by Tara Nina
Uninhibited desire built a shifter’s nature. Momma explained that sensation to her after her first change as best as she could. Until now, the explanation held no meaning. One look at Alessandro and pure need rippled through her core letting her know the animal within hungered for a mate.
God, how she missed Momma and could use her sound advice right now. Closing her eyes, a cherished moment revisited her memories. Momma brushed her hair as they sat on the bed and talked about life. Concentrating hard, she imagined her mother’s whispered words inside her head.
“My darling, you have experienced the gift of being a shifter. It is both a wonderful feat and a great burden you have within you. At all times, you must keep this secret. Others will not understand and will persecute you as a demon. But there will come a time in your life when you shall meet your equal, a partner for life. This wish I wish for you, my child. The love of a lifetime such as I have with your poppa.”
Rose knew the love of a shifter was great, strong and forever binding. Her momma went against her own father’s wishes and married a na’cumadh, a half-breed, her poppa. But she never regretted it. That Rose believed with all her heart. Her momma and poppa’s love was great. Remembering the sound of her mother’s voice soothed the turmoil inside her soul and helped her think more clearly. Yet, she still longed for something she had never known until now. She longed for Alessandro.
Though he never answered her question, she knew in her heart he and the black panther were of one soul. In white panther form, his animal scent enticed her heightened senses and made her aware of his need to mate. It equaled the strength of the rampant desire spiraling through her soul. But he resisted. Why?
When he’d walked out that door, her heart had dropped. Every ounce of her enjoyed his touch and craved more. No, she demanded more. The tingle in her pelvis began again, even though she thought it had cooled. As man, he teased her breasts into taut mounds that begged for him to tug on her nipples and suckle them into the warm, wet heat of his mouth. Just thinking about his masterful skills ignited her desire to explore this new world he unleashed.
How dare he leave her in need? Why he walked away when she knew he wanted her made no sense. He spoke the words telling her he wanted her. She felt the hardness of his manhood brush against her as they touched. Was that not evidence of his need?
Then it hit her like a mallet to the chest. Did he think her unworthy of the Black Knight? A new source of heat slithered through her soul, quenching her desires. Anger threatened to shake her resolve. No, she whispered inwardly. His touch had been gentle, and his actions she sensed were those of a kind soul buried beneath layers of a hardened crust. She lowered her eyes for a moment and gathered her senses. Alessandro was a complicated man. One she considered to be a challenge.
She wanted him and she knew with every ounce of her soul he wanted her. Why he resisted the natural instinct of the shifter to mate she intended to find out the next time she cornered him alone. Rose swallowed the smile that threatened to rise. Yes, she decided. She belonged at Alessandro’s side and he at hers, but making him see this as truth would be harder than anything she had ever attempted.
For now she needed to focus on completing the task of saving the king. Solving the puzzle that was Alessandro would have to wait. Rose straightened her spine and tilted her chin, leveling her gaze directly on Alessandro as he spoke. When his eyes met hers, pure heat threatened to sear her to the chair and shake her confidence, but she refused to let it. Instead, she remained poised and hoped she presented a confident air that she definitely did not feel within.
God, was it as hot in this room to anyone else or was it just her?
In a delicate move, she patted her upper lip with the edge of her lace handkerchief and noted the slight tic in his left cheek. She hid her smile behind the lace. If she read it right, he was as wound up inside as she. Good, she sighed inwardly. At least neither suffered alone.
“Rose told me of the missive.” Alessandro abruptly started the conversation. “Where is it?”
“It is in the wagon.”
“No,” Kade countered. “I found no such thing when I searched.”
“You just have to know where to look,” Rose interrupted with a taunting look on her face. Their arrogant tones bothered her.
“You are a shifter. That is how you do this trick.” Kade smiled as he cocked a brow in a debonair way and crossed his arms over his chest. “Shall I hope that you are panther?”
It was hard for Rose not to mentally laugh at his obvious attempt to goad his cousin. But it worked. Alessandro’s jaw got tighter and his fists balled on the arms of his chair. Staring at Kade, she thought she saw a flash of a mischievous invitation so she took it and hoped it was not a mistake to poke at the Black Knight in such a manner.
“I am. Would you care to see?” She allowed the words to broadcast not only to Kade, but she made sure Alessandro heard them as well.
“The missive is the only thing that you shall be showing anyone!” Alessandro bellowed without any attempt at conveying his words mentally as he stood and stomped over to her side.
In a fluid motion, Rose stood, tilted her chin and glared at him. “You shall not raise your voice to me in such a manner as you would discipline your men.”
The air in the room seemed to thicken as the two stood staring at one another. Neither backed down. When Rose crossed her arms under her breasts, she absently lifted those perfect globes almost clear out of the scooped neckline of her dress. Whether the action was intentional or not, Alessandro’s gaze dropped. His tongue darted across his lips and his breathing increased, but not in anger. Pure need barreled through his system and it was all he could do to remain in control. Every ounce of him cued in to the woman who stood face-to-face with him. His cock instantly hardened to the point of severe discomfort.
He managed to fist his hands at his sides in an attempt to refrain from touching her. For if he did, he doubted her virtue would remain intact. The animal within demanded he act upon the natural instinct to mate. It took every bit of strength he had not to grab her, toss her over his shoulder and return to his bedchambers. The convoluted battle raging in his system tormented his soul. He desperately wanted to taste her lips, her breasts and drink of her essence again until his hunger was quenched. The pound of his heart thundered in his chest to the point he almost failed to hear her father speak.
Disappointment flooded his emotions and wrapped around a sliver of gratitude for the diversion. Alessandro took a cleansing breath and forced his focus on Smythe’s words. Keeping his hands off and his cock out of Rose seemed an impossible task, but he planned to succeed even if it killed him.
“Sir Alessandro, if you will accompany me to the stables I shall retrieve the missive for you.” Smythe moved to stand beside his daughter. “It would be better for all of us if’n we went outside for a bit of fresh air. Seems to be a bit warm in here.”
Running a shaky hand through his hair, Alessandro glared down at her, turned and stomped out of the room but stopped in the hallway long enough to bellow Kade’s name. In no way was he leaving that woman-hound behind to sniff at Rose’s heels.
“The lady plays a dangerous game.” With a devilish smile on his face, Kade offered his arm to Rose.
“It is one I hope to win.”
“If only you could, Rose.” He patted her hand on his arm as he walked with her following the others to the stable. “If only you could.”
“You sound as if I stand no chance,” Rose stated. Her brows furrowed as she looked up at him. The resemblance to his cousin was astonishing, same strong features, same long black hair, yet his eyes were a different shade. Though Alessandro’s were the darkest shade of night, Kade’s were a warm earthy brown.
“My cousin is a complicated man. He is not one to be toyed with.”
As they walked, Rose tried to decipher the situation. Was it the way he angered her that made her heart thump so in her chest? No, she decided. His raw intoxicating male scen
t caused her system to shift into overload. It saturated every breath she took and initiated a new addiction in her soul. She craved more and didn’t intend to give up easily.
In his bedchamber he unlocked a door inside her that she refused to shut. She smiled secretly. She held no intention of never experiencing the wonders of the man named Alessandro. The phantom sensation of his hands on her skin, caressing and teasing her sent chills down her arms and legs. The memory of his finger slipping inside her heat made her abdomen tighten and the insides of her thighs quiver. If just that momentary touch had her this excited, what would her appetite be like if they mated?
Together would they be insatiable? God, she hoped so. Oh no! Rose reprimanded herself. A lady shouldn’t think such thoughts. The panther inside of her purred, oh yes she should. She was no normal lady. She was a shifter and female shifters took what they wanted.
Maybe if she had an ally…
Turning her attention to Kade, she whispered mentally, “Would you be up to a challenge?”
She noted his actions seemed intentional when he leaned close as if whispering in her ear and sent her the mental words. “As long as you do not get me or him killed in this challenge, then count me as your squire.” She didn’t miss the sideways glance he shot at Alessandro before he added, “May the best lady win. God rest his blackened soul.”
Hearing the jesting tone in Kade’s words made her smile. When she lifted her gaze, she met the penetrating stare of Alessandro. He stood with his arms crossed over his chest, toe tapping as they did a slow stroll across the bailey. A pure wave of heat shot down her spine and gathered in her core, causing even more moisture to form. Kill him? Never, she sighed and hoped it would not be the death of her. Was she crazy to pursue a man of legend, the Black Knight of Death?
Holding his intent gaze, she decided the man needed a woman if not for himself, for his inner beast, the black panther.
Chapter Five
Watching the way Kade cuddled her elbow as he guided her at an extremely slow pace across the bailey made Alessandro grind his teeth. But why should he care? He already decided it was best if she were with someone other than himself. But Kade?
Alessandro fought the obscenity from leaving his lips when his cousin leaned in close to her ear. If his lips so much as brushed her skin, he would have a section of Kade’s hide, a very large section of it. His arms dropped to his sides, his back straightened and his shoulders lifted and he swore he felt his own temperature rise. Why did she have this effect on him? Was it because she was a shifter? That had to be the reason he ached to have her. No, not have her, he wanted to ravish her as mate upon mate and each moment in her presence made it harder for him to resist.
Closing his eyes, he summoned every ounce of his strength to fight his inner beast. The hunger to mate grew at a phenomenal rate. Her essence filled each breath and the vision of her in white panther form lived forever etched inside his head. He warred with the basic instinct of his nature, the primal urge to claim the beauty as his soul mate.
The sound of her laughter in his head stilled his breath. Though it was delightful, his gut clenched knowing Kade caused it and not him. The closer they got, the more he fought to keep his hands in fists at his sides and not around Kade’s throat.
At the first moment possible, he planned to speak with his cousin and suggest that he distance himself from Rose. The woman entered into his care as an innocent and he planned for her to remain intact when she left.
Off-limits. He decided to make her off-limits to all and that included Kade for as long as she lived as a guest within his castle walls. Alessandro swallowed hard. He hated to have to kill any of his men if they touched his Rose. Though Kade was a nuisance, a well-trained warrior and one of the few family members Alessandro had left, if the man deflowered his Rose, he would neuter him.
He closed his eyes and tried to stop the onslaught of unwanted emotions. But couldn’t. If another tasted his flower, Alessandro knew it would torture his soul to death. This he was sure of, but the reason why he felt so strongly about her he refused to admit.
When they reached the spot where Alessandro stood, they both nodded courteously then walked into the stable. He followed. On a heavy sigh, he realized his mistake, again. The gentle swish of her skirt lured his eyes to her bottom. Every animal instinct roared to life, hungry for a taste of the round perfection in front of him.
The inner beast begged to mount her, toss her down on her knees, flip up her skirts and take her as his mate. The vision of Rose on her knees spread open, wet and ready for him made him painfully hard. His heart pounded, sending every ounce of blood to pool in his shaft.
This was not good.
Alessandro used the side of the wagon to hide his discomfort. No need for anyone to notice the size of his distended condition due to a woman. Not just any woman, his inner voice whispered, but he chose to ignore it as he forced himself to focus on the words coming from Smythe’s mouth.
“You see gentlemen,” Smythe stated as he worked the locking pins from the rear gate of the wagon. “If’n you remove these then lower the gate on its hinges allowing it to hang as far down as it possibly can, you still don’t notice any difference in this wagon. But…”
He paused then popped out the pins on each end of the thin metal plate that lined the base of the wooden planks of the wagon’s floor. This metal plate sat between the rear gate and the floor. With the gate closed, it was hidden. When the gate was open it appeared to be nothing more than support for the planks.
Smythe worked the center plank out of its place until it hung about a foot off the back of the wagon. When he climbed into the wagon, Kade followed while Alessandro walked along the outside to the end where the plank had been slid out and peered over the side. A hole the width of the plank appeared. Kneeling, he looked under the wagon. There was no hole underneath. The floor was double layered and a slender compartment was carved into the bottom board.
When he stood, Smythe pulled a sealed parchment from the hidden compartment. Taking the missive in his hand, heat burned the lining of his stomach. The mark in the wax seal he recognized. Should have known he would not accept his fate quietly, Alessandro grunted.
“Where were you headed with this?” Alessandro asked in a low tone.
“We heard of a change in the leadership of this manor,” Smythe said. “And we thought that if’n the king appointed someone these lands then that person must be a man held high within the king’s esteem. It was you, Sir Alessandro that we sought only you found us first.”
Rose laid her hand upon the missive Alessandro still held. “We were on our way to the inn in Dartmouth. Our intention was to seek the new master of the manner the following day. But as you know, our plans were changed.”
Though her hand barely brushed the tips of his fingers wrapped around the parchment, a bolt of fire rippled up his arm. Her touch fueled a burn from his arm to his chest, down his abdomen to land in his ramrod-stiff shaft and made it twitch. If his body kept this up, he would never be able to move from the cover of the wagon.
Try as he might, thoughts of the bloodiest battles failed to chill his need, not as long as Rose stood beside him. The musky scent of her desire coupled with the sensual look of want in her eyes nearly buckled his knees and weakened his resolve. He forced his gaze to the two men inside the wagon. He would not waver in his decision not to sample the maiden at his arm. She was not his to have, taste or hold.
“This is a smart design you have here, Smythe. Do all the floorboards slide to reveal hidden compartments?” Kade asked, sounding truly in awe of the wagon’s mysteries.
“No, just the center three boards,” Smythe said. He nodded at Kade as he spoke. “Here, help me with the other two. You might like what’s hidden within them.”
Curious, Alessandro stared as the other two compartments slowly were revealed. They both were longer and deeper than the middle one, which held the missive. Inside each sat a long item wrapped in cloth.
&nbs
p; Smythe slipped one out of its compartment. As he removed the cloth, he revealed a magnificent prize. Though it looked heavy, it surprised Alessandro with its lightness when handed to him. In his hand was the most well-made sword he had held in many a year. Absently he handed the missive to Rose as he examined the handsomely detailed hilt crafted to fit as if made for his hand. Along the precision-sharp, double-edged long blade was the image of a panther etched into the steel.
“Was it your intent to bribe me with this for my help?” Alessandro asked in awe of the craftsmanship.
Before Smythe answered Kade took a swing at him with a similar sword in his hand. Instinctively Alessandro blocked his cousin without so much as a flinch of muscle in his effort.
“If it is a bribe,” Kade stated as he lifted the sword, “it is a mighty fine one at that.”
“Thank you.” Smythe nodded at Kade. He turned to Alessandro. “It is not a bribe, Sir Alessandro. Consider it a gift in exchange for all that you have done for us.”
Though he was now calm, the tension in his voice as he spoke did not fall on deaf ears. Alessandro held no dislike for the man. He was simply a father protecting his daughter and if he had a daughter as beautiful as Rose… On a heavy sigh, he completed his thought that he would have killed anyone who touched her, let alone… He shot a sideways glance her way. It was not his to dream such things, a daughter, a child, a wife. No it was not meant for a man such as he. He repeated the silent mantra inside his head.
Alessandro leveled his gaze on Smythe. A tic in the man’s jaw and the unyielding stare were the only visible signs of his anger. Surprisingly, Smythe did not back down. He had to hand it to him. For a small man, he had guts. It was a trait he passed to his daughter. An unwanted smile tried to taint his lips but he swallowed it.
The Black Knight did not smile. It wasn’t in the nature of a killer. Battle, blood and victory were the reasons to live, not love or laughter. That was a life meant for the weak, not the strong, not the fierce, not the deadly.