“So you found oil on your land,” Skyler said.
“Oh, not just oil. I found enough to fill the Nile River and then some. It is one of the largest finds in history.”
“Wow!” Skyler gasped.
“I’m still pumping it out. Been doing that for, oh, think almost twenty-five years now.”
“And what of the rest of your family?” Skyler asked.
“My father made sure they all cut with me. I’ve always been an outcast to all of them, and now they think because I have money I act like I’m better than they are.” Lorenzo smiled again.
“Are you?” Lyssa asked.
“Lyssa!” Skyler snapped at her.
Lorenzo turned his attention to Lyssa. “Take a look around you. What do you see?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, what do you see when you look around my home. Do you see just possessions? I see hard work. Built this up for my son and his sons. I came from nothing and had no one’s help. I’m proud of what we have, and so is my son. The day I brought my mate into this house, what you might call a mating present for her, I was very proud. She accepted me, my home. I’m very proud of my life, of my son. And you should also be proud of your life and your family.” Lyssa opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. “Do you know what happens when a male is rejected by his mate?”
“Father,” Daxis butted in. “Now isn’t the time.”
Lorenzo waved him off, his eyes not leaving Lyssa. “She breaks him in a way no other can. Rejection is the worst thing ever to a male. It wounds him to a point where he can’t snap out of it.”
“I get what you’re doing here,” Lyssa said.
“Do you?” Lorenzo sat back in the chair, both arms resting on the table.
“You’re standing up for him. I get that,” Lyssa said, sitting forward in the chair. “But have you ever stopped and asked what does a female want?”
“Have you ever heard any of the stories of the past?” Lorenzo looked at Skyler, who nodded her head a bit. “But not all of them I bet. Okay, let me fill in a few things for you. My mother was of the old ways. Her father didn’t really care for daughters, only sons. So when her time came to attend a Gathering he thought nothing of it. He took her, and my father was there who claimed her. It wasn’t a fairy tale my dear. It wasn’t just a mark he left on her and afterwards, she went home with her father. It wasn’t sweetness or a male trying to get to know her, as Daxis has tried with you. She was young, about the same age you were when you went to the Gathering. And it was horrible for her. Something she carried with her until the day she died.”
“Father, please,” Daxis said again. “This isn’t the time.”
“She was thirteen or fourteen, I’m not sure how old, but very young. He took her there right after she’d started to bleed—had just become a woman. It was the way it was done back then. My father was much older than her—a real bastard. Yes, he kicked me out young, and even though it was hard, I was very thankful he did. He was controlling, slightly abusive then, and took what he wanted from everyone. When he saw my mother, this scared little girl, he took her. Marked her, and then as it was back then, he took her in front of anyone who cared to watch. To me, I’ll call it for what it was. He raped her. And he kept right on doing it, until he had as many children as she could bear for him. The last one killed her and the child, but I think she just gave up on life. He mated again, did the same thing, had a few more and then got rid of the ones he thought were weak.
“The old ways were hard for females. I know your uncle has worked hard to make it a better place. To welcome girls like yourself and make sure you’re protected at all costs. Laws might have been changed some, but the law of the animal is still there, my dear. We take. We might have better control over it, but the instinct is still there. Now, if you all will excuse me, I have some calls I need to make. Business stops for no one. Mrs. Laswell, have a safe trip home and please, feel free to call or come by any time. I don’t want you or your mate to think we are keeping Lyssa here as a prisoner of any kind.”
“Thank you, Lorenzo,” Skyler smiled at him.
Lorenzo stood up and walked out of the room. “I’m sorry about that,” Daxis said. “I wish he hadn’t done that.”
“It’s all right,” Skyler said. “Sometimes one needs to hear how bad a past is in order to not make the same mistakes.”
Lyssa had heard enough. She pushed away from the table and left. Walking as fast as she could she went back up the stairs and into the room where she had been, slamming the door as hard as she could. It wasn’t long before Skyler joined her.
“Throwing little tantrums like that isn’t going to get you anywhere,” Skyler said, closing the door behind her softly.
“He did that to try to scare me.”
“Maybe, or he just told you that so you will understand how lucky you are.”
“Lucky?” Lyssa huffed, turning on her mother. “How is that being lucky?”
Skyler scratched her forehead and put one hand on her hip, “God I just don’t understand where I went wrong with you. How did nothing I’ve told you not sink into that head of yours? Or are you just too damn stupid like your father to see anything. Daxis didn’t have to let you come home that night, do you understand that? He could’ve challenged it and won.”
“I don’t want this.”
“Too damn bad!” Skyler yelled this time. “The choice is out of all our hands. You need to stop being so damn childish and deal with it.” Skyler took a breath, rubbed her face and seemed to have herself under control again. “Look, I know you’re unhappy about this. I’ve been in your shoes.”
“Doubt that.”
“Your father sort of did the same thing to me. He made a claim without anyone in the family knowing about it. Then one day he shows up at the door, your uncles know, and the war breaks out between us. I did the same crap that you are doing now and it broke him, Lyssa. I just about lost your father due to my damn pride. And if you don’t swallow some of your pride then you’re going to do the same thing, and trust me when I tell you that once you break them it is damn hard to fix it.”
“This is different, Ma, I don’t know him.”
“And whose fault is that?” That had Lyssa stepping back some. “He has tried for four years to get you to know him. I don’t know how else to make you understand how important this is. He holds the cards here, Lyssa. Now it’s up to you to play the game.” Skyler closed the distance; her hands went to Lyssa’s shoulders. She gave her a squeeze. “You’re situation is so much like me you don’t even see it.”
“Did Darian have this much trouble?”
“She had her own kind of problems, at first. But trust me when I say that once you drop the anger and come to an understanding everything will be fine. Hell, it will be more than fine. It’ll be perfect for you. You just have to give this a chance.”
“I don’t trust him,” she said as she twisted out of Skyler’s hold and went to the window, staring out. “How can I trust a guy who takes a child?”
“He didn’t take you.” Lyssa turned back to her mother, frowning. “He marked you and left you in our care. So get that thought out of your head. He could’ve done what Nick did and taken you home with him that night, but he didn’t.” She could clearly see that her mother was getting frustrated with her. “Look, Lyssa, nothing I can say right now is going to change your mind. You can either take my advice or leave it, but I suggest you take it, girl. Your cycle is coming up, as well as the full moon, and I don’t know what he’s going to do about either.”
That had a new worry hit her. “He can’t really expect me to have my cycle with him, can he?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask him, and I’m sure he isn’t going to tell me either.”
“He can’t!” Now she was starting to get a bit panicky. “I can’t do that with him.”
“Then you should talk to him and soon. Now as much as I hate to do this, I have to go.” Skyler went up and pull
ed Lyssa into her arms, hugging her tight and close.
“Please, don’t go yet.”
“I have to.” Skyler pulled back, brushed the long golden bangs from Lyssa’s eyes. “You two need to start talking and you can’t do that if I’m hovering.”
“Mother—”
Skyler put her finger on Lyssa’s lips. “No. I can’t fix this. This time, you have to stand on your own two feet. You can call me anytime. I’m here for you.”
Lyssa hated watching her mother leave the house and drive away. She stood on the front steps next to Daxis watching until she couldn’t see anything more. It felt so strange being on her own right then. She had always been surrounded by her family, and now she was alone.
“So where is the rest of my stuff?” she asked Daxis when her mother was gone. Slowly she turned to face him and he did the same. “I know she brought stuff.”
“In my room.”
“Why in your room? I’m not staying in there.”
“Eventually you will be.” He turned on his heels and went back inside. Going to the left of the stairs, he walked down the hall and she followed him, into a large office, which also appeared to be a library.
“Did she also give you my shot?” she asked him.
Daxis went up to the desk and picked up some small papers. Messages it seemed. He flipped through them quickly, not looking up at her. “Yes.”
“I want it.”
He stopped flipping through the messages and tossed them down, then he leaned his butt against the desk and crossed his arms over his chest. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?” she huffed. “I want my shot. I’m not going to have my cycle with you here.”
“And I say differently.”
“You don’t have a damn say in this, Daxis. I want my shot.”
“Too bad. It’s gone.”
“What?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I threw it out as soon as I found it. You don’t need it.”
“The hell I don’t!” she yelled. “I’m not going to be forced into having sex with you.”
“I’m not going to force you, either. Your body might, but I won’t.”
“You dirty son of a bitch!” Lyssa turned and stormed out of the room.
As quickly as she could she went back up the stairs but not to the room she was in. This time, she looked into every closed door to see which one might be his room. She found his room, the very last one and it was large. She didn’t pay any attention to anything in the room, only opened more doors, looking for her stuff. In the closet, she found her clothes, hanging as if waiting for her to move right on in.
“You’re not going to find it.” Daxis walked into the room closely following her, and closed the door behind him. “I told you. I threw it out.”
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” she charged. “I need that shot.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do.”
“No, you don’t!” He raised his voice and then she heard the turn of the lock. That sound had her heart pounding in her chest and her mouth going dry.
“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to stay calm.
“Making sure we won’t be disturbed.”
He slowly started towards her and Lyssa did everything she could to keep the distance between them. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what? I haven’t done anything.”
“And I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Eventually, I will touch you, Lyssa.”
“Not if I can help it.”
“You won’t be able to help it once your cycle comes and you know that.”
“And that is why you threw it away, isn’t it?” He nodded. “You’re a bastard. I knew that the first time I saw you at the Gathering.”
“I can be, if pushed hard enough.”
Somehow, he forced her to move the way he wanted and she ended up in a corner. Daxis slowly came up to her, his arms going up over her head and his chest coming in real close to her but not touching. She could feel his body heat and the male scent of him waking up her own inner beast.
“Do you know how long I’ve waited to touch you?” he asked, his voice low.
“I don’t want to know.”
“Too long,” he finished. “I would lie in this bed at night and just think about what it would be like to touch you.” His right hand came down, the knuckles touched her cheek. She turned her head away and those knuckles moved further down her throat, right to the mark. “God, how I’ve suffered just waiting for you.”
She slapped his hand away and glared up at him. “Don’t.”
“What do you fear, really? The needing or that you will need me?”
Lyssa got herself under control and shoved him away hard. Quickly, she moved out of the corner and slowly backed up to the door. “I don’t need you, Daxis.”
“But you will very soon. Your body will hunger for my touch.” She reached the door, felt around for the lock and felt nothing. Turning, she looked down and groaned. It was a key lock door and the key wasn’t in it. Closing her eyes, she felt him behind her. The closeness did something to her, something she didn’t like. “You will crave for my hands to be on you.”
He touched her bare leg, and she jumped, turned around and both of her hands went to his wrist, trying to stop him as he moved it up, under her dress. When he reached the back of her leg, he picked it up, moved closer and put her leg up around his waist.
“You will ask me to ease the burn inside you.” He touched her other leg and then she was up in his arms, both legs around his waist. It felt like a spell was being cast over her, one that she was powerless to break. He turned and walked towards the bed, keeping eye contact with her the whole time. As he lowered her down to it, still holding her close, hands still under the dress, Lyssa was unable to stop him from laying on top of her. “You will want my mouth on you, just as badly as you will want my hands, and then you will need the rest of me.”
Somehow, she was able to shake her head, and faintly whisper, “No.”
“Let me tell you what I will do, when that night comes.” His hands moved high up her legs then around the curve of her ass where he picked her up and let her feel the swell behind his jeans. That simple touch woke something up inside her and her clit began to hum with life.
“If you are not yet naked, I will remove each and every bit of clothing you might still have on.” He moved her hips again, bumping her into his hardening erection. “Then lightly, I will touch your skin. Breathe hot air onto your sensitive nipples right before kissing then sucking on each one.” She was unable to hold back the gasp. His eyes darkened, then his hands left her ass, took her wrists and raised them up over her head. “I will keep sucking and nibbling on them until they are pink and almost painful to the touch, and then I’ll slowly make my way down your body, with my mouth only.”
Lyssa had to close her eyes. Had to try to block out his words. One hand held her wrists up over her head. The free one touched the side of her with the back of his hand. She shivered at the light touch and tried like hell to ignore it and all the sensations his touch awakened in her. Back down to her bare leg and then up again under the dress his hand trailed.
“With my mouth, I’m going to touch you right here...” He cupped between her legs and she jumped again, opening her eyes, meeting his. With a yank, her panties were ripped off and she felt the heat of his hand upon her. “I’m going to touch you here with my tongue.” A finger touched her hot throbbing clit and she had to bite her lip to still the moan. “I’ll suck it, and lick you until you scream for me.”
Somehow, she was able to shake her head again. “I’m not going to let you do any of that,” she panted.
“Then how about I do it now?”
Lyssa forgot right then how to breathe. She stared at him with open, wide eyes and watched helplessly as he pushed her dress up to her hips and his head lowered. He kept her pinned to the bed it seemed with very little trouble.
&nbs
p; Wetness touched her. He parted the folds of her sex with his tongue, then flicked her clit. His shoulders kept her legs open for him and one arm across her chest kept her down. He still had a free hand and that helped to part her even more for him.
“Stop,” she gasped when he flicked his tongue on her clit. “You’ve made your point.”
“Not yet I haven’t.”
No easing into it. Daxis closed his lips on her clit and sucked it hard. Lyssa cried out and bucked, but she couldn’t buck him off her. He pulled, sucked, then he would release her clit and flick his tongue over it then suck it again. She couldn’t hold back a shriek, and really screamed when he slipped two fingers deep inside her. Those fingers moved in and out, as he sucked on her, building something up that she never had experienced before.
His fingers moved faster and he sucked harder on her clit. She felt as though she would die from it, but it felt good, too, and she hated him for it.
Higher and higher, it built until she was screaming at him to end it. A low, vibrating growl, one very hard pull and another finger to join the two and Lyssa screamed at the top of her lungs. Her body felt like it was convulsing. Her heart pounded hard in her chest and she feared right then that she was going to have a heart attack and die.
Pulsating pleasure rippled through her body. Every nerve ending she had seemed to scream out and was in tune with what was going on between her legs. Daxis moaned against her, released her clit and removed the fingers only to replace his lips where his fingers had been. He sucked, heightening her pleasure even more and then he pushed his tongue into her.
Lyssa couldn’t scream anymore. She was hoarse from so much of it. Only when the pleasure slowly started to ease up, so did Daxis as well. He stopped sucking on her, but didn’t stop licking until she was spent completely. Limp, unable to move, he finally stopped, gave her hip a kiss and moved back up her body. She felt his hard erection between her legs, but he didn’t make a move to do anything more. Through half slit eyes, she watched him, working to catch her breath.
Conquering Lyssa Page 3
