“Do what you must, my love, but I’m not letting you go in after Kale.”
There it was. Challenge issued. Arys looked so damn sure of himself, so prepared to do what it took to bend me to his will. It had always been this way with us. The peace only lasted so long. Conflict would follow the twins always… It echoed in my mind, a dark reminder that the odds were not in our favor.
The two of us had faced off over many things, big and small. One of the biggest issues we’d faced was my choice to seek help from Arys’s sire, Harley. It was a dangerous and probably dumb move. It had set Arys off in ways I didn’t care to remember. However, I had learned a few things from Harley that had saved my ass since. I wasn’t sorry. Nor was I sorry that I’d killed him after.
If I was sorry for any of it, it was only that the death of his sire had hurt Arys. Of course, his little trip down memory lane with Harley hadn’t been so easy on me. Catching the two of them in bed bleeding a naked woman was one image I’d rather not have burned into my memory forever. Still, the image of Shaz and Bianca was worse, much worse.
As I stared into Arys’s inhuman eyes, I was faced with a choice. I could lose my temper and give him the fight he was seeking, or I could find another way around it. I’d had more than enough conflict for one week; that wasn’t what I needed from him right now.
No, what I needed was a brief reprieve from all of it. I kissed him without thought or hesitation. Pouring the raw emotions into it, I devoured him. Arys didn’t miss a beat. Kissing me back hungrily, he slipped his tongue between my lips. He tasted faintly of blood. Shaz’s blood.
I groaned, but it wasn’t because I didn’t like it. Tasting Shaz on Arys sparked a fire low in my core. Sliding my hands into his disheveled hair, I pulled him against me with a ravenous need.
The frenzy driving me caught Arys up in its pull. I needed a release, some kind of rapture to chase the pain into the shadows if just for a moment. Arys was quick to comply with my demand for him to satisfy my need. His hands were on my hips, and his lips found the ticklish spot on my neck.
I tugged at his robe, peeling it off him like I was unwrapping candy. I couldn’t get to what was inside fast enough. Running my hands over the hard expanse of Arys’s chest down to his stomach, I captured his shaft in one hand. Eliciting a moan from him brought a smile to my lips.
Dropping to my knees before him, I took him into my mouth with an eager flick of my tongue. He said my name like it was both a curse and a blessing.
Arys threaded a hand into my hair, grasping my head with a demanding affection. Heat raced to my groin. I took great joy in his response to my careful manipulations. The power and control I had over him was intoxicating. Only when his hand tightened painfully in my hair did I stop.
I backed him up against the couch so he was forced to sit. While he watched, I stripped off my clothes then wasted no time climbing onto his lap. His arms went around me, clutching me tightly to him. He buried his face in my neck as I slid down his hard length. A sigh of relief escaped me.
I set the pace atop him. I hungered for control, something I didn’t feel I’d had a lot of lately. This man was mine, and I was going to take from him what I needed. That kind of control was dizzying, erotic.
“Think you can shut me up, huh?” Arys murmured, his mouth hot against my skin.
“It’s working so far, isn’t it?” I silenced him with a bruising kiss. Arys was a smooth talker who could talk his way out of or into anything. He was used to being in charge. But, not this time.
A growl rumbled low in his throat, and I laughed in delight. I could feel the wolf creeping around inside him, unable to break free. It wasn’t real, merely an echo of my own wolf. Still, it was as dangerous as any caged beast.
He gripped my hips in an attempt to guide my rhythm. I shoved his hands away, pinning them at his sides. With a shake of my head, I smiled wickedly. Having him inside me didn’t free me from the emotional turmoil I carried, but it did lift me up on a wave of euphoric, glorious ignorance.
The sound of our moans and cries filled the room. I pushed Arys to the limit. He brought me to climax again and again before finding his own release.
The sexual energy surrounding us was potent and spicy. I leaned forward to rest my head on his shoulder while I savored it. He said nothing for a long time. He just held me.
Finally, he whispered, “Let’s just stay in tonight. You should rest. Take some time to think.”
“Sounds like a great idea. I just need to do something first.”
“Does it involve being wolf? Because I can feel your beast inside me in a desperate way.”