Talons (24 page)

Vivvie turned and ran blindly, straight
into Eli’s strong arms.

He caught her and set her away from
him, his glowing blue gaze concerned seeing her distress. He heard
the noises coming from Ty’s room and regarded her
knowingly.

“
I’m sorry you had to find
out like that,” Eli said quietly, his own ears picking up what sent
her scurrying. “Mara has been with him a long time. She goes with
him to Florida.”

“
I don’t even care anymore!”
she cried and walked away from Eli. “I’m done with him! He doesn’t
even wait until he leaves to pick up with someone else!”

“
In truth, he picked up with
you in the middle of his seeing her. Mara doesn’t complain. You
want to go for a run?” Eli asked, his blue eyes glowing. “I always
take a run around the mountain before bed.”

Vivvie looked back at him and raised an
eyebrow. “Where are your adoring groupies? I’m surprised you’re not
dragging one or more of them back to your room with
you.”

“
We both know who I want to
drag to my room right now,” he teased, revealing a perfect smile.
“Come on, you know you won’t be able to sleep.”

“
No funny stuff, Eli,” she
said in warning. “I’m really not in the mood tonight. I just made
the biggest ass out of myself over a guy who obviously isn’t worth
it.”

“
I can control myself,” Eli
replied silkily and his eyes glowed brightly. “I respect your
feelings. They’re a bit misplaced, you would agree?” he remarked,
gesturing to the throaty cries coming from Ty’s room now, rising in
octave.

“
Well, as far as I’m
concerned, it’s over and he can do what he wants,” Vivvie snapped
and glared up at him angrily. “Come on, let’s go before my inner
kitty goes in and slaps the shit out of him and her!”

Eli smiled warmly down at
her, his eyes caressing her face.
You’re
beautiful when you’re pissed off.

Vivvie shook her
head
. You would say anything to get your
way, wouldn’t you?

He nodded, smiling
happily.
It’s true. I can see what
enchanted Ryken now. You’re really quite the cat’s ass,
Vivvie.

She laughed out loud at that, and
raised an eyebrow at him. “Come on, before I change my
mind.”

They went to the elevators. Vivvie
could feel eyes on them as they passed the media room. It pleased
her everyone there probably thought she was sneaking away for a
rendezvous with Eli. Let them think what they wanted to! They
didn’t need to know how humiliated she felt to have discovered Ty
was with someone else.

Eli looked like the cat that scarfed
down the cream crock. He was looking at Jericho triumphantly as the
elevator doors opened. The two men had a silent conversation before
the doors shut.

“
I mean it, no funny stuff,”
Vivvie said as she regarded him warily. The ruggedly handsome
features composed into an innocent expression. “I’m not the kind of
girl to handle rejection like that anyway.”

“
You weren’t rejected by Ty,
Vivvie,” Eli said suddenly and eyed her in disgust. “He’s doing his
job. He’s putting the tribe ahead of himself by going to Florida.
Derek is too emotional to do what needs to be done. You have known
Ty all of two weeks and expect him to choose you over his own
people. That is only a human for you! You really do think highly of
yourself, don’t you?”

“
Actually, I couldn’t
believe he looked twice at me, thanks for the pick-me-up, Eli!” she
said and scowled up at him. “Could you just try to make me feel
better, even if it’s total bullshit?”

“
Alright, Ty’s selfless
actions may save a great many of our kind and humans as well,” Eli
said. “The sacrifice of his personal desires is admirable. There,
are we happy now?”

“
Yeah, I could hear his
selflessness through the door, please just spare me!”

“
Is that what bothers you?”
Eli asked in surprise, getting insight into the way her mind
worked. “His having sex with Mara bothers you, doesn’t
it?”

“
It’s wrong!” she said
hotly, eyes glowing emerald fire. “He was with me just this
morning! How do you think that makes me feel? Believe it or not,
the difference between being like you and being human is having
real feelings! And they do get hurt when you realize you weren’t
even special at all to someone you shared yourself with! Oh, what’s
the use? You wouldn’t understand.”

“
I understand your feelings.
Humans mate differently and their expectations are different,” Eli
said with a shrug. “But you’re no longer human, but one of us.
Those narrow minded observations have no place here. If it’s any
consolation, he thought of you the whole time.”

“
Did he tell you that?” she
said tightly, disgusted Eli could communicate
telepathically.

“
He said your name in his
mind, over and over again,” Eli replied in a bored tone and looked
down at her in sympathy. “Sorry, but you need to look at this as it
is, and not take it so personally. You got pleasure from your time
with Ty, didn’t you?”

“
Yes, but that is really not
the point!” Vivvie argued. “He used me! He knew what I thought was
between us!”

“
So you got no pleasure out
of it? Really, Vivvie, you humans do like to suffer in your own
misery,” Eli asked and frowned again. “That’s not like Ty to leave
a female unhappy.”

“
Are you listening? Yes I
enjoyed it! I thought we had a relationship now. He’s up there
fucking someone else and it hurts! Now do you get it?” Vivvie
stormed, while Eli laughed in delight at her words.

“
So after two weeks of his
company, you decide he is your one true mate, do you?” Eli said and
raised an eyebrow. “Ty is nearly three hundred years old, Vivvie.
He does not rush in. You don’t know everything you need to know of
him to even make such an assumption for either of you.”

“
How can I expect you to
understand?” Vivvie said angrily. “You’re sleeping with every woman
down there.”

“
No, there is very little
sleeping involved,” Eli said smugly, his blue eyes glowing. “But I
do understand you, Vivvie. You jumped to conclusions you and Ty
were more. Now you’re hurt to discover you were not. Does that not
sum matters up?”

Vivvie could see the leader’s look of
compassion and looked away. “Humans jump to conclusions, I’m
afraid. They also fail to see things right in front of their face.
I feel like an idiot.”

“
No, an idiot would continue
to be upset about something beyond their control,” Eli offered and
shrugged. “Ty has made his choice. You have little control over it.
You needn’t be upset.”

“
Ok, I don’t want to talk
about Ty anymore tonight,” she said coolly. “Can we agree on that
or I go back to my room?”

Eli smiled
wickedly
. Can we talk about me
now?

Vivvie smiled at how young
and charming he sounded, even though he was close to four hundred
years old.
Sure, knock yourself out,
dude.

Eli met her gaze with a look
of heat in his.
I would very much like to
know you, Vivvie. Get over Ty quickly. I’m not known to be very
patient.

Vivvie swallowed hard, seeing the lust
in his eyes. Eli wanted her, whether it was because she was once
Ty’s, new to the group, or a novelty Newbreed. He made his
intentions clear. Promises never passed his lips or crossed his
mind. Vivvie more than sensed she would enjoy Eli’s company more
than she cared to admit.

She liked to blame it on her new
nature, but Eli was rivetingly gorgeous and he knew it. He had a
charisma about him, a quality that made him stand out from a crowd.
His raw power and confidence were a heady combination.

The doors opened and he started to
strip as soon as he cleared the doors. She was still not as
comfortable as the others in getting naked, and tried very hard not
to gape at him. He had the nicest ass she’d seen on a man, even Ty.
He was confident in both his skins. That sense of self-possession
was one of the things that attracted her to him.

He winked at her before he shifted,
pawing at the ground and growling for her to hurry.

You really need to get over
your modesty, Vivvie! It’s nothing I haven’t seen a million times
in four hundred years!

Vivvie sent him a scathing look as she
stepped behind a tree to undress. She gathered all her clothes and
tucked them under a bush. A scant second later, she was circling
him, growling in annoyance.

You haven’t seen my goods,
pal!

Soon, I hope?

Her answer was to tear off away from
him and lope across the grasses, sending dirt flying under her
paws. His roar at her back made excitement course through her
veins. She ran, feeling him gaining upon her as they neared the
meadow. Eli barreled into her, sending her tumbling and rolling
into the long grasses.

Vivvie lunged at him and swiped at him
in fury. The hair was sticking up on her back as he seemed to grin
at her, baring all his teeth. He ran then, his powerful legs
pounding across the meadow. She gave chase, but he eluded her, his
teeth bared, his blue eyes glowing in amusement.

You can’t catch
me!

Vivvie growled at his taunting words as
he thundered away from her, his paws flying now. She gave chase,
feeling the soothing night air brush away her doubts and pain. She
saw the woodland creatures burrow and hide as they passed. With
only the moon as an overhead light, they ran down the
mountain.

Vivvie caught up to Eli at a rock ledge
where he sat, looking up at the full moon. His blue eyes were
solemn as they met hers. He had no taunting words to impart as he
gazed up at the moon, making room for her at the ledge at his side.
It was beautiful.

Vivvie had no words. The moon never
appeared so beautiful to her before. It was doubtful she ever saw
its rough texture, so clear to her now. She heard Eli purring
loudly at her side. She knew instinctively that he came here often
to think.

She didn’t want to spoil the moment.
Eli lay on his side, his long tail flipping upon the ground. Vivvie
reclined as well, staring up at the moon, panting softly, purring
despite herself in the peaceful atmosphere.

Vivvie wasn’t sure how long they lay
there, looking out over the canyon. Eli looked at her with his
glowing gaze, and began licking her head. She hissed at him, but
his paw held her fast, his tongue bathing her face.

She endured his endless grooming and
finally she could stand it no more and swiped at him. He seemed to
laugh at her, his large tongue lolling outside his
mouth.

You don’t like being
kissed?

You call that kissing? A
dog could do better than that!

Eli’s answer was to growl fiercely at
her. It startled her so much she shifted immediately back to her
human form, her eyes large with fear. He shifted then too, blue
eyes teasing. Eli reached for her, yanking her across the rock
ledge to pull her onto his lap. His mouth took hers, taking her
lips in blazing captivity.

Vivvie was feeling lightheaded with
sensations. Eli’s hard, experienced mouth moved over hers, parting
her lips knowingly, robbing her of breath. His hands slid into her
hair, stroking the long, sable length of it. Vivvie was lost as his
mouth mated insistently with hers, creating havoc on her senses,
filling them up with him.

The fact she was sitting naked in a
nude male’s lap was growing more obvious by the second as his eager
lips parted hers, his tongue thrusting inside her mouth. He kissed
her with such hungry thoroughness, she blinked slightly when he
raised his head from hers, staring down into her dilated green gaze
with an amused look.

“
Did that remind you of a
Labrador, Vivvie?” Eli asked her in amusement, his eyes lowering to
her nudity, his eyes glowing even brighter by the
second.

His words doused her like ice water.
She scooted off his obviously aroused lap, mindful of the position
she was in. Reminding herself she was naked with Eli miles from the
compound made her feel self-conscious, her arms covering her
breasts, her legs crossing self-consciously. Instead of fear, she
felt a sense of excitement inside of her she was sure he was aware
of.

He sensed her unease over her nudity
and shifted quickly, growling at her.

Come on, it’s getting
late.

Vivvie shifted back to her animal form
and followed him in confusion. Kevin’s slobbering kisses had always
nauseated her. Ty’s kisses turned her knees weak. Eli made her
forget everything else in the world but the feel of his lips on
hers. The effort to stop was made by him, not her.

Vivvie was shattered by it. The love
she felt blossoming for Ty was squashed neatly in the bud tonight.
She was still broiling with that. It nauseated her to think of
becoming one of the adoring women who sat at Eli’s feet.

Vivvie ran behind him, determined that
wouldn’t be the case. She might be attracted to Eli, but so had she
been to Ty. She gave in too soon. Look where it got her? Ty left
her now, without a thought.