by Becca Dale
Kya jerked away. Anger flashed in her amber eyes as she slapped his hand aside. “Stop it!”
Rage bashed at his pride. She had admitted she wanted him, had demanded he take her. She had no right to renege on that, no right to leave him for someone better. “I won’t let you cast me aside.”
She doesn’t understand. She had to think he had lost his mind, but pride made fools of loving men. He pulled her to her feet and spun her around so her back was to him, pressing her down with a palm in the center of her spine. She caught herself from falling with both hands on a tree trunk. Her long hair spread across her slender back and called up her proper form. Raw anguish seared his gut as the silken strands caressed his wrist. Her cat would be exactly that color, burnt sugar and sunshine. His true self longed for her sleek feline, for the elongated lean muscle and beautiful curves of her hips and shoulders. Ja shoved aside the sensual fantasy and replaced it with Dar’s words. “What happens when she flips for me or my father?
That wouldn’t happen. Dar was dead and Ja would ensure Rork couldn’t touch her before he took her anywhere near the clan, but her father had expected him to restore Kya to the throne. He could not deny her and those who would love her that right. Unjust anger and pain tore at his conscience.
She twisted beneath him. Red-hot blood surged through his brain and down to his groin. Kya was not better than him no matter what others thought. If she chose to bow to some royal pansy, let her, but she’d fucking remember Ja’s name and how he made her feel. It would be his voice she heard in her head at night, and a warrior’s dick that filled her fantasies while a king mounted her.
She struggled but he held her fast. “Ja, why are you doing this?”
“Because...” What could he say? Because I want you more than I want to breathe, but I have no right to keep you by my side. He could not make her understand any more than he could change their stations in life. Hers to lead. His to protect.
Kya fought his hands. Pictures of her bending to another’s will tore at his heart, but the image of her bloody and battered if she fought hurt more. Whoever the clan chose would have the right to force her to yield. It would be better if she accepted her destiny. He tightened his grip. He would not run with her no matter how much he longed to keep her for himself. Too many others would suffer for his selfishness. Kya continued to jerk but he could not release her. He had to have her once more. He pressed harder on her back as he lifted her with his other arm and aligned her to his cock.
She wrenched her hips to the side and glared at him over her shoulder. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong with me!” Nothing except I can never have you. He had known it all along. Her father had chosen Ja to protect her, nothing else.
Will you stay or run while she squats to accept a more royal cock?
He bent over her and braced his arm beside her face. Right and wrong warred in his head. He held her in the position she would be forced to take for another, head low, ass high. “Submit, Kya. Get used to it.”
Tears glittered on her lashes, but she quickly swiped them dry. She was angry, not hurt. Rage tightened her pretty mouth. Her wildcat shone behind her eyes and her fangs emerged, cute and sexy and lethal. His own cat screamed to be free. He licked the tender area between her shoulder and throat and shoved his cock against her tight cunt. Her wetness testified to desire, but her muscles clenched against him, shutting him out. He caught her right wrist and jerked her hand down between her legs. He forced her tear moistened fingers into her folds. “Rub your pussy for me, my queen. Make this easier on us both.”
Fury and confusion shone in her amber eyes as she fought his grip. “Stop this, Ja. You’ll hate yourself. I’ll hate you.”
“Should I give a shit?” He blocked the truth of her words. She’ll hate me anyway. He could not change the blood that coursed through his veins, could not make himself worthy, and could not walk away. She held him out. The cat in his head snarled with rage and would not back down. He would take her, mark now and forever, so when she tossed him carelessly aside it wouldn’t hurt so goddamned much. His claws emerged. They dug into the tender flesh of her hip and her wrist.
She hissed in feminine anger.
His better judgment reared to kick him but he could not back down. He had to sever any feeling she might hold for him or she would suffer for it. If she fought fate for his sake, she’d suffer, but that did not ease the fiery pain in his soul at the thought of her willingly accepting another. “A king of cats will make you surrender to his will.”
A sob caught in her throat as she looked at him. Confusion swam in her big amber eyes. “Ja, please, stop.”
The soft plea for mercy sliced at Ja like slivered glass, but he could not allow himself to bend. Making her hate him was the only option left. “I can’t.”
Her eyes slanted. Her nails lengthened and sank into the tree bark. An unrestrained snarl curled from her throat as her feline screamed for freedom. “Fine, you want it rough? Show me what makes you so tough, big guy.”
Kya shoved her hips against him, and his cock entered her snug slit with little resistance but still her body would not yield fully. He braced himself against the tree with his left hand while he pressed his fingers on top of her slender ones with his right, rubbing her clitoris roughly as his heart shattered. “Open your tight little cunt. Know it’s me that fucks you, right here and now, not some pansy-assed royal who won’t appreciate how ripe and luscious you are, little one.”
Anger and frustration roiled in his stomach when her muscles quivered around him and stroked his aching dick. Damn it to hell. He could not cause her pain no matter how sound the logic. He would explain, make her see why they could never work, but he could not destroy her fragile trust anymore than he could step away. Not yet. His fangs sank into her shoulder and held her in place. Blood touched his tongue, and he sucked at the tiny wounds until her body grew soft and welcomed him completely. When he felt her relax, he shoved his engorged cock to the hilt then reared back, pulling nearly free of her wet slit before he slammed home again, and again, knowing it was the last time he would ever hold her, hating himself and her for that reality.
* * *
White-hot desire blazed through her limbs. Kya quivered with untamed passion as he hammered her. Something she said or did had changed him. The battle between gallant knight and savage warrior radiated in his every thrust, as if each touch could be their last. What was he hiding? His rage triggered a change in her as well. She felt feral, stronger and sexier than ever before. He demanded she open to him, but she needed no such command. His rough embrace ignited sexual craving. She longed for the power that rippled in his strong arms. With a savage cry, she whipped her head to the side and sank her teeth into his wrist. Lust shot directly to her pussy. Her body cried for him, needing his strength to feed her own.
He slowed his thrusts, easing in and out of her, gentling his forceful caress against her clitoris with a deep groan.
Drops of his blood clung to the tips of her eyeteeth and tasted metallic on her tongue. She turned her head and growled before meeting his eyes. “Finish what you started, Ja.” His dick swelled thicker. Her body stretched to accommodate him with a sensual ache. She ground her hips against his. “Hard.”
Pure desire surged behind his green gaze. He pushed her to the ground and sank to one knee.
She leaned on her elbows and knees then lowered her shoulders, submissive and commanding. Breath held in anticipation of his domination.
Bracing himself, he gripped her hips and shoved inward then withdrew to drive home again. He angled his hips. The head of his cock slammed against her G-spot each time he rammed deep, and pure fire roared through her body and brain. His claws punctured her skin. He thrust in and out of her trembling core with brutish control. “Mine. No matter who you spread yourself for. Always mine.”
Kya turned her head so she could see his savage gaze. “No one else—ever.” She purred with a sultry gasp while
he plunged again. Tension rose and held her teetering on the edge of violent bliss. “Oh…fuck me…fill me. Don’t stop.” She slammed back, meeting his aggression with her own. “Harder, Ja.” She clenched and squeezed her inner muscles, stroking him, feeding the need that raged in her head. Her breath came in desperate, unstoppable sobs. “You feel so…oh…oh, yes.”
Her muscles contracted around his cock, and she came violently, screaming his name as her body convulsed beneath his. His own release followed hers, hot cum seared her as his arms tightened and his desperate pledge echoed in her ear. “Mine forever. No matter what.”
Chapter Eleven—Clarification
Ja continued to hold her long after the tremors of orgasm had passed. His tongue soothed the sting left behind by his fangs. Eventually, she pushed against his arms until he released her. She didn’t say anything as she pulled on her shirt then turned to confront him. “Care to explain what the hell that was about?”
He had found his own pants and stood with his back to the tree, eyes down. “I shouldn’t have hurt you.”
She couldn’t bring herself to admit aloud how much she had wanted his aggression. “You didn’t, not really. I want to know why you tried.”
When he finally faced her, his dark skin turned pale. “Kya, you’re bleeding.”
“Duh. What did you expect? You bit me.”
“Not there.” He dropped to his knees in front of her. His thumbs hooked in the bottom of her shirt and lifted it to her waist. Puncture wounds pierced her hips and blood ran in tiny rivulets to the juncture of her thighs and down. With a sigh, he laid his forehead against her stomach and tremors shook his shoulders. “I thought it was the baby.” Ja tenderly kissed the area his claws had pierced then licked the wounds. “I didn’t want to cause you pain, little one.”
He seemed so lost, her great warrior cat humbled by the sight of her blood. She couldn’t help touching his dark hair gently. She should stay mad at him. He had used her roughly but once her anger passed, she’d loved it. Her vagina clenched at the thought of his strength slamming into her. She tugged gently on his hair until he lifted his gaze. “Tell me, Ja. That wasn’t about sex or lust or even a need to control me.” She cupped his adored face in her hands and kissed him with love and unexpected certainty. “What were you trying to do?”
“If I explain, you’ll hate me sooner.”
He would not meet her eyes and fear nudged at her stomach. “Why would I hate you?”
Ja rose to his feet and moved to stand at the edge of the clearing. His broad shoulders bore the evidence of his emotions; fear or anger, she could not tell. “I don’t think you understand how important you are. You’re father and mother both descended from royalty. Dar should have been your mate.”
“Says who?” She moved to touch his arm but he shrugged her off. “Ja, listen to me. I never wanted Dar. Why would I?”
“He’s of the blood.”
“Then you have to be, too. You look like brothers.”
“From my mother’s side. Dar’s mother and mine were litter mates, born and raised in royal standing. My aunt chose to accept her birthright and marry Rork. Mom went slumming when she mated my father.”
Screw it if he didn’t want to be touched. He needed her. She hugged him tight pressing her cheek to his muscled back. His arms crossed over hers accepting the quiet comfort. “You still carry the blood, right?”
“It’s not the same. I’m tainted common.”
“So? That doesn’t matter to me, Ja.”
“It will matter. I let myself forget that for a while. I tried to pretend that Canar had chosen me as your mate, but I knew better even as I claimed you.” He stiffened in her embrace before he sighed and turned in her arms. “I shouldn’t have crossed that line.” He brushed her hair off her face and tipped her chin up for a quick kiss before he stepped away from her. The muscles of his back tightened and jumped. “Impregnating you should have kept Dar at bay for a while, but even that failed. If we’re not successful in overthrowing Rork, the clan will expect you to couple with him for the sake of the bloodline.”
She had to laugh. “You’re kidding, right?” When he shook his head no, she scowled. “That’s sick. It’s the twenty-first century. American women don’t marry to satisfy antiquated prejudices, and they sure as hell don’t mate with their relatives.”
He turned back toward her then, his gaze steady and intense. “Run with me. I’ll take care of you and our child.”
Caring rang in his voice, but regret would follow. “If we do that, the clan suffers under Rork’s control even longer. You wouldn’t do that.”
“I’ll go back once I know you’re safe. I’ll recruit a neighboring clan to help. Their blood can rule. It’s not what your father intended, but you won’t be put in a situation that’s makes you uncomfortable.” He came closer and rested his hands on her shoulders, his green eyes dark. “Run with me, little one. Forget everyone else for a while.”
She shook her head. “I can’t make you do that, Ja. The clan means too much to you. I hear it in your voice whenever you speak of them.” He started to interrupt but she pressed her fingers over his mouth. “I want to know more about my family, but their rules are not mine. I don’t care who your parents were. If the clan doesn’t like that, so what? If I can help you free your people from Rork’s tyranny then great, but I won’t mate with him. If you have a problem with that then make sure he isn’t in the way.”
He chuckled and pulled her into his arms. “Just that easy, huh?”
“Yep.”
The humor left his expressive face and he kissed her hard, lifting her against him with a groan. Fear eroded her confidence as she tasted hesitation on his lips.
She pulled from his embrace. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Even if Rork isn’t around, the people will expect you to choose a royal mate. They’ll arrange it if you don’t”
“You said I was the end of the bloodline.”
“Yours, but there are other clans within the tribe who would have nobles looking to marry.”
Every time she had things figured out, he threw up another roadblock. She wanted to smack him. “I won’t do it. I choose you.”
“If you return to the clan, where you belong, you won’t be given a choice.”
“What about what I want?” The weight of everything he’d told her dropped on her shoulders. If she walked away from the clan and Ja followed her, how long before he regretted leaving the world he cared about? If she tried to help him free his people from the tyranny that had killed her parents, he would refuse to be with her and their baby. The baby. She cupped her still flat stomach with her hand and blinked away tears. “And if you’re so lowly, what about our child? What happens to him or her?”
“If you return in sacred condition while Rork remains in power, he’ll wait until the baby’s born and then kill it as a sign of his benevolence for allowing it life, no matter how brief.”
She gasped. “Benevolence?”
Ja sighed and looked down. “I’m trying to tell you what to expect. Why it’s so important for you to stay out of the picture until after the baby’s born. If the clan selects a husband for you, what happens depends on your mate. The baby could be sold to someone who deals in exotic pets or sacrificed to appease the parents of the man chosen for a blemished bride.”
He had to be out of his mind. “You’re talking about selling or killing a child, our child.”
“I know. That’s why I need you to wait.” He reached for her but she dodged his touch. He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I wouldn’t let any of those things happen. After our baby is born, you can return to the clan like your parents would have wanted. Grant will take care of the cub until I come back.”
Was he serious? “What about me? I’m supposed to dump my kid off and forget she ever existed just because someone I don’t even remember would have wanted me to?”
Ignoring her as she tried to hold him back, he wrapped her i
n his arms. “It wouldn’t be like that, little one. Our baby would never feel less than loved.”
She shoved against his chest and twisted away. “Bullshit. I’ve lived this.” Her lungs tightened and she had to breathe deeply before she could continue. “My adoptive parents were wonderful. I adored them as if they had given birth to me.” Her voice caught, and she blinked against the burning in her eyes. “But I wondered every day of my life why my birth parents didn’t love me enough.”
“Canar and Tia treasured you to their last breaths.”
“Then why would they want me to do something so repugnant?”
“Because some things are bigger than the individual.”
“I understand that.” He honestly believed the good of the clan should outweigh his personal desires. They would be halfway across the country if he didn’t think that way, but she didn’t give a crap about strangers. She cared about him and the child growing inside her, even if he regretted making it. “Noble concepts do not change anything. I won’t allow my child to ever wonder why I didn’t care enough.”
He tugged her close; his strong arms lessened her childhood pain but could not wipe it away. “I couldn’t tell the baby who you are, but our child will never doubt your love. I’ll make sure of it, Kya.”
His heart beat steady and solid beneath her cheek. He would try to keep his promise but he had grown up without doubts about the people in his life. “What could you possibly say? ‘Mommy loved you, but everyone else mattered more.’” She stepped away from the comfort he offered. Leaning on him made her feel weak. “Screw that. I won’t cast my child aside, and I won’t marry someone simply because of his genetics.”
“Then quit fighting me. Let’s go.”
“No.” She couldn’t destroy his vision of her anymore than she could leave her child behind. “You would hate yourself for leaving your people and hate me for making you do it. Even if you went back later with a different royal, you would always regret turning my father’s throne over to anyone you didn’t know or trust fully. Find out how to get rid of Rork and at the same time stay with me and our family. There must be a way.”