Finally, he turned his attention back to the ring and stormed to it. He slipped between the ropes and pumped his fists in the air to egg on the crowd. While his back was turned, Marky rushed toward him and shoved him to the mat.
Kai growled in anger and closed her eyes as she clenched her hands tight. She carried a scant amount of magic with her seer abilities. It gotten her out of a pinch or two. Maybe she could do something to protect the masked man who held her so tight in his grasp. She was distracted from her concentration by the sound of a bell. When she opened her eyes, she could see the Luchador back on his feet and stalking his opponent.
It didn’t take long for the Luchador to get the upper hand. Kai wasn’t sure she blinked or even took a breath the entire match. The crowd roared as the masked man stretched out on his opponent and held him down for the three count. She squealed and cheered as his hand was raised in victory.
“Hey, sexy. Beautiful hair. Say, why don’t I take you out for a burger and beer?”
Kai rolled her eyes as the jock in the polo and khakis ran a finger along her chin and into her hair. She wrapped her fingers in a fist and looked around. The crowd shuffled slowly out the door. She could hit this Neanderthal and mix into the mob. She wanted to feel water surrounding her. She needed to get away from these pathetic mortal beings. She reared her arm back to swing.
She froze in place as she caught sight of the Luchador. He stood just outside the curtain, staring at her. He lifted his hand and scrunched his finger at her, beckoning her to him. Her mouth gaped open at the invitation.
The guy in the polo shirt took a step away from her. “Sorry. Didn’t know.” He turned and hurried through the mass of fans leaving.
Kai stared shocked at the Luchador as he waited in silence. She studied every hard plane of his body beneath the stretched tight fabric. Every human male up to that point disgusted her. What was different about this one that made her want to explore the skin beneath the fabric with her lips?
He motioned to her again and held a hand out to her. She scampered across the litter-strewn floor and ducked under the rope barrier until her fingers were wrapped around his. She flushed hot when he grinned at her. She couldn’t see his face, except his chocolate-brown eyes and that smile. Both turned her inside out.
The Luchador nodded at the security guard who stood sentry over the backstage area and led her down the hallway. He opened a door and gestured her inside without a word.
Chapter Three
Kai barely took in the baby-blue painted walls and the forest-green metal lockers before he smothered her lips with his. Her mouth parted to accept it. She had never experienced a show of affection like this. She’d had what humans referred to as intercourse. She’d even shared a kiss or two. But they were nothing like this. Her heart pounded out of control as she caressed his pleather-covered cheeks. He pulled away from her for a moment and gazed down at her before he kissed her harder and deeper. His tongue darted into her mouth and teased hers as he pulled her tight to him.
They were both breathless as they broke apart again. He trailed a path of kisses across her cheek and down her neck. He nipped at her jugular and licked the wound to soothe it. His hands clutched her ass and held her tight against him.
Every thought fled her mind. Need and desire flooded through her. She had no idea what made her tug her tight T-shirt off and throw it onto the floor, but the man holding her let out a growl of approval. She still didn’t understand the use of undergarments, so she didn’t use them.
The Luchador cupped a bare breast in his hand and caught the pink nub between his teeth. She whimpered as he sucked and lavished the same attention on her neglected nipple.
His fingers skimmed a trail down her belly to the snap on her shorts. He popped it free before he shimmied the denim down her legs, leaving her naked. She was certain she heard him mutter “shit.”
He dropped to his knees before her and wove a path of kisses from one inner thigh to another. Her knees buckled when he lapped his tongue across the sensitive, swollen flesh. She had never felt electricity flow through her like that. Part of her craved the sensation yet another part was terrified of it.
The masked wrestler hooked his thumbs around the curve of her inner thighs to open her up to him. Then he continued his feast on her. She couldn’t understand why he licked, bit, and sucked her there. In comparison to the human literature she’d studied on intercourse and her very limited experience with the act, it made no sense to her. She just knew it felt amazing and she didn’t want him to ever stop. She gripped his mask in her fist to drag him closer. It exposed his face just a bit. He peeled her hand free from it and pressed it flat against the locker behind her.
The explosion that rocked through her body came out of nowhere. She screamed as it overtook her. What was this man doing to her? Was this what humans called an orgasm? She’d had something like it those few days the king wanted to experiment in that fancy hotel with her and his handmaid. It was nothing like this. She clung to him to keep from collapsing onto the floor.
Her gaze was hazy as she watched him fumble with the zipper on his pants. He stared up at her for a long moment before he rose to his feet. Her eyes widened at his erection standing thick and hard against his belly, freed from the confines of his uniform.
He cupped her face and drew her mouth to his for a deep kiss. His voice was a deep rumble as they parted. “Do you want this?”
Her head nodded on its own without her direction. Not that she would have objected. She craved to feel that rush again.
She gasped as he picked her up in his arms and pinned her against the thin metal of the locker wall. He kept a firm grip on her ass with one hand as he guided her legs around his waist. She wrapped them around his hips obediently.
She threw her head back against the locker with a moan as she felt the tip of him nudge her and slip inside. He lavished an exposed nipple with warm, wet kisses. This wasn’t a normal sensation for her to have another being inside her. She wasn’t made that way. However, she wasn’t sure she’d ever let him free after this.
She clung to him as he rocked a few shallow thrusts inside her until he was buried to the hilt. He groaned as he collapsed against her, pinning her between his body and the locker.
“So tight,” he murmured as he rocked in and out of her. His mouth returned to hers and grazed it as he thrust deeper. His heavy pants were all she could hear. Or was that her breath? They wove together in an urgent symphony. Her belly tightened in a knot and every nerve tingled. His pace quickened as he dug his fingers into her flesh.
She screamed as another fiery rush blazed through every vein. Her entire body shook in his arms. Nothing she had ever done or studied prepared her for this sort of coupling. He silenced her cry with another soul-wrenching kiss as his fingertips grazed her cheek. His kiss, his sweet, sweet kiss. She had to find a way to take this poor mortal back with her so she could kiss him for eternity.
Kai felt him thicken inside her stretching her apart farther. His grunts escaped from between their slightly parted lips. He filled her with a warmth that sent one last hot tremor through her body. She took a deep breath as his touch roamed her bare skin. Through the haze she was under she struggled to understand what was happening. Human males only lasted a short time after they came. This one was still hard as a rock. She squirmed instinctively to keep him deep inside her. His hips rocked hard into her as if they obeyed her command.
A knock on the heavy metal door couldn’t tear their attention off each other. The Luchador thrust into her again.
“Hey, Luch,” a voice from outside called. “We need to talk. Can I come in?”
“Shit.” The Luchador cupped his hand over Kai’s mouth. He struggled for a moment. “No. No, come in. No bueno.”
Kai frowned. What was with the sudden change in dialect?
The voice outside replied. “Luch, I want to talk to you about your title shot next week. Trust me, you need to hear what I say.”
“F
uck, fuck, fuck,” the Luchador muttered under his breath. He raised his voice to be heard through the door. “Un momento, por favor.”
Kai whimpered as he pulled free from her. She felt suddenly empty without him inside her. He must have heard her because he jerked the hand over her mouth until he looked her in the eye. His voice was a stern whisper. “You need to hide. I can’t have women back here. When I leave with Harry, you need to get dressed and get the hell out. Got it?”
Kai nodded against his palm. He cocked his head to the side. “Are you done screaming?”
She nodded again. He slid his hand from her mouth and loosened her legs from his waist to set her on the ground. She kneeled to pick up her shorts and shirt off the floor. Before she could scamper away, he pulled her to him again for another kiss.
He growled as they broke free from each other. “I’ve got to stop kissing you. But fuck, baby. I’d kill for your kiss. I don’t want to stop.”
Kai pressed a last one to his lips before she hurried to the tight corner where the lockers met. She was small enough to squeeze inside. From the crack left by the barely open door, she watched the Luchador tuck his erection back into his pants and clear his throat. “Si, si. Come.”
The door swung open, and a tall older-looking man walked in. His broad chest stretched his polo shirt, and the sleeves barely covered his thick biceps.
“Si, Harry?” the Luchador questioned.
Harry’s gaze dropped down the Luchador’s body. “You all right, buddy?”
The Luchador looked down at his groin and stammered. “Uh, si. Umm…”
Harry waved his hand to silence him. “It’s just us. You don’t need to keep up the ridiculous Mexican accent. What made you pick a character like the Luchador anyway?”
The Luchador sighed. “The mask, dude. And as far as this goes.” He gestured to his pants. “I need to get laid. Did you see the beautiful women tonight?”
Kai felt her cheeks burn in anger. She had no right to be jealous. But the thought that he was looking at other women sent her into a near rage. She clenched her hands to keep her temper in check.
Harry chuckled. “I’d figure you get laid on a regular basis.”
“Have you met my oldest brother?”
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
“Well, he keeps me on a short leash. Not much time to charm the ladies. Tonight? I’ll get an earful tomorrow and a threat to chain me to the bed.”
“Not tonight?”
“He’s a newlywed. He turns in with the wifey early to do fuck knows what.”
“Got it. Well, let’s not worry him further. I want to put the belt on you. Brutus won’t like it, but he’s had it long enough. Let’s go to my office and talk about what I’ve got in mind.”
“Sure.” The Luchador shot a look in Kai’s direction. She could see him run his tongue along his bottom lip. “I’ll be back to get my stuff in a bit.”
Harry stared, baffled. “You could bring it now.”
The Luchador shook his head. “Nah, let’s go talk.” He laid a hand on Harry’s shoulder and reached across him to twist the doorknob. The two men strode out, letting the door slam closed behind them.
Kai pushed the door open enough to slip out and pulled each garment on. She sat on the long wooden bench that split the room in two. She smiled as she watched the hands on the clock tick off the minutes.
He said he’d be back in a bit. Did he want her to wait? Would he kiss her again just the way he had, make her feel whatever it was that tore through her?
Her face fell as she stood. That wasn’t why she was there, not to have sexual intercourse with mortals. She was there to find the scouts and pass on the message the king entrusted her with. It was critical for the survival of her people.
The werewolves had more than the amulet. They also had the ancient evil that commanded it or at least the current evolution of the magician. The scouts needed to bring back both and kill all seven werewolves. The beasts were dangerous and unpredictable. Only then could they wipe out the human race and rule the Earth.
She scurried across the room and opened the door. She glanced down the hallway each way. There wasn’t a soul in sight. She closed it behind her then hurried down the hall, not stopping until she was outside in the warm Minnesota night.
»»•««
Abraham was startled awake by the rooster crow. He buried his face in the pillow and clamped the one beside him over his head. He hardly got any sleep and when he finally dozed off, Roscoe, Momma’s feather-bare rooster, had to go off. When was that old bird finally going to die?
It wasn’t his aching muscles that kept him up, even though a few of Marky’s shots were unforgivably hard. It was the rainbow-haired beauty he’d buried himself in that kept him awake. He could have sworn it was the same girl he’d seen next to the lake.
Nevertheless, the very thought of her set him on fire. He stroked himself to release at least a half dozen times. He had never done that before. There was a pain, one he had never felt before, twisted tight around his soul and he couldn’t shake it free.
He couldn’t form a coherent thought. He could hardly breathe. All he wanted was to get some sleep.
No. Correction. He wanted to fuck her senseless over and over. Then he wanted to hold her tight in his arms and fall asleep with her.
What the hell was happening to him?
He tossed the pillow over his head onto the floor and threw the covers off him. Maybe he needed a cold shower to chill his libido and clean up from last night’s mess. Then maybe he could get some more sleep.
He padded across the bedroom floor into his bathroom. For living in an old summer camp cabin, his bathroom was pretty sweet. The black and white tiles on the floor and walls were laid in a checkerboard pattern up to the single line of black tiles about chest high to him. The shower had two jets and could easily fit two people. He stared at it as he imagined pushing his mystery girl against the cold tile as he drove into her. He absentmindedly stroked his hard cock. The little beast hadn’t softened since his match the night before. He growled as his fist picked up the pace. He could feel her lips on his, hear her mews as he sucked on her breasts, feel her body tighten around his. He groaned as he came in his hand again.
Abraham huffed as he turned on the faucet to rinse off. He needed to get a grip on himself. This mindless need for sex was driving him bat crap crazy. He forced a thought through the haze of lust. Was this what mating was like? Was this what his older brothers felt like when they mated? He had no idea what they went through. When he was around, his brothers went tight-lipped about it. They always did when it came to sex, alcohol, and even fighting. It was as if they were all trying to protect him from the big, bad world.
He stared at his reflection in the mirror as he gripped the countertop on either side of the sink. “I’m twenty-one for fuck’s sakes,” he muttered.
His brow wrinkled as he concentrated for a long moment. What if he dipped his shoulder to look at his back? Would it be there? Would that incredible half back tattoo be embedded in his skin, binding him to his mystery girl forever? Not that he knew where she was. She was long gone when he’d gotten back to the locker room to get his things. He didn’t even know her name.
He held his breath as he dropped his left shoulder. His eyes scanned the unblemished naked flesh. Nothing. Not even a black dot.
He sighed as he dropped his head. He couldn’t catch a break if he tried. “You’re just a fucking horny idiot, Abe. Fuck, I’m a loser.”
He shook his head and looked up at his hunched over image in the mirror. His eyes widened in panic. He slowly dropped his right shoulder. He couldn’t see much, but the detail of the black tribal tattoo wasn’t there when he went to bed the night before.
He stood straight and spun his back toward the mirror. He studied the black design inked into his skin. It ran from his side to his spine and from his shoulder to his waist. It had a more geometric design than his brothers yet shared the same claw marks i
n the center.
Abraham’s mouth gaped open as he reached his left hand under his right arm and trailed his fingers across it. The tattoo meant only one thing. He was mated, and to his sweet mystery girl with the multicolored hair. No wonder he craved sex so much. “Shit.”
He almost jumped out of his skin as he heard the front door of his cabin squeak open. He scurried to his bedroom and threw open the dresser drawers as the footsteps echoed closer. He didn’t know how he got the shorts and long-sleeved T-shirt on before whoever it was showed up, but he did.
He turned to find Josiah in the doorway, glaring. He shuffled from one foot to the other as he crossed his arms over his chest. He glanced at the clock. “It’s 6:18 in the morning, Joe. What the fuck are you doing here? I’m trying to sleep.”
Josiah leaned against the doorframe. “Sure looks like it, Abe. Where the fuck did you go last night? And don’t say a word about my fucking language.”
“Who said I went anywhere?”
“I came in here. I checked. You and your bike were long gone.”
“Speaking of which.” Abraham pointed around the cabin. “My space. My home. Who the fuck gave you the right to come storming in like you own the place?”
“Dad. He left me in charge to protect the family.”
“News flash, Joe. I’m an adult.”
“You need to start acting like it, Abe. Did you go to Duluth? Did you go see the ridiculous wrestler?”
Abraham gritted his teeth and stayed silent. He was sick and tired of his brothers slamming the Luchador. One of these days he was going to slip and tell them the truth.
Josiah shook his head. “Motherfucker, Abe. There are vampires, and fuck knows what out there trying to kill us. Rock and Cort headquarter out of Duluth. And you go off without a word. They know who you are. What the fuck were you thinking?”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Against a couple dozen vampires?”
“Why do you ride my ass?”
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