“Get in the car,” he ordered.
I smirked. “You get in the car.”
The corner of his lips lifted to a half-grin as he got to his feet. He opened the back door and slid into the middle of the back seat. I didn’t hesitate as he unzipped his leather pants, I climbed in after him and shut the door. His hands were on me immediately, pinching, touching, rolling over me, sending every thought out of my head. I straddled his lap, my knees pressed into the leather seats. Pressing against the hard muscles of his chest, I rolled my hips to bring the head of his thick cock to my throbbing entrance. My eyes met his before I dropped onto him. He filled me completely, hitting the end of me. Everything I was sparked and shook. He groaned as his hands went to my hips. He was perfect, as always.
I moved, sliding him over all my sensitive spots. I was gasping by the time he filled me again. My nipples brushed against his chest, his scars shooting sparks through me. His body met my rhythm, making me whimper as my body grew tighter. We’d had sex many times before, but this was different. There was no frenzy, no urgency as I slowly moved up and down his shaft. We simply moved together, feeling each other, seeing each other as if for the first time.
Groaning, he took my mouth as sweat ran down our bodies. The windows fogged with our heavy breathing. Lights danced over the windows, showing the absolute worship on his face. Oh fuck! My body clenched around his as I blew apart. I cried out, my back arching, my head back as he drove into me. His grip on my skin bruising. His hips kept moving, keeping me flying so long I thought I’d never come down. When I dropped against his chest, he was still like stone inside me.
“I promise.” His deep rasp had me meeting his gaze. “To love yae every day of your life.”
“I promise to love you every day of yours,” I whispered back. My left forearm slowly began to burn, sending delicious shivers through me.
His hips continued to drive me crazy. “I promise I’ll always try to be the male ya deserve.”
My entire body broke out in goosebumps as the air charged, my body burned. “I promise to always choose you over everyone and anything else. Always.”
A wave of fire burned through me. He drove harder into me. I cried out as we moved together.
Love filled the amazing depths of his eyes as he continued to make lights dance in my vision. “I promise I will always pick ya. Over anything and everything.” He grunted as his thrusts grew harder.
That ledge was coming fast. I wrapped my arms around his neck and brushed my lips against his. “I promise, I’m yours.” One last thrust threw me over the edge. I gripped his body as I cried out his name. Pleasure crashed over me, threatening to drown me as he moved inside me. The world was gone; everything was gone but him, his touch, his taste. His hands lifted me off him. He slipped out of me to rest against my lower stomach. He growled as he came on his hard stomach. My heart dropped. Even now….
I grew limp against him, my face buried in his neck as he held me close. Our breathing grew quieter, our heartbeats slowed. Everything was perfect. Except the cum cooling on his skin. When I could finally form a thought, I asked. “Why?”
His arms tightened around me as his face buried in my hair. “I don’t want to kill yae.”
I sat up. “What?”
His face was shadowed as he held my cheek. “My sister died in childbirth, goddess. I don’t want the same to happen to ya.”
Everything I was, melted; that was it? “You don’t finish inside me so I don’t get pregnant?”
His eyes were warm as he nodded.
I snorted. “We don’t even know if I could get pregnant, Ran.”
He pressed his sweaty forehead against mine. “I won’t risk ya.”
“I get it,” I whispered as I ran my fingers over the muscles of his abdomen. There was one thing I had to know… “Do you regret that I’m not a gargoyle?”
He looked at me as if I’d slapped him. “No,” he answered softly. “Do you regret that I’m not a wolf? That I’ll never run with ya?”
“I ran with the pack tonight,” I whispered. “And I still felt like I was running alone. Seeing that you were flying above me; that’s what made it a good run. So, no.”
The light in his face as he smiled down at me sent my heart soaring.
“You’re my home now. You’re my family now.” I ran my fingers up the muscles of his chest.
He kissed me lightly, his lips barely brushing mine. “You’re my everything.”
I smiled as happiness bubbled inside me. Who needed someone to run with when you had a man that could fly?
Falk
I was in my wood shop, sanding down the high chair when the door creaked open behind me.
I didn’t even have to look to know it was her. “Come on in, Corrina.”
She walked to my side with her arms wrapped around her stomach as if she were cold. “I did it again?”
“Yeah.” I stopped working and straightened as I looked down at her. “But it’s all right. I like having you here.”
The corner of her lip lifted a bit. “I like being here.”
My chest ached at the lost, haunted look in her eyes. “Whenever I need to think, I create something.” I gestured at the project. “It helps my mind quiet down.”
She looked over the carvings on the high chair. “It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.” I surveyed her, growing more worried. “Want to give it a try?”
She shrugged. “I’m not great with my hands unless there is a keyboard involved.”
“It’ll help,” I said softly.
She thought about it and nodded.
I walked her over to the large, half-hollowed-out tree I was carving a canoe from. She stood beside me and looked down.
“Now, this is easy.” I picked up the tools. “You don’t have to be smooth or even precise. You’re just taking layers off.” I handed her the chisel and mallet. She stood the tool straight up. I bit back a smile while I moved my arms around her and showed her the angle she wanted to hold the chisel at. “You can’t go at it straight on, or you’ll get stuck. To take the layers off, you need an angle.”
“Couldn’t you do this with an ax or something?” she asked, looking up at me.
“I could, but I figured you’d be more comfortable with the chisel,” I explained.
She smiled a little more as she turned back to the canoe. I walked her through the first few strokes, then dropped my arms and stepped back. She concentrated completely on her task. Her hits with the mallet grew harder, her movements quicker. It wasn’t long before she began to take off chunks of wood.
Tears rolled down her face as she pounded the back of the chisel over and over. I stood silently, watching as she worked her grief out. Killing didn’t bother me, but Rina cherished life. She loved it. She wasn’t broken. And I didn’t want this to break her.
Eventually, she was out of breath, her arms shaking as she dropped the tools from her weak fingers.
I gently turned her toward me, wiped her face. “Feel better?”
She blinked several times, then nodded. “How’d you know?”
I ran my thumb over her cheekbone. “Because you’re a good person. That’s why I was waiting for you here, schatzi.”
She shook her head. “How do you do it? How do you kill people and don’t let it affect you?”
My heart clenched. Did she really want to know? Would the truth be too much? Would she run from me, screaming that I am a monster? “I grew up in a different time. My corner of the world was very dark. I grew up seeing death every day. I wasn’t always this way. But over time… Eventually, you get used to it. After a while, it stops bothering you. Eventually, if you live long enough, you stop feeling.”
She pressed her lips together. “I don’t want to get used to it.”
I held her face in my hand. “You’ll never have to.” I brushed my thumb across her cheekbone. “I don’t see things the way you do. All I see is the dark and blood. You see the light, the good. You focus on
what life has to offer. I don’t want that ever taken from you.”
Her face softened as she moved closer. “Why do you look at me like that?”
“Like what?” I whispered, my heart hammering.
“As if I’m the only woman in the world that you see.” She stepped closer until she had to tilt her head up to meet my eyes.
“Because you are,” I answered. My hand dropped to my side “And you terrify me.”
Her hand moved to my chest, burning through me. “How do I scare you? You’re an executioner.”
No. It wasn’t time. I wasn’t ready to see her look at me the way she would. “I’ll tell you another day, schatzi.”
She looked up at me. “What did you call me?”
“Schatzi.” My fingers stroked her jaw. “It’s term of endearment in Germany.”
“What does it mean?”
“Little treasure,” I answered without thinking. My face burned as I realized what I just said. The smile that spread across her face shined so brightly it was worth the humiliation.
Her fingers curled into my shirt as she went to her toes and met my lips with hers. Everything stopped. Heart pounding, my lips moved with hers. My arm wrapped around her waist only to hold her tighter against me. Light, warmth, and happiness burst inside my chest; I’d never felt the like before. Everything I was, was at peace. Everything I’d ever be, changed, by that one, simple, chaste kiss. She slowly lowered herself until she was standing flat-footed on the floor of the workshop.
“We haven’t taken this slow at all. Have we?” She looked up at me through her lashes.
“If we weren’t, you would already be on your back, writhing in pleasure beneath me.” It slipped out before I could stop myself. Shit! All my blood was centered around my groin at the moment.
Her face turned a deep rose color as her gaze dropped to my chest.
Cursing myself, I pressed a kiss into her hair. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say that.”
“It’s okay, I just didn’t expect you to be that blunt.” She stepped back and looked up at me. “I’ll, uh, see you in the morning.” Her figure faded like a mirage in the desert. The scent of lavender lingered long after she had gone.
13
Astrid
It had taken every ounce of charm to convince Ranulf to stay behind at the church this morning. This was pack business and I had to handle it. He had bitched, a lot. But a few whispered promises, a few touches in the right places, and he gave in.
I pulled through the gates and around the driveway. My heart raced as I got out and headed inside. And no, I didn’t bother to knock.
“David!” I shouted as I closed the front door.
One of the other wolves came down the hall. “He’s in his office.”
“Thanks.” I went to the door and pushed it open.
David looked up from his desk and papers, his face already hard. “Next time you walk into my house without knocking, you’ll regret it.”
“This’ll be the last time.” I didn’t care if he was pissed. I just needed to do this and leave. “Listen, I’m not taking the—”
“The alpha position.” He leaned back in his chair. “Liam told me.”
Well, that made this much simpler. “I’m leaving the pack.” I reached up and slipped the long white gold chain off my neck. The pack’s emblem glinted in the light as I set it down on the desk in front of David.
“Liam also decided against the alliance.” David voice had a razor’s edge to it.
A chill ran down my spine. “Sorry to hear that.” I stepped back away from the desk. “But it’s not my problem anymore.”
“Arthur! Neil!” David shouted. His two bodyguards appeared in the doorway behind me.
My heart pounded as I met David’s furious gaze. “You wanted me gone. I’m out. I’m gone.”
His eyes were all wolf as he got to his feet. “As we were leaving the site last night, I spotted your car on the side of the road. The windows were fogged.”
My stomach dropped. Hands grabbed my arms. I struggled against their grip, but they held my arms out to my sides, taking away any momentum I might have gotten. Fear tore through me like an icy wind as David pulled the left sleeve of my long-sleeved shirt back, exposing what looked to be a cuff of armored Celtic knots. My mate mark. The wolf inside me paced, growling.
David turned to me. “You chose a gargoyle over your pack.”
“I’m not part of your pack anymore. I turned in my medallion,” I reminded him, through the rock in my throat. “You have no authority over me.”
He growled in his chest. “You put what you wanted above the pack. You chose the gargoyle.”
“I have no control over who my mate is,” I bit out through clenched teeth, my anger boiling in my stomach. His eyes went back to his human. “That’s what he is. You of all people know we have no say in who that is.”
“He’s the reason you didn’t take the alpha position,” he growled. “Isn’t he?”
“No!” I bit out. “I didn’t want it. So, get your fucking hounds off me. I’ve done nothing illegal.”
David shook his head. “Take her downstairs. Put her in the cage.”
My stomach dropped. “David. Don’t do this.” My voice was a mere whisper. Memories poured through my mind. A tremor moved through me. He couldn’t…he wouldn’t…
David simply shared a look with the wolves behind me and they began pulling me from the room.
“I left the pack!” I screamed, fought, and struggled to break free as they dragged me out the door and down the hallway.
“Come on, Astrid,” Neil grunted. “It’d be easier if you just get it over with.”
“No!” I shouted. “I’m not pack anymore!”
“It’s bullshit,” Arthur snapped. “But orders are orders.”
“Not the cage!” I dug my nails into the doorframe as they tried to carry me downstairs. Arthur brought his arm down on the bend of my elbow, forcing me to lose my grip. They continued to carry me down the stairs. “David! Please!”
Skin scraped off my back as I was dragged across the rough basement floor; the cage came into sight. It was bigger than the hunters used…but still a cage. Terror consumed me; my heart pounded against my ribs, my wolf leaped to the surface. Bones broke and reknitted as I shifted only my face to give me teeth. I bit down on Neil’s arm, tearing at the flesh. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth as I latched on. Every inch of my skin began to burn as I started to shift halfway. My nails grew to claws. My limbs elongated.
“Get her in before she finishes!” Arthur bit out. They both tightened their grip on my clothes and threw me into the cage. My hand hit the grid and immediately began to smoke. Burning pain shot up my wrists as I pulled my hand away. A burn mark that matched the grid sat in the meat of my hand. The door slammed behind me. Panic gripped me as I turned around on my knees in the center of the short cage. Neil and Arthur were both out of breath as they quickly threw the silver locks, using gloves to protect themselves. My whole body shook as I tried to breathe. I took long, shaky breaths as I met Neil’s gaze.
“Why?” Tears poured down my face as the memories kept coming.
“Orders.” His voice furious. Orders? They knew how I came to the pack! They started across the basement.
“I turned in my medallion.” I barely managed to stifle the urge to scream. “I’m not pack anymore.”
Neil stopped and shared a look with Arthur. Arthur shook his head. They left me in the basement, in the cage. I wrapped my arms around my knees and stayed away from the sides. Tears poured down my face as the room disappeared. I was in the woods again. Erica was still breathing….
Rina
I woke up slowly, my head pounding. Even the light shining through my eyelids hurt. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. Too bright. I don’t know how long I stayed under there but eventually, my bladder demanded attention. Grumbling under my breath, I pushed off the covers and looked around the empty room. Where was
Falk? Rubbing the sleep from my face, I swung my legs over the bed, wincing as fire raced up my calf as I got to my feet. My stomach rebelled as I found the motel notepad on the table standing next to a glass of water and pills. On it, scrawled in masculine script, was,
Rina, I’m picking up a rental car. I’ll be back soon, and I’ll bring breakfast. Please drink the water and take the aspirin- Falk.
After drinking the water and taking the aspirin, I headed into the bathroom.
I turned the water on as hot as I could stand and stood beneath the spray, letting the water run down my body, soothing bruises and aches. Was Falk someone I could be with? I stepped out of the spray and wiped the water from my face before grabbing the little shampoo bottle. He had no problem killing someone. But he still helped strangers around him. I started washing my hair as I tried to figure out how I felt. It wasn’t just this matching thing. I actually liked him. I rinsed out my hair and grabbed the soap.
As I showered, I kept running through what I knew about him. He took care of me last night. Heck, the first thing he did when he shut off the water was cover me. Most men probably wouldn’t do that. At least not the creeps I knew.
I soaped up, careful of my bruises and cuts. He was so serious. So dour. But when he did laugh or smile…it was like touching the leviathan. Amazing and heart-pounding all at the same time. And that kiss… Damn. The man could kiss; but that can’t be all there is.
Still running circles in my head, I stopped washing as I looked down at my wrist. The handprint was now black and purple. And getting darker.
I swallowed hard as I went back to washing. They were going to keep coming after me. How long could Falk hold out before he didn’t have any more left? His bandages from last night slipped back into my mind. He couldn’t protect me forever; even he’d wear out… An icy finger slid up my spine and settled in my chest. Falk was going to get killed if we kept going this way…
Run (Books Of Stone Book 2) Page 16
