A Love For Lera (Haikon) (11 page)

“Freedom. I don’t really know any other way to
describe it.”

“Okay.” She sat up, and he rose up on his elbows.
“I know you have better things to do than watch over me, Kori. Thank you. I
need to get going. Rissa and I are leaving early.”

He got to his feet along with her but stopped her
from walking away. There remained proof of her tears upon her face, and her
eyes were puffy. Stepping close, Kori used his thumbs to skim along her cheeks.

“Look at me,
mo anam
.”

Lera tilted her head back and met his gaze. When
her big brown eyes met his, all thoughts of talk vanished. Lera may put on a
front with others but not him. She didn’t try to hide the raw vulnerability in
her stare. It sat right there alongside the unquenchable passion he knew she
had buried deep within her and the determination that could make him swear a
blue streak before caving and agreeing to help her.

Kori lowered his mouth to hers, slowly, giving
her time to pull away if she wished. She didn’t move. Her eyes bored into his
and never blinked. His body hardened more the second he experienced her soft
lips beneath his. He cupped her head in his hands and ran his tongue along the
seam of her mouth before pushing in, mindful of the split in her lip.

She opened her mouth on a soft sigh and met his
tongue with her own. Raw desire and lust broadsided him, and he struggled to
keep the kiss gentle. With thorough, definitive strokes, he moved through her
warm haven. Her taste embedded even deeper into him, and he growled low in his
throat. With great reluctance, Kori ended the kiss.

Passion glazed eyes stared back at him, and his
cock throbbed when her tongue snuck out to skim her lips. “Good night, Kori,”
she uttered softly before walking away.

He stood rooted to the spot and watched her.
About halfway back to her father’s house, she paused and glanced back at him.
In her gaze, he noticed wonderment.

‘Good night,
mo ghrá,
’
he whispered
in her mind.

Lera tipped her head briefly to the side then she
spun back around and headed into the house. Kori shoved a hand through his hair
and swore viciously. He wanted her so badly he hurt.

The wind shifted and brought to his nose the
scent of an unknown wolf. Protectiveness rose swift and fierce.
‘Keep sharp,
Cairenn,’
he commanded even as he shifted to wolf form.

‘What’s the problem?’

‘A wolf is near. I don’t recognize the scent.’
Which wasn’t entirely true. There lingered a hint of familiarity to him but he
couldn’t place it. Lifting his nose to the wind, Kori slunk around toward the
place it generated from. He never found it. The creature managed to avoid him.
Anger simmered beneath the surface for it was an alpha male he scented. And
that, around his woman, didn’t sit well with him in the slightest.

Chapter Eight

Lera sat in the window seat and stared out over
the field. By all logic, she should be sleeping next to Rissa in the bed, but
she couldn’t. Her mind continually replayed her interaction with Kori. His
taste. The feel of his lips upon hers, his arms around her holding her tightly.
Making her feel cherished even. She reached for the necklace which no longer
resided around her neck.
I kind of thought he’d return it to me. Maybe it
fell off his bag.

Turning her head, she glanced to the bed where
Rissa lay sleeping, the soft glow of the nightlight keeping total darkness at
bay. Her expression finally restful. It had taken some sleeping pills, but now,
Rissa slept. Lera pushed up from the cushion and padded silently to the bed
where she reached out and pulled the blanket up around her friend more. Aside
from her family, Rissa was easily the person she loved most in the world.

“Rest well, my friend.”

Back at the window, Lera looked out again and
sighed. She felt restless, and there was this strange longing in her soul she
couldn’t explain. Along her side, her cell began to vibrate. One more peek at
Rissa, and Lera grabbed it and answered even as she moved to the door.

“Hello?”

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t keep you
locked in your room for the rest of your life!”

“Hello, Daddy,” she murmured, walking out to the
porch.

“Don’t you ‘hello, Daddy’ me, little one. Do you
have
any
idea how scared I was?” Dane’s voice sounded just as powerful
as it had the day she’d met him.

Sitting on the rail, Lera frowned. “Scared?”

Her daddy, Dane Sidorov, didn’t do scared. He
scared others.

“Why didn’t you call me when Rissa went missing?”

Damn it, Kori!
“I…I…”

“Come home, Lera.”

Tears threatened, and she blinked them away.
“I’ll be home soon. I have to take Rissa back home first.”

“Okay. One thing, little one.”

“Yes, Daddy?”

“Never doubt how important you are to this family
or to me, Valera Grace.
Never
. I would give my life for yours in a
heartbeat.”

She hung her head as shame flowed over her. “I’m
sorry, Daddy. I just thought…” Lera trailed off.

“We’ll discuss this when you get home. Which you
will do
immediately
after you deliver Rissa safely home.”

She sighed again, easily recognizing the order in
his tone. “Yes, I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you, little one.”

“Love you, too.”

Lera ended the call and shut her eyes. When she
opened them, there was another pair of boots in her view. Immediately, her body
alerted her to who it was. The shivers rocketing through her gave it away.
Kori. Not even the sweet scent of the night could distract her from the
powerful masculine one of the one and only Cormac MacLochlainne.

“Why did you curse me,
mo anam
?”

“Why did
you
tell my father?”

Callused fingertips lifted her chin. The setting
moon glinted off his eyes, making her realized again how much of a predator he
truly was.

“I’ve not spoken to Dane.”

She frowned and pulled back. How had he known
then? “In that case, I’m sorry.”

“Lera.” He whispered her name, and it floated
along the air and settled gently around her, warming her.

With a quick swipe of her tongue along her lower
lip, Lera reached up and moved some hair back from the chiseled angles of his
face. He held her gaze without flinching. She longed to kiss him, ask him to
hold her, but Lera kept her mouth shut. Dropping her hand, she slid to the
porch floor.

“Goodnight, Kori.”

She entered the house and headed to bed. Lera
woke a few hours later to morning light filtering in the window and checked her
watch. Still early. She looked at Rissa who continued to sleep soundly beside
her. Silent, Lera rose and made her way to the front door. She cast a quick
glance to the great room where Cairenn slept but never slowed. The majority of
the stiffness in her body gone.

Outside, Lera smiled as her feet took her toward
the woods. The fresh scent of dawn filled her nose. It felt good to be back but
the needful longing within her seemed to be growing, and it was harder and
harder to keep contained. She hurt.

At the tree line, a warning, rumbling growl
filled the air. Weapon palmed, she kept her eyes fixated on the forest. It was
rare for an aggressive animal to be so close to the house. Given what she’d
just been through, Lera wasn’t about to take a chance. The first rays of
morning had barely crested the Pantera Mountains. However, it was more than
enough to identify the animal—correction,
animals
—which stepped from the
shadows of the trees.

Bears.

Shit. This can’t be all that good.
They
weren’t grizzlies or polar bears but given that they had claws and teeth and
she didn’t made her uneasy. Four of them. Growing up in South Africa, she’d
been faced with many wild animals but these… Something was off.

With barely a thought, the cylinder in her hand
extended. Lera kept it at her side, doing her best to appear unthreatening. The
largest middle one opened his mouth, and a loud roar exploded out of it. Before
it had died from the air, all four charged her. While she hated killing
animals, Lera preferred to live.

So she attacked. Instead of jumping back and
running like many may, she lunged forward and to the right. The middle bear
closest to her, moving the fastest, managed to get off a swipe that tore down
her arm, adding to and reinjuring the wound from Raymond. The weapon in her
hand honed into a razor sharp point along the length as she took out the bear
on the right with a slice which severed its head almost completely from its
body. Hurdling the falling body, Lera turned in the air and landed poised and
balanced on her feet.

While a bit slower to turn, the bears didn’t
waste any time. The sight of their fallen comrade only seemed to infuriate them
more. Three shattering roars rattled her eardrums but Lera held her ground.
Confident that the previous move wouldn’t work again, she adjusted. With barely
a thought, the black weapon lengthened even more and became staff like.

Her arm throbbed but she didn’t care. They spread
out until she was in the middle of them. Muscles tense, she waited for the
attack, knowing it was coming but not wanting to give away her move until it
happened. The one on her left lowered its large black head and charged.

Lera held her ground until the last possible
second. Three steps away from when she’d move, a fierce growl preceded two
streaks coming from behind her. Two wolves launched themselves at the bears,
one on each. That left her with one all to herself.

She attacked and was met head-on by the angry
brown Ursus. Her blade burrowed deep and true but so did his claws. Lera
stifled her cry of pain as she maneuvered for another attack. His massive paw
sent her reeling through the air. Stars flickered before her, and she struggled
against the darkness. The creature lumbered toward her, and she lay as still as
possible until the last second.

With a grimace, Lera shoved up with the weapon
and did a backwards summersault to get out of the way from the collapsing bear
body. Breathing hard and bleeding, she fought to catch her breath. Eyes sliced
to the right where she saw a wolf she figured to be Cairenn fighting and
holding its own. Turning her head, Lera gasped at the sight before her. The
silver-gray wolf with the charcoal mask fought against a bear that had to be
over fifteen hundred pounds.

Pushing up, Lera headed to where the second wolf
fought. “Go help Kori; I’ve got this one.”

The light gray wolf looked at her with those
intense amber eyes before it did as ordered. Lera placed her attention on the
bleeding bear before her. A few quick moves and soon it, too, lay dead. She
shook and breathed deeply while she faced the remaining creature. It also lay
on the ground, breathing its last. Golden amber eyes met hers from behind the
charcoal mask.

She wobbled on her legs, and Kori’s arms
surrounded her before she could hit the ground. His gray eyes bored into her as
he lowered them both to the grass.

Rissa. She stiffened and made to move away from
him only to have his arms tighten around her. Like he knew.

“Rissa’s protected. Cairenn is with her.” Kori
swept her up in his arms and headed back to the house. “Check the area, Cavan,”
he ordered the other wolf.

“I’m capable of walking—”

“Don’t. Don’t argue with me on this, Lera.” His
tone was rough and she could feel him shaking.

“But you’re injured, Kori. And who the hell is
Cavan?”

“Lera,” he ground out, his jaw clenched. “Let it
go. Cavan is my brother.”

She fell silent and relaxed into him. The pain in
her body seemed to fade with the warmth from his body. He didn’t say another
word the rest of the way back to the house. Rissa was there waiting with
Cairenn who seemed more than ready to kill anyone.

“Lera?” Rissa’s single word tinged with fear.

“I’m fine, Rissa.”

New unknown noises reached her, and she peered
around the powerful arm of the man holding her like she was the most precious
item in his world. Behind them stood a tall man with the same black hair and
eyes as green as Ciarenn’s.

That must be Cavan. Damn. He’s fine.

‘Stop looking at my brother,
mo anam.
’

The jealousy in his tone almost made her smile.
She could see the injuries on Cavan, and she struggled. Kori refused to release
her. “He’s hurt. Both of you are.”

“Cairenn will see to him. My concern is you.”

“Thanks, Cormac,” Cavan said in a sarcastic, deep
brogue.

Kori muttered something in a language she
couldn’t understand. Then, he progressed up the stairs and to the bathroom up
there. Kori set her down near the sink and stared at her. She opened her mouth,
and he just gave her a look which she took to mean don’t say a word.

Kori cleaned each of her wounds, ignoring his
own. She didn’t move while he attended her arm and leg injuries, but when he
reached for her belly, she flinched back. He looked up at her, his eyes soft.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Lera.”

“I know, it’s just that…” She didn’t like anyone
to see her belly embarrassed by the scarring she had.

His hands on her hips stilled her lips. “Let me
tend your wound,
mo ghrá
.”

She remained motionless when he lifted up her
shirt. He stared at her until she held it up in place. Kori was gentle as he
sterilized and bandaged the cut. He was just as tender as he had been on the
other injuries. Lera bit her lower lip and closed her eyes when his touch
skimmed along the scars on her belly. Kori never said a word about them.

“Look at me, Lera,” he commanded softly.

Eyes open, she stared at him and watched him pull
down her shirt and push to his feet. In the depths of his gray eyes, she could
see anger swirling, but somehow, she knew it wasn’t at her but what had
happened to her.

Swallowing hard, Lera said, “Thank you for fixing
me up.”

“This isn’t going to go away, Lera.”

He spoke in a darkly seductive tone laced with
the promise of something. Something which scared her. And he was right.
Whatever it was she felt between them only grew stronger each time she was
around him.

She tugged on her shirt and said, “I should get
to Rissa and see how she’s doing.”

“You do know you can only run for so long,
mo
ghrá
, before I don’t let you run anymore.”

There was something so authoritative and resolute
about that statement, Lera paused at the door before slipping through. Her
insides were a wreck, and she wanted almost nothing more than to run into his
arms and let him hold her and make her feel safe.
Maybe that would take care
of one ache in my soul.
She hurried downstairs and found Rissa being
watched carefully and intently by Cavan.

After thanking him for his help yet not touching
him, she threw a sore leg over her bike and, with Rissa on the back, headed out
of Savoy Valley. At the top of a mountain, just before leaving, she slowed the
bike and looked over her shoulder. There was a deep twinge in her, and she
wasn’t sure why.

“Everything okay?” Rissa hollered.

Not really.
“Fine. Let’s get you home.”

‘You need to rest, Lera.’

‘I’m fine, Kori. I’m riding the bike, not
pushing it.’

‘You just got attacked by bears. It’s been
only a few days after you endured the other shit. Why do you have to leave now?’

She licked her lips and ignored the pull in her
soul to go back to him.
‘Rissa needs to go home, Kori. It would be wrong of
me to make her wait to be with those who love her. Thank you for everything.
Thank your siblings for me, please.’

‘Lera.’

‘Stay outta my head, Kori. Goodbye.’

Kori stared at his twin siblings, Cavan and
Ciarenn. They sat on the porch of Dane Sidorov’s house. He saw that Cavan’s
injuries were pretty much superficial, and Cairenn had done a great job of
dressing the wounds. His brother, while a bit smaller than him in wolf form,
could more than hold his own. The dead bears were shifters. Why shifters were
after Lera he hadn’t a clue.
I don’t like it. At all.

“She left.” Cavan stated the obvious.

Kori lifted a brow. “Yes. She’s taking Rissa
home.” His brother’s green eyes flashed at the mention of her friend’s name. He
knew that look. “Cavan?”

“She’s mine,” he uttered, his tone deep but
overflowing with conviction.

Kori sighed and readjusted his posture. “She’s
scared, Cavan. You need to go easy with her.”

“Like you and Lera? Is that why she doesn’t know
she’s your mate?” Cavan smirked. “Or is it you’re just too scared of Dane?”