Unstoppable

by R. L. Mathewson

  Not if she wanted to live.

  “I really can, though,” Kale said, coming closer.

  “I can walk through that door anytime I want and we both know that you won’t be able to stop me,” Ashley rushed to remind him as she stumbled back only to hit the bed with the back of her legs.

  “Then leave,” Kale said, shrugging it off like it was no big deal.

  “You’re not going to try to stop me?” Ashley asked, frowning in confusion as she glanced at her bedroom door before looking back at him.

  “I won’t have to,” Kale said, not really sounding all that concerned for someone who’d been hired to kidnap her.

  “And why’s that?” Ashley asked, licking her lips nervously as she watched him move closer again.

  “Because we both know that you won’t risk finding out exactly how dangerous you really are.”

  “I-I would never hurt anyone,” Ashley mumbled absently as she stumbled back.

  “And we’ll never find out if that’s true,” Kale said as he continued following her, noting the nervous glances that she kept sending the door and the way that she winced with every sound barely above a whisper.

  “Why haven’t you slipped into bloodlust?” Kale wondered, following her as he noted that she’d lost weight, the way that she’d gone pale when he bit into his wrist, the fact that she wasn’t running for the front door, and how she noticeably struggled to stop looking at the blood dripping down his hand.

  “I don’t know,” Ashley said, licking her lips nervously as she continued backing away from him.

  “You took your transition well,” Kale pointed out, watching her closely.

  She snorted at that. “Of course, I took it well. Why wouldn’t I? I looked like a little girl before this.”

  “I’m not talking about that,” he said, thinking about her reaction the moment that she’d realized she wasn’t human, the way she’d reacted when her eyes turned red, and she’d spotted her fangs in the mirror.

  Her reaction had been more curious than surprised. She hadn’t panicked, screamed, cried, or reacted like a woman who had no idea about all those things that go bump in the night should have. The same could be said for when Jacob had been forced to shift in front of her to fix his broken arm. She’d been terrified. There was no question about that, but there had also been a haunted look in her eye as though she’d seen it before. She also hadn’t argued or flipped out over the fact that she needed to drink blood, something that she definitely should have been upset about. Instead, she’d resigned herself to the fact that she required blood for the rest of her life without question, leaving him with more questions.

  “You’re not telling me something,” Kale said as he stalked her around the small bedroom.

  Licking her lips nervously, Ashley said, “Neither are you,” as she continued moving away from him.

  “And I’m not going to,” Kale murmured quietly as he watched her bump into the bed only to quickly climb over it with a curse so that she could put the bed between them.

  “Then neither am I,” she said with a firm nod, trying to sound tough, but the way that she worried her bottom lip killed the effect, making her look fucking adorable.

  Nodding, Kale shifted to the right and began moving around the bed. “I know one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Ashley asked, stumbling back away from the bed as she looked around frantically for somewhere to run.

  “You’ve been around shifters before,” Kale said, watching as she quickly closed her mouth into a firm line. It was a small move, but a telling one.

  “Which Pack?” he asked, moving closer as he scented the air, searching for any trace of shifter blood on her, but he couldn’t scent any. The only thing that he could smell was the telltale scent of Pyte and fear as she backed up towards the bedroom door. He followed her, refusing to let her go as he watched her, knowing that he was right.

  “What’s going on?” Jacob asked as he walked back inside.

  “Ashley was just about to tell me,” Kale said, watching her struggling not to panic as she reached down and yanked her shorts back up while she continued backing up, refusing to take her eyes off him.

  Smart girl, Kale thought as he allowed his fangs to slide down, watching as her eyes took in the move and had to wonder how she’d managed to escape. She’d been trapped in the body of a child, weak and easily controlled.

  “Did the Pack have an Alpha?” Kale asked, noting the way that her jaw clenched in response.

  He could understand a Pack without an Alpha fucking up and letting her escape, but an Alpha…

  Would have torn her throat out to make sure that another Pack couldn’t get their hands on her. It left him with more questions that, unfortunately for her, he didn’t have time for.

  Deciding that they’d played this game long enough, Kale grabbed Ashley and shoved her against the wall. Before she could react, he had his fangs pressed against her throat in warning. As soon as she felt the sharp tips pressed against her skin, she went still as he forced himself to ignore just how good she smelled and released a warning growl, one that had her swallowing hard and sent her heart racing. He waited for the scent of fear to hit him before he pulled back just far enough so that he could speak without risking breaking her skin, knowing just how dangerous her blood was.

  “Have you ever seen someone’s throat ripped out?” Kale asked as he leaned back in and carefully ran the tips of his fangs over her soft skin.

  “Y-yes,” came the weakly mumbled answer that had him pulling back.

  “Who?” Kale asked, watching as her expression grew sad.

  “My mother.”

  Chapter 15

  “Get out,” Kale bit out as those silver eyes held hers.

  “Kale, this isn’t-” Jacob began to say only to sigh heavily and head for the door when Kale snapped, “Now!”

  As soon as he was gone, Kale said, “Start talking.”

  “No,” Ashley said with a firm shake of her head. She didn’t like to think about what happened when her stepfather’s Pack caught up with them and she sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him about it.

  “You’re really going to keep playing this game with me?” Kale asked as he placed both of his hands against the wall on either side of her head, caging her in as he glared down at her.

  “It’s not a game,” Ashley said as she forced herself to hold his gaze.

  “No, it’s not,” Kale murmured absently as he ran his fingertips along her jaw, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. “Where’s the shifter that killed your mother, Ashley?”

  “Dead,” she bit out, knowing in her heart that was the one thing that her father hadn’t lied about. She’d seen the look on his face when he’d told her that she didn’t have to worry about her stepfather coming after her again.

  For a moment, Kale didn’t say anything as he searched her gaze before sighing heavily and stepping back. “You need to eat before I leave.”

  “I’m fine,” Ashley said, watching him as he dropped his hand away.

  “Liar,” Kale said softly.

  “I can’t drink that blood. It hurts,” she admitted, not really looking forward to finding out what would happen if she didn’t find a way to keep it down.

  “I know,” he said, gesturing for her to come with him. When she hesitated, Kale said, “You don’t have a choice. You either eat or I’m going to have to place you downstairs in one of the holding cells until you do.”

  Swallowing hard because she hadn’t known that was an option, Ashley reluctantly followed him back to the room that she was starting to think of as hers. When he climbed onto her bed and sat back against the headboard, she couldn’t help but frown in confusion only to feel herself start to panic when he gestured for her to join him.

  When she could only stand there, staring at him, Kale said, “It’s this or a cell. Your choice.”

  Slowly exhaling, Ashley tried to tell herself that this was no big deal as she climbed onto the bed and m
oved to sit next to him only to suddenly find herself pulled down between his legs with her back pressed against his chest. Once she was settled, he raised his wrist that had already healed to his mouth as she once again tried to tell herself that this wasn’t a big deal.

  It was definitely a big deal, Ashley decided when he wrapped his other arm around her and pulled her closer as he held his bloody wrist in front of her, making her panic even as her fangs lowered in her mouth when she caught the mouthwatering scent. Licking her lips nervously, she asked, “What if you’re wrong? What if I’m not supposed to drink blood?”

  “It’s what got you through your transition,” Kale said, repeating what Jacob told her a few days ago when he’d been forced to pin her to the floor and force blood down her throat. Not that she hadn’t already figured out that she needed blood since her fangs descended and her stomach had growled viciously every time she’d caught his enticing scent. She was just really hoping to live in denial for a little bit longer, especially knowing what was about to happen.

  “It hurts,” Ashley mumbled weakly even as her eyes locked on the crimson liquid slowly making its way down his forearm.

  “This won’t,” Kale promised her as he brought his wrist closer and-

  She couldn’t do this.

  “No, there has to be another way,” Ashley said, shaking her head as she moved to get up only to find that arm wrapped around her tighten, keeping her locked in place as he pressed his wrist against her mouth.

  “This will make it better,” Kale said and…

  She believed him and she had no idea why. She didn’t like him, but for some reason, she trusted him, which was incredibly stupid considering that he’d threatened to rip her throat out a few minutes ago. Slowly exhaling, Ashley squeezed her eyes shut and reluctantly opened her mouth even as she prepared herself for the worst, only to find herself groaning when the first drop of blood touched her tongue.

  “That’s it,” Kale murmured encouragingly as she took her first swallow only to moan when his blood settled in her stomach and slowly began destroying the stomachache that she’d been dealing with for the past week.

  This was so good, Ashley thought on a groan as she reached up and wrapped her hands around his arm as she gently suckled on his wrist. She couldn’t remember ever tasting anything this good before, she thought as the incredibly delicious liquid slowly made its way down her throat. Her fangs throbbed with the need to slide inside his skin and hold him in place, but she couldn’t stomach the idea of hurting him.

  Between pulls, she found herself licking his wound, unable to get enough of his blood, barely aware of the groan Kale released or the way that he was fisting her shirt as his breaths came faster, but she knew the second that his scent changed. It became intoxicating, making her moan as the taste of his blood grew more decadent.

  “Fuck,” Kale groaned as he used his hold to bring her even closer.

  With every drop of his blood, her body felt stronger, warmer, and…

  God, this felt so good, Ashley thought on a moan as pleasure spread throughout her body, making her toes curl as she found herself moving, unable to stay still as her skin prickled in awareness where it touched Kale and-

  “That’s enough for now,” Kale bit out as he pulled his arm away and she suddenly found herself picked up and deposited on the bed next to him.

  Struggling to catch her breath, Ashley watched as Kale climbed off the bed and headed for the door with his hands clenched tightly into fists by his sides, tension pouring off him with every step as mortification slowly sank in the pit of her stomach. Biting back a groan, she closed her eyes and released a shaky breath as she pulled her knees up and wrapped her trembling arms around her legs and found herself wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

  Manhattan, New York

  “Will there be anything else?” the woman that had been watching his every move since he’d stepped foot in the hotel lobby a few minutes ago asked with a look in her eye that told him exactly what she hoped that something else would be as she slid the keycard towards him.

  “No,” Kale bit out coldly, watching as the spark of interest in her eyes slowly died away as he grabbed the keycard and headed for the elevator, so fucking close to losing it.

  He needed to clear his fucking head, Kale thought, slowly exhaling as he pushed the elevator call button. God, he couldn’t fucking think straight. The only thing that he could think about was how good it felt to have Ashley in his arms, the way that she moved her mouth on his wrist, the small moans of pleasure that she’d made as she ran her tongue over his-

  Shit!

  He didn’t have time for this shit, Kale reminded himself as he gave up waiting for the elevator and headed for the stairs. In seconds, he shoved the door open and was making his way to the fifth floor, hoping that it would be enough to get his mind off of just how badly he wanted to get back in his car and go find out just how good it would feel to have her tongue moving on his cock.

  It had been a long time since he’d had sex, longer since he’d actually wanted it, but now, all he could think about was just how good it would feel to slide into a tight, wet pussy. His balls ached for release and his cock…

  Was fucking useless.

  As soon as Kale made it to his room, he dropped his bag on the floor, threw the keycard on the bureau, and rammed his fingers through his hair as he struggled to get under control. He’d worked his ass off over the years, doing everything that he could to gain control over his body, learning how to harness the power of a shift without shifting so that he could stay in control, forced his body to ignore exhaustion, pain, hunger, and anything that could get in the way of making him unstoppable.

  He’d never had a problem focusing on the job and getting it done so that he could get to the next job, but now…

  Kale released a pained chuckle as he glanced back at the closed hotel door and debated going back downstairs and pulling the woman at the front desk into one of the backrooms and seeing just how good that mouth of hers would feel wrapped around his cock. He wondered just how quickly he would be able to make her wet and…

  Nothing.

  Not even a fucking twitch of interest from his cock.

  The fucking mating mark wouldn’t allow him to fuck another woman, making him desperate to fuck his mate and ensure the survival of their species. He didn’t want a mate and he sure as hell didn’t want children. The only thing that he wanted was to finish this fucking job so that he could move on to the next one, but he couldn’t do that until he cleared his fucking head.

  God, things would have been so much simpler if Ashley hadn’t transitioned, Kale told himself as he dropped down on the bed with a groan. If she’d remained a little girl, he would have happily lived the rest of his life as a fucking eunuch. But she had changed and he couldn’t fucking stop thinking about her.

  She was so fucking beautiful, Kale thought as he reached down and rubbed his hand over his cock as it swelled against his fly, more than happy with where his thoughts were heading. When he was a lad, he’d thought about his mate a lot. He’d wondered if she would be a good cook like his Ma, if she’d try to wrap him around her little finger the way that Aine had, and had spent hours wondering what she’d look like.

  He’d never imagined that he’d be mated to someone like Ashley. She took his breath away and he fucking hated her for it. She was a complication, nothing more, Kale reminded himself as he unsnapped his jeans and pulled the zipper down before he reached inside his boxers and pulled his hardening cock out. He couldn’t come like this, but even knowing how this was going to end couldn’t stop him from stroking himself as he thought about her. He thought about just how good she’d felt in his arms, the way that her ass felt pressed against him, how soft her skin was, and just how badly he’d wanted to run his hands over her.

  A groan broke free as he thought about running his hands over her large breasts as he took one of her nipples in his mouth. He’d tease it with his tongue, sucking on i
t as he slid one of his hands beneath her panties so that he could play with her pussy. He’d tease her slit, making her lips swell and part for him before he focused on her clit, teasing her with his fingertips, making her wet as she moaned his name and then, he’d lick and kiss his way down her stomach so that he could fuck her with his tongue, something that he’d never done for a woman before, but Kale wanted to do to her.

  Was fucking desperate to do it and he knew that it was only because of the mating mark on his wrist, but at the moment, he didn’t care. The only thing that he cared about was finding out how fucking soft her pussy was, how wet he’d be able to make her, and how tight she’d be when he finally fucked her.

  Just thinking about sliding inside her pussy had his cock hardening past the point of pain and his balls pulling up tight, desperate for release and-

  Nothing.

  “Fuck!” Kale snapped, so fucking close to losing control, desperate for a release that he knew would never come because he would never willingly touch a Pyte.

  Chapter 16

  “And that completes our tour,” Ashley mumbled on a sigh as she closed the empty linen closet door.

  That had taken all of five minutes, and during that time, she’d found an empty bedroom, another unfinished bathroom, and a locked door on the first floor, which she was assuming was the basement door that led to the holding cells that she was trying not to think about. That had led her to investigate the second floor where she found three more bedrooms, one of them empty, and the other two with the bare minimum, two bathrooms, several empty closets, and none of them painted, decorated, or held anything more than a bed, a nightstand, a metal folding chair, and a pile of dirty clothes.

  Rubbing her temples with her fingertips as she tried to ignore the dull headache that didn’t seem to want to go away, Ashley took in the second-floor hallway again only to sigh because she hadn’t learned anything new except for the fact that neither man called this house home. That led her to head back downstairs and decide to get another look at the kitchen, which unfortunately, only depressed her more, mostly because it was filled with every kind of junk food known to man that she’d never been able to afford and couldn’t eat now.