Slow Burn (7 page)

Panic and fear surrounded her, stealing her ability to think
rationally.

Derrick dropped her hand and held his up in surrender. His
eyes darted from man to man, making direct contact with all six of them. “We
don’t have to do this.” He kept his voice calm. Neutral. That was a good sign.

The auras of the men all said the same thing: terror.

She picked up Derrick’s aura, too, felt true courage washing
over the trepidation threatening to choke him. Oh, and the very protective
instinct from the puma centered in her mind, easing some of her discomfort and
dread.

Guns trained on Derrick first. One guy started forward.

Sonja searched his aura, probing deeper now. He was just a
human, as were the rest of them. This wasn’t a fair fight. Derrick could tear
them all to shreds, but he kept his cool. That definitely worked in their
favor.

Derrick’s gaze never left the man coming toward him.

A fist caught Derrick in the gut.

He waited a second, then started to double over.

Sonja watched as another fist landed in Derrick’s stomach.
Then the man brought his gun up to Derrick’s head.

Another click of the piece sounded.

Derrick looked into the guy’s eyes and smiled.

Whatever he did made the man drop his gun instantly.

The other men started speaking in Russian, their voices
filled with panic.

Over his shoulder, Derrick looked at Sonja, giving her a
glimpse of the puma’s angry eyes.

She swallowed, started to shake. “No, don’t!”

It became even more difficult to breathe.

Derrick started to change. In slow motion, his facial
features broke down and reconstructed with fur, a shorter jaw, sharper teeth.
His body lengthened as golden fur engulfed it.

If he killed them, he’d have her blood on his hands along
with that of her captors. It wasn’t right!

Sonja sucked in a breath, forcing herself to react like a
witch in dealing with this. Standing straight, she searched the air for a clean
thread in all the confusion.

Shifting would heal his wounds and put him on the offensive,
but would that stop them from shooting her?

She wiped sweat from her brow and realized in that instant,
with all the power radiating from Derrick, the men didn’t stand a chance. She
couldn’t stop the puma, either.

“Derrick you can’t do this!” He couldn’t be allowed to kill
them. Not now. Not in front of her. They weren’t at fault. She was.

“I can’t stop it. It’s too late.” The snarl of his voice
frightened her even more.

The men surrounding them backed up but kept their guns
trained on Derrick. Each one cocked the hammer of his pistol while staring
incredulously at the sight before them.

Before she knew it, a puma stood before her. Its eyes glowed
bright green and blue while its tail swished around. It looked at her with an
intense stare before returning its attention to the surrounding men.

Guns sounded as shells loaded into the chambers.

The overwhelming dread from each of the men slammed into her
with the force of a tsunami. She stumbled back, felt the barrel of another assault
rifle digging into her back.

She spun around with her hands up.

Her vision blurred.

Lives would be lost if she didn’t do something. Her mind
raced, executing all the possible spells she could use to deflect things and
aid the chaos into something better.

She would die if she couldn’t fix this. More innocents would
lose their lives if she couldn’t fix this. Her life would be over, too much
pain and misery would weigh down on her and stop her from performing. Her
life’s work would all be a waste because she couldn’t clean the blood from her
soul.

Or from Derrick’s, if he managed to make it out of this. She
couldn’t stand the thought of Derrick suffering for her.

She heard a scream but didn’t recognize where it came from.
Power spilled from her and more screams joined the one she heard only seconds
ago.

Blood shot out from the bodies around her. The veil between
reality and insanity started to blur, knocking her off balance.

Absorbing all the excess emotion, all the extra terror,
fear, and anger, Sonja’s power pierced the air, bringing with it a death so
sweet to the now silenced screams.

Then she fell to her knees on the ground, landing with a
thud against soft fur and hard muscle.

Chapter Four

Derrick woke up in a soft bed. His body ached, his stomach
burned, bruises marked his forehead, and he had a throbbing pain in his back.
He brushed strands of hair from his face and tried not to grunt. Then he saw
the beauty next to him and something tugged at his heart.

Sonja lay beside him still wearing his trench coat, jeans,
and a top that begged for removal because it held back beautiful breasts.

He licked his lips. Then he smelled the dried blood and
frowned. He looked down at himself and found he’d been bathed. At least mostly.
His fingernails were still dirty. Sore, too.

Then he stirred. And pain hit him, making him grunt.

Sonja’s eyes shot open and her body jolted. She shook. The
wild look on her face alerted Derrick that something was flashing in her mind.
But what? What nightmares did she run from?

The air smelled of torment, a different scent than fear.
More black, more unsettling, the energy crackled with bright white pepper and
that overwhelming sense of dread he recognized from his own energy when he woke
up to see the faces of those innocents he’d been ordered to kill. Or his
brother laying in a pool of his own blood while paramedics came to remove the
injured and presumed dead. Derrick caught Sonja’s hand and rolled onto his
side, facing her.

“Shh.” He put his other arm around her, gripping her close
before her shakes stopped. He pressed two fingers against her lips and felt the
searing heat from the faint touch. He pressed a little harder, caressing plump
lips.

Tears streamed down her face.

He wanted to kiss them away.

She opened her mouth and screamed; power flowed out from her
in a torrential force that clued him in to just how terrified the images were
that she saw.

Then he saw them, the faces of the sad, the lonely, the
angry, those who had taken their lives. He’d seen a very brief glimpse of the
men who captured her, then his head went fuzzy. Quickly stilling his mind, he
leaned over her and did the one thing he could think of to distract her from
whatever horrors raced through her head.

He kissed her, muffling her cries.

She sobbed but gave herself openly to the kiss. The power
flowing from her lessened, calmness now settled around them. She still shook;
her body convulsed in his arms while she flailed this way and that, turning
from him with such force he had to use his puma strength to overpower her and
force her back to the kiss.

Somewhere in the haze of their mingling tongues, the air
changed again, this time the scents of terror and agony faded to give way to
something dark, yet sensual. Derrick tasted her, pressing against the sweet
plumpness of her mouth against his. Eyes open, he gave her hand a light
squeeze.

She settled, blinked, and gazed at him through her wild eyes
until her breathing slowed and she returned to the here and now. Sonja shifted
against him. She reached for his face, lithe fingers stroked his chin.

He hardened instantly at her touch. Careful to steady his
reaction against rising hormones, Derrick moved, feeling the softness of her
breasts beneath his jacket. “You’re still wearing my coat.” He licked her chin,
then bit her neck.

The tears stopped and she sniffled. Sonja laughed and kissed
him back, taking his face in her hands while she slid beneath him. “It fits.
Perfectly in fact. I think I’ll keep it.”

He chuckled, a low sound that widened her eyes. He noted the
change in behavior when he stilled his mind and focused on centering her,
something he’d never really done before. Instantly, she smelled of arousal
rather than the stingy, pungent scent of fear.

“Definitely.” She nodded. “Definitely going to keep it.”

She stole his concentration by wriggling her soft flesh
against his; he could only process the perfectness of her arousal. He bent
down, nipped her exposed neck, and waited a moment. Her pulse beat steadily.
His puma wanted a taste of the creature beneath it.

Hands fisted in his hair and dragged his head to hers,
forcing his mouth against hers. She tasted more sweet and savory as the
powerful thrum of lust sent blood pulsing through her. The puma knew it was
time to mate again, and with this woman.

Derrick smelled dark fruit, the scent of her arousal dancing
over his senses. With a thumb and forefinger, he caressed a trail down the line
of her jaw and over her neck until stopping at the top of exposed cleavage.
Then he let his nail lengthen, a sound that made her gasp.

Derrick dragged his nail back up her neck and down it again,
dipping further between her breasts while watching her expression change from
concern to aroused amusement.

She shuddered, arched her breasts up.

He nuzzled her, then dipped his head, flicking his tongue
over her salty skin, tasting the spice and dark fruit on his tongue. Then he
slid up her body, dove in for another kiss while his free hand traced circles
on her cheek.

She moaned her approval into the kiss, letting him control things
at first. Then she pulled back, nipped his lower lip, tugged on it.

The puma inside snarled playfully.

Sonja kissed him again, letting him lead this time.

Derrick took his time studying her mouth with his tongue,
memorizing it. He wanted to let this happen forever, kiss her for eternity. She
tasted so perfect, felt so right snuggled against him. He even closed his eyes,
found the intensity of her scents magnified by the temporary loss of sight.

Her hand clutched his forearm.

He brought his hand to hers, interlocked their fingers,
broke from the kiss. Derrick inhaled sharply at the sight before him. Red hair
tangled beneath her, fanned out over her shoulders against the white silk
sheets. A slight red tint colored her face. Lips were primed and plump for more
kissing. And the blue-silver of her eyes sparkled. “Maybe you should wear only
my coat.”

“Patience, cat. We have some time. Right?” She arched an
eyebrow.

He didn’t know truthfully. Derrick wasn’t even sure where
they were or how they got here. He knew only that he’d taken out the man who
nearly shot Sonja point blank, then something else happened. That’s when his
memories became a little hazy.

Derrick tried to think back to what happened earlier,
wondering why Max’s team took so long to flank and nullify their opponents, but
the breathy sigh Sonja gave him brought him back to here and now.

She’d made it out alive. They both had.

At the thought, the urgency of their sexual encounter reared
its head.

He’d almost lost her, and that would be bad for so many
reasons. The security of the world could be at stake, but something deeper made
her more important to him.

The way she kept stroking his shoulders distracted him and
kept stealing his thoughts.

“You’re not in the present, Derrick.” Nails raked along
exposed flesh and goose bumps appeared on his skin.

“Baby, I am now.” Derrick parted her thighs with his leg and
pressed into her heat.

Even through her jeans, she caused sexual agony.

She hissed, gripped his shoulders tightly, and lifted up to
catch him across the throat with her teeth.

The puma inside growled. Derrick fought the beast’s nature
back down, forcing it to realize this was sexual play, not a play for
dominance. She may deal with shifters, but as far as he knew, her band and
known associates were all human.

She bit his neck again.

Another shiver raced through him, forcing his focus on her
rather than the beast she’d been taunting. She went for his neck again, nipping
him hard enough to send a spike of painful pleasure to his cock.

He rolled on top of her, supporting his weight by straddling
her and resting on his forearms. “I need—”

She shifted beneath him and cupped him.

His groin hardened further. She just shattered what little
control he had.

The puma’s tone changed. The beast recognized the core
principle that it and Derrick shared.

They were both male.

“I know how to play dirty.” She laughed breathlessly. “And
I’m not afraid of the big beast, either.”

“You must not be that bright.” He dipped his head down and
flicked his tongue over a breast. He found the hem of her shirt and pulled it
up, only to have it caught by his coat.

“You’re going to make this difficult, aren’t you?”

A wry smile crossed her lips and she blinked, fluttering her
eyelashes. “You just said I wasn’t that bright. So I think I should.”

Determined to strip her until all she wore was that playful
grin, he slid away. “Fine. Two can play this game, Sonja.” Then he reached for
her with one hand.

She started to move.

Capturing her wrist, he pulled her to him, brought his mouth
down on hers, and wrapped his arms around her curvy frame. He swept his tongue
around the inside of her mouth and she made a soft groan that hardened his cock
even more than he thought humanly possible. She felt so good in his arms, so
soft, supple.

He slid his hand under her shirt, spread out his fingers,
and felt the sizzle of erotic heat between them. Her flat stomach begged for
love bites.

They pulled apart and shifted, with her straddling his hips.
The pain he’d bit back could go fuck itself as long as this woman was the one
making him ache.

Her body rocked against his, reinforcing their fit into each
other.

He thrust his tongue past her lips and into her mouth. She
lifted her hands but he forced them back at her sides. Using the added strength
of the puma, he shoved the coat off her shoulders and down so it bound her
arms.

Then he pulled back from the kiss and started licking down
her jaw, over her neck until she mewled and balled her hands into frustrated
fists. If he could drive her insane the way she had him, that’d help with
whatever caused the tears earlier, and then they could talk.

That’s the lie his rational mind tried to tell him. His body
had other plans he intended on going with.

“Perfect sound.” He continued to lick and kiss her neck,
collarbone before nipping the top of a creamy breast.

Throwing her head back with a shiver, she exposed her neck
to him. She opened her mouth, formed a perfect O with her lips, and let out a
small groan.

She’d been in his mind. He felt it seconds ago, the little
prying blip that alerted him to someone else rummaging around in his head. Too
bad, she would only see his ravenous desire to fuck her silly.

He pushed the coat further down her arms, exposing flesh and
ridding her of one more protective layer against his sensual assault.

When their mouths met again, her tongue slipped past his
lips, stroking and suckling his.

She slid her arms free of his coat and wrapped them around
his neck, fisting his hair.

With the coat finally pushed off her arms, he could now
reach for the hem of her shirt. He tugged at it and broke from the kiss. “Do
you want this, Sonja? I’ll stop.” He had to choke those words out. “If you
want.”

Glaring, she nipped his bottom lip. “Fuck me, Derrick.”

Even a fool would understand the desperation on her face and
be able to imagine the sultry way she spoke.

Derrick lifted her shirt up and over her head, exposing her
breasts to the air. No bra, and again he shivered with the thought of how
goddamned sexy she was. “You’re so incredibly lovely.”

“Taste me.”

He pushed her back at arm’s length and stared, taking in the
exquisite view of lush breasts with pink nipples that pointed at him, made his
mouth water.

She let out a heavy sigh. “Are you going to ogle my tits
like one of my fans or are you going to play with me?”

His lips curled up in a wicked smile. He loved her
demanding, breathy voice. Before he could respond, she leaned forward, pinning
him down on the bed. “You’re new to this. You’re wearing too many clothes.” She
trapped his thighs with hers, giving him a squeeze that made his cock pulse.

She rubbed her crotch over his and heat sent a crackle of
power through the air.

Derrick rolled her onto her back, enjoying the sight of her
breasts bared for him, her red hair fanning out behind and beneath her. He used
his preternatural speed to shift their positions again so she now sat up. Then
he caught her breasts in his hands and gave them both a gentle squeeze while
eliciting a moan from her. “I am
so
not new at this. I just like to take
my time appreciating a beautiful creature.”

Impatiently, she began fumbling with his shirt. “You can
take this off.” She tugged at it. “Or I can yank it off and you’ll need a new
shirt.”

Before he could respond, she ripped the shirt off him,
exposing him.

She let out a low whistle of appreciation. “I guess we’re
even now.”

Derrick cocked his head. “Are you going to stare at me?” He
chuckled. “Or are we going to fuck?”

Her mouth curled up in a smile. She shoved against his
chest, batted her eyelashes, and scooted her ass over his crotch. “We’re going
to fuck. Now.”

Derrick braced himself.

Sonja slithered down his body, covering his chest with
kisses and bites. He shivered against each one, especially when she took a
nipple in her mouth and sucked.

If she took his cock in her hot little mouth, he’d lose it
instantly. No other woman had this finesse or wickedness in her sex, and
Derrick wanted her to know it. He’d make damn sure she came and came hard.

She bit down, applying gentle pressure and suckling, just
like he’d do to her. He should have stopped her and tried to figure out what
they were doing in a foreign bed and what their next move would be, but logic
failed him.

Her power probed his mind again. Ever so slightly, it broke
his concentration just enough to reveal her presence.

“You’re only allowed to use your body to do this, sweet
Jesus!” Her teeth grazed against his now exposed hip.