Bitten By Deceit (6 page)
“Em.” When she reached him, he traced his fingertip along her cheek. Seeing her alive calmed the beast simmering within.
Liam said, “Well done, Emma. You led us right to him.”
Chapter 5
Emma’s gaze flitted to Kyle before turning to Liam. That asshole didn’t know when to quit. She spied the bowie knife she’d dropped on the floor and picked it up. Did he think he could turn Kyle against her? She’d make him feel the pain he inflicted on her.
“If Kyle doesn’t kill you, I’ll be happy to oblige.” Black dots darted in and out of her line of sight, but her target didn’t move. She balanced the knife in her hand. The weight of the blade reassured her and gave her the courage to advance on Liam. He shouldn’t have let her go so easily.
“Is it true, Em?” Kyle whispered.
She glanced back. “Are you seriously asking me this question right now?”
“Because you’re pointing the blade at me and not Liam.”
Oh, God, no. Her vision faded for a moment. Then she realized she stood before Kyle, ready to plunge the knife into his heart. The blade teetered a millimeter or two from his thin shirt. Her grip on the hilt didn’t waver. All she had to do was apply force to end his life.
You belong to me now, my pet.
A tear spilled down her cheek as the witch laughed softly not far from them. “Kyle,” Emma whispered, “I don’t know what’s real anymore.”
He held out his hand for the knife. With a single swipe, he could take it away. Yet he’d given her a choice. Her life depended on making the right one.
She had to choose
him
.
With the gentlest of touches, his palm stroked her cheek. “We’re real. We’ve always been.”
The sound of approaching boots stomping against the ground made her want to turn around, but Kyle held her firmly in place. “This’ll be over soon. I promise.”
No time left. She placed the knife in his waiting palm, and then he shoved her into the wall. Her teeth rattled from the impact, but he’d done it to save her. He wasn’t pushing her away but rather out of the way. A second later, Liam crashed into Kyle. They fell into a bale of hay. Despite the growls, snarls, and claws, Kyle kicked him off. Liam landed with a heavy thud a few feet away.
“You plan to put up a fight, eh?” Liam said with a laugh. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy ripping you apart so much...”
Kyle rose, his eyes gleaming bright yellow. Tufts of fur lined his face and hands. Before ramming into Liam, it was the wolf who roared. Fists flew as Kyle pummeled into Liam’s face. He didn’t pause to take a breath.
Emma tried to shake off the pain as she took in the scene. She had to help. Then she spotted the knife. The moonlight reflected against the serrated edge. Her legs gave away briefly when she rose, but after three steps, she reached the knife. Time to act.
When she turned, Liam had made his move. His face was bloody and battered, but he had Kyle on him. Their claws locked together in a test of strength. Sooner or later, one of them would succumb.
Kyle fared better between the two and grinned as he slowly bent Liam’s arms back. The way Liam sneered at him, Emma sensed Liam had deadly plans in mind. His head slowly angled toward Kyle’s exposed arm. His mouth gaped wipe with incisors ready to bite.
The witch wavered not far from them. Her perfect skin was now marred with bruises similar to Liam’s. Her eyes shot venomous arrows at Em.
“No!” Emma raced toward them, posed to plunge the blade into Liam’s back. The movements took a few seconds. Liam whipped back to block her blow while Kyle surged forward and snapped Liam’s neck.
The leader of the rabid army fell with a heavy thud.
No one stirred until Kyle clambered to his feet and circled his nemesis.
Emma took it all in as Kyle kicked his enemy over with his boot. The blood in the air filled her nostrils with a sick, coppery stink as his hold on her drifted away. The voice in her head whispered a few times.
Always mine. You’re always mine.
And then it was no more as the last of Liam’s life seeped out on the ground.
Her head whipped around to face the witch, but the fight was over. The woman lay dead. No one had touched her during the fight, and yet she was dead.
“What happened to her?” Kyle asked.
Emma closed her eyes as she said, “The witch must have bound herself to the wrong victor.”
But Emma hadn’t. She was bound to Kyle, and her torment was finally over.
Another drive again, but this time, Emma looked forward to the journey.
A hand enclosed hers and stroked her palm. “Have you heard from Meg?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah, she told me the others have emerged from their homes looking lost and scared.”
Kyle nodded. “It looks like we have some work to do.” He brushed his lips over her hand. The sensation traced up her left arm and left her eager to make up for their missed time.
She glanced at the horizon up ahead. Another hot day in Arizona, but with a new start for them, she’d thrive in the desert.
She leaned in close and ran her fingers down his thigh. “Pull over.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “We have a long drive ahead of us.”
“A few more hours won’t hurt.” Her fingers drew circles closer and closer to the hardening swell between his legs.
The SUV stopped by the side of the road. Not a single car passed by on the lonely highway. Plenty of privacy for what she planned to do to him. She unbuttoned his jeans and prepared to reach for his length, but he pulled her hand away. “As much as I want you to touch me there,” he growled, “I prefer to have you with me in the driver’s seat.”
She purred as he reclined the seat. Rough hands grasped her waist and pulled her to straddle his hips. She pulled up his shirt to run her eager fingers down the hard muscles of his stomach. They clenched under her hands.
Oh, my
.
I could definitely get used to this
.
He took off her shirt. She bit her lip as he nipped at her bra. “I have a year’s worth of work to catch up on.”
“Yes, you do.” She arched her back to give him access. He didn’t linger long, creating sparks of heat on her skin.
She wanted all of him. No inhibitions, no barriers. Only their bodies intertwined—seeking and exploring until the ultimate pleasure could be reached. Discarding their clothes in the car’s confines required acrobatics that left them laughing and smiling. But the grins ended as their mouths met.
“Please,” she whispered against his lips.
Kyle pulled her hips up, not needing to ask if she was prepared to take him. A sweet shiver passed through her as he plunged inside. Then he lifted her again—only to make her cry out in ecstasy when he brought her back down along his length. He stretched her body, filling her as he controlled the pace of her ride.
She thought her skin would burst from the seams, but he continued to torment her as he nipped at her neck. Her hips bucked twice, but he held them in place as she climaxed. Then with a shudder and hiss, his entire body tightened against hers. He held her close as the rapturous moment unfolded before them.
She could do this again and again.
He breathed into her neck. His next words were so soft, she barely heard them. “I love you, Em.”
She brushed her lips against the tip of his nose. The bliss of the moment left her heady.
“I love you, too.”
She released a deep breath, and everything came out. All the doubts, all the pain. Only them together forever, heartbeats matching.
“About time you claimed me,” she whispered.
He cocked a grin that made her smile back at him. “I’d claimed you a long time ago.”
THE END
Did you enjoy Bitten By Deceit?
Check out the Coveted Series by Shawntelle Madison
Available now from Ballantine Books!
ISBN: 978-0345-52918-3
eBook ISBN: 978-0-345-53229-9
SOMETIMES WHAT YOU COVET IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP.
For werewolf Natalya Stravinsky, the supernatural is nothing extraordinary. What does seem strange is that she’s stuck in her hometown of South Toms River, New Jersey, the outcast of her pack, selling antiques to finicky magical creatures. Restless and recovering from her split with gorgeous ex-boyfriend, Thorn, Nat finds comfort in an unusual place: her obsessively collected stash of holiday trinkets. But complications pile up faster than her ornaments when Thorn returns home—and the two discover that the spark between them remains intense.
Before Nat can sort out their relationship, she must face a more immediate and dangerous problem. Her pack is under attack from the savage Long Island werewolves—and Nat is their first target in a turf war. Toss in a handsome wizard vying for her affection, a therapy group for the anxious and enchanted, and the South Toms River pack leader ready to throw her to the wolves, and it’s enough to give anybody a panic attack. With the stakes as high as the full moon, Nat must summon all of her strength to save her pack and, ultimately, herself.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: November 27th, 2012
ISBN-10: 0345529170
ISBN-13: 978-0345529176
Fresh from defending her pack in battle, Natalya Stravinsky, a whip-smart werewolf with a lovable neurotic streak, wants a little rest and relaxation. Once an outcast, she’s now eager to rejoin the ranks of her New Jersey pack, and has even gotten a handle on her obsessive urge to hoard holiday ornaments. Yet Nat barely has time to revel in her progress before the next crisis comes howling at her door.
Nat’s father has suddenly gone missing, captured by the Russian werewolf mafia. And as Nat steps up to save her dad from a mob boss’s deadly game, two men step in to play another round for her heart: her gorgeous alpha ex-boyfriend, Thorn, and her new flame, the sweetly sensitive wizard Nick. With her life growing more harried by the minute, Nat must stay cool, calm, and collected . . . or else risk losing everything.
PREVIEW COLLECTED
THE PREQUEL NOVELLA TO COVETED
This story takes place seven months before Coveted begins.
The bid button on auction websites was an evil mistress that I’d love to drop. Whether their font was bold, cursive, or some other customer-grabbing style, those auctions snagged me each and every time. They also made me a promise. All I had to do to add to my ever-growing collection of trinkets was periodically press on my mouse like a junkie pining for the next fix. The only way to stop me from drying up my bank account with repeated bids was the satisfaction of seeing my username,
NatalyaStravinsky
, as the highest bidder.
Thankfully, with a high-speed Internet connection and quick-moving fingers, I collected my latest prize: A haunted Victorian figurine from the 1800s that a woman had once used to off her philandering husband. Cast in bronze with a perfect sheen, it was ideal for either inducing blunt force trauma or as a centerpiece for an end table.
That last auction I won ended five days ago, and I knew my winnings were due to arrive today. I’d taken the afternoon off work and drove slightly over the speed limit down Garden State Parkway. Along the way, I berated every slow-driving citizen of South Toms River, New Jersey. Didn’t they know my prized package was waiting on my doorstep?
Anticipation tingled down my arms as I drove up my long driveway to my cottage. On any other day, I would’ve admired all the hard work I’d done to prepare the flowerbeds along the road. Or even the fragrant flowers that had recently blossomed below the dogwood tree near the house. No, what caught my eye was my doorstep.
My box was missing.
My nose, quite keen even for a werewolf, told me that no one had been here since I left the cottage. And I knew the deliveryman’s aftershave-laden scent too well. Since I lived
right outside of town there were no neighbors to consider. No one had taken it from the house.
A sane person might track the package online or call the delivery truck. Since I ordered so much from the Home Shopping Network, the deliveryman—James—knew me by name and was also aware of how twitchy I became if a package didn’t arrive on time.
Instead of calling him—I’d show some self-control for at least five minutes—I focused on my prize and waited patiently. Two minutes later, I caved and my smartphone told me the obvious: PACKAGE DROPPED OFF. SIGNATURE RETRIEVED AT 10:50 A.M.
Naturally, as I clutched the phone tight enough to crush it, my first thought was
by whom
. Especially since I lived alone and didn’t expect any friends—you needed to have some in the first place—to come by and pick it up.
My fingers trembled as I dialed James’ cell phone. With each ring, my heartbeat thundered, leaving me bitter that it took so long to connect. After the fourth one, James finally answered.
“Hey! You like your gift?” His gruff voice always sounded cheerful during the spring time. He was less cordial when snow was piled on the walkway.
“Gift? I just got home.”
He laughed softly. “So you’re telling me you forgot you met me at the mailbox this morning?”
If a heart defibrillator had been nearby, I would’ve jolted myself with the damn thing.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, c’mon,” he jested. “You were standing by the side of the road. It was rather nice of you, by the way, instead of forcing me to drive up your long driveway. At first, I was kinda surprised since you looked so unusual.”
My voice came out higher-pitched than usual. “In what way?”
As a human, James didn’t know about the world of supernatural creatures around him. Surely, the most he knew about werewolves were from what he’d seen on TV or in books.
“Usually, you’re so dressed up, but you were in jeans for once. You should wear them more often.”
His voice faded as the phone dropped out of my hand. I could still hear him, but that didn’t matter anymore. Someone, looking just like me, had taken my package. My fingertips brushed against my blouse and pencil skirt. They were clean, of course—even after a few hours of work. My standard uniform. Since I wore the same set of clothes every day, anything off from my routine should’ve stood out to someone like James.
