To Love a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (88 page)

          “I don’t know you,” George said finally.

          The words startled Ilie. He had expected her to cry and plead with him, as most human captives did. But this one did not. He had known she was stubborn, but that was all. It appeared she was courageous, too – that, or just plain crazy. Humans did not need to know what they were to feel extra cautious, just like species that were prey instinctively sought concealment when in the presence of predators.

          Deciding to test her limits, Ilie drawled, “Actually, we have already met.”

          “No. We---what the fuck?”

          In the blink of an eye, the man had transformed himself into a wolf – a fucking
giant-sized
canine that eerily looked like the one she saw…last night.

          Her head shot up. “You’re a fucking
dog
?”

          The wolf snarled and George hastily corrected herself, “I mean, a fu---” On second thought, considering the size of those gaping jaws, maybe it was better not to swear all around. “You’re a
werewolf
.”

          Ilie nodded.

          And waited for her to faint.

          But she did not.

          The human girl did look a little green, but to her credit, she remained on her feet. And then she started slapping herself.

         
Your Grace,
Ilie called for the duke immediately.

         
What is it---oh.
Silviu had linked with Ilie to see through his eyes.

          You understand what she is doing?

          Unfortunately, yes. As I understand, she has this strange notion that doing so will wake her up from a dream. Please stop her for me, will you? I do not want her skin marked in any way.

          She is insane, Your Grace.

          No. She just has…strange thoughts. She actually also---never mind, you don’t have to know about her other strange ways.

         
Ilie transformed himself back, using his powers as a demon to ensure that he would be fully clothed as he regained his human form.

          Sheer shock made George stop slapping herself when the werewolf returned to looking like Chad Michael Murray with long tresses
.

         
George asked baldly, “I’m not dreaming, am I?”

          “I’m afraid not,” Ilie answered politely even as he warily watched for any telltale signs of self-abuse. If all heartkeepers were this strange, he would probably be better off without a soul for all eternity.

          “And I’m not drugged?”

          “No, you are not.”

          Silence fell between them.

Her nerves badly frayed, George wanted desperately to crack a joke but managed to stop herself in time.

         
A werewolf is not to be messed with, George. It has fangs and claws and you have what – previously braced teeth and unpolished nails?

         
Ilie coughed, wondering if now was the right time to tell the duke’s supposed heartkeeper that she was muttering her thoughts out loud.

          Her gaze darted at him suspiciously at his coughing, and Ilie schooled his expression to one of polite interest. “I am just surprised that you are taking this rather well.”

          She took several moments to answer. “The circumstances last night, if they really did happen---”

          “You know they did.”

          George answered flatly, “No, actually, I can’t be sure that they did.”

         
She refuses to believe that everything that happened last night was real, Your Grace.

          She is stubborn, my girl.

         
Ilie almost rolled his eyes at the proud note in the duke’s tone. Silviu Draghici was besotted with this human girl for some reason. That alone made it necessary for him to make his move now.

          “What’s your name, milady?”

          She started to give him a smartass comeback but closed her mouth, reminding herself once again that he was a werewolf.
George, George, be careful! With this man, when he’s going to bite your head off – he could do so literally.

         
“I would respectfully rather not say.” She nearly choked on the word ‘respectfully’.

          This time, Ilie almost smiled
genuinely
at her response. “It’s just a name, milady,” he cooed. He took a step forward, noticing that she mirrored his actions and took a step back.
Interesting,
Ilie thought and this time, he also meant it. Most women would have stood their ground, not because they were
not
afraid but because they wanted to be close to him.

          But this one---

          Surely some part of her knew that amongst all of them, Silviu Draghici was the most dangerous? So why was it that she appeared more terrified of them than the Duke of Brimstone?

          It
intrigued
Ilie, as none had intrigued him for centuries. He experienced the tiniest amount of regret that this divinely interesting human girl was one of the few he dared not poach and only because she belonged to the man he considered his brother, friend, and liege.

          “Don’t look at me like that.”

          Ilie started, a guilty flush staining his cheeks even as he asked sharply, “What do you mean?”

          George’s fingers curled into defensive fists, her body stiffening in preparation to do violence if necessary. She was no black belter, but surely werewolves would also experience pain if they were kneed on the groin?

          Wait – werewolves also had dicks…right?

          This time, Ilie could not let it pass. “Yes, we have dicks.”

          George’s face flushed even as she made a futile attempt at sounding innocent as she said, “I have no idea what you are talking about.”

          He looked at her.

          She looked back at him.

          Her stubbornness should irritate him, even anger him, for he was not used to being treated with such a lack of respect. But instead, it only served to intrigue him more and that was
not
a fucking good thing.

“Never mind,” he snapped. “Explain yourself then. In what manner do I stare at you?”

          His tone irked her, and again George’s temper ended up getting the best of her. She growled back, “In the I-want-to-eat-you-for-breakfast manner, that’s what! So help me God, if you dare take a chunk out of me---”

          She stopped with the threats.

          She had to, with the way the man in front of her was smirking.

          “I’m not fucking joking!”

          “I know, milady, and that is what I find most amusing.” He started to say more, started to feel that he could actually
like
this girl when a voice in his mind intruded, sharp and commanding.

         
Ilie, why is she still not here?

         
Ilie’s smile faded.

          For a fucking moment there, he had almost forgotten that this human girl could never be his.

This photo features a secret passageway in one of the historic houses in Asphodel. It’s said that 8 out of 10 homes here have more secret doors than actual doors.

#wtf #ibetdanbrownwouldlovethis

          Werewolves were so moody.

         
One minute he was smirking, and then the next thing she knew his face had turned cold, and his voice was even colder when he said, “Milady.”

          Right now, he wasn’t looking at her in the manner where George had to worry about being his next meal. No, this time---

          George swallowed.

          This time, the werewolf almost looked like he wanted to kill her.

          What the fuck had she done?

The werewolf ran his hand along the wall, stopped at some indiscriminate area, and tapped. The wall swung open, revealing a secret passageway that led into the dark. “Come, milady. There is someone I would like you to talk to.”

         
Are you fucking insane?
She didn’t want to say the words out loud, but George was pretty sure that was how she was looking at him even if she tried not to.

          He was a werewolf. He wanted her to be
alone
with him in a
dark
passageway. She might not have a fucking red riding hood, but she knew how this story would end.

          “I’m sorry, but no.” It was getting harder and harder to stay polite.

          Ilie raised a brow. “I beg your pardon?”

          “No.”

          They exchanged stares. He waited for her to back down. She didn’t.

Jaw clenching, Ilie growled for the duke.
We have a bit of a problem here, Your Grace.

          Again, Ilie?

         
Ilie bristled at the duke’s exasperated tone.

          I specifically chose you to talk to her as you are supposed to be great with women.

         
He shot back,
I am in doubt she qualifies as a woman. A human, yes, but a woman?
He expected Silviu to laugh his words off or even lose his temper, but instead the duke became thoughtfully quiet.

          I see.

         
Ilie wondered how much the duke did see. Silviu had always been the most intuitive among them, being the son of an angel.
You must come here. Her stubbornness has become tedious.

         
He had barely finished speaking in his mind when he sensed Silviu’s presence, confirmed by the squeak of surprise from the human girl.

         
“Oh.
” It was softly spoken, with just a hint of breathlessness. It was definitely not the way she had spoken to
him.

Breathe, George – or at least pretend you’re breathing.
It was a simple thing to do, but somehow she just couldn’t get her lungs to work. Like with the werewolf, her senses were still on riot – but this time, it was not out of fear. Right now, she was an absolute mess and it was all because
he
suddenly appeared at the doorway.

Like the werewolf, his hair was also tied neatly behind his back and he was dressed in the usual Chalysian attire, with a midnight blue coat over his shirt and tight-fitting breeches.

Everything about it screamed
sexy,
with the way his clothes molded to his hard warrior’s body. He was so…
fit.
He probably only had to move an inch and his muscles would start rippling and flexing and maybe cause her to drool, too.

The way they gazed at each other was sickening. Or at least that was what Ilie told himself. He said brusquely, “I will be in the parlor.” True to their pretense, Ilie refrained from bowing to the duke, simply walking past Silviu as he walked into the passageway, the wall swinging shut behind him.

Was he really
here
? Was he truly
real
? Was this indeed
happening?

George lifted her hand, but he was suddenly in front her, just a kiss away, his fingers wrapping around her wrist.

Silviu didn’t know if he wanted to frown or sigh at her propensity for self-inflicted harm. “No more, milady,” he said finally. “You must stop hurting yourself. You are not hallucinating, you are not dreaming, you are not on drugs. This is
real
.”

And then he took in her appearance, every bare inch of it. His expression hardened.
Ilie, you motherfucking shit – why didn’t you fucking tell me she was dressed like this?

         
Ilie’s tone was mocking as he replied,
You did not ask, Your Grace.

         
George was startled when she saw the blaze of fury in her captor’s eyes. What the hell – what was it with today? Was it Anger-Everyone-Just-By-Being-Yourself Day and no one had told her about it?

          “What?” she asked defensively before she could stop herself.

          Realizing that she assumed he was furious at her, Silviu made an effort to rein in his possessiveness and jealousy – two emotions that had been unknown to him until he met the woman standing so delectably before him.

“I am sorry, milady. I am not furious with you.”
     

         
Yeah right.
The words were written all over her face.

          Silviu almost smiled. “I really am not, milady. It is only that I was unaware you would be…dressed…like this. If I had known---” He grimaced. “Never would I have let another man see you in such a state.”

          He looked down at her body again, desire flaring into life even as possessive jealousy burned within him. He welcomed all of it, every fiery sensation – they were the only ones that could literally drown the pain that continued to wrack his body.

           Unable to help it, Silviu let his fingers drift on her bare neck before slowly letting them move downwards in a tender caress. She shuddered but did not resist his touch, actually swaying towards him.

         
Resist him, George! Resist him!
Her chaste side cried out the words.

         
No! Let’s enjoy our first orgasm! We won’t ever have this chance again before you have to marry a rich old nobleman!

          The two sides continued to war with each other inside her, giving George a mighty headache. His fingers were moving lower and lower, making her body ache as well, but in a different way.

         
How the fuck am I going to survive this?
George wanted to move away, but her limbs had become his to command.

          He was holding the thin cover now, his fingers dipping underneath them.

          “No.” She choked the word out.

          “Yes.” He growled.

          And without another warning, Silviu unknotted the cover, the thin sheet immediately giving way and dropping to the ground.

          George froze. And then she recovered, the cold air caressing her naked body allowing her to snap out of the hazy cage of desire he had created within her. She tried to scramble away.

          “No, I don’t---oh my God, don’t touch…no…don’t kiss…no…noooo----” What started out as a shriek of protest ended in a long moan as the blasted gorgeous and damnably sneaky bastard was able to twist her back into his arms, his lips moving over her cheeks, her neck, and finally, trailing down her chest until he reached one nipple.

          He sucked. She moaned.

          He sucked harder and she moaned louder, her body arching. One arm went around her waist to support George and she leaned against it gratefully, her dazed eyes looking down at the head on her breast, the sucking noises dominating the room only serving to intensify the lust heating her skin.

          George’s hands crept to his broad shoulders, gripping them, savoring its hardness. He bit her nipple and she gasped, her fingers dipping into his skin.

“Please.”

          “Please what, milady?”

          George tried to make her vocal chords work but they just couldn’t produce the right words to say. As he switched to her other nipple, suckling it passionately, George could only whimper.

          Her hands moved up on its own accord, tentatively touching his long hair. When he bit her other nipple, longer and harder this time, George gasped again, her fingers instinctively gripping his hair.

          “
Yes
,” Silviu rasped, his cock nearly bursting out of his breeches at the way his heartkeeper tightened her hold on his hair. Without another word, he swept her in his arms and with his powers they were standing beside her bed in the next blink.

          “Wha-how---“George sputtered again as she found herself bouncing back on the bed. He followed her right after, easily locking her wriggling naked body underneath him as she again attempted to escape.

          She hissed her anger at him like a hellcat, and when it was clear she couldn’t break free, his heartkeeper took another deep breath ---

          And then she started trying to bite him. 

          “Stop struggling!”

          George struggled harder, lifting her head so she could try to bite – and bite
hard
– any part of his body she could reach. Her legs also twisted underneath him, trying to find that one good angle to knee him. This man was just too hard, too strong, too beautiful, too
fucking mesmerizing
for her own good; she had to get away before he completely destroyed her defenses.

          Silviu reared back from his lady’s bites – which were clearly not meant to provide pleasure – but did not let go, amused, exasperated but even more impressed at his heartkeeper’s tenacity. A duchess after his own heart indeed.

          “I am not here to harm you, milady.”

          “The fuck you say!”

          He winced. “We really need to do something about your language.”

          “The fuck you say.”

          Silviu sighed, but his tone was serious when he said, “I am not lying, milady. If you swear one more time, I’ll take you here and now.” He could always seduce her another day. He had asked Maricha explicitly about this and in spite of her embarrassed blushes and mumbles, Mihail’s sister had been able to tell him that his heartkeeper did not have to be a virgin at the time of consummation. It only had to be at
her
instigation.