Were Slave (2010) (9 page)

"Mace?" Her soft voice gained his attention.

He wrung out a wet cloth in the basin and brought it to her,
taking note of her puzzled stare.

"You have to tell me what's going on."

He swallowed the guilt eating at his gut. "First things
first. Lay back and let me wash you. We've made a mess under your dress." He
attempted to smile and fell short.

Hesitation flitted across her beautiful face, but she did as
he asked and lifted her skirt.

Mace grew hard again at the sight of her creamy bare legs.
He grasped her knees and spread them, revealing her pink folds and entrance,
swollen from their love-making. With a tender touch, he wiped the inside of her
thighs, removing the signs of their combined juices. The sight was so lovely,
it was almost a shame to remove it. He'd thoroughly enjoyed claiming her pussy
and her ass at the same time. Seeing how much it pleasured her had made him
crave more and he looked forward to one day penetrating her sweet, tight ass
with his cock.

If she'll ever agree to let me touch her again after I take
her from her home.

He shoved that idea from his mind and swept the cloth down
her mound to her pussy.

"Your pack is free," she said with a shaky voice she so
clearly tried to hide. Even after what they'd just shared, he could still
notice the fear under her facade. A facade he wanted to break down so he could
see the real Nayla.

Mace tore his eyes from his work and was surprised to see
her staring up at him with teary eyes. The Queen of Paqualette wasn't as tough
as she let on. Though she quickly swiped the evidence away with the back of her
hand.

"Yes, love, they are," he said.

"I--I'm happy for them. If they're anything like you..." Her
voice faded.

"They're all good-hearted." He hoped she'd see that when she
met them outside the dungeon walls in their wolf form.

Inhaling a breath, he finished cleaning her and then leaned
down to press a kiss to her pretty mound. Every inch of her was beautiful. A
swell of pride filled his chest at knowing Nayla was his. And would be his
forever.

Whether she wanted him or not. He'd fight to keep her. He'd
fight her entire country if need be. But something told him no one would come
looking for her. The bastard, Fenton, would undoubtedly see to that.

She pushed the hem of her dress down and sat up on the bed.
"I'm confused, Mace." Her voice broke so she cleared her throat and began
again. "Are you leaving me? Is that what this is all about?"

God, didn't she understand? "No, sweetheart, I'm not leaving
you. You're not safe here."

"Not safe? What do you mean by that?"

"Your Councilman Fenton has threatened to harm you if I
leave without you."

"He what?"

"There's no time to discuss it now."

Her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open as realization
overcame her face.

Here it goes. He must stay strong for them both.

"Nayla, I have no other choice. For your protection, I'm
taking you with me. And we don't have time to spare. Fenton will be here in a
matter of minutes."

"You want me to leave with you?" All color drained from her
cheeks. "With your pack? Are you serious?"

"I am," he said as sternly as possible. He'd wasted too much
time already. They couldn't stay here any longer. "Now we can walk calmly out
the back of the keep together or, if you choose to fight me, I'll throw you
over my shoulder and climb down the terrace. Which way do you prefer?"

"I'd rather we talk this through. There's no need for either
of us to leave. You can stay here with me, forever. Your pack is free so you
don't have to worry." She stood and cupped her soft hand to his jaw. "I want
you to stay."

"I belong with my pack, Nayla." He swallowed the knot in his
throat. "And you belong with me."

"No." She shook her head. "I'm sorry. I want you as my
lover. I want to fall asleep in your arms every night and wake up to your
voice." She pursed her lips and her brow creased, stubbornly. "But I cannot go
with you, Mace. My country needs me. I can't simply disappear and leave them
without a queen."

Heat rose up his neck as anger overtook him. If all she
wanted him for was to be her pathetic WereSlave, she was in for a whopping
surprise. He would prove to her he was more man than any of her precious
humans. He'd find a way to provide for her, to keep her safe, to make her his
mate.

He moved in closer to grab her waist.

She tried to step back but he tightened his grip. "What are
you doing?"

"We're going down the terrace wall then. Fight me and you'll
regret it."

* * * * *

Rain misted down through the trees as Nayla shivered and
clung to Mace's neck, taking in as much heat from his body as she could. She'd
fought him with every ounce of her energy before giving up. She'd kicked,
punched, scratched and bit him but he hadn't showed any pain. He'd only held
her tighter and quickened his pace. She'd been furious and frightened and he'd
done nothing. He stayed emotionless and cold.

Now, as he ran through the thick forest side-by-side with
his werewolves, her only hope was to survive. She knew firsthand what these
Weres were capable of. With their large bodies, sharp teeth and fierce claws,
there was no stopping the ferocious beasts. She thanked God Mace had remained
in his human form. To carry her, she supposed, so she wouldn't escape.

Damn him. Why had she trusted him? She'd been foolish to not
see this coming. Well, in the back of her mind, she knew he and his pack would
find a way to free themselves. She'd expected that and had wanted it for them
at times, when the idea of letting Mace go wasn't overwhelming. But she never
thought Mace would force her to go with them.

What could he possibly expect from her? She was only human.
How did he think she could live like this?

Another chill coursed through her numbed body and she
trembled. She was soaking wet from the rain and the creeks and puddles Mace had
run through in the past few hours.

She readjusted in his arms and stiffened her legs around his
waist. She pressed her face to his warm neck and breathed in the heat emanating
from his body. But it wasn't enough. The wind whipped at her back as he easily
kept up his pace with the wolves.

"So cold," she whispered, hoping he'd take mercy on her.
He'd ignored all of her pleas thus far.

"We're almost to our destination. Hang on." He surprised her
by answering this time, his deep voice delivering a calming effect.

Damn it. He didn't deserve calm. He deserved her anger but a
part of her was relieved she didn't have to say goodbye to him. Not when her
heart longed for him and her body craved his touch. And she was too exhausted
and miserable to work up anything other than a sigh of relief.

She gave in to the overwhelming urge and closed her eyes.

* * * * *

Panic pulsed at Mace's temples when Nayla grew limp in his
arms. Hell. Had he pushed her too hard in this weather? He and his pack had run
as far and as fast as they could from the castle and now, he slowed them to a
stop at the outlying forest of Paqualette, deep in the valley, next to the
river.

The sun was slowly rising over the horizon, giving them at
least one more hour of the moon's energy, but this was as far as he'd take
Nayla. She needed to get out of her wet clothes before hypothermia set in. If
it hadn't already.

He swallowed his guilt and looked around for shelter. The
base of a nearby bluff held a shallow, cave-like opening. It would have to
work.

Kaige transformed to human form and approached. "Why do we
stop? We still have the power of the moon."

His second-in-command was also his good friend, had been
ever since Mace had rescued him from a Vampire slave ring. Kaige had had a
torturous life before joining Mace's pack and sometimes it was difficult for
his friend to fully give up control to the alpha.

That was when Mace needed to remind him who was in charge.
"We stop because I say so," Mace snapped, not in the mood for Kaige's defiant
ways. "Check the rock shelter over there for anything that may harm Nayla. I
need to get her warm immediately."

"Why the human's so important to you is beyond me," Kaige
said, but did as he was ordered. He turned back to wolf form and sniffed out
the area.

Mace took that time to order the rest of his pack to hunt
for food and start a fire. It would be a long day ahead of them. Then he placed
Nayla on the ground and began removing her wet clothes.

Her lips were tinted blue but there was still a bit of color
in her cheeks. Fuck. What had he been thinking? He was foolish not to bring
extra clothing and necessities from her room. As it was, he worried if she'd
have enough in her to survive the rest of the trek.

She stirred as he peeled the fabric from her shoulders.
"What...?"

"Shhh. It's okay. I'm going to get you warm but I have to
remove these wet clothes."

"The rain is stopping, Mace," Livia, one of the three female
pack members, said from behind him. "I'll start the fire now."

"Thank you." Mace carefully finished removing Nayla's dress.
Then he took off his own wet clothes and handed everything to Livia. "Could you
please make sure these dry? She'll need it tonight."

Livia nodded with a deep frown on her face. "Will you be in
trouble for stealing their precious Queen?"

"I didn't steal her. I saved her life." Mace picked Nayla up
and held her to his chest. "She'll be my mate, so I'll expect you to respect
her. Understood?" He didn't wait for an answer. His word was rule. Anyone who
didn't like it could leave at any time and they all knew it.

"The shelter is ready," Kaige said, back in human form. His
dark gaze roamed over Nayla's body. "Do you need help getting her warm?"

"Hell, no," Mace growled and pushed past him. In times of
need, during the full moon, when the females in his pack craved attention,
they'd all shared their bodies. But Mace had no intention of ever sharing
Nayla.

Kaige chuckled. "Let me know if you change your mind."

Mace settled Nayla on the dry leafy ground in the shallow
indenture of the rock shelter and spread out beside her. He gathered her to his
body and rubbed her back, trying to warm her icy skin. "Nayla?" he whispered in
her ear. "Wake up for a moment."

She stirred but didn't open her eyes.

"Please, wake up, love. I need to know you're okay." He
kissed her chilled lips but she didn't respond. "Nayla." Another round of panic
struck him. What had he done? Had he harmed his fragile human mate? God, it had
only been a few hours since he'd taken her from her castle.

He continued to rub her skin, then molded to her body,
wrapping his leg over her hip.

"Mace, I can't breathe," she murmured. "You're squishing
me."

A huge sense of relief overcame him to hear her voice, so
much so that he wanted to laugh out loud. But he maintained control, wanting to
see if she was truly all right.

He brought his leg down and rested his forehead against
hers. A thousand emotions collided as she opened her eyes and met his stare.
The rising sun wasn't enough to fully illuminate the cave but he could make out
the shape of her eyes and the curve of her petite nose and full lips.
Beautiful.

How long until that face transformed to one of anger? Anger
he deserved. How stupid he'd been to take her out into the harsh elements. He'd
thought he'd been protecting her by forcing her from the castle. Instead, he
might have done more damage than good.

"Are you all right, love?" he whispered as his heart filled
with a passion he hadn't felt in years.

She didn't answer, allowing a torturous amount of time to
pass while her gaze took in his expression and then the cave around them.

"Talk to me." He braced her cheeks and forced her to look at
him again. "You have to believe I hadn't meant to harm you. I'd forgotten how
feeble humans can be."

"Feeble?" A tiny smile twitched at her lips. "Is that your
attempt to win me over with this plan of yours?" Her voice was still weak.

"I thought I'd lost you. I hate that I allowed this to
happen."

"I'm fine, Mace. Just exhausted and cold. But I'm also
upset. You were stubborn and you wouldn't listen to reason. I'm not one of your
pack members and you're certainly not my leader."

There was the anger he was waiting for. Though he had to
admit her words didn't sit well with him. "No, I'm not your leader." He kept
his voice as even as possible. "But you are my woman, my mate. Let's not forget
that."

She tensed in his arms. "I don't belong to anyone. Don't you
forget that. And why am I naked?"

He stifled a growl. Obviously, she was gaining her strength
back. Before he could respond, she shocked him by attempting to push him away.

To hell with that. He wouldn't be rejected by this woman
he'd given his heart to. It had taken over a century to find her and he wasn't
about to allow her to deny him.

* * * * *

Nayla shoved at his chest again but, of course, he wouldn't
budge. He was solid steel. More than a man, he was a Were. A fact that
surprisingly heated her insides. He was strong. Unrelenting. Powerful.
Demanding. Untamable. And hers.

But would she allow herself to be tamed by him?

Never.

He grabbed her wrists and kept her from repeating the
action, which infuriated her even more. How dare he try to confine her?

"Let me go right this instant, Mace Quinton."

"Not until we have this little argument settled," he said
through gritted teeth. His bold blue eyes glinted with determination.

"There's nothing to settle." She jerked her hands in an
attempt to escape but it was ineffective. He held her tight.

"Stop fighting me, Nayla. I want you and you will be mine.
Outside your castle walls. Outside your country's watchful eyes. You will give
in to me." He moved on top of her and wedged himself between her thighs.