Beautiful Mistake: 2 (Royal Pride)

by Nancy Corrigan

  Spots danced across his vision as the female drank from him. He leaned against a nearby tree to support himself and ran his free hand over her arm, murmuring comforting words. She needed to remain calm, take enough to help her body heal itself. Finally, the stanch of blood from the wounds on her belly slowed. He watched the slashes close and her misshapen fingers straighten. He breathed a sigh. She was going to live.

  He closed his eyes against the dizziness the loss of blood caused but her groan yanked his attention back to her. She clasped onto his arm and pulled him closer. Blunt nails dug into his flesh. She sucked harder on his wrist. The tugging of her mouth whipped through him, jerked on his cock.

  The unwanted stirrings of arousal he’d felt earlier came back, stronger than before. His shaft thickened and because of the way the female lay over his lap, his erect rod pushed between her legs. He glanced down at the sight of his penis nestled against her shapely thighs and groaned. Pre-cum welled from the swollen head.

  Fucking hell. His eyelids drifted shut and he focused on the sensation of her mouth working on his wrist. It didn’t take much to imagine how it’d feel to have her lips around his cock or to have those blunt nails gripping his ass while she pleasured him. Unable to stop himself, he shifted his hips and his dick slid along her soft thighs.

  His pants filled his ears. Each time she pulled on his vein, another blot of electricity skipped to his balls. He groaned and reached for her leg to draw them together, tighten his slide. His hand touched blood. Shame filled him for allowing lust to surface. He stilled his hips and ignored the pain in his balls.

  Normally he could keep his primal drives in check around humans. This female’s scent destroyed his hard-won control and the memory of the few moments of peace she’d given him made him consider things he shouldn’t. Crazy shit like thinking this human was his one. No way would his potential mate be a kidnapper. He might be fucked-up in the head, but he was confident he wouldn’t find his perfect half in a woman who thought nothing of destroying a child’s life.

  The longing was just a consequence of what they’d almost shared. It couldn’t be anything else. If he analyzed his thoughts too much, confusion would surface. That muddled state always opened him up to a blackout.

  After nearly three hundred years of living with his mental issues, he knew the triggers and avoided them whenever possible.

  Hoping to distract himself, he turned his attention to the female’s face. Blood and dirt streaked it. It didn’t obscure her features or hide her beauty. Spiky, dark lashes lay against her skin. A sprinkling of freckles dotted her cheeks. A pert nose and delicate cheekbones gave her an innocent appearance, but the full pink lips wrapped around his wrist destroyed the image. So did the muffled moans and the way she started to squirm on his lap. The sweet scent of her arousal drifted to him.

  She clamped her thighs together and his shaft jerked. Hell, if she kept moving, he’d come. While the thought excited him, he knew it wasn’t appropriate. He slipped his free hand under her legs and moved her so his erection wasn’t trapped. Yet she continued to suckle, continued to writhe and the fragrance of her desire grew.

  Gods, her scent lured him, made him want to carry this woman to his bed and keep her there. The possessiveness cut through the desire. It was dangerous to feel the strong drives. It might make him want to finish what he’d started. Too bad the rationale didn’t stop the images from scrolling through his mind of what they could do once he got her naked.

  He tore his gaze from the sight of her throat working as she swallowed to the darkened woods around him. Anything to distract himself. He guessed they were a couple of miles from the road, a remarkable feat. He’d never seen a human, especially a female, move so well. He didn’t consider himself a chauvinist. Mira could hold her own against any male, even him, but the woman he now held was tiny and breakable.

  Mortal.

  Teeth gnawed at his wrist, dragging his attention right back where he didn’t want it. A flush replaced the paleness on her cheeks. Her nostrils flared, throaty moans muffled by the flesh in her mouth. The flick of her tongue against his skin ignited the smoldering fire in his blood and her feeding turned into a kiss he couldn’t return. She worked her mouth harder, sucking, licking, nibbling before finally releasing his wrist on a low groan. Her head lulled to the side. A soft sigh escaped.

  He grinned, pleased that she found the taste of his blood enjoyable. According to the few humans whom he’d shared blood with, its flavor was sweet and rich. To him, it was just blood, nothing special, but humans were different in so many ways. He’d be lying if he said he understood them. Before moving to Pennsylvania, he’d avoided them except for those times he’d needed a woman. Those encounters were centered on sex, not talking. In his experience, human females rarely had anything interesting to say anyway.

  Carefully, he smoothed her hair, dislodging the leaves and twigs. She wrinkled her nose and snuggled closer. He stifled a chuckle. She looked damn comfortable. Not wanting to wake her, he cradled the female close so her head rested against his chest and her muscular, short legs draped over his arm.

  With her secure, he started the trek back over the Delaware countryside but paused at the top of the ridge she’d rolled down. He looked over the area. His chest tightened. The woman could’ve killed herself running from him and it would’ve been his fault.

  Who was he kidding? All of her pain was his fault. It started here and ended by the rock wall with his claws in her stomach. The thought fed the anger and the shame he constantly lived with. He hated being broken, half a man. He was just glad this time he’d been able to pull out of the lapse quicker than normal. If he hadn’t, the female he held wouldn’t have lived. Then where would he be? She was his only link to their missing cub.

  That’s the only reason I started the mate bond with her. It was necessary to save her life.

  His cats found his rationalization amusing. He trudged on, refusing to acknowledge their snickering or their suggestion he finish it.

  When he finally reached the pond, the sedan was nowhere to be seen—but a few tire marks near the water hinted at its new home—and Kade leaned nonchalantly against the side of the ’Cuda, blood-free and wearing a spare set of clothes. One blond brow rose, the only indication he noticed Devin’s approach.

  Devin circled the pond, inwardly cringing at the sight of his pride leader’s nostrils flaring. Yeah, he too could scent his essence on the woman. She reeked of him. He tucked her more securely against his chest to hide his bite mark.

  Kade stiffened, gaze locked onto her shoulder. Apparently, he hadn’t hidden it in time.

  “Umm, I meant for you to capture her, not mate her.”

  Devin bared his fangs, hating the warmth spreading over his neck. He had the embarrassing habit of blushing. Mira teased him constantly for it. Behind closed doors, of course. His twin knew better than to rib him in public.

  He motioned to the pond with a jerk of his chin. “There were more of those lion shifters in the woods. They attacked me and I accidentally hurt her.”

  The lie sat heavy on his tongue. Truth be told, he’d been too far gone to know if his actions had been accidental or not. He hoped so. Otherwise, he didn’t deserve to live.

  Kade’s brow creased. “How?”

  Devin shifted her body to expose the marks on her belly, his sin.

  Kade cursed and glanced from the sealed wounds to his face. “You mated her to save her life?”

  “I didn’t mate her, not completely.”

  Kade closed the distance between them. Fury pulsed from the male’s skin, the stench of his anger filled Devin’s nose. “Tell me you didn’t—”

  The familiar rage gripped him, tinting the world red and fuzzing Kade’s face. Devin stroked the female’s side with his thumb. The slight contact pushed his wrath back, allowed him to think. “It was the only way. She was dying. You understand? I had no other choice. She was too far gone to take my blood. Licking her wounds would’ve done nothing. I p
ierced organs.”

  Kade pivoted on his heel and strode to small sports car. He braced his arms against the open door and hung his head. Several minutes passed while Kade seethed. Devin focused on the female’s steady heartbeat to keep his anger at bay.

  Finally Kade turned. Cold eyes assessed him, the disgust in them clear. “You’ll finish it. Do you understand me?”

  Devin’s first instinct was to snarl at the blatant order he had no intention of fulfilling. The female might wear his claim, but it wasn’t real. It was a mistake, albeit a beautiful one. “I didn’t take the mating that far, only enough to establish a tie to her so I could feed her my strength. I pulled back before breaking the tether to her heaven.”

  “That’s impossible.” Kade tilted his head. “Once the mating instincts are triggered, there is no pulling back. The drive to tie our chosen female to us is irresistible.”

  “This female is not my one nor is she my chosen mate.” The words tasted like a lie in his mouth. Instead of trying to figure out why, he narrowed his gaze on Kade, hoping he’d see the truth Devin didn’t feel. “The female didn’t trigger my instincts. She means nothing to me. She was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  As if she wanted to prove him wrong, she brushed her mouth against his bare chest. The tip of her tongue touched his skin. The slight contact was all it took to make his cock stand at attention. He turned away. Not quickly enough this time either. Kade’s chuckle told him he saw his reaction to the female.

  “Oh really?” Kade asked.

  Devin closed his eyes and breathed though the arousal. Once sure he had himself under control, he glanced over his shoulder and met Kade’s eyes. “Yeah, really. I’m male and I react to sexual stimuli the same as you do. It’s not a big deal.”

  Kade stared at him for a long moment, the white in his eyes disappearing as gold overtook the orb. Devin was being judged by man and beast. Kade’s shuttered expression didn’t give him any clue as to his conclusion.

  “Well, I hope you can keep some perspective where she’s concerned. That female is an unknown. Don’t get attached to her.” Kade motioned toward the sports car. “According to her registration, her name is Lena Burnett, not Susan Kirkland, the name our source gave.”

  Devin glanced down at the woman he held. “She was still at the site of the exchange. We saw her standing with the pride members, Molly by her side.” He lifted his gaze. “The shifter who attacked me also accused her of double-crossing him. I don’t care if her name is Lena or Susan. She’s involved.”

  Kade nodded, a slow incline of his head, without taking his eyes off him. “Agreed but how? We don’t—”

  “Guilty until proven innocent. That’s the standard the damn humans use on us so we’re treating this woman the same way.”

  “And if we’re wrong?”

  Devin peered once more at the female—no, Lena’s face. He couldn’t use the generic term anymore. No more lines of pain by her eyes, just the slack, relaxed expression of a sleep. Some of his tension eased.

  Using his chin, he brushed strands of hair from her forehead. He rested his cheek against hers. “Then I make amends for hurting her and—”

  Kade snorted. “She’s now a liability. No matter what her involvement with Molly was, she’s now a part of our world. She knows too much.” He narrowed his eyes. “If you’re not going to mate her, we’ll have to call Shifter Affairs. Let the humans deal with her.”

  Devin tightened his hold on Lena. “Not yet. They’ll have to report her to the Council. If our goddamn elders have any doubts about her…”

  He didn’t need to say it. They both knew how easily accidents could happen. Hell, they’ve caused a few.

  Kade cursed. “Fine but maybe you should head back home. Xander and I will handle the woman.”

  “No,” Devin growled.

  Kade stared at him a long moment. “Are you sure? The female is partially bonded to you. Your cats might get ideas whether she’s your one or not. Remember, our instincts can be a bitch and mating isn’t always about love.”

  The disbelieving tone infuriated him. Devin sucked in a rough breath through clenched teeth. “Yes. I’ll be fine. Let it go.”

  Kade’s assessing gaze swept over the female he held. Devin curled his arms, holding her close so her chest was hidden from his alpha’s view. Kade smirked. Devin hissed and his friend’s grin widened.

  “Okay then, unless you want to give me the female, I’ll take Lena’s car. She’ll be too uncomfortable all scrunched up in the two-seater.”

  He was right, of course. There was no way Devin would allow another male to touch her, not now. And dammit, that was messed up. After he washed the dirt and blood from her sealed wounds, he carefully laid her on the backseat.

  He made his way to the pond to clean up. Before jumping in, Devin glanced over his shoulder and fixed the other male with a hard look.

  “Don’t touch her.”

  Kade snickered and raised his hands. “Wouldn’t think of it, my friend. That troublesome female is all yours.”

  “Not for long. As soon as we get the information we need from her and ensure she won’t betray us, she’ll be on her own. I’m not keeping her,” he said and dived into the cool water.

  Chapter Three

  The blanket of sleep slowly drew away and Lena Burnett smiled. The details of the dream she’d had escaped her, yet a feeling of contentment remained. Heaven, that was what it felt like. She’d found her personal paradise. Cool air bathed her skin. The sheets under her body were soft and the heavy weight of a lover was pressed against her back.

  Lover? What the hell was she doing in bed with a guy?

  She opened her eyes and glanced around. The darkened room didn’t give her many details. Enough, though, to realize it wasn’t hers. Great. Not only did she fuck a stranger, she went home with him. Not smart. When it came to sex and men, however, she had a long list of regrets.

  She forced the anxiety back. There was no use berating herself. She knew the drill—discuss safety then get her ass out of there before her one-night stand got clingy. No way was she going to stick around and talk. Or even worse, spend the day together. Not happening. She did not do relationships. Been there. Done that. Got the broken heart to prove it. Twice.

  Her lover licked her arm. She sucked in a shaky breath, the rough swipe of his tongue surprisingly arousing. She closed her eyes to enjoy his attentions—maybe she didn’t have to leave just yet—but his beard tickled her and ruined the experience. How had she ended up with a bearded guy? She hated facial hair.

  He moved closer and the hair on his legs rubbed against her thigh. She frowned, her focus on the sensation. It didn’t feel quite like hair, more like…fur.

  The memories of the last few hours returned in a rush—the lion shifters who’d tried to steal her adopted sister, the promise she’d made to her dying stepdad and him, the man who went on a rampage and clawed her stomach. Her eyes popped open. Her heart raced, fear replacing the budding desire.

  Slowly, she turned her head and came face-to-face with a spotted cat, a jaguar to be precise. She tried to keep the fear locked inside, but when its paws tugged her closer so its chest pinned her hips to the bed, she screamed. One high-pitched shriek followed another.

  The cat morphed into a huge, muscular and very naked man. She caught a glimpse of wickedly long canines before he rolled their bodies. He pressed her back to his chest, only this time in human form. One big palm covered her mouth. The other locked her hips to him, holding her still.

  “Quiet, woman.”

  Her muffled cries embarrassed her. She couldn’t stop them, though. It was him. She’d know his gravelly voice anywhere. The room closed in around her as the memory came rushing back—her screams, the enraged roars and snarls of a big cat, the sounds of men dying. Her chest constricted, made it hard to breathe. She had to get away. She bucked and fought, but he draped a leg over her thrashing limbs, effectively trapping her.

  “I’m n
ot going to hurt you. You’re safe. I swear it.”

  Oh god, what was she doing? She needed to calm down. Predators liked fear. She took a slow breath in, held it, then let it escape in a soft hiss through clenched teeth. Focusing on the mechanics of breathing helped. So did the utter stillness of the man in bed with her. Did he do that on purpose to convince her of the truth of his words? Or merely so she’d stop screaming?

  “That’s a good girl,” he murmured and she hated how her belly warmed with the praise. Apparently, her body believed him.

  “Are you going to scream again?”

  She shook her head. He slid his hand to her throat and massaged gently. She used the time to assess her body. No sharp pain accompanied her breaths. The burning agony in her gut had dimmed to a slight twinge. She wiggled her fingers. Not broken. Had she imagined it all?

  She closed her eyes and drew the memory forth. No, she recalled every vivid detail from the first moment she locked eyes with the tiger chasing her to the moment this man had whipped around at her plea and caught her belly with his outstretched arm. He hadn’t acted as if he’d noticed her or cared that he’d hurt her. He’d yanked his hand back and attacked the nearest lion without missing a beat.

  A chill ran down her spine. The man at her back adjusted his body to press more of his hot skin against hers as if he thought to warm her. Unless he could wipe the image of his vacant cat eyes or his face contorted in rage, he couldn’t counter the ice in her blood.

  “Now tell me where the child is and I’ll let you go.”

  He wanted information from her, same as those other shifters. That was why he’d saved her life. A human wouldn’t have been able to walk away from the injuries she’d obtained. She’d been around shifters long enough to know some of them could share their healing ability. The how was a mystery she’d never cared to unravel. She’d been trying to escape their world for years but kept getting sucked back into it.