Wolves’ Bane (13 page)

At least there, he wouldn’t be tempted to rouse her so that he could take her again.

No, down there he’d just have to face the jeers from the others, taunting and teasing that he hadn’t bonded yet, at least until the truth came out, and then they would all stare at him with pity. Cal, the cursed Hunter with the bride of Lazarus. If she hadn’t been connected to the king, maybe things could have been different. If she hadn’t been marked as his bride, she wouldn’t be at risk for betraying them.

And yet, she was.
She was
.

Cal shuffled into his clothes, reluctantly slipping on his boots before making his way to the door. He forced himself to move, leave the room and not look back. He’d gotten what he wanted. She was bonded—she was safe. Now the real fight began.

He closed the door behind him and lowered his head for a moment, taking in deep breaths to quell the rising urge to vomit. He’d never imagined it would be this difficult. Every step he took away from her felt unnatural, wrong. And yet he had to keep going. The Order demanded it, history had proven it. It wasn’t fair, but it had to be.

Morgan was marked for death. If Cal had to deliver her to that fate, he would, because it was his duty to do so.

Chapter Twenty

Training

It was odd to wake up without Cal there. My body craved his presence, his warmth. I knew that I’d fallen asleep with him curled behind me. In fact, I knew that I had fallen asleep because he had etched a spell on me.

Now, why would he do that?
I wondered as I cracked open my eyes and rolled over, figuring he was in the shower.
Maybe I’ll join him in there.
I stretched out my arms and yawned. My gaze fell on the open door to the bathroom and I frowned.

“Cal?” I pushed myself up to sit, the blanket that covered me falling to my lap. “Cal, are you in there?”

No answer. The silence of the room enveloped me suddenly, making me realize I was alone. Where had he gone? I ran my hand through my hair, snagging my fingers on a few knots.
Better get cleaned up. He’s probably downstairs getting something to eat.

Without you?

My mind warred with the growing sense that something was very wrong, but I brushed it away. If Cal was gone, he had a good reason.

I rose from the bed, not caring that I was naked as I strode to the bathroom. The pains from the day before were gone. My body felt rejuvenated, powerful. I glanced quickly into the mirror and checked myself for any bruises from Jimmy’s violent touch. Nothing. I was healed—better than healed, I was bonded, and I finally understood why that was such a big deal.

I quickly hopped into the shower, my sense of urgency to find Cal propelling me to hurry. During my sleep, I had dreamt many things, like a flood of information that confirmed what I had already learned about being a Huntress. The history, the legacy and a profound understanding of my duty. I would kill the beast, even if it meant my own death was the price.

I understood my powers, my gift from Cal—the ability to etch magic symbols. I felt it running through me like a hum of electricity as I glided my hands over my slick body, which in itself was another marvel. My muscles, slack over the past few months of inactivity, were back. I was toned all over. My hands skimmed over the definition of my abs and the cut of my arms. I had bulked up too, but not in a gross way. I ran my fingers over my breasts, which were still plump and heavy, maybe a little perkier than before, and my hips, which were still shapely. I would still appeal to my Hunter.

I smiled at that, remembering Cal’s touch from the night before. I craved him as I circled my nipples with my fingers, pinching as the water cascaded over my sensitive flesh. My sex throbbed for him. It was disappointing that he had left before I woke. I could think of a million things I wanted to do that would satisfy both of our needs.

The thought of him leaving me quelled my desire, and I hurried to rinse the conditioner from my hair. Just seeing him would help alleviate some of my anxiety.

I toweled off and quickly threw on some comfortable clothes. With the battle against Lazarus approaching, I assumed that some hardcore training needed to happen. Even though I understood the magic and I was physically stronger, I had no idea how to wield a weapon or how to use my body to defend and attack. Cal would have to train me. It was his duty and it would mean hours of being together.

That thought warmed me. I hadn’t expected to love him, not immediately, but I was pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming need to just be with him. As much as it was driving me to near insanity now, I knew he must be feeling the same thing. The bond couldn’t work just one way.

Could it?

Doubt crashed through me once again.

Why would he leave me alone after what we did last night? How could he bear to be apart from me when I’m craving him so badly that I can hardly think straight?

I pulled my brush through my hair and tied it up into a ponytail then left the room.
He had something really important to take care of, that’s all. You’ll go down to breakfast and find him sitting in his seat, eating like a pig.
My stomach yowled at the thought and I smiled. Food, it seemed, was something else I craved.

The kitchen was quiet when I entered and there were no smells of delicious breakfast foods being enjoyed. I peered into the dining room, but no one was there either. I caught sight of the clock.
Ten, shit.
I’d slept all morning. No wonder no one was around. I’d missed my run with Candy as well.
Double shit
.

My stomach growled again, and I glanced around the countertop, my gaze landing on the loaf of bread that lay next to the toaster. Perfect. I quickly popped two pieces in, then busied myself by searching the cupboards for something to put on the toast. A few minutes later, and I had two nicely gobbed-up pieces of toast and peanut butter in front of me, as well as a tall glass of milk. Delicious. I licked my lips, then took a bite, savoring the flavors of an old favorite.

“There you are.” Candy peeked in from the kitchen’s side door. “I thought you’d sleep all day.”

I smiled then took another bite. “I slept in,” I said through the chunk of food.

Candy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, you missed the run and you’re due for your training session.” She plopped down on the other side of the island and snagged the second piece of my toast. “Lance is downstairs waiting for you.”

I choked down the food in my mouth and frowned. “Lance? Isn’t Cal down there too?”

Candy licked some peanut butter off her finger. “Why would Cal be down there?”

My frown deepened. “Well, because, we…um…we…” I laid my piece of toast on the plate. “Never mind, I’ll go down and talk to Lance.”

Candy mumbled something unintelligible as she shoved the last of my breakfast into her mouth.

True to Candy’s word, Lance was in the training room waiting for me, and Cal was nowhere in sight.

“So, you’ve finally decided to wake up,” Lance teased, as he gave a few quick punches to one of the bags. “I thought I’d have to go up there and drag you out of bed.” He gave me one of his playboy smiles. “Not that I’d mind doing that.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, the sudden constricted feeling making me worry that I was having a heart attack or something. “Where’s Cal?”

Lance arched an eyebrow in my direction, all signs of his smile gone. “He’s out.”

I frowned. “He’s out. Where has he gone?”

Lance shrugged, a frown matching mine etched on his face. He gave another hit to the bag. “Don’t know. Didn’t ask. He said he had something to do and told me to train with you today.”

I moved so that I could face him and laid my hand on the bag to stop it from swaying. “What?”

Lance sighed as he dropped his hands to his sides. “He said he wouldn’t be around today, but that he wanted you to train. Are you up for it? You had a rough day yesterday.”

I eyed him for a moment longer, holding his gaze in a steady lock. “Was he angry or something?”

Lance’s frown deepened, but he shook his head then moved over to a line of shelves and pulled down a towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

I followed him. “Lance, just tell me, did I do something wrong? Is he mad at me?” My gut twisted at the thought. What if he didn’t feel the same things I felt? What if the bond didn’t take completely?

Lance lowered the towel and sighed again. His eyes were soft and filled with pity as he laid a hand on my shoulder. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong.” He tossed the towel into a laundry basket behind him and planted one of his charming smiles on his face. “Now, how about we get those muscles working a little. I can see that you’ve got some changes going on.” He swept his gaze over my body, his smile turning wicked. “The bonding has done you well. You should find today to be a great, full-body workout.”

I forced myself to smile back, pushing my negative thoughts down. If Lance said everything was okay, then everything must be okay. If the bonding was obvious to him, then it must have worked. Cal wouldn’t leave me without a good reason. My feeling of doom eased away as I followed Lance to a couple of mean-looking weight training machines.

“Hop on, sweetheart, let’s see how much you can lift.”

“No, your arm’s gotta come around here.” Lance grunted as he swung his leg forward, wedging it between mine and pinned me once again to the mat. The full weight of his body squished the air right out of my lungs.

“Oof,” I managed as he twisted my arm around and held me in place.

“And that, my dear, is how it’s done.” His breath cut across my ear sending a shiver down my spine. “Easy.”

A heartbeat passed, his hard body pressed against me, his musky smell invading my nose, and I gulped.

“I could tickle you right now and you wouldn’t be able to do a damn thing about it… Are you ticklish, Morgan?” He was teasing, his tone light, as it had been on and off throughout our training day, but still, with his body on mine I suddenly felt a little odd—like we were doing something we shouldn’t.

“If you tickle me, I’ll consider it war and trust me when I tell you that I will get you back,” I said, forcing the strangeness away with a chuckle.

Lance released me and my body unraveled in an instant. “Fair enough. I’ve learned never to go to war with a female if I can help it.”

He bounded up and offered a hand to me. “Truce then?”

I smiled. “Does that mean we’re done with the torture session for the day? ’Cause I kinda feel like a broken pretzel at this point.”

Lance smiled wickedly. “Nah ah, sweetheart, I’ve got a lot more moves to show you.” He winked. “But I promise not to tickle you.”

I couldn’t help but smile back. “Ugh, fine.”

Hours later and my body was humming with the feeling of being well used, just as Lance had promised. I stood in my bathroom, in front of the steamy mirror, having just stepped out of a nice hot, relaxing shower. My body felt good. I felt good. My day had been both productive and successful. I’d learned a lot thanks to Lance’s patient, yet demanding instruction. As much as I longed for Cal, I could deal with Lance’s wicked smiles and encouraging commands.

I wrapped a large towel around myself and wiped the mirror clean before taking another towel to my hair.

It had been a good day, even without Cal. I’d been a little disappointed to see that he wasn’t at dinner either, but the rest of the guys and Candy all kept me preoccupied with crazy stories about pranks and fights gone wrong, some featuring Cal, so I got through it. Stuffed my face, in fact, and then excused myself to come up here for a long, luxurious shower. Now that it was over, I felt every aching muscle in my body. I was beat. I needed some rest. Lance had promised a full day of training ahead of me tomorrow, with or without Cal.

I lazily brushed my hair, yanking at the knots as I stifled a yawn. I could have asked Andrew where Cal had gone, but I guessed he probably wouldn’t tell me anyway. If it was important business, which it would have to be in my mind to warrant him leaving me the day after we bonded, then so be it. I didn’t need to know. Not yet anyway.

Once I had finished with my hair, I laid the brush down on the counter and exited the bathroom, so intent on heading for the bed that I didn’t notice Cal sitting in the chair at the far side of the room. I had one knee on the mattress and was reaching over to douse the lamp’s light when I glanced over and yelped, clutching my hand to the towel knot at my breast and jumping back.

“Cal? Shit, you scared the hell out of me.”

Cal’s face was drawn into a deep scowl as he pushed himself from the chair and stalked over to me. I backed up as he approached, the look on his face giving me both shivers of fear and jolts of desire.

“Did you enjoy your training day with Lance?” His words were gruff as he backed me up until my butt nudged the wall.

I gulped. “What? He said that you asked him to train with me today.”

“I did, but that doesn’t mean I liked it.” Cal glared down at me, his jaw clenched as a muscle ticked in his cheek. Without another word, he grabbed my hands and yanked them above my head, then devoured me with a fierce kiss.

Chapter Twenty-One

Claiming

She moaned into his mouth as he ground his cock against her stomach, wanting her to feel just how hard he was for her. He captured her wrists with one hand and trailed the other down the length of her body, over her hip and up under the towel until his fingers grazed her pussy. She writhed, her body pressing into him, her tongue flicking against his. He slid his fingers along her folds, briefly circling her clit and then running them down again.

“You’re wet,” he murmured as he trailed kisses over her jaw and along her collarbone. She moaned again, grinding her sex against his hand. He lifted his lips from her skin to find her staring at him, her eyes clouded by desire. “Are you wet for Lance? Or are you wet for me?”

Astonishment flickered over her face to be quickly replaced by mouthwatering need as he slid two fingers inside of her, thrusting in to his knuckles.

“I’m wet for you, Cal. Only you.” Her voice was a husky whisper.

“That’s right, Morgan. Only me.” Cal released her arms and gripped the knot of the towel. With one quick yank, he sent it cascading to her feet, freeing her breasts so that they bounced slightly. He lowered his hand to capture one, cupping it as he pulled her budding nipple between his lips. “I can’t get enough of you,” he murmured against her flesh, his tongue rolling the nub in tight circles as he continued to stroke her clit.

She ran her hands through his hair as he left one breast for the other, administering the same treatment until it budded to a peak and glistened with moisture.

As he continued his trek down her luscious body, he could hardly contain his own throbbing need to claim her. But he knew it was going to be worth the wait and he wanted to taste every part of her before he got his release.

She whimpered as he knelt, clearly understanding his intent. He licked and sucked his way over her stomach and hip, then her thigh. He lifted her leg to rest on his shoulder and ran his tongue over her pussy in one long, delicious sweep, lapping up her juices and letting out a growl when they hit the back of his throat.

This is mine. She is mine.

Her body sagged as he stroked and sucked, circling her clit. Her fingers dug deeply into his scalp, pulling him close, begging him to take her over the edge. As he pulled her little nub deep into his mouth and gave it a few flicks of his tongue, she suddenly cried out, her body arching as she climaxed into his mouth.

Satisfied only because she was, he pressed his lips to her inner thigh before slowly rising to stand in front of her once again.

Before she could catch her breath, Cal moved his mouth back to hers, taking her lips, plunging into her before pulling away and undoing his jeans. “I’m going to take you hard, Morgan.” He let his pants fall to his feet then kicked them away. She was watching him, her palms pressed against the wall behind her, her eyes sparkling with desire. He whipped his shirt off then pressed himself against her body, crushing her, prodding her with his cock. “I’m going to take you hard so that you don’t forget your Hunter.”

She nodded as she arched into him, inviting him to do exactly as he said, and damn if that didn’t make him want to come right then and there. He ran his hand along her thigh, lifting her leg to fit snugly over his hip and, with a strangled growl, he buried himself to the hilt in her warm wet pussy. She gasped, pushing her breasts against him as he pulled back, then pumped again, slamming her to the wall, filling her, stretching her. He rolled his hips and she moaned, lifting her other leg from the ground to wrap around his waist. He braced his hands on her ass, holding her aloft while he rolled into her, thrust after thrust. He felt her climax build in spasms, clenching and releasing his cock each time he drove into her. Finally, as her orgasm milked him, he, too, exploded into a dizzying wave of release.

With his last push she sighed and tried to lower her legs, smiling at him with a languid, satiated look.

Cal shook his head and moved them to the bed, laying her down without pulling his cock out from her. “Oh no, sweetie. I meant what I said. I’m not done with you yet.” He rolled his hips again, his dick as hard as it was moments before and her eyes widened with surprise.

“Oh,” she moaned as Cal moved his lips to her nipple once again, rolling and sucking it until she was bucking beneath him.

“That’s it, Morgan.” He pulled his mouth away so that he could stare down into her lust-clouded eyes. “You’re mine.”

She nodded as she bit her lip, then rolled her head back as she arched into him. “I’m yours.” She moaned as she shuddered with another orgasm. “Only yours.”

Hours later, she lay in his arms, not yet asleep. He couldn’t bear to leave, not until she had dozed off, and he was loath to etch another sleep spell on her. He wanted some time with her before he left again. It was selfish of him, but he couldn’t walk away—not just yet.

She sighed with contentment as she traced patterns into his arm, igniting the tattoo that branded him and sending shivers of pleasure through his entire body. She was like a drug. Even with such a benign touch, she had him hard once again. She giggled as she wriggled her ass against his erection.

“Seriously, Cal. You’ve got the stamina of a porn star.”

He chuckled as he rubbed his dick against her flesh, his lips brushing against her soft hair. “Don’t tempt me.”

She giggled again but stopped her wriggling, busying herself with her delicate, spider-like movements across his arm.

“Where were you all day?” she asked, her tone holding none of the anger or suspicion that he would have expected from her. He had, after all, left her right after they’d bonded. She must have felt the pain of separation as keenly as he had all day.

“I had some business to take care of.”
Business. Yeah, right
. Cal had spent the entire day watching her on the security cameras like some obsessed stalker. He had watched, with growing anger and jealousy, as Lance laid his hands on her body. Cal’s mind told him that it was all perfectly appropriate and functional, while his gut demanded he go and beat the shit out of his friend for touching
his
woman. He had fought with himself all day. On the one hand, he wanted to be the man training her, guiding her, while on the other hand, he knew it was best if he stayed away.

Things had seemed to be so easy between her and Lance. Although Cal couldn’t actually hear what was being said, they did seem to laugh a lot, to joke with one another as if they’d been friends for years. And that pissed Cal off. If it wasn’t for his duty to the Order, his need to distance himself, he would be the one she was smiling at and touching. Sharing the moments of training that really should only be shared between Hunter and Huntress. His heart ached for it, and yet his obligation to see things through according to the plan dictated that he stay away, keep his distance. So he trailed her with the cameras all day.

The only room he couldn’t follow her into was the one they were in right now, and after an hour of not being able to see her, he’d snapped. He’d only just arrived and seated himself in the chair, having no clue what he was going to do, when she came out of the bathroom. But once he saw her, all reason fled. Still damp from the shower, she’d been too tantalizing, too bewitching. At that moment, all his pent-up jealousy and desire had overwhelmed him and Cal couldn’t control his actions any longer. He needed to have her.

Although he was content savoring the stolen time together, Cal knew that he had to leave before sunrise. He couldn’t let this go on and have her thinking there could be something more between them. Leaving this time, for the second night in a row, would really piss her off, but he needed her to be angry with him. It would help him stay away.

“I missed you today,” she said, her voice wistful and quiet, her fingers trailing along his skin.

His heart clenched at her words, and he had to bite his tongue from automatically replying with assurances that he’d missed her as well. That kind of talk would only get him in deeper trouble than he was already in with her. “Um hum,” he murmured as he nuzzled her hair once again.

“Are you going to be around tomorrow?”

Her tone was killing him. Not angry, not depressed, not suspicious, but hopeful—like all she wanted to hear was that he would stay with her. And he wanted to. With every part of his being, he wanted to. But he couldn’t. He wouldn’t.

“How much of the legacy have you remembered so far?” Cal interrupted her next words, not wanting to hear what fresh hell she was going to put him through.

She paused for a moment, her hands halted from their roving touch. “Oh, um, the legacy? You mean like the story you told me the other night?” She rolled over, pushing him to his back as she did so that she could rest her head on his chest.

Cal nodded, closing his eyes as a feeling of total bliss washed over him. God, how he loved having her there, on top of him, using him for comfort. He moved his arm to drape along her ass.

“Yeah.” His voice was gruff. “Yes, that’s what I mean.”

“Well, it’s strange really. I don’t realize that I know things until I’m introduced to them. Like today, learning all of those submission moves was great, how to get someone into the right position so I can keep them down, and after a few tries I just seemed to get them, as if I’d been doing these submission moves my whole life. And Lance showed me the weapons…”

He stiffened at the mention of Lance’s name, his mind battling his body’s need to claim her once again.

This is stupid
,
you can’t screw her every time she talks about another man
.

As though sensing his agitation, Morgan began her lazy strokes along his abdomen, instantly calming his anger as well as igniting his passion once more.

“So when he showed me the weapons it seemed like I knew what each would feel like in my hands.”

He nodded, his eyes closed as her fingers skimmed across his flesh. “Everything that I know, you know. It will all come to you in waves, over time so as to not overwhelm you. Anything else?” He was referring to his powers, the magic that he wielded through his touch. She should have knowledge of all of the spells and symbols he’d created and used over the years. In fact, her power should be greater than his.

Cal was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice her fingers had taken on a more purposeful motion across his stomach. Her voice came to him like a whisper, a teasing edge to her words.

“Anything else? Oh, yeah, lots.”

A familiar wave of power cascaded through him, his limbs growing heavy, his eyelids feeling as if they had sealed shut. In a dizzy wash of understanding, Cal tumbled into a deep pit of sleep, his conscious mind blinking out like a lightbulb turning off.