Wolf's Heart (Feral) (5 page)

“She’s toying with us.” He scanned up and down the street. Larissa copied him, but didn’t see anything unusual. “Come on, let’s get a move on.” His tone was slightly abrasive. They put the bags in the backseat and Zane climbed into the driver’s seat, his ill ease obviously not subsiding.

As they made their way out of the city and onto unlit country roads—Zane wanted to stay off the main highways, relying on tree cover to aid their getaway—Larissa started to realize how much more she could see out of her window. Her vision was clear and precise, and she could see the movements of every animal next to the roadside, their eyes glinting as brightly as the large reflective road signs they passed.

“This is amazing!” she said, more to herself than Zane.

He placed his hand on her leg and rubbed gently. “I know. There’s a lot to get used to, but the eyesight is a major one, especially at night. It makes it much harder for anyone to sneak up on you.”

“Does that kind of thing happen often?”

“Not really. There are some who have a superiority complex, but they’re often newbies who learn quickly.” He chuckled, but didn’t elaborate.

“What are you thinking?”

“Oh, just remembering some shifter, a wolfhound, I think. He tried to take on Sarah. Idiot boy had scratches up and down his sorry body. I think she even broke one of his front paws.” The sound of his laugh reverberated throughout the car. “That hand would have been out of commission for a while. She’s fast and feisty... and a good friend.” He moved his eyes briefly to Larissa’s, and then returned his gaze to the road.

“Yes, a very good friend. She sent me to you, even if I did have to go to some lame-ass convention to get you!”

“Hey, don’t be disrespecting my fans! Anyway, have you even seen the show?”

“No,” she admitted rather sheepishly.

“Most of the people that go to those conventions—my fans— are nice ordinary people that need a bit of an outlet. If dressing up in funny clothes and getting an autograph and photo works for them, who are you to judge?” Zane’s plea had been heartfelt and it made her feel slightly ashamed. His tone became teasing. “Anyway, you have to get used to those lovely folks, seeing as I’m not planning on letting you out of my sight too often. Not to mention, they are making me a truckload of money, so I better be nice, and keep this show on the air a while longer.” He laughed again as Larissa playfully slapped his arm. She thought she could easily get used to a few fans, if it meant being with him.

C
HAPTER
N
INE

“Hey, can you pull over soon? I need to stretch my legs.” Larissa stretched her arms out in front of her, and rotated her neck to ease some of the stiffness setting in.

“Whatever you want, beautiful.”

They found a secluded rest area, bordered by trees, along the roadside. Someone had smashed the single streetlight meant to illuminate the area, but Larissa’s improved eyesight had no problems with the gloom. Zane leaned, half seated, on the top of a wooden picnic table, watching her try out her enhanced skills. He smiled when her head whipped from side to side as animals scurried from the corners of her eyes. He chuckled at the delight she showed with her immense speed as she sprinted up and down the side road. Larissa jogged toward Zane when her improved hearing caught his quiet amusement.

“Do I look silly?” She crinkled her nose in mild embarrassment.

“No, you just remind me of me.”

Larissa reached up and put her arms around his neck as he wrapped his arms around her body and lifted her for a kiss. She breathed in his scent— earthy, manly, yet a hint of sweetness. This time she recognized the sweet aroma; honeysuckle, just like she used to smell wafting into the caravan on warm summer evenings. Whilst smiling to herself about how well that fit him, she was struck at how comfortable she was dangling in his arms.

Larissa lifted her legs effortlessly to wrap them around his waist. Zane lowered his hands one at a time to hold her at the top of her thighs. Leaning toward him, and pushing her breasts against his chest, Larissa was turning the sweet kiss fiery and fast.

“We really don’t have time for this,” he whispered, withdrawing his head slightly.

“We better make it a quickie, then,” she persisted, pulling him back with her new strength.

“Damn you, woman,” was the only reply he could utter before she hushed him with her mouth and ground her pelvis closer to his. His fight was gone and she felt his willingness harden between her legs. They continued to kiss each other hungrily, as he turned around and seated her on the picnic table, her legs still wrapped around his waist.

She leaned back and he slid his hands down her body, grazing her firm nipples through her T-shirt, making her moan and bite her lower lip. He moved his hands over her stomach as she arched her back to meet his tender touch, down to her jeans, undoing them quickly, eagerly. His hand found the heat, the wetness that ached for him, and his fingers played her as if she was an instrument in the hands of a maestro. Raising her T-shirt enough to expose her bra, he leaned down, his mouth teasing her breast through the lace.

“Zane, I want you. Don’t tease.” Larissa gasped, her breathing heavy.

Using his tongue, he tasted his way down her body, and then tenderly tugged at her panties with his teeth, as his hands pulled at her jeans. She grabbed the sides of the table and cried out her delight as his tongue found the succulence it craved, darting, with each caressing strike bringing her closer to orgasm. Then his tongue was gone for the briefest moment and replaced by the only thing she wanted more.

The pleasure she felt as he entered her was even more intense than the first time. She yearned to be devoured by this man. It was more than need, more than want— she loved Zane with all she possessed and that feeling made her want to be aware of nothing but him. He was all that mattered. With every thrust, the fever that bound them intensified. There was no need for him to leave her this time. They came together, both crying out the passion that had ignited within them. He lifted her to his chest, cradling her with a sweet possessiveness that made her feel that nothing in the world could harm her.

“I could do that forever,” she whispered, basking in the serenity that washed over her.

“Well, we don’t have quite that long, but pretty close.”

Larissa lifted her face to Zane’s, an inquiring look asking the question for her. “We’re not immortal; we do age, but only about one year for every five.”

Larissa frowned as she tried to do the math. Her mind remained blissfully trapped in the previous moments, and she gave up. “So how old are you?”

His smile lines creased as he rolled his eyes and a chuckle broke through. “In human years, twenty-seven. I first shifted when I was nineteen, so I guess that makes me almost twenty-one.”

Larissa smiled back. “Hmmm. I always wanted a boy toy!”

He shook his head, putting her at arm’s length and still smirking. “You’re only twenty-six, and technically, I am still older than you!”

“So I get the best of both worlds then; experience in a hot young body. I think I can live with that.”

He leaned down, kissing her tenderly, and in doing so rekindled the fire that craved only his touch.

C
HAPTER
T
EN

Their enjoyment was disturbed as both of their heads snapped up in the same instant, aware of a presence perhaps a hundred yards away in the woods behind them. Their bodies mirrored one another as they scrambled away from each other, positioning themselves in defensive crouches, ready to strike at the as-yet-unseen danger.

Larissa’s own reaction shocked her. Her body was functioning on pure instinct and adrenaline. Their quarry moved slowly toward them through the low-lying bushes. Larissa’s head whipped left and right, simultaneously with Zane. There were more of them. They moved too uniformly to be
just
animals. Zane sniffed the night air, and Larissa followed his lead. Although it was a relatively still, early spring evening, a slight northerly breeze washed through Larissa’s hair. There was a warmth to the air, and a honeysuckle scent lingered in her nose. Then the scent of something much earthier intruded, almost a dog smell, but not quite, masked slightly by a strong jasmine perfume.

Zane growled. The look on his face told Larissa that he had recognized the scent. He straightened out of his crouch and did up his jeans. Larissa watched him and did likewise, though she was still unsure as to why.

“Has the danger gone?” Her hoarse whisper almost stuck in her throat. She was a waitress, for crying out loud, not a shape-shifting warrior.

“Not exactly, but it appears she just wants to talk.”

Confusion covered Larissa’s face. “How do you know?”

Zane’s face distorted with a grimace. “If she wanted a fight, she would have come at us a lot faster, when we were... occupied.” He arched an eyebrow as he shot a sideways glance at Larissa, one side of his mouth lifting in a halfhearted smile. It occurred to Larissa that the footsteps at their flanks had stopped, though she could hear tiny movements just within the tree line.

“How did they find us?” Larissa’s whisper had an urgent tone.

“We are all hunters, love; the raven wouldn’t be her only friend with a bird’s eye view. I was stupid—we shouldn’t have stopped.”

Larissa grabbed at the locket around her neck. She had always used the locket as a talisman in times of anxiety. There were few times when she felt as anxious as this moment, yet it seemed her hand had been constantly at the base of her throat this evening.

She remembered what Mala had said the night she gave her the locket. As if the woman herself stood beside Larissa speaking those very words again, her voice a strong, clear whisper in her ear.

“Larissa, I know you don’t believe the same things as me, and that your life is leading a different path. However, I want you to keep this with you always. It was your mother’s. When you wear it, remember all the women of our family that came before you are with you, guiding and protecting you. I know you think I’m probably a batty old woman, but it will protect you. If the time comes, all you need do is open it. Promise me you’ll never take it off.”

The fervor in her voice had alarmed Larissa, but she had promised with tears in her eyes and every day since had kept that promise.

A tall redhead in a tight-fitting red dress and matching stilettos emerged from the tree line directly ahead of them with the grace of a prima ballerina. Her outfit was totally at odds with the surroundings, making her look all the more ethereal, beautiful,
and
dangerous. As she walked, Larissa noticed the heels of her shoes barely touched the ground, yet she appeared as sure-footed as if she had a pair of hiking boots on. She placed herself lightly on the picnic table they had just abandoned, crossing her arms and eyeing them both sardonically.

“Really, Zane, you chose
this
over all I could give you?” Katrina’s gaze had rested on Zane.

“If by
this
you mean Larissa, I would choose her a million times over what you
think
you could give me, Katrina.”

She pouted like a willful child. “I could make you a king. You would be master of all shifters; no one would defy you. I could make that happen.”

“What makes you think I want to be anyone’s master, Katrina? All you ever brought me was misery. All you’ll ever bring our world is cruelty and ruthlessness, because it’s all you know!”

A pained look shot quickly across Katrina’s face, but was masked in an instant. When she spoke again, her voice was fierce. “Fine, if you think you can do any better with this little gypsy, try. But I doubt she’ll survive the night!”

C
HAPTER
E
LEVEN

At her last words, there was an outbreak of movement on either side of them. Four distinctly human shapes rushed them. It took Larissa less than a second to realize what was happening, but even that was too long. She began to scream as she saw figures encircle Zane, but a hand clutched her throat, stifling the noise. She could hear whimpers and cries of pain beside her, but she couldn’t see who was making the sound. The hand clutched tighter, lifting her off the ground, and her mind started to fade into blissful oblivion.

A tortured voice cried out, “Larissa!”

A derisive feminine laugh followed. The pain in the voice recalled her to consciousness. What was she thinking? She could not abandon him like this. Not now when they had just found each other again, and she certainly could not allow that bitch to cause him any more pain.

She did not have to think anymore; she allowed her body to react instinctively. Her eyes opened to look her attacker straight in his cruel, smiling face, and, with all the force she could muster, she kicked him right between the legs. With satisfaction, she could see the agony in his face for a split second before he dropped her, doubling up in pain. She landed in a crouch. As she stood, she brought her knee straight up under his chin with a force that sent him flying at least five feet. When he landed, he lay sprawled on grass.