Desire Unchained

“She doesn’t know.”


“This isn’t good, Shade. Were-beast infections are human diseases. We’re not meant to catch them. Who knows what the lycanthropy is doing to your body. And what happens during a full moon when you need sex? You could rip your partner apart.”

“I’ll have Runa.”

“For now.”

Shade clenched his fists and changed the subject. “Maybe you should run some tests on her.” The tests might reveal why she didn’t sport the mating markings, too. Though that was something he’d keep to himself for now.

“Good idea.”

Wraith picked up a scalpel from a nearby tray and tested the edge with his thumb. “You two are acting like she’ll be alive long enough to find out what’s wrong with her. Are you forgetting that she needs to die, and the sooner the better?”

Shade’s hackles raised. “You’re a little too eager to put her in the ground, brother.”

Eidolon stepped between them. “I need to see Runa. If she can shift at will, she might have some unique antibodies to the lycanthropic infection. If I could isolate what makes her different—”

“You might be able to develop a cure for me,” Shade murmured.

“Exactly.”

Shade tried to ignore the sense of relief that took pressure off his chest, tried to pretend the relief was due to the fact that he might be cured of his lycanthropy and not that Runa had been given a temporary reprieve.

The relief didn’t last long though. A wrenching, agonizing sensation slammed into his midsection, and his skin screamed as though he were being pricked by a million needles.

“Shade?” Wraith’s voice vibrated with alarm. “What is it?”

He heard the scalpel clatter to the floor and felt two sets of hands on his arms, felt his body being braced between his brothers’ large, sturdy frames.

“I’m okay,” he breathed. “It’s Runa. I felt her shift back. Burn of re-entry, I guess.” He shuddered as the sensations eased away, was suddenly very glad he’d been drugged for his transformation. “She’s hungry.” A stirring in his groin told him food wasn’t all she craved.

Hell’s teeth.

“Go to her,” E said, in a tone that said he knew exactly what was going on. “Bring her in later.”

Shade pulled in a ragged breath. “We need to deal with Roag. He’s after us, and he might have more spies in the hospital. And Runa killed his female. He’ll be after her, too.”

“I still can’t believe he’s alive.” Eidolon picked up Shade’s chart and tucked it under his arm. “Do you know where you were being held?”

“It was a castle. Ireland, I think.”

Wraith bared his fangs. “I’ll find it. I swear to you, I’ll nail his ass to the wall.”

Shade nodded. If anyone could find Roag, Wraith could. His job at UG was to research, locate, and retrieve rare artifacts, spells … anything that might come in handy during the course of treating demons. He had experience, instinct, and single-minded focus that couldn’t be easily broken. When he wanted something, he got it.

“Be careful, bro. Roag has always had a real hard-on when it comes to you.” And speaking of hard-ons, Shade’s punched painfully against his scrub bottoms. He needed to get to Runa.

“That’s flattering,” Wraith said wryly, “but he’s still going to die.”

The door whispered open, and Ciska entered. “Doc E? We have a new trauma patient in the ER. Gem is asking for your assistance.”

“Got it.” Eidolon slapped a hand on Shade’s back as he passed. “Go to Runa. When you bring her in, we’ll get this figured out.” He disappeared down the hall, but before Ciska could follow, Shade stopped her.

“Got a second?”

“For you?” she purred, sliding seductive glances between him and Wraith. “Always. Are we going to party?”

Wraith shrugged, the motion casual, but he still looked a little wigged about everything. “I’m game.”

Wraith was always game if the female wasn’t human or vampire, and since the nurse was a pretty little Sora demon both Shade and Wraith had tapped, Wraith’s enthusiasm was a no-brainer.

“Come here.” Shade pointed at his brother. “You. Stay.”

Ciska sauntered up to him, pressed her ample chest to his, and began to rub in a way that should have triggered an electric tingle. But it didn’t. “Is he just going to watch?”

“Touch me,” Shade commanded.

Smiling, she reached down, grasped his cock. For a moment, he stayed hard. Hope soared. Maybe he wasn’t truly bonded to Runa. Maybe … she began to stroke, and he deflated like a punctured lung.

Fuck.

He wheeled away. The need for sex was still there, raw and persistent, but his groin felt as if it was connected to Runa by a rope. It tugged, bringing his erection back, making him burn.

Runa might not be marked, but he was definitely bonded to her. She wanted sex, and by the way his adrenaline was surging, she wanted it in a way she hadn’t before.

Damn her, she was going for his jugular, and it was only a matter of time before he bled out.