Authors: Unknown
“But you won, didn’t you?”
Yara’s husky voice brought Rafe back to the present. He hadn’t realized he’d been talking out loud.
“How sweet!”
“Sweet?” Rafe asked in amazement. “Those stupid wolves should have known better than to go balls deep into debt.”
“But after that they welcomed you back to the pack, right?”
He wished.
Yara read the words on his face and her jaw dropped. “They didn’t?”
“Well, here’s another thing about wolves: We’re cruel. We are a cruel traditionalist bunch. We don’t forgive underdogs, we don’t care about weaklings, we crush them.”
Yara narrowed her eyes at him. “That doesn’t sound like you, Rafe,” she said.
Rafe gazed at her. “No?”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” she crawled over and touched his ear with her lips. Her delicious scent of leaves after the rain tingled his nose. “You are a good guy,” she whispered.
“Am I?”
“Yep,” she replied. “You’re still helping them pay off that debt, aren’t you?”
“How do you know that?”
“I found some bills and a debt ledger on your uncle’s desk at the factory. Your name is all over it, together with a bunch of banks.”
He turned his face toward hers. “I’m a wolf, Yara, a survivor. I will crush anything that blocks my way.”
She paused, as if taking in his harsh words. Her thick lips were inches from his. An unbearable wave of heat rushed through his body. He wanted to kiss her, to take her, enough with the talking. But he couldn’t. There were quite a few questions he needed answered.
“Why did you try to run away earlier?” he whispered.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Because that’s what prisoners do.”
“You’re not a prisoner,” he retorted, a bit offended by her words.
“Really?” She looked at him under long lashes. “So what am I still doing here?”
He gazed at her brown eyes.
“You confessed that Phillip paid you to follow me, and you know Phillip is my enemy. Don’t try and deny it, Rafe. I know
you
know what’s going on,” she added, throwing all the cards on the table. “So, the question is, why haven’t you crushed
me
yet?”
The words got stuck in Rafe’s mouth.
Yeah, why hadn’t he?
He cupped the base of her neck with his hand and closed the gap between them. His kiss was lavish, dominant, powerful. He wanted her to feel he wasn’t mucking around here, that whatever there was between them it wasn’t just sex.
She returned his kiss with the same passion. By Apa Dobrý, she felt so good in his arms. He rolled on top of her wanting more, needing to be inside her again.
“Your turn now,” he whispered, nibbling on her ear.
“Hmmm, don’t think so, champ,” she drawled, rubbing herself against him.
“You gave me your word.” He licked his way down to her high breasts.
Before his mouth could encase her pebbled nipple, delicate hands lifted his chin up, pulling him away from his prize.
Yara held his cheeks in both her hands and narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m hungry,” she stated. “The last meal I had was a lousy, poisonous soup.”
“Lousy? I remember you moaning at every spoonful.”
She rolled her eyes, consenting defeat, but quickly recovered, and a sensuous grin lifted her lips. “Feed me, champion, and I promise you,” she added, wrapping her legs around his hips. “I will do anything you want.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
As if to give him a taste of what
anything
meant, she rocked her hips slowly against his. Her hot core rubbed against his already rigid cock. But before he had the chance to find her sweet entrance, she wiggled her way out from underneath him and stood up.
Damn the Soartas, that kitten was good.
Chapter Nineteen
The plastic bottle slipped from her fingers and fell on the kitchen floor. “Damn it!” Naiah cursed and quickly picked it up. Thank the Soartas the sports bottle had a small opening and only a few drops were lost to the tiles, but she needed to be more careful. The way she’d been off lately, it was a surprise she hadn’t given Zoricah diet shake instead of the potion by mistake. Ever since her moment with Dyam by the lake, her mind had short circuited. Their almost kissing, then the water stars turning red, Yara’s disappearance, it all had been too much for her. And to top it all off, Dyam had decided to give her the cold shoulder. What was up with that? Why was he avoiding her, ignoring her, even? What had she done to deserve it? He had been so caring and warm before, now it seemed he had closed himself off completely, leaving her out in the cold.
Bottle in hand, she took a deep breath and strolled to the library. She had no idea how she’d pull it off, but she had to convince Z to allow her to join the search party for Yara. Her sister needed to come home and fast, before Naiah lost her mind completely.
“Here you are, Z, it’s time for your afternoon dose,” Naiah said as she came into the library, but she stopped in her tracks when she didn’t find Z staring back at her, but Dyam. He was by the large bookshelf, with a classic novel in his hands. He lifted his eyes and met hers. Her heart skipped a beat. His long dark hair was tied back in a half plait, and an artisan’s necklace adorned his neck. He was barefoot and wore a simple linen shirt and worn-out jeans that hung low on his hips. He looked so out of place yet so comfortable at the same time. How did he do it? He was a foreigner to this culture as much as she was, and yet, there he was, looking like Hamlet-meets-the-last-of-the-Mohicans. Dyam was paradox incarnated. He exuded ancient wisdom and serenity. However, underneath it all, an intrinsic heat oozed out of him every time their eyes met. Naiah could sense it even from across the room. But for some reason, he had chosen to keep his distance. And today, she wasn’t expecting any different.
“Sorry, I thought Z had returned from the Dungeon.”
“She has, but she’s resting in the royal quarters,” Dyam replied.
Naiah nodded curtly then turned on her heels to go find Z.
“Naiah.”
Dyam’s call made her stop. The way he whispered her name was so alluring, so intimate. Naiah shook herself awake. It was all in her mind. He didn’t want her.
She swirled back around and faced him. “Yes?”
He placed the book back on the shelf and walked toward her. “Z received a call when she was at the Dungeon.”
“And?”
“It was Yara.”
A rush of adrenaline coursed through Naiah’s veins waking every cell in her body. “How is she?”
“She’s fine,” Dyam replied. “She’s safe and healed.”
“Oh, Mighty Soartas,” she exhaled, covering her mouth with both hands. She was so happy that she forgot about his earlier coldness, or maybe she decided to just ignore it. Unable to contain her impulse, she lunged forward and hugged him tight around the neck. “Thank you!”
She felt his arms wrap around her waist and hold her back. At least he wasn’t so cruel as to pull her away.
“I didn’t do anything,” he chuckled in her ear.
She lifted her face to look at him. “Well, you gave me the news, and that’s the best news I’ve heard since I left home.” She was ecstatic. Yara was coming home soon. She couldn’t wait. “And for that, I thank
you
.” On impulse, she lifted herself up and gave him a peck on the lips.
She had meant it as a nonchalant gesture, nothing more. But Dyam’s arms tightened around her, holding her up against his strong chest. The lightness in the air vanished. His hands trailed up her spine and cupped her by the base of her skull. Butterflies danced in her stomach and her knees buckled in pure desire.
Without any warning, he crushed his lips against hers in a deep kiss. It wasn’t soft and innocent, like the one he’d given her by the Emerald Lake. No, this was filled with passion and fervor she hadn’t known possible. He probed her lips apart, as his tongue snaked inside, inviting hers for a delicious dance. His left hand pressed against her lower back, and she felt his fullness grind against her belly.
Oh, Apa Dobrý, Naiah had never been kissed like that before. His raw hunger had taken her completely by surprise. But she quickly recovered. She wrapped her arms around him and lifted herself high enough to feel his hips against hers. Dyam’s chest trembled with his moan. He roamed his hands down her ass, and lifted her up. Lost in his kiss, she barely registered that he had sat her on top of the royal desk, which provided the perfect leverage. With her legs wide apart and wrapped around his hips, she had no choice but to open herself up for the overwhelming heat he stirred inside her. She let her head fall back as his erection nudged against her core. Sharp fangs rasped against her neck. Strong fingers found their way underneath her blouse and kneaded her already tight nipple.
“Oh Dyam, I’ve never been kissed liked that before,” she whispered in pure bliss. She couldn’t believe this was happening. It was finally happening. Dyam was taking her, claiming her as his.
And then he was not.
Cold air whooshed her awake when his body distanced from hers. Naiah lost her balance on the edge of the desk, and had to hold on tight so not to fall face first on the floor. “Dyam?”
She lifted her eyes and found him against the opposite wall, far, far away.
“What happened?” she asked, panting.
His dark eyes were even darker. A frown marred his handsome brow, his jaw closed tightly, but he was panting, just like her.
“Dyam?” she called again, begging for an explanation.
“Please forgive me.”
Her jaw dropped. That was hardly what a girl liked hearing after making out with a hot guy.
“I shouldn’t have forced you.”
“Forced me?” Now she was completely lost. “You didn’t force me into anything, I want this, Dyam,” she replied, and strolled toward him. “I want you.”
He moved so fast, it made her a bit dizzy. One minute he was in front of her, the next he was not. She turned around and found him in the shadows by the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf.
“You are too young to know what you want.”
“I’m fifty, Dyam, don’t treat me like a child.”
“Fifty is barely of age in your land.” His voice carried out through the room. Naiah could sense his pain. “Do you know how old I am?”
“Why does it matter?” she retorted in frustration. “We’re here, we want each other, why can’t we just enjoy the moment?”
He moved again, too fast for her eyes to follow, but this time he appeared in front of her, just at arm’s length away. “Because I need to be responsible for those who love me.” He brushed the back of his fingers along her cheek. “You are still a virgin, Naiah.”
She opened her mouth to protest but he stopped her.
“Please, don’t try and deny it because I know you are. If I take you now, you’ll be missing out on a future any girl should experience.”
Naiah frowned. “What are you talking about?”
He pursed his lips. His jaw popped again as he took a few steps back. “I’m not the right guy for you. You need to see the world first, experience life at its fullest, before you settle down. I don’t want you to fall for me. At least not before you do all the things you should do beforehand.”
Her jaw dropped to the floor again. “Settle down?” So that’s what this was all about? “Fall for you?” she repeated as her brain registered his unbelievably condescending words. “Mighty Soartas, who’s talking about
love
here? I may still be a virgin, Dyam, but I had my share of adventures with guys and, guess what? I didn’t fall for any of them. I do want to
live
life and that includes enjoying the moment and not hiding from my feelings.”
He opened his mouth but it was her turn to quiet him. “This, my handsome vampire,” she said pointing at both of them, “
is
living.
This
is about seizing the moment, relaxing, enjoying each other’s company while it lasts. No strings attached. I don’t want to
settle down
, not now anyway. I want to see the world first, I want to dance can-can at the Moulin Rouge in Paris, go sailing across the Sydney Harbor in Australia, and spend the night watching the stars in a safari in Africa! Just relax and enjoy
your
life, Dyam.” She took a long breath and shook her head. “I thought you vampires had it all figured out, but I guess I was wrong.”
She realized she had nothing else to say and right at that moment, she didn’t want to hear anything else either. So she turned on her heels and left
**********
Dyam stared at the open door, completely flabbergasted. For the second time in his life, he was lost for words. Had he really just got schooled by a seventeen–year-old girl?
Yep, he had.
Chapter Twenty
Rafe trotted after Yara and pinched her bum. “If you keep on wiggling your delicious ass at me like that, I’ll make you a salad.”
Yara threw her head back and let out a delicious laugh. “Do that and you’ll find yourself shifting permanently into a frog.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” he replied, then hugged her from behind.
They stumbled forward, joking around. Rafe was feeling great. The afternoon was beautiful; the orange sun was shed a purple frame in the sky.
Suddenly, Yara stiffened up.
“What is it?” Rafe asked, feeling her concern.
“There’s someone in your house,” she replied sharply.
Rafe looked in the direction she was pointing at. She was right, there was somebody in his house, he could see the shadow of a bulky man roaming around the kitchen. A black 4x4 truck was parked by the front porch.
He exhaled a long sigh. “Yep, there is.” Rafe pulled away from her and took the lead toward his home. “He’s a pain in the butt but he’s far from being a threat.”
He reached the stairs just as Archie came out nibbling on a cold chicken leg. The bastard had the annoying habit of raiding his fridge whenever he was around.
“Howdy, neighbor, did you get…” Archie’s words trailed away as his jaw suddenly dropped.
Confused, Rafe turned in the direction where his best friend was staring at.
Yara was standing right next to him. Bare naked.
Fuck.
Rafe growled deep and pulled Yara behind him, using his own body to shield his woman from Archie’s hungry gaze.
“Ai, Rafe!” he heard Yara complain, but he didn’t care. Wolves were famous for their lack of prudishness – their full moon festivals alone were a celebration of the physical prowess – but that didn’t mean they were happy to share.
Yara tried to get past Rafe but he used all his muscles to block her from view. Of course
that
didn’t stop her. How silly of him to think a simple quarterback tackle would prevent Yara from doing what she wanted.
She simply poked her head out and flashed Archie the widest smile of all times. “Hi, I’m Yara.”
Damn the Soartas.
“Hi,” Archie replied, still holding the chicken leg mid-air. “Archie.”
“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about you,” she added, a bit too gleefully for Rafe’s liking.
“Err, I heard a lot about you too.”
Rafe growled again as no rational words managed to make it out.
Archie jumped startled, taking the hint. He tried to look away, but failed miserably. Bastard.
“Well,” Yara stated, “I’ll leave you boys to it. I’m dying for a hot, relaxing bath.”
With that, she snaked under Rafe’s outstretched arm and swaggered her way up the stairs. At the top, she swayed around and paused. “Nice to meet you, Archie.”
Archie opened his mouth but only a high-pitched whimper came out.
Yara gave him one of her lavish smiles again, then twirled around and disappeared through the door.
His asshole of a friend followed her every move. He even bent sideways trying to get another glimpse of her through the narrow gap in the door.
“Hey!” Rafe shouted. “Watch it, pal!”
“Sorry, buddy,” he replied as if waking up from a trance. “But, damn, did you see that ass?”
“Yes, I did, and make no mistake, that ass is mine,” Rafe as much as growled at him, emphasizing the proprietary claim with his index finger.
“Whoa, sorry, man,” his friend replied. “Didn’t know you guys had hooked up.”
“Yes, we did, and you better keep your filthy eyes far away from her, get it?” Rafe paused as an overwhelming feeling took over him. He suddenly realized he wanted to punch his best friend on the face, knock the bastard out, rip his eyes out for gawking at his woman.
His woman
… Fuck. The Soartas had really played him well this time around. He ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. “Sorry, man. It’s been a Hiad of a couple of days,” he murmured, scratching his stubble.
Archie lifted an eyebrow. “I can imagine.”
Rafe glared at him. “I was willing to let your indiscretion with my woman go for the sake of our history, but you’re pushing it now, pal.”
“Be cool, man, I’m just joking around. Just chill, wolf.”
Just chill my ass
. “What do you want, Archie. Why are you here?”
“The new date for the exchange has been set,” he replied.
That did it. Rafe snapped out of his jealous tantrum in a heartbeat. After the debacle at the Dungeon, he’d been worried about trying to sell the bullets again. He had a really bad feeling about this whole thing. And after what Yara told him about the damage those little fuckers could do, the bad gut feeling got worse. But they needed the money; his pack needed the money to get out of debt once and for all. And when that happened, Rafe would be free to break the shackles Balaur and George had locked around his wrists.
“When?”
“Tomorrow, at the fair.”
“At the State Fair? Why?”
Archie shrugged. “My connection told me the buyer had demanded the deal go down in a public place, during the day, so I thought, we’ll be at the fair anyway; it’s the perfect opportunity.”
Rafe ran his hand along his jaw. “No doubt whoever this buyer is knows the vampires want the bullets too,” he pondered.
“No doubt,” Archie agreed.
“OK, I’ll meet you at the fair tomorrow.” Rafe started climbing the stairs, he usually enjoyed spending time with his best friend but at the moment all he could think about was feeding Yara and showing her what “anything” really meant.
Archie blocked his way. Rafe frowned, confused.
“Does she know?”
“Know what?”
His friend pinned him with a stern gaze. “Does Yara know that
you
were the one who stole the white bullets from under her nose in London?”
“Shh!” Rafe paused to hear where Yara was. The shower was running. Relief ran down his spine. “She doesn’t know it, and she never will, understand?” he whispered, returning his friend’s glare with one of his own.
Archie shook his head in disapproval. “My man, how do you expect to start a relationship like this?”
“I expect to finish this and put it behind us,” he retorted. “By tomorrow afternoon, the bullets will be far gone, and the pack’s lands will be safe from Balaur’s hands.”
And then he would have eternity to convince Yara he was her soul mate.