Eat You Up (A Shifter's Claim Book 2)

by Lucy Leroux

  “Is that so?” the man mused.

  “It is. Perhaps we can negotiate…”

  She tried to make her words enticing, but it was hopeless. Nina wasn’t good at cajoling or persuading. She’d never wrapped a man around her finger in her entire life.

  No, her skills were of a different sort. She gripped the knife a little tighter.

  The silence stretched as the man considered her offer. But he shook his head. “Sorry. It’s my understanding that your lover has a nasty habit of double-crossing people. Best if we stick to my original plan. I know it won’t take the man himself all that long to get back here.”

  He darted toward her. Nina sucked in a shaky breath, bracing herself. She couldn’t let him disarm her. If he did, all was lost.

  The pounding steps on the basement stairs were very loud.

  “No,” Nina cried. She was already moving, trying to get between the door and the man, but it was too late.

  The door swung open. It hit the counter hard, but Kate held it open with one hand. In the other was an exceptionally large gun.

  Nina registered the bright orange barrel a second before sparks shot out, burning out her retinas momentarily. The man dived out of the way to avoid the ball of fire racing toward him.

  He failed. It hit him in the chest as he landed on the floor with a loud crash.

  Dropping the knife, Nina raced to pick up the copper frying pan on the stove. She ran around the kitchen island, then swung it with all her strength at the man beating a small fire off his chest. He collapsed with a groan.

  “Is he dead? Please say yes!”

  She turned toward her sister. “What the hell was that?”

  “It’s the flare gun for the emergency kit you bought for Dad’s boat.”

  Nina threw up her hands. “That’s supposed to be on the actual boat.”

  “Well, thank God it wasn’t!” Kate gestured with the orange plastic gun. “Aren’t you going to check his vitals?”

  Nina’s lips parted. “No. I’ve watched too many movies to get anywhere near him again. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  She grabbed Kate’s arm, pulling hard. They exited the kitchen back door, bursting into the backyard at a run.

  “We can call the cops from the neigh—”

  Nina crashed into a wall of flesh and muscle. Her lips parted to scream. This was her parent’s neighborhood. People knew her and Kate here. They would help them.

  She registered the familiar heat a moment later.

  “Nina!” Dmitri cried, enveloping her in a crushing embrace.

  “I still can’t believe your sister saved you,” Dmitri said, double checking the ropes that held their would-be kidnapper. Good knots were one of his specialties, but it paid to be cautious.

  Nina laid out her instruments on the metal tray. “Kate is a Briggs, after all. She’s more like me than not.”

  Dmitri’s mouth quirked. “Well, she has potential,” he conceded, adding an extra knot to the ropes binding their guest’s wrists.

  “Although, I was kind of surprised she agreed to keep everything from her husband. After the way he acted that morning, I thought she’d crumble and spill everything.”

  Kate, on a silent signal from her sister, had not mentioned the unconscious man in the kitchen when Matthew Lawrence had rushed to the house. No one at the hospital had told him about the hit-and-run attempt until after he’d gotten out of surgery. When he heard, he went straight for Kate.

  To his surprise, Matthew Lawrence expressed a fair amount of concern for his wife—enough to satisfy Nina. Despite everything that had happened, his mate was still an overprotective big sister.

  Despite being genuinely glad the two sisters were getting along better, he didn’t see frequent family get-togethers in their future, a detail he was selfishly grateful for. It meant he would have Nina largely to himself. She would always have friends and her family, but their everyday life would belong to him and whatever cubs they had.

  His sunny mental image of a pack of rambunctious boys and girls was interrupted by a loud groan from their guest.

  “Are you sure this is going to work?” Nina dropped her voice into a whisper. She gestured at herself in the navy-blue scrubs. “Do you really think I’m going to be all that frightening?”

  Dmitri grinned, examining the man suspended by the ankles from the bare steel beam. His arms were bound at the wrist, a tight gag in his mouth.

  They were in an abandoned warehouse somewhere in Sommerville. Cass had found it for them, so they could conduct their interrogation in private.

  He was still a little confused as to how he’d let his mate talk him into allowing her to join him for this part.

  They’d had a rather spirited argument in her father’s BMW. They’d used it instead of his SUV because of the car’s spacious trunk. Somewhere between West End and Framingham, his mate had decided to come with him. By the time they got to the abandoned building, she’d had him wrapped around her little finger—and he’d been half-convinced the whole thing had been his idea.

  It was no doubt a harbinger of things to come. Dmitri had a feeling he’d be losing a lot of arguments that way, but given how deftly she manipulated him this time, he probably wouldn’t even notice. That was a skill that would improve over time. Nina was a fast learner.

  He was looking forward to it.

  “Trust me,” he told Nina, examining the shiny medical instruments laid out on the metal tray in front of her. “There are few things more frightening than a woman with a knife in her hand. Throw in the fact you’re a doctor—people are afraid of seeing their physicians for a reason.”

  Nina sniffed. “An ignorant and outdated attitude. But for our sakes, let’s hope our friend here hates going to the doctor.”

  Dmitri nodded. “We’re ready. Time to wake him.”

  Nina grabbed a syringe. He hadn’t thought to ask what was in it, but there seemed to be an endless supply of useful things in her medical bag.

  She backed away after administering the shot, hurrying around the bench and putting on a surgical mask.

  The hired muscle woke up with a start, the sudden jerking movement sending him swinging from the rafter.

  Dmitri smiled as the man started yelling behind the gag. The words were muffled, but he could make out each individual swear word.

  He whistled. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

  Reaching out, he checked the man’s momentum. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the one who was originally employed by Edward Lawrence.”

  He turned to gesture to Nina. “You’ve met my lovely lady.”

  Nina put down the scalpel to wave. Their guest grunted something foul, but Dmitri could see his eyes flare when she picked it up again.

  “I have some question for you. I’d like to know where Lawrence is, and I hope for your sake you know.”

  There was distinct go-fuck-yourself from around the gag.

  “I was afraid you were going to say that. It’s too bad because that is a Sterling Evolution rope, and I don’t want to get blood on it. I use it when I climb, and it’s kind of expensive.”

  He leaned against a concrete pillar. “It so happens this gorgeous woman is a skilled surgeon. Very skilled, which is a stroke of luck for you. Why do you ask? Well, it’s because she’s going to be removing some of your organs. Don’t worry. We’ll start small and nonessential…”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Nina collapsed on the Caislean’s king-sized bed.

  “I can’t believe that worked! I was sure he would call our bluff—seriously, I thought I was going to pass out when I walked toward him with the scalpel. But he folded like that,” she said, snapping her fingers.

  “It was a lucky stroke on multiple levels,” he murmured, enjoying the way she was languorously stretching out on the crisp white sheets.

  The kidnapper, who went by the ironic moniker ‘The Crusher,’ had wisely decided he wasn’t being paid enough for his loyalty. He h
adn’t been able to provide Lawrence’s location, but he’d given them something far more valuable—the burner phone he’d used to contact Lawrence. Apparently, in his haste to reacquire the ruby, Edward dropped some of his precautionary measures. There’d been no middleman using encrypted back-channels between the two this time. Edward had likely been counting on the substantial paycheck he’d been offering to guarantee his anonymity. He was supposed to call for an update in a few days.

  When he did, Cass would find him.

  There had been another item of particular interest to Dmitri in the phone, one he didn’t tell his mate about. Cass found a recording of Lawrence giving The Crusher information that would help him kidnap Nina. The only reason Dmitri wasn’t preparing to rip the older man’s throat out was his strict instruction that Dr. Briggs was not be harmed. He only wanted her detained and secured while Dmitri brought him the missing ruby.

  The whole exchange was a smoking gun, but Dmitri was saving it for a rainy day—specifically if the SEC charges didn’t stick.

  Their new friend The Crusher was currently on a trip south of the border to a little prison in Nayarit, courtesy of another one of Cassandra’s clients. The warden of the Mexican prison owed him a favor. When The Crusher got out, there would be a small cash sum to tide him over. With careful planning, it would be just enough to get him back to the US.

  If The Crusher had hurt Nina, it would have been a vastly different story. But he hadn’t, so Dmitri was willing to be lenient.

  Lenient—but not stupid. Cass was keeping close tabs on their friend. If the guy entertained thoughts of retribution, he’d get a not-so-subtle reminder that it was a bad idea.

  “Do you really think you’re going to be able to find Edward with the phone?” Nina asked, kicking off her shoes.

  “Cass is incredibly good at what she does. Plus, Edward left town in a hurry. People running scared don’t cover their tracks that well. It’s more than enough for Cass. I’ve seen her find criminals who have been in hiding for years with far less. Plus, she’s as stubborn as a tick. Once she has his scent, she won’t stop till she finds him.”

  It was part of her nature. Cass might not have the use of her legs, but she was as cunning a hunter as any other alpha.

  But Dmitri had tired of talking about his assistant. Nina was running her hands over the Egyptian cotton sheets, glorying in their softness. He could smell their freshly laundered scent from where he stood but he still smiled when Nina buried her nose in them and inhaled deeply. She was such a tactile little thing—always reaching out to stroke and explore different surfaces. A thousand little touches and constant exploration. She used her nose, too, which delighted him to no end.

  Humans didn’t behave that way anymore. Most focused on sight and some on taste, but more and more they were letting touch and smell atrophy…another side effect of too much civilization.

  Watching his mate roll around on the bed was too much for his paper-thin self-control. He grabbed her ankles, dragging her toward him. She yelped and grinned, twisting away playfully. Dmitri let her go, tugging off his clothes quickly before climbing on the bed.

  He stalked her over the short distance between them, loving the way her eyes widened as she took in his hair roughened chest and the sculpted ridges of his ten-pack.

  When her gaze drifted to his hard length, she licked her lips. He damn near came then and there.

  Down boy, he ordered himself sternly. She started to reach for him, but he pinned her wrists against the bed.

  “I want to taste you,” she whispered.

  Fuck.

  “And you will—later. But if you touch me now, I’m going to disgrace myself…and I want this to last.”

  Nina flushed. He bent to lick her rose-tinted cheek before moving to her neck, inhaling deeply as her pheromones spiked. The scent of her arousal was like a drug. He was already an addict.

  He reached for the fastening of her pants. Dmitri slipped his fingers into the waistband of her panties, dragging them slowly down the length of her legs. She wiggled out of her T-shirt herself. The bra was all him. He tossed it over his shoulder.

  The mounds of creamy cocoa skin were too much for him. He ran his palms down her shoulders, cupping her glorious breasts. Always responsive, Nina’s lips parted as her breathing picked up. She squirmed under his touch.

  He let his fingers drift to her waist. Her stomach wasn’t flat. It had the most endearing curve to it. Her hips were also wider than what was fashionable, but they were perfectly proportional to the exaggerated arc of her delectable derriere.

  Dmitri parted her legs, stroking the humid heat he found. He pumped his cock lazily, running his blunt head along her wet lips, teasing her clit repeatedly. Every time he did, she shuddered.

  “I love you, Nina,” he breathed, sliding into her velvet with a slow surge.

  Her mouth gaped, her eyes rolling back and closing as his thick cock slid home.

  “I love you, too,” she gasped, whimpering as he withdrew only to thrust back in, faster and faster.

  Dmitri threw back his head, letting his own sense of touch take over. A creature of instinct, he fucked her slowly, driving deeper and deeper until he was touching her womb. With each stroke, he caressed her G-spot, enjoying the way she moaned and writhed until she was begging for release.

  But he didn’t let her come—not yet. He built her hunger and pleasure like a master, a virtuoso playing the instrument he’d been born to play. She was his mate after all. No other man would ever be as in-tune with her body and its needs than him.

  He could feel the fluttering of her inner muscles, the sign her orgasm was almost on them. He withdrew and flipped her, pulling her onto her hands and knees. He pushed her hair off her neck, putting his fingers on the pulse there.

  “Nina, it’s time. Are you ready to be claimed?”

  “Yes,” she said, shuddering as he caressed the rounded globes of her ass.

  “This may hurt a little,” he warned.

  “I don’t care,” she said, staring at him with glazed eyes. She pushed back against his dick, willing him to penetrate her again. She was so swollen now it was harder to work himself inside. He thrust in a little roughly, shifting to hold her neck as he bit down.

  Nina cried out as his teeth broke the skin, marking her very blood with his pheromones. Her channel tightened and spasmed violently, climaxing instantly in that moment of his ultimate possession.

  Heat and testosterone raged for an instant, blinding him. He surged forward involuntarily, pressing her hard into the mattress. Mindlessly, he pumped, pounding against her rounded cheeks until the bed frame groaned.

  His heart was pounding so fast it might give out on him, but he couldn’t stop. His hunger was sharper than his claws. It had dug deep, and it wasn’t about to let go until she came again. Dmitri took hold of Nina’s hips, flipping them again so he was on his back and she was draped across his chest, gazing up at the ceiling.

  Nina cried out again as he cupped her breast, pinching her nipple gently. With his other hand, he reached down to stroke her clit, parting her lips wider so she could see his thick cock driving into her, branding her as his…forever.

  Her body rocked in time with his thrusts. “No. Not again. I can’t so soon,” she panted, knowing exactly what he wanted.

  “Yes, you can.”

  Dmitri held her tighter with one arm under her breasts before lunging up and grinding inside her. His palm circled her clit and she splintered, shuddering as he exploded. His cock jerked, erupting. His seed splashed against her womb as her nails dug into his lower thighs, marking him the same way he’d marked her.

  It was a long time before he came down. Nina was still sprawled across his chest, her breathing deepening, growing less ragged.

  “I think I’m dead,” she said, trying to lift her hand before letting it flop back.

  Dmitri rolled again, carefully laying Nina on her side without leaving her body. He wrapped his arms around her, exultant. She
was his now. He could feel it in every cell of his body.

  The perfume of their lovemaking was all around them, but it was different now. The change was subtle, but his nose recognized it. The signature of their bond was there now—both advertisement and warning to others of his kind.

  Nina laughed, rubbing her toes down his leg. “You smell different.”

  “I do?”

  “Like leather and cinnamon. Is that normal?”

  His heart beat a little faster. Dmitri had heard of certain pairings where the human female had taken on some of their mate’s traits and abilities. They had faster reflexes and enhanced senses. In at least a few cases, they were more connected.

  “Dmitri.” Nina jostled him. “Is this normal or am I having a stroke?”

  “I think it’s normal.” He laughed, racking his brain for what little he knew about the mate bond.

  She poked him in the side. “You think it’s normal?”

  He rolled over her, trapping her in the cage of his arms. “I have a little confession. I don’t know as much about this as I should.”

  “What about your parents? Didn’t they explain their bond to you?”

  This time, his laugh was sardonic. “My parents didn’t have the healthiest of relationships. When he met my mother, my father forced the bond on her without explaining. It took them years to get to a good place with it, but theirs was always a volatile relationship.”

  “Oh.” She stroked his cheek. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.”

  He shrugged it off. Dissecting his parents’ complicated bond was the last thing he wanted to do. “I should have paid closer attention to the weres I know who have been through it. I’m afraid I got into the habit of tuning out the smug bastards. Now I am one of them.”

  Her mouth quirked up at the corner. “Dmitri, I hate to break it to you, but I would bet any amount of money that you were a smug bastard before our bond.”

  He laughed. I was right. The universe had given him the perfect mate.

  Chapter Thirty-Two