by J. C RIMELL
Her body shook beneath him and he rolled to the side, taking her with him in his arms, her body still damp from their shower. “Ssh… hey,” he soothed, kissing her forehead he could see she was crying. “Kit, what is it, baby? Shit, did I hurt...”
She cut him off with a soft, quick kiss. “No, Cade. God no.” The pain had been short-lived, and she knew her body would take some adjusting to his. She smiled, causing the tears to spring from her eyes. “I'm happy,” she sobbed. “So happy. That was… amazing. Better, far better than I ever imagined it would be like because it was with you. With someone I love.”
Oh. God. Had she really said that out loud? Kit bit her bottom lip in reprimand. Too soon, way too soon, idiot!
Cade wanted to crow, male pride swelled inside his chest making it feel full to bursting.
His grin was ear-to-ear, and she laughed, a sound he'd never tire of hearing. “Jesus, you're beautiful when you smile, and you're officially mine.” He nipped her lower lip playfully and rolled onto his back. His cock becoming a solid, thick rod once more as she straddled him. “I love you too.”
She sighed in relief, leaning into his palm as he swept her hair back from her face. “So,” she said, lazily tracing the dark swirls of his tattoo with her finger. “Does this mean we're kind of mated then?”
“Yup,” he replied as his eyes drank her in. His hands moved in a steady climb up her tiny waist over her ribs and onto the swell of her small, pert breasts. He wondered how on earth he could ever leave her or get anything done now? When all he wanted to do was to sink himself into her and stay there in her arms for eternity. “You are well and truly stuck with me now.”
She lowered her body onto his and kissed him, slow, hot and deliberate. Desire spiked inside of her all over again. The throb of his sex jutted against her ass and she shifted until her core was tentatively sinking down the length of his arousal. “I think I'll like doing this with you… quite often.”
“Amen to that, baby,” he murmured, as her body covered his like a silk glove to the hilt and they started the ride all over again in an unhurried, magical union of their bodies.
Chapter Sixty-Four
Ryker pinned the new duty roster onto the notice board in the communal living area. The shifts would begin that evening and he would take the first alongside Snow. He needed to get out, clear his head. The distance between himself and Madeleine had left an uncomfortable chill in his chest, and his attraction toward Gabrielle Robinson was something he was trying damn hard to ignore and only confused him further.
“Looks good.” Fleet joined him and swept a keen eye over the new duty roster and patrol list. “So how'd the meet with Agent Robinson go?”
Ryker glanced sideways, sure that his Alpha knew his dilemma and was purposefully yanking his chain. “She thinks they might have a new lead.” He shrugged uncommitted. “I'll be seeing her again in a few days, they want a team ready to leave for France.”
Fleet ran a hand over his chin. “France? That may prove difficult with what's going on right now.” He slapped Ryker on the back. “Still, I'll leave it to you to work it out with Robinson, if you think you can handle the female that is? She's mighty fine.”
Ryker tugged the peak of his cap in annoyance. “I hadn't noticed,” he said dismissively.
Fleet laughed. “The hell you haven't.”
“He has,” Nevada chipped in as she entered the room. “I've seen the way he looks at her like she's the best fricking thing on two legs.” She chuckled as she came to stand beside Fleet. “Can I plan the initiation ceremony for the youngsters now?”
Fleet sighed. “Yeah, we'll make it for the next full moon. I think we should include a mating ceremony too.”
Ryker was suddenly glad the conversation had been diverted away from him. “So, Cade and Kit, huh? The Society is really going to bend the rules for him like that?”
Fleet nodded, his gaze turning pensive. “He'll be leading the Society one day, Ryker, if they want to keep him in the loop, what choice do they have?” Things were heading for a change, and Fleet wasn't sure if it was for the better or worse. Either way it would come whether they wanted it to or not.
Chapter Sixty-Five
Leon stood at the window and surveyed the terrain stretching out in leagues of heavy woodland beyond the Chateau moat. His brother had done very well for himself. The owner of a hugely profitable car restoration business, well known the world over and a trustee of more than a handful of charities, as well as investments in other numerous businesses.
Leon's envy of his brother's success simmered uncomfortably in his gut. Having stumbled across a subordinate of Simeon's in the French Quarter of New Orleans, he and what remained of his own clan were taken to Normandy in the North West of France. To the very place, he had called his home many, many moons ago.
His thoughts were a turbulent sea. For so many years, he'd believed his brother Simeon had been killed by the fire that had wiped out most of his coven and destroyed his castle in rural, central England. And yet, now he stood in the elegantly styled, sixteenth century Chateau, decorated with elaborate gold leaf and antique furnishings. Windows that reached twenty feet up to the intricately molded ceilings, and detailed tapestries of horses hung from the walls. Original paintings by the likes of Claude Lorrain and Camille Pissarro were displayed in every room.
He should have felt elation, joy at the fact his brother was alive. Perhaps he would have, if finding out Simeon was King hadn't sliced through his emotions like a cold, steel blade. Cutting deeper still, having learned Simon had everything Leon desired at his fingertips. While Leon had spent years in hiding, Simeon had built himself a worthy empire of pure-blooded female virgins. A substantial army of strong males, a council, and many servants. His estate was tucked away in thick forestry teetering on the rural edge of the French countryside, providing adequate shade and privacy. There wasn't anything that the King didn't have.
Except a queen.
Simeon had shown interest in Josephine and Leon had been quick to hide her away from prying eyes in a room directly connected to his own. He kept her in a semi-trance state for her sake more than his own. Only lifting the hypnotic spell to allow her the chance to eat, but she refused and her body was showing signs of malnutrition. He knew he had to change her and soon before she became useless and he lost her altogether.
Leon shifted his thoughts back to his brother. They were two sides of the same coin, he less feeling, perhaps some would say cruel and merciless. Simeon was his complete opposite in looks and personality. Even as children, Leon knew their mother had loved Simeon more, his heart pure and untarnished.
Leon saw it as nothing other than a weakness.
The sudden knock on his chamber door disturbed his reminiscence. “Enter.”
A young male walked in dressed in black on black attire, looking more like a bodyguard than a servant.
“The King will see you now.”
Leon's nostrils flared. “Very well,” he replied, trying to dampen his hostility.
Following the tall, muscular male through the property that easily boasted eighteen bedrooms with en-suites, he paid little attention to the other vampires that crawled out of the woodwork. His keen senses had already tested the waters so to speak. Most occupants were young and not of any threat to his strength or power. His brother, however, had surprised him. While only half his own age, Simeon had grown in strength since they had last been together.
Still, Leon was confident one way or another he would take back what was rightfully his.
Simeon sat behind a deep, Edwardian desk. The dark wood gleamed with ageless beauty and the workmanship in every tiny detail was exquisite. An appreciation of the finer things in life Simeon could not deny. But it was his keen eye and empathy for old, disused and unwanted items that allured his passion for restoration. To take the abused effects and let them live again.
His hands together against his mouth as though in silent prayer, he waited for his brother to join hi
m. Simeon had known this day would come, and he was prepared.
Having answered the knock at the door and addressing Mathieu, his trusted servant, Leon walked in closing the door behind him.
“Have a seat, brother,” Simeon suggested, noting the reluctance in his brother's eyes, just as he had done many times since his arrival. He knew very well that Leon was unimpressed by his position as King. It mattered little, he could accept it, or he could find alternative living arrangements.
Dropping his hands, Simeon let them fall onto the heavy wooden arms of his throne. “I have asked you here to discuss the matter of the female you have imprisoned here.”
“She is not imprisoned and she is no concern of yours, dear brother.” Leon prowled forward, observing with contempt just how well suited his brother was to the throne that had once been his. Over the past few weeks, he'd noticed a few artifacts around the building that had survived the fire that had destroyed his home.
Their home.
Simeon's laugh was dark and moody. “Oh, anything and everything under this roof, in this country, and the next is of my concern.” His face took on a more serious mask. “And I have decided she is to be released.”
Leon jumped out of his seat he'd been merely perched on the edge of, throwing himself across the broad width of the desk toward his brother. “She is mine!” He spat wildly, his incisors already spearing into his mouth.
Simeon didn't flinch. He was well accustomed to his brother's rage. Even after many years, Leon still held the savage streak that set them apart. Although Simeon was King, he could not lift the trance the female was under. Leon's power was a force to be reckoned with. If the female were to be set free and returned to wherever she came from, somehow Simeon would need the cooperation of his brother. Though he was under no illusion he would get it, not unless it was through Leon's death.
Simeon sighed heavily, tilting his head his intelligent gaze narrowed in curiosity at Leon. “Tell me brother, just what is so special about this woman that you would lose a purebred female such as Valerie Dupont?”
Leon stood back, tugging the bottom of his gray, Ralph Lauren suit jacket back into place. His fangs retracted slightly as he tried to control himself. “I will divulge nothing to you, Simeon, other than to say I intend to claim her as my own.” Since Valerie had escaped him, he needed a new female and he could do worse than the human beauty still under his spell. Besides, she was a bargaining chip and those pesky wolves would probably be looking for her.
“I'm afraid that will not happen. She is human, and both my council and I implemented laws that are to be adhered to or...”
“Or what?” Leon grunted, “Will you have my head?”
Simeon smiled, amused by his brother's arrogance. “Lest you forget where you are and with whom you are speaking.” He stood to his full height, imposingly well-built and strikingly handsome, inheriting the beauty of their mother. The thick, golden waves of his hair teasing the collar of his crisp white shirt. His unusual, steel blue eyes crackled with supremacy. “You are here as my guest, but I see even after all this time you are no different than when we were infants.” He paused, silently summoning Mathieu with his mind. A telepathic connection existed between only a few servants, the pure virgin females, and the King. It required just a small sample of his blood for the link to form.
When Mathieu entered the room, both men looked in his direction. “Mathieu, bring the human female here at once.”
“He will not touch her!” Leon seethed, his deep, dark eyes flashing ruby red, the air turning palpable as a silence followed.
Simeon nodded just once for the male to leave. “You will do as ordered, brother, for failure to do so will cause me to place you before the Council. And your defiance will most certainly cost you your head.”
“This is ridiculous!” Leon lunged forward once more. “You forget, little brother, it is me that is King. Me!”
Simeon stood strong, confidently unfaltering under his brother's feral glare. Anger and rage rolled off him in waves, making him look like a vampire possessed. For Leon to rule it would turn everything Simeon had worked so hard to rebuild, to come shattering down around him and his web of vampires that were now spread out around the globe. Whether Leon was his kin or not, Simeon could never permit that to happen.
Simeon's own eyes began to feel heated, splintering with tinges of red, his incisors filling his mouth as his power reared up from within. Walking slowly around his desk he came to stand before his brother. He knew well that the Council would order Leon's decapitation. But Simeon was not a coward and felt the least he could do was give his brother an honorable death. It was a fight he could not afford to lose.
EPILOGUE
“Damn, she's fast.” Fleet whistled low, impressed by their new pack member's ability.
“Told ya,” Nevada said with a huge grin, pleased to have another female within the group.
“Hey, Ryker, you taking bets or what?”
“From a pup like you? Hell yeah.” Ryker opened his palm as Snow flashed a fifty-dollar bill. “Whoa, where'd you get hold of fifty bucks?”
The young shifter shrugged, kicking the ground purposely avoiding Ryker's hidden, suspicious glare. “I have ways and means,” he said, hoping the big shifter wouldn't probe any further. “My money's on Kit.”
“Here they come. Man, it's close,” Nevada eagerly informed the circle of shifters that had gathered to see just who was quicker in a race between the newly mated pair.
It had taken Kit almost two weeks to recover fully from her abduction and to adjust to a new life. Thankfully, Cade's blood sped up the whole process. She was now fitter than ever and going through other changes that were frightening and magical at the same time. He'd proved to be a tower of strength when the terrifying transition period from human to shifter began.
Now her body was strong and lean with senses that were pinprick sharp and she felt amazing. Once she had gotten past the wobbliness and instability of walking on four paws instead of two feet, she discovered she loved to run. And her speed was becoming so fast now she blurred like a shadow.
Cade's own power had doubled, and he'd embraced being his Alpha's second. He and Gunner could still not see eye to eye, but the pack was tighter than ever. The threat to the Society remained on the periphery and they were setting plans in motion to locate Kit's abducted aunt, Jo. Their most recent intelligence suggested she had been taken abroad to France.
“Damn, I think Cade's got the lead. I can't see Kit.” Nevada rocked back on her heels, deflated after betting a hundred bucks on the new, golden-haired wolf who was proving to be faster than even she was.
Kit felt the earth crumble beneath her paws. Felt the chill of the oncoming autumn slip through her thick pelt and saw the vibrant colors of the forest through her hunter's eyes like an artist's palette. It all passed by her at such an alarming speed it almost didn't seem real, her wolf assured her everything was safe and that they were almost there. She was learning to trust her wolf. They were one of the same.
Breaking through the mouth of the trees that bordered the compound training grounds, she ran directly toward the rest of the pack who were now looking past her. She gave a fleeting glance over her shoulder to see Cade closing in. Growling, she dug in deeper and felt her muscles burn with the extra push. They couldn't see her until she skidded to a halt right before Nevada's military, booted feet.
“Holy shit!” Nevada jumped backward. “Jesus, Kit McCoy, you sure got some speed, girl.” She praised her before turning to Ryker with her palm outstretched. “Looks like you owe me, brother.”
“Yeah, me too!” Snow chipped in.
Kit spun around, her keen wolf's eyes catching Cade's quick movements as his black wolf darted between the thick tree trunks. Reaching the opening of the forest just moments later, he ceased running and waited. She knew what he wanted, and leaving her new family to quibble over their winnings, she bounded lazily from the rocky path back down into the foliage to meet him.
You've gotten faster. Cade said, communicating telepathically with her now as he could with all his shifter comrades.
It seems so. Kit whined as she nuzzled into him, still finding the strange, magical connection a little hard to adjust to. You're not upset I beat you again, are you? she teased.
A little. But I'll let you make it up to me. He nipped at her before turning to run back into the dwindling thickness of the forest. She followed swiftly behind until they reached their place. The lake was a tranquil blanket surrounded by trees with vivid green leaves, tinged with hues of red and gold.
Kit's body shifted. It had been one of the scariest things that had ever happened to her, the first time she'd changed from a human into her wolf. But now as her bones lengthened and popped, and muscles stretched, she let it happen and didn't fight it as she had initially tried to do. It was quick as the flash of a camera and then she was standing naked, being pulled into the strong arms of her mate.
“It's cold out here, Cade Grayson.” Her breath was a cloud of fog as she shivered against the cool evening air. Even though her skin was hot and ran at a higher temperature than a human now, she missed the cozy warmth of her wolf's fur.