“You didn’t give me time to answer.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“I was already here when you called.” He shrugged his shoulder unrepentant.
“Too bad, I have to feed, so you need to leave.” She held the front door open. She warmed at his silent perusal of her body. Wearing only a pair of boyshorts and a tank top, she should've felt exposed. But, her muscles were honed from years of training and hunting, she showed no modesty as he continued assessing her. Lean and fit, she was obsessive about keeping in fighting shape. Okay, yeah, she had a bit of an ego, but a girl couldn't make it without knowing her worth.
She met his stare head on when he finally reached her eyes. His lips curled up in a crooked smile that Dalia was beginning to enjoy way too much. She blew out a breath of impatience when he made no move to leave. Ignoring him completely, she sauntered to the small closet in the corner and pulled clothes from there. She went behind the curtain separating her bathroom and changed. When she stepped from behind the curtain a small curl of satisfaction flowed through her at his in drawn breath.
Bron watched her with hooded lids, his hunger for her apparent. She wore a pair of tight fitted leather shorts and tight t-shirt that should have covered more but was cut in strategic places to allow little peaks of her bronzed skin underneath. His fingers twitched and he curled them into fist.
“I'll meet you at the cantina where you found me last night.” She took pleasure in his attraction to her. It served him right for making her burn to have his touch.
“You can feed from me, Dalia.”
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I don’t need a sitter, Bron. I'll meet you there in a half hour, ‘kay.” She wiggled her fingers in goodbye and teleported from the room.
Dalia strutted down the path between the grocery store and the tourist shop behind the cantina scanning the crowd for someone to feed from. Bron was crazy if he thought she would continue to feed from him. That was just asking for trouble. She rolled her head around to loosen the tension in her shoulder. That man should not be loosed on the female population; his voice alone was a menace. She spotted prey lounging in the back of the grocery store, sneaking a smoke. Beckoning him, Dalia felt her incisors lengthen in anticipation. A strong flare of power filled the path and she clucked her teeth in aggravation. She didn’t bother turning to find the source. She lazily waved the human away from her. Eyes wide, the man took off at a jog.
“What part of my statement did you not understand, rewà?” Bron called out.
Dalia shivered as his voice wrapped itself around her. She noticed a few women turn around in interest and narrowed her eyes at them, warning them away. She turned to face him and her knees nearly went weak. His eyes were dark, his expression equally so, as he stalked to her. Power radiated from him, drawing her like the proverbial moth to a flame.
“You don’t give me orders,” she challenged him, raising her chin.
Bron hissed in anger. “You will feed only from me, Dalia. I don’t want to have to repeat that.”
A warning, one she had no intention of heeding.
Her own anger ignited and a pulse of excitement shot through her at the thought of battling him. Bron jerked her into his chest taking her by surprise. His power surrounded her, the hair on the back of her neck stood at attention. He pushed her head into his neck and his pulse called to her. Her mouth watered.
“You are mine.” His voice was gravelly, deep.
Dalia’s eyes narrowed. She pushed against his chest and staggered back. She barely knew him, he had no right to lay any kind of claim on her. It was too bad she couldn't tell her heart that, it jumped and stuttered in response to his claim. No need in trying to push down the thrill rushing through her body.
“Get over it, big boy. You don’t own nada.” She tried to turn and walk away, but he grabbed her. Before she could speak, his lips crushed hers in a scorching kiss. Dalia couldn’t stop the moan that escaped as she returned his kiss, her tongue tangling with his in an unspoken battle. His kiss was possessive, territorial and it branded her soul. She lost herself in the sensation, gasping when he pulled back.
“You will feed from me.” He pushed her head back into his neck.
Spellbound from their kiss, fighting his command was useless. She moved closer, drawing his scent deep into her senses. Her body responded wildly. Her skin tightened, tingled even and her stomach contracted with lust. It threw her off kilter, it'd been years since she'd last been with a man. Had she ever responded this way? She licked over his pulse, her body warmed in anticipation.
Hell no, never, no man had ever made her feel this way. She bit down on his neck and the minute his blood flowed across her tongue she was in ecstasy.
Bron sucked in his breath when her teeth broke skin. He moved their bodies against the back of the grocery store into the shadows. Dalia was charmed by the protective gesture. His erection pressed into her center as she continued to feed. He growled low in his throat, leaning his head to give her better access, grinding his body into hers.
His hands roamed her body, molding her to him. His thumbs brushed across her breasts and her nipples tightened into points. She was happy her mouth was occupied; otherwise she would have begged him to take her, here in this alley.
Dalia licked the wound close when she'd taken enough. She moaned again at his taste. His power flowed through her body, further arousing her. She licked his neck again, relishing the way his pulse jumped. She pulled his skin into her mouth sucking on his neck, taking pleasure in his groans. Bron responded by pulling her legs up and wrapping them around his waist. He pushed his hips forward, grinding at her center and she cursed the shorts she wore. She released his skin and placed a small kiss right below his jaw.
Greedy for more, Bron cupped her chin, kissing her deeply. Once more Dalia felt the roller coaster from his kiss. She broke the kiss, remembering where they were.
“Put me down, Bron.” Her voice was thick with arousal. “This isn't the place for what we're doing.”
He stared into her eyes for a moment longer and Dalia felt like he was reading her. He smiled suddenly and lowered her gently. He stole a quick kiss and backed away from her.
“We should have that talk now.” His voice was a deep timbre. He held out his hand for her. Dalia grabbed it easily.
“Don’t think you’re getting away with that little caveman routine you just pulled. I’m a grown woman, I won’t be bossed around.” Her raspy voice betrayed her feelings.
Bron chuckled, dropping her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist to pull her closer. “Forgive me, I find I'm becoming quite possessive of you.”
Bron laughed at her snort.
Dalia escorted him into the dark shack and he frowned, the place could barely be called a restaurant. There were only a couple of scattered tables throughout the room, all taken. There was a bar that lined each wall, and it was near impossible to find a spot that was not crowded with people. She smiled at the frown bunching his eyebrows. It was probably not a place he would've chosen.
They walked to a dark corner and moved into the first available spot. She ran his comment around in her head. He had no right to be possessive of her and she shouldn't be excited and turned on by it. She took note of the way the women in the place watched him, and fought the urge to do a little claiming of her own. A waitress eyeing Bron rushed quickly to them. Dalia raised her eyebrows as Bron spoke to the waitress in perfect Spanish.
“Your Spanish is good,” she complimented him.
Bron shrugged his shoulders. “My life has been solitary for some time, so I've managed to learn a few things.” His expression closed, blocking his feelings.
“I can imagine the things you've learned.” She bumped his shoulder to tease him out of his sudden solemn mood. She laughed, a surprise burst of sound, when he wiggled his eyebrows.
“I can show you anytime, rewà.” His voice deepened.
Her stomach clenched, yeah, she was sure there were things he could
show her. Power that flowed from him she imagined came from years of experience. Clearing her throat, she thought of the kisses they shared.
Yeah, years.
“How old are you?” she blurted.
Bron smiled and it caused heat to pool low in her abdomen. “It gets a little foggy after seven hundred or so years.”
Dalia’s jaw dropped in surprise. She quickly recovered, though she couldn’t stop staring. “Well, you don’t look a day over thirty.”
He looked up and caught her staring. He held her gaze, and they shared a look that went past amusement, into something more intimate, deeper. The waitress cleared her throat next to them, interrupting the moment. She placed the tray laden with pastelillos and bacalaitos on the bar and asked if they needed anything else before retreating. Dalia nursed her Cuba Libre and watched as Bron ate. He had almost perfect table manners and Dalia found it endearing, one more surprising fact about him.
“What do you know about bacalaitos?” Dalia asked him smirking.
Bron raised his eyebrows and smiled lifting one of the fritters to take a bite. "Where do you think your roots came from, little girl,” Bron joked.
She joined in his laughter. She watched him and marveled at his appetite as he made short work of the food.
BRON HELD OUT HIS HAND to Dalia as he pushed aside his empty tray. She stared at his hand, her dark eyes inscrutable. She seemed to come to some conclusion before she grabbed his hand and smiled. Bron hastily laid a few bills on the bar and led her from the bar. The night was balmy, with a hint of rain in the air. He kept her hand in his as they strolled through the crowds. He slowed his steps as they reached the sand of the beach and pulled her into his arms.
“I can feel the questions tugging at you.” He nipped at her neck. “Ask me what you need to know, Dalia.” He kissed her neck softly and waited.
She sighed and pushed him from her neck. “I can’t think when you do that.” She plopped onto the sand.
Bron sat next to her using the bond they shared to probe her mind. She stiffened for a moment, resisting his intrusion.
“How are you able to do that so easily?”
Bron stared at her a moment before turning his head. “I'd imagine you're not ready to hear the answer to that. Suffice it to say you and I share a bond that allows me to read you a little better than others. If you would look, you'd find the same is true for you. I'm an open book to you, Dalia.”
She scoffed at that, her eyes shuttered and Bron sensed a new distance between them.
She looked out into the water. “I seriously doubt that. Why were you searching for me?” She turned to face him.
Bron lazily traced a pattern in the beach sand, choosing his words. Half-truths were not in his nature, but Dalia being Ajo complicated matters. He could risk much telling her about his tribe. The tribe was now scattered because one person dared to give away their secrets.
“I believe that's something the oracle will have to tell you,” he answered.
“Who's the oracle?”
Bron sensed a small trace of fear in her tone he didn’t understand. He looked at her but only saw the impatience in her eyes. “Zahra is the oracle.” He winced at the look she gave him.
“Thank God. That explains everything.” Dalia stood. She brushed the sand from her legs and sneered at him. “When you're done playing games, call me.”
“Dalia, wait." He grabbed her hand to keep her from leaving. “Sit, I’m sorry, this is awkward all the way around.” He tugged her arm.
She sat reluctantly and crossed her arms over her chest. “Do you think this is easy for me? You're stalking me through the streets of my home. I ought to just stab you and get this over with.”
Bron choked off his laugh when he saw her face. “You seriously would just stab me?”
“Please,” she clucked her teeth, “if we were in New York, I would've just plucked you off at a hundred yards from some roof top. I don’t play the victim for anyone, not anymore.”
There was no trace of deception in her tone. Respect for her warred with the shock of hearing her talk so nonchalantly about killing him. “I've done nothing to hurt you. Why would you kill me?”
“You're playing games. You and your girlfriend have been playing with me for months and then you show up out of the blue. Add to that the fact you tell me you and your brothers hunt down people like me. What would you do?” Her eyes were glowing in their intensity.
“Zahra is not my girlfriend,” he told her quietly. Dalia cursed next to him and Bron cringed at the venom in her tone.
“You’re single, got it. I'll make sure they put that on your gravestone.”
“I’m sorry, you’re right to be angry. I would feel threatened if I were in your position. But I'm not playing games with you.” He sighed and ran his hand over his hair. “Look, you're connected to our tribe in an important way, but the fact that you are Ajo makes everything…” Bron stood. “I’m sorry Dalia. We've been enemy to the Ajo longer than you've been alive. This situation I find us in confuses me as much as it does you.” He turned his back to her, struggling with his feelings for her and his duty to the tribe.
“Is Zahra the woman who's been talking to me for the past six months?”
Bron nodded, turning to face her. He kept his face blank, wanting none of the torment he felt reflected.
She ran her hands through her hair, moving closer. “What can you tell me? I can’t just trust you.” Her eyes flashed with impatience.
“The oracle wants to see you.”
Fear flashed momentarily into her eyes but was quickly suppressed.
“She'll be able to answer the questions you have.” Bron cocked his head to the side, tentatively testing the barrier she had over her mind. Distrust colored her thoughts. Frustration with his answers and fear bounced through her head. Guilt pierced him.
“I won’t go with you if I don’t trust you. What can you tell me that'll help me to at least trust you?”
“I don't know, Dalia.” Bron answered honestly. “I can only tell you that I would never allow anything to happen to you. You're important to me and though I have my duty to the oracle, for you I would risk much.” He closed the space between them.
“I'm nothing to you,” she whispered.
He pulled her into his arms. “You have no idea what you are to me.” He couldn't keep the need from his voice. Her eyes lifted to his and he was seared at the need reflected, matching his own.
“I won't pressure you, rewà. We can spend time together and you can decide if you trust me or not. Does that sound fair?” His lips hovered inches from hers. At her nod, Bron’s head descended those small inches between them and took her lips in a kiss that was tender and poignant.
Dalia lifted to her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn't deny the attraction between them. He wouldn't allow her to deny it.
“Fine.”
“We should do something normal, then. Let’s enjoy the festival.” He smiled to hide the guilt tearing into his gut. She said she didn't trust him, but it was there in her eyes and in her body language as she burrowed into his chest. He prayed he would not betray her trust.
She returned his smile and followed his lead. A pick-up truck passed slowly in the street, speakers completely covering the back, blasting Soca music. Bron grabbed her hips and they joined the crowd of people following behind the troupe. They spent the rest of the evening playing the tourist.
“I need to go, Bron.” It was nearing dawn.
He nodded and they walked the direction of her mother’s house. He walked her to the door. “I had a good time.” He drew her into his arms for a hug. Dalia squealed when he lifted her. “I want to see you tomorrow, nothing between us, just a regular evening.”
“Are you asking me on a date?” She teased.
His lion jerked to attention, along with other parts of his body. He leaned closer to her until only a breath separated their lips.
“Absolutely,” he whispered. The kiss
was slow, methodical. Each stroke of her tongue sent an answering tug through his body. His hands swept her back and he cupped her bottom, pushing her into his erection. Dalia moaned, opening her mouth wider to his invasion.
He growled at her taste. His beast circled his body in a languid motion, sending power along his skin and making it sensitive. The scrape of her nails on his arm traveled all the way down to his toes and he shook with the need to bury himself within his mate. His power engulfed Dalia, moving along her skin in a caress.
Dalia backed up hastily, her eyes wide. He should've been relieved she broke contact, any longer and his magic would've bonded them irrevocably. Instead of relief he felt bereft, and had to clamp down on the roar at the back of his throat. He watched as she traced her lips, her eyes dazed and still dark with passion. Unable to resist, Bron kissed her again. This time he pulled back when the bonding magic flared again.
“I'll see you tomorrow.” He trailed his finger down her cheek. She nodded and Bron turned quickly to keep himself from backing her into her room and finishing what they started. He didn’t look back as he crossed the street and headed for his condo. He didn’t breathe easy until he was in his room with the door close. Bron ran his hands across his face as he thought about what he had almost done. He'd almost bonded with an enemy of their tribe.
Chapter 10
HE ENTERED THE TEMPLE, a sense of wrongness raising the hair on the back of his neck. The only sounds were the footsteps of the midwife as she rushed behind him. When he left, the oracle was in labor, her screams echoing throughout the temple, following him as he raced to village to get the midwife. This silence was a marked difference and panic thundered through his heart. Racing across the temple he stopped at the threshold of the room, too late to stop what had transpired. He dropped to his knees in grief. Blood splatter littered the floor and wall, telling of the brutality that had occurred while he was out. He sat there for long moments simple staring, willing his eyes to close against the horror.
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