by Trina M. Lee
Arys gazed down at me, and my heart fluttered. He said nothing, waiting with a virtuous patience that I didn't possess. My skin tingled as his hands slid down my arms until our fingers were entwined. I expected him to argue right away or tell me I was being ridiculous. It unnerved me when he continued to watch me silently.
“I feel like I am barely in control of myself anymore,” I went on, hoping to sound casual when, to me, I just sounded scared. “I try to pull off something small, and it booms bigger than intended. Or, I go for the big bang, and it falls flat when I'm relying on it to be my defense. It's bullshit, Arys. Everything I hold inside me seeks to be the one in charge. If I don't do something about that, it's going to take over everything that I am.”
I realized how tightly I was squeezing his hands, but he didn't seem to notice. His eyes never left my face. “You know I don't want this to be so painful for you.” He reached to brush my hair back before tracing the outline of my bottom lip. “I agree. There has to be a solution. Having this kind of power isn't natural for a mortal. But, it has lived in you for some time now, and I believe that you are more than capable of handling it.”
“That's just it, Arys. I don't know how to handle it. Obviously, you can only show me so much. It isn't the same for both of us.”
“Well,” he eyed me skeptically. “When you find that magical, all-knowing person you seem to think is out there, be sure to ask them if they know much about vampires that have a wolf trying to shred its way from their body every full moon.”
I pulled away from him completely, crossing my arms over my chest. Flashing him a look of irritation, I turned my back on him and paced the length of the room. “I know this goes both ways, but it’s funny how you always say shit like that, as if it's something you can pin on me. Let's not go back to the finger pointing. That could get ugly.”
I didn't have to look at him to know his temper was starting to simmer. I was easily the far shorter tempered of the two of us, but his energy prickled with a heat that could only be anger.
“I'm not blaming you for anything, Alexa. I think you want me to, though, because it gives you an excuse to be pissy and defensive. I'm just reminding you that you're not the only one that suffers.”
A frustrated growl rumbled low in my throat. Doubtless, he heard it from where he stood on the other side of the kitchen. “I know you suffer, too. Give me some credit for not being completely heartless. But, you have control over your power and abilities when faced with a dangerous situation. I don't, and it scares the hell out of me. I am not ready to die.”
“Die?” His tone dropped. Low, smooth as silk on bare skin, his voice seemed to stroke me somewhere deep down. “Your death is nothing more than a hindrance, an inevitable burden to be cast off when the time comes. If I didn't know better, I would say that you are regretting your hasty decision to bind yourself to me. Forever isn't looking so good now, is it?”
My temper flared, and I whirled to face him. “What's with the cheap shot? That's not fair.” It wasn't. Did I second-guess the choice I had made to form a blood bond with Arys? Of course, it was only natural. But, did I regret it? Never.
I stared at him, fighting to keep the emotion from my face. Running a hand through his perfectly messy hair, he didn't meet my eyes but instead glanced at the floor. “I'm an asshole. That never should have come out like that. I'm sorry.”
For a moment, I wasn't sure what to say, but as long as he was feeling apologetic, I might as well throw it all out there. “Harley said that I was more powerful than he is. Yet, when things got crazy, I had nothing. He was still able to manipulate me because he knew my power better than I did. And, we both know how close that came to ending very badly.”
I sucked in my breath with a small gasp when the energy surrounding us grew sharp, almost painful as it reacted to Arys' emotions. His head snapped up, and the look he gave me was chilling. Aw, fuck.
“What are you saying, Alexa?” One foot in front of the other, he slowly advanced on me. I had the urge to take a step back. “Please, do not tell me you're getting at what I think you're getting at.”
My voice shook when I spoke. I was terrified of his reaction when I said, “He's the only one who knows enough to help me.”
The air crackled, and I jumped when Arys slammed his fist down on the counter. A drinking glass next to the sink practically flew into the air before smashing all over the floor. The sound was worse than the actual mess.
The sound of shattering glass flashed me back in time – to the day Raoul died, and my eyes automatically went to the glass patio doors off the kitchen. Arys himself had thrown me through the sliding glass doors. It hadn't been his intention. My injuries had been brutal, but I'd lived to tell the story. Lucky me.
“Fuck that!” He snapped. “There is no way that he's the only one. Whatever you're thinking, just stop. Don't tell me that you believe anything he said to you. Do you?”
I had to concentrate on taking deep breaths as I tried to shut out the effect his negative energy was having on me. It hurt, but it also encouraged my wolf to break free of the metaphysical overload. As I fought back the instinct to shift forms, I watched Arys'
eerie vampire eyes change.
The color grew to encompass the whites until he looked at me with eyes that were all wolf. Our bond had done that to him, given him a connection with my wolf, one that he could never be free of but also could never fulfill. Arys couldn’t shift forms. I had never seen him like this. Shaz had, once. This wasn't a good sign.
“Arys, you need to calm down.”
“And, you need to answer my question.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched, and I studied him, looking for any sign of the wolf overpowering him. He seemed to have himself under control other than that little outburst. His fists continuously clenched and unclenched at his sides. The storm of his emotions battered me, try as I might to shield myself from them.
“I believe what I saw. He was able to take the power from me and then laugh at my inexperience.” I closed my eyes in memory for just a moment, reliving the helpless feeling when Harley had me right where he wanted me, his fangs buried in my throat. “I thought I was dead that night. I almost was. Walking around like a loaded gun without a safety is going to get me killed.”
I may have been destined to rise as a vampire upon my death, but that didn't mean I had to be in a hurry. Werewolves live two to three times as long as humans do. I wanted to enjoy every moment. I had so much vampire in me already, and I was not ready for any more just yet.
When Arys turned away from me, breaking eye contact, my heart dropped. I could feel his stubborn resolve almost as keenly as if it had been my own. He muttered a series of curse words, and the power began to buzz audibly. It was pushing me to the edge of my control. I wasn't sure how much more I could take tonight.
The silence became a deafening roar of white noise. The lights dimmed and brightened in sequence, and I focused hard on staying calm. We'd destroyed enough things to know when the power was growing beyond a safe capacity. I didn't want to deal with it, but unfortunately, our power was part of every moment that Arys and I shared.
“Stay away from him, Alexa.” His voice would have been soothing had it not been for the hint of menace underlying it. “I'm not asking.”
My heart jumped as fear coursed through me. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Did he just threaten me?
“What if I'm not asking either?” The words boldly spilled from my lips, driven by the she-wolf inside me that refused to be controlled by a man who was not my wolf mate.
“I don't need your permission for anything.”
Now I'd really done it. I braced myself, expecting him to unleash his anger all over me. Instead, he faced me with a strange sadness in his gaze where there should have been fury. I was confused by the change in what he was giving off as it touched me, enveloping me in the sorrow of the undead.
Moving carefully through the shattered glass, Arys clo
sed the space between us. I truly didn't know what to expect. So, when he roughly pulled me into his arms and kissed me with a depth and passion that caused my breath to catch, I was speechless.
My heart froze when he pulled back long enough to whisper in my ear, “I promise that you will regret it if you make the mistake of testing me on this.”
I gaped at him, stunned silent. I knew Arys was touchy about the one who made him, but this was really freaking me out. He had never spoken to me like that. I would have been pissed right off if I hadn't been so damn scared.
Before I could make sense of my flustered thoughts, he brought his lips back to mine in a bruising kiss that could only be defined as possessive. He smelled like wolf, pine and fur. I reveled in it despite the confusion swirling within me. My beast was strong in him, and as he sought to dominate me, I responded to him against my will.
His touch was like molten lava as he swept my legs out from under me and picked me up in his arms. His kiss was urgent as his tongue thoroughly explored my mouth.
Even as I asked myself what the hell I was doing, I kissed him back with desire when I should have been nothing short of enraged.
I wanted to rant at him, to ask him who the hell he thought he was to dare threaten me like that, but the will to do so wasn't there. As the power crashed through us, I was overcome by it, and I clung to him as he carried me.
He didn't take me to the bedroom like I assumed he would. Instead, he went as far as the bare kitchen table where he sat me on top of it. I started to shake my head and tell him that he was out of his mind. I had good reason to be ticked at him right now. Besides, this was where I ate dinner.
As if he knew my protest was coming, he continued to kiss me hungrily, like he simply couldn't get enough. The last of my pathetic attempt at resistance vanished when he wasted no time in ridding me of my clothing. Without a care, he tossed each item I wore as he removed it.
My mind kept trying to form words, to say something, anything, after the last thing he'd said to me. Nothing sensible would come when he cupped my breasts and nipped his way down my neck. Drawing one of my nipples into his mouth, he sucked hard on it until it stood firm. I couldn't hold back the moan I'd been trying to deny. Like I knew it would, the sound fed his ego, and he moved to my other breast where he bit at it aggressively.
A low growl came from him when he stepped back and peeled his shirt off. His eyes never left me, and I felt the weight of them as he savored the sight of me sitting naked on the edge of the table.
Those crazy wolf eyes looked all wrong on Arys. They were my eyes. My eyes often turned his peculiar vampire blue when his power was riding me hard, but the reverse seemed much more unnatural. He wore this startling expression, one that made me feel hunted. I shifted nervously, my pulse racing when he shed his blue jeans.
Everything about this scenario was very controlled, yet I held none of the strings being pulled. This was about Arys enforcing his will on me through a physical act, yet knowing that, I still tensed with anticipation when he nudged my legs apart so he could stand between them.
His hand slid through my hair to stroke the back of my neck. Even though our groins matched up, he was taller than I was, and I had to tilt my head back to look up at him. I reached out to run my hands down his stomach, and he surprised me by jerking my head roughly to the side. Baring my neck, he was on me fast, sinking his fangs in one smooth and painful motion.
I yelped, absolutely shocked that he’d bit me. It was nothing new, but it didn't usually happen like this. I hadn't been ready or willing in any way. The defenses of the wolf inside me were instantaneous. Claws sprouted from my fingertips, and my fangs were suddenly there, long and razor sharp. A snarl erupted from me, and Arys chuckled low in his throat as my blood spilled.
This was what he wanted. To abandon any semblance of human play and go for the bloodshed and brutality. After the corner he'd backed me into during our conversation, I was more than ready to play a little rough. If I had more inner strength, I would have told him to please himself and leave me out of it. As it was, my body was reacting of its own accord.
The agonizing pain seemed to scorch a path from where his fangs were still embedded in my flesh all the way to the pit of my stomach. Arys slid a hand between my thighs and thrust two fingers inside me, forcing a small animal-like sound from me. I was relatively immobile, and he seemed to prefer it that way.
Gripping my hips, he pulled my ass closer to the edge of the table. The motion jerked me hard against him, and I reached out with a clawed hand to brace myself. Five bloody scratches marred his chest, but he paid them no attention.
I wasn't surprised when he skipped the traditional foreplay. Finding me wet enough, he quickly replaced his fingers with his shaft. I resisted, but only to make it a challenge for him. He pushed against my hot opening, hard and ready. I squirmed, teasing him, and he released his hold on my wounded neck.
The blood spilled down my neck and chest, trailing several crimson lines down my breast to my stomach. He held tight to my hair, as if he planned to control my movements by keeping a tight grip on my head, as if I were an angry snake. My blood was smeared on his fangs and lower lip. I watched as he slowly licked at the remnants.
The look he fixed on me was deadly. He leaned in close, forcing me backwards until I lay flat upon the table. Only then did he release my hair. With a hand hooked under each of my hips, he fiercely plunged inside me so that I was suddenly filled with him.
The sounds I made seemed to encourage him, and he withdrew slowly only to thrust deep into me again.
Every thrust was rougher than the last. No human woman would ever have been able to take this kind of aggressiveness, but for me, that pain was also pleasure. It spoke to the animal inside me, raw and hungry. Arys pounded into me faster until I was crying out his name.
I felt him twitch inside me, as if his climax was building steadily now. I hated that he had me pressed against the tabletop. I wanted to sit up and feel his body against mine.
And, he damn well knew it.
He held me down so that I could only lay there while he had his way with me. I reached for him, my claws digging into his forearms. The scent of blood and sex filled the room. The orgasm that built up inside me hit hard and fast, crashing down over me like a tidal wave. The intensity of it turned my moans to small cries mingled with howls.
I ached in so many places, but it was euphoric and left me feeling like I floated among the clouds.
Arys groaned and leaned down over me so that his face was pressed to my chest. He licked softly at the blood that stained my pale skin. My arms went around him, and I held him tightly to me as he filled me with his hot release.
It seemed like an eternity passed as I listened to the hum of energy around us. Arys leisurely licked at the punctures he'd left in my neck. When he'd had enough, he attempted to kiss me, despite the four fangs in my mouth that made it difficult.
“I love you,” he murmured against my lips.
He hadn't said that to me in over a month, as it just wasn't part of our day to day as it was with Shaz and me. It got my attention as the sexual haze began to wear off.
“Arys…” My voice trailed off as I tried to form the words. “I love-,”
Another kiss prevented me from returning the words of endearment. In the past six or seven months that we'd been involved, he had never let me finish that sentence. It was nothing short of aggravating.
“But Alexa, about Harley,” he nibbled and sucked on my lips and tongue before pinning me with his deadly serious gaze. “I meant what I said.”
Chapter Three
The unmistakable sound of conflict floated through my office door. Raising an eyebrow in surprise, I paused in typing an email to listen. Lilah and Veryl were engaged in a heated discussion. This never happened.
Feeling like a kid spying on my parents, I quietly got up from my chair and crept to the open door. Murmurs carried down the hall from Veryl's office. His voice was low, bar
ely audible compared to Lilah's angry hiss. Whatever was going on, she was pissed.
Despite my metaphysical shield, her angry energy was able to punch holes in it. I felt nothing from Veryl, but he was only a vampire. Lilah was a vampire, but she had been a demon first and still was. She scared the crap out of me when she was in a good mood. I didn't like the vibes rolling off her.
Slipping out of my office, I made my way to the small kitchen. The sound of Lilah's voice barely faded. Jez looked up at me from where she perused a copy of Cosmopolitan.
The look she gave me was curious. Her cat eyes looked especially brilliant green today. I shrugged and she frowned.
“Hey Lex?” She motioned me over with a finger topped with perfect red polish.
“What do you think of these shoes?”
As I drew closer, I noticed that the shoes on the page looked like punishment devices straight out of hell. The sound of disgust I made earned me a dirty look from the fashion friendly leopard.
“I'm probably the wrong person to ask. I don't know much about shoes other than price and comfort.” Bending down over her shoulder, I brought my lips close to her ear.
Her scent was a mixture of wild animal and Chanel number something or other. Fearing sensitive ears down the hall would hear me, I barely breathed the words. “What the hell is going on down the hall?”
She giggled and squirmed, batting at her ear. “That tickles, cut it out. It's also sending a fun tingle down my spine so you may want to back off. Or do you?” She smirked. I ignored her teasing come-on; she was full of them. When she gestured that she didn't have a clue what was up with Lilah and Veryl, I chewed a nail as the curiosity ate me alive.
Jez slapped my hand away from my face and shook a finger at me. “No wonder your nails are always bitten to shit. You seriously need a manicure, lady.”
I tried to glare at her, but I was too preoccupied by trying to hear the details of the commotion in Veryl's office. “A manicure would be wasted on me. I'd destroy it within hours.”
