by Karin Tabke
She shivered, wondering if he would try to entice her to indulge here, with his pack. His deep laughter rumbled from his chest into her. She looked up into his hot gaze. “I don’t share, Falon. Ever.” His eyes reddened.
She nodded, not wanting to think of what the consequences would be to any man who touched her as intimately as the men on the floor touched those women. Possessive rage swelled in her chest, making it difficult to draw a breath. She cocked her head and shot him a possessive glare. “Nor do I.” Her words surprised her, but more than saying them was the realization that she meant them.
He threw his head back and laughed, the full baritone of it reverberating along the beamed ceiling.
She shoved him and looked down at the wildly undulating bodies. “It’s an orgy, Rafe!” Mostly two men to one woman, but some women had three men penetrating every orifice. Falon’s skin continued to flush as her body tightened.
Rafael ran his fingertips down her bare arm; an army of goose bumps followed, standing at attention. “We won the night, Falon. There is much to celebrate.” He pulled her into his arms and twirled around with her. “Let’s go upstairs, and I’ll show you how to really celebrate.”
She shook her head, wanting him but more afraid of lying on the big bed with him and knowing what that would mean. Another hook. Deeper. Harder to remove. “No, no. Wait. I want to know where the girl is. And . . .” Her eyes widened. “What you did back there, the wolf—and that man, Edward. Who is he? Why did he want me?”
His eyes glittered with excitement. A low growl rumbled from his chest. “The girl is in a safe place until her father can claim her later tonight.” He strode with her in his arms toward the stairway to his room. “You don’t need to concern yourself with Edward Corbet. He and his nest of Slayers will be handled.”
Falon stiffened. “Corbet?” She was a Corbet. Amid all the chaos in the warehouse he had looked at her as if he knew her. She had felt a jolt of recognition as well. She shivered in Rafe’s arms. Dear Lord, were they related somehow? If they were, what would Rafael do?
“In less than three months’ time, every Corbet on this earth will be wiped from it. Permanently.” His voice had deepened with righteous fury. And so she had her answer. His voice lowered as he pressed her more intimately to him and said, “About the wolf thing?” He laughed. “What can I say? I turn into a beast when I get pissed.”
Tightening his hold, he ran up the stairs with her as if she didn’t weigh more than an ounce.
“I’m hungry!” she protested grabbing at straws to slow him down. She needed to know more about Edward Corbet.
“I’m famished, too,” he said, squeezing her.
Falon struggled to get out of his ironclad embrace. “Not that kind of hungry, Rafe.” She pushed away in earnest. He kept a solid grip on her. “I’m tired. I’m confused.” I need to know what you will do if you learn I’m the enemy. How could that be? She didn’t have a mean bone in her body. She was not full of hate or a killer. She relaxed some. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Corbet was a common enough name . . . besides, if she were remotely related to a Slayer, wouldn’t Rafael know? At least sense it? She didn’t use black magic to hide her identity like Smythe had.
When they entered the room, Rafael locked the door behind them and tossed her onto the bed. “Get undressed,” he commanded as he unbuttoned his shirt.
Falon stiffened. “I will not!”
He flung his shirt to the floor and started to unbutton his jeans. “Yeah, you will, or I’ll undress you myself.”
Falon rolled over to the opposite side of the bed, then to the floor, putting the large bed between them. “No.” Did he think she had no pride? At some point, he was going to hand her over to his brother, for God’s sake!
He shucked his jeans and boots. And despite her anger, confusion, and fear of the unknown, Falon could not help but look down. Dear Lord. Damned if her body didn’t warm. His thick arousal jutted arrogantly toward her. Parts of her melted. Other parts heated. All of her remembered the glorious feel of his thick heat inside of her. Her gaze swept the length of him. He was magnificent. Every inch of him was hard and lean with an underlying power that defied reality.
“You can’t force me,” she said with little conviction. He could, and they both knew it.
“I have no intention of forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do, Falon,” he softly said.
“Then leave me alone.”
He crawled on top of the bed. On all fours, he came toward her. His eyes burned bright, penetrating to the truth she denied both of them. Corded tendons strained beneath the thick, sculpted muscles of his neck, shoulders, and arms. She tried to swallow, but her throat was too dry. His large penis and balls hung heavy between his thighs, swaying with his graceful movement. He reminded her of a great wild beast coming to claim his mate. Her body loosened. A primal urge, so powerful Falon could barely breathe, overcame her. His eyes hypnotized her.
“You can’t fight it, Falon. We are mated. You bear my mark. You are mine. Mark me before the sun rises, and I am yours.”
“Wha-what does that mean?”
“It means I am alpha. As my mate, I will protect you against anyone or anything that threatens your life. I choose you to stand beside me as my equal. Your enemies are my enemies. It is your blood I have chosen to blend with mine so that my legacy lives on.”
What if she were his enemy? “What about the wolf thing?”
“I am Lycan, Falon. As are my people. I cannot change it, nor would I if I could.”
“What exactly is a Lycan?” She was afraid she already knew the answer.
“My ancestors were wolves. But I am human, a human who possesses the skills and instinct of the wolf, and who shifts with the sunrise and sunset.”
“Is—are the people downstairs like you, too?”
“Yes.”
Oh shit. Falon closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. This was crazy weird. But then so was her life. Was she really all that shocked? She opened her eyes. “What if I were the enemy? Would you protect you from me?”
He scoffed, shaking his golden head. “I would never hurt you, Falon. Have I not proved that?”
He had, but—“Would you protect me from your brother?” If he would not, there was nothing more to be said or done between them.
Rafael’s eyes flared red before returning to the deep turquoise that was unique to him. “I will kill him if he touches you.”
Finally! He put her before the ridiculous Blood Law! Falon caught herself from turning into an emotional pile in front of him. Yet emotion welled up so thickly in her chest she didn’t think she could speak without her voice revealing her relief and happiness. She blinked back the hot sting of tears. “What changed your mind?” she croaked.
He smiled that mysterious smile of his. Every part of her thawed.
“Let me show you,” he said.
Falon swallowed hard and coughed. Her throat was so dry. Her chest was near to bursting. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and never leave his side, but there was more she needed from him. “Am I free to leave here?”
Rafael’s gaze flared with angry possession. Yes, he had marked her and vowed to protect her, but she knew by his hesitation that the answer was yes and that it would kill him if she walked out that door. And she might die, too. But right now?
Her trembling hand reached up to the top button of her little half shirt. She slipped it through the eye. Then the next one. Her chest rose and fell in stuttered breaths. Her nipples were so tight they ached.
“That’s it. Now slide it off your shoulders,” he urged.
She did. Her breasts plumped under his hot gaze.
“You are extraordinary, Falon.” He reached out a fingertip and touched a turgid nipple. When it puckered more beneath his touch, he groaned. He slipped his other arm around her waist and pulled her hard against him. His lips devoured her. Falon’s body turned liquid in his embrace.
“You are so warm. So soft,” he
murmured against her breast. He raised his head and looked hotly into her eyes. “And so fierce.” He pulled her harder against his bare chest. “You were something else tonight, Falon. Amazing.” He kissed her hard. His lips commanded hers to accept; his tongue took her breath away.
He yanked her jeans off in one fluid movement and pushed her onto the bed. He crawled on top of her, his cock thick and swollen, the dewy head weeping for entry. Her legs opened, and he entered her in one thick, deep stroke. Falon cried out in shocked pleasure. She was so slick, so tight, she could feel the contours of his cock inside of her. She raised her knees up so that he could fill her completely. He was big and warm and felt excruciatingly divine.
He thrust into her in long, slow strokes. The tension built. Falon stretched out beneath him, pulling him deeper inside her. She felt as if she had done this a thousand times but that it was also their first time. He was so right. He nipped at her neck, his teeth drawing blood. He licked her skin, slowly, savoring the taste of her. Her lust intensified.
The overwhelming urge to do the same thing to him nearly overtook her. He growled as if he could read her thoughts. His thrusts became more urgent. She looked up into his eyes and caught her breath. His gaze was red and blazing. The cords in his neck strained against his skin. His momentum increased, his thrusts so deep and powerful she wasn’t sure if she could hold on.
His body tightened. For a long moment, he held himself suspended above her, his muscles straining and taut. His skin was slick with sweat as he fought something. She realized the sun had broken the horizon and in clarity understood.
He was only human at night. Was he going to shift? Now? Inside of her? Dear Lord, no!
He squeezed his eyes shut and in a quick movement turned her over. “I have time, Falon. A few moments,” he hoarsely said.
“Before I leave you, though . . .” He dipped his head between her ass cheeks. She heard him inhale. Her womb constricted, releasing more of her slick essence. His tongue flicked out and against her swollen lips. “Oh, Rafa,” she moaned. He growled against her slickness at her term of endearment for him. She didn’t know where it came from, but she liked it. And would say it again, for his ears only.
His tongue slid across her lips again, the tip penetrating into her. She nearly came off the bed. Gently, he licked her hardened clit and suckled it against his lips as his tongue flicked teasingly back and forth. The tension in her body threatened to snap.
To relieve the incredible pressure inside her, Falon screamed. But it wasn’t enough. Her orgasm built, one monster wave atop another as he slid his tongue back and forth across her dripping wetness, lapping and sucking at her like he was eating a melting sundae.
She snapped, climaxing with such ferocity her nails dug into the mattress. Her hips undulated, her bottom pumped high in the air, and still that long, luscious tongue of his lapped and sucked and lapped and sucked her. Another hard climax hit her before the first one faded. This time she threw her head back and howled.
In a hard, slick thrust, he growled low and penetrated her, his cock so thick and swollen she wasn’t sure if she could take all of him. He filled her to his balls. And she knew there was no other more sublime experience than this. As if one thousand lights burned from within, her body lit up, every nerve ending dancing, electrified. Wild, wanton visions flashed in her brain. Of them making fervent love. Of them in the woods, naked and running free. Of Rafe taking her on soft green moss. His big, powerful hands all over her body. Claiming her and letting it be known to man and beast that she was his.
He grazed his teeth along her jugular. She could feel his incisors, sharp and dangerous, press into her skin. She could feel the hard throb of her pulse against his lips. The urge to mark him as he had marked her struggled with fear of what that would mean. If she took that final step, she knew he would never allow her to leave. And she needed to. It was imperative she know if she were connected to Edward Corbet. Until then, she could not completely give herself to Rafael. Because he would not want her.
He came in a wild, furious frenzy.
His teeth sank deeper into her skin. The pain of his bite, mingled with the hard, frantic thrusts of his orgasm, pushed her over the edge once more. Her thighs widened, her hips dipped lower, she threw her head back and cried out as white-hot desire crashed into unimaginable pleasure. The shock of the hit left her breathless and shaken to the point of collapse. Rafael slid an arm around her belly, steadying her, his breaths harsh and ragged behind her.
Neither one of them moved, save for their great gulps of air as their slick, heaving bodies struggled for composure. They remained as one. Her on all fours, him buried deep inside her from behind.
After long minutes, she felt his erection subside. When she moved forward and he slipped from her, she turned to look at him. To see if he was as affected by their wild, lustful mating as she was.
She caught her breath and moved away from him.
He looked wild. Primal. Violent.
In that terrifying second, he shifted into his mighty golden wolf.
Fourteen
IT WAS NEVER good to fear the truth, but she did. Falon moved back against the carved headboard as the wolf in front of her bared his great white fangs. Images flashed through her mind. Images of the same wolf tearing men apart.
Consciously she knew this wolf was Rafael, that he would not hurt her. In theory anyway. But her instinct also told her he was unpredictable. That the wolf part of him would override the human part.
She didn’t move one single muscle and barely breathed as the wolf sniffed her hair, her cheek, then her shoulder. She held her breath when his warm wet nose nudged her breasts. When his long tongue lapped a nipple, Falon hissed in a breath. Her nipples tightened, which caused her embarrassment enough. But when he licked her again, slower this time, sending shock waves shooting straight to her pussy, Falon whimpered. She opened her mouth to demand he stop, but he licked her again; this time his teeth grazed a sensitive tip. “No,” she breathed, stilling the restlessness in her body. He growled, and with his big head, he pushed her back into the rumpled sheets. Unsure of what he would do if she did not comply, Falon lay as flat as her spine would allow and as still as a corpse.
He pressed a huge paw on her thigh, stilling her. Pinning her down. As if she’d be dumb enough to try to escape. He sniffed her breasts, his nose warm and damp as he nudged them. Then he sniffed again. Falon squeezed her eyes shut. He continued to sniff her body. Lower now to her belly. He stuck his nose in her belly button. It tickled. Falon clenched her hands closed. He licked her belly. She gasped because the sensation was far from unappealing. Hedonistic cravings tempted her to offer no resistance . . . at all.
He licked her again, this time a long, slow swath from one hip to another. She flinched and squeezed her eyes tighter. Her skin pebbled and her body tingled. It warmed in parts it should not have warmed. She felt his head move lower, just above her mons. She was still hot and wet. Falon swallowed hard again and dared to open her eyes. She caught her breath. He stared right at her, his jaws only inches from where he had been as a man. Her chest rose and fell in shallow waves. He made a funny noise and then opened his jaws just enough to look as if he were smiling.
Slowly she shook her head. “Don’t you dare, Rafael.”
He growled and licked the inside of her thigh instead. She hissed at him. So close to where he should not go. When she made to move away from him, he plopped a big paw on her arm, staying her. He growled low and gave her a look that said, I won’t go there, but I’m not done with you. Yet.
“Behave yourself,” she warned but lay rigidly back against the sheets. He settled down beside her and licked her fisted hand. She pulled it up, but he pulled it back to her side. Fine, she thought. He can lick her hand. And he took his time, too, his big, warm tongue slowly, gently licking it open and then her fingers until she began to relax.
Her tight muscles loosened. She closed her eyes. Her breathing deepened then steadied. His touc
h felt good, comforting, sensual and, oddly, safe. She trusted not only his calm licking but the possessive paw on her arm and thigh. The faint brush of his soft fur and warm body beside her. Yet each time he lulled her back into a warm, comfortable place, his big tongue would overlap her hand to catch the outside of her thigh. Each time it did, she held back a cry of surprise, and damn her, pleasure.
Falon forced herself to go to a calmer place. A place where she could leave the turmoil and rest in peace. She had mastered mediation years ago. It had been her salvation when the craziness that was her life became too much. In time to the wolf’s slow, steady licks, she slowed her breathing and allowed her body to loosen. Her mind cleared. She was floating. She exhaled, and her body fully relaxed. Ah, here was where she felt most at peace.
Soft and warm, as if she were being carried away by a protective cloud.
She pushed away the bloody visions of the night before. Of the horrific battle. Of Rafael shifting into a wolf. Of the little girl’s screams of terror. Of the frantic orgy. Of that man, the Slayer Edward Corbet, and what, if any, connection she had to him. Her thoughts turned to the good visions. Of Rafe’s promise to protect her and of her giving herself completely to him. She smiled. She could feel him as a man again in her deep meditation.
Her body tingled, and suddenly the wolf and man merged in her mind.
His fingertips traced along her spine. Falon melted into the touch. Her nipples hardened, her body trembled. Warm lips pressed against the tender skin behind her ear.
Bold hands slipped around her waist to her belly then possessively pressed against her still-slick mons. Falon arched and moaned. She felt herself liquefy. “Rafa,” she breathed.
“Corazón,” his deep voice whispered. Huskier than usual. His term of endearment warmed her insides. Emotion filled her chest to heavy. His touch created such evocative sensations.
Fingers stroked her swollen lips, slipping effortlessly along their slick folds. Falon’s hips rose, wanting more. She spread her thighs and was rewarded when a thick finger slid into her waiting warmth. With slow in-and-out thrusts, he swirled his finger deep inside of her, tapping that sweet place that drove her mad. Tension swept across her body. Her pussy wept for more. Falon bit her lip, holding back a feral cry of pleasure. She was wanton. What would Rafael think of her?
