CHAPTER NINE
Three days later, Nik lay in bed, unsure how he’d ended up here, how he had managed to find the kind of salvation he’d been seeking for so long, but here she was, wrapped up in his arms, her leg thrown across his, her hair tangled against his shoulder. She had saved him, that much was evident from the way his body felt, a welcome change from a few days ago when he’d walked blindly through the swamp, then fallen, unable to hold himself up. But there was so much more to what had happened between them than just that. She’d done more than save his life. Somehow she had cleansed his soul too.
And she had trusted him. She knew what he was and still she wanted to be with him, looked at him as if he were a human. It’s the only thing he’d ever wanted to be—whole, complete, human. The curse of his family coursed through his veins, but he didn’t want any part of it. He didn’t want to rule the Maddux clan, to bring the tigers into the new era, to be the leader who would make decisions about land and titles and marriages. He just wanted to be free to live his life and be done with all the rest of it.
Of course, he hadn’t thought that turning into a tiger so many months ago and running freely through the swamps would lead to a six month lock up. During that time, he had felt his humanity slipping away from him, and he knew it was the only thing he wanted. He knew if he ever made it out of that cage, he would denounce his role as leader and go away to live his own life. His mother certainly wouldn’t miss him. Himani had seen him as a means to an end. And his brother, Kenyon, had always been more of a leader than he was.
He
cared about politics and marriages and all the thousands of things a leader needed to care about.
Right now, the only thing Nik cared about was the woman who lay with him. Juliette. Her name even sounded like an angel’s name. But he knew there was something dark inside of her. He could feel it even though she hadn’t told him. Part of him wanted to wait it out, give her time to explain to him exactly what had happened to her and why she’d been held prisoner. The other part wanted to force it out of her. She had held so much back when she’d shared her story. He would have known that even if she had looked him in the eyes, which she hadn’t.
Someone had held her prisoner and that person was still out there, a very real source of fear for her. He’d been watching her the past few days and knew that she slept little and she didn’t venture too far from the cabin. Of course, she had almost everything she would need for an extended stay here, but he had no idea how she got her supplies, even though he suspected she had to go into town every now and then. But she was constantly looking over her shoulders, stopping to listen to the sounds of the swamps, her hands shaking as if she knew someone was coming for her.
If he could erase all that from her life, he would. He would take the past away, take the scars away from her body, take the nightmares away. Even now, she whimpered against his chest, her face wrinkled up, the stress of her nightmare evident. Her fingers flexed against his chest, her nails grazing his skin. Reaching out to touch her face, he made another vow to himself. He would take this pain away from her.
She mumbled something, then gasped before her eyes shot open. Before he could stop her, she had scrambled from the bed, her body shaking from head to foot. When she turned to look at him, her eyes were wild with fear, and he knew she had brought the dream into her waking mind.
“It’s okay.” He held out his hands to her, reaching for her. “It’s okay. You were dreaming.”
Confusion crossed her face before she warily settled back onto the bed. “For a second, I wasn’t sure where I was.” Her voice trembled.
“I’ve got you.” He pulled her into his arms. “I swear to you no one is ever going to hurt you again.”
“You can’t know that. You don’t know what they will do to find me, what I can do. I only told you part of my story.” Her entire body shook as he ran his hands down her arms and back trying to soothe her.
“I know.” He didn’t want to push the confession. His earlier need to do so was replaced with the need to comfort her, to take away the pain she was feeling right now.
“If you were ever captured and held prisoner, do you think your captors would let you escape?”
He knew they wouldn’t. Hell, he couldn’t even begin to imagine what they would have done if they’d known they had a shifter in their midst. They would have probably sent him to some lab somewhere to be cut into a million pieces. “No. They wouldn’t have.”
“It’s the same for me. They didn’t let me escape, and if they ever get their hands on me again, they will be sure I don’t get away. I want to show you something.”
Rolling onto his back, he watched her climb on top of him, his cock instantly reacting to her. She grinned, looking down at him.
“Not that.”
“You sure?” The words were husky when they came out, colored by his need for her. He was sure he could have sex with her every day for the rest of his life and never get tired of it. His body ached for her even though it had only been a few hours since he’d been part of her.
“For now. Just close your eyes and relax.”
“Mmmm, I can do that.” The low vibration began in his chest again and he started to purr as she touched him.
“Just relax and let me in.”
He closed his eyes and focused on the way she touched his temples, her fingers putting gentle pressure on his skin. His entire body relaxed against the mattress and he was pretty sure this was heaven even though he wasn’t buried deep within her. Her scent wrapped around him, lulling him to a state of relaxation beyond anything he had ever felt before. His soul rose to the surface, dancing on the edge of his consciousness and he could feel it there, could feel it lingering. Then it hit him, a pain right in his chest, the desire to swallow his soul, to push it back down away from the surface.
He couldn’t move his body, frozen against the mattress. Every nerve ending was on fire, every part of him wanted to move, but he couldn’t find the strength. He was drowning and there was no way out. Panic seized him, and he knew he was going to die, felt it in a way he had never felt before, not even when he’d been in the cage or when he had been shot. Death was right there, staring at him, fangs bared, wanting to swallow him whole.
Then she pulled away from him.
He gasped for breath and moved at the same time, pushing her off him, his chest rising and falling violently, his lungs unable to fill themselves with oxygen.
“The fuck was that?” he managed through quivering lips.
“That was the reason they want me.” She had fallen to the foot of the bed, and her hair was wild around her shoulders, her dark eyes glowing blue for a few seconds before returning to their normal hue. “I can suck your soul right out of your body and you will be under the command of whoever is there to control you.”
“Fuck.” He dragged a hand through his hair and tried to calm his racing heart. His soul had been there, right on the edge, ready to flow into her if she deemed it so. He’d never felt anything like that before and he was in no hurry to ever feel it again.
“That’s why I was locked away for so long. That’s why I have to watch every move I make. If they ever get me again, they won’t let me go.”
He understood now just how much she needed him, how much he had to fight to protect her. But the only way she would ever be safe was if those who had held her captive were gone. He knew he wanted to kill them, but now the need to do so was even greater. It was the only way she would ever be free.
CHAPTER TEN
Juliette knew she would retain some of the tiger inside her. She had seen his soul, had felt it in her hands, felt it in her chest. It had been there, so close to the edge. She could have swallowed him whole in that instant and he wouldn’t have been able to stop her. Luckily, she’d been able to pull away. Otherwise, he would be a soulless shell at her command or the command of anyone else that was strong enough to come in and take over.
This was the reason she would never be free. She was far too powerful to ever be free from those who were after her. And she couldn’t keep Nik here forever. No matter how much she wanted him with her, he’d come from somewhere, and he had to go back there. He had his own demons to fight. She had seen as much when she’d been inside him. There was an entire nation of tigers who were depending on him, and he would have to go back.
“Are you okay?” she whispered, wanting to reach out and touch him, but afraid he would pull away from her.
“Yeah. Damn, woman. If one touch can render me powerless, I’d hate to see what you would do to me if I made you angry.” That crooked grin went a long way to allaying some of her fears.
“I don’t think you have to worry about that. Besides, I won’t ever use my power against you or anyone else if I have any say in the matter.”
“I’m going to make sure you do.” He reached out and pulled her to him, cradling her in his arms. “You’re too far away from me,” he murmured against her. “I want to touch you, to see inside of you.”
His words were enough to light a fire inside her again. God, she wanted him so badly. She was pretty sure she would never tire of him, would never get tired of having his hands on her, his mouth on hers. Those were dangerous thoughts, and she knew it. He had a life outside of this cabin and she didn’t.
Juliette was trying her best to get her routine back on schedule. She had spent part of the day yesterday in the garden and another part checking her trot lines for fish. The calendar on her wall was a constant reminder of how many days Nik had been with her and of the fact that soon she would have to go into Bon Teche in order to meet her brother and get more supplies. She hadn’t thought she would be taking care of an injured man and using the generator a lot more often than she would have had it just been her in the cabin. Logan would meet her with gasoline and other staples she needed. Nik’s wounds were healing, so it would be fine to leave him alone for a day, if he behaved himself.
It had been two weeks since she pulled him from the swamps and his body continued to betray him. She had thought he would stop morphing into the tiger once he regained consciousness, but she would look up and one minute he would be covered with fur, and the next, he would have an animal’s face and a human’s body. While she had been making note of these changes, there had been no set pattern, no particular thing to force the changes. The only constant was that the changes were often combined with dizzy spells and disorientation.
He was probably the worst patient she’d ever had, refusing to rest until he was at the point of collapsing, bringing in firewood and doing repairs around the cabin as if he lived there. She had caught him on the roof two days ago and just knew he was going to rip his stitches out. As much as she hated to see him push his body to its limits, she didn’t mind an eyeful of him shirtless, stripped to the waist, sweat beading down his skin.
She smiled, recalling how primal he looked standing there, jeans clinging to his hips, muscles bulging, black stripes drawing a carnal roadmap on his body. It was the stuff of fantasies, if she were the type of girl to indulge in such foolishness. Lately, there had been a lot more of that, both waking and sleeping fantasies, all of which ended up with his arms wrapped around her, pulling her against him, not that she minded. Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she tried to remind herself that no matter what it was they shared, it was only temporary. He belonged somewhere else and she was sure someone was searching for him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Nik moved with catlike ease, his body as silent as if he were stalking his prey, which was exactly what he was doing. She could feel his eyes on her, sense his body near her before she turned around. In an instant, he was on her, his hands on her shoulders, sending a shiver all over her body. Before she could stop herself, a moan escaped her lips.
“You should take a break.” He urged, his fingers kneading her flesh. He was crouched next to her in the dirt while she tended to the tomatoes.
Her hands were covered with dirt from weeding around the plants, so she fought the urge to reach around and touch him. “This place doesn’t operate itself, you know?” She let out another moan as his fingers pressed harder into her neck.
“No. But you’ve been working so hard today, I think you’re avoiding me.”
She had been, but there was no way she was going to admit that. Her desire for him was completely out of control and she knew when he finally had to leave, she would be lost if she got too attached to him. To tell the truth, she was already too far gone. She spent her days looking forward to the nights she could spend wrapped in his arms, stole every glance at him she could manage, inhaled his scent any time he was near. Her nights were spent in absolute bliss, calling out his name, running her hands along the corded muscles of his skin, tracing all those thick, black stripes. But a shadow hung over them. They hadn’t discussed the future at all.
“I’m not avoiding you. It’s just that I usually go into town around the fifteenth of the month. To pick up supplies.” She turned to face him, leaving her trowel in the dirt. His face was filled with hard edges.
“I see.”
“It won’t take long. I need to restock some supplies, get some gasoline for the generator, that kind of thing.”
“You aren’t going alone.” He folded his arms across his chest and stood to his full height, over six feet of raw alpha male, making a demand of her.
“I have to.” How could she explain him to her brother who had helped her set this place up, who was constantly looking out for her? He would be filled with questions, none of which she could answer. Worse, as sheriff of Bon Teche, he would dig into Nik’s past wanting to know everything he could about the man who’d been sharing his sister’s bed. She knew practically nothing about Nik, had no idea what made him change into an animal. On top of that, what if he had another episode and began to transform in front of Logan’s eyes? No, she couldn’t risk it. There were too many factors she couldn’t control.
“It’s too dangerous for you right now. You told me there are people looking for you. You cry out at night because of the hell they put you through. I can’t risk it.”
“And I can’t risk you. You’re still healing. You don’t have full control of your animal yet.”
He let out a low growl, one of challenge. “I have enough control.”
“No. You don’t.”
He reached down and pulled her to her feet, his eyes set in determination. “I’m willing to risk it to keep you safe.” He brought her wrists to his lips and placed gentle kisses on her scars. “I would risk anything for you, Juliette.”
She swallowed hard, lost in his words, in the way his hands held hers. It would be so easy to fall in love with him. Part of her could already feel herself falling, feel the earth crumble beneath her and the foundation she’d built for the last six months splintering apart.
When he dipped his head down to brush his lips against hers, she was lost in the swirl of emotions which threatened to knock her off balance. In fact, she had to cling to him to keep herself from tipping right over the edge, but it was no use. Her head spun as she breathed in his essence, taking in part of his soul unintentionally. He was a part of her, and she would never be the same.
Nik looked down at the woman who’d stolen his heart. She’d had it from the moment he first breathed in her scent, his nostrils filling with her intoxicating blend of woman and earth. He was lost inside her, wanting to crawl into her skin and never come up for air.
He’d never met anyone who wanted to protect him, and to think that someone like her was willing to do that for him spoke to his soul. She had her own demons, a past that haunted her every movement, and all he wanted to do was save her from anything that would dare threaten her. But she was intent on saving him, too.
It didn’t matter that he knew so little about her past. All that mattered to him was the past two weeks, the moment when he felt himself come to life for the first time in his thirty years. As leader of the Maddux clan, he was expected to marry a tiger, have cubs and lead his clan. None of those things had ever appealed to him, but he knew if he could do them with her by his side, he would.
He loved her. It was as clear as the stripes on his body, as alive as the animal inside him. Juliette was his. The fierce need to protect her combined with the need to bury himself inside her and before he knew it, his kiss became fevered, his desire for her swelling in his chest and igniting a stream of lava that flowed straight to his cock.
She met the urgency, her small body pressing against him, her mouth opening wider for the invasion of his tongue. Her hands fisted in his hair as his hands trailed down her back, then dug into her ass to connect her core to him. Even through their layers of clothes, he could feel her heat seeking him out, sinking into his cock until his desire for her overrode every other sensation.
He tore at her shirt, the fabric crying out, then shredding beneath his hands. Her breasts sprang free and flattened against his chest as his rough hands pushed away her sweat pants, pulling her cotton panties with them. This was how he wanted her, here in the dirt with nature all around them, bent over in front of him as he pounded away at her like an animal.
Her shoes were lost in the shuffle as he spun her around and guided her to her knees. She raised her ass to him, her pussy already wet, her pink lips pouting at him, begging him for attention. The roar tearing from his throat was primal, full of need.
He shed his pants and mounted her like an alpha beast, his cock sliding into her opening, his fingers digging into her flesh. She cried out but arched her back, giving him the access he wanted, allowing him to fill her completely. He pounded into her, each stroke more determined than the last, his balls heavy and slapping against her clit with each movement.
One hand reached out to grab her hair, pulling her head back so he could sink his teeth into the back of her neck. She let out a scream, one matching his intensity, sounding as if there were a beast inside her wanting to come out.
She met every stroke, not slowing her movements as he continued to push his cock in and out of her soft body. This was his salvation. This was what he’d been seeking, what he needed all those months he was locked away and before when he was roaming through the swamps trying to outrun his destiny. She was his heaven, his eternal bliss.
When her orgasm shattered through her body, coating him with her juices, his cock began to spasm, his balls contracting before shooting himself into her. Nik had fucked a lot of women in his life. As leader of the Maddux clan, it was a given. But he had never had the desire to come inside a woman’s body, to coat her womb with his seed, to make her his in every way imaginable. Not until Juliette.
He growled against her flesh, allowing his orgasm to wash over them both, his head spinning from the realization that he was in love with this woman. She was his and he wanted every part of her. He wanted to create new ways to be with her, to feel her quake beneath him, above him, all around him.
Pulling himself from her body, he kept her close, wrapping his arms around her and taking her to the ground with him, their bodies coated in dirt, sweat and cum. The vibrations coming from his throat filling the air spoke of his satisfaction, his complete and total bliss at having found what he’d been seeking for so long.