Beautiful Mistake: 2 (Royal Pride)

by Nancy Corrigan

  The man confused her. He’d treated her injuries, hadn’t carried through with his threat to torture her and had stopped seducing her when she’d asked him to. If he’d only wanted information from her, he would’ve used any means possible including pain and sex.

  Eyes narrowed, she studied him for some clue as to his motives. Tension radiated off of him. Any number of reasons could’ve caused it—guilt, frustration, anger. She dismissed the reason as unimportant and asked the question that bothered her the most.

  “Why did you attack me?”

  “I didn’t attack you.”

  No apology this time. When he’d held her cradled against his chest, it was all he’d done. Maybe he’d gotten over his regret.

  If she were honest with herself, he hadn’t attacked her. The more she replayed the scene, the more details she picked out. He’d truly been lost to his wrath. He’d acted as an abused dog would when cornered—lashed out at everyone within striking distance.

  Her stepdad had suffered a severe bite from his favorite four-legged friend because he’d startled him, exactly as she’d done with this man. She’d reached out and touched him. Why, she didn’t know. Well, she did but the reasoning baffled her. She’d felt as if he’d needed her so she went to him.

  “Lena?”

  She glanced from the neatly dressed injury to the shifter who’d caused it. His chin dropped to his chest. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m…I’m sorry.”

  The sincerity in his voice struck her as truth, but instead of absolving him of the act, she asked, “Who are you and what do you want from me?”

  He peered over his shoulder. The muscles in his back flexed. He turned the simple move into a masculine show of strength. Normal eyes, if you ignored the yellow or green streaks, locked onto hers, the white more prominent than it had been a few minutes ago.

  “Devin Moore and you know what I want.” His gaze traveled slowly over her body before zeroing in on her stomach. He scowled. “You’re bleeding again.”

  She pressed a hand to her belly and sucked in a sharp breath. More expletives fell from Devin’s lips. Since he made no move to stop her, she shifted her legs to get up. The motion sent pain shooting down her arm, the one the other shifter had yanked on when he’d tried to pull her down from the rock wall. Kicking him in the face had been satisfying until he promised to kill her and then gone on to attempt to do exactly that.

  Devin knelt in front of her, his concerned expression at odds with the image she’d painted of him while she’d been writhing in pain on the forest floor. He cupped her cheek in his large hand. She barely stopped herself from leaning into it.

  “I’m sorry, Lena, but you shouldn’t have run from me or led me into a trap.”

  A trap? Did he think I was in cahoots with those asshole shifters? She snorted and immediately grimaced as dizziness made the world sway. Devin pulled her close and pressed her head to his chest. The warmth of his skin and his strong earthy scent soothed her against her will. For the third time in a matter of minutes, her body went lax in his embrace. Damn. The man was dangerous.

  “You’re telling me this is my fault?”

  With his hands on her shoulders, he eased her away from him and captured her gaze. “Maybe you should pick better friends.”

  She blinked and her mouth dropped open. She snapped it closed. “They weren’t my friends.”

  “Business associates then.” He made a low derisive sound. “No matter. You took a cub that belongs to me. I’ll do anything to get her back.” His nose wrinkled, disdain flashing in his eyes. “And I’m too powerful for a bunch of singles to take out. Do not attempt it again.”

  Anger flared, hot and bright. She pushed against him until he released her. “So you’re another one of those sick fucks who wants to destroy a child’s life.” She glared at him, let him see all the hate she felt for pricks like him. “Never. Do you understand me? I will never allow you near Molly.”

  He slipped his hand into her hair, tugging the heavy mass back. “Don’t ever accuse me of something when you don’t know all the facts, Lena. Molly is not a potential mate for me or an object to sell. She belongs to a human I own. That makes her mine too. I would never hurt her.”

  She laughed, the sound bitter and shaky even to her own ears. “And it’s okay to accuse me without knowing the truth?”

  For a moment, she thought she saw uncertainty in his eyes, but she refused to read anything into his expression. Devin was a predator and he’d labeled her as prey. He’d only tended her wounds so he could get to Molly. And the gentle seduction? A ploy to get her to talk. Neither would work.

  “What is the truth, Lena? Tell me.”

  “The truth?” She waited until he nodded. “Okay. I love Molly and I’ll protect her with my life if I have to. I will never give her over to a shifter who’ll take her choices away and use her as a breeding mare.”

  Devin pressed his lips to her cheek. “Then I’m keeping you until you change your mind.”

  Fear tightened her chest, not for herself but for her sisters. With her out of the picture, it left Gwen in charge. While Gwen knew how to take care of herself, protecting a child from a bunch of shifters was a lot to expect from a young woman who’d just graduated college.

  Lena considered her choices. Since her injuries seriously impacted her running ability, escaping and meeting them before they left the state didn’t seem likely. That left her only one option. Luckily, the means to put her plan into motion sat next to the bed.

  “Okay then. If you’re not letting me go, may I get a shower?” she asked in her sweetest voice.

  Devin eyed her carefully. She blinked hopefully innocent eyes at him and waited.

  “Don’t try to escape me, Lena.”

  “Unless there’s a window big enough for me to climb out of in there, I’m not going anywhere. Besides,” she motioned toward her belly, which was now starting to ache, “I’m not in any shape to run.”

  He jerked his hands away and retrieved her duffle bag from the floor. Without looking at her, he carried it to the bathroom, started the water and rummaged through her belongings, pulling out the travel-sized bath products she used at the gym. He placed the shampoo and conditioner in the stall and faced her.

  “Try not to let the bandage on your stomach get too wet, but the bite on your shoulder is fine.” He motioned with his hand.

  “Bite on my shoulder?” She slapped her hand over the mark. The raised bumps brushed against her palm. Tingles skipped across her skin. She dropped her hand. “You…you bit me.”

  He shrugged as if it were no big deal. “Yeah, I bit you.” His gaze traveled over her body and left a burning path in its wake. Those yellow eyes returned to her face, capturing hers. “If you need help showering, call for me.”

  She wanted to question him about the bite. She didn’t remember him biting her but decided against it. That would require her to spend more time with him. Time was something she didn’t have. She had to get her shit together, ignore her wayward hormones and act.

  She stood on her tiptoes, peeked into the bag and grinned, not because of Devin’s offer, but with the knowledge that men were men no matter the species. He had examined everything except the tampon box she’d left in her bag from last week. Hiding her cell phone in there had been a brilliant idea.

  “I’ll manage.”

  He stopped her as she tried to squeeze past him. “You’re not going to say anything.”

  The hurt look on his face confused her. She frowned. “About what?”

  He reached out, skimmed his fingers over the scar on her shoulder. Her knees gave out and he caught her with a hand around her waist. The surge of lust the slight touch caused shocked her. She stared at him, unable to speak. One corner of his mouth lifted in a lopsided smile. Her core clenched and she grabbed on to his shoulders to steady herself.

  “About my…” The grin faded. He lifted her and set her away from him. “Kade went to the store to buy you some clothes. Until he get
s back, wear the robe that’s hanging on the door.”

  She nodded but the urge to ask him what he’d meant to say beat at her. She ignored the compulsion and stepped around him. Before she could make it into the relative safety of the bathroom, his clawed hand snagged her sports bra. With one swipe, he slit the back open. She pressed a hand to her chest to stop the top from falling off.

  “And Lena?”

  She glanced over her shoulder. “Yeah?”

  He grinned, the tips of fangs making his smile wickedly sexy. “Unless you want me to come in there, you’d better hurry.”

  Chapter Four

  Devin closed the door on the frustrating human before he did something he’d regret like pull her into his arms. Or kiss her and take her back to bed. He growled, annoyed with his train of thought.

  He paced the bedroom and listened to her as she made use of the bathroom. Each time she sucked in air through clenched teeth or released an involuntary gasp, his shame increased. While Lena had slept, he’d cleaned the excess blood from her skin. Without the camouflage it provided, he’d gotten a good look at her injuries. The sight had made him physically ill.

  With his blood revving up her body’s ability to heal itself, the smaller cuts were already closed. Shiny new skin covered the wounds, but the scars on her belly stood out starkly, reminding him of his sin. Now that he’d spoken to Lena, he was afraid giving in to his misconceptions was yet another horrible mistake.

  Her shock when he’d accused her of being associated with the lion shifters was genuine. So was her anger when she’d thought he meant Molly harm. The sharp tang of her rage had soured her fragrance. Worse yet—his cats believed her. They saw her as honorable and brave. Their affection and respect for her was clear.

  Though they couldn’t speak to him in words, the animal spirits he housed communicated to him in images and emotions. After three hundred years, he knew their souls as well as he knew his own. They looked at Lena and judged her worthy…so worthy, they wanted to keep her, mate her, exactly as they’d urged him to do.

  They showed him images of her belly swollen with child, of Lena petting them, of her massaging his shoulders and soothing him with words and touch—all things he never thought to have, yet yearned for.

  He’d never regretted taking his twin’s punishment for killing her mate. It was his right and duty to shoulder Mira’s pain. After he left the chambers with a fragmented mind and three crazed predators sharing his soul, however, he knew he could never take a mate. How could he when he spent every waking moment fighting to maintain his hold on reality?

  A female didn’t deserve to suffer in his personal hell too, but if there was one who could bring him peace… It had taken every ounce of his self-control not to sever her bond completely and keep her. When he’d held her in his arms, the rightness of their mingling souls tempted him. It still did. The urge to tie her to him was strong.

  He needed to get away from her, allow the tether to her heaven to reform and the one to his to sever. It would too, even if she were his one. In this case, distance away from each other would not strengthen their connection. It would kill it. The mystical bond needed cultivating. The romantic fools would say it needed love. Everyone else understood good sex worked just fine.

  Royals—the immortal, multi-animal shifters who were descended from the gods—didn’t have predestined mates. Any female would do as long as both man and beast agreed. Sex was sex. If a woman could pull his seed free, it’d be enough to keep the male coming back for more.

  Some elders disagreed with the basis of most matings and warned settling for only a breeding partner was the worst mistake a male could make. They claimed there were females whose personalities and souls matched them so damn well they’d never want another.

  The mate bond didn’t guarantee fidelity. His father kept several lovers in addition to his mate and so did his brothers. It was quite common. Wild cats weren’t monogamous so it was accepted that the males who sheltered their spirits would follow suit…unless, he found his one.

  Devin glanced at the bathroom door once more. Had he? Could his be a petite brown-eyed angel who may or may not have kidnapped a defenseless child? He sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose.

  Whether or not Lena was a potential mate wasn’t his main concern. Molly was. He had to keep his focus on getting the knowledge of her whereabouts from Lena.

  He’d originally planned to use the threat of torture to get her to talk. Actually seeing the fear in her eyes? Nope. He’d tried. Couldn’t do it. That realization had shocked him. Her pain and anxiety affected him more than it should. Lena was a kidnapper. She deserved to be afraid.

  Didn’t she? He frowned, tried to get his mind to focus on the question. Gods, sometimes he couldn’t think. His pulse kicked into high gear and black dots spread over his vision. Fucking telltale signs of a lapse. He’d suffered with them long enough not to recognize them and he refused to walk down that path again. His delusions caused enough damage already. Desperate for a way to avert it, he lifted his wrist Lena had fed from, pressed it under his nose and dragged in a deep breath. Her lingering scent cleared the haziness.

  Damn. His cats were right. She was the key to maintaining his sanity. A fluke or the result of being his one? Time would tell.

  The shower turned off. He closed his eyes and listened as she dug through her bag. The click of the lotion bottle he’d spied among her belongings came first, followed by a plop as she squirted it into her hand. Silence stretched as she no doubt rubbed the moisturizer into her tan skin. Would she apply it only to her legs? Or all over?

  His chest rose and fell as he imagined her massaging her breasts until her nipples stood firm and erect. She’d slide her hand lower to smooth white cream over her stomach and thighs. He groaned, blood rushing south to thicken his already hard cock. His cats shoved the image of Lena spread out beneath him on the bed to the forefront of his mind. Gods, she had looked inviting and she’d wanted him. The luring scent of her desire had been unmistakable.

  He took a step toward the bathroom.

  Stopped.

  He couldn’t go in there. Fisting his hands, he took slow, deliberate breaths and waited for her to finish getting dressed. The injuries she’d obtained would make it difficult. He glanced at the door once more. The urge to see to her care hadn’t faded in the time since the accident occurred. He hadn’t been able to leave her side since. The quick dip in the pond had been pure torture.

  He froze with his hand on the door. If he went in there and saw her naked, he wouldn’t walk away. He’d pull her into his arms and his lingering touch on her soul would draw them together. Lust would flare, the raw and primal kind that didn’t take emotions or circumstances into account. It was why they’d skirted the edge of sex a few minutes ago, but he’d resisted. He could do so again. She needed him. He couldn’t allow her to struggle when he could help her.

  He flung the door open. Lena shrieked and dropped her phone. She scrambled to pick it up but he snatched it away. A growl crawled up his throat along with a surge of anger. She’d blinked those innocent angel eyes at him but they’d masked a lie. She’d played him. Like a fool, he’d fallen for it.

  With one hand wrapped around her neck, he held her still while he read the text she’d sent.

  I’ve been delayed but don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Initiate Plan B. If I don’t meet you at the designated time and place, call Vader.

  The answering text sent dread through him.

  Okay but I’m scared. Another man found us. I had to use the present you gave me. We’re safe for now. Over and out.

  He placed the phone down before he crushed it. “Who has Molly?”

  She trembled. Her pulse raced under his palm. The scent of her fear incensed him more. He cursed. “They’re in danger. Don’t you get that?”

  She jerked her head to free herself. He eased his grip, but didn’t let go. She strained against him until lines creased her smooth brow before relenting and sagg
ing in his hold. Wetness shimmered in her eyes.

  “Yes, I get it but I can’t protect them when I can’t even save myself. I tried. Look at what happened to me!”

  Dammit. He didn’t care that she’d played him. The turmoil in her expression upset him. He couldn’t handle seeing the liquid trailing down her cheeks. He tucked her against his chest and rubbed her back through the terrycloth robe.

  “I’m sorry and I know you have no reason to trust me but I want to protect Molly too. I don’t want to claim her as my future mate, nor will I allow any other male to do so before she comes of age. In my pride, we protect our females and give them a choice.”

  She tilted her head back and red-rimmed, puffy eyes considered him. The intelligence displayed in them wasn’t dimmed by her tears. “I’m sorry too. But I don’t trust you.”

  He cursed, picked up the phone and sent another text.

  Where are you?

  Minutes passed. There was no response.

  Lena cleared her throat. “They probably turned the phone off.”

  He snarled, the cell crunching in his hand. He dropped it in the sink and fisted her hair. Backing her against the counter, he leaned over her arched body. With his cheek pressed to hers, her fragrance wrapped around him. It pushed the rage back. Lust replaced it. The change came as easily as flipping a coin.

  He leaned back enough to look upon her face. “You’ve made a mistake, baby. Those lions won’t give up until they’ve killed your friend and captured Molly. Please, tell me where she is.”

  She studied him for a long moment with eyes darkened by fear and arousal. He scented both but she shook her head, not giving in to either. “No, I’m not telling you anything. I don’t care what happens to me.”

  He skimmed his fingertips over her jaw. He couldn’t resist touching her. “You’re not getting away from me until you do, Lena.”

  A promise or a threat? He wasn’t sure. Anticipation built as he waited for her to make the next move.

  A long moment passed before she bent her head for him. He took the offering. Brushing his lips along the delicate length of her neck, he drugged himself on her scent and the exquisite sensation of soft skin touching his. He gave himself the same lecture he had before he’d come in here. They needed distance. This was merely the pull of their partial bond. Yet even as he warned himself away from her, he kissed up to the sensitive spot beneath her ear. With the first flick of his tongue, she moaned, the sound encouraging him to get closer.