The curve of the corridor came to an end, and so, too, did freedom. Talon stood under the exit sign, as naked as when he’d left me earlier, his brawny arms crossed and an arrogant expression on his face. Six clones were at his back
I slid to a stop and clenched my right hand, my finger against the laser’s trigger, ready to fire it should any of them make the slightest move
“Planning to go somewhere?” he drawled
My other hand was around a knife. “I’ve decided I’m not keen on this resort. Don’t suppose you’d be kind enough to move so I can get to the exit?”
He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t suppose you’d be kind enough to tell me where your vampire lover is?”
“What makes you think I’d know or care?”
“The fact you helped him escape.”
“If I helped him escape, he’d be with me, wouldn’t he?”
His smile made my skin crawl. “He will never find his friend, you know. This place is a maze, and the corridors bright. No shadows for a vampire to hide in, I’m afraid.”
Quinn didn’t need shadows and he didn’t need to hide. All he had to do was touch the minds of all those he passed and make them see nothing. Far better than shadows
“So all this racket is because a wolf and a vampire escaped your net? A bit over the top, don’t you think?”
He shrugged. “The alarm is automatic when a door is breached.”
My heart began to race a little faster. Neither Quinn nor I had breached a door. Did that mean Rhoan and Jack were on the way?
Though surely Talon wouldn’t just presume it was us. Surely he would check with security first
His next words answered my question. “Mark, grab her, will you? Security is paging me.”
Footsteps echoed behind me. I swung and dropped, sweeping the laser’s light across the legs of three men who approached, cutting through flesh and bone as sweetly as a knife through butter. The smell of burned flesh stung the air, and the three of them hit the floor, screaming and grabbing at legs that were no longer a part of their bodies
Nausea rose. I swallowed heavily, allowing myself no time to dwell on what I’d done
Though what I’d done was, in many ways, worse than killing them
Talon’s curse was lost to the sound of more footsteps. I swung back round, cutting down three more clones before the laser petered out. I grabbed the second knife out of my pocket, then lunged forward, the paper-thin weapons glinting like diamonds under the harsh lighting. Two more clones went down, the blades lodged deep in their chests
Then the last one was on me. I ducked the first few blows, then dropped and swept with my leg, knocking him over. He grabbed at me as he went down, but I broke his hold and punched as hard as I could. My fist mashed flesh, and the ripe warmth of blood spilled into the air. I swung around, grabbed his leg, and twisted it. Bone cracked, and the clone screamed
My chest heaved as I battled to catch my breath, and sweat trickled down my back. I stepped back from the clone, ignored the bile that rose in my throat, and met Talon’s gaze
My actions might have angered him, but they’d also aroused him
“Now it’s just you and me,” I said softly
“Not really. I have a hundred such creations at my beck and call.”
“Then I guess you’re not such a perfect specimen of wolfhood after all, are you?”
He raised an eyebrow, a confident smile touching his lips. “You want a fight, little wolf?”
I flexed my fingers. “You think I’m afraid to?”
“I think you’re very afraid.”
And he’d be right. But it wasn’t so much his physical strength but rather his aura. Even from where I stood I could feel it. It was a blanket that was almost smothering, a heat that crawled across my skin like some insidious, insistent demon. Close up, it might be too strong to ignore for any length of time
He uncrossed his arms, then pressed the band on his wrist. “Security, I have a problem here that needs to be attended to. Use whatever force you deem necessary to deal with the breach.”
Security obviously weren’t happy about this, because I heard their squawk from where I stood. Talon cut them off with a curt “Do it,” then looked back at me
“And that,” he said, shaking his arms and flexing his fingers, “should be the end of your lover.”
“Don’t underestimate him.” I balanced lightly on my toes, ready to jump out of the way the minute he sprang
“Oh, I’m not, but even the greatest fighter in the world can be blown to smithereens by the force of a laser —as you’ve so aptly shown.”
“Damn shame the thing ran out of power when it did. I would have enjoyed blasting that smug smile off your face.” Taunting him probably wasn’t the brightest move, but I just couldn’t help it
His gaze slid down me, a warmth that made me cold inside. “Darkness has fallen outside, little wolf. The moon is only minutes from rising. I shall enjoy beating you into submission, and then I shall enjoy fucking you in wolf form.”
Bile rose in my throat. Forcing yourself on someone while both were in wolf form was not only the act of a bastard, it was the ultimate form of degradation and humiliation for a werewolf. It had nothing to do with the power of the moon or the needs of a wolf, because the moon heat ended when the change swept over us. It was an act of rape, of domination, of power. It said you cared nothing for the person you were with, that in your eyes, he or she was no better than the animal whose shape you both wore
I knew of no wolves who made love on this night. Most took to the hills, enjoying the freedom of the forests, rejoicing in the rise of the moon
“You can try,” was all I said
But I knew, like he knew, that I would have to beat him before the change came on. Because in wolf form, he would be stronger. That was the way of nature and something even my vampire genes couldn’t get around
His smile stretched his lips even farther, then he came at me. I waited until he was close, then pivoted, smacking him in the face with a fist before ducking out of his way. His fingers glided down the coat, catching the end and jerking me to an abrupt halt. I cursed him and jerked out of it, spinning away
He chuckled. “I can smell your arousal, little wolf. And I can see it.”
This close his aura
And maybe, just maybe, I could use his desire against him
I slid my hands up my body and cupped my breasts, brushing my thumbs across my nipples. “But do you see anything you like?”
Lust shone brighter in his eyes. He threw the coat to one side, then charged. I sidestepped. The tingling in my body was fiercer. I had to get this over with soon
He slid to a stop, cursing as he swung around. “You can’t have what you can’t catch,” I taunted
He charged again. Not thinking, just reacting. His aura snatched my breath and made me dizzy, but somehow, lust remained fenced. Though barely
I caught his wrist and swung him around, thrusting him back against the wall. Wrapping a hand around his neck, I pinned him in place, then slid my free hand down his body and caressed his thick erection. He thrust into my touch, his body quivering, skin sheened with sweat
“You want something from me, you ask. Taking is never appreciated.”
“You’ve appreciated it in the past.” His words were a pant of air, his quivering growing
“That was then, this is now.”
I kept caressing him, watching the desire grow in his eyes, fighting that part of me that wanted to take him inside and ride him to the end. As he drew closer and closer to the edge, I slid my hand away from his neck and retrieved the last knife from my boot. His orgasm hit, his body jerking and thrusting as his seed spilled out across my hand. I raised the silver-threaded knife and punched it hard into his shoulder
His eyes flew open, shock registering. Then the blood hit the knife and smoke began to rise from the wound. He screamed and punched me. The force of the blow flung me across the corridor. I hit the wall with a grunt and
