrong.
Stealing his true mate’s eternity would be worse, however. Mated to an alpha, Gwen would be subjected to scrutiny and disdain, every second of every day.
And for what? Immortality? Living forever wasn’t all that humans imagined. Money and social status didn’t mean anything after a few centuries either. In the end, there was no special privilege that came from belonging to him. Except maybe sex. Even then, she’d be compromising herself. He was dark…twisted. His fantasies would shock her.
What sane female would be okay knowing her mate craved the idea of another male commanding her body…while Xander watched? No. He couldn’t do that to her. Being with him would taint the goodness Gwen held. He wasn’t worth it.
“It’s you.”
The scarf wrapped around Gwen’s mouth muffled the words, but the shock in her voice was clear. She knew him. How? Humans weren’t supposed to remember their past lives. He’d specially sought out that knowledge from the elders of his species, the ones who were old enough to remember the time when the gods and goddesses interacted with the mortal world. Xander had taken comfort in knowing future incarnations of his true mate wouldn’t recall how he’d allowed her to die. Twice.
“Have we met?” If they had, she never would’ve gotten herself kidnapped. After Tabitha, the last human female who housed his true mate’s soul, perished, he promised himself he’d never allow his female to suffer. He wasn’t quite sure how he was supposed to accomplish that without tainting Gwen’s life with his presence, but he’d figure out a way, even if he had to lurk in the shadows, watching over her, for the rest of her life.
She tugged the gray scarf down, exposing the face he’d only seen in photographs. None of those pictures had done her justice. She was beautiful. An angel. Too good for him. He greedily let his gaze drink in her sweetness anyway, then met her chocolate-colored eyes.
“Not officially, but I’ve seen you before. You were hunting me. In Delaware.” She licked her lips, then glanced at the ground. “Do you remember?”
As if he’d forget. The memory of that day on the waterfront when he’d been searching for her and Molly haunted him still. A sensation of peace had settled over him, chasing away the aggression he usually encountered around humans. Those few seconds of peace were the reason he’d all but abandoned his pack in his search of Gwen. He’d known what they meant. Twice before, he’d experienced the phenomenon. Each time had been in the presence of his true mate, the two human females he’d damned by touching them.
“Really?” He swept his gaze over her. The parka hid her body, and none of the photos he had of Gwen revealed much. She didn’t like getting her picture taken. From what he’d learned of Gwen, she was as shy as she’d been in previous lifetimes. “I would’ve remembered seeing you.”
“Oh, you didn’t see me. I hid from you.” She slipped the dagger back into the sheath, shoved it in her pocket, then flicked her gaze to the woods, scanning them as if looking for help or an escape.
The tensing in her body and the desperation in her expression warned him to tread carefully. She was going to run. While he didn’t worry he’d lose her, he didn’t want to frighten her more. Chasing her would do that.
“I wish you hadn’t. I could’ve helped you.”
“No, I don’t believe that. If you could’ve, Molly wouldn’t have given me the advice she had.”
The scientists in the experimental center where Molly, Gwen’s adopted sister, had been born had turned the young lion shifter into the temporary host of a Royal pride’s spirit. The unnatural bond between the little girl and the Leon pride’s founding ancestor was an attempt to grant single shifters, those mortal shifters who could only take a single animal’s form, immortality. The scientists’ gamble paid off, but not in the way they’d expected. The Leon ancestor had merged completely with Molly, turning her into its pride’s next leader. Not her future mate as they’d intended.
“What advice did Molly give you?”
Gwen slid her bag off her shoulder and dropped it on the ground. “To run.”
“Why would—”
He didn’t get the chance to say more. Gwen turned and took off, fleeing into the woods.
Away from him.
He cursed and chased after her. So much for sparing her from experiencing more fear. He should’ve told her he was one of the good guys. Too late for regrets.
Gwen skidded going down the steep landscape. She wasn’t even looking for an easy way.
He quickened his pace. “Gwen, wait. I’m not—”
She hit a patch of wet leaves and fell. Her hip smacked into the ground. She cried out and tumbled, rolling sideways.
He slid in front of her. She slammed into his body. Her breath rushed out. He leaned over her. “Are you okay?”
She shoved him. Her push didn’t come close to budging him, but knowing fear choked her, he eased back.
The second he released her, she scrambled over him, knocking him to his back in her haste. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her under him. Panic drove her. That had to be the reason for putting herself in the position where he could easily get her on her back beneath him.
She bucked under his body, wiggling and squirming. “Let me go!”
“Gwen, calm down. I’m not your enemy. I—”
She drew her legs up and pressed her palms to his chest, then shoved a second time. “Off! Get off!”
He clamped a hand over her mouth. “Shut up, or you’re going to bring the other shifters here. If they gang up on me, one of them might get to you before I can kill them all. Do you want that? For them to rape you?”
Her quickened breaths warmed his palm, and her eyes widened impossibly more. She shook her head.
He uncovered her mouth and brushed a few strands of hair from her cheek. Freckles dotted the bridge of her nose, and a thin white scar ran across her chin. He traced the mark that hadn’t been present in any of the pictures of her he’d seen. Whoever had put it there would die. “Then you need to calm down. Can you do that for me?”
She nodded and relaxed under him, spreading her legs and allowing him to settle more firmly against her, his groin lining up to hers. Clothes separated them, but they didn’t hide the soft cushion of her body. The press of her curves stirred him.
It was the wrong time for the surge of lust. She didn’t need to feel the evidence of his desire, not while she feared he’d rape her. With his true mate spread before him, however, he couldn’t stop his shaft from rising. Gwen held the key to his sex drive.
And his soul.
He dropped his head to her shoulder and took deep breaths in an attempt to counter the unsolicited desire. Gwen’s scent made it impossible. Although her fear was palpable, her arousal grew by the moment. The rich scent of her need surrounded them. Excited him. That was the way of true mates, though. Their bodies understood what their minds sometimes didn’t. They fit, better than any other lover would.
“I can feel how hard you are.” She rocked under him, stimulating him more. He stifled a groan. “You want to be the one to take my virginity, don’t you? I know that’s special for shifters.”
“Yes.” He wouldn’t lie. It was special. So was knowing his whore pack mate hadn’t gotten to his true mate first as Vlad had done both lifetimes before.
Xander refused to call him Vader, that ridiculous nickname he’d started going by after denouncing his tie to t
he Winchester pack. To Xander, he’d always be Horace Vladimir Winchester, pack mate and friend. Or ex-friend, according to Vlad.
Gwen skimmed her fingertips up Xander’s thigh, dragging the wool kilt with her. Her boldness left him tense and eager.
“Do you want to know a secret even the bear shifters don’t know?” She caressed his thigh, reaching between his legs to tease the edge of his groin. “I’ve never even touched a man’s penis.”
Her words stirred a primal aspect of his personality that made him want to throw Gwen over his shoulder and attack anyone who dared look at her.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I believe in honesty and fairness. No matter how much I despise being a prize, you’ve caught me. You have the right to do whatever you want to me until morning, and I’ve decided I want to experience pleasure.” She pressed her lips against his ear. Her shaky exhale washed over him, tightening his body. “You’ll make it good for me, won’t you?”
His instincts demanded he claim her, every way a male could have a female, until she craved only him. Never had he expected his virgin mate to beg him to ravish her, however. In one night. Something wasn’t quite right about her leading questions.
He turned his head and met Gwen’s gaze. She glanced away. No. He refused to lose the insight her eyes gave. “Look at me.”
She swallowed hard but obeyed his command.
“Telling me you’re untouched makes me want to come inside you. Fill you up until my seed is dripping down your thighs.”
Her breathing deepened. The scent of her need increased, but she didn’t speak.
He slipped his hand between their bodies and dragged his knuckles over her groin. “Do you know what’ll happen if I lose myself inside you?”
She pressed her lips together. Her silence confirmed his guess. She knew. She wanted him to admit to the possessiveness.
Why? He went over their short encounter and cursed. Fear had hovered in her eyes at the mention of being gang raped. Of course. It’d be better to belong to one male than to be used as a toy for several who very well might kill her as they fought over her.
He pulled his hand away from her crotch and wrapped his arms around her, holding his true mate close. “Gods, Gwen, you don’t need to do this. I’ll never let anyone—”
His wolves’ growls filled his head. Danger had found them. He yanked his gaze to the woods. One of the other shifters participating in the hunt hopped over a fallen tree. At close to seven feet, the bear shifter was huge, but his size meant nothing. Xander could defeat him easily. The three other shifters behind the bear would slow Xander down, however. If one of them broke away and went after Gwen?
Xander crouched over his true mate’s body and snarled. His fangs slid into place, and his sharpened nails punched from his fingertips. Tiny hairs pushed from his skin while the demands of his wolves beat at him. They wanted to be released. The shifters approaching them would die.
“Head toward the top of the mountain, Gwen.” He turned away and stripped, tossing his jacket, kilt, and shirt to the ground. “Do not disobey me. You’re more important to me than you could ever know.”
He didn’t wait for a response or try to explain more. He’d have to trust in their connection to help her past her fear. No way would he fail his true mate. Not again.
Chapter 3
Xander had betrayed him.
Again.
Growls reverberated in Vader’s head. For the first time in thirty years, his wolves shared the same want—their alpha’s blood.
Vader tightened his hold on their metaphysical leashes. No matter how much he understood his animals’ rage, he would not give in to their primal demands. Xander was the rightful host of their pack’s spirit. He was also a good leader, at least where the pack was concerned. His loyalty to Vader was another story.
He shoved away thoughts of the past. They wouldn’t help him save Gwen. That was more important than his strained friendship with Xander.
Movement drew his eye. Gwen was running west, toward the falls. Why would she go that way? She’d break her neck trying to navigate the steep, rocky slope. Surely she could hear the water. Or didn’t she care about her safety? She hadn’t in a previous life.
Past and present merged, choking him with regret. Gwen’s hair brightened, from dark brown to a fiery red. Her parka morphed into a long, flowing gown. The trees disappeared. Rich, green grass replaced the branches and leaves littering the forest floor. Rain fell. Thunder boomed.
She’d been Elizabeth in that lifetime, and she’d chosen Xander over him. The resentment twisted his gut, stirring his darker emotions. He’d often wished Xander harm but had never acted on it. Elizabeth had loved him. Her devotion had been unwavering until the day she’d died.
Anger and sorrow had sent her running into the night. Xander had been the cause of her pain, but Vader had stood by and watched her flee. He hadn’t stopped her. Hadn’t saved her. Hadn’t warned her not to use the rope bridge. He’d known it needed repairs. One of the boards had cracked underfoot the last time he’d crossed, but it had given way under her small frame, sending her tumbling into the rapids.
Her screams still haunted his dreams.
Not this time. He wouldn’t let fate take their true mate—his and Xander’s—again. He shoved back the memories of Elizabeth. The present mattered. Gwen mattered. Nothing else.
Where was Xander, anyway? Gwen shouldn’t be alone. As much as Vader disliked the knowledge that Xander had found her first, Vader had breathed a sigh of relief with the text he’d gotten.
Dante, an ex-Shifter Affairs agent who’d been helping him and Xander search for Gwen, had alerted Vader of Xander’s plans. Although annoyed Xander had acted on his own, Vader was grateful. Xander wouldn’t let their true mate die, even if he still refused to acknowledge she was theirs and not merely his.
Roars and snarls broke the silence of the afternoon, suggesting the reason why Xander wasn’t with Gwen. The other shifters in the hunt had found them, and she’d run, probably on Xander’s orders.
At the moment, no shifters followed her, but she wouldn’t be alone for long. The sounds of fighting weren’t far off.
Vader quickened his pace. Calling out to her would only clue the others in to her location, but he had to reach her before she decided to attempt the rocky slope. The mist from the falls would slicken everything, making the path treacherous. Exactly as the rope bridge had been all those years ago.
He veered south. The roar of the falls drowned out the sounds around him. Even with his enhanced senses, he couldn’t pick up much. Gwen would hear less. Startling her might send her darting off in another direction or cause her to fall. She had to see him first. Once she did, she’d know she was safe. No matter how much he’d screwed things up with Gwen in this lifetime, she’d be relieved to see him. He was a familiar face.
A friend.
The word pissed him off. If he’d listened to his instincts, he could’ve been more. Instead, he’d slept with Gwen’s sister, Lena, and hurt not just one female, but two.
No. He had to let the guilt go. It was probably a good thing he’d ignored his lust for Gwen. Xander hadn’t been in the picture. Even if he had been, they would’ve ended up fighting over her, exactly as they had in the past. Until a couple of months ago, the idea of sharing her never would’ve been considered. It still might not be a viable option. Xander, as alpha, would resent the idea of sharing his mate with anyone.
Vader shoved the thoughts of the future and past aside and glanced over the area. A ledge overlooking the falls loomed ahead of him. The ground dropped off abruptly. A twenty-foot waterfall, one of several in this area, gushed over the cliff.
The deep pool at the bottom fed another, smaller waterfall. From there, the water cut a path leading down the mountain to the lake at the bottom. From where he stood, he couldn’t see it or the smaller body of water at the top of the falls, but he knew it was there. He’d studied the map of the area after le
arning this would be the location of the virgin’s hunt.
He cut a quick look at the rough-cut rock staircase leading down. If Gwen had plans to come this way, she’d use it. He didn’t see her, though.
Without another wasted second, he jumped, landing on the sharp slope. He slid several feet over the combination of wet leaves and slickened rocks.
The moment he came to a stop, he hopped from one moss-covered rock in the stream to the other. Once on the other side, he hurdled the wooden railing, slipping on each narrow step, but got to the top before Gwen made it down.
She skidded to a stop several feet from the natural staircase. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened.
For one heart-stopping moment, her gaze collided with his. Recognition swept over her, exactly as it had the night he’d licked the wound on her hand. He hadn’t imagined their connection. She was his. His gift from the goddesses. His perfect match. His one true mate.
The one woman he could never satisfy completely.
“How did you find me?” Her rough breaths fogged the air.
“I’ve been searching for you ever since—”
A shot rang out. Chunks of dirt and rocks sprayed over Gwen’s legs. She shrieked and jumped back.
Vader didn’t bother looking for the shifter hidden somewhere in the woods to his left. Getting to Gwen was all that mattered. He ran toward her, blocking the shooter’s aim as best he could with his body. A bullet lodged in his back. Another in his backside. Neither slowed him. The sight of a second shifter stepping from the woods behind Gwen with a rifle aimed at her did stop him, however.
Gwen pivoted and faced the male. Vader didn’t know him personally, but he knew of him. Reno was one of the bear shifters from the Ulgran clan, a single-shifter clan who specialized in the human hunts and cage fights that had grown in popularity over the last decade. Anything to entertain the corrupted of their kind.
“I knew you’d make this hunt exciting, little Gwen. I’m glad I suggested it as your punishment.”
Reno’s words set Vader off. Claws slipped from his fingertips. He took a step forward. Another shot impaled in the ground inches from Gwen. She jerked but didn’t run.