Therian Prize: 5 (Therian Heat) (9 page)

“You don’t look fine.” He tossed a couple of pillows against the headboard then scooted back against them. “Come here.” He opened his arms and she returned to his embrace as if it were the most natural thing on earth. He was warm and strong, yet surprisingly gentle. His arms wrapped around her loosely, supporting without restraining. “Talk to me. What were you dreaming about? Were you reliving tonight?”

He’d given her the perfect explanation for her fear but she couldn’t bring herself to speak the lie. She was tired of lies, tired of arranging her life according to the wishes of others. Instead she shook her head and splayed her fingers against his chest.

“Then what happened? Dreams have less power over us when we drag them into the light of day.”

It was a charming sentiment but this particular dream had haunted her for the past six years. “My definition.” She shuddered. “I was reliving my definition.”

He eased her back until she looked into his eyes. “Transformation can be frightening and intense the first few times, but you seemed to be fighting off some sort of attack.”

“My definition wasn’t…traditional.” Or complete. But he didn’t need to know that. Undefined females were vulnerable and weak. That’s why she’d lied about the outcome, even to her own family.

His body tensed beneath her hand and his gaze narrowed. “Meaning?”

Why was she telling him any of this? He couldn’t change what happened and admitting what she’d suffered made her seem pathetic, a victim. A freak.

“It doesn’t matter.” She tried to scoot away from him but his arms flexed. He didn’t pull her closer but he didn’t let go. “It was six years ago.”

“What made you think about it now?” His dark-green eyes smoldered yet his emotions were too complex to unravel. Was he angry with her or with the situation that upset her? “You were terrified tonight. You felt helpless and abandoned. Why did those feelings take you back to your definition?”

It was obvious he had no intention of letting her go, so she snuggled back into his warmth and rested her head on his shoulder. This particular story was more easily told if she didn’t have to watch others react to the tale.

Jake held his breath as Heather wiggled against him. Was she trying to get comfortable or punish him for his persistence? She was soft and warm, with supple curves that he was anxious to explore. It took all his effort to keep his mind focused on her well-being. He really wanted to sweep her beneath him and pull the t-shirt off over her head. He’d kiss her slowly until her inhibitions melted. Then he’d…

“My father is determined to strengthen the Canine network any way he can.”

The misery in her tone yanked him back to the present and away from the desire percolating inside him. She was traumatized. Only a callous bastard would think of seduction while she was so clearly conflicted. “So he used your definition as a political bargaining chip?”

“Basically. Rather than having our pack’s strongest hunter define me or allowing me to choose which pack I wanted to join, Father determined that our pack would benefit most by establishing an alliance with a pack of alpine wolves.”

She said nothing more and her hand stroked over his chest in a slow, tantalizing pattern. Did she realize she was petting him? Probably not. Even so, her absent caress was making it damn hard not to return the favor. “That approach is outdated but it’s certainly not unheard of. Why does it still give you nightmares?”

“Carlos, the alpine alpha, knew his people would benefit from the alliance, but he only agreed to define me after Father agreed to let him form a mating bond as well.”

He tensed and lowered his hands to the bed. If she were bound to a mate, even an unwanted mate, he should be able to sense the link. Unless he was subconsciously filtering the signal because of how badly he wanted her. He knew her fiancé was dead, but what about Carlos?

“Was this before or after your engagement to… What was your fiancé’s name?”

“His name was David. And my father didn’t approve of our involvement, so it wasn’t an official engagement.” She fiddled with the hem of her t-shirt, looking anywhere but at him.

“Why didn’t he approve?” Jake wasn’t sure why he cared about her ex-fiancé. After all, the man was dead. But he suspected the stories were entwined.

“David was young.” She shrugged. “We both were. He hadn’t had time to establish a name for himself among the other hunters. His family was well respected but less aggressive than my father preferred.”

Jake spent enough time with Landon to realize pack life wasn’t all that different from life in a feline clan. Therian females, regardless of the animal they manifested, instinctively gravitated toward strong, successful males. Not only did they want a fierce protector and good provider, they sought out men with qualities they wanted to pass on to their children. Nate Fitzroy might not have considered David worthy of Heather, but Heather had obviously found qualities in David that her father hadn’t recognized.

“How did you meet?” He knew he should just let it go but the question just slipped out.

“In high school.” Her chuckle was soft and sad. “David was two years ahead of me, so he was a junior in college when I turned nineteen. Dad referred to him as the frat boy and refused to even consider him as my mate. Carlos was older and had more of the qualities my father appreciates.”

“Such as?”

“Ruthlessness, ambition and an extremely wealthy pack.” She released her breath in a ragged sigh and scooted to the bed beside him. She was still within easy reach but he missed her warmth and the slight weight of her pressed against him. “Carlos promised he’d define me and then return a few months later to form the mating bond.” She glanced away and her breath shuddered out. “He didn’t survive the night. Do you realize the only two men I allowed to share my bed are both dead? Wanting me is dangerous.”

Unable to resist his need to touch her, he traced her jawline with his knuckles. “I’m not afraid of a little danger.”

She looked at him, unshed tears shimmering behind her long lashes. “I think being dead is more than ‘a little’ dangerous.”

“You must have thought I could handle it or you wouldn’t be here.”

“Or maybe I didn’t want to endanger anyone I cared about.”

He cupped her chin and leaned closer, inhaling her scent. “You came to me because we’re attracted to each other. Keep up the denials and I’ll make you say it.”

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and her attention shifted to his mouth. He was about to kiss her when she said, “I thought we were talking about Carlos.”

She was right. They’d drifted far off course. “Did he define you?”

“Yes.” She looked away again before she explained, “He made it clear from the start that he had no intention of resisting his carnal impulses. My father had sanctioned our match, so Carlos saw no reason not to…”

Dread fisted his gut. A female’s first transformation could be terrifying and painful. Emotions ran high and desire frequently followed. “Did he force himself on you?”

“No. This isn’t about rape.”

He touched the side of her face again and her gaze returned to his. “Then what? You were clearly terrified by what you were seeing in that dream.” His mouth was so dry he could barely get the words out. Why did her fear rile him so badly? He wanted to hunt down everyone involved in her nightmare and make them pay for upsetting her.

“Dad was afraid Carlos wouldn’t keep his word and wait to form the permanent bond, so he—”

“If he’d already approved the match, why did he care when it was instigated?”

“The condition was basically a test to see if Carlos would keep his word. An alliance is worthless without trust.”

“I’m sorry I interrupted you. What were you about to say?”

“Dad gave me some sort of injection. He said it would keep me from getting pregnant and prevent Carlos from forming the bond even if he lost control.”

Jake absently stroked his jaw. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Neither had I, but I didn’t see a reason to object. The last thing I wanted was to be bound to Carlos.”

“Where would your father have gotten that sort of compound?”

“I have no idea.” She finger-combed her hair back from her face and shrugged. “Why is that detail important?”

“It probably isn’t. That’s just how my mind works. The devil tends to be in the details.” He adjusted the pillows behind him, trying to find a more comfortable position. “You said Carlos died that night. What happened?”

It took her a moment to answer but once the words started flowing they poured out of her. “Carlos had my father’s blessing, so he could have taken what he wanted. He chose to seduce me instead. I was an emotional wreck, as you can imagine. Dad must have suspected that I’d run because he didn’t give me a chance to escape. Carlos wasn’t cruel or abusive. We both knew it was inevitable.”

She lapsed into silence and her gaze took on a haunted glaze. He didn’t want to rush her but she was obviously lost in memory. “Go on.”

“I didn’t want to betray David but they left me no way out. Even so, I felt guilty as hell. Dad and Bruce stayed just outside my bedroom to make sure I didn’t do anything rash. Little by little Carlos eroded my defenses.” She rattled off the events with surface calm but he sensed the emotions churning beneath her nonchalance. “Everything was fine then suddenly he grew really aggressive. He growled and bit my shoulder. I tried to fight him off but he grabbed my arm. I’ve never been so terrified. I saw his hand. It was covered in hair, and claws had replaced his fingernails.”

“Carlos transformed while he was in bed with you?”

“It wasn’t a normal transformation.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered. “I’d never seen anything like it. He became a monster, part wolf and part man.”

“He was a werewolf? I thought they were extinct.” Werewolf clans had declared war on Therian wolves in the late eighteenth century. The conflict had swept across Eastern Europe, decimating werewolves and Therian wolves alike. Werewolves dwindled in number in the following centuries until most believed they simply died out. Therian wolves, on the other hand, had been able to replenish their ranks by defining Therian females from non-canine clans.

“I don’t know what he was or why he went feral. Dad thought he might have had some bizarre reaction to the injection. All I know is Carlos was no longer rational. Bruce heard me screaming and burst into the room. He had to kill Carlos. There was no other choice. Carlos tried to rip out my throat, literally. And he came damn close to succeeding.” Color drained from her face and she pressed her hand against her throat. “There was so much blood.”

It was all too easy to picture Heather, soaked in her own blood, watching in terrified helplessness as her brother savaged the man she’d been having sex with moments before.

Acting on instinct alone, Jake pulled her back onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. He cradled her like a child and tenderly kissed her face. “I’m so sorry.”

She sobbed and wrapped her arm around his neck. “I didn’t want to mate with him, but I didn’t want him to die. I just wanted… Why did he…”

Her lips trembled as she stared up at him with wide, tear-bright eyes. Her torment was palpable and the need to comfort her would not be denied. He brushed his lips over hers, not really kissing her, just touching her, creating a tangible connection so she’d know she wasn’t alone. But as soon as he lifted his mouth from hers, her arm tightened and she drew his face back down.

When their mouths touched the second time, her lips parted and her breath shuddered out. Her scent sank deeper with each indrawn breath and her taste teased his tongue. He angled his head and fit his lips more fully to hers. She touched his bottom lip with the tip of her tongue and desire spiraled through Jake.

In an instant his cock hardened and his heart rate doubled. His lips slid over hers and their tongues curled around each other. He’d spent so many nights imagining her in his arms, aching with the need to claim her. He tried to deny the attraction. He understood how impossible a relationship between them would be, but he couldn’t rid his mind of her image or purge his body of his irrational desire.

She was feisty stubbornness on the outside, yet he’d always sensed sadness, an unexplained vulnerability. The contrast intrigued and fascinated him. He wanted to peel back her defenses and explore her hidden depths. He wanted to understand the forces that shaped her personality and he wanted… He wanted her.

He wanted her spread out beneath him while he kissed his way from her shoulders to her knees. He’d learn the texture of her skin with his hands and his lips. She’d gasp and cry out, wiggling helplessly as he explored her soft pussy with his tongue. He wanted her taste in his mouth and her breath on his cheek as he pushed into her hot core for the first time.

She rubbed her breasts against him, her nipples noticeably hard. Her tongue pushed into his mouth and her anxious murmurs drew his tiger closer to the surface. Possessive, consuming hunger spread through his chest and concentrated in his groin, making his cock jerk against her.

He started to roll her beneath him, to stake his claim on her body—just like Carlos had done and like the winner of the contest would have done. The realization cut through Jake’s desire like a bucket of ice water. He couldn’t do this to her. She’d turned to him for comfort and protection. He would not betray her trust by taking advantage of her vulnerability.