When Lightning Strikes (5 page)

What. The. Fuck?

He usually had more control of himself than this, but something about her scent slammed against his body, rendering him speechless for a moment. He forced himself to speak. “Sorry, darling,” he mumbled. “Are you all right?”

She let out a shaky breath. “Uh…” Her back straightened as she smoothed out her skintight crème lace gown.

His eyes narrowed while he took a sip of his drink. “I’m Ryker…”

“—Alfero,” she snapped.

She cut him off. This was new. Women never cut him off.

She continued. “Alpha of one of the largest and most powerful wolf-shifter packs in New York and leader of the Other Council.” She looked him up and down. “You don’t look as feral as rumors say.” Her eyes narrowed. “Shit, I was expecting you to be foaming at the mouth.” She smiled seductively. “Not bad looking at all… if I was into the crazy Viking look.”

He stared at her sensual, full lips. God, he could imagine all of the sinful things those lips were capable of doing… “Thanks. I think.” Christ, he wanted her.

He watched her gorgeous lips curl up into a sly smile before she snapped. “It’s a compliment, Alpha. Not an invitation to fuck.”

Oh, yeah. He wanted her more and more every second.

Light’s eyes narrowed at his silence. She raised a brow. “What the fuck’s wrong with you? You’re staring.”

Shit, he loved her voice. It was low and husky, like a lover’s touch. “I’m the silent but deadly type, darling. I let my actions speak volumes… in and out of bed.”

He couldn’t help notice their discussion was low and oddly sensual in the middle of the packed party.

She sighed. “Idiot wolf-shifters,” she mumbled under her breath. She grabbed another glass from the passing waiter and hurriedly drained it, slapping the empty glass into the waiter’s hand, and grabbed another from the tray, sipping it greedily like water.

He arched a brow. “Should I send out for more alcohol for my beautiful drunk?”

Her eyes narrowed as she drained the glass. “Was that your attempt at a joke?”

“It’s a fucking point. Slow the hell down. Shit, at the pace you’re going, there won’t be much left for the rest of my guests.” He looked her up and down. “And for the record, tipsy is tolerated but flat-out drunk is fucking distasteful.”

Her unfocused gaze fluttered, then zeroed in on him with utter disdain “Tolerated and distasteful? Wow! I didn’t know wolf-shifters could string together such intelligent words in one sentence. I thought you guys grunted and pointed like cavemen.”

His smile slipped. She was trouble. He didn’t like or need trouble. Not now that he was on the brink of another Other war. She licked the rim of the glass tauntingly and his cock jerked. But for one night of hot, uncomplicated sex with the Holy Grail—a member of the Credence bloodline—he could make an exception.


She shooed him with her hand. “Now move along, Wolfie. You’re scaring away all of the hot bachelors.”

He shifted, trying to ease his now rock-hard cock.

She glared at him. “What?”

His cock jerked. He loved how annoyed she sounded. “Just looking at you.”

“Don’t.” The tip of her pink tongue ran across her pouty lips.

He knew he should back away. He had more important things to think about, but shit, her scent was driving him insane. It was a mixture of Fae, Witch, and something else. Her scent made him so hard he wanted to bend her over in the middle of the crowd and fuck her so hard that she wouldn’t remember her name. His beast seconded that sentiment by rattling his cage, fighting him for control, fighting him to get ahold of Light.

“Why?” he responded.

Her eyes shrewdly looked him over. “Because I’m more woman than you can handle, Alfero.”

The image of her kneeling at his feet flashed through his head, making him even harder. “Is that a fact?”

“Yes, it’s a fucking fact,” she snapped.

His eyes narrowed. “You have no clue about the things I can handle.” He stepped closer, watching her gaze travel his body. “Or do, given the right motivation.” The sensuous scent of interest wafted from her. Unlike most Others, she had strong, clean emotions. Anger. Anxiousness. And now… arousal.

She stared at him for a full minute before responding. “I’m not interested in being your motivation.”

Ryker frowned. His body tensed. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I’m not interested in being another notch on your bedpost, with a gold star next it for actually banging a Credence.”

Ryker was shocked. For the first time in a long time, a woman shocked him. “Are you serious?”

“Deadly.” She tilted her head back to see him clearly. “Granted, there’s something about you. Something…” She stared at him like she could see deep into his soul, and his caged wolf pranced around like a show dog whining for attention. “Wild about you that’s mildly intriguing.”

Yes. He’d take intriguing if it would get her in his bed. “Intriguing is good,” he responded huskily.

“Intriguing is not good. I’m intrigued when I watch models prance down the runway in Milan, but it doesn’t mean I want to fuck them.” She laughed loudly. “God, what is it about Credence women that make men so desperate to fuck us? Frankly, it’s damn annoying.” She tapped his cheek coyly. “Playtime is over. Now get to stepping, Alfero. Go find yourself some submissive she-wolf who you can sell your Alpha bullshit to.” She smiled widely, toying with him. “You know, a woman stupid enough to settle for less than you’re willing to give, whose heart you can break without giving a shit. This woman is off-limits.” She stepped back, but he couldn’t stop staring at her. He’d never wanted anyone more in his life. He wanted to fuck her until she screamed… and he could tell she was one hell of a screamer.

“Light?”

She stared at him, enjoying herself like a cat with mouse. “Ryker?” she mimicked.

He stepped closer and was impressed when she didn’t flinch or back away. He slid his hand behind her neck, leaning down so their faces were close. “You will be mine.” He knew she wanted him. He could smell it all over her like perfume. Light pulled her head back, looking him in the eye. “That’s not going to happen, Wolfie.” She smiled. Not a forced one. “Have a good life, Mr. Alfero.” She gave him one last glance before strutting away. Ryker watched her go. His eyes trained on her full swaying ass. Shit, her strut was sensuous like a stripper.

“You can run, but you can’t hide, darling,” he hissed, mildly pissed off that his cock was still rock hard from her lingering scent.

Jackal ambled up to him with eyes also trained on Light’s ass. “Damn, look at that filly go.”

“Back off,” he growled. “This one is all mine.” And when he’d fucked her senseless, and she could no longer remember her name, they both would move on and he’d go back to concentrating on rebuilding his pack and uniting the Others. But for now, Lightning Credence was mission critical.

S
HIT!
I
T COULDN’T BE NORMAL
to dislike him and want him all at the same time. The problem was he was exactly my type. The type of man I wouldn’t mind going a few hot sweaty rounds with, a man who was only interested in one night of rough-and-tumble sex with no commitment. Damn it, he was my version of nirvana, with absolutely no possibility of him hanging around like some damn pathetic puppy dog after I was done with him.

I moaned but cleared my throat when I saw Reason with her chin propped, watching me with rapt attention. Damn hybrid was enjoying watching Ryker annoy the shit out of me. I almost moaned again when he stared at me cockily with those hot smoldering sea-green eyes that made my sex clench. Shit, he made me feel like I hadn’t had sex in years, not months. Dammit! This couldn’t be fucking happening. Why did he have to come along when I was on a no-sex lockdown? I was happy with my newfound sex hiatus. It gave me plenty of time to think and learn about myself. And frankly, some of the things weren’t pretty, but I was a realist. I was a fucking mess. A mess I created by picking all of the wrong men… intentionally. Nolan, well, he was a prime example of my ability to pick a worthless sack of shit without even trying.

How the hell did Ryker know I was thinking about Nolan?

Ryker kept staring at me. My stomach tightened as heat crawled through my body.

“What?” I snapped.

“I can’t figure out why my presence annoys you so much,” Ryker grunted in a deep, smooth voice.

“Can I ask you a question?” I whispered sweetly.

“Shoot, darling.”

“Why are you here? You don’t care about my family, so you aren’t here for justice. You don’t care about Celina’s death, so you aren’t here because you’re outraged on behalf of the shifter community. And you damn sure don’t care about the death of the reporter. So what is it, Ryker? Are you here to annoy me because I rebuffed you?”

He stared at me blankly. “Nope. I’m waiting.”

Reason leaned back in her chair. “Waiting? Look, Mr. Alfero…”

He stared at Reason coolly. “You can call me Ryker.”

Reason returned his cool stare. “Okay, Ryker. Now, as much as I love watching the foreplay between you and Light, this situation has nothing to do with you or the Other Council. This is a Credence Family issue.” She arched a brow. “So I agree with Light. Why are you here?”

I watched the vein along his jaw pulse. The only telltale sign of how annoyed he was by Reason’s question.

Knox stared at Ryker. “Ryker, tell them.”

Ryker glared at him. “Having a brother is starting to be a big pain in the ass,” he growled. Knox stared right back at him. “Fine. Three shifters were found dead in the span of a couple of days.”

Bullshit! He was hiding something else. I snorted. “So this has absolutely nothing to do with the war brewing between the Others?” I arched a brow. “Or the temporary truce? Because it seems like a bad time for the city of Manhattan to be raining shifter bodies.”

“I’m impressed. Didn’t think a party girl like you gave a shit about Other business,” Ryker jeered coldly.

My body stiffened.
Was this prick actually insinuating I was too shallow to care about Others?
“You would be surprised at the amount of information a ‘party girl’ like me knows, Wolfie,” I spat. “Like how the temporary truce is bullshit. It has to be or bodies wouldn’t be piling up… all under your watch… Alpha.”

Soar looked at me sharply. “Watch yourself, Fae-Witch.”

Ryker cut him off, looking at me coldly. “A few bodies are a drop of water in the bucket to the amount of death that would be happening right now if I hadn’t fought for the ‘bullshit truce’ you think ain’t worth shit.” His jaw tensed. “I’m the only thing standing in the way of a fucking full-scale Other war. So you think about that shit while you’re sleeping nice and safe in your luxury home, darling.”

My mouth tightened. “Are you expecting some damn gold star for cleaning up the chaos your father created under his reign as Alpha?” I paused, annoyed and disappointed with him. “Others don’t need your fucking diplomacy. They need your unleashed power.”

His eyes flashed, his feral power rolling off him, but he quickly reined it in and just like that, I knew he was a lethal wolf. He was a fucking ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Even now, I could see the slight pulse of his vein along his jaw. The only sign he was pissed at me. God, the man’s control seemed… too forced, which was the exact reason Others were wary of him. Especially since the Goddess of Death appointed him as her “bearer of the Sword of Souls” with the full power and authority to take or give life. No one wanted to cross him, so they nodded and agreed to his demands in front of his face and scoffed at his authority behind his back.

I blew out a calming breath before continuing. “I’m not trying to belittle your authority.” Honestly, I wasn’t. “The Others only agreed to the temporary truce to appease you. You and I know the war and killing between Others never stopped.” This was the truth. The elephant in the room that no one wanted to acknowledge. “It’s like Others forgot our history. A history that included the few humans who knew of our existence hunting us like animals, and Others in retaliation hunting humans.” I finished.

Reason arched her brow. “As much as I hate to admit it, Light’s right. Others kill each other off all the time. Why are these three deaths so important?”

“Because four bodies with their hearts ripped out is too ritualistic,” Ryker stated coolly.

“Four? You said three,” I declared.

He glanced over sharply at Reason. “Three shifters and one vampire… Dimitri.”

Reason’s eyes widened. “Dimitri? As in my father’s second-in-command?”

He nodded.

“This is not good,” Reason responded while fumbling with her cell. She paced over to the corner of the room, saying into the phone. “Let me speak to Dad.”

My mouth went dry. This most certainly was not good. Reason’s father, Oskar Orlov, the leader of New York Vampire coven, was protective of his coven. He was ruthless and frankly a little bizarre, but he kept his vampires on a tight leash. But to kill one of his own, especially his second-in-command, was like declaring war on Oskar, and no one was stupid or crazy enough to do that.