Tall, Dark & Heartless: A Pyte/Sentinel Series Novel

by R. L. Mathewson

  Without needing to be told, Lucan dropped his gaze to the ground. Even after all these centuries he could not force himself to look up and meet his Master's eyes and he hated the Master for it.

  "Where is my property now?"

  "I don't know," Lucan said tightly even as he fought for control. At that moment he wanted nothing more than to tear his Master's throat out with his teeth, but somehow he forced himself to remain where he was, reminding himself that he had not earned his freedom yet. He refused to take it like some thief in the night. He'd worked for too long to simply take it. When he'd earned it the Master would give it to him.

  "That's not good enough, dog," the Master spat, using the name his human Master had given him and further enraging Lucan. Still, he forced himself not to move even as the Master's hand tightened around his throat and he felt the Master's breath on his ear. "Is your usefulness at an end, dog? Hmmm? Should I give you the fate that your human master sought to give you?"

  The Master chuckled when Lucan began to tremble, but not from fear as the Master intended, but from the struggle to stop himself from finishing this once and for all. He would earn his freedom. He would fulfill his promise to his mother and earn it. He would not allow anyone, especially this man, to force him to break his word. No matter how long it took, he would do it.

  "I've taken care of it, Master," the last word strangled from his mouth as he closed his eyes and forced himself to reign in his temper.

  "How?"

  He opened his mouth to tell the Master that there were now two Pytes instead of one, but something made him hold back. Perhaps it was the knowledge that if they were unable to locate the male he would still have something to save himself from the misery he knew his Master would force on him if he failed. So instead, he gave the Master the only thing that would save him from tearing the Master apart and breaking his word at the moment.

  "Kale Quinn."

  ********

  "Oh my God! Stop!" Danni said, shoving Caine's roaming hand down her bare leg as she did her best to drive down the dark country road without careening the car into the woods on either side of the road.

  "Can't. Need you," Caine somehow managed to get out as he continued to kiss her neck almost desperately.

  "No, you don't, Caine. It's the drugs," she pointed out yet again with an annoyed sigh as his hand once again moved to slide between her legs and as much as she wanted it, needed it, she couldn't let him.

  Having him suddenly cut her out of his life so long ago had been one of the most difficult things she'd ever survived, but she had barely survived the looks of indifference he gave her through the years. She refused to deal with looks of disgust after this. She would not allow him to claim that he'd had no choice because of the drugs and she sure as hell wouldn't be treated like some whore.

  He'd made it painfully clear that he didn't want her when he rejected her when she needed him so badly. It was more than obvious that the very idea of touching her disgusted him. It didn't matter how turned on she was at the moment, she wasn't desperate enough to sleep with a guy that was drugged out of his mind and didn't know what the hell he was doing.

  Her stomach growled viciously, reminding her that she needed to eat soon or she would lose control and go into bloodlust. The last thing either one of them needed at the moment was for her to lose control. The idea of not being able to stop herself from doing things she'd rather not do frightened her and she would do whatever it took to avoid doing those things. She was going to have to find someone to drink from. The idea of attacking some poor unsuspecting person didn't exactly appeal to her, but neither did acting like a rabid animal.

  As she drove and shoved Caine's hands away she kept a lookout for a twenty-four hour diner or gas station. It should appall her that she planned on attacking some poor defenseless stranger, but at this point she was too hungry to care. She just hoped that she'd be able to stop before it was too late. It would destroy her to know that she killed someone innocent.

  The sooner she got settled somewhere, the better. She needed to find a blood delivery system and soon. The stress from worrying if she'd overfeed was too much for her, she thought as she tried to shrug Caine off, but the bastard was determined. He teased her neck with the tips of his fangs, making her shiver as she did her best to ignore her body's reaction to him. It wasn't easy, but somehow she managed to keep going.

  "Pull over," Caine demanded when she slapped his hand away, again.

  "No!'" she snapped.

  "I need to fuck you," he practically growled as he somehow snaked his hand beneath her shirt. Before she could stop him, he was palming her left breast and groaning in her ear. Her damn traitorous nipple hardened in welcome as she fought to control her breathing.

  She couldn't do this. It was wrong. He was drugged and not thinking straight. When he worked the drugs out of his system he'd be mad, she reminded herself even as she tilted her head back slightly and to the left to give him more room to work. When he ripped her shirt open and latched onto her nipple she didn't bother biting back the loud moan. Instead, she put her directional signal on, slowed down and parked the car on the side of the road. Without taking his mouth away from her breast he reached over and put the car into park for her.

  With a murmured "thank you" she sat there, panting hard as she tried to do the right thing. This was wrong, so very wrong, she thought as her eyes closed of their own accord and she licked her lips as he reached between her legs and traced her wet slit with the pad of his finger.

  She was barely aware of her fangs sliding down or even the small tingle that accompanied her eyes shifting to red. All she could think about was the way Caine was driving her out of her mind and the fact that this was the very last thing that he wanted. Why did she have to have a conscience?

  Danni took a deep fortifying breath and when that didn't give her the strength that she needed to stop him she took another one. The second one really didn't help, but she didn't have much of a choice in the matter. She needed to stop him before he did something he would regret. She knew that she wouldn't regret the act itself, but how he regarded her afterwards.

  Sex was just sex. It was something she did when she was wound up tight or needed to burn excess energy, but even with that said, she'd never been one to sleep around. She needed to at least know the guy and have a certain level of trust and respect for him. That was the reason why she was never able to give herself to Greg, that and she wasn't attracted to the jerk. Caine on the other hand was a different story altogether.

  Trust or no trust, the man simply turned her on like nothing else. She wasn't exactly sure how a simple attraction could have blown up to a need of this level. His dismissive attitude should have turned her off, which it did, mostly, but everything else about him turned her on. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair, trace his tattoo from his jaw to his cock with the tip of her tongue, stare into his beautiful cold gray eyes as he slid inside of her and of course her new secret obsession, she wanted suck on the head of his cock while she flicked the piercing with her tongue.

  Yeah, this was pretty sad. Maybe becoming a Pyte had screwed with her wiring, she idly thought as Caine turned his attention to her other nipple and brushed the tip of his finger against her clit. As she tried to find the willpower to push him away and do the right thing her legs parted, giving Caine more access to work.

  "Good girl," he growled approvingly as he moved his mouth from her aching nipple down her stomach, kissing and nibbling his way down to where she needed him most.

  So, they'd never be friends and he'd probably hate her forever after this, but really, did it matter? Their friendship had ended years ago and he hadn't exactly been acting like he was eager to pick up where they left off. By having sex with him, and she hoped that it was really great sex, she couldn't possibly ruin anything. They'd have sex, get further away from the Master after them, hopefully have sex again, and then go their separate ways.

  Sure they'd probably run into each o
ther once every other century, but that was to be expected with being immortal, something she was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around, but they'd keep it polite and continue to go their separate ways. As long as they kept their focus on escaping they should be fine, she decided as she rolled her hips, forcing his finger to go right where she needed it to be.

  Really, when she thought about it, she was helping him by having mind blowing, God willing, sex with him. He had drugs, which were like a poison for Pytes, in his system and by having sex with him she would help force some of it out of his system. At least that's what she convinced herself of when she reached down and threaded her fingers through his hair, giving it a slight tug and forcing his head up so that she could get the kiss her lonely lips needed before she shoved him back and straddled him to put them both out of their misery.

  Just as she moved to lower her mouth to his he spoke, wrecking everything.

  "I need you this one time, just to take the edge off. As soon as I find another woman I'll leave you alone," he swore almost desperately as he moved to take her mouth in what would have probably been a life altering kiss, but instead she shoved him back.

  "Unbelievable," Danni snapped, ignoring his determined look as he moved to grab her once again, and climbed out of the car, pulling her shirt tightly around her as she stormed off towards the woods. She caught sight of the full moon hovering in the clear sky as she hopped over a downed log. Well, at least she didn't have to worry about rain, she thought bitterly as she fought against crying for the second time in years.

  She might have been able to convince herself that sex with Caine didn't mean anything, but deep down on some level she knew she'd been lying her ass off.

  Chapter 22

  "Get back here, Danni," Caine snapped, trying to control the anger and need battling for control inside him.

  "Go to hell," she said in a bored tone as she hopped over another downed tree and kept going.

  "I'm already there," he muttered as he carefully adjusted the painful erection straining the front of his boxer briefs with a shaky hand.

  She simply snorted and kept going, oblivious to the struggle he was battling. He needed her so fucking badly at the moment that he could hardly walk straight and did she care? No, she got him worked up and just when he was about to take her, she shoved him away and left him in agonizing pain. He would have gone after her as soon as she stormed off, but he found himself in a peculiar position of being unable to move without sharp pain shooting through his cock and making him wish for death.

  He tried to take himself in hand, picturing a beautiful naked woman spread and ready for him, but each and every time the woman's face would shift and he'd be staring at Danni lying naked, panting and wet and his damn cock would somehow swell up more, leaving him with no choice but to stop. For ten minutes he'd been forced to sit there, panting and trying not to cringe every other second when his cock screamed in need and the drugs coursing through his veins simmered to a boiling point.

  Once he could move without feeling like he was going to vomit, he went after her, determined to have what was his and she was his. When she walked away from him it felt like someone was tearing him in half and he knew that she belonged to him. He was done playing around. The second his blood mixed with hers she became his mate. She might not realize it yet, but she would. He had no doubt that she was ignoring the same instincts that he had ignored since the moment he changed her.

  It didn't matter that he didn't want her, by changing her he had laid a claim on her that he could no longer deny. If it hadn't been for the drugs in his system he'd probably be able to ignore that fact for a while longer, but he knew deep down that a day would have come when he realized that she was his and he would have moved heaven and hell to get to her.

  The need to mark her was nearly as overwhelming as the need for release. He would have both and he would have them with her. None of the other bullshit mattered right now and he knew if the Master managed to find them right now he would kill every last man he sent in order to get to her. Once he had her beneath him he would be done with her.

  For now.

  When he was sure that no one was on their trail he would hide her somewhere safe, somewhere secluded where he wouldn't have to worry about another male going after what was his. After he assured her safety he would go after the Master who orchestrated this whole mess and made him give Danni the life he never wanted for her. Then he would go after Greg, he thought with a feral smile.

  He had plans for that little bastard and he planned on taking his sweet time. Of course, the Sentinel Council would put out an order for his capture after he was done with Greg, but he really didn't care. He had no plans on going back to work for them since he knew what would happen to him as soon as they discovered that he'd turned Danni.

  This time they wouldn't catch him. There was nothing and no one that mattered to him in this world and the one weakness they might have been able to use a few weeks ago was now protected. Since he knew that the Council would be more interested in getting Danni to come back to them and continue working for them he didn't fear for her safety, he just didn't want the Council on his ass for the rest of his life and that is exactly what would happen when they discovered that he'd turned her.

  No, the best thing for everyone concerned was for Danni to go into hiding and for him to continue on with his existence, after he took care of a few problems that is. Once he was done tying up a few loose ends he would....

  Well, he didn't know what he wanted to do, but he knew what he couldn't do. He couldn't go back to work for the Sentinels and he couldn't keep Danni with him. She was a distraction that he didn't need or want. She was just an old responsibility that he fucked up and made into what his body thought was its mate.

  She wasn't, he told himself even as he longed to pull her into his arms and comfort her. He didn't give a fuck why she was mad. The only thing that he cared about was the fact that she turned him on like nothing else and then left him when he thought he would die if he didn't slide inside of her.

  "Mind telling me where we're going?" he bit out as he quickened his pace to catch up with her.

  "No, I don't mind at all. I'm going somewhere where I won't be tempted to bitch slap you every five seconds. Now be a good little boy and help me out by going away," she said in a clipped tone as she tried to put more distance between them, but he wasn't having that.

  Admittedly, if his body hadn't been on fire for her he would have just taken off. He didn't need this bullshit, but damn if she didn't have him following her deep into the woods like some moron. If he had any brains he would get back into the car, drive to the nearest town, find a woman and fuck and drink this drug out of his system, but instead of doing that he was chasing down his unwanted mate.

  He could accept that he had a mate, even an unwanted mate, but that didn't mean he had to go along for the ride. He'd fuck her, put her away somewhere and visit her every now and then to fuck her when the need arose otherwise he'd take care of his bodily needs with other women, women he desired and didn't have any connection with.

  "You own me an explanation," he said, flashing in front of her and forcing her to stop, but of course she simply rolled her eyes and walked around him.

  "I don't owe you anything, Caine, except maybe a thanks for saving my life," she said, pausing mid-step to shoot him a too cheerful smile over her shoulder as she said, "Thanks for saving my life." Just as quickly as it came the smile was gone and she was back to storming off.

  "Don't walk away from me, Danni," he said, allowing his fangs to slide down as he went after her.

  She immediately stopped and turned to face him, crossing her arms over her chest, not even bothering to try and cover up as she glared at him. The scent of aggression mixed with the lingering scent of her arousal hit him hard and he was lost. The need to dominate this woman was overpowering and he was done fighting it.

  "You got rejected, Caine. Get over it, it happens," she said harsh
ly as she moved to turn her back on him again, but he was done with this bullshit.

  Before she could so much as take a step to walk away from him he grabbed her arm, gave it a good yank and turned her around to face him. When she opened her mouth, probably to tell him to go fuck off, he crashed his mouth down on hers. The kiss was brutal from the start. It was a punishment for all the bullshit she put him through, for getting caught, for scaring the hell out of him, for not coming to him for help and almost making him live in a world without her, but mostly it was for making him care.

  In the back of his mind he realized that he should back off and smooth things over between them to get what he needed, but he was done playing around. She was his and she needed to fucking accept it so that they could both get this out their systems and move on. He cupped the back of her neck as he continued his assault on her lips. He expected her to bite him, shove him, scream or do a hundred other things every other woman would do in her situation, but what he didn't expect was for Danni to reach up and cup the back of his neck, digging her nails into his flesh to keep him right where he was as she launched an assault of her own.