Dire

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  I reluctantly broke the kiss. “We have to keep running.”

  “You are in no shape to run.”

  “We don’t have a choice.” I glanced over my shoulder. We were hidden in the swampy brush, but someone could find us at any second.

  “We need to find the others. Hunter needs to finish changing you.”

  “Right now I only need one thing.”

  “What?” She watched me eagerly.

  “You. I need to keep you safe.” I stared into her beautiful green eyes.

  “We could go back to the camp.”

  “What? Are you crazy? What if they know that’s where we’re staying? They seem to know everything.”

  “They can’t know everything since they thought you were a Were. Besides, even if they do know, would they really expect us to go back there?”

  I smiled. “You’re a genius.”

  “Actually, I’m stealing Hunter’s idea, but it works. Besides, as little as I want to see the other Dires again, we can’t give up that chance.”

  “I know.”

  “Think you can run us back there?” She looked at me nervously. She was afraid of pushing me too far.

  “Absolutely.”

  “And I’m really supposed to get on your back again?”

  I smiled. “I know it’s not luxurious, but do you have a better idea?”

  “How much further from the cabins do you think we are?”

  “Ten miles or so.”

  “That’s too much.”

  “What else can we do?”

  “They’re going to be looking for a wolf.”

  “So?”

  “They wouldn’t expect you to be a human.”

  “I’ll be naked and it’s broad daylight.”

  “This is New Orleans.” She pulled off her jacket. “Make something out of this. I have an idea.” She walked down to the road.

  You’d have thought getting kidnapped by the witches would have made her nervous to hitchhike, but Mary Anne did it like a pro. It didn’t take her long to get a guy in a pickup truck to pull over.

  “Do you need some help, miss?” A man called out from the driver’s seat.

  “Yes, please! We wandered away from our campsite, and we need a lift. Just about ten miles down. Right by the old camp.”

  “We?” He eyed her skeptically.

  I walked out of the woods and waved.

  “Where are your clothes, boy?” he asked.

  “I don’t know.” I knew how to pull off the dumb drunk college kid. It hadn’t been that long since I’d been one.

  “Kids.” The driver gave me a dirty look. “He gets in the back though.”

  “We can both ride back there.” Mary Anne hurried toward the back of the pickup.

  “You sure?” The man asked.

  “Absolutely. Thanks for the lift.”

  Once the truck was moving again I grinned at her. “That was resourceful.”

  She shrugged. “If it gets us back it’s worth it.”

  I pulled her against me. “Everything is worth it.”

  A few minutes later the truck slowed down. I helped Mary Anne out of the back. She walked around to the driver’s window. “Thanks so much.”

  “My pleasure, but be careful. And maybe find yourself a better companion.” He glared at me.

  “Thanks, sir.” She took my hand, and we ran into the woods.

  We ran for a few minutes away from the highway before stopping near the cabins. She burst out laughing. “Our lives are insane.”

  “They are, aren’t they?”

  “So what now? It doesn’t look like there is anyone else here.”

  “Now? Don’t we go back to my cabin?”

  “And do what?”

  “You know exactly what we’re going to do.” I smiled.

  “With everything else going on, you’re thinking about sex?”

  “I’m done wasting time and giving up chances.” Life was too short and unexpected to do anything else. I was going to enjoy every moment I could, and I was going to make sure Mary Anne did the same. Besides, I needed her, and I knew she needed me too.

  “For once I agree with you.” She smiled.

  “For once?”

  “All right, it’s not the first time.” She turned and started back toward the cabins. I could hardly wait to get her alone.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Mary Anne

  I should have been worried. I should have been conflicted about my promises, and what my next actions meant for our future, but I wasn’t. The only thing I could think about was getting close to Gage as he whisked us upstairs to his bed in the cabin.

  “I need you,” he whispered the words against my ear. His arms were wrapped around me from behind. He’d ditched my jacket and was completely naked, and his need was clear as he pressed his body against me.

  “I need you too.” I turned around in his arms. “Whether I should or not.”

  “You should. You absolutely should.” His lips trailed down my neck. “I know there are so many things we should probably talk about, but we’re not. I refuse to waste another second with you.” His lips claimed mine. It was a possessive kiss, one full of emotion and words neither of us could say. I eagerly allowed him into my mouth, wanting every bit of him I could get. I couldn’t think about what the future would bring, what would happen later. All I could think about was that Gage and I were together.

  Without breaking the kiss for long he had my shirt pulled over my head. He unclasped my bra, letting it fall to the floor. I pressed my chest against his, reveling in the feel of my bare skin against his.

  “Mary Anne,” he whispered as his lips met mine again.

  “I’m here.” I was nearly overwhelmed with emotion. I’d refused to acknowledge it before, but I’d been terrified of never seeing Gage again. I couldn’t lose him. I wouldn’t lose him.

  “I know.”

  I was barely aware of him lifting me up and laying me down on the top bed, but I was completely aware of the way he pulled off my jeans and underwear.

  “Sex on a bunk bed. We’re moving up in the world.”

  “And you still have your sense of humor.”

  “And you’re still surprised?”

  “Not surprised. Happy.” His hand slipped between my legs as his lips made a path down my neck over to my shoulder bone. I took him in my hand, and he groaned. He took my breast in his mouth, lightly grazing my nipple with his teeth while he moved over me. “I promise I won’t let you down again.”

  “I won’t either.”

  He thrust into me, leaving me short of breath. He moved inside me in fast and deep motions that had me reaching out for something to hold onto. When I found nothing, I held onto him instead. That seemed to encourage him further, and he only made things harder and deeper. I wrapped my legs around him.

  “Always mine,” he grunted.

  I didn’t mind the possessive words. They were the words of a Dire, and that was what Gage was now. “Always.”

  The pleasure that washed over me was like nothing I’d ever felt before, and moments later he reached his own release. He shuddered and rolled off to the side of me. “That was unreal.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  He brushed some of my now damp hair away from my face. “I love you, Mary Anne.”

  “I love you too.”

  “Even though I’m not human anymore?”

  I ran my hand over his chest. “You’re still you.”

  “And you’re still you.” He brushed his lips against mine.

  “Can this happen again? I mean what if Hunter won’t finish changing you?”

  He lightly bit down on my lip. “I don’t care anymore. I don’t know what to believe, but I know I’m not giving you up.”

  “And I’m not giving you up. How can you expect me to be okay with you dying?”

  “We don’t know for sure that there is anything else required. It might be a lie. For all we know everything is a
lie. ”

  “I’m scared.” The words slipped out without me meaning them to.

  “Everything is going to be okay.”

  “We stay together.” I needed to hear him say it.

  He smiled. “We stay together forever.”

  So much had changed in such a short period of time, but two things were clear to me in that moment. One, neither of our lives were ever going to be the same again, and two, I was completely and utterly in love with Gage Marshall, and there wasn’t a chance I was spending my life with anyone else.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Gage

  We’d been back for a few hours when a knock on the door had us both freezing. Then reality dawned on me. Anyone who wanted to do us any harm wouldn’t knock.

  “Are you guys dressed?” Denny called.

  “No,” I replied, running my hands down Mary Anne’s back. Touching her was even more amazing now that my senses were heightened.

  “Could you get dressed?” He called from the bottom of the ladder.

  “Yes!” Mary Anne jerked out of my arms and was up and pulling on her clothes in less than two seconds.

  Despite the situation, I laughed. Some things never changed. She was still Mary Anne. “Couldn’t wait to get away from me, huh?”

  “You know that’s not it!” She pulled on her boots.

  A minute later we headed down the ladder to the main floor of the cabin.

  Denny shook his head as I wrapped my arm around Mary Anne’s waist. “Not to break up this reunion, but we’ve got things to discuss.”

  “Aren’t you going to yell at us for what we did?” Mary Anne leaned into my side.

  Denny shook his head. “I don’t care who you sleep with as long as you help us, and honestly Hunter would probably say the same thing.”

  “Somehow I doubt that,” I said under my breath. “But I don’t care.”

  “We don’t have time to discuss this now.”

  “Then let’s get to business.” A few hours with Mary Anne had me reinvigorated even though I knew fighting against The Society wasn’t going to be easy. “Where is everyone else?”

  “Hunter sent the nomads away before the trial. They’re waiting for his next command.”

  “What is that command?” Mary Anne asked quietly. “Where is he?”

  “He didn’t make it out.”

  “What?” Mary Anne tensed. “How is that possible?”

  “Hunter’s one hell of a strong guy, but he was no match for the group of Pterons that came after him. He covered me to get me out. He sent me to find you.”

  “And Marni? Chet? Semi?”

  “They’re with Hunter.” Denny looked down. “I didn’t want to leave, but Hunter made the command clear.”

  Mary Anne paled. “What’s going to happen to them?”

  “Now that The Society knows we’re Dires, they’re not going anywhere. At least this king doesn’t seem to be killing Dires. He’s just locking them up.”

  “And you just got here?”

  “I tried to find the rest of the pack myself, but they’re long gone. Then I thought I’d give you guys a few hours, and let you get that out of your system.”

  Mary Anne blushed. “A few hours before what?” She asked nervously.

  “Before you run.”

  “Run? How can we? We need to get everyone out so Hunter can finish changing Gage!”

  “You need to get everyone out anyway.” Denny’s eyes were gentle. He didn’t seem surprised by Mary Anne’s reaction. “We need you to end the hunt. If you do that we’ll all be indebted to you, including Hunter. He’ll do anything you want. That means changing Gage and releasing you. And then you guys can live your life. Maybe even go back to your old one.”

  Mary Anne’s eyes lit up. I felt exactly the same way, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I had no idea how to break the Dires out or how to end the hunt. “Then why tell us to run?”

  “Because right now you two need to get the hell away from this city.” He handed me a set of keys. “The SUV has a full tank and there’s a week of supplies in there. Mary Anne, you got any cash?”

  “Yes. I have a couple hundred left over from when I went shopping.” She patted her back pocket.

  “Here’s two hundred more.” He handed me a few bills.

  “So what now?” she asked softly. “What are we supposed to do?”

  “You lay low.” Denny shifted his weight. “You don’t get caught. That’s going to be harder than you think. Because they know what we look like now…”

  They knew a lot more than that. I was sure of it. I didn’t understand all the workings of The Society, but to maintain power the way they did, they had to have some serious intel. And security. Although we’d somehow managed to get out. I couldn’t believe the sacrifice the other Dires had made to make that happen.

  “Pick only the most inconspicuous of places and campsites, and move the second anything makes you suspicious. Instincts are rarely wrong. And this goes without saying. Don’t contact anyone you knew before. By now The Society knows your true identities. They’d find you in a heartbeat, and you’d be putting anyone you contact in jeopardy.”

  “Got it, but you just happen to have a week worth of supplies in the SUV?”

  “We’re Dires. We’ve been in hiding our whole lives, which means we always prepare for this sort of thing.”

  “How will we know when to come back?” Mary Anne gripped my hand tightly.

  “I’ll call you.” He pulled out a phone and handed it to her. “This is untraceable, but only use it when absolutely necessary.”

  She slipped the phone into the back pocket of her jeans. “What are you going to be doing? Why aren’t you coming with us?”

  “I’m going to keep searching for the others. Pack instinct says to stay together, but not now. All the rules have changed.” He let out a deep breath. “Now get out here. Get as far away as you can.”

  “We will.” I nodded. “Thanks.”

  “You’ll be repaying all the help later. Both of you will. I don’t know what’s going to happen now, but things are changing. We’re not going back into hiding for long. The hunt will be over one way or another.”

  “It will.” I hadn’t been a Dire for long, but I understood the frustration the pack felt. Why should we be hiding when we were so strong? I hated Hunter, but I also owed him. I’d have been dead if he hadn’t changed me. We’d find a way to end the hunt, and then Mary Anne and I were leaving. We were going to build a life together that didn’t involve hiding and living in fear.

  Mary Anne hugged Denny. “Stay safe.”

  “I will. Same to you. Watch out for our friend there.”

  “I will.” She smiled. She liked Denny implying that she’d be the one to take care of me. She would be taking care of me. I needed her, but I was also going to take care of her. Even if it cost me my life, I was never letting anything keep us apart again.

  I waited until she was buckled before pulling away from the cabins.

  “At least we’re together.” She leaned back against the seat.

  “That changes everything.” I took her hand in mind.

  “Thank you.” I finally spoke the words I’d been mulling over for days.

  “For?”

  “Giving me another chance at life.” I continued down the dirt road.

  “I couldn’t let you go.”

  “And I’ll always be grateful to you for that.”

  “Is that why you’re with me? Because you feel grateful?”

  “Not at all.” I slowed the car down, and pulled to a stop.

  “What are you doing?” Mary Anne asked nervously. “Denny said we needed to move.”

  “I’m making sure you never question my motivations for being with you again.” I got out and went over to her side. I unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her out of the car and into my arms.

  I let my lips do what my words were failing at. I moved them against hers urgently, trying to convey how much she
meant to me, and would always mean to me. I deepened the kiss, as she held on to my shoulders.

  “It’s dusk.” She broke the kiss, but remained in my arms. “Maybe tomorrow will be a less crazy day.”

  “All in all today wasn’t a bad day.”

  “Are you only saying that because we had sex?” Her lips tickled my neck.

  “I’m saying it because I have you again.”

  “And you’re going to have me forever.” Without a word she got back into the passenger seat. I returned to the driver’s side, and we continued down the dirt road. I had no idea where we were going, but we would make things work. The hunt was ending, and Mary Anne was going to be with me forever.

  Keep reading for a preview of Seduction’s Kiss, the prequel novella to the Allure Chronicles, A New Adult Paranormal Romance series by Alyssa Rose Ivy.

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  Seduction’s Kiss

  An Allure Chronicles Prequel

  Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Book Description:

  Never agree to a road trip to New Orleans with your roommate. At least not when your roommate is dragging you along while she reconnects with an ex-boyfriend. Possible consequences of failing to take my advice:

  1) Unknowingly going out with a vampire stripper.

  2) Getting kidnapped by said vampire's nest mates.

  3) Falling head over heels for your winged hero.

  Believe it or not number 3 is the worst one, especially when no one believes you that he exists.

  Preface

  You’re probably not going to believe a word I say. If you’re like everyone else I’ve told, you’re going to read this and tell me to get help. That’s fine, because the only thing I care about is finding my winged hero. So whether you believe me or not, if you see him, tell him I’m searching for him, and I have no plans to give up. Because when a man can kiss like that—can make you feel alive in every grain of your being—there’s no comparison. The only clue I have to find him is his first name. Owen.