Arctic Bound

by Tigris Eden

  That’s what she’d set out to do. She wanted to help.

  Teak backed away slowly. He let her pass by, and soon Nerina was standing in between Theo and Adamo. She didn’t want to kill her brother, but she would if he made her.

  “Adamo, no! Stop this! Don’t you see this is what father wants?”

  Adamo’s eyes widened in surprise at her appearance. He said nothing as he tried to shove her out of the way.

  “Looks like you’re a hard human to kill, Sis.”

  “I’m obviously no longer human.” Something she’d have to come to terms with later.

  “No shit. Now move out of the way. Father wants them dead. All of them.”

  “No! This isn’t how it’s supposed to be.”

  Adamo bared his fangs at her, and she found in return instinct had her baring hers back. They were hissing like a bunch of cats. Adamo didn’t have claws like hers, his nails were sharp, but they definitely weren’t claws. She struck out barely catching him on the chin. He jumped back and out of the way. He lunged for her and Nerina sidestepped in time, but Adamo plowed into Theo, who clamped down on her brother’s shoulder and neck. He was fully turned into a wolf and like a dog with a chew toy; Theo shook her brother’s body from side to side until he stopped moving. His neck was halfway separated from his shoulder when the wolf finally dropped his lifeless body to the ground.

  The rest of the men from her father’s envoy were quickly retreating. Thorn had gone down, but was still breathing. It looked like Colin was injured just as bad if not worse. Blood was everywhere. The coppery smell called to her senses, and Nerina had to cover her face with the sleeve of her jacket to keep the smell from invading her nose. It was too strong. Her stomach rolled and ached. The blood was calling to her. It sang softly in her ear about the promise of warmth and life. Each note a distinct temptation goading her to taste.

  She had to get out of there, before she hurt anyone else. Nerina took in the surroundings and couldn’t find Teak, she wanted to apologize to him and make sure he was okay. This thing with her father wasn’t over. She knew he’d be back with reinforcements as soon as he was able to regroup. Turning she ran head first into a warm, hard chest. Victor. She’d know his scent anywhere.

  “You came back.”

  “I wanted to make sure that no one got seriously hurt. Despite what your family thinks of me, I actually care.”

  “I see that.”

  Strong arms banded around her. Jerking back and free of his grasp she looked up into eyes that she’d come to trust. But it was those same eyes that had also taken her trust for granted, and chosen another woman. Something she still couldn’t fully blame him for. That didn’t stop the pain she experienced when looking at him.

  “Stop trying to get away from me. I’ve claimed you. You’re mine.”

  “Really? I’m yours?”

  He grunted his answers as if that was the only answer she was getting. Theo and Colin were seeing to their father, and Blue was seeing to Teak, who still hadn’t calmed down enough to change back into his human form.

  “You really gave my nephew a fright. He doesn’t trust you. No one will now that you’re a Hunter.”

  “Yeah, well I don’t blame them. I killed…I drained Raven dry. Didn’t even give a thought to the fact that she was once my friend.”

  It was starting to sink in. She was a killer, a monster. A Hunter. She killed plenty of times before, and all the ones before had died at her hand, had died a quick and painless death. It hadn’t been an intimate experience like the one she’d had when she’d taken Raven’s life. Her mind was crashing hard with multiple thoughts as she buried her head into Victor’s chest. She wasn’t going to cry. She was not going to cry. She just needed him for the support he provided. He was literally holding her up. Nerina could hear the rapid beating of his heart, and if she listened hard enough she could hear his blood, as it called to her.

  “It’s going to be okay, Neri, everything is going to work itself out. You’re not fully Hunter. You’re eyes are still the same.”

  What did he mean still the same?

  “What are you talking about?”

  “A Hunter’s eyes are silver to us. No matter what their real eye color is, we see them for what they truly are. You’re eyes are still brown.” He lifted her chin up to meet his gaze with his fingers. “A beautiful brown, with a touch of something more.”

  “If that were true, you would have known from the start.”

  “Not necessarily, Hunters have ways to mask themselves, unless they’ve fed. Your eyes are something more, a beautiful brown with swirls of silver.”

  Great, now he was waxing poetic, and at such a non-romantic time. Before she could stop him, Victor swooped down, crashing his lips to hers in a harsh kiss that stole her breath, and made her lips numb. His tongue darted inside the moment she gasped for air, tangling with hers in a show of dominance that she was all too aware of. She knew all the reasons why this wasn’t okay. But she didn’t dissuade him in any fashion. She did the exact opposite. Moaning into their kiss, Nerina took what she wanted. It was everything she knew he could never offer, but everything she hoped somehow would be hers.

  

  Her fragrance overpowered him. A piquant flavor that laid waste to the smell of blood that tried to overrun his senses. There was carnage all around him and all he cared about was consuming Nerina in a way that would make her a permanent fixture in his life. She came back to him. She hadn’t left. The note she’d left behind was burned into his memory. Everything that she’d given him and all that he’d taken could have been his. If only he’d chosen her over Sasha. His brother Colin and others were witness to his claim. Everyone back at the club had watched her submission to him. The woman he held in his arms was his. There was nothing left to do but accept that. If it meant that he’d have to step down as Alpha, then it was something he was willing to do. His brothers could carry their Pack into the next two hundred centuries. It didn’t have to be him.

  Her mouth was warm and pliant as he continued to devour and taste her lips. Her tongue was soft, coaxing him to take the kiss deeper. He could taste her friend’s blood still fresh on her lips. The scent spicy and sharp. His hands tangled in the thick tresses of her hair to direct her head the way he wanted. Her arms tightened around his neck as she let loose a moan he felt to the pit of his gut. His animal wanted to mount and claim her right there on the blood covered ground. His reward to conquer.

  “I need you, Neri,” he said against her mouth, kissing the corner, and dragging his lips into the crook of her neck. Her scent stronger there, changed. She still smelled like his Nerina, but something more. There was a hint of him, but a note of something else. Something dead. He didn’t have time to wonder or speculate on what it was he held in his arms. He didn’t care. She wasn’t fully a Hunter and that’s what mattered most.

  Bending, he lifted her into his arms, and carried her the short distance to his sister’s bed and breakfast. His father made sure that their town was as empty as it could be. Victor knew they wouldn’t be disturbed. There was a need growing inside that walked a very fine line between pleasure and pain. A darkness, that if left unchecked would rise up and take control of his body, not allowing him to enjoy the benefits of lying with a soft woman. There were complaints from his father, and even his brother Theo, but he ignored them, shutting the door as he passed by. He made a straight path for one of the guest bedrooms. She was quiet in his arms as he fell to the bed cradling her from the fall.

  “What are you doing?” Her voice a soft whisper caressed his soul as he tried to control his animal’s urges.

  “Quiet Neri, let me have you.”

  She didn’t respond, but Victor could see it in her eyes, feel it in her body as she shook beneath him. The fragrant smell of her arousal wafted up between them had his beast groaning. His eyes closed as he drew in a deep breath. Victor opened them to see her eyes were conflicted, as she starred up at him with contempt. He’d take
that along with anything else she was willing to give him. She had every right to be angry with him. He wasn’t going to fool himself into thinking he wasn’t to blame for the strain they now had on their relationship.

  Victor lifted Nerina’s head, and with his eyes dared her to move. His claws lengthened and he divested her of her blood soaked sweater, before discarding her jeans and underwear. The clothes were ruined anyway so there was no reason to keep them intact. She was completely bare, save for her socks and boots. Kissing his way down her body, Victor made sure he got the reactions from her he wanted. Her flesh was cold to the touch, a sure sign that she needed to feed. He wondered if she even knew that was the reason for her body’s chill. She was the enemy now, but Victor couldn’t bring himself to care. To him, she was still his Neri. A fact that he knew would have to be made known throughout the Packs. They would be against it, but he didn’t care. The moment he thought she was lost to him, was the moment he realized how much he needed her. He thanked the Goddess above that she was still in the living, and he thanked her further for altering her life span. They would now be able to spend their long lives together. Could in fact connect their essences through the Reaping. No matter that she wasn’t of Werewolf blood. She would be of his heart. Always.

  When he’d gotten down to taking off her socks and shoes, her knee came up, catching him in his face.

  “That wasn’t nice Neri.”

  “It wasn’t meant to be prick.”

  Her feistiness wasn’t a turn-off, it had the opposite effect. If she wanted to put up a fight, he’d gladly take her on. Victor watched her in the darkness as he removed his clothing. The beast within wanted its prey to know who was in charge. He would have pounced if she hadn’t moved from the spot on the bed.

  “Neri?”

  “No,” shaking her head she backed herself into the corner of the room, arms folded across herself, as if she was trying to hold herself back. “This isn’t going to happen Victor. No matter how bad my body craves yours.”

  “Why the hell not? You want me, I can smell it.”

  She’s going to make a run for it.

  He could see it in the way her eyes kept darting between him and the closed door.

  “This thing that’s between us is over.”

  “I’ve already claimed you.”

  “Well, un-claim me. I refuse to be your mistress.”

  “You’re not going to be my mistress.”

  Nerina’s head titled to the side, her eyes sparking with fire, and then they were ice cold again. Her Hunter’s reflexes were on high alert. She was listening for the lie she thought he was telling and became confused when she didn’t hear it.

  “You’re hooking up with that other chick. What’s her name again?”

  “Sasha.” He grinned. She hadn’t forgotten the name. She had wanted him to say it. Make it real, not only to her, but also to him.

  But he wasn’t going to mate Sasha, he was going to be mated to Nerina and no other. It was her strength, and her beauty that he wanted in his life. Their first meeting wasn’t a good one, and the ones following were no better. Though they’d gotten off on the wrong foot, she had been able to look past his ignorance. She’d help him and his brother Colin, when she could have left them to be dealt with by her friends. When he himself had been judgmental about her and her intentions for moving into his community. She had stuck to her guns. He’d criticized her for her weakness, when all the time it had been his own weakness blinding him to her amazing strength and beauty.

  “I’m not going to mate Sasha, I want to mate with you, if you’ll have me.”

  “Why should I believe that? You said so yourself that I was trouble. That you would have preferred not to get involved with me. What’s changed?” Nerina looked down at her nakedness before shaking her head and laughing. The laugh wasn’t a real laugh but a cynical one. “Oh, I see. I’m healed. I’m no longer weak in your eyes because I’m a Hunter, is that it? I’m your ideal mate now?” She laughed again, shaking her head.

  “No that’s not it, I was blind. You’ve always been straight with me. You never once hid your personality from me. I know why you didn’t want us to know about your family. I get it. You were in hiding. I hadn’t earned your trust yet, but Nerina you gave me your submission. That in and of itself is one of the purest forms of trust out there. Trust me now when I say, there is so much more I see in you than I did before. You’re perfect for me.”

  Victor watched her for long moments in silence as she searched his eyes, looking for an answer to a question that he wasn’t sure if he had the answer to.

  “I’d rather just be alone.”

  “But you don’t have to be Nerina. I see you, there’s such a beautiful fire inside of you.”

  “I’m the enemy. They’ll never accept me. Remember all your talk about purity of the Packs? I’d do more than dilute your bloodline. Our children will be something else altogether.”

  “You’re my Eros. All you need to do is trust that everything will be okay.”

  “What the hell is an Eros? What about my baggage? Your words not mine, and I quote. ‘You should have never come here, fucking things up, making me want you, and now that I have you, you come with all this excess baggage. This shit!’”

  She threw the last words out with a fierce breath. He had said those very words, verbatim. Damn, he’d deserved that. He’d answer the most important question first.

  “Eros is an old word. It’s a sexual intimacy between two people that cannot be broken. Neri, I was angry, men say stupid shit when they’re angry. You haven’t messed anything up, you’ve made everything better. Despite this mess with our families, I have faith everything will work out in the end.”

  “Just because we’re good in bed together doesn’t mean I’m the one for you or that you’re the one for me.”

  It meant a lot more than that.

  “In my culture it does. It means a lot more. You’re it for me Neri. No one else will do.”

  “Sure.” She said not believing a word he said.

  “It’s true. Eros is ten times that of Philos, we’d be able to share in the three stages of love after the Reaping.”

  Her eyes widened. One arm crossed over her stomach while the other warded him off.

  “Hold on. No one is dropping the L word.”

  “Love isn’t a word Neri, it’s a series of actions, and emotions. It’s when one soul recognizes the other in all things. You can’t deny us that.”

  Her body began to shiver uncontrollably and Victor knew she needed to feed before she went into a catatonic state. Newly made Hunters needed to be fed every few hours or they risked the chance of becoming the very thing that the myths talked about. Cold skin, soulless eyes, unable to walk in the daylight, but most important they’d have an insatiable appetite for blood only. Food wouldn’t sustain them.

  “You’re hungry, and if you don’t feed, you won’t like the what you’ll become. Let me feed you, Neri.”

  Victor offered himself. Werewolf blood was something Hunters favored above all other’s blood. It was one of the reasons they’d been feuding for so long. Their blood was an aphrodisiac with great healing qualities to Hunters.

  Chapter 21

  Cold seeped into her skin. Rolling waves of ice stabbed her repeatedly. Her body felt like it was about to shatter into a million pieces. Her limbs were even getting stiff. Victor said she needed to feed, but the thought of taking his blood was abhorrent to her.

  Except when it came to killing your best friend.

  Something she still couldn’t wrap her mind around. She hadn’t hesitated a moment when it came to saving Teak’s life. Her gums tingled as she watched Victor lay down on the bed, devoid of clothing. Everything he’d said were things she would have wanted him to say, but she wasn’t sure if this was something she wanted. She wasn’t lying when she said she wanted to be alone. That was the life she knew now.

  Is it? You’ve never been alone. Even here.

  True,
Demon and Daar had been a very important part of her life here in Alaska. But having them as companions had been uncomplicated.

  She wanted a man that was going to be her champion. Not someone that was shallow one minute and deep the next. They barely knew each other. She’d given him her submission, that was true, but she wasn’t sure if that was so much her experimenting or if that meant something more. Did she care deeply for Victor? Yes. Could she see herself growing old with him, sitting around talking to their grandchildren? What would their children be like, and were there such a thing as Vampire/Werewolf pairings? There were so many questions she had, and she felt pressed for time. She felt that it was a now or never kind of situation.

  “Neri, you need to feed, baby.”

  “How the hell do I do that?”

  “Instinct will guide you.”

  Slowly approaching the bed, Nerina watched Victor with a keen eye and did exactly what he said. She let her instinct guide her. The pulse in his neck was rich with blood. The smell decadent and dark, clung to her senses. It didn’t smell like human blood, which held that coopery rich taste. Victor’s blood was something altogether different. One moment she was in the corner, and the next she was sitting astride his body, staring down at his neck. His hands went to her waist, adjusting her so that their bodies were aligned. He didn’t seek entrance into her heat, instead he massaged her back. His strong hands gliding over her skin, massaging her sore muscles as she bent forward and licked a path from his collarbone to his neck.

  His hands tensed against her skin. Nerina’s gums itched. Her tongue glided across her now extended fangs. The man beneath her was a man asking her for everything she would have gladly offered to him only mere hours ago. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Victor’s skin was hot to the touch and warmed her everywhere their bodies met. Was she as cold as she felt?

  “Bite me.” The words were groaned as one hand went to the back of her neck, pulling her down to where he exposed his jugular to her.