Cradling her tenderly, he leapt up the next several flights. Multiple footsteps sounded out below.
He shifted her slight weight in his arms, trying to pass along some of his heat. Her skin felt all too cold.
As soon as he walked through the door at the top, Sela rushed over.
“Is she okay? Why is she unconscious? Where are her clothes?” She reached out as if to touch her sister, hands fluttering over Livie’s face. “What have they done to her?”
Roc turned Livie to face Sela. “They’ve tranqued her.”
Sela shrieked. She yanked the needle out of her sister’s stomach, making Roc wince at her less than delicate treatment. She turned and marched over to one of the men roped together on the floor.
She waved the needle in front of his wide eyes. “What the hell is in this?”
He cringed backward and with a growl of frustration, Sela stabbed the dart into his neck. He immediately fell over. Like a line of dominoes, the other three men toppled over as well. They didn’t bother to try and get up.
“What’s the plan?” Mac asked. He slipped a possessive arm around Sela’s waist, managing to stomp on a few legs at the same time. A muffled groan escaped the pile of tangled bodies.
“We get Livie the hell out of here.” Livie was the only thing that mattered. And she was in his arms. Where she belonged.
Mac looked a little disappointed, but herded Sela out the door. “Just don’t try coming back here on your own.” He stroked Sela’s shoulder. “I still have a score to settle with these bastards.”
Roc gazed down at Livie’s matted hair. In two days, she’d lost the weight she had managed to put on, her slight body pale and all too fragile looking.
Numerous pinpricks marred her skin. How many times had those bastards hit her?
He frowned. The new hole was slow to heal. They must have added something to the tranquilizer to inhibit her healing abilities.
Cam would be upset if he didn’t bring back a sample. Livie moaned. She turned her head into his chest, nuzzling like a baby kitten then sighed deeply.
Roc blinked suspiciously watery eyes. He didn’t care about the drug, or anything else. Everything that mattered was right here in his arms.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Livie snuggled deeper into her pillow, relishing the warmth. Had they finally given her a blanket? Something tugged at her memory, but she brushed it away like an annoying gnat.
She didn’t want to remember right now, or for that matter, wake up. If this sensation of blissful comfort and safety was part of a dream, she’d take it.
She rubbed her cheek over the oddly furred pillow. Her pillow growled.
Startled into full awareness, Livie bolted upright. A strong male arm prevented her from going anywhere.
Everything returned in a rush. Rea. The fight in the alley. Sela and Roc unable to look at her. The sleazy motel. The damn Order. Fuzzy bits about a small room without a window. The tranquilizers. The monster. Roc holding her.
He still held her.
She jerked her eyes to his. Oh god, what if he wouldn’t look at her?
His hair fell in untidy tangles around his face, framing his face. With his dark brown eyes studying her so intently, the distinct hint of his beast lurking in the back, always present in some form, she didn’t know whether to wrap her arms around him or hold perfectly still so he wouldn’t bite her.
Mostly, she just wanted that remote expression gone.
Why can’t you love me?
She slid her gaze away from his disturbing one. She could do this. No more meltdowns.
Livie stared at the wall. She knew this wall. They were back in his bedroom. On his bed. And he was not wearing a shirt.
She could just make out the edge of the padded cuff out of the corner of her eye.
Her stomach flip-flopped.
Jerking her eyes back to the opposite wall, she began an intent study of the wall paint. “How,” she cleared her dry throat. “How long have I been here?”
“Almost twenty-two hours.” The hand clenching her waist left, only to return in front of her line of vision, holding an enormous To-Go mug. “Sela brought some water when you began to stir.”
He tipped the mug against her lips and Livie hurriedly opened her mouth, her mouth parched.
She guzzled the water, grabbing his wrist when he pulled back. “No.”
“Slowly,” he murmured. “Don’t drink too much at once.”
She nodded, but as soon as she tasted the cool water again, she tried to tip the giant container upside down. She would have drowned if he hadn’t pulled back.
“Slowly,” he reminded her.
Coughing repeatedly, she finally regained her capacity to breath. Slow. She could do slow.
Several minutes later, Livie decided her throat was no longer going to disintegrate into dust particles. She released the mug and went back to her examination of Roc’s remarkably plain, but utterly fascinating wall.
Her limbs seemed oddly kinked, as if they had been in one position for a very long period of time.
“Where have I been?” Like an itch that could not be scratched, it gnawed at her that she couldn’t remember anything. That she had been so helpless, so damn vulnerable, for so long.
“Here.”
She tried again. “No, I mean where exactly have I been in the last twenty-two hours?” It might not change a darn thing, but she still wanted to know.
“Here.”
He couldn’t mean . . . “You’ve held me for twenty-two hours straight?” She didn’t bother to hide the sarcasm. He had made it all too plain how he felt about her.
“Yes.”
An invisible hand squeezed her chest. He couldn’t possibly mean that the way she thought – needed, craved like her next breath – him to mean.
“What,” he paused then swallowed, “Can you tell me what they did to you?”
Definitely better to switch the subject. That way she could stick with her no meltdown policy. Still a bit groggy, Livie sighed. So he meant to drag it all out in the open, did he? Couldn’t he just end it?
“They caught me.” I was so completely lost in my own misery, I didn’t pay attention. “They knocked me out with some sort of super tranquilizer.” I know better than to lower my guard. Look at me now. “The drug can knock out a werewolf or . . .” What am I now that he doesn’t want anything to do with me?
She shrugged, letting her voice trail off.
“I know that.” He rubbed his hand over her stomach. Livie looked, but she couldn’t see any trace of the puncture marks.
At least my stomach has healed.
“I want . . . I need to know what they did to you after they took you.”
“Nothing.” Wasn’t it bad enough that she’d forgotten everything that had kept her alive all these years?
She totally sucked as an Elemental. She got it. She had to be forced into using her power. She had very little control over it. She hadn’t been able to save them from awful injuries during the last fight. She was an unlovable wimp.
She so got it.
“What do you mean nothing?” She didn’t have to look at him to hear his frown.
“I mean nothing. Nada. Zip.” Was she so lame that even the Order couldn’t be bothered with her? No. That certainly didn’t make sense.
That horrible creature had said he could control the world though her power alone. Hadn’t he?
She pressed her hands over her eyes. She couldn’t think. Too many drugs.
“Livie,” he shook her gently. She peered through her fingers at him. “You can tell me. I need to know, whatever it is. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“Huh?” She didn’t bother to move her hands.
He pressed his head to the back of her hands. “Mac told me what they did to Sela, Livie. They had her for a few hours. They had you for two goddamn days.” He crushed her so tightly to his chest she couldn’t breath.
“I know you don’t believe me, but I will
hunt down and kill anyone of them that touched you.” He pulled back. She sucked in air. He tugged her wrists, almost impaling her with his eyes. “Tell me, Livie.”
Ah, that actually sounded like he cared. Her throat tightened. Roc took his duty seriously. He’d told her before that it was his job to protect her. She just wished it could be . . . so much more.
“They really didn’t hurt me. At all. They kept me shot full of that drug.” She turned back to the wall. “I was unconscious almost the entire time.”
“Then how did you get escape?” He was not convinced.
“I woke up just before they came to drug me again and I pretended like I was still totally under.” She shrugged. “I must have been stirring or something the other times, they decided to come back later.”
Roc frowned at her and she could almost read his mind. “They must have a limited amount of that drug and didn’t want to waste it. I have no idea why they simply wanted me unconscious.” Her brain began to speed up. “Probably because I can access my Element anytime I . . .” She might be able to control the wind at any time, but it didn’t do her any good if she was afraid to use it.
A massive shudder shook his body, his muscles rippled around her. “Thank the moon,” he breathed into her hair. “I’m still going to kill them all.” He said instantly as if to reassure her. “But at least I don’t have to live with . . .” he broke off. He snapped his jaw together and Livie knew the sound came from fangs not teeth. A feral growl rumbled around in his chest.
“Don’t have to live with what?” She didn’t understand.
“I don’t have to live with the knowledge that you were tortured and I wasn’t there to stop it.”
Wha-at?
Wait a minute. He was upset because he hadn’t saved her? She was the one who ran away. Why would he be so distraught over her getting hurt when he didn’t want anything to do with her anymore?
She could literally feel the emotional turmoil inside him. His shoulders had broadened and he’d moved his fingers away from her waist to prevent his claws from digging in.
It didn’t make sense.
“I don’t . . .” Her mouth had gone dry again. She swallowed hard and tried again. “I don’t understand. Why would that bother you?”
Every muscle in his body tensed. In a flash he flipped her onto the mattress, pinning her with his body, thighs pressed heavily over hers, elbows locked next to her arms.
His tangled locks slid along her cheeks as he bumped her nose with his. Brown glowing fireworks bore into her.
“Why would that bother me?” His words seemed to originate somewhere in his gut and reverberated their way through his chest.
“Why would that fucking bother me!” Every syllable bombarded her.
He tilted his head until his lips touched hers so that every word — every consonant and every vowel — caressed her skin.
“Because you are my mate and I am nothing without you.”
Her breath stuttered in her lungs.
He said mate. His mate. He had not called her that since she’d tried to kill him.
Did that mean he wanted her? Could he possibly have feelings for her? Could he actually come to love her?
“My mate.” He growled, hot breath skimming her face, butting her with his nose.
At first rough and demanding, his touch softened then slowed even more until it became a whisper. “My mate.”
He brushed his lips across hers, ever so soft, the kiss of a butterfly’s wings, lightly landing on the petals of a flower. Brush. Caress. Stroke.
Then firmer.
Pressure, as he dove into her, delving deeper, searching and seeking, determined to explore and conquer.
She parted her lips and suddenly he was there, his tongue twining with hers, dueling, fighting, cajoling. His intent unmistakable. She was his.
He hadn’t said he loved her. He called her mate, to a werewolf – an animal – that didn’t necessarily mean love.
At that moment, she couldn’t have cared less.
He wanted her.
And she wanted him, needed him, like a live force within her. If this was all she could have, she’d take it.
Livie wrenched her arms free and thrust her fingers into his hair, yanking him down into her. Her hands immediately became tangled, threaded and bound.
She tugged harder.
He growled.
Roc pushed his knee forcibly in-between her legs, making room for himself until the rock hard ridge of his cock pressed directly over her wet channel.
Livie arched up until she could feel him on her clit.
She planted her feet and ground upwards. He cursed, shoved her back flat on the bed, and jerked her wrist up.
Soft padding encircled her skin a second before she heard the metal clank lock tight.
Oh god.
Her stomach clenched repeatedly. Tingles racing up and down her spine, an electric bolt that lit up every nerve ending. Moisture flooded her vagina, the muscles inside tightening and releasing spasmodically.
She needed him inside her right now.
Using her free hand, she gripped the snap of his jeans and ripped them open.
“Careful!” He pulled her hand away. “Let me do it.”
“Then do it now.” She twisted restlessly. “I can’t wait.”
The sparks in his eyes flamed higher, the whites almost gone and the hungry, predatory gleam of his beast lurking just below the surface.
He reared back, easing his zipper down. He hadn’t worn underwear. His thick cock sprung free, semen already leaking from its swollen tip.
Livie licked her lips. He groaned. She looked up to find his gaze locked on her tongue with a near painful intensity.
His chest heaved under the force of his breathing. Coming down on one arm, he traced the wet path along her lips with his thumb. Two swipes. Three.
Deep rumbles issued from his chest. He jerked back to his knees, reaching down to grip his cock and running the same thumb up and down the sides then slowly over the broad head.
Livie cried out. She held out her hand to touch him, wanting to feel that heavy weight and heat in her palm, but he stopped her, folding his fist around hers.
She kicked her legs. “No!” She panted. “Let me.”
He shook his head. His thumb traced the seeping hole, gathering the sticky essence, he leaned over her once again to press it on her lips, depositing his semen on her and pushing the tip of his thumb into her mouth.
She closed her lips around his thick digit, licking away the small amount of pre-come and tasting the salty, roughness of his skin.
He was marking her. She could see it in his eyes. He wanted to stamp himself on her in every way possible.
The well of need inside of her at that moment almost frightened her.
“Roc,” she pleaded.
A guttural moan erupted from him. He used both hands to pull at his jeans, shredding the material from his hips down. He didn’t bother with the rest.
Claws curled inside the neck of her shirt, ripping it off of her. Her pants were gone with another quick slice.
In the next instant, his hard, hair roughened thighs were spreading her own, shoving her legs wide, making a place for himself between them.
Hot steel prodded her entrance, pressing in an inch, then two. Livie arched to meet him, willing her body to stretch and encompass him. With the next determined push, she gasped. He was so thick that it took her by surprised each and every time.
Despite how drenched she was, she had difficulty accepting him.
“Wait.” She placed her hand against his chest.
He either ignored or never heard her. He pressed forward, surging deeper and deeper with every short thrust, forcing her to accept him.
Stretched to her limits, moaning, caught between exquisite bliss and near pain, Livie squirmed. Oh god, she couldn’t decide whether to scream for him to stop or plead with him to just take her.
His fangs gripped the sensitive lobe
of her ear.
“All of me, mate. Take all of me.”
The calloused pad of his thumb pressed directly over her clit.
Livie shrieked and arched upward just as he surged completely inside of her. Seated to the hilt, she couldn’t tell where he began and she ended.
“Mine.”
It was a statement of possession, a claiming, as if he were somehow branding her.
She grabbed onto his shoulder with her un-cuffed hand. Opening eyes she hadn’t realized she closed, she met his burning gaze head on. It was then she saw it, that slight hint of uncertainty that had not been in his voice.
He needed something from her, an acknowledgement of his claim.
She cupped his cheek. “Yours.” She said clearly. Shifting her grip to his long hair, she tugged fiercely. “Mine.”
At that his beast took over.
His shoulders enlarged, soft fur tickled her skin from her feet to her shoulders, the deep continuous rumble from his chest became even deeper, more guttural, more animalistic.
Fully embedded inside of her, his cock grew larger, broader. And somehow she adjusted, welcomed him.
His eyes glowed down at her.
She smiled, spread her loose arm across the bed and allowed the chain to go slack as she placed her other hand over her head.
She was wide open, completely vulnerable to him.
Something almost painful flashed over his face, he closed his eyes, tilted his head back and howled. Then he withdrew completely, yanked the cuff free and flipped her. Large paws gripped her hips, urging her up.
He set his fangs over the side of her neck, gripping her tendon and with one powerful thrust surged back inside. Immediately he began to pound into her.
Livie arched back to meet every downward thrust, knees spread wide, she tilted her ass higher, encouraging him. He slammed into her harder and harder. She embraced each dominant shove.
Relentless, powerful and fierce in his loving, Roc held nothing back. Livie didn’t either. She met him with equal intensity, determined to take as much as give of herself.
Faster, harder, deeper.
Little spots began to intrude on her vision and still her orgasm remained just out of reach. Tighter and tighter and tighter she spun, so very close.
Fur, Fangs and All (The Elementals Book 2) Page 20