An arched eyebrow met her earnest gaze. “We’re married, Cara. Soon we’ll be mated. ‘No’ isn’t an option for you.”
“Bullshit.” Cara may not know the man very well, but he would never force himself on her.
“I should probably tell you now to watch your language.” Talen’s face settled into set lines, his eyes direct, his jaw firm.
“Fuck you.”
His teeth flashed and he stood to his full height. “Damn if you aren’t perfect.” He rubbed his chin, his gaze dropping to her breasts. “And don’t think for a second you won’t pay for your defiance.”
The rumble of his voice issuing the sexual threat soaked her panties. Plain and simple. She searched for another tact. “You promised you wouldn’t hurt me.”
Talen’s gaze traveled to her eyes, and his lips tipped in almost a grin. “I won’t.”
She slammed her hands on her hips and wondered if a decent sidekick could take out his knee. “I don’t want to be mated.”
“You will.”
Cara opened her mouth to respond just as he gave an annoyed snort and yanked his shirt over his head. Her gaze caught on a smooth, perfectly muscled chest before moving to the side. A bloody hole covered his upper arm. She gulped. Crimson wove through the outline of muscles. “You were shot,” she said slowly.
“Yeah, looks like it.” He shrugged. “I think one bullet hit me, but it went right through.” He poked at the round dark hole. “I should probably put something on this now, though.”
The room spun around her, and she grabbed the counter for support. “You sat through dinner with a bullet wound?”
Talen raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I said it went all the way through. It’s not a big deal, Cara.” He reached over and grabbed a kitchen towel to press against the wound. “Check under the sink for a first-aid kit, will you?”
Cara looked under the sink before darting into the bathroom to find a kit in the medicine cabinet. She concentrated on not throwing up as she wiped the wound clean, amazement pooling in her stomach as the bullet hole closed and pinkened into healthy flesh once she’d removed the clotted blood. She worked with plants for a reason. It didn’t help that Talen’s gaze heated on her as her hands touched his flesh. Then he emitted a low growl from his throat.
Cara cleared her own throat. He was the only access to her daughter, and she had to bide her time. She stepped back after taping the bandage to his large bicep and wiped a hand across her forehead. She studiously refused to look at his strong, very bare chest and moved so the table sat between them.
A flash of lightning caused her to jump. The storm outside broke with the fury of a long-ago battle, and Talen’s gaze remained hot and still on her within the tiny confines of the cabin.
“Stop staring at me,” she snapped, facing him squarely.
She shivered as the storm outside brought an uncomfortable stillness to the small space.
“Stop running from me,” came his arrogant reply. He crossed his arms, his eyes darkly golden in the dusky light, his stance deceptively calm.
Cara stared at the intimidating warrior only a few feet from her. Arousal warmed through her like a fine wine. His long dark hair lay in thick, wet tendrils around a face carved from stone. His eyes sparked as wild as the land around them, his body forged from steel. He was every dark fantasy she’d ever had—she ached in undiscovered places. Her muscles clenched in the need to break something.
There was no way she’d give herself over to an arrogant, dominating alpha male she just met. A vampire, no less. A tiny voice reminded her he had hunted for her, he had killed for her. His actions had consequences she might not be able to put into words, but she felt them to her bones. Without even touching her, he had made her his. His primal gaze told her so.
Her nipples hardened at the thought, and she shook her head against his claim.
Talen’s eyes narrowed as the air vibrated around him. “You’ll not shake your head at me.” His command was quiet compared to the drumming rain outside, yet held more danger.
Her pulse quickened. “I’ll do what I damn well please, Talen.” She welcomed the onslaught of her rushing temper as a relief from the unfulfilled aching in her lower body. “We may be temporarily married, but I’m not one of your people, and I don’t take orders from you.”
He stilled, his unique eyes sharpening to burnt gold. Absent of even a hint of mercy, they captured hers.
“I had hoped to wait until we were home before taming that temper of yours,
mate.”
Talen’s voice softened in warning, a predatory light enhancing the green flecks in his eyes. “But I’m all right with taking care of it now, if you so wish.”
Cara could only stare at the large man before her. A rushing desire warred with her hefty temper. Danger swirled around her. This shouldn’t turn her on, damn it. She bypassed the nearest movable object, an old cast-iron pot, and went for the knife block instead.
Talen moved faster than possible. His much larger body pinned her against the lower cupboards, one hand tangled in her hair, the other around her small waist. She never even touched a knife handle. He easily picked her up with one arm and plopped her on the counter. His hips forced her knees apart. With a twist of his wrist, he tugged her head back to stare down into her eyes.
“You’re not the only one with a temper, mate.” Churned gravel coated his voice. He lowered his chiseled face to within an inch of hers, and his hardened groin pressed firmly against her softness. “You’d best remember that.”
The rush of heat was unwelcome, and she struggled furiously in his firm grip. Her hands pushed uselessly against his rock-hard chest. Her breasts thrust out as he held her head still. “Stop calling me ‘mate,’ and let me go.” She stifled a groan against the desire pooling between her thighs.
His lips tickled hers before he spoke. “You are my mate,” he brushed her lips again, “and there’s no fucking way in hell I’m letting you go.” With a groan, he took her mouth, his lips firm and unrelenting. He delved deep into the warm recesses of her mouth, the arm around her waist pulling her against his straining erection. There was no issue of Cara refusing him. He didn’t ask. He took.
She froze against the demanding heat of his mouth, fighting the liquid fire rushing through her. He angled her head, delved deeper than before, taking exactly what he wanted, and apparently what she wanted as well. The rain and wind clamored outside while the erotic savagery of his kiss ruthlessly conquered any remaining resistance.
With a whimper, she stopped trying to wrestle control over her new reality and gave herself up to the fire rising fast and
burning hot inside her. What could one kiss hurt? The scent of man filled her head and suddenly, she
craved.
She returned his kiss with all the passion she had kept at bay for years. The amazing strength of him, the sheer maleness of him, overwhelmed her. Her palm splayed against the solid granite of his chest, and she moaned deep inside her throat.
Heat filled her. He began to draw away, and she nipped at his bottom lip, wanting more. His eyes darkened to molten fire. The hand in her hair tightened and his wrist twisted again, exposing the graceful column of her neck. He lifted her off the counter by her buttocks. She ran wet as he easily balanced her against him with one hand, her knees clasping the sides of his hips. Giving a smart shake of her head, she waited until he relaxed his hold and pressed her mouth to his neck. Salt and spice exploded across her taste buds.
Moaning, she reached down to his abs, tracing hard muscle with her hands. Perfect. Male. Strong. She leaned forward, swirling her tongue around one nipple, and fought a smile as he trembled.
“Cara?” The hand in her hair tugged until her slumbering gaze met pure liquid gold.
“Hmm?” She reached for his belt buckle, sliding the clasp free. She’d never felt such arousal. It may be temporary, but she wasn’t going to miss out on this.
“Cara.” He tightened his hold, sending erotic pain down her scalp. “I need to know, darlin’.”
“Know what?” She yanked his belt free and dropped it to the ground, trying to press her aching core harder against him. She was ready, damn it—and now he wanted to talk?
He leaned closer, his breath brushing her skin, his gaze boring into hers. “That you accept me, that you accept us. That you want this.”
Warmth spread through her heart to match that in her loins. “I want this.”
He grinned, the hand in her hair sliding to cup her scalp. “And?”
She inhaled his spicy scent and her mind spun. “I accept you right now—the rest we’ll have to see.” Man, if she didn’t get him naked soon she’d die. Or he would.
“Good enough,” he said.
Then the world shifted as he tugged her head back, lowering his mouth to her vulnerable neck. “Did I tell you my people mark our mates?” His hot breath feathered over the soft skin, his hand kneading the supple flesh of her rear.
“Um,” Cara could feel only the delicious friction as he rubbed her core against his.
The hand in her hair tightened in warning as he stilled their movements, “I asked you a question, Cara.” He raised his head to pin her with a look that dared her to lose focus again.
“Um …” She struggled to find his words in her mind. “Wait. Did you say you mark your mates?” She stopped moving.
“Yes.” Satisfied, he started to again lower his mouth to her neck.
“Wait.” She struggled for release. “No. Wait, Talen. No marking.”
Talen easily held her in place as he raised his head to within an inch of hers. “Oh, there will be a marking, Cara.”
“You’ll not mark my neck,” she hissed, even as she pulsed against him.
“Who said anything about your neck?” With his dark question, he took her mouth with a flash of heat. He turned toward the bed, his strong hands cupping her rear, the sound of thunder directly overhead.
Fire licked underneath her skin as her knees clasped Talen’s narrow waist, his hands on her, his mouth on her, demanding more. She whimpered deep in her throat. “Hurry up,” she moaned, her entire being on fire.
A strong arm swept her shirt off her body in one fluid motion, baring her breasts to his flaring eyes. He growled and then, with a mere step forward, she was on her back, and he
was on her. With his mouth hot and insistent on hers, he leaned down and ripped her jeans and panties from her body and threw off his own.
Cara gasped in shock as he penetrated her to the hilt, no preliminaries, no easing, just pure, primitive possession. He instantly moved in and out. Strong fingers dug into her hips, moving her to meet his thrusts. Good God. What had she agreed to? Her body wet and willing, she fought to adjust to his penetration, her breath catching painfully in her throat as he plundered to untouched depths. The orgasm had a life of its own, mercilessly, fiercely bearing down on her and ripping through her entire system. His name filled her head and then there was silence around them when she cried out and stars exploded behind her eyes.
Still, he thrust. “You okay, darlin’?” His voice rumbled to a tone deep enough to echo along her every nerve ending.
“Yes.” She pushed up into the hard planes of his amazing body. “Do it again.”
He may have chuckled, tightening his hold, somehow increasing his speed.
She could do nothing but hold on for dear life, her legs wrapped around Talen’s solid hips. A painfully sharp desire washed through her again. The wide girth of him filled her to the point of pain, his mouth hot on her neck. She had no control over the pace, no control over her own body as the next orgasm slammed as suddenly as the first. She bit into the hard flesh of his chest as she rode out the waves. She wouldn’t have missed this for the world.
Talen growled when her teeth penetrated his flesh. When the waves stopped tearing through her, he reared up and flipped her over onto her hands and knees, pumping his hips the entire time. His thrusts increased in speed and strength and her last image of his strong face burned into her memory—the sharp angles set into brutal lines of desire, his thick, dark hair wild around his shoulders.
She groaned as he pushed her shoulders to the bed, one
hand moving up to tangle in her hair, the other clenching her hip as he rode her. Burying her face in the soft quilt, she sobbed his name. A stirring started deep within. It spiraled out into a sensation that stole any breath she might have kept. It strengthened to a pinpoint sharpness. She teetered on a fine edge, fighting against falling over, fighting against the unknown, when, with a fierce twist of his hips, he forced her over. She gave a sharp, keening cry as her pleasure spiraled higher and hotter until her world exploded. She could only open her mouth in a silent scream. Intense waves of ecstasy rippled through her.
She came down with a whimper, her eyes shut tight, her body slowing relaxing. He continued to pump in and out. His roar filled her head when a nearly painful release tore through him, echoing throughout her own body, her empathic shields in tatters.
He remained full and hard inside her. A strong hand gripped her shoulder to guide her limp body upright while his other hand burned like hot coal on the front of her hipbone. He held her before him on her knees, her back to his damp chest. He clasped long fingers through her hair, pulled her head to the side, exposed her neck and growled, “Mine.”
With a quick strike, he bit.
T
he large screen fizzled from deep black to static grey in front of Dage’s eyes. Sometimes the reception in his underground headquarters left something to be desired, though the pure oxygen that flowed through the well-lit caverns and reinforcements to the granite walls ensured not even a quake from Mother Earth herself would harm the inhabitants here. Several meters under the surface, where heat-seeking missiles or scopes would never penetrate, he let the pure scent of earth and rock ground him.
His shoulders had been in a relaxed state since Talen’s check-in the previous night—he and his new mate were safe. Dage figured it’d taken his brother less than an hour yesterday to reclaim and protect the woman. Pride filled the king.
Dage focused, and the picture cleared to reveal furious activity surrounding the nearest Kurjus camp.