Enslaved by the Moon

by Morgan Fox

  But for what purpose?

  Shifting his weight on the bed, he stared down at Bianca as she slept. Being with her felt right, but it also felt as though he’d just announced he was going to battle with everyone he knew. He wished that things hadn’t turned out the way they had for the two of them. They deserved normal, but got chaos instead.

  As he inhaled Bianca’s mouthwatering scent, a twitching grin fought past the frown on his face. Remembering happier times when they’d trained together and he’d purposefully missed a step so he could trip and fall on top of her, stealing a quick feel of her sweet body. His chest filled with warmth, mentally enjoying the surprised flicker of longing he swore had only been a teenage crush.

  Thinking back now, he realized that was exactly what his father repeatedly beat into his head. For whatever reason, Joe never wanted him to look at women as more than just members in their pack. Ryder had begun to accept that after years of his father’s verbal warnings.

  Stupidly, he’d accepted Bianca’s death without a shred of proof. He hadn’t even considered it strange that there was no body to bury. She had been his best friend, the one he’d gone to when his father had first started yelling and pounding on him to make him stronger, emotionally numb. Bianca should have meant more. Disappointing his father should not have mattered as much as the life of the person he held dearly in his heart.

  The deep frown returned on his face, the muscles flexing under the compression of his clenched jaw. He should’ve known she wasn’t dead.

  Sure, jackass, and in addition to your new guardian strength you’re also a psychic.

  He shook his head.

  Sliding into the silken depths of Bianca’s body had proved that she was his mate. Nothing had prepared him for the possession he would feel, the protection he would demand for her. Guarding Tiffany was child’s play compared to the aggressive, primal feelings he had for Bianca.

  She was divine in every regard. From the way his breath hitched when her fingers trailed over his skin, to the inhalation of her intoxicating scent. Nothing would ever entice him the way Bianca did. He was enslaved to a woman with something as simple and wickedly powerful as a kiss.

  Ryder rolled to the side of the bed, flipping his legs over the edge, standing. The flash of lightning drew him toward the window. The winds outside whipped through the trees as if trying to rip the majestic towers from the earth. The war that raged on outside was nothing compared to the war that churned inside his thoughts.

  His family and council would be given no other choice but to accept Bianca and their bond. He would make sure of that. As far as Sebastian was concerned, Ryder believed that he could buy enough time to prove and explain that all the sacrifices Bianca had made had been to put an end to the devastating were-animal virus. What troubled Ryder most was Lilly.

  How could he protect her alone against an army of vampires and the possibility of being infected by the virus that had destroyed the mind of his cousin, Mason Levi? He was no fool to think that he could walk into Lilly’s lair and do more than get killed. Doing so would prove only one thing. He was fucking nuts.

  Closing his eyes, he inhaled another lungful of air and shuddered as Bianca’s hands glided around his waist. Hugging him closely, she rested her cheek against his back. The heat of her touch seeped into his flesh like the warmth of a blanket on a cold day.

  Bianca pressed tender kisses on his shoulder blades and down his spine. “Have you been up long?”

  Ryder glanced down to see her delicate fingers resting on his stomach. “I couldn’t tell what time it was since my watch and clothes are sort of out there,” he said, hiking his thumb toward the window.

  She giggled. “Well, I’d offer you something to wear, but I think you are a little too big.”

  Grinning, he took hold of her hand, pulled her quickly in front of him, and placed her back against the windowpane. He lifted her leg and wedged himself between her thighs.

  Bianca, you feel so right.

  Ryder kissed her neck, his deep voice purring against her skin. “You didn’t complain last night,” he murmured.

  She kissed him, gently stroking the side of his face. “That’s because I’m not entirely stupid.” She arched her hips and his cock slipped between the damp folds of her pussy.

  He claimed her mouth, kissing her hard as the memories of what might not have been flooded through him. Possessing her within his arms, he picked her up and led her to the brown leather chair in the corner of her room.

  He licked her lips before breaking the kiss fully. He sat down in the chair, his erection fierce. Bianca nibbled her bottom lip, and the sight was so incredibly sexy he thought he’d be unable to wait another second to have her riding his cock. She turned and placed her ass on his lap, spreading her legs to rest one on each of his. She eased down on his shaft and set a slow steady pace.

  His head fell back as he held her waist, his fingers digging into the soft curves of her hips. Encouraging the rhythm, he brought her up and down harder. Leaning forward, he massaged her breasts, pinching and plucking at her hardened nipples.

  With a fluttering moan, Bianca’s fingers gripped his knees for balance, her raven hair falling down her back, dancing over the soft globes of her ass. Ryder hissed as the pleasure built. Her breathless cries were turning him inside out. He bucked his hips and drove himself deeper inside her. She screamed out in pleasure as he continued to hit to spot inside her that would have her coming undone.

  “Oh, Ryder,” she cried out as the muscles inside her tight sheath convulsed around him.

  He thrust his hips several more times. Mine! A deep groan ravaged his chest and throat as he found his release. He eased her back against him, his cock inside her. His heart thundered in his chest. He was sure that with her werepanther hearing she knew just how fast it raced.

  It wasn’t the exertion of sex that had his heart pounding so fast, but more the closeness of having his mate finally with him. He never realized how much he craved the bond. Holding Bianca against him now, he closed his eyes, marveling at the connection they shared.

  No wonder Sebastian acts the way he does with Brie.

  Bianca turned her face and pressed her lips against his chin. With his hands, he explored her sides, stomach, and breasts. Bianca giggled as he trailed his fingertips over her ribs.

  He grinned. “Ticklish, are we?”

  Bianca grabbed his hand, slowly sliding off of him. “You know very well that I am.” She pulled him up, coaxing him to follow her.

  “It’s been a while since we’ve wrestled around on the training mat together. Maybe you should give me a moment to remember just how ticklish you are.” He tugged on her hand, forcing her to whip around. Quickly, he captured her in his arm. “I actually think you should give me at least a day…maybe two.” His mouth found hers and his tongue probed between her lips.

  She cupped his face and eased back from the kiss. “Maybe you could wash my body in the shower instead.”

  He arched a brow. “I can do that.”

  “Good.” She kissed him. “I’m feeling extra dirty.”

  A low growl escaped him. His blood seemed to boil in his veins. Instantly, his cock was hard, and like a heat-seeking missile, he followed her into the bathroom.

  He watched as Bianca grabbed two towels and turned on the water. He didn’t think it mattered if ice sprung from the faucet. The fiery heat from his body would turn the water to steam. She was turning him into a wild beast with a ferocious appetite, cravings and desires he hadn’t experienced until Bianca returned to his life. One taste of her delicious mouth and body and he was enslaved by her every whim.

  Bianca stepped into the shower and turned to face him. “Are you coming?”

  He sucked in a sharp breath, realizing he forgot to breathe. One night with her and his mind and body were inside out. Reality was slowly creeping back into his head. As much as he wanted to spend the day exploring his mate, making love to her like he’d only dreamed of doing, he kn
ew they had too much work to do if they had any intentions of staying alive and staying together.

  Bianca frowned, her eyes filling with the brutal sting of reality. “I know, Ryder. Let’s at least shower, before we have to worry about the world outside.”

  He swallowed hard. She was able to read him, and the bond had just been formed. “If I found you…” His words went unspoken, but he knew she understood where he was going.

  She nodded and disappeared behind the shower door. His instincts had always served him well, and right now they were telling him to get into that shower. He closed his eyes and prayed they had more time.

  The water splashed against his chest as he entered. Bianca was washing her hair. He felt her pain as if it were his own. Damn it, he wished he hadn’t ruined the moment. Things had been so perfect. Bianca sighed heavily. He gripped her shoulders and spun her to face him. Her eyes were shut tight and her cheeks were rosy.

  “Bianca?” he whispered.

  She shook her head. “I have no right to be so sad, but I can’t help it.” Her eyes slowly opened. Her gaze locked on his. “I’ve waited so long to have you in my life. I don’t want it to end.”

  He held her face, his thumb gliding over her damp cheeks. He swallowed the tightness in his throat. “You have no idea what seeing you again has done to me.” He closed his eyes and fought the image of her bloodied body from surfacing. “I thought I killed my best friend.” He choked back the lump in his throat. “You’ve haunted me for far longer than you can ever imagine.”

  Her fingers wrapped delicately around his wrists. “Oh, Ryder, I can imagine it. I’ve always wanted you.” She closed her eyes and nuzzled his opened palm. “When I didn’t think I could go on one more day in this world, I dreamed of you. Somehow you would give me the strength I needed to keep pushing forward.” Her eyes opened. “I prayed you would find me.” She shrugged. “Or I would finally find the courage to confront you.”

  Ryder kissed her forehead. “You did find me.” He arched a dark brow. “Even if you did hit me over the head with a pipe and tie me to a tree.”

  She giggled. “I wish I’d had the courage to force you to have sex with me right then and there.”

  He grinned, running his fingers through her soaked hair. “I wouldn’t have objected.” He kissed her hard, loving the delicious feel of her greedy mouth on his. “I’m pretty sure I would’ve run away with you right then and there.”

  Bianca’s brow pinched tight. “But then you would’ve left Tiffany and Brie alone to face Lilly. They needed you.” She smiled, but there was regret and pain in her eyes. “I wouldn’t have had the chance to return the child to you.”

  He reached for the washcloth and soap. “Was that your plan or Lilly’s?”

  “For me to take the child?”

  He nodded.

  “Lilly’s. She hoped you’d sense the mating bond and be unable to hurt me.”

  He grimaced. “She knew you were my mate.”

  “Yes,” she muttered. “Lilly knew a lot of things about us.”

  “Mason,” Ryder growled.

  Bianca shrugged. “Maybe, but I got the impression that there was something she wasn’t telling me.” She took the washcloth from Ryder’s hand and began washing his body. “Lilly has a secret.” Her eyes met his. “One she thinks even I don’t know about.”

  Ryder’s curiosity couldn’t be helped. “But you do?”

  She nodded. “Lilly’s a witch.”

  Ryder’s brow furrowed. “How is that possible?”

  Bianca shrugged. “That detail is above my pay grade. All I know is when I was watching her and Mason, I overheard them talking about their plans.” Bianca ran the washcloth over his arms, chest, and stomach. “She said she needed to get her magic back and she had a feeling that Sebastian’s mate would be the key to helping her do that.”

  Ryder studied her. “How long have you been watching them?”

  Bianca swallowed hard. “Before Mason got infected.” She licked her lips. “I saw Mason fall in love with her. I was horrified when he asked to join forces with her.” Bianca stared up at Ryder. “How could he willingly want to hurt his own kind for her?”

  He steadied her hand, gently grabbed the washcloth. “Maybe in a sick, twisted sort of way, he really did love her.”

  “That’s insane,” she murmured.

  Bianca gasped as Ryder began washing her body. She shivered under the warmth of the water. “I can understand how a man can lose himself in the arms of a woman.” He spun her so that she faced away from him. Her hands rested on the wall as he washed her shoulders and back. “It doesn’t seem so crazy to me.” With a solid thud, the cloth hit the floor. His hands cleansing her body, he reached around and began massaging her breasts.

  Her head fell back. Her damp black hair dipped down toward the crease of her ass. The hardened peaks of her breasts teased the palms of his hands.

  “In fact, I think you are driving me a little insane right now.”

  She stiffened against him. “Are you comparing me to Lilly?”

  He moved her hair from her neck and kissed her hot skin. “Yes, Bianca.”

  He grinned, his kisses becoming nibbles. “You’re both women.” He cupped her pussy, slipping his finger between her folds. She hissed as he stroked her clit.

  “You’re both wicked.”

  Instantly, she molded against him, her breathless pants turning him on.

  “But you are my mate,” he said with a growl deep in his throat.

  Bianca gasped for air as he repositioned her against the wall of the shower. With her legs resting on his hips, he impaled her with his cock.

  “Oh, Ryder,” she cried as he thrust his hips forward. “Yes! Oh, yes!”

  Her nails dug into his shoulders as he drilled inside her. Never had he wanted a woman this badly. She was in his blood, in his mind and quickly consuming his heart. The memories of who they were and what they’d lost seemed to drive him to want to change things between them, to make up for the time that had been ripped from them.

  Bianca captured his mouth with hers, her kisses as hungry and demanding as his own. They were touching and feeling each other as if this were there last moment on earth. He couldn’t help but sense her desperation.

  “Don’t stop, Ryder. Please don’t stop touching me,” Bianca pleaded.

  “Never,” he growled.

  Like a piston, his hips pumped and pounded against her. His chest pinched tight as so many emotions swelled inside him. She was driving him beyond reason. Nothing mattered but Bianca.

  Her pussy tightened around his shaft as she screamed out in a blinding fury. He thrust a dozen more times before emptying himself inside her, marking his mate with his seed. He held her close for what felt like hours, before letting her feet rest on the shower floor once again.

  He kissed her lips tenderly, and together they finished showering. As Ryder exited the shower he remembered that his clothes were in the saddle bag of his motorcycle, which was hidden deep in the woods.

  “Shit,” he muttered, turning to face her as she wrapped the towel around her body.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and smirked. “Maybe I should’ve gotten my clothes before I showered.”

  Bianca giggled. “If I remember correctly, there wasn’t time.”

  He nodded and headed for the door.

  “Ryder?” He spun to face her and watched as she grinned wickedly, letting the towel fall to the floor. “Hurry back.”

  With a wild groan, he closed the distance between them in a single stride, pulled her tight up against him, and kissed her hard. “Oh, trust me, sweetheart. There is nowhere else I want to be than here with you.”

  Bianca nipped at his lips. “Good.”

  Chapter 7

  Brody swallowed the rancid taste that ate at the back of his throat. Grinding his teeth, his pulse ran wild, pounding in his ears. His chest ached as he studied the cabin. He had waited too long
to approach Bianca and now Ryder had found her.

  Judging from the scent and sounds coming from the cabin, Ryder and Bianca were mated.

  Brody pressed his forefinger and thumb to his closed eyes, fighting back the biting emotions he hated feeling. He was in love with Bianca, but clearly she had never truly intended to love him back. Everything about her had been one enormous lie. Maybe he should’ve turned her in to Sebastian and the lycans the moment he tracked her down. Maybe he should’ve killed her himself.

  As if I could…

  Brody pressed his hand on the tree beside him and leaned against it. The pain that started in his chest moved throughout his body. If he had the strength to fight Ryder he would, but he knew all about the hybrid and the power he possessed.

  Brody was no match for the werepanther lycan. He’d be a fool to think he even stood a chance in a fight as man or beast.

  No wonder it was so easy for Bianca to cast me aside for the powerful future leader of our pack.

  Well, not his pack. Not anymore. He’d left them years ago when his twin brother Bryce had chosen their pack of his own blood. Brody wasn’t cutthroat enough to be chosen as a guard. He wasn’t even tough enough to be considered a protector.

  Bryce was the one the council wanted and needed, for who knows what. Glancing back toward the cabin, knowing Ryder lay with the woman he loved, Brody figured maybe that had been the council’s plan all along. Bryce was to distract Ryder, while Bianca was banished, and the two were forced apart. Growling, Brody hated that he’d helped ensure that plan and he hadn’t even realized he was a part of it. Until now.

  Brody never hid his feelings for Bianca. Since they were young teens, he desired her. But Bianca only had eyes for Ryder.

  After she had been banished from their pack, Brody followed her, shocked to discover that her own parents were abandoning her as well.

  I would never do that to her.

  Guilt rocked him as he knew that was a lie. He had done that very thing to her, proving that he was no different than anyone else.