Author: J.D. Tyler

He wanted to have wild monkey sex in the infirmary bed. But that’s where his mate drew the line, messing around in such close proximity to people who weren’t well and where the doctors and nurses could appear any minute. Kink in the dark of night was one thing, this something else entirely.

Zan got his walking papers, and he was never so glad to get out of confinement.

One of the prince’s household staff led him and Selene to their room. The vampire stopped in front of a door, opened it, and stepped in, gesturing to the expansive suite.

“This is yours while you are here,” she said; then, to his surprise, she stepped boldly forward, as if his mate weren’t standing right there, and rubbed the front of her body against him. And, unfortunately, his rampant erection. “If there’s anything I can do to improve your stay, let me know.”

Two things happened simultaneously. He jumped back, putting distance between himself and the vamp as though he’d been electrocuted, and his mate partially shifted, shoving the vampire to the floor and snarling at her with canines the size of butcher knives.

“Get the fuck off my mate! And don’t ever touch him again unless you want to end up as my evening meal!”

White-faced, the vampire stammered an apology and practically ran from the room. Selene stood there seething with rage. Hating to see her upset, he stepped forward and caressed her face.

“Come on, baby. Deep breaths. I’m not interested in her. You know that, right?”

She nodded. “You’re mine!”

“I know. Yours.” Inside, his wolf howled in joy at her possessiveness. Her claim.

“Why would the stupid bitch do such a thing? Does she have a death wish?”

“Vampires are very sexually free, my mate. To her, that offer was probably as natural as breathing.”

“Well, if she wants to keep breathing, she’ll keep her fucking body to herself!”

Gradually, she shifted back to her human form. But her possessiveness remained. He knew what she wanted without question when she palmed his erection through his jeans and rubbed.

“God, that feels good! It’s been too long,” he murmured.

“I want to suck you.”

“Reestablish who I belong to?”

“That’s right!”

“Fine by me.” Grinning, he unzipped his jeans and shoved them down, exposing his hard cock to her hungry gaze.

The veins stood out, purple against the reddened skin. He was so fucking horny. The slit oozed pre-cum, and she swirled some with her finger, then brought it to her tongue to taste.

“So good,” she moaned.

“Have as much as you like. It’s all for you.”

She sank to her knees on the carpet in front of him. But if he thought she was going for his shaft right away, he was wrong. Between his legs, she brought her face to his balls and nuzzled. Nipping and licking him, she rubbed all over his sac, marking him with her scent. No female within a hundred miles—no sane one anyway—would come near her man with him carrying her scent.

He groaned, spreading wider for her. He liked this side of her, aggressive, taking what was hers. Her questing tongue laved every inch of his balls, even bathing his perineum, and he almost shot right then. But he managed to hold off, because this was just too damned good.

Finally, she licked his cock, making sure it was well loved also. There wasn’t a single erogenous zone left unexplored, one spot left untouched. Then she took his rod deep into her throat, slowly and with lots of good suction, and he thought he must have died and gone to heaven after all.

There wasn’t much that was better than having his cock sucked. He defied any man to say differently. That guy would be a liar.

Making satisfied noises, she sucked him until he was cross-eyed. Until he was pumping down her throat in regular rhythm, deeper and faster, loving that she wanted it like this. Wanted him.

He felt his balls draw up. “Baby, gonna come!”

She held on fast, grabbing a double handful of his ass and squeezing. That was all he could take. With a shout, he emptied his seed down her throat, spasming on and on. She swallowed every drop, easing him down, her tongue massaging the underside of his cock, producing a bunch of little aftershocks.

Eventually, he reached down and helped her up, then carried her to the big bed that awaited them. They slept for a while in each other’s arms, but he woke up hungry for her again sometime in the night.

He kissed down her back, loving that she was stirring awake with pleased little sounds. She liked what he was doing. Encouraged, he trailed his tongue down her spine, to her butt. Then spread her legs and flicked her sex with his tongue.

Making an incoherent noise, she spread wider.

So he licked her slit, laving her as though eating ice cream. He enjoyed returning the favor, getting her all sloppy wet, making her writhe on his face, lost in pure pleasure.

“Oh! God, yes!”

She was a vocal lover, and he liked that. He wanted to hear her get loud, so he latched on to her little clit and suckled like a starving man. She came undone under his attentions, bucking and screaming the mountain down. On and on, he sucked and lapped her cream, until she was boneless on the bed. Replete.

After wiping his face on the sheet, he held her and they fell asleep, content.

Sometime later, he awoke to find her studying him. Then she smiled and kissed his chest. “Good morning.”

“Is it morning? It’s hard to tell what time of day it is when you’re holed up in a mountain.”

“According to the clock, it is. Hungry?”

“Yes. But I need a shower first. You game?”

“Always.”

The shower was fun, and he felt like a new man when they finally emerged—long after the hot water had run out. Then they dressed and at last went in search of food.

They found most of the Pack and a bunch of vampires in a dining area not unlike the one at the compound. Zan was a little surprised to see vampires eating normal food, but he knew they had to have blood as well to survive.

He and Selene tucked into eggs, bacon, and toast, with a healthy dose of coffee to go with it. “Wonder where Nick is,” he said, looking around.

“I don’t know. He’s scarce lately.”

“You’re still worried about him.”

“More than ever. He’s not eating much, as far as I can tell.”

They were chatting with a group of vampires about their coven when one of the soldiers came into the room and approached.

“Selene?” She nodded. “Your father would like to see you in Prince Tarron’s study. He said to tell you that you’re as ready as you’ll ever be. He said you would know what that means.”

Beside him, she paled. “I do, thank you.”

“Baby? Do you want me to go with you?” But he already knew what she’d say.

“No. I have to do this alone. You understand, don’t you?”

She suddenly looked so fragile. He wanted to hurt Nick for putting that expression on her face, but that wasn’t fair, either.

“Of course I do. I’ll wait for you in our room. Come to me as soon as you’re done.”

“I will.”

Rising, she gave him a kiss and then left to have a long-overdue conversation with her father.

Zan said a quick prayer for them both.

He had a feeling they would need all the help they could get.

Eleven

Selene’s knees shook as she walked to Prince Tarron’s study to speak with her father.

This was it. The moment she’d waited so long for, when she’d learn the truth about her mother’s death. And now she found she wasn’t ready at all, because she knew the facts would somehow be different from what she’d been told all her life. It would be a dull knife rending open a scab to expose ugliness and pain.

Part of her no longer wanted to know. But she couldn’t back out now.

Opening the door to the study, she stepped in and closed it behind her. Nick was alone, sitting in a chair near the large antique desk that dominated the room. For a moment, she thought it would be easier to fall back on the old hatred. To blame him for her past misery and simply walk out, refusing to hear. But the anguish on his face stopped her cold.

“Sit down, please.”

Granting his request, she took a seat on the antique chaise longue closest to him and waited for him to continue.

“I can’t protect you anymore, though God knows that’s all I ever wanted to do,” he said, voice catching. “I’ve put this conversation off for too long, and now I’ve run out of time.”

“Run out of time, how?”

“That’s not important right now.”

She swallowed hard. “Okay. Protect me from what, then? Tell me, and don’t leave anything out.”

“From the past. Leaving you was the very last thing I ever wanted, but I had broken clan law and made a mistake too horrible to be rectified. I was banished from the pack forever.”

Selene gasped and gripped the arm of the sofa. “What? I was told you ran like a coward after Mom was killed. And you didn’t care enough to take me with you.”

“No. I made a grave mistake that caused your mother’s death, and I deserved to be punished. But I didn’t run away, and I didn’t leave you voluntarily. Damien rallied the support of the clan and stripped me of my title of Alpha and took over. He forced me to leave—without you.”

“I can’t believe that!” she exclaimed, voice rising. “Uncle Damien wouldn’t lie to me!”

“But he did,” Nick said quietly. “Whether or not you believe me, it’s the truth. I imagine my brother lied in part because he knew that believing the worst of me would make your life more tolerable. You would be accepted and protected by the clan, and you were. I don’t blame him for telling you and the others what he had to in order to make things easier for you.”

Her mind whirled in confusion. “Do you hear yourself? You actually expect me to buy all of this?” Desperately, she cast about for another explanation. Her lifelong beliefs about her uncle Damien and what a great man he was, that he and his mate and family were her own, were suddenly crashing around her feet.

“I have a hard time buying that your motives for leaving me behind were so altruistic,” she countered. “If you didn’t kill my mother, why didn’t you just take me with you when you left? You could’ve gotten us away, and we could’ve had a good life together!”

Nick hung his head for a long moment, breathing hard. It occurred to her that he was trying hard not to cry, and her heart stuttered.

“I couldn’t, baby. When Damien confronted me, he brought a witch with him. He said if I didn’t go peacefully, without you, he’d have the witch strip you of your gift. He wasn’t bluffing, and my sight had told me that someday you’d need your special ability desperately, so I left.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“I don’t expect you to believe my story overnight, but I’m telling the truth. I didn’t leave you out of fear for my own life, or any other selfish reason. I hoped to see you again one day, but if I didn’t . . . I did what I had to do to protect you.”

Staring at Nick, she struggled to process all he’d told her. Her soul grieved for all the time they’d lost, even as hope sparked anew. Still, there was plenty she didn’t understand.

“What gift are you talking about? I don’t have any special abilities.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” One corner of his mouth hitched in a half smile. “You have a very special gift that will manifest when you need it most. I can’t tell you what it is and risk swaying the future again.”

“Again? What do you mean?”

“I want you to remember that I knowingly broke clan law and Damien felt he had no choice but to act. He’s not a bad man. He did what he believed he must at the time to discipline me and protect you.”