Roxanne Desired (18 page)

“You’re
incredible,” I coughed as Nathan jumped over the last bit of rubble that was left after the explosion. He reached up and pulled me from his shoulder, his arms wrapping around me gently as he sat me down next to him. We were several feet from the building. I watched as flames roared and destroyed the large structure that we had just fled from like an enraged beast, but the hypnotic scene before me couldn’t hold a candle to Nathan. I looked up into his incredibly sexy brown eyes; eyes that already had me on lock down. His hair was coated in ash. His forehead was smeared black from soot. He looked incredibly handsome.

“You have a nasty habit of scaring the shit out of me,” Nathan rumbled.

“Yeah, well…it’s all in a day’s work.” I shrugged.

He wasn’t amused by my failed attempt at humor.

“May I suggest you consider taking a break from fighting bad guys long enough to kiss your mate?” He asked me with a hint of heat. The corners of his mouth lifted into an adorable grin.

“I suppose if you make it worth my while? I could consider it,” I jested.

In answer, I found myself completely consumed by a set of thick, strong arms. I pressed my body hard against his, instantly responding to his eagerness in kind. His velvet tongue took over my mouth and I had no choice but to cling to his muscled form. The hard but smooth ridges of his body melded perfectly to mine; my heart quickened. The only thing I wanted in this very minute was for Nathan to be inside of me. When he pulled away, I wanted to cry out in protest.

“Is that wild enough for you, my love?” His heated breath fell on me along with his words. I had to struggle to make heads or tails of them. The time for talk was over. I reclaimed his mouth.

He pulled away from me again and I swore. “Damn it, you’re driving me crazy. Just zip it and kiss me already.”

I was close to smacking him when he laughed, so it was no surprise to me or him when I punched him in the arm.

“I just have to finish up with Ember and Collin, and then I’m all yours,” He chuckled.

That was right. I had to do the same thing. I let myself forget about everything for a bit. It was an easy thing to do when I was being held in Nathan’s arms, the place where I felt the safest. He must have noticed my shift in moods because he took his finger and ran it in-between my eyes. I had a bad habit of scrunching my brows together when I was upset.

“Screw it. I can check in with them later. Let me take you home.”

I shook my head and turned away. “No, you’re right. We have to finish what we started here. Plus, I am sure there are some protocols on debriefing and all that fun stuff with the Adelphi I should follow up on.”

I grabbed Nathan’s hand as I passed him, tugging him along with me. We might have to go answer to our superiors, but there was no reason we couldn’t get some quality love time in as well. Oh, how I adored the rough, but still silken smoothness of his touch. I trailed my finger over his thumb, soaking the deliciousness of it up. If it wasn’t for his touch, I knew with a certainty I would be in rough shape. Sheets plumed with blood stains flashed through my mind. I quickly shook the disturbing image away.

The Adelphi and Prime wolves had done their jobs well. As we walked up, I noticed that Tegan was busy doing what she does best, ridding the earth of corpses. There were several dead wolves and vampires piled around in heaps, just waiting for her to get around to them. I caught the tail end of her cleansing process. She had just turned the vamp she hovered over into nothing but a pile of ash. He must have been a relatively young blood sucker. The older ones tended to
poof
into dust on their own. In front of us, Ember and the rest of the gang were standing in a closed circle. Ariel was pacing back and forth, all in a huff with her arms crossed over her middle.
What had her all in a tiff
? I wondered.

“They caught him,” Ariel said stomping over to us.

The magic she used to glamour herself was apparently turned off, no doubt because of how irate she seemed. Her light blue lips were pierced up in a smirk while her already wild hair flew all around her. The turbulent locks showcased a pair of swirling silver orbs; they were the eye of the storm. Not a stitch of clothing adorned her tiny body, but she didn’t seem to care that she was standing in the middle of a battlefield full of werewolves, buck-naked. It was just as well, nobody seemed to notice the oddness of it but me, which meant it most likely wasn’t odd at all for these otherworldly creatures. Just another thing for me to get used to, I guess.

“Who, Ariel? Who did they catch?” I asked in a calm tone.

“Vampire Tyson. The rat was trying to skitter away amidst all the commotion from the explosion, but the handsome Dragon caught up to him before he could make his escape.”

A magnificent feeling of relief filled my bones. I actually had to stop myself from jumping up and down like a child. My muscles relaxed. I almost felt weightless, wobbly from the sudden release of stress.

I half expected to see a fight break out between all the people that Tyson wronged, me included. But everyone standing around him seemed calm. Everyone that is, but Ariel.

Ember turned around at the sound of our voices. Her expression was strained. Her cheeks were sunken and her forehead was filled with frown lines. She smiled though, when she saw me, a real smile that lit up her sallow face. No matter who ended up being my Alpha or leader after today, my loyalties would always remain with her.

“You kicked some ass today, Roxy. I’m impressed,” she said, walking over to stand in front of me. “You really came through for me today. For us all, really.”

Her praise once again brought me back to the medical facility, gun in hand…blood. I didn’t want to relive this nightmare so soon.

“Thank you, Ember. I was just doing what I thought you might do in the same situation.”

Ember laughed and pulled me into an embrace. I sunk into it, enjoying the female camaraderie and sisterly affection. I had always wanted a sister.

“I think you even surpassed me,” she chuckled before letting me go. “Speaking of, I was asked to tell you something.”

Ariel was standing off to the side, following our conversation with interest as well as irritation. I ignored the nymph.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Paige says she forfeits from tonight’s challenge. So congrats, you win,” she said.

I wasn’t very surprised to hear that Paige had decided to call a truce. Her and I had experienced something down in that hole that surpassed the petty fights and overzealous actions of jealous women. We had gone into war together, and come through the experience baring the same battle wounds.

“That doesn’t work for me,” I said flatly.

Ember and Nathan looked at me with wide eyes. Ariel dropped her sourpuss expression long enough to give me a knowing smile.

“Well, why the hell not? I think under the circumstances,” Ember began, but I cut her off.

“It won’t work because I won’t allow her to lose. She is an Alpha and I have come to understand how important that position is. I refuse to be a part of sullying her winning streak. So I forfeit as well. There will be no victor.”

Ember threw her head back and laughed. Everyone stopped whatever they were in the middle of and looked over at us.

“There will be a lot of pissed off wolves when I break the news. Not to mention, it’s going to be a real bitch getting everybody’s money back to them,” Ember explained. Her smile never leaving her face.

“I’m sure they’ll live,” Nathan said, joining in. “Do you mind if I steal my female away from all of this? Unless you guys still need us for something?”

Ember waved us off, “Everything is about wrapped up here. We’re taking Sylvia and Tyson back to the compound, and we put a call in to our contacts to ensure that all the police and firemen dispatched here are all wolves. It’s handled.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Nathan’s words were rushed as he scooped his arm around my waist, pulling me close enough to snuggle his face into my neck.

“There’s a promise I made to you that I fully intend on keeping,” He purred in my ear.

Instant passion spread through me, sending shockwaves of want directly to the area between my legs. Nathan caught the scent of my arousal and his teasing purr turned into a growl of promise.

By some miracle of God, I was able to make my vocal cords work. “You’ll make sure Ariel gets her blood?” I asked Ember.

“Yes, yes, she’ll get her blood. Now get out of here. Go have some fun with your mate. It’s well deserved,” Ember ordered.

And as any dutiful werewolf would, I did what my sire asked of me and took off to have some
fun
.

“Come
to me,” Nathan’s seductive voice beckoned. He pulled his shirt over his head, peeling the fabric up to reveal a finely chiseled chest. The smooth ridges of his muscles spread across his body perfectly. I could spend forever tracing the outline of those hills and plains. He let the shirt fall to the sand, then held his hand out to me.

My body quivered. My bare feet sank into the sand as I strolled across the beach to reach him. A cool breeze lifted my hair, my bare body glinted in the moonlight. It was like I was the star of my very own romance movie. When I reached Nathan, he ran a tender hand across my hip. The caress and magnificent view of him standing naked before me made my knees weaken; I was thoroughly aroused.

“I feel like I will die if you don’t take me soon,” I whimpered.

Running the back of his hand across my belly, he cooed. “You can’t die, my love, you’re immortal.”

“That’s not what I meant,” I whined.

My feet came out from underneath me, kicking sand up into an arch. With my body cradled into his arms, he turned and ran toward the water.

“No!” I shrieked over an uncontrollable laugh, “That water is freezing!”

He ignored my pleas and kept running. I had time for only one more chance of saving myself from an ice bath, so I dug deep into my arsenal for the right excuse.

“The water’s so cold you won’t be able to get it up,” I challenged.

That stopped him dead in his tracks. Unfortunately, it didn’t have the desired effect I had hoped for.

“Woman, I can keep it up through a blizzard. I’ll just have to prove it to you.” His face lit up with determination.

It felt like ice shards were stabbing me in a million separate places all at once, successfully robbing me of breathe when my body hit the water. Nathan had submerged us completely, waves rolling over our heads and all, before he released me to swim to the surface. As perturbed by the cold water as I was, I couldn’t rid my face of the cheesy grin plastered across it. Truth be told, even with the ice cold water, I loved every minute of his sweet torture.

In the dimness of the clear night, moon riding high above the clouds, I searched the top of the water for Nathan. He hadn’t come up to the surface with me; he must have decided to play around in the deep a little while longer.

After a few minutes, my calm countenance turned to worry. I had an unobstructed view of the entire ocean and beach, so I knew that he hadn’t gotten out yet. Tiny waves rolled against the water, making slapping sounds; the quiet was doing its best to befuddle my thoughts. He was still under the water, of that I was certain. The theme song to Jaws started playing in my mind and I cursed.

“Nathan, this isn’t funny. Where are you?”

Something knocked up against my leg. I jerked away and kicked the area where I had just been. It was a silly gesture. Jaws could eat me up in one gulp, and what would a kick from a werewolf do to a shark? Piss him off even more, that’s what. I shivered. Did sharks even swim in the shallows? Then I felt him. A set of strong hands traveled up my legs, slowly nudging them open. Fingers trolled their way in between my curls, entering me slowly. One at first, drawing it in and then out of me for a few moments. Then he pulled his finger free before replacing it with two instead. Pleasure racked my body and I threw my head back with a moan. He kept his fingers inside of me as he lifted his head from the water. Clear liquid rivulets crept down Nathan’s face, trickling slowly over his brow and cheek, before tracing across his lips and disappearing under his chin. Chestnut eyes caught mine, holding my gaze prisoner. I braced myself for his kiss. The sensation of his fingers moving inside of me was enhanced by his probing stare; all that was missing was the sweet taste of his tongue. I tilted my head forward, bringing his lips closer to mine. It was like we were moving in slow motion, except his fingers; they were moving with wild abandon. My tongue slipped between his lips and he bit down on it just a touch, nibbling on the tender flesh before he sucked it all the way into his mouth. I groaned. His low, rumbled response vibrated against my breasts. Abruptly, Nathan’s finger left my folds, causing me to rake my claws down his back in reprimand. He had brought me close to the brink of release before stopping. Fortunately, I wasn’t left deprived for long as he pulled my legs up and around his waist, his hardened flesh pushed against me, fighting for entrance. I reached down and wrapped my hand around him, and by pushing him against my slick flesh while giving my hips a little twist, I was finally rewarded as he sunk into me, filling me so completely that I was precariously close to bursting with pleasure. After another long thrust, he reached deep inside of me, bringing me to a fever pitch of madness. I grabbed hold of the back of his head with both hands, my fingers tangled in his wild, wet mop. He bucked against me. I rode him back with the same fervor. Heat infused lust caused me to see red. My gums pulsed, thrummed, as my fangs slid through them. My head flew back, I screamed, filling the starry night with desire. My neck snapped forward and I latched on hard to Nathan’s shoulder. I heard a sharp intake of breath as his corded muscles bunched up underneath my grip. I almost released my hold on him, but he soon relaxed, a sound of pure ecstasy swiftly replacing his temporary show of apprehension. His blood coated my throat with pure bliss; I sucked harder. He pumped his thickness in and out of me, moving faster, wilder. His primal nature took over, delivering thrusts that had me toppling over into climax. I exploded; my core, my taste buds, any coherent thought shattered into a million pieces. I retracted my fangs. He bucked hard against me, and then after one final thrust, he careened over into the bliss of his own release.

***

I found Ember alone in the dining room soon after Nathan and I returned from our dip in the ocean. Tiny goose bumps prickled over my skin at the thought of our mini getaway.

Her head lifted up and she smiled as I entered the room. “Come sit with me,” She beckoned.

I strode over and sat in the chair across from her. “I hope you have enough of that stuff for me,” I said, eyeing a shot glass she was filling up with tequila.

After she pushed the glass over to me she began to fill another for herself. When finished, she lifted the glass to me. “Cheers.”

“Cheers.” I reciprocated.

The shot burned going down, but I liked it. I slammed the glass on the table, then pushed it back to her.

“Have you found the witch yet?” I asked, referring to the water witch who helped Tyson create his army of zombie-like wolves.

“Yeah, we got her. Well, the dragon did anyway. He incinerated her. He seems to like burning things.” Ember chuckled.

I threw back the second shot. “Yeah, I noticed.”

It was nice just to sit back, get drunk, and shoot the shit with another female. I almost felt normal for a change. Well, if you didn’t count our topic of conversation, then the scene could be considered normal.

“Alpha, we have a huge problem,” Amos, head of Ember’s security team, growled as he raced into the room.

Before he could fill us in, Ember’s face went blank, the way it did when her and Collin were communicating telepathically.

She sat up, pushing back against the table so fast that her chair went flying and the bottle of liqueur we had been making short work of, toppled over and shattered to the floor. She took off.

“What the hell happened?” My voice almost came out as a squeak.

“It’s Dane. We had a security breach, a traitor among the Greyson pack.”

Ember screamed. I sprinted after her, pumped my legs up the stairs so fast that I must have looked like a blur to anyone watching. I stopped when I came to the entryway of Dane’s bedroom. The door was ajar and on the floor, curled up in Collin’s arms, Ember laid crying. In her hand she held a light blue t-shirt crumpled against her chest. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the cub’s shirt had blood stains on it.

“What the fuck is going on?” Harper demanded.

She flew into the room, knees skidding against the hardwood; she landed before the grief stricken couple. She pulled the shirt from Ember’s grasp and shoved it in her pale face, taking a big sniff.

“This isn’t Dane’s blood, Ember.” Harper explained cautiously and with obvious relief of her own.

Ember’s eyes were wild with terror and she looked like she was about to spontaneously combust. She snatched the shirt from Harper and buried her nose into the soiled fabric.

“Sadie,” Ember whispered.

Her wild eyes searched the room. After a few seconds, she sprang forth into the air, traversing about fifteen feet in the span of a second. She landed soundlessly in her son’s bathroom.

I followed Harper and Collin as they entered the room, just seconds behind Ember. She was standing in a large, round shower running her hands over a diamond pattern that was composed of large, teal glass tiles. She pushed against the center square tile, and then lifted her finger up to the top one, pressing that one in too. She let out a deep breath, moving on to the very left tile of the diamond pattern, pushing that tile in as well. The wall clicked and began to move. Ember clasped her hands in front of her nervously before taking a step inside the hidden passage.