Beastly Desires (20 page)
“You
did
confiscate all unauthorized weaponry from her, right?” Dublhainn murmured out of the side of his mouth.
Basanti leaned forward. “Not so sure I appreciate your tone, Mr. Peabody.”
The wolf alpha flashed a smile. “And I don’t appreciate the fact that your feet are almost as big as mine. Yet, I don’t complain.”
When Kaisal’s cousin jerked forward he put a hand out. “Hey, hey, hey! Save the hissing and violent acts for when we’re
not
almost thirty feet off the ground, eh?”
Using scent blockers to cloak themselves before climbing far enough up neighboring trees had been an essential part of their strategy. Out of sight and out of mind, they’d be able to pull off an ambush Rave would never anticipate.
“Put your pet on a leash,” the tigress growled, relaxing against the heavy branch beneath her.
Dublhainn laughed. “Kitten’s angry—which of course means she may just piss on something to illustrate her fiery rage.”
“Jesus Christ…” Kaisal muttered as the pair continued to volley back and forth.
The argument waged on until Naresh declared, “Something’s not right.”
Everyone quieted and focused on him.
Kaisal’s brother tapped the small tablet in his hands a few times and shook his head. “They disarmed the system minutes ago. They should’ve been here by now.”
“Maybe you overestimated the time,” Kaisal suggested.
“No.” Naresh shook his head harder. “I’m the numbers man, that’s what I do. I had this all plotted down to a T including how long it would take them to trek through here.”
Kaisal nodded toward the tablet. “Let me see that.” He caught it when Naresh tossed it to him and slid around a few of the windows until he reached the correct one. Scanning the information before him, Kaisal stopped when his eyes hit something that made his stomach drop. “We followed the secondary pulse.”
Naresh frowned. “What?”
Tearing his stare away from the two signal indicators on the screen, he stared at his brother. “There’s another pulse. A
stronger
one. They must’ve covered this part of the perimeter with whatever shutdown mechanism they were using to ensure the disarming would work.”
“Meaning?” Basanti prodded.
“Meaning we’re on the wrong fucking side of pride land,” Naresh answered.
All four froze in realization before one after the other they left their branches, hitting the ground and taking off at a dead sprint.
“The first pulse is coming from the east wing—which means he’s just that much closer to getting to Kamali and Callum!” Kaisal barked as everyone trailed behind.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck…” Dublhainn said. “You head there, we’ll do cleanup on the others.”
Kaisal didn’t need to be told twice. He was stripping down mid-run and shifting before anyone else could mumble a word. His paws crashed into the snow-covered ground. Within seconds, he was in the wind.
***
“Look at you,” Kamali whispered in the quiet stillness of her studio. “You gorgeous little demon.”
Callum’s rosebud mouth opened and closed but he made no other movements, his eyes remaining tightly shut, and his chest slowly expanding as he lay slightly outside of the cover of one of the curtains. He was missing a sock and his shirt was covered in cocoa stains but Kamali had never seen anything more beautiful. They’d occupied themselves with playing hide and seek after Kaisal had left for work and on the last countdown, Kamali had found him clearly exhausted and dozing.
With a small smile, she stood straight and crept toward her sketchpad silently. It was already halfway full of drawings and random doodles that she’d done, but she wanted to capture this particular scene before her cub, and sometimes monster, awakened .
She was just about to grab a chair when the sound of the back door opening and closing caught her attention. Kamali set down the pad and quickly glanced at Callum before making her way out of the room and shutting the door behind herself. It was the first nap he’d had all day and the last thing she needed to deal with was the hissing and anxious behavior that would occur should it be interrupted. Figuring either Dublhainn or one of the other pride members was stopping by to talk to Kaisal, she pushed open the door of the kitchen without hesitation.
“The large Tabby cat has already—” Her words along with her breathing simply halted, caught in her chest as they formed a cold hard fist.
Rave Okal—Nico’s watchdog and cardinal second—was casually seated at her kitchen table, feet propped up, arms folded across his chest as he gazed around the expansive room. He whistled low. “This is nice. Not too large, not too small.
Just
right.” Icy golden eyes flicked her way and he flashed a smile, canines in full view. “Hello, princess.”
Her first instinct was to run but her beast wouldn’t allow that show of weakness. No, the lioness made Kamali stand her ground, unmoving, unblinking. She remained there for so long, her stare focused on his own, that she actually began to gradually calm, letting the animal inside have its way until they fell into sync once again.
Kaisal was gone along with Basanti and Naresh. She’d never make it to a phone and her weapons were locked away. A quick analysis of her surroundings gave her the realization there would be no help, there would be no running. Callum was peacefully sleeping just across the hall, and her mate was off Verochka territory. The security system should’ve warned not only herself but the majority of the pride, but it hadn’t, and here she was, alone with a murderer.
“I have
got
to give you credit, Kamali.” He waved. “
This
was truly the ultimate power move. You made yourself cozy with a
very
strong ally and even got him to accept the little bastard as his own.” Rave slowly clapped his hands and gave a nod of his head. “I bow to your ability to adapt. The evolution is truly astonishing.”
This is where her anxiety had come from;
this
was why she’d felt as though she was being watched—because she
was.
The thought someone had been intruding on her general sense of happiness, on the little bit of light she’d begun to see while with Kaisal, enraged her. It sincerely, honestly enraged her. Rave’s audacity, his gall, his very arrogance rankled the predator she kept caged. Mating Kaisal hadn’t been a power play; it had been because she
loved
him. She trusted him with her life, with
Callum’s
life. More importantly, she trusted that he’d left at least one hunting knife taped beneath either one of the stools, the chairs, or the table.
“I can see the equation forming just on the outer edges of your mind, Kamali,” Rave said, sitting forward, his eyes alight with cruelty. “You’re questioning how you’ll manage to leave this room alive.” He scraped his claws over the tabletop after dropping his booted feet to the floor. “The answer to that is quite simple—you
won’t.”
Her brows winged. “No?”
His lips curled. “No.” The lion male glanced about. “It’s funny. You won’t go back to Nico because he’s a killer but you’ve mated Verochka.”
“He and Nico are
nothing
alike,” she gritted.
Rave laughed. “Oh, but aren’t they?” His head tilted just a bit. “Their reasoning may be different but they’re very much the same, princess. Nico kills to survive as does your mate. And from what I understand, Verochka was
very
good at his job. One would say those instincts don’t simply disappear overnight.” Voice dropping, he added, “It’s amazing what we tell ourselves just to sleep at night, just to be able to face our reflections.”
Kamali gazed at him for a bit and all that came out was, “Heh.”
He frowned. “What?”
She angled toward him and repeated, “
Heh.”
His jaw worked. “Are you
mocking
me, princess?”
“Not at all.” Kamali shook her head, her lips beginning to curl. “I’m just realizing something that is so thinly veiled yet opaque enough that someone less intuitive wouldn’t catch it.”
“And that would be?”
A little laugh slipped out before she could stop herself. “You envy me.”
Rave’s eyes narrowed.
Another chuckle worked its way up. “Nico’s obsession, his pursuit of me has corroded your friendship and
that’s
why you’re here.
That’s
why you want me dead.”
His lip curled into a snarl. “You know
nothing.”
“I know
coveting
,” she quietly replied. “I consistently leapt at chances to make my father notice me,
see me,
but all he could ever find himself buried in was his work, his brand.” Kamali searched Rave’s face. “And it’s the same with you and Nico but this time it’s you who’s leaping and me who’s the work.” Mouth curving, she questioned, “What’s the bigger issue, Rave?”
Rave’s eyes shifted as his entire form seemed to seize, and she knew she was getting to him.
Kamali walked to the table, placed her hands against the top, bent closer, and malevolently whispered, “Are you afraid you won’t be his favorite pussy anymore?”
That’s when he decided to charge her.
Kaisal cut a swath through the rogues on his property, the ones standing between him, his mate, and his offspring. He alternated between human and animal form depending on the brute force needed to take down his adversaries, uncaring how much blood he spilt in the process. One miscalculation,
one
moment of arrogance, could cost him
everything.
He couldn’t put the blame on anyone aside from himself, and the only emotions that kept him going at this point were fear and rage.
He should’ve told her, should’ve let her know what would happen. He should’ve known that the probability of everything running smoothly in this particular case would be
low.
How many missions had he done and a simple malfunction cost him his mark? How many times had he been in the field and nearly lost his life underestimating an opponent?
So close to his home that he could almost
smell
Kamali, Kaisal yanked the jaw off of one lion and fatally cracked the ribs of another, all the while listening to Naresh, Dublhainn and Basanti behind him. The longer he fought, the more his beast made itself known. The lust to feel someone’s life end by his hands became stronger. The pull of death’s scent caused his eyes to glaze over until he was simply running on autopilot.
He slit the throat of a rogue, ducked low and sliced his claws inside the thighs of another, hitting major arteries before he came back up and nearly shoved his hand through the chest of a third. Kaisal could see his back porch just a few hundred yards off. Another lion came charging his way, mouth open with his canines glinting. Catching the male by the throat, Kaisal gripped his leg next, went to one knee and listened for the satisfying snap of the fucker’s spine when it broke over Kaisal’s thigh. He stood and tossed the body aside, running headlong toward his home.
***
Kamali flipped the table up the moment Rave rushed her, momentarily stopping him from reaching her completely. It shoved him back but only for a few seconds before she was able to reach for a chair. The distraction cost her valuable time and he clenched a fistful of her hair, yanking her back into him.
He put his mouth to her temple and murmured, “You think entirely too highly of yourself, princess. You’re a means to an end, a
toy
for Nico’s amusement.” Then he ran his rough, dry tongue down the side of her face. “And although you taste
amazing
when frightened, he’d be done with you before the wet spot ever cleared up.”
She gritted her teeth and jerked backwards, butting him directly in the chin and managing to get his grip to loosen. Rolling her left shoulder, Kamali backhanded him, getting Rave to let go completely. When he stumbled back, she swung around, noticing she’d split his lip. “Is that what took place after you finally convinced him all he had to do was close his eyes and
pretend
you were a woman?”
His growl started low before it became an all-out cry of fury. He reached forward to grab her once again but her smaller size allowed for a quick retreat from his clawed hands.
She scrambled around the half-destroyed table set and managed to get to the back door. “My son is sleeping. I don’t want him waking to your incessant sobs about how Nico pretended nothing ever happened when the lights came back on.” Pushing it open, she ran out and as expected, he followed. Her goal was to keep taunting him until she drew him as far away from Callum as possible. Dying wasn’t an option. She had so many reasons to keep pushing—to keep
fighting
.
Rave’s heavy steps could be heard just inches behind her. He was eating up the distance between them and Kamali had to double her speed; not an easy feat when she was only wearing socks. As a lioness she was swifter and more agile than him. She was unencumbered with the muscle mass that Rave had, therefore running him in circles wouldn’t be difficult.
“First it’ll be you,” the male snarled. “Then everything you value.”
Kamali chose to save her breath and took a leap over a fallen tree, listening not just to Rave but her surroundings. In the distance, the sound of roars and snarls echoed and she would bet everything that the Verochka and Traore prides were at war. He’d brought this here, to her home, to what she now considered to be
her
family. He was once again attempting to take
everything.
She headed toward the noise, leading Rave farther and farther out, knowing she couldn’t let the opportunity to end this slip by. With a silent prayer, Kamali abruptly stopped running and dropped into a crouch, sweeping her right leg out and sending Rave tumbling over it. He hit the ground with a grunt and scrambled back to his feet. She jabbed with her right hand, catching his jaw and he snarled.
Rave swung back and she dipped to the side before coming back up and delivering a tap to his kidneys. He let out a short roar and swung his left hand, the knuckles catching her mouth. Kamali tasted blood but was too focused on blocking his next swing and striking his solar plexus. His anger made him sloppy, uncoordinated. He couldn’t see past it long enough to realize she was baiting him, and she was able to use that to her advantage.
“You’re
weak,
Rave,
”
she panted. “
You’re
the toy where Nico’s concerned.”
His eyes shifted before he backhanded her, sending black dots dancing just behind her eyes. She shook it off, knowing that if she gave into the darkness lulling her that it would mean death.
He swung again and she felt her jawbone almost give away. “Fuck you!”
Kamali gave him a bloody smile. “I wasn’t aware I was your type.”
Rave’s hand lashed out once more but she dodged it. Kicking out her left leg, she delivered a blow with her foot to his right knee and buckled the joint. The lion knelt involuntarily and Kamali grasped his hair, bringing his face down while she brought her right leg up. A crack resounded and he fell backwards with a thump, hitting the ground. Clearly dazed by the impact, Rave lay unmoving as blood poured from the open cuts on his face and his broken nose.
Kamali heaved in a huge breath, staring down at the man who had once seemed so incredibly terrifying. The way he struggled to sit up just made him look pathetic. The desperation in his gaze, the clear need to be rid of her simply because he couldn’t handle Nico’s attention being elsewhere, disgusted her.
“Allow me to explain the difference between you, Nico, and Kaisal, Rave.” She dropped both knees onto his chest and knew she’d knocked the wind out of him before she rammed her fist into his temple, causing his eyes to roll back. Unfazed, Kamali gripped him by his swollen jaw and made sure he could feel the utter rage vibrating through her. Leaning forward, she softly said, “You. Have. No. Soul. That doesn’t make you powerful, it doesn’t make you admirable. It makes you
sad.
The easiest thing to do is kill when you have no conscience, no compassion. Because the demons don’t haunt you. You don’t see the faces and there are no monsters under your bed. But someone who has true strength—true ascendancy—is a man who can take a life and see those faces
every day.
He can hear the demons and witness the monsters, but is so superior that he conquers them. Kaisal
does
that. He
continues
to do that. If you had even an ounce of the love and humanity he carries, what torments him would
kill
you. You hate me because you fear I would make you feel it, that the sight of my face, the sound of my voice would completely shatter the hardened visages you and Nico have carefully constructed.” She released him. “Nico wants to own me because he believes it will establish his place in the world, erase that he never came from a family of affluence; erase that on every day the suns sets he lies on a bed he didn’t earn in a house that will
never
truly belong to him.” Kamali knew her expression carried the hatred burning in her gut. “You both
sicken
me. And if I do
nothing
else in my life, I
will
watch you draw in your last breath.” Raising her hand, she unsheathed her claws and allowed the desires of her beast to have full reign.
Rave was going to die.
***
Kaisal found his kitchen wrecked the moment he swept through the back door. Heart in his throat, he snatched a throw blanket from the living room couch and called out, “Kamali? Callum?”
The sound of whimpering caught his attention and he ran for the source—Kamali’s art studio. He tried the knob but it was locked from the inside. Jerking on it, he raised his voice, “Callum?”
The door unlocked and suddenly Callum was there, eyes wide and frightened. “Papa!”
Crouching, Kaisal caught him and pulled him to his chest. “Hey…shh…shh…I’ve got you. You’re fine…you’re fine…” He moved him away and ran his hands over his head and down his small shoulders, checking him. “Are you hurt?”
Callum shook his head. “No.”
Kaisal hugged him again, rocking a bit until the boy’s breathing calmed. “Where’s your mother, Cal?”
“I dunno.” His son pulled away. “I could hear her talking to someone in the kitchen and then things started to crash. I locked the door and hid in here.”
He pushed Callum’s hair back from his face, relieved beyond all measure. “Good boy.”
Callum blinked a few times, his eyes shining. “I waited for her to come get me but she never did. The back door closed and that was it.”
Swallowing the panic steadily building, Kaisal scooped Callum up and headed for the kitchen once more. As he stepped outside the door, several of his pride members came running up, bloodied and bruised, their clothing torn.
One came forward. “Is he okay?”
Kaisal nodded. “Do me a favor and stay with him.” He kissed Callum’s forehead and handed him over. “I have to find his mother.” Looking at the cub, he softly said, “I’ll be back, young prince.”
Callum nodded. “Vigilance.”
He gave him a sad smile. “As promised.” Then he was gone.
Kaisal followed the trail of Kamali’s scent. Her fury was like a tether for his tiger. It pulled them both in, the smell amplifying the closer he got. The coppery tinge to it made his hackles rise as he lessened the distance between them, his paws pushing off the earth with every stride of his shifted form.
When he heard her voice, the low growl of her husky tone, he moved faster. And then he came across a scene that gave him pause.
Kamali was leaning over Rave, her voice succinct and quietly livid as she told the lion what separated him from Kaisal. His chest expanded with every word. The elation that she saw him as someone who was so capable overshadowed every moment he’d thought himself to be less than human.
His mate suddenly released Rave and stated, “Nico wants to own me because he believes it will establish his place in the world, erase that he never came from a family of affluence, erase that on every day the suns sets he lies on a bed he didn’t earn in a house that will
never
truly belong to him.” Kaisal could see the loathing in her gaze. “You both
sicken
me. And if I do
nothing
else in my life, I
will
watch you draw in your last breath.” Raising her hand, she unsheathed her claws and Kaisal shifted.
Bolting toward her, he caught her hand right before she brought it down, yanked her up and away. “No!”
Kamali’s eyes went wide. “Kaisal?”
He gently grasped both wrists in his hands and vehemently shook his head until the haze of bloodlust cleared from her glare. “No.”
Kaisal wouldn’t let her mar herself, couldn’t watch her do something she might come to regret later. She’d killed before, that much he knew, but he refused to allow her to carry the weight of the consequences again.
She blinked, her irises returning to their normal state. “How…?”
Kaisal cast a quick glance at Rave. “I—”
“Kas!”
A shout from a few feet away drew the attention of both. Dublhainn was striding toward them with Naresh following. The strangest thing about this picture wasn’t the fact that Basanti was missing, but that she was in Dublhainn’s arms.
He let go of Kamali and met them half way.
Dublhainn’s face was splattered with blood and his hands were caked in it. The icy eyes of an arctic wolf stared back at Kaisal as Basanti’s head rested against his shoulder. “Her leg is broken and she may have a concussion.”