Primal Heat 4 (7 page)

He’d hidden for months in the village just west of the rain forest until one day, he’d looked up and Bianca had been standing there. Later she would tell him how Teodoro had raped her mother repeatedly, using her as his sex slave, impregnating her twice before finally tossing her out, banning her from the rain forest as well. Her mother had taken a job as a healer with one of the local missionary groups that had no idea she was a shifter. There in that small village, she’d raised her daughters as best she could, never letting them forget that their father was the
Lormenian
tribal leader and that he had turned them away, preferring his firstborn child, Acacia.

Bianca hated the fact that Acacia was treated as a princess while she was simply tossed away by Teodoro and the tribe. She’d admitted to Boden that she’d twice come to the rain forest before he’d been exiled, and watched him with Acacia. The moment she’d heard of what Teodoro had done to him, she’d set out to find him, wanting what her sister had, Boden had thought smugly. Boden hadn’t loved Bianca and he knew she’d never be his mate, but he’d seen something in her eyes the day they’d met, it reached out to a very similar trait in himself—vengeance—and that had sealed their connection.

Shortly after he’d begun sleeping with Bianca, and plotting his revenge against the Elders and the tribes, news spread that Acacia would be joined with a
Lormenian,
as per her father’s wishes. That night, Boden had taken Bianca in every way possible, doing things to her that he’d never imagined with any other female. And she’d taken every whip, touch, bite, slap—whatever he dished out she took willingly, looking up at him with her ice blue eyes and pledging her eternal loyalty. She wanted what her older sister had given up, the prestige of being with an ultimate leader. Bianca had believed in him from day one, no matter what he did with Sabar—the rogue that was so much more than his protégé—she stood by his side. She’d proven herself to him time and time again. Now, they were both about to be rewarded.

“Kegan Charles has proven much more loyal than his brother,” Boden remarked absently, not wanting to think about how Bianca came to be by his side any longer.

“It was a shame to learn of Darel’s death,” she said. “He finally messed with the wrong shifter, I suppose.”

Boden nodded, wondering what exactly Bianca knew about the shifter that had shot his son Darel and left him to bleed out in a hotel room.

“We should get dressed,” he told her then, tired of the feel of her warm breath against his skin.

It seemed as if every little thing had been irritating him today. Perhaps this was his form of nervousness. No, he thought with a deep inhale. He did not get nervous. He did not worry and he did not fret. He never had. That’s why he was still standing. Even with all the death orders, Boden was still alive and well and more than ready to kick some Shadow Shifter ass tonight!

Cannon had resurfaced, thanks to one of the rogues he’d sent to kidnap the man’s family. The kidnapping had been disrupted by the Shadows, which on the surface had angered Boden. But the rogue that the Shadows had captured that night had saved the day. Once he’d been thrown into the cells at the Shadow headquarters, he’d recognized a familiar scent. Cannon was in a cell beside him. It had been easy enough for the rogue to strike against one of the female Shadow guards, gaining entrance into Cannon’s cell, where he used his powerful fists and teeth to gnaw through the cinder block walls, setting himself and Cannon free.

Now, Crowe had more than enough hybrids and Boden had tripled the amount of rogues they needed to really shake things up tonight. His heart thumped wildly with anticipation, a grin spreading slowly across his face.

The door to the suite opened with a loud click, closing the moment the female slipped inside and pushed it shut behind her. Bianca was up in an instant, standing in front of Boden, ready to defend. She still wore the white silk robe that touched the floor and was belted tightly at her slim waist. Beneath it she wore nothing, as she had been trained to always be ready and available for him. He hadn’t wanted her at all today.

Now, however, there was a surge of desire spreading throughout his body as he came forward slowly to look over Bianca’s shoulder at their bold intruder. She was a gorgeous cat, one that he instantly recognized as his dick grew hard against his thigh. Her hair was long and straight, draped over her right shoulder, the wide-framed sunglasses she wore doing nothing to hide her true nature from him. If he ripped them from her face he knew exactly what color eyes he would see. She’d grown up, her body curving in all the right places—breasts high and firm, hips curving to what he knew would be a delectable ass. His mouth watered, the bland feeling that had plagued him all day long abating quickly.

“What are you doing here?” Bianca asked, surprise evident in her voice.

So she had not known that her younger sister was also here in D.C. That was interesting.

“I’m doing what I’ve been doing all my life,” Rayna replied tightly. “Trying to save you from making a bigger mistake than you already have.”

Boden tossed his head back and laughed, the sound echoing throughout the room, rumbling through his body to awaken the cat that languished inside.

“Sisters,” he said finally. “Together again.”

“She is no longer my sister,” Bianca raged, taking a step toward Rayna. “I told you that long ago when I left that forest for good.”

“You told us what he wanted you to say, Bianca. Not what you really meant. Mother was never the same after you left,” Rayna said, looking as if she thought that last sentence would somehow touch her long-lost sister.

Boden knew it wouldn’t. He was all Bianca had and she knew it, she accepted it. He would have it no other way. There could be no other allegiance in her life, especially not one to so-called family. If she were going to take Acacia’s place in his life, she needed to pledge herself wholeheartedly to him. And she had. Poor thing.

“You can come with me now,” Rayna implored. “This isn’t going to turn out the way he thinks, I can promise you that. Come with me now, Bianca, before it’s too late.”

“I am where I belong,” Bianca was saying but Boden was already pushing her to the side, moving toward Rayna.

“What do you mean this will not turn out the way I think?” he asked as he closed in on her. “What do you know?”

Her scent was heavy, sexy, infiltrating his nostrils, sending pulses of lust throughout his body. She was aroused, or had been very recently. He wondered if she would still be wet, if he licked between her long legs would he taste her sweet nectar or that of another? The thought was strange and only aroused him more, so that he was reaching for her before he could think otherwise.

“What do you know, sweeting?” he asked, his hands tightening around her arms as he pulled her close to him.

Her breasts rubbed against his chest as he lifted her off her feet and his cat purred, could not help but acknowledge the pleasure soaring through his body. Even while he became suspicious of this little vixen.

“I know that the Shadows are going to beat you,” she said to him. “No,” she continued, shaking her head. “They’re going to kill you. Roman won’t take your head off because he’s got too much class for that, but Nick? He’ll kill you for sure. He’ll tear your throat out and watch you bleed to death, just as Darel did.”

Boden roared then, slamming her back into the wall. Her head jerked violently and the sunglasses slipped from her face. Still, she didn’t look away. She stared right at him, taunting him. “When you’re dead and gone my sister will have her life back. We’ll walk away from your sadistic and evil ways and never look back. Our lives will finally be our own.”

“You,” Boden told her in a slow manner, his tongue licking along his bottom lip as he spoke. “Won’t be walking anywhere.”

“No!” Bianca screamed from behind. “Just ignore her, Boden. Let her go and we can continue what we’ve planned. I’m not leaving you. I’ll never leave you. Not for her. Not for anyone.”

“Shut up and take that goddamned robe off!” he yelled to Bianca without turning to look at her.

Boden kept his gaze on the pretty little vixen that thought she could come in here and threaten him, then simply walk out the door with her sister. Another poor, foolish girl.

“Take it off now!” he yelled again, because he knew Bianca hadn’t done what he’d said. For the first time in years, she’d hesitated and Boden knew it was because she had an idea of what was coming.

Moving a hand to Rayna’s neck he held her still, his power evident in the widening of her eyes. With his free hand he ripped the front of the dress she wore until it was hanging off her shoulders. Her breasts jiggled with the movement and he lunged quickly, taking one heavy orb into his mouth and sucking until she screamed. He moved to the next one, this time running his sharp teeth over the soft skin, loving the second it broke and the tangy taste of blood on his tongue.

“Boden, please,” Bianca insisted. She was pulling on his shoulder now. “Not her. You don’t have to do this to her. I’m here. Look, baby, I’m right here.”

She grabbed at his face, something she would have never usually done, turning him and offering her bare breast to him instead. He roared his displeasure. “Lie down and wait!” he told Bianca. “And don’t make me tell you twice!”

A tear streaked down Bianca’s cheek as she backed away to the couch and lay down. She draped one leg over the back of the couch, left the other hanging down on the floor, and spread herself wide so he could see and smell, so he would know that she was waiting and willing.

But he wanted something and someone else first.

Turning his attention back to Rayna, he let her down to her feet, loving the sound of her gasping for breath as she crumpled to the floor. He unzipped his pants then, releasing his engorged sex.

“Stay right there,” he told Rayna. “Open your mouth and taste what your sister fell in love with long ago.”

Rayna shook her head. “Never!” she said with a mouth full of disgust.

“I will never touch you in any way, you filthy bastard!”

Those were not the words Boden wanted to hear. He grabbed her by her hair, tilting her head back until her mouth opened wide with a scream. He then positioned himself over her, putting the tip of his dick in her mouth. When she bit down hard he resisted the urge to yell out and yanked her head back so hard he pulled out a handful of hair. She screamed, releasing her hold on his now throbbing cock.

“Simple bitch!” he called to her as he dragged her across the floor toward the couch.

Bianca cried silently. Boden ignored the tears and the rapid beating of her heart he could hear over every other sound in the room.

“You need to teach your little sister some manners,” he told Bianca.

She shook her head. “She doesn’t know any better, Boden. Just let her go. She’s not worth it,” Bianca pleaded.

“I am worth it!” Rayna yelled. “And so are you! We can walk out of here, Bianca. Get up and help me, we can take him!” she yelled, her cat’s claws breaking free as she reached around to swipe at Boden.

He was faster and he tossed her away like a dirty rag, watching as she rolled across the floor. When her cat pressed harder for freedom and she lunged at Boden again, he caught her with one hand, gripping her neck as his own claws and teeth were bared.

“You’re too much trouble,” he told her. “But I would have enjoyed fucking you.”

Rayna reared back slightly and spit in Boden’s face, two seconds before he opened his mouth wide and bit into the side of her head.

“No!” Bianca yelled loud and long, a sickening cry that made Boden rage.

With his claws he cut into Rayna’s limp body, blood spewing in all directions before he let her fall in a heap at his feet. When he turned to Bianca, who was still yelling and screaming on the couch, all he could see was red, all he could feel was the incessant anger of once again being betrayed. Bianca was crying but she was going to shift. She was going to turn into her tiger and come at him with death in her heart because of some meddling cat. After all he’d given her, all he’d done to get them where they were today, this bitch was going to try and kill him because of what he’d done to her sister.

Boden was faster. He was stronger, smarter, and in seconds, his jaguar was in full control, the big cat jumping onto the couch where the hysterical feline lay, unable to shift in time to try and defend herself. Her death was quick and a lot less bloody because he was too angry to care anymore, too sick of the
Lormenian
females that believed they could play him for a fool.

Jumping down from the chair, his teeth covered in blood, the jaguar roared loud and long. With his flanks heaving, Boden shifted, staying on his hands and knees until he could catch his breath. When he was breathing normally again, he shook his head and came to his feet. Moving around the blood and bodies, he went to the table where his cell phone sat.

“I need a clean-up in the penthouse suite,” he said simply before dropping the phone and heading to take a shower.

He had to get dressed. Tonight was a very important night. It was finally time to take his revenge.

*   *   *

General Oscar Pierson, Major Randall Guthrie, and Captain Lawrence Crowe were dressed in full military regalia. Metals shined, creases stiff, hats positioned perfectly, and frowns affixed appropriately.

“The four prototypes are ready to go. I’ll do a short introduction then let them close the deal. The bidding war will start and by midnight we’ll all be very wealthy men,” Crowe said after emptying his glass of scotch.

Pierson and Guthrie had arrived five minutes ago, worry and anxiety making them even harder than usual to get along with.

“And you’ve worked out all the kinks to these prototypes?” Guthrie asked. “We don’t have to worry about a repeat of the previous catastrophes in Arizona or D.C.?”

Crowe resisted the urge to snap back at the pompous bastard. These two had a lot of nerve. Neither had done a damned thing but puff out their chests and talk a lot of BS throughout the entire Genesis Project. Hell, the part of this project that was supposed to be in their control had basically fallen to chance since the ATD conference had been scheduled over a year ago and the same foreign attendees with their deeply lined pockets would have been here without their involvement. But it was too late for regrets, too late to tell both of them to go to hell, no matter how much he wanted to.