Haven (5 page)

"Just a taste, a
small taste." Whether the promise was to himself or her, he didn’t know.
Control was elusive. His teeth scraped against her breast, nature demanding,
beating at him.

"Do it,
Leo," she demanded hoarsely.

Leo nipped her skin
lightly, his teeth elongated, crowding his mouth. He moved his mouth over her
neck. He cursed as a hard knock sounded at his front door.

"Stay, right
where you are," he growled. His voice was deep, fury and lust battling as
he moved from Liliana's warm body. He rolled from the bed. "Don't
move," he ordered again as he conjured a pair of jogging pants and slid
them up his legs. He turned and she sighed, arching her back, her breasts an
offering to him.

"I'll be right
here." Her voice was sultry, taunting him.

His thoughts flashed
to the other night, to the memory of the way she gripped his body and he
cursed. His vision sharpened as his eyes changed. Lust momentarily beat out
fury.

Leo knelt on the edge
of the bed and crawled back to her. The kiss he took was raw, possessive,
stealing his mind as their tongues dueled.

"Leo?" a
husky voice called.

He stiffened at the
voice in the living room.

Liliana slapped at
his shoulders. "Who is that?"

"Fuck!" Leo
scrambled from the bed and raced to the living room.

He cursed the
Dziva's timing as well as the fact that she was in his apartment. He'd never
given her the code to his room. Sneaky fucking Dzivas. He wondered who’d given
up the codes to his room. The Dzivas were nothing if not resourceful, they
manipulated and controlled those around them with the flick of their hair, or a
twist of their hips. Any being with common sense knew to avoid them. The dumb
male probably never saw it coming. Still, wouldn't stop Leo from kicking his
ass when he found out who it was.

Verity stood in his
living room her body posed, a sensual pout on her full lips. Tall and slender,
the purple iridescent scales covering her body caught the light, dazzling the
eye as they were designed to do. Of course, the short dress her boobs were near
tumbling out of, could've accomplished that on its own. Her hair was long and
the palest the color could get and still be called lavender, reaching her hips,
some of the strands lit, twinkling beautifully. Her hair like everything else
on the Dziva's body served the purpose of distracting their prey. By the time a
Dziva's victim got pass the outside beauty, they were either dead, or screwed
out of everything they owned.

Leo sighed. He
didn't have time for this. "What do you want, Verity?"

The Dziva smiled,
shaking her hair, the movement mesmerizing and catching his eye. "I only
want to talk, Leo. I don't like the way things ended." She walked around
his glass coffee table, and skirted his leather armchair to stand in front of
him before he could regain his senses. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

The lust he felt
moments ago for his mate dissipated at her touch, leaving only fury in its
wake. "Well, I didn't like you screwing other males."

Verity pouted,
wrapping her arms around his neck. "Don't be that way. It meant nothing.
He had information, I needed it, and I did what I had to do to get it."

Ah, the logic of a
faithless bitch. Was it any wonder he didn't trust women? The danger and
excitement of screwing around with a Dziva had worn off the moment he caught
her in bed, or should he say office desk with another male.

He didn't
share…anything. "I told you when I broke it off, I don't share." He
saw movement from the corner of his eye.

Liliana crept into
the room her anger palpable, power making her hair glow. Lust returned twofold,
pushing Verity far from his mind. His robe swallowed Liliana’s small frame,
slipping down her shoulder in a way utterly provocative because she was so
unaware of it.

"You can move
your hands from around my mate, Dziva." Her haughty voice sounded every
inch the Eshu noble.

 He scrambled for a
way to diffuse the rage swimming in Liliana's eyes. Verity hissed, her pale
gold eyes narrowing in instant dislike. Liliana crossed her arms over her
chest, refusing to back down from the stare.

The Dziva lifted
Leo's wrist, shoving it back down as she saw the markings. "It's your
loss. Call me when you get bored with your frigid noble."

Liliana charged,
slamming into Leo's chest as he moved into her path.

"Don't,
Liliana." Leo didn't release her until the front door closed.

Liliana shoved back
from his chest. "Although I don't want to be, we’re mated. You will not
disrespect me."

Leo watched the
magic playing across her skin, lighting her hair and damned if it didn't make
his dick hard. He watched the way her chest moved with her angry breaths, and
he imagined all that passion focused on him. His own anger at her words rose,
fueling the fury he already felt at being interrupted from their earlier play.

"Is that
right?" he taunted her, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I won't
tolerate you having other women." Liliana raised her chin in defiance, her
eyes full of fire.

"I guess that
means you'll need to keep your mate satisfied. If you want, I can call Verity
back to give you lessons. Dzivas are known for their technique." It was
nasty he knew it, but he couldn't stop the words.

She gasped, her eyes
widening a moment before her hand snaked out and slapped his cheek. He smiled,
the small lift of his lips bearing his teeth. Liliana met his stare head on,
cocking her hips sideways in challenge. Oh, yeah, they would tangle now.

"See, Xavier.
They're getting along great." Fallon's voice broke through the tense
silence

LILIANA PALED,
withdrawing her magic immediately. Gods, she'd never lost her temper enough to
strike someone. He damn well deserved it, but she hated that there were
witnesses. Lust clouded her judgment from the moment she woke up sprawled on
top of the infuriating male. Memories of their night the week prior, combined
with the feel of his steely body under her was her undoing. How was she
supposed to resist him? But wasn’t that the purpose of the mating frenzy? It
kept the couple from outright rejecting the mating, without at least giving it
a chance.

Xavier and Fallon
stepped into the apartment, closing the door behind them.

Leo rounded on his
brothers. "What?"

Xavier shook his
head and walked into the room. "I just passed a pissed off Dziva murmuring
about Eshu nobles on this side of the portal?" His voice made it a
question.

Liliana raised her
chin. "He's impossible." And sexy, with magic hands that made her
body shudder. Gods, her emotions were all over the place.

"I've noticed
that myself.” Xavier made himself comfortable on Leo's sofa. "You were
supposed to be lying low."

"I'm not
staying here a moment longer." Liliana clutched the robe to her chest. She
turned to leave the room, but not before giving Leo another nasty look.

"On that we can
agree. I’ve just informed the portal station at Legba of your impending
arrival." Xavier announced as she reached the bedroom door.

She whirled around,
her lips pinched, panic draining the blood from her face. He couldn’t mean what
she thought he did. He wouldn’t send her home this soon. "What are you
talking about?" Her eyes darted between them.

"You're
betrothed to the prince, Liliana, you thought you could run away days before
your mating ceremony and no one would notice?" Fallon asked.

"I'm not going
back." Anger took panic's place.

Xavier's power
flooded the room. "You will go back and you’ll deal with the crap you
created when you ran away. As it is, I'm stalling a cadre of the queen's
soldiers asking to speak with me."

Liliana refused to
back down. She couldn't go home, not yet. Not without what she came for.
"Can’t we do the ceremony here? I’m not going back until I find out what
happened to my sister."

"If what you
say is true and your sister was last seen here, then I will look into it.”

Elation rushed to
fill the places previously occupied by lust and anger. She barely restrained
herself from shouting in victory.

Finally! Someone
would help her search for her sister.

He raised his hand
to stall the torrent of gratitude on the tip on her tongue. “I’m done dealing
with Queen Kaylin, so no, the ceremony will not be held here. You’ll be mated,
traditionally, so my brother is not further disrespected by this foolishness."
The light glinted off of Xavier’s copper eyes, no mistaking his anger.

 Liliana took a deep
breath, joy leaving, replaced by confusion. She looked up and tried to see past
Leo's stony expression to find out if Xavier was telling the truth. "Do
you feel disrespected?"

His eyes betrayed
him for only a second before the wall went back up. She saw the spark of hurt
and was deeply ashamed. Her mother said she was selfish, but never before had
she felt that way until now. Her only thought upon waking had been escaping a
mating with the prince. She’d not once thought of how that would make Leo feel.

"You were
promised to another. The longer we put off telling your parents, the shadier it
will seem. As you’ve pointed out, the Cagyns are not exactly trusted. You
mentioned pheromones and unsuspecting…how did you say? Innocents?"

She flushed in embarrassment.
Her earlier words to him about his culture put a bad taste in her mouth.
"I'll be ready after I shower."

She used the time in
the shower to think. She stood under the overhead showering panel allowing the
deluge of water to paste her hair to her back. The hot water steamed the glass
doors and enclosed the stall in fog. She sat on the warm tiles, her back
against the marble and went through her options. It made sense for them to
finish the ritual in Legba, the royal family would fight the mating otherwise.
She would not embarrass her family, least of all Kedric. She shuddered. No, she
couldn't embarrass Prince Kedric, the punishment for that… It didn't bear
thinking about.

Besides, Cagyns by
nature were possessive, competitive. She didn't want to think about what Leo
would do if his claim were challenged. Though he obviously didn't want a mate,
she imagined he would make an example out of the first person to oppose their
mating. It would be a nightmare. The gossip would be unbearable. As it was, her
returning would stir up a hornets’ nest of chatter. Her stomach churned.

She could well
imagine the mess she’d made when she left. Had her parents survived the fallout
with their social status intact? She didn’t even want to think about it, let
alone face it. Gods, she could barely think with the frenzy riding her. She
stood and rinsed off, her mind in chaos, her body throbbing in need. After five
days, she was near insane with want. It would only get worse as they waited to
complete the ritual.

She stepped out of
the shower and grabbed a towel. She was wrapping it around her body when she
registered his presence.

His eyes devoured
her. "It's a shame we were so rudely interrupted." He swallowed her
gasp of surprise driving his tongue into her mouth.

She tasted his fury,
felt the evidence of his need brushing against the apex of her thighs as he
lifted her onto the double sink. He dropped her towel and lowered his head to
her neck. Her head fell back and his fangs scraped along her skin. Lust poured
off him in waves, dragging her under.

"Do it. Bind
us." Desperation drove her.

Leo stared at her,
his eyes burning a hole through her, turning her blood to lava. Liliana's
breasts swelled, her stomach clenched with lust, her body painfully aroused.
She wanted him with a ferocity that bordered on insanity. He pulled her legs
around his waist burrowing his thick length tenting his pants against her
center. Whimpering, she closed her eyes as his teeth nipped at her skin. He
trailed kisses to her ear and a shudder racked her body.

"We will be
bonded the traditional way or not at all." He growled. 

Her eyes opened. She
was panting with lust, her thoughts scattered. "Why?"

His eyes hardened.
"I don't want to hear any shit about the Cagyn bespelling you into
anything."

She nodded in
understanding, knowing of the tales told about Cagyns. She wrestled her body
back under control. Leo leaned over and wrapped her hair around his hands,
tilting her head back. Tension stiffened his shoulders, and his eyes
broadcasted his own battle with their passion. He kissed his way down her
throat, she whispered his name, and arched her body forward. His teeth raked
against the side of her breast, and she thought she would explode.

 "Please, Leo,
do something."

Madness, that's the
only thing that could describe the lust tearing through her. Power moved along
her bronze skin, and her hair glowed, painting prisms on the wall as her body
prepared itself for its mate. They should stop, they really should, but judging
by Leo's harsh pants, he too was having a hard time remembering why.

He kissed his way
back up her neck and rested his head on her forehead. "Gods, I want
nothing more than to bury myself in your body, but not until we speak with your
father. I’ll not have one person saying I seduced you into this." He stole
one last kiss before backing away from her completely.  

He walked out of the
bathroom leaving her shrouded in steam, seconds from orgasm. Liliana slid to
the floor, her body burning, the now cold tile doing nothing to help. Would she
survive the heat before they were completely mated? She blew out an impatient
breath. It wouldn't be so bad if she had not already tasted him, if she hadn't
known firsthand how well his body moved within her. Liliana touched her lips
with trembling hands.

"Liliana?"
Leo called from the next room.

"I'll be right
out." She stood, grabbing the towel from the floor. She dried and dressed
herself in the traditional gown. Twenty minutes later, satisfied with the
intricate braids she’d conjured she left the safety of the bathroom.

She was a little
self-conscious as she walked into Leo's bedroom. Her heart stopped, then
slammed into a hard, fast rhythm as she spotted him in his uniform. The black
shirt fit tight across his chest, showing off muscles she'd touched and ached
to touch more. Rugaba, their God's symbol was on the chest and sleeve. The
bright red patches had a gold sun in the middle surrounded by thorns. Black
cargo pants were tucked into black boots giving him a dangerous air that made
her body melt. He looked up from buttoning his sleeves and caught her staring.
A wave of fierce pride moved through her.

Pride that she'd
been chosen to bond with someone as powerful and gorgeous as him. Her earlier
misgivings about being mated to him raced through her mind, but she pushed it
aside. She would be tied to Leo for eternity, it would do her well to get to
know him with no preconceived notions.

"I'm sorry if
you felt disrespected," she blurted the words before she even realized
what she would say "It was never my intention."

He looked taken
aback. His eyebrows rose in question. They stared at each other for a moment
and he sighed. Leo held out his hand and understanding the unspoken, she
grabbed it relishing his touch as he pulled her into his chest. The patches on
his uniform were scratchy against her face. Strange how she found that
sensation comforting.

"I don't trust
females as a rule." His voice was gruff, a deep rumble against her cheek.
"I don't know what to do with a mate."

Liliana looked up
into his eyes, the gray depths pulling emotions from her she was not ready to
have. "What do you say we start over?"

Leo nodded and
dropped a kiss to the tip of her nose. "I apologize for the Dziva
interrupting us.” He looked a little sheepish as he lifted her chin. “She’s
never been in the apartment before today. There has never been a woman in the
place where my mate would rest.”

Her heart melted,
surprised and touched.

He cleared his
throat. “We need to go." He kept a hold on her hand and led her through
the confusing catacombs.

Liliana's stomach
gave a nervous lurch as they approached the portal room. The cavernous place
resembled an airport, with people bustling through the area. Murmur of
conversations in the different languages floated in the air as Demis waited in
line to be checked in. Leo and she moved through the line, not bothering to
check in with the soldier guarding the entrance to the main portal. He led her
into the dark hallway away from the bustle of the cavern. She saw soldiers of
the Amanda striding purposely down the hall, only slowing to salute Leo. In awe
of the deference Leo received from the other soldiers, Liliana scrambled to
keep up with his long strides. They reached the end of the hallway, stopping at
a blank wall. The smooth stone held no trace of the portal that would carry
them to her realm.

Leo reached out his
palm, touched the wall and immediately a spell was activated, ancient symbols
glowing in a grid. Leo's hand moved quickly through the grid, weaving the
symbols together until the symbols for Legba glowed bright red. The grid
disappeared moments later and the wall shimmered until Liliana could smell the
sweet air of her homeland.

They stepped through
the shimmering wall and for a moment there was nothing but bright white light.
She closed her eyes and shook her head to shake out the fogginess traveling
through the portal gave her.

"You
okay?" His concerned eyes searched her face.

Liliana nodded. A
small thrill at being home again went through her body. It had been four years.
The portal room in Legba was bright. The glass walls let in the blue skies and
light from their sun. Built off the ground, everything in Legba was high enough
where the green of the forest could not interfere with the beautiful sights of
the sky. Their wings were useless, so their stories say the Eshu built Legba in
the air to give them the feeling of flying.

Liliana was
surprised when Leo did not head straight for the door leading to the
transports. Trade capital for the Demis, Legba's portal building was bustling.
They pushed through the crowds, passing a line of people waiting at the
check-in station. The guard working stood and saluted. Leo pressed his hand to
a glowing crystal, standing still for the retinal scan. The guard nodded when
it changed color to purple in acceptance. They both stared at Liliana and
nervously, she pressed her shaking hand on the stone, blinking as the bright
laser scanned her eyes. The crystal warmed beneath her palm and turned red. Her
heart stopped.

The guard looked
down at his screen. Her name glowed, instructions underneath. He cleared his
throat. "Mistress Marcolev, you are to be escorted immediately to the
royal house."

Gods, Xavier was
sending her straight to the Queen. No! Not yet, she couldn’t face him.

"I will escort
her to her father's house. You can log it." Leo ordered.

The soldier looked
agitated, unsure of what he should do.

"Just log
it." Leo pulled Liliana behind him to the exit.      

She fought to keep
the relief off her face, and her breathing normal. She didn’t know how long her
respite would be, but she would take it. She’d come back a failure and soon as
the prince received word, he would hunt her down.