Chapter Five
Lucas downed the whiskey in his glass, and grimaced when his stomach started to burn. Served him right for drinking on an empty stomach. What the hell was he thinking? And that was exactly the problem. He hadn’t been thinking straight from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
He slammed his empty glass down on the nearest table and walked over to stand at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes trained on the door leading into the bedroom that connected with his. What the hell was taking her so long? She’d begged off, declaring the need to freshen up before sitting down to a meal, and he’d let her go without a second thought. But what if the little hellion was so distraught after talking to Skye that she had crawled out a window, intent on helping her brother to escape? His wolf roared with rage and he clamped down brutally, forcing it to retreat. She wouldn’t dare. But what if she had and someone…
Just as he was about to mount the stairs to go in search of her, a door swung open and her unique scent filled his nostrils. She hadn’t left him. His stomach settled, his wolf calmed, and he could breathe again.
Dressed in curve-hugging dark blue jeans and a white cotton shirt that dipped to reveal her tempting cleavage, she walked down the stairs with a sway of her hips that hardened his shaft to the point of bursting. With every step she took, her braids swayed, and Lucas found himself imaging her walking toward him wearing nothing except a welcoming smile, her hair moving about her body, concealing and then revealing her treasures. In that moment, he understood exactly what men meant when they said they were pussy whipped. He couldn’t string two sentences together, and he was certain that if he didn’t get some relief soon, his dick was going to explode. Well, that was about to change, and a hell of a lot of other things were as well. It was time he remembered he had a set of balls and put them to good use.
“You’re late.” The words came out in a near growl as he fought to control his body’s reaction to her. “Lunch has been ready for nearly an hour.”
Alisha eyed him coolly. “Sorry, after I freshened up I went out on the balcony. The view of the valley below is mesmerizing. Did you build this place as a retreat for your pack?”
“No,” Lucas said, guiding her to where his housekeeper had laid out their meal. “This is my sanctuary. The place I go to when I don’t want to be disturbed.”
“Now that sounds interesting. How many women have you brought to this place?”
He pulled out a chair for her at the table and smiled down at her. “Jealous?
She gave him a go-to-hell look and he winked at her, knowing full well it would irritate her right down to the tips of her tiny toes. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, sweetheart. You’re the only woman I’ve ever brought here. This isn’t a hideaway for one-night stands.”
“Yeah, well, you never know about a man. For all I know you could be the type of Wulfren who humps anything that moves.”
“You wound me.” He chuckled, his anger dissipating despite his intention to make her pay for keeping him waiting. “I haven’t humped a woman since I was a teenager. Though I have to admit, sometimes I miss those days. Back then there was no denial, no pretense. Just two people coming together to satisfy a burning need.”
She looked quickly away, a rosy hue rising to warm her sun-kissed skin, and he hid his smile as he placed several slices of roast beef on her plate. His little Sosye couldn’t run and she couldn’t hide what she felt for him. For now, he’d play her game, allow her to think she was in control of the situation, because by nightfall, all that anger and heat would be his to savor.
“Surely you don’t expect us to eat all this?” She waved a hand over the table. “There’s enough here to feed an army.”
“I’m a big man, with a big appetite.” He allowed his gaze to drift over her body, deliberately baiting her. “It takes a lot to satisfy my needs.
She gave him the stink eye before looking away from him, but Lucas was enjoying teasing her. He could smell her need, and despite her bold nature, he could tell she was nervous about being with him.
“Who prepared this?” She took a bite of her roast beef. “It’s delicious.”
She said it grudgingly, as if she didn’t want to give him credit for providing her with a decent meal, and he had to fight to keep the smile off his face. He’d been a little worried that after her talk with Skye some of the fight had gone out of her. But she was rallying quickly. By nightfall, she’d be back to mouthing off and talking a lot of trash that she couldn’t back up. He almost sighed with relief.
“If you’re done smiling like an idiot, maybe you can answer my question,” she demanded, breaking into his thoughts. “Or did I use too many big words?”
He wiped the smile from his face and shot her a dark look. “There’s a difference between being high spirited and disrespectful and if you don’t want to get your little butt blistered, I suggest you learn it. But to answer your question, I have a housekeeper who comes in for a few hours every day. I told her to expect a guest for lunch and since Vic is the only one I ever bring here, she planned accordingly. Now eat your lunch.” He added another slice of beef to her plate, but when he proceeded to add a generous helping of creamed potatoes, she shifted her plate out of his range.
“Thanks, but I think I’ll skip the potatoes. I have to watch my weight.”
“You’ve got padding in all the right places, and I’d like you to keep it that way. Some men might like sleeping with a bag of bones, but I’m not one of them. Besides, I’m told you barely ate anything for breakfast and you’re going to have a busy night.”
“Really, you look like the fast and furious type to me.” She flicked him a smug look, and forked another bite of beef into her mouth. “Or as they say in N’aw leans, much talk but no can do.”
Lucas was out of his seat and jerking her into his arms before he realized he’d moved. He didn’t give a damn that she was staring up at him with eyes the size of saucers. He wanted her to be afraid. Someone needed to teach the little idiot to think before she spoke and since he’d kill anyone who laid a hand on her, it was up to him to get the job done.
“There’s no give in you, is there? You might back off for a second, but you keep coming back. I think it’s time you learned to use that sassy mouth of yours for something other than insults, or maybe I’m just looking for an excuse to do this.”
He easily blocked her attempts to pull out of his arms and kissed her deeply, thoroughly, and with a rough passion born of near desperation. She could have stopped him—she had enough power to do so—but she surprised him by uttering a small cry of need before eagerly returning his kiss. His wolf roared to life, flooding the air with pheromones. And the fact that she not only returned his kisses, but twisted feverishly against him, pushed his control to the limit. He shoved her shirt up, and with a claw-tipped finger cut the straps of her bra. Her full breasts spilled out, and, unable to resist, he lowered his head to suckle on a swollen nub. She tasted like honey, smelt like heaven, and every vow he had made to take it slow, to ease her gently into his world, went out the window. He reached down to unzip her jeans, but his hand faltered when the smell of her innocence, like the first flower of spring, hit his nostrils. He didn’t want to stop, wasn’t really sure that he could stop, but for her sake he had to try. She was his mate, and she deserved better than to have her innocence taken in such a manner.
Soothing the anger of his wolf with a solemn promise that he would claim their mate before the night was out, he pushed it into submission. He brushed a gentle kiss against his mate’s lips and forced himself to pull back. She opened her eyes, looking slightly confused, and then tried to recapture his lips with hers. He took both of her hands in his and trapped them against his heart.
“My wolf just hit you with a massive dose of pheromones. You’ve been drugged, baby. And much as I’d like to take full advantage of what you’re offering, I want nothing from you that isn’t freely given. It’s killing me to back off, but despite our deal, when we come
together I want there to be nothing between us except the sweet music we make together. No lies, no half truths, no pheromones. Just you and me and what we feel.”
“Alpha?” His housekeeper stuck her head around the door leading into the kitchen, her mouth falling open as she took in the scene before her. “I’m sorry—”
“Get out!” Lucas snarled, blocking her view of Alisha with his body. He’d known Celia since the day of his birth, considered her a part of his extended family, but at the moment he felt like ripping her throat out.
Celia mumbled an apology and disappeared as quickly as she’d appeared. He looked down at Alisha huddled against his chest and swore under his breath. The intrusion had given her the impetus to shake off the pheromone-induced haze clouding her mind, but there was an uncertainty in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.
“Don’t be rude to your housekeeper,” she whispered, pushing him away. “She was only doing her job.”
He stepped back, grimacing with pain as his heavy erection rubbed against the coarse fabric of his jeans. “Her daughter is married to a Wulfren. She should know better than to enter a room when pheromones scent the air.”
“Well, I’m glad she came in,” Alisha admitted, avoiding his gaze as she adjusted her clothing. “Wulfren pheromones ought to be outlawed.”
Lucas said nothing, knowing she needed the time to get her emotions under control, but when she headed for the front door, he moved to stop her.
“Where the hell are you going?”
“Out.” She stepped around him and continued walking. “I’m not hungry anymore, and I’ll like to get a walk in before sunset. I need some alone time.”
“It would be better if you stayed and finished your lunch,” he said, watching her pull open the door. “And you might get lost.”
She kept walking, leaving him to watch as she made her way down the walkway and into the surrounding forest. He thought of following her—his wolf certainly wanted him to—but he wanted to give her what time he could. Once they were mated, her life with him wouldn’t be easy. He was a dominant man, accustomed to getting his way, and if he were being honest, that was exactly the way he liked it. Giving her a little alone time was the least he could do.
He stood in the doorway and watched until she disappeared into the heavy foliage edging the property, and then he forced himself to close the door. He went back to the dining room, intending to finish his meal, but found he no longer had an appetite. He took a turn around the room, spent a long minute staring out the window, and then forced himself to sit down at the table. If he didn’t get himself under control, this mating shit was going to turn him inside out. He should have done what his ancestors did and kept things simple. When they scented a mate, they mounted them on the spot and fucked them senseless. Wulfren pheromones ensured the woman went into a frenzy of sexual need, and by the time the first litter was born, the couple had sorted out their differences. So why was he doing his best not to act like his hairy-ass ancestors?
It was Vic’s fault. His Oprah-watching second-in-command had contaminated him. The next time he saw Vic he’d tear him a new a-hole for messing with his mind. That made him feel better, but he could no longer sense her presence, and he needed to know she was safe. He almost groaned aloud as his words hit home. He needed to know she was safe! Jesus, he had it bad.
With a disgusted shake of his head, he rose from his chair and walked back to the window. This time when he looked out, it was with the gifts passed to him through his mother. He found the Alpha wolf guarding his land, and merged his mind with his. Together they moved as one, invisible to the human eye, yet never more than a hand throw from the woman who was quickly becoming his world.
Chapter Six
Alisha walked through the forest, her mind in turmoil, her body burning with need for the one man she should feel nothing for. If they’d met under different circumstances, things might have turned out differently. But as matters stood, there was little hope for a happy ending between them. Her brother may have killed while under the influence of another, but she had no way of proving that—and time was running out. And if she helped him to escape, what kind of life would they have, always on the run, always looking over their shoulders? Eventually, her brother might build a new life for himself, but she knew she would never forget Lucas. He made her feel things she’d never felt before, made her want things she’d never dreamed of having. She wanted to stay with him, to explore what was between them, to—
“If you continue to walk in that direction, you’re likely to walk right off the edge of the cliff.”
She swung around, her fingertips crackling with power as she searched for the disembodied voice. At first she saw nothing, but when her gaze shifted upward, she saw a man-like figure clinging high above the ground to the trunk of a large oak tree. He wore no clothing, and his body was covered from head to toe with thick brown scales that acted as a perfect camouflage against the bark of the tree. As she watched, he slithered headfirst down the tree, and then jumped, landing only a few yards away from her.
He smiled at her, exposing a blackish forked tongue and a mouth full of small, razor-sharp teeth. Snake shifter. Alisha took a step back and prepared to defend herself. She’d never met a snake shifter before, but she remembered what Ma’mon had said about them. You never see one, till he be ready to strike. And once he strikes, it be too late!
“Thanks for the warning, but at the moment I think you’re in more danger than I am. This is Wulfren territory, and if you’re spotted by one, you’re toast. Something to do with your people’s past history of killing all the birds and wrecking the island’s delicate ecosystem.”
“I am not afraid of dogsss,” he hissed, “and I go where I please. My name is Serpentes, and you are Alisha, sister to Alan.” He moved his head as he spoke, a slow side to side movement that reminded Alisha of the way snakes hypnotized their prey. “I’m certain your brother must have mentioned me.”
“He mentioned you.” Alisha didn’t bother to hide the hostility in her tone. She had no doubt she was speaking to the slimeball that had enthralled her brother.
“It is obvious he did not mention I was a snake shifter.” His too-thin lips twisted into a mocking smile. “Perhaps he thought you would harbor the prejudice most people feel toward our kind.”
“I don’t do prejudice, but I admit to not liking what I’ve heard about snake shifters. But I doubt you followed me to the middle of the woods to discuss my feelings about your people.”
He smiled again, as if to say her dislike of him mattered little, but his slit eyes narrowed, suggesting otherwise. “I have a boat, well hidden on the far side of the island near Harper’s Cove. I can guide you and your brother to it, and the crew has been paid to take you to the mainland. All that is left is for you to break the spell that keeps your brother imprisoned.”
“And why would you help us? I can’t pay you much, and I’m not stupid enough to think you’re doing this out of friendship with my brother.”
“My reasons are my own and no concern of yours,” he snapped. His gaze shifted to the heavy foliage behind her. His tongue flicked out to scent the air and he took a step back. “I must leave you now, but do not doubt my intention to aid your brother. I am a believer in the old adage that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Aiding your brother serves my plans and because that is so, I will help him.”
His words struck fear in Alisha’s heart. “I won’t allow you to use—”
“Silence!” He made a slashing motion with his hand, his cold reptilian eyes focused on the woods behind her. “We’re being watched.”
Alisha shrugged. “Surely, you know you’re never truly alone in the forest, but I don’t sense any danger.”
He took another step backward and reached up to grasp a low-lying branch from the nearest tree. As he did so, his body began to shift, morphing into a long green snake, no bigger around than her arm. “Two days from now, at the stroke of midnight, I’ll be waiting ou
tside the jail.” He slithered out of sight, disappearing between the leafy branches of the tree, but his words drifted down, falling like leaves into the silence of the forest. “If you fail to show, you will have lost the only opportunity you have to save your brother’s life.”
“Wait!” Alisha stretched out a hand, magic racing along her fingertips, but she quickly retracted it. There was the taint of forbidden magic about Serpentes, and she needed to think before she took her involvement with him any further. Her instinct told her he was the one who’d be-spelled her brother, but for what purpose? And was his “enemy of my enemy” remark a veiled reference to Lucas? She simply had too many questions and not enough answers to make any decisions. Of course she could go to Lucas, tell him that Serpentes held some kind of power over her brother, but the problem was she had no proof. And without it, Lucas’s hands would be tied.
Unable to decide what to do next, she headed back to the house, but this time she paid close attention to her surroundings. She doubted Serpentes would make another appearance, but if he did, she didn’t want to be caught unawares. It wasn’t long before she caught glimpses of grayish bodies moving in the same direction as she, never more than a few feet away from her. Wolves, at least twenty or more, were using the heavy foliage as cover as they followed her. She sent out her magic, lightly tapping their minds to determine if they were a threat. Finding nothing, she felt some of the tension ease from her body. More than likely, Lucas had become impatient and sent the wolves to track her down. She had heard that the more powerful Wulfren could use the eyes of their four-legged brothers to track prey and apparently the rumors were true. She only hoped they hadn’t arrived in time to transmit an image of Serpentes back to Lucas, because if they had, she would likely be facing a very angry Wulfren on her return.
Benjamin, Karen - Creole Moon (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 5
