by Franca Storm
“I don’t believe in destiny.”
He gripped her hair roughly and jerked her towards him, forcing her mouth to his. She struggled and tried to turn away, but he was too strong, and he made her accept his ruthless kiss. “I will make you accept it, accept me. You are to be my bride. I will take you as mine either way. You can give yourself to me freely, or I can simply take what is mine.”
He slipped his hands underneath her tank top and fondled her breasts roughly. “If you give yourself to me, I will be gentle. Given your inexperience, that will be best for you. But, if you continue to deny me, I will take you fiercely and ruthlessly. Keep in mind that I can go for hours. You will not like that option, believe me.”
Her eyes narrowed, boring into his with fury. “You forget that I am not human. According to your books, I possess no human blood whatsoever. Knowing that, do you really think you can hurt me?”
He grasped the sides of face, his fingertips digging into her cheeks as he snarled, “Yes.”
He let his demon rise to the surface. His features contorted and he dropped his fangs. She felt his claws digging into her jeans. He raked them slowly up her thighs, eliciting a pained grunt from her as he shredded her pants and skin alike, drawing blood.
She clenched her teeth to keep from crying out. She wasn’t prepared to give him the satisfaction.
“Had enough?” he asked. “Freely, or by force? Pleasure, or pain?”
An odd sensation surged through her body. It took her a moment to realize what it was. She clenched her fist and she felt it trembling with powerful fury. Strength! Supernatural strength!
“I’m beginning to understand a few things, Luca,” she said, holding his gaze.
“Like what, my princess?” he asked, misinterpreting her words to mean something in his favor, she suspected.
“My power.”
Before he could respond, she ripped both her hands free from the cuffs binding her to the wall. She wrapped her hand around his neck and used the brutal hold to haul him across the room.
He skidded, only just managing to keep his balance. He eyed her in shock.
“Don’t force your way into my dreams again!”
Reality came crashing back and Cora shot up in bed. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She was sweating.
It took her several moments to collect herself.
That’d been majorly intense.
How dare he do that to her yet again! The son of a bitch still thought he could push her around. He didn’t know who he was dealing with. She wasn’t one of his vampire whores. How dare he?
She tossed the bed covers aside.
That was when she noticed that she was wearing nothing but a thin, silk robe.
He’d undressed her? Son of a bitch!
Incensed, she climbed out of the king-sized bed and scanned the room rapidly, searching for the exit. She was going to find the bastard and kick his ass, then she’d get the hell out of his fucking mansion that was crawling with vampires.
Locating the bedroom door, she stormed over there and tugged at the doorknob. The damn thing held fast, no matter how much strength she assaulted it with. And she had a lot more at her disposal than usual. Just like in the dream a moment ago. She’d managed to toss Luca across a room. Another one of her abilities had clearly been activated. It seemed to happen whenever she was in jeopardy, the fight or flight instinct fueling their emergence. Ever since Luca had awakened her, they must’ve just needed a jolt to start coming forth.
So, given that, she should’ve been able to open the door.
There had to be more to it then. Magic! He must’ve sealed it shut with his aggravating magic.
She raised her hands and strained to call her silver power forth.
Over and over she tried.
Nothing happened.
She couldn’t do it.
Urgh. What was the point of having magical abilities if she couldn’t use them when she wanted to? She needed help, some sort of training obviously.
Dammit!
She had little choice but to wait. She was sure Luca would come to her soon enough. She’d play it smart and wait for the right opportunity to escape. At least she had some major strength at her disposal now. Maybe, given the right circumstances, that would be enough to free herself.
Her gaze landed on the open door to an ensuite bathroom in the corner of the room. Good. It’d been too long since she’d taken a shower. She felt disgusting. Plus, it would kill some time, so she wasn’t just standing around waiting and driving herself crazy.
She entered the bathroom, forcing herself to ignore how gorgeous and luxurious it was. The last thing she wanted was to find anything comforting or pleasing about the place. It was just more of his manipulation. He was trying to placate her with nice, fancy things. Well, she wouldn’t allow him to suck her in. The bottom line was that he had her held prisoner. Nothing could make that better.
She shed her robe, turned on the shower, and stepped under the warm stream.
“I’m happy you are taking a shower.”
She almost jumped out of her skin. “Get out, Luca,” she seethed.
Ignoring her, he went on, “I could smell wolf all over you when I put you to bed earlier.”
“Earlier? How much earlier?”
“What?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“How long did you force me to sleep with that compulsion?”
“A day and a half.”
“What? How dare you?”
“You needed time to calm.”
“Why didn’t you compel me, huh?”
When he hesitated, she got her answer. “You can’t, can you?”
“No,” he admitted.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. You… block me.”
“How about the first dream you forced me into? Your eyes were glowing red.”
“That was a spell, one that merely opened you up to your true wants and desires. Compulsion enforces my wants and desires upon someone. Very different.”
“It was still messed up, Luca. Just like this is! Keeping me here like this.”
Again, he didn’t engage with the topic, focusing on the scent thing instead. God, he was obsessed with it. “The stench of wolf, especially an Alpha, is very difficult to get out.”
“Then you should keep your distance.”
He snarled. “Stop turning me away. You keep trying to fool yourself, but I know the truth. You wanted me in the first dream and in the alley that night. What has changed?”
“I know who you really are now.”
He released a heavy sigh, clearly trying to summon his patience. “I am not used to this.
“To what?”
“A woman denying me. You are very difficult.”
“You can’t just take what you want. I’m not your property. Plus, I barely know you.”
“You barely know Ryan, yet you were more than willing to give yourself to him.”
“He had my permission. You didn’t. And you threatened me with your demon a few moments ago.”
“I was testing you, to see how you would react.”
“I don’t take kindly to manipulation.”
“You are my bride!” he thundered.
“Pass me a towel!” she bellowed back, matching his volume.
“What?” he asked, confused.
“Pass. Me. A. Towel,” she said as she turned off the shower.
She heard him moving around. A second later, a towel was thrust at her. She snatched it from his grip and hurriedly covered her naked body. As she stepped out of the shower, she asked, “Where are my clothes?”
“You do not need them.”
“Luca!”
He turned away and stormed out of the bathroom.
Rolling her eyes, she followed him out and watched him throw open the doors to a mammoth walk-in closet.
“While you are here, you will wear these.”
Cora glanced at the clothes inside. All dresses. All incredibly
sexy and revealing. Definitely not her style at all. He wanted her to dress like the whores she’d seen downstairs?
“I don’t fucking think so.”
He took an angry step towards her. “You have a dirty mouth on you, just like my brother. I don’t like it, Cora.”
“I don’t care what you like. I’m not wearing any of those.”
“Then you will wear that,” he said, gesturing to her towel. “Or, nothing at all.”
Before she could respond, he stormed towards the door.
“Don’t you dare lock me in here again!” she screamed.
He threw open the door.
“I will never forgive you!” she warned.
She saw him hesitate briefly, his hand grasping the doorframe.
But then he stormed out. A flash of red magic followed in his wake and she heard the door lock with a jarring clang.
“No!” she screamed. “Let me go, Luca! Let me out of here!”
CHAPTER 11
“Deeper, Vivian,” Luca commanded.
The sexy vampire had her arms wrapped around him, her fangs buried deep in his neck.
He groaned as she drove them deeper, relishing the bite of pain.
He eyed the other vampire vixen he’d invited into his bed to play, a voluptuous redhead. She caught his eye and begged, “Please.” She was no longer content just to watch. He smirked at her slyly and grasped her hips. She shrieked as he drove her down onto his cock.
“Ride me. Hard,” he commanded.
He let his demon rise to the surface and flashed his fangs at her. He scraped a sharp talon along the delectable flesh of her breast, drawing blood. He buried his fangs in the wound, making her cry out in ecstasy. He drew her blood into his mouth, sucking hard and deep, taking as much as he desired. The sensation was too much for her, pushing her over the edge. She came and he shuddered, feeling her orgasm ripple through her blood.
A familiar scent washed over him.
A warning sparked.
He ripped his fangs from the redhead’s neck and swung his head towards his bedroom door.
Cora stood there, her eyes wide with shock.
She turned and ran.
“Cora! No!”
He lifted the redhead off him and gripped Vivian’s hair, ripping her fangs from his neck.
“Out!” he ordered them.
He snatched his black linen pants off the floor and hurriedly pulled them on.
And then he was out the door.
He sniffed the air, drawing Cora’s scent to him. There!
He spun to the right and took off in a burst of vampire speed.
It took him mere moments to spot her.
She was headed for the lobby, trying to escape, no doubt. He watched her struggle to run in the floor-length, purple dress she had on. He passed a pair of heels. She’d obviously discarded them in an attempt to run faster and now she was running barefoot through the mansion.
“Stop, Cora!”
She didn’t listen and just continued running.
Did she really think she could outrun him? A vampire?
Enough of this!
He cut her off, rounding on her. It had her gasping and jolting as she was forced to come to a sudden stop. She glared up at him.
“How did you escape your room?”
“One of your guards brought in some food. I got the jump on him,” she revealed.
He clenched his teeth, fighting not to get into it with her. That would just make things worse. He needed to reassure her after what she’d just witnessed.
“You continue to deny me, Cora. So, I took my pleasure elsewhere. What else would you have me do? Vampires possess voracious sexual appetites.”
He watched her take him in, grimacing as she did.
His own blood was oozing from the messy puncture wounds in his neck, dripping down his bare chest. His torso was covered with hickeys and minor lacerations that were healing with every second that went by. To top it off, his cock was still standing to attention, pushing against the thin fabric of his pants. He wasn’t exactly presenting himself in the best light.
“Cora,” he pressed when she remained silent. “You know what I am. I don’t understand your shock.”
Her fierce gaze met his and she seethed, “I will never forget what you are.”
Her words struck a nerve and he reacted, grabbing hold of her arm and jerking her against his body. “I am the Vampire Prince. You must address me with respect.”
“Why? I’m not one of your whores. I’m not part of your nest.”
Nest? It incensed him that she was using Ryan’s terminology. The two of them were so alike. He hated it. But, he would remedy it.
“You are mine and you will show me respect.”
“Never!”.
He bared his fangs, snarling. “That is it. Tonight we bond. No more waiting.”
He tightened his grip on her arm and dragged her behind him, back down the hall towards his bedroom. He ignored her struggles and her cries of protest.
They were almost there when he felt a painful tingle permeating his hand. Within seconds, it became searing. Unbearable. He cursed and released her.
He spun around to see her palm afire with a silver glow. It was different than the last time he’d seen her use her magic. Her pupils were dilated. Pure white. What is happening?
A powerful gust of wind ripped through the corridor. Her other palm started to glow the same blinding silver. The wind encircled her, like a hurricane, right there in the middle of his mansion. He stumbled back to avoid it. She thrust her left palm behind her, and the entrance doors flew open with such power that they almost ripped off their hinges.
“Stop, Cora!”
But she was lost to the magic. He wasn’t even sure if she’d actually heard him.
She brought her palms together in a prayer-like gesture. A shimmering film enveloped her body. And then she turned on her heel and strode towards the entrance.
“Stop her!” he bellowed down the hallway.
His guards arrived in a split second. They rushed her. But the shield surrounding her blew them back several feet the second they made contact.
He watched helplessly as she walked through the doors and out into the dark night.
CHAPTER 12
Josh leaned back in his chair in what passed for a living room in the military compound.
It was a former military base that had been abandoned by the humans decades ago. When Ryan had become Alpha, he’d commandeered it as a place of sanctuary for the pack in times of need. They’d taken up residence there twice over the last five years, due to threats from various supernatural beings. The first time had been during a turf war with a rival wolf pack, which they had since annihilated. The second time had been in response to a betrayal from the Vampire Prince that’d put Ryan in jeopardy.
And, now, they were enduring the third time.
Josh took a sip from the glass of scotch in his hand, savoring the peace and quiet, which he knew was merely the calm before the storm. Things were tense and everybody was on edge. Luca had crossed Ryan once again and the pack was under no delusions that neither their Alpha, nor the Vampire Prince, would simply let it slide. No, a battle, if not a war, was on their doorstep.
The pack was asleep, aside from the four guarding the base. Two were located at the entrance and two at the rear. Josh couldn’t sleep, though. Not until Ryan returned. As his second-in-command, it was his responsibility to safeguard and lead the pack in his Alpha’s absence. Ryan had left over an hour ago to seek out his former flame, a powerful witch, who he hoped would be able to help him to free his newfound mate from Luca’s clutches. He’d insisted on going alone, refusing to put the pack in unnecessary danger. Josh knew that Ryan already felt guilty for unwittingly putting them at odds with Luca, due to the complicated issues with his mate. The pack didn’t see it like he did, though. Ryan had protected them countless times. The pack had flourished under his rule for the last five years. They’d back him th
rough anything. They’d follow him to hell and back if they had to.
Josh snatched up his phone. It was time to check in with Ryan again.
He stilled as the sounds of howling and commotion outside by the front gates reached his ears.
He sprang from the chair and hurried out of the room into the small lobby.
Heaving open the titanium doors, he looked out at the fenced-in courtyard to see what the matter was.
Bryan and Steve stood at the gates, growling at someone. He couldn’t see who it was, because their large bodies were blocking his view.
He strode down the steps and approached the gates.
“What’s going on here?” he asked, pushing past the boys to see what they were freaking out about.
He frowned at what he found.
A tiny woman glared back at him. Her hair was mussed up, wild and tangled. The slutty dress she had on was torn to shreds, baring skin in a hell of a lot of areas. Blood-red scratches adorned her arms and face. And she was caked in mud.
“This is private property, sweetheart. If you need medical assistance, I can call you an ambulance, but you don’t have authorized access inside this compound.”
“You don’t remember me, huh?”
He scrutinized her for a moment.
Ah, of course.
With the state of her and the way she was dressed, he hadn’t recognized her right off the bat.
Just to make sure, he scented her. And there it was. Ryan’s scent all over her. He turned up his nose as he scented a potent vampire smell also. Luca, clearly.
“Ryan’s girl,” he told the boys.
They nodded and hung back.
“Cora,” she corrected him.
“Right, sorry.”
“Where is he?” she demanded. “Is Ryan here?”
Her tone was demanding, commanding even. He smiled to himself. So much like Ryan.
“He will be.” He turned to the boys. “Open the gates.”
They set about unlocking them, taking several moments to accomplish the task, because they were so heavily fortified. Then, they pulled them back, edging the heavy things open with an ear-piercing screech.
“Thanks,” Cora said, as she passed through into the courtyard.
