by L. L. Raand
“No.” Sophia sighed. “Dasha won’t force herself on me, and I’m not going to tangle with her. She’s too young, too dominant, and she’s going to want more.”
“She’ll want you to carry her mark.”
“I know.” Sophia turned away and gathered up the instruments. “You should sleep. I’ll bring you some food. Once you’ve eaten and rested, you can shift so your wolf will heal.”
“Will she?”
Sophia looked over her shoulder, her heart aching. Niki was so pale, her eyes so devastated. “Your wolf is stronger than you know. So are you. Now is not the time to run and hide.”
Niki stiffened and she snarled. “Be careful, Omega.”
Sophia grinned. “You should listen to your wolf more often, Niki. She sees things more clearly than you do.”
“I don’t want a mate bond. I know how to avoid a bite, and I crave something else.”
Sophia wrapped her arms around her middle, knowing Niki was trying to push her away even as she offered to tangle. “The Vampires, you mean.”
“Yes.”
“You aren’t the only Were who craves a Vampire’s bite. Are you trying to shock me?”
“I’m only trying to tell you that we’re more alike than you think.”
Sophia nodded. “Perhaps. Will you rest now?”
Niki was silent for a long moment. “Will you stay?”
Sophia’s heart bled, but she forced a smile. “Yes. For a little while.”
Chapter Eight
“Alpha,” Elena said quietly, “perhaps you should wait outside.”
Sylvan stopped her furious pacing and took two rapid steps toward her medicus, her eyes flashing from deep blue to gold so quickly it seemed her wolf was more in control than she was. “Not while my mate is in here.”
Drake sat up on the exam table and caught Sylvan’s gaze. “It will just be a few more minutes. Elena will clean it and we’ll be done.”
“I can’t leave,” Sylvan said, a fine shiver coursing over her body. “Just hurry.”
Drake glanced at Elena. “As soon as I shift, these will heal. I think I need to go now.”
Elena rapidly cleansed the gouges on Drake’s shoulder with an antiseptic, removing dirt and bits of stone from where Drake had crouched in pelt over Niki in the courtyard. “Go. She needs you.”
Drake hopped down from the table and grasped Sylvan’s arm. “Come with me.”
Sylvan couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t think of anything except the panic that had overtaken her out in the forest when she’d sensed Drake in danger. Then her shoulder had burned as if she’d been shot, and she knew Drake was hurt. All reason had fled. All she knew was she needed to get to her, needed to protect her, needed to destroy whoever had threatened her family. She would have run a thousand miles, until her heart gave out, to reach her. And now, all that adrenaline, all those primal hormones, cascaded through her body and she needed Drake. She needed to feel her, smell her, taste her, claim her. She let Drake drag her down the hall and into an empty room before her restraint completely broke. She slammed the door, grasped Drake by the shoulders, and pushed her against the wall. And at last her mouth was on Drake’s neck, her hands shredding Drake’s jeans, her clitoris tight and ready. She panted, her pelt flowing down the center of her abdomen, her claws erupting. “I need you. I need you now.”
“I know,” Drake moaned, hooking the waistband of Sylvan’s jeans and tearing them off. She kicked away what was left of her pants and straddled Sylvan’s hips, opening herself. She grasped Sylvan’s shoulders. “Now. Take me. Hurry.”
Groaning, Sylvan grasped Drake’s ass to hold her up and rubbed her clitoris over Drake’s, feeling their heat and their hardness and their hormones blending. The shadow of her bite on Drake’s shoulder pulsed and she pressed her mouth to it, letting her canines puncture the skin enough for their essences to meld. She drove into her, desperate to connect.
“More,” Drake cried, gripping the back of Sylvan’s neck. “Bite.”
Drake’s command, the heat of her sex closing around her, the need to drive away the terror, forced Sylvan deeper. Drake sank teeth into her and Sylvan came with a roar, the bright shining pain of Drake’s bite on her breast pushing her over. She thrust, the muscles in her ass rippling with each surge of her release. She released until she was empty and dropped to her knees, Drake still wrapped around her, holding her inside.
“I need you,” Sylvan gasped, her chest heaving.
“I’m yours,” Drake murmured, stroking Sylvan’s soaked hair, the harsh bones in her face, the sinful softness of her mouth. “I promise you, I will not leave you. I will protect our young. You don’t have to fear.”
Sylvan shuddered and buried her face in the curve of Drake’s shoulder. “I never knew a need so great. I don’t know how my father survived when my mother…” She raised her head, her eyes dark with loss. “I wouldn’t live. Without you—”
Drake pressed her fingers to Sylvan’s mouth, brushed her thumb over the point of her canine, and kissed her. “I’m so sorry you lost them. You won’t lose me. I will always come home to you.” Drake slid both hands into Sylvan’s hair, holding her head, kissing her deeply, letting Sylvan taste her. She rubbed her breasts over Sylvan’s chest, letting Sylvan feel her. Gliding her sex against Sylvan’s belly, she coated Sylvan with her victus. Marking her. “You’re mine. I’m yours. Do you hear?”
Holding Drake tightly, Sylvan stretched her out on the smooth plank floor. She rose above her, settling her hips between Drake’s thighs. Gently this time, she let her clitoris stroke between the swollen folds of Drake’s sex. Drake whimpered and lifted her hips for more. Sylvan kissed Drake’s mouth, her throat, her chest. She sucked her nipples and licked her way down the valley between the ridges of muscles in Drake’s belly. She took Drake’s engorged clitoris into her mouth and sucked her slowly. Her mind was hers again and she wanted Drake to know she was cherished. Beyond need, beyond even passion, she was loved.
“Sylvan, you’ll make me come.” Drake twisted her fingers in Sylvan’s hair and Sylvan licked her. “So soon. So good.”
Sylvan closed her eyes and gripped Drake’s hips, lifting her into her mouth. She sucked her, licked her, drank her. And when Drake hardened in her mouth, she entered her, claiming her everywhere. With a hoarse cry, Drake came in her mouth.
“I love you,” Sylvan groaned, rising above her. Her heart holding Drake’s, she came, surrendering all to her mate.
*
Michel withdrew her incisors from the neck of the young Were and licked the puncture sites closed. The female shuddered against her, her wolf-slanted eyes ringed in gold and glazed from her release. Her canines glistened against her full lip. Her hips pumped languidly as she continued to empty, the stimulants Michel had injected into her bloodstream still exciting her. Michel groaned, the rush of vigor flooding her system as pleasurable as the orgasm that accompanied the rejuvenation.
Francesca ran her fingers down the center of Michel’s abdomen, lightly grazing her clitoris. She ignored the Were host, a new and very eager volunteer. “I think you’re developing more than a passing taste for them, darling.”
Michel leaned up on her elbow and kissed Francesca. “I seem to remember your frequent visits with the Were Alpha.”
Francesca smiled, her eyes glittering. “True, Were blood is potent, and that of an Alpha? Infinitely more satisfying than any human or Were.”
“Speaking of the Alpha,” Michel said carefully, “what do you plan to do about her if the Shadow Lords call for her death?”
Francesca slid from bed and poured champagne from the nearby ice bucket Daniela had left at sunfall while they enjoyed the host. She filled a second glass and handed it to Michel. “The Shadow Lords are short-sighted, I’m afraid. That’s the problem when working with lessers. The humans’ vision is so limited. The Fae really only care about protecting the secret locations of the Faerie gates. And the Weres?” She laughed. “Far too volatile—their instin
cts rule their brains far too often.”
“Sylvan doesn’t strike me as impulsive.” Michel sat on the side of the bed and sipped champagne, enjoying Francesca’s evening routine. The servants had filled the brass clawfoot tub with scented bathwater, and Francesca slid into the water, tilting her head back against the cushioned headrest with a languorous sigh. Her breasts rose above the layer of ivory bubbles, her rosy nipples flushed and firm.
“I think eliminating Sylvan would only introduce an unknown and potentially even more dangerous factor—a new Alpha, to begin with, and then almost certainly a power struggle between the various Were Packs. No one dares challenge her, but with her gone?” Francesca leisurely sponged her arms with the fragrant water, then let the sponge float away and cupped both breasts, running her fingertips over her nipples in slow, sensuous circles. “While chaos among the wolf Weres would definitely turn public opinion against any possibility of giving them legitimate civil status, we would likely feel the backlash as well.”
“Better the enemy you know?” Michel pulled on a pair of pants and crossed to a velvet settee facing Francesca. Stretching out, she sipped champagne and enjoyed the rise of power that accompanied her feeding. A soft growl came from the young Were on the bed as she came to her senses. She’d been tasty. Her blood was rich, strong, and the heat of her blood filled Michel’s belly. Her sex throbbed. She was potent now and would be for some hours. As her orgasm had pulsed with each swallow, she’d thought not of the Were whose blood she drank, but of the young female she’d had in the lab. Katya, just out of adolescence, was a dominant female whose taste lingered in her mind. She brushed her fingertips over her chest and down her belly, imaging how Katya would taste as she came into her full power. Her clitoris throbbed. Francesca was right, as always. She was developing a taste for Weres—at least one female.
“Speaking of Sylvan,” Francesca said casually, “the governor’s fund-raising gala is this weekend, and all of the Coalition heads will be there.”
“As will you, as Chancellor of the City.”
“Yes.” Francesca opened her legs and drew the sponge up her thighs. She raised one knee, exposing a long expanse of creamy flesh.
Michel’s sex swelled, and she freed the top button of her pants, letting her fingers drift lower. Francesca’s attention fixed on her movements, and a ripple of satisfaction heated Michel’s chest. She enjoyed knowing she could still tease her mistress as much as her mistress teased her. “What about Nicholas? Will he be there?”
“Oh, I expect he will. He might privately want the Weres destroyed, but publicly he pretends to be neutral. Playing politics.” Francesca’s fingers slid higher between her legs and her mouth curved in pleasure. “Veronica Standish has requested our service again.”
Michel sat up, the champagne flute dangling between her fingers. “Oh? More help with her studies?” Perhaps she had more Were subjects who required a Vampire’s bite. The idea wasn’t as appealing now that Katya had been freed.
“In a way. She’d like us to supply her with bodyguards.”
Michel frowned. “Bodyguards? And does she intend to be open about having Vampires in her employ?”
“Apparently, yes. In addition to the work she does for our cause, she has a legitimate profession. She’s a renowned researcher and heads a lab at the university.”
“So appearing to embrace Praetern diversity would be good for her.”
“Exactly. Actually, a very good cover.”
“You’re going to agree to her request?”
“Mmm, yes. This is an opportunity for us to have someone inside Nicholas’s operation. We’ve never had that before. And of course, if we provide someone who is able to satisfy whatever else Dr. Standish requires, the good doctor will be grateful. Gratitude, darling, is the first step to allegiance.”
Michel smiled. One of the many things she admired about Francesca was her ability to plan for the long game. After all, Vampires had nothing if not time. She’d also learned much from standing at Francesca’s right hand for centuries—enough to know that what she admired most in her mistress was also something to be feared. Alliances and allegiances were as fluid as time itself in Francesca’s dominion. “You have someone in mind for the job?”
“Someone completely trustworthy, of course. I’d send you, darling, but I can’t do without you.”
Michel sipped champagne. “That’s nice to know.”
Francesca laughed. “Did you ever doubt it?”
Michel set the glass aside and strode to the tub. She picked up the sponge and pushed it beneath the water, skating the slightly rough surface down Francesca’s abdomen and between her thighs. She drew it over Francesca’s sex in slow circles, watching Francesca’s eyes blaze scarlet as she teased her. When Francesca hissed a warning that she’d had enough toying, Michel knelt, let the sponge float to the surface, and slid her fingers deeper. Francesca arched, her lids nearly closed.
“I remain loyal to you,” Michel said, “but how long will I be useful to you?”
“Always,” Francesca gasped, pushing down on Michel’s fingers. She grasped Michel’s arm, her nails cutting crescents into the undersurface of Michel’s wrist. “Always, darling.”
Michel kissed her as Francesca came around her fingers. “Then I am yours to command.”
*
Sophia broke out into a sweat, sex hormones coating her skin. She pushed away from the treatment table and paced to the far side of the room. The Alpha was tangling, and the power of her call permeated the Compound. Sophia’s heat returned with a vengeance, and she filled and ached and trembled. Niki was too close. Too close, too beautiful, too potent. And injured. “I have to go.”
Niki turned her head. “Where?”
“Just…out.” Sophia forced a smile. “You promised you’d rest.”
“I smell you. I taste you on my tongue. Every breath you take, I scent your need.” Niki pushed up on her elbows. The wounds in her stomach were starting to close, but blood still seeped from them. “I’m stronger than you think.”
“I know how strong you are, Imperator. But you’re not strong enough for what you’re suggesting.” Sophia smiled wanly. “If I stay…we’re both going to frenzy.”
“What are you going to do?” Niki grumbled ominously—the warning of a possessive Were not to threaten what was hers. “Who—”
“I’m going to feed Lara.”
Niki’s eyes darkened. “And end up craving mindless blood sex?”
“I don’t think I will,” Sophia said. “I’m stronger than you think too.”
Niki’s claws and canines erupted. “I don’t want Lara fucking you.”
“I said I was going to let her feed,” Sophia said quietly, choosing not to point out that Niki had no say in who she tangled with, or how. “That will be enough for my…needs.”
“I don’t trust her.”
Sophia regarded her steadily. “Do you trust me?”
“With my life,” Niki said quickly.
Sophia nodded. “Good. I feel the same. Trust is more important than anything else.”
“If she hurts you—”
“She won’t.”
“You don’t know that.” Niki pushed to a sitting position, wincing, blood pooling at the base of her belly. “You don’t know what she’s like when the bloodlust takes her.”
Sophia smiled and shook her head. “Niki, I’m a Were. Nothing is as wild as a Were in frenzy. If I could handle you, I can handle her.”
Niki growled. “You challenge me again.”
Sophia didn’t want to challenge her, she wanted to calm her. She wanted to touch her, despite the risk. She crossed the room and brushed Niki’s tangled auburn hair away from her haunted eyes. “Never. But I won’t let you dominate me either. I’m not submissive.”
Niki grasped Sophia’s hips and jerked her between her legs. She kissed the base of Sophia’s throat, letting her canines press into Sophia’s neck. Sophia gasped. Niki licked her. “I know what you are, Om
ega. You might stand outside the hierarchy, but I know you burn.”
Sophia grabbed Niki’s hair and yanked her head away. She stared down at her, her blue eyes alight with power. “Don’t try to seduce me now. I told you why I won’t mate. I trusted you.”
“And I told you I don’t care.” Niki rubbed her cheek against Sophia’s breast. “You have to tangle with someone, why not me? I won’t ask anything of you.”
Sophia’s heart lurched. So simple. She should be happy. She wasn’t. “It doesn’t matter. You’re in no shape to tangle right now, whether you’ll admit it or not.”
“I know you can’t wait,” Niki said. “But there will be other times.”
Sophia stepped away. “And you have more important duties, Imperator. You need to heal, and you need to make peace with the Alpha. The Pack needs you.”
Niki gripped the table so hard the wood creaked. “And what about my needs?”
“The Alpha’s needs are your needs. Have you forgotten that?”
Niki stared at the floor. She’d let herself think the Prima had taken her place, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she’d been lying to herself her whole life, and she’d been waiting for the one time Sylvan didn’t reject her offer to serve her need. But then Sylvan had mated and she didn’t know where she belonged anymore. She looked at Sophia. “I thought everything changed when she mated.”
“I know,” Sophia said softly. “Everything has changed and will probably change again, but some things will always be. Sylvan is Alpha. And you are her second. She depends on you. She needs you. Stop being a coward.”
Niki launched off the table and landed in front of Sophia with a snarl. She grasped Sophia’s shoulders and lifted her up on her toes until they were nose to nose. “You test me.”
Sophia’s chin shot up. “You should be tested. Someone needs to.”
Niki covered Sophia’s mouth with hers and kissed her hard, sucking, biting, licking. Sophia’s claws raked down her back, drawing blood, and Niki’s clitoris stiffened. Before she forced Sophia against the wall and took her, she pushed Sophia away. “And someone needs to kiss you the way you should be kissed.”