She screamed her pleasure just as Sorin’s rhythm faltered. He pulled his fangs from her neck and roared his own climax, thrusting his hips as the orgasm wracked his body. Wave after wave of pleasure crashed over them until finally they both collapsed to the floor in a boneless pile of satisfaction
Weak from her release, Gia didn’t fight when Sorin threw an arm around her waist, leaning in to nuzzle her face. Her beast took advantage of her momentary weakness and she found herself nuzzling him back, twisting in his arms so she could tuck herself into his body. A small spurt of guilt crawled into her belly, but she didn’t pull away. Something about the embrace felt too warm and . . . safe. She closed her eyes and sighed.
His heart pounded beneath her ear, stronger and louder than it had been before. She smiled. With all the blood he’d had, she wouldn’t have been surprised if it beat right out of his chest. After all—
Her eyes flew open as horror fell on her like a bucket of ice water. Blood. He’d taken blood again. Again. He’d almost killed her once, she’d told him no more blood. He hadn’t listened. He’d taken it anyway.
His easy embrace no longer seemed friendly or affectionate. Now his arms were iron bars, holding her captive for when his hunger rose again. Somehow Aphrodite’s Hunt had so overpowered her body with lust that even the fear of losing her life hadn’t been enough to help her break the spell of desire she felt for Sorin. He’d obviously sensed it somehow—was using her libido to defeat her. How much blood would he take from her? Had almost killing her been an accident? Or was her death inconsequential to him? She struggled to swallow past the lump in her throat. He could have killed her just now—and she would’ve enjoyed it.
Survival instinct gathered like a growing storm in her breast. The will to live, the desire to get away built and built. Her muscles tensed until her body nearly vibrated with the energy of it. Sorin relaxed against her, seemingly oblivious to her panic. Gathering her courage, she focused on her wolf form. She pictured her beast inside her, its head and ears lowering in response to her fear. With one deep breath, she drew her strength together—and shoved.
Sorin’s breath whooshed out as her hands collided with his chest, pushing him away as she used his body for a springboard to launch herself backward away from him. She rolled with the momentum, easily freeing herself from his body as his arms flailed in confusion. On her next breath she opened herself to her beast.
The wolf howled as it dove down the tunnel of her body and exploded from her skin. The adrenaline pouring through her system ate the pain, spinning her mind with vertigo so that she had to pause to regain her bearings. Fear kept her heart pounding a rapid beat, but she held her goal clearly in her mind. She had to get out. She could find somewhere else to hide--somewhere safer.
The fur on the back of her neck twitched with the tension singing from her body. The world screamed with scents and sounds. Blood and sex assaulted her senses, but she refused to focus on them. She shot forward, plunging into the vibrant world in a mad dash to escape. She didn’t bother to look back at Sorin. There was no time.
A bloodcurdling cry sounded behind her. The sound reached into her ears and nearly ripped out her nerves, touching something deep inside her that froze her in her tracks. Something about that sound erased escape from her mind, pulled her around to see what had happened. It was a cry for help.
Scrabbling to a halt, Gia chanced a look behind her, her heart nearly exploding from her chest wall as she fought the urge to run. The vampire was kneeling on the floor, his body twisting and his hands scrabbling at his skin as if he was in agony. Her eyes twitched as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. It seemed like her brain didn’t want to see it, didn’t want to realize what was happening. Unfortunately, as an alpha, it was only a matter of time before her instincts revealed the truth.
Sorin was changing. Shocked into immobility, Gia just stared. It was a rough change, characteristic of a new wolf. Sorin screamed and thrashed about, his limbs shrinking and his bones cracking as they reformed. He rolled over, flailing his arms in the air as his muscles struggled to reorder themselves to the new form. His torn shirt easily gave way, but it took him a moment to fight free of the pants that tried to cling to his lower half. It seemed to take forever, every moment a shared agony as her mind filled in the blanks. She’d been through that first change, had helped others through it. She knew the pain and the fear. Empathic relief washed over her as Sorin finally collapsed to the ground in full wolf form.
At first she was too shocked to react. Sorin was a vampire—he couldn’t be a werewolf. The dead could not be given the gift of transformation. And yet, what she’d just witnessed wasn’t a vampire trick. She’d seen vampires that could change shape and there was no confusing that chicanery with the shift of a true werewolf. She shook her head, tilting it to the side as she looked again.
His fur was a brilliant white. It seemed strange to her for some reason. She’d expected black fur, something sinister and imposing. Instead, Sorin could have hidden in a drift of pure snow with only his green eyes giving him away. He was . . . beautiful.
She waited for him to stand, too curious to leave. Despite his earlier violent domination, her wolf saw no threat in this new wolf. A wolf who struggled through a change like that needed help, care, and protection. That was not the shift of an experienced werewolf. She took a few steps toward him, sniffing the air. What was he?
The minutes dragged on and Sorin didn’t move. Instinct took over. As lupa, it was her job to protect new wolves, to help them through the change. What she’d just seen told her more than words could that Sorin needed help. Shedding her wolfskin and retaking her human form, she paused only for a second to let the dizzying sensation pass.
“I’ve never seen a werewolf change from human to wolf and back so quickly. You are very impressive, Gia.”
Grigore’s voice startled her, but she didn’t take her eyes off Sorin. Dropping down to her knees, she put her hands on his body, seeking a pulse. She found none. Her own pulse raced faster as her wolf’s protective instincts flared even stronger.
“Do not worry yourself, Gia. The sun is rising, he is merely asleep.”
Gia pulled back from Sorin and turned to stare at Grigore. A million thoughts fought for a place in her mind, each one more confusing than the last. Emotions began to bubble beneath the layer of shock. Confusion, frustration, and anger all warred for dominance. The only thing that seemed a certainty anymore was that her perfect plan had gone all to hell.
Pop!
“What the fuck is going on?” she screeched. She pointed at wolf-Sorin’s body. “What the fuck is that?”
“I appreciate how confusing this must—”
She shot to her feet and pointed a finger at Grigore, the digit trembling as she fought to control her temper. “Do not patronize me, little fey. I want to know what the fuck is going on.”
Grigore shook his head. “I’m sorry, Gia. That is not my story to tell. If you want your answers, you will have to wait until Sorin wakes at sunset.”
It took more energy than she liked to admit not to retake her wolf form and eat the brownie where he stood. Her body and her mind had been through more today than any sane person should have to endure in an entire lifetime—the last thing she needed was a tight-lipped dwarf refusing to bring some semblance of order to the chaos her life had become. She dragged in a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down before speaking.
Control, Gia, she reminded herself. Stay in control.
“Grigore,” she started slowly, proud when her voice came out in a normal tone. “I appreciate that you are loyal to your master. I respect that.”
“Thank you, Gia.”
“But this is a very serious matter. I came here believing Sorin to be a vampire and now it seems as though that information is,” she fought not to swear, “incomplete. There are things I can’t explain to you right now, but please believe me when I say that it’s of the utmost importance that you tell me right now
, what is going on with Sorin.”
“If it were up to me, Gia, I would gladly tell you,” Grigore said patiently, “but it is not. You must wait for Sorin to wake and ask him.”
“No, actually, I don’t.”
Confused, angry, and incredibly frustrated, Gia whirled toward the door. She didn’t need this shit. She’d come here to dodge a mating bullet, so to speak, not to dive in front of one. It was bad enough she’d succumbed to her physical attraction to Sorin, but now that she’d seen his wolf form, their sex had become an entirely different problem.
He’s not a werewolf, he can’t be. Sex with him didn’t make him my mate. Just because he can take a wolf’s form . . .
In that particular moment, Gia was more than certain Aphrodite was laughing at her. She’d tried to cheat the goddess’ hunt and now her chaotic world had been torn inside out, upside-down, and sideways. She shook her head, trying to shake off her rising panic. I have to get out of here.
She almost ran to the door leading from the dining room to the rest of the house, but something made her stop before she made it through the doorway. Her beast ran in circles inside her, fighting with itself. A lupa did not leave a new wolf, not when he obviously needed guidance. Her hand tensed on the doorknob as she fought the urge to turn and look back at Sorin.
“Grigore?” she called out, forcing the words past clenched teeth.
“Yes?”
“Would it be a betrayal of your master to tell me if he has ever changed form before?”
“I can tell you that in the eight years I have been here, I have never seen him in a form other than what you met when you first arrived here.”
That’s not possible. She forced herself to think back on the change she’d witnessed. As lupa of her pack, there was no way she could mistake a change like that for anything other than a first shift. But that couldn’t be true. A vampire could not be made into a werewolf—the dead were immune to such things. He would have had to be a werewolf before death, in which case he would have been a werewolf for the past eight years and could not possibly have gone that long without changing form. She closed her eyes, trying not to scream in frustration.
“You seemed conflicted, Gia, and rightly so. If I may make one small observation?”
“Anything to get you talking,” Gia muttered, putting her hands to her temples as a raging headache erupted behind her skull.
“You are alpha, lupa of your pack. As I understand it, it is your duty to help new wolves adjust to their circumstances.”
I don’t like where this is going. “Your point?”
“You cannot tell me you don’t feel the need to help him.”
“He isn’t a werewolf! He’s not my kin, I can’t help him, nor is it my job to help him.”
Grigore just stared at her with that infuriatingly calm expression she’d already grown to associate with him. “So walk out the door.”
Gia’s hand tightened on the knob, desperately willing her body to walk through the doorway. Just a one step would get her out of this room. Just. One. Step.
Chapter 6
Four white furry legs greeted Sorin’s eyes as he woke for the night. Startled, he struggled to sit up and find the source of the strange limbs. The sound of claws on cotton tickled his ears, sending a tremor of concern down his spine. His eyes crossed as he noticed a snout protruding from his face. One or two seconds of shock held him frozen in place before the full realization of what had happened dawned on him.
The world around him blurred as he shot to his feet—all four of them. He spun around, panic preventing any coherent thoughts from forming as fear twisted his stomach into knots. Images of blood and death, internal organs spilling from stomachs ripped open by sharp teeth filled his head, chasing him in circles until his entire body trembled. A high whimpering sound filled the air around him and he panicked even more when he realized it was coming from his own throat.
“Shhhhhh. Calm yourself, Sorin.”
A soft feminine voice flowed over him, soothing his frazzled nerves. The tone held confidence and kindness, emotions that broadcasted the message that everything would be all right. He stood still, his body still shaking with confused terror. He was a wolf. A wolf, not a man. What happened? He swallowed hard, the taste of blood making his stomach roll. What had the wolf done?
His gaze found Gia’s face and he stared into her eyes. Calm golden orbs looked back at him and bit by bit his heart started to slow. After a few minutes, his heart rate had become something close to normal.
He whimpered and took a step toward Gia. The sensation of walking on four legs pricked at his nerves and a wave of hysteria threatened to break over him. He stared harder into Gia’s eyes, desperate to escape the panic eating him alive. Her golden eyes offered warmth and peace. Staring into her face filled him with a soft soothing energy. He didn’t know how she was doing it, calming him just by being there, just by looking at him--and he didn’t care. Bit by bit, the panic receded.
He crept closer, his heart singing as she reached out a hand to smooth his fur. She stroked him over and over and every pass of her hand on his back calmed him a little more. She raised her hands to his face and he closed his eyes as she smoothed her hands down his muzzle, past his cheeks, and down his neck.
Ripples flowed over his body. He stretched forward, a warm wet sensation passing over him as if he were diving into a warm pond. As he moved, he felt Gia’s hands sliding down his back and everywhere her hands went, the warm feeling followed. The world swam on peaceful waves around him. When he finally opened his eyes again, pale flesh met his gaze. He stared at his skin.
“I am me again.” His voice sounded dazed even to his own ears. Behind the layer of calm Gia had laid over him, a terrible panic swarmed like a cloud of angry bees. Images of fur danced in front of his eyes and a cold terror held his heart in its icy grip.
The demon had escaped. Somehow it had destroyed the prison inside his mind where he’d locked it away all these years. It was free again and he knew with every fiber of his being that it would not take long for the bodies to start piling up. He could almost smell the decaying flesh now . . .
No! Not again, never again. He steeled himself against his fear and tried to remember what he’d been doing before the monster had gotten the better of him. Carnal images of Gia’s naked body as he bent her over the table flooded his mind, taunting him with smooth sloping skin and soft curves. Blood filled his cock as sensory images tickled his flesh, reminding him of the pleasure. His fangs ached as he remembered sinking them into the smooth flesh of her thigh, then her neck. She tasted like Heaven . . .
“No more blood.”
Gia’s voice echoed in his mind, dispersing the cloud of arousal and filling him with fear once again. He’d ignored her plea, refused to control his desire. He’d sunk his fangs into her neck, uncaring for her safety and interested only in the thick red sustenance under her skin. She’d tried to escape and . . .
Realization struck like lightening. Horror spiraled up higher and higher until it consumed his mind. Sorin raised his eyes to Gia’s face. It was her. The demon wanted her and when she’d tried to leave, it had torn its way through his flesh to stop her. She was in danger. Macabre images from the past pressed against the mental barriers that held them back. He didn’t want to remember. He didn’t want to relive it. He didn’t want it to happen again . . .
“I know you’re trying to work through some things right now,” Gia began softly. “But if you want me to help you, we need to clear a few things up.”
“The demon wants you,” Sorin whispered. “You have to leave.” Even now he could feel the foul beast prowling inside of him, looking for a chance to escape. No longer a shadow, it now resembled a ghost. Brilliant white fur and bright green eyes stared out at him from a face filled with satisfaction. The wolf was free and he knew with certainty it wouldn’t be banished again without a fight.
Gia’s face hardened and her golden eyes flashed with defiance. “I’m not
going anywhere. We have a deal and I’ve more than held up my end.”
Panic trembled over his skin, his nerves dancing in the wind of fear. “Gia, I will make it up to you, but you do not understand. You are in danger, I—”
“You’re a werewolf. I know. What I don’t know, is how?”
The calm expression on her face and her refusal to run like a sane woman should only made it harder to control himself. He wanted to scream, to wave his arms and drive her from his home—away from the danger she would be in if she stayed.
Aphrodite's Hunt Page 7