Soul Avenged (Sons of Wrath, #1) (37 page)

No doubt,
Ayden could tear him to shreds. Could mutilate his body with the
knife, and he’d just given her consent to do so. Her arms bore the
evidence of her indifference to pain. Something inside, deep
inside, that he hadn’t entirely connected to yet, trusted her,
though. Something that she hadn’t earned from him—a willing trust
he’d developed for her.

Her fingers
danced across his chest, tickling his skin.

Kane shivered,
the anxiety of trying to anticipate her moves crawling beneath his
skin. Thoughts of her plunging the knife into his chest briefly
infiltrated his mind. Not her style, though. She was the kind of
woman, a hunter, who thrilled in the fight—the challenge and
conflict. She’d be bored with an easy kill.

Pain, however,
was another story.

He reveled in
her light touch, her fingertips against his skin, until the
sensation disappeared.

Cold steel
replaced it. Like the broadside of the blade. Smooth metal gave way
to a sharp tip. His muscles tensed, his hands balled into fists
inside the cuffs.

Yet, his
erection throbbed to the beat of his heart.

What the fuck
is wrong with me?

Pressure left
a burn as the tip dragged across his chest.

He groaned,
hips grinding, and curled his fingers around the bars of the
headboard.

The pain
vanished. Smooth coolness of the broadside blade returned and
lightly brushed against his skin but left no burn.

His pulse
raced.

The tip
pierced his muscle. Another drag across his chest, deeper, leaving
a trail of fire.

“Motherfucker!”

Trickles of
warmth slid down his ribcage.
Blood.
Feathery sweeps of the
tip ended in a gentle tap over his heart.

Another
pause.

What is she
doing?
His body prickled, awaiting the sensation.

“No,” she
murmured.

A clang rang
out, and Kane jumped.
What’s going on?

Warm hands
wrapped around his shaft, guiding it into a soft wet sheath.

“Goddamn.”
Kane expelled the breath he’d been holding.

She rocked and
stirred in a slow, hypnotic rhythm.

He stretched
his fingers, yearning to break from the cuffs and grab her hips. He
wanted to see her. That face, intoxicated with lust. “Take the
blindfold off.”

“No,” she
whispered.

She moved
faster. Up and down, up and down. He didn’t need to raise his hips
to meet her. Her body curved and came down on him hard.

“Release …” He
could hardly form a word. “Want to touch you.”

“There are no
safewords in this game.” Breath feathered his ear. She slowed down
again, a merciless tease to the needs beginning to consume him.
“I’ll drag this out. All fucking night, if I want.”

“Do what you
gotta do.” Kane bit down on his inner cheek. Hell, it could be his
last time with a woman. He’d do it all night long if she
wanted.

Ayden’s hips
slowed. The sound of a click, and his hands were free, though she
remained atop of him.

He brushed the
blindfold away.

Ayden stopped
moving. A quick appraisal of his chest revealed the wounds had
begun to seal already. Dried blood trailed across his ribs.

Enough
play.

In a quick and
fluid move, his arms snaked around her waist, and he rolled over
her, forcing her back against the pillow. Grabbing hold of her
wrists, he brought both arms up over her head.

She snarled
and jerked against him.

Keeping her
arms captive with one hand, he lifted her shirt with the other and
peeled back the unhooked bra beneath. Her nipple hardened against
his tongue as he flicked and sucked it.

She writhed
beneath him. “No.”

Kane glanced
up to see her eyes roll back as she bit her lip.

He continued
to torment her with his tongue while entering her slowly. The tugs
of her hands as he held her imprisoned told him that a battle raged
between her body and mind. He stirred his hips, bone grinding
bone.

Ayden tipped
her head back, knees spread wide as though to welcome him. She
opened her mouth to a soft moan. “Harder.”

A graze of his
teeth against her nipple before he bit her flesh—silent
command.

She cried
out.

He switched
breasts while keeping a steady rhythm.

No woman had
ever incited such an urge to possess. Take her. Own her. At the
same time, he yearned for her to enjoy it. His pride swelled at the
thought of her begging for him, as he filled her and watched her
squirm beneath him in pleasure. Pleasure that
he’d
given.

Her eyes
remained closed, skin flush, lips parted.

“Look at me,
Ayden,” he murmured.

Half-lidded,
she stared up at him, and her moans grew louder, more
excitable.

The pressure
becoming more than he could stand, he quickened his pace, his
rhythm increasing with the need for release.

Her legs
wrapped around his back Her hands slipped from his grasp and nails
dug into his flesh. The tightness of her body told Kane she was
close.

Biting back,
he slowed again and reached between them. Fingers enveloped in soft
warmth, he massaged her cleft, spreading her wetness.

***

Since having
left the Alexi, Ayden only taken up with two sex partners. One, a
nameless man she’d seduced out of sheer curiosity; and Gavin.
Neither had incited such a need for touch—and she’d never allowed
them to kiss her. Not on the lips. Much as Gavin wanted to, she’d
denied him that pleasure. Casual sex. A release of tension—nothing
more.

With Kane, it
seemed … different.

Ayden relaxed
her muscles and arched into him.

Opening her
eyes, she stared up at him, as he tormented her with his seeking
fingers and unyielding thrusts.

Is he
real?

His fingers
traveled her skin and exposed her most sensual desires, like that
of a man who coveted her darkest secrets. A sense of comfort washed
over her—a blanket of familiarity in the man she’d met only a few
days before. As if she’d known her lover all along.

As she stared
up at him, images flooded her mind—all of them foreign to her.
Fantasies. Memories. Her own? She didn’t know. Part of her didn’t
care. Kane acted as a physical embodiment of a world she wished to
explore. Giving. The person
she
may have been at one
time.

Just a
fantasy.

The words
sought to gain purchase in her conscience. Nothing would have to
come of their union.

His body moved
in the same familiar measure as the figure in her mind. Whether the
emotions toward Kane were real or imagined, they felt good—
damn
good
. She could regret it the next day, but for that moment,
she relinquished her mind for her body.

In spite of
Kane’s inner beast showing in his silvery eyes and savage
expression, he maintained his control, showering her in gentle
kisses and light sweeps of his fingertips. His touch, like
electricity beneath her skin, heated her blood and awakened her
soul.

She needed his
touch. Hungered for it.

Don’t
stop.

Something
inside of her delighted in his demands to keep his shirt on her, to
please him. She answered to no one, but right then, she
wanted
to belong to him. Just for one night.

Muscles in his
chest and arms contracted, a thin sheen of sweat coated his body.
His black hair hung over those perilous green eyes, and it was as
if she could see right through them.

Divine.

The tension in
her body mounted, as her hips raised and lowered, muscles taut as
her climax drew close.

“Come for me,
Ayden,” Kane whispered in her ear. “Fucking scream my name,
baby.”

Her moans,
escalating with each thrust silenced as her breasts pressed against
him, his sex coaxing inside of her.

Heat spread
from her core to her limbs. She fisted the sheets.

Her tightened
muscles released, surrendering to the wave of climax crashing over
her, and as she rode out the surges of absolute pleasure dispersing
through her body like a fast-moving drug, she called out his
name.

***

Kane clamped
his lips as she contracted around him, her tiny pulsations
demanding his release. Part of him didn’t want it to end. He’d have
been happy to stay inside of her all night—but intensity tugged.
Muscles tightened.

He tipped his
head back. A roar ripped through his chest as he spilled inside
her, the wolf bursting through his exterior with a growl that
reverberated off the walls.

Pumping,
pumping like a fuel injector, dizziness swirling, until his muscles
laxed.

His arms
trembled with sudden weakness, and he collapsed.

Before he’d
even captured his breath, Ayden worked her way from beneath him and
to the edge of the bed.

He grabbed her
arm.

She glanced
back at her elbow in his clutch, a threat on her face.

“Ayden, please
stay.”

“What
for?”

“I don’t want
you to leave.”

“Look, before
this shit gets any weirder—”

He pulled on
her arm, a gentle beseech. “Please.”

***

Ayden paused
for only a beat before sliding beneath the covers.

Kane’s lips
melded with hers, and he wrapped his arms around her, forcing her
to lie against his chest.

Her skin
clawed from beneath to get away from the cuddly embrace. A cramp
formed at her side, where she strained as she lay beside him.

Biting the
inside of her lip, she forced herself to ignore that part of
her.

Warmth spread
through her muscles as she let go. Somewhere, in the darkest depths
of her soul, being held actually felt kind of nice. That sensation,
though, buried so deep, carried little strength to battle the guilt
and remorse attempting to trample it.

Luckily for
her, there were no words needed with Kane. Just breathing. As if he
knew that she wouldn’t be inclined to talk.

Why am I
yielding to him? Breaking all my rules?

Because, in a
few days, she’d be snipping the strings.

Kane would no
longer have any connection to her.

So, what did
it matter if she lay with him for a while?

***

The lycan
swiped at the knife in her hands.

Child’s
screams reached her ears and desperation kicked in. She jabbed and
lunged, jabbed and lunged, backing it against the wall, at the same
time aware of two others closing in on her. Her efforts placed her
closer to the baby in the chair. Through sobs, she attempted to
sooth the girl, placing a protective hand against the baby’s chest,
where she felt the rumble of tortured cries.

Growls
erupted, like an earthquake that went straight to her spine.

“
Somebody
help me!” she bellowed. “Please!”

The wolf
snapped its jaws and snarled. Its companions had reached the other
side of the dining table, leaving her and the baby trapped.

“
Somebody,
please!” Her voice, a shrilly pitch, broke into a wail. The butcher
knife wobbled in her hands as she trembled.

Relief struck
when she caught sight of a familiar face at the doorway.

Mr. Tims, from
across the street, stood holding a shotgun—a distraction to the
three wolves, and she used the moment, rushing to remove the baby
from the highchair.

The wolf
closest to her snapped its head back in her direction and lurched
forward. The knife swept through the air, catching its paw.

A roar filled
her ears.

The baby cried
harder.

She backed in
the direction of the kitchen.

Mr. Tims aimed
at one of the wolves on the opposite end of the table. The first
bullet struck with a thump into the wolf’s broad side.

The beast rose
up onto its haunches, baring its teeth, and lunged toward the door,
as her neighbor spun and vanished from the exit.

She moved
quickly toward the kitchen, placing the baby into the pantry and
grabbing two more knives from the block. With nowhere to go, she
would have to fight them off.

Her whole body
shook. What were they waiting for?

From beyond
the pantry door, the baby screamed, the little voice muted.

Voices drifted
in to her.

She listened
carefully.

“
What the
fuck?” A human voice.

Hope blossomed
in her chest. She edged toward the door that led to the dining
room.

“
You sloppy
piece of shit. This is exactly why I ordered you to wait!”

A yelp echoed
in the other room. “Lousy mutts.” Another yelp followed.

She cringed
with the cries coming from the pantry. Could this person help
her?

Her pulse
raced as she debated whether or not to burst into the room, to
allow herself to be discovered. Even if they attacked her, perhaps
they’d overlook the baby.

The frantic
hammering of her heart left her short on breath. She swiped at her
nose.

“
Where did
they go?”

Her stomach
lurched and she backed slowly away from the door. The blade in her
hand glistened in the light of the kitchen. She quietly sobbed as
the footfalls came closer. Her baby’s cries had turned to choking
fits as she gagged. A yearning to go to her tugged fiercely. Hold
her? Doing so might cost her baby’s life. What if they only want
me? She would fight to the death. Until her very last breath left
inside her body, she would protect her baby. Tears trickled down
her cheeks as visions of her husband, lying in a pool of blood,
resurfaced. She choked it back. Focus. He’s gone.

The door swung
slowly. The figure stepped inside.