Bound by Danger (The Alliance, Book 6) Read online

  There was only one explanation for what propelled him beyond what should have been his capabilities in those tunnels, and that was his need to protect his mate. Shit.

  He almost turned to look at her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. If she was his mate—and he believed she was—he was condemning her to a brutal life, and that was only if she agreed to it. She could walk away, and he would let her because he couldn’t bring himself to make her unhappy. And if she walked away, his life was over.

  He released a long breath through his clamped teeth and dug his fingers into his thighs as he stared at the phone. He had to call; it was the only thing that would keep her safe, but for the first time in his life, he dreaded talking to Ronan.

  He’d nearly given in and become one of their enemies. How could he look at Ronan and the others while knowing this about himself?

  However, he’d never been a coward, and he wasn’t about to start now.

  CHAPTER 21

  Lucien lifted the phone from the receiver and punched in the last number he had for Ronan. Instead of a ringing phone, he was greeted with a recorded message saying they didn’t allow long-distance calls.

  Shit. He hadn’t considered that. Shit!

  Rising from the bed, he walked over to the door and opened it. He stepped onto the sidewalk and searched up and down the row of rooms. No lights were on; he could walk next door, knock on the door, and wake someone up to use their cell, but he couldn’t leave Callie alone to do it.

  He detected no hint of Savages anywhere nearby, but he wasn’t taking the chance. In the morning, he would confiscate a cell phone from one of his neighbors and make the call. It was safer to leave her alone in the daytime.

  Retreating to their room, he closed the door and turned to find her studying him. She looked away before rising and pulling back the blankets. Callie felt his eyes boring into her as she slid onto the bed.

  Her body melted into the soft mattress, and she tugged the blankets up to her chin. With her adrenaline gone and the effects of the warm shower wearing off, she was becoming acutely aware of her sore, knotted muscles.

  She’d been in fight-or-flight mode ever since they threw her into the back of that van, and though she’d slept last night, it hadn’t been enough. She longed for sleep, but as Lucien padded around the bed and the mattress sagged from his weight on the other side, she knew it would prove elusive.

  Lucien racked his brain as he tried to come up with a reason for her distance. She was fine when they entered the lobby; something had changed after that. He recalled lifting his head from the young woman’s neck to discover her gone. He’d nearly shoved the woman away from him in his rush to find her.

  And there she was, standing outside, staring at the horizon. She’d been distant and cold ever since.

  “I have to feed if I’m going to survive,” he said.

  Callie’s fingers dug into the blankets. She did not want to talk about this. “I know.”

  Lucien turned toward her, but she remained on her side with her back to him. Her body was rigid beneath the blanket.

  He didn’t know what to say that would bridge the growing gulf between them. His hand stretched toward her before falling a couple of inches away from her.

  “I’m sorry you had to witness it,” he said.

  Callie stared at the curtains covering the picture window across from her as she tried not to recall the clerk’s erotic moan, but it was all she could hear. She resisted the urge to hit something.

  She’d been through so much these past few months. Her life was finally getting back to normal, and now she was lying in bed with a vampire who made her more jealous than she’d ever been in her life. She had to say something; he couldn’t know she’d been jealous of that woman. It was humiliating.

  “It’s fine,” she said.

  Lucien didn’t have much experience dealing with women, but he knew those two words were never good.

  “I won’t let it happen again,” he said. “I’m more in control now. I’m still thirsty, but it’s not the same.”

  He said those words, but he was aware his eyes were still red. He didn’t know how much blood it would take to get them to return to normal. Or maybe it wasn’t blood he required for them to return to normal; perhaps they would remain red until she was completely safe.

  That possibility was like a slap upside the head. He should have realized it sooner, but though he was feeling ten thousand times better, he still wasn’t up to his full strength, and his mind was a little sluggish to catch up.

  “It’s fine,” she repeated.

  “Obviously, it’s not. You’re angry at me.”

  Callie ground her teeth together and closed her eyes as she willed herself to stop acting like an idiot. She had to get past this, or else he would suspect the truth. “I’m exhausted.”

  He didn’t believe her. She’d been exhausted when they were walking into the motel too, but she’d still talked to him and allowed his touch. Now, when he lifted his hand and settled it against her side, she stiffened beneath him.

  He removed his hand. “Callie—”

  “I just want to sleep, Lucien.”

  He decided against pushing her further. With a sigh, he pulled back the bedspread and blanket before sliding beneath them.

  He hated sleeping in his jeans, but he didn’t think she’d appreciate it if he pulled them off to sleep nude beside her. In fact, she’d probably run screaming from this place if he did. If she were his mate, he’d better get a whole lot better at understanding women real fast. His mind churned with things to say, but they all sounded stupid to him.

  She turned the TV down and set the remote beside her, but with his acute hearing, he still heard every word as its flickering glow played across the ceiling. He twisted the blanket in his hands as he resisted his impulse to touch her.

  She belongs to me. Maybe that was true, but it didn’t mean she wanted to belong to him, and even if it destroyed him, her happiness would come first. If she decided to walk away, he would let her.

  The possibility caused his fangs to lengthen as anger coiled inside him, but he worked to suppress both reactions. He’d tasted her blood, which meant his need to complete the bond would only intensify. However, he’d taken her blood from her by force; he wouldn’t take anything else from her unless she gave it willingly.

  “How come you didn’t call your friends?” she asked.

  “They don’t allow long-distance calls. I’ll get a cell phone from someone here tomorrow. I can’t chance going into a store and being caught on camera to buy one.”

  Callie didn’t speak again, and when he shifted on the bed, she realized he was only a foot away from her. The hair on her nape rose as she became acutely aware of his nearness, the fresh scent of soap, and how easy it would be to roll over and touch him. Beneath the smell of the soap, she caught the faint aroma of ginger and realized it was coming from him.

  Her mouth went dry at the possibility, and her pulse picked up. She imagined running her fingers down his chest, between the ridges of his abs, and through the patch of hair leading to his jeans.

  An ache spread between her legs, and it took all she had not to moan like the clerk. Her nipples puckered as she labored to control her breathing.

  Lucien sensed the change in her as the rise and fall of her chest came faster and her inherent, pomegranate aroma increased. Unable to resist, he rested his hand against her side again. This time, when she stiffened, he didn’t remove his hand.

  Instead, he slid it lower to her hip; her breath sucked in, and the scent of her arousal on the air increased. She was upset about something, but she wanted him, and he wanted her. He’d just jerked off, but his cock became rock-hard again as he imagined caressing every inch of her silken flesh.

  With subtle pressure on her hip, he turned her toward him, and she didn’t resist. When she was on her back, her head turned toward him, and her damp hair spilled across her face as her cognac-colored eyes met his. Her pupils
dilated, and her pulse fluttered in her neck.

  His fangs extended as he pictured tasting her again. She’d been pure ambrosia, and he would give anything to have her blood filling him while his shaft filled her.

  He held her gaze as his fingers slipped beneath her shirt to the silken skin of her flat belly. She didn’t protest, and her mouth parted when his hand slid lower to the waistband of her jeans.

  With deft fingers, he slid the button free and pushed the zipper down while he waited for her to stop him. She didn’t stop him, and when his hand slid inside her underwear, her eyes started to close.

  “Look at me,” he commanded.

  At his words, Callie’s eyes flew open, and she met his fiery gaze as his finger found her clit. He stroked it with an expertise that caused her body to quiver in response. This was a bad idea, but unable to stop herself, she melted beneath his touch.

  CHAPTER 22

  Lucien propped his head on his palm as his fingers slid through her wetness as his dick strained against his jeans. “Tell me what’s bothering you,” he said as he teased her with a finger.

  She gasped, and her hips rose toward him. He worried his words might push her away, but he suspected she was as far gone to him as he was to her, and he needed answers.

  He watched her every reaction as he learned what she enjoyed the most. When he stretched her further and slid another finger into her, her eyes started to close again.

  “Keep looking at me,” he said.

  They opened again, and when they met his, he saw the ecstasy and uncertainty in her gaze. He despised that uncertainty. Determined to make sure she had nothing but faith in him, he teased her as he listened to her sounds of pleasure and her hips matched the rhythm of his hand.

  He watched her with an intensity that Callie found as unnerving as she did exciting. No one had ever studied her with such possessive, raw desire. She’d always felt a little self-conscious with her past partners, but she didn’t with him.

  It was impossible to feel self-conscious when he was looking at her like she was the most beautiful woman on earth.

  He edged closer and pulled his hand away. She groaned in disappointment until he gripped the waistband of her jeans and started tugging them down her hips. He held her eyes the entire time, and though she knew this was a hideously bad idea, her ass lifted off the bed so he could pull the jeans lower.

  He tossed aside her pants and settled beside her again. “Tell me what’s bothering you,” he said as he ran his hand up her thigh.

  Unable to tolerate not seeing her, he pulled back the blankets to drink in her long, taut thighs and the patch of trimmed, black curls between her legs. He couldn’t stop touching her as he took in her beauty, but he required answers.

  “Tell me what upset you,” he commanded.

  Callie gulped as his eyes devoured her and something in his gaze sent a shiver down her back. The ravenous way he stared at her both excited and unnerved her. His eyes found hers again as his hand slid between her legs once more. She arched into his touch, but he didn’t enter her again, and she knew he was waiting for an answer.

  “That woman,” she whispered.

  “What about her?” Lucien asked as he removed his hand from between her thighs to grip the bottom of her shirt.

  Callie lifted her arms as he tugged her shirt over her head and tossed it aside. She hadn’t bothered to put a bra on after her shower. It was bad enough sleeping in jeans; she couldn’t handle her underwire digging into her boobs all night too.

  His gaze latched onto her breasts, and that ravenous spark came into his eyes again. She’d give anything to forget what brought them together, and there was no better way to do that than to lose herself to this magnificent man.

  “What about the woman?” Lucien prodded as he drank in her lush, curvy figure.

  She was achingly lovely with her full breasts and rounded hips. As he skimmed his knuckles beneath her breasts, he realized he would never get enough of touching her. But he wanted so much more. Lucien met her eyes again as he gripped the button of his jeans, undid it, and pulled them down.

  “She enjoyed what you did to her.” But then, Callie thoroughly enjoyed what he was doing to her too as he stoked the fire inside her ever higher.

  Lucien didn’t move as hope flared in his chest. Desire was one thing, but jealousy might mean there were feelings involved too.

  “And you didn’t like that?” he asked.

  “No, I didn’t.”

  He just stopped himself from grinning like an idiot. He didn’t have to be an expert in women to know she would not appreciate that. Lucien kicked his jeans aside before rolling on top of her; he pushed his thigh between hers.

  “Then I won’t do it again, at least not in front of you. I have to feed, but unless I have no other choice, I will feed only on men from now on. Would that make you happier?”

  Callie’s eyes widened. “You would do that for me?”

  I’d do anything for you. He almost blurted those words out, but he managed to hold them back. “Yes.”

  Bending his head, he lowered his mouth to hers and nibbled on her enticing bottom lip. He ran his tongue along it as he enjoyed the warmth of her breath against his lips. When her mouth parted, his tongue slid inside, and he tasted her in slow thrusts that had his dick aching to match the pace he set.

  However, he was determined to savor her as he kept himself propped up on one hand while the other explored her enticing curves. Cupping one of her breasts, he enjoyed the fullness of it as it spilled out of his hand a little.

  He ran his thumb around her nipple before giving it a small pinch that caused her to gasp. He enjoyed her reaction as he turned his attention to her other breast and mimicked the motion. All he wanted was to be inside her, but he took it slow as he learned more about her. He ran his hand down her belly to the junction between her thighs.

  He pried his mouth away from hers to watch her reaction as he stroked her clit. “Do you like this?” he inquired as he teased her entrance.

  Too much. The man—no, the vampire was like a drug. She couldn’t get enough of the way he made her come alive.

  No one had ever touched her with such reverence and confidence. She was like a powder keg building toward an explosion, and he was the match. his was a giant mistake, but her brain no longer had control over her body, and she was extremely happy about that.

  When his red eyes met hers, she saw the demand for an answer in them. “Yes,” she said.

  “How about this?” he inquired as he shifted his hand.

  “Oh, yes,” she breathed as she squirmed against him and lifted her body demandingly toward him. She was tired of being teased.

  “Not yet,” Lucien murmured and kissed her again before pulling his hand away.

  Before Callie could protest, his mouth moved down her body to her breasts. His tongue laved one nipple before he tugged it gently with his teeth; then he turned his attention to her other breast. Her body begged for release, but she was fascinated by his sandy blond head moving further down her body.

  When his tongue dipped into her belly button, she entwined her fingers in his hair and held him as he moved lower. Her pulse thundered with anticipation when he nipped at her hip before sliding his hands under her ass.

  This was all moving too fast, but she loved every delicious second of it as he lifted her ass off the bed. She kept waiting for self-consciousness to kick in, especially when his eyes latched onto hers. He stared at her with a greedy hunger, both exciting and unnerving as his breath warmed her clit.

  Then he bent his mouth to her, and she stopped thinking as his mouth settled over her. Callie kept her hands entangled in his hair as she pulled him closer while he tasted her until she was little more than putty in his capable hands.

  She’d been tongue fucked before, but never like this. Before, it was always a quick thing that was just starting to get good when it ended. Now, it was as if Lucien loved every second of what he did to her as he used his tong
ue and fingers to make her rock demandingly against him.

  Lucien dragged her closer as he relished the sweet taste of her on his tongue. Before this was over, his scent would cover her inside and out.

  She was soft and delectable as her cries became louder. When she was nearing climax, he used his tongue to push her over the edge. He tasted her orgasm before lowering her ass to the bed and leveling himself over her.

  Her eyes were still dazed when they met his. A small smile curved her mouth, but he didn’t give her time to come completely down before he grasped his cock, guided himself to her entrance, and plunged inside.

  Callie bit her lip as he settled deep within her. She’d never been with someone so large before, and it took her a minute to adjust to him. He seemed to sense this as he remained unmoving inside her.

  His red eyes locked on hers, and as they stared at each other, the red faded from them and a pure, raven black color replaced it. Callie barely breathed as those beautiful, black eyes stared down at her. That black was the real color of his eyes; she knew it as well as she knew the feel of his chiseled body against hers.

  This was the real Lucien. She hadn’t seen him at his strongest, but she knew she was staring into the eyes of the man who existed before his imprisonment. An unexpected heartache bloomed in her chest as she lifted her hand and rested it against his cheek.

  When she first met him, Callie never would have believed she could come to care for this man, but somewhere along the way, she had. And that could prove to be more treacherous to her than the Savages.

  When he withdrew before plunging into her again, it was still a little uncomfortable, but she was adapting to the size of him. She lifted her hips to take him deeper as she threaded her fingers through his hair and held his gaze.

  Lucien couldn’t tear his eyes away from hers as he moved within her. She was so tight, hot, and wet it took everything he had not to come as soon as he entered her. However, he was determined to have her experience ecstasy again before he found his release.