by Aline Hunter
The scent of sex was overpowering, the cream of her cunt mixed with the pungent odor of his seed. His feral instincts reacted to the heady fragrance as the wolf growled in satisfaction. Raking his fingers into her hips, he looked into her face. There was a touch of the wild that wasn’t there before and it made him hotter than hell.
“You feel so good,” she purred, staring at him through her lashes. “So. Damned. Good.”
“So do you, baby.” He let go of her waist to touch her face. Bringing her upright to kiss him, he brushed his lips against hers. “So do you.”
He roared when she opened the mental connection between them, stunned by how much stronger it was. She was entirely open to him, allowing him to hear her thoughts and sense her emotions. She basked in their union, their shared bond and her ability to finally understand the animals that made the man.
“Ava,” he moaned into her mouth.
Diskant, she whispered in his mind. My lover, my mate. Omega mine.
Her fingers tugged at his hair and he turned his head to the side, revealing the vulnerable hollow of his throat. She scraped her teeth along his jugular, back and forth, and followed it with laps of her tongue. Then she bit down, staking her claim, making her mark. She growled around the skin, released her hold and bit down once more. He groaned, remaining still when all he wanted to do was to flip her over, pin her in place and force her compliance.
“Want you inside me.” She lifted her head and panted, riding him hard, up and down, fast then slow. “Need to feel you come.”
Her motions were frantic, the woman and newfound creatures within struggling to find a singular balance. He heard the chaotic thoughts in her mind, the logical portion of her combating the new, feral part that demanded this mating leave an impression he would never shake, never forget and never escape.
Bringing his hand down to her enlarged clit, he stroked and petted and growled in turn, “You first, mate. I want to feel you shatter.”
Her motions became wild, rough and desperate. He felt the orgasm building in her and met her thrusts, positioning his hips to match them. Nothing else mattered in that moment. This was their pairing, the beginning of the rest of their lives together. No matter the tragedy that marred it, it was meant to be, something that was fated the moment they were born. Their cries carried through the bathroom, echoing off the walls.
“Oh god.”
“I’m here. Come for me.”
Her pussy went taut around him, holding him close, keeping him deep inside as she lost control and wept her release. He held her as she cried against his shoulder, the shudders of her body stronger than a mortal’s but weak in comparison to a shifter’s. That was what she was now, a combination of both, with the same needs, desires and compulsions.
Only when she was spent did he allow his own climax to claim him. His seed shot into her womb and he wondered if she’d conceive in that moment, creating a new life that would be a mixture of the two of them. Shifters could breed with those they weren’t bloodbonded with but usually the pregnancies terminated early in the term. He hadn’t concerned himself with that fact, since he’d planned to fully bloodbond his mate as soon as possible. Knowing the danger to his unborn children was gone, he allowed himself to consider the future.
His heart swelled when he pictured Ava swollen with his child, her small frame rounded in an obvious display of their affection and desire for each other. If it was a girl she’d have his mate’s blonde hair, big blue eyes and gorgeous smile. If it was a boy he would look like him, tall, dark and tanned.
A family of his own.
A new beginning.
He held her in his arms as the final throes of climax subsided, nuzzling her with his chin. Her mind was blank now, his head echoing nothing more than his own thoughts and concerns. As he’d expected, she went limp against him. He stroked her back and rested against the wall of the shower, allowing the slowly cooling water to cascade over their skin. They sat entwined for several minutes until she dozed peacefully. He stroked her hair and pressed his lips to the top of her head.
Her body needed time to recuperate and heal. After he put her in bed she’d sleep the rest of the night, as well as a solid portion of the morning. When she woke she would discover a lot of things had changed. While she wasn’t a shifter, she was no longer wholly human. With all the changes in her perception she was bound to experience the enormity of the loss the pack had suffered, as well as understand the impact of what rebuilding their ranks would entail.
A pang of dread squeezed his heart, the result of something he couldn’t control.
So much had changed in the course of a few hours. Shifters didn’t willingly hunt Shepherds, choosing to leave them alone. This, however, raised the stakes. There was no way their arrogance and destruction would be allowed to go unchallenged.
They had thrown the gauntlet and, in the doing, started a war.
Chapter Twenty
Craig knew he wasn’t alone the instant he sat at his desk. The room, though silent, carried a heaviness that wasn’t present before, as if the air were charged by some power he could perceive but couldn’t see. He remained frozen in his seat, a lamb waiting for the lion.
“Craig Newlander,” a soft, feminine voice said from behind him as a hand rested on his shoulder.
His first instinct was to reach for the Glock holstered under his desk but he remained as he was. This wasn’t the first time his office had been invaded by someone with a grudge, vendetta or need of a favor. It came with the territory when you were the gatekeeper to secrets people didn’t wish to share. Although he paid top dollar for the best security in the world, humans were only capable of so much.
“What can I do for you?” he asked in a cool, neutral tone.
“I want you to tell me everything you know about Aldon Frost,” she answered in a soft timbre, her mouth so close to his ear he could feel her breath caressing his skin. Her grip on his shoulder was light but firm, the weight substantial even though he could see from the corner of his eye that her fingers were slim and delicate.
“I refuse to discuss anything unless it’s face-to-face. If you want information you’re going to have to garner respect with respect.”
Her hand vanished, and in the next instant she stood across from his desk, confirming what he suspected. She was a vampire—a very old one. Her blonde hair was collected in a bun at her nape, a few wispy strands falling around her chin and shoulders, a stark contrast to the black leather shrouding her body. Bright, arctic blue eyes were on alert, homed in on him but seeing everything.
“What is it you want to know?” He reclined, interlocking his fingers and placing them in his lap.
“I’m not here to play games, Mr. Newlander.” She stared him in the eye. “Please don’t waste my time.”
Feigning a stretch, he moved his foot to the alarm on the floor. “Are you one of the fallen?”
The question seemed to amuse her. “Do I look like one?”
“You’re asking about one, which begs the question. Not to mention we both know that once you fall it becomes very easy to manipulate perception.”
“I wouldn’t bother manipulating your perception. If I wanted basic information I would have taken what I needed from your mind, erased the event from your memory and left. What I need requires something far more substantial than that. Which I’m sure, by now, you’re aware.” She took a step to the side and slid into the chair across from him. “You’re not a stupid man, Mr. Newlander. Anyone who does what you do and manages to remain alive for an extended period of time has to be given credit for remaining vigilant. That’s why I’m going to trust that you’ll understand that I’m not here to shoot the shit or ride the breeze.”
“It hardly seems fair that you know me but I haven’t been offered the same courtesy.”
She smiled then, enhancing her very delicate and distinct features, displaying slightly pointed canines. “You do know that even if I tell you who I am I can wipe the memory clear before
I go.”
He nodded. “So what’s the harm in an introduction?”
“None at all.” Her smile remained intact. “Although I think it’s only fair to mention that all of your electronic devices are disabled, including the cameras at your back and the alarm at your feet. So if you’re hoping to do a playback after I go, you won’t find anything.”
Alarm prickled the back of his neck but he didn’t allow it to show. “How did you manage that?”
“In the same way I managed to walk into your building, stroll into your office and wait until you arrived. Honesty, I can’t believe you haven’t figured it out by now.” She nailed him with a look of sheer amusement. “Where a fallen dares to tread, a templar is certainly sure to follow.”
Fuck almighty.
It was almost impossible to keep a straight face when what he wanted to do was wrap his fingers around the stock of his gun, whip it out and level it at her head. Laughably, it wouldn’t matter if he did, which was the only reason he remained as he was, unmoving and passive. She could kill him before he saw it coming and if she thought for a second that he was in league with the vampire she was tracking she wouldn’t hesitate.
“What is it that you want to know?” He didn’t shoot the shit or ride the breeze either, not when his throat was at stake.
“I’m aware he stole information from your archives. I need to know what he learned and why he’s in New York.”
“I can’t tell you why he’s in New York.” Her irises changed color, going white as her eyes narrowed and he quickly added, “I can tell you what information he gained.”
“Then do it.”
“He found out about an artifact crafted during the Holy Wars that was used to convince nonbelievers that heaven did, in fact, exist. Over the years it changed hands and forms, so that most assumed it was lost in the passage of time. We weren’t even aware it existed until we were propositioned for the piece. Fortunately, at the time it was in a safe place that Aldon couldn’t locate. Otherwise you’d be in shit up to your neck, pardon my expression.”
“Would this artifact, by chance, have a name?”
He met her unwavering gaze. “It’s a zephyr.”
She didn’t even blink. “That’s impossible. They were all destroyed.”
“The weapon wielding the magic was lost but not the jewel imbued with the power. It was that stone that was used one hundred and sixty years or so ago to create a locket—an heirloom that has been passed along from generation to generation. Aldon managed to track down the family who procured the trinket but it turned out getting close to the owner wasn’t as easy as he thought.”
“And why is that?” she finally asked in an exasperated tone when he didn’t continue.
“She’s mated to a shifter.”
Sadie tried to keep her face blank, her expression unreadable. Erasing the man’s memory was easy enough but she’d be damned if she allowed him to know, even for a moment, that she’d been caught with her panties down.
So Aldon had finally found a way to gain an advantage, using a goddamn zephyr. She didn’t know what it was that he wanted specifically but she would wager several guesses. Mental manipulation of supernatural races wasn’t possible for him as a fallen but if he had a magically enhanced charm to guide the way there was no limit to what he could accomplish in a city like New York, where the population contained a wide variety of supernatural beings. Beings that, with a zephyr, he would have more of an influence over.
Including—ironically enough—shifters.
She stifled a wince as she shifted in the chair and the wretched agony in her chest returned, burning deep in the flesh and along portions of bone. The wound was a stark reminder of why she couldn’t become involved with the bestial creatures, a warning of the thanks she could expect to receive for her assistance.
To think she’d actually been tempted to reveal herself to Trey Veznor. To daydream about what might have been. To consider something other than a fixation from afar…
A warm trickle beaded down her stomach, slick and gooey against her leather top and shredded flesh. The claw marks were extremely deep and would mend slowly without the healing pools of her coven but she couldn’t return to them until she had some notion of what was going on. They would expect some kind of information from her, no matter how small or, in this circumstance, mediocre.
“Where is the zephyr now?”
“I believe I’ve already answered that question.”
Craig bestowed a smug smirk, which made her want reward him an ear-ringing slap across the face. She’d been warned he was a consummate asshole and prick, protected due to the secrets he kept and the downfall that would occur upon his demise. It was impossible to kill someone who could inevitably unveil all the dirty skeletons preternatural races were determined to keep buried inside the proverbial closet.
He didn’t say anything more, studying her quietly with an arrogant fucking expression on his face.
“Let me rephrase.” She tried not to sneer. “Who has the Zephyr?”
It wasn’t difficult to sense his unease, accompanied by a notable span of silence. She could smell his fear, a bitter repugnance that wafted through the air. She sat forward in the chair, bracing her elbows on her knees, and tried not to squirm as the wetness trapped between her skin and leather made a disgusting, squeaky sound.
“Have you heard about the tragedy in Rainbow City, Mr. Newlander?”
She’d anticipated the curt nod he produced. Of course he’d heard of it. One of the largest factions of Villati worked out of New Orleans, which wasn’t all that far away from the devastation left behind in the aftermath of the storm. Besides, the panic over the unrecognizable and unexplainable plague was almost impossible to ignore, especially when it was broadcast all over the world and the CDC was forced to quarantine the entire area until the outbreak was contained. An entire city of twelve thousand had been wiped out within a matter of hours—not days or weeks.
“That was a result of a pestilence demon,” she said, tickled pink when the asshole smirk was wiped from his face.
Good, he was finally starting to get the big picture.
He started to speak and stopped, obviously disturbed by the revelation. Then he said, “A pestilence demon hasn’t been conjured into the mortal plane since—”
“The Third Pandemic?” she finished, liking him more and more when he was humbled, off balance and too shaken to speak. “Look around you. The world isn’t the place it used to be. Crime is on the rise, humanity is on the brink of a meltdown and morality has gone down the shitter. There is a reason for that.”
He cleared his throat. “Are you trying to tell me the fallen are rising to power?”
“You’re pretty perceptive when you want to be.” Her smile was genuine, fueled by a desire to drill the message home. “I’d like you to imagine how dangerous a zephyr would be in the hands of one of them. Do you have any idea of the destruction and devastation it could cause?”
“I couldn’t give you the zephyr if I wanted to.” He glanced at her before focusing on the top of his desk. “I made the necessary arrangements to have the locket delivered to Diskant Black’s home this morning when I learned Ava survived the explosion.”
The image of the dying blonde woman flashed through her head. “The Omega?”
He nodded, looking uncomfortable. “I purchased the zephyr from Ava’s brother only to learn after the fact he’d stolen it. It wasn’t until Aldon came sniffing around that I did some research into the Brisbane family and put the pieces together.”
“Does she know what the locket can do?”
He shook his head. “When I tried share what I’d learned she refused to meet with me. After what occurred last night I decided it was best to return the necklace before danger came knocking at my door.”
An unexpected wave of lightheadedness made her sway and she reclined into the seat to disguise the weakness. The motion of her shoulders pressing against the soft, cushiony backing caused
the leather covering her torso to stick firmly in place before sliding in a sickening manner that told her that there was blood coating her chest and stomach.
Shit.
If Aldon found her like this he’d kill her off without a backward glance. It was time to up the ante, get the information she came for and take the necessary time to heal.
She looked into Craig’s concerned face from across the desk and caught his gaze. His lips went slack, his pupils dilated and his face relaxed. She concentrated, focused on his mind and easily slid inside. It was like working through a file cabinet of knowledge, easily done if you had the right key or knew the right destination. His thoughts of Ava Brisbane and Diskant Black were already opened and waiting on the desk, lined up in a neat stack for her to digest.
She took what she needed, stored the information for future use and, when she finished, wrapped the job up with a neat, tidy bow.
“You won’t remember any of this. Not our conversation. Not my face. Or anything we’ve discussed. As far as you’re concerned you came upstairs after receiving confirmation that your package was delivered to Ava Brisbane and you’ve been sitting behind your pretty little desk thinking about what a smart decision you made.”
His glazed eyes didn’t even flicker but she knew the message was so deep in his subconscious that he’d never remove it unless she returned to him, lifted the impression and gave him access to the memories.
Grimacing, she closed her eyes, envisioned the lush healing cavern crafted by her coven and said a small prayer that she had enough strength for a safe journey before she phased from the room.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ava groaned as a hot, wet tongue slid along the inside of her knee and slowly started inching upward. A rough, bristly prickle followed, tickling the skin, awakening sensations she’d never thought possible. Each piece of skin that was touched felt electrified, so sensitive it was almost agony.
