by Morgan Fox
Once Brie McCarthy killed Mason, Bianca stepped in to infiltrate the enemy by placing herself in harm’s way. Bianca’s intentions had been honorable. Slipping into the vampire world to destroy their enemy was supposed to give her entrance back into her own pack. Her goal had been to bring down the creator of the were-virus and put an end to the torment and torture Lilly was doing to her kind. But things weren’t working out as Bianca had planned.
Now, she was seen as Lilly’s equal, a traitor to her own, a kidnapper and liar. In her heart, she knew Ryder would come for the baby, and giving him the child had always been her intention. But standing there, watching the hatred blaze from his eyes, she knew nothing would ever make him believe her words.
Her heart fluttered in her chest as she roared to the moon above. The blackness set aglow by the twinkling stars, a full moon, and flickering of lightning in the distant sky. A thick wall of clouds moved in, the scent of rain in the air. The wind blew, but suddenly changed direction, swirling a musky fragrance into her nostrils that had the hair rising all over her long, curvy spine. Her tail whipped from side to side as she felt the tension of the night air thicken. The aroma was unmistakably familiar.
In panther form, Bianca ran. Her legs pumped as she darted and juked around trees, boulders, brush, anything and everything that lay in her path. She prayed her feet would keep moving and allow her a chance to reach her cabin. She wasn’t ready for this. She thought she had more time.
A wall of strength crushed into her, knocking her over and sending her stiff body slamming against a hundred-year-old white oak tree. The air whooshed from her lungs, her body gasping for breath.
Stunned, she shook her head, clearing the sharp reminder of pain from her eyes.
She sniffed the air, seeking out the object that had forced her body to fly out of control. Her panther eyes scanned her surroundings, but found nothing. Then she felt the power of the hybrid, his breath on her neck, clinging to the low limbs of the tree above her.
Bianca growled, bolting away from the branches. In seconds, Ryder pounced on her. They fought with claws and teeth tearing at one another. Ryder’s sharp fangs sank into the flesh of her hind leg, and she cried out with a wild yelp. Instantly, he released her, and with his massive paw, he swiped her legs out from under her, forcing her body into a roll. Wedged between objects, she thrashed around to flip over, trapped on her back.
Just as Ryder jumped on top of her, the sky above them cracked with a thunderous boom. Rain from the heavens poured down on them, soaking the earth and pelting them with heavy raindrops.
He’s going to kill me like some savage beast.
Bianca had wondered, night after night, how Ryder would end her life. She wasn’t strong enough to beat him in a fight, and it would only be moments before the job was finished. But she didn’t want to be a panther when she received that final blow. She wanted to be the woman she’d been when the mating attraction had begun to call to her. When instinct and her heart had told her that Ryder was the one she was destined to be with. If she couldn’t love him as a mate should be allowed, it was only poetic that he should be the one who destroyed her, body and spirit.
With a deep inhalation of breath, Bianca shifted into human form. Ryder’s golden panther eyes pierced into hers, his teeth nipping close to her face. He was growling as if to yell at her for changing forms. Then he backed away and shifted before her eyes.
The blackness of his panther surrendered into a tan-skinned man with eyes so deadly, she couldn’t hold their penetrating glare. Her body shivered as she lowered her eyes to drink in the size of his defined broad chest, chiseled abdominals, and the V-cut sinew located below his belly button and above his cock. Her breath hitched as she beheld his swelling shaft, jumping as if to command her attention stay focused on his perfectly erect penis.
She swallowed hard, studying the tension in the muscles of his body. His long legs stood shoulder width apart, his bare body damp with rain. She hadn’t given much thought to the fact that she lay naked on her back in the mud, resting on her elbows with her legs slightly spread. If she were any other woman, surely Ryder would welcome the sight. His erection was just a reaction to his transformation into human form. Perhaps it was even the thrill of his potential kill.
“Why did you shift back?” Ryder shouted, the rain falling harder. “Damn it, Bianca. I don’t want to look at you like this.” He glanced away from her, his eyes searching for something in the near darkness.
The air fled from her lungs, her body shuddering, but not from cold. “If you are to kill me, you will do so with me as bare to you as my soul is.”
His piercing gaze snapped back in her direction. She swallowed hard, hating the disgust firing in his eyes. She wished more than anything to have seen love or desire looking back at her, but she didn’t. Deep in her heart she had hoped that no matter what, Ryder would be able to see her for the person she truly was and not the monster he assumed her to be.
I will die just as I lived. Alone.
Her fingers dug into the saturated ground beneath her. She needed something to anchor to. Her body shook terribly. “I’ve spoken only the truth to you, Ryder, and I have no secrets. I will go to my grave knowing that I never betrayed you or our people.” She moved from her back and repositioned herself onto her knees. “But for the pain I have caused you, it will be a death I deserve.” Her eyes welled with tears. “I pray it brings you and your friends peace.” She placed her arms behind her back, clasping her hands together, and bowed her head, offering herself to him in sacrifice.
She closed her eyes, waiting for the moment that darkness would finally take her, for the loneliness that consumed her life to finally have an end. But it didn’t come.
Ryder gripped her shoulders, hauling her to her feet. His touch burned into her flesh. “Why would you align with someone so vile?” He shoved her back and she stumbled, slipping on the muddy earth beneath her feet, falling back onto the ground. Mud coated her rear and legs. “Do you honestly expect me to believe the bullshit you spewed about aligning with Lilly?” He closed the distance between them, shouting at her through the storm. “Why didn’t you come to me first?” His fists clenched at his sides, and she feared he would strike her. She closed her eyes, bracing for his attack, but it never came. “I would’ve saved you from this nightmare.” She gasped as he knelt beside her, his fingers caressing her cheek, forcing her eyes to open wide. Cradling her face in his hands, he leaned his forehead against hers, his touch softening. “I never would’ve let anything happen to you, Bianca. I never would’ve let our people hurt you. Your banishment was my fault.” His voice shook with anger. “If I hadn’t been a damn hybrid—”
Bianca shook her head. “You cannot possibly be blaming any of this on yourself,” she said, her chest squeezing tight at the thought of even an ounce of Ryder’s forgiveness. “You and I, we were never meant to be.”
Ryder’s lips closed over hers and the air that had once filled her lungs was no longer. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. All she could do was feel. Her body pulsed with the blood that raced through her veins. Instantly, her arms circled his neck, her hands playing in his damp hair. Her body warmed deliciously as she finally tasted the lips of her mate, confirming what she’d known all along.
Ryder pushed her away, shoving to his feet. “Fuck,” he roared to the sky, his fists clenched as he shook them above his head, his muscles flexing and bunching in his arms, shoulders, and back.
Oh, God. He doesn’t want me.
She pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees. She took a moment, closing her eyes and hating herself for thinking that he would ever want her. She was a fool to believe that he would understand what she had done and why. She lowered her gaze and rested her forehead on her arms. The tears she fought to hide for so long spilled down her cheeks like the rain from the sky. Her body rocked as the torturous sobs of every emotion surfaced.
Ryder growled. “Stop that,” he demanded. “You don�
�t get to cry.” He eradicated the distance between them, pulling her up against his chest. “You don’t get to be sad. This was your doing. You chose to take matters into your own hands. You decided to be alone over coming to me.”
Her eyes rounded. “I would’ve been killed if I came to you, Ryder. They were watching you and you didn’t even know it.” Her bottom lip quivered.
He scowled. “What are you talking about?”
She swallowed. “The council’s been watching you like a hawk since the day I left. You belong to them now.”
“I belong to no one,” he barked.
I wish you belonged to me.
She placed her hand on his cheek, the coarse whiskers scraping gently against the palm of her hand. “That’s not how they see it.” Her eyes watered. “You were the one I wanted most. I craved you more than air, food…everything.” She ran her tongue over the dry seam of her lips. “I couldn’t risk putting you in danger, and I couldn’t risk them killing me. Tricking Lilly and pretending to be like Mason was the only thing I could do to make our people see that I’m good enough to be your mate.” She hung her head and sobbed.
With his finger placed under her chin, he raised her gaze. “You think they banished you because you weren’t good enough?”
She nodded.
He sighed. “Actually they banished you because they thought you’d make me soft, weaken me with emotions.” He chuckled. “As if anyone could do that.” He brushed his thumb over her chin and cheek.
She gasped, surprised to hear his explanation. She narrowed her gaze. “How do you know that?”
“I confronted my parents and the council leader,” Ryder said matter-of-factly.
“Oh,” she breathed. Slow, teasing droplets kissed her skin as a shiver ran along her spine and settled in her belly.
“I’m curious about something,” Ryder said. Her brows rose in interest. “You and your family were banished, but I didn’t learn about your death until your parents returned without you. Where did they take you?”
Once again, Bianca’s lip quivered. The memory of her abandonment by the people who should’ve loved and protected her most left a gut-wrenching ache in her heart. She bit the inside of her mouth, using the sharp sting of pain to keep from bawling like a baby. “They took me…nowhere.” She met his interested gaze. “Once we left the protection of the pack, they gave me a thousand dollars and wished me well. Threatened me with the fear of death should I ever return to the pack, and said they could no longer be part of my life.” The tears she fought so hard to mask ripped from her eyes. Her body trembled as the heavy sobs hit her. “They abandoned me, left me so they could return to our people. They said I was dead to them and it needed to be that way if I wanted to remain alive.”
Ryder’s fingers dug into the flesh of her arms, and she could feel the tension in his body, her words seeping into him.
“Your parents suck,” he told her, his eyes narrowing. “When I return to the pack, I’m going to beat the hell out of both of them.”
She shrugged. “Wish I could help.” The stabbing pain in her chest choked the air from her lungs.
He blew out a breath. “That brings up a good point.”
He cupped her face, bringing his lips to hers once more. Her arms came around his waist, kneading the damp flesh of his back. Kissing and holding her mate was a dream come true. Her heart revved, her breathing labored. His tongue slipped between her lips, delving into her mouth. The power of his kiss had her body warming and her pussy throbbing with need.
For so long, she’d waited for Ryder, and now that he was with her, she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do. He had come to kill her, but instead he kissed her. Her head swam with uncertainty.
Ryder broke the kiss, nipping at her chin, neck, and collarbone. He licked her moist skin, kissing the hollow of her neck. “I can smell your arousal.” He pressed his pelvis against hers, his erection fierce.
“Ryder,” she breathed.
He nipped at her lips once more, dragging his mouth over the smooth skin of her cheek. He growled in her ear as their slippery naked bodies molded together. He nuzzled the crook of her neck. His massive body engulfed hers, his well-muscled chest pressing firmly against her sensitive breasts. Her nipples hardened with the gentle friction of his skin over hers.
“Ryder, please,” she begged.
Unsure of what he was doing to her, she needed clarification. She needed to know what he expected from her. Did he plan to mate with her before he killed her? She shuddered at the wild thought of his claiming.
“Bianca, where have you been hiding?” he asked, continuing to tease her with sweet, tender kisses.
She eased back to stare into his dark, intense eyes. His tantalizing touch was driving her mad. “Why?”
Ryder’s mouth covered hers, a kiss so intoxicatingly tender it made her dizzy. He angled her face, deepening the kiss. He held her close, their bodies tightly molded together. His hand moved to the small of her back, trailing over her hips and thighs. He lifted her leg up to his side, but she hesitated, pushing him back.
“Wait,” she pleaded. “Are you playing with me? Is this what you want from me before you kill me?” Her gaze searched his for an answer. “You can have what you want. I just need to know what I’m to expect.”
The rain began to fall harder once again. Her belly churned as she caught sight of his crooked grin. “I want what belongs to me, Bianca. I want my mate,” he said plainly. “Take me to your home. I’d prefer not to take you on the cold, wet earth. Unless that’s where you wish our first time to be.”
Her stomach fluttered, and the air sprung from her lungs in short pants. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her body trembled with the desires she never thought she’d have a chance to explore. She nodded, and her heart slammed against her ribs as she led Ryder down the path toward the cabin. His hand was tightly laced with hers. Even with their closeness, she couldn’t ignore the dark thoughts racing through her mind.
Licking her dry lips, she felt the tension of betrayal haunting her. She knew Ryder wanted his mate, she could taste it in the way he kissed her, feel it in the way his fingers dug into her flesh. No matter what her mating instincts told her, she didn’t think he’d ever truly forgive her for what she’d done, regardless of her intensions.
Honestly, how could Ryder ever completely trust her? What lengths would she need to go, to prove her devotion and loyalty to him?
Her death…
She swallowed hard as she stepped up onto the porch of her cabin. Ryder’s hand shoved at her shoulder, spinning her to face him. His fingers dug into her arms, holding her in place. She couldn’t fight him if she had the strength, which she didn’t. His eyes were filled with wild need, passion and something she couldn’t identify.
Ryder closed in on her, his gaze searching her face. He inhaled her scent, starting at her breasts, settling at the crook of her neck. A wild shiver chased along the flesh of her body.
“This is where you’ve been hiding?” he asked, his voice deep and husky.
A breath of air fluttered past her lips and she struggled to find her voice. Being this close to Ryder was turning her inside out. Blood droned in her ears.
His gaze locked on her mouth, his warm breath on her face. “Cat got your tongue,” he teased, his eyes still focused on her with an intensity that had her wishing she had a way to hide her nudity. A wave of insecurity she never knew she possessed.
Slowly he leaned in, tracing his tongue over her bottom lip. He growled low in his throat, his fingers tightening their grip. He hauled her up against him, her head falling back as his mouth crushed over hers. Her eyes widened as he possessed her with a kiss, a kiss full of passion and greed. Ryder’s fingers trailed over the skin of her back and down her spine, resting at her waist as he pulled her pelvis against his erection.
Her arms wrapped around his neck. “Ryder,” she breathed. “What are you doing?”
He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, b
iting into the soft tissue. She hissed as he pulled away.
“I told you. I’m taking what belongs to me.” His fingers weaved into her hair, twisting the long raven strands around his fist, pulling her head back with a quick jerk. “You belong to me now.”
Bianca’s throat felt dry, gritty as if she’d swallowed a bucket of sand. Her breathing was labored. Her eyes watered as she studied the man that had been her best friend and the consumer of her thoughts for longer than she could remember.
Her body quivered with sadness. “Yes, Ryder, I belong to you.” She shuddered in his arms. “But do you want me? Truly want me?”
Ryder’s grip on her hair tightened, forcing a yelp from her throat. He released her immediately, stepping back. He racked his fingers through his hair.
“Damn it, Bianca,” he growled, through gritted teeth.
More tears flooded her eyes and her heart twisted in her chest. “I’m so sorry, Ryder. I didn’t want this to happen to us. I never wanted anything but you.” She leaned against the front door, the muscles in her body heavy with regret. “I’ve made such a mess of everything.”
“Yes, you have,” Ryder bit out. “But…” His body stiffened, his hands dropping to his sides as he studied her. “It doesn’t change what I feel for you right now.” He inhaled deeply, closing the distance between them. He clasped her shoulders, pulling her so close she could feel the heat of his body blazing into hers. “I may be conflicted about the choices you’ve made, but I can’t deny the bond we share.” He glanced at her mouth. “How did I not realize you were my mate sooner?” He cupped her face. “I could’ve saved us from all this pain.”
“Ryder, no,” Bianca whispered.
He placed his finger over her lips. “You knew, but I didn’t. Why do you suppose that is?”
Bianca’s bottom lip trembled. “Even without the mating bond…I’ve always loved you.” Her eyes watered. “I fell in love with you when we first started training together.” Sadness consumed her. “I dreamed of you. I still dream of you.”
