The Lycan Hunter (The Gardinian World Series) (33 page)

***

Fighting with Kyran and the pack against the LC should have
instilled confidence in Alexis
’
place among the pack. Instead, the lingering
fears from some of the more reluctant pack members became more
obvious. She tried to blend in – wore the clothes they wore, relaxed
some of her more rigid Hunter ways, and mingled with them in ways
that she never bothered when she was with the Hunters. Her efforts were rewarded with kinder smiles and the peace of the pack. Kyran acted more relaxed as well.

Alexis, on the other hand, didn’t recognize her drawn features in
the mirror. She was also in desperate need of sunlight. A good night
’
s
rest wouldn
’
t hurt her either, but with the high possibility of Hunters
in the area, sunlight wasn
’
t an option and sleep eluded her due to her
need for a week’s worth of gym time. A trip down to the gym might relax her nerves enough for her to fall into an exhausted sleep, but it would also undo all of her work with the reluctant pack members.

Being stuck between a strapless jersey dress and a god blade wasn
’
t
a position she’d ever thought to be, yet there she stood.

Alexis eyed the god blade where it hung from a mount on the
wall – remembering the feel of it in her hands and how mighty she’d
felt wielding it. The wedges she wore fit better with the dress in her
hands, so she slipped it on and zipped up the persona of a woman just
out to survive another day in a world not her own. The only part of her
former identity still visible was her nearly unbearably tight ponytail that sat high on her head.

As she made her way toward the game room, one of the little boys
ran up to her and encased her legs in a hug. She returned it, took his
hand, and led him. Angel – standing behind her in his usual masculine
grace – tapped her on the shoulder before she could heed the calls of the children to color with them...

“I need to talk to you in private.” He turned on his heel, not
bothering to see if she would follow.

When she found him standing in the hall that led back to her
bedroom, she frowned. “What’s going on?”

“You might want to go back to your room.”

“Why?”

He inhaled long and hard, but his intense gaze never left her. She
remembered the last time he had done the sniff test. It had embarrassed
her then, but she refused to let it embarrass her now.

“Because I can smell you.”

She choked. She had just gotten out of the shower. Besides, Kyran
had been gone all day checking on the Blue Ridge house, so there was
no way she smelled like sex. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Trust me, Mikkati, go to your room.”

“No.”

He smiled at her. “You’ll regret that in a few minutes.”

She frowned at him before she brushed off his warning. She rounded
the corner that opened into the main walkway that opened into a series
of hallways. The front door panels opened, and Kyran and Ronan
stepped into the hall.

Ronan was saying something, but after looking at her, he started
laughing. “Gods, you have no idea do you?” he said as he threw his
arm around Kyran. “I suggest you go to your room.”

She noticed Kyran
’
s eyes. They glowed blue, morphing as she
watched, and the smile that crossed his face promised things better
not done in the front hallway.

A
faint laughing
‘I warned you
’
caught her as she sprinted toward
the bedroom. The damn code panel to enter the barracks slowed her down. A crash and shouted warning behind her told her that Kyran was no longer being held by Ronan. The doors opened, and she ran, closing her fingers over the bedroom handle before she felt Kyran’s arm pull her against him.

“You smell like prey and sex,” he said, his voice a predatory growl
in her ear and his words punctuated by his hips rubbing against her. “I’m going to make you both.”

He spun her against the door and reached under her dress. Her
panties were shredded before she recovered from the sudden change
in direction. Kyran jerked her up, wrapped her legs around his waist
, and shoved his way into their bedroom.

He kicked the door closed, gave her a bruising kiss, and tossed her
onto the bed. His shirt briefly revealed his sculpted stomach as he pulled
it over his head. He dropped to his knees at the end of the bed and drew her legs over his shoulders.

Alexis jumped at the first hungry stroke of his tongue. His fingers
gripped her hips, holding her in place as he hungrily devoured her.
She came hard and fast, crying out in surprise. When he didn
’
t let up,
she wrapped her fingers in the comforter and pulled away from his
grasp, gaining an inch from his oral assault. Kyran growled and followed
her. He kissed her on lips that had no way of returning the favor before
he looked up at her.

“Running only makes you more like prey. I can do this for days. Can you handle it?”

Alexis bit her lip as he returned to his previous task, gently stroking
and sucking on her sensitive flesh. She screamed again and again as orgasm after orgasm rolled over her until she lost count. Her eyelids
no longer opened, and her throat was raw. The muscles of her abdomen
tightened to the point of pain, never fully relaxing as she never descen
ded from the elevated sensations. “Kyran, please…”

He kissed her inner thigh. “Yes?”

“I can’t…”

“I know.” He gave her a final long stroke of his tongue before he
rose from between her legs and pulled her into his arms. “Relax, Alexis.”

She curled into his arms, the reins of sleep firmly in her exhausted
hands. She fell into a dreamless repose with Kyran stroking soft circles
on her back.

Only hours passed before she woke up to the sensation of fingers
dancing softly over her skin, kneading the tension in her muscles away
.
Alexis glanced over her shoulder to see the heavy lidded gaze of Kyran
watching her as she arched into his touch.

“What was that about?” she asked.

“You’re ovulating.”

She frowned. “How can you sense me ovulating?”

“There’s a shift in your hormones that I can smell.”

“Oh.” She blushed, realizing what Angel meant by he saying could
smell her. “Well, what’s going to happen?”

“Until you stop ovulating, we won’t leave this room.”

“But what about – ”

“We are a different species. It can’t happen.”

Alexis nodded. She had thought that was the case. Having Kyran
confirm that she wasn
’
t going to get pregnant provided a relief that she
couldn’t find on her own.

Her stomach growled as if to protest the idea that they wouldn’t
be leaving any time soon. He laughed and walked over to a mini fridge
beneath his desk. He pulled out a bottle of water and couple of apples
.
She rolled over, nabbed one of the blades she kept at the bedside, and
reached for an apple. Kyran took the knife from her and carved the apple
for her, feeding it to her slice by slice. When she finished, he cleaned the
blade and handed it back to her before he went to the trash and tossed
the core away.

Alexis
let her eyes roam over his body. Since
sh
e had started
venturin
g
out more among the pack, she’d seen that they took meticulous care of themselves. At first she believed that their muscular bodies were a result of being god created. That was somewhat true, but they could bulk up and further define the various stretches of muscles that lined their bodies.

Kyran was an expanse of molded clay, lines clearly defined, set
under the hottest fires, and revealed to her in its rawest form. Naked and carnal, animalistic and unrefined. The promise his body exuded as he stalked towards the bed tugged something low in her stomach,
anticipation making her body ready to accept him in any way he
came to her.

He leaned over her, his eyes veiled with lecherous intent. She sat
up and greeted him with a kiss as he eased down on the bed between
her legs. He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so that she
straddled him.

Alexis moaned as he pierced her, filling her in one swift thrust. She
rocked back, riding him the way he taught her.

The orgasm found her at his tip and slammed into her when he was
completely buried in her warmth. Keeping them fully joined, Kyran
rolled them over until he was on top. He stared down at her as he
pulled slowly from her, pushing deep, lingering momentarily while her
core pulsated around him before he slipped completely free of her.
She absorbed the weight of his gaze. Their souls danced between them
while their bodies found their own sensuous rhythm.

Days blended into each other, their definition lost in the eclipse
of one orgasm, one passion filled cry, and one physical binding after
another. Together, they discovered the intricacies that defined the other
,
illustrating their love with hands, mouths and tongues. When passion
subsided into exhaustion, they wrapped themselves around each other,
still erotically joined, and relaxed into the arms of peaceful darkness.

Alexis
paused on the edge of slumber’s embrace to appreciate the
feeling of finding what she’d given up on, what she didn’t believe
she deserved. Yet, here she was, finally in possession of the one thing her soul craved above all else. A place to belong.

ALEXIS WOKE TO FIND HERSELF
still wrapped in the cocoon of
Kyran
’
s heat, her body gripping him tightly in her warmth. She rocked
back against him, forcing him deeper inside before she made a move to pull free.

A feathered kiss was placed on her shoulder. “Why didn’t I think
of this?” he said as he thrust himself deep into her depths.

She moaned as she relished the feel of him. He was tender to her body, and Alexis relinquished the control willingly.

When all kisses and all love was shown, received, and reciprocated,
Kyran showered. Alexis stretched and purred at the sensual soreness that was the aftermath of Kyran’s powerful strokes.

Kyran exited the bathroom dressed for the day to find her in the same position she’d been in when he left.

“Are you tempting me to get back in bed?”

“No, but I won’t argue if you decided to do so.”

Kyran laughed, leaned down, and kissed her. “What do you want
to eat?”

“Doesn’t really matter.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in a little while.”

She pulled free of the bed
’
s grasp and made her way to the bathroom.
She cast a parting glance over her shoulder to find Kyran leaning against
the wall, watching her. Intently. Her breath caught, and her skin flushed
under the weight of his gaze. He pushed away from the wall and
sauntered to the bedroom door.

“I’m going to leave before we both starve to death.”

Alexis laughed and went to shower.

Clean and dressed, she entered the bedroom to find Kyran sitting
at his desk. His arms were crossed, and he was glaring down at what appeared to be a piece of parchment. The sight of the plates of food
sitting on the desk distracted her for a minute as her stomach growled
in anticipation.

“What’s wrong?”

A myriad of emotions raced across his face, all of them in stark
contradiction to each other.

“I’m sorry, Alexis.” His voice was barely a whisper.

She knelt in front of him. “For what?”

Kyran gave her the Gardinian scroll and turned his focus to his
hands, his knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists. She studied the
parchment that was addressed to him.

Kyran,

You are blessed.

–
Fredys

Alexis knew enough about the pantheon of Gardas to know that
Fredys was the Goddess of Fertility. She frowned at the letter and tried
to f
ight the clarity
that was beating its way to the forefront of her thoughts.
Though her stomach heaved in misery, her appetite was lost.

With obvious effort, Kyran said, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t think…”

She peered up at him and saw the simmering rage evident behind
his obvious remorse.

“For what?” she asked.

The muscles in his jaw ticked before he managed to bite out,
“Because I wouldn
’
t have done it like this.” He cursed under his breath.
“Since we’ve met, all of your choices have been taken from you. You should have gotten to keep this one choice for yourself.”

“So you don
’
t want me to be
…” she
choked out the word, “
pregnant?
”