At once he bit her neck again, slapped her clit, and slammed deep inside of her. The combination sent her into the sun. Her pussy clenched around his cock like a vise and he shot into her, yelling into her neck and holding on tight enough to bruise.
Later. Later she’d think about it all. For now, it would be enough. For now, she would let her mate soothe her like no one else could.
Chapter Eight
“Can we just stay here for a while?” Cirro whispered to her in the middle of the night. She’d slept, wrapped up in his arms, only to wake up to his lovemaking over and over again. But it was now night time again, and her stomach was screaming for nourishment.
“I’m starving, Cirro. You’re insatiable, but I need to eat.”
“No, I meant. Can we just…start over?” Sasha rolled over in his arms, squinting in the darkness to make out his features.
“What are you asking, Cirro?”
“We haven’t had much time to get to know each other. I thought maybe we could do so now.”
“Ice is out there—” Sasha began.
“And I have the perimeter of the house surrounded with cameras from every angle for five miles out. And alarms set the minute anyone gets close, and a team ready to move twenty-four-seven for protection. Ice will make his move, but he has to find you. You won’t be anywhere but here, and so he will be coming to my territory. Until that time, can we have our time? I know I’m asking for a lot, after how things happened, but I think if I’d done this in the beginning we wouldn’t be here, and Ice would never have been a threat.” Sasha smiled in the darkness.
“I think I’d like that, Cirro.”
“Say it again,” he said, lowering his head toward her.
“Cirro,” she whispered, and then squealed with laughter when Cirro nipped her chin and his hands found her body once more.
A long time later she found herself sitting in Cirro’s main room with a plate of lasagna and a glass of white wine to wet her whistle while Cirro made sure his big screen was set up. Men and their toys, she thought with a smile. The damn thing had to be at least seventy-two inches, and she was guessing she was undersizing it. Cirro was working quickly to set up his Blu-ray player and his cache of movies he stored down here. She’s smiled sheepishly when he emerged from his kitchen with the cooked meal—by his own hand!—and told her he spent most of his time staring at the monitors. He didn’t often watch television, so he hadn’t really taken the time to set things up.
He’d lived to protect his leap and hadn’t taken much time to himself. He’d created a completely self-sustaining apartment down here to call his own. He kept his kitchen stocked with food, had his own guestroom, bathroom—complete with a garden bathtub and separate shower—and even an area where he worked out. When she’d opened his mirrored closet to put her clothes up she’d found a wall covered with weapons on one side and his clothes on the other. She’d stood there, mouth agape, as he’d grabbed her bags and steered her to another closet in the main room. At first she’d wondered why he wouldn’t want her to keep her things in that room, then she’d walked into the other one. Half of the walk-in closet was filled with shoes and clothes, all for a woman.
“What are these?” she asked him.
“Your clothes.”
“You bought me clothes?” she asked incredulously.
“Selene and Maddy helped me pick them out. I knew my stubbornness would only take me so far. Maddy told me that you loved fashion so I bought them for you,” he said with a shrug.
“Are those Jimmy Choos?” she nearly screeched.
“Selene said those were you favorite.” He cleared his throat. “Do you like them?” She spun around, looking, and then faced him.
“I don’t think like covers it,” she said with a laugh. He smiled, a heart-wrenching, boyish smile and she went into his arms and lifted her face for a kiss. Moments later her stomach growled and he rushed off to fix her dinner.
She smiled at the memory and watched the man she’d lain in bed with all day smile triumphantly when he got everything hooked up as he wanted. What kind of man, who didn’t want a human for a mate, asked her friends what she liked and got it for her? What kind of man who was afraid to give up his heart, secretly prepared for the day he would have her? He was an enigma, her mate. One she was determined to learn. There was more to him than met the eye.
“Action, comedy, or romance?” he asked then, breaking her out of her thoughts.
“Action?” she inquired.
“My kind of girl. Okay, then grisly, thriller, or paranormal?”
“I think I can go for some paranormal,” she said with a wink. He picked a movie, and popped it in. The menu came up and she nearly spit her whine out when she started laughing.
“Did you just put in Wolfman?”
“I thought it may be appropriate. Not too many movies with cat shifters,” he said with a smile. He sat next to her, grabbing his plate, which was heaped with a lot more food than hers, and they ate in silence as the movie went on. Once they finished eating they curled up and watch the movie, holding each other like a regular couple on movie night. Sasha liked the normalcy of it all. He wasn’t a man who was also a beast, she wasn’t a woman running for her life. They simply were.
“I like this,” she whispered then.
“What?”
“Us. Like this. It’s nice to not think about what’s going on around me for a few hours.”
“You don’t have to worry about it at all. When Ice comes, I’ll take care of it. After that we can make some adjustments.”
“Like what?” she asked.
“You’ll have to move in with the leap,” he stated.
“I have a home. One that took me time to have built. I have a career and a base. I can’t just leave that behind.”
“You are my mate. Your place is beside me.”
“We just worked out, barely, that we are mates hours ago. That doesn’t mean I’m going to change my whole life around because of a home-cooked meal and a movie.”
“I am the protector of my leap. I can’t leave the katafygio and go with you. My first instinct will be to protect you, and then my leap. I can’t do that if I’m separate from them. You will take precedence over them. But if we are all in the same location, then it can be done.”
“Cirro, are you not listening to me? I am not leaving my home. We may have gotten to some even ground, but we still have a ways to go. Until we’ve gotten to that point I can’t just change my life for you. We haven’t gotten to that point, Cirro.”
“We are not having this discussion. It’s what you are going to do and that is final.”
“I am a federal judge, Cirro. You do not tell me what I can and can’t do. Let me make something clear, now. I will not be moving in with you once Ice is taken care of. You are fast clicking off your chances at getting back in my pants. And, last but not least, until I feel that you have gotten over your damn issue, then I won’t be making any plans with you. We will take this one step at a time.”
Cirro stared at her but didn’t say anything. He stood slowly, grabbing both his plate and hers and disappeared into the kitchen. She heard water running and tried to calm her nerves. Just hours ago she thought he didn’t even want her, and now he was Mr. Gung Ho. She didn’t trust it. She couldn’t. Spending time with him, along with what she’d seen from him over the past year had brought her heart deeper into the mix than she had believed. She couldn’t afford to make a wrong decision. She had to know that he loved her. Nothing short of that would make her change her mind. He needed to understand that. She had to make him see.
He came back out of the kitchen and she stood but he lifted a hand stalling her. He passed her, continuing into the bedroom and she followed. With efficient movements he slipped into his normal, military-like black camo pants and black T-shirt. She watched his graceful movements as he strapped on his tactical belt and slid his blades into place. Next he slipped on his harness and holstered his two side arms. He said no
thing as he dressed, a muscle ticking in his jaw, and she knew better than to interrupt him. Her mother had taught her that talking to a man when he was pissed was a waste of air. She’d talk to him after he’d calmed down. She rotated her weight from one foot to the other as he finished and his gaze swung to hers. Gone was the carefree, sensual man that had sat beside her moments earlier. He was a warrior now, guarding his kind, and keeping her safe. She relied on this side of him, but the switch left her feeling cold.
“I have rounds to do. I’ve put them off long enough. You have free rein of the house. I won’t be back for a while. I’m sure mostly everybody is sleeping, except my team. But explore to your heart’s content.”
He stalked past her without another word and all she could do was watch him leave. The slamming of the door echoed the pounding of her heart.
Chapter Nine
“Vargas, Welsh, and Thomas, I want you to take alpha. Slick, Tyler, and Jacob, take beta. Reynolds, take a team to point charlie and I’ll take my team with me on the check. The rest of you fan out and keep your eyes open. We have an enemy stalking my mate, and at any time he could come to try and hurt her. The faster I put this bastard in the ground, the faster we can all move on with our lives.”
Cirro didn’t wait for an acknowledgment from his men. He had trained them all well. They knew to move with no sound, work together as a team, and rely on their radio communication in code when things got hazy. Everyday simple perimeter checks were battle simulations. Cirro had become prone to testing his men when they were out just to check their reflexes. Tonight would most likely be no different.
He needed a distraction. Anything to keep him from rushing back into the house and taking his mate into his arms. Now that he had claimed her, he couldn’t get enough of her. Even now his leopard was clamoring to get back to her side. The initial stages of mating didn’t do well with mates being apart. But he didn’t have a choice. He either left or dug himself into a bigger hole. He knew that his need to keep his mate by his side was a side effect of the mating, but it was more than that, if he was honest. He had enjoyed falling asleep next to Sasha and waking up with her wrapped in his arms. He’d found peace for the first time in years. When he’d realized that none of the women in the leap was to be his mate he’d panicked, knowing what that may have meant for him.
There were some human women who could take on a shifter as a mate. None of them knew what exactly made that possible, they just knew that it was. Cirro had feared that he was fated to mate, and then subsequently fall for a woman he wouldn’t have in the many years to come. That fear had consumed him, forcing him to rarely leave the leap’s walls unless it was absolutely necessary. But fate had spit at him. Pietr had found the woman meant for him on a rare night out to mingle with humans and get a sense of the continued secrecy of their kind. The rogues had been getting worse, deciding to take choice away from their chosen women, and they’d all been battling to keep their existence in the dark. With Pietr’s mate, as was fitting since they were best friends, Cirro had met his.
He wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He couldn’t protect Sasha effectively from the katafygio, and he couldn’t leave his leap. Sure, he could step down from his position, but it hadn’t been done in over a hundred years. Not only that, he was one of Pietr’s kaurteto. He couldn’t be far from the man for safety reasons, even if he wanted to. But instead of explaining it that way to his strong-minded mate, he’d simply ordered. He knew that had been his first mistake. The second was letting his ego get in the way when she refused. He could refuse her for safety’s sake, but she was always supposed to choose him. No matter what, a mate was designed to stick behind the one meant for them. He’d expected some resistance, but then capitulation, especially after their time in bed.
He should have known better.
He shook his head, dragging himself from his thoughts. He would have to think about that all later. He had to keep Sasha safe for now. After that he could deal with the rest. For now, he was going to test his men and get their blood pumping. Then, perhaps, by the time he was done it would be daylight, and he’d be too tired to be bullheaded with his mate. He lifted his hand to trigger the false alarm on his watch when it blared to life.
“Oh God, please tell me, boss, that you are not fucking with us in the middle of the night,” Reynolds said over the earpiece in Cirro’s ear.
“Afraid not. This is not a drill. Move your men into position. I want snipers on deck. Ice has come faster than we thought,” Cirro hissed. He rushed to point even as he dug his cellphone from his pocket. He dialed quickly and waited, impatiently, for Pietr to answer.
“This had better be good, Cirro,” Pietr growled.
“We have incoming. Move the women to my area for safety. It would take an army to blow into that space. I have already talked to Lucy, Mei, Tristine, and Rachel. They are to be Sasha’s kaurteto. Get them with her.”
Cirro heard Pietr speaking on the line, and was thankful his friend didn’t wonder why he was giving his human mate a kaurteto. As Sasha was human they wouldn’t be able to heal her, but he would at least know that she had four leopards at the ready to protect his mate.
“How the hell did you pull two of my brother’s mate’s sisters to be in Sasha’s kaurteto?” Pietr asked then.
“She offered. What the hell was I supposed to say?”
“Yes, and then be gracious, or Laius would have kicked your ass.”
“Exactly. Just make sure they are moving to her now. The alarm in the house will shoot off in minutes. The blips on my screen are showing a coordinated attack by a group. They are closing in fast. They are about three miles out.”
“Traps set?”
“Always, my friend. Snipers are ready to pick them off, and I’m going hunting. Tell my mate—”
“I will. Go.”
Pietr disconnected before Cirro could say anything else. Cirro felt the familiar draw of adrenaline coursing through his system. His mate’s would-be assassin was out there, and he was going to die, tonight. He’d come much faster, and much better coordinated than they thought, but it didn’t matter. Sasha needed him to keep her safe, and Cirro was not about to let her down. He drew his guns and paced through the woods, his team behind him.
“Cirro, alpha point here. There are fifteen bogies coming in from side. Bravo has called in fifteen too, and charlie is stating ten. Ice came with enough people to make a stand. Kill go for snipers?”
“It’s a go, Vargas. Leave no stone unturned, but leave Ice to me. Hispanic male, will most likely be not far from the front, dark hair slicked back, and dark eyes. Not much to go on, but I’m sure he’ll stand out because he’ll be searching for Sasha.”
“Roger. How the hell did he find us so quickly?”
“This man has paid off some powerful judges, politicians, and other persons of interest. If he wanted to know where our home was, and he had the right connection, they may not have been able to tell him exactly where but they would have been able to point him in the right direction. Either way we will be going back to the city council to ensure we are more off grid after this,” Cirro promised.
“Cirro, snipers have begun taking shots. Count is eight down, four to alpha and bravo point. Charlie point is holding. Pietr passes that the women have been moved to safety, guards placed on them. Collin is coming out with Pietr. He asks that none of us pussies shoot him,” Vargas said.
“Shoot him just ’cause then,” Cirro replied.
“I heard that. I’m wounded. Really I am,” Collin said over the waves.
“Then come and get me, mutt,” Cirro said affectionately. He slid the safety off his guns and sprinted to alpha point. He went through the motions in his mind—breath, aim, release, and fire. Each time a body fell. But more rose to take over. Ice had brought more than what was originally counted. That stood to prove he’d been more prepared for this attack than originally thought.
“He knows too much,” Pietr said, almost reading Cirro’s mind.
>
“Someone has been talking. But who?” Cirro asked.
“I have no idea, but we’ll find out. For now let’s kill these bastards.”
“Agreed.” Pietr swept out of the darkness like an avenger, Collin not far behind. They shot their way through the humans. None of them would use their animal forms until the attack was more contained and there would be no chance of survivors telling what they had seen. Working together, the three men cleared. When one needed to reload the other two covered his flanks. Each step dropped a body, until Cirro was breathing hard from exertion, but he didn’t stop. Ice hadn’t shown his face, and he was terrified the man would slip through in the chaos.
The idea ran his blood cold.
“Where is Ice?” Cirro hollered over the volley of gunfire. One merc took a shot to the head, his body crumpling, dead before he hit the ground. Cirro took aim with no mercy at the man at his side, but another shot rang out, whizzing past his ear. Only his enhanced reflexes saved his ear. He moved faster, now tracing back toward the house.
“He should be here,” Collin called.
“That bastard, from what information you were able to get to us, likes to be in front. He should be here,” Pietr agreed, and unease swept through Cirro. Something wasn’t right but he couldn’t see it. It was right there in front of him, but he just couldn’t grasp it.
“Riley, do you see anything?” Cirro asked.
“Only mercenaries. Unless he’s hidden among them, I don’t see him.”
“Welsh?”
“Nothing. The mercenaries are pulling back.”
“Take them out. No one escapes,” Cirro ordered.
Taken By Desire Page 5
