SkyFall (Taken on the Wing Book 2) (21 page)

He doesn
’
t let up his grip as they stop and Cloud
’
s shoulder presses on him so she can keep
her balance. Leaning over with her weight on her one leg isn
’
t as easy as it should be considering the
campervan rocks as they come to a stop.

“
I was just grabbing the
—”

“
Penis?
”
Soar demands and Cloud feels her cheeks
darken.

“
No,
”
she gasps. Granted, annoying him has been
fun but that
’
s it. The physical attraction
has more to do with spending the day alone and so very close to the only male
she ever wanted.

“
You were,
”
Soar turns and she can
feel his hot breath on her cheek. His warmth spreads over her skin and settles
between her thighs. She
’
s trapped and vulnerable to
the big male who proves his dominance by holding her wrist.

“
Keys,
”
Cloud says and realizes where the keys
are. She would have to bury her hand deep between his legs to get them.
“
Oh
no.
”

She manages a thick swallow and looks
down and blushes even harder at the serious erection inches from her fingers. A
flush of tiny deep brown feathers bursts to the surface of his skin around his
collar and fades leaving behind his delicious male scent.

“
Then explain why we
’
ve been arguing,
”
Soar hisses then he forces her chin up
with his nose. The tingle of his lips on her throat has her moaning.

“
You have PMS,
”
she whispers and finds herself in her
seat as his laugh fills the cab.

“
You
’
ve got to be kidding me.
”

“
Shadow said to expect it when
—”

“
You
’
re in season.
”

“
I,
”
she struggles to her feet as Soar stomps
to the back of the camper.

“
You know,
”
he
growls.
“
The worst part is I
’
m acting like your mate. I shouldn
’
t care if you
’
re in season and all I can think about is
getting under your tail. I drove us down here...
”

Soar presses his palms to his eyes as he
gets his heavy breathing under control and Cloud inches toward the door.

“
But I think I got a handle on it. If you
want me out of here just say so. I
’
ll stay nearby until Lev gets
someone out here for you then I
’
ll give you some space.
”

“
But
I
’
m not,
”
Cloud
argues. How long has it been since she was last in season? Years. Far longer
than normal but she and Shadow attributed it to her intense training delaying
things like with a human.

“
How could you not know?
”
Soar braces his forearms up against the
bathroom door and rests his head against one.
“
You
’
re twenty six. How could you not know?
”

Cloud
’
s good hand covers her mouth in an
attempt to keep the tremble from her lips. How can the jerk who dumped her make
her feel so young with a single question?

“
The last time was when I was in the
hospital after Welch Peak,
”
she explains. There
’
s no point in going anywhere but home. He
’
s right. She
’
s in season and he shouldn
’
t care but he does. Soar isn
’
t himself and his obvious interest in her
makes him do things he shouldn
’
t. Sometimes she hates
understanding people. It would be a whole lot easier to lash out at him when
his frustration makes him do it to her.
“
And once a couple of years
before.
”

“
Cloud, I shouldn
’
t have put it like that,
”
Soar says.
“
I
haven
’
t been decent to you. Let
’
s go home.
”

“
You
don
’
t want me?
”

“
I never said that, little gryphon.
”

“
Then why are we leaving?
”

There
’
s something going on with him that runs
deeper than fighting the urge to mate.

“
Am I not the kind of gryphon who should
be a dame?
”
Cloud demands. The light
changes as her eyes shift to black.

“
I suppose I
’
m
not,
”
she admits though she still
struggles with her temper.
“
I
’
m
trained to fight, not nurture.
”

“
Damn it, Cloud,
”
Soar bashes his forehead
on his arms.
“
I
’
ve
never seen a dame who isn
’
t good with her children.
Doesn
’
t matter how big a bitch she
is to everyone else but that
’
s not all I want. My female
must be able to protect my young with as much force as I can.
”

He turns to Cloud and places one hand on
the wall. The other scratches nervous circles around his stomach. Cloud holds
her tongue, afraid of ruining the moment by opening her mouth. It
’
s the closest they
’
ve ever come to discussing their
relationship.

“
I want you, Cloud,
”
he admits.
“
Everything
else aside; you being in season, how I
’
m
reacting to it, forget all of it. Even without the tension between us I want
you so this is how it
’
s going to happen.

“
If any part of you doesn
’
t want me now, timing or if I blew my
chances with you two and a half years ago or if there
’
s anyone else then take your seat and
buckle up. I take you home and we talk later when I
’
ve cooled off.

“
If you want to mate with me and become my
female today, if you want everything I have to offer including all the shit
that comes with it then step outside and try to hide from me. I guarantee I
’
ll hunt you down and when I find you, I
’
ll take you and you
’
ll make me the proudest gryphon on the
continent.
”

He doesn
’
t drop his eyes and neither does Cloud.
She
’
s never seen him so exposed.
Even the night before when he asked for her forgiveness, not even the night in
his den when she never said it was her first time and he didn
’
t ask. Soar had been horrified with
himself then; more for assuming she was the kind of female who dropped in for
casual encounters in male dens than for not taking his time.

“
Soar,
”
she breathes but his stare doesn
’
t soften. Whatever she does she needs to
face him. Turning her back on this big predatory male will push him into
deciding for her.

“
I forgive you, Soar,
”
Cloud says.
“
But it doesn
’
t mean a thing unless you
’
ve forgiven yourself.
”

She backs up a step, careful on her
ankle, and runs. Once the door slams behind her she leans on it and assesses
the terrain, the direction of the wind and where the trees offer the best
cover.

She limps away at right angles to the
direction of the wind. The tree cover isn
’
t
the best. The obvious thing would be to run downwind where the tree cover is
denser and her scent won
’
t carry him straight to her.

The thrill of being hunted lasts only for
a moment. It
’
s cooler and darker in the
trees and the realization she
’
s prey spurs her on.

Soar feels the snap of metal on metal
through the camper
’
s frame. He wasn
’
t certain what to expect from Cloud;
either to take a seat or step outside and isn
’
t prepared for either. With a deep
breath, he lets his eyes close and his head fall back as he tunes out the
sounds she makes.

She isn
’
t going to waste any time getting away
but he waits and when he opens his eyes the outline of sunshine on the floor
has moved. Hunting her down will be a challenge. She
’
s injured so he needs to keep some
control but she
’
s also clever and well
trained. Anticipation of her surprises gets him going. The preamble to regular
gryphon sex involves an exchange of dominance; each defeating the other and
each exhibiting trust in their partner by allowing them to see them submissive.

It
’
s
very different when the female is in season as he was told by his sire many
years earlier.

Soar must defeat her and prove he
’
s worthy of siring her children each and
every time. Not only that, but he
’
ll bear her mark when it
’
s all over and everyone will know she
belongs to
him.

After everything he
’
s done to her he has a lot to make up
for. The Ritual of Exchange and their first season together need to be perfect.

As he pulls his shirt off he laughs at
the idea of him and children but the thought of Cloud swollen with his
offspring is both amazing and alarming at the same time. It
’
s also completely arousing. He
’
s never considered the idea with any
other female. Only Cloud.

Once his favourite shoes are off and safely
tucked away he takes the top sheet from the bed above the cab and ties it
around his waist. Not sexy, but at least he can keep his hands free. When she
takes wing he
’
ll need it to support the
weight.

Soar locks up and pockets his keys.

As much as he spent most of his
seventy-five years simply enjoying females, never successful in any long-term
arrangement, he always remembers the tales his parents would tell of their
mating. His sire had claimed his dame when she was in season. They didn
’
t conceive then but the ten days his sire
spent seeing to her every comfort as she laid in were remembered with such love
they caught the imagination of their rough son, Soar.

Yeah, as big a dick-head as Soar can be
to the gryphons in his life the idea of being everything to the right female is
something he
’
s always wanted.