“She’s special.”
“What kind of special?” Mayhem growled. “Like Huntress special?”
“Yeah, that kind of special.” He cleared his throat, made eye contact with Summer, and gave her a reassuring smile. “Her boyfriend didn’t like our connection.”
“I see.” Mayhem paused. “Are you safe?”
“Relatively. For now anyway. I’ve got no credit cards or cell, only a bit of cash, enough to get a room and some food.”
“We’re coming. Shit!” Mayhem grumbled. “It’s an hour ’til daylight. Can you hold out until nightfall? Is your wolf still out of commission?”
“We can hold up in the hotel for the day, and my wolf won’t be coming out to play when the sun comes up, but I’m riding a fine line with the pain threshold.” He held a hand out, gauged his overall shape by how much it shook. The booze he’d had hours before was totally out of his system, leaving him with a constant pulse of pain, hardly feeling the presence of his wolf as it battled the poison. “I could probably use another dose of Aubrey’s healing magic, to be honest. Not sure if it’ll do any good, but I’m feeling pretty rough.”
Mayhem sighed. “Yeah, man, I was worried about that. Where are you located?”
“We’re at a motel.” Dyami snatched up a book of matches with the motel logo on it. “Just outside of King? Off the 52, Virginia.”
“I sent Dave out looking for you a couple of hours ago. I’ll try to reach him before daybreak and send him to fetch you both. Best case scenario, he’ll be there in four hours or so. Worst case, you’ll have to wait for us.”
Dy turned away from Summer. “They’ll probably catch up to us by tonight. Not sure that’s totally a bad thing.”
“Deal with this Hunter shit once and for all? It’s tempting, but not in the condition you’re in.” Mayhem paused, mumbled something to one of the guys—Jay or Raven. A heated exchange followed, with a few “fuck nos” and “you’re out of your mind.” Someone was second-guessing their Alpha. After a few minutes, Mayhem blew out a burst of breath then came back on the line. “You think you can self-medicate somehow? Aubrey says she’ll be there. Darcy is in too. With the Hunters that close, though, Raven and Jay won’t let them go without us. You’ll have to wait for nightfall.”
So it was the women who were second-guessing. Dyami chuckled. Always the women. Those two girls had bigger balls than any man he’d ever known and Mayhem couldn’t seem to say no to them. “I’ll figure something out.”
Mayhem sighed again. “See if you can scout the surroundings, find out if there’s somewhere they can be lured. We need to have a chat with these folks, let them know what we think of their shit.”
“I’ll work on it. See you at dark.”
“Stay safe, brother.”
“Will do.” He hung up the phone, grabbed the key to their room and turned to see that Summer had stood, her arms wrapped tightly around her waist. “Cold?”
“My clothes are still damp a bit.” She nodded, gave an uneasy smile. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’ve got some friends coming to get us, but they won’t be here until night.”
“Friends?” Her smile grew bigger. “Like the band?”
“Yeah, the band. Don’t go getting all star-struck on me now.” He chuckled, draped his arm around her shoulders and led them out the door.
She leaned into him, her head on his chest, her arms around his waist, making it awkward to walk. “Are we safe, Dy?”
He kissed the top of her head, wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight. “You’re always safe with me, Summer.” He wanted to reassure her, knew his words sounded good, but doubted if it actually came down to a battle that he’d be able to follow through. Without his wolf, those Hunters would overpower him in minutes.
He felt her nod. “I don’t think this is something we can call the police over. Like, I get the feeling this isn’t something they can handle,” Summer said.
“My friends will be here soon. They’ll know what to do. We’ll be fine until then.” He was going to have to tell her about her heritage. Given the limited information that he had, it would come across as pretty fucking unbelievable. And he couldn’t even show her his beast to prove it. Not that that was necessarily a great idea either. He sighed. “Let’s get into the room, dry off, get some sleep.”
She pulled back from him, looked up and smiled. Her eyes, holding unshed tears, were lined with dark circles. “I feel safe with you. I feel like…” She closed her lips, swallowed, doubt flickering across her face then said nothing more.
Dy pressed a light kiss to her forehead again, then turned her back to cradle under his arm and guided her to their room. He knew all about those unspoken things. Sometimes the words got trapped. Sometimes they never found their way out.
It took some effort for him to get the key in the lock. His hands were shaking like he was a drug addict coming off a high, the pain from the poison wracking him so hard his muscles were tensed into knots of steel. Summer looked up at him with concern, nodded slowly, then took the key and opened the door. As she stepped away from him, he collapsed against the doorframe, a wash of queasiness rolling through him.
“You’ve got to be honest with me here, Dy. Are you an alcoholic? Is this a reaction to no booze in your system?” She stood just in the doorway, watching him. When he started to shake his head, she was already shaking hers. “No, that’s not it, is it?” She walked toward him and lifted his arm, before draping it over her shoulder to bear some of his weight.
He was exhausted all of a sudden—something that scared him more than the Hunters. Werewolves didn’t feel exhaustion. He’d only ever known being a powerhouse of energy. Going days without sleep. “No, it’s not the booze.”
“You know what I was going to say just now? Outside, when I said I felt safe with you?” She helped him to the first bed and eased him down to sit. “I was going to say that I feel like there’s a lot you’re not telling me.” She stood back, arms crossed over her chest. “Spill it.”
He chuckled. He loved her take no bullshit attitude. It was perfect. “You wouldn’t believe me.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Oh you mean, like how I didn’t believe in my sudden ability to etch magical symbols all over the place?” She cocked an eyebrow. “Really? You’re going to pull that one on me? ‘Trust your gut,’ you told me, so I am. And my gut is saying that I could help, if I knew what the problem was.”
He sucked a deep breath, cringed as the pain doubled, his muscles spasming. “Okay, you’re right.” His wolf thought she could help—that much was obvious from his limited interaction with the beast. “I’ve been poisoned.”
Her eyes shot wide. “When? How? What kind of poison?”
“It’s complicated and a really long story.” When she made to argue he held up his hand and continued. “That I will tell you, I promise. But I’m in a lot of pain at the moment. I’ve been medicating with the booze. It seemed to help.”
“Should I run and get you some? I’m sure there’s a stash somewhere here. The clerk—”
“No, no, it’s just a Band-Aid solution, anyway.” He cleared his throat, wiped his brow. “One of the band wives is going to come here. She is a healer, her touch…”
“She touches you and what?”
Dyami snapped his gaze to Summer, noting a hint of jealousy there. The bond from his bite was palpable at that moment. She didn’t like the idea of another woman touching him and that made him smile. “She’s kinda like you in a way. Has this gift that seems to help.”
Summer bit her lip, contemplating his words for a moment before unfolding her arms and moving to him. “Maybe I can do something.” She laid her palms on the sides of his head and he couldn’t help but raise his hands to her hips, pulling her closer so that she was cradled between his knees.
He closed his eyes as another wave of pain hit. His wolf rearing within as Summer traced her fingers along his skin—seemingly mindless wandering, but he could te
ll by the frown that tugged her brow that she was assessing, tasting the magic that was killing him. He wondered what she felt, what her innate Huntress sensed.
Her magic came slowly—tentatively, weak, but still, it came like a current flowing through him. Her power pushed the poison back, letting his wolf stand down, rest, if only for a moment. This was different than Aubrey’s magic—more powerful, yes, but something else too, like his body had a taste of an antidote. He sucked in a deep breath, his muscles easing somewhat, his wolf pacing to the forefront, awareness of the Huntress pulling its attention.
“She is here. You will live.”
And he did feel better, his body pumping with energy—only a fragment of his usual self, but better than he’d been in months. The knife wound to his shoulder started to heal at rapid pace. He could feel the torn flesh knitting itself back together, like his body could finally focus fully on mending this other wound.
After only a few moments, Summer pulled her hands away and stumbled back, pushing out from between his legs.
“I need to sleep,” she mumbled.
Dyami stood, watched as she shimmied out of her clothes with little care for what he’d see. Her bra and panty combo were pink and black, decorated with little skulls. He thought it was cute. So cute he wanted to rip them off her delicious little body and take a sniff before ravishing her so completely she wore a smile for days. Sex drive was obviously amplified by whatever her magic had done for him.
But he held back. Where he had renewed energy, she did not. She moved around the room in a kind of daze, her fatigue so evident he thought she might be asleep already, the price she paid for him. Her magic had a cost.
She walked to the door, traced her finger over the lock. “Protection,” she mumbled before shuffling to the bed and practically face-planting herself there.
He hovered over her a second later, fingers twitching to run along the curve of her spine, over the mounds of her beautiful ass, tease a little under the lace border of her panties. She took a deep breath, her body relaxing, her eyelashes fluttering. Asleep.
With a sigh, he shook his head, tugged the sheet over her and moved to the door, hoping it wasn’t warded to keep him in. She’d given him a gift, one he couldn’t squander. He needed to scout around for a proper meeting location, figure out a way to lure those Hunters there for a little chat.
Chat. Ya, right.
This was going to be a fight to the death. No way would a Hunter give up his mate. Dy knew that for certain, ’cause he would never consider giving up Summer to anyone. The thought alone made his wolf rally, roaring within. Mine.
He shook his head again, glancing over his shoulder to her peacefully sleeping body. She was his. As complicated as it all was, they belonged together. He felt that right down to his bones. Poison or no poison, he wanted to spend his future with her, and that meant getting rid of the threat of her Hunter once and for all.
Hopefully Mayhem and the boys would get their asses there in time. Hopefully Dy would figure out how to free his wolf, and get rid of the poison and…
He sighed again.
Hopefully, yeah. Piece of fucking cake.
Chapter Eight
Summer woke to the sound of the shower running, daylight streaming into the room from a little slit in the curtains, and the most raging female hard-on a girl could possibly possess.
She pushed herself up on the bed, recalling the events of the past twenty-four hours with a strangely detached feeling—not unlike how she normally dealt with things she couldn’t explain, just more intense in this case. Shit happened, sometimes crazy, bat-shit shit that was barely believable, but she’d handle it. Somehow.
So she had magical powers that seemed to float into her mind at odd times, taking the shape of symbols she couldn’t exactly read, but just knew, deep down, what they were good for and who they could help. No biggie. She shrugged. Mysterious symbols imbued with power. Yeah, totally normal. At least her mind was acting like that was totally normal—natural, intuitive even. Like the markings she’d used on Dyami earlier. The poison he’d spoken of was something she could feel, a nasty taste in her mouth that was both bitter and yet familiar somehow. She’d etched a series of symbols on his forehead, shoved the poison back as much as she could before her energy just petered out. It was a temporary fix—she understood that instinctively. She wondered if there was something more permanent she could do to help him.
She ran her hand through her hair, cringed at the greasy feeling that greeted her. She needed a shower too. Her gaze strayed to the door that led to the bathroom. Dyami was in the shower, all those wiry muscles of his, soapy, slick, water sluicing. She licked her lips, ran her fingers down the curve of one breast and lingered over a nipple.
Carpe diem.
There was something about that man that pulled her in, had from the very first time she’d seen him. What better opportunity than now to take him for a test run?
Steam from the bathroom billowed out as she slipped in. Sealing her fate with no hesitation.
“Summer?” Dyami poked his head from the shower, his hair covered with soapy foam.
Summer met his gaze with a shy smile, or rather, sly smile as she pulled the straps of her bra—one then the other—down her arms, then unlatched the clasp at the front. “I’m dirty.”
He raked her body with a look so scorching her nipples actually throbbed. “Oh really?”
She nodded as she hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her panties. “Got room in there for me?”
He slid the curtain open, revealing an impressive display of muscle, tanned skin, tattoos and cock. Big, bold, ramrod hard and standing at attention—he was a god of sex to be sure. Summer slipped her panties down her legs, licked her lips again before climbing into the sultry heat of Dyami’s shower.
The water hit her body, a hot spray on her back, and she moaned as the first drops slid between her ass cheeks. Dyami gripped her face, hands on either side, angling her for a breathtaking kiss as he plunged his tongue fast, deep and hard.
She gasped, pressed herself up against him and ran her fingers along his side, loving the feel of his cock pressed to her stomach—throbbing, nudging, hot. Her pussy clenched, her clit ached. She wanted to get fucked, up against the wall, bent over the counter, on the floor. Whatever, however, she didn’t care, as long as this man put his cock in her now.
She slipped her hands between them, seconds away from gripping her prize when he gave a low chuckle. He released her mouth and spun her around, making her dizzy in the process.
“You said you were dirty. Let’s get you all cleaned up.”
She opened her mouth to protest and all that came out was a deep moan as Dyami slid his fingers over her shoulders, digging into her muscles and working out the kinks she hadn’t even known were there. His hands were magic. With one hand kneading, he reached past her to the shelf and retrieved a small bottle of something. He poured a glob along her collarbone then grabbed a facecloth to follow as it slowly began to slide down her body.
His fingers glided from her shoulder to trail down the curve of her waist. He circled around to her stomach before laying his palm flat. With a firm hand, Dy pressed her back, his cock teasing with its blunt head and pulsing shaft against her body. He ran the cloth through the soap and over one breast, then lingered for a moment to stroke her nipple, before curling around to cup her briefly. It was maddening—the sensation of his touch and yet not his touch, the friction of the cloth making her ache, her nipples so hard they hurt. She moaned as he moved to the other breast, his hand that lay flat on her belly, sliding lower, fingers inching toward her clit. She wanted him there, and rocked her hips to let him know how much.
He chucked again. “You want me to touch you, baby?”
She nodded, bit her lip and pushed her ass against his thighs.
“How badly?” His words were sultry, making her wet with hot desire. He liked to control things, and that was okay for now.
She parted her l
egs slightly and moved her hand to slide past his, knowing she was antagonizing him, wanting to see his reaction. He didn’t disappoint.
“Nah uh, darlin’, that ain’t gonna happen. It’s my turn to touch.” She could hear the smile in his voice as he dropped the cloth and snagged her wrists, yanking them behind her back into his firm grip.
She was trapped in one of his massive hands and she liked it. She feigned a struggle and he tugged her back, her shoulder blades almost touching together, breasts on display. He nuzzled her neck, murmuring something into her flesh that sounded dirty just in tone. He nipped her, teeth scraping along her shoulder.
“I bet you taste sweet.”
He dipped his free hand down, his fingers splaying her pussy, cinching her clit between them, tugging her lips briefly before dipping into her, coating himself in her juices, teasing her aching bud with rough pressure. She moaned when he retracted his fingers. He lifted them to his mouth, sucking them in. She laid her head back to see, watching his face as he tasted her for the first time.
He groaned. “I want to eat you up.”
She shivered as he trailed his fingers down her neck, his other hand clenching her wrists tighter forcing her breasts to jut out to meet his roving hand. He cupped, then pinched, before pulling on one hard nipple. Driving her mad with achy desire as he left her breast and continued his trek down to her clit.
He nipped her throat again and she shivered, the tug of a memory there, just beyond her reach. It was a familiar sensation, Dyami biting her. The tattoos on her body pulsed, heating her up and making her tingle. He was doing something to her—something that felt so very right.
His fingers circled her clit, stroking her, tapping her, using pressure one second then a feather-light touch the next. She wanted his mouth there, wondered what his talented tongue could do with her most sensitive part.
“Dy,” she moaned as he entered her, two fingers stretching her out and gliding against her clit with each pass. Her orgasm mounted quickly, the sensation building as her pussy clenched tight around his fingers, her whole body shaking when the first wave hit with such intensity that her legs wobbled. He pulled his fingers from her again, offering them to her, running them along her bottom lip. She darted out her tongue to taste, then sucked his fingers into her mouth. She swallowed the taste of her passion as she circled and licked. Letting him know just what payback was going to be like.
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