by Sedona Venez
He focused on the words. Infinity. His wolf whined upon hearing the desperation and fear in her voice. He flinched as the loud click of their mind connection snapped into place with Infinity’s faint voice connecting with his mind.
“Boulder. Don’t let go.”
Her vanilla scent interlaced with jasmine and a hint fresh rain sensuously wove its way through his senses. His stomach tightened as his manhood jerked. His heart raced when her face loomed before him. Her bright emerald eyes were wide, frightened.
“Darlin’, I’ll never let go. Stay with me,” he whispered, holding her gaze, before reaching forward slowly, grazing his fingers across her cheek. He cupped her face, rubbing his fingers along her cheekbones, never uttering a single word, just gazing into her eyes.
She nuzzled his palm, sighing with content as he grabbed the back of her neck possessively. His wolf howled, wanting to bite her smooth neck, marking her as his, cementing their bond. But he felt her exhaustion and confusion crashing like the waves on a beach. She needed him. He pushed his power through their link, desperately trying to fortify her depleted mental and emotion reserves.
Infinity swallowed hard. “He’s coming,” she croaked with dismay.
His eyes were quiet, examining her face. “He’s hurting you,” he stated flatly. He fought for release, to protect what was theirs.
She screamed as someone tugged her. His grip tightened, refusing to let go. His wolf’s hackles rose at the evil power that crackled in the air. The evil presence was toying with him, dangling her before him like a carrot. His claws burst through his fingers as the wolf fought for control, rearing to fight for his mate, but the shadows swallowed her up, dragging her away. But he held on. She was his, and he was not letting her go… ever.
“No…” He growled, snatching her back, fighting to keep her. But a dark force of power jerked her out his grip. She was gone.
Frustrated, he sat straight up, his body slick with sweat. Reaching up to wipe it away, he felt the sharp edges of something cold and hard digging into the flesh of his palm. He opened his palm only to see Infinity’s bronze wing pendant and gold necklace clutched in his hand. She was getting stronger… and time was running out… for both of them.
Rising to his feet hurriedly, he walked to the bathroom and turned on the water, splashing cold water over his face.
“I’m coming for you, darlin’.” His voice was garbled around his fully extended canines. And God help any vampire or tiger who got in his way.
CHAPTER 14
Colorado… Saturday
Several voices, strange voices, intertwined, whispering in a singsong tempo.
Valkyrie… you must awake. The full moon calls.
Do you think that she can win?
They must mate… They must endure.
She is strong. She can end it for all.
She is weak. His death will be her undoing.
Who in the hell was whispering? It wasn’t the creepy, spine-tingling type of whispering from a horror movie, I mused, but odd all the same. Slowly waking with eyelids feeling too heavy to open, I rolled into my back.
Oh, wait a minute. What’s that smell?
The toe-curling scent of amber, lavender, and wood wrapped around me with a resounding snap that shot straight down to my womanhood, giving me the most delicious mini orgasm.
Oh, hot damn!
Rubbing my thighs together, I sighed heavily, enjoying the next best thing to actual sex. My stomach tightened with anticipation as the whispering wrapped around me like a feather comforter, warm, soft, and absolutely sinful. My body stilled. This was not right.
Forcing a droopy eye open, my heart dropped when I realized I was back in my suite. Everything came flooding back. Alik biting me. Mason getting his ass handed to him. Jerking straight up, I stared at the bright moonlight streaming through the open French doors, feeling a strange hypnotic pull under its glow.
How did I get back here?
The last thing I remembered was feeling like crap after Alik bit me. Trying to calm my anxiousness, I breathed in the cool night air streaming through the wide-open doors while staring at the strange shadows cast by the moonlight. Then I heard it again… whispers echoing around me. Pressing forward, I felt the distinct change of air, from cool to heavy, pregnant with oppressive energy that made my eardrums pop.
My throat tightened when I felt the nasty feeling of bugs crawling up the side of my neck. Digging my fingernails against Alik’s bite mark, I sighed with relief when I felt the two small holes rapidly healing. Thank goodness for the one merciful benefit of being a hybrid: fast healing. But frankly, I wasn’t healing fast enough. I wanted to tear off the offending skin, removing any traces of him.
Suddenly, as if he were giving me the ultimate middle finger salute, the darkness rippled tauntingly, scorching my neck like a horrible rash. Just thinking about what he did made me feel violated all over again. He tried to force a claim not given freely. It was sick and demented… and it didn’t work. Something or someone severed the tethers he tried desperately to use to claim me. But I knew it would be a matter of time before Alik figured out how to maneuver around this obstacle. I saw the determination in his eyes. He was going to claim me… whether I wanted it or not.
But there was one thing he didn’t plan on, the brief mind connection that gave me access to his memories and thoughts. Access that revealed his plans. In the heat of utter madness, I knew implicitly what he wanted: to consume me from the inside out, leaving nothing but skin and bones.
It was scary and insane, and it was something he did not plan to reveal, to my advantage. Now I knew why he couldn’t break me and why he couldn’t claim me. I had to give him my heart and love freely without coercion. Then and only then would he be able to leverage my powers and take over the Collective.
Something else nudged my mind. Boulder—and Alik’s plan to kill him. In Alik’s mind, Boulder was just another obstacle he planned to remove and quickly. And for reasons I was just too scared dwell on, the thought of him killing Boulder filled me with dread and fear. And for a woman used to spilling her heart out in the songs she wrote, my feelings for Boulder were something even I couldn’t explain. It was raw and real, and under normal circumstances, the quickness of our connection would be dashed away as just straight-up lust.
But I knew better. Boulder was real and tangible. He somehow grounded himself into my soul. It wrapped around my heart with such brutality that I knew without a doubt what the true meaning of soul mate meant. A connection so real it made me so desperate for him that I conjured his image as a last-ditch effort to save me from Alik’s bite.
God, the vision felt so real. The feeling of his callused fingers against my neck. His aura tugging at my soul, grounding me to the here and now. The tether of his power and soul latching onto me, marking my heart and soul as his forever. I felt it. It lingered. Reaching down, I anxiously went to rub the only thing that reminded me of what was real, my necklace, but it was gone.
Where the hell was my necklace?
My heart raced, unsettled by the thought of Alik or Mason stealing it. God knows what they would do with it… maybe some freaky Other ritual to make me their mindless puppet. Unnatural rage flowed through my body. It was as if something or someone were fighting for control of my body and I was stuck in between, undecided about who should win—good or evil. It was a good fight, but it was draining always being in a constant state of mental confusion. It didn’t bode well for my future.
I bit my lower lip, worried if this was just the calm before the storm, if I would eventually succumb to the evil lurking inside me. The evil Alik saw before I could hide it from his mental invasion. An evil he sought to awaken, even if it meant breaking me in the process. And the only person who stood between him and his goal was Boulder.
Boulder. My body hummed just at the mere thought of his name. It was madness, given that there was so much I didn’t know about him. For that matter, there was so much he didn�
��t know about me. And in the light of day, that would be a big deal breaker when he found out what a horrendous monster I was.
But the nagging voice in my head wondered if he could accept me for who I was without judging me. Most men couldn’t, but then again, most men weren’t Boulder.
Sighing heavily, I let the negativity of the question hang in the air like a dark cloud. I knew that’s where most men failed, accepting the real me, not the persona they believed me to be. It was hard to separate the celebrity life from the real deal. And after years of hardening my heart, sealing it behind a steel cage, I wasn’t so sure. I wanted to know if he was up to the task. The stakes were too high, especially when my true nature was being peeled away like an onion. But even in the fleeting moments that I was around him, he made me feel treasured… wanted… and protected.
I promised myself that if I ever made it out of here alive… if he wanted to try to build a relationship with me, I’d push through the fear and let it happen because I wanted him more than my next breath.
Smiling with satisfaction at finally letting it out, I snuggled farther into the sheets, preparing to go back to sleep, when suddenly, the cool night air blew in, carrying the familiar scent of amber, lavender, and wood.
Instantly, I knew… I wasn’t alone anymore.
Sitting up, my eyes searched through the darkness. My nose twitched, filtering through the alluring scent that smelled deliciously like Boulder. My sex clenched with need. The hunger inside me intensified as the world around me ceased to exist and I concentrated on the pleasure pulsating from my need for him. The scent was sending me crazy as my nipples pebbled.
He was here. I sensed him in the shadows, flitting across the balcony, almost hidden from the moonlight. The carnal yearning of my body awakened as he stepped out of the shadows of the balcony. The brightness of the moonlight illuminated his tall silhouette like some dark, avenging angel.
“Boulder?” I whispered.
There was nothing but silence. Sighing heavily, I leaned forward, clutching the sheet. Was I hallucinating? I blinked, scrambling back against the headboard, not believing what I wanted most was here.
Boulder.
He stood on the balcony, wearing nothing but low-riding, dark-blue jeans. His heavily muscled chest was smooth except for the light trail of bright, cinnamon-red hair that wove its way below his waistline. His lightly tanned skin was highlighted by the black tattoos snaking up his arms.
My pulsating core clenched from the hungry look in his apple-green eyes.
“Big Red?”
Chapter 15
Colorado… Saturday
Infinity’s sweet voice wrapped him, making his inner beast crawl. He couldn’t help the smile when she called him by her nickname for him.
Big Red.
He would show her the meaning of big in a minute, but right now, he needed to take it slow. He didn’t want to startle her. The situation was bizarre enough without adding to the confusion of his surprising presence. Even he was taken aback by the power it took to transport himself to her bedroom. The power was unheard of and beyond the capability of Others. No, this, without a doubt, was the doing of the Immortals. They pulled him to Infinity, doing something they’d never done—interfering.
He inhaled deeply, taking in a lungful of her intoxicating scent. His gut tightened with a combination of love and lust. His manhood hardened, almost bringing him to his knees. The mood was intimate, romantic, the light and shadows playing sensually off her. The glow from the moonlight accentuated her exotic beauty. She was more beautiful than he remembered.
She’s mine. All. Mine.
Infinity was his in every sense of the word. His wolf adamantly agreed. It was killing him to stand there on the balcony, immobile, as her eyes searched through the darkness. But he waited, patiently, saying nothing while he watched her battle with the confusion of her warring emotions and sexual need that his presence brought.
He could smell the sweet, sensual scent of her sex calling him, wrapping itself around his manhood possessively. He stifled the urge to storm over to the bed, pulling her against his body. His body tensed as he fisted his hands, fighting as his wolf surfaced, demanding to claim her… now.
His mouth tightening at the fatigue and confusion he saw in her eyes. She had been put through hell. It was written all over her.
“How are you, darlin’?” His voice was deep, a little rough and growly, with a southern drawl.
Infinity’s whole body tingled from the low, smooth, sensual note in his voice. Her mouth felt parched. Her throat felt like sandpaper as she croaked. “Boulder?”
Suffocating heat rolled over his body in vicious waves of hedonistic want.
Mine.
His mouth tipped up in a smile before stepping from the shadows of the balcony into the moonlight that flowed through into the bedroom. He smiled with satisfaction when she didn’t scream from shock. He watched as her fingers curled into the mattress.
Boulder didn’t want to alarm her or the enforcers he smelled posted outside the suite’s door, so he prowled forward, cautiously making his intention known. Opening his muscled arms, he beckoned her to him. He needed to touch her, feel every part of her.
“Come to me, baby. I need to feel you against me.” His voice was just a low-rumbling purr.
She pointed at the charm nestled against his dog tags on the silver chain around his neck.
“My charm!” she whispered, pulling the tangled mass of jet-black hair away from her face. “How is this even possible?”
He longed to dig his fingers into her thick, jet-black hair that fell well past her shoulders in soft waves. He watched as she raked her fingers through the long tresses, and that’s when he saw it. The subtle but distinct slither under the skin on her neck. The tell-tale sign of a vampire’s attempt to imprint with her. His wolf growled with disapproval, clawing at his insides with rage. He didn’t think. He just acted, moving into the suite, shutting the French doors behind him. Leaning against them, he fought to calm his wolf before it did something he knew he’d regret.
His head cocked to the side. His brow wrinkled as he studied her. “Who bit you?” he asked in a low, pissed-off voice.
He couldn’t control the low growl that rumbled in his chest or the fact that his canines dropped, pricking his bottom lip.
“Infinity! Answer me.” He hissed the last syllable.
She kicked off the sheet, leaping off the bed with inhuman speed.
To his credit, he didn’t make a sound. One minute she was nearly across the room, out of his reach; the next, she felt his muscular arms snatching her midair. His heavy limbs trapped her against the wall easily.
After a tense pause, he caught her wrists easily with one hand, pinning them over her head. His other hand grabbed her chin. Looking deeply into her eyes, he twisted her neck gently, examining her neck carefully.
A snarl rumbled deep in his chest. He was fucking pissed. Adding to his fury was the smell of Alik’s scent lingering all over her. He was going to kill him.
“Alik did this?”
“Don’t touch me. Don’t ever touch me,” she replied.
He arched a brow. “What’s wrong with you?”
Her jaw clenched. She balled up her fists.
He sniffed the air, smelling the oppressive darkness of Alik pressing her for control.
Her mouth dropped open.
His head tilted as he searched her face. “You’re allowing Alik to control you?” he asked with a brittle voice.
“Yes,” she uttered.
Boulder snarled, pressing his forehead against hers. “Why?”
“Why?” she mocked.
Boulder gritted his teeth in anger. He couldn’t do this for her. She had to fight Alik on her own. If she couldn’t pass the test, then she wouldn’t survive the final battle to come.
“Explain yourself. Now!” he barked.
“Explain myself? How about you expla
in? Are you working with Maxim?” she hissed.
He looked at her incredulously. “No! He hired us to protect you at the concert, but you know all of this.” He cupped a hand on her cheek, forcing her to look at him, needing to break Alik’s hold. “I know what he's doing, Infinity, but you have to fight him. I can't do this for you.”
Her body tensed. “You want to use me. Power, that's all you want. That's what everyone wants.” Her fingers trembled.
Boulder locked eyes with her, pinning her in place. “Alik is a fucking liar. You know this. I need you to fight. Fight for us, Infinity.”
Boulder's fingers clenched, grabbing the back of her neck firmly. His body quivered with leashed fury. “You have to want this… I can't want it for you.” He wished that he could, but it didn't work like that. “Free will. No one can take that away from you. Not me or Alik.”
He sensed her unease and confusion warring inside her mind. The tension in his body eased when her shoulders slumped dejectedly. She was coming to her senses. He could feel the tension slowly ebbing away. She licked her full bottom lip nervously as her eyes skirted away, then back to him.
He grabbed her chin, planting a hard, smouldering kiss on her lips before pressing his palm against her heart. “The heart never lies, baby. I need you to believe in me… in us.” He kissed her again, softer and more earnest this time. He released her hands, trusting what they had could see her through this battle.
Sighing heavily, she pushed again, making the web of darkness release her mind.
He pressed his fingers against her neck, pushing his power through his fingers, fighting with the only thing Alik could not beat… their bond and his love for her.
“You are mine. I am yours, and what the Immortals have put together, no one can break apart.”
Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his hair. He pressed his forehead against hers.
She stared at him uneasily before responding. “You wouldn’t understand. He’s fucking evil.”
He wanted her to freely tell him about Alik. Her ability to tell him anything was important to him… to their relationship. “Believe me… I would.” He traced her bottom lip before kissing her, long and steaming. “You can tell me anything as long as it’s the truth. I won’t stand for anything less.”