Katie's Hellion (Rhyn Trilogy, Book One)

by Lizzy Ford

  Chapter Eight

  Whatever Daniela said to him after she fled worked, and Katie didn’t see him for the rest of the day. The next morning, she leaned against the wall and stared at the dark form crouched on a rock a good distance from the Sanctuary. He was staring at her. She didn’t know what he thought from the distance, but she imagined him pissy as usual. He deserved it for kissing her and making her feel things she never, ever, ever imagined she’d feel for any man, let alone a monster like him.

  "Katie."

  She whirled. "Gabriel!" she exclaimed. "Are you here for me?"

  "No, but thanks for asking."

  "You’re not funny, Gabriel."

  His amusement was fleeting. He leaned his elbows on the wall with a wave at Rhyn. He wore his customary all black, his dark eyes hidden behind dark shades.

  "I gave Kris your message," he said. "He wasn’t happy."

  "His problem, not mine."

  "It becomes your problem if he doesn’t believe you."

  "Does he?" she asked.

  "I don’t know. Not yet."

  "You can’t take me to him, you know. Rhyn will kill everyone in his path."

  "You can choose to come with me," he stated.

  "Would cause an even worse rampage."

  "Very well. He said to give you this." He handed out a note. She took it and read the single sentence.

  I’ll return your life to you. She expected joy at the offer but felt wary instead.

  "Andre said Kris planned to do what Rhyn did and make me his mate. Can I ever not belong to Rhyn now that I do?" she asked, considering.

  "Not unless Rhyn is dead-dead."

  "And Kris doesn’t believe me about Sasha," she mused. "He’s not really offering me anything. He can’t wipe my memory--even Andre couldn’t and he’s older--and he can’t fix what Rhyn’s done. Does he think me so naïve that I’d leap at some empty promise?"

  Gabriel met her question with silence and another look of passing amusement.

  "He must’ve forgotten I went to Hell already,” she said. “I’m not the idiot he took me for when he assigned a certain baby angel to my guardianship. Of all the screwed-up men…beasts I’ve met, I’d trust Rhyn before Kris, even not knowing what Rhyn really is or if he really did try to annihilate mankind alongside Sasha."

  "Do you believe he did?"

  "I don’t know," she admitted.

  "What do you feel?"

  "Doesn’t matter if I’m sorta stuck with him, does it?" she replied icily. She knew what she thought and suspected he did, too.

  "The answer’s not for me. I know what happened."

  "Daniela called him wild. I’d say that’s true, but I don’t think him capable of walking away from a duty so great."

  "Then you’d be right," he agreed.

  "Was he always so wild?"

  "Hell made him worse. What shall I tell Kris?"

  "Tell him to leave me alone."

  She handed back the note, more determined not to give the white-haired man what he wanted now that she had confirmation--and somehow she believed Gabriel--that Rhyn hadn’t destroyed millions. Her hand rested on her bandaged forearm. She’d peeked at the healing wound the night before and found the scar not just ugly but hideous, a jagged seam between two lumps of uneven flesh.

  "Gabriel, who was the woman they fought over?" she asked. "Daniela said this was what spurred their fighting."

  He was quiet. She thought he’d refuse to answer until he said slowly,

  "A truly unworthy woman. She was the first Ancient's mate born and should've been Kris's mate, if she hadn't first promised herself to the Dark One. She played them against each other and betrayed them both to Sasha. Rhyn killed her to protect Kris and his brothers. Kris never knew and never forgave him for killing the woman he meant to take as his mate. Rhyn probably saved humanity by doing so but was sent to Hell and nearly lost his mind."

  "Why didn’t he tell Kris she was evil?"

  "Rhyn’s not a talker."

  She stared at him, astonished. "So he’d spend eternity in Hell because he couldn’t sit down with Kris and tell him what happened?"

  "It’s complicated," he said.

  "No, it’s not!"

  "There’s more to the story. The woman, Lilith, was pregnant with Kris’s heir. No matter what Rhyn would’ve said, the damage was done. To be quite honest, he was so abrasive anyway, even if he hadn’t killed the woman, they’d have broken paths. Though all seven were constantly fighting, Kris and Rhyn were always at each other’s throats."

  "That’s dandy, but it doesn’t sound like he deserved Hell!" she insisted.

  "He’s not exactly a pure angel, Katie. He did a lot of bad things, and his mother was a demoness, a powerful one who seduced his father. After they mated, she killed him. The brothers on the Council were looking for any excuse to expel or kill him, and Andre was his only advocate. Despite his demon powers, despite his wildness, despite his struggle to remain dutiful to their cause, he was a danger to anyone around him."

  She couldn’t imagine an upbringing with no parents, a clan of brothers who hated him, and no ability to change his nature.

  "Gabriel, he’s protected and helped me more than once since the dungeon and done it out of some sort of sense of duty. Even if he’s done bad things…I don’t know. I don’t think he’s the lost cause you’re making him out to be," she said, disturbed.

  "You saw what he did in St. Louis."

  Her gaze shifted from him to the dark form seated on a boulder. She assumed…she hoped…all of the dead were bad guys. Even so, she’d seen what he could do to a human-esque body in a few seconds.

  "Are you saying I should go with you?" she asked.

  "I believe your choice to be the right one."

  "Do you think…why do you think he chose me as his mate?"

  "Daniela seems to think it was preordained. You're an Ancient's mate, and maybe you were meant for him and only him," Gabriel said.

  "He told me he chose me."

  "You didn’t ask why?" he challenged, amused again.

  "Of course I did. He said he wanted me. He’s not a man of many words, Gabriel."

  "Maybe that’s the truth of it."

  "I know there’s more," she said.

  "Maybe you stabilize his wild power, though he doesn't know it yet."

  She considered the new possibility. Rhyn certainly didn’t seem to have much control, as far as she could tell. He’d massacred every human she’d run across to date.

  "You mean he was worse than this before?" she returned, surprised.

  "Much. Would’ve wiped out the island by now and half of Cuba without realizing he’d done so."

  "He’s using me."

  "He needs you and wants you,” Gabriel said. “He needed his brothers and still left them. As much as he’s done wrong in his life, he’s not a liar."

  The information filtered through her skepticism until she admitted he spoke too logically to be anything but right. Her disbelief that Rhyn had chosen someone like her over a supermodel was softened by the rationale that he would also innately recognize his intended mate, even if he didn't recognize her ability to help him control his power.

  What a horrible life he’d lived, if this was the best it’d ever been for him! Yet he didn’t seem too affected by a life of pain, exclusion, and conflict. If anything, he seemed absolutely sure of himself and what he wanted, even if his nature didn’t allow him to control his own wild talents.

  "Kris may want to come here to talk to you," Gabriel added. "He knows he can’t take you anywhere, but if he asks…"

  "I don’t care if he comes to me. I can’t trust him enough to go to him. And he comes alone, Gabriel."

  "Understood."

  He was gone before she could tell him goodbye. She leaned against the wall, eyeing the distance from her position to the rock on which Rhyn sat. She doubted he’d come if she called.

  The conversation with Gabriel turned over in her thoughts as she descend
ed the stairs and left through the opened gate. She felt bad for Rhyn, though she suspected the emotion was wasted on someone who didn’t have a drop of self-pity. She crossed her arms as she neared. Rhyn watched her, unmoving, like a predator watches its prey.

  "You don’t have anywhere else to be aside from sitting here day and night staring at the wall?" she asked.

  "I’m immortal. I have time."

  She drew a deep breath. Instead of retorting, she said, "That’s not how I wanted this conversation to go. I came out to thank you for bringing me here and saving me more than once from those things."

  He stared at her.

  "So, thank you. If you’re hungry, just let me know."

  He said nothing, his tense frame never relaxing. At the silence, she turned away and started back to the compound, irritated.

  "What did Gabriel want?" he asked before she’d gone more than a few steps.

  "Kris sent him to fetch me," she replied without turning.

  "And you said what?"

  "I said no."

  She didn’t hear his silent step. He gripped her arm hard and stepped in front of her, his size sending a tremor of unease through her.

  "Why?" he growled.

  "He can’t make me, and I don’t want to go," she said archly.

  "Until he offers you something you want."

  "He did. He offered me my life back."

  He bristled more.

  "You’re the lesser of two evils," she said at the unspoken command. She pulled her arm away and returned to the Sanctuary. As she walked, she began to wonder how to train a wild animal. She’d had cats before, but she’d never even owned a dog. She couldn’t imagine potty training one let alone training some ancient creature to contradict his nature. She didn’t realize he was following her until he spoke.

  "You turned down returning to your life to stay with me," he stated with one of his low, evil chuckles. "Foolish human."

  "Maybe I know he’s promising more than he can deliver. Really, why do you all think we mere mortals are all idiots? I’m so sick of this whole better-than-thou attitude you all have!" she snapped, facing him with her hands on her hips.

  "I never said you were stupid."

  "Whatever, immortal overlord of the universe! Every time one of you opens your mouth, you patronize me. It gets old and I think I’ve done damn well in this sick world of yours."

  He said nothing, and she raised an eyebrow. He was impossible to read. He wore all black, though he was dressed more simply than she’d seen him, in dark jeans and a black long-sleeved T-shirt and heavy boots. His hair was tied back, his jaw and chin scruffy from a couple days’ growth of hair. His liquid eyes were assessing but not flared, his large frame still imposing.

  "No smart-ass comment about your blood monkey?" she challenged.

  "Nope." He looked amused, if a statue could look amused.

  "What are you waiting here for?" she asked.

  "Nothing a blood monkey could understand."

  "Son of a bitch!"

  She marched back to the Sanctuary, wearied by the exchange. Daniela stood just inside the entrance, and her normally calm face took on an expression of sudden irritation as Katie passed her.

  "Oh no you don’t!" Daniela cried, and flew out the gate toward the rocks. "Sacred ground!"

  Katie couldn’t imagine what Rhyn had done and hesitated to look. Curiosity drew her to the gate again, where tiny Daniela was animated and angry as she stood between Rhyn and Kris. Katie couldn’t help but pity the woman; it was her fault they were both there. She felt beat already but forced herself to once again leave the confines of the Sanctuary.

  Kris’s white hair, fair complexion, and amber eyes were at odds with Rhyn’s darkness and glowing pewter gaze. Both were outwardly calm, though tense enough that a hair landing on their arms would make them snap.

  Daniela finished her lecture on the Sanctuary's rules and waited. Neither spoke. Katie approached uneasily.

  "What do you want, Kris?" she asked, crossing her arms.

  "I came to talk to you. Alone."

  "You’re not allowed in the Sanctuary, and I doubt Rhyn will agree to disappear. He’s a stubborn jackass like that."

  Both looked at her. Daniela paled.

  "It’d do you well in our world to learn some respect, especially for the Ancients," Kris snapped.

  "What do you want, Kris?" she repeated.

  Kris looked at Rhyn, who refused to take the hint. Kris lifted his chin at Daniela, and the woman offered a curtsey before hurrying back to the Sanctuary.

  "I couldn’t believe you wouldn’t want your life back and wanted to hear it from you," Kris replied, facing her.

  "You don’t have the power to offer me that."

  "Of course I do."

  "Obviously one of us is confused,” she said. “I haven’t lived for millions of years in your world, but I believe Rhyn here would have to die permanently so his claim on me was nullified. And then you’d have to find someone older than Andre to wipe my memory and put everything the way it was. All of this would assume that you’ve decided you have no further use for me."

  "You’ve learned a lot but not everything. There are ways of releasing you from Rhyn’s claim, and there are ways of erasing your memory," Kris replied, agitated.

  "But are you done with me, Kris?"

  He didn’t respond. She frowned.

  "You don’t seem to understand how important you are," he said at last with barely restrained impatience. "You can right the imbalance of our world so that evil is held in check. Do you want humanity to go down the toilet because you didn’t feel like helping?"

  "You had no intention of returning my life to me."

  "Eventually, yes."

  "Kris, you can’t use people!” she exclaimed. “Do I want to help you save the world? Yes, I do. But I don’t trust you. If you lied to me about everything so far, why the hell would I trust your word about anything, even saving the world?"

  He wiped his face, and she sensed again he was unaccustomed to being challenged. Andre had claimed Kris was highly combustible. She didn’t want to find out, but she wasn’t following him blindly.

  "You used Jade, too, didn’t you?" she accused. "Look where that gets you!"

  "I trust Jade with my life! You think I believe the word of some stupid mortal?"

  "I know what I saw, Kris!"

  "So, what is your solution?" he ground out between clenched teeth. "You stay here with him while the world falls apart around you?"

  "He’s the only reason I’m alive, Kris," she reminded him. "You dropped me into this world, and he’s kept me alive."

  "How noble of the beast that nearly destroyed the world once!"

  "You didn’t come here to talk. You came here to do the typical immortal thing and boss me around."

  They stared at each other. His gaze turned from amber to fire, and she wondered if she’d pushed him too far. Rhyn, for once, was quiet. She’d never seen his attention stay any one place for long, but today, he was actually calm. His arms were folded across his chest, his frame growing more relaxed as his brother grew tenser. With effort, Kris drew a deep breath and blew it out.

  "I am one of the leaders of the immortal world,” he said. “Yes, I am used to giving orders, orders that everyone follows. I understand that you don’t know our world, and that you have the disadvantage of having been through some truly awful things since being thrown into our world."

  Despite her anger, she recognized the physical effort he put into his words.

  "For what it’s worth, I apologize for treating you like you were subhuman. I need your help for the sake of humanity."

  She softened at his obvious struggle. Her gaze went to Rhyn, who looked almost amused again, then back.

  "And how can one puny little human save humanity?" she returned.

  "Sasha and the Dark One will destroy everything they can. Ully is experimenting with your blood to find a way to create a sort of antidote we can inject into
our immortals to render them immune to the powers of Sasha’s creatures. He’s close but needs more time and more blood."

  She took in his words, surprised he’d admit to needing a human.

  "Thank you, Kris. I’ll help you on two conditions."

  "Name it."

  "You take the bounty off Rhyn’s head and readmit him to whatever weird immortal society you belong to AND I get to leave whenever I want."

  "You gave me three conditions, not two. I’ll allow you one in the name of compromise," he said with distaste.

  She sensed a brick wall and hesitated, considering. She really did want to help humanity, and she really did want her freedom from stupid immortals bossing her around. Her gaze settled on Rhyn, who was waiting as tensely for her response as Kris.

  "Remove the bounty on Rhyn," she said with some effort. "No more hunting, tracking, targeting, hurting, killing, or anything else. He’s your brother, for God’s sake."

  Kris’s gaze flared again, and she assumed he’d expected her to ask for her freedom. She heard him grate his teeth, then say, "Rhyn, bring her to the compound."

  He turned and stalked away, disappearing with a puff of cool breeze.

  "Foolish human," Rhyn said more quietly.

  "Everyone deserves a second chance, even you, you jackass," she responded. "I’m going to get my things."

  He was silent as she turned and walked away. He was watching her, a predator who’d either figured out his prey wasn’t edible or needed more study to kill. His penetrating gaze gave her a different kind of chill, one that made her blood quicken as well as her step.

  She gathered her things and searched for Daniela--or anyone--but no one was around. She left the Sanctuary one final time. Rhyn stood in the same place she’d left him, unchanged in any way. She stood before him and waited. This time when he reached for her, she knew it was for blood. She closed her eyes and tilted her head, anticipating the pinch. He drank long, until she was swaying and leaning against him. When he released her, he touched her arm. Warmth shot through her, energizing her.

  She looked up at him. She hadn’t noticed his pallor beneath his copper skin, but she saw it now. He returned her gaze, steadying her with a possessive hand on her hip.

  "Were the guys you killed in St. Louis all bad?" she asked in a measured tone.

  "More or less."

  "What does that mean?"

  "Trust me."

  God help me, I think I do.

  As if hearing her thought, he gave a slow smile. Before another insult could leave her lips, he kissed her, a commanding, intense kiss. One arm looped around her and she braced herself against his chest, vaguely realizing that--by not refusing him the day before--he’d taken her response as a blank check. The familiar warmth, his intensity--both lit her blood afire, and she couldn’t help but imagine what his hot, talented tongue could do to other parts of her body. The vision in her mind made her bones too weak to hold her on their own.

  He drew away with a satisfied growl. She wanted to be angry at him but was too dazed, too surprised at the sensations running through her. He’d pursue her like a predator its prey, and he’d consume her. All of her.

  They gazed at each other for a long moment. She sensed he was reading her thoughts, and she wondered what he was thinking.

  "You’re not wearing any underwear."

  Then again, maybe she didn't want to know.

  "Aren’t you supposed to take us somewhere?" she snapped, face hot.

  He bared his teeth in a grimace, then turned her so her back was to him. She didn’t know why until she felt the fog of the underworld followed by the warmth of wherever it was they went this time. He tensed as they stepped through the portal, clutching her against him with one arm, and she blinked.

  Only to find herself staring at the bubbles of blood forming from within his fist, which was clamped around the blade of a knife a few inches from her face.

  "Jade, no!" Kris shouted too late.

  Silence surrounded them, not the good kind, but the heavy kind that made her want to hold her breath lest she break it and all hell erupt. There were many still forms around them, with only Kris moving. She saw Ully, Jade, Ileana, Gabriel…and a dozen more she didn’t know. The walls were made of uneven, massive stones, the same kind beneath her feet. The air was chilled, still and damp, like she imagined a castle dungeon would feel.

  "Rhyn is our…guest," Kris said, as if eating glass shards. "And Katie."

  Rhyn tossed the blade back to Jade, who caught it with a look that made Katie want to hide. The tension in the room ratcheted up a notch.

  "Katie," Ully hissed, as if they were kids hiding under the porch and not in the obvious line of sight of everyone in the room. "C’mon."

  He held out a hand, motioning toward the door. She went. Rhyn refused to release her, and she sighed, leaning her head back against his shoulder in defeat. His arm loosened, and she hurried to Ully, who grabbed her hand and pulled her from the room.

  He shoved the massive oak door closed.

  "I do not want to see what happens next!" he said, breathing out hard. "Kris told us you both were coming. I think they have some things to discuss with your…" His gaze went to her neck as he fell silent.

  "As long as he’s okay," she said with a frown.

  "You don’t know much about us yet, do you?" he asked. He gave her an odd look and started down the hall, waving for her to follow.

  "Nope."

  "Rhyn’s mother was a powerful demon, and his father is the same as Kris’s. There isn’t an immortal out there who’d face off against Rhyn now that Andre’s gone. Have you done much to civilize him?"

  "There’s no civilizing a man like him." Even as she spoke, her thoughts went to what Gabriel told her. Compared to how Rhyn had been, she had made him civilized.

  "Probably not," he agreed. "I’ll show you to the women’s wing. I’d stay there if they let me!" His step grew quicker, and his face brightened as they wound their way through the compound.

  "Are we underground?" she asked.

  "No. This is just a really huge place. It’s pretty easy to navigate after a few decades of trying."

  "Only a few decades?"

  He didn’t catch the sarcasm in her voice; his gaze was trained on a woman clad only in a towel and trailed by steam, emerging from a door along one wall. Katie heard the sounds of laugher and talk from behind the closed door. They followed the woman, who looked like a fitness warrior if she ever saw one. The black-haired woman had dark Mediterranean skin and tattoos down her back and across her shoulders. She was barefoot.

  "Ully, you’re not supposed to be down here!" she called over her shoulder in a distinct British accent.

  "I have a reason," he said quickly. "I’m showing a new member to her room."

  The woman turned, interest then puzzlement on her serene, chiseled features. Her eyes were almond shaped and clear amber.

  "Not a warrior," she said, her questioning look lingering on Katie’s neck. "Wow, really?"

  "Yeah, really," Ully said. "Megan, this is Katie. Katie, Megan. Megan is one of the chic fighters."

  "Female warriors," Megan said, raising an eyebrow in warning.

  "I’m too wimpy to beat up," he reminded her.

  "Right. I’ll take her from here."

  "But I--"

  "Out."

  Katie almost smiled at his fallen face as the stern voice of the Amazonian-sized woman before them. Ully was too harmless to be angry at, like a kid brother. He turned and smiled at her, then retreated, lingering at the door to the shower room.

  "You’re…" Megan trailed off, as if debating what to say while trying to figure out what was standing in front of her.

  "Short? Human? Disrespectful? Not accustomed to the rules of this world?" Katie supplied with no heat. "You can say it--Kris won’t let me forget I’m a square in a round hole."

  "I was going to say you look like a living doll," Megan said with a half smile.

  Katie smiled
in return, deciding she liked the Amazon with the British accent and wild tribal tattoos.

  "Nearly all of us girls here at the castle are warriors,” Megan said. “None of the Ancients have mates, though some other immortals do. C’mon. I need to change, then I’ll show you around."

  Katie trailed her. The women’s wing was a beehive of activity. They crossed through a common area with a kitchenette and large, flat-screen TV, past a gym, a library, and a few other common rooms, and into the barracks area, which bustled with activity.

  She crossed her arms, self-conscious with the looks the others gave her. Her arrival silenced conversations and made most everyone do a double take. Even if not for Rhyn’s name scrawled across her neck, she’d draw attention. None of the other immortal Amazonian warriors were below six feet. They came in all colors and complexions, some slender and graceful like dancers while others were muscular. She heard several different languages spoken before those she passed fell silent.

  "This room’s empty. Go ahead and make yourself at home. I’ll come get you in a minute," Megan said, pushing a door open near the end of the hall.

  The room was more welcoming than Katie expected, the stone walls covered and smoothed with Sheetrock painted a light green and edged with pumpkin orange. The room contained two full-sized beds and two large wardrobes along with military-style trunks at the foot of each bed. She had yet to see a window. She sat on the bed, placing her small satchel of belongings on the nightstand. The room smelled of vanilla mixed with some other exotic scent, the beds covered in soft white duvets with pumpkin-colored pillows.

  She looked at her belongings and then at the room around her. It was nice, but eternity?

  She felt a deep sense of loneliness and longing. For the first time in years, she wanted her sister around. Tired and conflicted, she lay back on the bed, taking great satisfaction out of a real bed after the few days on the flimsy bed at the Sanctuary.

  "You need to rest, or do you want to see more of this place?" Megan asked, chuckling as she leaned against the doorway. "I’ll show you where to go for logistics."

  "Logistics?"

  "Clothing, bathroom stuff, anything. They have all kinds of good stuff. You can order things out of magazines or from your favorite stores or pick from what they’ve got."

  Megan led her again through hallways that fell silent when she passed. They crossed more intersections, descended to the level below, and stopped outside of double doors.

  "Clothes, rations, gear," Megan said with a toss of her hand down the hall toward several other open double doors. "Cafeteria’s on this level, too, all the way down at the dead end. This is the women’s clothing department."

  Katie braced herself to see a storage room full of military uniforms and was surprised to see what looked much like a women’s department section.

  "Cold weather, transitional, summer weather. In the back they have more exotic clothing, like Indian saris and the like. Pajamas, underwear, socks, bras in that corner. You know what hemisphere you’ll be in when you leave?" Megan asked.

  "No idea."

  "It’s always chilly here, more so now that it’s autumn. We’re in northern Europe, so you can’t go wrong with sweaters."

  Megan wandered, looking through piles of sweaters and pants. The walls were lined with blouses, formal wear, business wear, jackets, and other kinds of clothing, while displays of knit shirts, sweaters, jeans, and slacks spanned out before her.

  "Megan, how much do these cost?" Katie asked, lifting a cashmere sweater.

  "Free. One of the perks of our job."

  She replaced the sweater and began hunting in earnest. She selected a few items, enough to get her through a few days in the new world. Light sweaters, long-sleeved shirts, a couple pairs of jeans. Megan helped and stacked socks and underwear in her pile and then brought her a light wool jacket, leather gloves, hat, and scarf. The Amazonian picked out a couple of T-shirts, her thick upper arms exposed in the tank top and jeans.

  Katie gathered her clothes into a wool satchel and slung it over her shoulder. Megan led her down the hall to a room dedicated to shoes. Most were either boots of various kinds or running shoes, but there were a few more stylish pairs. Katie chose a pair of wool-lined clogs, shower sandals, and waterproof ankle boots.

  She almost felt normal. Next Megan took her to what looked like a large drug store, where she plucked a few items from a shelf filled with top of the line skincare products. Katie’s eyes widened in surprise as she recognized a brand of moisturizer that cost a few hundred dollars.

  She grabbed the moisturizer and its cleansing counterpart and eye moisturizer. When she’d gathered everything she needed for bathing, she trailed Megan through the maze of hallways back to her room. Megan left her alone, and she unpacked. Then she grabbed her shower gear, sandals, and a plush towel and headed to the showers.

  Steam and dampness clung to her as she set foot in the bathing room. No less than twenty showers separated by waist high walls lined the area before her. Another door led to a chamber with several bathing tubs. Still another door led her to a locker room with mirrors along two walls and another door to the restrooms. The final door led to a sauna. Several women bathed in stalls, the easy banter between them marking their camaraderie.

  The hot water pounded over her body. She sighed deeply as it beat against her sore muscles. They responded and began to relax. She stood for a long time, letting the hot water pour over her, before she lathered herself up from head to toe. When she finished, she felt refreshed for the first time in weeks. She shut off the shower and wrung out her hair, then wrapped herself in the thick towel. She turned and gasped.

  "Rhyn, you ass, how long have you been there?"

  He looked her up and down in approval from his position leaning against the wall nearby. His glance went to the other women in the showers, who either ignored him or weren’t going to say something to someone whose mother was a demon.

  Exposed, irritated, she pointed to the door. He didn’t budge. She tossed her hair over one shoulder and walked to him, pushing him toward the door.

  "This is the women’s locker room!" she said. "Give me ten more minutes of peace, and leave these poor women alone!"

  Katie didn’t notice the amused glances the women gave her, but she did see their appraising looks at Rhyn. He made no attempt to hide his perusal of the tall, athletic women around her.

  "Missed a spot," he said, looking pointedly at the tattoo around her neck. "Might come off if you scrub hard enough."

  "Jackass," she muttered, pushing him again.

  She told herself he’d gotten there after she’d wrapped the towel around her. She didn’t want to think of him watching her bathe naked. The idea made her body thrum with something she didn’t want to feel.

  He left, though she sensed he sought her out for a reason and wasn’t about to grow patience. Determined to enjoy her first relaxing experience in a few weeks, she watched to make sure the door closed behind him and went to the locker room. She hadn’t thought to bring her clothes. It was, after all, the women’s wing. Her clothing from the Sanctuary was in a garbage can. She’d taken great pleasure in stuffing it there. Left with her towel and her toiletries, she took her time applying the thick moisturizer and lotion over her entire body, then finished by combing through her hair.

  "That’s the Ancient Rhyn?" Megan asked in disbelief, appearing through the door leading to the hall. "The girls wanted me to ask since they haven’t met you yet."

  "Unfortunately," Katie grated.

  "Wow. Not what I expected."

  "What did you expect?"

  "A demon or something,” Megan admitted. “He’s quite a looker. You are one lucky woman to go to bed with that one."

  Katie ignored her, irritated. She looked at the tattoo on her neck and slathered lotion on it, wishing it were paint.

  "I’ll tell Aisha not to hit on him," Megan said.

  "She can have him."

  "Trust me, if he weren’t
an Ancient and he looked that good, she’d snatch him up, even if he had a mate," Megan said with a laugh. "That girl knows no bounds and can land any man."

  Megan’s words pissed Katie off. She didn’t want to feel attracted to Rhyn. She wanted him to find someone else, but the thought of that happening made her furious. No one else would share his incredible kiss…or anything else that might happen between them. Her heart fluttered at the thought, and she wondered if it was her teenage hormones talking or if there was something else growing between them.

  "Aisha wouldn’t want him," she said with more calmness than she felt. "He’s…you know, small."

  Megan looked ready to laugh but smiled widely instead.

  "You can say you haven’t slept with him. I won’t tell," she said. "I’ll tell Aisha to back off anyway."

  Katie flushed without answering. She gathered her things and left. Rhyn was standing outside the door, and she passed him without a look. He trailed her through the halls. She wasn’t the only one who stopped traffic and conversations. She expected someone to be angry that there was a man in the women’s wing. Instead, the women gave him open looks of lust and approval, as if he were the hunted and they the lionesses lining up to take their turns at him.

  She was scared to turn around, almost afraid he’d be passing out his phone number to every lithe, beautiful Amazonian they passed. She wouldn’t put it past him. He wasn’t known for his morality or virtues. They reached her room, and she threw down her shower things on the bed, agitated. The door closed softly behind him. She was surprised he made it and wasn’t screwing one of the Amazons in the hall.

  "I need to put on some clothes. Please turn around," Katie said.

  "Nope. You’re my mate."

  She faced him, suddenly overly aware of how small the room was and the fact that he leaned against the only way out. He watched her with an intensity that made her blood quicken and her nipples harden. She crossed her arms. He wore the long-sleeve knit shirt, snug enough to show his physique without clinging to it, the snug jeans low on his lean hips.

  "What do you want, Rhyn?"

  "My room, too," he said.

  "What? No. You have to go to the men’s wing."

  "Nope."

  He lowered a backpack from his shoulder to the bed, nearing her. She all but jumped away.

  "Scared, little girl?" he growled without looking up.

  "Scared, no. Suspecting you’re in the women’s wing to get something other than sleep, yes."

  He looked at her closely, a slow smile spreading across his face. He pulled out a small stack of clothing from the backpack and peeled off his shirt, displaying the lean, muscular body beneath. She stared, awed. He caught her and said nonchalantly, "Only one woman in this wing I’ll fuck."

  "I see you’ve met Aisha," she said stubbornly, flushing.

  He took a step to close the gap between them, and they were kissing again. Emotion and desire fueled her. She responded as aggressively as he. He wrapped one arm around her and pulled her against him. The feel of his warm skin against hers thawed her resistance, teased her with the image of his naked body against hers. He smelled of sweet rain and dark grasses, his taste just as exotic.

  His strength, his heat…in seconds, she couldn’t think of anything more than feeling more of him, tasting more of him. His arousal rose solid and thick against her belly, and the soft towel agitated her suddenly sensitive skin. She met his aggression with her own, nibbling his lower lip, tasting him. Her hands roamed his chest and back. He pressed her against the wall, moving against her slowly while intensifying the kiss.

  "Say yes," he ordered in the low growl.

  "Yes," she said breathlessly.

  He chuckled and lowered her onto the bed, his body atop hers. She surrendered to the heat in her blood.