Hunter Betrayed (10 page)

“Harley?” He cut a quick peek over his shoulder and found
her staring at the animals with wide, fearful eyes. “Slowly lower your hand and
allow them to sniff you. No matter what, don’t jerk away. I won’t allow them to
harm you.”

She did, palm out and fingers loose. The incomplete mate
symbol stood out starkly on her pale skin. The dogs would know the significance
of it, not that they’d need it. His protective stance in front of and to the
right of her along with his scent clinging to her skin would tell the hounds
all they needed to know—Harley was his. The alpha male approached first,
sniffed and gave her hand a small lick. The others followed suit. Calan’s
pent-up air escaped in a rush of breath.

They’d accepted her and offered her the same loyalty they’d
given him.

As one unit, they turned and trotted across the room, fading
before they reached the stairs.

“Beautiful. They’re beautiful.”

Calan glanced at her. “Yes, but not nearly as lovely as
you.”

He lifted her into his arms and strode for the bed. The time
had come to claim his mate. He swept the thick quilts to the side and laid
Harley in the center of the massive bed. The feathered mattress dipped slightly
under her. Her eyes fluttered closed on a sigh. The small sign of her comfort
pleased him.

“I have never taken a female in my bed, Harley.” He leaned
over her, one knee next to her hip and his palm splayed over the soft sheets by
her head. “Nor will I after you.”

The words weren’t necessary, but he wanted her to feel the
significance of what they’d do here.

She blew out a shaky breath. “I don’t know what to say.”

He kissed her, slowly and tenderly when all he wanted to do
was strip her out of her clothes and fuck her as she’d asked him to earlier
today.

Lips a hairsbreadth away, he whispered, “Nothing. Say
nothing. Remember, I’m not asking for anything in return beyond your passion.”
But by the gods, he wanted more.

All of her.

For an eternity.

“Oh, okay.”

The confused lilt to her words would’ve torn a chuckle from
him if he hadn’t been so aroused. The years without a female had heightened the
need riding him, but it was the act itself that tightened his groin and left
him desperate for Harley.

He had one body to give to a mate.

He’d made his choice and couldn’t wait to complete his
circle, tying his life to hers.

He gripped the hem of his shirt and tugged it over his head.
Her gaze dropped to his stomach. He waited for her to meet his eyes. “And now
I’m going to get drunk on you, my flower. Your passion and your body will be
mine tonight.”

“Oh god, Calan. Please.”

He undid the knot on the tie holding his pants up but held
the material over his cock. “Do you accept me?”

“Yes.”

No uncertainty, no doubt, only eagerness. He held the
knowledge close and pushed for more. Not her devotion, that had to be freely
given, but her acknowledgement of exactly what she was allowing into her body.
It’d be the first step in gaining her love.

“All of me, Harley. My wildness, the rage which comes from
the Hunt and my need to protect the humans. You cannot have only my cock.”

Rough breaths heaved her chest. “Yes, yes, all of you.”

He let his pants drop and his erection sprang free. “Then
you can have me, my mate. My body is yours. Forever.”

Harley had never been so aroused in her life. Calan’s scent,
his touch and his words enflamed the unquenchable hunger within her. Her gaze
followed the slow descent of his pants down the length of his legs. He deserved
her worship and she wanted to memorize every delicious inch of him so she could
deliver it with her eyes closed.

His thick thighs captured her attention. He could probably
carry her all night if he wanted.
Or stand in one position for a millennium.
The thought brought back the cruelty of what her father had done to his amazing
man who’d saved her despite her unfortunate tie to the fairy he hated. She let
the reminder settle over her and accepted the respect and growing affection for
Calan because of it.

My noble ghost man.

She shifted her focus to his broad chest. Muscle upon muscle
betrayed his strength. Never had she seen a more perfect body. Desire flared, flooding
her core with more welcoming arousal. She fisted her hands to stop herself from
tugging him down on top of her.

Don’t rush, don’t rush. Worship him as he promised to do
for me.

She continued her visual perusal. Nearly hairless, a few
dark strands marked a path from his bellybutton lower. Instead of following it,
her gaze drifted to the intricate tattoo inked onto his shoulder. It stretched
down one arm and across his chest. Swoops and swirls of black acted as a border
for the dual-faced image on his pec.

Her eyes widened. One half depicted a black hound with red
eyes, the other the skeletal face of a horse. Movement caught her attention.
She blinked and the horse’s eye contained a mini-landscape. Another blink
showed a castle in the cloudy orb.

She sucked in a breath and pushed to her knees. Her boots
dragged over the mattress. She reached down and tugged them off. They landed
with a clunk on the ground. Her racing breaths added to the sound, but not a
peep came from Calan. He stood completely still. She glanced at him. Patience
and heat warred in his expression. He wanted her but made no move to stop her
visual exploration.

She wanted to say something. Maybe thank him, she couldn’t
be sure. The living symbol stamped on his chest ensnared her. In minuscule
detail, her image drew itself exactly as she’d appeared yesterday. The look of
slumberous rapture on her expression reflected what she’d felt when she’d first
seen Calan’s body.

“What is this?” She ran her fingertips over the mark. Smooth
skin met her, no raised edges. “It’s not a tattoo, is it?”

He covered her hand and lifted it, twining their fingers.
“It’s the mark of the Hunt. All riders wear it.”

“It’s alive.” She leaned close and examined the hound.
Although the red eye seemed to focus on her, it didn’t move or show her
snippets of images as the stallion had. “Why is the dog different?”

“There’s nothing close it wants to hunt.” He grasped her
chin and turned her face toward him. “There’ll be more nights to explore my
body, Harley. Let me love you. I grow impatient.”

She flashed him a smile, one she knew would bring him to his
knees. Calan responded to her sultry promise. His breath escaped in a rush. His
fingers fell from where he’d held her. A low groan rumbled from deep inside his
chest. She’d seen the reaction often. She had her mother’s looks and knew how
to use the body genetics gifted her. The sight of lust, however, had never
looked so damn good on another guy.

With his full attention on her, she tossed her hair back so
her curls swayed, intrigued and captivated the man focused on her. Calan’s gaze
darted between the mass of white-blonde and her mouth. She painstakingly
dragged the tip of her tongue along her lower lip. A husky sound escaped, one
she hadn’t planned on releasing. Damn if she could stop it. She hungered for
him.

“Not until I’m done with you, Calan.” She splayed her palms
on his pecs. “I get to love you first.”

A shuddered groan rumbled the chest under her hands. He dug
his fingers in her hair and tipped her head back. “Be careful, little mate.
Words are powerful. I told you that.” He bent his head and licked her bottom
lip. “If you say those three words humans seem to have no problem tossing
around, you’ll find yourself bound to me for all time.”

She repeated his statement in her mind. Realization struck.
A gasp escaped. The symbol, it meant more than just something to heal her.
Of
course it does, idiot. Why else would he give me a piece of himself?
It
explained the possessive edge to his demeanor too.

She put space between them and held up her hand. She had to
be sure. “What is this?”

He traced the complete design, two overlapping circles. “A
mate bond. I’m tying my body to yours tonight.” She opened her mouth but he
pressed a single finger to her lips, stopping her words. “Listen to me, Harley.
It’s the only way to save you. I give myself to you freely. Do you understand
what that means?”

He didn’t give her a chance to answer. On a groan he bent
close and kissed her. He kept working her in a gentle drugging stroke of
tongues until the worry faded on a surge of passion. Her knees weakened. He
didn’t steady her, though. She linked her arms around his neck and held on.
After a long moment, he eased back.

“It means I am yours forever but…” He closed his eyes on a
sigh. “But you cannot complete this bond, Harley.”

The words stabbed her open heart. “Why not?”

He pressed kisses to her eyelids, her temples, the tip of
her nose. “Because eternity is a long time, my flower, and I’m not a simple
male. I’m the bastard son of the Arawn, Lord of the Underworld.” He brushed his
lips over hers. “Here, between us, I am your devoted mate and lover. With you,
I will always be gentle. Once I walk out of this prison, however, I will be the
male who’s been chosen to lead the greatest, most vicious Hunt of all time.” He
held her face between his large hands and stared deeply into her eyes. “That is
the male you must love, not this one.”

He kissed her once more, sharing his devotion with her. She
felt it in each thrust and stroke of his tongue to hers. She clutched him
tighter even as he broke the kiss. With their breaths mixing, he asked, “Do you
understand?”

She nodded and he moved his fingers to the hem of her shirt.
He jerked it up. She automatically raised her hands. The shirt fluttered to the
floor.

He dropped his gaze to her breasts. The bra she’d worn
barely contained them and just covered her nipples. He ran his thumb over one
point. It pebbled. A circling pass around her areola hardened it more. She
squirmed, would’ve pushed his teasing finger away but he covered her breast
with his mouth and sucked. The tug connected with her womb. She moaned from the
clenching, the rough pulls and her instantaneous response. One touch and she
hovered on the edge.

He settled his hands on her hips, massaging them, and
suckled on her breast as if he had all the time in the world to worship her. He
pulled her closer. She cried out with the slam of her body to his, but not in
pain. Anticipation and excitement ramped up her desire.

She arched her back and pushed her needy flesh into his
mouth. The wet material of her bra sensitized the tip. Each swipe of his tongue
skipped electric tingles over her skin. Her other neglected breast begged for
the same but he made no move to release the one he’d latched onto. The ache grew
unbearable. She covered her abandoned breast with her hand and squeezed the
nipple. The pinch added to the sensations taking over her body.

He brushed her fingers away and kneaded the plump flesh in
tandem to the tugging of his mouth.

“God, Calan.” She shivered. “So good.”

His rumble of approval ignited the tingles skipping across
her skin. A shudder raced down her spine. He switched his attention to her
other breast and gave it the same loving kiss as the first. She dug her fingers
into his hair and yanked, needing his mouth on hers, needing the passion and
the release she knew he’d give her. He growled around her breast and sucked
harder.

Her core squeezed and released in waves that raced through
her body. She moaned his name. Her body trembled and shook with the intensity
of her orgasm. The gentle motion of his thumb brushing over her wrist added to
the experience. Lust held her in its grip but there was more to the carnal
emotion. She felt it with each lick and stroke he delivered upon her. Her heart
cracked open with the knowledge. He slipped inside.

Tears spilled from her eyes. Whimpers fell from her lips.
She held onto Calan and let go, reveling in the endless release. Finally, it
eased. She grabbed the short locks of his hair and tugged his mouth from her
breast, capturing his lips and kissing him.

She nipped him when he tried to take the lead and pulled
back when he demanded more. It was his turn. He would feel her lips. If he
didn’t want the words that reflected the emotion she’d felt growing inside her,
she’d show him how she felt.

She turned her head to the side, breaking the back and forth
kiss. He refused to give her the control she wanted. He would, though. She knew
exactly how to garner it too. Before he could make the next move, she gripped his
cock poking her belly. A squeeze of his thick rod froze him. A rough tug and he
moaned.

Oh yeah, she’d been right. Calan wanted to be worshipped
too. He just thought he had to give it to her first. Well, he’d pulled a
mind-blowing orgasm from her. It was his turn and she knew exactly what they
both wanted.

With her hand on his ass and his cock as a handle, she
gently guided him onto the bed. A push to his shoulders and he sat, spreading
his legs and giving her a perfect spot to kneel.

“Harley—”

She swiped her thumb over the slit already glistening with
pre-cum. His warning turned into a moan. Liking the sound, she bent and kissed
the swollen head. His flavor hit her. A shuddered breath escaped. He tasted as
smoky and rich as his scent implied. She licked, suckled and teased more of his
essence from him. The moans reaching her ears were hers, but the curses
belonged to Calan.

Hands in her curls, he urged her closer. The silent demand
reflected her wants. She opened her mouth and drew him in deep, as far as she
could. She groaned around the thick cock stretching her lips. The unique flavor
of her Huntsman had the potential to intoxicate her. Already lightheadedness
threatened. She grabbed his thighs to steady her swaying body. Poised above
him, she had him right where she wanted him. She wouldn’t let the opportunity
pass.

She curled her tongue around him, licking the head she held
grasped in her mouth. Another swirl and more of his smoked and rich flavor
overloaded her senses. The demand for more echoing in her head mirrored the
controlled lift of his hips. She widened her lips and sucked until he hit the
back of her throat. Her gag reflex kicked in, something she’d never experienced
before, but no man she’d ever had in this position had been as large as Calan.

Slow deep breaths through her nose eased the automatic
response to the thick cock lodged deep.

He massaged her scalp. “That feels good, but ease back,
angel. I’m too much for you. Don’t want to hurt you.”

Not if she could help it. She wrapped her hand over the
length of his erection and stroked from its base to where her lips held him.
His groan encouraged her and she fisted him, working the section of his exposed
cock. More involuntary thrusts and more of his delicious smoked taste flooded
her mouth. The muscles of her throat relaxed. With the next push of his hips,
she swallowed him.

Her eyelids fluttered on a guttural moan.

So. Damn. Good.

“Gods, Harley.”

She let his length slide over her tongue until only her lips
held the head. A peek at the man watching her and she grinned around the
silken-steel rod in her mouth. Wonder and lust created an awed expression on
his face. The power over him she’d wanted shifted in the face of that look.
Love rushed up, reaffirming what she’d already suspected she’d felt for him.

Her gaze locked to his, she fisted his shaft near his balls.
He watched her, waiting on what she’d do—exactly how she wanted him. She
dragged her mouth off his cock. His shudder encouraged her to slow her
movements. Inch-by-inch, she released him. His head fell back on a groan.

Eager to savor every last drop, she licked her lips. Never
had she tasted anything like Calan’s pre-cum. As unique as the man, the full
force of his release promised to captivate her. Since she didn’t plan on
walking away from him unless he refused to help her, she didn’t mind the
addiction he posed.

Hell, she wanted to get as drunk on him as he promised to do
for her. She forced her thoughts from her dreams of waking him every morning
with her mouth on his cock to the erection she held and what they were doing.

The veined length glistened from where she’d sucked him
deep. She bent her head and licked, root to head, and all the way around until
not an inch remained untouched. She continued to explore, licking and sucking,
nibbling and nipping. He rewarded her efforts with vulgar curses that only
excited her more. The rough tugging of his hands in her hair, the quicker
thrusts of his hips and the swelling of the shaft in her mouth clued her in
easily to the state of his excitement. Much more and she’d get his release.

She pulled her mouth free and climbed off the bed. This
wasn’t what he needed, not entirely.

“Harley.” Not a warning. No, the command in the roughly
spoken word demanded her obedience.

She grinned and moved several feet away. A glance over her
shoulder found Calan propped on one elbow watching her. Perfect. She popped the
button on her pants and shimmied out of the too-tight jeans she hadn’t worn in
years. She’d developed a healthy dose of curves since her teenage years. Going
by the lustful gazes she’d gotten, the guys around her appreciated them.