Larus studied her carefully. She was so beautiful, but he could feel the hurt and anger in her. It was strange that he would feel so many of her emotions as if they were his own. He’d felt drawn to her from the beginning, but the connection grew stronger with each passing hour. Every fiber in his being wanted to offer her protection.
“Your kind can’t survive in our world without protection,” Larus said softly. “It would be cruel to just set you free in it.”
“Then we are to be killed.” Her tone was flat. “That is what kings do to inconvenient people.”
Larus frowned that she would automatically conclude they meant her harm. What had happened to her and Sophia to make her so hard? It was clear she thought little of rulers, but that was hardly his doing. He’d meant that she would more than likely be expected to find a mate amongst his people, or one of the other compatible races.
“Why not, right? What’s the life of two humans--creatures that you so obviously despise?” Mina shook her head. “Men, you’re all the same. It matters not the race. Tell me, is there a realm of just women? I’d gladly go there. Have you a portal? For I am sure it is a better place than here or my world.”
Mina began walking faster, trying to move past him up the path. He glanced around. Sophia was ahead in a nearby field picking flowers and singing to herself. Before he could stop and think, he grabbed Mina’s arm and jerked her back. She gasped in surprise and he took the opening, crushing his mouth down hard onto her parted lips. She struggled lightly. But as he moved his tongue to dip past her teeth, her resistance completely faded. A soft moan left her lips, washing pleasantly into his mouth, stirring his blood with pure instinctive lust.
She moved her hands up to his shoulders, resting lightly against his bare flesh. Larus pulled her closer, liking the way her softer body fit next to him, as if the gods carved her for him. His body lurched, his member hard with need. The primal urge to take her grew strong and he pulled her tighter against him, rocking his hips into her belly. He met with the soft globe of her breast, kneading it in firm strokes until her nipple budded to press into his palm.
Mina gasped and struggled. His kisses trailed from her lush lips to her tender neck. Her resistance to her own passion only awoke the beast within him. Larus was a man known for his ease and control, but somehow this woman took his control and tossed it aside. The beast wanted to hunt, to play her game as she refused to give in to what they both wanted. He smelled her longing, a pleasing fragrance in his head, tempting and teasing him. The beast wanted her blood as well as her sweet body. He wanted to ravish her, mark her, bite her, claim her. The last surprised him and he forced his hand to let her go. He gasped for breath, but it was hard to control his raging desire.
Mina stood before him, wide-eyed and scared. She trembled, but didn’t scream, didn’t run. “Why... why did you do that?”
Larus frowned. How could he possibly understand her question? All he could think about was how he wanted to toss her to the ground and ride her hard until they both met their release. A groan left him at the thought and he mindlessly reached for her again.
* * * *
Mina jerked awkwardly, terrified by the creature before her. At first, his kiss had been sweet, passionate, and even enjoyable. But then, he changed, turning almost rough. Mina shivered. It had still been incredibly pleasant, but the very intensity of the feelings scared her.
When she looked at him, his eyes were gold-green, his teeth slightly elongated as if he would become the beast. With trembling fingers she touched her neck. It burned where he kissed her. To her horror, when she withdrew her hand it was covered with blood.
“What have you done?” she asked, looking at her hand and then into his eyes. He blinked, only looking at her hand when she held it up for inspection. Her fingers shaking, she repeated louder, “What have you done?”
“Mina?” Sophia asked, sounding concerned. “Mina?”
“What have you done?” Mina insisted, not hearing her sister.
Larus’s mouth opened as if he would speak. Mina shook. Sophia was suddenly by Larus’s side, looking at her. He quickly wiped his lips before Sophia saw the blood on them.
“Mina, you cut yourself,” Sophia scolded. The woman shook her head, sighed, and leaned over to rip a section of her skirt. Crossing to Mina, Sophia began humming as she wrapped the cloth around Mina’s throat. “You really should be more careful, Mina. It’s a good thing my knight was here to save you, or else you might have really been hurt.”
Mina nodded. Sophia seemed completely unaware of the fact that Larus was still partly shifted into a wolf. When Sophia finished her bandage, she pulled back and nodded.
“There,” Sophia said. “All taken care of. Oh! My flowers!”
Sophia took off jogging back down the path. Mina followed her, making a wide arch past Larus. She didn’t want to be alone with him again.
“Mina,” he said. When she glanced at him, his face was back to normal, his eyes sorrowful. “Mina, I’m sorry.”
Mina shook and nodded her head at the same time, unsure if she accepted the apology or not. Hurrying past, she found Sophia picking her discarded flowers up from the ground. Her sister glanced at her, smiling brightly.
“Do you think my love will like these?” Sophia asked, holding up the purple and yellow plants.
“Sophia,” Mina said, shivering. She pushed her dark hair over her shoulder. “You need to stay away from him. Please.”
Sophia’s face fell and Mina could see her sister would argue.
“Men like to pursue women they think they can’t have, remember? Pretend you don’t want him and he will want you,” Mina rushed, trying to manipulate her sister into compliance. “Stay away from him.”
Sophia considered that. “You are very wise, Mina. I shall try it. Men do like to chase, do they not?”
Mina nodded, hoping that her advice would keep Sophia away from Larus and safe from the spell until she figured out a way to break free. “Oh, yes. That’s why they’re men.”
“Well, I shall certainly do that,” Sophia said, nodding her head. Mina sighed with relief, only to stop as her sister added, “Just as soon as I give my love these flowers he wanted.”
“Sophia, wait--” Mina frowned, watching the long trail of blonde hair as her sister ran down the path to Larus. She didn’t want to follow, didn’t want to face him, but she really had no choice. She couldn’t leave Sophia alone with him.
When she got back, Larus was still standing pretty much in the same spot, looking at her sister in annoyance as he took the flowers. As she neared, his eyes instantly went to her face, gauging her reaction to him. Mina looked away.
“Shouldn’t we get going?” Mina asked, staring down the path. “I’d like to see if these elders can get us home.”
“I don’t want to go home!” Sophia pouted, nearing tears. “Mina, no. I want to stay here with my Larus!”
Mina closed her eyes and sighed, not saying a word.
* * * *
They walked in silence until Mina was sure her legs were going to fall out from underneath her. Sophia didn’t seem to notice, doing her best to provoke Larus’s jealousy. It was almost sickening to watch, but as long as Sophia kept chattering endless nonsense about her old suitors, suitors who in reality probably could no longer remember her name since their father’s death, Mina was kept from being drawn into conversation with him. Besides, it was with a somewhat sick pleasure that Mina enjoyed watching her enthralled sister make a mild spectacle of herself.
“Yes, I have many suitors,” Sophia sighed for the fifth or sixth time, batting her eyelashes at Larus.
Finally, when it became obvious she wasn’t going to let up, he sighed loudly and said in exasperation, “Yes, I understand. I gladly bow out. I wish you much happiness with one of them.”
Sophia paled, looking at Mina in horror. Then, she stopped and shook her head, “No, no, you are the most treasured of those suitors, Larus. Do not give up, my love. If you ask me,
I will be your bride.”
It was Larus’s turn to pale. Sophia stopped, smiling expectantly, as if she waited for him to swoop down to one knee and declare his affection. Mina snorted as she tried to hold back her laughter. When she glanced back, Larus was glaring at her.
Taking pity on him, Mina asked, “Will there be a stream nearby our next encampment? I should like to bathe.”
Larus’s glare turned into a grateful look of relief. “Yes, of course, just ahead.”
Mina watched as he quickly continued down the path, brushing past her to walk ahead of them. Sophia came by her side and grabbed her arm. “Mina, do you think something is wrong with him? Why didn’t he ask me to be his bride?”
He’s sane, Mina thought dryly.
Sophia sighed, pulling on Mina’s arm to follow him. “I was so sure he was going to ask me. It’s very curious. Perhaps, I should just try harder.”
Chapter Six
Larus frowned as he stormed through the forest to look for firewood. The moon was half full, shining the most exquisite silver over the land through the tops of the trees. He knew the giant orb would shift its colors with the magic of the seasons, but the silver moon always lasted the longest. The air was beginning to warm, the odd chill he’d felt the other day was completely gone.
Leaving the infuriating women at the campsite to rest, he knew he had to get away from them. It was late in the evening and he felt as far away from the elders as when he started that morning. Human pace was excruciatingly slow, but he had no choice in the matter. He had no wish to carry them both on his back. Mina’s soft thighs around him would be too much, and one could only guess at how Sophia would act.Larus wasn’t sure taking them before the council was the best course of action, but what else could he do with them? He’d only said the elders, because he had to tell Mina something. How could he expect her to follow him, if he admitted he didn’t know what he was going to do? If he knew, he would have just used the mind link to try and call Ilar or Malak to him for help. For some reason, he didn’t. He was pretty sure that reason was a very beautiful dark-haired temptress named Willamina. He didn’t want to share her yet, especially not with the charming womanizer Malak, even if that meant putting up with Sophia in the meantime.
He would have to decide tomorrow. The paths would fork and he could take them straight to Lycaon, north to the elders, or south to Malak at Fenris and to a known portal. Such complete confusion was a new feeling for the lycan king and he didn’t like it. It didn’t help that Mina’s scent was in his head, and her taste was in his mouth--both her passionate kiss and her blood.
His gut knotted every time he saw Mina’s bandaged throat. What had gotten into him that he didn’t even remember biting her? That the beast had come out without his knowledge or control was madness. Only after he calmed his raging desires, did he register the potently sweet flavor of her blood on his lips.
The most damning thing was that she was now marked as his lover--or at least marked to be his lover since they had yet to come together. Her pull would become stronger and harder to resist. He was afraid if he didn’t slake his desire for her soon the beast would surface and take her by any means necessary. The king didn’t like being helpless.
If they crossed paths with any familiar with his kind, they’d sense her status and news would spread that Larus had taken a mortal woman as his--even if it was temporary. However, temporary lovers were rarely marked without reason, for once marked it was harder to break the bond. Both parties had to wish the separation, and Larus knew his body wouldn’t be listening to his head for some time yet.
Looking down at the stiff mass between his legs, he sighed. It had been like that since their first kiss. He was thankful his tunic draped forward to cover it from view, not that Mina looked at him more than a handful of times since the incident. Larus winced. He would hate for Sophia to think it was for her.
His hands shook and he couldn’t concentrate. Looking around the forest, Larus wondered if he should take care of matters on his own. It couldn’t hurt to try. Dropping the firewood, he leaned his shoulder against a tree and sniffed the air. No one was around to bear witness.
Slowly, he lifted his tunic and fisted his hand over his shaft, stroking in firm pulls. His eyes drifted closed as Mina’s smell easily came to him. She heard her sultry voice in his head, though it wasn’t hard and defiant like when she’d talked to him, it was soft and yielding like when she’d kissed him. He moved faster, stroking over the entire length, building his body toward a much needed release. A soft moan caught in his throat. He saw her face, felt her lush lips against him. Imagining her mouth was on his erection, his body jerked. He instantly spilled his seed onto the forest floor.
Gasping for breath, feeling relived now that the pressure was lessened, he let his tunic fall once more over his body. He turned, leaning to rest his back against the rough bark of the tree. His actions helped to lessen some of his body’s tension, but did nothing to temper his desire for Mina.
Hearing a light whispering noise and detecting the scent of old death on the evening breeze, Larus stiffened. He narrowed his eyes, taking in the surrounding forest. A chill ran over him, urging him to shift. He resisted, staying where he was.
“I thought I detected someone out,” a low, smooth voice said. The words sounded bored.
Larus turned, looking at the old vampire who addressed him. The creature had shoulder length black hair that hung around his striking face. The dark locks streaked across his overly pale flesh, stirring in the breeze. His gray eyes were rimmed with red, attesting to a recent feed. Larus’s stomach tensed, as he thought of Mina and her sister. They’d make a tempting meal for a vampire. He’d been so preoccupied with lust that he hadn’t been concentrating on them.
“Devlin,” Larus acknowledged with a stiff nod, not giving away his thoughts.
“So, what honor do I owe that the great lycan king pays me a visit?” Devlin asked, smiling without real pleasure. When he moved it was with a deceptive ease. Larus knew that this man could strike fast if he so choose. He wasn’t scared for himself, so much as the human women under his protection.
“I’m merely passing through the forest,” Larus answered, keeping his tone level. “I’ll be off your land tomorrow.”
“Why not run past as your kind normally does?” Devlin questioned. “I wonder why you stop.”
“No reason,” Larus lied.
Devlin’s smile deepened, though his eyes still looked bored. “So, the human women are not yours? They are unclaimed?”
Larus swallowed. Devlin knew about the sisters. He wondered what the vampire would do, what he might have done already. “They are mine.”
“Both?” Devlin questioned.
“Yes, both,” Larus allowed.
“Only one bears your mark,” Devlin countered. “The blonde child seems to be unclaimed.”
“Believe me, Devlin, she is trouble you don’t want.” Larus made a move to leave.
Devlin lifted a hand to stop him. The vampire sniffed and looked to the ground where Larus had spilled his seed. His grin deepened and his grey eyes lit with interest. Larus swallowed. He much preferred the vampire’s boredom.
“You have a marked woman nearby, a beautiful one at that, and yet you spill your seed on the ground?” Devlin asked, his dark brow lifting in question.
Larus didn’t speak. He didn’t have to.
“It has been a long while since I’ve tasted human blood,” Devlin said. “I wonder, has it changed its flavor? You must know for you’ve tasted the dark one.”
“It’s the same.” Larus shrugged. He made a move to walk toward the camp. “Weak, as all mortals are.”
“Hum,” Devlin sighed, turning as if to walk with Larus. “Let me have the blonde one, just for a taste. Consider it an exchange for safe passage over my land.”
“The wars are over,” Larus said. “I can pass so long as I don’t linger.”
“A lycan staying the night could be considered lingerin
g. You could always run ahead, but that would leave the two mortals unprotected and I could then claim the blonde one just the same.” Devlin lifted his long nails and studied them. They looked perfectly manicured and thin, but Larus knew they’d be as strong as his claws. “Come on, one taste of her. What do you care? You don’t take her as yours.”
“No, I’m sorry.” Larus looked at Devlin in warning.
“Ah, then, so am I.” Devlin chuckled. He stepped back and bowed like a true gentleman. Before he’d even pulled back up, his body dissolved into a fine mist, spreading out over the forest. A second later Sophia’s yell sounded. Larus tensed, running toward the campsite. When he got there, Mina stared wide eyed at Devlin.
The vampire had his hand on Sophia’s arm as she struggled against him. Mina charged, but Devlin lifted his hand and pushed her back without touching her. She stumbled into Larus’s chest. He caught her, holding her back as she again sought to free her sister. He smelled her fear and felt her anger as she bravely tried to fight the old vampire.
“Devlin,” Larus said, his eyes darkening.
Sophia yelled again and repeatedly hit the vampire’s arms. Devlin didn’t even flinch. In fact, he looked amused. Swinging Sophia around to face him, he let his eyes swirl with color. Sophia instantly quieted and stared up at him, becoming compliant. Her arms rose about his neck and she offered her lips up.
Devlin grinned, but didn’t kiss her. He glanced at Larus, and said, “I love a woman with fire.”
“Sophia?” Mina panicked, still tugging to free herself. “Larus, what’s going on? Help her! Let me go!”
“You shouldn’t have been so greedy, friend, all I wanted was a taste of her, now I will take more. I’ll take this prize with me, so that you may play with the other. Enjoy your night and then come to my home tomorrow evening at dusk, no sooner, to pick up this enchanting creature. I am sure I will grow tired of her by then.” Devlin petted Sophia’s silky blonde hair, lifting the locks to his mouth for a gentle kiss. His eyes bore into Sophia’s and she moaned weakly in response, resting her head on his shoulder. Devlin scooped her up, hooking his arm under her to carry her before him.
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