The Moor coughed into his napkin. Becca turned her head and I knew she was silently laughing. All cat eyes grew huge.
“I give up, what kind of dog would you find in a cave?”
Every shocked eye turned to Ivan. I barely managed to swallow the food in my mouth at his response.
“A bat terrier,” Cecily answered.
Becca started it. A giggle escaped her. A second later, Ivan laughed full out. The cats were next. I shook my head fighting a grin. Cecily smiled at everyone and proceeded to eat. After that, pockets of conversation began around the table and everyone relaxed.
I caught Ivan staring at me.
“What?” I mouthed.
He just shook his head, but he did it with a grin. Rondy elbowed me and I turned my attention from Ivan.
“You want to go exploring after dinner?” he asked in a low whisper.
He would never learn that everyone could hear him. “Sounds great.” As soon as the words left my mouth I could feel Ivan’s heavy glare, but I refused to acknowledge him. I also refused to acknowledge my cat who was screaming no inside my head.
We all pitched in to clear the table, which held mostly heavy-duty paper plates and plastic cups. Only the silverware was real. We hadn’t gotten to most of the boxes marked “kitchen,” but we planned to in the morning.
“What are you waiting for? Last one to the tree line is a ratty Riot.” Rondy took off running.
I stayed even with him, which wasn’t hard. We entered the trees and kept going. It felt good to run, though I’d rather be in cat form. I had a feeling Rondy wanted to talk, so I didn’t bother shifting. The sun was gone, but there was a full moon and it lit up the night. The smell of swamp and wildlife filled the air. It wasn’t unpleasant, just different—fishy and wild. My cat craved a hunt. Chasing mice in the park was no substitute for a real hunt.
Rondy slowed about a mile from the house, but kept running at a steady jog. He stopped at a huge fallen tree and bent double to catch his breath. I was barely winded, but I won’t deny it felt good to stretch my legs.
He finally sat down and I joined him fighting the impulse to move as far away as possible.
“Is this what you want?” he asked.
I gazed out into the swampy terrain and repeated the question inside my head. “I’m not sure.” We both remained quiet for a while.
When Rondy spoke again I could hear the pain in his voice. “Do you want him?”
I knew exactly the “him” he spoke of. “Even if I did it wouldn’t matter.” I turned and looked at Rondy. Tears glistened on his lashes in the moonlight. Hell. “I was never meant for you, Rondy. You’re the brother I lost, the friend I’ve never had. I love you, but not in that way.”
He turned his head and we went back to silence. A few minutes later he took my hand and squeezed it. “I like it here, but I don’t like him. Cecily wants to stay at least for now. Do you want us… me to stay?”
It took everything I had to lean into him and rest my head on his shoulder. For weeks it was the two of us against the world. He brought me through a very rough time. Imagining a day without him hurt, so why did I feel that touching him was wrong? “Don’t leave me, Rondy. You’re my family.”
We stayed on the fallen tree for an hour though I moved a little farther away and breathed easier. We barely spoke because sometimes words just weren’t necessary. We walked slowly back to the house and I allowed it when he took my hand. The growl came from the trees at the opposite edge of the clearing after we stepped out of them. Rondy turned and the crazy boy moved in front of me. The wolf sent him flying. Rondy cried out at the impact and I launched myself on Ivan’s furry back. I had no chance at all in my human form and there was no time to remove my clothing and shift. Screaming shattered the night and I realized it was me.
“You no good motherfucking ass. If you hurt him I’ll kill you.” I slid off his back and tried grabbing one leg, but it was impossible. The Moor saved Rondy and now it was Ivan flying through the air. He came up with his teeth flashing and growling like a lunatic at the vampire. I helped Rondy stand.
“You will control yourself, wolf. If I didn’t know what caused this we would have a new alpha. You will not touch the boy again or I will give you the fight you’ve been looking for.”
Ivan was furious. Saliva dripped from his muzzle, and a chill ran along my skin. What the hell was going on?
Becca placed her arms around me and Rondy and led us into the house. I could smell Rondy’s blood. I wanted to tear off my clothes and go finish what Ivan started. I wanted the damn wolf dead.
“Let’s get him upstairs to my rooms. Everything we need should be there.”
Rondy stumbled and I placed my shoulder under his arm. Becca could pick him up and easily carry him like a baby, but I was glad she didn’t. Rondy needed some dignity. He survived a beastkind attack, but I don’t think he would appreciate the miracle that it was for a human.
We took him into the bathroom and he barely made it to the toilet before losing his dinner.
“Concussion,” whispered Becca.
I turned to her and amber eyes glowed back at me. She was pissed. There was no way it could match the way I felt. I opened a few cabinets and found some small towels. I wet one and bent over him. “I’m sorry, Rondy.”
He looked up at me, a greenish tinge covering his face. “I don’t feel so good.”
I wiped his mouth with the towel. Becca stepped over and lifted him up and sat him on the counter like he was a two-year-old. “You are bleeding and we need to see if it’s bad.” She ripped his shirt down the center and gently pulled it from his arms. His chest looked fine, but when I checked his back, a section of skin was gouged out. It had to hurt and it would leave a scar.
“Rondy, I need you to look at me,” Becca told him.
He looked down because he was taller than she was from his perch on the counter. I could tell he was trying to focus.
“I can help you.” Becca spoke slowly. “A vampire bite will help you heal and make you feel better. Do you trust me, Rondy?”
He turned to me and I nodded my head. “It won’t hurt.”
A slight smile played around his lips. “You mean I get to be a beautiful vampire’s snack?” The words were slurred, but I couldn’t hold back a smile.
Becca smiled too. “Are you flirting with me young man?”
“Will it work?”
Her gaze went to me. “He’s a wily one.” She lifted his arm. “Close your eyes.”
I couldn’t believe he actually did it. His head injury was worse than I thought. I watched her head lower to his wrist and just when her teeth touched him he squinted. The initial bite could burn, but I knew from experience the enzymes in her blood took over in less than a second. Now Rondy opened his eyes and his lips curved up in a huge grin.
“That feels really good.” His speech wasn’t slurred this time.
I knew vampire bites had a different effect on humans than it did on beastkind. If the human wasn’t dying it could help. I think maybe it could help if they were dying, but vampires usually did not interfere in the fate of humans. Rondy’s injuries were not life threatening, at least I didn’t think so.
He passed out cold and slumped forward. Becca caught him and lifted him into her arms. “Where is he sleeping?”
Chapter Thirty
Talya
It took me a moment to answer because I wanted to run downstairs and kill a wolf. “I’m not sure. I think there are mats set up in the rooms on the second floor.” We took the stairs down to the next level. Two rooms had an assortment of mats with three spread out in the smaller room. “Lay him in here. I’ll stay with him tonight,” I told Becca.
“He will be fine. It’s not a good idea that you sleep here. Mase and Treson will care for him.”
Her statement seemed odd, but I was relieved Rondy would be okay and didn’t question her. I would save that for after I finished with Ivan. “I’ll find them and send them up,” I said as
I turned to the door. The Moor blocked my path.
“You will stay in the other room on this floor for the night. Ivan is in his room downstairs and you won’t be… discussing this incident with him until tomorrow.”
Rage simmered and my power swelled. I needed to release it. “I have no plans to discuss anything with him. Only one of us will be alive tomorrow.”
The Moor shook his head. “That is exactly why you shall remain here.” Steel encased those words.
The pull of my alpha was so strong it hurt. “You can’t do that,” I replied through gritted teeth.
A touch of amber flared in his eyes. “Watch me.”
Damn, damn, damn.
His tone changed just a bit when he said, “When is the last time you gifted a vampire with your blood?”
Maybe two months, but I was too angry right now to allow him to do it. I did everything I could to tamp down the explosion about to happen. “I am not ready to receive your gift and I humbly decline.” My ass. The Moor had no idea how much I wanted his face closer to me right now. I would slice his throat with a sharp claw and play in his blood.
“Let me through you big lummox. I will see my boy. You need to thrash the hide off that wolf thing you think you control. If you won’t do it, I will. No one touches my boy.”
The Moor stepped aside as Cecily gave a shove. “Is he okay?” she asked as she dropped to her knees and lifted Rondy’s hand.
I heard her joints pop. Becca pulled one of the mats over and helped her move onto it. “He will be fine. He is very tired, but will awake tomorrow no worse for wear.”
Cecily looped her other hand around my calf and gave it a gentle squeeze. I didn’t hear what she said because at the contact a wave of serenity rolled over me. My shoulders slumped and my power faded. I looked up at The Moor and he nodded his head knowing exactly what happened with her touch.
That didn’t stop him from being an ass. “I have given an order and I expect you to obey. You might not be mine officially, but this is my home and you are my guest. Do not castoff my hospitality.”
The Moor walked out and Becca followed. I turned to Cecily. “He will be okay. I’m sorry this happened.”
“I will take a wooden spoon to that man’s ass the next time I see him.”
I wished I could laugh at the picture that comment elicited, but I was still too upset. I heard steps coming up the stairs. Mase walked in followed by Treson. “We are to stay with him. The women are heading up to settle for the night. There is a bed set up for you Cecily.” He glanced at me briefly. “There is a mat in there for you, Talya. The men and women will sleep separately for a short time.”
My anger climbed back up a notch. “Lacy is your mate. You cannot be separated from her.”
“The Moor has asked me for this favor and I granted it. It won’t be for long. He is giving me and my mate our own room once the house is completed.”
“Come on, dear, show me to my room. Rondy is in good hands.” Cecily lifted her hand and I helped her rise. Tranquility filled me again.
Her room was across the hall a few doors down. I was physically and mentally exhausted and so incredibly tired of the constant battle. If The Moor really wanted peace, he would rid himself of Ivan. I had a feeling I wouldn’t last long enough to challenge the pig.
“Please, momma, please may I sleep with the men?” Jasper begged as they walked up the stairs.
“Go ask your father. If he says yes, come back here and grab a mat.”
“Yippee.” He ran past me to his father’s room.
I couldn’t help a quick smile, but just as instantly it fell. “I will sleep with Cecily. Have a good night,” I said as I grabbed a mat from the women’s room. I couldn’t manage more. The room arrangements were decided without my knowledge and I didn’t know why. Three mats were placed in the men’s room and no one told me this was going on. The women didn’t meet my eyes as I walked out.
Cecily was already in bed. “You may sleep up here, dear. It won’t be the first time,” she said tiredly.
“No, I’m fine.” Truthfully, I didn’t want anyone near me, especially her. Cecily cast a haze over my cat and I needed all parts of my brain thinking clearly right now.
“Goodnight, dear.” She rolled over and wiggled a bit until she was comfortable.
I undressed and stretched out on the lumpy mat. I lay awake staring at the ceiling thinking about everything that happened today. An hour later, I was still frustrated and angry. I fell asleep picturing the look on Ivan’s face when I tore out his jugular.
I groaned and opened my eyes. The sun was just rising. My hand was between my legs and my fingers wet with the evidence of what I was doing. In my sleep. “Oh, Goddess,” I whispered. Thankfully, Cecily’s snores continued. More than what I did in my sleep, it was who I dreamed of doing it with. I pulled my hand away with another groan. Then, I smelled the odor from my fingers. It was strange. I’d smelled my sex before. I rarely got off during my time with the South American cats, but to my mortification it happened. This was different. The sweet scent made me hornier. My fingers ran across my hip and drifted back between my legs.
Oh fuck no.
I jerked my hand away as the puzzle pieces slid into place. It wasn’t possible. This couldn’t be happening. And they knew. The cats and vampires knew I was Ivan’s mate. I wanted to scream. I didn’t even like him and after what he did to Rondy I think I hated him. I sat up and looked at the uncovered window. It was the next day and The Moor’s edict no longer applied.
I wasted no time running down the stairs, through the house, and stopping at the closed door belonging to Ivan. I could smell him and my cat took notice. The son of a bitch knew he was my mate and he said nothing. He kissed me then told me to stay out of his sight. He attacked my friend because Rondy held my hand.
I turned the knob and entered.
Chapter Thirty-One
Ivan
She stood in the doorway smelling of sex. Her sex. I bolted upright. She silently walked in and closed the door behind her.
“What the fuck are you doing, Talya?”
She came closer and her incredible scent intensified. She stopped at the foot of the bed. My pounding heart almost drowned out her whispered words.
“If you so much as lay a finger on my friend again I will kill you. I don’t need a fair fight. You will sleep every night for the rest of your life with one eye open. It might happen while you sleep, or when I drop from a tree and slit your throat, but it will happen. I swear this on everything I believe.”
I inhaled, drawing her scent deep within my lungs. “You’re crazy.”
Her hand went to the bed and she began crawling up. “No. I’m your mate.”
Ah, fuck.
Her scent overwhelmed me and my erection swelled painfully. Her hand came down between my spread legs, two inches from my rock-hard dick. She fucking crawled up the bed with three limbs and made it look sexy as hell. The slight sway of her body caused by her missing arm only added to her allure. And she was coming closer.
I had no patience. I lifted her up and over me until our lips almost touched. “Say no if this isn’t what you want because I’m seconds from claiming what is mine.” It’s all I could manage to say.
She breathed in deeply, gathering my scent. Fuck. My mouth slammed into hers. This wasn’t right. I was never meant to have another mate. Alba. Only Alba. But I couldn’t stop what was happening. I pictured Rondy clasping her hand again. I saw red. I knew it wasn’t rational. Nothing about mating was rational. My wolf was a runaway freight train and wouldn’t quit until it hit a brick wall. That wall was Talya. If I stopped lying to myself it wasn’t just my wolf desperate to claim her. I, the man, wanted the world to know she was mine.
Our teeth clashed. I couldn’t do gentle. I needed her. Needed this. She gave the impression of badass and rock hard, but she was so soft. Her skin like silk. I moved one hand over her shoulder and into her hair. More silk. I pulled her closer, bringing her breas
ts against my chest—our top halves skin to skin. I reached down with my other hand and circled her legs, lifting her so I could kick the sheet from between us. I had her cradled, her ass between my thighs as I continued kissing her. I ran my palm over the bend of her knee, up her thigh, and over her hip. I squeezed the curve of her waist, continuing until I cupped her breast. She didn’t fit my massive hand. She was perfect and so was her sigh that escaped into my mouth.
I ran my tongue over her lips. “Tell me to stop.” I would die if she said the words.
She reached up and grabbed a fistful of my hair. “Don’t stop.” She jerked my head back down.
My little warrior knew what she wanted and I wanted the same thing. I rolled over until every inch of our bodies touched. I had no fear of breaking her with my weight. She was strong and could take whatever I gave.
My erection pressed against her soft belly. I pushed my knees between hers and spread her legs. She had a death grip on my hair, but I pulled my lips a hair’s breadth away. My scalp burned and I fucking loved it. “Hold on tight, kitten.”
I propped myself up slightly and with the other hand, guided my dick to her center. I couldn’t wait, and in one forward thrust her welcoming heat wrapped around me. For maybe a minute I was able to enjoy the feel of her holding me tightly within her body. Then I had to move. I craved the slow glide of velvet against my length. She made small noises that drove me crazy and pushed me to take her fast, deeper… so fucking perfect. Made for me. This dance was as old as time. Her cries grew louder, her release closer, but this wouldn’t do for claiming.
I withdrew, gritting my teeth as she cried out in frustration. I flipped her to her stomach and used my knee to position her legs under her so the top of her thighs touched her belly. My arm circled beneath her chest pressing against her breasts tightly. I moved her hair off her back and over one shoulder. She groaned. I found home again and picked up my wild rhythm.
The mating dance. The dance of beastkind claiming.
Fang Chronicles: Ivan Page 14