Mated (Dark Ties Book 2)

by A. Vers

  Maybe too much.

  Bending a bit, I grab the hem and rip. It splits high up my leg, but I can move easier. So I do the other side too. But now the fabric ripples over my center with the breeze. The light tickle is maddening.

  I start the descent into the basin.

  Many of the pack members are already present. Though Gage, Caine, and Tanner are no where in sight.

  Several of the pack members look up as I near. The men’s nostrils flare, and their jaws go slack. It’s not me. Not really. But it is my scent, the arousal that still hasn’t eased. They shift, watching as I pass. Several of the women eye me as well. A few are almost annoyed. Angry. But for everyone that seems pissed at my presence, two more track their gaze up my body.

  I’ve never checked a woman out, but as their arousal scents the air with mine, I can’t help but do the same. It’s not about sexual orientation or preference. It’s their strength, their inane beauty. Every single one of them seems lush in the moonlight. No matter their size, or coloring, they are all beautiful, unearthly. I catch flashes of floral soaps, spices, and what makes me think of fresh water.

  That knot inside my stomach loosens, and my beast prowls up my body.

  It has no qualms with male or female. For the beast does not think that way. It sees power, pack. Flesh of flesh and warmth. Companionship.

  A dark-haired woman steps up beside me, her eyes a soft glowing green. She could be Hispanic but my guess is closer to Cajun. Her lips curve as she watches me. “You smell good enough to eat, cher,” she croons in a heavily accented voice, confirming my guess.

  I inhale.

  Fresh water.

  So this is the source of such a unique fragrance.

  “And you smell like fresh water.”

  Her smile grows. “Good, you got strong senses. You going to need them tonight.”

  “Is it hard?” I ask. “Running like this?”

  That makes her brows knit. “That would be like asking the tide if it’s hard to rise, cher.” She leans closer, breathing me in. Her dark hair brushes my face, filling my head with fresh greenery and a flowing stream. “You just run, love. You run and let the boys and girls run with you. Don’t think, just step. It’s not so hard after that.” She pulls back with a wink. “And if you find yourself alone come sunrise, you come to me, hear?”

  I blush, but nod.

  She walks away, and I keep pushing my way deeper into the ciorcal.

  The crowd parts as I go, letting me through, and it’s only as I am steered towards the deep recessed basin of roots at the rear of the pit do I realize why.

  Nestled amidst the bark, Callus sits like a king on his throne. In a pair of cut off shorts, his upper body is bare but decorated in strange grey mud or maybe paint. Whirls and lines cover him from neck to waist. At his sides, feet, and back, waits Ebony, Rosa, and several of the other alpha squad Tanner pointed out before.

  Callus looks up as I near, his eyes burning softly in the dimness. “You are a vision, Nisha.” He climbs to his feet and walks towards me. Behind him, Rosa glowers daggers in my direction.

  “Thank you,” I say softly.

  “You’re causing quite the stir in my pack,” he mutters, gaze tracking from my bare feet up. “I find myself wondering if that is because of your newness, or the power I can scent even now.”

  Power?

  “Is there anything I need to know before we start?” I ask. “Rules or guidelines?”

  He shrugs and makes a slow circle around me. “I will say a few words of welcome, then there will be a moment of recognition for those who came before us.”

  Welcome, moment of silence. “Okay. Got it.”

  “Then we will bless the pack for another fruitful hunt, and then we run.”

  Seemed easy enough.

  Are all their ceremonies so simple?

  He continues his slow prowl. “I am sure Tanner has discussed some of how we do things here.” I nod. “If anything that happens makes you uncomfortable or you wish out, you are free to leave.”

  That makes me look at him. “Really?”

  His smile is mild. “We like fear, Nisha. Tis the nature of our beasts. But a willing partner must be willing. I do not condone rape or abuse. If you do not wish to lay with anyone, then that too is up to you.”

  The way Tanner said it made me think that I would wind up in someone’s arms by the end of the night. Though my body has no qualms with that, my head isn’t so sure.

  “And you would all be okay with that?”

  Callus stops pacing. His hand is hot with his power and his beast as it carefully cups mine. He rubs his thumb over my knuckles. “We want you to join our people, Nisha. Not to chase you away. And though we’re shifters, we are still human too.” He lifts my hand and lays a kiss on my palm. “If you can resist the call from your body and from the magick around you, you need not lay with anyone.”

  “And if I can’t?”

  His smile is long white teeth as he nips at the sensitive pad of skin under my thumb. “Then my door is always open should you have … need.” A wash of heat goes through me straight to the center of my body. I arch up onto my toes. His spicy fragrance fills the air in waves.

  All around us the pack turns our way. I can feel their eyes on me, on Callus. Not every gaze is friendly but there are many that are resigned. It’s then that something inside me clicks with a kind of dawning horror.

  The scent. It’s his Alpha scent.

  He’s marking me as his.

  I pull away, holding my hand to my chest. He watches me, his ready smile fading. “You said I could choose,” I snap.

  His teeth flash. “And you can.”

  “But you’re damn sure making sure that no one else wants me by putting your scent all over me. How is that fair?”

  “I am Alpha here, Nisha. They all know that. If I claim you tonight, then you are mine. It’s that simple.”

  “Bullshit,” I snarl. “What happened to we are humans too?”

  Callus’ jaw tightens perceptively. “Are you telling me you don’t feel the heat between us?”

  That makes me step back. “It doesn’t matter. Because even if I did before, you marking me does not exactly endear me to you. Hell, give me the damn demon any day. At least he’s honest about what he is.”

  “You rang, kitten?”

  I turn.

  Caine and Gage push through the crowd in torn jeans, tank tops, and boots. They are devoid of weapons but their bodies more than make up for it. The demon pushes to my side, his body is leaner than even Tanner’s and covered in small scars that seem to wreath his torso in a story I am not sure I want to hear. They make my chest hurt oddly.

  He peers at me. “You okay?” I nod shortly and he turns back to Callus. “Alpha, you seem to be leaking scent.”

  Callus growls.

  Gage steps between them, his emerald eyes backlit in a fire that could rival Caine’s. “I’m going to need you to step the fuck back, Alpha.”

  “This is my land. My pack,” Callus hisses. “You do not give me orders here.”

  “Then how about a polite request?” Tanner’s voice leaves me sagging, and I can’t rationalize why.

  My head turns as he leaps from the top of the basin. His lean, lithe frame lands feet away, eyes swimming silver and his body clothed in a simple pair of acid washed jeans. They are so torn and ragged that his tan, muscular thighs peak through in little glimmers. He’s rugged, hardened. And pissed.

  He walks to me, a rolling glide in his hips that leaves me salivating. His nostrils flare the closer he gets. The low growl that pours from him is primal, deadly. All around us, the pack shifts and begins to move back.

  Tanner cups my face, his hand calloused, rough. But so very warm. “I see the dress has already found your first full moon wanting.” The teasing words do not match the tension in his frame.

  Though his eyes are nearly the slow boil of mercury, his teeth remain normal. More controlled. “I wanted to match everyone else,
” I say.

  That earns me a grin. “And yet you outshine them all.”

  My lips part in surprise, and he groans audibly.

  “The run has not begun, Tanner.” Callus’ voice is cold.

  T glowers at him, but does not let me go. “And with your Alpha scent all over her?” He tsks. “Seems even the Alpha cannot control himself tonight. How could a lowly pack guest expect to do anything more?”

  Callus steps forward and Tanner moves to meet him. I slip between them. “Thank you, Alpha Callus, for allowing me to run here tonight.”

  He blinks.

  Tanner’s low rumble continues to pour from him, making my knees weak and my body burn. So I move away from them both and search for a not so threatening face in the crowd. The woman from earlier holds out her hand. I go to her, stomach quivering.

  The men move back and allow it, though the restlessness remains.

  “Perhaps we should make the welcome a quick one?” Callus says, his eyes never leaving me.

  The woman bends a bit. “I’m Bonnie, by the way.”

  “Nisha,” I whisper back.

  She offers me a smile. “You have a full card tonight, love. I ain’t never seen no one stand up to Callus like you did. But he is a hard one to resist.”

  He is attractive enough. Strong, powerful. But I don’t want him.

  Tanner crosses his arms and the tattoos over him ripple. He stands between Gage and Caine, his silver eyes roaming from my bare feet up in nearly dizzying passes. I shiver and his irises flash.

  I want Tanner.

  “Welcome, kin.” Callus booms, turning around slowly to take in all those assembled. “And welcome guests.” Though his eyes flow over Tanner and the others with unbridled annoyance, he offers me a smile. I don’t return it.

  “As you are aware, one of ours is not with us this evening.”

  Daisy.

  The twinge his words causes is palpable. It would have been nice to have my new friend with me. Across from me, Tanner dips his head slightly. Almost as though he understands where my head went.

  “So we will dedicate tonight’s run to her. May her spirit soar along with ours,” Callus continues.

  There are many heartfelt resounding cheers, and I echo them in earnest. Bonnie grips my hand and squeezes. But I can’t look away from Tanner. His silver eyes beckon me. It’s like the call of the moon above.

  “Come on,” Bonnie says in my ear. “It’s better to be one of the first ones inside the trees.”

  I glance at her and then follow her gentle pulling guidance. The pack is moving as a whole, traversing the stony floor of the basin toward the creek’s edge. Across it, the darkness of the trees is not as sinister as it once was. It’s brighter. Or maybe that is just me.

  All around me mist and smoke begins to swirl. Even Bonnie pulls away, her fingers slipping from mine as her hands turn to claws. Gage and Caine move closer to me, their muscular frames like walls of flesh as they seem to keep the others back.

  “Stay close,” Gage tells me.

  Callus steps to the edge of the creek, his eyes burning. “Silver Rock!” He booms. His Alpha tone rips through me. I whimper. Gage grips my arm, holding me upright as my head threatens to split in two. “It’s time to hunt.”

  The beast inside me moves and shifts under my skin. And a trace of dark mist cools my feverish skin.

  Callus throws his head back as the mist boils around him. He roars, the sound odd from his human throat, and leaps through the trees. The pack dives headlong in behind him. But many of them hover just across the creek, their bodies in odd mixes of human and beast.

  Gage and Caine press against me.

  A lean shadow flows under the trees, and a pair of vibrant silver eyes watch me off to one side. I don’t need him to speak to know who it is.

  Tanner continues to pace with the others, waiting on me to come to them. His restlessness makes me shiver.

  “You either need to run or go to the cars,” Gage says mildly. “We can keep them back long enough for you to get away.” Caine rolls his head on my other side and nods

  I climb down the bank and into the creek. The water flows over my feet, ankles, and shins, cooling some of the fire in my veins.

  I smile, but my eyes never leave Tanner. “I was giving them a head start,” I say.

  Several of the shifters sprint a few feet into the trees before facing me again. Only Tanner does not move, leaving every direction around him wide open.

  Ruin’s words fill my head. “He’s never chased a woman, Nisha. They always come to him.”

  I smirk. Tanner stops moving, going as still as the predator I know him to be.

  My feet dig into the opposite bank and I let my toes shift in the soil as I climb out. “Ready?” I ask. His eyes shine in answer, but he never makes a sound.

  “Then come get me.” I take off like a rocket and his roar leaves me quaking. But not in fear. In need. I want Tanner to catch me.

  And that means I have to run like the devil himself is chasing me. Because tonight, he may very well be.

  Chapter 28

  Nisha

  Decaying leaves and small branches snap with each step I take, but I can’t feel it. Everything is vibrant, alive. I can feel the earth under my bare feet. The soil is rich, pungent. Cool. Trees sway with the evening breeze and even the cicadas have come out to play.

  Tanner crashes through the trees behind me. Every rumble that pours from him only adds to the ache inside me. I want to stop. To let him take me.

  From out of the dimness, a large male leaps for me. I shriek and stumble. He skids beside me, reversing his path. Tanner seems to fall from above, his eyes luminous and his teeth glistening. He slams a fist into the man’s face.

  I keep running.

  The woods grow less inhabited, more overgrown with thick shrubs and high roots. I leap, duck, and dodge as much as I can, but several branches find purchase in my dress and my skin. Every line burns. But I can’t stop to worry about it.

  Inside me my beast is panting, needing to run. To leap as I do. She pushes at my skin, raising mist in her wake. In my mind, she is little more than a long, lithe shape. Sensuous and predatory.

  All around me the forest is alive. Several groups of the pack have already fallen to beast form. Wolves and large cats band together in a mix that cannot be seen anywhere else on Earth. A small brown body darts away from the ones closest. They give chase, heading north on pack land after the small morsel.

  My mouth salivates and my stomach rumbles. I push down that hunger.

  The beast responds with another.

  Heat suffuses my limbs, building and burning inside me until I find myself standing still amidst the trees, pulling at my dress. Low growls rumble from the dark.

  “Nisha,” Caine calls. I pivot to find him feet away. His eyes glow like ruby beacons and his tank top is ripped nearly in half, exposing chiseled moonlight abs and a thin line of dark hair that disappears into his jeans. “This way.”

  I sprint to him and his hand closes around mine. We dive further into the thicker brush. “Where’s Gage?” I pant.

  “Damn wolf cornered him a ways back.”

  I swear.

  His hand tightens. “Don’t worry too much. You smell burning wolf hair, you know he got free.”

  That makes me chuckle. “And T?”

  Caine looks at me, a grin on his face. “He’s … around.”

  I slug him with my opposite hand. He cackles and pulls me faster.

  He runs as easily as I do under the boughs. Every leap or step is effortless. But I’m still mostly human.

  Eventually I have to pull at his hand, drawing to a stop.

  I gasp for breath and his eyes gleam. “Oh come on,” he teases. “I thought you were a shifter.”

  “I haven’t changed shapes yet,” I remind him.

  “True.” He falls silent, his head turning this way and that. “Considering how warm you feel, it will be soon.”

  “Really?
”

  His lips part to respond and he steps away, scanning the dark around us.

  I watch him. “Caine—”

  He holds up a hand, silencing me. “Incoming.”

  My heart slams wildly. “Gage?”

  His head cocks. “I don’t—”

  The cat leaps from the dark, clawed paws extended towards his chest. They go over backward, rolling on the ground.

  Shit.

  I start forward then stop. “Why am I still human?” I hiss at myself.

  Caine heaves the cat upward, sailing it across the narrow space in a burst of red fire. It flips in mid-air, landing on its feet. It yowls at me, it’s hazel eyes large, bright, and hungry.

  I hold my hands up. “Not interested.”

  It continues to advance as Caine scrambles to his feet. I gulp. “Stop,” I snap. One paw alights in front of the other. “I said no.”

  The cat lets loose a low rumble and a soft wash of spice pours from it. Caine slams his foot into the cat’s skull and it tumbles in the leaves. “The lady said no,” he snarls before looking at me as the cat shakes its head to clear it. “Go.”

  I hesitate.

  “Run, Nisha. Gage or Tanner will catch up. Go.”

  With a deep throated growl, the cat leaps for him and I do the only thing I can.

  I run.

  Chapter 29

  Tanner

  I drop the male in front of me and shove my hand through my hair. The forest is quiet this far from the compound and nearly empty but for myself and the idiot at my feet. I swear under my breath. They’ve been herding me since we hit the trees.

  There has been no sign of Nisha or the guys anywhere. Even her scent has faded from the breeze.

  I start running again. The urge to change shape beats at me. I can cover more ground in cat form. My senses are sharper too. But I don’t want to scare Nisha when I find her. The cat has no problems taking her however we can. I on the other hand …

  Until she shifts, it’s human or not at all.

  A familiar mix of burning flowers fills my nostrils. I whirl as Gage darts over the forest floor feet away. He stops, seeing me.