He wanted this female more than he’d ever craved a woman, even Anastasia. Just her smell sent hot blood straight to his groin. It was more than want, more than desire. He needed to possess her entire being and sink his teeth deep within her throat, claiming her as his.
His bears, male or female, often went unclothed. Nikka’s curves, her silky skin and incredible beauty were now burned into his mind and made him want her even more. He yearned to take her breasts into his mouth, sucking her nipples between his lips. He wanted to hear her cry out, groan with need, and whisper his name. The quick beat of his heart finally slowed when he sat down on the couch in his great room and lowered his head into his hands.
She couldn’t speak.
And she had no idea how dangerous he was.
Running through the entire encounter again and again did no good. Taking a deep breath, Dmitri stood and walked upstairs. The first thing he noticed was the small bundle of wild flowers on his bed. Their sweet pungent odor didn’t hide Talya’s scent. With a loud grumble, he opened the window and tossed the damn things out. He knew thoughts of Nikka would cause delicious dreams, but Talya’s scent would cause nightmares.
Guilt seeped into his thoughts. Nikka would hate him if she knew what he truly was. He didn’t deserve understanding or compassion, and Nikka deserved so much more than his legacy would bring. She was worthy of someone whole, someone pure, and someone who wouldn’t bring her nightmares.
He couldn’t deal with it all right now. And he knew there was no way he could stay away from Nikka if he was here.
Flashing to the office in his club, he spoke into The Kodiak’s mind.
“I will be at the club. Keep me apprised of the integration of Vorlyk and his clan. Apologize for me and say I am currently indisposed.”
“I apologize for no one,” came the deep, grumbled reply.
“For once, do not challenge me, bear.” Dmitri severed the connection and ignored the heavy push from The Kodiak to reopen it.
The low, steady bass from the music in the club leaked into the room and soothed Dmitri’s tightly wound nerves. He notified the bears currently working that he was in his office. The crimson tide swirling through his brain only grew darker as he picked up a paper from the large stack on his desk.
Chapter Eight
Hiding in the trees, Talya watched Dmitri throw the flowers from the window. Her heart seized. Because of her age, the taciturn vampire was not giving her a chance. She pulled her hand up and looked at where her matching limb should be. She would make him get past her age and her deformity. She was falling in love and Talya had something to prove.
She made her way back into the vampire’s house, but quickly realized he was no longer there. Removing her clothes, she shifted form and wandered through his home, rubbing her pelt against any personal items she could reach. Maybe her scent, spread everywhere, would make him come around.
She shifted, put her clothes back on, and returned to her clan’s assigned cabins.
Esta approached and after a few seconds began sniffing the air. “You smell like the vampire.”
She couldn’t help her testy response. “So what if I do?”
Esta’s eyes hardened. “Zenya is too lenient with you. I have no such problem and regardless of your missing arm or age, I will physically keep you in line if need be. Do you understand?”
A low snarl escaped Tayla’s throat. “When I’m older, I will challenge you and take your place. Do you understand?”
Esta stepped back a few inches, causing a smile to curve Talya’s lips. It happened so fast that Talya didn’t see the fist that knocked her to the ground.
Esta stood over her, rage seeping from every pore. “I will give you a fair fight when and if you challenge, but until then you will follow my commands or suffer the consequences.”
Tears came to Talya’s eyes. She had no idea what came over her and it was happening more and more often. She shamefully looked around and realized everyone in the room stared at her. Nikka opened the front door of the cabin and walked inside. She looked at Talya lying on the floor at Esta’s feet then chastised Esta with her eyes. She walked over and placed her hand out to Talya.
“She is young, Esta, and you should have better control.” Nikka’s sharp words floated through the minds of everyone in the room.
Esta’s wrath turned toward Nikka. “She endangers our pack. If she comes back to this cabin smelling of vampire again, she will need Vorlyk to fix her broken bones.”
Nikka leaned toward Talya and sniffed. Suddenly stepping back, she slammed the words into Talya’s mind. “His smell covers you.” Her green eyes flashed darker as her body once more leaned closer to Talya.
Talya had never seen such a look of fury from Nikka and she backed up until the cabin wall stopped her from going further. “I just went through his house. He wasn’t home and he did not see me.” Her voice trembled and tears threatened to spill over. Why was her life so completely miserable?
Her explanation and threat of tears did nothing to soften Nikka’s stance. Fire blazed in her eyes. “The vampire is mine and you will stay away from him or I will take care of you myself.”
Talya’s embarrassment once more turned to anger. “You are crazy; he is not yours. Dmitri is mine.”
The words must have penetrated Nikka’s brain because she suddenly looked defeated. She shook her head, turned, and walked back outside.
The cats and wolves in the room looked between Nikka’s fleeing form and Talya. Alpha energy suddenly poured into the room and all eyes turned to Nicolas, who had walked in late for the show.
“I have no idea what’s going on, but we are in another’s territory and must stay unified within the pack. I sense that is not happening. Esta, I want a full report. Come with me.”
Esta looked with contempt at the young cat. “You will want Talya also.”
Nicolas grimaced. “I had a feeling you might say that.”
Sorrow encased Talya once more. She could do nothing right; she hurt everyone she loved.
***
Nikka shed her clothes as she ran and shifted once she was naked. Dmitri had interfered with her earlier flight and the need for privacy to gather her thoughts. The vampire was not hers, but for some reason her cat disagreed. Her feline side wanted nothing more than to bloody every inch of Talya’s body. The rage almost blinded her when she scented Dmitri on the young cat.
Running in beastkind form had been denied to female cats when they lived under the jurisdiction of the cats in South America. Of all the suffering she’d endured that was the worst. Forced sex, beatings, starvation—none compared to the need for the simple liberty to run as beastkind. Vorlyk and Nicolas gave every member of their clan the gift they needed most—freedom.
Nikka passed several bear sentries, but none tried to stop her. She knew they’d been told to keep a respectful distance. She stayed within the marked territory, feeling the heavy darkness of night within her soul; the sounds mixing with the quiet gently soothed her beast. She ran until her sides heaved. Laying down in a tumble of leaves, she stretched her feline body, fluid muscle undulating beneath her fur. She rolled in the leaves and rich soil, thrilling to the call of Mother Nature. But even this luxury couldn’t block her thoughts and eventually she pulled her legs inward and curled into a ball. Memories took over.
Until her rescue by Vorlyk, Nikka had known no kindness. The males in her pride cared nothing for the females. He-cats expected absolute obedience. When the mood struck, they fucked any she-cat within striking distance. Nikka hated her life and despised the other she-cats for their submissive weakness. But most of all, she hated herself.
She was in her thirties when she reached her limit and fought back against one of Raykon’s lieutenants who tried to rape her again. He beat her almost senseless, fracturing her arms and legs. When her continued screams pissed him off, he damaged her vocal cords before leaving her to die. No one came near because they feared his wrath. She lay on the hard ground wit
h no food or water, just pain and helplessness. The following morning, unable to move, she urinated on herself. By the next day, her limbs had frozen at odd broken angles, making it impossible even to crawl. Her body began shutting down. On the third day, she closed her eyes and prayed for death. For the first time in her life, complete calm settled over her as she gave up on an existence that wasn’t worth living.
Water dampening her lips had brought her out of her near-death sleep. The vampire above her smiled, his eyes conveying a kindness she’d never seen, his words gentle and filled with sorrow.
“I must re-break your limbs so they will heal properly. But then I will feed from you and heal what I can afterward.”
She tried to speak, but only whimpering noises came from her damaged throat. Vampires did not waste the kiss of life on female cats. She passed out shortly after he began. When she awoke, Madayah was cleaning her with a soft cloth. Nikka had never known kindness from men or women. The female cats of her pride fought against each other for every scrap of food needed to survive. Nikka had seen countless women killed just because a male cat got angry. Beastkind females were completely useless to male cats. They captured human females, bred them, and after the woman delivered…killed them. If the offspring was female, the baby was tossed among the she-cats. Most died.
Now, with the tender touch of another woman, Nikka could no longer control her tears. She had been past caring that she showed weakness. Huge racking sobs filled the room, strangling out from her damaged throat.
“You are safe now, my child, and you are not the only one. What is your name?” The woman’s soft words soothed.
Nikka tried to speak, but there was no way the vampire’s healing gift could fix her vocal cords. They could not be broken and reset. Several weeks later, Nikka’s cat fell under Vorlyk’s spell and she was able to mind share, but it was two years before she communicated freely with the small clan. Those were healing years and she had little to say. Finally, a young, broken she-cat brought Nikka out of her self-imposed silence. Talya came to their home high in the mountains in worse shape than Nikka had been in. The very young cat was mangled almost beyond repair. Her missing limb had happened years before and was gone forever. Continued torture and malnourishment made her recovery long and painful. It didn’t help that she fought anyone who came close to her. It took months to gain Talya’s trust. In that time, Nikka talked inside the young cat’s mind and shared her own story, confirming daily that they were safe.
Seeing the damage to Talya changed Nikka’s perspective. She went to Esta and asked to train and learn to fight. She never wanted to be at the mercy of any male or female again.
Nikka sighed, bringing her thoughts back to the present. Lying on the soft bed of leaves, she regretted her threat to Talya. The young woman continued to suffer mentally from her years of abuse. Nikka realized she and Esta should not have reacted the way they had. Vorlyk’s small clan spoiled Talya endlessly and now they reaped their reward.
Dmitri cast a spell on both women, but now, away from him, it allowed her to think rationally. She knew she needed to avoid the gorgeous, mouth-watering vampire at all costs. Her clan came first.
Chapter Nine
Talya made it through Nicolas’s inquisition. She was so tired of everyone having control over her every move, but she played the poor innocent little girl and he seemed to fall for it.
Not Esta.
Talya didn’t care about the bitchy she-cat. Ever since Esta mated Aster, she was unbearable to be around and she treated Talya even more like a child.
She was not a child, hadn’t been one for many years. No one knew the complete true story of her time with the South American cats. They didn’t know that after a few years of starvation and maltreatment she learned to play the game of enticement with the men. As long as she pleased them, her days and nights became easier. Talya’s body fulfilled the men’s needs, and they threw her scraps of food to keep her belly filled while the hard, backbreaking labor fell to the older women. The men were never gentle or easy to please, her bloodied body a testament to their ferocity, but life was easier for her than it was for the other women.
She spied on the she-cats and handed over information to the male cats that caused punishment and sometimes death to the women of her clan. The females loathed her.
The deepest secret she kept from her new clan was the beating that almost killed her, landing her under Vorlyk’s roof. It wasn’t the men but the jealous women who beat her to a bloody mass of broken bones.
She had never known kindness, and the acceptance of Vorlyk and his females changed her for a while. She wanted to love those who helped her, but she wanted to hurt people, too. Talya thought she must have an evil heart and mind. It was a constant battle within herself, and now, evil was winning.
Dmitri had become her obsession. He needed to see her as his true mate. In Talya’s mind, his acceptance and love would make her whole, taking away the infestation of hatred eating her from the inside out.
During the days following the altercation with Nikka and Esta, Talya rebuffed Nikka’s attempts to apologize. Nikka was part of the problem and the beautiful, perfect she-cat needed to beware. There was no way Talya would let Nikka have the vampire.
Unfortunately, over the next few weeks, Dmitri stayed at his club, giving Talya little opportunity to advance their courtship. She continued leaving small gifts in his bedroom, but one of the she-bears who took care of his home disposed of them.
Talya’s anger grew to a hot internal fire needing an outlet. She tried seducing the younger male bears whenever she had a chance, but they refused what she offered, thinking they were above her.
She resorted to spying on them, hidden among the trees, listening to their conversations about the nightclub in the city. She dreamed of sparkling lights and intoxicated humans searching for fun and excitement.
The bears whispered about the enemy cats, predicting the outcome of the war. They bragged about the number of cats they would kill if given the chance to fight. Talya didn’t care about their quest for bloodshed because her thoughts were centered on one thing.
Dmitri.
Every so often, her other self would break through the fog that clouded her hate-filled mind. At these times, sadness consumed her, bringing a craving for the closeness of her pack. Then someone would mistake her for the child she hadn’t been in many years. Pulsing anger would drive away her need for friendship and family, leaving mistrust and fury in its place. Once she had the vampire, she would be mate to a liege and beastkind would bow to her.
Two bears who rebuffed her seduction attempts used an old pickup truck to drive into the city. After several days of observing them come and go, a plan formed in her mind.
Talya watched and waited.
***
Dmitri slept poorly. The more time he spent away from his territory, the more his sleep deteriorated. This type of continued restlessness had never happened at his club before. When he was being honest with himself, he knew a certain green-eyed cat was responsible, and thoughts of her overshadowed decades of Anastasia’s memory. Dmitri was at a complete loss over what to do. Vampire, killer, liege—he feared he was a lovesick fool and love could never be his again.
His employees were getting on his nerves, though he knew it was mostly his fault. His mood changed on a dime, a dropped glass causing him to curse the offender. He snapped at his employees with no provocation, even the human waitresses who worked for him.
He’d be sitting in his office chair and mental pictures of Nikka would invade his mind, causing an erection that threatened to tear out the seam of his pants. The ache in his groin only made his temper more volatile. In the past, he’d occasionally slept with human women, but after scenting Nikka, his desire centered on one female.
But he tried.
He invited one of his human lovers to his room. She was a special favorite. He kissed her passionately, but her taste revolted him. He put pressure on her shoulders, sending her to her
knees. She enjoyed going down on him, but when she began unzipping his pants, he stopped her.
“I’m sorry, but this won’t work. Please go.” He helped her stand.
She gave him a smile filled with sympathy. “Whoever the lucky woman is, you need to patch things up with her. You’re driving us crazy with your moods.” She went to her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Good luck, Dmitri.”
He ran his hand through his hair. Looking around the lonely room, he sighed loudly then growled, “Damn she-cat.”
The following day, a knock sounded on his office door, causing him to look up from the figures he’d added three times. He adjusted the uncomfortable bulge in his pants, thankful the desk hid his inability to control himself.
“Enter,” he shouted with frustration caused by more than the calculations.
A bear named Rufus walked in. “We have a problem.” His irritation only heightened Dmitri’s.
“You can’t handle this problem?” Dmitri barked.
“No, my liege, we have been ordered away from this problem.”
Just the use of the title “liege” gave Dmitri an inkling that this was major. The bears never used the term at the club. It kept curious human ears from questioning why Dmitri would have such a title.
“What is it?” His voice rose even more.
“It’s the…the she-cat,” the bear stuttered.
“What she-cat?”
“The young one.”
Dmitri swept a stack of paperwork from his desk with his forearm. Taking a deep breath, he counted to ten before replying. “Her alpha can handle the situation. I don’t want to know anything about her.”
Panic spread across the bear’s face and fear leaked from his pores. “She’s here, my liege.”
“What the fuck!” Dmitri thundered.
“She follows us around, listening to us talk. We ignore her, but somehow she snuck into the truck bed today without us noticing. We came inside to begin our shift and a few minutes ago, she entered through the back delivery door. We have her locked in one of the rooms, but she’s making a loud racket and tearing up everything inside.”
Dmitri Page 5