Feral Craving (33 page)

"So what are you all thinking with
this? Any idea where to start?"

Bari’s mind focused on the mission, the
threat to Earth, the need to find out what the hell had happened. His mind also
struggled to stay away from thoughts and images of Mackenzie, a feat growing
tougher and tougher with each passing moment. He scratched his palms, shuffled
his feet in the dirt, and scrubbed his face. The longer he was away from her,
the more he needed to return.

About thirty miles northwest of New York
City, Mike’s hometown was centered in one of the busiest, yet remote areas of
the region. His senses prickled with unease, hairs on the back of his neck
rising, and he recognized the feeling, had felt it before, even before he
became a
Eurydice
.

They were being watched, hunted, picked
out.

When had the Hunters become the Hunted?
Bari slowly started to slide his hand around to the small of his back. “You two
feel that?”

“Yeah.” Tyler rubbed the back of his head
and looked around. A dark forest surrounded the vast amount of space between
houses. The fields rolled in abundance before slamming into the shore of the
Hudson. Late at night, the sky seemingly lighter than it should be with the
city so close, it felt unreal, like a different world.

Starting out across the field, Bari had
his misgivings, trepidation about what was to come. Their bond, the links that
tied them together, allowed for any of them to find one another within hours.
It was how Tyler, Tony, and Mike had known he was close to turning.

Now?

Silence.

They entered the forest and spread out.
This was his realm, what he lived and breathed. The anticipation of a fight a
sweet taste on his tongue, causing his pulse to spike, his sight to grow
crystal clear, and his hearing to pick up the slightest sound. After spending
years in Iraq, the war lived and breathed through his veins. The electricity
brewed.

They stepped out of the forest some few
hundred feet later and crossed a paved road. Bari jogged lightly, bleeding into
the shadows, his mind and eyes staying one step ahead, working the surrounding
areas. What they needed was to get behind whoever hunted them. Down one man,
their best tracker, they were on unfamiliar grounds, and shit out of luck.

Like shadows, Tyler and Tony moved up as
he stepped out from behind cover. A sharp growl had his head swirling, turning
as shock rose to see Mike charging him. The male looked nothing like the man
they knew.

His clothing torn, his chest heaved with
breaths, spittle dripping from the corners of his mouth. He was in human form,
but deep inside of his eyes, the red spark of power lingered, making his entire
appearance look more deadly than ever. This wasn’t their brother who always
joked and laughed with them, even at himself. The despair radiating off of Mike
was so thick Bari choked on it. Bile rose up as he struggled for breath. There
was no evidence of Mike on the outside, nothing through their link. A small
fissure of a string held on like a lifeline.

The fight for blood sat in Mike’s eyes.
The growl he emitted sounded more animal than anything. And the cry coming
through that growl was laced with so much grief, the very air around them
seemed to weep.

“Stop, Mike!” Bari shouted the warning,
but Mike kept charging his way. Do or die. Kill or be killed. Fight to the last
breath. It all showed in the feral gaze of his brother. Fuck, he didn’t want to
hurt Mike, but he couldn’t let this continue.

“Mike…” He choked out the name with a
broken voice.

“Take him!” Tyler ran wide-eyed from the
tree line, the pounding of his boots matching the erratic beat of Bari’s heart.

He let out a deep sigh and pivoted just
as Mike reached him.

“No! Don’t do this, brother.”

Bari gripped his SIG in his palm, his
finger sliding over the cool, smooth metal of the trigger guard.

The very air around Mike seemed to shake
with uncertainty, his remorse hanging thick. As Bari pivoted, he lifted his
hand and slammed his fist out, feeling and hearing it meet the bones of Mike’s
face. The blow was meant to disarm Mike, and it accomplished its task, sending
the male flying backwards.

Mike crashed into the ground with a
sickening crunch. As the male’s body hit the ground, the rest of them closed
in. Mike’s body shut down, his body falling into a black hole of unconscious
peace, the male and demon exhausted, giving up.

A slight whisper went through each of
their minds. “She’s gone…”

Chapter
Thirty-Five

Walking back into the house that night
brought a strange awareness over him. Bari didn’t understand anything anymore.
He wanted to be one place and one place only, in Mackenzie’s arms. The sense so
strong as he reached the second landing, he
almost
went to her. Instead, he fisted his hand at the door before dropping it and
heading down the hall to his own room.

He relied on her more and more lately.
She was his peace, his soothing comfort. The years hadn’t changed that nor did
it change when he learned who he was. Bari pushed into his room with a heavy
breath and froze, his eyes landing on Mackenzie standing there.

It was like déjà vu all over again, her
being in his room. This was different though, he touched it, tasted it. It was
as if she understood what he needed, the call as a man to his woman, a beast to
his savior. He dropped his jacket to the floor and crossed to her, kicking his
door shut with his boot behind him. She came willingly into his arms, wrapping
her sweet, innocent limbs around him. It humbled him, broke him in two, and
caused his entire world to pitch. Mike had lost a female held precious to him,
was on the verge of losing another, and the pain filtered through their bond
still. It was enough to bring a man to his knees.

Mackenzie brushed her lips over his
temple, and Bari closed his eyes, turning his face to press into the shelter of
her neck. Peace washed over him, pulsed through his veins, and stole the breath
right out of his fragmented body. No words were spoken, but none were needed.
The silence comfortable, the touching need, soothing hugs, spoke louder than
anything else.

She stepped back, undressed him with such
a peaceful concern. He lost himself in gazing at her. He wanted to remember
what she looked like, wanted to recall this memory down the road, to see every
small detail should he need this one moment in time in order to accomplish
control, bring peace.

She pulled his shirt over his head and
tossed it, unsnapped his belt and pulled out his twin SIG Sauers from the band
before setting them aside. She tugged on his pants and removed his boots. He
followed each of her silent directions and allowed her to soothe him, direct
him when she gave him such a precious gift. Her comfort stole any words from
his throat, and he relished it, gave thanks for just who Mackenzie Walters was.

****

Bari shifted, his head slightly pounding
but for the most part much better than it had been yesterday after the psychic
blast from Mike. Bari’s mind tugged from sleep with the sweetest stroke, a
light flutter of lips rolling over the tendons of his neck, hands smoothing
over his chest and arms, smothered by a body like a blanket, so soft and warm,
so damn familiar. He almost didn’t want to wake, wanted to bask in the heat,
forget reality existed. A sharp nip of teeth at his neck had him opening his
eyes. Black hair, the color of the darkest part of midnight, fell over his
face. Mackenzie’s body surrounded him, her scent fed deep in his lungs.

He went to reach for her, wanting to urge
her lower on his body, when his hands caught and held. Bari frowned as he
snapped his head up, took in his bound wrists. Immediately, a bombardment of
emotions burned. Anger, confusion, fear, lust, all of it rolling around,
surging through his veins. The emotions pulsed, followed quickly by past
memories, threatening to drown him. He knew where he was, realized Mackenzie
was here, but the vision tugged at the pleasure, threatening to shatter the
moment. His past wouldn’t allow it. He had been a victim for too damn long,
unable to do anything to help. His mother’s screams curdled in his ears, his
father’s mocking laughter. Blood, death red clouded his vision.

Bari panicked, strained his arms, heard
the bed creak and groan under the movement. The bonds didn’t break.

More screams haunted his room, filled his
head. Her neck split open, crimson coating her terror-stricken features. The
little boy’s arms bruised and bloodied, numb from the exertion to try to get
free.

Turning his head, he met Mackenzie’s
beautiful green gaze with a furious one of his own. “What the fuck, Mac? Untie
me…”

Mackenzie froze above him. He watched the
fight to keep an outward calm on her face. Sweat beaded on his brow, and he
yanked on the bonds, the sound tossing him back and forth through his past.

“Mac! Christ almighty. Untie me.” Was
that his voice sounding so small?

Mackenzie sat atop of him and ignored his
words. His demon paced with the turbulence of emotions surging. Her lips
brushed over sensitive skin as she took her time exploring him. Bari fought to
remain in the present, fought like hell to keep from lashing out. He would not
hurt her. He wasn’t
him
.

“You’re good enough to be loved, Bari.”

His back bowed off the bed as a rasp of
her tongue touched his cock. She pulled him inside her moist mouth, and his
body had other ideas from his mind. His length started to swell, blood pulsing
south quick. Her mouth, the most delicious caress. He pushed his hips up to
assist her when cold air followed, a sense of loss. His mind scrambled for
purchase on something, fighting against the adamant fear, anger and desire
pulsing through him. For moments it was as if only Mackenzie existed in his
mind, the past pushed away.

The anger was quickly replaced by lust.
The fear still lived though, and it suffocated him.

He couldn’t breathe.

He didn’t fear Mackenzie; he feared the
memories, glimpses threatening to choke him. But his own body betrayed him and
strained toward Mackenzie’s mouth. His beast lifted its head and growled a
primitive warning. The growl crept up the back of his throat and rumbled
throughout his entire body, before trickling out his lips.

“Angel,” he rasped his voice rough, deep.
“Untie me. You can do whatever you like. But untie me.”

He strained to keep his demon leashed,
felt the possessive claws racking at his insides painfully in an attempt to get
to this vixen who seemed intent to possess him mind, body, and fucking soul.
The demon recognized lust but also the fear Bari emitted, saw the images of
death. Good God, it all choked him.

Mackenzie’s nails scraped down the sides
of his thighs and when combined with the painful interlude gripping him from
the inside, his body arched again, bowing underneath the onslaught of pleasure,
the pain. He couldn’t hold it back even if he wanted. The growl and groan
mixed, spilling from his lips before he had any chance to censor them.

“Angel…”

Her hands molded over his skin, skimmed
along his muscles, as if she was memorizing every bit of him. She trailed her
hands down his sides and back up. Her hands moved beneath his arms, pushing
down, holding him down as she rose above him. He squeezed his eyes shut, turned
his head and panted as image after image of
her
death assailed him.

He opened his mouth to speak but before
he got any words out, she took his betraying erection in her hand and started
her discovery on him, taking her time.

“Fuck!” Bari arched in to her touch, her
tight little fist stroking the thick length of his cock in a sure grip. His
hips pumped, seeking her caress as pleasure pulsed through him. His arms
strained against the bounds, the muscles of his chest bulging under the onslaught.
His stomach tightened, his abs rippling with awareness as she lowered her mouth
once more. A hiss escaped as her tight, moist mouth covered him. On their own,
his hips rolled, seeking more. The head of his length hit the back of her
throat. He wanted her to take more.

“Take it all, Angel.” His stomach swirled
with dark emotions, lust, fear.

Mackenzie’s gaze snapped up. Her jaw
dipped as she adjusted her mouth over him. He thrust his hips again as her head
fell, and his entire cock disappeared into her sweet depths. He groaned as his
groin met her lips. He didn’t think it could get any better, but then she went
and swallowed around his blunt head. Black edges swam in his vision as pleasure
encompassed his body.

“Ah hell, Angel. Like that. Take it. Don’t
stop.”
Dear God, keep the visions away,
Dollface.

Her head bobbed, the sight deliciously
erotic even as he forced himself to keep his eyes on her, the pleasure of her
mouth almost too much. His demon growled in approval, rose to his skin, need
from both flushing across his body. They
both
felt every damn thing, including the sweet, hot mouth of Mackenzie.

She delivered one, two more licks and
pulled her head up, releasing him with a pop as she glanced up and met his
eyes. He frowned as she dipped her head, placing one sweet kiss on his lower
abs before scooting off the bed. She visibly shook, her hands wringing the
cloth of his t-shirt draped over her body.