Hunted: A Claiming Novella (The Claiming) (23 page)

His
brow furrowed and she swore that he seemed closer to her, though she hadn’t
seen him take a step. Was this a vampire trick or her imagination?

“This
situation is one that neither of us seems to want.” For some reason, the fact
that he didn’t want her miffed her. Just a little.

“Then
let me go.” He didn’t shake his head, but she sensed the refusal in him.

Impossible.
I am sealed by a debt of honor to your father. I will uphold it, no matter how
complicated this matter is. The rules I mentioned before still stand and will
never change.”

He
had a mouth that if wasn’t pulled into that tight line might be kissable, even
lickable
. Dang, Chloe. What’s wrong with you? Checking out
the captor? She was crazy.

Honestly,
who upholds any of that old school stuff anyway? No one. My Papa didn’t even
pay into the whole patriarchal thing. Seriously, we were raised to be
independent and taught not to rely on a man. That fact that he’s…he’s given me
to you is ridiculous and completely wrong for him. Just let me go and we’ll call
it even. Your debt paid.”

“I
can’t do that, Ms. Bellum. I will not dishonor your father and the vow I made
to repay my debt to him. You will stay here, under my protection.”

She
scoffed. “And where is here?” His voice was like cold ice running over her. It
pebbled her nipples and brought goose bumps over her skin but not in a
pleasurable way.

“You
are at my castle in Norway. We are near the
Jorgmund
,
the biggest hole in the rift, where we get the most lapses. Many of the Atal
Warriors are stationed below the castle.”

Chloe
squeezed her eyes shut. Think! Okay, what would her sisters do? Willow was
probably already near China. No one could ever stop her, and Lily would
probably try to perform some voodoo to get free.

She
took a deep breath, which did the opposite of calming her, because she
accidentally drew in his scent. She gasped and felt a flash of pleasure surge
through her. He smelled as a man should, like something she could lick and bite
and sink her teeth into over and again.

Oh
God, what am I doing thinking thoughts like that! She was losing her mind.
First, her Papa died leaving her to this nonsense, and now she was stuck with
the most notorious man in the world. She would escape. She could do that. He
didn’t seem intent upon hurting her and she might even be able to use the fact
that he was indebted to her Papa to gain some leverage, if necessary.

Escape.
Her mind whirled with possibilities. Like how the heck did she get out of
Norway and to an airport? She didn’t even have any money on her.

“We
need to discuss what will occur at the next new moon.” The thought she’d been
having
came
to an abrupt stop in her head. Her eyes
slammed open and her back dug into the door to try to get away from him.

“You
can’t…we can’t,” she said, shaking her head to clear it. “No way,” she said
finally. The commander turned around and marched away. She took a deep breath;
it was as if he sucked up all the air in the room with his presence. Now she
could breathe, but it didn’t smell as delicious as it did when he was near.

She
tightened her grip on the towel to keep it from sliding down and embarrassing
the hell out of her while she slowly, quietly slipped her free hand behind her.
Her heart was beating so hard and fast, she prayed he couldn’t hear it. Could
vampires hear such things? She reached, searching for the door handle.

“Something
must be done. I am sure you are aware of the changes that you will go through
at the new moon.”

Chloe
glared at him. He knew just the right things to say to piss her off. “I am a
succubus; of course I know. Better than you, I’m sure,” she said without hiding
the sarcasm in her voice. “And I am not doing that with you,” she added for
good measure.

He
brought those eyes back to her, seemingly assessing everything about her. From
the red nail polish on her toes to the not-perfectly-thin figure she sported.
She clutched the towel tighter around her and did what she knew Willow would
do. She glared at him with a look that clearly said fuck you.

“That
is more than acceptable to me. I am sure you can find any number of willing
males around the castle for your time of need. I’d recommend one of my closest
guards because I sincerely trust them. If they do not meet your standards,
perhaps one of the other Atal Warriors that reside below the castle. Please
feel free to ask any of them. I shall not announce it to them in order to spare
your privacy.”

Chloe
thought his proclamation might be sweet if he didn’t say it with a tone that
bordered on arctic. Though she couldn’t help but think that he was acting as
her pimp with the suggestion. Bastard. Handsome bastard with a nasty scar that
kept drawing her gaze. What was the story behind it? Every scar had a story, no
matter how simple. Never mind, it didn’t matter. She was getting the hell out
of here.

“I’m
rather tired. I’d like to go now.” That is if I even get my own room. She swore
that if he tried to put her in his own bed, he was going to lose his balls by
the end of the night.

He
gave a clipped nod then strode toward her. Her heart kicked up again. If she
plastered herself any more thoroughly against the door, she’d carve herself
into it. Whatever she thought he was going to do, it wasn’t to reach behind her
and grab the door handle. His hand touched hers, which had curled tightly
around the brass. She squealed, jumping at his unexpected touch. The action
sent a series of events into motion.

Chloe
jerked her hand away from the shocking, scalding heat of his hand. The quick
motion dislodged the knot of her towel and sent the scrap of cloth fluttering
to a pool around her naked feet. As her wide eyes shot to his, she bent forward
to try to cover her nakedness. The commander, Tyrian en
Kulev’s
expression was something she would never, ever forget.

The
cool, indifferent blue of his eyes ran quickly over her nipples, stomach, and
sex. Those ice blue eyes widened a fraction, flared, and burned her with the
intensity of their heat. Chloe gasped in a mix of surprise and pleasure.
Stupidly she wondered if the commander had any idea how…seductive,
intoxicating, sexy, he looked right now.

The
bloom of heat that unfurled from inside her couldn’t be stopped, nor could the
thought of him taking her into his arms and kissing her. Do it, she pleaded
silently to his downcast eyes. How did he make her go so quickly from wanting
escape to wanting to be in his arms?

He
blinked and took one hard step back. The spell broke like glass shattering. He
didn’t meet her eyes, but pulled down the door handle and opened it. It was as
if the moment never happened.

“Draven,”
he called out. A second later, a tall warrior appeared at the door. His eyes
instantly hit hers and a grin spread across his face as his eyes trailed down
her body in a purely masculine sweep. His appearance didn’t have the intensity
that
Tyrian’s
had, nor did it warm her body in hot
anticipation. She recognized the warrior as one she’d twice punched solidly in
the face before he captured her.

Before
she had a chance to move, Tyrian flashed before her, picking up the towel and wrapping
it around her. She had only a brief glance, but it was enough to see the anger
in his eyes. At her or at the warrior? Another flare of heat sparked inside
her, warming her blood like hot syrup.

The
warrior named Draven nodded at her, and at
Tyrian’s
orders, led her to her room. Chloe ached to look back at the commander, which
was silly and all kinds of stupid. She was…attracted to him. Literally, the
absolute last thing she’d expected when she learned she was his. A warmth
washed over her back. Was he watching her right now as his guard led her away?

Surprisingly,
insanely, the thought of spending her new moon with the commander was not
unpleasant. Chloe followed the guard and wondered what her sisters would do in
this situation.

DISCOVER
THE SERIES

Chains
of Frost
(A Bellum Sisters Novel)

About the Author

T. A. Grey lives in Missouri
where she lets her imagination explore uncharted worlds, probabilities, and
creatures that don’t really exist. With a passion for books, especially ones
with feisty women and an occasionally heroic man of action, T.A. writes erotic
romance novels that test the limits of her creativity.

When she’s not writing,
she’s thinking about writing, and planning her next book. On the side, she
enjoys watching horror movies and stand-up comedians. She is married with five
cats, but she’s not married to the cats.

Learn more at
http://www.tagrey.com
.