Mated To The Devil (3 page)

“Sheila, where’s Barb?” Mina asked, wringing her hands.

Lipstick askew, her cousin turned from her boyfriend. “What do you need her for?”

“I want to leave.”

Sheila giggled as she squirmed on the boy’s lap. “Not yet we aren’t.”

“Please. I can’t stay here. It’s—it’s too much for me.” Mina’s lower lip trembled as she pleaded.

Rolling her eyes, Sheila snorted. “Little Mina prissy pants. I told mom you’d ruin our fun. But, oh, no,
‘You have to bring your cousin. It wouldn’t be right otherwise.’
” Sheila aped their aunt to perfection, and tears pricked Mina’s eyes as she suddenly realized the nice front her cousin usually presented to her was a sham.

“But—”

“Oh, for God’s sake. Bobby, can she go hide out in your room until we’re ready to go?”

Bobby turned out to be a blond-haired, preppy-looking type in khakis standing to Sheila’s left. He gave Mina a brief glance. “Sure. Follow me.”

As Mina bit her lip, a sense of unease made her want to ask Sheila again if they could leave. But her cousin turned back to her boyfriend, kissing him with a fervor Mina found disturbing, especially since it made her wonder if she would have enjoyed kissing Remy like that.

She scurried after Bobby, her cheeks hot at her own train of thought, a sinful thought that she squashed.
There will be no kissing. Not with a stranger.
Not with anyone. It wasn’t that she would mind, but with the right person and after a respectable dating period that would lead to marriage. Her mother hadn’t raised her to be easy, not like her cousins. Besides, she’d long ago decided to save herself for marriage and the man she’d one day find and fall in love with. Only then would she permit the passion others so carelessly indulged in.

Up the stairs she went, following Bobby who said not a word as he led the way. He opened a door on the second floor without knocking and Mina entered after him.

“Thank you so much for letting me borrow your room,” she said, noting the dual beds along with the clutter of clothing and other detritus.

“I know a way you can pay me back.” Bobby licked his lips as he swept his gaze up and down her body.

Repugnance swept through Mina because, despite her innocence, she understood what he implied. It also occurred to her that leaving the party and the crowd might not have been the wisest course of action.
I think I need to find somewhere else to hide.
Before she could whirl and march back out, the door shut and a lock clicked. As she turned, trepidation clawed at her, even as she noted that a second frat boy had entered after them. He’d been the one to close the exit. Suddenly, finding a quiet spot with a stranger didn’t seem like such a brilliant plan.

“You know what. I think maybe I’ll just call a cab after all instead of waiting for Sheila.” This time her voice shook with genuine fear.

A hand pushed at the hair covering her nape, and she whirled while at the same time backing away.

“What’s the hurry?” Bobby asked, an ugly grin crossing his face. “Lucky you, I’ve decided to keep you company, along with my friend Jimmy here.”

“I really shouldn’t keep you from the party and your friends,” she stated, trying to control the waver in her voice. “I think I’ll just go back downstairs.” She made to move past Jimmy to the door, but he grabbed her arm with bruising fingers.

“Not so quick,” he leered. “We haven’t gotten to the fun part yet.”

She couldn’t stop him from placing a slobbery kiss on her, but she did manage to avert her head so it landed on her cheek. Panicked, she thrashed, and stomped her foot, catching his instep.

With a yell, he let her go, and she reeled back. “No,” she squeaked, fear making her throat tight. “I don’t want this. Just let me leave alone. Please.” Unlike Remy, these boys didn’t seem to understand or respect the fact
no
meant
no
.

When Bobby, with a nasty chuckle, lunged at her, she shrieked and struck out. She doubted she did him any harm, but he retaliated anyway, his open-handed slap making her head snap sideways. The tang of blood hit her tongue as her teeth cut into her cheek, and the ringing in her head made her slow, but she still could hear their unrepentant chuckles.

The rip as someone grabbed hold of her neckline and pulled sounded loud. The cooler air of the room brushed across her denuded upper body. She fought as Jimmy grabbed hold of her arms and Bobby ripped her brassiere from her, the stretched elastic chafing her skin before it snapped. They let go of her suddenly and she stumbled back, but not before Bobby pinched her bared nipple.

She couldn’t help the gasp of pain at his brute treatment, and when Jimmy’s hands unbuckled his pants, she broke and cried. “No, please don’t.”

As if they listened. They were deaf to her plea, so Mina prayed to her Lord for a miracle.
Oh, God, please help me.
Where was her guardian angel when she needed one? Given the violent promise in Bobby and Jimmy’s eyes, even a golden-eyed devil would have been welcomed.

Chapter Two

Remy was drunk. More sloshed than a skunk. More inebriated than a sailor. And morose over his mate’s rejection, mostly because he couldn’t even find her any more in the crowd. She’d disappeared, and without leaving a clue as to who she was.

Now how am I supposed to find her again and woo her properly?

Surely, though, if they were fated to end up together, he’d not have to wait too long to discover her identity and attempt a second chance at charming her. Sober next time. If there ever was a next time. Down went the shot of tequila, chased with a sip of beer. He’d lost count of how many he’d done that with, but it must have numbered a few, given he sat on the floor, legs outstretched with no idea how he ended up there. When somebody tripped over his outstretched legs, he automatically bared his teeth and growled. Oops. Blinking, he peered around with blurry vision only to note no one paid him any attention. Good. Time to crawl off to bed before he accidentally let his furry side out to play, a very real possibility given alcohol reduced his control, a problem magnified by his frustration.
Who is she? And where did she go?

Stumbling up the stairs to bed, the haunting scent of the female, whose name he’d never gotten, taunted him. A stagger into a wall, that he could have sworn didn’t belong there, made him pause and try to reevaluate where he headed.
I know my room is around here somewhere.
If only the damned hall would stop spinning, he’d find the right door. Shaking his head a few times, he just magnified his confusion. He flung out his hands and braced himself before he landed face-first on the floor. Deep breaths. He was a Lycan. If he slowed down and gave it a second, his system would start working on his problem. Puking would also speed up the process. But leave a bad taste in his mouth. He’d prefer to wait the spins out. As he breathed in and out, the whirly twirly known as the hall steadied and he focused on his door. Her perfume haunted him as he took a few sliding steps toward the hopefully correct portal, almost as if she’d recently passed by. But to where and with whom?

Mine.
His wolf growled, possessive and not liking his question one bit.
Calm down. She might have just come up here to escape the crowd.
She’d seemed ill at ease in it. Out of her element. Perhaps she needed a quieter spot.

Or some privacy for other things . . .

Remy couldn’t help the snarl that rumbled forth. His wolf paced the confines of his mind, tense, angry, ready to leap. Fight for what it perceived as theirs.

Not good. Not with him still so drunk. In his state of mind if he came across his woman in the presence of another guy, his control might snap. Jealousy, the mightiest of emotions alongside anger and love, might prove the final shove needed for his wolf to overtake the man. Best he let himself rest a few minutes before investigating. Let some of his drunkenness wear off.

A sane plan. A good plan, until he heard it from much further up the hall, almost at the end of the corridor. A whimper of pain and a cried, “No, please don’t,” a frightened plea almost masked by the sound of jeering laughter. A human would have never heard it over the thumping bass of the music. But Remy wasn’t entirely human. And when his beast heard their woman—because he
knew
with every fiber of his being who made the sound—he could haven’t have held it back even with chains.

Rage swept his body as his wolf raised a chivalrous head. Unheeding of where he was and who would see him, he charged down the hall and through the door where the fear radiated from. Forget the flimsy lock barring his way. He snapped it with one hard shove of his shoulder against the portal separating him from his mate. It hit the wall with a bang, startling the occupants. His nostrils flared, and his upper lip curled back.

He’d found his mystery woman, her eyes pooling with tears and one cheek bright red. In his brief glance, he also noted her torn shirt, which displayed her full breasts, one marked with an already reddening bruise. She held her hands up in a defensive gesture, her terror evident and unacceptable.

Who dares to hurt our mate?

Remy’s anger turned white-hot and he focused his fury on the two humans, both of whom faced him with arrogant expressions. Unworthy opponents, the enemy, mere pitiful humans who thought to accost
his
mate.

With a snarl, he sprang and took care of the one with the unbuckled pants first. Taking him down hard to the floor, his fists were a blur of motion as he wiped the smirk off the bastard’s face. He discovered satisfaction in the flying blood, but it did nothing to appease his beast.

Motion at the periphery of his vision made him halt his attack and whirl to crouch on his haunches. A snarl tugged his upper lip. The other asshole thought to escape.
Like hell.
Remy, faster than a human, sprang at him, slamming him into the door, which swung shut.

The meaty sound of his fist connecting with flesh almost masked the stifled, hiccupping sobs.
Our mate. She is in pain.
Concern pushed through the barrier of his rage, and Remy stopped his pummeling. Opening his clenched fist, the limp form of his prey slumped to the floor. His wolf urged him to finish him off. A shake of his head and he silenced his bestial side, but couldn’t quite deny the appeal.

A deep breath through the nose. Out through the mouth. He tried to quell the bloodlust, the rage still simmering inside. Chest heaving and his body bristling still with adrenaline, combined with the alcohol, he couldn’t seem to think clearly. It didn’t help that the scent of fear agitated his other side, while the metallic stench of blood permeated the air. The violent perfume did nothing to assuage the simmering violence threatening to spill over. His beast stretched and whined, pushing against the boundaries of his mind. Demanding release.

A faint rustle, and Remy whipped around, ready with a warning growl. He didn’t pounce as a quick inhalation revealed no enemy behind him but a quivering female who smelled just right. Wide eyes regarded him.

Mine.
She cowered before him as he stalked closer.
Why does she fear me?
Or did she still tremble from the attack? He would show her she was safe. He wouldn’t let her come to harm. He’d protect her with his life.

“Oh, God. What are you?”

The female made melodic sounds, sounds he knew he should understand. In he leaned, sniffing her skin. She whimpered. He wrinkled his nose as he caught the odor of the males on her. But while they’d tried to touch, he’d halted them before they claimed what was his. Still, he didn’t like the scent of another on his female.

Easily fixed. He would place his scent upon her. Mark her properly so that it would not happen again. Not here, though. Not in this place that smelled wrong. He wanted the privacy of his den. He scooped the trembling female up and thrust her over his shoulder, making the short trip to his den without encountering enemies he must fight.

Once he shut the door to his territory, he let his mate down, pleased that already his odor overlaid that of the others. She backed away, but hit a wall and could go no farther. Tears rolled down her cheeks, a sign of weakness that made him falter. Something about this seemed wrong. He shook his head, fighting to clear the haze in his mind, but the fog clung tenaciously. He heard his mate yipping again, the pitch and cadence of which he almost understood. Despite not grasping her intent, some of his bristling aggression receded, but only because lust took its place.

This close to her, he could see her breasts through the torn fabric of her shirt, a rag of material which she clutched shut, but did nothing to hide her nipples. They puckered at his stare. A low growl of desire rolled from him. He needed this woman. She belonged to him. Or soon would. Those other males had tried to mount her, probably because she didn’t bear his mark.
Mine.

He crowded her, pushing his body up against hers, trapping her flailing hands in one of his and holding them above her head. Her body bucked, thrusting itself out against him, nudging his hardness.

Mesmerized by her scent—sunshine, flowers—and overcome by his increasing arousal, he dipped his head and claimed her lips. They were clamped tightly against him, but that didn’t stop him from sliding his own across them. Tugging at her lower lip, he sucked it between his as he ground his pelvis against her. But her soft belly wasn’t what he wanted to feel. And judging by the tantalizing odor tickling his nose, she wanted more, too.

His hands tore at her clothing as his lips forged a path down her neck.

“Please, stop. This is wrong. We shouldn’t do this.” She panted the words; part-fear, part-excitement. A confusing mix. He understood what she said on some level. Knew they should stop, but couldn’t remember why. Couldn’t think past the fact he needed her. Wanted her.

He kissed her feeble protests away even as a vague sense of wrongness fought to rise. Arousal tamped it down along with a simple reminder,
she is mine. If I claim her, others will not dare touch.
And she didn’t fight him. On the contrary, her lips opened before his tongue’s insistence, surprise and desire washing away the last of her lingering fear.