Tempting the Tiger (7 page)

She was maybe five seven or eight judging by where her head had lined up with him earlier. She wore black cargo-type pants, boots and a black long-sleeved shirt. She lifted his pants and shirt up and seemed to check them out. He wanted to know what color her eyes were. He felt a stirring inside, a desire to go to her and take her, to thrust inside her and claim her in a primitive way. Just the thought made him want to roar, and didn’t that scare the shit out of him.

“You’re lucky your clothes didn’t get cut off you.” She glanced his way. “Gotta say, I’m a little thrown by that. They don’t usually take the time to undress a captive.”

“They must have been looking for something,” he offered with a shrug. He didn’t give a damn. He just wanted to get the fuck gone. Now.

“You can put them on, or I’ll shove them in my pack. Sometimes it makes stuff hurt worse when you put clothes on over it. Either way, we need to hurry here.”

Ahhh, please God, don’t let her be speaking from experience.

Reno shook his head and pushed away from the wall. He was fucking grateful when his legs held him up. “I’ll get dressed. Just take a sec. If those bastards catch us, I’m not going to be in my underwear.”

He felt her gaze rake over him, heard the startled gasp quickly quieted as she took in the blatant bulge of his cock. Yeah, no way he could hide that from her. She thrust his clothes out to him as he crossed to her. As soon as he had them, she backed up, putting space between them.

“I won’t hurt you,” he promised, a little stung at her reaction.

She snorted. “Not much hurts me anymore.”

Her veiled comments served to pique his interest, and he planned to delve into it with her later. Right now, he pulled his clothes on, dressing as quickly as possible. He tugged on his socks and shoved his feet into his boots, lacing them tight. Then he stood and jerked his wallet off the table, feeling happy he hadn’t switched his license over to a Colorado address yet. It would be something he’d need to discuss with Tah. They couldn’t do anything that might lead hunters their way if something like this ever happened again. Even something as simple as updating their driver’s license could put them at risk.

“What’s your name?”

She blinked at him several times when he asked the question, then a tiny beep sounded. She shifted her gaze to the watch on her wrist and hit a button.

“We don’t have time. We should have been out of here thirty seconds ago. Follow me, and I mean right on my ass.”

He couldn’t hold back the grin. Oh, he wanted to be right on her ass, in her ass, taking her sweet pussy from behind while gripping her ass. Licking her ass. Spanking her ass. Doing whatever she let him to that sweet ass walking away in front of him. He shook his head and took off after her. He needed to focus on getting away from this psycho farm. He could persuade her to let him have a closer look at her ass later. When they were safe and he had more time, hours of time. Maybe days.

She weaved her way through the building they were in, moving as if she knew exactly where to go. Which made him wonder again just who she was? She took him through a door and headed at a sprint for the cover of trees just beyond. Both of them stopped just inside the tree line, and he glanced back. He’d been in a barn, a fucking barn of all places. Jesus!

“This way,” she whispered and tugged at his hand then quickly let go.

He had an urge to grip her fingers with his but didn’t think she’d tolerate that. She was jumpy as hell around him. Her words made him think she’d done this more than once. She knew where to go. Was she really rescuing him? Or was something else going on? If she’d rescued others, how was it she hadn’t been captured and killed by the Blanes? Or at least locked up somewhere to be tortured for jollies?

He followed her deeper into the wooded area, darting from tree to tree as she led him away from Blane Farm. His mind kept playing through hypotheticals. His sense of smell was all over the place. There were too many scents here, and he couldn’t sort them out. And under all of it was the same type of odor that had permeated the area around the cabin just before Harlan Jones and the men with him had attacked. Did that mean Harlan had been working with the Blanes? Or did all hunters make the same type of odorous bombs?

“Well, well, well.” The voice came out of the trees ahead of them. “How is it Kellan always knows when you’ll show up, Amia? Looks like you’re getting predictable.”

“And you’re still a weak bastard, Joseph,” Amia taunted as she moved back toward where Reno had stopped. “I’m surprised Marcus and Kellan would send a loser like you after me. I must not be as important anymore. Or maybe they’re hoping I’ll just kill you off for them. Survival of the fittest and all that.”

Reno saw the other man’s nostrils flare in anger before he turned to shout commands to whoever he’d brought with him. “Get them. I don’t care what it takes.” He glanced at Reno before his gaze skittered over to the girl standing in front of Reno. Amia. “I want her alive. Missed the chamber, did you?”

Reno felt Amia tremble at that taunt and moved to step in front of her, but she wouldn’t let him.

“I’m going to enjoy watching you die.” Damn, Amia was hardcore.

His fucking cock was back at full mast, and his chest puffed out with pride. Well, fuck him.

The one she’d called Joseph laughed. “I’ll tell your daddy you said hello, not sure Marcus will care, though.”

Reno shook his head and glanced at her for a brief moment. Her daddy? Marcus? As in Marcus Blane, the man Reno had heard in town was the head of the Blanes? What the fuck was going on here? He wanted answers. Now. Amia gave a sharp cry and shuddered beside him. She gripped his forearm as she sank to her knees.

“Run,” she ordered sharply then her fingers released him.

A dart stuck out of the front of her right shoulder. He tugged it free and went to a crouch in front of her. Time seemed to stand still. Shouts from the men around them appeared to be on mute as Reno’s senses focused completely on Amia.

“Save yourself,” she whispered.

His world tilted as the beast inside him came roaring to life. Reno was no longer in full control as whatever had been content to lay dormant inside him came alive with a vengeance.

“Get him!” Someone yelled the command.

Reno let the beast have full rein and attacked. The hunters might have thought they were prepared, but they weren’t. He snapped the neck of the first man he came to, the one who’d used the flogger on him, and Reno felt no remorse for taking the life. The next one went down just as easy. He had Joseph in his grip when he heard the shaky voice behind him.

“I’ll kill her.” It was the boy, holding Amia’s limp body up with a knife pressed against her throat.

Joseph fell as easily as the first two had, his head at an odd angle now. “Then kill her.”

He stalked toward the boy. He could see the startled worry in Amia’s eyes. And how was it that she hadn’t passed the fuck out from that tranquilizer shot yet? They obviously knew her and had expected her, so maybe they kept a special dart for her? Anything was possible.

“I’ll do it!” the boy choked out as Reno moved closer.

“I’d suggest you let her go.” The words were barely coherent as the man fought to speak through the beast now controlling him. “And run.”

The boy’s gaze met his, and whatever he saw there made him gulp in fear. He dropped Amia and the knife and took off running, never once looking back. Reno would guess the boy’s training was still a work in progress.

Reno squatted to grip Amia where she’d fallen and met her shocked gaze.

“You’re not human,” she whispered, eyes drooping as she fought to stay with him.

“What am I then?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I just know you’re different.”

“Why?”

“Your eyes are glowing a neon blue I’ve never seen before. And there’s a golden glow. It surrounds you.”

“Well, fuck,” Reno said, then threw his head back and let the roar he’d been fighting to hold inside free. It shook the woods and announced the fact of who he was and where he was to any other crazy hunters that happened to be around. The man wanted to slap the beast, but the animal was feeling primal, and his gaze was locked on Amia.

“Mine,” he grunted, making Amia’s eyes widen just before she finally gave in and passed out cold.

Well, fuck!
Reno thought and scooped Amia up in his arms. Just what he needed, an animal that wanted to possess the one woman who might have all their answers. If he’d heard the one she’d called Joseph right, then she was Amia Blane, daughter of Marcus Blane. Which made the beauty who’d rescued him his prisoner. Wasn’t life just fucking fantastic?

Chapter Four

Amia woke with her arms screaming from where the bastard she’d rescued had tied her to the fucking bed. She’d rescued him! And this was how he said thank you? Asshole! Not to mention that freaky shit he’d pulled in the middle of the woods. His eyes had glowed for fuck’s sake! Glowed, as in neon fucking blue. And that roar he’d let rip? Jesus! It had scared the piss out of her.

She’d been raised among hunters. She knew all about the possibility of shifters, but she’d never actually seen one. She’d seen plenty of people her family accused of being shifters, but then her family was crazy as fuck. She’d rescued as many as she could and bore the scars for her efforts. Though the ones she’d rescued had been shrouded in the same type of golden glow Reno had sported, none had roared. And none had neon eyes.

She shifted and managed to roll to her side, letting out a soft gasp as she met the blue gaze of her captor. Not neon, but still stunning. He blinked and inhaled as if pulling the scent of her deep into his lungs. A rumble started in his chest that sounded way too close to a purr for her comfort. Nothing would wipe the memory from her mind of how he’d looked at her and claimed her with an arrogant
mine
as if she were no more than property.

“Good morning.” His voice was husky and deep, and if her nipples grew tight, it had to be because it was fucking cold. He had nothing to do with it.

“Fuck you,” she stated emphatically and gritted her teeth as his lips quirked with a smile.

Then he moved closer, and before she knew it, she was on her back with him looming over her. The increased staccato of her heartbeat was fear. It was not desire. It was not lust. She felt the press of his glorious erection against her and bit her lip to hold back a moan. Okay, maybe there was a bit of lust, but she was pissed off, not dead. And he smelled good enough to eat. Shit! She was so screwed.

“That can be arranged. You might not want to push me on it.” His voice purred the words.

“So rape is your thing. I should have left you chained to the fucking wall.”

He grinned and bent to graze his teeth over her neck. Did he have elongated canines? Holy shit! There was no playing off the shiver that went through her.

“I promise you’d enjoy every moment of it. There’d be no rape, ever. You’d be begging me to fuck you the whole time you were riding my face.” He licked his lips. “I bet you taste sweet.”

“Not interested.” She managed those words pretty well, even though they were a blatant lie. She wanted him. Hell, now it was all she could do not to fixate on the thought of his head buried between her legs making a feast of her.

He inhaled again. “Funny thing about someone with neon eyes. I tend to have a much better sense of smell than anyone…” He held her gaze captive. “Human. I’ve discovered everything has a scent. The sweet aroma of your desire. Or the pungent odor of a lie, no matter how convincingly spoken.”

“Fuck,” she grunted, letting her eyes slide closed.

“Just say the word,” he stated, maneuvering so that he was between her sprawled thighs. He rocked into her, his cock grinding along the seam of her pants and hitting just the right spot to make her moan. “I’ll make you feel better than you’ve ever felt in your life.”

“Pretty cocky, aren’t you?”

He rocked into her again. “I’ll let you be the judge of how pretty my cock is.”

Oh, God, she was so in trouble here. Never had she responded like this to a man. Not like this. Her pussy was already wet and ready. What the hell was going on?

“I don’t even know your name.”

“Reno. Reno Esponetti.”

“Amia.”

“Blane,” he finished for her. “I picked up on that real easily when you spoke with the guy in the woods. Joseph, I believe you called him. I take it your father is Marcus Blane? The head of the Blane family.”

“I have no family.” Her voice might be bitter, but she spoke the truth no matter what his senses picked up. Families didn’t do the things hers did. She wasn’t going there, not even in her thoughts. You’d think after so many times of having something done to you, you’d at least build up a tolerance to it. But some things only got worse every time. Some things invaded your nightmares and never let you go.

Reno looked at her, did his inhale thing, and seemed confused for a moment. Then his eyes seemed to glow for a second before he dropped his head to her neck and licked her. He used his teeth to scrape over her and nipped lightly, making her shift under him.

“I want you,” he said as if she hadn’t figured that out for herself already. But what really unnerved her was how much she wanted him too.

“We don’t always get what we want.” Wasn’t that the truth? She’d wanted a family who loved her, protected her. What she got was her own crazy fucked-up version of the Manson family.

He licked her neck again and shifted away, rising gracefully to his feet. They were bare, and she caught herself lusting after his feet. What? The? Hell? Jesus! Had there been a little something extra in that dart she’d taken? Something other than the shit they normally used on her? She glanced at her shoulder, but couldn’t see anything.

“Does it hurt? I can check it for you.”

He leaned down and reached for her, but the thought of him pushing her shirt up and feeling his hands on her bare skin was enough to have her skittering away.