A Shifter's Curse, Raven Steele [the top 100 crime novels of all time .TXT] 📗

“Then you’d better watch his back better so he doesn’t get killed trying to help you.”

I growled. “I had it handled. I don’t need you to save me.”

He pushed his body flush against mine and my heart rate spiked at the contact. “I disagree.”

“Think again. I will protect those I care about at all costs.”

“What is it about you, Briar? What makes you think you can take on the world all by yourself?” He leaned in, his eyes searching for something I hoped he wouldn’t see. “Why won’t you let me in?”

“You have no room to talk. You’re a vault, just like me.”

He groaned. “I try, Briar. You have no idea.”

“I don’t see it. All I see is Dominic with your balls in his vice. What the hell does he have over you?”

He glanced away. “I can’t tell you.”

“It must be something big to keep an Alpha male like you in line. Such a good little soldier, you are. It seems you only care about Dominic.”

He pulled back, his blue eyes darkening. “That’s not true.”

“Then what do you care about?”

“Shit, Briar. You have no idea.”

“Then tell me, Luke,” I said, softening my voice. “Help me understand.”

His phone buzzed again. He stepped away from me, leaving me cold to check it. After a few seconds of reading whatever was on the phone, his brow furrowed, and he slowly looked up at me.

A moment later, he shoved the phone back into his pocket. “Fuck this. I’m tired of fighting you, Briar.”

Moving faster than I’d ever seen him move, he grabbed my shirt and yanked me forward, slamming his lips against mine. His lips were harsh, an inexorable force against mine as his tongue pried at my lips, commanding me to open myself to him.

I wanted to beat him over the head. I wanted to force him to tell me everything about him and his secrets.

I wanted to give in to him.

I moaned, wrapping my arms around his neck and leaned into his hard body.

Our lips fought against each other, each unwilling to give up control to the other. He wrapped his hand around the back of my hair and fisted it, forcing my head back. “You will open yourself to me. I will be the one to smash down your walls, to make you mine.”

Then he kissed me again, and I growled, finally opening my mouth to let his tongue slide in. It was silky soft and stroked mine possessively. It was heaven’s temptation, and I wanted to taste it forever.

But I only gave him a moment before I bit down, and he yelped. I wrapped my hand in his shirt, clutching it, staring fiercely into his eyes. “No one forces me to do anything.”

Instead of pulling away from me like I expected him to, he chuckled, let go of my hair, and swiped a drop of blood from his lip off with his tongue. He whispered into my ear. “A little pain doesn’t scare me.”

I shuddered, feeling his words shoot right through me. At my response, his eyes glazed as he stared into mine. “I’ll never force you to be mine, Briar.” He slowly lowered his lips to my neck, raking his teeth softly down to the space where it met my shoulder, while his fingers slid up to cup my nape. “Instead, I will make you beg for it.”

I couldn’t stop the heat shooting through my belly, or the way his mouth was pulling me into him. Those soft lips slowly caressing my skin, commanding me to be still.

His other hand moved over my hips, and he slid them up to my rib cage, gripping my flesh tight. “You have no idea what you do to me. Every time I close my eyes, you’re all I can think about. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop wanting to make you come apart under my mouth.”

He lowered to his knees, scraping my shirt up to softly nip at my stomach. The sight of him on his knees before me had me melting into him. The way he was making me feel. The way he was tearing me apart. I wanted him, and if he kept at it, he was going to win.

“I…,” I breathed heavily, “… don’t come apart.”

His phone beeped again, and he jerked up, grabbing my ass to wrap my legs around his waist. I could feel his hardness press between my legs. He kissed me again, holding me up with one hand. With his other, he opened the car door. Pulling on my bottom lip with his teeth, he nipped it softly, then shoved me into the car.

I bounced onto the seat. “What the hell?”

He leaned over, and I raised myself up to jerk him in with me, but he pulled back, grinning. Then he lowered himself slowly until he reached my lips, this time kissing me softly, gently, forcing me to slow down. He cupped my jaw with his hand, tracing my bottom lip with his thumb. After a few seconds, he pulled away, but I grabbed his shirt, trying to keep his lips against mine.

He didn’t let me. He just stared into my eyes, his gaze twinkling. “I told you to ask for it.”

I frowned, stubborn as hell.

“Your loss.” He stood up, his shirt slipping through my fingers. Just before he closed the door, he winked and circled the car. A rumble escaped my throat, angry that he’d just kissed me then tossed me into the car like a rag doll. Angry that he wasn’t kissing me anymore.

He jumped into the driver’s seat and started the car. “We gotta go.”

“Where?”

Grinning, he shifted the car into gear and began to drive. “Silas gave me orders. It won’t take long, but I can’t put it off any longer or take you with me. I’ll drop you off at your house first just in case Maera wants another crack at you.”

“What about Ryder or my…” I stopped myself just before saying “uncle”, “Vincent?”

“Vincent? Is he mixed up in your shit too? Hell, Briar, who else are you conspiring with?”

“No one. Just forget about it.” I straightened my disheveled shirt, my skin still on fire.

He sensed my frustration and took my hand in his. Lifting it to his lips, he scraped his teeth along my knuckles. “Don’t you worry, pup. Tonight, I will claim you in every way possible.”

He said the words with such passion and possessiveness, I sucked in a breath, my chest heaving. Without warning, he slammed on the breaks and swerved to the side of the road. He leaned over, grabbing my chin. “I can’t stop kissing you.”

He kissed me again, harsh enough to bite my tongue.

“Screw Silas.” I pushed him back and straddled him, kissing him back just as fiercely. We were squished together, the wheel at my back. The angle was awkward, but he’d opened something inside me that came rushing out, filling me up, overflowing all feelings. I couldn’t stop it, couldn’t push it down.

I had to have him.

His hands roamed over my back and moved up to my neck, pressing me to his mouth, gripping it like he was claiming me, like he fucking owned me. I couldn’t stop touching him, running my hands over his chest, loving that he was rock hard beneath me. I moved my hand down to his crotch, squeezing it lightly. The guttural noise that escaped his throat made me grin. His hands snaked up my shirt, brushing across my stomach as his lips left my mouth to trace down my throat.

For a brief moment, my reasoning mind broke through my physical desires. I leaned away, breathless. “Shit. You need to go.” Silas would be pissed if he was late and might even want to hurt Luke for it. I couldn’t bear the thought. I added, “But come to my house tonight.”

He leaned back, staring up at me with hooded eyes, he nodded, brushing my lips with his thumb. “It’ll probably be late.”

“I’ll wait as long as I need to.”

He kissed my mouth briefly. “Just text me when Silas leaves.”

I pulled back abruptly. “Silas?”

He tucked stray hairs behind my ear. “He’s at your house.”

“Why?”

“He’s waiting for Samira to question her. He thinks she’s the one who compelled the Greybacks.”

I moved back to my own seat, caught off guard. “Did she?”

“Without question. I texted her the moment I found out Maera was interviewing pack members. I didn’t think you’d be able to block her mental attack.”

I stared out the window as Luke pulled back onto the road, but he kept one hand on my thigh, slowly rubbing it up and down. “A lot of people care for you, Briar. We don’t want to see anything happen to you.”

It took us a while to get to my house and he let me out a few houses down, pulling me into his arms to kiss me harshly, with a promise to meet me later. When he let me go, I had a funny smile on my face, amazed at the way I was feeling. Light and carefree, something I wasn’t used to. I liked it.

My heart felt strangely warm as I walked into the living room, but as soon as my eyes locked with Silas, it turned to ice.

Silas smiled slow and cruel. “Just the person I wanted to see.”