by Grey, T. A.
“What would it be worth to you if I did?”
Willow’s jaw dropped at his audacity. “I’ll let you keep your balls intact?” Not to say she might not knee him a few times. Maybe it’ll take him down a peg or two. She was so not feeling guilty about the knee to the face now.
“Those will stay as they are if you know what’s good for you. No, I was thinking something more on the line of...submission.”
Willow laughed. “Never gonna happen.” His smile was cocky and sure. It twisted her insides.
“I think it will, Willow. And I can’t wait to see it.”
Willow flipped him the bird and prayed that the jump in her heart wasn’t because of him.
* * *
Sometimes a person had to make concessions in order to move forward.
Was she normally one to make compromises? Hell no.
Willow’s concession was a little too close for comfort. The only way she could get that damn mongrel to remove the chains was if she promised to return with him to his pack or to mate with him. She chose the lesser of two evils.
She thought it over for hours, making sure she didn’t leave any points out as she planned and plotted her next escape. Finally she’d agreed and saw happiness glowing in his eyes. She made a promise, and she’d keep it.
She would go with him to his pack. Not only did she agree because she wanted out of those damned chains, but because she wanted to be as far away from Europe as possible. Something was out there, something big, from a nightmare, and it wanted her.
That didn’t mean she was going to stay. She’d always wanted to see the Grand Canyon and maybe even Niagara Falls, on the American and Canadian side. America was bigger than Europe too so maybe she could finally lose him for good.
She smiled at the Alpha as the plane took off from Moscow. He was smart enough to frown at her. Good, don’t trust me. If he thought she was going to make any of this easy on him, he was dead wrong.
Looking out the small airplane window, she watched the snowy landscape grow smaller and smaller as the plane rose.
“Willow.”
She drew her gaze away from the lovely sight. “What?”
Lyonis closed in on her until their noses nearly touched. “I know what you’re thinking. I know what you’re planning. I won’t let you do it. You’re mine, Willow. My sica tawicue.”
“I’m not yours. What does sheecha dahweechue mean?”
His grin was devilish. “It’s a phrase that many shapeshifters use. Many males to their wily mates. It means ‘wicked wife,’ and that’s what you are.” Willow’s hand shot out to slap his cheek, but he caught her wrist easily. His eyebrow cocked.
“I’ll never be your wife. I’ll never be your submissive. Go find a doormat if that’s what you want.”
His eyes glowed with a hint of anger and then his lips were at her ear. “I want you, Willow, and I’ll never want another. You are my mate, and you will be my wife. And most of all, you will submit to me.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to rebut him; to tell him he was out of his mind, but his teeth sank into the muscle at her neck and shoulder. Her head fell back as muscles warmed and pleasure filled her like liquid heat.
Marking, he was marking her. And she was letting him.
When he pulled away, she found she had trouble opening her eyes. Her body was too relaxed, complacent.
“Now everyone will see that you’re mine when we arrive.” His eyes glowed with hunger and pride.
Willow’s eyes widened, and she jerked away from him. He was wrong about that. She’d make sure of it. She put her back to him and stared out at the dark night sky.
She resisted as long as she could before her fingers gently touched the bite mark on her neck. She felt the wetness from where he licked her and the heat of his lips still lingering. She stifled a shivered and pulled the tie out of her hair so she could spread it all across that side of her neck.
She heard him chuckling softly but ignored it. She had this one long plane ride to plan, because once they landed it was on. The Alpha thought he’d caught her, but he’d really only given her a lift to where she needed to go. She couldn’t fuck this up.
Peering over her shoulder, she saw his eyes closed, chin tucked down as he dozed. Lyonis was handsome when he slept, but then again, anything was better than the shit he spewed once his mouth opened. For a moment, just a moment, she let her mind wonder and think, what would it be like to be this man’s wife.
He’d be sweet and generous that she knew already. He’d been kind to her from the beginning. How far would it go before she was forced to kneel at his feet and eat out of his bare hand? He was incredibly forceful and cocky too; that was always bad.
His eyes popped open and a grin spread across his face. “Staring, wife?”
She glared back. “Fuck no. Just thinking.” She turned away, a throbbing pain instantly flaring up in her temples. Great. Just what she needed, a headache.
“It’s all right to look at your future mate and husband, Willow. You’ll be doing more than that soon enough.” She heard the laughter in his voice and she just couldn’t take it anymore. Spinning around in her seat, Willow slapped him clear across the cheek.
For a split second afterwards, she froze in fear. But then he dissolved into belly shaking laughter that left her glaring at him.
“I look forward to our years together, Willow. You will be a lot of fun.”
Willow bit down on her lip to keep from saying she wasn’t a toy, that they wouldn’t be having years together, because his hand snaked around her neck and pulled her close. His mouth came down firm and devastating, exciting all the cells in her bloody to a happy boil. When he pulled back, his tongue lingered in her mouth.
“Much fun, Willow.”
With that, Willow was left to her thoughts and her fiery blood.
Chapter 7
Willow had never been so nervous in her life.
The flight was long and tiring and she’d ignored all of Lyonis’ attempts at conversation after that brief kiss. Her plan A had been to flee at the airport and grab a taxi outside but he watched her like a hawk, dragging her through the airport. She had a feeling if he could have gotten away with handcuffing her to him, he would have.
Now she was in sitting in the back of an SUV with him and two guards in the front seat. They were already on his land. It didn’t take long to get here. Her gut was tight with worry; she couldn’t fight the grimace on her face. Was this what Chloe felt like when she had one of her “gut feelings?” Because it was hell.
They drove up a long, winding dirt path. On either side of the road was a dense thicket of trees. A shapeshifter’s heaven, she supposed. And her hell.
As if it wasn’t bad enough that his pack was located in Oklahoma, on who knew how many acres of land, now she was going to be introduced to his pack. A sudden grin broke out on her face. How was he going to explain this? How would they react when they saw that she didn’t want him or to be here. If she were lucky maybe someone would help her escape.
They broke through the trees and pulled into...
“You have your own town?” she sputtered. Lyonis turned to her with a smile.
“A small one yes, but it serves our needs. We didn’t always have one but after some hostility with the local humans, we decided it’d be best to start a few of our own businesses. We simply built around it.”
Willow shook her head in amazement. “A bar, restaurants, clothing stores, craft stores.”
“Of course people go into Muskogee if they need anything or want to get out just like anyone does. This is just convenient for us and has helped us to earn revenue to keep repairs up on the houses.”
“The houses...”
“Yeah, see over there,” he said, pointing out to the left. “Our community lives there. Most packs keep a community so we can live together.”
Willow could only nod slowly as she took in the subdivision-style homes. The houses were all different. Some were suburban
looking, others were ranch styles, and a few were cabins. Each of them had a gracious amount of yard with plenty of distance between them to be both private and not too far away.
Willow had never been to a pack before. She had no idea their community was so...homey. There was one other thing she noticed as she took everything in.
“Where is everyone?”
The town was dead. A few cars were parked in front of the shops and homes but there were no children out playing, no one walking, not even the sound of a dog barking. So much for a normal community.
“Waiting for us.”
“Say what?” Willow spun to face him. A frown marred his mouth.
“The pack is expecting us. They’ll be ready to greet their new queen.” Willow glared at him.
“I am not their queen.”
“Yet,” he added with a smile. Willow didn’t argue with him because her gut twisted with nerves.
They pulled in front of a large white building with double-sided front doors. Dozens of cars were parked out front. Hell they were all probably waiting for them inside. One happy celebration.
They came to a stop and the guards got out, leaving her alone with Lyonis. He turned to her and she saw happiness in his eyes. He was happy to be back home. Hell, he was happy to be introducing her. A small part of her wished she was happy too, but she didn’t know this man or anything about him other than on a physical level. He was trying to strap her to him like a ball and chain.
“Nervous?” he asked.
“Like I’m about to go give a speech in front of the whole world.” He chuckled and grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. The touch made her swallow hard before she tugged her hand back.
“You don’t have to be nervous. They are excited to meet you.”
“Yeah, I bet.” She wished she hadn’t pulled her hand away now because that one touch made her feel a little bit safer. “Let’s just get this over with.”
They got out of the SUV and walked to the tall, ominous doors. Willow closed her eyes. What’s the big deal? It wasn’t like she was going to stay here.
She had no chance to prepare herself or even take a deep breath because Lyonis swung open the doors and dragged her inside to a quiet, staring audience. Dozens of scrutinizing gazes landed directly on her.
Willow lifted her chin and stared back. Dammit, if she could summon a demon, she could stand in front of a bunch of strangers.
Lyonis threw open his arms to encompass the crowd and announced, “I’m home!”
The pack erupted into smiles and cheers. All except for one woman. Willow’s eyes narrowed on her because she stared at her like she was some disgusting insect she wanted to squash. She didn’t clap nor cheer at her Alpha. Willow smirked and went to flip her the bird when Lyonis grabbed her hand and raised her arm into the air.
“I’ve brought back something special,” he said to the quieting crowd. “Much to my surprise, on my hunt to find the succubus that my dear friend Francis Bellum left to me, I have in fact found something much greater.”
All cheers ceased completely. The Alpha grinned, his eyes nearly bursting with happiness. Willow yanked on her hand to pull it back, but he held tighter.
“Everyone, I would like you to meet your new queen. Willow Marie Bellum.”
The crowd glanced at one another, then slowly, awkwardly started clapping.
“See, I told you they wouldn’t be happy about this,” she hissed. Lyonis smiled at her.
“It will take time. They will want to get to know you. This is the first step to full acceptance.”
“But she isn’t a shifter,” argued the blond-haired female who stared nails into her head.
Lyonis nodded. “It’s true. She is a succubus. But as all of you who are mated know, once you find your mate there is no changing it. There is no denying it, and it cannot be resisted.” The last part he said straight to her, in a low, husky voice. A shiver raced up her spine. Her face threatened to burst with a blush, and she prayed no one noticed her reaction. It won’t really help her escape plans if people thought she actually liked the Alpha.
“Why doesn’t she speak?” yelled someone in the audience.
“He’s been keeping her mouth too busy,” another man yelled out. The audience burst into laughter and Willow glared at Lyonis who laughed along with them. He shrugged at her and winked.
“They like you already. Willow and I have had a long trip. Tomorrow, first thing, we’ll get caught up. Jackie and Thane...” he said searching the crowd. Two people stepped forward. They had a look about them that said they could easily fight in a brawl and come out on top.
“Yes, Sir?” the one named Jackie said. She wore her ginger hair pulled back into a tight ponytail with a black tank top, shorts, and sneakers. Willow liked her already.
“You two in my office first thing. We have a lot to do discuss.”
“Yes, Sir,” the one named Thane said. He had long hair too; it was dark as night and complemented his tanned skin and hawkish nose perfectly.
“Goodnight, everyone. It is good to be home!” The crowd erupted in cheers as he led her away. “Time to go home.” He pushed her into the SUB when she didn’t get in on her own.
“Great idea. I happen to live in Florida, not that you’d care about that, and I’d like to go home now. So if you could just pull back over. I’ll happily get out of your hair.”
Lyonis’ mouth pulled into a hard line. For once he didn’t laugh or smile at her. “You put me in a difficult spot, Willow.” She turned slowly to him as her jaw fell open.
“I put you in a difficult spot. You have kidnapped me, which is against the law. You have taken my body when I didn’t want it—”
He slammed on the breaks. She flung forward in her seat. He faced her in a flash of anger. “Don’t you dare lie. You wanted me just as badly as I wanted you, maybe even more with that new moon affecting your body. Don’t you dare twist what happened between us into something else.” Willow slowly peeled herself off the air bag. It was on the verge of her tongue to apologize. He was right. She didn’t like it but he was right. She could have said a stern no to him back in Europe and she knew he’d back away, but she’d wanted him so badly.
“I—okay.” He tilted his head at her.
“That’s it? ‘Okay?’”
She gave him a tight smile and nodded once. Slowly, his lips pulled up until a broad smile that covered his face, popping that cute little dimple on his left cheek.
“Is it that hard for you?”
“Is what hard for me?”
“Apologizing,” he said simply. Willow gave him a disgusted look and turned her back on him. His laughter flowed over her like a caress. “You are one interesting woman, Willow. You and I will have great times together. I look forward to it,” he said softly.
Willow wrapped her arms around herself as a wave of sadness came over her. She wasn’t going to have a life with him. Even though a small part of her was slightly curious to know more about this male and his pack. She couldn’t do it, though. She couldn’t live the submissive lifestyle he required. She’d already tried it with David. Not no, but hell no. She learned her lesson in pain and humiliation already.
He pulled onto the road and soon they were at a rustic log cabin at the end of all the homes. His house sat back from everyone else’s as if he could watch over the others if he wanted to. It also sat near the edge of the forest. If she was lucky she might be able to escape through there. Already her spirits were lifting.
She grabbed her backpack from the back seat, followed him inside, and was surprised to find that his home was...nice. It was clean but with comfortable touches and lots of sofas and couches as if he was used to having people over.
“Shall I take you on the tour of the house?” She nodded because she was curious to see the rest of it. He led her into the kitchen and her brows rose to her hairline.
She let out a whistle. “This is nice. You do a lot of cooking?” He practically puffed up at the comme
nt. The kitchen was filled with stainless steel appliances, a large island with a granite countertop, and a hanging potholder above it. There were cabinets lining three of the walls with glass windows on the front of them. She saw an arrangement of plates, glasses, and bowls that looked brand new.
“Yeah, we have a lot of gatherings and everyone does their share of cooking for it. After you become my wife, you can help me out in the kitchen.”
Willow snorted. “I don’t cook.” She crossed her arms at his laughter. “And I’m not going to be your wife.” His laughter died, then he was coming towards her. Willow refused to step back and show any sign of fear even though her heart was suddenly in her throat.
“Then I look forward to proving you wrong.” He loomed over her, a sensual presence that reminded her of the way his lips felt against hers, the way her body melted when he sunk his teeth into her neck. His eyes turned dark and erotic. She didn’t see him move but suddenly her back was pressed into the kitchen wall; his hands holding her hips.
Slowly, he bent towards her as he pulled her body into his. Her lips felt dry and in need of something. Her breasts pushed against his chest and tightened almost painfully in need. His hand came up to her chin, fingers trailing up her jaw in a gentle caress. Then his lips caught hers.
Willow let him because for those few precious seconds, she didn’t want anything more in life. His warm tongue teased the seam of her lips and coaxed them as if he was asking for permission. A part of her struggled to recall her wills, her strength.
She pulled back, mere inches separating their ragged breathing. The warm, wet heat of him lingered on her cooling lips.
As his eyes flickered over her eyes and lips with a hunger she was starting to understand all too well, he suddenly pulled back. Willow blinked, stunned.
“Come on,” he said gruffly and pulled her up the stairs and into a bedroom. Willow froze.
“I’m not sleeping with you.” She started out of the room but he grabbed her hand and in a dance-like move, spun her into his arms. Then his lips were at her neck, scalding her as he kissed along her pulse. Please don’t let him feel how fast it is, she prayed.
