by Karin Tabke
ANGER, FEAR, FRUSTRATION, and, damn it, longing swirled with the force of a category-five tornado in Falon’s heart. Rafael Vulkasin was a stubborn, blind man! There was a reason she was here. A reason he had chosen her, marked her, and resisted his brother’s right to destroy her. He had saved her life twice, maybe three times. She meant something to him, damn it. Maybe not enough to defy his law, but enough for him to hesitate.
And what did he mean to her? In the time she had been aware of Rafael, she’d witnessed him kill a man who was hell-bent on kidnapping her. Had been as intimate with him as a man and woman could be. Had been thrust in the middle of a crazy primitive blood feud. Her belly roiled nervously. If she were honest with herself, she could admit he meant something. There was more than just their physical reaction to each other. As strong as that was, Falon knew Rafael held answers to who she was. She was as certain of it as she was the sun would rise each morning. In Rafael’s presence, her powers came alive. New powers emerged, powers she had not known she possessed. With him she wasn’t afraid of them. Inexplicably, with him she felt part of a whole, like she had some purpose. Why, what, or how, she didn’t know. It didn’t matter. It just was. She didn’t contemplate the details. She was going with her instinct. Too many times she had ignored it and gotten into trouble. It was time to trust herself. But first, if she didn’t eat, she’d be easy pickings for Lucien.
She strode to the door and yanked on the knob, expecting it to be locked. It opened easily. Food scents hit her broadside. Falon’s mouth watered. She could not remember the last time she had eaten.
She could not go downstairs dressed like she was, though. Quickly she ransacked Rafael’s dresser and closet. She pulled on a pair of black flannel pajama pants that fit over her cast, and a blue fitted button-up shirt. She slipped out of the room, ever alert for that big gold wolf and Lucien.
A myriad of scents infiltrated her nose. Rafael’s familiar one, and Lucien’s dark angry one, mixed with the food scents and other people scents from below. Hunger drove her down the long stairway and into the great room. About half a dozen people milled about; some she recognized from her encounter with Lucien last night. All conversation stopped. She stood unsure of what, if anything, to say to them. They met her stare evenly, then turned away. Fine, she wasn’t looking for friends either. She was hungry, and once she ate her fill, she’d disappear. Her nostrils twitched, and she followed the food scent.
Just off the great room she entered a large, warm, natural stone kitchen with state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances. She didn’t stop to admire all of the amenities; she went for the stove where a large pot simmered. She glanced around. Not a soul stirred. Hunger drove her forward. She lifted the lid of the pot and sniffed. Whatever it was, it smelled heavenly.
Falon rustled through the carved oak cupboards for a bowl and the drawers for a spoon. With each in hand, she dipped the bowl into the brew and was about to take a spoonful when she sensed a presence.
Guiltily she turned around to find two women staring at her. “I was hungry.”
“That soup is for the elders,” a small pretty brunette with brown eyes said.
Falon’s belly rumbled, demanding sustenance. She poured the soup back into the pot. “Sorry.” She looked longingly at the pot. “I haven’t eaten in days.”
The brunette stepped past Falon. She pulled out a large bowl from the cupboard and ladled out enough soup to feed three people. She set it on the counter next to Falon and motioned to the other woman, a petite redhead, to come help her. Together they lifted the heavy pot from the stove and walked past her and out of the kitchen.
Falon grabbed the bowl, and just as she scooped up a mouthful, she heard screams, then a thud, then cries. She set her bowl down and ran toward the commotion. The two women stood frantically swiping the hot liquid from their arms and chest. Falon hurried to the brunette, who was covered in the scalding liquid. With no reservation, she ripped the woman’s steaming shirt from her, then her pants. The other woman, who was not nearly as afflicted as her friend, ran past Falon and returned with damp towels. Together they set the brunette down on the floor and cleaned the steaming liquid from her lobster red skin. Falon swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat. The burn areas were already blistering.
“You need to get into a tub of cold water,” Falon said. “To cool your skin, then get to a hospital. These burns will get infected.” She pulled her shirt off and gently wrapped it around the naked woman, who mutely nodded.
Several people hurried to the scene. Incriminating eyes zeroed in on her. A large blond man took the woman into his arms and strode away with her. Falon looked at the redhead. “Is he taking her to the hospital?”
She only shrugged then proceeded to clean the mess up. Falon wandered back to the kitchen and spied her bowl of soup on the counter. She picked it up and walked back to the redhead. “Take this to the elders.”
The woman stood and wiped her hands on her damp jeans. Slowly she took the bowl from Falon. “Thank you.”
The acids in Falon’s belly burned, and she suddenly felt weak. She needed to eat. Surely there was more food in the kitchen. She looked down at her ribbed T-shirt and groaned. Her nipples were clearly outlined beneath the sheer fabric. The flannel pants were soaked. She needed to change. Her stomach would have to wait.
She closed the bedroom door behind her and kicked off the damp pants, then went into the bathroom. She washed her face and arms and found an unopened toothbrush and brushed her teeth. She shrugged and used Rafael’s brush to brush the tangles out of her long hair. Wearing only the ribbed tee, she walked back into the bedroom and stopped dead in her tracks.
Looking like the wolf that had just devoured Bambi, Lucien stood casually against the tall bedpost.
“Leave this room,” Falon commanded the unwelcome intruder. She tried to keep her voice strong. Although she was afraid of Rafael in a dark, primal way, Lucien terrified her. Her fear spiked when Lucien unraveled his long, muscular limbs, like a cobra uncoiling to strike its prey.
Her.
His smile deepened. Falon’s heart pounded like a sledgehammer in her chest.
“I used to live here, you know.” He said it casually, glancing around the room. She couldn’t miss the regret in his voice.
“It’s a . . . nice room,” she conceded, “but you don’t live here now. Rafael does.”
Falon backed up as Lucien slowly stalked her. She narrowed her eyes. “I’ll zap you again,” she threatened.
Lucien froze, then threw his head back and laughed. “Be my guest. I recovered immediately. You, however, did not. And Lord only knows what I could do to that body of yours while you lay unconscious in my arms.”
Falon gasped at his audacity. “You would not dare!”
“Try me.” He cornered her. His heat was palpable, his scent wild and of the loamy earth and pine. Her nostrils twitched, not finding the scent unpleasant. “You wear my brother’s clothes well.”
He raised his hand to her cheek, and in the process brushed his knuckles across her nipple. Falon gasped, and Lucien just pressed closer.
“Do you have feelings for Rafael?”
She took a swift breath. “That is none of your business!”
“Does he have feelings for you?”
“I’m not a mind reader.” Did he? He’d seemed to, when he’d stood at the sink, staring at her. The way his touch lingered . . .
Lucien shook his head, but his lips quirked. “So brave. So hostile. Don’t you know your death is mine to command at any time?”
“My life is mine to live, not yours to destroy.”
Lucien tsk-tsked as he shook his head. “I can”—he snapped his fingers beneath her nose—“snuff you out in the blink of an eye.”
She clenched her jaw and put her hands on her hips. “Try it.”
He cocked his head and stared at her, eyes blazing and nostrils flaring. But then all that heat was banked, almost deliberately. He took a hand from her hip and brou
ght it to his lips. “How about we make a deal instead, Falon. I spare your life, for now, and you promise to keep my brother company.”
“Okay.”
He shook his head. “A little too eager. You’re not even going to pretend to do what I ask?”
“The first chance I have to blow this joint, I’m gone.”
He gave a long, mocking sigh. “That is unfortunate.”
He clenched his fingers around her hand and pushed her into the corner with his big body. She struggled against him, but even with her newfound strength, he was stronger.
Much stronger.
He pulled her hand up and turned it over, palm up. He looked into her eyes, and the black striations in his pulsed. His lust for her swirled in thick, pungent waves around them. Not just a lust for revenge, but that of a primal animal rutting.
To her horror, when he lowered his lips to her palm, her body warmed. Falon closed her eyes and held her breath, not wanting to be affected on any level by this man.
His teeth sank into the meaty part of her palm.
Her eyes flashed open, she screamed and struggled, but he held her fast. Immediately the copper scent of her blood rose to her nostrils.
“Shhhh,” Lucien crooned even as he licked her hand. The tender sound contrasted with his violence so much that she was momentarily immobilized. Eyes blazing gold, he grabbed her by a hank of hair and forced her head back. Her blood mingled with his saliva on his lips. He laughed at the way her gaze lingered on his mouth and lowered his lips to hers. Just like that, she snapped to life.
She snarled and bit his lip.
He snarled in return, yanking her closer to him.
When his lips took hers, Falon stiffened in his arms. Wild waves of emotion crashed through her the moment her blood mingled with his.
Pain, heartache, desire, vengeance, and sheer, unadulterated terror. Some of it hers, most of it his.
Falon twisted and pushed away, but his strength was superior. She closed her eyes instead and focused her energy on him. She could force him from her with her own power and pray Rafael returned in time to save her body from certain ravishment. But she had no reason to believe Rafe would return anytime soon.
Lucien laughed and retreated, though he still grasped her hand. He lifted it to his lips again. Falon tried yanking it away. “No pain, my love,” he roughly said, then licked the place where he bit her. Magically the wound smoothed over as if it had never been there. He dropped her hand.
“Rafael will kill you if he knows you traded blood with me. For your own protection, let’s keep it between us, shall we?”
Confusion stormed her sensibilities. “What do you care if I live or die?”
He smiled a small but genuine smile. It changed everything about him. “Oh, I care.”
Falon had no response. Stupefied by his words, she stared at his laconic eyes.
A snarl from the doorway broke Lucien’s mesmerizing hold on her. Gasping, Falon saw the great golden wolf at the doorway. Instinctively, she ran toward him, knowing he would fight to his death to protect her. She sank to her knees on the carpet behind the beast, using him as her shield and weapon at the same time.
Lucien stared at them, but his focus was on the wolf. “I see your babysitter has arrived.” His gaze met Falon’s. “Remember what I asked of you, and know this: if you ‘blow this joint,’ I’ll find you, and you won’t like my punishment.”
He moved past her and the great angry beast into the hallway. They both listened to Lucien’s happy whistle and heavy footsteps as he made his way to the great room. Moments later, the sound of his Harley revving was followed by the creak of the gates opening. Then the sound of the engine faded completely.
Nine
FALON HADN’T REALIZED she’d dug her fingers into the wolf’s thick, silky fur until he took her hand in his mouth and pulled it out of his pelt. She blinked as she attempted to process what had just happened.
Rafael returning injured—stabbed.
Lucien throwing down a bargain to prolong her life.
The bastard biting her. She clenched her fist, knowing if she told Rafael, he’d do something stupid, like get her killed quicker. She’d wash her hand with acid if she had to.
And then . . .
She looked down at the wolf. He was so big, his head almost even with her chest. And those eyes. She stared at them. They were so much like his master’s.
Falon closed her eyes for a moment and slowly inhaled, then exhaled.
Just like his master’s! If she didn’t know better, she’d swear . . . But no. She laughed, recognizing she sounded more hysterical than amused.
In that instant, she knew how Alice in Wonderland had felt when she fell down the rabbit hole. Except this wasn’t some twisted fairy tale—this was her life. And Lucien wanted to end it. Soon. And Rafael seemed perfectly willing to allow it.
But she wasn’t going to make it easy for either of them.
She exhaled and flexed her fingers. Her life might suck, but she was far from ready to hand it over to some dude who thought he was God. His brother could go to hell, too.
Falon opened her eyes to find the damn wolf watching her again. It even looked like it was grinning, as if it knew exactly what she was thinking. To make matters worse, it turned to look at the bed as if to say, “Let’s hit it.”
She shivered and her nipples hardened. She was emotionally exhausted and starving to death. “I’m not sleeping with you, if that’s what you think.”
He growled and nudged her with his big snout toward the bed. When she resisted, he herded her as if she were a spring lamb toward the huge four-poster. He leapt up ahead of her. Although it was so faint she wondered if she was imagining it, she heard a slight whimper escape the great beast. He immediately growled as if to cover it up.
Intrigued, Falon moved to the edge of the bed. She reached out a tentative hand and touched the top of his head. If a wolf could groan, this one did, and damned if it didn’t seem like he rolled his eyes as well. She couldn’t tell if her touch pleased or frightened him. As if he had anything to fear from her. “It’s not like I can hurt you, you brute.” Using both hands, she pressed them into the fur just below his neck until she felt the powerful muscles bunch beneath her hands. Slowly, she moved her palms to his great shoulders, feeling for a wound. As her hands traveled down his sides, then to his belly, he growled low in his throat.
She froze. His big head was only inches from her. His eyes piercing. Her heart thumped in her chest. Once again, the expression on his face was so dynamic, it made him seem human. “You’re losing it, Falon,” she muttered just as he licked her cheek with his big tongue. “Argh!” She swiped her hand across her face. “That was disgusting!”
He barked at her and then gingerly rolled over to his side. Immediately, she saw the bloody fur. “Oh, you’re bleeding!”
Gently she climbed onto the bed. As she did, she looked at him, afraid he’d bite her hand off. He laid his big head down on the pillow and closed his eyes, his big tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth.
Warm sticky blood met her fingertips when she probed the wound. It was deep, but as she looked at the wolf, he remained dead still. If his wound was not tended, infection would set in. And even if he let her take him to a vet—she snorted at the thought, earning her a withering glare from the wolf—he seemed beyond that right now.
He turned and licked the hand that pressed against his wound. A warm fuzzy feeling washed though her. She pressed her hand more firmly to the cut. Not knowing why, Falon closed her eyes and concentrated all of her energy on her hand and the damaged flesh and organs beneath it. The wolf continued to lick her hand in long, wet stokes. Her body warmed. Her skin tingled. Energy shot from the center of her being to her arm, then to her hand, heating it to painful.
The wolf’s head jerked up and he shifted, preparing to stand. “No,” she breathed, “Stay.” Something was happening here, Falon thought. Even now, she could feel the wound beneath her fingers
closing up.
He didn’t lie back down again, but he stilled. Her hand heated hotter. She could feel the heavy whoosh of blood in her veins. In one abrupt jolt, it ended. Falon slowly opened her eyes and looked at the wolf. His hooded eyes gave nothing away. As if he deliberately tried to keep his emotions in check. Jesus! He was a dog. He couldn’t think or feel like a human. Falon looked down at the dried blood. She poked the area with her fingertips. It was body temperature warm. No fresh blood, no gaping hole. Just smooth furred skin atop thick, corded muscles. She looked at him in wonder.
“Did I do that?” she asked in disbelief.
He nuzzled his side where the wound had been then looked up at her as if ascertaining for himself that she had the power to heal. She didn’t believe it herself, but this wasn’t actually the first time . . . She thought back to a kitten her last foster dad had thrown out of the car widow as they drove down the street. She’d pissed him off because she had defended her foster sister when he had wrongly accused her of breaking his fishing pole. Hours later when they returned home, Falon snuck out and found the battered little thing in the gutter. He was alive. Barely. She’d cupped the small fur ball in her hands and prayed that it would miraculously heal. She was answered. It had scared the hell out of her, but she was grateful. She was young when it happened and had truly believed it had been divine intervention. But now . . . She looked at the wolf and where the wound had been. He looked the epitome of health. She had healed him.
The wolf growled low and looked at her, cocking his head as if to say, “I don’t get it.”
“I don’t either,” she murmured to herself, feeling out of sorts and confused. What was next? Turning dirt into gold?
He responded with a big sloppy lick across her face.
“Argh,” she said wiping her face on a nearby pillow. “I told you not to do that!” He licked her again.
Wanting some time to herself to process everything that was happening to her, Falon moved off the bed and gimped to the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and locked it. She sat down on the toilet, dropped her head into her hands, and rubbed her eyes. Her life had done a complete flip since she first laid eyes on Rafael Vulkasin. Her emerging powers excited and scared her. But just as mysterious and amazing was Rafael’s pull. She couldn’t deny it, wasn’t even sure she wanted to. He was the most exciting thing that had happened in her life. Because of him, extraordinary things were happening around her and to her. Rafael had sparked whatever it was in her that had been pressing for release for so long. Intuitively she knew that without him, her powers would be useless. She looked down at the wolf’s blood on her hands.