The stallion ran until the howls of the pursuit were lost to silence and all that surrounded us were trees and mountain.
Eventually, we hit a stream, and he slid to a stop. I fell more than jumped off his back, but my legs were like jelly and collapsed underneath me. Flopping onto my back, I watched the golden haze sweep across the stallion's body. In human form, he fell beside the river, sucking in water as greedily as I sucked air.
"Not too much," I said, my voice little more than a pant of air. "Cramps."
He grunted, but stopped drinking and rolled into the water instead. His mahogany skin gleamed with heat, and his breath was little more than a wheeze.
It was amazing he'd run as long as he had, especially if he'd been locked up for any length of time.
I turned my gaze to the night sky. The moon I couldn't see was beginning to wane, suggesting it was around three in the morning. Though we'd run for a good two hours, we had to be a hell of a lot farther away by dawn if we wanted to remain free.
The trembling in my legs finally eased enough that I could push onto all fours. I crawled to the river and scooped up handfuls of icy water, sipping it until the fire in my throat had eased. I splashed some over my face, then more over my neck and ear to wash away the blood, but I felt no better. What I needed was a hot bath, a big fat steak sandwich, and a large cup of coffee. And not particularly in that order.
"You'd better wash those body wounds down, too," he commented, husky tones so soft his words barely carried.
I glanced at him, but his eyes were closed. "I intend to." I shifted shape first, just to help the healing process along a little more, then pushed up into a sitting position and began to clean not only the blood and dirt from the wounds, but the horse hair and sweat from my legs and nether regions.
I don't know what Lady Godiva's caper was about, but she obviously hadn't been riding that horse bareback for the sheer pleasure of it. Horse sweat against bare skin was not nice.
"Do you think they'll still be giving chase?" he asked, after a few moments.
"Oh yeah. Those things hunt by scent, and we weren't exactly careful about not leaving a trail."
He grunted. "I just wanted to get away from the bastards."
Didn't we both. "How long were you there?"
"Months, at least. Some of the others had been there over a year."
"And they were... ummm... milking you all?"
He opened an eye and gave me a measuring sort of look. "How did you guess?"
I shrugged. "The guard said they were taking specimens."
"Even so, that wouldn't have been my first guess."
"Two months ago, it wouldn't have been mine, either." But I'd learned a lot since then. Been through a lot.
"Meaning you have some idea as to what was going on in there?"
"Vague suspicions, nothing more."
"Like what?"
I grimaced. "Gene research. Crossbreeding."
His face was expressionless, his eyes slightly narrowed. He obviously suspected I knew more than what I was saying, but all he said was, "How long were you in there?"
"Around eight days, but tonight is the first night I can really remember."
He grunted. "It was like that for me, too. Though I was apparently there for two months before I came to my senses."
Then obviously, we'd all been drugged. But why did it take two months for the effects to wear off the stallions, and just over a week for me? Was the simple fact that I shouldn't have woken yet the only reason I'd been able to escape?
I scrubbed a hand across my eyes and wished the fog would clear so I could remember what had gone on. "Did you ever try to escape?"
"No, because it was impossible. The chains were never off us, and the stables were fitted with psi-deadeners, just in case any of us tried to get cute that way."
At least that explained why I hadn't sensed what they were - though he'd known what I was, which was interesting. Or maybe it was simply a matter of a horse being sensitive to the odor of a wolf.
"Did they do any more than milk you?"
"No, thank God."
"Did you ever see any other type of shifter?"
"We were never out of the damn stable."
Then he had to have been superbly fit before he'd been captured to still carry any sort of strength and endurance months down the track. He crawled out of the stream on all fours, and stretched out on the grass.
My gaze traveled down the length of him. It wasn't only his coloring that was magnificent. He was built like a thoroughbred - broad shoulders, powerful chest, slim hips and long, strong legs. His rump and back still bore the barely healed whip scars, but he had the best ass I'd seen on a man since Quinn had walked in, and then out, of my life.
I'd never met a horse-shifter before, and had to wonder where they'd been hiding all my life. If this man was a sample of what they had to offer, I might be tempted to seek one or two out the next full moon. If they could get over their instinctive hate of wolves, fun could definitely be had.
"There's no vibration of steps through the earth," he said.
"They could be way behind, but they will be following us."
He shifted, his expression intent as his gaze met mine. "You seem very certain of that."
"They tried to kill us rather than capture us. That suggests they value secrecy more than they value us."
"Then we'd better get moving again."
Moving was the last thing I wanted when every bone ached with weariness. I needed to sleep even more than I needed coffee - a big statement considering how hooked I was on caffeine. But staying put, even for a few hours, wasn't an option when we were still so close to that complex.
He climbed to his feet with effortless grace, then offered me a hand. His fingers were warm despite the time he'd spent in the water, and his palm was rough against mine. He pulled me upright then let go, but made no immediate attempt to move away.
My gaze rose to his. Awareness burned in his brown eyes, and suddenly I remembered that this was a man who hadn't been with a woman for many, many months. The icy water had washed the stable smells from his skin, and his musky odor, rich with the scent of desire, swam around me. Lust stirred, warming the chill from my flesh.
He raised a hand and brushed wet strands of hair from my cheek. "May I know your name?"
His fingers trailed heat where they touched. It felt nice, and the stirring lust sharpened. Though nowhere near enough to wipe out the fear of recapture and the need to get moving. I quickly said, "Riley Jensen. You?"
"Kade Williams."
"We need to get moving, Kade."
"Yes, we do."
But he didn't budge and the smile that tugged his lips went beyond sexy. My hormones did an excited little jig. Of course, my hormones never needed much of an excuse to get excited about a fine-looking man, and if we'd been anywhere else but in the middle of the forest with hairy monsters and psychos with guns chasing after us, I might just have given my hormones free rein.
"But first," he continued softly, "a kiss to thank my savior."
"This is hardly the time or place - "
"I know," he interrupted, "and I don't care."
As his lips claimed mine, his hand slid around my waist, his fingers pressing heat into my spine as he pulled me close to his warm, hard body. For half a second, I resisted, but he felt so good, tasted so good, that I just gave in to the moment. And as my resistance melted, the initial tentativeness gave way to passion, and the kiss became fierce and explorative.
After what seemed like hours we came up for air. The rapid pounding of my heart was a cadence that filled the silence, and it was accompanied by the heated rush of blood through my system.
The full moon might have passed, but the fever still burned in my veins. An indicator, perhaps, that while sex had been on the menu during the eight days I couldn't remember, satisfaction had been absent.
But I was not ruled by my hormones - at least not until the moon was full. I might want this big, strong shifter, but not enough to take what was being offered right here and now.
That could come later, when we were out of the woods - literally and figuratively.
I pulled out of his arms and stepped back. "We'd best walk in the water for a while, to throw them off our scent."
The smile that tugged his lips was decidedly sensual. "Upstream, not down."
I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because most people would take the easy way and go downstream, and that's probably what they'd expect of us."
"I guess that's a good enough reason."
He nodded. "When the water gets too cold for your feet, climb onto my back."
"I'm shifting to my wolf shape."
He shrugged. "The offer's there when you need it."
"Thanks."
His eyes twinkled. "Never had a naked woman ride my alternate shape before. It's rather... erotic."
I grinned. "So Lady Godiva wasn't as stupid as I thought?"
"Not if that horse of hers was a shifter."
My gaze drifted downward, coming to rest on the tent pole he had going. That would certainly explain the silly woman's satisfied smile. I waved a hand toward the river. "After you."
He shifted shape, waited until I'd done the same, then led the way upstream. We walked through the remainder of the night. When the icy water became too much for my paws, I shifted shape and climbed onto Kade's back, moving in rhythm with him as he picked his way through the rock-strewn stream.
Dawn was beginning to taint the sky with flags of rose and gold when we finally left the stream. Kade walked to the edge of an outcropping of rock. Before us stretched a tree-filled valley, and nestled in its heart was a small town. The drop down to that town had my stomach flip-flopping, and I slid off his back, barely keeping my legs from buckling as I staggered away from the edge.
Kade shifted to human form. "You okay?"
I took several deep breaths, then nodded. "I hate heights." And cliff tops, thanks to the fact I was thrown off one when I was a pup.
He motioned down to the town I could no longer see. "Recognize it?"
"Not in the least. You?"
He didn't answer directly, just frowned. "Are those specks soaring above the town eagles?"
I watched the two brown shapes, sensing nothing more than ordinary eagles. But, given the distance, that wasn't surprising. We couldn't afford to presume anything was as it appeared when we were still so close to that complex. "They may be shifters. They may be watching all the towns near the complex."
He gaze narrowed a little, but again, he didn't voice his suspicions. "So we go around it and keep walking?"
"No. I really can't walk much farther. Not until I get some coffee, anyway." I edged closer, until I could see the town but not the actual drop. There was an iron-roofed house barely visible through the trees that had distinct possibilities.
"What about that one?" I said, pointing. "We should be able to make it down there without being seen."
"That's a good two hour walk, at least." His gaze rolled languidly down my body - a touch that wasn't a touch and yet one that made my toes curl. "You up to that?"
I'd already said I wasn't, but I couldn't exactly stay here, either. Or ask him to carry me - a horse would be too easily seen in the thinning trees. "I'm a wolf, and stronger than I look."
"I know." He grimaced and rubbed a hand across his ribs, though it was amusement rather than pain that shone in his brown eyes. "And I have the bruises to prove it."
A smile teased my lips. "Sorry, but I haven't had much experience riding stallions."
"Then that's something we'll definitely have to remedy."
Warmth fled like quicksilver through my veins. I raised an eyebrow and said, "And what if it takes more than one lesson?"
"Then I shall have to stay until you arc proficient."
Couldn't be sad about that. If nothing else, having Kade around for a while would have the added benefit of driving my brother crazy with lust. And after the teasing he'd been giving me about my love life - or lack thereof - he certainly deserved having mahogany perfection slapped in his face.
Kade led the way down the mountain, and I kept my gaze centered on his broad and muscular back. The sharp descent had my stomach wavering more than a few times, especially when I inadvertently glanced at the drop to the side of us. But I made it down without puking, and the sheer relief had me trembling.
Or maybe that was exhaustion settling in.
The sun had well and truly risen by the time we reached the house, and by then, feet felt like lead and every step was an effort.
Kade wasn't in much better shape. He leaned a brawny arm against a fence post, sweat gleaming on his forehead and cheeks as eyed the weatherboard house. "I can't hear anyone. Can you smell anyone?"
All I could smell was eucalyptus and sweat - his and mine. "No."
"I'll check the garage, you check the house."
I glanced up to insure none of those circling eagles were in sight, then unlatched the gate and stumbled to the nearest window. The room was pale yellow in color and dominated by a luxurious - and empty - bed. I almost wept at the sight. God, I needed to rest. Sleep.
I pushed away from the window and walked around to the back of the house. The door was locked. I felt around the frame, looked under the mat, and finally found the spare key under the blood-colored geraniums filling the window box.
The door creaked as I opened it. I winced, and didn't move. The old house was still, but not entirely quiet. A clock ticked steadily in one of the rooms, and the aroma of mothballs and lavender vied for attention on the air.
Kade came up behind me, pressing warmth into my spine as he stopped. "Anything?"
His breath caressed my ear, sending little shivers of delight lapping across my skin. My body might be exhausted, but my hormones certainly weren't. I shook my head and pulled away from him again. "You?"
"No car, and the garage doors don't look as if they've been opened for a few days."
"Then we might have found a refuge for a few hours."
"Hopefully." He took the key from me, then locked the door and hung the key on a handy nearby hook. "I don't think I could have walked much farther."
The first doorway off the small hall led into the kitchen. Kade went inside while I continued to explore. The house was small, little more than the kitchen, a living room, bathroom, and two bedrooms. All the walls were either pastel or covered in flowery wallpaper, and there was lace everywhere. Combined with the overwhelming scent of mothballs, it was pretty evident older people lived here - a fact backed up by the clothes I discovered hanging in the closet.
Still, thieves couldn't afford to be choosy.
I retraced my steps to the bathroom. After running the water to ensure it was hot, I jumped in the shower and cleaned myself up, feeling a hundred percent better once I had. I dried myself, then wrapped the towel around me, and returned to the kitchen.
"How do you like your coffee?" Kade said as I walked in.
"Hot, preferably."
His gaze skated down me, and a luscious smile teased his lips. "You smell almost edible." He poured hot water into two mugs, then slid one across to me.
"So does that." I plonked down on the nearest stool and sniffed the coffee appreciably. "It looks like our unwitting hosts have been gone for a few days."
He nodded. "A fact backed up by the lack of perishables in the fridge."
I sipped at the coffee, then asked, "Is there a phone here?" It was the only thing I hadn't seen on my search.
"On the wall behind you." He studied me for a second, then added, "There's someone in your life you need to ring urgently?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Would it make a difference if there is?"
His expression tightened a little. "Of course it would."
"I thought stallions were into collecting harems?"
"Yeah, but unlike our animal counterparts, we draw the line at stealing other stallion's mares."
"Ah." I drank some coffee, letting him wonder for a little while. "So how many women have you got in your herd?"
"Four before I was captured."
"A nice even number."
He raised an eyebrow. "You don't seemed shocked."
"Wolves tend to have several mates at any one time - at least until we find our soul mate."
"So at the moment?"
"I'm playing the field. But I've had up to five mates." Though not at the same time. Male wolves tended to get a little testy about sharing that way.
"And when you find your soul mate?"
"We're monogamous."
"Unlike us stallions."
It was a warning - a gentle one, but a warning all the same. A smile touched my lips. "When I take on a permanent mate, it'll be a man from my own race. I want to have babies one day." Though my vampire half might already have snatched that desire away from my grasp. Rhoan, my twin, had discovered two weeks ago he was infertile. I'd been undergoing similar tests, but whether I'd gotten the test results was anyone's guess, as I could remember going there, but not leaving, "So, the people you must ring are... ?"
"The pack-mate I live with, and my boss."
"Meaning you're sleeping with your boss?"
I choked on my coffee. "No," I said, when I could. "I work for the Directorate of Other Races. They tend to get a little concerned when one of their people disappears - even if it is a lowly paper pusher like myself."
"Then I'll go have a shower while you ring them." He walked out. I enjoyed the sight, then grabbed the phone and dialed Jack's work number. All I got was a computer voice telling me the number did not exist. His home number got the same result, as did my home number, so I tried their mobile phone numbers. Both were cither turned off or out of range.
That bad feeling reappeared, sitting like a lump in the pit of my stomach.
Kade came back in a few minutes later, as deliciously naked as before, but looking and smelling fresher.
"Nothing," I muttered, throwing the phone on the bench.
He frowned. "The phone's not working?"
"It's working, but the calls aren't going through."
"Then try again later. It's still very early."
Not for Jack. And not for Rhoan. He'd probably be in a state of panic by now, and I seriously doubted whether sleep would be on his agenda. "Why don't you try?" Kade reached for the phone and dialed a number. He listened for several minutes then pressed the end button. "Recorded message telling me it's the wrong number."
I nodded. "So who did you try ringing? One of your mares?"
"No. After all this time, they'd be with someone else."
"So who?"
"Are all wolves this nosy?"
I shrugged. "I like to know a little about the man I eventually intend to fuck."
Heat flared in the depths of his velvet eyes. "Eventually?"
I nodded. "Escape first, fun later."
"A plan I could live with."
"Good." Because as much as I was attracted, I wanted safety more. We might have found ourselves somewhere to have a bit of a breather, but I very much doubted we could stay here for long. The orsini looked like hunters, and I had a bad feeling they wouldn't be fooled by our little walk through the river. "So, who were you calling?"
He grinned. "My business partner."
"And your business is... ?"
He studied me for a moment, his dark gaze somewhat assessing, then said, "I'm a building contractor."
"Houses or offices?"
"Houses. Ever heard of J. K. Constructions?"
"Not a whisper."
"Not surprising, really. We're one of the smaller building contractors in South Australia."
The cold lump in my stomach got larger. "You're from Adelaide?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I'm from Victoria."
He stared at me for a moment, then closed his eyes. "Fuck."
"Yeah. And maybe that's the reason the phone wouldn't work." Because we were no longer in the same state, which meant I'd have to use the proper state code to get through to either Jack's phone or Rhoan's cell. Unlike many cell phone systems the world over, Australia's didn't automatically get shunted to voice mail if the caller was out of range.
I picked up the phone and dialed Jack's work number, this time adding Victoria's STD code. It barely rang once before it was answered.
"Parnell here."
I closed my eyes, never in my life more relieved to hear my boss's gruff tones. "Jack, it's Riley."
"Jesus, girl, where are you? We found your car - "
I cut him off. "I have no idea where I am, but I need you to come and get us."
"Us?" His voice was sharp.
"Yeah. Long story, but I'm here with a shifter by the name of Kade Williams. He helped me escape what I think was another gene research lab."
Jack's next few sentences were long, loud, and inventive.
Kade chuckled softly. "The man has a fine line in swearing."
"Where are you?" Jack eventually asked.
"That's the problem - I don't know. But we're not in Victoria or South Australia."
"I'll do a tr - "
"Riley? Are you all right?" Rhoan's warm tones replaced Jack's, and I closed my eyes at the hoarse tiredness in my brother's voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"So what happened? We found your car crashed into a tree. Blood was everywhere, and we'd thought the worse."
I couldn't remember the crash. Couldn't remember getting hurt. And I was mighty pissed that I'd crashed my car - I'd only had the damn thing a week.
"I'm fine," I repeated. "But I can't remember anything about the last eight days."
"Got it." lack said in the background. "They're in New South Wales."
"New South is a mighty big state," Rhoan grumbled. "Care to define it a bit more?"
"I'm working on it."
"So," Rhoan said to me, "did I hear you say you were there with a shifter?"
My gaze went to Kade's and I grinned. "You certainly did."
"And he's being good to you?"
"Oh, I intend to be very good to you," Kade murmured wickedly.
Oh lordy... Were all stallions this damn hot?
"He made me coffee," I said, "and that's a fine start."
"Uh-huh," Rhoan said. "Just remind him you've got a ferocious pack-mate who will stomp all over him if he so much as bends a fingernail."
Kade snorted softly, and I grinned. "He's quaking in his boots as we speak."
"Good." Rhoan hesitated. "So, did this place do anything to you?"
"I don't know. They were milking Kade and the other stallions, though."
Silence met this remark, and my smile grew.
"He's a horse-shifter?"
"Yes."
"Damn. You get all the luck."
I laughed softly - and knew that's exactly what Rhoan had intended. "This from the man who currently has how many mates?"
"Only three."
Which was two too many in Liander's view, but both he and I knew my brother wasn't ready to settle down yet.
"Trace is in," Jack said. "They're in Bullaburra."
"Which is where?" Rhoan asked, before I could.
"In the Blue Mountains. Tell them to stay put. It may take a few hours to get things moving, but we'll be there as soon as we can."
"Leave your mobiles on," I said, "so we can contact you if we have to move."
"Will do. You be careful."
"Natch. See you soon." I hung up and met Kade's gaze.
"You're close to your pack-mate," he said.
"Very. We're wolves, and pack is all to a wolf." Especially when there was only him and me in the pack, thanks to the fact our mother's pack had thrown us out when we'd reached maturity. "But we're not physically close, if that's what you're getting at."
"Why not?"
"Because he prefers men." And because he was my brother. I mean, that was illegal, not to mention icky.
Kade drained his coffee, and put it in the sink. "So, how long have we got before we're rescued?"
"Four hours, at least."
He raised an eyebrow. "So what do we do in the meantime?"
The look in his eyes set my pulse racing yet again. But I meant what I'd said earlier, and no matter how much my hormones might be pleading to be set loose, I just didn't dare do it. No matter how good having sex with Kade promised to be - and I had no doubt that it would be good - it wasn't worth the risk of recapture. "I think we should sleep. Or rather, take turns sleeping and keeping watch."
"That's boring." He reached across the bench and untucked the end of the towel, his fingertips brushing heat across my skin. "Especially when there's other things we could be doing."
"Down boy." I slapped his hand away and re-tucked the towel. "The last thing we need is to be attacked by big bad hairy things because we were too busy having sex to notice they were near."
"It's a risk I'm willing to take. Especially for such a delightful piece of tail."
I smiled. "Well, the piece of tail would prefer to wait until the danger is over."
"Such a shame."
"You could at least say that with a little more sincerity."
His soft laugh sent goose bumps rippling. He leaned across the bench, and slowly, languorously, kissed me. "How much more sincere do you want me to be?" he said, after a while.
"I think" - the words came out all husky, and I quickly cleared my throat - "that that's more than enough sincerity for the moment."
"You sure I can't change your mind?"
I was sure that he could, actually. Thankfully, he didn't try. "Yes. So, who rests first?"
"Well, given I'm not going to be able to sleep until certain parts of my body relax, it's probably better if you take the first shift."
I raised an eyebrow. "And just how badly do these parts need relaxing?"
"This badly." He stepped back, and that's when I saw the stallion in all his proud glory. My mouth went dry. Obviously, the tent pole I'd viewed earlier had only been half-mast. Lord, he was big.
"You're right," I said. "There's not going to be much sleep happening with that hanging about."
"If it was hanging about, it wouldn't be such a problem." His chocolate eyes twinkled lightly with the mirth tugging at his lips. "Go, before the temptation gets too much."
I went. A few hours' sleep was never going to be enough, but it was better than nothing. I did a changeover with Kade, and spent the next hour and a half alternating between drinking coffee and prowling the premises. There was nothing and no one around.
Maybe I was wrong about the orsini. Maybe they couldn't track us as well as I thought they'd be able to.
I made myself yet another cup of coffee and leaned on the bench, warming my hands on either side of the cup as I stared out the main kitchen window.
Dappled light played across the yellowing grass, and in the shade along the fence line, daffodils bobbed. The forest beyond was filled with shadows, though sunlight danced amongst the leaves and cast occasional sprays of green and gold waltzing across the tree trunks.
There was nothing or no one moving out there. Nothing or no one moving in the house. And yet...
Unease stirred. And I had no idea why.
"Why the pensive face?"
I jumped slightly, and looked around as Kade came into the room. "I just realized I've used up all the instant coffee," I said. "A very sad thing when you're as addicted as I am."
He stopped behind me, one brawny arm going around my waist, pressing his body against mine as he leaned forward and kissed my ear. "That's very sad indeed," he whispered, his breath so warm against my skin. "You want me to make you feel better?"
A smile twitched my lips. "You're as insatiable as a wolf in moon heat."
"Hey, I'm a randy stallion who hasn't had sex for over two months, and I'm standing behind a woman who is both luscious and naked. What do you expect?"
"A little restraint until we're safe, perhaps?"
"I have been restrained, sweetheart. Trust me on that." His lips touched my spine, a butterfly kiss that was powerfully arousing. "So, who were you thinking about when I came in? A lover?"
"No."
"But there is a lover who is causing some grief?"
"Yes." I twisted around to look at him. "How did you guess that? Are you a telepath?" And if he was, how was he reading me? Quinn - the lover I'd mentioned before - couldn't, and yet he was not only one of the most powerful vampires I'd met, but also one of the most powerful telepaths.
"No. Telekinetic. But I'm very good at reading women."
I raised an eyebrow. "Just women? Not men?"
His smile was devilish. "I have no interest in men."
And wouldn't my brother be pissed at that. "So, what do you think you saw in my expression?"
"Regret."
He was good. While I hadn't actively been thinking about Quinn, those thoughts were always present, sitting at the back of my mind, waiting to pounce the minute I relaxed my guard.
"Tell me," he added.
"Why?"
He shrugged. "Wolves aren't the only ones who can be nosy."
I looked away, studying the shadows beyond the fence line again. "He doesn't like what I am."
He brushed another kiss across my spine, but higher this time, closer to my shoulder. Goose bumps fled excitedly across my skin.
"A paper pusher?"
I smiled. "No, a werewolf. He thinks us little more than whores."
"I'm betting he doesn't think the same of your pack-mate."
"According to him, it's okay for men to sleep around."
"Has to be a human." Disgust edged Kade's voice. "Because only they would say something dumb like that to a werewolf."
I smiled. "He's a vampire."
He shrugged, something I felt rather than saw. "Same thing, as most vamps were once human and have all the old prejudices." He paused. "You loved him?"
"I barely knew him."
His touch trailed up my stomach until he'd reached my breasts. Lightly, teasingly, he began to pinch the engorged points. My breath caught somewhere in my throat, and my heart began to race. I knew I should move, should put an end to it now, before it went too much further, but somehow, I just couldn't force the thoughts into action. Part of me - most of me - hungered.
"That's not what I asked," he said.
"No." I hesitated. "And no, I didn't. It's just that there was something between us, something I wanted to explore. He refused, simply because I am wolf."
"You don't look the type to give up."
"I'm not." I had tried. I'd rung. I'd even met him for dinner a couple of times. But Quinn had made it patently clear he didn't want anything more than what he'd already had. In the end, I'd walked away. As Rhoan had noted, it was Quinn who was the loser, not me.
"So why have you given up?"
"Because I'm far from desperate, and he's not a wolf."
"And you want children eventually?"
I nodded. "As I tried to tell him, I wasn't after anything deep or everlasting. I just wanted to explore."
"You know, I've found that jealously works a whole lot better than trying to talk sense to people like that. Flaunt your conquests under his nose, and watch his pulse rate go up."
His teeth grazed my shoulder, nipping lightly. My pulse skipped into race mode.
"Hard to make him jealous when he doesn't even live in the same state."
"Then forget him. He's obviously a man who doesn't know a true prize when he finds it."
Amusement ran through me. "And you are?"
"Sweetheart, when I find a prize worth having, I grip on tight and ride it until it's mine." As if to demonstrate, he slid a hand down to my leg, his grip bruising. I barely had time to register it when his grip shifted and his thumb began to caress my inner thigh, sending little shivers of desire scooting across my body.
"This from a man who warned me, ever so gently, not to expect anything more serious than a good time?"
"If you were a horse-shifter, I'd pursue you until I won you, and you wouldn't have a hope of ever leaving my herd." His touch and his voice left me in no doubt as to his sincerity, and suddenly I felt a whole lot better about myself. After Talon's betrayal, Misha's probable involvement with the people behind my kidnappings, and Quinn basically dumping me, I'd been beginning to wonder if I'd had a sign on my back saying, "Stomp all over me, I love it."
"Of course, you're not a mare, so I'm just going to have to settle for a little fun."
Amusement bubbled through me. "So the planned riding lessons will still be going ahead?"
"As soon as possible."
Which would be real soon if I didn't get my act together and move. Not that I did. His touch had finally moved up my leg and it just felt too good to end it all so soon. "So, how many offspring have you got in your herd?"
"None. The government shoves the same hormonal chip in us stallions as they do you wolves." He hesitated. "Of course, the chip was taken out in that place, which means I'm more than likely fertile right now."
"Then it's just as well it's extremely rare for inter-species breeding to happen."
Of course, it did happen - I was living proof of that - so it was probably just as well I couldn't get pregnant without medical help. In fact, I might not be able to get pregnant at a!!, if my latest tests came back like Rhoan's.
He raised an eyebrow. "Then you're not chipped either?"
"No." It had been taken out over a year ago by Talon, and I'd never bothered getting it replaced. Couldn't really see the point of it, when most of the docs considered me the werewolf version of a mule and felt it was unlikely I'd ever fall pregnant. "But it won't matter. I have medical problems that prevent conception."
"So we can play without worrying about consequences?"
It was becoming extremely hard to concentrate on what he was saying when his clever fingers were doing all sorts of wonderful things. "We most certainly... hhh!"
He laughed and placed his large, warm hands on either side of my butt and lightly kicked apart my legs. "Sweetheart, you ain't felt nothing yet."
He thrust into me, sliding deep and hard, and I groaned in pleasure. He stilled, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the connection of flesh, the pulse of warmth deep inside. I knew, like he knew, that this wasn't entirely wise. That it was dangerous to give in to pleasure when we were far from home, and far from safe. But danger is something of an aphrodisiac to a wolf, and I was a wolf who couldn't remember feeling any sort of pleasure in over a week. I needed this as badly as a vampire might have needed blood.
He began to move, stroking long and deep, and any lingering reluctance dissolved into intense pleasure. The rich, low-down ache grew, becoming a kaleidoscope of sensations that washed through every corner of my mind, the intensity of which increased sharply as Kade's tempo increased. All too soon the shuddering took hold as pleasure ripped through my body, my mind. I gasped, grabbing the bench for support, my cries of pleasure joining Kade's as his own orgasm hit.
When the tremors finally eased, he laughed softly and rested his forehead against my back "I think we both needed that."
I smiled. "I think we did."
He dropped a kiss on my shoulder, then wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my back against his warm body. "Next time I promise to take more time."
I opened my mouth to reply, but in that moment, I heard it.
The faint scrape of nail against concrete.
We were no longer alone.