Kara snatched up the brush and returned to the bedroom, where Lyon still gripped the window frame.
"I have to wear a bra with this. And I need a slip. And panties."
"No." The word was softly spoken, but laced with steel.
A dark suspicion had her catching her breath. "You told me there was no sex involved in this ritual."
"I told you the truth."
A harsh burst of strangled laughter escaped her throat. "Then why did you have to turn me on? Why no underwear? Why the porn-queen dress?"
He turned slowly, his hot gaze skimming the dress and every one of her curves, setting her on fire all over again. But when his gaze finally met hers, his mouth twitched in what might have passed for a very strained smile.
"That porn-queen dress has been worn by our Radiants for nearly a thousand years."
A thousand ? Kara's eyes widened.
"My intent wasn't to turn you on, as you put it, but merely to ready your body for the passion that will rise naturally during the ceremony. Passion opens the body and mind in ways nothing else can. It's the way nature finds the one who will help you ascend."
"Passion." Why did she get the feeling he wasn't telling her everything. "But not sex?"
"No."
She met his amber gaze, searching for the truth. "You promise?"
He met her gaze, then crossed to her and took the hairbrush from her unsteady fingers. Turning her, he began to pull the brush gently through her hair.
"There is no sex involved in the ceremony, Kara. Nothing for you to fear. We would never hurt you." His deep voice soothed her senses, easing her disquiet with every word, with every stroke of the brush. "You're our Radiant. The conduit to our power. You hold our very lives in your hands."
Tossing the brush onto the bed, he turned her around to face him, then stepped back, as if afraid to touch her. His gaze slid over her slowly, his eyes hot, admiring, heating her all over again. He took a deep, unsteady breath and motioned toward the door. "Let's go."
They descended one flight of stairs and crossed through the empty and silent house. As they started down a second, much longer flight to what she assumed was the basement, the dread she'd felt earlier returned, tightening like a band around her chest until she could hardly breathe. And she began to wonder what her real role was destined to be in this strange world.
What exactly did it mean to be the Radiant and lifeblood of the Feral Warriors?
In this dress, with her hair down and her feet bare, she was beginning to feel more like a blood sacrifice.
CHAPTER 7
Lyon lifted Kara onto the foot-high pedestal in the center of the sacred circle, his hands shaking with need for her as they splayed at her narrow waist. It was all he could do not to bury his face in her neck and drink in the sweet scent of her skin. It was all he could do not to lift the hem of her dress and sheathe himself deep in her heat.
He'd done too much as it was. Kissing her. Fondling her. Hell, he'd done everything but make love to her. Never had he struggled so hard for control and lost it so badly. The lack of radiance was definitely getting to him, too.
"What's going to happen?" Kara's voice quavered as her gaze slid around the smoky, dark-paneled room. The flames of the six sacred fires cast shadows over her face. "It's spooky down here." Her gaze caught his, whispers of fear in her eyes. "What's going to happen, Lyon?"
A fierce protectiveness rose inside him, a need to fight back her fears as he'd been doing since he found her. But her fate was in the hands of the goddess, now.
"It's just ritual, Kara. You have nothing to fear. All you have to do is stand here as we call on the Earth's wisdom to pair you with the one who will aid your Ascension to your power."
"All I do is stand here?"
Lyon hesitated, deciding he'd put off the explanation as long as he could. At least the part she needed for now.
"One by one the men will approach you kiss you until the one is found."
Her blue eyes widened, her mouth dropping open in disbelief. "You're making that up."
"No."
"I'm not kissing all of them," she hissed.
"It's the only way." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the last two warriors, Vhyper and Paenther, enter the room. The slap of forearm to forearm echoed through the ritual room as his men greeted one another, along with a few low, ribald comments. One man would indeed be well bedded tonight.
"It's time," Kougar said. The fires that ringed the circle were lit and flaming. The men all there.
Lyon pulled his shirt off and tossed it to the ground outside the circle, as did the others, standing in nothing but his pants. The Pairing required flesh. Against flesh.
He took his place in the circle. Each man was bare to the waist except for the silver armband that curved around his right biceps, an armband with the silver head and jeweled eyes of his beast. Lyon gazed at Kara standing before them, proud and wary. More beautiful than any Radiant before her. The goddess personified. A rumble started deep in his chest, vibrating through him as his animal fought to stake his claim.
Mine.
He clamped down on the beast within. She wasn't his, and he didn't want her to be. The last thing he needed was the time-consuming responsibility of a mate. But, heaven help him, she filled his senses. Never could he remember feeling this insanely attracted to a woman. Attracted, jealous, possessive.
Damn, but this ceremony couldn't happen quickly enough. When she was paired, he'd be free of this obsession once and for all. He had to believe that.
But the wildness inside him tossed its head in denial. He wanted Kara. Not just in his bed, but by his side. Sharing her thoughts and doubts, gifting him with a smile, and in time, maybe even laughter.
Mine . His beast's claim raged through him, demanding he attack every man in the room and protect what was his. But he was not a beast tonight. He was a man. And the ritual would reveal the truth he would live with.
Kara turned, the firelight catching in the hair that brushed her shoulders, turning it to spun gold. The diaphanous gown whispered over her skin, revealing hints of the woman beneath. Passion rode her skin, ripe and seductive, making Lyon sweat.
Goddess help him, he wanted her. As did every other man in the room. He could see the hunger in their eyes.
Kara's gaze found his, clung to him as if he were her lifeline. Even from where he stood, a good ten feet away, he could see the pulse pounding thickly in her throat. She was afraid. It was all he could do not to goto her.
Kougar, the oldest of the Ferals and the ceremonial head of the circle, pulled out his switchblade, flicked it open, and slit a vein in his wrist. Tighe, standing beside him, handed him the ceremonial bowl that had once been the top of the skull of an ancient and long-dead shape-shifter. Kougar let his blood seep into the bowl, then passed the bowl to Tighe, who did the same. One by one, the warriors added their blood to the bowl until it was Lyon's turn. As the chief, he was last. He slit his own wrist, ignoring the searing pain. Moments later, when blood no longer flowed from the quickly healing cut, he handed the bowl back to Kougar.
Intoning the ancient chant, Kougar moved into the circle. Kara watched the warrior with wide-eyed wariness as he dipped his fingers into the blood and dripped it onto the ground as he circled her slowly three times. Finally, he returned to the main fire, where he poured the remaining blood. The fire spit and rose, turning as blue as the fingertips of the man who would ultimately be chosen tonight.
Kara's gaze flew to Lyon. The gazes of every man in the room turned to him as well. He was Chief of the Feral Warriors and it was his place to go first or turn the honor over to another.
Mine , his beast raged. Lyon clamped down hard on the wildness of his animal, but he was nearly out of control.
"Paenther," he called, his voice tight with the effort. He would not touch her until he was certain he could kiss her and back away.
"Roar?" Paenther questioned. "Are you sure?"
"It's my right to choose the order," Lyon snapped. "Go." He clenched his fists at his sides as the beast within him railed at the betrayal, and his body shook with the need to have her.
As Paenther strode forward, Kara's gaze locked on Lyon and he could see plainly that his beast wasn't the only one who felt betrayed.
Paenther stopped in front of her in his black leather pants, his black hair loose about his shoulders. Tentatively, Kara turned to face him, her shoulders tight, her arms trembling at her sides. The warrior reached for her and she reared back.
Only Paenther's quick hands on her forearms kept her from falling. "Easy, Radiant. I won't hurt you."
"I don't like this," she murmured, her pleading gaze flying back to Lyon.
His chest tightened, yet he steeled himself against her silent plea.
"This is the way it is done," Paenther said, his voice low and tight.
Jealousy curled deep in Lyon's gut as Paenther covered the soft flesh of Kara's shoulders with his hands and pulled her against his chest, skin to skin, slowly leaning forward to kiss her.
Rage tore through him, his beast ripping to get tree. Mine !
Paenther pulled back and stepped away from her, holding up his hands. Hands that held no blue flame within their tips.
Lyon was shaking. He couldn't do this. He couldn't stand here, watching, as the others kissed her, wondering if she was somehow meant for him.
"Me next?" Tighe asked.
"No," Lyon growled. He wanted this over with. Either she was his, or she wasn't, and he wasn't waiting any longer to find out. If she wasn't, he'd at least get a last kiss. And if she was? No one was touching her ever again. Ever. Again .
The relief and welcome in her eyes as he approached nearly drove him to his knees. His hands shook with the need to pull her into his arms. For once he didn't have to fight the urge. He cupped her bare shoulders and pulled her against him, his passion igniting and flaring into a wildfire with the first brush of his heated flesh against her silken skin. Her breasts pebbled against his bare chest. Her scent rose up, clouding his mind, ensnaring him in a haze of lust that was almost too thick to breathe.
When he covered her mouth, reason fled. Her sweetness drugged him, stealing all thought but the certainty she was the only sustenance he would ever need. His hands pressed against her back, pulling her closer as her own hands swept up to catch in his hair, holding him tight.
His tongue swept inside the lush cavern of her mouth, seeking its mate, drawing small moans from her throat that grew in force until she was rocking against him. In a far, distant corner of his mind, he remembered where they were. Remembered they stood within the circle of his fellows. He should let her go and step back.
But his beast roared, Mine ! and he increased the pressure of his tongue strokes instead, marking her, his beast daring the goddess to ignore his claim. In a trembling rush, Kara came apart in his arms, clinging to him as soft whimpers escaped her throat.
Lyon continued to kiss her, drinking in the heady taste of her release until the torrent passed, and she clung to him. Slowly, regretfully, he released her mouth and held her tight against him until she could stand on her own.
Sweet goddess, he wasn't letting her go. She had to be his. His logical mind took up the cry of his beast. Mine .
But she would only be his if his fingertips glowed in the mark of the true mate.
His scalp began to tingle with cold realization. Glowing fingers would have triggered a shout. A cheer. The only sounds that met his ears were the crackle of the fires and the stunned and utter silence of his brothers. He knew. Before he ever pulled away from her and looked at his hands, he knew there would be no glow.
Mine ! his beast roared in anger and betrayal. But he lifted his hands and stared at the traitorous normalcy of his flesh.
Kara wasn't his.
He released her and stepped back, her gaze clinging to him even as he turned away. Pain lanced his aching body.
This was good, his logical mind cried. He didn't have time for a mate. But his beast growled at the treacherous fates, and he knew his beast was right.
All his life he'd been alone. And hadn't realized it. He'd thought it was just him, just the way he was. Until Kara. The first time he touched her, he'd felt an awakening deep inside, a stark and painful illumination of the lonely hollows within him that he'd never acknowledged, perhaps never even known existed. An ache that eased when he touched her.
But she wasn't his. The goddess, in her cruelty, had given her to another. And those hollow places inside him, raw and open, would bleed for the rest of his life.
He would never touch Kara again.
Kara covered her face with her hands, longing to sink into the ground and disappear. Never had she been so humiliated. Every time Lyon kissed her, she came. It was embarrassing enough to do in front of him, but she'd just done it in front of eight men . Men she was supposed to live with!
Oh, God.
She lowered her hands and saw the men exchanging glances, felt the unnatural silence blanketing the dungeonlike room. Had something gone wrong, or were they merely horrified at the sluttiness of their new Radiant?
The odd cherry-sweet smell of the fire smoke teased her nose as Tighe approached her, his muscular chest bare above his low-slung blue jeans, a silver armband with a tiger's head tight around his upper arm, glinting in the firelight. Above his right nipple he had the scar, the four claw marks just like her own.
Tighe stopped in front of her, demanding her attention. For once, he was without his sunglasses, and she gasped when she saw his eyes. No whites rimmed his irises. Instead, golden tiger eyes stared back at her with the same disconcerting hunger she saw in the others'. A chill slid down her spine.
Never had she been the object of such attention, and never from men such as these. While it was a heady experience to have so many men desire her, there was only one among them whose attention she wanted.
Lyon.
Tighe's gaze caressed her face. "Look at you," he breathed. "You're glowing. Absolutely glowing." He shook his head, looking mystified. "He should have been the one."
He slid his hands over her shoulders, his hands shaking ever so slightly, telegraphing the hunger she saw on his face. "I feel like I'm encroaching on something sacred." But he pulled her lightly against him as Paenther had and kissed her with surprising passion, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth. She kissed him back because she was supposed to, and because she liked him. But the kiss was mildly pleasant, nothing more.
Tighe pulled back and looked at his hands, then met her gaze with a lopsided grin. "I got a little carried away. That kiss you gave Lyon was inspiring." He cupped her chin, briefly, then turned away.
Kara looked at Lyon, but his gaze was fixed firmly on the floor. What was going on? Lyon had told her this ceremony was only to choose the man who would help her ascend. But they were taking it far more seriously. With a sudden, horrible certainty, she knew it was more. Much more.
Vhyper strode toward her, his bald head gleaming, his silver earring shining with a fire all its own. "I keep waiting for someone to start the duck, duck, goose, but they're all so somber tonight."
Kara forced a smile, but couldn't hold on to it for more than a second. Her heart was starting to pound a deep thud. "What's the purpose of this ceremony?"
His gaze met hers, a spark of something sharp slicing through his eyes. "To find your mate," he said, then pulled her against him for his kiss.
Mate. Mate ? As Vhyper's seeking mouth touched hers, she struggled against his hold. He released her so suddenly, she stumbled backward, off the pedestal. Strong arms caught her from behind and righted her before she hit the ground.
Vhyper thrust his hands in the air and turned in a circle like the champ of a prizefight. High above his head his fingertips glowed like blue Christmas tree bulbs. When he turned to face her, his eyes flashed with triumph.
"It looks like you're mine."
No . Kara leaped off the pedestal and ran to Lyon. But unlike before, he didn't open his arms to her. Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and looked over her head, his shoulder-length golden hair framing a face made of granite as he refused to meet her gaze.
"You said this ritual was to choose the man who would help me ascend."
His jaw tightened, sending the bones of his face into harsh relief. "It was. It did."
"But that's not all it did, is it?" Tears burned her eyes as her hands fisted at her side. "You purposely misled me. What was the reason for this ritual, Lyon? What have you done to me by bringing me here?" She slammed her fists against the light furring of his hard chest, demanding he look at her, but he refused. "You've sold me." She beat on his chest. "You've sold me."
Lyon's hands shot around to clamp her wrists and still her fury. His gaze bore into hers, harsh, yet pained. "He's your destiny, Kara. The Pairing never fails."
"You expect me to marry him?"
"You will. He's your mate. The only one who can keep you from dying during your Ascension, the only one with whom you might ever have a child. He'll be the love of your life."
"You're crazy ." Her vision blurred as the tears began to slip down her cheeks. "I'm not doing this." They couldn't make her marry against her will. They couldn't .
And who would stop them? They weren't human. Dear God, she wasn't human.
Lyon released her and whirled, striding away.
Kara ran after him. "Lyon!"
He turned, his face hard. "You don't have a choice." His voice was harsh. Angry. "You must ascend. And Vhyper is the only one who can help you do it."
Kara stared at him, feeling the ground beneath her feet drop away. In the past twenty-four hours, she'd lost her mother, her home, her world, even her very sense of who she was. Yet through it all, she'd had Lyon beside her, holding the terrifying sense of loss and chaos at bay. She'd trusted him.
And he'd betrayed her.
It was too much. She sank to her knees on the hard stone floor, wrapping her arms around herself as if she could keep from shattering into a million pieces. Her dress pooled around her like a lake of glistening tears.
"Kara" In Lyon's voice she heard all the pain in her heart. "I'm sorry."
But when she looked up, he was already walking away.
Kara wasn't sure how long she'd sat there in the smoky room, in the ruins of the Pairing, the voices talking over her. Sounds of disbelief. Regret. Anger.
One hard voice cut through the others. "If Lyon touches her again, I'll kill him."
"You know Lyon better than that, Vhype. He'd never betray you."
"No. He won't." But the words sounded more like a threat than any affirmation of trust.
"I don't blame you for going crazy, my man. We're all hanging on to control by a thread. Lyon's no different."
"I said I'll fucking kill him!"
Kara shivered, feeling battered. Broken. She refused to listen to this anymore. She rose from the floor, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and started for the doorway.
Vhyper stepped into her path, blocking her escape. "You're going with me, Radiant. Nowhere else."
Kara stiffened, chilled as she stared into those cold eyes. "I need time. You have to give me time." A sob rose up to choke her. "This is all too much."
"Leave her alone tonight, Vhype." Tighe moved toward them, his eyes no longer yellow tiger's eyes, but green human eyes. "She wasn't prepared for this."
Vhyper cocked his head at Tighe, a smile forming on his mouth that quickly turned into a sneer. "I saw that tongue action, Stripes. You looking to make a little time with her yourself?"
Tighe snarled, his eyes flashing back to tiger, his fangs elongating.
But Vhyper ignored him and grabbed her, jerking her roughly against him. "She's mine ."
It was too much! Whatever control she'd had dissolved in a cold wash of panic, her mind screaming as she struggled against the far stronger warrior, desperate to be free of this nightmare. She strained against his hold, kicked his leg with her bare foot, but Vhyper easily turned her against his side, pinning her.
"Let me go!"
" Vhyper ." Another Feral's voice. Wulfe's? "If your aim is to win her affections which it should bethis is not the way to do it. She's going to hate you for this."
"Fuck off." Vhyper turned, dragging her toward the door.
"No!" Kara screamed.
Paenther stepped forward, blocking their exit. "Wait, Vhype." Amazingly, her captor stopped. "Kara." But she was too desperate to quit struggling. "Kara!"
She felt her jaw gripped in a firm hand and found herself staring into Paenther's black eyes. Eyes that were not unkind despite their hardness.
"I've known Vhyper most of my life. He's a good man." She made a sound of disbelief and tried to jerk away from his hold, but he held her fast. "He's jealous at the moment, and suffering from the lack of radiance, as we all are, but he'll make you a fine mate once you're ascended. Once you get to know one another."
Kara scowled. "I don't want a mate! I don't want to be your Radiant, I don't want to be immortal, I don't want any of this!"
Paenther released her and stepped back as she flailed against the arms that bound her. Finally, she managed to catch Vhyper in the shin with a good, hard swing of her heel.
" You little bitch ." Vhyper's hand closed around her throat, his thumb jamming hard beneath her ear.
Darkness fell.
CHAPTER 8
"Your blood. Radiant. I will have your blood."
She was dreaming. Kara knew she was dreaming, but the knowledge did nothing to ease the terror. Smoke stung her nostrils as firelight danced on dark walls. Like before. Like the Pairing. But this time, instead of standing on a pedestal in a beautiful gown, she hung from the ceiling. Naked. High above her head, ropes bit into her wrists, pulling her arms taut, nearly wrenching them from their sockets as her body swayed in the air. Warm liquid ran down her hips and legs, dripping from her toes.
"Your blood. Radiant. I will bleed you slowly, stab by stab, until I have all I need." The voice was neither high nor low. Neither masculine nor feminine. But pure evil. The voice's owner moved before her, cloaked head to foot in black, holding two long, sharp daggers dripping with blood. Her blood.
"I shall bleed you until you die."
Kara jerked awake, pulse hammering, sweat soaking her nightgown. She sat up, then groaned at the terrible ache in her middle. The room was dark except for a sliver of hall light coming under her door. It was still night. The dream's terror swirled around her as she clutched her stomach, the devil stalking her with those bloody knives.
Light. She needed light.
Kara threw back the covers then sucked in a tight breath as her body protested. It wasn't just her stomach. She hurt everywhere. Why ?
Trembling, she reached for the lamp, gritting her teeth against the pain. What was the matter with her? Turning the switch, she cast the room into a soft golden glow. Her gaze darted around the empty room, diving into every corner, every cranny, but she could see nothing.
No fires. No robed devil with blood dripping from his blades.
She was completely alone.
With shaking hands, she grabbed for the hem of her nightgown and yanked it to her waist revealing nothing but a neat bellybutton surrounded by clear flesh. No wounds. No blood.
Already, the pain was ebbing away, but the fear remained sharp, pounding at her heart and making her mouth dry as dirt. The feeling of danger remained painfully clear.
It couldn't have been a dream. Dreams didn't cause pain. Not real pain. She hugged her knees to her chest as tremors wracked her, shaking the bed beneath her. It had to have been a dream.
Didn't it?
How could she possibly know what was real in this place?
Terror clung to her like a cloying mist, making it impossible to breathe. She couldn't do this. Couldn't stay here like this.
With Vhyper. And men who turned into animals.
She wouldn't stay here.
Pushing off the covers, she stumbled from the bed and dressed hurriedly in jeans and a sweatshirt, her hands shaking, her breath coming in tight gasps. Get out of here, get out of here, get out of here . The words pounded through her head as she slipped down the stairs and out the front door into the night.
Lyon woke with a start, his finder's senses ringing with alarm. Kara had left the house.
No one would take a Radiant into the night unless it was an emergency. His pulse started racing as he wrenched himself out of bed and strode to the window that overlooked the front drive. And saw nothing. No men racing with her to the car. No Ferals at all. Which told him everything he needed to know and sent his pulse into hyperdrive. The Radiant was out there alone.
Sweet goddess.
He yanked on a pair of jeans and flew out of the room, taking the two flights of stairs in three strides. Following his finder's sense, he ran through the house and out the back door. She was right where he'd known he'd find her, a good twenty yards away and moving in a crouched half run toward the woods.
Her emotion hit him like a sound blast, smothering him in her fear. Rabid, rampant fear.
Was she trying to get herself killed?
He ran for her on silent feet, catching her from behind and hauling her back against his chest. The moment he touched her, his senses exploded with the feel of her soft body against his, her sweet scent washing over him. The ache inside him twisted at the knowledge she would never be his.
Kara struggled against his hold. "Let me go!" Her raw terror squeezed something deep inside him.
"Easy, Kara. It's me. I'm taking you back inside before the draden find you."
She stilled abruptly as if he'd startled her back to wakefulness. Maybe he had.
"Have you stopped fighting me, little one?"
"Yes."
He released her, took her hand, and ran with her back to the house. When they were inside, and the door was locked against the creatures of the night, he turned her to face him, keeping tight hold on her hands as he tried to pull the raging fear from her. Moonlight lit her face, revealing the shadows of terror deep in her eyes.
"What happened?" he asked sharply.
The shudder that went through her reeked of fear, but as quickly as he pulled it from her, more rushed in to take its place.
"I don't know. A dream. Someone stabbed me." Her eyes tightened in confusion.
He started breathing again. It was as he'd suspected. "You had a nightmare."
"It felt so real."
His arms ached to pull her close and wrap around her, comforting her, but he didn't dare allow himself even that simple contact. Because he wanted it too much. And she wasn't his. She was Vhyper's now, and he had no business touching her at all.
"Tell me about your nightmare, Kara."
She shivered, remaining silent so long he wasn't certain she was going to respond. Finally, she sighed and relaxed into his hands as if giving herself up to his care, even as her fear kept coming.
Her mouth twisted. "It was just a B-movie horror flick. A dark-robed figure with a bloody knife coming after me. But I couldn't get away. I was tied."
"So you woke. And ran." He brushed his thumbs over the backs of her hands as he held her. Comforting her in the only way he dared.
"Did you hear me leave?"
"I'm the finder," he said simply. "I always know where you are." The feel of her soft hands, nestled tight in his, sent heat and need winding through his body. His gaze fell to the sweet fullness of her mouth, and he knew he was in trouble, or would be if he didn't put some distance between them, now. Goddess but he craved another taste of her.
"I'm surprised Vhyper didn't hear you." His words turned hard-edged, acid spilling into his gut. Goddess, but the thought of her with that warrior, their bodies naked and sweaty.
His jaw clamped shut.
"Don't even say his name in front of me." The venom in her words had his protective instincts leaping.
He gripped her hands. "What did he do?"
She turned away, her mouth twisting with bitter unhappiness. "I don't know. After you left, he wanted me to go with him, and I refused. I told him I needed time and he went all caveman on me and knocked me out, I woke up in my own bed just a few minutes ago."
His fingers tightened, then relaxed. He knew Vhyper as well as he knew himself, and Vhyper would never hurt any Therian woman, especially the Radiant. Particularly, his mate. Even if he'd been sorely provoked. As he certainly had been.