Hazim extended a hand, his talons long and ready to strike.
Lazar tried to push off the ground, but his shoulder refused to cooperate. He fell back and awaited his death, his only concern Sabrina and if the enemy would find her.
Hazim was within kill range, and Lazar exhaled slowly, prepared to meet his end. Suddenly, Hazim jerked back, his eyes wide. A long arrow stuck out from his neck. Lazar blinked and looked again. Yep. An arrow was there. Hazim held it, his hands coated in his own blood. He stared in shock at something past Lazar.
Glancing back, Lazar found Sabrina there, holding a compound bow. She already had another arrow nocked and ready to fly. She seemed like she more than knew what she was doing with the weapon. She also appeared calm. Too calm.
“Will one kill him?” she asked of Lazar, never taking her gaze from Hazim.
Lazar struggled to stand. “Brina?”
“Will he die or not?” she demanded.
“No. If one were to go through his heart as well, then yes, but—”
She sent an arrow directly into Hazim’s heart. She grabbed another and prepared it. She aimed to the side, and Lazar thought it was at him.
“If you take one more step near him, I’ll put this between your eyes,” she said, speaking to someone else.
Lazar turned to find Ennae there, close enough to kill him. Ennae snarled at Sabrina. “Wench, we will kill him, and then we will spend endless weeks sating ourselves with your battered and broken body. He’s a traitor to his people—to his king. We’ll not show him or his bitch any mercy.”
Lazar’s attention went to Sabrina. Mavux was there, sneaking up behind her, his talons extended. He opened his mouth to shout a warning to her. She fired the arrow at Ennae, hitting his heart the first shot out. Twisting around fast, she used the bow itself as a weapon to deflect Mavux’s coming blow.
With a roar, Lazar came up and off the ground. Blood dripped freely from his wounds, but he didn’t care. He charged forward, throwing himself at Mavux, knocking the warrior far from Sabrina. He landed on top of him and allowed his talons to emerge once more. He went at the man’s throat, removing it cleanly and efficiently. It was a wound no bird shifter could heal.
Something touched his good shoulder lightly. He tensed, and as Sabrina’s scent filled his head, he relaxed, looking back at her.
Her brown eyes were moist. “You’re bleeding really badly. What can I do? I’m guessing a hospital is out of the question.” She stared around the scene, at what was left from the battle. Her eyes glassed over a moment as she focused on Gardelle’s lifeless body. It was then he knew she was in shock.
He waited for signs she feared him. None came. He pushed to his feet and swayed. Sabrina came to him quickly, trying to assist in keeping him upright. Her body pressed to his, and he gasped, his cock unconcerned with how injured he was. It only cared about having her close.
She stared up at him, her tiny hands going to his neck and jaw. “Gardelle is…” She teared up. “He’s not moving. I can’t do it. I can’t look. I can’t know…”
He knew Gardelle was seriously wounded but still alive. His sensitive hearing picked up the faintest sounds of a heartbeat. What he wasn’t sure of was if Yosim was still near or if he’d fled to alert the others of Lazar’s location. “Sabrina, the other—the last of the winged men. Did you see where he went?”
She nodded, the tears breaking free from her. “He went up, high in the sky, that way.” She pointed towards the portal.
Lazar closed his eyes a second. “I have to get you to safety. He’ll return with others—too many for me to protect you against.”
“We can’t leave Gardelle,” she said, crying harder. “Please, Lazar.”
As she pushed tighter against him, his resolve crumbled. He found himself giving in to her when he knew better. It wasn’t safe to remain. Still, he couldn’t deny her.
“Go inside. I will retrieve Gardelle. We’ll need to cleanse his wounds. If any soil or dirt from your realm managed to find its way into them, he’ll not be able to heal.”
“He’s not dead?”
“No, but the risk to him is great. Can you do as I ask?”
She nodded. “I’ll gather supplies. Can you lift him? You’re hurt and—”
He dipped his head, his lips finding hers. The kiss was chaste but still moved him. He panted and pulled back. “I will be fine. Go.”
Chapter Ten
Sabrina sat at Gardelle’s bedside. He’d not so much as moved since Lazar had carried him in and assisted in cleaning his wounds. Her throat was tight as she held her uncle’s hand. So much had been thrown at her at once that she wasn’t sure if she’d gone mad or not. One second her uncle’s handsome friend was stopping by, and the next, everyone but her seemed to have wings and a death wish.
A loud thump from the adjoining bathroom caught her attention. She went quickly to it and rapped lightly on the door. “Lazar?”
He didn’t answer, and something deep inside her told her he wasn’t as fine as he’d pretended to be. Turning the handle, she opened the door.
“Lazar,” she repeated, wanting to afford him privacy but wishing to help if need be as well. She pushed the door open more and peeked her head in.
Lazar’s muscular form was on the floor, half in and half out of the garden tub. She hardly noticed he was naked. All she noticed was the large gaping wound on his upper back, near his shoulder. Muscle and bone were exposed. In addition, dirt and mud was smeared in it as well. She wasted no time as she ran to his side and bent, assuring his face wasn’t under the line of water in the tub.
He came to, slightly dazed. “Hmm?”
She smoothed his hair back from his face. “Your back… You’re hurt. Bad. It’s full of dirt.”
His eyelids fluttered closed, and she tapped his cheeks lightly.
“Lazar.”
He looked at her.
“Either you find a way to help me get you into that tub, or so help me God I’ll call Lisa for help. I’m not going to let you die to protect your secret.”
She tugged on him, and he rose enough to slide into the tub. The thing had been designed for Gardelle, so it was enormous. Lazar instantly sank under, and Sabrina reacted, climbing in after him, standing over him and positioning him so he was reclined against the back, his head out of the water.
It took a second for her to realize she was straddling a naked man’s waist, her dress hiked high. The only thing between the two of them was her now-soaked panties.
Strong hands clamped down on her hips, locking her in place. Gasping, she looked to find Lazar’s eyes open and his gaze hungry. Color stained her face as his cock lengthened, hardening beneath her.
His breathing was labored, and she wasn’t sure if it was from what was happening between them or if it was from how injured he was.
Maybe even both.
“You’re hurt,” she managed. For some strange reason, she leaned, putting her face even closer to his.
His lips took hold of hers, and she squirmed on his lap. His tongue darted into her mouth, and she moaned, her entire body tightening in response. As much as her body and even her mind wanted to give herself to this man—she knew it wasn’t right. He was hurt. He needed to heal.
Sabrina tore her mouth free of his and panted. “We need to get your wounds clean too.”
He tried to kiss her again, but she put her hand over his mouth, stopping him. Amusement lit his dark eyes.
“First I help fix you and then you can fuck me.” She snapped her lips shut, her eyes wide. “I mean…umm.”
Lazar smiled against her palm. He pulled her hand from his mouth. “Too late. A promise is a promise.”
A tiny laugh bubbled up from her. “You’re in no condition to be doing anything, so cut that randy look off your face, buddy. Let’s get you cleaned up and then you need to rest too.”
“I will be fine, Sabrina,” he said, looking hungrily at her lips.
She traced the edges of his jaw with he
r fingers. “I take it you’ve been stubborn since birth too, huh? Is it a guy-with-wings thing?”
He watched her closely. “You were to remain in the basement. You do not listen well, little mouse.”
She exhaled slowly. “I went there. Then I freaked out about the two of you alone against all those men.”
He ran his hand to the back of her hair and pulled the tie from it. “So you decided to arm yourself and save us?”
“Yes and no,” she admitted. “I just thought I’d slow them down a little, but mostly I wasn’t thinking too clearly. I was worried something would happen to you.”
Lazar caressed her neck. “I will live.”
“Good,” she whispered, and kissed his lips tenderly.
He grinned. “The bow?”
She bit at her lower lip. “Is Gardelle’s.”
“He taught you to shoot it?” Lazar asked, surprise evident in his voice.
“Oh no,” she said. “He’s always had a strict no-touching-of-his-weapons-collection rule. Someone else taught me.”
Lazar stiffened beneath her. “Latravis?”
She considered lying to him, but decided against it. He’d been through enough already. “Yes.”
Silence thickened the air between them.
“Never thought I’d use any of the skills I learned. Never thought my uncle had wings either.” She took a moment. “Wait a minute? Do I have wings too?”
Lazar’s smile widened. “No. But, before you ask, Gardelle is your biological uncle. You are the daughter of his half-sister. She did not possess the ability to shift forms either.”
“And my father?” she questioned. “Was he like you and Gardelle?”
“Yes, though more like me than Gardelle. He was a Falco Peregrinus, not a Buteo Regalis.”
“Oh.” She inclined her head. “Okay, I don’t know what that means.”
His thumb eased over her lower lip. “One is a falcon and the other a royal hawk.”
As she concentrated on what he was saying, her jaw dropped. “You shift into a falcon?”
“Yes.”
“And Gardelle can shift into a hawk?”
He nodded.
She kissed the pad of his thumb without thought and put her hands up to about the size of a falcon. “But how do you get so small?”
Lazar’s deep laugh seemed to wrap around her. “Sabrina, we do not end up the size of the falcons and hawks who inhabit the human realm. We are much, much bigger. Some of us are able to minimize our shifted form for short lengths, but it requires a great deal of power and concentration to hold a form anything close to as small as the birds here.”
“Does it hurt?” she asked. “When you turn into a bird?”
“No. Denying a shift or going for long periods without permitting one’s wings to emerge causes discomfort.”
Sabrina made a move to stand, but Lazar held her to him. “I need to clean your back and shoulder. And I don’t think I should press my luck by sitting on your lap much longer.”
“Afraid I will ravish you?”
“Kind of hopeful you will, and that is freaking me out more than the birdman thing.”
He kissed the tips of his fingers and pressed them to her lips gently. “Then I will control myself until you are ready to accept all of me.”
She tensed.
“Sabrina.”
“Y-yes?”
“You will accept all of me very soon,” he said evenly.
She licked her lips. “I know.”
“Good girl,” he said drawing her closer to him. His lips found hers once more, and his kiss was just as explosive as before. She tried to pull free, but he refused to allow her. She was actually glad.
Opening her mouth, she surrendered, giving him greater access to her. His tongue caressed hers, easing around it just right to make her inner thighs tighten. She wanted even more than he was offering. She took hold of the sides of his face and deepened the level of their kiss. Lazar’s arms shot out. Grabbing the tub, Lazar tensed, his entire body flexed under her. She kept going, kept making love to his mouth with hers.
He pushed up, his hips grinding against hers. His erection struck her mound, hitting it in a spot that left her moaning into his mouth. She sucked on his tongue, and he thrust upward, holding himself there, his cock jerking.
Sabrina stilled, her lips against his. She knew he’d ejaculated, and the knowledge her kiss had brought him to it gave her a profound sense of satisfaction. She pulled herself from his mouth and kissed the tip of his nose. “I’m thinking I need to change into dry clothes and you need fresh bathwater before we clean that wound on your back.”
Lazar stared up at her, heaving. He swallowed hard and nodded.
Fear that he regretted what had happened washed over her. She averted her eyes and stood quickly. Lazar rose too, and she thought he’d fall. Water streamed off his body, and she couldn’t help but look down. His cock was huge. Her eyes widened at the sight of it.
Lazar touched her chin, lifting her gaze to his face. He dipped his head and pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “Hurry back, Sabrina.”
She grinned. “Promise not to pass out while I’m gone. I don’t want to come back and find you’ve drowned.”
He winked. “I promise.”
* * * *
Lazar woke to find Sabrina tucked safely against his body. He remembered her returning to the bathroom and assisting in cleaning his back and then her leading him to a guest bedroom, but nothing beyond that. As much as he’d wanted to deny it, his wound had been grave and had taken all of his strength to begin to heal.
Sabrina’s breathing was light, barely there, as she slept. Her lithe frame fit snugly against him. His arm was over her hip and his hand splayed across her abdomen. He had never actually spent an entire night with one woman in his hundreds of years, and he most certainly had never awoken with one—cuddling.
As repulsed as he’d have thought he’d have been by the idea, he found he enjoyed it greatly. Though he suspected it had something to do with which female was in the bed with him.
Sabrina.
In her own right, she was a warrior. She’d saved both his and Gardelle’s lives by taking a stance and taking out a Falco warrior. She’d also refused to back down and run. She’d remained, tending to them both, never showing weakness. He knew she was worried about both him and Gardelle. He could sense it on her.
He brushed the hair from her shoulder and planted a tiny kiss to her exposed, creamy flesh. His cock showed signs of life, and he willed it down. He’d not take her just yet. He’d give her the time she required before he claimed what was rightfully his.
In addition, he needed to assure she was safe before he dared to mark her as his own. Already the enemy would seek to harm her in order to get at him—if she was his wife, his mate, the torture she would endure would be indescribable.
Lazar eased himself from the bed, careful not to wake her. His pants were clean and laying across the back of a chair at the foot of the bed. He wondered how long she’d stayed up handling everything after he’d succumbed to the healing sleep.
He reached for the pants, and something skimmed his back lightly. He twisted to find Sabrina there, looking at him. “You’re going to leave without saying goodbye, aren’t you?”
He stared at her for the longest time. “I was going to leave to avoid ravishing you. You deserve better than me. More than I can give you.”
She ran her hand down his back and then up again. “It’s healed.”
He nodded. “Thanks to you.”
“Lazar?” she asked, her voice soft and sweet.
He wanted to kiss her. “Yes?”
“Stay.”
“Sabrina.”
She shocked him by pulling her nightgown off and tossing it aside. She was left sitting there in nothing more than thin panties. Her breasts called to him, making need slam through his aching body. There was no denying her.
His body burned for her. He closed the distance between
them. With manly pride he tugged her to him and dipped his head, taking possession of her mouth. She didn’t fight him. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
His body was sore, but he didn’t care. He had his mate in his arms. Their tongues met, and he lifted her, walking her to the bed. The time had come. He would wait no more.
Excitement moved through Sabrina as Lazar laid her out on the bed. He stepped back and removed his pants. She’d seen him naked both in the tub and in her dreams and already had a very good idea of what he’d feel like in her. She didn’t want to confess to him that she’d never allowed another to this point. Somehow, deep down, she knew Lazar would find a way to deny her pleasure once more, and Sabrina was having none of that. Come hell or high water, man meat was going to be with her if she had to clunk him over the head and take advantage of him to do it.
She relaxed as he skimmed his hands over her stomach to the top of her panties. Tugging them down her legs, he offered a seductive look before tossing her panties aside and focusing on her sex. He pushed her legs open wide. Cool air skated over her sex, and her first instinct was to close her legs. Lazar was having none of that. He shook his finger at her with a sexy-as-sin grin upon his handsome face. Dipping his head, he exhaled, his lips found her clit, and she cried out the minute his tongue slid over the swollen bud. Pleasure trickled throughout her lower region. She felt wanton and wild. Exactly like he’d made her feel in her dreams.
She moaned as his gifted tongue worked its magik on her cunt. She’d never felt so free, so liberated. She loved it. Loved the sensations he was providing her. Tipping her head, Sabrina dug her fingers into the sheets, tugging at them as her body tightened around Lazar. The pleasure danced up her inner thighs at first before slinking its way to her midriff. It focused there. Heat building. Pressure mounting. She thought she’d burst. Pulling harder at the sheets, she moaned and writhed beneath him, wiggling to the point he practically pinned her with his arms.
Shifter Fated Mates: Boxed Set Page 15