As he sucked on her breast, one hand pressed against her back, holding her close as the fingers of the other pressed deep into her body until she was moaning, lost in the whirlwind of sensation.
Paenthers warm mouth released her breast, moving slowly to her chest and her shoulder. He pulled her closer as his mouth went to her neck. His hand slid into her hair, and he cradled her head, tilting it away to give him full access to her throat.
A thrill of danger danced down her spine at the thought of how vulnerable she was. If he changed into the half animal whod ripped open her arm, he could kill her. Then again, with his vastly superior strength, he could have killed her at any time.
She trusted him. For now, in this moment, she trusted him.
As he kissed her neck, she rode his fingers, gasping, straining toward release, certain the pleasure couldnt get any sharper. His hand slid around the back of her neck as his kisses moved to her ear, and she shuddered with delight.
He pulled his fingers out of her suddenly, and she groaned. Paenther.
Shhh, Beauty. Patience. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it off over her head in one impatient tug, then moved away to remove his pants with a sensuous feline grace. His body was a study in male perfection. Shed seen him aroused before, but the sight of him now, thick and long and wholly erect, took her breath away. He was twice the size of any Mage. And she was more than ready for him.
With a low, animal growl, he swept her into his arms, deposited her in the middle of the bed, and followed her down. She looked up into his face, waiting for him to come to her, but he didnt move. For long moments, he looked into her eyes, their gazes twined. She felt herself falling into the black depths of his eyes, spinning head over feet. The sweet pressure in her chest grew until her chest hurt.
She adored him.
If only he could be hers.
Paenthers knuckles brushed her cheek as he stared down at her, then he dipped his head and claimed her mouth, and the passion exploded all over again.
His soft hair caressed her cheeks as his hand slid down her hip, to her thigh, and back up again with barely controlled passion. She curled her arms around his neck and held on, but her Feral wouldnt be caged, not even within her arms. He nuzzled her cheek and dipped to her neck, then broke her gentle hold and trailed kisses down her chest, between her breasts, over her belly button, and lower.
The light brush of his warm breath tickled her inner thighs as he dropped damp kisses all the way down to her knees. Then he swung around with that animal grace and knelt between her legs, staring at the flesh between with open hunger.
Skye shivered with anticipation, a smile tugging at her mouth. What are you doing?
He met her gaze with a look that was positively sinful. Enjoying the view. With his hands, he pushed her knees apart until she was fully open to his sight. He reached for her with both hands, his fingers sliding over tender flesh, plucking and tugging until her body wept with need. Beautiful, he whispered.
She expected him to cover her and slide himself inside her. Instead, he slid his hands beneath her hips and lifted her. Paenther, what?
Hook your legs over my shoulders, Beauty.
Why?
The look he gave her was pure cat. So I can pleasure you. So I can pleasure us both.
Her cheeks flamed, but she did as he asked, ready to trust him with anything. Even this. As she wrapped her legs over his shoulders, he pulled her hips up and closed his mouth over the very core of her.
The intensity of the pleasure made her cry out.
He lifted his head an inch, spearing her with his dark gaze. Do you like it?
Yes.
His tongue stroked her, sliding inside her, then out again until she was writhing against his mouth, crying for release. Her hands gripped the sheets as she held on against the building tempest. His lips closed over the sensitive heart of her, the place hed helped her discover with her fingers that night after Birik beat her, and she did cry out. The pleasure was almost too sharp. Almost.
He sucked that small bit of flesh into his mouth and teased it with his tongue over and over, driving and coiling the tension in her body until she shattered on a cry of pleasure, her body pulsing and throbbing, desperate to be filled.
As Paenther lowered her back to the bed, she held out her arms to him, her hips rocking with unabated need. For him. Only for him. Come inside me, Paenther. Please. I need you inside me.
He didnt disappoint her. He slid into her arms and entered her body, his thickness filling her with a delicious stretching pressure. She pulsed around him, thrusting her hips to drive him deeper, needing to be one with this man.
He held himself up on his forearms, capturing her mouth in a drugging kiss as he drove into her, over and over, filling her again and again with a beauty and a warmth. A completeness of body and spirit.
The pressure built inside her, coiling tighter, deeper, until finally the tension released on an explosion of such strength, such richness, it was as if shed never come before. As her body clenched over and over, Paenther thrust into her hard two, three times more, then on a hard groan of completion, dropped his head to her shoulder.
Tender feelings nearly overwhelmed her as she wrapped her arms around him and stroked his damp back.
If only we could stay like this. Forever.
Finally, Paenther pulled out of her and stood up, scooping her into his arms, startling a smile out of her.
What are you doing?
Getting a shower. Then Im finding you something to eat. You need flesh on these bones, woman.
He carried her to the bathroom at the back of his room and turned on the water but didnt step in.
She lifted her head from his shoulder. What are you waiting for?
The water to warm up.
A warm shower, she murmured with pleasure. The water in my room in the cavern never ran anything but cold.
He kissed her temple. No more cold, Skye. Ill keep you warm. Finally, he stepped into the shower with her, gently lowering her to her feet beneath the warm spray. But as he turned to get the soap, she slid her arms around him and pressed her cheek to his back, overwhelmed by the force of her emotions.
Tears began to run freely, mingling with the water from the shower. No one had ever cared for her like this before.
Shed fallen in love with him. But he could never be hers. They had no future because they belonged to two different worlds.
No, that wasnt completely true. He belonged to the world of the Ferals.
And she belonged nowhere.
CHAPTER 13
Paenther ushered Skye down the stairs, his stomach rumbling for food, his body nearly sated, his mind and heart in turmoil. The woman at his side was a Mage witch. Yet he couldnt deny that he was starting to have feelings for her. He was beginning to honestly care about her.
And how screwed up is that? Shes my prisoner, for goddess sake.
Yet hed discovered a surprising strength in her despite all shed been through. A softness. A sweetness. And an achingly deep loneliness. She hungered for touch and affection and wasnt afraid to return them. Her arms had gone around him in the shower, and shed clung to him with a need he was certain had little to do with the body and everything to do with the soul. Hed turned around and pulled her into his arms and held her, just held her beneath the warm spray for a long, long time. Until shed pulled away and begun kissing his neck and his shoulders and his chest, making him hard and ready for her all over again.
Hed taken her in the shower, holding her as she wrapped her legs around his hips. As hed pushed himself inside her for a second time, shed thrown her head back with a sound of pleasure that had moved him more than he wanted to admit.
Hed pressed her back against the warmed tile and thrust into her, over and over, until hed felt her inner muscles contract around him in a hard, pulsing release. As shed gasped, hed followed her for a second time, then stood there, buried inside her, wondering how hed fallen so completely under her spell.
He was still wondering about that. What in the hell am I going to do with her?
They reached the foyer, and he glanced down, unable to keep from looking at her. Yet every time he did, he felt an ache in his chest. Her scent, a blend of his own shampoo and her natural violets, wove through his body, heightening his senses, sharpening the ever-present edge of desire that never seemed to go away.
He never looked at her that he didnt feel something strong and visceral, but ever since he found her bleeding from Biriks curse and had peeled away his rampant distrust, those feelings had been growing increasingly warm. Increasingly deep.
She was lovely, there was no doubt about it, even in his sweatpants, pants hed had to cinch at her waist with a belt to keep them from falling off her too-slender frame. She wore one of his shirts, a soft navy flannel hed been known to wear draden hunting in the winter. Shed rolled the sleeves three times and they now bunched midforearm, revealing delicate wrists. She was missing shoes, but hed have to beg a pair off Kara or Delaney. There was no way she could ever keep a pair of his on her feet.
Even dressed like a street urchin, she carried herself with the natural loveliness of a dancer.
As if feeling his gaze on her, she lifted her hand and tucked a short, stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, then turned to meet his gaze. A soft smile lit her eyes, doing funny things to his insides. Yet he couldnt look at her without seeing the copper in her eyes. And the sight of it dug at him, cutting him with dark memories, whispering of treachery and subterfuge. Foxx had fallen hard for Zaphene. Hed been ready to make her his mate. Yet it had all been a lie. His feelings had been manipulated by Zaphenes magic.
Even though he was convinced Skye wasnt anything like Zaphene, every time he saw those copper rings, doubt whispered in his mind.
He forced the dark thoughts aside, determined to protect Skye from them just as he was determined to protect her from everything else that might hurt her. He lifted his hand and stroked the back of her damp hair, and she leaned into his touch, calming the doubts.
His hand returned to the small of her back, and he ushered her toward the dining room and the scent of roasting meat.
Are you as hungry as I am?
Im not sure, she said cryptically.
The sun shone brightly into the dining room through the wide, spacious windows, the crystal chandeliers sending ribbons of color dancing over the papered walls. Beatrices tastes had run toward the palatial. Nowhere was it more obvious than the dining room. The decorating of the house had always been the domain of the Radiant, but though he sensed Kara didnt particularly share her predecessors tastes, she was too practical and too wise to insist time and effort be expended on the frivolous when their situation was becoming more dire by the day.
If Birik and his master, Inir, managed to find a way to free Satanan, the world as they knew it was over.
Only two men sat at the table eating from the platters of meat already laid out. Foxx and Jag. The others would join them soon enough, as soon as the scent reached the upper floors. Then again, both Lyon and Tighe had mates, now. A warm and willing female in ones bed tended to trump food. At least for a while. And, at the moment, they were the only other Ferals at Feral House.
As he led Skye toward the mammoth table set before the windows, both men looked up. Jags eyes, as always, were sharp with antagonism. But so were Foxxs. And Paenther wasnt sure why. Until Foxx turned his gaze on Skye, and it trebled.
Out of respect, both stood and greeted him, but it was clear neither was pleased by his bringing Skye with him. And what did they expect him to do? Tie her up and take her food to her?
If shed been any other Mage witch, that was exactly what he would have done. But she wasnt any other. She was Skye.
He led her to the far end of the table and pulled out a chair for her, putting several chairs between her and the other two Ferals. As she sat, Pink pushed through the swinging kitchen door carrying another platter between her feathered hands. Pink was the size of a person, but her legs were those of a flamingo and her hands and face, though human-looking, were covered in pink feathers instead of skin.
The servant nodded to Paenther with friendly deference as she sat the platter on the table, but when her gaze landed on Skye, her bird eyes went cold. Without giving him a chance to offer an introduction, the bird-woman turned and headed back to the kitchen.
Paenther stared at Pinks stiff, retreating back. Not one member of this household was willing to give Skye a chance. Was it simply because their enmity and prejudices toward the Mage ran so deep?
Please, Goddess, dont let it be because they see the truth Im blinded to.
He looked down at Skye. She met his gaze with a wry, unhappy twist of her lips. No, he wasnt blinded. They were the ones who couldnt see. His heart had never lied to him. And in Skye, his heart recognized a kindred spirit. A fighter whod been forced to bend but had never broken. A captive willing to risk terrible punishment to keep others from suffering the terrifying, agonizing deaths theyd witnessed at the hands of the Daemons.
As Pink returned with a pair of pitchers of water and juice, he grabbed two empty plates from a stack in the middle of the table and started piling the fragrant meat on the first. His gaze swung to Skye. Do you like pork?
I She jerked her head in a small, agitated movement. No.
Paenther finished loading up his own plate, set it down in front of him, then sat at the end of the table beside her.
Is there anything here youll eat?
She looked at him with misery in her eyes. I dont eat animals.
Understanding flowed over him. Of course not. She was drawn to them and them to her.
Are you connected to them even in death?
I dont know. Its probably just my imagination, but I cant bring myself to eat them.
As Pink set the pitchers on the table and started to turn away, Paenther stopped her. Skyes a vegetarian, Pink. Do we have anything thats not meat?
I just put cinnamon rolls in the oven for Delaney and Kara, the half-flamingo, half-human servant said stiffly.
He turned to Skye with question, but the glimmer of excitement in her eyes and the fleeting smile on her lips told him all he needed to know.
Thanks, Pink, he said without turning, unable to draw his gaze from the beauty at his side.
You like cinnamon rolls, he murmured, his own lips turning up.
Her swift nod and widening eyes pleased him. I havent had one since I was a child.
He cut a bite of meat. Forgive me for eating in front of you, but
She shook her head. Eat.
As he dug into his meal, he watched her. What do you eat in the caverns?
Her hands gripped the empty plate in front of her, her fingers tracing the edges. In the summer, I eat berries from the bushes in the woods, and mushrooms when I find them. Sometimes the cook has bushels of apples or nuts brought in, and Ill eat those. Once a month, he bakes bread. Otherwise, all there is to eat is meat.
I didnt realize any Mage were exclusively meat eaters. The ones Ive known were not.
She shrugged. The meat was already there.
With a stab of empathy, he understood. They cook your animals. The ones killed during your sacrifices.
Her mouth compressed. Yes.
He remembered the way shed stroked the creatures with loving gentleness, and the way theyd clung to her. No wonder she couldnt bring herself to eat them.
No wonder she was so damned thin.
The current Ferals are all predators, he told her. Before Karas arrival, Pink fixed almost exclusively meat, but Kara prefers a variety. And Pink has a soft spot for Kara. Cinnamon rolls are starting to make a regular appearance.
What is she? Skye asked quietly. Pink. She looks like an animal, yet shes not one.
He looked at her curiously. You dont feel an animal inside her like the other Ferals?
Skye shook her head slowly. No.
He was sorry to hear that. Weve always believed her animal had been destroyed but never had any way to know for sure. Im sorry we were right.
What happened?
She would have been a Feral Warrior, though a decidedly nonpredatory one. The flamingos were always a weak line. When the last of the warriors died, the animal leaped to the strongest of that line. Unfortunately, he entered the fetus of a baby girl. A fetus that was about to split into twins.
The animal became trapped?
Apparently. The girls were born half-flamingo, half-human. Pinks twin was killed in hopes the animal would be free to rejoin within Pink, but it didnt work. Shes never believed any animal lived inside her. Apparently shes right.
She cant shift?
No. She is as shes always been. She lives with the Ferals because even without her animal, she needs radiance to thrive.
And she needs a safe place to live out of the sight of others.
Paenther nodded. Yes.
A movement in the doorway had them both looking up. Tighe and his new mate strolled into the room. Delaney wore black pants and a white shirt, a gun strapped to her waist. Her sharp, dark gaze lit on Skye with interest.
Tighes expression turned into a scowl. His arm slid around Delaneys waist. Lets grab our breakfast and eat outside. Its a nice morning.
Skye looked down at her empty plate as if shed been slapped. Again, Paenther found himself feeling bad for her. Whether or not the animosity was deserved, living with it so constantly had to be getting on her nerves. It was sure as hell getting on his.
Delaney turned to Tighe, her gaze utterly serious. Is she that dangerous? Do you think shell hurt me if I sit at the table with her?
Tighe growled low in his throat. If I thought shed hurt you, shed already be dead.
The womans serious expression dissolved into a smile. Then Ill eat in here. Im curious about her.
Tighe frowned. Dyoure too damned curious about everything. But as Delaney slipped out of his hold, he let her go. Dont touch her. They usually enchant through touch.
Paenther rose as he watched the woman approach, her manner forthright and fearless, interest to the point of excitement glittering in her eyes. She reached for the chair directly across from Skye, but Tighe nudged her down one. With a roll of her eyes, she turned to Paenther and thrust out her hand.
Good morning, Paenther.
With amusement, he shook her hand. Good morning, Delaney.
As Paenther greeted Tighe in the traditional manner, Delaney took her seat, leaning forward with her arms folded in front of her. The gaze she leveled on Skye was neither friendly nor antagonistic but purely assessing.
We havent been properly introduced. Im Delaney Randall.
Paenther watched Skye meet the other womans gaze with wariness and a touch of vulnerability that tugged at him. No doubt, she expected more animosity. But she lifted her chin and met Delaneys gaze head-on.
Im Skye.
Do you have a last name?
Skye shook her head. There arent enough Mage to warrant two names unless we live among the humans.
Delaney nodded, glancing at Tighe and Paenther as they took their seats. Same with the Therians, right?
Tighes wary gaze moved between the two women, clearly reluctant to be drawn into this discussion.
Delaneys none-too-subtle jab of her elbow to his arm elicited a grunt from the warrior and a stiff reply. Most Therians take two names because they do live and work among the humans. The Ferals dont.
Delaneys gaze swung to Tighe. Then why does your drivers license say youre John Tighe?
Tighe lifted a brow. Youve been in my wallet?
She grinned at him. Im FBI. You know full well Im snooping around every chance I get.
Tighe hooked his arm around her neck and pulled her close for a quick kiss to her temple.
And Im going to have to put up with this for eternity? His voice was low, the look in his eyes full of such love that Paenther lost the last of his doubts about why his friend had taken the woman as his mate. Tighe had clearly found his match.
Weve all taken John as a first name for the purposes of the licenses. Among other aliases.
Delaney rolled her eyes. Its a good thing Im on your side, now. Im learning way too much. She turned to Skye. So, youre really a witch?
Im a Mage, although female Mages are often called witches. Her mouth turned rueful. Few of us have hooked noses with warts on the ends, though.
The touch of wry humor in her voice surprised him.
Delaneys eyes lit. So you dont fly around on a broomstick?
To his amazement, an answering smile twitched at the corners of Skyes mouth. No broomsticks. Unfortunately, no flying. I wish I could fly.
Me, too. What about that Delaney lifted her finger to the end of her nose and wiggled it.
The small burst of laughter, sweet and genuine, that erupted from Skyes throat almost seemed to startle her as much as it did Paenther.
Bewitched! The delight in Skyes eyes entranced him. I loved that show when I was a little girl. The way Samantha could make things appear and disappear with the click of her fingers or a wiggle of her nose. Even Tabitha could do it!
Oh my God, did you ever see the episode where Tabitha
As the smell of cinnamon rolls began to fill the dining room, Paenther met Tighes gaze as the two women talked about a television show hed never seen, nor had ever cared to. Tighe was looking decidedly unhappy with the enthusiasm with which his mate was embracing the conversation with the witch. His friends wary gaze turned back to Skye and stayed, like a man prepared to defend his mate against a wild and dangerous beast.
As much as he hated that Skye had to endure the constant distrust, he couldnt blame Tighe. Few Therians ever found a mate worth binding themselves to for an eternity. None of the other current Ferals ever had except those chosen as the mates of the Radiants. Lyon for Kara and Wulfe for the now-deceased Beatrice. While Lyon seemed happy with the choice, Wulfe never had even though those pairings were supposed to be as perfect as any pairings ever made.
Now there was Tighe.
Paenther shook his head, watching the play of possessiveness, unable to fathom caring so deeply about one woman that he would be willing to forsake all others for eternity. But as his gaze turned back to Skye, to the fragile pleasure lighting her face as she talked about the old television show, he couldalmostunderstand. Every now and then, a woman had a way of changing everything.
Her eyes positively danced as she leaned forward, deeply engrossed in her discussion with Delaney, a self-deprecating smile lifting her lips.
I used to complain bitterly to my mother about the unfairness of being a real witch and not being able to do any of those cool things.
Delaney watched her intently, her smile bemused. You cant do any of those things? Then what can you do? Her gaze rounded on Tighe. There has to be a reason everyones so afraid of you.
The delight slowly drained from Skyes expression. The Mage I grew up with could do little more than simple spells and charms, lighting lightwicks Her hand lifted and twirled in the air. Floating candles, basically. And increasing the yield of the garden or healing minor sickness. Some had other gifts, the gift of foresight or the ability to read anothers mind. None of those was any real danger to the Therians except for the ability to enchant and capture the mind of another with the touch of a hand. A dangerous trick since the victim can be stolen away without effort and made to do anything the captor wishes. But not all Mage possess that ability. I never have.
Paenther stilled. You captured me.
She met his gaze with a lift of her brow, a decidedly impudent twist to her mouth. I did. Even as she held his gaze, color began to stain her cheeks. But it took considerably more than a touch.
The memory of just how shed captured him, of how hed slid inside her, had his blood heating all over again.
I hadnt heard this part, Tighe said, his voice a low rumble. By the look passing between you, I take it sheuhopened your mind for you?
She did.
Without enchanting you first?
She hid her Mage eyes, if thats what youre asking.
Its not like you to get distracted by a female.
Paenther knew that all too well. And yetAs Skye looked up at him, as their gazes met, he felt her reach deep inside him and stroke that tight knot in his chest. I hadnt met this female, he said softly.
The soft smile that curved her lips had him longing to reach for her, to stroke her face and bury his nose into the curve of her neck, immersing himself in her scent.
Tighe growled low. Did you ever consider that shes enchanted you?
Of course shes enchanted him, Jag snarled from the other end of the table. Shes been fucking with my animal since she got here. All fucking night!
Paenther turned, slowly, meeting the hard anger in the other Ferals eyes. It had been a mistake to bring her into the dining room. But hed be damned if he was going to steal her away before shed had a chance to eat. She deserved better than that.
What in the hell is she doing here? Lyon stood in the doorway, Kara at his side.
Paenther groaned, then rose to greet his chief. But Lyon didnt move forward. Instead, he pushed Kara behind him as if protecting her.
Paenthers jaw clenched. She needs to eat.
Shes not even tied.
I thought the Shaman bound her magic, Delaney said evenly.
We have no way of knowing if it was effective.
Jag snarled. I can tell you right now, Chief, it wasnt. Shes fucking with my animal! Jag began to light as if he wereshifting.
Chaos erupted as the sleek jaguar materialized in Jags chair. The chair crashed backward as the animal twisted and leaped to the floor.
What the hell? Lyon demanded.
Its her! Jags angry voice rang in Paenthers head as he was sure it did in all the Ferals. A shifted Feral was able to speak telepathically with whomever he chose as long as that person was relatively close by. I didnt intend to shift. I felt her pulling on me, and suddenly it was happening.
The cat came around the table slowly, his walk stealthy. Deadly. Im going to rip that bitchs throat out.
Paenther shoved back his chair and stood, Skye at his back. Like hell you are. Its not her fault, Jag.
No? She works her magic, and its not her fault? Whos to blame, then? Lyon? Kara? Maybe Santa Claus?
Jags muscles bunched to spring.
I cant shift, Paenther told Tighe even as he grabbed Skye from her chair and pushed her against the wall, shielding her with his body.
I can. In a flash of lights and striped fur, Tighe shifted into his tiger and leaped at the same moment the jaguar did, colliding in midair, right over the table. The pair crashed on top of the platters of food, sending dishes, crystal pitchers, and silverware crashing to the floor.
Paenther pulled Skye to the other side of the room as the two big cats fought in a way strictly forbidden by the code of the Ferals.
Jag, shift. Now! Lyon ordered.
But the jaguars only reply was a furious growl as he sank his fangs in the tigers shoulder and was batted back by a huge, powerful paw.
Lyon turned on Paenther. Get her out of here, or Im going to kill her myself!
Paenther snarled, pulling Skye hard against him, but he couldnt argue. Whether she was doing this on purpose or not, the result was the same.
The Prisons, B.P., Lyon yelled, as Paenther pulled Skye from the room. I dont want her anywhere near the others.
In the hallway outside the dining room, Paenther grasped Skyes trembling hand and saw the fear in her eyes. A fear that echoed deep in his soul. Because whether she was doing it intentionally or through the cantric embedded in her heart, he could not allow her to endanger his friends.
As he led her down the long stairs to the prisons below, he felt his choices narrowing to a dismal few. In a terrible twist of irony, hed found that rarest of creatures, a kind and gentle witch. Yet thanks to the treachery of her own kind, she was still dangerous.
And a dangerous witch, caught in the Ferals trap, had only one kind of future. Bleak.