He passed several vulfen warriors in the hall before he reached a
large well-lit room. There were more warriors in it. He tried to put Ellie down on the sofa, but she couldn’t let him go. She needed to be with him. Giving up, he sat down with her on his lap. Her robe gaped open to expose the curve of her breasts.
“Ellie, it is no wonder you are freezing, your robe is soaking wet.” Several pairs of interested male eyes fastened on them. Rylek bared his fangs and the glances quickly shifted away. Ellie tried to pull her lapels closed with one hand but her efforts were ineffectual. The muscles in her hands were twitching, and she couldn’t seem to
grip the slippery fabric.
Rylek reached out and dragged a heavy, hand-woven woolen throw around their bodies. He tucked it around Ellie so that she was trapped against his wide chest in a cocoon of delicious heat. Her muscles began to quiver and loosen as the warmth seeped in. She tucked her cold nose under his ear, causing him to jump a little.
With Ellie on his lap, Rylek edged to the front of the sofa and Miros went to stand behind him with a towel and a thin steel implement. Ellie knew that Miros was taking care of the bullet. She felt a terrible apprehension when Rylek’s muscles tensed, but in a moment, he relaxed again. Miros wiped something off on a towel and came around to hand a small disc of metal to Rylek.
“Alpha, the wound was already healing,” Miros said, bowing. “The bullet would have risen to the surface and dropped out itself in a few hours. It didn’t even bleed when I picked it out.”
Rylek rolled his shoulders and laughed. “Much better, I thank you,” he said.
Ellie’s anxiety settled. She snuggled up close against his chest,
content to be with him.
As she started to warm up, she drifted, only half listening to the
conversation flowing around her. Rylek cradled her against him while he heard the reports of his warriors. She learned that the bodies of four human males had been removed from her apartment and most of the blood had been cleaned up. There were bullets lodged in her great- grandmother’s old side table that had held their breakfast just this morning. Her china cabinet was all but destroyed.
The warmth and Rylek’s presence had relaxed her, and she was almost asleep when Valeri came in.
“Miros, can you add anything to our information?”
Rylek’s chest rumbled when he spoke, and Ellie rubbed her cheek against him.
“Alpha, I killed four humans tonight in the little queen’s apartment. The building is not secure, and one human male escaped me to shoot you. I thought I detected a trace of vulfen scent,” Miros added.
Rylek stiffened under her body, his arms bands of steel around her back. She squeaked in surprise, and his arms loosened marginally.
“You are certain?” Rylek asked in a hard voice. “This is a serious charge.”
“It is. The scent was not strong enough for me to identify the individual, but it was there. There were five humans who carried a faint vulfen scent and knew of our existence. When I shifted, they did not scream, they continued fighting.”
“Five humans who knew of our queen,” Valeri said.
A low murmur ran through the crowd of assembled warriors.
Valeri continued, “Rylek and I had Ellie with us and they pursued us as we ran. The human who escaped Miros and the one left outside the building were targeting Ellie after Rylek was shot.”
The blanket tightened around her as Rylek surged to his feet with Ellie still clasped in his arms. She wound her legs around his waist to stay on, hoping that her bare bottom was covered by the soft wool, since she had nothing on under her robe. His claws pricked the skin of her back as he began to pace back and forth. She was careful not to
move too much.
A loud thump reverberated through the room.
Ellie raised her head cautiously to find that all the warriors in the room had dropped to their knees. The blaze of Rylek’s anger was warping energy through the room.
“The queen was not injured in this attack. The only blood on her is mine. I can still smell it,” Rylek said through his teeth. “But she was targeted by our enemies and that is unacceptable to me.”
“Yes, Alpha.” Valeri was on his knees, too, but he kept his head up and his eyes on Rylek. “Though she was afraid, the queen followed instructions and ran with us down the fire escape. Miros stole a car and we came here to the estate. The car has been returned by the cleanup team and Miros has removed the bullet from your back. All is well.”
Rylek placed Ellie carefully on the sofa and wrapped her more securely in the woolen blanket. She hugged it close to her face and listened carefully.
“Warriors, there may be a spy, a traitor among us,” Rylek said. The warriors stood.
“I hope that it will be proven this spy is not a vulfen warrior. That would be a blow to me as your Alpha and as a warrior who has fought beside each of you. In any case, this person is a traitor to our blood queen. I will not tolerate any danger to Ellie. The crowning ceremony will be held in three days time on the night of the full moon. I want this traitor found and dealt with by then. I have found my queen, and I will not have her crowning day marred by fear. Warriors, you have your orders.”
Ellie pulled the blanket closer around her to combat a sudden chill. She knew what that meant.
The warriors exited the huge room, leaving only Rylek, Ellie, and
Valeri.
Rylek wanted this vulfen spy caught and killed, and he wanted it done in three days. He was not a man to wait for another attack. He
would never stand by and allow such a threat to stand. He would go hunting. He was going to do what his Alpha character dictated by removing any danger to her.
Permanently.
“Valeri, I need you to stay here on the estate and help guard my mate. Miros and Matsij, as well as any others you may need. The rest of the Cadre will hunt with the warriors.”
“I would add one name to your list, Alpha,” Valeri said. “Of course, you may have whoever you need.”
“Eva Sidarova. She is a strong and loyal protector and is thrilled
that we now have a queen. She and Mother have talked of nothing else since father told them. The fact that our queen is human never crossed her mind.”
Rylek nodded once. “I like your choice.” Valeri bowed low and left the room.
Rylek knew his face was stern, his tone grim. He had faced
enemies many times, and clan challenges where he stood alone before all to prove his strength. But he had never known betrayal by one of his own people. The Alpha was always up for challenge, but the thought that one of his clan members had deliberately given information to humans who wanted to slay the un-crowned queen was a burning pain in his chest.
The traitor would die. There could be no justification that would save the vulfen from a sentence of death. Rylek’s blood was up. He wanted to be out hunting himself, to eliminate the threat with his teeth in the throat of the betrayer. But there was Ellie to consider.
His little human queen needed his care now.
Ellie was still huddled in the corner of the couch, her beautiful blue eyes wide and dark. He knelt on the floor before her and took her hands.
“Ellie, I have put your life in danger.” “Rylek, no,” she protested.
He shook his head.
“You cannot deny that my love has made you a target. A week ago no one was trying to harm you. You were living your human life and did not even know of us. I accept the blame and take on the responsibility of ensuring your safety. I will prove my love for you by putting your safety above my own.”
“You proved it to me already by getting shot. Miros had to pull a bullet out of your back!”
He could feel her distress. It was intolerable to him.
“Ah. That is your human upbringing speaking,” Rylek said, stroking a hand down her silken cheek. “A vulfen male gladly sheds his blood or gives his life to keep his family secure. You would have preferred I say the word ‘love’ in the human way, with roses and candlelight, I think. I can give you that as well.”
Ellie tried to smile, but it wobbled at the edges. The sight squeezed his heart.
“My beautiful one, I am sorry this had to start so soon. I do not
dodge bullets on a daily basis. It has happened, but not often.”
“You didn’t dodge at all. You just stood there.” Ellie’s eyes locked on his. He could see the realization as it hit and he regretted the necessity. “You deliberately made yourself the biggest target!”
She pulled back her arm and punched him in the chest. Her frown was formidable. He caught her hand after a brief struggle and pressed a soothing kiss on her knuckles.
“You are angry? Of course I wanted to make myself the mark to aim for. There is no question. The danger to you was real. My fear for you was real. I have seen what bullets do to human flesh. I will not see you torn and bloodied. Not while I live.” It was a vow, nothing less. His heart thudded as the picture of Ellie injured, in pain, lifeless got to him.
“Rylek, you need to be more careful. You brought me into this
world you live in. You can’t leave me alone now. That’s the price. You have to live.”
She was sincere, worried, her eyes wide and very blue as she tried to convince him to put himself ahead of her. He could tell her it was never going to happen, but he chose to remain silent. She would learn about him in time.
Her life was too important for him to risk. She came first. It was his privilege and his pleasure to offer his life for hers.
He drew her down onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. She curled herself around him with a sigh and tucked her face under his jaw. Her trust humbled him, made his eyes sting.
He had mated her, true. But they had not been given the chance to deepen their bond. He had been called away from her, leaving at a moment when she was feeling anxious and uncertain about her role in this unfamiliar world. He had returned as quickly as he could, only to find his new mate in danger from human assassins, betrayed by one of his own people.
He understood that she didn’t know him well. His mate wouldn’t fully recognize that he was a creature of instinct, a strong male animal. She didn’t realize that without her presence in the danger zone to consider, he would have annihilated the threat without relying on his Cadre. He would have enjoyed the challenge as Miros had.
She would learn soon enough that the main complaint of his Cadre members was that he didn’t wait for them before seeing to a security problem. He took care of it himself, taking the fight to the throat of his enemy.
Ellie didn’t realize yet that her very existence changed him. Her protection was everything. At the apartment, he turned his back on his enemy for the first time and ran with the most important person in his world wrapped in his arms, trusting his seconds to fight the battle. She was essential to his life.
It was unprecedented. The enemy had inside information and would now know exactly how to get to him. They would see the
change in behavior and the fact that some of their number survived would spread the news of his weakness that much more quickly.
It made his hackles rise in alarm. He needed to make sure that this threat was answered with lethal force, and as soon as possible.
His warriors were hunting a traitor. And if they found nothing, he would go on the hunt himself. Nothing Ellie could say would stop him. He was a powerful killing machine and the danger to his mate would be eliminated in the fastest, most efficient way possible. He would not feel a moment of regret for seeing to her safety. It was his duty and his right as her mate, and it would ease his unfamiliar sense of fear at the thought of losing her.
But for now, he cradled his mate in his lap and acknowledged that his hold on her was fragile, too new. His instincts told him that he needed to cement that connection, find a way to make her want to stay with him beyond the ties uniting their souls as mates and in spite of the danger. In spite of the many hardships they would face leading a people whose survival depended on secrecy in a world of cameras on every corner.
His heart beat for her alone. He knew it had not occurred to her if something happened to take her from this world, he would follow. He would leave the clans in Valeri’s capable hands. Valeri had the strength and the bloodline to rule. Valeri might have to answer challenge, but the Cadre would serve him, and the vulfen people would accept him.
He pushed his nose against her neck and breathed her in. There was still fear and a lingering anxiety in her scent, but she was always beautiful to him. He would follow where she lead and be grateful for the gift that she represented. And if they had young someday, he would cherish those children with his whole heart, whether they were vulfen or human. Teach them how to live in a difficult world.
He smoothed his hand along her belly and smiled at her telltale tremor. His mate needed rest, but perhaps he could offer her a release from her tension first.
“Ellie, I have a surprise for you,” he said, and rose to stand with her still clasped to his chest.
She gasped. “I can’t believe that you could just stand up like that holding me! I’m not exactly a small woman.”
He bounced her in his arms until she shrieked.
“Light as a feather,” he proclaimed, and carried her through the halls at a run while she giggled and clutched his neck. The happy sound echoed through his home, and the old mansion brightened. He could feel the difference, and blessed the sweet chance that had brought her into his restaurant on such a difficult night. She was already so precious to him. No doubt in the coming years together, she would have him wrapped around her finger. He looked forward to
it.
On the lower level, he set her on her feet and opened an ornate black oak door that had been carved in the eighteenth century and brought from one of the summer houses in the Sidarov Clan’s Russian territory north of Moscow.
When Ellie saw the large sunken pool tiled with Russian marble in an ancient pattern of greens and creams, she sighed dreamily. The steam rose in gentle curls around them as Rylek followed his mate into the bathing room and closed the door.
As she walked to the wide steps, Ellie let the torn silken robe fall to the tiles. She sank into the water with another soft sigh and Rylek’s body hardened. He tried to quell his demanding erection, but it would not subside in the presence of his alluring female. He was trying to be a sensitive male taking care of his traumatized mate, damn it. But his rampant penis insisted on being difficult.
He would ignore it as best he could.
Ellie’s curly head broke the surface of the heated pool, her long hair floating out behind her in dark waves. She watched him discard his ruined shirt and unzip his trousers. The heat in her eyes made his engorged cock throb as it was exposed to her interested gaze.
“Come here, mate,” she invited, swirling her hands in the water.
Her creamy breasts bobbed temptingly. He could see her pink nipples, still soft and unaware, just beneath the surface. “I need to see your wound.”
He descended the wide steps as if pulled by a magnetic force. He wanted to tell her that he didn’t feel pain any longer from the bullet hole. His cock was aching far more than the tiny wound, but he let her turn him around and see the healing site for herself.
She raised her hands and poured hot water over his back. She was washing away the residue of blood. Taking care of him.
“You are healing at an amazing speed,” she said, sounding
pleased. She pressed her lips to the skin just above his injury. “I don’t think you’ll need any further attention.”
He turned and settled his hands at her nipped-in waist, finding her
mouth with his in a long, tumultuous kiss.
“I need your attention, mate,” he said against her lips and nudged her velvet belly with his heavy erection to let her know he meant it. He was on fire for his curvaceous human queen.
She smiled, sliding one small hand down his chest and stomach. Her appreciative moan when she tested his washboard abdominals with her fingernails made him feel proud of his body for the first time. He understood his own strength and had offered his body for a female’s pleasure many times, but Ellie was the first woman he cared to impress. His soul and body were made for her alone.
She ran teasing fingers lightly over his cock and tapped out a fascinating rhythm on the sensitive head.
His hips surged forward just as her hand moved away.
“Ellie, touch me.” He meant for it to be an order, but it came out as a blatant plea. He craved her gentleness with an urgent hunger he didn’t recognize. It was a catch in his throat, a fierce throb in his chest, and a rising burn in his rock-hard cock.
He thought she would take him in hand, but she slid down in the water with a sensuous purr and took him deep into her mouth. The blood rushed through his veins and pounded in his thick shaft. The
sight of her red lips stretched around him sprung his claws and threatened to blow the top of his head off. His vision narrowed, and he had to dig his claws into his palms to keep his knees from buckling under him.
His breath rushed in and out of his lungs. Her tantalizing mouth and cool, clever fingers reduced him to his essential animal nature. The man was struggling desperately for control. He was holding on by a thread.
In just a few long strokes, she had him sweating and straining to hold back a potent release. One hard jolt of semen escaped, and she drank it down with a quiet murmur. He had no choice but to pull away, ignoring her quiet murmur of protest.
He was trying to take care of her and was in serious danger of losing it. He had overheard an unflattering term applied to men once by some of the females and didn’t want his mate to think that he was a “minute man.”
Lifting her in his arms, he laid her body on the cool tiles at the edge of the pool. Her pale skin glowed in the soft light with the iridescence of the finest pearl.
She gasped as her back came in contact with the chill of the tiles, and again when he stroked his hand between her rounded thighs. She was slick with welcome to his questing fingers, and her feminine scent lured him in.
He was hungry, starving for the taste of her. He bent his head to her pink entrance and lapped through the soft glistening folds, searching out her spicy flavor. Pink would soon be his favorite color.
His mate was intoxicating. Her scent, her delicious taste, her feminine desire for him, all contributed to his excitement. His cock was jumping with every beat of his pulse. He took a long, savoring lick and the muscles in her stomach bunched. He plucked with his lips and swirled his tongue inside to steal her cream.
Her tiny cries inflamed him, made him harder and thicker than he had ever been, made him feel masculine, powerful. He wanted her