Scent of Salvation coe-1

by Annie Nicholas

  “It would be quicker if you traversed Temple lands to get through the forest.” Sorin returned to his feet and sniffed the night air. “We’re close. I can smell Inali’s boundary markings.”

  Susan stared at Benic’s hand, still not sure what to do. Heart and brain warred with each other. The vampire gave off such strong predator vibes. Each time she met his gaze, she saw herself on the menu. How long before a vial of blood wasn’t enough? Sorin had told her not to trust him.

  Susan had to agree. As an employee of Technocon, she’d met enough sleazebags to smell one a mile away. Benic reeked. He might come across all smiles and pleasantries, but underneath he calculated every move around him. Besides, who the hell asks to feed from a stranger? Her blood could poison him. Maybe she should have let him bite her…but that could be even worse. Then every vampire would want her destroyed.

  Shit.

  She bumped against something solid and jumped. Twisting, she met Sorin’s gaze. Unconsciously, she’d eased up next to him. Her body kept trying to tell her something but she repeatedly turned a deaf ear to it. Maybe she should take a shifter’s approach and listen to her instincts instead of her brain.

  The shifter stepped around her, placing himself between her and Benic. His ears went back, and the fur on his shoulders rose once more. With a quick, one-two jab of his fists, Sorin punched Benic in the head.

  On wobbly legs, Benic retreated. The lantern slipped from his fingers, and the flame extinguished. “Wha…” His mouth went slack, and he slid to the ground, limp.

  She tried to shove the immobile shifter aside but had a better chance at moving a mountain. “Sorin! What are you doing?” Just a second ago she’d been about to agree to go with him and then he—he went feral on her.

  Not answering, he picked her up under one arm like a sack of potatoes and carried her deeper into the dark woods.

  She kicked and wiggled. “Let me go.”

  “No.” He kept marching—as if she weighed nothing—over logs, across a stream and up a hill. Of all the pig-headed males, she’d almost picked him.

  She poked him in the side, meeting iron-hard muscles, and twisted her knuckle into an awkward position. “Ouch. Are you planning to carry me all the way home?”

  “Yes.”

  The Temple’s silhouette came into view. A faint blue halo sent shadows flickering between the trees.

  Sorin slowed until he stopped. “What magic is this?” Setting her down, he continued to stare at the Temple in awe. “Is that—”

  As soon as her feet touched the ground, she geared her ass into full throttle and ran her little heart out. She’d know that shade of blue anywhere. She’d spent months staring at it. The gateway. It shouldn’t be open, but she didn’t give a shit. She’d take her chances and dive through if it was truly there. God, please let it really be open and not some dream. She tore over the uneven ground and through the dark at a suicidal pace.

  Silence chased her through the night. She glanced back but didn’t see Sorin. Her heart bronco’d. He must be circling around, hiding in the trees.

  The forest was his friend.

  Not slowing, she raced past the Temple and turned the corner. The Gate shone a couple feet off the ground, except it flickered. She’d never seen it do that in her lab, but she didn’t have time to give a fuck. Theories and safety be damned. She was going home, grabbing a huge burger to-go and watching shitty TV all night.

  With her momentum, she leaped toward the Gate.

  A force, akin to a truck, struck her from the left side, and she crashed into the forest floor with enough power to knock the wind out of her. As she sucked in air, the Gate flickered a few feet away then vanished.

  Sorin crawled into her line of sight. “I can’t let you go. Not yet.”

  Tears blurred her vision, and she rolled onto her back. Her gasping breath masked the sob that escaped her aching chest. “Why?” The question wavered in the night air. “I want to go home, Sorin.”

  He lay next to her on the damp ground. “I need your help.”

  She rolled her head to gaze at his face. His ears drooped while he stared at the dead leaves they lay upon.

  Her chest wanted to cave in with the strain of not crying. She sat up with his help and tried to breathe. “That might have been my last chance to go home.” Twisting around, she pressed her hands against his upper body and shoved.

  He didn’t budge, and her hands slipped off his silken fur.

  She tumbled into his arms and lay limp. “I don’t want to be here. You’ve ruined my life.”

  A warm, moist tongue licked across her forehead and she froze. Sorin continued this odd act a few more licks. If he’d wanted to quiet her, it had worked. “It’s not my intention to ruin anything. But if I have to sacrifice your happiness to save those of my pack then I will, even though it tears me apart to cause you such pain.” He rose to his feet and gathered her limp body in his arms with a grunt.

  She remained silent, watching the night swallow the Temple as Sorin marched away. Rubbing her cheek on his fur, she tried to find what little comfort she could. “Where are we going?”

  “I’m taking you to your new home.”

  Chapter Ten

  In the afternoon light, the forest seemed to go on forever. All Susan saw were trees, trees and oh, look—more trees. She’d never thought she’d miss the sounds of crowds, the smell of coffee and the sight of skyscrapers. What she wouldn’t do to see a cab right now. “Can we take a break?”

  “No.” Sorin still carried her, and she ached from hanging off his shoulder.

  She kicked out, catching something solid with her foot. Satisfaction curled in her stomach at his small grunt. “Put me down. I’ve got nowhere to run now.”

  “How can you possibly be tired?” He set her down. “Are all humans this frail?”

  Clenching her teeth, she turned her back on him and stretched the kinks from her neck. Frail indeed. Not her fault she ached from being jostled.

  He crouched next to her, bending forward. “You can ride on my back.”

  “Aren’t you tired?” If she’d owned half this male’s drive she would have ruled Earth by now.

  Sighing, he angled his head and pierced her with his intense stare. “I’m exhausted, but what choice do we have? We need shelter, food and water. All those things are at my den.” He nudged her with his shoulder. “It’s not far now.”

  “I could walk or…” Her words trailed off in a cry of surprise as he swept her onto his back. “Stop tossing me around like a sack of potatoes.” She clung to his shoulders as he guided her legs around his narrow hips.

  “Hold tight.” She swore she could hear amusement in his voice.

  The ride left Susan dizzy and breathless. She clung to Sorin, her chin bumping on his massive shoulders until she learned to flow with his motion. The closest she’d ever come to riding an animal was a horse-drawn carriage in Central Park.

  But he wasn’t really an animal. Even though a thick coat of silver-gray fur covered his body, he had a human form. Well, not human. Man? Male?

  His muscles slid under her without effort as he carried her along an incline.

  Very male. She gripped his shoulders tighter. “What do you call the other form you can change to?” She knew the beasts were referred to as feral but she couldn’t remember what Kele had called their human-appearing one.

  “Civil.” He spoke the word between pants, his voice breathless and deep. Civil made sense.

  A shiver coursed through her body since her lab clothes weren’t meant for the outdoors.

  A cliff face rose ahead of them. It made her dizzy just looking at the top, and Sorin headed straight for it. She pulled herself closer to his ear. “Shouldn’t we go around?”

  “We’re taking a shortcut.” Sorin spoke quietly over his shoulder before leaping onto the cliff face, stabbing the hard rock with his claws.

  She almost lost her grip. Did this asshole know a fall from this height could kill her? Granted, th
ey were only four feet off the ground at the moment. Susan clenched his fur in a strangling grip and pressed her body to his spine. If she’d had a tube of Super Glue, she would have used it to bind them together.

  Hesitating on the climb, Sorin shifted her weight higher on his back.

  “Don’t drop me.” With a frantic scrabble, she hugged his neck while he supported her weight with one hand. Cold sweat trickled down her back, making her skin slick.

  “I won’t but I have to breathe.”

  “Jesus Christ, get to the top already.” She eased off her stranglehold. Clenching her eyes shut, she buried her face in his thick fur. His heavy muscles slid under her body with ease. Each pull moved his shoulder blades against her flanks, stroking along her sides for a moment before disappearing again.

  Of all the shifters she’d met, Sorin frightened and attracted her the most. With him, anything was possible. She could be placed on the market, in his bed or in the cooking pot.

  In a moment of pure stupidity, she glanced down. Why? Why would she do that? Her legs weakened and her arms went numb. A shortcut? More like torture.

  She sensed the muscles in Sorin’s arms trembling. He’d been hanging from them all day in chains. Those muscles must be weak and sore.

  His chest heaved as he reached for the next hand grasp.

  “You can do it,” she whispered in his ear, because if he didn’t continue they’d be dead.

  Step by slow step, Sorin reached the top and crawled over the edge onto his belly before dumping her on the ground.

  She finally released the breath she’d been holding. All the muscles in her arms and thighs refused to work. She wiped away her angry tears before he could see them. Males like him probably lived off scaring people.

  He invaded her space, sniffing close to her face. “What’s wrong?”

  A swat on his nose made him jerk away.

  He clutched it. “Stop that. It hurts.” He tossed her a sore look. “Our noses are sensitive.”

  Susan glared at him in return. “Do I look like I give a fuck? That climb could have killed us. What do you want from me?”

  A startled laugh from Sorin shocked her into silence. “You’re no stray who needs coddling.” His warm gaze melted the cold fear gripping her limbs. “I’m not going to harm you.”

  “No? Hanging off a cliff is your idea of safe? You scared the shit out of me.” She folded her arms across her chest. “Why did you take me away from Benic?” The wind blew colder on the barren clifftop. She bent her knees and huddled close. Exposed to the elements on this other Earth, Susan had never felt more alone.

  Sorin lay on his side next to her. “If you would have let me speak with you when we first met at the Temple, instead of running, then you’d understand why.”

  “Oh.” She’d been too busy freaking out to listen.

  “I don’t believe in coincidences. Appearing in the Temple at the time of my greatest need—it’s just too much for me to ignore.”

  “Whoa.” She sat up and raised her palms to ward off the crazy. “I already told you, I don’t have anything to do with this goddess.”

  “She works in mysterious ways, Susan. I won’t pretend to understand where you come from but you seem very…knowledgeable. I want you to use some of this knowledge to help my pack.” He rose to his large, clawed feet and offered her his hand. “Where else do you need to be?”

  By the Temple in case the portal opened again? She could live in the woods off berries and bugs until winter came to freeze her to death or some other shifter stole her to be his stray. She sighed. She needed shelter and protection. Sorin was her only hope. In some odd way she trusted him, unlike Benic. She took his hand and allowed him to help her stand. “What if I can’t solve your problem?”

  “Then my pack will die, and it won’t matter.”

  Her heart froze. “What?” She didn’t want that kind of responsibility. Nothing in her career had been about life and death.

  “You’ll see when we get there.” He scratched his feral chin with a sharp claw. “We don’t have much, except a safe home to offer. If you’re unhappy, I won’t stop you from returning to the Payami.”

  “What if I want to stay with Benic?”

  “You’d be a fool, and I don’t get that impression. Vampires live off others. Once you have no use, he will discard you.” Sorin stretched his arms and back as if relieving cramps. His muscles slid under his fur, luring her eyes like a magnet.

  She pried her gaze off him. The basics of survival were food, shelter and warmth. Without a match and a bottle of lighter fluid, she couldn’t even make a fire.

  “Your way home is gone, and you need a new one. You’ll also have to learn pack customs and laws.”

  “Within reason, I’m willing to do that. I won’t be abused.”

  “Abused? My pack is the last place to worry about that.” He shook his head.

  “I need to clarify our deal.” Her mistakes with Technocon were still fresh in her mind. She wouldn’t make an encore performance by blindly accepting agreements. Even if Sorin held the things she wanted. “I won’t be raped or used as a slave.” She counted her demands off on her fingers. “No beatings. I can’t eat raw meat, insects or rotten food.” She stepped closer to him and offered her wrist. “And you need to mark me to keep the males away.”

  He bared his teeth. It didn’t give her any warm fuzzies. The long, sharp canines could rip her throat out in one bite.

  “That kind of attitude will make it difficult for you to fit in with the omegas and most likely attract unwanted attention from the hunters.” He took her hand. “A temporary mark only. We need to wash Ahote’s off you first when we reach a stream. You will you get a permanent home in my den, but once my mark wears off you’ll have to fight for your own spot within the pack. I don’t keep favorites.” Yanking her into his arms, he settled her on his back once more.

  “I have legs, you know.”

  “We still have a long way to run, and you won’t be able to keep up. Hold tight.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Sorin shook his mane and let it settle around his shoulders. Once he’d caught his breath after his climb with Susan, he had continued his journey home. Unlike the Payami’s, the Apisi den lay at the other end of his land from the Temple border. He had to cross through a mountain pass to reach it. Thank what little luck he owned that it wasn’t winter.

  Rolling his head, he tried stretching the kink out of his neck. Susan’s added weight had placed quite a strain on his already overtaxed body. Lack of sleep and food had left him drained prior to the Payami guards beating him, but every moment away from his sick pack sat heavier on his soul and drove him to keep moving.

  After cresting the pass, Sorin paused for another rest. He sat on his haunches. Pinks and corals colored the sky as the sun began to set. The black outline of the branches from the forest rose in worship as Sorin took a sparse minute to rest and appreciate the view before descending the mountain pass to his den.

  “There’s water.” He pointed to the mountain wall, where a well-known spring leaked out the side and trickled into a stream not far away. “We’ll rest here for a moment.”

  Susan seized handfuls of his fur and pressed against him as if she were growing to his spine. The scent of her fear filled his nose. She tried to control it. He could tell by the way it fluctuated, but it had been growing worse the higher they climbed.

  “Let go.” He twitched the muscles on his back and slid her toward his hips. “I’d like to keep my fur attached to my skin.”

  With a gasp, she climbed back up. “Stop that. You’re going to drop me.”

  “To the ground? Yes. It’s not like we’re hanging off the cliff, Susan. It’s just a pass.” He grinned as her fists tightened in his fur. Definitely not the spirit of an omega in this one—it would take a strong hunter to tame her.

  “I’d hate to see your version of a mountainside.” The sweet scent of her sweat coated his nose. It mixed with Ahote’s mark and s
oured his stomach. The thought of that male touching his strong and innocent Susan raised his hackles. If he ever crossed path with Ahote again, there’d be blood.

  He let her press to his back and strode to the spring. Careful not to allow her to pull any chunks from his hide, he reached behind him and pried her hand from his fur.

  “What are you doing?” Her voice rose.

  “Washing this mark off.” He leaned forward so the water could pour over her wrist and rubbed the area with his thumb. It didn’t take much work. The oily substance of Ahote’s temporary mark washed away easily. That would be the last time he’d ever allow Ahote anywhere near her.

  Wind dried her skin quickly, and he brought her delicate wrist to the glands under his jaw by his ear. He’d never marked a female before. Something in his stomach fluttered. Technically, she’d belong to him. He glanced over his shoulder and met her big, brown eyes. Rubbing her soft skin over the gland, he scent marked her. No hunter would proposition her while she wore this.

  That would be good. He didn’t want to watch his hunters courting her. It would lead to bloodshed. “There. You belong to me now.”

  She tried to withdraw her hand but he wouldn’t let go. “Stop it.” She wrapped her legs around him even tighter as he tried to coax her off his back again. Dark Moon, when was the last time any female had clung to him like this?

  “Let go of me.” He laughed as he tried to dislodge her. “You’re like a leech. Get off. I’m holding onto you.” The laugh cleared his head and eased some of his pain.

  “No.” She buried her face in his fur. “I’m fine right where I am.”

  Until now he hadn’t really noticed how lithe her body felt against his. He needed a rest from her touch before he did something stupid, like claim her. Once they reached his den he’d have to soak in the cold river and forget Susan. “Goddess, save me from stubborn fools.” He bent forward and grabbed both her arms. With one sharp yank, he pulled her free.

  Like the parasite he’d named her, she wrapped her limbs around his arm as he set her feet on the ground.