He wanted to rescue her and sweep her away from this place to their own private mating.
Would she even let him touch her? By the gods, he hoped she would.
A burst of desire slammed through him, like the wave of water Leia wielded. Groans arose through the gathering of werewolves and other magical creatures surrounding him, shouts echoing through the woods as couples each reached their own completion. Marrok and Tala must have completed the mating ceremony.
In the same instant, the cacophony of noise from the forest and river ceased. The water splashed back down to the bedrock with an almighty roar. Stark silence settled over the woods.
“The prophesy.” The cry started with one man. Quickly the phrase caught on, repeated in hushed whispers by the rest of those who’d witnessed the storm of nature.
For his part Castor inspected the now calm lake with troubled eyes. Where was Leia?
Chapter Nine
A hush fell over the crowd as Tala and Marrok appeared. Then, as if an unseen signal had been given, all the werewolves bowed to the alpha pair. After a pause, they both lowered their heads in return to the assemblage, then walked through them to lead them all back to their cars. The celebration was set to be held back at the hotel.
Tension coiled in Castor’s shoulders and churned in his belly. Leia still hadn’t shown up, but he had to act as though nothing were wrong, or all her effort would be for nothing. He followed the bride and groom and got into the limo with them along with Tala’s maid of honor, her sister Shyla.
Other than flushed faces, Tala and Marrok appeared well put together given what they’d just been up to. The couple sat close together on the back bench seat, with Castor and Shyla taking opposite side seats.
“Was that Leia?” Tala asked as they pulled away from the parking lot, breaking the awkward silence which had descended.
“Yes.”
“Where is she?” Marrok asked.
“I don’t know. She disappeared under a wall of water.”
“We should go back.” Marrok reached for the button to lower the window between them and the driver, but Castor shook his head. “She’s a water nymph, so she can handle it. Besides, she’d be upset if we ruined her effort by giving away the secret to everyone. She’ll be fine.” She’d promised him she would, and he’d made sure Kaios had left with the crowds.
You’d better be fine, he thought. If she wasn’t, he’d wring her neck for taking that kind of risk.
The rest of the interminable ride was completed in silence. Castor shifted his position a few times. Being near the couple was like a constant bombardment of lust, like standing chest deep in ocean waves. Marrok couldn’t stop touching Tala—not overtly, just constant contact. All Cas could picture was Leia’s big blue eyes, her hair fanned out on a pillow like a golden halo as he moved above her, the sound of her husky voice groaning her pleasure.
Where was she?
The valet handed them out onto the red velvet carpet. A woman with deep red hair approached with a come hither light in her eyes. “Congratulations, Alpha. You as well, Alpha.” She nodded to Tala and Marrok in turn. Then she hooked her arm through his. “And who might you be, handsome?”
“Mine.”
Relief and lust warred for dominance at the sound of Leia’s warm voice behind him. He shrugged off the redhead and pulled his nymph in close where he could wrap his arms around her and feel for himself that she was unharmed. He inhaled her rainy day scent.
“I can take a hint.”
The other woman’s parting comment hardly penetrated. He was too busy with the woman in his arms. “I didn’t see you after the ceremony. I guess you made it here okay.”
Werewolves had phenomenal hearing, which meant he couldn’t ask her straight out if she was okay. A question like that would sound odd to anyone who overheard.
“As you can see.” She winked.
She did appear to be unharmed. In fact, she looked perfect, her hair back up as it had been at the wedding, not a drop of water in sight anywhere on her person. Unable to resist the urge, he leaned forward and planted a light kiss on her unsuspecting lips. He wanted to linger, sample, taste, and take. However, now wasn’t the time. Not yet at least.
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t protest.
He grinned and offered her his arm. Question and answer time could come later. “Shall we?”
Her lips quirked, but she took his arm. “By all means.”
Forcing his body to calm, while at the same time amused that he wasn’t the only man walking around in discomfort, he led her into the hotel and through a set of double doors off to the right, which led to a large ballroom with windows all along one wall and the original bar along the other. A dance floor had been set up at one end, and the rest of the room was dotted with large, round tables set with fancy linens and china. Large bouquets of flowers graced each table, filling the room with the sweet fragrance of spring, helping to mask the natural outdoorsy scent put off by the large gathering of werewolves. Leia found their table while he was detained by one of the elders from Marrok’s pack. As he watched, she circled the table, fiddling with something. Then she dropped off her purse in a chair and rejoined him.
Before he could ask her what she’d been doing, the newly mated couple was announced. Then everyone found their assigned places for the sitdown dinner.
“My, my, my,” a deep male voice intoned from behind them. “I thought that was you earlier, Lyleia.”
She didn’t so much as twitch, but her sudden tension radiated to Castor nonetheless. He reached under the table to take her hand, which was clenched in her lap. What he wanted to do was plant himself between his nymph and the werewolf, but Leia wouldn’t appreciate being made to look weak in front of this man, so he didn’t. Her fingers loosened up to link with his. She plastered a fake smile on her lips, one Cas recognized from when she’d first started working with him, and turned to face her tormentor.
“Kaios.”
“How lovely to see you after all this time.” The werewolf actually had the audacity to lean in for a kiss.
“Touch me and I’ll stab you with my fork.” Leia delivered the threat with her polite smile in place and a friendly tone to her voice.
Pride swelled his chest. Damn, she was amazing.
For his part, Kaios froze, took a moment to assess how serious she was, and apparently concluded she meant it. Castor had zero doubt she did. He kind of wished Kaios would try something, just to see Leia fork him somewhere that would cause permanent damage. Weren’t wolf balls a delicacy in some societies?
“I took the liberty of moving your seat as far away from mine as possible.” Leia glanced meaningfully across the table.
Cas choked back a laugh. So that’s what she’d been doing earlier. He and Kaios, as the most powerful beings present, were both guests of honor, seated with the bride and groom, but that didn’t mean Leia had to sit close to the man. Kaios’s lips flattened. “Still high and mighty. Even without your spring, hmmmm?” He made his way around the large round table to the opposite side.
Leia’s only reaction was to tighten her hand around his. Rage burned in Castor’s chest—at Kaios as well as at himself. He shouldn’t have let her do this. Time to provide backup. Deliberately, provocatively, Cas trailed a finger across the smooth skin of her upper back and placed a proprietary hand at her nape.
She turned her head to blink at him, a question in her eyes. He returned her gaze with a warm smile, one meant solely for her. Satisfaction zoomed through him as she shivered beneath his touch and her eyes darkened to midnight. He’d started this for their audience of one, but her shiver had him laser focused on the woman beside him. With wicked intent he trailed his fingertips down her spine in a feather-light touch designed to tease. At the same time, he dropped his gaze to her strawberry colored lips, eager for another taste.
“How do you like being an Executive Assistant, Lyleia?” There was a condescension to Kaios’s question that implied he thought the
job fitting for the lowly position he’d dragged her down to. But Cas and Leia were still too wrapped up in whatever was happening between them to pay him much attention.
All twelve people seated at their table looked in their direction at Kaios’s question. With effort—on both sides, if her shuddering intake of breath was any indication—they reluctantly turned their gazes to the man across the way.
Leia cleared her throat. “I love it. Cas is the best boss I’ve ever had. Challenging, fair, and worthy. And the work is fascinating.”
He was momentarily distracted by her use of his nickname. She usually made a point of calling him Castor, much like he insisted on using her full name. Did she do that for the same reason he did? To keep at bay the connection that drew them inexorably closer?
“It certainly appears as though you enjoy him.”
Instead of getting angry at the implication, she moved her focus back to Cas. He swallowed at the need he could see in the color in her cheeks, the sparkle in her eyes. “Cas is a wonderful boss and a wonderful man. I’m a lucky girl.”
Suddenly, Cas wished she meant it. That she did think him wonderful. That she felt lucky because she was his.
He gave himself a mental shake. “And she’s an amazing assistant. I expected nothing less when I went to Legendary Consultants to find her.”
“You know Delilah?” Tala asked.
He nodded. “She found Leia for me.”
“She’s fantastic.”
“She must be a fantastic pimp,” Kaios said with a sneer.
Castor leveled a hard glare on the wolf. “You may be a guest of honor, but watch it.”
“Or what, demigod?” the were spat.
“Cas. He’s not worth it,” Leia whispered, giving the sleeve of his tux a tug.
The waiter appeared and set down a steak in front of the wolf. Cas flicked a hand and lightning shot from his fingertip, zagging across the table and hitting the wolf’s plate. The tang of burnt ozone mixed with the smoky scent of charred meat. What had been a rare piece of meat was now black and crispy.
Leia turned her head into Cas’s shoulder, trying to hide her laugh in the silence that followed his small demonstration of power.
Usually he let people guess his parentage, letting what they didn’t know worry them. Even more rarely did he whip out his control of lightning in a blatant display, but Kaios was too full of his own importance. The guy needed knocking down a peg. He might have Poseidon’s ear, but Castor’s father was Zeus, and the king of the gods trumped his oceanic sibling. Kaios had realized the implications if his glare was anything to go by.
Cas picked up his knife and fork, cut a small piece from his own steak, which was still a lovely pink, and offered the morsel to Leia. She shook her head at his antics, the amusement dancing in her eyes making his actions worth it. She opened those lush lips over the bite. She gave a delicate groan of delight that went straight to his groin.
“Delicious,” she murmured.
Unable to resist any longer, he leaned forward to kiss her lips. “Delicious is right.”
An adorable blush stole up her cheeks. He wanted to take her back to their bedroom and find out if her entire body blushed the same way.
“And I thought we were throwing off pheromones tonight. I think you two are giving us a run for our money.”
They both laughed at Marrok’s attempt to break the tension, though Cas could tell Leia’s giggle was forced. Thankfully, Kaios kept his big mouth shut while they enjoyed their meal.
Dinner over, Tala and Marrok stood and moved to the center of the room. Werewolves, like wolves in the wild, were an alpha-based society where that position was one earned, often with violence. A tradition at alpha mating ceremonies was for the alpha, usually the male, to put on a display of his skills.
Cas knew his role as best man. He gave Leia’s hand a squeeze and left the table to retrieve Marrok’s weapon of choice for his display. As maid of honor, Shyla also got up to get Tala’s for her.
Tala and Marrok laughed when they discovered they’d each chosen throwing knives. Duties done, Cas returned to his seat. The alpha pair put on an impressive showing, culminating in both throwing a knife at the other as they stood still against the wall.
“Wow,” Leia whispered when it was over. “They’re very evenly matched. Good thing they mated rather than battled for the right to be alpha.”
Castor agreed.
Following their display, the bride and groom shared their first dance, after which the floor was open to everyone.
Cas pushed his chair back, stood and held out a hand to his date. “Dance with me?”
She stayed where she was and pursed her lips. “Maybe that’s not a good idea.”
“What? Don’t dance?”
“And if I said I didn’t?”
“I’d say you can put your feet on top of mine.”
She shook her head, biting down on her smile.
“Come on,” he urged.
“I’ll pass.”
He leaned down and placed his lips close to her ear. “I want to dance with you.”
Still she hesitated.
“Please.” She’d reduced him to begging.
When he’d about decided to give up and sit back down, she placed her hand in his and stood.
“Just remember whose idea this was.”
Not hers. He got the message.
He laughed and led her out onto the floor. The DJ was still playing slower songs as people wrapped up eating. He pulled her into his arms, and his hand at her waist encountered bare skin, warm and silky under his fingertips.
“Every man in this room hasn’t been able to take his eyes off you tonight in this dress.”
She chuckled softly. “The same way every woman hasn’t been able to stop stripping that elegant tux off your body. We’re all driven by the same urges tonight, and they don’t come from us. They come from them.” She tipped her head at Tala and Marrok, currently circling the room together greeting guests.
He was tempted to challenge that idea, knowing this thing between them had started before coming to Colorado. At least for him. Knowing Leia, she’d pull away if he did, and he wanted her close.
She stepped on his foot.
“Ouch.”
“Sorry.”
“Was that in retaliation for saying you’re beautiful?”
Another clash of feet, only this time she managed to plant the spiked heel of her stilettos on his instep. “Sorry,” she muttered again. “I did warn you.”
She pulled a disgruntled face. He chuckled at how adorable her consternation was, only to receive a glare. He sobered. “Yes, you did.”
Despite his clamoring body, he kept the rest of their dance PG, managing to get stepped on only a couple more times, and escorted her off the floor when the song ended, feet sore and body still burning.
They spent the rest of the evening together, except when Marrok needed Castor for various best man duties. At those times, Cas made sure he left Leia with Tala’s sister or one of Marrok’s many cousins, the female ones at least, determined to never leave her vulnerable to Kaios.
Several hours later, even though the party showed no signs of winding down, Leia tugged on his sleeve. “I’m dead on my feet.”
He’d hoped the connection that had been forged between them would lead to greater intimacy in their room, but she did appear to be drooping and pale. Had using her powers in such force today wiped her out? He swallowed back his disappointment. “You go ahead. I won’t be too much longer.”
He watched as she threaded through the crowds to wish Marrok and Tala goodnight before she disappeared out the side door.
“She’s quite a woman.”
Castor glanced over to find Kaios standing beside him. Rather than bother to answer, he went to move away.
“Did she tell you about how we met?”
Cas ignored the question. “If you value your life, you’ll stay the hell away from me.”
“It was a ce
remony similar to this one. The effect of a werewolf mating can be amazingly heady. Don’t you agree?” The were’s implication was blatant.
Chapter Ten
“Leia?”
Slowly, she blinked awake to discover Castor perched on the edge of the bed calling her name.
She glanced at the clock. Two a.m. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up to face him, dragging the heavy covers up to cover her black silk nightgown. Sexy lingerie was one of her secret indulgences. She did her best to ignore her instant awareness at his nearness. “Cas? Is something wrong?”
At some point during the evening, he’d discarded his tux jacket and tie and rolled back his sleeves. Yummy. He blew out a breath and ran his hand through his mussed hair. She frowned at the outward sign that her usually cool-headed demigod wasn’t at all calm. “I need to ask you a question.”
“Okay.”
“Did you ever sleep with Kaios?”
She narrowed her eyes. Where was this coming from? “No. I’d rather kiss a hell hound.”
“Even when you met him?”
Ah. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “Told you about that, did he? What an ass.”
“He implied.”
“When I rejected him, we were at a werewolf mating ceremony. Apparently the first time a woman’s said no to that man. He probably told you because he wants to ruin the relationship he thinks we have.”
His shoulders dropped slightly at her response. “I see.”
She cocked her head, searching his face. “You believe me?”
He grinned, and the sight of his dimples shot straight to her center. “Any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Especially over that megalomaniac.”
She chuckled and his gaze dropped to her mouth and lingered there. An ache of need glowed low in her belly.
He reached for her hand. “You thought I’d be just like him when you first came to work for me? Didn’t you?”
My Paranormal Valentine: A Paranormal Romance Box Set Page 86
