Charisma

by Wendy Stone

  If not for Marcus, he would be splattered all over a ragged man-made canyon some fifty miles from here. Carmella had apologized to him when she’d let him go, not seeing the winged god behind her. She’d dropped him and gone on to ASP headquarters to destroy the antidote.

  Angel had met her in the office, the antidote safely stashed down in the med unit. The fight between the two women had been short but violent, with Carmella taking the brunt of the damage. Her eyes had gone even wider when she’d seen Marcus carrying Kadian into headquarters, the male dragon still barely alive.

  Carmella had a broken nose and an eye that would be an impressive shiner by the time she faced the council. It would be up to them to decide her fate. Angel had a set of claw marks on her shoulder and chest that looked painful but were quickly healing.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, standing close to his bed.

  “I’m going to find her the way I did before,” Kadian said, his tone brooking no arguments.

  “How is that?” Angel asked curiously.

  “I’m going to follow her music.”

  His eyes stayed closed and he took several deep breaths, each one relaxing him more. But no matter how he tried, the poison had taken too much of his strength. He couldn’t make the break with his body. He opened his eyes, scowling and slamming his hand down on the bed.

  “Whoa,” Marcus said. “What’s wrong?”

  “I-I’m too weak!” he admitted raggedly. “I need to borrow some power. May I?”

  Marcus held out his hand. He recoiled, stunned, when Angel stood in front of him. “You ain’t doing nothing, Wings. Not unless I know you’ll be safe.”

  “I wouldn’t hurt him,” Kadian said. “I’m not strong enough to be a threat.” Tears came to his eyes as his worry over his mate and his weakened condition tore at his confident arrogance. “Please,” he said to Angel. “What wouldn’t you do for your mate?”

  “He is my mate,” she growled, “Not you. But I get it.” Stepping out of the way, she went to the other side of his bed, the side that held the IV dripping the antidote into his system. With her hand on his, she nodded at Marcus, who took the were-dragon’s other hand. “Find your mate,” Angel said, squeezing his hand.

  “Thank you.” Kadian closed his eyes again, feeling a single tear slide down his cheek. He took deep breaths, letting the strength of the two immortals fill him. The astral break was relatively painless. He kept his ears open for the sound of her, that beautiful tune that only she could sing to him. Over sea and land he flew, until suddenly he stopped, eyes wide as he heard the barest hint of a note.

  “Charisma,” he whispered, straining to catch more, to know what direction to fly. He opened his heart, the love he had for her pouring out, encompassing the area in a sea of turquoise blue and vibrant purple.

  Her notes floated above it, popping from the brightness like bubbles in the water. He took a deep breath and dove, following the bubbles down and down until he finally saw her.

  “Charisma,” he said again, seeing her body tense and then relax as she felt his presence. She stood proudly naked in front of a desk. As he watched, a huge bulk of a man rose from the desk, coming around to touch his mate’s cheek. Then his hand slipped down, resting against her breast.

  Kadian felt the dragon rising in him, but knew he’d lose the connection if he allowed him to take over. He had to find an address. “Sing, Charisma,” he urged, even knowing she couldn’t hear him. “Kill the bastard. Sing for him.”

  His eyes went to the desk. A pile of envelopes sat there. He wished he could pick through them, but the best he could do was swipe a hand. It moved them just a bit. The second swipe upset the pile enough that one of the envelopes fell and he could read an address thus revealed.

  “Howard Dirge, 3224 Bay Street…” He looked up and watched as Charisma dropped down onto the chair that was being held for her. Her legs slid open and he watched Hood’s eyes as they dropped to the soft pink flesh between her thighs. “I’ll kill you,” he promised, then let the connection slip and was flung back into his body.

  “Howard Dirge,” he said when he opened his eyes. “3224 Bay Street.” He looked up at Shadow. “Hurry, please. He’s going to hurt her.” Kadian seemed to wilt when he let go of the power they’d been feeding him. He made eye contact with Angel. “Thank you.”

  She nodded, then looked away to watch as both Shadow and Marcus ran from the room.

  * * * *

  Sam stood naked before Dimitri. “This had better not be some sick plot to get me naked again,” she growled at Dimitri.

  “I wouldn’t do that to you, Samantha.” But he would admire the view. He didn’t admit that out loud, just let his eyes roam over her generous figure and lush curves. He could only hope that being a cat didn’t cause her to lose too many of those curves. Dimitri was a firm believer that women should be curvy, with enough meat to hang on to. He wasn’t into to the tall, thin model types. He never had been. Samantha was perfect, lush hips giving way to a thin waist that rose and spread out to a generous bust that a man could really hold. Her breasts were marvelous handfuls, the nipples long and hard. Just looking at her made him hard and throbbing again, a reaction he couldn’t hide.

  He heard her soft exclamation when she felt his cock against her. But she didn’t move away, giving him hope that he’d chosen right. “Listen to me, little Samantha,” he said softly. His fingers moved, circling each nipple without really touching it, feathering against her skin until she gasped with the sensation.

  “Look deep inside of you,” he said, touching her with the lightest of strokes, teasing her with the barest of touches. “Find the cat.” His hands moved from her breasts, skimming over the firmness of her stomach and down further, teasing the soft strip of hair that covered her mound. “Have you found her?” he asked, running his fingers over the soft skin of her thighs.

  “Yes,” she growled, her voice growing thick.

  This is the hard part. You have to let go of the beast and let her take over. Don’t fight it, go with it.” His hand slipped between her thighs feeling a welcoming heat and wetness that made him even more sure of himself. She was the mate he’d long been looking for. He heard her moan an instant before he felt her body changing. Smiling, he changed with her.

  Samantha, you are beautiful. His panther eyes stared at the icy blue eyes of his mate, set in her curvy black face. Rubbing his against hers, he purred, letting her know in the way of the cat that he was happy she was his.

  Samantha rose, batting at Dimitri with one paw, her claws carefully sheathed. There was power in this body, power and grace and an ease she’d never felt as a human. She felt free. Is it like this all the time?

  Yes, he answered simply. Would you like to go somewhere that you can run and really experience being a cat?

  She nodded eagerly then watched in confusion as he became human again. His hand fell against her side and she inhaled greedily, scenting the rich, pungent aroma of need upon his flesh even as she could see the hardness of his cock. Her own sex grew wet and thick with need. She felt an itch to have him touch her.

  “Tame the cat,” Dimitri said, though his own nose twitched as he caught scent of her. “That’s how you change back, Samantha. Just cage the beast and show her who the master is.”

  He could see tiny changes in her when her body was once more human. There was a wild beauty that drew him even deeper under her spell. If he’d ever had a thought that he’d been wrong, it was gone now. Samantha was his mate. He just needed to wait until she knew it. It wouldn’t take long. One night away from him should be enough.

  “Where did you want to go?” she asked, her back arching as she neared him. Her breasts sat high upon her chest, the slight sag gone. Her body moved with a grace that made him want to yowl his need of her. She moved again and he felt her hand slide around his cock, stroking until he threw back his head, groaning. “What are you doing?”

  “You had no problem taking me when you wanted. Why shouldn�
�t the reverse be true?” All signs of shyness were gone. Samantha was taking on the role of the female with an aptitude that was astounding.

  “Does that mean you’re relenting?” he asked. “You’re going to admit to being my mate now?”

  “I didn’t say that,” she said quickly, though she didn’t release him either. Instead, she moved closer, until her breasts brushed his chest with every breath she took. “You don’t want me anymore?” she asked when he still didn’t move.

  “I want my mate,” he growled, showing some of the frustration he was feeling in the tone of his voice. “I want the woman I love, the one that is loyal and loving and will fight for what she believes in with an astounding single mindedness. I don’t want to just fuck some girl. I want to make love with my mate.”

  She shivered as he spoke, wanting what he did. But the stubbornness that had seen her along a career path with more men than women kept her from admitting it. Closing her eyes, she released her grip on him and went to step back. His arms snapped around her and he jerked her against him.

  “Stubborn…” he growled under his breath. “Kiss me.”

  That she could do. With a huge grin, she went up on her toes, feeling her feet leave the ground as he lifted her. She wrapped her legs around him and then pressed her lips against his, feeling a thrill surge through her at the passion in his kiss. He took two steps and she felt herself falling backwards, stopped by the bed he’d tossed her upon.

  “You’ll admit it,” he growled, nuzzling his nose around her neck and then up near her ear. She shivered under him, her hands sliding over his waist and the amazingly muscled skin of his back. She purred as he pushed her legs wide, settling between her thighs as if they’d made love for years, not just one night. Moving his hips, he let her feel the length of his cock as it pushed across her wet lips, the tip brushing her clit. She shuddered, changing the angle of her hips so that with his next push, he was inside her, her muscled core squeezing him wetly.

  He rose above her, his head bending to find her nipple. Her pregnancy had made her nipples extremely sensitive and he lapped and suckled upon the pebbled tip, hearing her gasps and sighs of joy.

  “Yes,” she sighed, arching her back. Her hands came up to bury themselves in his hair, dragging him to the other nipple. Sensations bombarded her, as if his tongue and lips had a direct connection to her clit. He drew her in, letting the heat of his mouth be another kind of caress before moving to her lips.

  “I do love you,” he growled against her mouth. “I do.”

  His hips began rising and falling causing his cock to fuck her in a slow, almost too intimate stroke. Her legs came up, wrapping around his lean hips, her heels locking in the small of his back as if to keep him from struggling to be free.

  Being free was far from his mind. He could feel her under him, her body moving, fucking his forcefully. Their bodies slapped together, the sound of her wetness and his thrust squishing. He felt her tense, heard the feral sound of her growl as pleasure swept through her, causing her to squeeze around him, her muscles milking him, the satiny softness like a wet glove moving over his skin.

  He kept moving even after he came, his body euphoric with the joy of being inside his mate. She moaned, her nails rubbing over his back, a tiny stinging pain that made him grab her hips and pull her against him harder. “Come,” he growled against her ear.

  She did, her hands pushing on his chest until he rolled to his back. She sat atop of him, riding him, grinding against his body until he tried to roll her back beneath him. Samantha refused to move, her thighs clasping his hips, her body riding even harder. “Your turn,” she growled, nipping at his throat and then at his chest, her fangs growing in her mouth.

  He rose, letting her slip to her stomach, her hips rising in the air. Catching hold, he held her still, pushing inside of her again with a cry that told how much he needed her. “You’re my mate,” he exclaimed, each word punctuated with a sharp thrust of his hips. “Say it.”

  “I’m…your mate,” she said finally, giving in to the inevitable.

  “Say it again,” he ordered, his hips slapping against hers.

  “I’m your mate,” she yelled, her body shivering as she came. He followed her, filling her with his cream, holding himself so that he didn’t put too much weight on her. He fell to his side, pulling her with him, his body curling around hers possessively.

  “It’s about time, minx,” he sighed, kissing the top of her head. “You have the day off. Would you go with me somewhere that we can run and play as our true selves?”

  She nodded, though her eyes were half closed. Her body throbbed with relief, and she couldn’t think of anywhere better to be then right here in his arms. Snuggling back against him, she groaned when he suddenly rose and picked her up, going into the bathroom with her and turning on the shower. He dumped her inside, hearing her sputter and screech as the cold water flowed over her.

  “You ass,” she growled, turning on the hot until it was comfortable. Then she reached out and grabbed him, yanking him under the water with her. “Just for that, you get to scrub my back.”

  * * * *

  Charisma barely withheld the moan of pain that wanted to escape from her mouth as Hood pushed his finger into her dryness. She refused, knowing that if she fought him, or acted like she knew anything more about him than she had the day before, he’d kill her or worse.

  “I don’t know what your problem is, Charisma. You used to love it when I’d play with your body this way,” Hood said with the disgruntled attitude of a child. He used his other hand to pull her forward so that she all but straddled his knees, pressing her against his bulk. His hand rose to her breast, playing with the hard tip, making her shiver from loathing. But when he looked into her face, she kept the same carefully blank look in her eyes.

  “Do I need to bring the men up and let you perform for them?” he asked angrily.

  “N-no,” she stammered.

  “Then get yourself wet,” he said harshly, pushing her back and onto the ottoman she’d been sitting on before. “Play with yourself for me.”

  She nodded, sending a terrified look toward the door where she knew he kept his girls. He’d threatened earlier to hurt one of them if she didn’t do as he asked. She had to, or else others would pay. Hood was that kind of bully. Parting her thighs, she slowly licked her fingers, trailing them around her nipples until she could pinch them, sending a shiver through her. But this one was of pleasure. In her mind, she was doing this in front of Kadian, seeing his eyes grow dark with passion as she teased him.

  “That’s it baby, push both fingers inside,” Hood rasped, yanking open the front of his pants and playing with his cock while he watched her. He kicked her feet further apart when her knees trembled, wanting to close, to hold her hand to her as she stroked her clit to an explosive ending. There was a grunt and then the creaking of a chair. She felt a tongue sinking into her flesh, pushing against her fingers, raspy stubble rubbing against the inside of her thighs.

  “Hmm,” he moaned, tasting her slightly sour, slightly salty flavor. “That’s it bitch, wet on my tongue.”

  She’d gotten too far into her fantasy of Kadian. She couldn’t stop the orgasm that shuddered through her like a train blazing through a station.

  An alarm suddenly blared, and he lifted his head, pulling away from her. “God dammit, what did you do?” he shouted at her, slapping her so that she fell to the side. “Mirina!” he shouted hoarsely. “She goes in the tub!”

  He threw Charisma towards the bruised and beaten girl, seeing her flinch at his words. “Do it, or you’ll find yourself out there too.”

  Then he was at his desk, a monitor lifting from its gleaming surface.

  ASP surrounded the warehouse on three sides. Only the deep-water side of his lair was empty of the silver-uniformed supernatural police. He could hear the sound of helicopters overhead. Picking up his phone, he dialed a number from heart. “Daniels!” he shouted when it was picked up. “What t
he fuck do you think you’re doing!?”

  “You’re going down, Hood,” a voice said over the phone.

  “Who is this?” Hood shouted into the phone. “Who the fuck are you that you think you can do this to me. I’ll fucking rip out your heart!”

  Shadow laughed, speaking into the communicator that was set to Daniels’s phone. “You’ll do nothing. It’s time you were made to pay for your crimes, Howard Dirge. Give up. Come out with your hands up and no one will get hurt.”

  “Oh, someone’s going to get hurt,” Hood said slowly. He hung up the phone and pushed out of the chair, never noticing that he’d forgotten to stuff himself back into his pants. His cock lay against his leg, a wiggly-looking little thing. It wouldn’t scare even the most terrified person.

  As fast as his bulk would allow, he hurried into the room next door, seeing Charisma bobbing on the end of the chain Mirina had tied her to. She sputtered as a wave covered her head, struggling to stay afloat long enough to catch another lungful of air.

  “Someone’s really going to get hurt,” he said with a laugh that sounded more maniacal by the moment. He slapped his hand down on the button, the sound of the ratcheting loud as the doors began to open.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mirina watched in horror as the side of the huge pool slowly ratcheted back. She’d seen this too many times to not know what was going to happen. The sharks would come and then the pretty little girl would be dead, another meal for the huge predators that Hood used as his killing machines.

  “If only I had lasers,” Hood said softly, watching the opening to the dark sea on the other side of the pool. “That would have been cool.” He stood at the edge of the pool, his feet on the very edge, body hanging half way over the water. He liked watching his pets at work. They killed with a methodical manner that was fascinating to watch. “Come on boys,” he called. “Supper time!”