Arctic Bound (11 page)

“See what you do to me. You make me anxious like a teenager.” He grunted against her collarbone as he rubbed his nose back and forth in her scent. His inner beast basking in her scent. His wolf watched for tell-tale signs that what he was doing was pleasing to her.

Nerina groaned in his ear, her breath, a summer breeze against his skin. She tried freeing her hands, but quickly stopped struggling when Victor nipped the underside of her jaw.

“There is no escaping me, Precious.”

“Who says I want to escape?” Her words were a rushed whispered.

Victor used his left hand to grab her bound hands. His other hand threaded into her hair tugging the strands sharply. Nerina peered up at him, her eyes dilated. The black drowning out the brown and swallowing the white. Her chest rose and fell rapidly with every breath she took, and Victor knew he had her full attention.

“My Little Neri.” He smirked and watched her eyes widen at the play on her name.

Their breaths mingled as his nose brushed hers slowly. He travelled to her jaw, stopping at her lips. Inhaling deeply, he noted the scent of mint and amaretto. The promise of her kiss was more than he could stand. Victor couldn't wait any longer. He had to taste her. His mouth descended fast and hard. His hand tightening in her hair as he brought her closer. He knew his growls and grunts were nothing civilized as he devoured her lips. Their tongues clashed and her own moans fueled his beast into a frenzy that took him by surprise. He felt her knees shake a moment before she slumped forward in his arms. Unable to hold herself up, he gripped her tighter. He couldn't tell if she was still healing from the ordeal with the bear, or if he literally made her weak in the knees. He wasn't sure but he was going to go with the latter, because he knew his kisses were
that
good.

Their teeth clashed. His arm at her hands tugged her closer as he lifted Nerina. She didn't need instruction, her legs immediately wrapped around his waist where she clenched his sides. Victor tore his mouth away, breath sawing in and out of his chest as he tried to fight off what was overpowering them both. He practiced control in all things. With her, his control faltered and became unbalanced. He was on the edge.

His wolf wanted to mount her, the man wanted to mark her, and right now the two parts of him were not seeing eye to eye. Placing his forehead against hers, he gave his omission.

“You make me lose control.”

“Good.”

“No, not good.” She didn't understand what that would mean for either of them. Talking was starting to sound like the best course of action. She needed to know about him and what he did to her in order for them to continue and move forward. “I think we should talk first. I want to make sure you understand that if we do this, what
this
will entail.”

The look in her eyes said it all. She was disappointed. But she also wanted to know what he was talking about. Slowly she took a deep breath, untangled her legs from around his hips, and slowly slid down his body.

“Untie me.”

Victor released her hands and returned her boy shorts. Quickly, she slid into her underwear and then went about the task of putting the rest of her clothes on. They were ruined, but did the job of covering most of her up. When she looked up and realized he was still naked, she tilted her head to the side eyeing him in curiosity.

“Your clothes?”

“Don't wear any during the change.”

“Huh?”

He had a lot to explain.



 

Could women get blue balls?
She'd heard him say something about no clothes during a change, but once again she was dazzled by all that was him. He was hot with clothes on, but damn, he was hotter without them.

Head in the game.

Right. They were supposed to be talking. He wanted to talk. They would talk.

“How long is a few hours? You said we'd been here a few. Two hours? Three—”

“Just a little over nine hours. Demon and Daar are back at your cabin.”

“How would you know that?” The last thing she remembered before the bear attack was Demon and another wolf playing in the woods, or chasing each other in the woods. “Never mind, don't answer that. Let's go with the million dollar question instead, how is it that I'm alive, healed, and well?”

“Long story,” Victor said stretching his arms behind his back and then rolling his neck on his shoulders until she heard a distinct pop.

“Well, we've got time. Explain.”

“What I'm about to say is a Pack secret. If you let on that you know about us to the outside world, well there's no other way to put this,” he stepped closer, his large body crowding hers. “Death would be the least of your worries.”

He was serious. Nerina could see it in the way his eyes flared and his jaw tightened as he said the words. They stared at one another in silence before he began speaking again.

“This is going to be hard for you to understand. You're human. All your life you've been led to believe that the unexplained is in no way supernatural. Humans always try and find a logical explanation to things they either can't or won't understand.”

That wasn't too hard to believe.

“I did ask you for an explanation. Regardless of what I've been taught to believe, obviously you've given me all the proof I need just by this,” Nerina waved her hand in front of his face. There wasn't a single mark on her skin. Not one.

“I'm a werewolf. I'm part of an ancient clan of werewolves who are direct descendants of Enil. He was the first ever turned Werewolf by the Egyptian God Anubis.” He stopped speaking then, and she figured it was his way of giving her a chance to truly digest what he had told her.

Werewolf.

Werewolf.

Rinse and repeat.

Werewolf.

There were a thousand possibilities going through her head as to how she came to be burn free, but never in a million years did she think she'd hear the words werewolf.

“Wait… does this mean that I'm now a werewolf?” Because if it did, well, Oscar and his band of mafia killing idiots were in for a surprise if they ever found her.

“No, there would have to be three bites or blood exchanges, and so far I'm the only one that has given you blood. I haven't taken yours. It's frowned upon to change a human into a werewolf. Besides, you would be the diluted version, and my Pack would reject you on those grounds alone.”

“Well your father already dislikes me, as do you. So I think that about sums that up.” Something was kicking around in the back of her head. A movie she saw, maybe even something she read on the internet. She was all for the Sci-Fi and Paranormal. She just never thought any of it was real. Didn't werewolves originate in Europe, and Anubis was the God of mummification and the afterlife. He had the head of a jackal. Nerina was fascinated, which prompted her to ask Victor more questions.

“Werewolves are European not Egyptian.”

Victor slanted his head as if to get a better look at her.

“No. All descendants come from Enil and the first members of the Shadow Werewolves. The European version is a result of a union between a Werewolf and a human. Diluted the blood, changed the form. In our true forms our heads are in the shape of a jackal-wolf hybrid. That's how we tell each other apart. There are only five Packs left from the original twelve of The Secret Order of Anubis. Everyone that has come after that is a mutation.”

He said the last part with a sneer as if he were better than the others.

“So racism is alive and well in Werewolf society.”

“It's not about race, or even species. It's about purity and strength of the Packs. The more diluted, the weaker the wolf.”

“Same difference. You know there was a man who thought the same way once, started a world war over it. Ever heard of Hitler?”

His eyes narrowed and Nerina could see it then, they weren't human eyes at all. She wondered if he processed color the same way humans did. Or because of his animal side, were his eyes better suited for the dark. His eyes weren't really a true green either, but a green-gold and his pupil wasn't a solid black. In the fire's light it looked almost luminous. From the center of his iris, the color flared and expanded from green to gold and there was even a bit of blue interlaced in there that gave the overall effect of a human's eyes.

Oh my God! I'm talking to a real live fictional beast. Who's not even fictional but real!
And how was it that she could see that much detail in his eye anyway?

“I've heard of Hitler. My grandfather even helped fight against him in the war. It's different in our society. Purity lends to strength. Anything else is considered weak. Weakness causes death. If our blood is diluted, our offspring is susceptible to things like a bullet, silver or not, it wouldn't matter. Our blood bleeds just like everyone else. You may think it's racism, or selection, but I assure you it's not. Animals prey on the weak. Over the centuries those that are from a bloodline that is less pure have sought out darker forces in order to ensure their survival. To humans that may seem harsh, animalistic. In a way that's exactly how we live. Like animals, we communicate with our bodies, and through smell. Words, although they mean something, they are not binding like our actions are. By keeping our bloodline pure, my grandfather ensured our strength would outlast any of the others when it came time for the great battle.”

“Great battle?”

Victor shook his head.

“I've said too much already. What you need to know is that I'm a werewolf. I gave you my blood, which in turn healed you. You'll notice that you can see better, hear better, and your strength is ten times what a normal humans would be. And now you're completely healed. Be thankful of that Nerina Simpson.”

Fine.

She was good at keeping secrets. She had a few of her own.

“So I take it Mistress Red is on to your secret, which is why she sent the girls after you to begin with. If your bloodline is pure, and you're…” she air quoted her next words, ‘super strong,' then why were we decked out in silver. It wouldn't hurt you, would it?”

“Pure silver does in fact cause us harm which is what you were wearing. Everything in life has a negative to its positive. For us it's silver, pure silver. It doesn't kill, but it leaves a nasty mark. And yes, I think that's why your girls came dressed in silver. What I took from them, as I said before, belonged to my people.”

Well the girls weren't going to give up so easily. Since she'd been home, Raven had called her a total of six times and each time the phone conversations were the same. Accusations and blame. She could only imagine what was going through Raven's head now that she wasn't even there to answer the other woman's call.

“They aren't going to give up so easily. They don't know we're neighbors but that could all change.”

She'd need to leave. Raven didn't accept that she'd given Victor and Colin the slip. She thought the opposite. She believed Nerina was in league with them. After the storm she would have to try and talk some sense into Raven, otherwise she'd have to leave.

“Is there a chance they could come here?”

Nerina nodded soberly. She wouldn't be surprised if the girls were trying to mobilize now. Even with the storm they would find a way.

“I'd have to leave, and you and your brother would need to lay low for a couple of months. Possibly your entire family. If they know about you and Colin, then they know about the rest of your family.”

Victor growled.

“I'm not going to move my family because some woman wants what is rightfully ours. We will deal with them, should they come here. It's my fault more than it is yours. I obviously was followed. What I don't understand is your ties with them.”

Victor stood, his form imposing as he walked to the mouth of the cave looking out into the storm.

“Get some rest Nerina. We have at least another two days here. The cave should be warm enough now that you no longer require my body heat.”

Well if that wasn't being dismissed she didn't know what was.

“I guess our conversation is over?”

“For now.”



 

Victor woke to a loud scream. He turned and watched as Nerina's arms and legs flailed violently in her sleep. He sat up, turning to shake her. He tried to pull her from whatever nightmare she was in. She grabbed his arms, dug her nails in deep causing blood to well up from his skin.

“Nerina wake up, you're dreaming.” Still she fought him. Even as he pulled her into his lap, cradling and rocking her back and forth. Her body tensed as she tried to fight the demons in her sleep.

“Nerina, it's me, Victor. Wake up.” This time he shook her harder, jostling her body back and forth. She clutched onto his neck, burying her head into his shoulders as a loud sob spilled from her lips. Her entire frame shook in his arms the more he tried to console her.

“You're alright. The dream is over now. I've got you and everything is fine. Just hold onto me, Nerina. I've got you.” He tried rubbing the warmth back into her body as she began to relax. Light brown eyes stared up at him in confusion. Sleep still clouded her vision and seconds passed before her eyes cleared from their panic. She was scared, that much was clear. But scared of what? She was hiding from someone. Had to be. Victor knew it wasn't from the women back at the club. No, this was something more. Something that had to do with the scars she no longer bore. There was no doubt in his mind now. There was no way she could be a Hunter.

“Who are you running from, Nerina?'

She chewed on her bottom lip and he knew she was deciding her next move. Her body once pliant in his arms was now stiff with apprehension. He never got the chance to call her out on her bullshit, because her lips were suddenly devouring his in a kiss that was meant to control him. She wanted to steer the conversation to other topics.
Yeah, like no talking.
She was trying to shut him up. Victor tore his mouth away, trying to catch his breath and talk some sense into her. Whatever it was, she really didn't want to talk about it. Her lips moved, latching on to his jaw, then his neck. She bit him hard making him groan. Her mouth conjured up many lurid images of where he wanted them touching, sucking and licking. He wanted her mouth any and everywhere. Her lips were magic. Weaving a spell of seduction that he couldn't say no to. He'd always been the aggressor, never the one to be docile. His body shuddered under the onslaught of her kisses. His erection was now painful as the blood from his body centered all its effort into the area of his groin. Her nails scrapped over his thighs. Nerina's breath whispered over his skin, warm like the sun. Victor had to grab a handful of her hair so that he could stop her onslaught and gain her attention.