by Nina Croft
They weren’t in any hurry. They knew she was beaten. Now they would take their time. Off to the right, a howl broke the silence, the eerie sound bouncing off the rocks surrounding them.
The man in front of her went still. He stared off to where the noise had come from, but when nothing further broke the silence, he turned back to her, and his hand gripped her upper arm to pull her closer.
A faint glimmer of hope had awoken deep inside, but she dismissed it. It was only her imagination that had made the sound remind her of a wolf. There was no life on this planet. No wolves to save her. Staring over his shoulder, she tried to make her mind go to another place, a far-off place.
Something stirred in the space between the rocks at the edge of the clearing, moving too fast for her to make out. Just a huge dark streak that flew through the air toward them; a brief impression of savage amber eyes and a snarling mouth, white teeth before the thing crashed into them. She was wrenched free from the grip as the man who’d held her was borne down to the ground under the weight and sheer speed of the beast.
Warm blood sprayed across her face, blinding her. She wiped her eyes clean with the back of her hand. Her attacker was dead, his throat ripped to a bloody mess.
The beast caught her gaze, and she saw a flash of humanity in the gold-flecked eyes. It leaped away, turning in midair toward where the other two men stood, shock holding them immobile.
One managed to get off a single blast with his laser. The shot went wide, and the animal slammed into him, crashing him to the ground.
Alex crawled toward the dead man and tugged his laser from the holster at his waist. She pushed herself up onto her knees, her fingers fumbling with the controls as she switched the weapon from stun to kill. The third man was trying to get a shot at the beast but the two figures rolling on the floor were inseparable, the clearing filled with snarling and snapping. He’d obviously forgotten Alex even existed. But she wanted him to see who killed him, wanted to look into his eyes as she did it.
“Hey!” she shouted.
He turned toward her. Alex braced herself and squeezed the trigger. The blast hit him square in the chest, and he went down.
She closed her eyes as shock and relief drained the last of her strength. It took her a moment to realize that the clearing had gone quiet. The fight was over, and she forced her lids open.
The men were dead. The wolf stood, legs braced, head cocked to one side, watching her.
He was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. Dark brown coat streaked with red-gold, deep amber eyes. When she didn’t move, he padded toward her. His movements slow and controlled as though he didn’t want to scare her away.
Even if she’d wanted to, she had no energy left to run.
A foot away, he stopped and looked at her again as though waiting for her to make a move. When she remained still, he sank down onto his haunches. His muzzle was stained crimson, and he licked it with a long pink tongue, flashing the biggest, whitest teeth she had ever seen. He licked his paw and cleaned his face, his golden eyes never leaving her.
Her mind was slowly starting to work again. To come back from that place of death and accept that she was going to live.
He’d saved her.
Again.
She dropped the pistol, dragged herself the short distance between them, wrapped her arms around his thick neck, and burrowed her nose in his silky fur. He smelled warm and musky, vaguely of Jon, but more of wild animal.
He’d gone still when she hugged him, but as she backed slightly away, he nudged her with his cold nose then licked at her chin with his warm tongue, washing away the blood.
When she was clean, he rose to his feet and stalked a little distance from her. She sat on the sand, knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her, and watched as the beast became a man. The change happened with ease, one form flowing into the other, the fur and claws receding. Only as he straightened to stand upright did she hear the snap as bones realigned themselves.
And Jon stood before her. Legs braced, head thrown back, fists clenched at his side.
Gloriously and totally naked.
Alex didn’t look away. If nothing else, the last hour had given her a real insight into her own mortality. She had known she was going to die.
Now she lived, and she was determined to make the most of it.
Maybe she’d never get to do more than look, and if she was honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she was up to more than looking anyway. The adrenaline rush was draining away, and every bit of her ached.
Still, she could look.
He was broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hips. His chest and shoulders bulged with muscle. More muscle ridged his flat belly. His sex hung heavy between his thighs. As she stared, it twitched and grew, filled with blood, until it stood straight, pale against the hair-roughened skin of his stomach, thick and long.
“Holy Meridian.”
He made a noise, a mix of a snort and a laugh, and her gaze shot to his face. He watched her out of half-closed eyes, gold gleaming behind thick lashes, then he stalked toward her. A foot away, he came to a halt and stood looking down at her.
Instinctively, she tugged up the bodice of her dress, covering her breasts. Jon appeared unperturbed by his own nakedness, and she wished she could be the same. Maybe it was a werewolf thing. If you had to strip off to change, you probably got used to wandering around without any clothes on. There wasn’t a single person in her entire life who had ever seen her naked.
Jon held out a hand to her, and she slipped her palm in his and allowed him to tug her to her feet. He released her hand and stroked a finger over her bruised cheek, across her swollen lower lip.
“You saved me,” she said.
“Yeah.”
“Again.”
His gaze roamed around the clearing. “So what happened?”
She shrugged. “I guess Hezrai hated me more than I thought.” There had to be more to it than that, but she needed to think things through, try and make sense of what had happened and why. “He told those men they could do what they liked as long as I was dead at the end of it.”
“Bastard. Did they rape you?” he asked, his tone harsh.
She shook her head. “No, you stopped them in time.”
“Good.”
His gaze ran over her, and suddenly she wanted his touch, needed it to wipe away the memory of that other hand on her breast. She loosened her grip on the front of her dress and it fell to her waist. Her nipples were already tight in the chilly air, but they stiffened under his hot stare, and heat pooled at her core.
When he raised his gaze to her face, she saw her own needs reflected in his eyes. “How do you feel?” he asked.
She took stock of her various aches and pains and realized she might be up to more than looking, after all. She licked her lips.
“I’ll be fine if I just lie down for a minute.”
…
At her words, the tight knot of tension inside him unwound. He knew she was giving her consent.
Just as he knew he shouldn’t be doing this.
She was hurt, probably traumatized. He should be caring for her, getting her away from here in case that bastard came back.
But he always found his urges harder to control after he’d shifted. Usually his mind controlled his body, but after a shift, those roles were reversed. It had been so long, he’d forgotten what it was like. His body felt stronger, bursting with life force, clamoring for some sort of release.
Back with the pack, there had always been a woman available, an unmated female happy to oblige the pack alpha. Now there was Alex. He studied her. Physically she was nothing like the women he’d gone for in the past. She was small, fine-boned with slim hips and a narrow waist that emphasized the fullness of her breasts. The marks from Bastion’s fangs had faded, but new bruises blossomed across her pale skin, and his fury rose again at the thought of others touching what was his.
He’d told her she was weak, but she was st
rong. She’d been half their size, yet she’d still managed to take one of those men down.
“Please, Jon.” Alex’s softly spoken words broke into his thoughts. “I need you to hold me, make me forget.” As he watched, she loosened her dress at the waist so it pooled around her feet. She stepped out of it and stood before him naked but for the tiny scarlet panties and knee-high boots.
Blood rushed to his groin. He’d sworn never to have anyone rely on him again, but now Alex was his. The need to take her, mark her rose inside him. He would be quick. And gentle. But he had to have her.
His gaze settled on the horror of a dress. He picked it up, took her hand, and led her out of the clearing. Once away from the carnage and the stench of blood and death, he spread the dress out on the sand.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
She nodded, and he picked her up and lowered her gently to the ground, before coming down beside her.
“I’ll be gentle. I won’t hurt you.”
“I know.”
Warmth washed through him at her trust. How could she know? After everything she had gone through—the betrayal, the attack—that she would trust anyone amazed him.
Stretched out on his side beside her, he studied her for long minutes, his gaze snagging on the purple mark of the cross that marred the skin of her right thigh. He stroked a finger over the slightly raised skin—such a little thing to have such an impact on her life—then he hooked the finger in her panties and slid them down her legs so she could kick them off.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
Careful not to touch her anywhere else, he leaned across and his lips met hers. He nipped her with his teeth, and her lips parted beneath him so he could slide his tongue inside and stroke the velvet softness of her mouth, taste the sweetness of her. Her tongue moved tentatively against his, but he forced himself to keep his movements slow and languid, thrusting gently into her.
His fingers barely touched her skin as he stroked down the line of her throat, over the swell of her breasts. He rubbed his palm over a nipple, then tugged it between his finger and thumb. Leaning over her, he kissed the marks that marred the perfection of her flesh as though he could take away the pain. He licked a slow stroke of his tongue across the tightly swollen bud, loving the sound of her indrawn breath.
Her eyes were closed, her lashes dark shadows on her cheeks, her lips slightly parted, her breath short and ragged.
He took a nipple in his mouth and bit down softly, laved it with his tongue, then suckled her until he could feel the tiny lifts of her hips in time with the movement.
His lips moved lower, and he kissed the sharp jut of her hipbone, the hollow at the top of her thighs. Burrowing his nose in the silky red curls at the base of her belly, he breathed in the warm scent of her arousal, and his cock jerked in response. He needed her and soon, but first he wanted her hot for him, so hot the horrors of the day would be driven from her mind. He shifted down her body, parted her thighs, and kissed the mound of her sex.
Her whole body arched, and a small squeak left her mouth. “Ow.” Her eyes were wide-open now. “Sorry. A twinge. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop. I never...” She trailed off.
He lowered his face to her and pushed between the folds of her sex with the tip of his tongue, the salty sweetness sending another rush of blood to his shaft. Parting her with his fingers, he licked a long, slow stroke from the cleft of her buttocks, stopping short of the small swollen bundle of nerves. He repeated the action until he thought the taste of her would make him burst.
Alex had gone still, but her murmured almost frantic pleas rang in his ears, and he placed a soft kiss right on the center of her desire. She was so close, and he shifted his hands to clamp her hips so she wouldn’t move and hurt herself when she came.
Then he took the tiny bud in his mouth and sucked. She exploded, and he held her tight as she shivered and trembled against him. After bestowing one last kiss, he raised himself on all fours and moved up her body until he crouched over her. Her eyes were glazed with desire, her cheeks flushed.
“Ready?”
She nodded, and her small fingers fluttered along the length of his shaft. His muscles locked solid. He shifted over her, fighting to keep control, as he reached between them, his fingers opening her, readying her for him.
“Jon.”
Alex whispered his name, her tone filled with urgency. He opened his mouth to reassure her, and they were bathed in a bright white spotlight from above as the sky filled with the hum of an approaching ship.
For a moment, he didn’t move. Maybe it wasn’t anything to do with them, and it would disappear if he ignored it. The hum grew to a roar as the shuttle hovered directly overhead.
“Goddamn, fucking crap.”
Chapter Thirteen
Alex’s first thought was that Hezrai had come back, they were naked, and the laser pistols were back in the clearing. Her hand tightened on Jon’s shoulder, then she forced her fingers to loosen as he pushed himself off and jumped to his feet.
“If that’s the priest back, I’ll rip the bastard limb from fucking limb,” he growled.
Alex squinted up at the sky. She recognized the shuttle instantly, and some of her panic receded. “It’s Skylar.”
“What?” Jon stared down at her, his dark brows drawing together.
She nodded up at the shuttle hanging in the air above them. “That’s Skylar’s shuttle.”
Her panic was replaced by a deep sense of disappointment. Why couldn’t they have waited a little while longer? God hated her. That was it. She was being punished.
Her body still thrummed with residual pleasure. She never imagined anything could feel as good as the warm, velvet rasp of his tongue against her flesh. A shiver ran through her at the memory.
Jon had also obviously recognized the ship now, and some of the tension drained from his figure. The knowledge didn’t appear to improve his mood though. “Shit. I feel like ripping someone limb from limb.”
As the shuttle landed, he paced the area like a caged beast, which she supposed he was in a way. At least she was getting used to him naked. It seemed somehow right. She was also naked, and she wasn’t anywhere near as comfortable with that. She lifted her bottom, pulled the black dress from under her, and clutched it to her front.
The shuttle doors slid open. It wasn’t Skylar who stood in the open doorway, but Tannis and Rico.
“Great fucking timing,” Jon snarled.
Rico turned to Tannis. “Hey, we came to rescue them, and this is the thanks we get.”
“Did we look like we needed rescuing?” Jon moved to stand in front of them, hands on his hips, oblivious to the fact that he was naked.
“Actually, Tannis wasn’t sure what was going on. I had to explain.” Rico patted her on the shoulder. “Poor thing. It’s been so long, and she’s forgotten what happens. She thought you were eating Al or something.” He cast an amused glance at Alex.
She had an instant image of Jon’s mouth between her legs. A wave of heat washed over her, and her fingers tightened on the black cloth.
“Any chance of anyone putting some clothes on around here?” Tannis said, her gaze wandering down over Jon’s naked figure. “We don’t want Rico getting an inferiority complex.”
“Yeah, like that’s going to happen.” Rico grinned as he looked him over, but at least it took his attention from Alex, and she managed to wriggle into the dress. As she struggled to her feet, Jon hurried over and helped her up.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Her legs shook. Her ribs ached. She nodded.
“I’ll go find my clothes. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Alex watched him walk away. The rear view was as spectacular as the front. She sighed and turned back to the shuttle where Rico and Tannis lounged in the open doorway. Rico was watching her, a lazy smile curling his lips. Tannis was watching Jon disappear, until he vanished behind one of the huge rocks. Finally, she turned her attention to Alex and her l
ips twitched in amusement as she took in the bedraggled mess before her. Then she frowned.
“So, are you going to tell us what the hell happened? And who blew up my goddamn shuttle? And why you stole my goddamn shuttle in the first place?”
“Mine, actually,” Rico murmured.
Tannis scowled but ignored the comment and pointed to the clearing. “And there are three dead guys over there. Who the hell are they? And who killed them?”
Alex didn’t answer any of the questions. A wave of exhaustion washed over her, as much emotional as physical. She wanted to be alone, to go over what had happened. Try and work out why Hezrai wanted her dead. There was no way she could return to the Church now. What did that mean for the rest of her life?
And Jon? He’d come back for her. Saved her life a second time. Nearly made love to her. Now, with reality setting in, she wasn’t sure how she felt about that. While he might have come back for her, that didn’t mean he would stay. Jon hadn’t suddenly changed—he was still the same man she’d decided she couldn’t risk falling for. The man who would no doubt break her heart. Was it worth the pain?
“Well?” Tannis asked.
“Sorry.” Alex shook her head. “I—”
“Leave her alone,” Jon said, striding toward them. He was fully dressed and was strapping a laser pistol around his waist.
Alex smiled at the sight of him. Jon didn’t smile back. His features had settled back into their habitually closed, slightly wary expression. But that didn’t matter. She could accept that he wasn’t a smiley man. It was enough that he was there, rather than dead. And so was she.
They had both come close today. Things could have turned out so differently.
At the thought, dizziness washed over her, the world darkened around the edges, and she swayed, putting her hand out to rest against his warm, hard chest. The steady beat of his heart drummed against her palm.
Jon scooped her up and held her close in his arms. “Go to sleep,” he murmured.
He carried her past Rico and Tannis and into the shuttle. Once inside, he didn’t put her down, just stood with her wrapped in his arms as they took off and headed back to El Cazador. Headed home.
