Unbridled (Hunted Book 1)
Page 1
EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2018 C. Tyler
ISBN: 978-1-77339-741-2
Cover Artist: Jay Aheer
Editor: Karyn White
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
DEDICATION
As always, this book is dedicated to the crazies in my life who make it worth living.
UNBRIDLED
Hunted, 1
C. Tyler
Copyright © 2018
Chapter One
Fairy tales aren’t just stories. The creatures from nightmares and dreams exist in the world, walking around like everyone else. The Fay are gifted with nearly-immortal lives, secretive and keep to their own, but even amongst themselves there are outsiders.
The large, imposing figure of Detective Ryan Ursy leaned over his desk. Paperwork was the bane of all law enforcement. The tediousness of it was without equal, but it had to be done. Everything had to be logged away, regardless of the officer’s wish.
With a deep, rumbling growl, he sat up and stretched. He’d been slumped over his desk for the better part of the day and it was beginning to wreak havoc with his back.
“Here, man.” His partner, Detective Marcus Morrison, slid a cup of steaming coffee into Ryan’s peripheral vision before taking his seat at the adjacent desk.
“Thanks,” Ryan replied. He knew he could use the caffeine boost, but the coffee in the precinct was little better than muddy water. “How much more of this shit do we have?”
Marcus glanced to the left corner of his desk. There was still a stack of nearly half a dozen files. It was a great deal fewer than before, but it gave Ryan a little bit of heartburn to see.
“Awesome.” Ryan sighed heavily.
As he scratched his beard-covered jaw, a loud ruckus met his ears. Like most of the officers nearby, Ryan adjusted himself well enough to see what was coming down the hall. Only a moment later, a young woman emerged, hauling a rather angry man alongside her. Ryan arched a single brow.
“Someone get this bitch off me!” the captive yelled.
“Hey!” she snapped, shaking him sharply. “Knock it off, okay?”
“When I get my hands on you,” he growled angrily.
“You’ll what?” She dared him as she squared herself on the irate prisoner. “Huh? You’ll what? ‘Cause you already had your hands on me, and now they’re zip-tied behind your back. So why don’t you do us all a favor and just shut the hell up?”
He snarled hatefully but didn’t say another word. With a grin hidden beneath his facial hair, Ryan chuckled.
“Can someone give me a hand with this asshole, please?” she declared to the room.
“Mai!” Ryan called out.
The young woman’s crystalline eyes darted to him.
Dragging the obstinate guy with her, Mai soon joined the two detectives looking for any excuse to avoid their paperwork for a little while longer.
“Who’s this?” Ryan asked with his typically gravelly voice.
“Martin Ayers,” she said, shoving him down into an open chair. “Skipped bail six months ago.”
“And?” Marcus didn’t bother hiding his sarcasm.
Ryan and Mai both stared the young man, whose attention was only on the latter. Ryan knew Marcus didn’t like Mai, and she was clearly fully aware of the fact. She openly rolled her eyes at him before turning her attention to Ryan.
“I’ll take care of it,” the bearded man replied.
“Thank you.”
Ryan gave her a gentle nod and another smile. Mai drew her bottom lip between her teeth, grinning lightly at him. Ryan felt a nice little rush of desire wash through him that he knew she felt, too. He couldn’t help it. Mai was gorgeous, with her slight but strong body, her unnaturally blue eyes, full lips to die for, and head of platinum hair that framed her face perfectly.
Mai lowered her voice just enough Ryan could still hear while Marcus had to strain. “See you later?”
His response was nothing more than a silent wink. Mai smiled, but the action faded the instant she looked at Marcus. She departed shortly after giving him a loud and obnoxious scoff.
Ryan leaned back in his rolling chair and watched as Mai disappeared down the hall. He wasn’t above ogling, and his partner could easily see. Obviously annoyed, Marcus was sure to flag down a passing officer so Mr. Ayers could be processed and he could speak to Ryan in private.
“Seriously?” Marcus’s derisive tone brought Ryan back into the moment.
“What?” he asked with a chuckle.
“You know the rules, man.” Marcus shook his head disappointedly at his old friend. “We’re not supposed to interact with her kind.”
“Bounty hunters?” Ryan teased. He received a glare from Marcus and sighed, sitting upright once again and propping his elbows on his desk. “I know, I know,” he admitted. “But the Council isn’t going to find out.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that, man.”
“Who’s going to tell them, you?”
Ryan was only joking with his friend, but he knew that was part of what angered Marcus so much—Ryan seemed incapable of understanding the magnitude of what he was doing.
“You’re risking life in prison, or death.” Marcus couldn’t keep the edge from his tone. “For something like her? Really?”
Eying his partner warningly, Ryan chose to ignore the question and went back to his paperwork. He understood why Marcus was nervous—really, he did—but he didn’t care. The truth was, he wasn’t frightened of Mai, or her kind. And he definitely wasn’t scared of the Council.
He’d known her now for nearly thirty years and had been half in love with her ever since. Hard not to be as far as he was concerned. As a result, he didn’t give two shits what everyone else thought about his relationship with her.
Chapter Two
Mai had had a long day and wanted nothing more than to relax. When she got home, she drew herself a nice bubble bath and poured a glass of wine with that very thought in mind.
With soft music playing in the distance, Mai slipped deep into the soothing water. She felt wonderful now that she was encompassed completely in warmth. Martin Ayers gave her more trouble than she would have liked. The asshole actually fought back, and she wasn’t really prepared for it. Usually, funnily enough, most of the people she hunted tended to give up fairly easily. Not him, evidently.
As she lay there, straddling the line between asleep and awake, Mai felt the air around her shift. She didn’t have to bother opening her eyes to know who’d snuck into her apartment. Despite his imposing size, Ryan was amazingly light on his feet and silent when he wanted to be.
“Hi,” she cooed seductively.
“Hey.”
The sound of Ryan’s voice made her shiver just a bit. Prying her heavy lids open, Mai looked up at the man standing in the doorway. He dwarfed it easily.
Ryan Ursy was a tall man at six-five and as broad as a house. He was a mass of sculpted muscle that rippled when he performed the simplest task and made anyone with a pulse quiver. His chocolate brown hair was on the longer side and held in a ponytail at work, while a well-trimmed beard covered his otherwise boyish face. There was no doubting he was an attractive specimen, and the instant he stepped through her front door, he was all hers.
“So, you plan on joining me, or what?”
He chuckled. “I don’t think the two of us could fit in that tub.”
“You’re probably right, seeing as you’re a giant.” She smiled when she heard him laugh again. “Thankfully,” Mai began to stand. “I’m done.”
She noticed the way his eyes immediately fixed to her naked body, and she grinned. Mai could tell he was transfixed by every rivulet of water and trail of bubbles that glided down her skin, but she chose to play coy, to pretend he wasn’t eying her naked breasts or making her insides tremble with want.
“Towel, please.”
His hazel eyes darkened the longer he stared at her. “I’ve got a better idea.”
Still smirking to herself, Mai didn’t bother suppressing her giggle as Ryan reached forward, snatched her by the wrist, and lifted her out of the tub. He threw her over his shoulder like a caveman would his prey and stepped out of the bathroom entirely.
Mai lived in a small apartment, an open-plan loft where the only walls were those constructed around the bathroom. As a result, Ryan had to only side-step a support beam before reaching her bed. He tossed Mai onto the king-sized mattress where she bounced ever-so-slightly. Mai drew her bottom lip between her teeth, giggling at his eagerness.
“Someone’s excited,” she mused as he stripped himself quickly of his jacket.
“Do you know how hard it was not to cut out of work early?” he asked, his voice growing rougher by the second as he threaded his shirt off his body.
Mai clenched her thighs together at the sight of his defined and toned torso, at the patch of hair on his chest and the trail that started beneath his bellybutton and disappeared beyond the waist of his pants. He drove her crazy without trying and was always filled with the tastiest lust when he saw her. She could feed off him alone if she chose.
“You look delicious,” he growled.
Mai physically shuddered. “Plan on devouring me?”
A wicked smile curled his lips, and the sight of it made Mai gasp. She’d seen that look a dozen times before from Ryan and it always boded well.
Without a word, he grasped her ankles and yanked her forward until her ass was at the edge of the bed. Mai let out a short shriek at the shock of it, but put up no resistance. Dropping to his knees, Ryan threw her legs over his shoulders and immediately buried his face between her thighs.
Mai’s back instantly arched off the bed, and a sound of pure pleasure escaped her, loudly. She tried to thread her fingers through Ryan’s hair, but it was still tied. Fortunately, he knew what she wanted and acted accordingly. As he guided his tongue across her clit with expert precision, he tore the tie from his locks, letting them tumble free. Mai instantly plowed her fingers through his silky hair and held tight. Ryan loved having his hair pulled as much as she loved pulling it.
“Just like that,” she moaned as he licked her. She clenched her fist, causing him to groan happily.
Ryan’s efforts intensified. His massive hands held her hips at the perfect angle, dwarfing her body easily.
Mai felt herself being lost in the sensation. It’d been two days since he’d touched her, and that was far too long. Her addiction to Ryan needed to be fed often, much more often than their lives actually allowed.
Her hips began to move, grinding against his face as he pushed her further and further into oblivion. The desire they felt for one another filled the room and it threatened to choke her, but she relished it.
“Oh fuck,” she panted. “Don’t stop.”
He had no intentions of stopping, and she knew it. Mai’s fingers tightened in his hair, her hips moving faster, and so did he. She was grasping at the edge of sanity, but the instant he sucked on her clit, she was thrown over.
Mai’s body vibrated as her orgasm washed through her. She cried out, arching her chest towards the sky as she came.
She swam in euphoria and was more than willing to drown in it, but Ryan didn’t give her the chance. He craved her as much as she craved him, and he acted quickly as a result.
Ryan shot to his feet and yanked his pants down. The instant his dick was free, he took hold of her hips again, this time to spin her. Mai’s stomach fell against the bed when he flipped her over sharply. She smiled wide and clung to her blankets. She knew what was coming.
Her body was so hot that she relished the cool air brushing over her damp skin. She needed something to slake herself, but she wanted Ryan so much more.
Ryan suddenly grabbed her hips again, yanking her back onto her knees. Mai had to stifle an excited giggle, but any hint of a laugh died quickly, however, when she felt him brush his dick over her folds. The fires returned with a vengeance.
“Say it,” he growled. He didn’t sound human anymore. Mai didn’t have to wonder how frustrated he was. She could sense it.
“Fuck me,” she said without reservation. “Fuck me now, Ryan.”
And he did. Ryan thrust into her, burying his cock deep inside her still-quivering core. A whimpered, strangled moan left her lips as he filled her completely. She was left spinning, barely recovering from the first orgasm he gave her before he began pushing her to another.
“Christ,” his voice rumbled. “So fucking tight.”
Ryan reached forward, snaked his arm beneath her body, and guided her up until Mai’s back was pressed to his chest. He grabbed her breast, squeezing it roughly and sending another shiver of pleasure through her, while his other hand held her hips in place.
“I hate it when you come in.” He slowly began to withdraw from inside her as he spoke. “Takes all my power not to fuck you right there on my desk.”
She shuddered at the image of him doing just that: fucking her on his desk while the whole precinct watched. She knew he felt it because a sinister laugh met her ear a moment later.
“You like that?” he asked as he pushed into her with the same agonizingly slow pace. She nodded, depriving him of the verbal confirmation she knew he wanted. Her reward was him pinching her sensitive nipple, forcing a shock of pleasure-filled pain to radiate throughout her. “Say it.”
“Yes,” she breathed. “I love it.”
He groaned approvingly in her ear before proceeding.
Gradually, his thrusts gained strength, and when they did, he released her, letting Mai lean forward on her hands and knees. He held her hips tightly and began his assault, slamming into her with a strength she knew none of his other partners had ever been able to withstand. But Mai could, and she begged for more each time.
Ryan dug his fingers into her flesh as he held tight, throwing her back against him as sharply as he could. Each time she cried out, clutching at her blanket to help steady herself. It didn’t work. Nothing ever worked with Ryan because he stole her sense every time he was nearby.
“Harder,” she mewled. “Come on, baby, harder.”
And he complied like he always did. Ryan plowed into Mai harder than a normal person would be able to withstand, and she loved it.
“You want more?” he growled through a tight jaw.
“Yes.” Her voice trembled.
Ryan continued, pounding into Mai and pushing her closer and closer to a tremendous end. Her mind had vanished, her muscles were beginning to tense, and she knew she was nearly lost. Feeling Ryan throb inside her, his thick, hard cock filling her completely, was something she dreamed of often. He was the only one who ever made her feel like this.
Sliding his free hand around front, Ryan barely had to brush his digits across her sensitive clit before Mai came again. Her arms gave out and she tumbled onto the bed, shaking uncontrollably as her orgasm took her. And the instant her channel clamped down around him, Ryan came, too. With a loud roar, he spilled himself inside her, emptying the tension she’d built up in him when she walked into his office earlier in the day.
Ryan slumped forward, nearly falling onto Mai whether he meant to or not. She knew she’d drained him completely in every sense of the word. Gradually, he pulled out, tossed his condom aside an
d fell onto the bed next to her. Mai rolled her head towards the beast at her side and smiled dreamily.
“Are we done?” she asked with a leading tone.
Ryan arched a thick brow. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Not even close.”
“Come here.” Mai motioned for Ryan to close the distance between them, and he did, as best he could. Mai climbed onto his broad chest and kissed him deeply. Ryan gladly returned the affection.
Drawing back, Mai pulled his energy from him. She syphoned his desire, his sexual impulses and his longing for her, devouring it as easily as drawing breath. And Ryan gave it to her freely.
Mai felt a wash of energy rush through her as she fed off him. Every iota of exhaustion was wiped away as though it never existed.
When she’d had her fill, Mai turned a wicked stare to the man beneath her, grinning slyly. She felt him shudder. He knew what was coming next.
****
The pair finally took a break. Mai wasn’t certain her bed could withstand another bout, or if her partner could, either. She might break Ryan, and she didn’t want that to happen. He’d never admit it. If she asked for more, he was willing to give it. Mai had to exercise what little self-control she had just to save him in the long run.
“So,” she said as she picked at her Pad-Thai noodles. “How much shit did Marcus give you after I left?”
Ryan chuckled and shook his head. “Not that much,” he said, stabbing a dumpling with his fork. “He doesn’t like it, though.”
“I bet not,” she replied. “He’s scared, that’s all.”
“Hm,” he mumbled.
Mai glanced to him out of the corner of her eye and watched him eat for a moment. She could see how annoyed he was, thinking about whatever it was Marcus said earlier in the day.
“Look,” she said with a sigh. “He just wants you to be careful. The Light don’t like djinn.”