Destiny Unchained (21 page)

“That’s for making me crazy this last month without
you,” he rasped.

She exhaled a chuckle then sobered when he removed
his hand.

“On your knees.”

Slowly, she sunk to her knees. He took one of her
hands and gently brought it behind her back. He wound the whip
around her wrist then did the same with the other. She fought back
panic as he lashed them together.
This is Cristian. He won’t hurt me.
Besides, it was regular bullwhip; she could break it easily.

He knelt in front of her, staring into her eyes for a
long moment before raking his gaze over the rest of her body. He
stopped at her breasts, which jutted out like an offering. Her
nipples were already hard and achy. A quick yank and her bra was
gone.

“Are you going to undress too?” she asked, feeling
more vulnerable that he was still fully clothed.

He pinched her nipple. “Shh.”

Okay,
so it’s going to be like that.
With tremendous effort, she
clamped her mouth shut. He leaned over and swirled his tongue
around one nipple and sparks shot straight to her core. When he
sucked it hard, she gasped and arched her back. He did the same to
the other, but grasped her ass firmly to keep her in place when she
tried to back away.

“Cristian, please.”

She’s here.

He couldn’t believe it. Not only was she here, but
she was naked and quivering for his touch. He’d planned to make
this hard on her. He wanted her to prove herself by submitting, but
now he wasn’t sure he could stop himself from ravishing her
heavenly body.

Rosy peaks popped against her pale flesh. Her slender
waist changed to shapely hips and a beautiful, toned backside. His
hands stroked down her back and kneaded her ass. He continued to
torture her firm nipples with his tongue.

She moaned and bit down on her bottom lip. To hell
with submission. He growled and took her mouth hard – branding her,
possessing her.

After unwinding the whip, he tackled her to the
ground. She flung her arms around his neck and held on as if he
were a life raft. He rubbed his cheek against hers. Her tears broke
his heart.

“I love you,” she said, clasping him tighter. “I love
you.” Her voice broke. “I love you.”

Ah,
yes.
His heart danced and his eyes watered. “I’ll never tire
of hearing it.” He crushed her in his arms, burying his face in her
neck, rejoicing in her warmth, her scent. “I missed you.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Shh.” He stroked her hair. “It’s in the past.” His
teeth nipped at her neck. “Just don’t do it again.”

“I won’t. I can’t live without you. I couldn’t even
eat without getting sick.”

“What?” He lifted his head and stared at her. Now
that he looked closely, the dark circles under her eyes and
hollowed cheeks were obvious. She’d been starving because of
him?

Anger seized him, and he sat up. “You’re going to
drink right now, Natalia, and if I hear a peep of protest I will
get my whip and –”

“Cristian.” Her eyes glittered, and she grabbed the
collar of his ranger uniform. “I’m starving. I won’t protest.”

Her fangs descended, and he flipped her on top of
him. With a look of stark longing, she dove for his neck. He
grunted when her fangs slid into his flesh, but the sharp sting
quickly gave way to pleasure. His shaft throbbed as she rubbed
against him, her soft lips against his skin. Palming her backside,
he moved her hips on his erection. One hand slid under her panties,
reveling in the smoothness of her bottom. His finger moved lower,
parting her wet flesh. She gasped against his neck and her body
trembled.

Fuck! Can’t wait much longer.

“Talia.” He tried to lift her from his neck but she
wouldn’t budge. “That’s enough.” She made small mewling sounds as
she continued to feed. He slapped her rear. “Stop, Natalia. Or I’ll
pass out and you’ll have no one to finish you.” He chuckled when
that drew her from his neck.

“I told you I was starving.” She wiped the blood from
her lips.

He smiled. His dark goddess of night. And she came
back to him.

Less than a second later, she pulled him to sit and
yanked off his shirt. Her hands felt like ice against his
chest.

He stripped from his pants then enclosed her in his
arms. “I hope you’re ready, because I can’t wait any longer.”

“Yes. Inside me. Now.” Frantically, she peeled off
her underwear.

He hovered above her, grinning. “I expect to hear
those words every night, Natalia, for eternity.”

Her mouth curled up into a smirk. “Then stop talking
and do it.”

He chuckled. “Pushy woman.” He thrust into her.

She gasped and her eyes rolled back. She was so wet,
so tight, so perfect. Perfect, and made just for him. He bent down
and suckled her rosy peaks while she arched into him. He pounded
into her with no mercy. Rising up, he grabbed her hips, and angled
them for deeper access. He rode her hard as her moans turned into
cries. He yearned to hear his name roll off those perfect lips as
she came with him.

“Natalia. Come for me, baby.”

“Yes!” she cried. “Cristian! Keep going!” Her eyelids
fluttered closed. He leaned into her neck, nuzzling with his
bristling beard. Then he nipped gently at her skin and she cried
out louder, moving faster against him. She clutched him like an
anchor, her nails digging into the skin on his back.

“Look at me, Talia,” he commanded roughly. “Look at
me and don’t turn away.” When she hesitated he gave a sharp bite to
her neck. Her eyes snapped open then gazed into his. “That’s it.
That’s my girl. You watch me when you come, Talia. Because you’re
mine now. Do you understand?” She nodded eagerly, pleasing him more
than anything they’d done that night. “God, you’re beautiful. And
mine. All mine.”

One more hard thrust and he felt her come as she
cried out his name. When her body pulsed around his length, he
roared into the night and released inside her.

He collapsed to the ground, pulling Natalia on top of
him to keep her warm. Her head fell into the crook of his neck as
she panted against him. He stroked her back.

After several minutes, when they’d caught their
breath, she looked up at him. “So, what do we do now?”

Hell
if I know.
He kissed her lips, her breath warming his soul.
She’d sacrificed everything for him. If it came down to it, he
would too. “One day at a time,
puiule
. All we can do is take it one day at
a time.”

She sunk back into his neck and placed kisses along
the bite marks.

“But one thing’s for sure, you’re mine.” He dropped
his hand on her breast to prove his possession. “For better or
worse, we stay together, yes?”

She breathed against his ear, “Yes.”

Three hundred and sixty five days later

“That’s it for today,” Natalia told the five young
werewolves in the training ring. “Come back Tuesday at three
thirty.” They scampered away and she yelled after them, “And be on
time!”

“Nice job.” Sorin grinned at her from outside the
ring.

She wiped her sweaty neck with a towel. After
centuries of fighting dangerous rogue werewolves, it was a group of
adolescents that wore her out. Go figure. “Do I finally meet your
approval, Sorin?”

He laughed. “Oh, come on. You proved yourself to me
and the rest of the pack months ago.”

She arched a brow. “Still hasn’t stopped you from
giving me a hard time.”

“I give everyone a hard time.” He shrugged and tossed
her bottle of water.

She chugged it. “How’s Harmony? Still fighting you
about getting pregnant?”

He shook his head. “I think we’ll follow in your
footsteps.”

She picked up her duffle bag and nodded. “Good. There
are lots of kids out there who need adoptive families. Even
werewolf kids.” She looked him over. “And I guess you’ll make a
decent father. Cristian seems to have faith in you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Your confidence is
heart-warming.”

“Mommy!” Maya’s shrill voice echoed across camp.

Natalia turned to see Cristian heading her way with
one kid on his back, the other wrapped around his leg. He set them
down. She closed her eyes and braced for impact. The twins sprinted
toward her then knocked her to the ground, giggling when she
pretended to be dead.

“Mommy! Get up!” Matthew tugged on her arm.

When they weren’t expecting it, she released her
fangs then sat up and hissed at them. They screeched and ran away,
laughing.

Cristian stared down at her with a brow arched.

“What?” She grinned. “What’s the fun of having fangs
if you can’t use them to scare your kids once in a while?”

He laughed and helped her off the ground. “You’re
bad.”

He pulled her roughly into his arms and kissed her.
It felt like home. Warmth and love poured into her, turning her to
mush. “Mm,” she murmured against his lips. “I’ll show you just how
bad I can be when the kids go to bed.”

His brows shot up then he swung her into his arms.
“Sorin,” he called over his shoulder, already striding to their
cabin. “You’re babysitting.”

“What?!” she heard from behind them.

She chuckled. “I said after they go to bed.”

Cristian stared down at her with lust-filled eyes. “I
can’t wait that long.”

She slapped his chest. “You’re the alpha of the most
formidable werewolf pack in the country, not a spoiled child.”

He nipped her ear and tingles shot down her spine.
“Yes, I’m the alpha. So indulge me, woman. And quit your
complaining.” He kicked open the cabin door then slammed it shut
and threw her onto the bed.

“Be careful,” she warned, rising to her knees. “I
have fangs and I know how to use them.”

He stripped off his shirt then tackled her backward
on the mattress. “Is that a promise?” A quick movement and her
shirt and bra disappeared. He kissed each breast. “I love you.”

“So I’ve heard.”

A smile lit up his face. “Get used to hearing it
‘cause I’ll never tire of saying it.”

She grasped him around the neck and pulled him into a
kiss. “I love you, too.”

Destiny Bewitched

Orange hair caught the light and shone like fire. A
young woman swung her sword, slicing through flesh with a skill and
brutality that didn’t fit her small body. She ducked and dodged
blows coming from all sides. Her counterstrikes flowed with grace,
the sword like an extension of her arm. It arched over her head and
whistled through the air. She twisted and spun and thrust. A
beautiful, violent dance.

Geo watched, transfixed, as the three werewolves in
crinos form circled her, growling furiously. Patches of fur covered
their seven foot tall muscular bodies. Blood dripped from gashes in
their chests and stomachs. Even with her long sword, she couldn’t
quite reach the only place they were vulnerable – their neck. But
the werewolves were holding back. They wanted her alive.

With a warrior’s cry, she slashed through the stomach
of the biggest werewolf. His eyes lit up with rage. A terrifying
snarl echoed around them.

A flash of fear tightened in Geo’s chest. Fear?
Centuries of living amongst the foulest creatures and
now
he was afraid? For a
woman?

A werewolf claw nicked the skin on her belly where
her shirt rode up. The crimson drop of blood against her pale skin
bothered him more than it should. He gave his head a shake.
Keep
walking.
He’d survived in the Underworld as long as he had
only because he minded his own business and kept to himself.

But his gut churned at the thought of leaving the
woman in the hands of the werewolves. He looked back at the fight.
She held her own – a fierce some little thing – but her limbs
started to sag and her reflexes seemed a bit slower. The ire in the
werewolves’ eyes continued to grow. They’d lose their patience
soon.

An open satchel on the ground caught his eye. A brown
book, with a worn cover, and thick enough to rival the Bible, sat
half-way out of the bag.

A Grimoire.

His heart jumped with excitement. A witch.

A feminine yelp of pain snapped him out of the daze
and he swung his head toward the sound. The witch fell lifelessly
to the ground, blood trickling down her temple.

The biggest werewolf – black as night with pale blue
eyes – let out a deafening roar. His claws curled and drool fell
from his muzzle. With heavy thuds, he stepped toward her, still
snarling. He reached down –

Stop.

One mental thought and the three werewolves froze.
Geo took hold of their minds, commanding them to stay while he
placed the Grimoire in the satchel and threw it over his shoulder.
He walked to the woman unconscious on the ground. The werewolves
gaze followed him, icy cold and promising vengeance. He lifted the
witch into his arms and faced them.

“I’m sorry, but I need this one.”

The biggest one growled. They weren’t in a forgiving
mood. Whatever plan they had for the girl was no doubt a nefarious
one. But he wouldn’t kill them. Vampires had to feed, werewolves
had to mate. It was the way of his world

He looked down at the bundle of redemption cradled in
his arms. His world rarely included witches stumbling around the
most dangerous parts of the Underworld. Maybe, at last, luck was
shining down on him. Maybe, with her help, he’d finally win back
God’s favor and return home.