"But now that she's just had straight werewolf blood…" Pate let his words trail away.
Holly’s gaze held Duncan's. "The bloodlust is going to be much harder to control." Her gaze dropped to his throat. "Before you go out on this hunt with me, you need to know that. I might—I might try to drink from you again."
Will you try to fuck me again, too?
Because he thought that would be a rather awesome bonus.
“Can you handle that?”
She stared at him with fear in her dark eyes. As if she actually expected him to say that a little bite from her was too much for him to handle. Um, hell, no, it wasn’t too much. “Just so you’re warned, too.” He bent his head over hers. Caught more of that heady scent and didn’t even care if the scent was part of a vampire’s appeal to draw in her victims or if it came from the karahydrelene or if it was just
her
. “I may want my own bite.”
“
No
!” Pate’s immediate snap. “That can’t happen!”
He didn’t want to leave Holly but, slowly, Duncan made his way over to his boss. “You got a claim on her?”
“Uh, Duncan…” Holly began, voice rather nervous, from behind him.
Pate glared at him. “Yes, I do.”
He could rip the man apart. The werewolf strength that he’d hated before was an advantage right then. “Forget it. You’re not having her, you can just—”
“She’s my step-sister.”
Duncan managed to keep his jaw off the floor.
“And she’s too good for you. So don’t even think about biting her because she’s not going to be your mate. Not going to be anything to you. You do the mission, and it’s over. You’ve already screwed things up enough for her.” A muscle jerked in Pate’s jaw. “So have I.”
Then Pate marched away, leaving Duncan staring after him. He knew the guy was right, on one count anyway. Holly was too good for him. That was why he’d stayed away from her before the vampire attack. And even though he knew that Pate was right in warning him off, Duncan also knew that he wasn’t about to leave Holly. They’d complete the mission all right, but after that, things would be far from over between them.
The bar was loud. Bursting with noise. Laughter. Music. The scent of alcohol and sex lingered in the air.
So did the scent of blood.
From the corner of her eye, Holly glanced over at Duncan. They’d followed the signal from Saul’s collar, but, honestly, she thought Duncan could have tracked the guy without it. His senses were seriously amped, and she was pretty sure that those enhanced senses could tell that—
I’m still turned on
.
Because she was. No wonder Pate had tried to keep her away from werewolf blood. It was heady. Saul…Saul’s blood had amped up her body. Given her a boost that made her feel incredibly strong.
But Duncan’s blood? It had been like wine. Ecstasy. Her whole body had shuddered from the pleasure of tasting it.
She looked at him now and still wanted.
It was wrong on so many levels. She was on a mission. Her first, ever. This was her chance to show Pate that she could still be an asset, even as a vampire. That he didn’t have to keep hiding her in the lab with the karahydrelene-laced blood right by her side in case she had a meltdown.
This was her shot, but she was about to blow it because she kept lusting over the werewolf to her left.
“Can you control me?”
The quiet question was the last thing she’d expected right then. Her head turned fully toward him. They were across the street from the bar, waiting beneath a broken street light. The darkness surrounded them, and, though she knew he could see perfectly in that darkness, Holly could only see the outline of his body and face.
Vamps didn’t get the sensory kick that werewolves possessed. They got the enhanced strength and mind control bit instead.
“Can you?” Duncan pressed.
“I haven’t,” she said, hedging.
A rough laugh. “That means you could, if you wanted.”
Yes. Maybe. “I should confess something to you.” She’d sounded so confident with Pate because she’d
had
to sound that way. “I, uh, I’ve never tried to control anyone before.”
A rather painful silence, then, “Run that by me again.” His eyes were shining, like a cat’s, in the dark.
“I’ve only taken blood from you and Saul. The other blood—it came bagged or was given to me via an IV. There were no people there for me to try and control.” Her words tumbled over each other. “Theoretically, I should be able to do this. I mean, it’s something all vamps can do so—”
He swore, grabbed her arm, and pulled her into the nearest alley. Then he pushed her back against the rough brick wall. “
Theoretically
? Holly, this isn’t some experiment. You go up to that werewolf and you
can’t
control him, then he’s gonna go right for your heart.”
Or her head. Because one surefire way to kill a vamp? Take off the head.
“I can do this, okay?” Her heart was racing in her chest. His hands had curled around her shoulders and his head—and that sexy mouth of his—waited just inches from hers.
“Prove it.” His hold tightened on her. “You got my blood, and you got his. So if you can control me…”
“Then I can control Saul.” But she shook her head. “I don’t want to do that to you.”
He stared down at her.
“You’ve been through enough lately, ok? It’s just been over thirty-six hours since your change. I know what it’s like to have your life ripped away.” Oh, talk about being able to relate. Now she could finally tell him. “And I’m so sorry this happened to you.” Holly pulled in a deep breath. “That’s why I’m not going to control to you, okay? You don’t need me ripping into your mind, too.”
His hold tightened. He brought his head even closer to hers. “I want you in my mind.”
“Duncan—”
“If you can’t do it, then you aren’t going into that bar. I’ll call Pate. Tell him to come get you. Tell him the operation is off.”
Then what would happen to her? She’d get shoved back in her lab, and Pate would start forcing her to try his cures again.
“Make me step away from you.” Duncan’s words were a low whisper. Rumbling. Dark. Sexy. “You think that you linked with me when you took my blood? Then make me step back. That’s simple enough, right?”
Yes. But she hated the thought of forcing him to do anything, even something so small, against his will.
“I’m inviting you in, baby. Let’s see what you’ve got.” His body brushed against hers. “Make me stop.”
Then his mouth took hers. Light at first, then harder. His tongue skimmed over her lips. His hand slid down her body, his fingers skirting around the curve of her breast.
A moan rose in her throat.
Make him stop? She’d rather make him strip.
A door slammed then. A car horn honked. Voices drifted toward them.
“Make me,” he said against her lips.
She could feel his cock swelling against her. Her body ached but…
Holly pulled her mouth from his. “S-step away from me.”
His whole body tightened.
Then his mouth found hers again as he kissed her harder.
Her heartbeat doubled. He wasn’t supposed to still be kissing her. This wasn’t the way it worked. She’d interviewed vamps at the facility. They’d all said…
Controlling prey is easy. Take the blood. Then just tell them what you want. They can’t resist. The blood is the link. The power.
They’d laughed about how easy it was to control humans.
Only…oh, crap, she wasn’t trying to control a human. She was dealing with a werewolf. Maybe she couldn’t control him through a compulsion.
He still had on his silver collar. Pate had given her another remote and had made sure it was tuned to be able to control both Saul and Duncan.
But she didn’t want to use the silver to control them.
His mouth lifted from hers. “Do you know…” Duncan growled against her lips, “that I want to bite you?”
Vampires weren’t the only ones who liked to bite.
“So what’s to stop me?” he murmured. His fingertips were suddenly at her throat. Trailing lightly over skin. No, not just his fingertips. She could feel the light scratch of his claws.
“There’s no one here. Just us. No other agents. No Pate.” The last was said with a touch of anger. “I can bite you. I can claim you. And you can’t stop me.”
What could have been a lick of fear shot through her. But, no, this was Duncan. He wouldn’t do anything to her.
Would he?
“S-stop,” she said.
“Make me,” he ordered her again.
His body seemed harder. Stronger. He wasn’t shifting—oh, he’d better
not
be shifting.
“Duncan?” Yes, okay, fear had the word trembling.
“When a werewolf bites his chosen mate,” and his fingers were on the side of her neck, “it’s a mark that tells all the other wolves to stay the hell away. A mark that says…
mine
.”
She knew how the wolf rules went. She’d done the paranormal classes that the agents took, too.
“I look at you,” his words were deeper, darker. “And think…
mine
.”
“You’re trying to s-scare me.” Trying. Succeeding.
“No. I’m telling you what is.” His head lowered to her neck. His teeth skimmed over her frantically racing pulse. “You won’t get away from me.”
She didn’t think it was the man who spoke the words, but the beast he’d become. The wolf inside that thought in primitive terms of possession and claiming.
Holly lifted her hands and tried to shove him back. “Stop.” He couldn’t claim her. A werewolf claiming was forever. Or rather, until death. Because werewolves had been known to kill their mates instead of letting them escape.
“
Make me
,”he snarled.
His hold was so much tighter. Harder. His hips were pressing against hers, and she could feel the light sting of his teeth on her neck.
The situation was out of control. He was out of control. They were supposed to be working together. Getting Saul.
“Duncan…”
His head lifted. His eyes stared down at hers. They were glowing—the gold and blue so bright. Far more beast than man. In that instant, she knew that he wasn’t stopping. Not unless she made him.
Her wild heartbeat shook her chest. She stared into his eyes. Felt fear and adrenaline heat her blood. “Let me go.” Her words didn’t shake. They just came from her, whispered softly.
His jaw clenched.
“Step away from me.” Her heart raced faster. Adrenaline had her fingers trembling as she pushed against his chest. “And get your hands
off
me.”
His teeth snapped together. And he backed away.
“
Get control of your beast
,” she said, flattening her hands against the wall behind her. “Get that control
now
.”
His shoulders rolled. His claws turned back into regular nails, and the wildness faded from his eyes.
They stared at each other, breath heaving.
I did it
. But, just to be sure, she blurted, “
Tell me you love me
.”
“I love you,” he said instantly.
And her heart hurt. “Right.” Softer. She nodded. “I think that ends our little experiment, doesn’t it?”
He blinked. His eyes were still feverishly bright, shining in the night.
“I guess I just had to be scared enough.” Her head tipped back against the bricks as she stared up at the dark sky. “That was the purpose of that little scene, right? You were trying to scare me into losing control so I’d be able to use the vamp power?” Maybe that had been the key. He’d made her shake with fear for a moment there, but, it had worked. When she’d only had fear left, there had been no holding back. She’d felt as if something unlocked within her.
Power.
She realized that he hadn’t spoken.
Her gaze darted to him. “Duncan?”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t trying to scare you.”
Uh, oh. All of the moisture seemed to dry up in her mouth.
“I wanted to take you.” He backed up another step. “Consider yourself warned.”
Crap.
He turned away from her. “At least you know how to stop me now.”
He’d really been ordering her to stop him. Ordering…or begging? The words had been so rough. Had the man been fighting the beast? Trying to hang on? She reached out for him.
But he stepped farther away.
“No touching,” he growled. “When I touch you, I
want
.”
The blood link that she’d created? Or something more? Vampires were addictive to their prey, but she didn’t just want to be some addiction to him.
I love you
.
She wanted to be something more.
“Let’s do this.” He headed toward the mouth of the alley.
“Wait!”
He stiffened but didn’t glance back. She forced herself away from the bricks. “Let me take off your collar.” Pate had wanted him to keep wearing it. Because Pate didn’t trust Duncan’s animal instincts.
“That’s not a good idea,” Duncan said.
“You’re not going to attack any human, you’re not—”
“I almost attacked you right then. And with the full moon coming…” She saw his hands clench. “It’s a risk I can’t take.”
Because of his family. She knew what had happened to them. The slaughter by werewolves that had left a five-year-old boy covered in blood and orphaned in the world.
He’d learned monsters were real at such an early age. Too early.
She hadn’t learned that lesson until she’d stepped into Pate’s world.
“I keep the collar.” It rode low on his neck. “And you keep the remote.” His head turned and his gaze met hers once more. “And if I ever go for your throat or your heart and you can’t pull me back with a vampire compulsion, you don’t fucking hesitate to burn me.”
She could only stare at him in shock.
“Promise me,” he demanded.
She nodded, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak. Because she didn’t want to lie to him.
Then they were heading toward the bar. Toward the laughter and the noise on the wrong side of the city. A battle waited for them, and this time, she would fight.
And not be the same victim that she’d been a year ago.
Because just a few blocks away, well, Holly had died in a spot there. In a pool of blood. With a vampire standing over her and with her brother screaming her name.