Bloodright

by Karin Tabke

  “You cannot force me to love you,” Falon stated and realized as she said the words, Talia was right. This, whatever this was, was bigger than her.

  “Love?” Lucien scoffed. “Love has no place in what we are to become, Falon.”

  “Then what? I am simply a tool for repeated revenge?”

  He unwound his long arms and stalked toward her. Lucien Mondragon was many things, but one thing he was not was unattractive. His dark sensuality aside, he moved with the controlled stealth of a predator. He did not have to prove to any man or beast that he was in charge; it was understood. “Oh, no, you are much more than that. You are half Lycan with immeasurable power.” He stopped a foot away from her. He reached out a hand to her cheek and traced his index finger along the high curve, then down to her jawline. Falon steeled herself. His touch was not violent, nor, she swallowed, was it unpleasant. In another place, in another time, while she may not love him or trust him, she could want him. “Despite the tragic events that forced us together, I have chosen you above all other females, human and Lycan, to bear my children. It will drive my brother mad when he sees your belly ripe with my child.”

  Falon slapped his hand away. “Do you think, Lucien, that I would allow that to happen just so that you can torture Rafael?”

  “Rafael’s torture is simply an added benefit. You, my love, are the real prize.”

  Lightning quick, he cupped his big hand around the back of her head and pulled her to him. He lowered his lips to hover above hers. “You will come to me willing, Falon. You will beg me to take you. You will beg me not to stop. You will scream my name, not my brother’s, when you come.”

  Falon shook her head, refusing to see herself as the wanton he foretold. “I despise you.”

  “Really?” He pulled her hard against his chest. His eyes glittering passionately, his nostrils flared as a small twitch of a smile twisted his full lips. He sniffed the air. “Your heart may belong to my brother, but—” His free hand swept down her back to the rise of her bottom, then between them to her belly, to the smooth rise of her mons. Her body jerked against his when he slid a finger along her slick seam.

  “There will be no space between us, Falon.” He slid his finger into her. Her muscles gripped him. “No secrets,” he breathed, pressing deeper into her.

  Falon’s breath hitched as her body caught fire. He cupped her warmth. Her lips parted and she felt the pull of him.

  His eyes flared in triumph. “No shame.”

  She licked her dry lips, forcing her heart to slow its erratic beat and her skin to cool. Falon didn’t trust her human body. Their blood bond was too strong. Stronger now since he had saved her life. And her human will too weak to fight it. She shifted. As she hit the floor on all fours, she turned snarling at him.

  Lucien threw his head back and laughed, then shifted himself. Falon leapt onto the bed. Lucien leapt up after her. The mattress dipped with his weight as his big wolf body pushed her against the headboard. Falon snarled and bit his snout, drawing blood. He growled and snapped back at her though he did not break the skin as she had.

  As a wolf, her honed senses were at their apex. So were Lucien’s. His nostrils flared, smelling her fear. And her excitement.

  His long tongue lapped the side of her face, followed by a nuzzling wet nose. Falon whimpered. Her wolf recognized his dominance even if her human did not. He nipped at her neck, growling low. His hips pressed against her flanks. Placing a big paw on her back, holding her immobile, he licked her face. She wasn’t going anywhere. If she bolted, he would hunt her down. Wear her down until she surrendered to him. What she refused to admit was that she wanted to surrender.

  Panic rumbled along her spine. The she-wolf in Falon drove her now. Her tail swept up and away from her flanks. Her heady scent swirled between them. Lucien growled possessively and nipped her neck again, but this time, the sting of pain as his teeth sunk into the thick fur protecting her vital vein did not frighten her. No, his bite provoked an already heightened sexual awareness. Falon closed her eyes, wishing with everything she possessed that her she-wolf didn’t respond the way it did to his alpha. But nature would not be denied. His teeth sunk deeper into her fur, holding her immobile.

  Keeping his big paw on her back, Lucien growled low, releasing his bite. He sniffed her face, then her neck where his mark drew blood. He licked it away, the deep lapping of his tongue an unnerving combination of highly charged sensuality and a soothing cadence that lulled her into a sublime sense of tranquillity. His nose sniffed along her back, along her flanks. Falon stood rigid, her muscles so tight they trembled. He moved his big body into her, pushing her down to a prone position on the big bed. Falon didn’t move, barely breathed, not wanting to incite his wolf. He could shred her to pieces in a heartbeat. He was twice her size, and more powerful. She had more of a chance against him in her human form, but felt more sexually vulnerable to him in that state. As a wolf, she could blame her weakness on the primal part of her. As a human, she would have to face the reality of her human behavior.

  Lucien nudged her to her side. Falon rolled onto her back, submitting to his dominance. She closed her eyes, barring her teeth as his nose sniffed down her soft vulnerable belly to her—His tongue slid along her underbelly. Falon growled, snapping at the air, not in anger but in sexual aggression. The beast had taken over, and try as she may to fight it, she could not quell its primal nature.

  Tense, panting, and wanting him to mount her more than she would admit, Falon waited. His nose sniffed her sex. His warm breath rushed against her. He placed a big paw on her belly staying her. He didn’t have to. She was supine and submissive. And she hated herself for it.

  When his tongue lapped against her sensitive female spot, Falon snarled. Snapping at the air, she struggled for control. He licked her again. She whimpered. When he licked her again, she growled low, the sound more like a purr, her paws digging at the air. Humiliation shivered through her. How could she submit so easily to him? Had she no pride? No honor? No self-control? Sex with Lucien, no matter how much her primal self desired it, would be the ultimate betrayal to Rafa.

  Falon shifted, and nearly died when Lucien’s wolf tongue lapped between her human thighs. Her entire body shook with outrageous pleasure. The eroticism of the sensation was overridden only by its taboo connotations. Rafa had been a bold, lusty lover, but never so shameless as Lucien was now. Her body flamed in embarrassment at her shameless response. He licked her again. Longer. Deeper. Salaciously. “Lucien!” she gasped, fighting the wrongness and the wantonness of what he did to her.

  He raised his head and snarled. She pushed away from him, but his big paws dug into her thighs, immobilizing her. Falon looked down her belly, past the smooth swell of her mons to his blazing golden eyes. His brilliant white fangs glittered dangerously. He looked every bit the big bad wolf of every little girl’s nightmares.

  But at that moment, Falon realized Lucien despised the situation as much as she. Even though he accepted her as his true mate, she was not his choice. She had been thrust upon him, and he had taken her, and while he had done it only to piss Rafael off, at the end of each day, he was stuck with her. And he resented her for it.

  And she couldn’t blame him for that. It stung her more than she cared to admit that she was nothing more to this complex alpha than a means to torture his brother.

  Lucien snarled and dropped his head, flattening his ears. His resentment fueled his lust to breed. Because though he may resent her, Falon was certain, he would not throw away an opportunity to continue his line.

  Not understanding what drove her, Falon reached out a compassionate hand to him. “Lucien—”

  He snarled and bit her. Falon screamed, jerking her hand away. Lucien shifted to human and pushed her thighs farther apart. Falon moved to sit up, to hurt him as he had just hurt her. But he licked a long, bawdy swath from her anus to her clit, then caught the sensitive hooded core of her between his lips.

  The contact was electrifying. E
xplosions went off in her head, short-circuiting her denial. He licked her again, his thick, warm tongue driving deeply between her swollen folds. “God, Lucien, stop,” she begged, pushing back into the damp sheets. She meant it as a command, but her body was not nearly as adamant.

  To her amazement he stopped. Panting heavily, she looked down her belly to his glittering gold eyes between her trembling thighs. His sensuous lips glistened with her moistness. Catching her breath, Falon bit her bottom lip. One thing she could never deny about Lucien Mondragon: sensuality oozed off him in wild erotic waves. He was carnally driven and capable of wicked things. Very wicked things she knew if she succumbed to would rule her.

  His lips twisted into a knowing smile. He rose up on all fours and climbed above her. The length of his heavy cock dragged across her thigh. He was blistering hot. She held her breath, causing her breasts to rise and scrape against his hot skin. They both hissed at the contact.

  “Give yourself to me, Falon,” Lucien said huskily. “I can make you forget Rafa ever existed.”

  Rafa.

  She choked back a sob, squeezing her eyes shut when he did not return her call.

  Rafa! Do not forsake me now!

  “He will not answer you, Falon.”

  Her eyes flashed open, meeting Lucien’s burnished ones. “How did you know I called to him?”

  “We share blood. I have heard your desperate calls to him in your sleep. He will not answer.”

  Terrified to ask but forcing herself to, she asked, “Is he—hurt?”

  Lucien shook his head; his eyes glittered like polished gold. “He is well and seeks another mate.”

  Falon shoved Lucien from her and rolled to the edge of the bed. “A lie!”

  Shaking violently, she hugged herself, wishing Lucien lied, but knowing in her gut Rafael had no choice but to seek another mate. His love for her would never die, but for his pack, he would take another mate. And she could not stomach it.

  “I lie only to my enemies.”

  “I am on top of that list!”

  Lucien smiled wickedly. “Would it make it easier for you if I said I hated you? That the only reason I wanted you was to hurt my brother?”

  “I know what is in your heart, Lucien. I know you resent me and despise your brother. I know that you would lie, cheat, and steal to hurt him. You would do the same to me!”

  “You underestimate my affection for you, Falon.”

  “Your only affection is for yourself!”

  Lucien’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Regardless, Rafe has no choice but to move on, and so he has. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you will understand your destiny is here.”

  Rafa! Please, answer me!

  Desperately, Falon waited for him to answer, to tell her he would be there, that he would never desert her.

  Her heart cracked and crumbled as the long minutes dragged by. But Rafael did not respond. She could not even feel his presence. It was as if he did not exist. How could he reject her so easily? So thoroughly?

  Raking her fingers through her hair, Falon stood on shaky legs and faced Lucien, who lay on his side, not the faintest hint of modesty anywhere near him. Or a care given to the fact her heart was breaking for the hundredth time that day. Lucien was callous, insensitive, and just plain mean. And a liar!

  “How long have I been here?”

  “Five days.”

  “Five days!” She swallowed hard. “Has—has Rafael even asked about me?”

  Lucien shook his head. “In exchange for your life, he vowed he would not interfere.”

  Her world went black. Falon grabbed ahold of a thick wooden bedpost to steady herself, not wanting to believe it. He sacrificed their love so that she could live? Live to lay with his brother? How could he? Falon rubbed her forehead against the bedpost. He could because he loved her that much. Because he was honorable. Because unlike her, Rafael would honor the Blood Law to his dying breath. It made accepting Lucien that much harder.

  Cold emptiness filled her. She was beaten. Without Rafael, she had no reason to live. Slowly she drew herself up and looked at Lucien. “Release me and I will give you anything you ask for.”

  Lucien rose up on an elbow and smiled wickedly, not caring that her heart was in a million pieces. “I have everything I want.”

  Falon shook her head. “I will not submit to you!”

  “You just did.”

  “I cannot control that beast. It recognizes you as the dominant one, but know that if you force yourself on me as a wolf, it will be only because I cannot control nature. My human does not recognize you as anything but exactly what you are: a man forced upon me!”

  He moved swiftly from the bed and stood beside her. He wiped the drop of blood on his chin where she had nipped his wolf. He pressed the bloody finger to her lips and smeared it across her bottom lip. “I was not forced on you any more than you were forced on me! We both, of our own accord, agreed to the council’s verdict! Stop this. What is done is done. By bloodright you belong to me now. I protect what is mine.”

  “I belong to Rafael even if he chooses another.”

  He yanked her hard against his chest, his straining erection thrust high between them. “He swore on your life he would walk away. You are nothing but a memory to him now! He prepares to go north as we speak to meet the northern packs. From there he will choose a mate.”

  “No! He loves me!” He will fight for me!

  Rafael! Lucien bitterly called to his brother. Tell her!

  Falon stilled. Rafa?

  Falon, Rafael’s deep voice reverberated in her mind, the Blood Law has been avenged, it cannot be undone.

  I would not have agreed had I known!

  There was no choice, it is our law. For your life, I swore to release you, Falon. You belong to Lucien now.

  You should have let me die!

  I could not live if you had died.

  Rafa! Don’t leave me.

  Good-bye, Falon.

  Lucien cupped the back of her head in his big palm and sneered, “Do you want me to prove to you right now who you belong to?”

  Anger flared through her despair. “You would not dare!”

  “I would dare the devil if it meant proving to you I keep what is mine!”

  Falon licked her dry lips. “Forcing me will prove nothing.”

  “It will prove that despite your feelings for my brother, your body recognizes me as your mate.” He lowered his lips to hers. “And that is enough for me.”

  “It isn’t for me,” she said breathlessly, turning her face so that he could not kiss her.

  He threw his head back and laughed at her. Then released her and stepped away. “Where is the fiery she-wolf who fought me tooth and nail?”

  “She is with her true mate.”

  Lucien snarled and grabbed her to him again. “I am your true mate!” He shook her. “You chose me when you agreed to abide by the council’s decision.”

  “You will never have my heart or my soul!”

  “I can live without your heart and your soul. I don’t have to love you to fuck you.” He ran a hand down her back to her bottom and dug his fingers into her skin. “But your body I will have. And you will freely give it to me.”

  “Or else you will bully it from me!”

  He laughed softly and whispered against her ear. “The only thing I will bully from you, angel face, is that denial of yours that keeps getting in the way.”

  “Don’t call me that!”

  He licked the shell of her ear. “I’m going to fuck you before I leave this room.” Shivers shimmered down her back straight to her nipples. “And you’re going to come for me.”

  Terrified that she would if she did not do something drastic, Falon closed her eyes and as she had the first time he threatened her at his brother’s compound the previous month, she gathered what strength she had now and mentally thrust him from her with enough power that he flew across the room and crashed into the armoire.

  He was up in
the blink of her eyes and lunged at her. She thrust her hands toward him again, but he kept coming. His eyes glittered furiously as he grabbed her hands, crushing her fingers.

  Falon screamed in pain. He lifted her and tossed her onto the bed. He followed, covering her with his big body. Molten gold, his eyes blazed furiously. She had pushed him too far. He snarled and shoved her thighs apart with his knee, digging his fingers into her hair as his hips pressed her thighs into the mattress. His wide cock head pressed against the tender flesh of her inner thigh.

  “Say you accept me,” Lucien said roughly.

  “I will never accept you!”

  His lips dropped to a hard nipple and sucked. Falon screamed, masking the cry of pleasure that swept through her. Dear God, why did her body yearn for his when her heart cried out for another?

  “Say, it.” Shaking her head, afraid her body would force her to admit what it wanted, Falon scratched his arms, his shoulders. She dug her nails into his back. He snarled again. But instead of returning the favor, his lips took hers in a brutal kiss. Falon flailed. She shook her head trying to unlock her lips from his, but his big hands kept her head steady. Her only weapon was her nails. She shredded his back to bloody ribbons. His blood scent wafted around them. His kiss deepened, forcing a response from her.

  Falon’s head swam with sensory overload. Fear and fury swept with the force of a category five tornado within her.

  The wide head of his cock pressed against her slick lips. Tearing her lips from his, Falon gasped for air. He clasped her head tighter and kissed her again. Her head reeled with conflicting emotions. His kiss deepened. His tongue slid in and around her mouth in a languorous swirl, coaxing her to taste him.

  She bit his tongue. He growled but did not release her as she expected. The warm coppery taste of his blood flooded her senses. Like a shot of adrenaline, as if she needed it, bloodlust infused her. Her lips stopped fighting; her bloody hands clasped his head. She pulled him tighter to her, licking his wound, savoring the taste of him, drawing more of his blood into her. It infused her with power. She opened her eyes to his penetrating gold ones staring at her. “I accept you,” she moaned and bit him again as a ravenous hunger for him overtook her.