‘Stop calling me, Cormac, Lera.’
‘Stay outta my head.’
She jerked away and stared up at him, desire and longing swirling for him in her gaze. “What are you doing?”
The wolf pushed determinedly, and Kori struggled to keep him restrained. “Kissing you.” He stepped closer, eliminating the distance she’d put between them.
“What about Cairenn? I don’t need some woman coming after me because you felt like kissing someone else.”
“Lera, it’s not like that.”
“Of course not.” Her tone was packed with sorrow.
Capturing her face in his palms, Kori forced her chin up so he could see into her eyes. “Listen to me, mo ghrá. Cairenn is a lot of things to me, but someone I look at in that light, she’s not. She’s my sister.”
“Your sister?”
“Yes,” he breathed along her cheek, inhaling the scent that calmed his soul. “My sister.”
The fingers clenching his shirt relaxed a bit. “Kori?”
“Yes, mo ghrá?”
She didn’t say anything else so he moved to look in her eyes. Her jaw trembled, and the tears slid down her smooth skin. Oh, baby. Shoving his lust and need to make her his in all ways to the back of his mind, Kori gathered her close to his chest and held her.
“Let it go,” he murmured in her ear. “It’s okay to cry, Lera.”
Her entire body sagged, and Kori lowered them to be cradled by the earth. He remained silent as she crawled on him, as if she longed to burrow beneath his skin. Swallowing back a moan, Kori wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled the top of her head. Lera’s sobs tore at his heart, and the call to fix everything for her roared through him. She shifted, and he lay back among the thick blades of grass as Lera continued to cry against his chest.
He rubbed her back and stared up at the sky. The stars shone upon the black velvet of the night sky. There was a half-moon, and a gentle warm wind caressed them. Eventually, her sobs lessened until they became deep, ragged breaths. Kori continued to hold her close. Her body pressed enticingly against him, her legs wedged between his. It took considerable control to keep his wolf reined in for he raged deep within him, furious that Lera was upset.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“You never have to apologize to me, Lera.”
“I’m just so tired of being weak.”
“You are one of the strongest people I know.” He kissed the top of her head. “It takes one hell of a person to be willing to give up everything for a friend, mo anam.”
She slid out of his embrace and lay beside him, draping one leg up over his and resting her head against his shoulder. “What’s it like, Kori? Being able to shift?”
Kori watched a star streak across the sky and sighed. He’d realized finally how much she longed to be able to take another shape. But to be able to describe it, that was difficult.
“Freedom. I don’t really know any other way to describe it.”
“Okay.” She sat up, and he rose up on his elbows. “I know you have better things to do than watch over me, Kori. Thank you. I need to get going. Rissa and I are leaving early.”
He got to his feet along with her but stopped her from walking away. There remained proof of her tears upon her face, and her eyes were puffy. Stepping close, Kori used his thumbs to skim along her cheeks.
“Look at me, mo anam.”
Lera tilted her head back and met his gaze. When her big brown eyes met his, all thoughts of talk vanished. Lera may put on a front with others but not him. She didn’t try to hide the raw vulnerability in her stare. It sat right there alongside the unquenchable passion he knew she had buried deep within her and the determination that could make him swear a blue streak before caving and agreeing to help her.
Kori lowered his mouth to hers, slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wished. She didn’t move. Her eyes bored into his and never blinked. His body hardened more the second he experienced her soft lips beneath his. He cupped her head in his hands and ran his tongue along the seam of her mouth before pushing in, mindful of the split in her lip.
She opened her mouth on a soft sigh and met his tongue with her own. Raw desire and lust broadsided him, and he struggled to keep the kiss gentle. With thorough, definitive strokes, he moved through her warm haven. Her taste embedded even deeper into him, and he growled low in his throat. With great reluctance, Kori ended the kiss.
Passion glazed eyes stared back at him, and his cock throbbed when her tongue snuck out to skim her lips. “Good night, Kori,” she uttered softly before walking away.
He stood rooted to the spot and watched her. About halfway back to her father’s house, she paused and glanced back at him. In her gaze, he noticed wonderment.
‘Good night, mo ghrá,’ he whispered in her mind.
Lera tipped her head briefly to the side then she spun back around and headed into the house. Kori shoved a hand through his hair and swore viciously. He wanted her so badly he hurt.
The wind shifted and brought to his nose the scent of an unknown wolf. Protectiveness rose swift and fierce. ‘Keep sharp, Cairenn,’ he commanded even as he shifted to wolf form.
‘What’s the problem?’
‘A wolf is near. I don’t recognize the scent.’ Which wasn’t entirely true. There lingered a hint of familiarity to him but he couldn’t place it. Lifting his nose to the wind, Kori slunk around toward the place it generated from. He never found it. The creature managed to avoid him. Anger simmered beneath the surface for it was an alpha male he scented. And that, around his woman, didn’t sit well with him in the slightest.
Chapter Eight
Lera sat in the window seat and stared out over the field. By all logic, she should be sleeping next to Rissa in the bed, but she couldn’t. Her mind continually replayed her interaction with Kori. His taste. The feel of his lips upon hers, his arms around her holding her tightly. Making her feel cherished even. She reached for the necklace which no longer resided around her neck. I kind of thought he’d return it to me. Maybe it fell off his bag.
Turning her head, she glanced to the bed where Rissa lay sleeping, the soft glow of the nightlight keeping total darkness at bay. Her expression finally restful. It had taken some sleeping pills, but now, Rissa slept. Lera pushed up from the cushion and padded silently to the bed where she reached out and pulled the blanket up around her friend more. Aside from her family, Rissa was easily the person she loved most in the world.
“Rest well, my friend.”
Back at the window, Lera looked out again and sighed. She felt restless, and there was this strange longing in her soul she couldn’t explain. Along her side, her cell began to vibrate. One more peek at Rissa, and Lera grabbed it and answered even as she moved to the door.
“Hello?”
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t keep you locked in your room for the rest of your life!”
“Hello, Daddy,” she murmured, walking out to the porch.
“Don’t you ‘hello, Daddy’ me, little one. Do you have any idea how scared I was?” Dane’s voice sounded just as powerful as it had the day she’d met him.
Sitting on the rail, Lera frowned. “Scared?”
Her daddy, Dane Sidorov, didn’t do scared. He scared others.
“Why didn’t you call me when Rissa went missing?”
Damn it, Kori! “I…I…”
“Come home, Lera.”
Tears threatened, and she blinked them away. “I’ll be home soon. I have to take Rissa back home first.”
“Okay. One thing, little one.”
“Yes, Daddy?”
“Never doubt how important you are to this family or to me, Valera Grace. Never. I would give my life for yours in a heartbeat.”
She hung her head as shame flowed over her. “I’m sorry, Daddy. I just thought…” Lera trailed off.
“We’ll discuss this when you get home. Which you will do immediately after you deliver Rissa safely home.”
&
nbsp; She sighed again, easily recognizing the order in his tone. “Yes, I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you, little one.”
“Love you, too.”
Lera ended the call and shut her eyes. When she opened them, there was another pair of boots in her view. Immediately, her body alerted her to who it was. The shivers rocketing through her gave it away. Kori. Not even the sweet scent of the night could distract her from the powerful masculine one of the one and only Cormac MacLochlainne.
“Why did you curse me, mo anam?”
“Why did you tell my father?”
Callused fingertips lifted her chin. The setting moon glinted off his eyes, making her realized again how much of a predator he truly was.
“I’ve not spoken to Dane.”
She frowned and pulled back. How had he known then? “In that case, I’m sorry.”
“Lera.” He whispered her name, and it floated along the air and settled gently around her, warming her.
With a quick swipe of her tongue along her lower lip, Lera reached up and moved some hair back from the chiseled angles of his face. He held her gaze without flinching. She longed to kiss him, ask him to hold her, but Lera kept her mouth shut. Dropping her hand, she slid to the porch floor.
“Goodnight, Kori.”
She entered the house and headed to bed. Lera woke a few hours later to morning light filtering in the window and checked her watch. Still early. She looked at Rissa who continued to sleep soundly beside her. Silent, Lera rose and made her way to the front door. She cast a quick glance to the great room where Cairenn slept but never slowed. The majority of the stiffness in her body gone.
Outside, Lera smiled as her feet took her toward the woods. The fresh scent of dawn filled her nose. It felt good to be back but the needful longing within her seemed to be growing, and it was harder and harder to keep contained. She hurt.
At the tree line, a warning, rumbling growl filled the air. Weapon palmed, she kept her eyes fixated on the forest. It was rare for an aggressive animal to be so close to the house. Given what she’d just been through, Lera wasn’t about to take a chance. The first rays of morning had barely crested the Pantera Mountains. However, it was more than enough to identify the animal—correction, animals—which stepped from the shadows of the trees.
Bears.
Shit. This can’t be all that good. They weren’t grizzlies or polar bears but given that they had claws and teeth and she didn’t made her uneasy. Four of them. Growing up in South Africa, she’d been faced with many wild animals but these… Something was off.
With barely a thought, the cylinder in her hand extended. Lera kept it at her side, doing her best to appear unthreatening. The largest middle one opened his mouth, and a loud roar exploded out of it. Before it had died from the air, all four charged her. While she hated killing animals, Lera preferred to live.
So she attacked. Instead of jumping back and running like many may, she lunged forward and to the right. The middle bear closest to her, moving the fastest, managed to get off a swipe that tore down her arm, adding to and reinjuring the wound from Raymond. The weapon in her hand honed into a razor sharp point along the length as she took out the bear on the right with a slice which severed its head almost completely from its body. Hurdling the falling body, Lera turned in the air and landed poised and balanced on her feet.
While a bit slower to turn, the bears didn’t waste any time. The sight of their fallen comrade only seemed to infuriate them more. Three shattering roars rattled her eardrums but Lera held her ground. Confident that the previous move wouldn’t work again, she adjusted. With barely a thought, the black weapon lengthened even more and became staff like.
Her arm throbbed but she didn’t care. They spread out until she was in the middle of them. Muscles tense, she waited for the attack, knowing it was coming but not wanting to give away her move until it happened. The one on her left lowered its large black head and charged.
Lera held her ground until the last possible second. Three steps away from when she’d move, a fierce growl preceded two streaks coming from behind her. Two wolves launched themselves at the bears, one on each. That left her with one all to herself.
She attacked and was met head-on by the angry brown Ursus. Her blade burrowed deep and true but so did his claws. Lera stifled her cry of pain as she maneuvered for another attack. His massive paw sent her reeling through the air. Stars flickered before her, and she struggled against the darkness. The creature lumbered toward her, and she lay as still as possible until the last second.
With a grimace, Lera shoved up with the weapon and did a backwards summersault to get out of the way from the collapsing bear body. Breathing hard and bleeding, she fought to catch her breath. Eyes sliced to the right where she saw a wolf she figured to be Cairenn fighting and holding its own. Turning her head, Lera gasped at the sight before her. The silver-gray wolf with the charcoal mask fought against a bear that had to be over fifteen hundred pounds.
Pushing up, Lera headed to where the second wolf fought. “Go help Kori; I’ve got this one.”
The light gray wolf looked at her with those intense amber eyes before it did as ordered. Lera placed her attention on the bleeding bear before her. A few quick moves and soon it, too, lay dead. She shook and breathed deeply while she faced the remaining creature. It also lay on the ground, breathing its last. Golden amber eyes met hers from behind the charcoal mask.
She wobbled on her legs, and Kori’s arms surrounded her before she could hit the ground. His gray eyes bored into her as he lowered them both to the grass.
Rissa. She stiffened and made to move away from him only to have his arms tighten around her. Like he knew.
“Rissa’s protected. Cairenn is with her.” Kori swept her up in his arms and headed back to the house. “Check the area, Cavan,” he ordered the other wolf.
“I’m capable of walking—”
“Don’t. Don’t argue with me on this, Lera.” His tone was rough and she could feel him shaking.
“But you’re injured, Kori. And who the hell is Cavan?”
“Lera,” he ground out, his jaw clenched. “Let it go. Cavan is my brother.”
She fell silent and relaxed into him. The pain in her body seemed to fade with the warmth from his body. He didn’t say another word the rest of the way back to the house. Rissa was there waiting with Cairenn who seemed more than ready to kill anyone.
“Lera?” Rissa’s single word tinged with fear.
“I’m fine, Rissa.”
New unknown noises reached her, and she peered around the powerful arm of the man holding her like she was the most precious item in his world. Behind them stood a tall man with the same black hair and eyes as green as Ciarenn’s.
That must be Cavan. Damn. He’s fine.
‘Stop looking at my brother, mo anam.’
The jealousy in his tone almost made her smile. She could see the injuries on Cavan, and she struggled. Kori refused to release her. “He’s hurt. Both of you are.”
“Cairenn will see to him. My concern is you.”
“Thanks, Cormac,” Cavan said in a sarcastic, deep brogue.
Kori muttered something in a language she couldn’t understand. Then, he progressed up the stairs and to the bathroom up there. Kori set her down near the sink and stared at her. She opened her mouth, and he just gave her a look which she took to mean don’t say a word.
Kori cleaned each of her wounds, ignoring his own. She didn’t move while he attended her arm and leg injuries, but when he reached for her belly, she flinched back. He looked up at her, his eyes soft.
“I’m not going to hurt you, Lera.”
“I know, it’s just that…” She didn’t like anyone to see her belly embarrassed by the scarring she had.
His hands on her hips stilled her lips. “Let me tend your wound, mo ghrá.”
She remained motionless when he lifted up her shirt. He stared at her until she held it up in place. Kori was gentle as he
sterilized and bandaged the cut. He was just as tender as he had been on the other injuries. Lera bit her lower lip and closed her eyes when his touch skimmed along the scars on her belly. Kori never said a word about them.
“Look at me, Lera,” he commanded softly.
Eyes open, she stared at him and watched him pull down her shirt and push to his feet. In the depths of his gray eyes, she could see anger swirling, but somehow, she knew it wasn’t at her but what had happened to her.
Swallowing hard, Lera said, “Thank you for fixing me up.”
“This isn’t going to go away, Lera.”
He spoke in a darkly seductive tone laced with the promise of something. Something which scared her. And he was right. Whatever it was she felt between them only grew stronger each time she was around him.
She tugged on her shirt and said, “I should get to Rissa and see how she’s doing.”
“You do know you can only run for so long, mo ghrá, before I don’t let you run anymore.”
There was something so authoritative and resolute about that statement, Lera paused at the door before slipping through. Her insides were a wreck, and she wanted almost nothing more than to run into his arms and let him hold her and make her feel safe. Maybe that would take care of one ache in my soul. She hurried downstairs and found Rissa being watched carefully and intently by Cavan.
After thanking him for his help yet not touching him, she threw a sore leg over her bike and, with Rissa on the back, headed out of Savoy Valley. At the top of a mountain, just before leaving, she slowed the bike and looked over her shoulder. There was a deep twinge in her, and she wasn’t sure why.
“Everything okay?” Rissa hollered.
Not really. “Fine. Let’s get you home.”
‘You need to rest, Lera.’
‘I’m fine, Kori. I’m riding the bike, not pushing it.’
‘You just got attacked by bears. It’s been only a few days after you endured the other shit. Why do you have to leave now?’
She licked her lips and ignored the pull in her soul to go back to him. ‘Rissa needs to go home, Kori. It would be wrong of me to make her wait to be with those who love her. Thank you for everything. Thank your siblings for me, please.’
A Love For Lera (Haikon) Page 11
