48: A Marking Bet

Quincy St. Martin

My chest is ablaze as soon as I breathe in his scent carried by the wind. It spreads through my body, making me shiver with heat and anticipation. Old Mr. Maddox is near.

Earlier on, Lord Archer requested that little children and Jorden be taken away. While Jorden wasn’t very happy about it, I’m thankful that he’s not here now.

Some people chose to stay, while some others retreated back to the pack house.

When they wheel the old man into the clearing, I can barely hold myself together. This vile man killed my Nana for his nefarious agenda and sick pleasure.

I lost my Nana because of him!

Scarlet red bleeds into my vision completely. Oh, he looks good in red. Better than any other color. Blood red will look better on him.

His body looks frail, but I know his mind is sound and alert. The look of fear enters his face as I prowl closer, running my tongue over my sharpened teeth and long canines.

I vaguely hear running footsteps around me. The man who was wheeling his wheelchair is now gone too.

~Thud, thud, thud…~

The sound of his heartbeat pounds faster in his ribcage. The closer I get to him, the louder and faster it beats.

“Hello, Old Maddox, aren’t you glad to see me?” I flash him a sweet smile. I doubt I look too sweet with my two cold black holes for eyes, sharp teeth, and protruding canines.

His mouth is moving, but it doesn’t matter. I can’t hear anything above the thunderous pounding of his heart.

“What did my Nana say to you before you crushed the light out of her, Mr. Maddox?” I run my sharp nails from his temple down to his chin, splitting the skin open.

Blood cascades down his front.

“Did she beg you for her life? Did she ask you to stay away from me?”

He crushed my world the day he crushed her windpipe. I press my fingers into the skin above his heart, pushing past his ribcage until they sink into his chest.

This is where I hurt the most…my heart, every day since the day she was taken from me.

His eyes bulge, and his skin turns a sickening pale-bluish color. I feel rather than hear the grunting sound that he makes. I can feel him trying to phase into his wolf.

“Don’t you want me now, Mr. Maddox?”

That dark, sinister part of me is struggling to take over. The smell of his blood is intoxicating and too exciting for it to share the control with the human part of me.

“Come on, scream for me,” I say as I sink my teeth and canines into his flesh.

He doesn’t disappoint. He lets out an ear-splitting bellowing sound. I let go then. I let it take over, tearing him to pieces, reveling in his agony. I crave more of that glorious sweet abandon, but by the time I’m done with Mr. Maddox, the red haze is fading fast from my eyes. Those who remain in the area are all standing at the edge of the clearing, looking like they are ready to bolt. Except for the lycans.

All eight of them form a circle around me. I don’t know if they’re guarding me or guarding everybody else from me.

I’m covered in blood. It’s dripping from my chin, my fingertips, and the bottom of my dress.

The blazing fire in my chest is quickly turning to embers and ashes. The chill is suddenly seeping into every pore of my body. All of a sudden I’m tired.

So very, very tired, like a balloon completely deflated. My heartbeat is slowing down, and I’m falling, falling, falling…

Caspian catches me before I hit the ground. He lifts me up into his arms, and I let my head fall on his broad shoulder. He carries me to the car with the rest of the lycans following closely behind us like a security blanket.

He sits me on his lap and wraps me up in his arms in the back seat as we’re being driven back to the hotel where they’re staying.

It’s warm in his arms. It’s safe. I close my eyes and breathe in his wonderful, familiar, masculine scent.

I hear others talking quietly around me, but I can’t seem to open my eyes.

My head rolls to the side of his shoulder, and I feel his warm hand as he cups the back of my head to press it gently into the crook of his neck. He spreads his fingers soothingly through my hair before I feel his firm lips pressed on my forehead.

“What’s happening to her?” I hear Penny whispering, concerned.

“She’s not completely mated and marked, so she’s not a full lycan yet. Her body cannot handle the weight of phasing too long. It burns too much energy,” somebody answers.

Darius? Maybe…

I had the best dream, or dreams, but I can’t remember them this morning. This is the best bed. Warm and soft and hard at the same time. I burrow deeper. It smells awesome. Ummm…

I rub my feet together then run one up and down my leg. Warm and fuzzy. Hairy. Wait. Warm and hairy leg? That can’t be right.

My brain starts waking up. There’s a big, heavy, bare arm thrown over me and draped over my chest. There’s a warm hard wall of muscle at my back. My body stiffens.

Oh, God! Now I remember what happened yesterday. Was it yesterday?

What happened after the car ride? I feel clean, so somebody must’ve cleaned me up. I’m also wearing something, so, thank goodness for that.

A big muscled leg slides further between my thighs to hook around one of my legs. Warm breath fans my neck as a face burrows deeper into my hair. My own breath hitches as the arm around my stomach moves to pull me tighter into the hard body behind me. Oh, God, is that…?

Another big hand roams across my chest before it cups one of my breasts, squeezes it firmly, and stays there. Whoa!

My heartbeat thunders in my chest, and tingles start from everywhere he’s touching, spiraling toward the juncture between my thighs. Heat spreads from my cheeks down my neck to…everywhere. I stare at the long, elegant but masculine fingers curled firmly around my breast in bewilderment, trying to decide what to do.

Uhhh…

One of my hands is trapped under his arm, so I use another one to awkwardly pry his fingers off me. Those fingers only tighten possessively around my breast. Umm…okay.

I have to get out before I do something stupid, like jumping the owner of those fingers. I try to wiggle myself out.

“Will you stop moving?”

“Aaarrghh…you’re awake!” I jump. Well, I would’ve jumped if not for the arms trapping and pinning me to the bed.

I squirm more until he lets go. His muscles flex as he lifts himself up onto his elbow, looking down at me with a scowl.

“Of course, I’m awake. I was enjoying that,” he answers sullenly as if it’s my fault that I’m stopping all his fun time.

The top half of his body is completely bare. I forgot how magnificent his body is. How glorious those muscled pecs are and those ridges of his abs. Good Lord, woman! Focus!

“You were copping a feel!” I exclaim, trying to look away.

“Yeah, so?” He’s unapologetic and totally without shame, I realize. Unbelievable! Totally outrageous! “Or maybe I was just measuring for size.”

“Measuring for size for what?” I stupidly ask him. “Wait! No, don’t answer that.”

I cover his mouth with my hand when he’s about to answer with that wicked, mischievous smile spreading on his face. Maybe it’s better that I don’t know.

The way his mind works… I’m not ready for the way his mind works yet this morning.

I pull my hand away from his face before he decides to lick my hand or do something stupid like that.

He grins mischievously while he flexes his fingers suggestively. Ughh. God! Why?

I quickly bury my face into the pillow before he can see the silly smile I’m trying to hide or hear the giggle about to burst out of my mouth. He’s so ridiculous!

“Admit it. You missed me,” he says close to my ear. “Because I missed you. Like crazy.”

I turn my head to see his face hovering just inches over me. One arm is braced next to my shoulder, caging me in. He looks serious. His eyes are bottle green this morning.

His golden hair shines like a halo where it is touched by the morning sun that streaks in through the gap between the curtains. It is not styled as usual but wild and falls carelessly over his forehead.

I reach up and run my fingers through the shiny locks, pushing them back from his eyebrow. His glittering eyes narrow into slits as he watches me, waiting for me to say something.

“I missed you,” I tell him. “I missed you so much it hurt.”