Gunnar sat back in the booth, his heavy frame shook the wooden structure and it squeaked with his motion. “That’s my fault.” His declaration confused her and the expression on her face must’ve given that away because he continued, “I haven’t told you how you make me feel, how you attract me with the pretty curve of your cheeks and the flair of your eyes where they tip up at the corners. Or, how that lower lip beckons me to cover it with my own, to draw it into my mouth and taste you.”
Heat stained her cheeks and her lips went dry. She licked them and his moan was audible.
“God, do that again and I’ll be across this table and on you in the beat of your heart.”
She bit into the flesh of her lip, a flirty smile tugged at her mouth as she glanced at him through the veil of her eyelashes. Though a niggle in her thoughts prodded her to continue provoking him, now wasn’t the right time or place. Instead, she reached over the grooved fake wood table and touched the back of his hand. “I’m so glad to see you again.”
He nodded, his lips pressed together but she could still make out the way his fangs distorted the dusky flesh.
Glancing down, she watched the way her fingertips soothed across the ridge of his wrist. Two shiny pink divots of healing flesh were the only indication of his previous state. The gruesome injury that had brought them together had barely left a mark. “It’s all healed up. How does it feel?”
A slight motion had the muscles flexing as his fingers folded in. “Better. More myself. Was starting to feel like General Grievous.”
The name sounded familiar but she couldn’t place it. With her eyebrow quirked, she shook her head and shot him a confused look.
He rolled his eyes. “It’s from Star Wars.” His lips twisted in amusement. “Tell me you’ve at least watched that?”
“Of course. ‘Luke, I am your father,’ and all that.”
A loud, overly dramatic groan echoed around them, and he rapped his fingers on the table rattling the silverware and making little droplets of water spill from the glasses.
“It’s settled then.” His throat worked as he swallowed. “Our first date will be to rectify that lack of knowledge you’ve got going here.”
As she thought about the possibilities of an actual date, his last words kicked in and she frowned. “Lack of knowledge? I’m offended.”
Strong fingers lashed about hers and squeezed. “So am I. Any respectable Star Wars fan knows it is simply, ‘I am your father’.” The last of which he said in a terribly mocked hoarse voice all too hilariously play-acted as Darth Vader.
“What happened to mini-golf and moonlit strolls?” ’Cause seriously, she could watch a fair share of sci-fi stuff but she wasn’t going to be spending the night in a tent waiting for the San Diego Comic Con to open.
“We can do that, too.” The soft pads of his fingertips caressed her knuckles. “After Star Wars. Don’t worry, I have a popcorn machine.”
She tried to imagine this big hulking male sprawled out on a couch with a bowl of popcorn in his lap. The dichotomy of the image made her giggle. “Well, who could refuse that?”
Two dimples flashed with his smile and his eyes lit up. His exuberance was contagious and she found herself looking forward to a night sitting beside Gunnar watching, Star Wars. “How many movies are there again?”
“We’ll marathon episodes one through six and add all the new ones on subsequent viewings.”
Before she could comment on the idea of six long, overly, dramatic sci-fi movies back-to-back, the waitress cut in and placed a huge plate of nachos between them. Nadia eyed the stack of cheese-laden tortilla chips and wondered if she’d need to buy a bigger set of scrubs tomorrow. There was no way that this late-night snack wouldn’t put inches on her waistline. Being cautious, she grabbed a couple chips and deposited them on her appetizer plate. At least, she’d been smart and ordered a Cobb salad. Maybe the Romaine would cancel the calories out.
God, if she’d been mated, none of that would matter. She could eat an entire milkshake loaded with whipped cream and chocolate every single day and the properties of the serum would resist weight gain. The whole process was totally unfair to females without a mate. Once again, those who won in the genetics game of life, got all the cool prizes—beauty, strength, vitality and their partners’ híbe skills. Females like Nadia got blisters on their toes, wrinkles on their faces and all the other conciliation prizes that came with life.
She dropped the corn chip on the plate and sat back, twirling the edge of the paper napkin in between her fingers, “Do you often have meetings with the entire ruling cabinet?” Trying for small talk, she pasted a smile on her face hoping he didn’t notice the abrupt change of topic.
He shrugged one massive shoulder. The one with the sexy tattoo. Imagining the swirls and intent stare of the dragon made it hard for her to concentrate.
“Whenever Traian requires my presence, and they are involved within Council dealings, I might end up observing the goings-on.”
“It must be fascinating, watching them decide matings and determining ritual.” She took a sip of her tea, swallowing rapidly when a bit of sour lemon juice burst on her tongue.
“Traian rarely took part in any of those types of conversations. It was only after his forbidden bonding that he found out his brother had been orchestrating a Goblet Ceremony for him. The Kartal did not take kindly to being undermined.”
Nadia could totally see Ivan expressing his displeasure at that. “What about you?” God, no! Why did she even say it? “I mean, um, have you ever faced one?” Quickly covering her gaff, she dared to look across the table at him.
He shook his head, a tight smile on his lips. “Not yet. Hopefully, never.”
Setting her tea aside, she leaned an elbow on the table. Screw Emily Post and her etiquette book, she even braced her chin on her knuckles. A sense of relief sliced through her as she pondered the possibilities of eschewing the traditional mating rites. “My nan is very disappointed I have yet to be considered. Especially now that our neighbors have had both of their children either mated or about to be mated.”
“From what I’ve witnessed, I hardly imagine a female looks forward to the experience.” Gunnar plucked another cheese-covered tortilla chip from the plate and ate it with quick bites. Nadia saw his fangs, only the sharp points, and imagining those canines dragging down her throat and latching on, kicked up her heart rate.
“So maybe your boss had the right idea?” she mused aloud.
Gunnar leaned back with chuckle. “He sure did bypass the hell of watching the female you want suck back the blood of another male, but then, he also bypassed having a Kan Asma female as his mate, having his family’s blessing, and only barely saved his own neck in the process.”
With her fingers pressed against her lips, she couldn’t say the words threatening to spill out. Oh, how she wanted to. She wanted to tell Gunnar about the movement Andros talked about. She wanted to tell him about the fantasies in her head, the one with the white wedding dress and the gold rings. She wanted to slide out of the booth, lace her arms around his neck and kiss him deeply, as if they were husband and wife, with no cultural strictures reining them in. Instead, she nodded her head and exhaled, slowly. “That must’ve been dangerous, being the Kartal’s brother.”
He licked a dab of sour cream from his fingertip. The motion gave her chills. She had to get a grip on her rampant hormones STAT, before he sensed what he was doing to her.
“I’ve seen some altercations that would have the cops banging down doors. That family shares a hair-trigger gene, but they love each other. Sometimes, too much. Honestly, I don’t know what that’s like.”
“Me either,” she replied on a sigh. “I don’t have any siblings, and half the time, my parents hate each other.”
“My parents died a long time ago. It’s just me, now.” He replied as he jabbed his fork through a jalapeno and twisted.
The waitress arrived, a heavy tray laden with food weighing down her arm. �
��Here you are. If you need anything else, let me know.” She deposited a monstrous cheeseburger and coleslaw in front of Gunnar. Nadia’s underwhelming Cobb salad followed with only a silent glower from the waitress. Yup, Nadia contemplated the merits of a wedding band and how it would scream in no uncertain terms that Gunnar was off limits.
She speared her fork into the leafy blend idly mixing the bacon and blue cheese crumbles. “Besides Sci-fi, do you have any other hobbies?”
He was mid-bite, his mouth wide open and the burger hovering there. Drawing it away, his gaze flicked up to the ceiling, as if in thought, before he responded, “Miniature golf. I’m par for the course.” With a wolfish grin, he winked and bit into his burger.
Nadia shook her head and laughed. Gunnar was charming, funny, oh so sexy. And, she wanted him to be hers. “What would you do if there were no more mating laws?” she blurted. Mortified, she shoveled a bite of her salad into her mouth hoping, in a way, that the food would impede any other stupid questions.
Silence stretched out between them and she couldn’t bear to look at him, to see how her sacrilegious words affected him.
“Nadia.” His fingers caught her wrist and a bit of pressure had her looking across the space at him.
She swallowed her food managing not to choke on the lump lodged in her throat. “I didn’t mean…”
“I would take what I want.” Gunnar exhaled slowly. “Immediately.”
Of course, wouldn’t all males long conscripted to a female’s fated choice want to simply take? His piercing gaze bore into her, straight to the barest part of her soul. She broke the connection, looking out the dingy window at the manicured hedge of the patio.
“And, I’d make her mine, forever and always.”
The sincerity in his tone twisted her stomach as tears stung her eyes. A droplet formed on her lashes and spilled over, coursing down her cheek. She swiped at it.
“Kjaere, isn’t that what you’d want, too?”
All she managed to do in reply was nod as more tears tracked down her face and dripped from her chin. “When I am fighting to go to sleep, I think of things I shouldn’t. And, I want those things, Gunnar. Is that so wrong?”
In a flash, he was up and then sitting beside her on the bench. His strong arm slipped behind her back and tugged her close until her side tucked against his. “What things?”
She bit into her cheek. Those in the Council forbade all the things she wanted. Surely, she’d be showing the greatest blasphemy telling Gunnar her wishes and dreams. Reaching inside for an ounce of bravery, she lifted her hand and soothed her fingers across the wedge of his jaw. “A wedding, marriage, the whole two-point-five kids and a dog we saved from the shelter. I know, it sounds crazy and impossible, but every time I imagine any of it, I see you there.”
He bent close, his lips feathering over hers, gentle and warm. “Good. Because, I imagine the same thing,” he murmured, trailing kisses to the edge of her chin and to the side. His teeth nipped at her ear. “If only we could find a way.”
Nadia leaned into his touch and the warmth of his breath fluttered against the sensitive skin of her throat. “Maybe there is.” Now, more than ever, Nadia wanted what Andros promised to actually be real.
Gunnar sat back with a jerk. Heat wafted off his body. His muscles trembled under her palm. “How?” A hint of anticipation colored his inflection.
Indecision warred with her desire for the impossible. She chewed on the tender flesh of her cheek. There was a chance he’d be angry about her patient’s involvement in a secret movement to topple the strictures of their culture. After all, Andros hated the Komars and by default, Gunnar ranked right up there with the aristocracy, but “what if” was a powerful lure and with Gunnar so close, his gaze so intent, the need in his voice so utterly raw, she had to take a chance. Drawing in a tremulous breath, she girded herself for his response. “My patient has spoken of a secret gathering. They want to subvert the mating rituals.”
With his lips pressed into a firm line and his jaw tense, he ran a thumb along her collarbone to her throat. “Did he say how?”
Nadia shook her head. “He told me about their meetings, though.”
Strong fingers caught her hand and squeezed. “Maybe we should go to one, then.” He looked away for a second, a determined glint in his eyes. “I’d like to meet him, at the very least.”
Right, that would go over well. Andros was skittish enough with the Sentinels. Nadia could only guess what the young male’s reaction to Gunnar might be. But hope bolstered her and made her eager to know if perhaps those who Andros associated with might have some way around the rites.
She leaned into his side, resting her head on his thick shoulder. Maybe they could get mated in secret. What could anyone do if she completed a blood-bond? It was irrevocable. No doubt, the same question had been asked by a multitude of star-crossed lovers before she’d even been born. “So, why don’t unsanctioned matings happen more often?”
Gunnar played with a loose strand of her hair, twisting it around his knuckle and twirling it between his fingertips. He simply shrugged. “Fear of being ostracized from those they love.”
That didn’t make sense. Not in this era of technology that allowed for real-time conversations through Skype and Hangouts. The Council was powerful but their power didn’t reach that far. Big Brother’s power didn’t reach that far, well, at least not without cause and probably a warrant, too. She shook her head. “If that’s the only thing that keeps our people from breaking the mating traditions, it isn’t a very strong one.”
Gunnar pressed his lips together and a glint of some emotion shadowed his features. It looked haunted. “Tell me.” There was more to it. There had to be.
“To prevent males from allowing their barbarian traits to run free, the Council instituted severe penalties for matings outside of the rites.” He sat there with a grave expression. She remained quiet, waiting.
“In the beginning, males would often be hunted down and, when caught, subjected to brutal pain through flogging, extreme bloodletting, and other forms of physical torture. When the threat of pain stopped being a deterrent because of rapid healing, the Elders handed down death penalties in the most egregious ways…killing the mated female while the male was forced to watch. So, both would die. Families became wary of any dangers posed to their daughters and males, itching for a mate, learned to wait until summoned.”
She nodded. “Is that where the Adaks came in?” Yes, the hint of envy was hard to hide. All she could think about was that gorgeous woman strutting into Gunnar’s room, tight skirt accentuating all the right curves, and offering her vein. Anger percolated within her belly, but Nadia tamped it down with sheer dint of will.
“A necessary diversion. Satiation only goes so far, though. At some point, a male longs for his mate. He feels as if he isn’t complete.”
Nadia frowned, she could relate. “I’m sure it’s the same for females.” She turned her face and tipped her head to look into his beautiful eyes. “What if we aren’t compatible?” Her throat closed up as she spoke, fear of not being the one for Gunnar was crushing.
His fingers stroked her face before his palm pressed to her cheek and she leaned into the warmth of his skin. “As long as you’re mine, in whatever way is possible, I will take it. Even, if it means you never sip from me.” The pad of his thumb tracked across the curve of her mouth. “Though, imagining you at my throat, these lips pressed to my vein while you suckle my essence is something I can’t deny wanting. Badly. So much so that,” he leaned close, the stubble of his jaw brushed the tender skin along her throat, and the warmth of his breath fanned across her ear. “When I think about it, I get so damned hard I want inside you, with my fangs, with everything.”
The images exploding inside her thoughts brought a tremor racking through her core. Her breasts became heavy, swollen, and the tips hardened, abrading against the cotton of her bra. She gripped his shirt between tight fingers. “Oh, God, me too.” With his shi
rt twisting in her grasp, she tugged directing him closer to her. She tipped her head an unspoken plea reverberating in her mind. “Take of me.” Gunnar must’ve heard the unspoken entreaty, because he swooped low and dragged his teeth across her collarbone and up along the column of her throat where he paused, pressing a tender kiss to her pulse points.
“We can’t do this here, Nadia.” Brusque and urgent, Gunnar’s pitch was full of hunger.
“I know.” She leaned her forehead to his, simply breathing in his scent, calmed by his strength and potent demeanor. “I have to go soon, anyway. I need to get back to work.” One look at her watch and she grimaced. “Like in five minutes.” The disappointment in her voice sounded tinny and coarse. She grabbed her drink and took a long gulp.
Gunnar slid out of the booth and reached for her hand. After assisting her from the seat, he grabbed his wallet, dug out a couple of twenties and tossed them on the table. He paused for a moment and stared at her salad. “You didn’t eat anything. How can you work on an empty stomach? Let me get you something to go.”
Nadia shook her head. “I’m fine.” There was always the trusty vending machine if she ended up famished but her shift was nearly over and her nan certainly had a meal already cooking.
The look on his face said he didn’t believe her for one second. Nadia pivoted on her heel and took a few steps toward the exit. Gunnar caught up to her and took her hand in his. “Let me see you back to the medical center.”
“Okay,” she murmured, not liking that soon she’d be separated from him again and she didn’t even know for how long.
He led her to a dark area behind the café. “This is quicker.”
Her feet stopped in their tracks. She wanted longer, lingering, dragging out every single second left that they had together. He wanted to teleport them to the hospital. In a mere blink of an eye, she’d be saying goodbye, again. A sudden chill pricked her skin and she exhaled roughly.
Mated in Treason Page 14