Taken by the Wolf King (Gladiator) (3 page)

And she
was
his. No matter her species or the differences their people had to work out. The two of them would help bridge the gap between their respective cultures, and damn what anyone thought.

As Leif made his way toward her, he noticed a subtle hint of annoyance coming from her. Though her smile was breathtaking, it wasn’t genuine. Of that he was certain. But why? Was the male’s presence as unwelcome to her as it was to him?

Finally, with a wave of her hand toward the crowd gathered on the spacious patio, indicating her need to mingle, she tried to take her leave of the pushy man. When the male took her hand and kissed the backs of her fingers—despite the tray she tried too hard to balance—Leif nearly growled aloud. If he’d been close to that male, he might have anyway just to warn off the bastard.

The female continued through the throng of people, politely passing drinks with a smile but never lingering. Leif watched, his gaze locked on her as he tried to figure out how best to approach the situation. She was obviously a domestic, there to serve the partygoers, not to participate. Getting her away from the crowd and in his arms would take some doing, but wolves were nothing if not cunning and imaginative.

As he approached her, the female smiled and served her treats, avoiding too much conversation so she could keep moving through the crowd. The gentle sway of her hips and her beguiling smile were potent aphrodisiacs, drawing him to her almost against his will. She had a natural sensuality about her few women in his experience possessed. If she’d been wearing a grass sack, she’d have looked desirable as hell. Had Leif not been certain this was the woman meant for him, he’d still have been captivated by her.

Leif paced across from her, keeping her in view but always at his flank. He had to watch for the perfect opportunity to drive her into a secluded area before she realized he was stalking her. Just as the thought entered his mind, she glanced in his direction before doing a double take, her gaze locking on him like the prey she’d become. Wide, dark eyes met his in a fixed stare, as if she were helpless to break away.

Ignoring everyone around him—including more than one lady of the realm—Leif stalked through the crowd. No one was able to stop his progress. No one was able to snag his attention. The entire focus of his being was on the lovely creature subtly backing away from him as she glanced around her to see if anyone was watching them.

As he neared, Leif closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. It was all he could do not to lunge for her, bury his nose in her hair and take that magnificent scent so deep she’d never be able to escape him.

All in good time.

“Sir?” The beauty looked at him questioningly, obviously unsure of herself and the situation.

“Your name,
kona.
”

“I—” She looked around her nervously, swallowing and proudly raising her chin as if she were his equal, not a servant while he was a king.
Brave, proud little human.
“Elsa,” she said. “Elsa Thorn. If you’ll excuse me—”

“I won’t,” he interrupted, stepping closer, blocking her way when she would have skirted around him. In his heritage, her name meant “battle.” A perfect name for a strong wolf queen. Leif was invading her personal space; the only thing separating them was the tray of
hors d’oeuvres. Even over the
aromas
of meat and cheese
from the tray she carried h
e could scent her interest. The faintest hint of sweet arousal tickled his nose despite her obvious misgivings. Without taking his gaze from hers, Leif took a small cracker, biting into the offering from her tray. He chewed as he watched her swallow. Her gaze was glued firmly to his mouth for several seconds before rising to meet his eyes once more. “I’m Leif,” he said.

“I know who you are. The wolven king.” At his raised eyebrow, she shrugged. “Hard to keep a contingent of your kind hidden from everyone. It’s not as if you were exactly quiet about who you are.”

“Perhaps,” he conceded with a grin. “We are a rather large bunch.”

“That,
and
you look exactly like what you are. All of you are predators on the prowl.” Elsa said this with a grin, but Leif could see the sincerity in her words. Which explained her obvious instinct to run from him.

“Understand me,
kona
, none of us would ever strike the first blow.”

“But you’ll
finish
any altercation.”

Grinning at her, Leif answered, “To do anything less would be to invite an enemy to our door. We are a fierce breed. Any who cross us know this long before the end. It’s the reason we’ve had peace in our realm for many generations.”

“No war? Not even among rival…clans?”

“None. There are the occasional rogue packs, but it’s no different from any civilization. There will always be those who seek to take the wolven crown, our dominance over our territory, but we will prevail.”

“You sound very confident.”

“I won’t allow anything else.”

Elsa looked into his eyes. A man could get lost in those dark eyes. They were like fathomless pools, a void where pleasure abounded and passion reigned.

When her lips parted, Leif thought she might say something, but instead she ducked her head, raising the tray of food slightly. “If you don’t want anything else, I have others to serve.”

“Oh, there is something else I dearly want,” he said, his voice gone husky. “You will see me when this thing is over. We’ll sort out exactly what I want then,
kona
.”

Head snapping up, her wide eyes met his. With a visible breath, she steadied herself. Leif could hear as her heart tried valiantly to slow its frantic beating. She closed her eyes briefly before opening them once again, her control firmly in place now. “What does that mean?
Kona
?”

With a shrug Leif answered, “Woman,” which was only half the truth. It also meant
wife
, but she probably wouldn’t appreciate the double meaning.

“I told you my name. Use it,” she snapped, though quietly and with much glancing around to see if anyone was watching.

There was no way to hide his grin. “So the little she-wolf has fire.”

“I’m not a she-wolf.”

“You have more in common with our kind than you might think. Does this offend you?” It was something Leif hadn’t considered, but he frowned at the thought. As evidenced by the Grand Chancellor’s wife—and several others—these people were prejudiced against shifter beings. Was Elsa?

“Not at all,” she answered immediately. “I just see interest in your eyes that I can’t return.”

“Yet you do,” he said just a quickly. “I scented
your…
interest
the moment I got close to you.”

Again, her eyes widened, her mouth forming an “O” of surprise before she clamped it shut, her brows drawing together. “That’s rude,” was all she managed before turning on her heel and nearly stomping away. Watching the sway of her hips as she hurried from him, Leif thought he might even be glad she’d departed his company if only for the sight of her perfect, perfect ass.

Heart pounding wildly, skin flushed and damp from a fine sheen of sweat, Elsa did her best to keep the tray steady in her hands as she walked away from the wolf king. People all over Skyward Home talked of how dangerous he was, how he needed to be stopped before he enslaved every human in their realm. Though Elsa could fully understand if the man intended to enslave everyone. Lord knows the way shifters had been treated was far from deserving any form of mercy. From what she could tell, every last man and woman in the diplomatic party had every intention of stabbing him in the back at the first opportunity.

All that aside, the man was absolutely
stunning
! If there existed a man in the universe she’d consider a one-night stand with, it would definitely be this one.

Then a thought struck her. Did Leif somehow know of the group of people in the city secretly helping shifters escape back to their own realm? If he did, others would, too. Though Elsa wasn’t actively involved with them, she hadn’t turned in the people she knew who were. Considering the major portion of the country’s economy was based directly on the shifter slave market in one form or another, aiding escape of slaves or hiding those who did was considered treason. Punishable by death.

As she meandered through the throng of people, passing out her
hors d’oeuvres, it was all Elsa could do not to glance over her shoulder. She could actually feel his gaze on her. But why?

Scratch that. She knew why. A quick tup in the hay just wasn’t on her agenda, no matter her earlier thoughts. She was better than that. Besides that, her children deserved more from her. She’d already let them down by succumbing to their father, no matter how involuntary it had been. As one of the chancellor’s men, Jason had decided he wanted her. He’d taken her with little regard to what she’d wanted, leaving shortly after Surriah was born without a backward glance, uncaring about his children. Leif might be a king, but that just meant he had all the baggage that went along with it. If there was one thing she’d learned, it was that men in power were cunts. Every last one of them.

The rest of the evening was uneventful. Which was to say only a handful of the region’s ruling caste hit on her. Most of the servants did their best to garner such attentions. It always meant large tips on the evening. Elsa just couldn’t make herself do it. She and her children weren’t starving yet.

Still, her mind wandered back to the big wolf king. If the phrase “sex on a stick” were actually in a book somewhere with a definition, that man’s image would be holographically projecting from it. Even if he hadn’t been in his formal finery, he’d have looked like the powerful king he was. Nobility fairly radiated off him, from those piercing emerald eyes to the powerful set of his shoulders to the proud way he carried himself. It was like he was above all the leaders that surrounded him, simply tolerating their proximity as a necessary evil. The cloak he wore with his black tux had been of the deepest scarlet and trimmed in a black-brown fur woven through with a few silver strands, much like his hair. While other men looked handsome, this man was devastating. Thankfully he’d kept his distance the rest of the evening.

The night was balmy, the lingering heat and humidity from the day making for a fog-laden landscape. Everything seemed muted, the normal sounds from the inner city dim. Eerie. Elsa imagined the wolf king was watching her and shivered. Even high above the ground where all cities in the New American colonies were situated, above what she imagined would be a wolf’s domain, she could feel his eyes on her. It was silly, but she could swear he followed her. It wasn’t like she’d given him a reason to think she’d fall into his arms for even a night of passion. There was absolutely no reason to think he’d even given her a second thought after she’d walked away.

Yet she longed for him to. Her whole life had been about fending for herself and her children. Despite having a man in her life long enough to have babies, the children’s father hadn’t been interested in a peasant and her offspring, only the pleasure he found in her body. That fact had never bothered Elsa before. Now resentment burned inside her like a smoldering ember. She wanted a man like she imagined the wolf king would be. A man who would protect and provide, who would treat her like he treasured her. Despite having had only one encounter with him, she could see it in his eyes. This was a man who safeguarded what was his. To the death.

“Are your duties over then?” The deep masculine voice sent shivers of awareness through her. Even though the words were whispered in her ear from behind, Elsa wasn’t frightened. Startled a little, but not frightened. Instead, her entire body seemed to flame to life with some otherworldly fire, threatening to consume her.

“I—you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that,” was all she could manage.

When she stopped, turning to look at him, Leif took her hand, again bringing the backs of her fingers to those impossibly sensual lips. His gaze never drifted from hers. “You didn’t answer my question.” He didn’t release her hand.

“My duties are ended, but I have to get home.”

His smile nearly made her toes curl. “Then you’re free to entertain me.”

“I—no. Look, I have to get home to my children. The oldest is looking after the youngest, but I don’t like leaving them by themselves any more than I have to.”

His head cocked to the side as if regarding her words carefully. “You have young ones. Then do you also have a male?” He leaned into her slightly, seeming to sniff the air. Much like a wolf might. Was he really that much like his animal namesake? She’d seen shifters in the some of the larger cities, but never in her own, though she knew they often fought in the arenas. Gladiator fights weren’t something she enjoyed. But she’d never heard of any of them changing shape as the chancellor had insisted they could. Perhaps it was simply how he made the most of his enhanced sense of smell. “I don’t scent a male close to you recently other than one who smells quite a bit like you.” He frowned as though puzzled. “I’m assuming you have a boy child? Though, he doesn’t exactly have your scent. Close, but not quite.” Again, he sniffed the air, this time moving closer to her. Elsa found herself wanting to arch her neck, inviting him in, but resisted. “Not your scent… A sibling’s children, perhaps?”

“You can tell that by sniffing the air around me?” Despite herself, Elsa’s lips curled. If that was true, it was simply amazing.

Finally seeming to give up trying to keep a distance, he stepped closer to her, into her personal space. This time, he leaned in, lowering his head until his nose was near the junction of her neck and shoulder. Right where she’d wanted him. Again, he inhaled deeply, a husky, rumbly sound coming from his chest that sounded almost like contentment. “You have one boy child and a much younger girl child. I’d say there is at least six years between them. Neither is yours by birth.”

“How can you possibly—?”

Shrugging, Leif said, “Their scents are a unique blend of their sire and dam. Their dam is a close relative to you; you have the underlying scent but the fragrance is slightly different. A different blend of the same scents. I don’t detect that woman’s scent on you at all, though I’ll admit yours could be camouflaging it. They hormones excreted at different ages tells me how old each child is.”

Ducking her head, Elsa continued to walk. Leif still didn’t release her hand. “Their mother was my sister. She died in the disaster. When the mountain exploded. Her husband died in the arena some months before. As their only living relative, it fell to me to care for them. My sister and I were always close, so I’ve loved those kids since before they were born.”

“I see.”

From under her lashes, Elsa stole a glance at him. Leif continued to keep pace beside her, but his eyes were fixed firmly on her face. He probably
did
see. She had to tread carefully here lest she begin to think he was interested in more than a simple dalliance with her. He had a way of looking at her like she was the only person in the world. She’d only had two encounters with him yet felt like he knew more about her than anyone other than her children simply because he paid that much attention to her. Studied her every movement. Yet, she hadn’t yet spent five whole minutes in his company.

“Then you’ll understand why it’s a bad idea for you to be following me. I have no time for a man in my life right now. Those children are my priority.

“I see no reason why a man worthy of your attentions wouldn’t be able to help you with your children. Perhaps even grow to care for them.” He shrugged. “If you have accepted them as your own, others can as well.”

If there had been a right thing to say at a time like this, that was it. He might be talking so much bullshit, but Elsa ate it up with gusto. Was she that starved for attention?

“Perhaps,” she managed when she could breathe again. “But I still have to go home to them now.”

“Then I’ll see you safely there.” Leif said it so simply Elsa couldn’t think of an argument against it that didn’t sound more like an excuse.

With a sigh, she said, “If you wish.”

They walked on in silence, Leif holding her hand. It should have felt awkward, but Elsa had never felt more right in her life. She could easily see this tall, proud man beside her, caring for and protecting her and her children. And, dammit, she wanted it. Badly. Not because he was handsome or because he was a king and was likely very well off, but because he treated her with courtesy and respect. Was it simply one of those tools men used when they wanted to get a woman into their bed? Probably. But Elsa didn’t think so. She had no proof other than how he’d treated her, but she just got the impression he was a good guy. For now, perhaps she’d live in this pleasant fantasy world. A world where she was wanted by a handsome wolf king.