Authors: Savannah Stuart
swiveled, she spotted the blade first. Her gaze snapped up to find a man staring at her
intently. The small dagger was gripped tightly in his shaking hands. She blinked as she
saw the look in his eyes. They were glassy, unfocused and it was obvious he’d been
influenced by one of her kind.
Shit!
He was on a mission. No doubt to hurt her.
An alarming tingle raced through her, telling her the blade was iron. She tried to
take a step back but bumped into someone.
Without taking her eyes off the man, she moved to her right and tried to find
another escape.
“Hey!” A drunk girl slurred something else at her but Nissa ignored it. The crowd
had gotten too thick for her to bring her wings up to protect herself.
Sure she could zap this guy with energy but they were in a room full of people.
And this was Thomas’ club. She couldn’t bring that kind of scrutiny down on him.
Quickly she glanced back toward the stairs. She needed to let Thomas know she
was in danger. He wasn’t there.
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Fighting back the bubble of panic pushing up inside her, she shoved her way
through a small group of people.
Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted the man still following. He looked even
worse. As if he were drugged. Which in a way, he had been. His mind had been messed
with.
She knew the influence on him wouldn’t last forever but it could last long enough
for him to hurt her or anyone who got in his way.
Nissa needed to get him away from these humans. If she had to, she’d protect
herself with her powers, but she didn’t think it would get that far. Mindless of the
annoyed cries, she continued shoving her way through the crowd. Once she broke free
she glanced around for Thomas again but he was nowhere to be seen.
Shaking her head, she hurried toward the bathrooms. They were down a long
hallway. As she made her way she looked over her shoulder. Sure enough, the dark-
haired human was still following. His movements were stilted and jerky but he was
definitely following her.
And he wouldn’t stop until the influence wore off. Depending upon how powerful
the spell was, it could be a few hours. Possibly longer.
As she reached the hallway she frowned at the cluster of people standing around.
There was no choice but to use her influence. She cleared her throat. “Go get a drink
right now and don’t come back to use this restroom for the rest of the night.” Her voice
was loud and clear. Command laced her words. Most of the fae had to make eye contact
in order to exert their persuasion but since she was a member of the Gentry, she was
more powerful. Her skills more tuned.
A few women turned to look at her as she spoke and did as she ordered. As they
hurried away from the restroom, the dark-haired, wild-eyed man rushed past them.
“You have to die,” he growled.
“Stop!” She put all the authority she possessed into the word. She didn’t want to
hurt this human but she wouldn’t let him stab her.
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Dangerous Craving
He faltered and his grip on the blade slightly loosened. “You have to die?” Now his
words sounded more like a question.
Relief surged through Nissa. The spell was wearing off. All she had to do was
convince him to put the weapon down. “You don’t want to do this. You don’t want to
be here. Why not put the weapon down and—”
She fell back a step as a blur rushed through the hallway and slammed the man
against the wall. It happened so fast she blinked to make sure she was seeing correctly.
Thomas.
One of his hands was wrapped around the stranger’s neck, and his other hand
pinned the guy’s weapon-toting hand against the wall with crushing force. Nissa could
see Thomas’ canines protruding from his mouth. “Did he hurt you?” The question was
guttural, animalistic.
Hurrying toward them, she grabbed Thomas’ arm. “Let him go. He didn’t hurt
me.”
He didn’t loosen his grip. “I saw him. The weapon. Tried to get to you. You moved
through the crowd…too quickly.” His breathing was labored and uneven.
She tightened her hold on him. Then she heard the sound of a blade hitting the
floor. “He’s under the influence. Someone did this to him. Let him go.”
As if coming out of a dream, the man in Thomas’ grip started to struggle as his eyes
widened. He began clawing at Thomas’ hand and arm. Nissa knew if Thomas had
wanted to kill the human, he’d already be dead. It was a testament to how much control
he was actually showing.
She brushed a gentle hand down Thomas’ forearm. They needed to let this man go.
Getting any information from him would be impossible. Whoever had influenced him
would have wiped his memory. “Let him go. He’s harmless now.”
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After a moment, Thomas’ fingers loosened. The man slid down the wall and
crumbled into a heap on the floor. Choking and coughing, he crawled away. “You’re
crazy, man,” he muttered.
“Get. Out. And
never
come back here.” Thomas bit the words out with barely
concealed rage and Nissa noticed his canines still hadn’t retracted.
Pushing to his feet, the other man stumbled away faster than she’d imagined
possible.
She picked up the weapon by the handle and gave it to Thomas who quickly tucked
it into his belt. Despite her better judgment, she smoothed her hands over his chest.
When she did he looked at her. Really looked.
His dark eyes had started to turn a golden yellow.
She inhaled sharply. He was so close to shifting. This could be dangerous to
everyone. Including him.
Running her hands up his chest, she encircled her fingers around the back of his
neck. “Breathe, Thomas. Do it for me,” she whispered.
Then she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. With his sharp canines it was
difficult to avoid the points but as she molded against him, she could feel the tension
subside from him. Like the tide being pulled back out to sea, his animalistic side quickly
abated.
Well, most of it.
As their lips meshed and his tongue invaded her mouth, his kisses became more
dominating. He grabbed her hips and pulled her tighter. “What were you thinking?” he
murmured against her mouth.
She pulled back slightly to answer. “I needed to get him away from the humans.”
“You could have been hurt.” Now his words were a growl.
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Dangerous Craving
Her lips pursed. No, she couldn’t have. He should know that but his animal side
had taken over. It hadn’t cared that she’d been capable enough to take care of herself. It
had seen her in trouble and had wanted to kill.
The fact that he’d shown so much restraint spoke volumes about his abilities. She’d
known he was next in line to be Alpha and now she knew why. Some shifters couldn’t
control their instincts when it came to their females, but he definitely could.
She faltered at the thought. She wasn’t
his
female. So why did it feel so right to be
crushed to him now?
Her nipples tingled as they rubbed against him. There was too much clothing in the
way though. She wanted to feel his chest against hers.
“My office, now,” he murmured against her jaw as he nipped his way across her
skin.
She didn’t even think to protest. “Okay.”
As they made their way through the club she felt as if she were floating. After they
got to his office she thought maybe he’d offer her a drink or give some pretense of
foreplay but she should have known better. He came at her fast.
She stepped back until she ran into the edge of his desk. Thomas didn’t stop his
advance. He caged her in with his size and strength.
Clutching the bottom of her dress, he pulled it over her head with quick efficiency.
She hadn’t worn a bra so the cool air rushed over her. But she barely had time to think
about it before he lowered his head over one of her breasts.
The sudden contact jolted her straight to her core. He murmured something against
her skin but she couldn’t understand what. As he pulled one of her nipples between his
teeth and tugged lightly, heat rushed between her legs.
She wanted to clench them together to ease some of that ache but Thomas
positioned himself between her open thighs. She felt his hard length as he rubbed his
cock against her with jerky thrusts.
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It wouldn’t take much for him to push inside her. Despite the loud voice in her
head telling her how foolish it was, she desperately wanted him.
All of him.
Reaching between them, she tried to tug at his belt but he stilled her with one of his
large hands.
Then he pulled his head back from her breast. There was something in his eyes but
she wasn’t sure what it was. Pain, maybe. But that didn’t make sense. Did he want to
stop?
She started to ask him but the pressure on her hands increased. He held on to her
wrists.
“You’re mine, Nissa.” The words were guttural, strained.
She knew it. Deep inside her core the truth was there. While it might not change
their future, she’d always be his.
“I know.” Those two words made his dark eyes flash hungrily. Triumphantly.
Keeping her wrists captive, he slipped an arm around her waist and laid her on the
desk. The smooth wood instantly cooled her back. Holding her wrists above her head,
he began nibbling along her jaw toward her ear.
“If I was a more patient man, I’d wait until we got back to my place and tie you to
my bed. Think of all the things I could do to you.” In the past Thomas rarely talked
when they were intimate, but his words lit her entire body on fire.
The thought of being at his mercy was wildly erotic. Years ago he’d been so
dominating when they’d made love and each time it had been just as hot. She hadn’t
thought she’d like it but sometimes when he just took over it drove her wild.
He sucked her earlobe between her teeth and tugged. “Don’t move your hands.”
His let go of her wrists but she did as he said.
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Dangerous Craving
Wordlessly, he held on to her hips and shifted her so that she was stretched out
along the length of his desk. She heard something thud against the carpeted floor but he
didn’t seem to care and she definitely didn’t.
He continued kissing his way down her chest and abdomen, until he reached the
sensitive section of skin right above her mound. He flicked his tongue against her skin,
teasing her just underneath her panties.
She instinctively arched her back. She wanted him to kiss and lick her the way she’d
been fantasizing about for years. Chuckling against her, he grasped the thin straps and
tugged them down her legs.
Blindly, Thomas tossed the flimsy scrap of material Nissa considered underwear
across the room. He didn’t know why she even bothered.
Inhaling her sweet scent, he bit back a groan. Jasmine and honeysuckle. It was so
distinctive he could pick her out in a crowd of thousands.
He leaned forward until he was inches from her pink folds. They glistened lightly
with her wetness. He’d barely stimulated her and she was ready for him. Even if he
couldn’t scent her, he could see it clearly.
When she sat up and threaded her fingers through his hair, he glanced up and
shook his head. “Lie back.”
She paused for a moment then did as he said. Right now he didn’t want to push her
too far too fast, but he did plan to tie her up eventually. He hadn’t been joking about
that.
The thought of seeing her bound to his bed made his cock ache. It felt like a heavy
club pulsing between his legs. But this wasn’t about him. Not right now. Not tonight.
This was entirely about her.
If he had to use sex and pleasure to bind her to him, he’d do it. He couldn’t let her
walk away again.
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Instead of stroking her pussy directly, he ran his tongue along the crease by her
inner thigh.
She muttered something incomprehensible but her frustration was obvious. He
continued a path with his tongue and teeth, moving higher over her mound but
completely avoiding her clit and pussy lips.
Her skin was silky smooth and the small strip of blonde hair covering her mound
was just as fine and soft as he remembered.
“Do something,” she finally moaned. Her hips jerked again, pulling another smile
from him.
Moving lower, he slowly dragged his tongue up the length of her folds, making
sure he put more pressure on her clit. She tasted sweet and the sounds she made were
even sweeter.
As he circled the small bundle of nerves, she tunneled her fingers through his hair.
He’d been fantasizing about this for too long and couldn’t bear to tear his mouth away
from her.
More than anything he wanted to pound into her. To slide his cock into her tight
sheath over and over until they were both sated. But he couldn’t. He knew he didn’t
deserve her. After the way he’d turned on her, abandoned her, accused her of lying to
him all those years ago, it was amazing she’d come to him at all. Now he had to prove
he was worthy of her. That he could give her everything she deserved.
Still teasing her with his tongue, he slid a finger into her. She was so tight, making