Текст книги "Dark Awakening"

Автор книги: T. A. Grey

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 9 страниц)

Chapter 4

The next morning was one of the strangest of her life. Alison woke up in an unfamiliar bed and home. She felt oddly disjointed, as if she was living out someone else’s life that morning. Sarina called her woke her up from her nightmarish sleep, to inform her she was coming right over.

So she made a point to put on a pot of coffee and take a quick shower. When a knock sounded at the door a little while later she didn't think to look through the peephole first. She should have. Because then she could have ignored it.

"Hello beautiful. You look good enough to eat." How Rome managed to say such simple words and not sound lame was impressive. But when he said it, his eyes were dark and serious as if he meant it. Surely he didn't. He was drop-dead gorgeous, a veritable god to women. It had to be pity that made him be so nice to her. That and he had a dick.

"What are you doing here?" She didn't like sounding so haughty, but she couldn't help it. The man set her nerves on alert.

He arched a dark eyebrow and smiled. "How did I know you'd be excited to see me? Sarina's on the way, and I believe at least one of the Alphas should keep watch over you while you're in danger."

"And that someone should be you?" She crossed her arms and cocked a hip to the side like a teenage girl with attitude.

"Of course. Nothing better than keeping watch over a beautiful woman."

She rolled her eyes and stomped into the living room. "Oh please, enough with the flattery. It's ridiculous and unnecessary. I don't need your pity, your words, or anything from you."

She turned her back on him, which was a mistake for he stalked towards her on silent steps. Strong hands curled around her shoulders and spun her to face him. Their eyes caught, and for a moment, the world stilled except for them. They both remembered the kiss from last night.               Electric heat flowed between them. Alison heard a strange noise and realized it was her own quick breathing. He was so close. If she just lifted onto her toes, she could reach his mouth.

That thought shattered her passion better than ice water. She could never lose herself with him, would never kiss him, never be with him.

"Please don't touch me." She took a step back and looked away from his piercing eyes, from the dark arousal that ebbed there.

"Why do you hate me?"

His blunt words cut through her. She backed away to a chair and sat heavily in it. What could she tell him really? She couldn’t tell him about her past, it was too humiliating, too awful to relive.

She decided to settle with a half-truth. "I don't hate you. I just don't like you." He started to answer, but was interrupted with a soft knock at the door. Alison rushed to answer it, relieved to see her friend's face.

They hugged fiercely as if they hadn't just seen each other the night before. But their bond was strong, one made of years of dedication, secret keeping, and most of all helping each other at the worst of times. Sarina had helped her after her incident with Conlin, a time so horrible her family no longer even invited her to holidays.

"Vane is visiting with the Justicars today. They will need to speak with you of course. I know you wanted to wait but Vane talked to me about it last night…and well, he’s very persuasive. I hope you won’t be mad." Sarina took a seat, giving Rome a pointed look that had him shrugging.

Alison sighed. She couldn’t be mad at her friend when she was only doing the right thing. However she was afraid that ‘right thing’ might end up hurting her worse.

“Like I said last night, I don't have any proof that it's him."

"There's where you're wrong! At Rome's request this morning, we've sent some men to collect the DNA from Conlin's...err, from the bed sheets. If it's a match for Conlin then that's perfect evidence that he was the one that did it."

Alison massaged the tense muscles at her neck, the tight pain pinching at her. "Oh, I honestly hadn’t thought of that. Yesterday everything was just a blur to me. What good is that going to do me really? I suppose I can get an order to keep him away from me, but he's the famous Prince Conlin, I hardly think he cares much for legalities. Most likely he has friends in the judicial system too."

"I know, but at least it's something for now and it's a record for the Justicars. Those letters would be nice evidence, but then again it's not like he signed them. How did you sleep, Ali?" Sarina’s quick change of subject made her smile, albeit a strained smile.

Alison peeked at Rome, as if she could miss him. The man took up entirely too much space in the small cabin. The way he was looking at her was very disconcerting, like he was trying to read her every thought and expression. A blush stole across her face before she could try to stop it. She tried to hide the blush, but Sarina already saw it. Sarina glanced over at Rome and winked.

Alison wanted to tell her friend that the nightmare was back. The same one she'd spend months battling before. The night Conlin almost killed her. She hated that time of her life. She had been weak, scared, humiliated, and even after the ordeal she had spent countless nights waking up in a cold sweat, shaking.

"I slept fine. How's everything been going with you?"

Sarina sighed and relaxed in her chair. "Father disinherited me and disowned me. I received the legal papers a few weeks ago. Surprisingly it didn't hurt at all, well not much."

Sarina's father was one of the last pure bloodlines of lykaens in the Midwest. He'd spent his own life training his daughter to bear the right kind of sons with the right man. However, when Sarina went against his wishes and chose love, the king didn't like that, and as a result, had tried to marry Sarina off to Conlin. That didn’t go down as the king planned when Sarina and Alison made an escape thanks to the help of Darien and Rome Kategan.

Later at Vane and Sarina’s mating ceremony, Alison used her knowledge of Conlin to taunt him and help save Sarina's life. She didn't regret saying the words. Taunting his masculinity–what there was of it—was worth saving Sarina. But her words had consequences, ones she was paying the price for now.

"I can't believe the bastard, really. He acts as if you were never more than a breeding mare."

Suddenly, Sarina burst out laughing. "Oh my God, Ali, I told Vane the same thing." Alison laughed with her and felt some of the tension in her shoulders ease.

"Listen, I need to go to work. I need something to do, I can't just stay cooped up in this cabin until something happens."

Rome shook his head and stalked towards her. "That's not a good idea. Even if we send a guard with you, you will still be out in the open, in public. Kategan land will keep him away."

The nerve of the man. Alison glared up at him. "You listen here, Goldilocks. I have a business to run. Conlin isn't one to stop at the border property just because the sign says 'No Trespassing.' Okay? So, I'm going to work, send some guards with me, that's fine. If he's coming for me, then being here isn't going to deter him."

Her words seem to enrage him. His nostrils flared, and he grabbed her brutally by the arms bringing her hard against his body. She could feel every hard inch of his chest against her soft one, and for a crazy moment, she yearned to press her hips a little bit forward see if he was as excited as she was.

"Don't be stupid. You're not going to work. It’s not safe.”

She sputtered, “Damn right I’m going to work. I have nothing to do here and a business to run, ‘kay thanks.”

His jaw tightened until she thought it would crack. “Then you're not going anywhere without me. Consider me your own personal bodyguard, Alison." Alison actually trembled in his arms. The way he said her name was low and husky. It made her nipples harden in response as if her body was tuned to his voice on some primal level.

His eyes fell to her lips and she fought not to wet them in front of him. Somehow finding some modicum of sanity, she pushed him away. He let go slowly and backed up, his chest moving a little bit faster than before.

"Well now, isn't this interesting," Sarina said in a singsong voice.

Alison suddenly just remembered something. Snatching her friend by the hand, she brought her into the bathroom with her and slammed the door shut.

"What's going on? You know, girls really don't have to follow each other to use the bathroom, Ali."

"Oh shut up. Listen, I just remembered something."

Her friend's urgency had Sarina stiffening. "What. What is it? Did you just remember something else about Conlin?"

"What? No, no, nothing like that. I just remembered that I'm supposed to go into my breeding tomorrow."

Sarina stared open-mouthed at her friend, then shook her head and laughed wearily. "You really do have bad luck, you know that? Well, what are you going to do? Are you going to call um, what's his face...John is it?"

Alison crossed her arms tightly. John Dour had been her lover during her single days in her breeding cycle. He’d helped her for two years, then she met Conlin and was with him during her next cycle, and over the next two years John had been servicing her. He was kind, simple, and completely happy to service her needs during the cycle. Plus he didn't mind wearing a condom, since neither of them wanted a pregnancy.

"Yeah, I'll call him tonight and see if he can come over."

"What if he can't?"

Alison laughed quietly. John was a simple man, but a man nevertheless. "Unless he's married…He’ll come.”

"Oh, I'm sure he will," Sarina said smartly with a grin of her own.

"Listen before you go, do me another favor will you?" Alison hesitated, wondering whether or not she should tell her friend. Of course she could, she was always trustworthy. At her friend's enthusiastic nod, she continued. "Don't tell Rome about the breeding cycle, please. I'm going to hunker down in the cabin and stay that way until it's over. Luckily my cycles have never been as long as yours. Maybe it will even be over in a few days."

Sarina looked at her with a twinkle in her eye. "You like him, don't you?"

Alison sputtered and cleared her throat. "Not at all."

Sarina smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "Listen honey, he's a good man. I know how you feel about handsome men, but you can actually trust this one. Not only is he a Kategan, but he's Vane's brother, and I've gotten to know him a bit over the last month. I've also seen how he looks at you. A man only looks at a woman like that when he wants her, baaad. Maybe you should let your guard down a little with him."

Alison hugged her friend and said she would try, even though it was a lie. She could never allow herself to trust a man like that; already he was pushing down her steel defenses with brutal force. Hell, she hadn't kisses anyone besides John during her cycle in the last four years. She couldn't afford to let the barrier drop. She'd already gone through what happens when you do.

Chapter 5

After informing Rome that he was right and she shouldn’t go back to work so soon, she ushered her guests out and prepared for the breeding cycle to come. It wasn't like her to forget something so important. Hell, it was even marked on her little calendar at home.

But with the break-in and the nasty letters she'd been receiving on top of the eerie, silent phone calls, she'd been on edge. Every little noise had her turning towards it with a start; each sound seemed to have taken on a sinister calling.

Paranoia. She knew it for what it was, but couldn’t stop it.

She asked Sarina to gather a few items for her that she'd need for the next few days. Six bottles of champagne was at the top of the list.

She was trying something new this year. Instead of calling John Dour, she planned to try a new strategy—get really drunk. With enough liquor and self-pleasuring, she should be able to stem off the throbbing roar of her hormones. Or at least that's what she was hoping for.

She knew she should call John, but the idea of him coming here was too weird to her. This wasn’t her home and she didn’t want people to know what she was up to, and surely, the guards would question him for coming to see her.

Seventy-two hours, that's how long she needed to last.

Unfortunately, she only managed to last six of those seventy-two hours. After her breeding cycle swept like a fiery burn through body at around eight o'clock that night, Alison managed to down more than half a bottle of champagne and pleasure herself twice.

She would not admit, aloud anyways, that it was Rome's cock she pictured thrusting into her. She pictured him taking her quick and hard, not bothering to undress her all the way before filling her deeply. She came twice with the image of him buried inside her and growling his hot release into her.

Alison rolled out of bed, uncaring of her naked state or that her fingers smelled richly of her breeding heat. She paced in front of the fireplace. Why couldn't she get him out of her mind? He was only a man. Good looking, yes. Funny, yes. Absolutely delectable, yes. Her heart told her she could trust him.

She had trusted Conlin and ended up in a bad way, but that was her fault. And her heart’s, which had been completely in on the whole deal. She had been naive, not believing of the rumors about him. He'd played the part so well too, about how unjust it was that people said such horrible things about him. Even Sarina had told her to be careful, but she hadn't listened. She'd trusted a monster.

But Rome wasn't a monster. While she didn't know that for certain, a part of her wanted to take a chance. Damn it all, she didn't know what to do. Her nipples were crying out to be pinched, her skin was sensitized to even the softest of touches, and her core throbbed like a rapid pulse between her legs. She was so hot and wet.

God she wanted him. Like a dying plant needed water, like a woman needed a man.

Her mind made up, she dialed the one man she trusted, the one man who was safe, and that man definitely wasn't Rome Kategan.

She could hear the breathless excitement in his voice at her request. His voice wasn't deep like Rome's but it was nice. He promised to be there in thirty minutes and hung up. Alison made another call to the sentry guard. Sarina told her that if she needed anything to let them know, so she called to tell them to allow her male visitor when he arrived.

She grabbed her bottle of champagne by the neck and took a long gulp. The tangy bubbles sizzled on her tongue and left a pleasantly sweet and crisp taste in her mouth. For a moment, she considered putting clothes on for when he arrived, but her skin was too sensitive. Each touch felt like it was supercharged a thousand times stronger than usual. She couldn't even bear the touch of the couch against her.

She paced in front of the fireplace. She'd planned on lighting it and sitting by the fire with a book all night. That was until her breeding cycle roared to life. She chewed on her bottom lip and ran a hand through her hair, probably messing up her bangs in the process. A dark feeling was eating at her like a parasite. She recognized it as guilt.

"God, I can't believe this," she muttered. She actually felt guilty over calling John. It wasn't like Rome was anything to her; in fact, she'd learned her lesson about gorgeous men. He was bad news. But then why did she feel like she wanted to go hide in the closet and not come out when John came to the door?

Her core throbbed, warning her of its emptiness, threatening her with its steady pulse to fill it or else. Already the painful stomach cramp started. If she didn't have sex soon she'd been in real pain. Masturbating only staved off the pleasure so much. God, just thinking about how Sarina had dealt with this without a man for so many years was horrible. Her father was monster for doing such a thing.

Just then, there was a knock at her door. Alison flew to it and flung it open. John's jaw dropped at seeing her flush, naked body. Her chest was heaving, her legs spread, and the scent of her sex filled the air like smoke. He closed his jaw and she looked down his body to see his erection pushing through his khaki pants. A part of her pulled her back a little and told her no, but the animal inside her, the lykaen told her to rip off his pants and sit on his cock. She couldn't help it, the animal was out of the cage, and she leaped at him with a growl.

He caught her around the waist as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He groaned as her mouth found his. His lips were thinner, his body not as strong, not as tall, didn't smell as good or feel right, but she didn't care. She was going to have him.

He stumbled back with her until the porch railing stopped him. Her tongue was in his mouth and her hands scratching over his back. She pulled back to tell him to pull out his cock, but she was interrupted. Well, interrupted was a tame word for what happened.

She was wrenched away by a strong grip, and in the next blink, she saw Rome slamming his fist into John's face.

"No! Stop it!" she yelled and pushed Rome away. He didn't look at her, just panted, and stared down at John who was having trouble keeping his eyes open. "What do you think you're doing?"

"He was touching you." He jerked her up against his body and his pupils darkened and dilated as he looked at her. Then he took a deep shuddering breath. "You're breeding." He growled and her body wept at the sound.

"Y-yes," she whispered. Suddenly she felt like a deer caught in headlights. She was utterly captivated by him. His scent, his body, his voice, all of them pulled her towards him as if they were two polarized magnets, irresistibly drawn together.

"Tell John he's leaving and not to come back around here again." His hands grabbed her naked hips and brought her flush against his body. She moaned at the feel of all his hard strength and whimpered at the unmistakable hardness of his cock.

Somehow she tore her gaze away to see John come to a stand, his legs a little unsteady. "I'm so sorry, John. Please go." He looked at her, his lips in a flat line then looked at Rome with a wounded expression before turning to leave. Alison wanted to cry out to him, she felt so awful for everything, but she couldn't because Rome picked her up and was taking her into the house.               Oh my God, she thought her mind buzzing. I'm going to have sex with Rome Kategan.

Chapter 6

Rome couldn't think straight over the roar of blood in his ears. His cock was harder than it'd been in his life.

He'd received a call from the guards that Alison was having a visitor over, a male visitor. Rome had watched curiously, and more than a little angry, as the thin man knocked on Alison's door. But after he saw her launch herself at him completely naked, he knew two things. One, that he was going to kill this man and two, something was wrong. The shy, modest Alison would not fling herself naked at a man in public without reason.

That's the reason he gave himself for marching over to her cabin and planting his fist into the thin man's face. The scent of her breeding heat hit him like a punch to the gut, had his heart knocking against his ribs with a hard staccato rhythm. She smelled ripe and fresh like pure woman and honey. God, he'd never smelled anything so good.

He didn't feel like he was all there in his head. He felt overcome with lust and desire, feelings he'd already harbored in abundance for her. Looking down at the wiggling vixen in his arms, Rome knew he was going to take her good and hard.

Something stopped him though from just shoving in her like he wanted to, like she wanted to judge by her soft, needy eyes. "Alison, tell me you want me. Tell me you want this." He hated that he sounded like he was begging, but damn he couldn't help it. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, the movement lifting her closer to his lips.

"I've only wanted you."

Her soft words hit him like a sledgehammer to the head. His cock throbbed painfully and his sac drew up tight to his body. Before he realized what he was doing, he was kissing her. It was all tongues, lips, and breaths mixing together struggling for dominance. He put her down on the rug before the unlit fireplace and followed her down. He pulled back from her lips to look down at her naked body.

"Beautiful." His guttural complement sent a shudder through her body. Her head fell back, exposing the long line of her throat and he followed the path with his mouth pressing hot kisses there then sucking the skin when she gasped. His hands found her breasts and squeezed.

Good God, they were large and full, filling his big hands. He wanted to go slowly, learn her body, and let her learn his, but she would have none of that. He didn't know whether it was her breeding cycle or if this eagerness was usual for her, but her hands found the button and zipper of his pants and undid both of them.

She pulled out his cock and squeezed the hard steel making him groan and curse harshly. Grabbing her wrists in his hand, he planted her arms above her head. She looked like a virgin sacrifice and he wanted nothing more than to take her ripe offering.

"Slow," he said.

Her hooded eyes met his and she shook her head no. "Hard, fast, now." He was ready to tell her no, when suddenly she wrapped her arms around him and with surprising strength rolled them over until he was on his back and she was on top.

"Just wait," he growled.

She didn't.

She lifted her lips, nudged his cock to the hot throbbing heat of her sex, and sunk home. Moaning wildly, she lifted and sank further and further until she fit as much of him into her as she could.

Rome stopped complaining, stopped thinking altogether. His hand and mouth found her breasts, sucked, and squeezed as her tight flesh gripped and massaged his cock like a wet fist. She was so passionate above him, like a sexual goddess straddling his cock, finding a rhythm that had her panting, and crying out.

He pinched her nipple and lifted his hips higher, driving his cock deeper into her and she froze above him, her mouth open in a silent scream as her body broke into hard, trembling shudders. Her climax was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. Her eyes were wide open with shock as is she was experience her first orgasm, her chest was flushed red with excitement, and her sex gripped him repeatedly, stroking his own orgasm from him.

He grabbed her hips in his strong hands and lifted her so he could plunge into her quivering core. The fading strokes of her orgasm pulled at him, squeezed him, until he grunted, slammed in one last time and came harder than he'd ever come before. She moaned and wiggled above him as his come soothed her throbbing womb.

Alison collapsed on top of Rome and fought to catch her breath against the rise and fall of his big chest. She felt like a doll resting on his chest. A wave of calm, warm, security wrapped over her like a blanket. She settled into that warmth with a smile.

Warm hands trailed down the naked expanse of her back and up into her hair. It felt so good to be touched again, touched like she mattered, like she was wanted.

She had been touched like that once before. Alison jerked away, stumbled to a stand on unsteady knees. Rome smiled lazily at her like a naughty god wanting to be punished for his wicked ways.

Alison swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut at the layers of hard muscle contouring his arms, chest, and legs. Not again. Cold fear flowed through her veins like icy water.

"Get out," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She managed to open her eyes again with a strength she didn't actually feel. Rome's smile was gone, the happy crinkle at his eyes gone, and in its place was a cold mask of indifference or maybe anger. She couldn't tell which, but she hated even more that she had made him lose that smile. Why did she have to be so fucked up? If only her choices in life had been different and then she met Rome, maybe she would be different.

But she wasn't. "Please get out."

Rome stood, his jaw tight, and jerked on his clothes. When he finished he spoke. "You shouldn't be alone during your breeding cycle. I will take care of you with no obligations, Alison." As he spoke he crossed to her, for each step he took, she retreated until finally he had her backed up against the wall.

He reached out and ran his hand over her cheek and into her hair. He stared into her eyes with a soft glow that spoke of understanding, knowing, caring.

"I know you don't know me, but I am a good male. I can protect you, if you let me." Alison shivered at his words and wondered if he meant to protect her from more than her breeding cycle.

Was he offering long-term protection? Did he care for her? Did he feel this magnetic pull like she did? A part of her yearned to cave in to his words and let his strong arms close around her and protect her. But she knew better than that, had lived the harshness of a cruel man. A man she'd trusted, a man she'd loved.

"I can't, I'm sorry. Please just go." She hated the way her voice broke over the words. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see his face. She grew colder as he moved away from her. A slight trembling began in her stomach and threatened to spread but she clamped down hard and fought it.

She heard the door open, but couldn't look at him. "If you need me at all, if you change your mind, come find me. I can't stay away from a beautiful woman." The door shut softly behind him.

"Then go find another one." Alison thought she heard him say no, but wasn't sure. The door shut softly behind him.

She expected to feel relief, delirious satisfaction even. She was safe now. But she didn't. Instead she felt hollow like an empty shell. Alone and cold like a dying star surrounded by a vast darkness of nothing. But for a while she'd felt warmer than she had in years. And so very alive.

Going to the coffee table, she grabbed the unfinished bottle of champagne and down the last of it. The sweet liquid though did nothing to make her feel better.

It didn't miraculously change her life or send her back in time to make a different decision. Instead she collapsed against the hallway, stumbled down the hall to her bedroom, and fell onto the bed.

* * *

"You don't listen well, bitch."

"I'm sorry, I will do better next time. I swear, please don't hurt me, Prince Conlin." The female trembled, hiding her face in the floor below her, but the scent of her musky arousal floated in the air like incense.

"Don't use my name, whore. You're not worthy to speak of me." He grabbed her hair in a fist and lifted her face to smack her hard on the cheek. The reddened skin hardened his cock better than any woman's hand could. He tightened his hand in her hair until her eyes watered in pain, and then he held her in that position and felt his cock grow longer. "You failed me once. Do you know what will happen if you do it again?"

He brought his other hand up to squeeze her slender throat. It would be so easy for him to squeeze the life out of her. When her watery eyes lifted to his, she realized it too. Real fear now replaced her fake struggles. She tried to jerk her hair out of his hand, but he held on tight and laughed, his lips curling cruelly. His cock was throbbing now, a hard rod jutting from his hips. He brought the tip to her lips, but she clamped them tight.

He squeezed her throat in warning. "Do it. Bite me and you'll never regret another thing in your life." Tears spilled down her cheeks as her mouth opened. He pushed in the wet heat of her and growled. Her lips pressed loosely over his, her tongue lax, but he didn't care. That's what made his chest pump faster and his hips thrust harder. He hit the back of her throat and she gagged, so he did it again. "Don't bite me," he gritted through clenched teeth. His hand tightened reflexively on her throat as his come boiled in his balls, readying to explode. He twisted her hair tighter and watched her wince.

Only then did he come.

"Alison," he groaned, closing his eyes and seeing her face, her dark hair, and glasses. It was her mouth he came in and not the blonde.

Pulling his wet, soft dick out, he bent down low to the female. "I look forward to you fucking up again, Sandra. It will be so much worse next time." He jerked the woman up and kissed her on her tear stained lips.