Pursuing Paige Read online

  Or was it the bond?

  She thought about that for a moment, and then shook her head. Silly. She wasn’t going to buy into that the way her sister had. It was more like she hadn’t sex in a very long time and Jarek and Kaiden were both sex-on-legs.

  Once her body had cooled off a bit, she adjusted the illumination in the room to light the stage and nothing else. The view of seats, even completely empty ones, always made her nervous and right now she just wanted to dance. She needed to dance.

  There was nothing on the stage, no bars, mirrors, or even a chair. It was all open space, full of possibility. She pulled on her tights and leotard, and then added a loose gray boatneck T-shirt. Finally, she laced up her ballet shoes. As she warmed up, she readied music tracks in her mind.

  Finally, she rose, and with a sweep of her arm, she began to dance. Her body swayed, lifted, twirled, made use of the space. Her muscles stretched, contracted, invigorating every pore of her body with euphoria. Perspiration sheened her skin as she went through the motions of the pieces she’d been working on. For the time being, she could forget her situation, forget she’d been pulled into an alternate reality, forget the strangeness of it all. Change wasn’t something that had ever come easily to her.

  But she couldn’t forget Jarek and Kaiden.

  She tried. As she leapt and swooped across the stage, pushing her body to the limits of its capacity for exertion, she did her best to wipe the men from her mind, but they just wouldn’t go. They were unforgettable, lodged in her psyche so securely not even her favorite thing in the world could force her thoughts from them.

  Was she destined to always carry them with her? Even after she returned to the other side? How could two men she barely knew have that kind of power over her?

  Deep in thought, she danced so hard and so long she lost track of time. She heard footsteps behind her and Jarek was there. She turned and ended up in his arms.

  He wore a hungry expression on his face. He was dressed in a loose fitting shirt and a pair of pants. “We watched you dance so often through the veil. To see you in person is indescribable.”

  She straightened, her heart beating and her breath coming fast and hard from the exercise. “I feel better now. My head is clear.” Almost.

  They stood looking at each other for a long moment. Finally, as though of one mind, they each took a step toward other. Jarek dragged her up against his chest, his mouth coming down hungrily on hers. “I want you more than anything,” he whispered against her lips between kisses.

  “I’m yours,” she answered. At least for right now.

  He lifted her around the waist like she weighed nothing and stepped off the stage to the first row of seats that were swathed in near darkness. Sitting her down on the edge of one, he dragged his fingers down one of her legs and slowly lifted her ankle. She sat back in the seat and bit her lower lip. The sight of her battered ballet shoe in his huge hand, his dark eyes looking at her with such hunger, it made her stomach warm with need.

  Slowly, he untied the ribbons of her shoe and slid it off, letting her foot fall gently down. He did the same with the other. Her feet were not beautiful, a result of the pummeling she constantly gave them. That lack of beauty was apparent even though the tights that covered them, yet he looked each of them as though they were the prettiest things he’d ever seen.

  Taking her hand, he helped her stand, then cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. Her fingers stroked over the muscles of his back and arms through the material of his shirt. Skating her hand beneath the hem, she found warm skin and practically purred. “Off,” she murmured, nipping at his lower lip.

  He dragged his shirt over his head and flung it away. Then he drew the leotard down past her shoulders and pushed it to her waist, freeing her breasts. They were small, but Jarek seemed to love them. He dipped his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth, tonguing it until it went hard. She moaned and arched her back, the sensation warming her all over. It had been so long since a man had touched her.

  Jarek gave the other breast the same treatment, flicking his tongue over her sensitive nipple over and over until her knees went weak. Then, making a low sound in the back of his throat, he pushed her leotard, tights and underwear over her hips, down her legs and off.

  “Sit down and spread those gorgeous, long legs for me.”

  She sank into the seat and he hooked her legs over the armrests of the seat, making her hips tilt up and displaying her cunt completely to him. He looked down at her as though he didn’t know where to start, then he knelt and lowered his mouth to her.

  Her hips bucked at the first lash of his tongue. “Jarek,” she moaned a moment before she was lost in sensation.

  He found her entrance and circled it teasingly with his finger, then pushed in slowly to his first knuckle. She whimpered as it stretched her. She was tight, a testament to her lack of a sex life.

  Jarek gave a tormented groan and pulled at her clit with his lips, making pleasure radiate through her body. She arched her back, pushing her sex against his mouth, wanting more. He gave it to her, adding another finger to the first and stretching her even wider. His thick digits tunneled in and out of her, making her squirm and moan. The edge of a climax flirted hard with her body.

  He leaned back and used the thumb of his other hand in place of his tongue on her clit, which was slick with his saliva. His eyes dark and hooded, he thrust his fingers in and out of her cunt as he rubbed her clit. He knew she was close to coming and he wanted to watch, that much was clear.

  The lust in his eyes added to her excitement. She watched his hands work over her, fingers gliding in and out. Pleasure burst over her body, sweet as a berry. She cried out as she came. He rode her through her climax, petting her clit and drawing out, making her orgasm stronger.

  Only when she lay panting in the seat, did he withdraw. His eyes on hers, he undid the drawstring on his pants and let them drop. Then he stood there, gloriously naked, stroking his huge cock from base to tip. Her breath came faster and her body blossomed into need again. All she wanted was his cock inside her right now, but…

  “Condom,” she whispered.

  He shook his head. “That’s not how it works for the Lycaon. We only impregnate when we choose and disease is not an issue.” He knelt before her, yanked her hips to the edge of the seat and fit his hard cock against her.

  She squirmed at the sensation of it and moaned as he pushed inside. He took it slowly, inch-by-slow-inch, until he was seated deep within. Then he began to stroke. Every thrust made pleasure spread through her body. She hung on as he gripped her hips and angled her upward, sliding deep inside over and over.

  Electric shocks of the purest pleasure radiated through her with every move he made. It had been years since she’d had a man inside her and this was no ordinary man. The sight of his body over hers, the slide of his cock in and out of her, combined into the most erotic experience she’d had to date.

  “Jarek, you’re killing me,” she whispered right before his mouth came down on hers. His tongue flirted with hers for a moment before he retreated. “This is almost too much to bear,” she murmured against his lips.

  “In a good way or a bad way?”

  She smiled. “Oh, good, I assure you.”

  He made a hungry growling sound in the back of his throat and stood, dragging her up to stand. Gripping her hair gently at the back of her neck, he angled her face toward his. “You make me crazy with need, Paige.” He slanted his hot mouth over hers and took her in a deep kiss that left her breathless.

  Only a moment before she lost all feeling in her knees, he turned her back to him, then pushed her down and placed her hands on the arms of the seat. Grabbing her hips, he yanked her up forcefully, making her yelp with surprise, then set the head of his cock to her entrance. She moaned as he pushed inside her, long and slow, stretching her most intimate muscles with his wide girth until he was seated deep inside.

  He let out a groan of pleasure. “I love the way you
r back arches. Your body is so beautiful. I love the way you feel, too.”

  “Jarek,” she breathed, gripping the back of the seat so hard her fingers hurt. The sensation of him completely filling her, yet not thrusting was making her insane. “Fuck me.”

  He pulled out and pushed back in so slowly she saw stars. She gripped the armrests against the movement as he picked up the pace, his cock sliding in and out of her faster and faster until their bodies bumped together in a hard and fast rhythm.

  Bending her over a little more, he slid his hand between her thighs from the front and found her clit. She’d come already, and she doubted she could do it again, but the slide of his finger against her sensitive nub immediately made her second guess herself. He touched her just right, putting the perfect amount of pressure on her clit. Pleasure tickled and teased, making her moan.

  “Come on, baby,” he whispered behind her. “Come for me.”

  The sound of his voice was the trigger. Ecstasy poured through her, making her tremble and cry out. The pleasure forced all thought from her mind as waves of it pummeled her.

  Jarek let out a low groan and his cock jumped inside her as his control finally snapped. They slumped together into the chair, but when it proved too small, he lifted her onto the carpeted floor and curled up around her.

  She let out a slow breath. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting that.”

  He laid a kiss to the back of her head. “I’m glad it happened, but I’m sorry I took you so rough. My control nearly snapped.”

  She laughed. “Please, don’t be sorry. That was amazing. I’m glad it happened.

  “Me too.”

  She smiled and snuggled against him. She should felt guilty for giving in so quickly to him, for being so incredibly intimate with someone she barely knew…but all she felt was satisfaction and contentment. All she wanted was to go home with this man and sleep in his bed all night long.

  The only thing that niggled at her conscience was Kaiden’s absence. She had no reason to feel guilty for sleeping with Jarek and yet, inexplicably, she did. She didn’t owe Kaiden anything, she reminded herself.

  And, yet, it saddened her that she had shared this connection with Jarek while he was away.

  * * * * *

  Kaiden, in dire wolf form, curled into a ball at the base of a tree deep in the Northern Woods. It was better to sleep in wolf form, warmer and more comfortable. During the course of his life, living so much of it in the forests of Selaryica, he’d spent more time as a wolf than a human.

  A cool wind ruffled his fur. The night was chillier than normal for this time of year. Closing his eyes, he thought of Paige and felt warmer. Likely she was now in Jarek’s bed. Jarek wasn’t a man who females resisted and he knew that Jarek was doing everything he could to seduce her.

  Jealousy flashed through him at the thought, but it was inevitable. No matter how much Paige might wish to resist their bond, she would succumb and succumb quickly. All human women who’d been pulled over fell under the power of the mate bond. None had returned to Earth after the two weeks were up. The power of the connection was too intense.

  Of course, he worried that Paige might be the first to resist its influence. That’s why even though he was jealous that Jarek would likely have her first, he accepted it. Jarek was more civilized than he was, had far more social grace. If any man could hook Paige’s attention and keep it, it was Jarek. And the more intrigued she was with one half of her mate bond, the more open she would be to the other half—him.

  For the first time in his life, Kaiden wished he wasn’t in the woods. He imagined a fire in the hearth at home, Paige sitting in front of it, the light flickering over her satiny skin. He wished he was there with her.

  In the distance, a dire wolf howled, a long, lonely sound cutting through the cold air. Kaiden raised his head and answered. The distant dire wolf howled again and gave two sharp barks, the warning cry. Kaiden bounded to his feet and took off in the direction of the sound. His paws thudded the earth, over branches and dead leaves, pushing him quickly to a flat-out run.

  Magica hunters were growing nearer and nearer their territory. Torrent speculated that their mage protectors were endangered, that something was happening to put their shields in jeopardy. Kaiden wanted to return to Paige, but he couldn’t. Not now. Not while the hunters were growing so perilously close to discovering the whereabouts of the Lycaon.

  Something was up, something bad.

  Chapter Three

  “Where is Kaiden right now, do you think?” asked Paige, as she stood at the window and gazed out at the chilly world.

  It had grown colder on their way home from the village. All the parts of her body that had been touching Jarek had stayed warm, but the rest of her had nearly frozen to death. When they’d reached home, Jarek had lit fires in every fireplace in the house.

  “He’s probably settling down for the night, unless there are any threats. He’s in wolf form. Of that I’m certain.”

  “Why?”

  “Wolf bodies do much better sleeping on the cold, hard ground, believe me.”

  She touched the cool pane of glass. It made sense that Kaiden slept in wolf form for better protection, yet she still worried about him.

  Turning from the window, she went to the table and piled a plate with the cheese, bread and cuts of meat that Jarek had set out for their light dinner, and then went to sit in front of the fire. “Who are these Magica mages, anyway?”

  As Jarek moved around the room, he snorted. “Dangerous, fearful people who carry a grudge. The Lycaon were wronged by the Magica, there can be no dispute on that point, yet we were ready to find peace with them centuries ago. Generations have passed, hundreds of generations, since the original conflict. War is tiring and taxing for both sides and we’re sick of it. We want to let them be, but they won’t let us be.”

  “Surely not all the Lycaon feel that way.”

  He shook his head. “Of course we’re not all of one mind. There are pockets of hot-heads who hate just as much as the Magica. There are some who want to take the offensive, instead of the defensive. These Lycaon believe we’re weak not to mount attacks against the Magica. The governing body, however, is in accord. Peace. That’s what the majority of those in governance would prefer, but it’s something we may never see in our lifetimes.”

  She munched a piece of cheese. “It’s sad. I don’t understand the mentality of the Magica.”

  “They fear. They fear our power. They worry we will take them over. The Magica don’t understand the basic nature of the Lycaon because they’ve never taken the time to get to know who we are. They are a strict, dogmatic people with authoritarian laws. They see us as wild chaos.”

  “And have you tried diplomatic solutions? Sending a liaison to the Magica to talk out your differences?”

  “The ones we’ve sent in the past we have never heard from again.”

  Paige sighed and looked away from him. “They sound like monsters.”

  “Not all of them. And, in the end, you can’t help the rest for fearing us. The propaganda the Magica feed their people make us sound like monsters. Talk to any mage and I’m sure they’d convince you that the Lycaon need to be exterminated to the last infant.”

  “I have the impression the Magica are not so inclined to live in nature. You make them sound—”

  “More like your culture? Yes. They are far more technologically advanced than we are, but you must understand that we remain relatively tech-free by choice. We’ve adopted some technology for energy, but that’s about it.”

  “Yes, no cell phones here. I’ve noticed.” She smiled. “I’m going through withdrawal.”

  “Most of the technology the Magica use is magick-based, which is another reason we can’t adopt it. We have no magick other than what they gave us—magick enough to shift. It’s a cold fact we dislike. The Magica created us.”

  “They created you, but you’re your own race now.”

  He nodded. “We do have spies over t
here.”

  “Spies? You mean you have Lycaon who live among the Magica?”

  “Yes. It’s important for us to know what they’re up to. It’s a dangerous job and they aren’t able to get back often to report. Usually, we select hawk shifters for this. They travel easier and can get away faster, if needed.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t pick my sister.”

  Jarek just smiled. “I love your protective nature. It’s a lot like my own.”

  The word protective made her think of someone. “What about that man we met in front of the house,” she said, in between nibbles of cheese.

  Jarek threw a log onto the fire and looked up at her. “Torrent?”

  “Torrent. You have very strange names here. But, yes, I was thinking of him. What’s his deal?”

  He cocked his head to the side and came to sit near her. “Deal? Do you mean you sensed something off about him?”

  “Not off, exactly. Sad, I guess. I mean, I know there’s a crisis, but I felt like there was something deeper going on there.”

  “There is and you’re not the only one to notice it. Most feel it coming from him. Torrent is a good man, a good leader. I would have none other in his place. However he has been denied the one thing that makes the life of a Lycaon male complete. He’s been denied a mate.”

  “A mate makes the Lycaon complete?”

  He nodded. “There are few females here and our desire to love and cherish a mate is so strong that a Lycaon male without a mate is a great tragedy.”

  “That’s very different from my culture. Why can’t Torrent find a woman?”

  “He’s under a prophecy; one that means his death one day soon. Because of this hard fact, Torrent will never take a mate for himself.”

  “What does the prophecy say exactly?”

  “It says that he will be instrumental in helping the Lycaon free themselves from the threat of the Magica, but he will die in the endeavor.”