To Love a Shifter: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set (63 page)

“Nothing’s wrong with you,” he said fiercely. “You’re in shock. That’s all.”

Shock.
Was all of this because of shock? It may be so, but something inside me didn’t believe it. I glanced away from Luka, only to find myself staring at the headless corpse next to us. Bile rose in my throat. “Luka, you
killed
him,” I whispered, trying to keep my voice from getting shrill. “I know since he wasn’t innocent it won’t make you turn into a vampire, but what about the Brethren?”

“Caylie—”

“No!” I wanted to scream in frustration at the pacifying tone he was using. “Luka,
execution
is what happens if the Brethren finds out you killed a human! Or less worse, life imprisonment—”

      Luka cupped my face. “Sssh. Stop worrying. Everything is fine, I promise. There is nothing about the Brethren you have to worry about.”

      I shook my head. “Luka, I’m serious.”

      “And I am, too.” He wiped my tears away. “But first, tell me. Are you really all right?”

      I nodded.

      “Good. Now listen—I’m going to make a call to show you that it’s all going to be fine.” Keeping one arm around me, Luka used his other hand to fish out his phone from one of his jacket pockets. I heard him tapping on the keys, followed by the ring of a phone at the other end of the line.

      “The Brethren,” a voice answered from the other end.

      I stiffened.

      Luka stroked my back again, as if reassuring me silently that there was nothing to worry about. He gave his identification then murmured, “I need a crew for cleanup.” He rapped out our coordinates. “Check for ID then get rid of the evidence.”

      I was in another—was I on my third or fourth?—bout of shock by the time he ended his call. “Luka, did you just—”

      He cupped my face again, making me meet his eyes, which were so intensely bright it made me blink. “Tomorrow, I’ll explain everything. But right now, you just need to know we’re both okay and I will
never
let anything—anyone—harm even a single strand of hair on your head.”

“But—”

Luka placed a finger on my lips. “Tomorrow.”

Knowing that Luka wasn’t to be swayed when he was in this mood, I nodded against his lips. When his fingers lifted, I muttered, “You better mean that.”

“I do.” We started walking again and a little while, we reached his car—a flashy red Lamborghini I had never seen him drive before. Seeing my questioning glance, he said wryly, “I was in a hurry so I drove the first car I saw—it’s my grandfather’s.”

A nervous laugh escaped me, and then I laughed some more because I felt like I needed something to laugh about, after everything that transpired. Luka’s grandfather had been a notorious ladies’ man in his younger days. Even though he was happily married for decades now, he was still one of the most charmingly flirtatious men I had ever met.

Patting the hood of the sports car, I said with a forced smile, “I might have guessed. You’re not the type to drive this car. This one, I’ll have an easier time picturing Jeff—”

Oh, shit.

Everything
that happened—the attack, the man’s death, Luka’s call to the Brethren—all of it faded away at the sight of Luka’s cold fury.

I cringed when Luka slammed my door shut the moment I was safely ensconced inside the car, and I couldn’t help cringing again when he slammed his door shut as well.

Before I could say something, Luka exploded. “Did you want to date that boy so badly you’d do anything—even if it meant lying to your parents? Was he the reason why you’ve been acting so wild the past three years?”

Luka was
shouting.

I could only stare at him in horrified silence, my hands cupped over my mouth.

“Did you never even pause to think—” Luka stopped speaking, visibly struggling to hold on to his control. “Did you ever pause to think what would your parents feel if they found out you attended this kind of party? Attending this event would constitute as a violation, Caylie!
They—
” He jerked his head towards where we came from. “—may be forgiven for their first violation, but you won’t be. You’re already under rehabilitation. One whiff of this and you’d be in the dungeons. For fifty fucking years!”

Luka gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Did you even pause to think what it would look like if the press got a wind of this and saw
me
in this kind of party? You know…you
fucking
know I won’t be able to stop myself from taking you away from this place, but would it be worth sacrificing my fucking career for this party, for that boy, for just one night of—”

“
Cerra ti!”
It meant shut up in our language and I used the words deliberately because it was cruder that way, harsher, more contemptuous because that was exactly how I felt. “How dare you lecture me when you lied to me as well!” Frustration made my voice shake. “You said you were going to the Brethren, but you didn’t! You fucking went to those dogs because you wanted to marry a bitch!”

They were cruel words, despicable and shameful words that I would have never thought of saying—would never even have thought of them if I didn’t feel so betrayed by Luka. I had nothing against Lyccans. I believed in allying our race with others. But somehow, all those pragmatic thoughts fled from my mind at the realization that Luka was about to marry a werewolf princess.

It hurt but not because she wasn’t one of our kind.

It hurt because once again, Luka had fooled me into thinking I mattered when I no longer did, not when he had again found someone who was more of use to him.

"
Dog lover
." But I regretted those words, too, the moment I said them.

His fangs went out. That, combined with the look of hurt incredulity on Luka’s face, and now the painful silence when Luka seemed suddenly bereft of words—all of it made my heart shudder in panic. I wanted him to hate me, to regret leaving me, but now that push came to shove—I realized I couldn’t do it.

I just…couldn’t.

"
Luka
—"

He shook his head. When he started to speak, I knew the words he would say were something I wouldn’t want to hear. We knew each other well, Luka and I, more so than it was right for us.

I launched myself in his arms. “I’m sorry!” It was a near-impossible thing to do, within the limited confines of the car, but I did my best, settling on my knees as I straddled Luka on his seat. In my mind, I could still see the pain on his face and I loathed myself for it.

More than anyone else, I should know that Luka only sought an alliance with Lyccans for the sake of our race’s survival. The Brethren—to be accepted by the entire Caro society—meant everything to him, enough for him to forsake his childhood…to forsake even me.

He stilled as I landed in his lap. I took advantage of course, my arms going around his neck as I pressed my lips to his. “I didn’t mean it, Luka. I know…I know protecting our race means everything to you.”

He tried to pull away, but I went after him, doing my best to coax his lips to part, nibbling his lips, and teasing it with tiny licks as I rubbed my scantily-clad body against his. Even as heat invaded my body, I almost cried in relief when I felt something hard starting to stir between my thighs. With my short dress hiking high almost to my waist, Luka’s hardening erection bulged against my thongs, which were slowly getting wet.

“Luka, I’m sorry,” I whispered against his lips.

But still he didn’t answer.

Passion was my only weapon against Luka’s iron control, my only way to get past the coldness of his anger. Luka getting mad at me was a rare thing, but when he did—it scared me, but more than that—it pained me.

“
Please
.” Closing my eyes, I let my lips trail down, leaving kisses on his skin until I reached the strongly beating pulse on Luka’s neck.

Luka knew instantly what I was up to, and he tried his best to rear back into his seat, away from my lips. His actions made me giddy with relief. It meant that even after all these years, his weak spot hadn’t changed—a secret I instinctively knew was only mine to keep.

My fangs went out, and I bit him, not to draw blood but just enough to leave a mark on his skin.

Luka bucked in his seat, and then his arms were around me, his lips parting but only so he could conquer mine. I melted against him, relief and desire making my body utterly soft and compliant even as my fingers clawed into his hair, even as I gasped out loud when his lips left me so he could return the favor. I gasped again as his fangs sank into me for a second and I moaned, my body shuddering in utter pleasure.

Just a millimeter more and he would have drawn blood. That was the ultimate forbidden pleasure, and that
Luka
, the most straitlaced Caro I knew, was almost doing it to me—

“
Luka
.” I couldn’t help moaning his name as my knees pushed inward, as if by doing so I could control the heat pulsing between my legs. Even so, I couldn’t help rubbing against him more insistently.

A gasp broke out from me when I felt his hands climb up on my body, all the way to my breasts, which he cupped with sure fingers, the gentle firmness of his touch evoking something inside me, making me want to
submit.
The way he kneaded my flesh was so wonderfully sure—no fumbling touches, but all heated and passionate knowledge, the absolute assurance that he knew what he was doing and that all he wanted to do was to please
me
.

“Caylie,” Luka said, his voice huskier than I ever heard him speak.

“W-what?” It was hard not to gasp the word, not when he kept on squeezing my breasts, his fingers moving up to twirl my nipples before pinching them. I squirmed and moaned, he groaned and pushed up harder against me, our bodies rocking against each other.

Luka pulled me down hard on him, grinding his erection against my now-wet thong. I couldn’t help moving against him more restlessly in response, and Luka squeezed my breasts as if scolding me. “Stop moving.”

Shaking my head, I gasped out, “I can’t!” And my hips moved even more aggressively against him, as if emphasizing my words.

He squeezed my breasts harder, growling, “
Caylie
.”

I shuddered. Ah, God of Caros, to hear Luka growling my name was…heavenly. And such a fucking turn-on I could feel myself getting wetter. “Say my name again,” I pleaded.

He growled, a rough, wordless I’m-so-horny-I-could-hump-you-like-crazy kind of growl. And that Luka, the perfectly etiquette-conscious Luka was doing this kind of growl…

I moaned.

“Fuck, Caylie,” he rasped.

I moaned again. Luka and dirty talk combined in one sentence was enough to have me climaxing.

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve fucking dreamt of this?” he demanded.