The Breed: Nora's Choice (14 page)

            “Not
knowing anything about my culture or roots,” she kept her eyes forward as she
answered, “I was raised in a white house hold owned by white people, eating
white food, I mean, my blood line is pure Puerto Rican, but you can probably
speak more Spanish than I can.”

            He didn’t
try to comfort her with words because really, what could he say? Instead he
hugged her even closer, resting his chin on the crown of her head, and let her
listen to the steadiness of his heartbeat.

            “When I was
little I dreamed of visiting Puerto Rico, maybe finding some long lost family
or something,” she sighed, and her sadness ate at him, “but instead I ended up
a basket case in the Breed, barely wanting to leave my own living room, let
alone the country.”

            He wanted
to promise her that he would take her there, that he would make her dreams come
true, but how could he dare when he didn’t even know if she would give him
another date? Instead he rubbed his hands along her arms, and it was enough.

            “Anyway,
it’s… it’s your turn,” she gently pulled away from his arms, and he had to let
her go. He told himself to be happy with the moment they had shared, and
reminded himself that it was a huge improvement over the last date they had
had.

            Patiently
he waited for her to think of a question for him, secretly hoping that she
would ask him something just as intimate so they could continue to build
something here tonight.

            “Are you
afraid of what they did to you?” she asked quietly, looking down at her hands.

            All the air
left his lungs as memories of his torture from the Hunters flashed across his
eyes.

            “I would
never hurt you Nora,” he was desperate for her to understand, “I lose control
sometimes, especially if someone I love is in danger, but no matter how
different I look on the outside when I transform, it’s still me on the inside.
I’m not a mindless beast, you don’t have to be scared of me.”

            “I know,”
she replied, and for the first time, she reached her hand out to him and cupped
his face, “I’m not afraid of you.”

            The feel of
her tenderly touching him drowned out the noise of the stadium around them, and
somehow, suddenly, it was only the two of them. The fact that she could be
tender, even loving, had him feeling like cloud nine was only the beginning.

            “They did a
lot of horrible stuff to me, and worse things to other people, but I made it
out alive and clawed my way here to you,” his thumb slid across her plump lower
lip, “every day since the minute I laid eyes on you, I’ve been clawing my way
back to you.”

            His eyes
delved into hers, memorizing every tan, brown, and gold fleck in them, before
he finally leaned forward.

            She started
to pull away, but he was done with that. He could move slowly for her, but he
refused to have them constantly grinding to a halt every time they achieved an
emotional connection. Grabbing her by the elbows he pulled her to him and
kissed her hard.

            His mouth
smothered hers so hotly she didn’t even notice her team coming back out, and
the game restarting.

~

            “Marcus
would like a word,” came a stiff command the moment Sebastian opened the door
to his apartments.

            Four days
had passed since his encounter with Ayla and so far all had been quiet both
during the Breed’s surveillances and his reconnaissance here at the Embassy.

            Now he was
buzzing with excitement to finally get to talk to the man of the hour.

            The amount
of questions he needed to ask Marcus was staggering. Did he know that there was
so much Hunter activity right under his nose? Did he even know about the Nine?
Was he a part of it all?

            Silently he
nodded and fell in step behind the man he recognized as one of Marcus’ personal
body guards, and the leader of this Embassy’s defense department.

            He was a
large, square boulder of a man with military short hair and a black goatee. He
walked with the gait of someone who gave orders and expected no questions in
return, making Sebastian feel that if it ever came down to it, they would bump
heads quite badly.

            Marcus of
course owned the top suite in the building used for the defense department. As
they rode to the top in his private glass elevator, Sebastian admired the view.
Charleston had a breath taking coast line, and was so much slower of a town
than New York, in all the right ways.

            Marcus was
so opposite of Casstiel with the way he ran things. Cass almost kept it a
secret that he ran more than just the defense department, Marcus however liked
his wealth and power right on display. He craved the feeling of being
untouchable.

            In
Sebastian’s opinion, it was a sign of weakness and insecurity.

            His suite
was filled with expensive furniture, thousands of dollars worth of art on every
wall, gaudy jewels and trinkets piled high in glass cases. Despite all the
richness smothering the rooms, there was a cold sadness surrounding everything,
almost like a king who knew his kingdom was crumbling and there was nothing he
could do to save it.

            He was
shown into a parlor room with a small round table, a robust china cabinet
covering one entire wall, and a bar that took up all of another.

            With a nod
of the head the other man left, snapping the double doors shut behind him and
leaving Sebastian very much alone.

            Clamping
his hands behind his back, he began to pace through the room, wondering how the
conversation ahead of him would unfold.

            If he had
to hazard a guess, he would say Marcus would show up and demand to be told what
he was doing there. He would throw his weight around and attempt to pull power
over him. Hopefully their long term friendship could be used as a bargaining
chip to keep him from having to reveal any of the cards he was holding.

            Even if
Marcus was not involved with the Nine, Sebastian still needed to keep his
knowledge of the situation to himself. Letting him know any non essential
information would be a grave mistake.

            Footsteps
sounded in the corridor, alerting him to Marcus’ approach. He mentally prepared
himself for the chess game that was about to begin.

            The double
doors slid open and Marcus filled the room with his presence. He was dressed
impeccably with a custom tailored suit and shoes shined well enough to hold a
reflection in them.

Like
his home however, the man carried an air of empty sadness.

            “Sebastian,”
he opened his arms wide to embrace him like a brother, “I have been rude to you
old friend.”

            “Some would
certainly see sending a woman to spy and seduce me as being rude, yes,” he gave
him a steely glance, his apple green eyes flashing malice.

            No matter
how powerful Marcus fancied himself to be, Sebastian was not one to be trifled
with.

            “Has she
truly seduced you?” his eyes narrowed, and only years of training and sheer
force of will kept Sebastian’s face from displaying any reaction.

            “Yes,” the
word burned like acid up his throat, but he said it.

            Marcus’
brows rose so high they would have disappeared into his hair line if he wasn’t
shaved completely bald.

            “I would
have thought it was impossible… would have bet my life on it,” he shook his
head, shock in his eyes.

            “You should
not bet your life so easily,” he looked down his nose at him, “and it appears
her powers of attraction apply to even the best of us.”

            A slight
tinge of pink developed around Marcus’ ears, and the man dropped his gaze.

            “Yes… it
appears she can seduce even the most pious of men,” he spoke to the carpet.

            “Let’s just
get to the heart of this,” Sebastian clasped his hands behind his back, causing
his white button up shirt to stretch tightly across his chest, “my business
here is my own. My reasoning for staying is my own, and I believe we both know
I don’t owe you any explanation in the slightest.”

            “I don’t
give a damn why you’re here,” Marcus waved his words away, “I called you here
because I need your help.”     

            Nora was
losing her damn mind. Tonight was supposed to go well, and she was supposed to
give their relationship a small chance as an exercise in personal growth.

            She was
not
supposed to completely throw herself head over heels into this. He wasn’t even
pushing her! She found herself happily going along with the flow of things
without even stopping to think about the consequences of her actions.

            After the
connection they had at the restaurant, he had clearly made a large chink in her
armor. She felt so comfortable with him, it was almost scary to her, and
opening up to him was easier than ever before.

In
a way, she was beginning to feel like a normal woman.

            Just a
normal woman on a date with a gorgeous man enjoying herself.

            She had
actually gone hours without feeling the suffocating weight of her past. Quinn
was planting himself so loudly and firmly into her life and thoughts, that he
wasn’t leaving room for much else.

            Without
ever even knowing it, he was helping her fight her demons. She didn’t even try
to stop the smile that spread across her face.

Definitely
losing her damn mind.

            Her new
favorite sport, hockey, had her feeling exhilarated. She screamed loudly as the
teams chased each other around the ice, and knew that he had created a new
obsession for her. Out of the corner of her eye she stared at him and wondered
what she would have to do to get him suited up and out on some skates…

            An
overwhelming horn blast filled the arena. In the two seconds she had looked
away the Rangers had scored the first goal of the night.

            She leapt
to her feet and cheered her heart out as the roar of the crowd echoed from
every side.

            Even though
his team was now loosing Quinn stood and hugged her to congratulate her first
hockey goal. As they squeezed each other around the middle she marveled at how
easy
it could be to be with him. All of this was so damn effortless.

            Once the
hug was over, he just sat down and went right back to watching the game. There
was no secret play, no attempt to use the raw emotions of the moment against
her, no struggle for control; he simply hugged her to hug her, kissed her to
kiss her.

            Every day
that they spent together made it more apparent to her that he actually,
simply
,
wanted to be with her. Unlike men in the past he didn’t see her as a beautiful
trophy he wanted to show off, or a wild creature he wanted the thrill of
breaking in. He didn’t want to control or command her.

            A childlike
giddiness overcame her, and she reached for his hand. Without hesitation he
clasped it warmly in his own, gave her a sweet grin, and turned his attention
back to the ice.

            As the game
continued, the amount of smack talk between them began to get vicious. She
didn’t know the first thing about the Red Wings, but she knew he was fiercely
loyal to his team and she could easily get a rise out of him like never before.

            Usually he
rolled off her barbs smoothly and didn’t let her effect him, but something
about his precious team finally worked him up a bit.

            “That’s
enough,” he grabbed her, clamping a hand over her mouth while they both
laughed. She bit at his fingers and they laughed harder.

            “Don’t make
me bite you back,” he winked at her, “we both know how much you love it.”

            The second
period seemed to end faster than the first, and once again, they found
themselves playing a game of 20 questions.

            “So, if you
could go any place in the world to visit, where would you go?” she threw her
legs over his lap.

            “Greece… no
Rome,” he furrowed his brow with indecision, “honestly, you would look gorgeous
in either place.”

            “Check out
this smooth talker,” she pushed his chest playfully.

            “Ok, so be
real with me,” he eyed her suspiciously, “how afraid of Memphis should I
actually be?”

            She let out
a low whistle, “he’s probably coming at you pretty hard huh?”

            “If he was
anymore up my ass, he could bill my insurance company,” he looked at her
seriously.

            “Everyone
knows Memphis adopted me. Honestly, I consider him more of my father than my
biological father ever was, and for him it’s the same. He used to be kind of…
wild, I try not to ask too much but I know his biggest regret was always
running free with his pack instead of settling down and being the dad his son
needed,” she bit her lip and wondered if she was crossing the line for telling
him all of this, “Once everything went down with me, he blamed himself, hated
himself, maybe still does.”

            She
remembered finding him plenty of nights with his face in his hands, an aura of
defeat and anguish surrounding him.

            “He used to
be a slave you know? Sebastian burned down his plantation and freed all the slaves
on it. After that, Memphis didn’t know what to do with his newly found freedom.
He hooked up with a wolf pack and just lost himself. In a way, we both saved
each other. I gave him a chance to feel like he was starting over; getting a
second chance at being a father and getting it right, and he saved me from a
life of loneliness and torture. Just imagine for a second if he had decided to
help Billy instead of me,” she shivered at the thought and looked up to see
Quinn’s eyes erupt into glowing red orbs.

            His rage
rolled over her body like searing lava, the force of it making her breath catch
in her lungs.

            “Calm
down,” she whispered frantically, “there are thousands of people around us.”

            “Trying,”
he muttered gruffly.

            He clenched
his eyes shut and she could feel the sheer force of will he was exerting to
keep himself from changing. His hands shook uncontrollably, sweat beaded at his
forehead and the veins in his neck bulged. 

            Panic
flooded her. If he couldn’t control his inner beast, they were about to be
responsible for the single largest breech in the Breed’s history.

            “Just….
Just get it together, try harder!” her mind was drawing a blank, what the
hell
were they going to do.

            A low growl
left his throat as his lip snarled back.

            “Shit,
shit,
shit
,” she looked around helplessly, as if the answer could be
found on the back of a fans jersey. She wanted to strangle herself, WHY had she
brought that up, she knew how he reacted to the thought of her being in danger.

            She had to
do something. Anything.

            Grabbing
his face with both hands, she jerked him to her, kissing him as hard as she
could. A low rumble radiated in his chest and he tried to pull back, but she
clung to him.

            This had to
work. This was all she had.

            Every
feeling that she had had for him tonight she released, letting it all flood
over him. All the excitement, happiness, the moments he had made her blush and
her heart race, she let him feel it all, cocooning him in it. 

            For a
moment she thought he would rip himself out of her grip, but then his features
softened and she felt him begin to relax.

            His teeth
had already extended to vicious K9s and she felt a prick of blood bubble up as
her lip snagged against one. She didn’t care, she gripped both hands into the
hair at the back of his head and crushed him harder against her.

            A growl
rumbled through him and he snatched her clean out of her seat, planting her
firmly across his lap. His finger nails had grown into wicked claws that
pressed hard against her ass and thighs. His erection was so thick and hard as
it dug against her flesh she couldn’t hold back a heated moan.

            The moment
her lips parted his tongue was between them, ravaging her. One hand moved to
grip her hard at the base of her neck while the other stayed on her hip, she couldn’t
have moved if she wanted to he had her so well pinned against him.

            He was more
animalistic than she had ever seen him. He was two seconds from snapping and
taking her hard in front of thousands of people, and somehow she couldn’t make
herself give a damn about it.

            Hundreds of
people were staring, she could feel their eyes on her, but it only excited her
more. To hell with the humans surrounding them, she would give them all a
real
show.

            She was so
wrapped up with how hard her heart was beating and how wet he was making her
she didn’t notice his claws retract or his sharp teeth dull down to normal
size. His grip relaxed on her ass and she moaned in disappointment. She ground
her body against his cock in silent protest of his retreat from their passions.

            “I can’t
believe you got me to calm down,” his breath was heavy against her lips.

            “Mmm?” her
eyes refused to open as she savored the taste of him, “oh… right.”

            Yeah,
something about him transforming and possibly exposing the entire Breed race…
Whatever.

            Fierce
boo’s erupted all around them, tearing her out of her stupor. The Red Wings had
scored a goal in the last two minutes of the game tying up the match.

            “So what
does that mean?” she asked, suddenly very much aware that she was sitting on
his lap with his erection pressing painfully into her thigh.

            “We go into
overtime. They’ll play it out until one team scores a goal, then that team
wins,” he explained, appearing to not care in the slightest that she was
displayed on his lap for the world to see.

            “Don’t get
used to this buster,” she cut her eyes at him.

            “I would
never dream of it,” he gave her an infuriatingly sexy grin, “but I would like a
bet.”

            “Go on,”
she eyed him suspiciously.

            “If the Red
Wings take the match, you go on another date with me. You can pick where we go
and what we do, it doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s together,” he
wrapped his arms around her waist in a hug.

            Nora’s
heart squeezed tightly in her chest. He was so God damn sweet, she couldn’t
take it. She would have bet money that he was about to ask her for sex. They
were still entangled, hearts still hammering in their chests, but he didn’t
want her for something physical, what he wanted from her was so much more than
that.

            She bit the
corners of her lips to keep from smiling. She was nowhere near that sweet.

            “And if the
Rangers win, you come home with me,” she purred, running her hands along his
chest.

            His eyes
bulged as he looked up at her and for the first time in his entire life, he
prayed his team would lose.

~

            “You need
my help?”

            No response
could have taken Sebastian more by surprise.

            “I’m going
to sound crazy, but I need you to believe me,” the noble man’s eyes pleaded
with him and he knew it took something gravely serious to bring Marcus to him
in such a way.

            “I’ve known
you for three centuries and I’ve never seen you behave like this,” if Sebastian
were an emotional person he would have been deeply concerned about his old
friend.

            “I can’t be
sure exactly what, but evil has found its way into my precious Embassy. I
suspect Ayla is behind it all, but I can’t be sure. My attempts to prove her
involvement have failed miserably… well you know how it turned out,” his ears
pinkened and he looked away.

            So he had
intended to extract information from her, but instead had stumbled into her web
of lust. Either Marcus had fallen much deeper than he had ever realized or
Ayla’s powers of attraction were truly greater than he had ever given her
credit for.

            “What’s
happened to make you start suspecting things?” he furrowed his brow, what game
was he trying to play? First sending Ayla to spy on
him
, now blaming her
for whatever was happening at his Embassy.

            “Things
have been falling to hell since she came here two years ago. It started with
her sleeping around, even though none of the men bonded to her, jealousies
still ran high. She turned long time friends into enemies, had co workers
mistrusting each other, or leaving the Embassy completely. After that it
started with all the sneaking around, gossiping and gathering information. What
would one woman want with all these men’s secrets?” he began to pace.