Infinity Unleashed (19 page)

“Whatever your plan is, it’s not going to work. You constantly underestimate me. Don’t.”

He arched a brow, seeming to love this cat-and-mouse game. “Oh, do I?”

My eyes hardened as my need to rip him to pieces raced through my veins. He brought out the most evil, dangerous nature in me, and I didn’t like it. “You have no damn idea what I’m capable of, Alik.”

My heart lurched when the vision of both of us naked in bed flashed through my mind—him licking my inner thigh before his gleaming incisors bit into the soft flesh, drinking deeply with ecstasy with his gleaming jet-black hair spread across my thighs.

“What was that?” I screeched, my heart racing with fear. “Compulsion?”

“Reality.” He walked toward me with an unhurried pace. “That is our future. The prelude to a hard and sensuous night of me fucking you hard and deep as you seal our bond by drinking from me. You will be mine, Infinity… It’s a matter of when.” He circled me, his scent weirdly alluring, calling me in the most intrusive, seductive way.

Blinking, I forced my eyes to meet his but took a step back. “Don’t touch me, vampire. I swear. I’ll scream.”

“Still playing hard to get I see. I’ll allow that for now. It’ll only make your ultimate submission all the more satisfying.”

My stomach rolled nervously. “Oh, fuck you. I’m not becoming your blood whore.”

He smiled sadistically. “Blood whore? I love a woman with a filthy mouth.” He looked over my body with pure lust. “I don’t need another blood whore. I have plenty of those. No, I have grander plans for you and me. Permanent plans like claiming you as my consort before the Collective and you ruling by my side as vampire queen.”

He swooped forward with inhuman speed, grabbing for my waist. I moved even faster, skirting out of his way, narrowly avoiding his clutch. Something I knew he allowed, toying with me like a cat.

“You will be the mother of my children… lots of them, and I’ll enjoy every minute of creating them.”

Shit! I hated him. Feared him. Yet there was a dark side within me that coveted him. Revelling in his darkness. The contradiction filled me with unease. I had to get away from him. Any longer in his presence and I knew I’d succumb to him. Turning on my heels, I sprinted toward the door. He snatched me back brutally, spinning me around, his eyes locking onto mine. My mind went fuzzy. I swallowed hard, feeling my control slowly ebbing, his compulsion taking over.

“You’re delusional. That thing”—I pointed to his penis—“is going nowhere near me. So good luck with convincing me otherwise.”

His eyes narrowed. “I don’t convince. I take and plunder.”

“You won’t be taking shit, vampire.” My heart raced. “I belong to Boulder.” My reflexes were off. My mind felt sluggish, but I was ready to fight to defend myself with all my might.

His eyes began to change, becoming cold, feral… burning.

“Do you? You don’t sound too sure of that, Valkyrie.”

He grabbed the back of my head, dragging my face so close our foreheads touched. “I can give you something Boulder cannot—feed the darkness within you until you think of nothing and no one but me. I will be your everything… your lover, your consort. The air you breathe… There will be no one but me!”

A shiver ran down my spine. His tone was hard as ice with a hint of desperation… longing. His words were like a bad omen. A promise he had every intention of following through with. Acting on pure instinct, I reared back, head-butting him in the face. He did not flinch. In fact, the freak’s eyes dilated with lust.

I spat with disgust. “What you offer is nothing compared to what I can provide you with… power.”

His eyes dilated with shock that I knew.

I continued. “Which I have no intention of doing.” I smiled coldly. “You need me, Alik. The darkness within me might want you… but I sure as hell do not need you. And you and I know there is a big damn difference.” Pulling away from his grip, I stepped back. “So go play your vampire compulsion mind games with someone else.”

He frowned. I sensed something in him twitch… uncertainty. Pouncing on his uncertainty, I pressed my point. “Because the one damn thing that will remain as fact… I will always belong to Boulder. End of fucking story.”

Alik’s eyes flashed with rage. “If you push me, Infinity, I will tighten my grip. That is what a consort does. Fight for what is theirs.”

I tried to back farther away, but the power of his voice wrapped around me like a python, squeezing mercilessly. His eyes fixed on me. He looked at my face, hair, his gazing finally lingering on my neck. With the last bit of my strength, I looked away, taking a deep, cleansing breath. My limbs tingled, trying to get the strength to run, but it was no use. Alik dominated me brutally. Class was in session and this was my lesson. He could bring me down to my knees quite easily.

My mind rebelled. I wanted to own my body. To obey my own will. But his compulsion was winning. I pushed my mind, willing to break free. The more I pushed, the more his power receded, but he latched onto my mind like a leech refusing to let go, forcing my gaze to meet his. His power washed over me brutally as I fought the feeling of drowning under the tsunami of his power.

Blinking hard, I fought his mental onslaught so hard I didn’t even see him move before I heard a deep growl and found myself slammed against the wall. His eyes glowed with dark need. His mouth opened to reveal the bone-white, needle-sharp fangs. He caught my bottom lip between them, giving it a sensual tug before nibbling at the corner of my mouth.

“Stay still,” he snarled. His gaze hit me, locking my limbs.

Before my mind could process what was happening, he threw his head back, roaring like a feral animal before he swooped down, sinking his teeth into my jugular. His hands caressed my body possessively as he drank deeply from me. My limbs felt heavy as I gasped, struggling against the intoxicating wave of fear, lust, and pain.

His voice whispered in my mind.
Do not make me break you, Infinity. Submit… now.

My body stilled as flashes of his memories raced through my mind, and what I saw about Alik was not pretty. He was a ruthless killer. The flashes stopped, and like a door opening, flashes of my memories flooded through… screeching to a stop at the image of Boulder lying butt naked on a bed. That was most definitely not a memory. It was happening now.

“Boulder…” I whispered longingly, feeling his strength and raw masculinity pouring through his pores. His voice strummed hauntingly through my body and mind, his urgent whispering so low I could barely understand him.

Alik snarled “No!” before slamming the mental door shut, ruthlessly snatching away the image of Boulder.

Pushing against his mental cage, I pushed open the door, This time Boulder and I locked eyes. Reaching for him, my fingers brushed against the softness of his cinnamon-red goatee. It was damp. This was real. He brushed his thick fingers along my cheek. His alluring scent of amber and vanilla mixed with freshly cut wood washed over me.

Stay with me, darlin’…
he whispered before his nostrils flared as if he could actually smell my blood.

I swallowed hard.
I can’t… He’s coming…

No.
Boulder protested with wide eyes burning with both panic and desire. He grabbed the back of my neck possessively. My body swayed, wanting so bad to stay with him, but before I could answer, Alik's mental cage rattled with rage before slamming the doorway, cutting off my contact with Boulder.

Panicked, my eyes snapped open only to hear a loud growl before Alik’s body was savagely yanked from mine. Grabbing my neck, my fingers jumped when I felt the darkness crawling underneath like a snake. My body slid along the wall, landing hard on my butt.

“How dare you come in my home and try to take what is mine?” Mason snarled.

Alik smiled frostily. “Yours? She was never yours…” His hand shot out, grabbing Mason by the throat, then hurling him against the wall. Mason collapsed into a heap on the floor. Alik was not finished. He advanced on Mason with horrible menace in his eyes. “She will never be yours, shifter.”

Mason scrambled back, grovelling in utter fear. “This was not the deal…”

“It is now!” Alik snarled, with ferocious-looking claws growing out of his pale fingers.

“You fucking bastard.” Mason’s eyes transformed to their dark gold, catlike shape. His body contorted as if trying to transform, but it was too late… Alik swiped viciously at Mason’s chest, ripping flesh, splattering blood everywhere.

“Boulder,” I whispered before giving in to the pain shooting through my body.

Chapter 13

New York… Saturday

Boulder leaned his head against the cool wall of the elevator, letting the emotional turmoil of the day ebb away. The day had been long, but the pieces were finally coming together. The strategy he and Torch devised for the attack was not foolproof, but it was doable given the obstacles they were about to face.

But after hours of being couped up in the war room with the team, he was edgy, moody, and lashing out at random team members. He had to get some rest or risk ripping them to shreds from sheer frustration and pent-up aggression. His wolf was ready for action and pissed that the full moon was near and he could not claim Infinity.

Stepping out of the private elevator, he wearily walked down the hallway into the bathroom. Stripping from his confining clothes, he jumped into the shower, allowing the scorching-hot water to beat down on his tight muscles. His mind raced a mile a minute, concerned about Infinity and the fact she had no clue about the shit storm brewing around her.

His shoulders tensed, thinking about how confused she must be. More importantly, she was trapped in a tiger-shifter world, which had to be a fucking culture shock. Male tigers tended to be shared by a group of females, whose top concern was breeding and with the top male in the pride sniffing around her while grooming her to be the female Alpha. It was a powder keg for all types of chaos. He pounded his fist against the tiled wall, sending shards of tile everywhere. If Mason laid a hand on her, he was going to kill him slowly, watching the life drain from his eyes.

Distracted by his whirling emotions, he jumped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist, and stormed out of the bathroom and into his dark, cool room. He needed to get his shit together. Torch was right. He was distracted by the mating fever, and now was not the time to lose sight of the plan. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he sighed, ignoring his wolf gnawing at him to fight. He needed to rest. He would be no good to her tired and unfocused.

Snatching the towel off, he stretched his tightly muscled body across the cool sheets. His head pounded as the voices got louder than usual, a sure sign of mental fatigue. With his most primal part feeling edgy, his canines begged to be released, but he had to keep himself in check.

Staring up at the ceiling, he calmed his breathing. It was overwhelming. The symphony of voices attacked him from every angle. He closed his eyes, concentrating on fortifying the mental cage he erected to keep the Immortals from taking control. His wolf prowled inside him anxiously, abruptly stopping mid-prowl with his ears perked. That’s when he heard it. A voice so faint he would’ve dismissed it as nothing but the erratic whispers of the Immortals.

He focused on the words.
Infinity.
His wolf whined upon hearing the desperation and fear in her voice. He flinched as the loud click of their mind connection snapped into place with Infinity’s faint voice connecting with his mind.

“Boulder. Don’t let go.”

Her vanilla scent interlaced with jasmine and a hint fresh rain sensuously wove its way through his senses. His stomach tightened as his manhood jerked. His heart raced when her face loomed before him. Her bright emerald eyes were wide, frightened.

“Darlin’, I’ll never let go. Stay with me,” he whispered, holding her gaze, before reaching forward slowly, grazing his fingers across her cheek. He cupped her face, rubbing his fingers along her cheekbones, never uttering a single word, just gazing into her eyes.

She nuzzled his palm, sighing with content as he grabbed the back of her neck possessively. His wolf howled, wanting to bite her smooth neck, marking her as his, cementing their bond. But he felt her exhaustion and confusion crashing like the waves on a beach. She needed him. He pushed his power through their link, desperately trying to fortify her depleted mental and emotion reserves.

Infinity swallowed hard. “He’s coming,” she croaked with dismay.

His eyes were quiet, examining her face. “He’s hurting you,” he stated flatly. He fought for release, to protect what was theirs.

She screamed as someone tugged her. His grip tightened, refusing to let go. His wolf’s hackles rose at the evil power that crackled in the air. The evil presence was toying with him, dangling her before him like a carrot. His claws burst through his fingers as the wolf fought for control, rearing to fight for his mate, but the shadows swallowed her up, dragging her away. But he held on. She was his, and he was not letting her go… ever.

“No…” He growled, snatching her back, fighting to keep her. But a dark force of power jerked her out his grip. She was gone.

Frustrated, he sat straight up, his body slick with sweat. Reaching up to wipe it away, he felt the sharp edges of something cold and hard digging into the flesh of his palm. He opened his palm only to see Infinity’s bronze wing pendant and gold necklace clutched in his hand. She was getting stronger… and time was running out… for both of them.

Rising to his feet hurriedly, he walked to the bathroom and turned on the water, splashing cold water over his face.

“I’m coming for you, darlin’.” His voice was garbled around his fully extended canines. And God help any vampire or tiger who got in his way.

CHAPTER 14

Colorado… Saturday

Several voices, strange voices, intertwined, whispering in a singsong tempo.

Valkyrie… you must awake. The full moon calls.

Do you think that she can win?

They must mate… They must endure.

She is strong. She can end it for all.