The young girl couldn’t have been more than six or seven, but the deadened look in her eyes sent a chill through Nyx. The assassins who worked for her uncle bore the same icy expression. It seemed wrong to see the coldness reflected in this child’s pretty blue eyes.
What had happened to put it there?
Clutching the edges of her sweater, Nyx stepped back and collided with a solid form. A hand covered her mouth, stifling her gasp. She didn’t need to see who it belonged to. Anton’s scent wrapped around her, stirring her jaguar from the depth of her psyche where she’d confined the stubborn cat earlier this morning.
Without saying a word, he hooked his other arm around her waist and yanked her hard against him. Her breath rushed out on a feminine squeak. He slid his arm tighter around her, locking her body to his. She’d never be able to get away. He was too strong.
Instinct took over.
Nyx whipped her head back, cracking it off Anton’s chin. Sharp pain radiated through her. Dizziness followed. She ignored it and repeated the move, whacking Anton’s neck this time. He grunted and eased his grip on her. Nyx took advantage of the slight opening and bucked hard in his hold.
Anton’s fingertips pressed into her hips as he adjusted his grip on her. In the back of her mind, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. Although firm, his grasp wouldn’t leave a mark on her skin. He hadn’t even released his claws. She sensed his restraint. Her racing pulse and the compulsion to escape couldn’t be squelched with reason, however.
She had to get away. Now. If she didn’t, Anton would never let her go.
The thought took hold. Her breathing quickened. Dizziness made the world sway. She was going to pass out. Once she did, Anton would lock her away. Keep her.
Mate her.
She’d lose her identity. Her will. Her freedom. Her chance to be remembered for something other than whom she mated.
She’d rather die.
Chapter 4
Nyx would not allow her carelessness to ruin everything. She would be the first female on the Council. Nobody would stop her. Especially not Anton.
She dug her sharpened nails into Anton’s forearms. His hot blood coated her fingers. Still he didn’t let go. She twisted in his embrace and raked her claws over his chest. He grabbed her wrists on a raw, vulgar curse and yanked her hands behind her, holding them clasped in one hand at the base of her spine.
“Stop fighting me, dammit.”
Anton’s command registered, but she had no intention of obeying. She had to get away. Nothing else mattered. Nobody would take her freedom. Nobody.
Heat flooded her limbs. Her jaguar’s soul rushed up. Her cat was agile. Fast. It could succeed where she failed. She opened herself to her primal side.
“Damn you, Nyx.” Anton growled the words near her ear. Then she was flying through the air.
A shocked cry tore from her throat. Her jaguar’s soul slipped through her fingers, falling into the mystical field where it lived. Nyx’s back connected with something firm yet soft. Her body was flipped. Her arms were yanked above her.
She wiggled, twisting the sheets around her flailing body. A heavy weight settled over her. The sense of panic grew, leaving her panting. She wasn’t getting away. Would never get away. She’d been caught by a predator, a powerful man everyone feared.
She whipped her head back and forth and bucked, trying to knock him off. Anton pressed his chin into the tender spot where her shoulder met her neck.
Her muscles instantly went limp. The same instincts that had left her in a frenzy froze her body now. There was no fighting them. She wouldn’t have been able to move if she tried. Anton held her in the most vulnerable position an unmated female shifter could be in. The baser side of her understood what that meant.
Anton had won…her.
He turned his head. His lips touched her hot skin. A long moment passed where she panted, and he simply breathed, evenly and calmly.
Nyx closed her eyes and fought the hysteria gripping her. Anton wouldn’t mate her against her will. For one, Council members didn’t take mates. They were a weakness their enemies could exploit. That was what her uncle Boris had always said. Secondly and more importantly, she was an insignificant single shifter. Anton was a Royal. He’d never dirty himself with the likes of her. The rationales calmed her.
She relaxed under the heavy weight of Anton’s body and waited for the consequences of her actions to seal her fate. No doubt he’d kick her out of his house. She’d not only entered his bedroom uninvited, but she’d been caught snooping. There’d be no saving herself from this. She deserved her fate. If only she hadn’t shoved her jaguar so deep, she would’ve heard Anton approach.
On a groan of pure lust, Anton slid his free hand down her side and gripped the edge of her skirt. His knuckles brushed her bare thigh. Tingles skipped over her skin. He opened his mouth over her shoulder, the spot where a male’s bite would mark her as a claimed female if she failed to secure her freedom. At the moment, failure was a guarantee.
The scrape of Anton’s distended fangs on her skin sent shivers down her spine. Her belly warmed. Moisture pooled low. She moaned. The wanton sound was as instinctual as her limp body. A dominant male held her immobile, at his mercy. The primitive side of her craved the feeling of vulnerability. The fact that Anton’s scent left her aroused and unsettled to begin with didn’t help matters.
In this moment, she’d welcome Anton’s bite and his claim on her—body and soul. It would never happen, though. She knew that. The knowledge should make her happy. It had calmed her moments ago. Instead, a soul-deep sadness gripped her.
“Are you calm?” Anton whispered the question in her ear.
“Yes.” Though she didn’t know how to explain her earlier hysteria to Anton. Now that she’d had a chance to think, her frenzied need to escape him seemed ridiculous. He’d never keep her. Why would he? She was a nobody.
The ache in her chest spread, threatening to swallow her whole.
“Not going to shift on me?”
“No.” And wouldn’t that have been embarrassing? The moment she returned to her human form, she’d be naked.
“And you don’t plan on attacking me again?”
A strained giggle escaped her. Now that she wasn’t ruled by her panic, her actions seemed childish. Anton was stronger than her. If he wanted to hurt her, he could. Easily.
Given the chance to fight back against her frenzied attack, he hadn’t. Something told her he never would. She felt safe in his arms, even as his fangs brushed against her skin. Instinct, maybe. She didn’t know but the truth resonated within her. It didn’t erase the ache in her chest, unfortunately. Too bad. She didn’t like the feeling. Being a nobody didn’t make her worthless. At the moment, she felt worthless, though. And unwanted.
“No.” She exhaled slowly, an attempt to calm herself. Her jumbled emotions would only make matters worse. “I’m sorry I did in the first place. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Anton released the hem of her skirt. His knuckles skimmed over her skin. Her eyelids drifted closed as heat spread through her body. “You didn’t.”
“I did.” The memory of his blood covering her fingers would haunt her for a long time. “I…I bled you. Dug my claws into your skin. I’m sorry for that. I truly am.”
He chuckled. The vibration of his amusement traveled through her. She pressed her lips together to stop her moan from escaping. “I’m immortal. A few scratches won’t hurt a Royal.”
As a mortal single shifter, a few scratches wouldn’t hurt her for long either. Despite being born to a nonalpha family, she was strong. Healing quickly counted for a lot in the shifter world. Not as much as immortality or claiming a direct line of descent from the goddesses, but strength, both physical and mental, mattered.
“That’s not the point. I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did.” It was rumored Anton had killed a woman in a fit of rage. When she thought of it that way, attacking him had been incredibly stupid.
�
�Why did you?”
“You frightened me. My instincts took over. I felt trapped. I had to escape.”
“You didn’t hear me approach?”
Wasn’t the answer to that question obvious? If she’d known he was behind her, she wouldn’t have continued to look through his email. “No. I didn’t hear you.”
“Why not? Didn’t your cat warn you? Isn’t that what your jaguar should do for you? Alert you to danger?”
Anton wanted her to admit she’d buried her jaguar deep within her psyche. She didn’t understand why it mattered. He’d caught her snooping. Shouldn’t that be more important than why she’d allowed Anton to sneak up on her?
She shook her head. Anton’s motives didn’t matter. Hers did. Anton wasn’t automatically throwing her out. She had a chance to talk her way out of this.
“My jaguar is…primitive.” Yes, that definition fit. The things her cat wanted Anton to do to Nyx had everything to with primal drives and nothing to do with reality. “She’s ruled by her instincts. I’m not. Banishing her to her field is safer for both of us. So that’s what I did.”
“I’m impressed. Few shifters your age can do so.”
Anton’s praise brought a smile to her lips. Admitting she’d had months to perfect her control over her jaguar would lessen Anton’s opinion of her, especially if he learned he’d been the reason she’d had to strengthen her will over her cat to begin with. Ever since she read the ad Anton had placed, she’d fought the animal. Its insistence she seek Anton out immediately nearly drove her nuts.
“I’m full of surprises.”
“I have to agree. I hadn’t expected you to sneak into my bedroom and betray my trust within hours of meeting me.” Anton released her wrists and rolled her body so she was facing him. His black-and-gold eyes held her captive with the demand she confess all her sins. “Why did you?”
“I didn’t betray you.” Out of the two accusations, this one she could deny. Hard to pretend she hadn’t snuck into his room when she was lying on his bed. Next to his impressive body.
He raised a brow. “You were reading my personal email. If that’s not a betrayal of trust, I don’t know what is.”
“I didn’t mean to look at that email.” The words rushed out.
Anton’s eyes brightened. One corner of his mouth lifted. He didn’t even try to hide his amusement over her statement. If she wasn’t trying to talk her way out of this, she’d laugh too. As excuses went, hers was pretty lame.
“You had to click on my email app to open it. I’d left it closed when I left. How could you not mean to look at my email?”
Nyx licked her lips and focused on the lust warming her body. With any luck, the scent of her arousal would mask the telltale stench of the lie she was about to tell. “I was looking for your calendar. Mine is part of my email program. You didn’t meet me like you said you would, so I thought maybe you had another meeting and forgot about me.”
“I will never be able to forget about you.”
The seriousness in Anton’s tone drew her attention from the lips she wanted on hers to his eyes. Still exotically beautiful, but the intensity reflected in them left her breathless, waiting on the reason behind his words.
Though, honestly, she knew he’d never forget her, but not for the reason that had butterflies dancing in her belly. Soon, she’d topple the carefully cultivated world he’d built here on the campus of the Shifter Council. There’d be no forgetting that. His hatred for her would last eternity too.
Moments passed without him saying anything else. She swallowed hard. The silence unnerved her. “Because you’re immortal, right? Your memory must be both a blessing and a curse.”
His gaze caressed her. She swore he was memorizing her features. “Yes, exactly. I both treasure my immortality and loathe it. Sometimes the prospect of having another chance at life is unbearably tempting. A do-over, as my pride leader would say.”
“I don’t know. If I had the choice, I’d want to live forever.” Lip caught between her teeth, she glanced away. “If I was mated to someone I cared about, anyway. Or alone completely. Otherwise, eternity would be my hell.”
“As mine will be.” Anton spoke the words under his breath, but there was no missing them.
She studied his expression. No hint of what spurred his statement. “Your eternity will be hell?”
“Yes.” Anton scraped his fingernails over her side as he fisted the hem of her shirt and dragged it higher. His caress soothed the small sting. Or it could’ve been her lust distracting her from it. Either way, her focus centered on Anton’s fingers mapping a path up her body.
He brushed his knuckles over the swell of her breast. Her lace bra prevented her from experiencing the tingling rush Anton’s touch elicited within her. She should be grateful not to feel his caress. This man was an obstacle standing in the way of her destiny. The truth didn’t erase the needs building within her. She ached in a way she never had.
Arching her back, she pushed her sensitive nipples against Anton’s chest. They hurt. Anton’s mouth could soothe them. He could send her into another frenzy. This time, she’d soar. His teasing touch last night proved he could please her. She’d been dripping in welcome for him then just as she suspected she was now.
Anton took her unspoken invitation. He unhooked her bra and pushed the cup from one aching breast. With his fingers resting against her heavy flesh, he stared into her eyes as if waiting to see her reaction to his bold move. Or waiting for her to beg for his touch.
“Why will your eternity be hell?” she prompted instead of begging for relief. She couldn’t bring herself to do so. A woman who’d go to the lengths she was in order to secure a lifetime without a mate did not beg a man for pleasure. No matter how much she craved it. If Anton happened to satisfy her through his own free will, however, she wouldn’t stop him.
“Because.” Anton swiped his thumb over her nipple.
A shiver skipped down her spine. One corner of his lip quivered as if he knew how the simple move affected her. But she hadn’t moaned. Hadn’t gasped. She was fairly certain her expression hadn’t changed. Of course, her hardening nipple probably gave her away. Whatever tipped him off, she wanted him to give her more.
She swiped her tongue across her lower lip, wetting it and hoping her glistening mouth would entice Anton into kissing her. “Because why?”
“Council members don’t mate. Ever.” Anton circled her nipple before flicking it again. This time, her small squeak betrayed her excitement. He smirked. “Not even if they meet their true mate, and an eternity without the comfort of the one female chosen to be theirs by the goddesses themselves is hell. That’s what awaits me.”
That would be hell…if you believed in true mates. She did not. If the goddesses had wanted shifters to mate for love, the strict mating laws giving males the right to claim any female they wanted wouldn’t still be enforced.
Anton brushed his lips over the base of her neck, speeding her pulse. “And your future with your promised male will be your hell, right?”
“Yes, exactly.” She smiled. She’d spent years convincing Boris her interest lay in acting as a representative and role model for female shifters, not as a vessel for babies or a warm body to use when her mate was horny. Or worse yet, a cook and maid.
“I thought all women dreamed of the day they took a mate.”
“No.” She laughed. “I’d rather live out my life alone than mate someone unworthy.”
Anton raised his gaze to hers. A slow, pleased grin spread over his mouth. Her lower belly quivered with an immediate punch of need. The tips of his distended fangs gave his smile a wicked edge. She squirmed.
“Even if he was rich and powerful? Or good-looking?”
She nibbled on her lip. Anton was talking her into a corner. Shifter females were nothing without a man, whether that man was a mate or a guardian. They needed someone to protect them. Everyone understood that. Admitting she wanted to shatter that tradition would give Anton insigh
t into her emotions. She couldn’t have that. He might use them against her. “Depends on whether I was attracted to him.”
Releasing her breast, Anton adjusted his body over hers, spreading her legs and settling into the spot between her thighs. The hard press of his erection lined up with her groin. Clothes separated them, but it didn’t take much to imagine the slide of his thick cock through her arousal or the burn of her muscles as her body adjusted to Anton’s girth.
He rocked against her. She moaned. Her eyelids lowered. For a man rumored not to like women, Anton excelled at the fine art of seduction.
“Let me guess.” Anton firmed his hold on her wrists and leaned close. His exhales warmed her cheek while he pushed his groin a little harder against her panty-covered clit. Sparks skipped to her womb. “Your promised mate doesn’t make your pussy wet like I can, does he?”
“Oh goddess…” Nyx didn’t know what else to say.
Anton reached between their bodies and pushed the barrier of her underwear aside. He dragged his knuckles through her cleft. On each stroke, he pushed against her opening, drawing more arousal forth.
She squirmed. “I…”
He dipped a finger into her pussy, then another, and stroked her, stretching her untried body. She’d never had sex. Traditional sex, anyway. Oral sex didn’t count. Teasing and foreplay didn’t count. Nothing done to her had ever tempted her to accept a man into her body.
Until Anton got her in his bed.
“I feel how tight you are, Nyx. Your promised mate would need you to be dripping for him before he ever attempted to fuck you.” Anton pushed his fingers as far as they’d go into her body, then moved his thumb to her clit. Her inner muscles squeezed tight around Anton’s fingers. She stifled a whimper. “Did he get you this wet?”
“I don’t want to mate him.” That was the best answer Anton would get from her. Anything else gave him power over her. With the way she reacted to him, he didn’t need much.
Anton eased his fingers from her body. His wet fingertips mapped a path over her stomach to her chest. He laid them against the swell of her breast. “And being able to support yourself will save you from this male?”
Forbidden Mate: Shifter World: Royal-Kagan series book 8 Page 4
