Bound to Moonlight (8 page)

He stood up, and for the first time she noticed a blood stain on his shirt. “You were hurt?”

“It’s nothing. It will heal once I shift.”

“So why haven’t you shifted.”

He shrugged. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”

“Why?”

He came back and stood looking down at her, studying her. “The answer is—” Head down, he was silent for a moment, “—I just don’t know.” She thought he meant to tell her no more, then he sighed. “The truth is, from the moment I saw you, you called to something inside me. It’s strange, many in the pack form bonds, they mate for life, but while I’ve had women, I’ve never mated, always been alone, and been happy that way. For the first time, I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“Oh.”

“Now you know. Think about it.” He whirled around and left the room.

Anya sat staring at the door, warmth stealing over her as she considered his words. A moment later, it opened and a woman entered. Anya knew who she was. She remembered her briefly from the Agency, and she had seen her inside Maria’s head. Natasha, her sister.

She was small, much smaller than Anya, with long red hair pulled back in a plait, revealing a pointed face and huge golden eyes. Those eyes stared into hers, and Anya was flooded with a mindful of information. More sensation than actual thoughts, she caught brief flashes of a life, running through the forest, a black-haired man with green eyes…

Natasha held her gaze, eyes wide and Anya realized her sister must be having the same experience. She shook her head, glanced away and the contact was lost.

“Sorry,” Tasha said. “I didn’t know that would happen.” She studied her, head cocked to one side. “We don’t look much alike.” Then she grinned. “Nothing alike in fact. I’m Tasha.”

“I remember.”

“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up. Sebastian wouldn’t let anyone else sit with you. Which was interesting.”

It was, and Anya filed the fact away to think about later. Now she wanted to know about her sister. “Sebastian said you were looking for me. Thank you.”

Tasha shrugged. “I always wanted a sister.”

“Me too.”

Suddenly, Anya couldn’t keep the tears from falling. They welled up in her eyes, rolled down her cheek. That someone she had never met should care enough to come after her. The thought wiped away the bitterness of all the betrayals in her life.

Tasha hurried the last few steps to the bed. “Hey, I’m not that bad.”

Anya smiled through the tears. “They’re good tears not bad.”

Tasha’s face turned solemn for a moment. “I know.” She gestured to the bed. “Can I join you?”

Anya nodded, and Tasha climbed into the big bed and settled herself back on the pillows. She reached out and took Anya’s hand. “I predict we’re going to be lifelong friends.”

Anya bit her lip. Just how long was her life going to be? She pushed the thought away. No matter how long she had left, she could enjoy this moment. “Tell me,” she said.

Tasha’s lips curved into a grin. “Tell you what?”

“Everything. Tell me everything.”

Hours later, she drifted off into sleep, her hand still clasped in Tasha’s.

When she woke, the room was in darkness. She raised her head, and a small moan escaped her. Behind her eyes, she could feel a dull throbbing ache.

Time had almost run out.

Chapter Eleven

Sebastian stared at the doctor. “There has to be something you can do.”

Connor shook his head. “There’s nothing. I’ve never seen anything like this poison. Given long enough we could break it down, find out what’s in there, but we don’t have long enough.”

Sebastian took a deep breath. “How much time do we have?”

“Twenty four hours, more or less.”

Wild frustration roared up inside him. He turned away and punched his fist into the wall. The pain broke through the fog of rage, and he managed to force it down. He had to think clearly. There had to be a way.

“What about putting her into a coma?” he asked. “Give you time to find the antidote?”

“Won’t do any good. The poison will keep working. I’m sorry, Sebastian. Of course we’ll keep looking, but there’s just no way. Here, I’ve brought some painkillers.” He handed a packet to Sebastian. “They’ll help at the start. She’ll probably need something stronger at…” He trailed off.

“At the end,” Sebastian concluded bitterly.

He rubbed his eyes. He couldn’t believe this was happening. To find her again, only to lose her. He’d been back to the building where they had found Anya and torn the place apart, but found nothing that could help. He didn’t know what to do next, and the feeling was new and painful.

“You know there’s only one thing that could save her now.” Connor interrupted his thoughts.

Sebastian glanced into the other man’s face. He knew what the doctor was referring to, but his whole being rejected the idea. “Not yet—it’s too risky. Not until there’s no hope.”

“There is no—”

The door opened and Connor cut off his words. Sebastian turned.  Anya stood framed in the doorway, dressed in a pair of his sweats and a black T-shirt. She’d showered, and her hair was still damp. Her face was pale, her eyes huge, but she smiled when she saw him.

“Hi. Tasha showed me where to find you.” Anya looked from him to Connor. “Are you working?”

Sebastian forced a smile. “No. Come on in. This is the doctor I was telling you about.”

He shot Connor a warning look. He didn’t want Anya to know what the doctor had just told him. Not yet, anyway. Connor gave a brief nod of his head.

Anya stepped into the room and looked from him to Connor, then back to him. “Has he found anything?”

Her tone was almost blank, but she couldn’t quite hide the hope, and it broke Sebastian’s heart. He kept his smile in place. “Not yet, they’re still working on it. Connor dropped in with some pills that will help for the time being.”

“Help?”

“With the pain,” Connor answered. “Does your head hurt at all?”

“A little.”

She was staring at the doctor, a strange expression of concentration on her face. Suddenly Sebastian knew what she was doing.

“Connor, get the hell out of here.”

Connor looked quickly into his face, and then hurried from the room. Sebastian turned to Anya.

“You were too late,” she said. “I’d already read him.”

Pain splintered his heart as a wave of helplessness washed over him. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. I’m just glad I had this time.”

“We haven’t given up. They’re still looking.”

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief then shrugged. “Could I have those painkillers?”

“I’ll get you a glass of water.”

He watched as she took two of the pills. “Is the pain bad?”

“Not bad, no. But if I’m going to die, I plan to enjoy my last few hours.” She sipped at the water and watched him over the rim of the glass. “I was thinking about what you said earlier, about not wanting to be alone.”

“You were?”

She nodded. “I don’t want to be alone, either.”

Sebastian took the glass and wrapped his arms around her. He held her tight, as though he could absorb her into his skin, and breathed in the sweet scent of her hair. After a few minutes, she pulled out of his arms and stepped back.

“I can’t promise you forever,” she said. “But whatever time I have left, is yours.”

Her words tore at something inside him, and Sebastian threw back his head and howled. He knew he had to pull himself together, but his wolf was clawing to be free. Wolf recognized his mate and wanted to make her his. Sebastian ruthlessly forced him down. He wasn’t ready to make that decision. He would not take that route. Not yet. Not until all else was lost.

Anya stared at him, her eyes wide, and he knew his own must have changed. She reached out and rested a hand on his arm. “Please, Sebastian, stay with me.”

He took a deep breath and nodded. “What would you like to do?”

Her eyes wandered over him, hot and hungry, and a fire stirred to life low in his belly.

“I want to make love with you,” she said. “Here. Now. ”

Sebastian glanced around the office and raised an eyebrow, but her words made the flames burn hotter. The need to stake his claim, mark her forever as his, consumed him, as though he could keep her in this life by force of will. A lie, but it hid his despair.

“I think that could be arranged.”

And he pulled her back into his arms.

***

Anya could feel the leashed power in the arms wrapped tight around her, the strength held in check, and even through the shield, she sensed his concern, the care he was taking not to let go. She’d seen the wolf in his eyes, but she wasn’t afraid of his wolf, and she didn’t want him to be careful. She didn’t want him to treat her as though she was fragile, as though she might shatter if he kissed her as hard as she wanted to be kissed.

“I’m not going to break,” she said.

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.” She reached up and framed his beautiful face with her fingers, stared into his eyes, human once more. “Make love to me, Sebastian. Make love as though it’s the only time we’ll ever have.”

Pain flared in his eyes, and she watched as he fought for control. He was too strong willed; she needed him to lose himself in her. She craved him, as she’d never wanted anything before, a deep burning need that threatened to overwhelm her. He
had
to feel the same.

Stepping back, she pulled her T-shirt over her head, and tossed it on the floor between them. Her hands moved to her waist, and she pushed the sweats down over her hips and dragged them off to stand before him naked.

He looked at her for long moments then turned away to cross the room and kick the door closed. He stripped as he came back to her, moving with the lithe grace of an animal. As each item of clothing dropped, her pulse picked up a notch. By the time he stood before her naked, the blood was thundering in her veins. He was already huge and swollen, hard and ready for her. She reached out and trailed her fingers down his chest, dragging her nails across his nipples then laid her palm flat where she could feel the rapid beat of his heart.

“You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.”

His lips curved into a smile. “And I’m all yours.”

He stood, perfectly still while she explored his body with her eyes and her hands, ran them over the smooth swell of muscles, then traced the line of pale hair down over his ridged abdomen. Only when she wrapped her hand around the silky steel of his erection did he move, and his head fell back, exposing the taut line of his throat.

She leaned into him and kissed his chest, then his throat. Small biting kisses, tasting the saltiness of his skin as though she could devour him, make him part of her. It wasn’t enough, and she clutched his shoulders and dragged his head down to hers so she could kiss him full on the mouth.

At the touch of her lips, he came alive. His hands curved around her neck, and he held her steady. The kiss was fierce, his mouth wide open over hers and his tongue thrusting inside, filling her. She thrust back, pushing into his mouth, running her tongue along the hard edge of his teeth.

His arms came around her, slid down the length of her back, settled on the globes of her bottom. He massaged them roughly then lifted her, so she felt his inhuman strength. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she writhed in his arms to get closer, until the burning heat of his erection nudged at her stomach.

 He carried her a few steps until the cool, smoothness of the wall pressed against her back. She leaned into it while his hand moved between their bodies, and she held her breath as his skillful fingers parted the already drenched folds of her sex.

His eyes glittered with desire. They held her gaze as one long finger pushed inside her. At the same time, his thumb found the tight little bud between her thighs, and pleasure shot through her, moist heat flooding her sex. The sensation was exquisite, and she throbbed beneath his touch. He rubbed lazy circles around her clit and she bit her lip as she waited for him to touch her there again, so sensitive now that she knew she would implode. Finally, the pad of his thumb grazed lightly over her, and she went still.  She held her breath as he stroked her, massaging the swollen bud until the pleasure intensified past bearing, and she exploded.

When she came back to herself, he was staring down at her, his eyes hooded. He leaned in close, his breath feathering against her hot skin. He kissed her softly on the lips and then whispered in her ear.

“Tell me what you want.”

“I want you. Inside me. Please, Sebastian.”

He shifted her in his arms, lifted her higher. The tip of his cock scorched her. Finally, he slowly pushed himself inside, and the feeling was so indescribably good that she groaned. He paused when he was in as far as he could go, his eyes closed for a moment, and he sighed.

“God, but that is the best feeling in the world,” he muttered.

His eyes opened, and he started moving inside her, shoving in and out of her slick heat, his hands holding her firmly in place, his lips playing over her breasts, her face.

The speed increased until it was wilder than she could have ever imagined, and Anya gave herself up to the emotions flooding her, focused only on the point where his big body ground itself into hers. The pressure was building again, she never wanted it to stop, but she desperately needed some sort of release. He thrust into her then ground his hips against her core. Her lips parted in a scream as she tumbled headlong over the edge. She fought for a moment, but then gave in to the waves and waves of pleasure that washed over her.

He came with her, and even through the pleasure, she felt him pulse as his seed spilled inside her. His head went back and he howled.

Sebastian carried her through the silent building, back to her room, where he lowered her onto the bed.

He lay down beside her, he was already hard again, and she pressed against him. Framing her face with his hands, he stared down into her eyes.

“I love you,” he said.

His words melted something deep inside her, wiping away the betrayals of the past. Anya wanted so much to respond, and she could see the expectation in his eyes. But how could she say the words when she knew she was going to leave him. It seemed like the ultimate betrayal, and her words of love lodged in her throat. She bit her lip then forced her mouth into the curve of a smile.