Gia nodded. “It can be. Since I don’t have the same gift as a strigori, I have to do things other ways.” She raised a hand, half pointing at him. “There was one wolf, I remember, William. He was a sweet farm boy, completely unprepared for the change. To top it all off, he was bitten by a rogue werewolf and it was . . . violent.” She shook her head, her face sad and her eyes staring off into the past. “I stayed at his house with him for three months. Every night I would sit in a chair beside his bed with a shotgun.”
Sorin’s jaw dropped and he stared at her in horror. “A shotgun? And you think my sire is barbaric?”
Gia raised an eyebrow. “The shotgun was his. I told you, he was a farm boy. He was so terrified that he would change in his sleep and go on a rampage killing his family and all their livestock . . . he could only sleep if I sat by his bed with that gun and promised to shoot him if he went after his loved ones.” She shook her head. “Obviously, that never would have been necessary. As lupa, I am more than capable of guiding someone through the change without losing complete control. I had other pack members on the premises in hiding. If he would have lost control that badly, we would have simply herded him into the forest and kept him there until he changed back. We would never have allowed him to hurt anyone.”
“We would never have allowed him to hurt anyone.”
Her words were a sharp contrast to the horrendous images in his head, the gruesome memories of his sire’s “lessons.” His sire had believed in learning from hideous mistakes--not preventing them.
“And then there was Anna,” Gia continued, laughing softly. “She thought being a werewolf meant no more holiday dinners with her family. She said those occasions were too stressful, she’d never be able to keep control. But I could tell the thought of missing them hurt her.” She rolled her eyes. “I spent a year’s worth of holidays with her Aunt Pestie and seventeen bickering cousins.” She smiled. “It was nice.”
“Wouldn’t it have been safer for Anna to never see her family again?”
The words escaped his mouth before he could stop them. Sorin closed his mouth, but he didn’t try to take the question back. Gia’s approach sounded so different so . . . wonderful. He had to know more.
Gia shook her head. “Being a werewolf doesn’t mean you have to give up your humanity or your life. A true alpha helps her people to balance both lives without letting one take over the other.” She cleared her throat. “You say your sire had the ability to reach into your mind to calm you. It doesn’t sound like he chose to use that ability much.”
Sorin’s mind was still spinning with everything Gia had just said. He responded to her comment without censure. “My sire believed that in order to overcome my sinful behavior I had to fully experience the horror of the consequences, that if he used his ability to calm me it would only help me to excuse the behavior instead of correcting it.”
“If he didn’t use it then, again, how did he help you transition?”
The more he talked about his sire and his methods of teaching, the more Sorin’s emotions roiled inside him. Regret, frustration, and pain stabbed at him from all sides. He’d had the same questions, all those years ago. He’d wondered why his sire didn’t help him, why he chose to torture him instead. Back then he’d had no other choice. If only he’d had a sire like Gia . . .
Suddenly, the pain was too much. Sorin shook himself, calling up a cold anger to freeze away his conflict. It didn’t matter what kind of alpha Gia was, or what kind of sire his master had been. The past was done, he’d chosen his path. And he would not be made to regret it now. It was too late to change it anyway.
“My sire pulled me out of a pack of dogs and reminded me of what it was like to be a man.” As the words flowed from his mouth, he let the ice in his veins leak out with them. Every syllable crystallized into a fine sharp point, all of them aimed for the heat of Gia’s righteous indignation. “When he shared his blood with me, he also gave me the gift of the strigori. I no longer had to rely on death to sustain myself. I could choose life. I could do with a mere thought what others had to do with teeth and violence.”
Gia blinked, slowly. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
Such a foul mouth for such a pretty face. “It means, he shared with me his ability to absorb lifeforce. I no longer—”
“You stopped drinking blood.”
The absolute horror on Gia’s face annoyed him. Clearly she didn’t see what he’d told her as the supreme gift it was. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You’ve been repressing your wolf for all this time and you haven’t even been drinking blood,” she whispered. “What kind of a life have you had?”
Anger flared into a brilliant temper. The ice melted under the sheer molten lava of his fury. “How dare you? My life has been perfectly satisfactory. Not everyone needs blood and gore to enjoy life.”
“Oh, yeah, you’ve got a handle on everything don’t you?” Gia snapped. “I suppose you meant to take my life before? Bathing the floor in my blood was all part of your brilliant civilized plan?”
“I hadn’t taken blood in seven years!” Sorin seethed. His skin seemed ready to catch fire his anger burned so hot in his blood. “You forced your carnage to my mouth and—”
“Wait a minute—seven years? I thought you stopped taking blood when your sire taught you how to be more civilized and suck lifeforce instead?”
Sorin’s stomach dropped out as he realized his mistake. “I—”
“Did some other evil woman force you to—” Gia’s eyes widened. “The rogue werewolf. You killed her didn’t you?” She straightened, her body tensing as if preparing to run. “You weren’t trying to stop her from killing people, you just killed her by accident because your bloodlust got the better of you!”
“NO!” Images of Cossette flared to life in his mind. Gia’s accusation was a knife in the heart that had beat for the woman he loved. He glared at Gia, rising up to tower over her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. I would never have hurt—”
“Yes you would. You denied your beast and your thirst and it got the better of you.” Gia backed away, her eyes never leaving his. “I’m lucky you didn’t eat my face off the first time I forced my blood on you.”
The sharp scent of fear filled the air and Sorin’s nostrils flared. His fangs slid from their sheaths as the delicious aroma curled deep inside his belly. He wavered on his knees, looking at Gia with renewed intensity. The scent grew stronger. Her heartbeat echoed in his ears, each pulse of her blood pulling him closer and closer. Every ounce of his energy went into resisting the urge to pounce on her.
The world grew fuzzy as it narrowed down to the sound of her heartbeat and the scent of her fear. He could practically taste her blood on his tongue, the spice of her panic like sweet ambrosia. His lips pulled back, flashing his fangs. Her breath hitched in her throat and another scent crept into the air. The fear was still there, but under it lay another thicker scent—arousal.
His control cracked.
Chapter 7
Gia held her breath as Sorin’s eyes glazed over and his lips pulled back to reveal sharp fangs glistening in the light. The threat of violence in his eyes urged her pulse ever faster. She thought about their first bloody kiss. Starved for blood, in complete denial of his beast, she’d had no idea at the time how much danger she’d been in. The thought of how that could have ended sent a spike of terror through her heart and washed her body in cold fear. She didn’t fight it, didn’t try to stay calm. Sorin was too deep in denial for words to make a difference. If she was going to help him, she had to make him let go. The smell of fear would appeal to his wolf. The fact that his intensity aroused her beyond reason would help too.
Come to mama.
Sorin leapt. Anticipating his attack, Gia dove to the right, dragging her hand down the cool skin of his side as he flowed past her. As she did so, she pictured her hand going deeper into his body, grabbing hold of his wolf and jerking it from its r
esting place. With her heart pounding in her ears, she tore her own clothes off, the chilly air a welcome relief from the heat of her body’s arousal. A second later she began her own change, welcoming her beast to the forefront.
Amusement titled her head as Sorin crashed to the floor, scrabbling to come to terms with the fact that he had twice as many legs he’d had a second ago. She watched him from her vantage point on the edge of the bed, pausing for him to regain his balance before raising her muzzle and releasing a long smooth howl. The sound flowed down her throat and past her lips, an expression of freedom that burned away her stress. Without waiting for his reaction, she bounded off the bed and out the door.
Adrenaline poured through her system as she ran through the halls, leaping over furniture and bounding around corners. She bolted down the stairs, the sound of Sorin’s claws on the ground behind her sending a thrill of excitement down her spine. His hunger for blood, Aphrodite’s lustful touch, and the invigorating scent of her fear would bring his wolf howling to the forefront. It would be interesting to see what happened when he caught her.
They hit the main floor and she dashed toward the door. Grigore’s mouth opened in surprise, but his shock didn’t slow his movements. He opened the door a second before Gia got there, giving her a little befuddled wave as she vaulted over the threshold, Sorin in hot pursuit.
The cool night air brought a myriad of scents to taunt Gia’s nose. With a bark of delight, she bounded off into the trees surrounding Sorin’s mansion. Leaves and dry sticks crunched under her paws, the sounds of nature like music to her ears. The scent of fresh earth refreshed her spirit and she leapt and dodged and howled in pure joy.
Behind her, she heard Sorin crashing through the brush like a wounded bear. As long as he refused to give his beast its head, he would never catch her. His wolf knew how to run full speed through the forest without getting caught by every branch and stump that seemed to come out of nowhere, but his human self didn’t. It was a lesson every werewolf had to learn, one he’d clearly forgotten after death. She had plenty of time to enjoy the run while he tried to catch up.
A new scent tickled her nose. Before she could fully drag her mind away from Sorin’s pursuit, the bushes to her left rattled and a man leapt in front of her. Shock and dismay vibrated through her body as she found herself face to face with one of her brethren, his eyes already golden with the gaze of his beast.
Panic seized her as her body reacted to his presence. Aphrodite’s magic curled through her muscles, turning them to liquid as her body cracked and reformed underneath them. As long as she was subject of the Hunt, any male of her kind could force her through the change.
She screamed as she fought the change. She couldn’t let it happen, couldn’t let anyone else have a say over her body. Everything else had slipped from her control, but her form was hers to command. The feel of her human skin being bared to the night air made her cry out in rage. She snarled at the man in front of her.
“Marco,” Gia hissed, struggling to stand. She would not speak with him on her knees. “Get away from me.”
He didn’t say anything, didn’t even seem to hear her. Wet heat flared to life between her legs as he approached, the moonlight glinting off his naked body as he stalked toward her. Against her will, her gaze traveled down his flesh, taking in the hard tanned ridges of his stomach before falling on the hard length of his cock, standing straight and ready. Gia clenched her teeth and pressed her thighs together, trying to smother the aching need that begged her to lie down and spread her legs for him.
“I am your lupa,” she choked, cursing her voice for its weakness. “Get—”
His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist and jerking her body to his. She cried out at his hot flesh burned her body, the thick length of him trapped between them. He lowered his face, brushing his mouth over her ear and gently nipping her earlobe. A strangled gasp escaped her throat as his hand slid between her legs, testing the wetness he found there.
“You don’t want me to leave,” he growled into her ear.
A white blur came out of nowhere, crashing into Marco and ripping him away from Gia. She shrieked in a combination of frustration and relief as Sorin snapped his jaws in Marco’s face, growling and barking like a rabid dog. Marco hissed as Sorin’s claws dug into his flesh, his face contorting into a mask of fury.
“You’ve changed form, you’re disqualified,” he growled.
“Changing to wolf form would only disqualify him if it happened before we had sex,” Gia spoke up, her voice sounding strained even to her own ears. A few minutes ago she’d been an alpha female training a new wolf, a situation that gave her all the power. Now all of a sudden, she was standing there naked as her mind fought with her body’s desperate urge to mate. Her brain was having a hard time shifting gears.
Marco narrowed his eyes, his muscles flexing as he looked up into the Sorin’s wolfish face.
“He’s already had you?”
Gia nodded, not trusting her voice any more than she had to.
Marco growled. “It doesn’t matter. The full moon isn’t over yet, I can still win you.” Gia gasped as his muscles bunched and he hurled Sorin off of him. Sorin yelped as his body hit the trunk of a tree and her stomach clenched in fear. “You must take human form to fight. Or have you no strength left for the change?”
Gia’s heart nearly stopped in her chest. If Sorin couldn’t fight back his beast enough to retake human form, he would be disqualified. With the hormones soaking her body, she would never be able to resist Marco’s advances.
Aphrodite help him.
Her prayer wafted through her mind just as Sorin fixed his eyes on Marco. She held her breath, repeating her prayer over and over as Sorin’s body went rigid. She could practically feel his concentration reverberating in the air. He may not have the control over his beast that he desired, but in this case he and his beast wanted the same thing. Would that be enough for his wolf to give up its form?
Minutes ticked by and nothing happened. Marco lifted his head and howled, turning back to Gia as the last eerie note faded into the night.
“It seems I have no challenger,” he said softly.
Gia shook her head and moved into a fighting stance, her legs slightly bent and her arms loose at her sides. “Oh, you have a challenger all right.” She fought to keep her voice steady. “I won’t have my mate decided for me, Marco.”
Marco shook his head. “You always have to do things the hard way. None of this would have been necessary if you hadn’t chosen such a pathetic wolf for a mate in the first place.”
Anger flared hot in Gia’s mind. “Don’t talk about him like that.”
Seemingly oblivious to her anger, Marco took a step toward her. Her body clenched, wetness dripping down her parted thighs. She wanted to scream in frustration, unable to put her legs together to dull the needy ache while still maintaining a defensive stance. Fury colored her vision and she glared at Marco. To her frustration he just smiled.
“I know you want me to touch you,” he said softly. “You’ll say yes before I take you.”
Helpless and angry beyond sanity, Gia fought not to cry as Marco took another step.
“Your next step will be your last.”
Nothing in her entire life had sounded as sweet as the sound of Sorin’s voice in that moment. The tears escaped her eyes, but now they were tears of relief. She and Marco both turned to find Sorin standing in front of the tree, the pale skin of his human form glowing in the moonlight. In the darkness of the trees with only the moon shining down on him, he seemed as white as the fur of his wolf form. Such a dramatic contrast to Marco and his tanned skin. He stared at Marco with the single-mindedness of a true predator watching its prey.
She turned back to Marco, the hairs on her skin rising as anger and the threat of violence crackled in the air between the two men. She held her breath as a flash of confusion furrowed Marco’s eyebrows. A moment later his eyes widened and Gia knew he’d recognized Sorin.
/>
“You . . . you’re a vampire.” He jerked his head around to stare at Gia. “That’s not—”
Sorin bolted through the air like an arrow fired from a crossbow. One minute Marco was staring at her in shock and the next, Sorin was standing behind him, he hands locking on the other man’s head and arm as he slid his fangs into his neck. Marco’s body stiffened and Gia’s heart thudded with painful intensity as the scent of his sudden fear laced the air. She knew his dilemma all too well. Any struggle on his part would only do more damage, shredding his neck on the vampire’s fangs. If he was going to fight Sorin off, he had to get him to let go first.
Gia watched in horrified fascination as Marco groped behind him for Sorin’s throat. Sorin tucked himself tight against the other man’s back, making himself as small a target as possible and keeping vulnerable spots out of reach. He wasn’t wasting an iota of the advantage Marco’s shock had given him. Her breath hitched as the sharp scent of copper filled the air.
Aphrodite's Hunt Page 9