Talons (25 page)

Eli might be the leader here, but he
wouldn’t turn her into one of his many conquests. She wasn’t about
to make it easy for him. She separated from him to find her
clothes, troubled at the turn of her thoughts. She left the
compound nearly bawling her eyes out over one man, only to come
back dazed from another’s kisses.

Vivvie sensed his mood change as he
joined her in the elevator. He was no longer smug or taunting and
his expression wasn’t light or teasing. Eli seemed just as
disturbed as her, hardly looking at her as they made their way back
down. When the doors opened, she felt him close up
completely.

“
I have a meeting with the
others,” he said quietly as he left her. “Goodnight,
Vivvie.”

Those blue eyes became dismissive as
soon as he entered the compound. He walked in the direction of the
conference room, leaving her to go back to her room by herself. She
stared after him in confusion. She would never understand men if
she lived to be as old as the ones around her.

~~~~

Ty saw Vivian and Eli walk off the
elevators together. He was packing up his computer in the library.
A low growl of rage left his lips to think of her with Eli. He was
disgusted even Mara couldn’t make him forget her. The experience
had done nothing but make him realize how much he cared for his
cute little Newbreed. All his efforts to push her aside put her
firmly into place in his heart.

Eli wasted little time moving in on
Vivian. Ty cursed him under his breath, knowing his leader was
ruthless when it came to females. Vivian was no different. Ty did
Vivian no service by not claiming her.

Eli would take everything she had to
offer and more. He would use her until he grew bored and break her
heart as surely as Ty had. Ty knew nothing he could say to her that
would make a difference now. Vivvie’s future was unknown to him. It
troubled him to think of what it meant.

Ty fought the urge to go to her, to
smell her, and to know if she was with Eli. He refused to allow the
possessive feelings to linger. He’d done this to both of them the
minute he allowed himself to claim her. He’d broken off with her
quite cruelly, wanting to sever himself from his growing feelings.
He had no say in what she did.

Ty’s lips tightened to think of hearing
Vivvie outside his door earlier, imagining her large green eyes
filled with hurt. Mara enjoyed getting louder for her benefit.
Hearing Eli there made Ty feel intense jealousy, knowing he rushed
to Vivvie’s rescue now to endear himself to her.

Ty loaded his hard drives and keyboards
into the boxes he would ship ahead of him tomorrow. He already
packed up his room. Mara’s arrival tonight was a
surprise.

Old habits died very hard with his
former lover. She was at her very best to arouse him. After the
disastrous encounter with Vivian that morning, he wanted to forget
the look of intense hurt on her face. Ty knew the minute he brought
Mara to pleasure he wasn’t thinking of her anymore.

Vivian was very human in her thinking
still. She took affront to his not telling her he was leaving for
Florida. It appeared to her that he took advantage of her. She
would be right in that way. Given the choice to make her his mate
and stay, he chose to leave. Eli knew what he would choose all
along.

Ty could only hope Vivian didn’t give
into Eli without fighting tooth and nail. The tribe’s women would
eat her alive if they thought she was moving in on their leader.
There would be trouble. He would be in Florida cleaning up after
Ryken and too far away to come to her rescue.

It was time she learned to land on her
paws; all four of them.

He loaded the remaining boxes and left
them on his desk, feeling a sense of loneliness as he returned to
his room. Ty never saw Vivian’s future to know if he did the right
thing now. Even Eli was beyond his sight and always was. Ty
couldn’t see anything of either’s future and was grateful now. He
didn’t want to know if he was right.

~~~~

Vivvie discovered her own gift by
accident. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep that night. When
she did sleep, she found herself in a hallway. Bemused, she
realized she was walking to Eli’s room in her dreams. The door to
his suite was opened when she turned the knob. She entered the
bedroom and saw the man slept there.

Unable to stop herself, she climbed
into bed with him, leaving her robe on the floor at her feet. She
slid in next to him, waking him immediately. He was startled to see
her there, his blue eyes confused at first, before they glowed
hotly.

Her finger came to his lips, cutting
off his words. This was her dream. She wouldn’t let him be cocky
now and spoil it. Her hand came away and she pulled his lips down
to hers, kissing him with such hunger, he began to growl at her
lips.

Vivvie dug her nails into his
shoulders, drawing blood, wanting him so badly, she was past caring
this was just a dream. Eli’s mouth was like fire, searing her and
scoring her flesh. When they came together, it was primal and
hungry.

The erotic sensations felt so
alarmingly real, she wept as he joined their bodies. His big body
pinned her under him with ruthless deliberation, his blue eyes
filled with fire and lust. She couldn’t hold back and didn’t, her
heels digging into the backs of his legs and buttocks, low, throaty
satisfied growls leaving her lips.

Eli was inexhaustible and the dream
grew more sensual, the passion more intense. It was only at the
pinnacle of their pleasure, when he burrowed deep within her at
last, growling harshly at her ear, she knew it was real.

He spoke to her, something he could
only do if they were awake. His blue eyes glowed as he lifted his
head to look down at her, smiling in triumph.

I knew you would come to
me, Vivvie.

The words jarred her awake, pulling her
out of his bed to spiral backward into wakefulness, Eli’s low
laughter at her ear was the last thing she heard before her eyes
snapped opened. She sat up in her bed, her body covered in
sweat.

It wasn’t real! Vivvie got up and
hugged herself around the middle, despising the way her body felt
such satiated aches all over with no other explanation for them.
She glanced at the clock and cringed. Three hours passed since she
went to bed, and she knew how it was spent.

You’re a naughty little
cat, Vivvie. Come back.

Vivvie ignored his voice that beckoned
her to come back to his room, knowing this was impossible. How? She
was able to enter other people’s minds in her dreams? Ty said the
gift was different for them all, but she never believed she would
have anything to mark her as special.

Vivvie cringed to think she’d gone to
Eli quite boldly in her dream, sought him out, and pounced upon
him. He knew it was real too, which made it all the more worse. His
insistent demands she come to him now were ignored as she sat with
this.

Vivvie, come and get the
real thing! Don’t be shy, sweetheart!

Will you please just shut
up? I didn’t mean to do this at all!

Your dream took you where
you wanted to go, Vivvie.

Vivvie was confused with such a gift,
or a curse, depending upon which way you looked upon it. She saw
nothing wonderful about being able to invade other people’s dreams.
Dismay filled her to know she’d not gone looking for Ty.

~~~~

Vivvie just got out of the shower when
Eli was pounding on her door. He spoke to her with his mind outside
her door and she ignored him. Now he made it everyone’s business he
was at her door, knowing it would piss her off. His shouting
brought her to the door quickly.

She whipped open the door, eyes filled
with anger. “What is your problem? Do you want me to be torn to a
hundred little pieces by those catty bitches out there? You have a
lot of nerve coming here!”

Eli grinned. “After all we shared last
night, you could at least kiss me good morning, Vivvie.”

“
I didn’t even know it was
real! It never happened like that before,” she said angrily and
shut the door behind him, conscious of being naked under her robe
and alone with the object of her late night sexfest.

“
You act upon your deepest
desires with such a gift, Vivvie,” Eli informed her smugly, his
blue eyes dancing and tracing the opening in her robe with
interest. “I’m very flattered you think so highly of me. I didn’t
think you would come to me until after Ty left. Last night was
quite a pleasant teaser, but I want the real thing now.”

“
Whoa! I didn’t plan that!
It just happened, and the answer is no!”

Eli’s eyes burned into hers. He was
beginning to stalk her as she backed into her living room, green
eyes filled with uncertainty and panic to see his
intent.

Eli saw her fear and looked disgusted.
While her subconscious had amazing sex with him last night, the
conscious was unaware it was even real, until he spoke to
her.

“
You want me as much as I
want you,” Eli said coolly, his blue eyes growing chilled. “Whose
bed did you go to last night, Vivvie? Ty’s was empty to my
knowledge. You started this! Now you pretend you don’t feel it
too!” Vivvie cringed as his arm whipped out and flung the chair out
of the way like it was made of Styrofoam, knocking it into the
wall. She was fearful of his rage, seeing his blue eyes
narrow.

“
I didn’t know what I was
doing! I swear I didn’t know! I thought they were just dreams!” she
said as she backed away from the danger she sensed in
him.

Eli glared at her, realizing she spoke
the truth. She didn't knowingly come to his room.

“
Have you ever done this
before?” he asked quietly, his expression thoughtful
now.

“
I was in the barn one
night. I didn’t get it on with the horses; if that is what you
mean?” she snapped and saw his sudden smirk.

“
This gift is a rare one,
Vivvie,” Eli told her with a look of admiration in his glowing
eyes. “Ty’s sister Tania has it, but she refuses to use it anymore.
She was quite good at keeping our enemies at bay, by seeking them
out in their dreams years ago. I’m certainly glad you have more to
offer the group than your skills as a waitress, no
offense.”

“
None taken, I’m an
excellent waitress by the way!” she snapped, still ready to flee if
he intended to pounce on her.

Eli smiled widely, his eyes lowering to
the front of her robe. “You’re good at a lot of things as I
recall,” he whispered with a wolfish smile, making hot insistent
stabs of pleasure form in her stomach.

“
I acted on my subconscious
in these dreams,” Vivvie protested. “How can that be useful but to
get me into trouble, like last night?”

“
You can learn to use it,
and seek out Ryken, for one,” Eli said and his eyes grew ruthless.
“Tell me you don’t want revenge for what he did to you and your
friends, Vivvie? You know what he’s up to now. Think of all the
young, human women you would save from such horror by killing
him.”

“
He has nine souls to kill,
not just one! I'd have to kill him that many times?” she fumed,
aware she hadn't refused Eli. “I’m pissed off at him, but after
once or twice, it would just be wrong!”

“
He has only three souls
left to him now, not nine. He was quite careless as a kit, if I
recall,” Eli corrected smoothly.

Vivvie shook her head, eyes filled with
fear. “He could kill me too! It’s real, if only a dream world! That
would be like Nightmare on Elm Street, and I’m Freddy Kruger! No
way, dude!”

“
You’re way cuter than
Freddy,” Eli said with an amused smile. “I enjoyed every minute of
it.”

“
No, no, and no!”

“
You have the opportunity to
kill him and we can’t get close to him, Vivvie,” Eli said quietly.
“Consider that he left the Florida compound and is now on the run.
Our sources tell us he stays in Florida, but he could go anywhere
in the world. We don’t have time for you to question whether it’s
wrong for you to take a life! It’s not like anyone will arrest you
for it!”

“
You’re not the one who has
to kill him and live with it either!”

“
If you saw what he did to
your friend when he was done with her, you would have no problem
with it,” Eli said heartlessly, seeing her flinch at his words.
“Rachel was her name, wasn’t it? She gave Ryken’s men two litters
very quickly. Ryken then ripped her apart and fed her to her own
young in thanks for her contribution. Do you still hesitate? These
are just a few of the atrocities coming out of Florida now. The
humans were grateful for Derek to put them down.”

Vivvie looked sickened to know Ryken
could have done that to her friend, or to anyone, for that
matter.

Eli saw her hesitation. His blue eyes
grew fierce. “You’re one of us now whether you like it or not. Our
destinies are all linked by the blood we share! You think like a
human, but you’re not human anymore, Vivian! You’re a beast, the
same as us, the same as him! Think on it and ask yourself if you
can’t do it.”

“
I want something in
exchange for it if I kill him,” Vivvie said softly, her green eyes
filled with dread.