Feral Craving (29 page)

He glanced up at the mirror, and
unfamiliar dark eyes stared back. A brisk, loud rasp at the door cut through
the fuzziness. Bari turned and padded across the room, not wanting company, but
he also knew Alex had been trying to track him down. Opening the door, he
almost shut it again as Mackenzie pushed her way inside, her mouth moving
faster than he could keep up. He saw the moment she noticed something was
wrong. She hurried to his side, touched his feverish skin with her cool hands.

“What’s wrong, Bari? You’re burning up.”

Bari shook his head, his body instantly
hardening at the sight of her. The low-cut top and those damn form-fitting
jeans drove him insane with lust.

“Angel, now is not a good time.” He
caught her roaming hands by clamping his own around her wrists.

“Like it ever is, Bari.” His skin was
hot, clammy, as if he were burning up, about to explode.

“What’s wrong, Bari? Is this part of the
change?” Her voice rubbed over his skin and drove his lust for her like
gasoline to a fire. He cursed and went rigid, stared up at her with wide eyes.
His mind went back to what he shared, what she unleashed in him, and what he
took from her. She shocked him, shattered his control. He looked down at her
and urged the raging storm inside of him to pass. Her body slid next to his,
her breasts brushing against his chest, her eyes growing heavy-lidded with
desire.

What the
hell? Did she feel it too?

He was definitely disturbed, deeply and
profoundly disturbed. She smelled like warm vanilla, sunshine and apples, a
light he yearned for. How in the hell was he supposed to get himself under
control when she was tempting the beast?

“You need me, Bari. I feel it as well.”
Her shirt whipped off in one smooth motion he almost missed.

“Angel … Christ…” He reached down and
grabbed her wrists, stilling her, and saw a flash of annoyance cross her face.
“Stop…” The need reflected wound his balls tighter. He bent over to grab her
shirt, then set the material in her hands and moved to the door.

Come on,
Angel … get the hint…

He didn’t want her to see this part of
him, couldn’t be what she needed him to be right now.

Fear and resentment flashed in her
beautiful green eyes before hurt reflected. Goddamn, he put it there and he
hated it.

“Stop it, Bari. Don’t tell me you don’t
feel this too.”

He looked up, prayed like hell for
someone to answer his prayers, to help him out. Memories flushed through his
mind, vivid, destructive memories threatening to undo him. He couldn’t allow
that to happen to Mackenzie.

“Is that all it was, Bari? Just a quick
fuck like before?” He snapped his head down. Fire burned in her eyes, anger
spitting at him. She crossed to him, her hips rolling in a gentle sway of
seduction. Bari held in the groan threatening to escape and prayed again to
whoever was listening.

Christ … she was like a carnal temptress.
The way she moved; so sexy, so slow, so sure of her sensuality. His cock
twitched. His heart pounded, and his knees almost buckled. By gods, he craved
what she wanted to offer—that much was true—but she needed more than he could
give.

He lifted his hands, palms out. “It’s not
that, Angel. Lord knows as you can see, it’s not that.” Her hand snapped out,
settled over his groin, and he stiffened, immediately reaching down to grasp
her hand. “I can’t be what you need, Mackenzie,” he bit out. Bari took a step
back, but Mackenzie moved forward.

He frowned.

He stepped back once more, his back
slapping against the door, but she advanced on him. He jumped as her palm
landed on his chest, searing him.

“Stop, Angel.” Jesus … he was
twenty-eight years old, had fought in numerous wars, killed more people than he
could count and yet, she, this female opened up more things inside of him,
seemed to get right underneath his skin.

She did stop—of course she had to. There
was nowhere else for her to go, unless of course, she crawled up his body and
wrapped her limbs around him. He held back a moan as that visual popped into
his head. Her naked, full breasts rubbing against his chest, her legs wrapped
around his waist as she bounced up and down on his cock.
Shit…

“Get out of here, Angel.”

Her fingers threaded through the hair at
his nape and pulled. He fought for all of two seconds before he went to her.
She took what she wanted, ravished his lips, and curled her tongue along his.
Her body emitted heat, scorching lava, a want his body didn’t deny.

Fuck … everything inside of him screamed
no
. She needed love, someone gentle,
someone who gave his all to her. Holy hell, he already hated that he had taken
her on at the lake; she really didn’t know what she had gotten herself
tangled up in with him. He couldn’t give her cuddling, sweet words, or anything
like that. She was playing a game right now, and he couldn’t do it. He pulled
his mouth from hers and turned his head, his hands coming down to settle her
hips.

“Christ, Mac.”

Her scent assailed him, her arousal
shooting straight to his cock. It pulsed beneath his jeans. She was so
intoxicating…

“Stop, Angel.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re playing with fire.
Because I could hurt you!” Her eyes went dark, smoky, and lustful. Holy hell,
it was so tempting to take. He almost did—almost—but before she could respond,
he untangled her limbs from his body and set her feet on the floor, picking up
her shirt and putting her to rights himself. Damn, he wished for control
because covering her sweet body was a damn crying shame. God, he wanted her …
bad. The beast inside of him clawed painfully, demanding he take Mackenzie. It
scared the absolute shit out of him. She was in danger, and that was all he
knew.

With a grunt of pain, Bari opened the
door, taking his grip on her shoulders and setting her outside. The claws grew
sharper, and his teeth gnashed together.

“Go to your room, Angel.” The words
choked out between clenched teeth. He immediately shut the door. A red haze
took over his vision, and he tossed the dead bolt, not trusting himself to stay
inside.

Coward.

Yeah, but something was forcing itself
out, and he swore he’d protect her. Until he understood just what the fuck it
was, he had to stay away from Mackenzie. He would have to deal.

****

“It’s coming.”

Tyler nodded at Tony and turned to study
Bari coming down the hall. An air of menace, pain, radiated from the changing
Eurydice
.

“Yes, Tony. I think it’s time.”

Tony pushed off from the couch. “I’ll go
get Mike.”

He didn’t acknowledge Tony, but continued
to study Bari and hoped like hell his change would bring the male out on the
right side.

Too much evil, too much hesitation and
Bari would be lost to them all forever.

Chapter
Thirty

They appeared down in the darkest streets
of New York City, and immediately a barrage of activity slammed into Bari. The
hustle and bustle of the night did nothing to bring peace inside of him or calm
his mood, and he felt like things were about to get worse. He seethed with an
anger at both what was going on inside of him as well as the way he had
deliberately treated Mackenzie earlier. Refusing her affection after she gave
him so much was like a knife to the gut, slashing the long length up his torso
until it stabbed at his heart.
Fuck!
He cursed the light overhead, the glare of the city. He preferred the dark,
wondered if he should leave, and wanted to run away. The dark, so much like his
mood, and whatever was inside of him craved red. Anything red,
they
didn’t give a shit,
he
just wanted something red.

Bari glanced over his shoulder as Tyler,
Tony, and Mike stepped up behind him. Each of them held a cautious look on his
face, watching him as if he were a ticking time bomb about to explode. He felt
that way, his skin itching, wanting to be ripped free. The demand for red
pulsed like a beacon in his mind, a light guiding the way through dark, an answer
to his every question.

He walked down the alley, the light
overhead bothering his eyes, and with a single thought, the glass shattered. It
should have surprised him, but it didn’t. He couldn’t see past the red. It
gathered deep inside, the need for the kill, something he hadn’t felt in a long
time. It should scare the shit out of him, but turning down what was demanded
would be much like a drowning man turning away a life raft.

As he walked, his boots hit the ground,
the steps booming off the surrounding brick buildings. The boom, a dreadful
sound, reminded him that he seemed to be traveling through life’s containment,
passing through a long chamber of choices, searching for completion, a signal,
anything to tell him just what in the hell was going on.

Cutting down another alley, the
beast
inside lifted its head and roared.
At the end of the alley his sharp eyes picked up the fist slashing through the
air, pounding relentlessly into a young female. A female lay on the ground, her
body limp and bloody, blonde hair soaked with red, her body barely covered by a
smattering of clothing. The tight mini dress spoke of her profession, but the
beast focused on the uncontrollable violence the male whipped out. The
pugnacious urge built inside of him.

The man, standing at about six foot one,
holding a good hundred pounds on the woman, lashed out. He wore a dark suit,
his white sleeves rolled up and shirt untucked. A splash of red coated the
front of that pristine white. Bari tore his gaze from the male’s shirt to his
face, as the gathering of power surged inside of him, calling out for the evil.
The assailant held a sadistic look on his face, almost joyful, and a stench of
maliciousness coated the air around them. The building pressure inside burst
and without breaking his stride, Bari walked up to the male and let his left
fist fly. It shot through the air, connected with the male’s jaw. The audible
crack sang through the air, cut sharply over the sounds of the city passing by.
The goon went sprawling backwards, slamming down on the pavement.

Bari stalked, loomed over the male and
leaned down, now using his left fist to grip the male by his shirt. As if the
whole scene from earlier reversed, now it was the male sprawled on the ground,
another looming over him. Bari pounded into his face with his right hand over
and over again. Sickening sounds came from each of the blows.

He felt the male’s nose break beneath his
blows. He saw blood spurt from his face, heard teeth being knocked out but
still didn’t stop. His anger needed to bleed, needed to be released on this
man, needed to be used. The beast inside shouted in triumph as he stood over
the male, and Bari’s entire body shook with a visible rage.

The anger built with each heaving breath
and as it pitched, he pulled a knife from his belt and plunged it into the
male’s chest. The knife went through the skin like smooth metal slicing through
butter. As soon as it hit the hilt, he released the male and staggered
back, astonished, his hands clutching his chest with what felt like a phantom
wound.

The pain started at the same place he
stabbed the male, grew hotter and sharper each passing second. It oozed, spread
through his veins, slowly taking control. Sounds muted around him, and his
vision flickered back and forth. Black and white, red, his sight mixing in
colors until they merged, intermingling. He looked down at his arms and designs
appeared, the markings punching out as if they were going to tear from his
skin.

He stared and an anguished cry poured
from his mouth. Blue in color, matching his eyes, raised itself to work in
beautiful designs but pulsed in pain. His head snapped back, an urge building
deep in his chest. A deep roar built, rose to crescendo before he felt the
audible “pop” as his body shifted.

The demon shouted in triumph, looked
through new eyes and pulled his body into a state of euphoria. The man sat
inside; painfully aware of everything, of what he had become. Astute images
filled his vision, his eyes passing over his brothers to the male and female at
his feet. Their souls sat inside their bodies, hovering and lit colors like a
beacon to what his demon saw. A pulse, a sign, a bright light pulled at him.
The demon sank to his knees as breath died out from the attacker. His lungs
gave an inarticulate answer. The demon groaned in pain as the male’s heartbeat
ceased, his own fluttering under the same tune. An answering roar, almost
sensual, and very deadly as the answering pull drew them in. He caught his bulk
when his weight settled on his palms, his body hovering above the male. The
demon drew in a breath, focused on the evil. The crackle of energy split, broke
free of the body as the male’s soul was swept up and contained, then taken into
his body. The pain was so intense, the relief so great that the roar verged on
the lines of erotic.

He must have sat like that for hours. His
legs refused to move, and his mind remained unable to process. He curled within
himself as the designs settled under his skin, and his vision jumped. Bari
coughed as he lay on the wet city floor as nude as the day he had been birthed.
His clothing scattered in shreds around him. The beast had never asked or
required so much nor had the man ever brought death to one without it being an
official order. What he just committed was murder, and the shock of it hit him
hard. He swallowed, the action forced, and turned toward the woman stirring on
the ground.