by Milly Taiden
“I don’t think so, love. You can do this. We have to hurry before the other torch goes out completely.”
She groaned and took the bundle of sticks from him. “Fine.” He began to take his sequined shirt off. Her brow raised. “What are you doing?”
He smirked. “I have to undress to shift,” he said smoothly.
“But,” she stuttered, “you didn’t change for the jump a minute ago.”
He gave a single shoulder shrug. “Didn’t have time. And it constricted me. With you on my back, I’m not taking any chances.” His eyes held hers as he unfastened and dropped his pants. She didn’t dare move—body or sight line. His smirk grew. “Grab my clothes before we go over. Do you mind?” He glanced down at his shirt on the floor; she just glanced down. Holy sausage on a stick.
He looked up and she jerked her head back, cheeks warming. “I didn’t see anything.” He didn’t say a word. His shift began and she watched, mesmerized. He went to his knees, head elongating and teeth sliding out of his jaw. The waning light hid most of the change, but she watched the structural shift. It was one of the most extraordinary things she’d ever seen. Everything about him wowed her.
Before her stood a beautiful, fluffy wolf. Damn, he was the size of a small horse. How the hell was she getting on his back? She picked up his clothes and the second torch. Okay, her hands were full; she could ride him without holding on. Whatever.
She slipped his shirt over hers. It smelled of Bryon and the prince. Next, she tied the torch to the outside of her thigh using his pants. Hands on her hips, she turned to the wolf.
“Unless you have a ladder, you need to get lower,” she said. He snuck a lick up the side of her face and lay on his belly. She would swear he was laughing at her. She swung a leg over his back and he stood. Immediately, she slid off to the side. She lay there, staring at the tunnel’s ceiling. “This isn’t going to work.” His reply was another wet tongue up the face. And another, and another. “All right! I’m getting up.” Under her breath, she grumbled, “Just you wait and see what I do with that tongue of yours, buddy.”
She took off the shiny shirt she had put on a minute ago and twisted it into a rope. She climbed onto Bryon’s furry back and tied the shirt sleeves under his stomach, strapping her to the animal. When she pulled the fabric on his stomach tight, he looked back at her.
“What?” she said. “Suck it up, buttercup. This is your idea, not mine.” The body under her legs tensed, muscles hardened. Her fingers dug into fur, legs clenched at his sides.
Her spine stretched as he sprang forward, and rounded when he pushed off his hind feet. Wind rushed in her face. Her eyes were closed, but she didn’t remember closing them. In less than a second, they were floating over the fifteen-foot-wide chasm.
Chapter Twenty-one
Bryon and his wolf loved the feel of her straddling his back. He could imagine her riding him a different way. He shook his head to get his concentration on getting her to the other side to safety. This wouldn’t be an easy leap for him. Fifteen feet was a long way with limited takeoff space.
When she finally stopped wiggling around, he sprinted for the pit. The light was almost gone, limiting his depth perception. This wasn’t a good time for that to happen. At the end of the path, he pushed off rear legs, thighs releasing their stored strength. Just past midway, he felt her slide to the side.
Fortunately, the shirt she’d tied around her kept her from dropping into the hole, but now she hung below him. If he didn’t land exactly right, she would slam head first into the rock.
He was losing altitude and the other side was within sight. He made the distance easily, but now had to stick the landing. Kari’s grip tightened and her head tucked up to his chest. Smart girl. He came down on stiff front legs, hind legs coming forward to balance momentum.
He stopped as quickly as he could, then fell onto his side to not squish her, waiting to see if she was okay. Kari lay on her side, facing him. She opened one eye and looked around. He breathed and his tongue fell out the side of his mouth. Thank the gods.
His mate laid her head on his side, her fingers digging into his fur, and laughed. Laughed? Bryon wanted to take her into his arms, but his wolf wanted to keep her. He had to be fine with that. His human side did get most of the time.
Kari untied the shirt holding her to his wolf. Her hands rubbed down his fur, sending a thrill through him. She reached up and slid a hand along the side of his face. That felt so good.
“I feel silly talking to an animal, but you’re not really a critter, are you?” she said. He yapped. He heard her heart racing. He wasn’t sure, but she might have a slight tremble in her hands. His mate was strong. She was scared shitless, yet didn’t complain. Pride filled him. He kissed her hand. Maybe a bit slobbery.
“You know, you’re really pretty in your fur.” He cringed a bit at the feminine word, but he knew what she was saying and was happy she liked his other half. “Well, since you’re a guy, it would be better to say you look manly in your fur.” Her stomach growled. “Hmm. Guess you don’t have any food on you, do you?” she asked.
His wolf hopped to his feet. They had to feed their mate. He had to show her they could take care of her.
“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked “Hold on. Let me light the torch.”
His wolf heard material rustle and knew she’d be fine. He sucked in a breath. Was that . . . He inhaled through his nose. It was food. He yapped twice and headed off in search of the source of the scent. After passing a couple turns they’d have to check out, he hit pay dirt. A room full of dried fruits, berries, and other preserved things stood unattended.
He raced back to his mate. She stood holding the fire sticks. She must’ve found the cigarette lighter in his pants pocket. Time for the human to retake control. The wolf backed down and let the other form come forward.
His mate yipped and turned as his two-legged body reformed. Her arm was straight out from her side, his pants and shirt hanging from her fingers. He snuggled up to her back and tilted his head down. He blew his warm breath on her shoulder.
“Thank you for taking care of my clothes.”
Her body stiffened, but she didn’t step away. “You’re welcome. Where did you go a minute ago?”
He slipped on his pants and the damn sequined top. “I’ve made reservations for two at the best restaurant in town.” Her brow raised. “What? You don’t believe me?” He bowed and swept his arm through the air. “This way, my dear.”
“Restaurant or not, I need to rest. My feet are blistered, my knees ache, and I’m about to pass out from hunger.”
“Hold onto the torch,” he said.
“Why?”
He swept her into her arms. She squeaked. “What are you doing? Put me down.”
“You said your feet hurt, so I’m helping you along,” he said. He was so close to her lips. He remembered their last kiss and wanted more of her taste. More of her scent. More of everything.
“That’s very kind of you,” she said. Her breath was wispy, her eyes darted to his lips. “But I can walk.”
“We’re here, madam. Your table is ready,” he said. He set her on her feet and took the torch from her. He looked around to see a few more torches in holders on the walls. He lit a couple more, giving the small room a soft, warm glow.
“I can’t believe this,” Kari said. “Why is all this stuff here?” There were figs, nuts, dried fruits, jerky meats, and anything else that could be preserved. Along the wall lay thick rugs and blankets. Several muslin-type robes hung from hooks.
Why was this stuff here? It was obvious these food items were put here recently. An exit had to be nearby. Then again, not necessarily. This place was a hideout for someone. They probably didn’t have it near an exit for fear of being found. They had passed a couple side paths in coming to this room. Maybe one of those led to an open exit.
He wondered if this place could have any relation to human trafficking. Could the bad guys be hiding people down h
ere until the time to go came? Or it could be that those who got away were kept here until they could escape further? It would explain why he hadn’t found any clues to where the ring was, who was part of it, and who had been taken.
While Kari gathered food, he pulled out several rugs to make a suitable place to lie down. It was late at night, or rather, early morning in Cloustien. Washington DC time was about bedtime. No wonder her human body was exhausted. But it was also aroused.
He debated telling her that she was his mate. Would this be a good time or not? His wolf wanted to tell her then bite her—within the next five minutes, please. That wasn’t happening unless they wanted to scare her off. Even though she was his mate, she had no idea what that meant to shifters. Mating meant for life. No changing your mind. No divorcing. It really was “till death do us part.”
But what if she rejected him? How could he be so close to her without having her? Holding a wooden bowl, Kari sat next to him on a rug, leaning against the wall.
Time to find out.
Chapter Twenty-two
She couldn’t believe this food was here in the middle of nowhere. And she was starving. The food and drink at the prince’s dinner were completely gone from her stomach.
A bowl of dried fruits in hand, she sat next to Bryon on rugs he’d moved around. With a sigh, she toed off her shoes and wiggled her toes. “I won’t be able to walk for a week without Band-Aids.”
“Guess I’ll have to carry you around for that time,” Bryon said. So gorgeous, so perfect.
“Uh, probably not,” she replied. “But we can work something out.” Whoa. What did she mean by that? Great. She was delirious now. Delirious with love? Good god, that was lame.
“Kari,” he said, “how much do you know about shifters?”
She halfway shrugged. “I’ve learned a few things besides what you’ve told me. You guys have super senses and your mates are forever.”
“You know about mates?” he asked, surprise in his voice.
“Not that much. Just that once you find your mate, your heart is theirs forever.” She hadn’t mentioned this to Director Lancaster, but she had known shifters existed before she’d decoded any messages. When she was eight years old, her mom worked two jobs for a while. During that time, the older neighbors, Tabi and her husband, Joe, would watch over her at night until her mother came home. Kari considered Tabi to be her grandmother since her real grandmothers were with the angels in heaven.
Even at her young age, she saw the intense love between Tabi and Joe. The couple was really old and had been together since they were in school. They always held hands when they sat on the swing on the front porch. Joe kissed Tabi every time he walked in or out of a room she was in. And they always ate dinner together at the table.
Kari had known the couple were shifters when one of the young grandkids accidentally shifted when she was there. It had become their little secret. When Kari once asked how they could be together so long without getting bored of each other, Tabi told her, when you find your true mate, your heart is theirs forever. Then Kari asked if that was for shifters only, or if she could find her own mate.
Tabi told her if she had a true mate waiting for her, then she would be cherished and loved by her mate unconditionally. But humans didn’t usually have shifter mates back then. Well, they did, but shifter law forbade the races to mix at the time.
One day, Joe was in an accident and died. Kari hadn’t grasped the concept of death except that the person went to heaven to be with angels, like her grandmothers. The next day, Tabi said she couldn’t take care of Kari any longer. She had to go where Joe, her mate, was because she loved him too much to be away from him.
Kari never saw Tabi after that, but as Kari grew older, she’d come to understand the meaning of all Tabi had shared with her. She never met another shifter, that she knew of, anyway.
She decided that was why she accepted Bryon so readily. She’d romanticized shifters into great lovers and heroes. And she had secretly prayed that one day she would meet her mate and have what the old couple had.
“You’re absolutely right about that. Mates are born to be together,” he responded. “Many times, our mates are human, too.”
“Really,” she said. Man, oh, man. What she would do to be the mate to the delectable man sitting next to her. She’d win the Powerball if that was true. Hot sex with shifter alpha 24/7. She’d never leave her bed. Hell, she’d never let him leave. She stuffed more fruit into her mouth to keep from drooling.
He rubbed the back of his hand on her arm. He was warm in the chilly air. Chills ran down to her fingers. She loved when he touched her. Loved when he stood so close. Loved his smell, loved his body. All right, she needed to cut it out. He’d catch her horny scent soon.
“What would you think if you were my mate?”
Her heart stumbled over itself, fell flat, then pumped overtime. “Was that a ‘let’s pretend I’m your mate’ or ‘You want me to be your mate, for real’?” She wasn’t hungry anymore. Her stomach was too busy being nervous.
Bryon slid closer on the thick rug, his eyes never leaving hers. “The question wasn’t rhetorical nor was it a hypothetical.”
“Why me?”
He glided his knuckles over her arm, grazing her breast, and she closed her eyes at the promise in the not-so-innocent gesture.
“No one’s ever gotten to me like you do, Kari.”
“But?”
He shook his head. “No buts. I would go through captivity all over again, especially if it means meeting you.”
Kari’s eyes searched his. Bryon the badass agent wanted her. Not for a night. Not for the hottest sex she would ever have, but for himself. For her to be his mate in front of god and the entire world. She chewed on her lips and he smirked.
“What?”
“Nibble, nibble. You know you only do that when you’re arguing with yourself.”
Heat bloomed in her cheeks. “How’d you figure that?”
He leaned in so his lips were no more than a breath from hers. “Because I’ve gotten to know you, Kari. Not just your scent branded on my brain, but you. Inside and out. Whether you want to admit it or not, you are mine. MINE. My mate. Now and for always. But I can’t do anything about that alone. I need you.”
That was it. Every question, every misgiving that reached up and grabbed her was silenced. Bryon took her mouth as if he knew it, too, muzzling any remaining doubt in a hungry kiss.
He fisted her hair, his tongue plundering the sweet cavern of her mouth. “I want you, Kari. Forever. Let me have you.”
His words were a whisper in his kiss and they rang in her head. They were the same words he said to her in her dream and she gasped. Taking the sharp intake as an invitation for more, he unbuttoned her shirt, pushing the front wide, exposing her breasts.
“If I had known we’d be doing this I would have worn sexier underwear,” she joked.
He rolled his thumb and forefinger over her nipple and pinched the puckered flesh. “You’re sexy enough no matter what you wear, but I’d prefer you in nothing at all.”
Kari’s mouth slid into a sexy smile and she shrugged out of her shirt. “Your wish is my command.” She had to laugh at the 1,001 Arabian Nights feel of the moment. An evil prince somewhere above them. A cavern full of dried fruits and nuts and every kind of stored delicacy and a carpet that was about to become magical beneath them.
“Watch that, Kari. My wishes can be pretty primal, especially when it comes to you and the thought of your pretty pink pussy.”
His raw language made her panties wet. “I’m a tough cookie, Bryon. Bring it, baby.”
His eyes darkened to a feral green and he slid onto his knees, reaching to slip his shirt over his head. “Now you.”
Knee to knee, they each stripped off a piece of clothing one by one. Kari’s blood raced with anticipation, especially with Bryon’s thick member so prominent and clearly ready for action.
He pulled her close, wrapping his ar
ms around her waist. “Do you know how lush and full you are? I could eat you up.”
She smirked. “Now there’s an idea.” Disentangling herself she stretched out on the rug, pulling her knees up and letting them fall apart. “Juicy is best, don’t you think?” Her fingers stroked her pussy, and she let her index finger slide through her slickness, lifting her finger to her mouth. “I think so.”
Bryon growled low in his throat and crawled toward her open legs, burying his face between her legs. He lapped and laved at her slit, circling her nub until the sensitive bud swelled beneath the rough barbs on the tip of his tongue.
She fisted his hair as she did in her dream, urging his mouth deeper, harder. Her body tensed and a climax crested, but Bryon held her at the edge, pulling his mouth away.
She cried out, protesting but he shook his head. “My wish, remember?” His smirk made her clit jerk and she slid her hand down to give herself relief, but he held her wrist. “I want to watch you come, Kari, but by my hand, not yours.”
He raised her wrist high and held it over her head and she lifted her other hand clasping her fingers together. He kissed her mouth, her chin, her neck, working his way to her breasts. He sucked and flicked her nipples, teasing each with his tongue and teeth until Kari locked her legs around his waist.
“Bryon! Please!”
He reared back and drove his cock deep, his hips grinding against hers with thrust after thrust. Again he brought her to the edge and held her there.
“Are you ready, Kari?”
“Argh! I’ve been ready, you son of a bitch! Make me come!”
He chuckled. “You’re so sexy, Kari. Hot and flushed and frustrated, and ready to eat my head or my cock, whichever you could sink your teeth into first, but I need you even more ready . . . ready for the bite of your life.”
His words pulled her back from the precipice and she looked at him. Their bodies were joined and in that moment so were their hearts, their souls. This was it. He was asking her again.
