Taming the Darkness: Love & Monsters, Book 2 (9 page)

“Dammit. You and your fucking sense of smell.”

He laughed and threw his clothes into the AV. He joined her back in front of the headlights and his humor died. “This won’t be pretty.”

“What?”

Then she got it just before he said, “I’m gonna change.”

She’d seen him do it before, but there had always been clothes covering him. She’d only been guessing at the strange shifts his body made. Claire took a deep breath. “Well, I need to get used to it, so we better start now.” Maybe seeing it would change her mind about having sex with him.

Victor took two steps back and swiveled his head around, sniffing for danger. Satisfied, he hunched over and his flesh started to ripple. His arm muscles bulged out like he’d suddenly become a bodybuilder, but the shape of them wasn’t quite right. They elongated and claws sprouted at the ends of his fingers. The noises were worse than the sight, crackling and popping. It had to hurt, but he didn’t look like he was in much pain. As his arms stopped changing she noticed his legs, and that was more disturbing. The bones in them shifted around, his thighs shortening, his feet stretching until his heel was practically halfway up his leg. The whole effect was much more alien than the changes to his arms. He really did look like a nasty.

The noises stopped and Victor looked up at her. Both of his eyes shone in the night vision, the left brighter than the right. Everything about him was alien except for the look in those eyes. They were full of uncertainty and very human.

She had an urge to say something placating, like it wasn’t that bad or it didn’t bother her, but despite that look she didn’t want to lie to him. Lying might hurt more than the truth. “You look like one of them.” She immediately regretted it. That was
too
honest.

Victor looked away and sat on his haunches. She saw it then—his legs were like an animal’s, a dog or a cat. Identifying something natural in that mutated body made it less disturbing. She tried to find something else to say that was honest but not so blunt.

Victor said, “I can put my clothes back on.”

Oh God, he was doing the sad-puppy thing again. “No. If it’s easier for you to fight like this, I’ll get used to it.”

“I know I’m disgusting.”

She didn’t know whether to hug him or slap him. “Well, you’re not pretty, but the changes are useful. Besides, you can change back when we’re done. It’s not like it’s permanent.” She looked him over again, trying to see him with practical eyes. “You’re gonna freeze your ass come winter.”

He looked at her with a little smile. “Better enjoy the summer while I can, huh?” He eased. “New plan today. If it’s not infectious, I’ll let you kill it. If not, I will.”

Claire shifted her gun. “First of all—
let
?” Victor just grinned at her. “Second, how do you know if they’re infectious or not? New things show up all the time.”

“I can smell it.” He tensed, suddenly alert. “First one is for you.” He ran off toward the ruins of a house.

“Hey! Fifty feet!” She called after him.

“Back in a minute.” His voice was cheery, almost singsong. He disappeared behind a section of wall and screeching and growling broke the silence of the night. Something came tearing around the far side of the wall, eyes flashing. It was about the size of a dog, covered with stiff fur. Victor came after it, herding it like a sheep. Claire brought her gun up and aimed. The first bullet brought it down, a second bullet finished it. Quick and efficient, no wasted ammo.

Victor sat back with a pleased grin. “Jackals are coming. Can we split them?”

“Split?” Claire went to the nasty and kicked it with her boot to make sure it was dead.

“Half for you, half for me.”

She and her partners sometimes made games out of killing nasties, to ease the horror. In some ways this was like old times. She smiled. “Deal.”

Chapter Seven

Victor licked blood from his claws and watched Claire for a reaction. She frowned, but that was it. It was like she’d decided nothing was going to bother her. “Quiet now. Should we move again?”

She shifted her feet and looked away. “It’s about an hour and half to sunrise, right?”

He consulted his internal clock. “Yeah.”

Claire cleared her throat. “I thought we could…spend some time together.”

He tilted his head. “Now? But it’s still dark.” His heart beat faster as he caught the change in her scent.

“That’s the point. I want…oh hell, just get in the back.” She went to the AV and pulled open the doors.

Victor followed hesitantly. The human part of him tried to hold back, but the monster didn’t have any problem with the idea of fucking her. That
was
the problem. He’d barely been able to control himself after sunrise, had actually lost it for a minute, and he would have even less control now. Claire hopped into the back of the AV and he stopped, rocking with indecision. “I can’t,” he finally said.

She stared at him for a moment, frowning. Then she moved deeper inside and dug in the supply trunk. She came out with a little flask of whiskey. It was there to help stranded soldiers keep warm in winter while they waited for help, or to take the edge off a bad injury. She shoved the flask toward him. “Rinse your mouth out. I don’t even want to know what you put in it tonight.”

He laughed despite himself and took the flask. It was awkward with his claws, so he retracted them. He took a mouthful, spit, then took a swallow. It burned as it went down his throat, and he realized he hadn’t had alcohol since he’d been altered. He took another sip for good measure and handed it back to Claire. She gave the flask a long look then screwed the cap back on. “Now, get in here.”

He jumped into the back before he could stop himself. Just inside, he paused, struggling to keep control of himself. “This is a bad idea. Wait ’til sunrise.”

“Close the doors.” Claire’s heart hammered.

He shook his head, clenching his fists.
Step back, get out of the AV.
His feet wouldn’t move.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” She brushed past him and slammed the strong doors shut. She’d set up one flashlight which was plenty of light for him, but it had to be dark for her. She brushed past him again and he clenched his fists tighter. Desire and fear rose off her, filling the small space. It wasn’t the same kind of fear he’d smelled those first few days, fear of him and what he might do to her. Not an animal kind of fear. She was afraid of herself, of what she wanted.

Him.

“Here.” She tossed him a blanket and the bottle of disinfectant.

Yes, he had to get clean. Sitting down against the doors, he soaked a corner of the blanket. The sharp scent invaded his nose as he started scrubbing his hands. He shouldn’t consider this at all, should just get out of the AV. Distantly, he heard her digging around and the light changed as she turned on two more flashlights. After his hands, he moved to his arms, his neck, his face. Clean, every inch of him had to be clean…so he could touch her.

What they’d done yesterday flared across his mind and he squeezed his eyes shut tight. He wanted her so much, but this was a bad,
bad
idea. He’d almost gathered the willpower to turn and get out of there. Only an hour and half to sunrise, he could wait that long.

“Victor.”

He opened his eyes. Claire stood silhouetted against the flashlight beams, one hand lifted. She was holding a condom. He whimpered as his willpower fell away. Victor rushed forward and pulled her into a rough kiss. A little sound of surprise escaped her before she returned the kiss, just as fierce. If she had hesitated, tried to pull back, he might have been able to stop himself. But she leaned into him, digging fingers into his short hair, lips and tongue matching him need for need. She pulled back, tugging at her armor. His head cleared just a little.

“Wait for sunrise. I can’t control it.” If she decided halfway through that she didn’t want to anymore…

“No. I want you now.” She dropped her armor to the floor.

“Why?” There was a lot more in that question than why now. He wanted her so bad it hurt, physically hurt, his cock throbbing with every heartbeat. He knew why he wanted her, both the monster’s reasons and the man’s, but he couldn’t understand why Claire wanted him.

“I want you. I want all of you, daytime and nighttime.” She looked up at him with an expression he couldn’t define because there was so much in it.

He pushed her up against the wall, kissing her lips, her neck, everywhere. He couldn’t kiss her enough. He tore open her uniform and the undershirt beneath, exposing more skin to kiss and lick. To claim. The last shreds of his control were slipping away and he couldn’t stop, but he had to do something to make sure he wouldn’t hurt her. Clanking caught his attention and he forced his head up. Yes, that was perfect. Before the monster could stop him, Victor grabbed the cuff and snapped it around his wrist, then he grabbed the next closest cuff and snapped it on his other wrist.

Claire tried to back away, but she had nowhere to go. She twisted her head around and stared at his shackled wrists. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you can get away if you want to.” He tugged at the chains, testing their strength.

“I don’t want to get away.” She rubbed against his cock to prove her point.

He pushed her harder against the wall and thrust against her, growling when he realized she still had her pants on. He reached for them and she ducked out of his arms with a gasp. He spun around, chains rattling, and went after her. Claire backed up so fast she almost tripped over her feet, and they found out how far the chains reached. A little more than halfway across the enclosed space Victor jerked to a stop as the chains went taut. She was just out of range, wide eyed and blinking.

“Now,” he growled. “Aren’t you glad I did that?”

Her expression hardened. “I didn’t want you to rip my pants, that’s all. I have to put them back on, you know.” She took another step away from him and bent to unfasten them. “You already ruined my tank top.” She held up one tattered end. Victor had torn it in half. “My shirt isn’t much better, although it’ll probably be okay under my armor.” She unzipped her pants and caught his gaze. With a wicked smile, she moved slower, slipping her pants down inch by inch.

He growled, tugging harder against the chains. They held. “Tease.”

“The chains were your idea, but I’m not against using them to my advantage.” She eased her pants over her hips to reveal a black silk thong.

“That’s new.” He stared. Yesterday she’d been wearing a white bikini, simple everyday kind of underwear.

She blushed. “I, uh, well…they’re not new.”

With her pants no longer covering her, Claire’s scent was stronger. Victor’s whole body throbbed with need now. “Quit teasing and fuck me.”

She took two more steps and bumped up against the doors. “Hold on a minute.” She bent over to take off her boots. Her head was tantalizingly close, but still out of reach. His arms stretched out behind him as he strained against the chains. Her boots and pants came off in seconds. She stood and pulled off her bra, tossed it into the corner. Claire stepped closer and ran a hand up his chest. “This is incredibly kinky. I’ve got a man chained up naked in the back of an AV. You really can’t get out of those chains?”

“No,” he growled, tugging hard to prove they would hold.

“I was never really into the whips and chains stuff. Seemed like too much work. But this is…interesting.” Her scent made it clear just how interesting, and the look on her face only added to it.

“You’re enjoying this.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned up. Victor hissed as silk slid against his cock. She rubbed harder against him and he thrust back, only moving his hips. With a moan, she let go and stepped away from him. “This is too dangerous.”

He wanted her so bad, wanted her touching him, kissing him, fucking him. Victor made himself say, “That’s what I keep saying.”

“That’s not what I mean.” She looked around on the floor, nudging her pants aside. “Where’s that condom?”

Victor tried to lunge forward. The chains rattled and his arms protested.

Claire looked up at him, a little crease on her forehead. He fought down his desire and the creature inside him and backed away, easing the pressure on his wrists and shoulders. She watched him for a moment, then her gaze drifted to something behind him. “There. I dropped it before you locked yourself up.” He followed her gaze to the small packet on the floor. “Can you go get it?” she asked. “Please?” Her voice shook a little. He took a deep breath to make sure. Yes, she was having a hard time controlling herself. He wanted to talk to her, ask her why she wanted him so much when she knew damn well what he was, when the chains were the only things keeping him from taking her and fucking her raw. His body turned on its own and went to pick up the condom.

She kept an arm’s length from him when he handed it over. Smart girl. She watched him while she unwrapped and unrolled it. He tested the strength of the chains again, trying to get a few inches closer, but they held. When she touched him, he let out a whimper and the scent of desire that rolled off her as she smoothed the condom over him nearly drove him mad. This was much worse than yesterday, and that had tested every ounce of his control. “Claire, please.” He didn’t recognize his own voice, so low and thick it almost wasn’t human.