King of Prey: (A Bird Shifter Novel) (8 page)

It’s him.

Kabril leaned up long enough to remove his shirt and cast it aside and then he was back, his mouth on hers before she could think anymore on the knowledge she’d dreamed of this man. His hands were suddenly on the top of her drawstring pants. He made quick work of them and she was thankful, at least for the moment, he was a skilled lover. She wasn’t sure she had the patience for anything but.
 

At least not when it came to him.

He eased her pants from her and went to his knees, gazing down at her—her shirt pushed up over her breasts, her pants gone. She felt vulnerable and too exposed. As she made an attempt to cover herself, Kabril caught her wrists.
 

“No,” he said sternly. “I wish to look upon you. You are stunning.”
 

He lowered himself and ran his hands over her body. Each swipe of his fingers left fire racing straight to the apex of her thighs. Dammit. She wouldn’t last like this.
 

“Kabril.”
 

He grinned and it was devilish, promising pleasure if she could wait.

She couldn’t.

She pouted, her lips pursing as she made another move to touch him. Shaking his head, he sent his long hair flying about his face as he seized both her wrists with one hand.
 

He held her there as he traced his other hand between her breasts. “I enjoy looking at you.”
 

She batted her eyes, her breath coming out in pants.
 

“I watch you,” he said in a deep, powerful voice. “I watched you bathe on this night.”
 

She tipped her head. He had? The idea turned her on more. “Have you watched me other times?”
 

“Yes,” he said, running his hand to the juncture of her thighs. Her wetness greeted him and she moaned as he slipped his finger closer to her entrance. “On many occasions.”
 

She understood this was behavior she should frown upon, but the idea he’d wanted her in such a way only turned her on more. She’d have watched him too if given the chance. She smiled up at him and reached down, her hand moving over his.
 

She was so close to getting pleasure from him when he stopped, sat up fast and retrieved her pants. He handed them to her. “Cover yourself. Sachin nears.”
 

“What?”
 

His breathing was off. “Rayna, unless you wish me to take you like a savage on the edge of this river for any to see, cover yourself.”
 

Nodding, she did as instructed, a little tempted to say screw it and let anyone who wanted to watch, enjoy the show. After all, she’d wanted this man since she’d met him and it was high time they did the deed instead of dancing around one another. Had she moved quicker with him, she’d already know what it was like to have him in her. She could only imagine it would be sheer perfection. Just like Kabril.
 

She dressed as quickly as she could, considering she was still damp from the river and everything in her ached for sex. Kabril whimpered as she tied the drawstring to her pants.
 

“I very much want to be with you,” he said. “I want us joined as one.”
 

“I want that too,” she replied, unabashed. He did that to her. He made her feel wanton and wild. And she loved every second of it.

Chapter Fourteen

 
“Kabril?” Sachin appeared from the shadows, silencing any further confessions that might have fallen from her lips. His silver eyes were narrow and he seemed focused on something behind them.

Rayna was a tad surprised Sachin didn’t comment on the fact she was being held off the ground by Kabril. He seemed fixated on something else. Her brow furrowed. “Sachin, what’s wrong?”

His gaze met Kabril’s. “We are not alone.”

Kabril tightened his hold on her to the point she could scarcely draw in air. “K-a-b-r-i-l.”

He released her quickly, causing her to stumble. Sachin was there in an instant, steadying her. Kabril growled and gave her a slight tug, pulling her away from Sachin. The men stared at one another for what felt like eternity. Testosterone coated the air. Scared of a possible wild animal stalking them, Rayna batted them both on the arm. They were acting like idiots, so she didn’t mind stooping to scolding them. “Guys? What happened to
we are not alone
? Huh? I don’t want to be the main course for a jaguar. Pull it together here.”

No sooner did the words leave her lips than tension seemed to fill the air. Suddenly, the sounds of the jungle all but halted. Her breath hitched and she took a small step towards Kabril. As silly as it sounded, he made her feel safe regardless what she might have to face.

“How many?” He glanced towards Sachin.

Sachin’s gaze never left the surrounding area. He shook his head slightly. “I do not know. Take Rayna to safety. I shall see to—”

Kabril scoffed. “We are in unfamiliar territory, old friend. I will not leave you to your own devices. Not when it is clear we are outnumbered.”

“Your first concern is Rayna,” said Sachin. “I am aware of as much.”
 

“Yes, but if we do not eliminate the threat then…”

Rayna stared at Kabril, noting his speech was different once again, as was Sachin’s. “Guys?”

“Worry not,
ta’konima,
” Kabril whispered, putting his body before hers. He kissed her tenderly. “All will be well.”

She arched a brow, wondering what the hell it was he’d just called her. From the sound of Sachin’s sharp intake of breath, she had a funny feeling it meant something significant. Her luck, he’d just insulted her in the worst way and she was oblivious.

He crouched a bit, taking her with him. Sachin followed suit. Kabril motioned with his head towards the far left of the river. “They are coming in from that way as well.”

Sachin nodded, appearing to have already caught on to the fact they were being surrounded. Rayna was still lost. “Wait? Jaguars are now hunting us in a pack? I thought they weren’t ones to travel in groups. I thought—”

Her words were cut short by the sudden sound of something swooshing overhead. Kabril tossed his body over hers, taking her down and pressing her to the ground. He shouted something to Sachin, but the noise level reached proportions that drowned him out. Besides, she didn’t think it was English.

As quickly as Kabril’s weight had landed on her, it was ripped off. Rayna sat up fast, pushing to her feet. The sound that could only be described as hundreds of birds flapping their wings ended. The strangest part of it all was that Sachin and Kabril were missing, leaving her alone on the edge of the river.

“Kabril?” She turned in a slow circle, doing her best to pierce the darkness with nothing more than her eyes. It was a blackness like she’d never experienced before and she’d spent her fair share of time outside of big cities. Still, this was different. Eerie even. She felt threatened, though she wasn’t sure exactly what was doing the threatening. The men with her weren’t really big on sharing, and at the moment she desperately wanted them each back by her, even if it meant being stared at funnily by them. “Sachin?”

Fear gripped her.

“Kab-ril?” she asked, her voice cracking under the weight of her nerves. “This isn’t funny. You two have the strangest sense of humor. Kabril?”

Nothing.

Rayna wasn’t sure how much time passed but she knew it was a significant amount. Something rustled in the brush to her left and she froze. “Kabril?”

A single feather drifted down before her face, nearly causing her to scream. Calming herself, Rayna plucked it from the air. The bird it belonged to had to be huge. The feather was over a foot long and had something dark, warm and wet on it. She brought it closer to her face and gasped when she realized it was blood.

She turned quickly and ran head first into something. Strong arms grabbed her shoulders and she gave in to the urge to scream a half a second before she brought her knee up, hard and fast.

“Rayna.” Kabril deflected her knee with his upper thigh right before she would have made contact with his groin.

Her eyes widened as she realized it was him. “What? Where? Kabril?”

A soft smile slid over his handsome face, easing some of the tension in her body. “I am here and you are safe.”

“What about Sachin?”

“Here,” Sachin said, appearing behind her, causing her to push her body against Kabril’s.

Rayna pressed her forehead to Kabril’s chest. “You two need to hum or something when you walk. You scared the hell out of me. And where did you go? You just vanished.”

“We saw to the threat,” he said gently. He ran his hand through her hair and then kissed her lips. “I am sorry you were frightened. I assure you, we would allow no harm to come to you.”
 

She glanced around. “Are the jaguars still close? I think they attacked a bird.” She held the bloody feather up for Kabril to see. “Poor thing.”

His gaze hardened. “Discard that immediately, Rayna.”

Stunned by the directness in his voice, Rayna simply stared at him. She’d never seen this side of him and wasn’t sure she liked it. “Kabril?”

He ripped the feather from her hand and tossed it aside. “Return to camp this instant.”

She blinked, sure she’d heard him wrong. He couldn’t be issuing orders to her like he was her master. “Excuse me?”

He pointed towards the campsite. “Go!”

Sachin moved up next to her and cleared his throat. “Kabril.”

“What if the bird’s not dead, Kabril?” she asked, deciding to seize the moment. “Shouldn’t we look for it? You could help it. It’s what you do, right?”

“Cease your chatter, woman.” Kabril’s nostrils flared and his entire body went rigid. “I gave you an order. Do not disobey me on this.”

Rayna took a giant step back. He suddenly seemed like a stranger before her. An arrogant asshole of a stranger. Anger consumed her, leaving her throat constricted as she fought to keep from crying out with rage. Something on Kabril’s face changed as a sigh tore free of him. He made a move to come to her but she put her hand up, stopping him. “Don’t. I’ll do what you
command
. I’ll go back to camp, but know that I’m doing it to keep from choking you, not because you ordered me to.”

“Rayna, no.” Kabril made another move to come to her, this time finding Sachin stepping in his path. “I did not mean to—”

She folded her arms over her chest and gave him a droll look. “Didn’t mean to what? Open mouth, insert foot? I’m sorry I asked about the bird. I assumed since you’re a vet and all that you’d care. Guess I was wrong.” She glared at him. “About a lot of things.”

Sachin glanced over his shoulder at her. “Rayna, forgive him. The, umm, jaguars—” He nudged Kabril. “—yes, jaguars, left him worried about how safe you were. He is not acting like himself right now. He worries about you. We both do.”

“Yet you don’t bark orders at me like I’m a dog.” She gave Kabril a cross look. He cringed under the weight of her stare. “Don’t you think I was worried about you two? Huh? For all I knew, you two were being mauled to death twenty feet from me.”

Kabril lowered his head.

She pointed at him. “Jerk. Here I thought you were different from other men. You’re just the same, aren’t you?” Rayna didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, she turned to head back to camp, mumbling on the way, “Cease my chatter? Thinks he’s king of the jungle. Asshole.”

Chapter Fifteen

Kabril winced at the sound of Rayna cursing him as she headed towards camp. She had every right to be upset with him. He had reacted poorly to the idea that the enemy’s mark was near her. The feather, that was just a feather to her, was so much more to him. It was a part of the enemy. An enemy that had come too close to her as was. Kabril would not allow threats directed at him to leak onto her.
 

And his temper could not be settled at the moment. He knew as much. She would be safer far from him. The falcons would want nothing to do with a human. They would not dirty their hands with the likes of her. That was good. If they were focused on him, she would be safe.
 

He had never been more thankful that his kind—the bird shifters—thought of humans as pests. In this instance, it would save Rayna’s life. He twisted, his gaze wild as he looked to Sachin. “I killed at least two. You?”
 

“Two as well,” returned Sachin. “But there were more, Kabril.”
 

“Go with Rayna. I will lead them far from here.”
 

Sachin sighed. “I cannot and will not leave you. Though, I do not think you should have sent her off alone.”
 

Kabril’s chest tightened with worry. “Keeping her near me placed a target upon her. Now she is merely a human female. They will have no use of her.”
 

Sachin appeared nervous. “Still, my lord. Perhaps we should keep her close.”
 

“So that my enemies can see that she matters to me?” he demanded, pacing, his shifter side wanting free. He flexed his arms, wanting to release his wings, track the bastards who had dared to attack them and remove their heads from their shoulders. How dare they think to threaten him with Rayna near? Did they not realize he would kill any who even looked in her way with thoughts of aggression on their minds?

He stopped pacing and met Sachin’s gaze. “Take her and protect her.”
 

“Kabril.”
 

“Then track the others and I will take her to safety!”

“I will not leave you or her. We should go to her now.” Sachin wasn’t acting like himself. Something was wrong. Kabril spoke, “They will not want her, correct? She is but human. They will have no interest in her, right?”
 

Ah, there was a point I too thought I would never have an interest in a human either. Now look. I am at the mercy of one.

“She will hold value to them, my lord, because she holds value to you,” Sachin said, his words cutting Kabril like a knife.

He was right.
 

He tried to go in the direction of camp but Sachin stopped him. “I will go. She is none too pleased with you at the moment. I cannot blame her. You were what the humans like to call a dickhead.” Sachin coughed slightly and shook.