The scent of wolf spiked. Sorin’s eyes flew open just in time to see Gia complete her transformation and bound out the door. A growl trickled from his lips as he his beast followed her lead. With hunger and arousal riding him to the ground, Sorin only had a fraction of a second to fear the change. After years of viewing it as a sign of weakness—a lapse in his crucial self-control—it was strange to let it happen so willingly.
Bones cracked and reformed, muscles swirled and tightened. Pain and pleasure mixed together in a heady cocktail that left him shaking. When his fur finally rolled over the last inches of pale flesh, a surge of adrenaline burned like fire through his blood. It felt . . . amazing.
The world exploded into sensations. The blood that had frightened him like a child in darkness only a short time ago pricked his nose and sent shivers of hunger through his body. His legs trembled with the need to run and he gave in, bolting out the door after Gia.
Her scent pulled him through the mansion, driving him to run faster and faster. The front door was already wide open and he caught Grigore giving him a little smile as he leapt over the threshold into the night. A howl in the distance floated to him like music on the wind and he bounded into the trees to find the delicate throat making the beautiful sound.
A flash of grey and white fur through the leaves caught his eye and he dove around the trunk of a giant oak to catch it. Gia yipped as his paw caught her hindquarter, just enough to startle her. She pivoted around as he landed beside her, her tail swaying side to side as she welcomed him.
For a few minutes, the world became a dream. They danced around the trees, leaping into the air and playfully wrestling in the leaves. The world seemed smaller, more familiar. He didn’t think about the people that may be out there, the souls who lived in the town not far from his home. None of that mattered, not now. All that mattered was this: him, Gia, and the full moon shining above them.
He moved with her as if they’d known each other all their lives. Her scent, her sounds, it all touched a part of him he’d forgotten. A part that remembered what it was like to be part of a pack, to belong to a whole instead of living as a severed limb, cut off from the rest. Joy blossomed inside him and just for a moment, he let the warm emotion into his heart.
Gia’s ears pricked up and she froze in the middle of throwing a paw around his neck. Sorin held still, his senses on high alert for what had captured her attention, his body tensing in preparation to fight or flee. His nose twitched and his head shot up. Deer.
The musky scent made his teeth ache with a hunger he hadn’t felt in decades. Thoughts of thick blood flowing just under soft brown fur filled his mind and tickled his stomach. Instinct took over. He didn’t have to look at Gia to know she was of the same mind. Trying to stay upwind, he and Gia moved as one, creeping closer toward the scent. After a few minutes, he spotted their prey.
A buck stood drinking at a small stream. Its deadly antlers looked sharp and threatening in the moonlight shining through the trees. Instinct flashed a warning in Sorin’s head. This was not easy prey. Those antlers could gut a wolf, given a clear shot. Disappointment began to cloud his joy when a familiar scent caught his attention. He sniffed the air to confirm it. Dried blood. His joy made a full comeback. The deer was injured.
He turned his head to see if Gia had smelled it too. Before he could see her reaction, the deer moved. His attention jerked back to his intended prey just in time to see its backside jerk down as it stumbled and the scent of blood exploded in the air. Sorin’s mouth watered as his gaze locked on the injury marring the deer’s left hind leg. It had ripped open the wound when it moved and a tiny trickled of blood oozed out of the cut.
Gia shifted beside him. They both tensed in preparation for their attack and then sprang forward in an explosion of activity.
The deer snorted in pain as Sorin’s jaws closed on the wound near its rump, worrying it with his teeth to get a better grip. It reared up to pivot around, its antlers gleaming sharp and dangerous as they turned to Sorin. He kept his mouth shut tight, seeing out of the corner of his eye as Gia leapt into the air, her jaws snapping closed on its throat. Blood filled the air with its decadent perfume as they both held on for dear life, not wanting to give their prey the chance to aim its antlers at their bodies.
The deer tried to whirl around, tried to buck them off, but with its injured leg it didn’t have the support. It screamed, using its front legs to drag its body forward. Gia stumbled and one of its hooves kicked her in the stomach. Her grip loosened just enough for the deer to pull its throat free.
Gia rolled out of the way before its hooves could finish their downward stomp on her body. Sorin’s teeth dragged bloody furrows through the deer’s hindquarters as it surged forward again. Gia circled in front of the deer, growling and snapping her jaws, looking for another chance to go for its throat. The deer stumbled, weakened by blood loss. After a few moments, it collapsed to the ground. Gia took advantage of its position to dart closer, locking her jaws around its throat once again. The deer struggled for another minute, trying to move forward away from the jaws tearing at its flesh. Moments later, it fell to the ground and lay still.
Sorin stood there over their kill, his heart pounding. It had been a long time since he’d hunted an animal for blood. He’d done it often in the first years after his death, still missing the thrill of the hunt he’d experienced so often as a werewolf, but it hadn’t taken his sire long to beat that instinct out of him. Gentlemen did not lick at dead animals.
A stab of nostalgia pierced his gut as he tore into the deer’s flesh. With his wolf in control, and the euphoria of the hunt so fresh, his dismal memories couldn’t pull him from the moment. For now, he was as he had once been. Happy.
He didn’t bother to swallow the meat, there was no need and it would only upset his system. Instead, he lapped at the warm blood, enjoying the taste of a fresh kill. He tore deeper and deeper, burying his nose in the carcass until he’d had his fill. Gia ate beside him, tearing off chunks and swallowing them whole.
As the blood filled his belly, Sorin’s mind began to wander. What would it be like if he accepted Gia’s offer, if he accepted her help? Fighting the beast nearly to its death had been so hard. His muscles tensed at the thought, a deep weariness following in its wake. He’d stopped drinking blood, stopped taking more energy than he needed to survive--all so his beast wouldn’t have the strength to fight anymore. The beast had receded until he couldn’t feel it anymore. He’d nearly forgotten it. But the man had suffered too. He was so tired of barely existing.
If only he could take her offer . . .
They ate in companionable silence until neither could eat any more. Gia stood from the carcass and licked his face, cleaning him of most of the blood. He responded in kind, affectionately cleaning her face as she snuffled his ear. She gave him a playful nip and then bolted into the forest. He gave a joyful bark and followed her, chasing her through the trees. A peaceful happiness settled in his heart as he ran after her, chasing her through the perfume of the forest.
Too full to run for long, she slowed at the next decent sized clearing and he watched with a touch of awe as she retook her human form. The sight of her lying on the grass in all her naked glory sent adrenaline singing through his veins and brought on his own change. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world when his fur rolled back to reveal his human flesh, his bones and muscles shifting and reforming to make him human once again. He crawled to her on human hands and knees, desire flooding his body until his cock stood thick and heavy between his legs. Gia’s eyes darkened as she rolled onto her back, pulling his head down for a kiss.
Their mouths met in a gentle brushing of lips. Her skin felt so soft, her breath so sweet as it mingled with his own. She tasted of blood and arousal, a combination that made his head spin, driving him to deepen the kiss. She opened willingly to him, moaning as his tongue slid into her mouth.
Her hands rose to thread her fingers in his hair, massaging his sc
alp until waves of peace radiated down his body. He pushed his arms underneath her on either side of her body and held her against him as he rolled over so she lay on top of him. She rose up, her heavy lidded eyes looking down at him with desire burning in their golden depths. He raised his hands to cup her breasts, lifting their weight in his palms before rolling her nipples between his fingers. She gasped and closed her eyes. When he pushed himself up to take one tight bud in his mouth she cried out, urging him on.
He eased himself up until she straddled his waist, licking and biting at her breast all the while. She clutched his head, keeping him from pulling away as he moved his mouth to the other breast and repeated his ministrations.
Suddenly she shifted back and his cock brushed her entrance. The feel of her wetness already leaking from her body nearly undid him and he gave an involuntary thrust of his hips. Gia gasped, her body frantically moving back and forth, struggling to impale herself on the rigid flesh that had teased her. He growled and grabbed her hips, guiding her until his cock slid inside her.
They both hissed as her silken walls tightened around him. He laid down on the grass and she began to ride him, his eyes hungrily traveling over her body as she moved up and down. Her breasts bounced as she impaled herself over and over on his cock, sending bone numbing ripples through his body with every thrust. Her fingers dug into his chest, and he gripped her thighs, helping her move. Pleasure rolled over him in wave after wave, spinning his mind until nothing in the world existed beyond the sensation of her pussy squeezing his cock, coaxing him closer and closer to the shining edge of orgasm.
His gaze locked on her face and their eyes met. She was so beautiful. There was no fight for dominance now, no edge of anger or fear. For the first time since they’d met, they both opened themselves to the emotions pouring between them. He could see warmth in her eyes, feel acceptance in her body. This time she was giving herself to him—and he intended to take it all.
When her orgasm hit, her entire body tensed around him. She gasped, her pussy spasming around his cock until it triggered his own orgasm. He tried to keep his eyes open, wanting to watch the pleasure dance across her face. She writhed on top of him, beautiful in her abandon. It was a glorious sight to see.
Finally the last wave rolled past. He pulled himself free of her body, hissing as her muscles clenched one more time before releasing him and sending little sparks of pleasure over his flesh. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her against his chest as he rolled to the side, spooning her body. He was still floating on the aftermath, when Gia’s voice pierced the fog.
“This night has been wonderful,” she said softly. “Definitely the best of the three.”
The feeling of peace shattered around him, slicing his flesh with the slivers of reality. This was the third night—the final night. Gia would be gone when he awoke tomorrow evening. A sick feeling weighed in his stomach and he had to swallow twice before he could speak.
“It won’t be the same here when you leave.” His voice sounded strangled even to his own ears and he struggled to maintain his composure. There didn’t seem to be a way to put his feelings into words without reducing himself to a lovesick schoolboy. “I’ve grown quite accustomed to your presence,” he finished lamely.
Gia turned over in his arms so that she lay facing him. She raised one hand to caress his cheek and Sorin couldn’t help but lean into the warmth of her palm. They stared into one another’s eyes and the world around him faded away.
There was an entire world in her gaze. It was a world of sex and blood, but also of tender kisses and joyful laughter. The sense of peace he felt in her arms was unmatched by anything he’d ever experienced. He pressed his forehead to hers, enjoying the feeling while he could. It would all be over tomorrow.
“Come with me.”
His body froze even as his mind spun like a pinwheel in the wind. Traitorous hope rose inside him even as sadness pulled at his soul.
“Come with you? What do you mean?”
She smiled at him and he had to wonder at the change in her. The hard lines in her face had vanished, leaving no trace of the tempestuous emotions that had warred inside her since she’d arrived. Her eyes held no anger or defiance, her body held no tension or pain. She seemed . . . happy. A similar feeling echoed inside him as his wolf rubbed against the inside of his body. It made the reality of their situation all the harder to bear.
“I want you to come back with me, join my pack.”
She nuzzled his face and he closed his eyes briefly, savoring the affection in the gesture even as it broke his heart.
“I want you to be my mate.”
His eyes flew open and he jerked back to look her in the eyes. His wolf barked inside him as if rushing to accept her offer. It’s enthusiasm shocked him, as did the fact that he could feel it so clearly. Unfortunately, the part of him that wasn’t a werewolf, the part that held the cold of the grave, looked at the situation through cold and calculating eyes. That part of him saw the way she smiled, still the picture of serenity, and saw it for the delusion it was.
“I am a vukodlak, not a werewolf. Your pack would never accept me.”
His cold tone did nothing to dull the sparkle in her eyes.
“They will accept you.”
His wolf barked again, making its desire to accept the offer clear. He steeled himself against the beast, disturbed by the strength of its feelings. A warm feeling of possession and hope tried to wrap its arms around him, pulling him toward Gia. He shook his head, trying to shake off the confusing emotions. They had no value, no purpose. They would only complicate matters and make what had to be done more difficult. He steeled his heart against his wolf’s straining hopes, closing it off as he had for the last seven years.
“You cannot know that. You think we will return to your pack and they will accept me, when we both know that presented with a half-werewolf half-vampire, your pack will only see a vampire. They will certainly not accept me as the mate of their lupa.”
She smoothed a hand down his cheek, seemingly unconcerned by his protests. “There is something else bothering you.”
Her unflappable calm set off warning bells in his head. The woman he had met three nights ago had seemed to practical, so cutthroat. The smiling female staring up at him with infatuation in her eyes was a completely different person. He stared hard into her face as if he could see what had given her this sudden unshakable peace.
“Gia, I cannot deny that I care very deeply for you. You seem a like a strong woman, and I admire the help you have tried to offer me. You are clearly a lupa who takes your responsibilities as alpha seriously and I admire you for that.” He laughed, saddened by the bitterness in the sound. “I care for you more than I ever thought possible. But you’re describing a fairy tale life.”
The smile didn’t leave her face and Sorin shook his head, desperate to shake off the stubborn flame of hope burning inside him in the face of that smile. “Gia, even if your pack accepted me, you have to know that love is not a dream. There are no guarantees, no assurances of a happily ever after.”
Images of Cossette danced like ghosts behind his eyes. Her eyes had held the same conviction as Gia’s. From the time she’d discovered what he was she’d accepted him, claimed to understand him and love him unconditionally. His doubts and reservations had fallen one by one, felled by the strength of her hope. Pain burned in his chest as he remembered how good it had felt to give in. She’d been so sure of their love, so sure of a happy future together.
It had ended in blood and death. His stomach rolled, upsetting the peace radiating from his wolf. Cossette had finally found out what he truly was, and it had destroyed her. He gave her exactly what she wanted and in one night her love had turned to hatred and their dream to a nightmare. He couldn’t bear for it to end that way with Gia. Determined to make her understand, he gripped her face in his hands.
“You think you know who and what I am. You think that you . . . care for me.” He swallowed hard pa
st the lump forming in his throat. “I cannot deny that part of me wants to come with you. I want the dream I see in your eyes.” He shook his head slowly. “It just will not work. I have not yet made peace with the beast inside me, you cannot expect me to find such peace with you.”
“Oh, you foolish man,” Gia laughed softly. “Have a little faith. My pack will help you find the peace you need with your beast. And as for us, we’ve come as close to a guarantee that one can ask for. A gift from the goddess of love herself.”
His confusion took on an edge of dread. Her total acceptance and the almost drugged quality of the peace in her voice turned sinister. Of all the stories he’d ever heard about the gods intervening in human lives, very few of them ever seemed to go well. He leaned back to search Gia’s face for some clue to what she was talking about. “Who is this goddess you speak of and what has she to do with us?”
Gia entwined her legs with his, but even the delicious sensation of her skin rubbing against his couldn’t erase the crawling fingers of suspicion that were tickling his spine.
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