Primal Heat

by Donna Grant

  He needed to find her and protect her, but all he could think about was the different ways he wanted to make to love to her, to hear her scream his name as she climaxed. His cock hardened just thinking about it. Orrin took a deep breath and reined in his desire. He could have all the time he wanted with Krista, but first, he had to find her.

  * * * *

  Krista put the last of her turkey and cheese sandwich in her mouth and sighed. She had been so hungry she didn't want to wait for anything that took too long to cook. Every now and again, she had looked up from her food and glanced around in the hopes that Orrin would walk up.

  It was silly. He had no idea where she had gone, and for all she knew, he hadn't returned to her flat to find her gone. But maybe it was a good thing he hadn't been there when she'd woken. She wasn't sure she could keep her hands off of him long enough to learn the answers to all her questions. Which wasn't like her at all. She wasn't a prude, but she didn't make a habit of sleeping around, especially with men she had just met.

  Krista pushed away her plate and reached for her wallet. The more she thought about Orrin the more confused she became. She tossed the money on top of the ticket with the tip and rose. She needed to walk. And think.

  She strolled along the bay, content to look at the dark water and the moon's reflection upon it. She groaned when her mobile rang. She hesitated to answer it but pulled it out of her purse anyway.

  When she saw the caller was Candy, she groaned. “What?” she asked after she flipped open the phone.

  "Just checking on you."

  "Stop it.” Krista had had enough. She had accepted the dare. She wouldn't turn back now.

  Candy laughed, and a male voice in the background joined with her. “You sound annoyed. Or is it you're scared."

  "It's just a bloody damn house."

  "Then why aren't you already there?"

  Krista had known they were up to something. “You're there, aren't you?"

  "Of course. I want to see you come here for myself."

  "Tell her to hurry,” a male voice said into the phone.

  Krista stopped walking. The voice wasn't one she recognised as their co-workers. “Who is that?"

  "Just a friend. Don't worry about him, Krista darling. Just get your pretty little arse to the house."

  Krista closed the phone and dropped it in her purse. Ever since the dare had been brought up a week ago, she had suspected something, and Candy had just admitted it. Krista had no doubt there were more people than just Candy and her ‘friend’ at the house.

  She shook her head, disgusted with herself for even giving in to the peer pressure. But Krista wasn't the type of person to go back on her word. She lifted her hand to signal a taxi before she changed her mind and returned to her flat to wait for Orrin.

  * * * *

  Orrin had wasted so much time already. He had doubled back to look for Krista when he found Stefan waiting for him in front of Krista's flat.

  "I take it she left before you got back."

  Orrin gave a jerk of his head. “These damn modern women. Had this been a hundred years earlier, she would have listened to me."

  "Maybe."

  "You aren't making things better."

  Stefan shrugged and opened one side of his coat. “Want this?"

  Orrin grasped his sword. It felt good to have his weapon with him again. He removed his coat and strapped on his sword so that it rested on his back between his shoulder blades.

  "Where do you think she went?"

  "I don't know.” Orrin shrugged back into his coat to cover the weapon. “She could be anywhere."

  "And the link between you? Do you still feel her?"

  Orrin hadn't wanted to use the link, not when it sent him into a raging lust, but they were out of options. He closed his eyes and concentrated on Krista.

  "She's alive,” he said. His balls tightened, and he opened his eyes before the link went too far. “And headed out of the city."

  Stefan's eyes narrowed. “Which direction?"

  "North."

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  Chapter Three

  Three hours to midnight

  The taxi drove off, leaving Krista to walk the long, dark drive to Llanrumney Hall. She glanced at the fading taillights of the car and wondered at her sanity. It was Halloween, and if the stories around Britain could be believed, this was the night all sorts of craziness happened.

  Whether she believed it or not, Krista knew what awaited her in the house wasn't going to be good.

  She cursed herself for ten kinds of fool for not demanding the driver stay to return her to her flat, but he hadn't wanted to drive her to the house to begin with. He had yanked the money from her hand and nearly taken off before she could close the door.

  Now she would have to walk the five miles back to Cardiff. In the dark. On Halloween.

  Wonderful. Just bloody wonderful.

  Krista stuck her hand in her purse and wrapped her fingers around the can of mace. It might not stop a ghost, but it would halt any other attackers who might try to come at her.

  You're being silly.

  She wasn't so sure anymore. There was an eerie sense of foreboding as she looked through the swaying trees to the tall, dilapidated house in the distance. No lights shown through the windows or down the drive.

  Krista licked her lips and made herself start walking. The sooner she got the rose, the sooner she could start back towards Cardiff and her flat. She wished she had a flashlight in her purse, but she wasn't one of those women who carried their life in their handbags. She preferred to keep just the necessities: wallet, keys, mobile, tampons, lipstick and mace.

  But a flashlight would be really good right now. She decided if she made it back—no, when ... when I make it back—to Cardiff, a flashlight would become a necessity.

  With her heart pounding in her chest, she took slow, measured steps down the drive. Other than the wind whistling through the trees, the silence was deafening. The unnatural glow of the moon on the house made her skin crawl with dread.

  Krista blew out a breath and glanced over her shoulder. The trees seemed to swallow the road, trapping her. She shivered and continued towards the house.

  * * * *

  Orrin lengthened his strides as he rushed past a small corner restaurant with an outside café. He stopped and stared at the table that was being cleaned.

  "Something wrong?” Stefan asked.

  Orrin nodded to the table. “She was here. I can smell her."

  Stefan stepped in front of him. “First, you tell me you are linked with her, and now, you tell me you can smell her?"

  "It's difficult to explain."

  "No. It's not.” Stefan raked a hand down his face. “You know what this means?"

  Unfortunately, Orrin did. “We can talk about this after we find Krista."

  "If we find her."

  Orrin stepped around his friend. “Leave it, Stefan."

  "We have never mated with humans, Orrin,” he whispered. “You know we aren't supposed to. It's forbidden."

  He didn't bother answering. What good would it do to tell Stefan, he had already made love to her? None.

  "Orrin, bloody hell. Stop."

  "There's no time."

  Stefan's big hand clamped on his shoulder and pulled him to a halt. Orrin spun around to face him. “What do you want me to say? That I regret it? I don't. As soon as I find Krista and she's safe, I plan on making love to her for several months."

  "It isn't done."

  "Right now, I don't care. Right now, it doesn't matter. Right now, we have to find her because our time is running out."

  Stefan's lips pressed into a flat line. “Is that why the Weres want her? Do they know she has a link with you?"

  Orrin let out a breath. “I don't know. It's possible."

  "If they catch her, if they..."

  He didn't need to continue. Orrin knew exactly what he meant. “Yes. If they take her, they'll have me as well."
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  "This is the reason we don't mate with humans."

  Orrin slashed his hand through the air. “Enough,” he bellowed. “Her scent fades here."

  Stefan clenched and unclenched his hands several times before he relaxed his shoulders. “She got into a car."

  "Yes."

  "Can you find her?"

  Orrin closed his eyes, but each time he thought of Krista, she would fade, as if something was blocking him from finding her. The strain of trying to link with her caused his head to pound. The more he tried, the worse the pain became until he lost her all together.

  He blew out a breath and looked to Stefan. “She's not in the city."

  Stefan rolled his eyes. “That narrows it down."

  "She can't have gone far. I saw trees and what looked like an old house."

  "What do you mean? You didn't link with her?"

  Orrin plunged his hands into his coat. “Something was blocking it."

  "Not something, my friend. Someone. The Weres."

  * * * *

  Krista's gaze scanned the mansion as she walked closer. Vines grew up the side of the house, and shutters hung broken and chipped from the windows. The front door had been boarded over, but someone had kicked through a couple of boards. She stopped when she saw the front door standing open behind the boards.

  The roses were supposed to be in back of the house, but it was like an unseen force pushed her towards the door, luring her inside. Her mind rebelled, but she couldn't make her feet do as she wanted.

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and climbed through the boards into the house. What little furniture was inside was covered by moth-eaten sheets and layers of dust. Huge spider webs hung in the corners and from the lights.

  Her gaze turned to the curving staircase, and before she knew it, she was walking up the stairs. When she reached the top, she dropped her purse and put a hand on the railing to steady herself as the room began to spin.

  "Krista,” a voice whispered through the house.

  She shivered and her heart raced. She wanted to run from the house, but she couldn't. Something dark, something powerful was coming for her, and she was helpless to do anything against it.

  "Krista,” the voice said again, stronger, deeper.

  A male voice.

  Her eyes became difficult to keep open. She struggled to stand upright.

  "I knew you would come, Krista. You belong to us."

  She tried to shake her head, but she couldn't manage it. A groan of fear tore from her throat as someone came up behind her and wrapped their arms about her waist.

  "Are you ready?” a new voice whispered in her ear.

  "No."

  He chuckled and nuzzled her neck. “You will be."

  Out of the shadows came a second man, the voice who had whispered her name. He smiled at her, showing even white teeth. “Hello, Krista. We've travelled a long way to find you."

  "Me?"

  He nodded and shrugged out of his jacket. He was tall and powerfully built with black hair that hung down his back. “Yes, you, Krista. You don't understand now how important you are to us, but you will."

  She swallowed and tried to move out of the second man's arms, but he tightened them around her.

  "She smells ... delicious, Kilgorin."

  "Yes, Anathar, I can smell her."

  Krista's blood turned to ice as fear clawed its way through her. “Who are you?"

  They men shared a laugh before Kilgorin leaned close to her. “It's not who we are, dear Krista. It's what we are."

  "And that would be?"

  "Better saved for later,” Anathar said. “Come, Krista. It's time."

  "Time for what?"

  But they didn't answer her as each took a hand and guided her down a corridor to the back of the house. Krista stumbled, and it was only their hold that kept her from falling on her face.

  "Easy,” Kilgorin whispered. “You did too much, Anathar."

  Anathar grunted. “I gave her enough. She's a strong one, my lord."

  Krista gave tried to yank away from the two giants, but they had iron grips, and she did nothing but hurt herself. Up ahead, she saw light beneath a door. She thought of the mace in her purse and wished she still had it with her.

  "I don't want to go,” she tried to scream, but it only came out as a whisper.

  The giant on her left, Kilgorin, patted her hand. “All will be well, Krista. You'll see."

  As they reached the door, it opened and the two men steered her into the room. All around her were naked bodies rolling around on the floor, their moans and sighs of pleasure filling the large chamber.

  She turned her head to the giant on her right. “Anathar, let me go."

  "That I cannot do.” He smiled, the corners of his yellow eyes crinkling. He had silver hair that hung thick and straight down his back. It wasn't silver like an old man's, but a shiny, vibrant silver.

  Krista blinked. Yellow eyes? No one had yellow eyes. She looked to Kilgorin to find him watching her with the same yellow eyes.

  "What are you going to do to me?"

  "I'm going to make you mine, Krista."

  A scream lodged in her throat when the two men lifted her hands above her head and clasped the manacles around her wrists that hung from the ceiling in the centre of the room. She struggled against the chains when a familiar figure leaned against the doorway.

  Krista glared at the woman. “Candy."

  Her co-worker ran a finger down her naked body between her breasts. “You kept your word. That's a good thing. You really didn't want these two,” she said as she glanced at Kilgorin and Anathar, “roaming the streets of Cardiff looking for you."

  "Why are you doing this?"

  Candy threw back her head, her short blonde locks barely moving. “Once you get a taste of them, you'll understand."

  Krista was tired of people telling her she would understand. She wanted to know now. If only she could shake the fog from her brain and fight, but whatever the two men were doing to her, couldn't be shaken off.

  A hand cupped her breast, and she looked down to find Kilgorin's thumb rubbing over her nipple. “It won't be long now, Krista. Soon, you will know everything."

  She turned her head away to find Anathar's eyes almost glowing.

  Orrin!

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  Chapter Four

  One hour to midnight

  Orrin skidded to a halt on the dark road and braced his head with both hands as Krista's scream echoed in his mind.

  "Orrin?"

  The terror in her voice took the breath from his body. He fell to one knee and squeezed his eyes closed until the pain subsided.

  "Orrin!"

  He looked at Stefan and climbed to his feet. “They have her."

  "Damn. Did she call to you again?"

  "She screamed."

  "Did you see where she is?"

  Orrin smiled. “I did."

  Stefan's answering look would have put the fear of the cosmos in the Weres had they been there to see it. “What are we waiting for? I'm itching to slice off some Were head."

  Orrin had always prided himself on his calm when hunting, but anger coursed through him now burning with a need for revenge that would destroy every Were in his way. “Then let us hunt some Were."

  The two ran down the paved road. Their stamina was twice that of a human's, which allowed them to run longer, faster. With every step Orrin knew their time was running out. The thought of Krista beneath one of the Weres turned his stomach. If they took her, marked her, he would have to kill her.

  The thought made his stomach clench which made him miss a stride and stumble. He righted himself and ignored the look Stefan threw at him. He pushed himself harder, the need to reach Krista pumping through his veins.

  "We'll find her, old friend."

  Orrin hoped Stefan was right, because if he wasn't, killing Krista was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done.

  * * * *
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br />   Krista pulled back when she saw the large knife Kilgorin held in front of her. He caressed her cheek with his other hand as he stared into her eyes. “I've waited for you for so long. You don't know what I've gone through to find you."

  Krista didn't care. All she wanted to do was curl up in her bed and forget the nightmare that surrounded her. “Let me go. Please."

  "Oh, I will release you.” He slid the knife between her breasts so the blade sliced open her shirt. With one jerk of his hand the edge cut through her bra and shirt to the waist of her jeans. “I will most certainly release you. And when I do, you'll thank me."

  She wanted to tell him to go to hell, but he held a very big, very long knife against her flesh. She held her breath as he flicked the tip of the knife at the fabric at her shoulders. Her beautiful red satin shirt and bra fell to the floor, leaving her bared to the room.

  With no heating in the old mansion, her nipples hardened. Kilgorin's irises dilated, and he licked his lips. He cupped her breast and let his thumb circle her nipple. Krista tried to jerk back, but Anathar had come up behind her to hold her still.

  There was no doubt in her mind they planned to rape her. She heard Anathar's voice speaking in a language she didn't understand. Suddenly, all her fear disappeared and her knees buckled.

  "Easy, little one,” Anathar whispered in her ear. “There's no need to fight."

  Kilgorin pinched her nipple. “No, no need to fight, not when we can take away your fear and your pain."

  Krista's head fell back against Anathar's chest as she moaned from Kilgorin's teasing of her nipple. She couldn't understand how they controlled her body. She had not drunk or ate anything since meeting them, so they couldn't have drugged her. She squeezed her legs together as her sex throbbed, and Kilgorin smiled.

  "Ah, you feel the desire, do you not?"

  The pleasure pumping in her veins wasn't the pure lust she had felt with Orrin. What she felt now was ... forced. She wanted to jerk away from the men, to scream and heap curses upon their heads, but her body wouldn't obey her.

  Anathar's hands held her waist, his thumbs rubbing small circles on her skin while Kilgorin continued to thumb her nipples. Behind the black-haired giant, the moans from the couples escalated as their frenzy grew. Krista tried to fight the desire, the hunger rising within her, but the need was too strong.