Undiscovered

by Sara Humphreys

  He bowed his head and let her explore the damaged flesh. His hands curled into fists and rested on his thighs. Their combined energy patterns mingled and danced around them in the air, the tempest between them matching the storm from Mother Nature gust for gust, flash for flash. There would be no more hiding, no more pretending that the attraction they felt was simply some kind of biological side effect.

  Every single ounce of Rena’s soul cried out for his, and with each labored breath, Zander’s spirit called to hers. Shaking with a potent combination of desire and apprehension, Rena sat up and shifted onto her knees facing him. She settled her hands on his shoulders before sliding her fingers along the hard line of his collarbone until finally grasping his face, forcing him to look at her.

  “Tell me,” she murmured, her thumb rasping along his temple. “Please, Zander. Don’t leave me out here alone.”

  “I know what I’m supposed to do, what is expected of me. I know you don’t need me, Rena, but I sure as hell need you. Tonight and every night for the rest of your life. The rest of mine.” His gravelly voice skittered over her seductively in the dark. “I understand what the universe is telling me to do. I should walk away. Let fate take its course for you and Zed. But I can’t do it. I’m a son of a bitch, Rena McHale. And if you had any sense at all, woman, you would do what I can’t—and leave. Right now. Go back inside that cottage. Lock the damn doors, and tell me to go straight to hell. Because if you don’t, if you stay here, I am going to take you and make you mine. My brother and the fates can be damned, and so can I. Because all I want, for whatever meager existence I may have left, is you.”

  Pain edged his eyes, and desperation mixed with desire laced his words. His body shook as if he was doing his best to restrain himself—restrain the beast. To hold back all of his desire so that he could give his brother even a fraction of the life that Zander had already lived.

  That was when Rena knew what she had to do.

  She dropped her hands from his face, and Zander winced visibly, as though the loss of contact pained him. He lowered his gaze and squeezed his eyes shut, his shoulders heaving with a heavy breath. A smile curved Rena’s lips as she grasped the edge of her sweater and pulled it over her head before throwing it aside, leaving her in a black, lacy bra and skirt.

  Without a word, Rena gathered his hands in hers and placed them over her breasts. A growl rumbled in his chest, and his head snapped up as his glowing gaze latched on to hers.

  “I’m yours,” Rena whispered. “My body. My soul. All of it. I choose you, Zander Lorens.”

  Like a flash of lightning, he was on her. A force of nature. Wild and powerful. Zander’s mouth crashed onto hers. His tongue demanded entrance, and Rena opened to him, her arms linking around his neck, pulling him close. Her breasts crushed against his chest as his experienced fingers unclasped her bra and quickly pulled the lacy fabric from her damp, heated skin. Never once did he break the kiss, and Rena sighed into his mouth as he laid her out beneath him once again.

  His mouth blazed a trail from her lips to her throat as he divested her of the rest of her clothing, leaving her naked and wet, with the storm raging around them. Rena shivered with anticipation as he moved down her body, pressing kisses along her rib cage and her belly. She tangled her hands in his slick, shaggy hair as he settled between her legs and hooked his arms beneath her thighs, anchoring her to the ground.

  “I want to taste you,” he whispered. Zander licked rainwater from her belly button, before moving lower. “All of you.”

  Rena cried out when he covered her sex with his mouth, his tongue flicking over her clit in one slow, purposeful pass. She tried to move her hips, to urge him on, but he held her still, keeping her a willing prisoner. He licked and suckled. Slowly at first, and with each wicked pass, Rena thought she would go mad with need. The orgasm coiled deep in her belly, and she lifted her head, wanting to watch him feast on her. It was erotic and wanton to see Zander touch her this intimately. Rena had had plenty of sex in her life, but being with Zander seemed like so much more.

  She gasped when his glowing gaze met hers as his tongue slipped deep inside her and their minds tangled intimately.

  You’re mine, Rena. The guttural growl of his words skittered inside her head as he continued licking and suckling her sensitive flesh. Every part of you…is mine.

  The intense combination of their mental connection and the physical was almost more than she could bear. Rena cried out as a wave of pleasure slammed through her body. Her back arched, and one of his hands cupped her breast as they jutted toward the sky, as though begging him to claim them. The orgasm began to bloom, rippling deep inside and spreading out beneath her skin like flames, threatening to consume everything in its path, bathing and baptizing her as his.

  But Rena was greedy for more.

  Not yet. Breathless and close to the edge, Rena tangled her fingers in Zander’s hair and whispered into his mind. I want you inside me when I come.

  A guttural groan erupted as he pushed himself to his knees. Rena sat up and barely noticed the rain that continued to fall as she undid the button of his jeans. She pushed his hands away when he attempted to help her and grinned at him.

  “My turn.” She smacked him on the leg playfully. “Stand up.”

  Zander’s face was a mask of desire and concentration as he rose to his feet.

  Rena shifted onto her knees and swiftly released the heavy length of him from the strict, confining denim. His cock sprang free, and a fresh rush of heat flared between her legs as she took in the gorgeous sight of him. She tugged his jeans down past his hips, just far enough to give her access to what she wanted.

  She curled one hand around the base before licking her way along the hot stalk of flesh. He gathered her hair in his fist as she covered him with her mouth and took him deep. Zander groaned when Rena ran her tongue over the smooth head before taking more of him in. She alternately worked him with her mouth and her hands, wanting to give him the same explosive pleasure that he had given her. His hips began to pump faster as she picked up the pace, and just when she thought he was reaching his limit, Zander grabbed her upper arms and pulled her to her feet.

  He released her, and to her surprise, her quivering legs kept her upright as he swiftly rid himself of his jeans and kicked them aside. The thunder rumbled as Zander pulled her back into his arms. His rough, heated palms grazed over her ass and over her back and shoulders before settling over her biceps. She sighed as the hot length of his erection pressed against her belly, and the ache between her legs swelled to an insistent, throbbing need.

  “No more playing,” he murmured. His fingertips dug deeper into her flesh as the hard plane of his thigh slipped between her legs and pressed against the swollen heat of her sex. “I want you, Rena McHale. As my mate. Tonight and every night from now on.” His words were edged with gruff desperation, and the broken look in his eyes made the last of the walls around her heart crumble. “Will you have me?”

  Yes. Rena pressed her hands to his cheeks and touched his mind with hers on a whisper. I’m yours, Zander.

  He kissed her deeply as they dropped to their knees, the soft, wet grass serving as their marriage bed. Clinging to him, Rena let her head fall back as he blazed his lips down her throat. Her hands, greedy for more, traveled over his back, and she ran her fingers along the trio of long scars, fleetingly recalling where they had come from.

  Rena pulled back and took in the beautiful imperfections of the man that was Zander Lorens. When the lightning flashed, Rena caught sight of a shadow on Zander’s leg—but it wasn’t a shadow at all. Her heart swelled with relief and gratitude. It was the mate tattoo. And that’s when she knew what she needed to do. Without a word, she turned around and dropped to all fours before slicing a seductive look at him over her shoulder.

  He was kneeling behind her, his glowing gaze pinned to her lower back as his large hands gripped
her hips firmly. Rena shuddered as the hungry look in his eyes grew when he spotted the mate tattoo.

  “You bear the mark,” he murmured reverently.

  Rena shuddered as he trailed his fingers lightly over the tattoo, which had materialized only a day ago but had obviously been there forever, waiting beneath the surface.

  Waiting for him to bring it to life—bring her to life.

  “You see?” Rena said, her voice shaking with unfulfilled desire. “I belong to you, Zander. Not Zed. Not the universe or the fates…you.”

  Mine, his voice roared in her mind as he speared inside her with one powerful thrust. Rena shouted his name and pressed her hips back, wanting to take him deeper—needing him to touch her deep inside, where no one else had ever been. As he thrust into her time and again, sliding in and stretching her, Rena hung on to the grass, arching her back. She spread her knees, opening herself up, taking everything he had to give and, at the same time, giving him all she possessed.

  As the orgasm began to crest and Zander’s pace picked up, Rena whimpered with pleasure, and he whispered into her mind, Te semper et in perpetuum amabo. Adiuro me tibi. Largior. Gloria.

  With one final pass, Zander shuddered as his own orgasm erupted in time with hers, and he buried himself to the hilt on a groan.

  Rena’s body shook as he slumped over her, and they both collapsed onto the ground before rolling over onto their sides. With Zander still buried deep inside her, Rena reached around and curled her hand over the mark on his thigh. A groan rumbled in his chest as he linked his arms around her waist, holding her tightly against him even as he slipped from her body.

  “And you belong to me,” Rena whispered. She turned her face toward his as he nuzzled her ear. “Always.”

  As they lay together, bodies intertwined, Rena realized the rain had stopped, and the moon, luminous and full, was fighting to break free of the clouds. Mother Nature had finally stopped raging at the world around her. The blissful silence gave Rena hope. Perhaps the tempest that her life had become would finally be calmed as well.

  Chapter 18

  Zander made love to Rena twice more when they got back inside the cottage, and if he’d had his way, they would have continued on until sunrise. But time waits for no one, and Zander’s time was running out.

  To say nothing of Zed’s.

  It hadn’t taken long for Rena to drift off to sleep, and even though he wanted nothing more than to join her, Zander knew it was now or never. He glanced at the moon and, based on the position, was fully aware of the little darkness he had remaining.

  He pressed a kiss to her soft cheek, which elicited a sleepy mumble, but to his relief, she didn’t wake up. Moving carefully, not wanting to disturb her, Zander slipped from the toasty cocoon of sheets and blankets, which were heated by Rena’s luscious, curvy body. When he rose from the bed and moved silently to the door, he glanced back at her one more time.

  Moonlight bathed every inch of her lovely form in its silvery glow. She was on her belly, and her dark hair was splayed out on the pillow like a halo. The sheet was draped precariously over her beautiful bottom, leaving the graceful arch of her torso exposed. His gaze drifted down to the mate tattoo that was now fully formed along the base of her back. His lips lifted at the corners, and his hand went instinctively to the matching mark on his thigh.

  Two dragons intertwined in a loving embrace. The colors, varying shades of scarlet and amber, had begun to emerge as well. Zander knew if he survived the night, the tattoo on his leg would fill in with exactly the same hues as the one on Rena’s back. They had made love, and he had said the dragon’s sacred mating rite.

  If he succeeded in his quest, his bond with Rena would be unshakable, and his brother would be free.

  But that was a gigantic if.

  Zander slipped outside silently, noting the significant drop in temperature as he made his way to his tent. The Montana wilderness hummed around him, various creatures of the night buzzing and scurrying while paying him no mind. Before stepping into his tent, he closed his eyes and searched for the Amoveo’s energy signatures. If Dominic or any of the other Amoveo warriors were lurking nearby, he would pick up on it immediately. Of course, that would be a complication he simply did not need or want.

  To his relief, he found none other than the steady thrum of Rena’s energy signature as she lay sleeping upstairs. Zander dressed quickly and grabbed Zed’s spirit stone along with his own. If there was any hope of his plan working, Zander would need the power of both pieces of quartz in order to free his brother. He slipped the stones in the pocket of his jeans before stepping out of the tent and casting one last glance to the bedroom window.

  Convinced she was still safely asleep, Zander took off across the field and toward the mountain. He ran swiftly and silently through the tall grasses without looking behind him. There was no turning back now. With the prince away and the younger Amoveo totally unaware of the dragons, Zander knew he had no other choice. He had to try and awaken Zed on his own, but the timing had to be exactly right. If he could get into the cave and use the crack in the hibernation cocoon to his advantage, the energy in the spirit stone might be enough to bring him out of it, finishing what Rena’s presence in the dreamrealm had started.

  When Zander reached the tree line, he finally stopped for a moment to catch his breath and be absolutely certain nobody was nearby. The lights of the main house twinkled in the distance, and one or two glimmers flickered from the cottages, but all was quiet. Not even the ten or so horses in the barn had stirred or been alerted by his presence. Zander pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and checked the time.

  Sunrise was in thirty-four minutes to be precise—in this situation, every moment counted.

  He had to wait until just before sunrise to awaken Zed. If the beast remained in control and his brother was unable to hear him, then at least the sun would force Zed to shift back into his human state.

  In theory.

  He climbed the rocky hill and followed the path, the one he still knew by heart. It may have been five centuries since Zander had set foot on this land, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. When he reached the rock formation embedded in the face of the mountain, he recognized the flower-shaped protrusion immediately, but panic set in when he saw the entrance to the cave had been covered by at least one rock slide over the years.

  Zander dropped to his knees and pressed his hands to the ground.

  The image of Zed encased behind the cracked wall of quartz flared into his mind. His brother’s body twitched frantically, and the crack began to grow.

  They were out of time.

  He started pulling away the rock and dirt, all the while praying the entrance wasn’t entirely caved in. Grunting with effort, Zander pushed aside one of the larger rocks, and when the dust cleared, a rush of relief swelled when he saw a narrow but clear path into the cave far below.

  He was about to make his way inside when the ground rumbled beneath his feet. Zander stumbled backward as rock fell, covering the entrance again. The shaking continued, and he braced himself against the trunk of a nearby pine tree. His heart thundered in his chest because he had a dreadful suspicion what was causing it.

  The shaking stopped as abruptly as it had begun.

  Perhaps it was only a normal tremor in the earth or maybe—

  The ground trembled again, harder this time, and with it came an all-too-familiar and bone-rattling roar. The sound was muffled at first, but as the shaking grew stronger, so did the battle cry of his brother. Zander swore and backed down the hill, immediately turning his attention to the ranch in the distance.

  He had to warn them. Rena and the others could shelter in the council meeting hall.

  Before he had gone ten feet, a sickening crack shattered the silent Montana night as the ground opened up. Zander spun around and watched in horror as a long fissure erupted down
the mountainside, opening the earth like a zipper. The force of the quake tossed him to the dirt, and Zander rolled to the right, narrowly avoiding tumbling into the gaping crack. He scrambled to his feet again, and as the shaking continued, he fought to maintain his footing.

  Everything stopped, and the world fell eerily silent. It was as if all the forest creatures were acutely aware of what was coming next. Zander’s breath came in heavy, labored gasps as he scanned the unearthly quiet of the mountain. There was no sound. It was as if the earth itself was holding its breath.

  Zander’s heart skipped a beat when he spotted an eerie, cherry-red glow emanating from the crack toward the top of the steep, rocky incline. He held his breath and forced himself to stay calm, but even as that thought raced through his head, Zander knew it wouldn’t matter. He glanced to the sky. It had brightened slightly, but there was still far too much darkness left for his liking.

  A snuffling sound, similar to that of a bull getting ready to charge at a matador, rushed through the air. Rock and dirt fell away along the sloping mountainside as the snuffling rumbled again, like an otherworldly warning. Zander turned his attention back to the crack in the face of the mountain, and a swirl of conflicting emotions fired through him.

  For the first time in five centuries, Zander found himself staring into the glowing, furious gaze of his brother. But it wasn’t really Zed, was it?

  It was the dragon.

  And it was pissed.

  Rena’s voice, shaking and scared, whisked into his mind. Zander!

  Get Kerry and the others to the council’s meeting chamber. Right now, Rena! It’s the only place you’ll be safe.