by Franca Storm
And then she pushed something into his hand.
He looked down to see a condom there. He ripped open the wrapper with his teeth and was about to sheath himself when she snatched it out of his hands.
“Mmm…I knew you were packing,” she said as she rolled the condom down over his throbbing cock.
“Oh fuck,” he gasped as she took her time, her fingers exploring his cock and teasing him as she did. “You know how to please a man, baby.”
By the time she’d finished, he couldn’t take it anymore. He was desperate to have her. He needed to be inside her now. He flipped her over and she stuck her ass into the air, offering herself to him.
“Good girl,” he growled.
He slid his index finger along her pussy and groaned as he felt how wet she was. Dripping wet. “You’re begging for my cock, aren’t you? So fucking ready for me, baby.” He circled her clit and she bucked against him. “Beg me. Beg me for my cock,” he commanded.
“Yes! Fuck me, Ryan! I want to feel your cock buried deep inside me! I need you!”
He thrust into her, driving balls deep. She screamed. “What’s the matter, baby? Too much?”
“More! Fuck me!” she whimpered into the pillows.
He wound his fingers in her hair and tugged hard as he pounded into her brutally. She wailed in pleasure, her tight pussy clenching around him and driving him crazy.
He released her hair and pulled her against him as he continued to fuck her hard from behind. He licked her shoulder and then bit down hard, breaking the skin. She growled and it was music to his ears. She fucking loved it and it just fueled his desire. He raked his claws over her tits, drawing blood and she screamed. Her pussy contracted around him as she came hard, cursing and crying out his name desperately. He released her and she collapsed onto the bed as he continued his ruthless fucking. He didn’t stop until he’d taken everything he could from her. And then he let go and released himself inside her.
He pulled out and collapsed onto the bed beside her. She propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. The look in her eyes was smoldering. It burned right through him. He reached for her and lifted her back onto his still rock-hard cock. “We’re not done, baby.”
He thrust his hips up and she gasped as he drove his cock deep. Her golden hair was shielding her face. He brushed it aside.
And then he froze.
“Shit,” he choked out. “Your…eyes…they’re….”
“Glowing,” she said excitedly. “So are yours.”
“What? You’re sure?”
“Yeah. They’re glowing gold like mine.”
Fuck. He lifted her off him and scrambled off the bed. He snatched his boxers off the floor and hurriedly pulled them on.
He stood with his back to her as he rubbed his face roughly. Shit.
“You’re mad at me?” she asked from behind him.
He could hear the hurt in her voice, her vulnerability. “No.”
“I can feel it, Ryan,” she said. “A pull to you.”
“I’m already mated, Jada,” he said, finally turning around to look at her.
“But you just fucked me.”
Shit, I just fucked another woman! “I…it’s complicated.” Fucking hell, what have I done?
“Ryan, I thought….” she said brokenly, tears glistening in her eyes.
He climbed back onto the bed and took her in his arms. “Shh. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I need time to figure out what’s going on here. What happened shouldn’t be possible, Jada.”
“But it is. It happened, Ryan,” she cried against his chest.
Oh fuck me. “Shh, baby. Shh.”
“I’ll go back to my own tent,” she said, trying to pull away.
“No,” he said, holding her tightly. “I don’t want you leaving when you’re upset. Just close your eyes, baby. Sleep now,” he spoke softly, soothingly.
He felt her relax against him. It wasn’t too long before she fell asleep in his arms.
“Fucking hell,” he breathed quietly. What the hell is going on? There’s only one mate. One.
CHAPTER 6
“Can’t we do this at the wolf compound, Nathanial? I want to see my son,” Cora asked as she followed Nathanial and Michael through the lobby of Michael’s home.
“His senses are very attuned, extremely sensitive. What we are about to do will not sit well with him.”
“What? What does that mean?”
Before Nathanial could answer her, Michael opened a door and said, “This is it.”
As soon as she stepped inside, Michael locked the door behind her and stood against it. What the hell is going on? A rush of adrenaline shot down her spine as she saw the only thing in the room—what looked like a dentist chair.
She shook her head and started to step back slowly. “What is that?”
Michael moved to speak but Nathanial held up his hand to silence him. “She doesn’t need to hear what you use it for, sadist.” Nathanial took her hands in his and told her gently, “You need to be restrained for this, princess. I need you to remain as still as possible.”
“You think I can’t hold still? I’m not a child, Nathanial.”
“This will be painful, Cora.”
“I’ve had his wolf poison inside me,” she said, eyeing Michael with disdain.
“This will be worse.”
She gulped.
“You are a sorceress of white light. Your body will reject the presence of my dark energy. Furthermore, the block that your father put in place was never meant to be removed. I will need to force it.”
“I…see,” she said, unable to conceal the fear that was now coursing through her like a tidal wave. “And, Michael? What will he do?”
“I will need to expend a great deal of power to remove the block. It means I will only be able to concentrate on one thing at once. Michael is here to stabilize your body, to prevent you from going into cardiac arrest, shock, or from sleeping. Unfortunately, you must remain awake so that you are at full strength. Whenever you sleep, your power is weaker and during this procedure you’ll need everything to sustain yourself.”
“Nathanial,” she croaked.
“I know. I’m sorry you have to endure this, Cora.”
“How long will it take?”
“I will do my best to make it as quick as possible. A few minutes.”
“Okay,” she said, slowly crossing to the chair.
She settled herself onto it. Michael left the door and secured cuffs to her wrists and ankles. She gasped with every sharp snap as each one locked into place. Michael moved behind her and pressed his hands to either side of her head. “Let me in, princess,” he said gently.
She allowed him access and she felt a brief burn. But it quickly subsided.
“I am ready, Nathanial,” he said.
Her eyes snapped to Nathanial as he approached her. He stood on her right side and hovered both his hands over her stomach. “It’s here,” he murmured to himself. “Okay.” He adjusted his weight and then told her, “I am sorry, Cora.”
His palms glowed brighter than she’d ever seen them.
And then he pressed them to her stomach.
She screamed as a pain unlike any she had ever felt before ripped through her entire body.
She bucked against her restraints, bellowing at the top of her lungs.
“Fuck! No! No! It hurts too much! Stop! Stop!” she screamed, tears streaming down her face.
Nathanial ignored and just kept going and concentrating on what he was doing.
“Be careful,” she heard Michael warning him. “Your power is limited here in the human realm. Don’t draw too hard.”
“Stop! Please…stop…stop,” Cora cried.
She screwed up her eyes against the pain.
A second later it was gone.
Michael’s hands left her.
She opened her eyes to see a sliver of what looked like a crystal floating on Nathanial’s palm. He squeezed it tightly and it disintegrated
instantly from the sheer might of his power.
It took less than a few seconds for her strength to return, for her to feel her normal self again after such a horrendous experience. Clearly her power knew no bounds.
Suddenly, Nathanial wavered on his feet and collapsed onto the floor in a heap.
“Nathanial!” she screamed. “Michael, release me. Now.”
Michael did as she commanded and she dropped to her knees beside Nathanial.
Michael joined her and said, “He used too much power to make it quicker on you.”
“Shit.”
“He needs to return to the Dark Realm. Now. It’s the only way his power can regenerate.”
“No, he can’t go back with Oriana there. She’ll kill him in this state.”
“Then he will die here.”
Cora shook her head vehemently. She took Nathanial’s hands in hers. He eyed her weakly, wondering what she was doing. She grunted and then released her power.
“Holy hell,” Michael breathed. “That’s some power you’ve got there. I can feel it,” he exclaimed in wonder. “Now that it’s not blocked it’s—”
“Pure,” Nathanial finished for him as he suddenly sat up and pulled away from Cora’s grip.
“Was that enough?” Cora asked worriedly as they all climbed to their feet. “It was only a few seconds’ worth.”
“Enough? It’s been a while since I’ve felt this…strong. Do you feel weak?”
She shook her head and grinned. “Surprisingly, no. Thanks to you removing that block.”
“I’m sorry it was so painful.”
“Yet another reason for me to kill my father.”
“No, princess. Remember what we spoke of. Vazra must live,” Nathanial said, wrapping his arm around her in a fatherly gesture. “Let me deal with him. Your focus is Oriana. I will teach you how to wield your power without consequence.”
She nodded. “I’m ready to learn.”
Nathanial chuckled. “Finally, a good student.”
“Who did you teach last?”
“My son.”
“Oh.”
“Come, child. Let’s get you to your son. We will teach you at the compound.”
Cora eyed Michael in surprise. Why was he coming? “Does he need to come with us?”
“Black magic. I wield it so I can teach you how to battle it when you face Oriana,” Michael answered.
“I need to call ahead and warn Josh. The wolves won’t be happy about this.”
Nathanial nodded. “I understand.”
* * * * *
Nathanial watched her as she walked ahead of them and pulled out her cell phone to call Josh at the compound.
“Do you think she can actually do this? Destroy Oriana?” Michael asked.
Nathanial breathed out a heavy sigh and turned to him. “She has the power as you just saw. But that is not the issue. I can teach her control techniques. But it will be up to her in the end. If she lets her emotions rule her head, if she loses control even for a moment—”
“She will perish.”
Nathanial nodded. “As will we all.”
CHAPTER 7
Ryan paced in his tent in a pent-up state of anxiety as he looked at Jada sleeping soundly on her back, naked in his bed. Shit. What have I done?
Last night he’d been furious with Cora, adamant that he never wanted to see her again, that he hated her with every fiber of his being. Now, in the harsh light of day, he knew that’d been his hurt talking, something he’d never been capable of allowing himself to feel. He’d always channeled it with anger, through lashing out. It was exactly what he’d done last night when he’d fucked Jada. He’d wanted to hurt Cora in any way he could and the feisty wolf had walked right on in to his tent and served him the opportunity on a damned platter. And he’d taken it without a second thought.
But he didn’t feel better. He felt sick to his stomach. Despite what was going on, Cora was still his wife and the mother of his son. For nothing else, he owed it to Orion to try to work things out with her.
Work things out?
If she was with Luca, there was nothing to work out. It was a line that she could never come back from. If she’d fucked him…if…shit, had she? What if her decision to save him had led to nothing actually happening between them? Then he’d just taken his revenge for nothing. In fact, if that was the case, now he was the asshole.
Despite all the uncertainties right now, there was one thing he did know for certain. He shouldn’t have slept with another woman. It wasn’t the answer to anything. And as shitty as his luck always was, it’d actually complicated everything even further, because she appeared to be his fucking mate.
How could that be? There was only one. It was what he’d always been taught, what he’d always believed. Hell, even Nathanial held the same thing to be true. He knew Marella was his only mate. He’d known that Ryan’s father had been Oriana’s true mate. So much so that he’d recognized it even though Oriana had been married to him.
He shook his head vehemently. No, this can’t be possible. Something is wrong here. Something is going on. I need to find out what. But how? Who can I tell about this, about what I’ve done? Nathanial. Yes, if anyone will know what to do, it’s him. The guy’s ancient. He’s seen everything. And if it’s something magical, he’ll know. I need to bring Jada to him.
But in the meantime, how was he going to deal with her? After they’d fucked last night, her feistiness had fallen away and she’d become a vulnerable mess of emotion. The broken look in her eyes when he’d refused to acknowledge that they were mates had been gut-wrenching. He’d fucked around with women in the past, leaving a slew of one-nighters in his wake, but he’d never been an asshole about it. Well, except for Alyssa, but that bitch had baited him. He had to be gentle with Jada. Not my area of expertise at all. Shit.
“Ryan? Oh, sorry, wait…is that my sister?” Damon’s voice came from the tent entrance.
The sound of his voice cut through Ryan’s anxious thoughts. He eyed him warily as he walked in, looking between him and Jada. Shit, I didn’t even think about that. Yes, she’s his fucking sister. Great one, Ry. How fucked up were you last night? “Damon—”
Damon waved his hand and grinned broadly. “No apologies needed.”
“What?” Ryan asked, surprised.
“She hasn’t stopped talking about you since you left. She’s been a mess. Crying and depressed the entire time, whining about how you’re her mate. You should’ve seen her last night when I told her you were back.”
Ryan struggled to absorb his words. He stared at Jada for a long time before finally turning back to Damon and saying, “I’m married.”
“So what? Your wife’s in another realm. She’s not even wolf. You’re the Wolf King. You need a mate who’s the same species as you, who gets us. That wife of yours was forced upon you—destiny and all that crap. It was never gonna work. You’re the ultimate Alpha wolf, the ruler over us all, and you need a female counterpart to that. Wolf, Ry.”
Fuck, has he been reading my thoughts for the last few days? “She…Jada said she’s my mate.”
“Yeah, she kept saying that to me, too.”
“It’s not possible. There’s only one.”
“Those White Realm fuckers are so manipulative. Maybe they engineered it between you and Cora. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve fucked with shit like that. What about her and the Vampire Prince?”
Ryan growled at the mention of Luca. Could what Damon was suggesting really be possible? Vazra was, without a doubt, the most manipulative son of a bitch he’d ever met. He wouldn’t put it past him.
“You marrying his daughter kept you in his pocket. Well, before your alliance with Nathanial, of course.”
“Yeah,” Ryan said, running his fingers through his hair. “I need to figure this out.”
Damon stepped into him and gripped both his shoulders firmly. “I can’t exactly give you orders. You are my King. But whatever you decide to do,
do it gently.”
“When I met your sister she seemed unbreakable. Tough.”
“Yeah, well. She normally is, except when it comes to this shit. She is, well, was a virgin, remember?”
Ryan blinked hard. “What?”
Damon stepped back and eyed him quizzically. “You didn’t know?”
Ryan shook his head. “Fucking hell,” he growled. “She didn’t say a goddamn thing.” And there weren’t any signs. She’d been incredibly tight, but that didn’t always mean…that. Blood stained the sheets, but he’d figured that’d been from his claws and teeth on her and her claws and teeth on him. Shit, it clearly wasn’t just that, was it?
Ryan watched her stir. She was waking up.
Damon saw it too and whispered. “We need to talk about our coming battle. I need your help with some shields.”
Ryan nodded. “Good. Let’s go now.”
“You don’t want to…you know?” Damon asked, gesturing to Jada.
Fuck no. I’m being a little chicken shit here, but I don’t care right about now. “Let’s go,” he said, this time more firmly.
“As you wish,” Damon said, leading the way out of the tent.
CHAPTER 8
Ryan sat on a hill overlooking the camp, his knees drawn up and his face resting in his hands as he tried to figure things out.
He’d spent the past few hours conversing with the wolves, laying out their plan of attack for storming the castle. They all understood what was required of each of them now.
Damon had shown him the shields that each wolf would carry. They were spelled with a magical deflector, meaning that if Oriana assaulted them with her magic, it would bounce off the special metal and fire right back at her. Ryan had been concerned about the durability of them against the physical strength of Nathanial’s royal guards. Nathanial had warned him that they could be under Oriana’s control, so he had to assume that they were. He’d assaulted one of the shields with his full strength and it’d barely shuddered under the impact. Aside from Nathanial, no vampire could match his strength now that he’d come into his full power as Wolf King, so he’d been satisfied that the shields would fare well in their coming battle.
