by Devyn Quinn
Callie’s moans filled the air. She wanted this, wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anything in her entire life. Melding into him, she matched his rhythm, prodding his excitement. One hand dug into his hip, fingernails pressed into his flesh.
Rocking and rolling with the sensations, her body bucked. “Now, please,” she ordered breathlessly. The exquisite pain of delight filled her like wildfire across a dry prairie. No stopping its force or hunger to devour.
Iollan throttled faster, going deeper. Sinking his teeth into the soft flesh of her shoulder, he marked her as his own. Tremors rumbled through him. His cock pulsed thickly as he shot his semen deep inside her.
Coming down from his high, he clung to her, body slowly adjusting as his breathing returned to normal.
As the last of Callie’s own tremors eased away, Iollan turned off the taps. The water around them had grown cold, but it might as well have been scalding hot for all the heat their bodies generated.
Stepping out of the shower, Iollan snagged a towel off the rack and wrapped it around his waist. He grabbed a second one for her and held it open.
Bundling into his arms, Callie felt the quick shudder that went through him as his arms tightened around her. But she hardly needed air. She needed his body, his urgency, the slide of his cock filling her with his intense and demanding desire.
Iollan dried her, kissing every inch as he rubbed the soft cloth into her skin. She ached to be his again. She needed him with a fierce burning desire, a thing she had never felt for any other man in her life. He was a breath of fresh air in her stale, dank world.
Finished, he let the towel drop and pulled her close. Their bodies were separated only by the towel precariously tucked around his hips. He touched her cheek, then traced the curve of one ear. “This isn’t finished.” Anticipation dilating his gaze, lust roughened his voice.
“I know.” Going up on the tips of her toes, Callie cupped the back of his head and pulled his mouth down to meet hers. The wall of his chest was solid, brushing against her bare nipples. The sensitive tips beaded in response. The moment of truth had arrived. Her heart was pounding, not entirely from desire. “If you can shift, can you get out of here?” she murmured against his lips.
Iollan’s mouth tested, retreated, returned. “There’s a chance. They’ve got every inch of this place sealed, down to the last crack. Even in shifted form, I have physical limitations.” His lips turned up at one corner, taking on a wicked cast. “But I have other tricks they’ve not yet seen.”
The delight of hope blossomed in her chest. All sorts of feelings fluttered in her veins. “Anything I can do to help?”
Hands circling her waist, he stroked the tender skin at the center of her back. His hands were warm. Her skin tingled under his intimate touch. “Seeing you naked definitely helps.”
She shivered. Seeing him naked did wonders for her well-being, too. In ways he couldn’t imagine. Or maybe he could. “You’ll need to feed,” she started to say.
Iollan hushed her. “Yes.” His gaze strayed toward the adjoining room of his cell, to the bed that waited. He swept her into his arms, muscles flexing as he balanced her weight.
Callie’s hands gripped his broad shoulders. Not that she feared he’d drop her, but damn! He was so freaking tall. “Iollan, they’ll see us!”
He carried her toward the waiting bed, kissing her cheek, her shoulder, whatever inch of skin he could reach. “Your people want to know what we can do. Fine. They’ll see what the Niviane Idesha are about—in every way.”
27
Iollan hit the narrow bed with his knee, tumbling Callie onto its firm surface. At least the mattress beneath her back was thick and comfortable, for what sliver of bed there was.
Callie tried to sit up. “They can watch us here,” she warned again.
Tossing his towel aside, Iollan tumbled down next to her. His hand stroked her smooth hip. “I don’t care.” Pulling her close, he smoothed damp tendrils of hair away from her face, then traced her full lips with the tips of his fingers. His lips brushed hers and his hand drifted lower, touching her breast, circling her areola. “Maybe your people need to see we are not so unlike themselves.”
Callie trembled. She moved her hips against his thigh. His physique was a powerful one, and she felt very soft and womanly against it. “How would it happen?” she asked. “Becoming.”
In the low light of the cell, his eyes were bright, the glow deep within their depth coiling and snapping with his arousal. “I can give you a rough idea.”
Without giving her time to consider the consequences, he rolled her onto her stomach, then stretched out on top of her. His body connected with hers. His penis, half-flaccid, half-taut, pressed against her buttocks. Supporting his weight on outstretched arms, he lowered his body until his mouth was barely an inch from her ear. Every inch of her skin tingled.
Callie held her breath, waiting.
Grinding his hips sensuously into hers, he nipped the curl of her ear. “First, I’d make you so damn hot, building your energies to their highest peak.”
“And?”
Iollan nuzzled the hair from the back of her neck. Hungry lips scraped the softness at the base of her skull. His mouth teased and taunted with long slow licks and nips. “Then, I’d bite. Deep. And you’d feel a pressure crawling under your skin.”
Half delight, half fright shivered through her. Longing rose in her. “What next?”
Iollan abruptly broke the spell, rolling off her. “The only way to know is to go through the change.”
Disappointed, Callie rolled over on her back. They were lying so close she felt the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, his pulse pounding under his skin, and lower. Getting bigger, she noticed. “Tease.”
His smile flickered, serious and without humor. “The gift from one to another is a sacred thing. Mates are chosen carefully because the gift is so awesome.” He glanced toward the hateful door of his cell. “Even if they strip me down to just atoms, they’ll never be able to capture or understand the essence of our power.”
A sad and solemn pain knifed her. It isn’t Iollan they’ll dissect. He was too valuable to lose. Scientists wanted his children, the DNA he’d pass to his offspring.
Callie slid her arms around him and held him, just held him. Damp hair hanging in loose curls, he smelled fresh and clean. Pure. He hadn’t shaved yet and a light layer of dark stubble covered his cheeks, giving another clue of just how human he still was. “Have I told you that you’re awesome?”
A slow smile eased across his full mouth. His eyes sizzled under heavy lids. “Am I?”
She bit her lip, nodding. “More than you have any right to be.”
His smile lingered. Deliberately, he leaned down. The tip of his tongue came out, tracing her lower lip. One of his hands drifted down to cup the soft round curve of her breast. He stroked her, hands easily finding her most sensitive places. “So are you.” Suddenly, he was erect.
Sizzling heat rose between them as Callie’s conscious awareness of her surroundings faded. There was only her man, holding her, kissing her. His hands caressed, sampling her body as if he couldn’t get enough, couldn’t get close enough.
Pressing her down, Iollan shifted on top of her. His legs took command of her, parting her thighs, cock nesting against her belly when he came down on top of her. A hot rush of breath brushed her cheeks, then her mouth, right before he kissed her.
Callie surrendered utterly to the whirlwind of passion. Her tongue traced his lips, gently biting down on his lower lip. He growled low in the back of his throat, muttering something incomprehensible in Gaelic.
Fingers flexing against the tight muscles of his back, Callie felt him move lower. Softly, gently, he nipped her neck, licking, kissing, tasting her. Lower still, finding the valley between her breasts before moving to one swollen nipple.
Heady with feminine power, she gently caught his hair. “Don’t try to get out of feeding.”
He nodded, gr
inning. “I’m going for a triple espresso.”
Wriggling out from under him, Callie lay half over him, her breasts pressing against his chest, legs tangled with his. She felt the ache between them, felt herself grow moist. She ran her fingers along his chest, teasing one dusky nipple.
“Is that all I am to you? An espresso?”
Iollan quirked a wry smile at her. “A triple mocha latte.” He tweaked a nipple. “With whipped cream.” His exploring hand moved lower, finding her pulsing center. His hand slid between her legs, stroking gently.
Callie moaned and reached to thread her fingers through his thick hair. “You touch me in all the right ways,” she moaned, voice husky.
Smiling wickedly, he touched his mouth to hers. “I try to.”
Snug against him, she gave her fingers free rein. She had only a moment to tease him before his arms came around her and he took control again. His thighs pushed between hers.
“No fair!” she giggled, but let him have his way. It felt so right to be under his weight.
“All is fair when pleasure is concerned.”
Pinning her securely, he moved his mouth from her lips to her neck to the sweet hollow between her breasts. This time it was her turn to whimper as he kissed the swell of her right breast, his tongue whirling closer and closer to an engorged nipple. Pleasure flooded her when he began teasing the nubbin. Against the sensitive peak, his tongue felt smooth as silk.
Fighting his grip, Callie arched higher. The movement of his mouth, the pressure of his cock pressing between her legs inflamed her fierce craving to have him inside her. She was ablaze, and she wanted him all over again.
But Iollan was in no hurry, moving to her left breast and repeating slow, sensual circles around the pink bud. His mouth was driving her insane. Dragging her hands free, she dug her nails deep into his muscular shoulder, shifting her body and spreading her thighs. Slowly, she rotated her hips, begging him to relieve her.
“Please,” she managed between ragged, husky breaths.
Iollan flashed a sinful smile and dipped lower, passing his palm across the smooth plane of her belly, then following with a dozen small nips and kisses. He ran his hands up the insides of her thighs, then kissed her just above her shaved mound.
Callie felt dizzy when he slid his fingers along her labia. She gripped the blanket under her body, nearly ripping it. His touch sent a hot rush to all her nerve endings. His fingertips felt like feathers, stroking her with the familiarity of a lover who knew where her every sensitive spot lay. He was careful and gentle, doing to her exactly what he wished as he eased two fingers inside her. Nothing to do but hold on as a whole new tidal wave of pleasure inundated her.
Gasping from the intensity, she cried out. “Iollan, don’t tease. Fuck me, damn it. Fuck me.”
While she was still pulsing, he added the soft pressure of his mouth.
Callie’s senses shattered. Quivering with tension, aflame with desire, she gave herself to a delicious orgasm, meeting each slow thrust of his fingers. She wanted him more than she wanted the sun to rise in the morning sky. The world might end now, and she would not care.
He pulled away, leaving a sudden cold void, but not for long. He shifted his body, folding her in his arms.
She pushed up. “Let me please you…”
“Later.” His mouth silenced her, and she tasted the spice of her female musk.
Lifting his body, he slid his cock deep. His glide in was smooth and easy. Warm and slick, her sex welcomed him. Clearly, he had been holding himself back, waiting for the right moment to join their bodies in a union that was almost holy.
Fluttery feelings spread through her like warm honey. “I’m a fool for wanting you.”
Satisfaction lit his face. “There are worse things to be a fool about.” Iollan’s lips claimed hers again.
When their kiss ended, Callie let out a slow, pent-up breath, wrapping her legs around his waist to draw him deeper. Her senses were attuned to his breathing, his strength, and his strong body. Every beat of her heart, the blood they shared pulsing through her veins, made her that much more aware of his intense male domination. The power he radiated enveloped her. He controlled his every move, thrusting slowly in, pulling out, then thrusting again.
Suddenly, he stiffened. Fingers tangling in her hair, his head lowered, warm mouth searching her neck. Sharp teeth grazed.
An involuntary shiver tickled the base of her spine. Soon.
Eyes ablaze, the beast emerged. Lips curling back, fangs appeared, his teeth grew long and sharp within seconds. A low growl emanated from his throat. “Don’t fight me.”
Callie’s muscles contracted in a spasm of fear. Strong hands locked around her wrists, a grip tight and unrelenting. No way she’d escape him now. Not that she wanted to.
Shifting her hips to take him more fully, she groaned. Her skin tingled under his demanding touch.
Iollan nuzzled. “I won’t hurt you.” Hunger, physical hunger, roughened his voice. His tongue traced a burning path along her soft skin. His teeth punctured near the vulnerable vein in her neck, bringing forth a rush of warm blood.
A quick shudder went through her. His bite was sweet and drugging, delivering a pain she welcomed. Held on to, savored. The feral male scent of him filled her senses. The pulse between her legs grew stronger, more insistent. Knots of need tightened in her belly. She was coming to the edge, so close she ached for completion.
Iollan feasted, drinking deeply. As he fed, his hips leisurely ground into hers. He licked and sucked while his cock ferried in and out, pleasing himself…and her. His bite deepened. He sucked deeply. Control breaking, he thrust into her depth.
And the world shattered.
Breath lost in a gasp, Callie arched beneath him as a white-hot burst of pleasure picked her up and tossed her into an abyss seeming to go on forever and ever. Her mind hazed, she lay in a naked sprawl, damp with sweat, panting. Time was lost in a liquid rush of pleasure.
His kiss chased away her drowsy fog.
When his mouth settled on hers, it felt so right that Callie unhesitatingly claimed his lips. With a quavering sigh, she tasted her own blood, a strange nectar to be savored. There was only the taste of him painted across her lips, and the weight of him pressed between her thighs.
Glaring lights flicked up. Blinding.
“What did I tell you, Doctor? She can’t get enough sex.”
An amused chuckle followed.
Roger. Oh, God.
28
Roger Reinke stood in the doorway. Holding a syringe in her hand, Doctor Yuan hovered beside him. Two other men were with them, heavily armed guards.
Callie struggled to sit up, pushing herself in front of Iollan, intent on protecting him. With what? Naked as jaybirds, both of them were vulnerable, exposed. Not a great position to be in at this precise moment.
She forced herself to sit straighter, staring the group down, determined to show no fear. She considered crossing her arms across her breasts, then decided not to. She had nothing to hide. “What the hell do you people want?”
Gray eyes flinty, features more rigid than stone, Roger was colder than an arctic winter. “You’re under arrest, Agent Whitten.”
Callie’s blood pressure immediately dropped. Shit! They had somehow found out she’d hacked the system. Not wanting to jeopardize Iollan’s safety because of her stupidity, she made a quick decision. She’d go quietly if they wouldn’t punish him.
She started to slide off the bed. “I’m going to get my clothes,” she said calmly. “Then I’ll come with you.”
Iollan grabbed her arms, fingers digging in painfully. “It’s me they’ll want.”
Roger laughed. “Oh, we’ve got you.” He gestured at the agents. Both drew their weapons. “One move and they’ll fill you back up with silver.” The detachment in his voice chilled.
He speared Callie with hate through narrowed eyes.
A perverse desire to slap that grin off his face rose inside Callie. �
�They’ll do it,” she warned Iollan in a near whisper. She gently shook off his hold. “Let me go. They won’t hurt me.”
Iollan’s grip gentled.
Callie eased off the bed, careful to keep her body between her lover and their weapons. Still weak from blood loss, her head swam and her knees trembled. As long as she kept Iollan blocked, they wouldn’t be able to get off a clean shot. Once she was out of the way…She shivered at the vision of Iollan again writhing in pain, poisoned by the hateful silver.
“Be careful,” Doctor Yuan demanded the moment Callie stepped away from the bed. Her eyes settled on Callie’s middle. “Don’t hurt her,” she said, grinning like a feral cat over a prime kill. “She’s a valuable specimen now.”
A what?
Callie remembered the blood and urine Yuan had collected. Oh, shit. Shock filled her.
No time to question Yuan’s remark. Strong hands grasped her arms, dragging her to one side. Her arms were wrenched up behind her back. Her hands flexed behind her back, aching to break free. She shuddered at the prospect of Yuan gaining control of her child.
If there was a child.
Yuan gestured toward Iollan. “Now that we have a viable sample, get the cuffs back on him.”
Callie’s head swiveled. “Viable sample of what?”
Doctor Yuan smiled sweetly. “Semen.”
Callie swore viciously under her breath. Fury rising, she jerked, trying to break free of her captors. That examination wasn’t going to happen. No way she’d go up on a table and have her legs spread open. The pieces clicked together in her mind. Now she knew why they’d wanted her to seduce Iollan so badly. They needed a receptacle for his sperm donation. She snarled. “Like hell.”
“Be still,” Roger barked.
Grips tightened. She might have been almost as tall as the men, but she wasn’t as strong. In the back of her mind she pictured breaking free and kicking them all in the balls, punting the useless things right over their shoulders.
