Linked (Prophecy Book One)

by Welsh, Hope

  He felt her desire in the way her body moved against his. He could hear it in her soft moans as his hands moved over her stomach, lightly skimming her sides as they moved up to cup her breasts.

  He released her mouth and watched as she licked her lips. It pleased him when she opened her eyes and he saw the want in them. “God, you’re beautiful,” he told her huskily.

  Well, Cole thought, at least she wasn’t afraid to kiss a shape-shifter. He wondered how she’d feel about the idea of making love with one.

  A flirty smile tugged at her lips. “I might feel okay with it,” she said in a considering tone.

  §§§

  The Evil One was pleased with today’s little outcome. He could have had them out of the picture quickly and quietly, but tormenting them had served his purpose more—not to mention it had been so much more entertaining.

  The woman would be no threat, of that he was sure. The disappointment he felt regarding her lack of knowledge when it came to him grew deeper when he suspected that she did not know what he was.

  How could she expect to fight a power of which she had no knowledge? Perhaps the man could to be useful. Otherwise, she would never know how to fight the likes of him—not that she could begin to put up much of a real fight—regardless, he deserved worthier opponents. If she could not fight him, then she would prove to be no challenge at all.

  She had already proven once that she was weak. He had not even done anything to her. She simply stood there, frozen in terror, waiting for the man to jump to her rescue.

  Millennia of being trapped had bored him. He required some entertainment. Needed it like he needed the air to breathe.

  If one could not enjoy the hunt, where lay the pleasure in being a hunter?

  Now the man might prove interesting, but still no real challenge. He had not been a expecting the mortal’s ability to shield her.

  Mortals, he thought with a shake of his head. Foolish creatures. They always thought good would prevail and evil would be vanquished. Even those moronic Druids had not been able to vanquish him. True, they had managed to imprison him for millennia, but that only gave him more time to perfect his plans.

  He wanted more of a challenge, demanded it. Maybe he could give the mortals a clue. He knew the woman had some psychic abilities, paltry though they were. Perhaps a little message would help them along. Then maybe, just maybe they would present more of a challenge and become worthy of seeing his true power.

  CHAPTER SIX

  His being a shape-shifter didn’t change much or her opinion of him. And making love with one? “I hadn’t really thought about it,” she said with a grin.

  “Thought about what?” Cole asked.

  “You know, if you can’t remember what you asked me not even a minute ago, maybe—”

  He shook his head. “That’s just it, Lana—I didn’t ask it. I thought it.”

  The color drained from her cheeks. “What?” Oh God, she’d read his mind? She’d never been able to do that before. What the hell is happening to me? “You didn’t ask me?”

  He shook his head again. “I take it nothing like this has happened before?” he asked carefully.

  Lana stood and paced, needing time to think. She couldn’t read minds. That was ludicrous. He was playing some kind of game with her. “You’re messing with my head,” she insisted.

  He sighed and walked to her. With gentle hands, he turned her to face him. “I’m not. It’s okay, Lana. It just means your powers are growing.”

  “I don’t want my powers to grow! I don’t want any powers at all, damn it. It made my mother’s life miserable,” she snapped. Oh God, what am I turning into?

  He gave her a little shake. “Just stop it. There isn’t a damn thing wrong with you.”

  She pulled away from him and stumbled back. “No. I don’t want this. Just take me home, Cole. I want to go home.”

  He crossed his arms. “You’re not going anywhere, Lana. You’re not safe there, and you know it.”

  “You can take me home or I can call a cab. Either option is fine with me.”

  He walked toward her, deliberately invading her space, and leaned in so his face was only an inch from hers. “I said no.”

  Lana drew her arm to slap him, only to have it caught in mid-air in an implacable grip. “Let me go.”

  “Settle down, you little wildcat,” he said, his voice tinged with laughter. “Lord, lady, you’ve been chased, seen me change into a tiger, had a wolf make a leap for you…that’s before we get into the hell you experienced the last few months. And now you want to fall apart? Just because you happened to read my thoughts?”

  “You don’t understand,” she said, her voice weak as she slumped against the wall he’d backed her into.

  She watched his eyes soften. “Then explain it to me, darlin’,” he said gently as he lifted his hand and brushed it through her hair. “I promise it’ll be okay.”

  “My mom loved life, she really did, but it wasn’t always easy,” she began. “She constantly saw the worst of life, the worst disasters that could happen to people on any given day. I don’t want to live like that. Don’t you see? I can’t handle that kind of life.”

  “Don’t do this to yourself. First of all, you’re not seeing things. If you do, we’ll deal with it then. Right now, all you’re doing is hearing thoughts. Thoughts, I might add, that were directed at you. You’d probably suspected, at least a little bit, that you had some of her gift, hadn’t you?”

  Damn him. Why did he have to ferret out that insecurity? “Not really—I’ve just…sensed things. That’s all.”

  “Come on. Let’s sit down and talk, Lana.” He took her hand, led her to the couch and pulled her down next to him. “Remember at your apartment? You sensed the thoughts I projected to you?”

  “It’s not like I heard what you were thinking. I just...felt your anxiety.”

  He shrugged. “Maybe I’m the only one you can read. Did you think that? Maybe there’s something in my shape-shifter physiology that makes me easier to read.” She opened her mouth to comment, but he held up a hand. “Don’t borrow trouble. Besides, if you can read thoughts, it might come in handy while we try and find out who’s after you.”

  She had a sudden, terrifying thought. “Cole, what if my mother really did kill herself? What if her powers were just too much and drove her over the edge?” she asked, giving voice to thoughts she hadn’t even admitted to herself before this point.

  He pulled her into his arms and hugged her. “Then she wasn’t as strong as I know you are, sweetheart.”

  She sighed. “I just don’t understand any of this. I feel like everything is turning upside down and spinning.”

  “We’re going to figure this out, Lana. Trust me.”

  She heard the confidence in his voice and drew on his strength. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice, do I?” she said with a shaky smile.

  “Not really, I’m afraid,” he said as he released her. “I’ve got some connections. We’ll see if we can’t find answers to any of this. But for now, we need to talk about your abilities. I know you’re not going to want to hear this, but we need to work on honing them. It may very well come in handy.”

  She gaped at him. “I don’t want to hone it. I don’t want it period.”

  “Think, Lana. You have it for a reason. Maybe it’s meant to be. Just like I was meant to be a shifter. There may be powers at work here beyond both of us, did you stop to think of that?” he demanded.

  She appreciated his attempts to make her think logically, but this situation was illogical. “No. And I don’t want to, either. None of this makes any sense to me. I’m not someone special. I don’t have any deep dark powers that will save the world. I’m just me, and that’s the way I want it.”

  “Lana, are you forgetting that just a little while ago a wolf disappeared before your eyes? Something is going on, and we’re both right smack dab in the middle of it. If we don’t work together and figure out what’s going on,
we’ll never be prepared.” He paused. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve always believed that forewarned is forearmed.”

  She sighed, resigned. He would never drop it. “What do you want me to do?”

  He relaxed visibly. “As I said, I think we need to work on seeing just how much control you have on your abilities—including this new one. It may come in handy as we investigate this. There’s a story my dad told me as a kid about an evil shifter, but I thought it was a myth at the time, and I’ve forgotten the details. I want to find out about that.”

  “So, we’re going to go see your dad?”

  His eyes darkened with sadness. “Yeah. Both my parents knew it, I think. I’m hoping one of them will remember the story. Tomorrow we should go see them.”

  “Where do they live?”

  “A few hours south of here. We’ll head out early in the morning, is that okay?”

  She nodded and leaned back against the cushions. “I still don’t like any of this.”

  “Yeah, I’m beginning to see that.”

  “Are you making fun of me?” she asked, her eyes narrowing.

  He grinned, and his eyes sparkled with humor. “Moi? Would I do a thing like that?”

  “I could learn to not like you,” she muttered, defeated.

  He lowered his head and kissed her, his mouth forcing hers to submit to his and she parted her lips on a soft gasp. His tongue flicked against her lips, invaded, dueling with hers. He groaned, pulling her against him and deepened the kiss.

  Moving his hands to her hair, he held her still for his invasion. Lana had the vague thought that she should stop him, but instead moved her hands to his head and held him to her. It felt right.

  She nipped his bottom lip with her teeth and felt a surge of power when he groaned deep. Her hand slid down his hair, onto his shoulder. She loved the feel of his muscles through the smooth material of his T-shit. God, she should stop, she thought yet again as his hand found her breast.

  She arched against his palm with a muffled cry of her own as his fingers found her nipple and teased it gently. God, he was going to drive her insane, and she could hardly wait. “I want you,” she said, her voice shaky with need.

  He lifted his head, his eyes dark, his hair spiked from the trail of her fingers. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Be sure, Lana, because in a few minutes it’s going to be way too late to stop again.” His tone may have been rough, but his fingers were gentle as he cupped her face, silently willing her not to stop him.

  In answer, she pulled his hands to the button of her blouse. “I’m sure,” she said, and she was. This is what she wanted. Needed.

  She didn’t want to think about the danger they were in or her abilities. She didn’t care to think about anything but the pleasure she knew his body could bring hers.

  Within seconds, he had her in his lap, his fingers already at work unbuttoning her blouse. A moment later, he unclasped her bra, carelessly tossing it to the floor. She almost cried out when he put one hand on each breast, kneading not quite gently. “Yes,” she whispered.

  He studied her intently for one moment, then lowered his head to her breast. He took one peak into the suction of his mouth and teased the nipple with his teeth, laved it with his tongue.

  Lana closed her eyes and let herself absorb the sensations of his hot mouth on her breast. She wanted more, needed him inside her now. She picked at his shirt with her fingers, desperate to feel his bare skin against hers.

  He released her captive breast and didn’t take his gaze off of her as he pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it aside. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and as he stood, wrapped her legs around his waist.

  His skin felt like fire, almost burning to the touch, but it was an exotic stroke of freedom.

  Cole carried her to the bedroom, his gaze never leaving hers for more than a few seconds at a time, and placed her in the center of the cavernous bed. The blanket had been pulled down already and the sheets were cool against her hot skin, the contrast was shocking.

  Her train of thought trailed off as he bent over her and reached for the snap of her jeans, his fingers skimming the fabric against her skin. She lifted her hips to help him—whether to make his job easier or have his fingers closer to her core, she wasn’t sure and didn’t care.

  In the next instant, he threw the jeans aside and she lay almost completely bare before him. She watched him as his hands moved to the waist of his own jeans. This was too soon—way too soon.

  How could she jump into bed with a man she barely knew? She reached for the sheet, trying to cover herself. It was just too much.

  Cole threw his jeans and boxers aside and sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at her steadily. “Don’t, Lana. Don’t try and convince yourself that this is wrong. You know it’s not.”

  “How did you know?” she whispered.

  He shrugged, placing his hand against her soft stomach. “Dunno, just a feeling I guess.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Do you want me to stop?” he asked, and waited tensely for her answer.

  It would cost him, she knew, but he’d stop if she asked him to. Just knowing that relaxed her. Knowing he would be willing to stop was enough to assuage her fears. “No,” she said with a smile. “I don’t want you to stop.”

  “Thank Christ,” he said, lowering his head to an inch from hers. “I don’t know that I’d have survived if you’d changed your mind.” He rubbed his lips against hers. “I know I’m going to risk my chances again, but…are you on some kind of birth control?”

  Lana nodded and said, “Yes, I—”

  She couldn’t finish her reply because his mouth took hers again. The kiss rough, the passion barely restrained now. His hands skimmed down her stomach to the juncture of her thighs, and she tensed for only a moment. His hand paused, and as she relaxed again, slowly eased her thighs apart for his touch.

  She closed her eyes as his fingers found her heated flesh. He glided them gently across the sensitive nub of her desire, and she moaned, arching against his hand. She could feel the scarcely controlled power of him—it both scared and excited her.

  When she looked into his eyes again, they had gone almost black. He lay above her, his jaw clenched, his hands oh-so gentle as he stroked her, driving her closer and closer to a precipice she hadn’t felt in so long. She jerked and arched her hips off the bed as he drove one long finger inside her heated folds.

  §§§

  Cole watched as he loved her, painfully aware of every movement she made, stroking the fire hotter and hotter. He’d had sex with other women, but nothing before had felt like this. She was the most responsive woman he’d been with. His fingers brushed against her again and she groaned, coming off the bed, pushing herself against his hand.

  He smiled as he intensified the caress, cupping her as he drove two fingers deep, teasing himself as much as her.

  As she started to clench around his fingers, he drove her to a hard climax, loving the sound of his name on her lips as the world spiraled away. Only then did he slow the caress, bringing her back to earth gently. He knelt down between her spread thighs and lowered his head.

  “I—”

  “Shh,” he murmured huskily. “It’s only loving,” he soothed as he tasted her. He flicked his tongue against her and felt her start to rise again. He held her hips tightly, controlling her movements as he laved her with his tongue, tasting the sweet essence of her. Finally, he lifted his head and gazed into her eyes, now dilated with desire. “Now,” he said as he moved his body over hers.

  “Now,” she agreed on a breath as he entered her in one sure stroke.

  His muscles strained as he tried to regain some control. He didn’t want this to end too soon. He was seated to the hilt in her hot sheath and he wanted to take her hard and fast.

  But not this first time.

  This first time would be for her.

  Finally, he felt he had gained a little control and started moving within her gently, clenching his teeth
as her inner muscles clasped around him. Suddenly he felt primitive, like the animals he could so easily become. So much more than love making—it was mating. He lowered his head and nipped her neck with a growl. She tasted of sweet woman and salt. He laved the skin he’d nipped with his tongue.

  Lost as those muscles tightened around him, he paused long enough to make her look up. “Watch us,” he growled huskily against her ear. And so it began. His eyes locked with hers as he moved, swift and strong. She closed her eyes and arched against him and he let go of his own desire, thrusting hard to his own release.

  “I can’t move,” Lana said, breathlessly. “I think my body turned to Jell-O.” She ran her hands across his back. “Thank you. That was…something.”

  He lifted his head and chuckled. “Yeah, it was. Are you okay? I know I’m heavy.” He put one hand on her bottom and started to roll to his side, but she stopped him.

  She held him close. “Nuh uh. Don’t move. I like the feel of you,” she said, making even more color rise to her cheeks.

  He kissed her forehead and wrapped his other arm around her. “I like the feel of you, too.”

  “I feel…revived. Satisfied for unknown reasons,” she said with a quick grin.

  He pinched her ass and said, “I sure hope so.” He lay quiet a moment, then moved his hand to her face. “This is special, Lana. It wasn’t just about sex.”

  She studied him intently. “How could it be anything else? We don’t even know each other, not really.”

  He tamped down his surge of anger. I’ve known you forever, he thought. It was no more than the truth. He’d connected with her from the start. This act only solidified it. She was his.

  Her eyes widened. “What do you mean you’ve known me forever?”

  “Reading my thoughts again, are you?” he queried softly with a gentle smile and tug of her hair.

  “Oh, God,” she said and shut her eyes. “I guess I was.”