by Aliyah Burke
“I want you, Aida. Bent over accepting my cock. I want to fuck you as you scream my name. And then fuck you more. So long and so hard you still feel me inside you even after we collapse from exhaustion.”
Aida’s body shuddered, and she gulped even as her fingers tightened on the flesh at his waist. Her mouth moved but nothing came out. She stared at him with smoky eyes.
“I can smell your arousal, Aida. I want your cream on my tongue.” His gaze bore into hers.
“Stop, Dane. Please. I’m not strong enough.”
He frowned as he drew back. “Not strong enough for what, Aida?” There, lingering behind the desire in her eyes, were tears.
“I…I…” Aida bolted.
He heard her flop on her bed, but when he heard the light sobs, Dane strode back to the bedroom. He watched from the doorway, his body still hard and wanting her touch. Forcing that back, he took a deep breath and walked to the bed. “Aida,” he said gently sitting beside her. “Talk to me, solnyshko moyo.”
She didn’t speak, but rolled so he could see her face. Tear tracks ran down her face. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’m—”
Dane slid off the bed and crouched beside it. Resting his arms on the mattress, he lowered his chin to his forearms. “Aida,” he murmured, reaching out with two fingers and brushing some hair away from her face.
“I have to protect my heart, Dane. I thought I could do this but I can’t. I just can’t. I’m not strong enough.”
“I’m not following, Aida.”
She opened her eyes, and like every time faced with them, he felt himself get sucked into those beautiful twin orbs. “Each time you touch me, or look at me like you are right now—like I mean the world to you—more of my soul becomes yours. And…and I’m not strong enough to withstand losing you.”
Dane felt his tiger chuff angrily at the thought of losing her. He agreed with his beast. That was unacceptable. Trailing a finger along the edge of her face, he tried to smile.
“You do mean the world to me. Never doubt that. Why do you believe you will lose me?”
“I’m being logical.”
“Not from where I’m sitting, mate. How can you think I’d let us be separated?”
“Dane, look around you. This is South Africa. My home. Mine. Not yours. And we both know you have to leave eventually. So, please, don’t make it any harder for me, because I can’t refuse you, not even knowing how much it will hurt later.”
She stared at him, her soul bared, and Dane hated the devastation he felt coming from her. It rolled in powerful waves and made him sick to his stomach. Her words were true. This was her home. And he’d already called the general. “I can’t ever let you go,” he swore in Russian.
Her eyes drifted closed again, and he swiped his thumb over each one. “Is this part of the reason you are going with Kees?”
“Partly.” She sighed deeply and opened her eyes, revealing those brown eyes he wanted to drown in.
“The general will be here in a couple of days.”
A sad smile turned up one side of her mouth. “I figured as much.”
Agony ripped through him. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He longed to scream in fury. Mates were supposed to be together. He shoved to his feet. “I need to eat.” He stalked to the door.
“I’ll fix you something.” Her voice showed him her pain.
Dane ignored it. He had to or he’d force her to go with him. His body shuddered with longing when she touched him and slid by to leave the room. He struggled to rein in control before he followed. Lingering back, he observed her as she moved in the kitchen. Every move erotic, each breath tantalized and tormented him. He couldn’t get enough of her. They had a leisurely meal after which he helped her clean up.
He spent a rough night. Only holding her. Knowing she wanted him didn’t help in the least. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep. He woke throughout the night when she would stir and would watch her until he fell back asleep.
Over breakfast, her eyes met his, and she smiled slightly. It was strained but it was an attempt. Before long, they ate in silence. Aida more played with her food than anything. And he frowned, about to say something when the phone rang.
“Dumela.”
He had learned that meant “hello”. He watched her expression sober as she spoke to the person on the other end. Dane waited for an explanation once she’d hung up the phone. He didn’t get it. She’d walked away so she had privacy, and even with his hearing, he couldn’t make out what had been said.
Aida said nothing, just hurried back to her room. He followed and got there in time to see her pull on some army green cargo pants. She had a tight fitting khaki shirt on. Aida was still silent when she laced on some black combat style boots. Her appearance serious when, from the closet, she withdrew a gun belt and hooked it around her hips. The dogs began whining.
“What’s going on?”
She reached in again and pulled out another khaki shirt, a button down. He could see a badge sewn on the left breast. Wildlife ranger.
“Aida?”
Her gaze focused on him, and her fingers nimbly buttoned the shirt and tucked it in her pants. “A lion attacked one of Kees’ men. We’re going hunting.”
Oh hell no!
“Since when are you a ranger, Aida? This isn’t what you went to Yale for.”
Her gaze shuttered. “You’re absolutely right. Good thing Yale wasn’t the only place I went to school.” She grabbed the black bag by her feet and shoved past him. Her whistle reached him.
Dane caught up to her by her vehicle. “Aida,” he stated.
“I don’t have time for this. You want to yell about how much danger I’m putting myself in, fine. Just get your ass in to do it.”
He snarled at the command. But listened and obeyed.
Chapter Thirteen
Aida drove fast, her mind working furiously. Dane rode beside her. Although she couldn’t really see him in the predawn darkness, she could feel his anger. She snuck another glance at him. He had found her degree from Yale. The fact didn’t bother her like she thought it might. Dane was just nosy when it came to her; she was beginning to accept that. The Aida who’d gone after that degree died the same day Len had. The only reason she finished was because she knew Len would have wanted her to. So she had. But there was no desire to continue on in that field. Much less stay in America. So Aida had come home.
Shoving those thoughts to the back of her mind, Aida tried to reason why a lion would be attacking. All the lights were on at Kees’, and a few vehicles were parked around the house.
Shutting off her truck, she jumped out and headed toward the gathered group of men.
“Aida!” Kees said.
“How’s he doing?”
“He’ll lose the leg, but he’s alive.”
“Damn it.” She shook her head.
“Shanie is with him.”
“Good.” Aida found herself being welcomed by the other men. In her mind, she could feel the cold tendrils of fury rolling from Dane. Turning her head, she glared at him, knowing full well one, he was watching her, and two, he could see her with his damn feline eyes.
Stop. Touching. Them.
Three words. Each laced with deadly rage. Narrowing her eyes, Aida turned her back on him.
Don’t push me, Aida. I will make a scene.
And he would. She ground her teeth before smiling at the last man. “You guys ready?”
The air filled with the sounds of guns cocking. “Who’s the man with the furious look on his face?” Tate asked.
Aida didn’t even bother looking at him. “That’s Dane. He’s a friend and one hell of a tracker, so he’s coming along.” She sighed. “Let’s get going then.” Walking to the vehicle where Dane waited, she ignored him and looked at her dogs. “Time to go to work, boys.” She grabbed her rifle and tossed it along with a box of shells to Dane.
“Aida,” he said in a tone that was more a hiss of air than anything.
Spinning around, she glared at him in the light. “Now is not the time, Dane. I have a friend in there who is going to lose his leg. Now, I have to go hunt a lion. I do not have time for this arrogant male shit. I haven’t given you any reason to think I’ll go from bed to bed. These are good men. My friends. Either be nice or stay here.”
Grabbing another rifle, she signaled for her dogs to stay and left him there to make up his mind while she went back to talk to Kees. After a few moments, everyone drove out to where the attack had happened. At the spot where the lion had mauled Tenen, her dogs picked up on the scent. It didn’t surprise her at all when Dane’s large body took up a position by her. She watched his expression. While she doubted anyone else would pick up on it, she could tell something wasn’t right.
She noticed her dogs. They were ready but then her boys had never let her down. Then, she stared back at Dane. He met her gaze and she saw the wildness at the surface.
“What?” she whispered.
“Can you get them to go back?” His tone was so completely serious, and she nodded, not even bristling like she would normally have done. “Do it.”
“Give me a few.” She stood and walked to the group waiting. “Guys, look, this will take a while. Let us track it. You have cattle to move and,” she held up her hand to stop the inevitable protests, “you know Smythe is just waiting to get all our land.”
Tate stepped forward. “Will you be okay with just him?”
Aida could feel that dangerous rumble again and nodded. “He won’t let anything hurt me. Look, I wouldn’t put this past Smythe to have one flown in just for this purpose. You know I can do this. Do what needs to be done with the cattle, especially with Cal being down, Kees is short a man. We can’t give that bastard any reason to think he’s won. I’ll be fine. I’ve got my boys and Dane with me. Trust me, I’m very well protected.”
The men grumbled, but soon, it was just her and Dane trailing her boys, the other men having finally left. “Going to tell me why I did that?” she asked him the moment they were alone again.
“There’s something wrong with these animals. I can smell it.”
“Wait. Animals?” She scanned the ground and shook her head, unable to make out the presence of more than one lion.
“I smell two males.” He hunkered down and stared at the ground, his fingertips trailing over a very faint impression in the hard terrain.
Aida ran a hand down her face, smearing the sweat already covering her skin and crouched beside him, rifle caught in one hand. “You said something wrong. Is that your way of saying more of the freaky shit surrounding you?”
He turned his head and met her gaze straight on. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
“Great,” she muttered, uncertainty welling up inside her. “Do you think you could keep this mystical shit outta my country?”
“It’s all over the world, solnyshko moyo. Aida,” he said seriously, “if I tell you to do something, do it.”
She bristled but nodded, knowing full well he would know best how to handle it. Mystical stuff wasn’t her strong point. Hell, there were days she tried to convince herself she’d not even seen him shift. It was just a crazy dream. Unfortunately, this incident made that seem more and more farfetched.
“Fine. Let’s go. Burning daylight.” Aida pushed to her feet. Shouldering her rifle, she walked toward her dogs. They tracked in silence and she froze when an angry roar filled the air. She met Dane’s gaze and knew the frown on his face matched the one on hers.
“We’re being hunted,” she said.
“Yes. And it’s not being done in healthy lion behavior.”
Every inch of his body screamed warrior, and she had never been so glad to have another along. He may be pushy. Okay, he was. He also qualified as arrogant and stubborn, but hell, she knew as sure as she stood there he would die to protect her.
Aida looked across the landscape. “Ghost and the Darkness,” she mumbled.
“What?”
She licked her lips. “Lions who made history. Two males who seemed to take immense pleasure in hunting and killing humans. They terrorized the construction site of the Kenya-Uganda Railway in 1898. By the Tsavo River. Maneless lions, although I’m sure their teeth were just as real as maned lions.”
His eyes flashed and she saw his own predator come to the forefront. “We need to find a secure place to make camp. If they’re hunting us, we need to outsmart them.”
Aida agreed. “Over there. On one of the outcroppings. We could rig it to make noise on approach or if we take the top one, they couldn’t come down from the top.” His gaze flickered between her, where she pointed, and a tree. Aida snorted. “I am not leaving my dogs.”
He didn’t argue that fact. “Let’s go.”
They moved as close as they could and began the climb up. The loose shale made it hard to get up to the projection. At least for her. He moved up it with a feline grace, which made her long to throw something at him just to see if he could actually stumble. She snorted with quiet amusement. When they reached the top along with the dogs, she found the location would work. Aida stood and stared out over the landscape, dropping her pack beside her along with the rifle. Dane’s presence appeared close behind her.
“You okay?” he asked in a low tone.
“Yes. Just don’t like having to kill. I mean, we are the ones who encroached on them. Taking away their territory then wanting to kill them when they get in our way.”
“These ones smell sick.” Her body stiffened when he slid his arms around her. “I just want to hold you, Aida.”
She relaxed against him. “And now?”
“Will you stay here?”
“Where are you going?”
“Hunting.” He kissed her cheek and stepped away.
Aida crossed her arms and glared at him. “And I have to wait here, why?”
“Because I move much faster on my own.” He leapt with little effort to land a fair distance away. I mean it, Aida. Don’t leave. I will be very unhappy if I have to go looking for you.
Aye, aye, captain.
She stared after him until she could no longer see him. Pacing the rock, she sat at the edge and stared out over the thick grass. The day had cooled a bit and she felt rather comfortable with the breeze blowing over her.
A low rumble reached her, and Aida rose immediately and retrieved her rifle. Ruger and Kamau stood on either side of her, noses to the wind with hackles raised. She stared but couldn’t see anything. Nothing definite, anyway. But she knew, she knew something was out there. Her dogs weren’t wrong.
Where are you, Dane?
Looking at a cave. Why?
The dogs are growling out over the flat into the wind. I’d wondered if maybe you were out there.
Do you see anything?
No.
I’m on my way.
Those words made her feel one hundred percent better. “Stand steady, boys.”
The sounds stopped, but neither relaxed their guard. It didn’t take long for Dane to return. His large hand rested familiarly against her back. She released a breath she was unaware she’d been holding.
“Can you see them?”
Dane was silent for a moment. “Yes. Two big males.” A loud roar filled the air. “Get your gun ready, solnyshko moyo, you’re going to have to kill one.”
“How do you know for certain?”
“Trust me on this, Aida.” His tone was full of regret.
The grass parted, and she saw the two roaring lions pacing toward the base of the hill they were partway up. Ruger and Kamau snarled just as ferociously but true to their training never moved. Aida stared and saw the uncontrollable rage in the eyes of the felines.
“The lighter one,” she said resigned. “That’s the one I have to kill.”
“I’m sorry, Aida.”
“What about the other one?” The cats were taking up positions on either side of the outcropping as if trying to decide how to get up to them the fastest way.
She cocked her rifle and sighted down the barrel. “Send it straight, send it pure.” Aida waited for the right moment and squeezed the trigger. Even before it hit her mark, she chambered another, just in case. A garbled roar left the lighter lion as he fell to his side. The other screamed in anger.
“Help him, Dane. Please.”
He leapt with grace and fluidity to the ground, and Aida’s breath caught when the feline jumped at him. The ease with which he dodged the attack blew her away. A quick peek at the other cat told her it was dead. Aida looked back at Dane who kneeled over the other lion. She couldn’t hear him, but before too long, he stood, the lion following suit before padding off into the grass and disappearing from view.
Dane bounded up after looking at her. Exhaustion sat all over his face. Aida walked into his arms without hesitation and held him tightly. His strong limbs circled around her, and she inhaled sharply, letting the smell of pure Dane seep into her.
“You okay?” she asked, opening her eyes in time to see the sun begin to sink below the horizon.
“Just a bit tired. I’m out of practice with all my gifts. I need to bury the cat and I think we should stay here for the night, still.”
“Thank you for saving him.” Aida stepped back, having deciding not to ask how he did it for she was merely grateful he had accomplished it, and Dane vanished from sight. In the remaining light of day, she built a small fire toward the end of the rock. She also unrolled her bedroll and sat on it while she pulled two packets from the interior of her canvas pack.
“MRE’s?”
Aida jumped, his deep voice surprising her. “Damn it! You scared me. You need a bell or something.” She threw the packet at him, snarling softly when he snatched it cleanly out of the air before lowering his strong body next to hers. “Yes, MRE’s. It’s what I eat when I track.”
Dane opened the envelope. “Tabbies wear bells,” he muttered, sending her a reproachful look.
She ran her tongue over her teeth, fighting the smile which threatened. “Still mad about that, huh?”
