Page 67 of Into the Night

“He won’t hurt me,” Kali says close to my ear. “Let him out, if that’s what he needs to do. Trust him.”

“Can’t. He’s too dangerous.” I grit out.

Kali tilts her head at me sympathetically, shaking it softly.

“You know he won’t really hurt me.” She cups my face and leans forward, brushing her soft lips against mine, decimating my self-control.

Groaning in frustration, I can only watch on, trapped once more, as my beast crowds her back into the depths of the cave.

She’s not fast enough to get by me yet, still tired and injured. And even if she did, she’s not strong enough to climb up without risking a tumble down the cliffside.

Kali is trapped. I know it, and she knows it.

“You’re making it really hard not to be mad at you,” she grumbles, lifting her eyes to the cave roof and the rock above us. “It’s just rude not letting Ben inside.”

Eyes narrowed, she observes me for a second before cursing, finally understanding that even though I’m in my human form, it’s not Griffin, the man she’s speaking to anymore, it’s the beast.

“Mine.” The word comes out, quiet but firm, stating a simple fact, but Kali’s eyes flash in defiance.

“Not yours.” She snaps, challenging me. “Because I want both of you. Together. Not this constant push and pull where one of you is trying to stuff the other one away in a box. You two need to get your shit together.”

His confusion, the lack of understanding I can feel, is almost endearing. That is, until a genius idea pops into his head that will solve all our problems instantly.

Dread turns the blood in my veins to ice.

I know what he wants to do, and I have no way of stopping him. Painting her in my scent isn’t going to cut it any more.

38

GRIFFIN

Pulling Kali closer, he nuzzles into her neck and kisses a path from her exposed clavicle, across pale skin, to her jaw. The beast replaces her attacker's scent with ours, erasing any trace of another man's touch from her body.

Reluctantly, I must admit, there’s something freeing about the simplistic way he views things. Don’t want any confusion as to whether your woman is spoken for or not? Cover her in your scent to tell everyone to stay away.

Kali laughs indulgently at his over-the-top behaviour as he rubs against her, pressing her back against the smooth rock.

With careful fingers, he examines every inch of her body for injuries, kissing every tiny scratch, and soothing deeper cuts with his tongue to speed up the healing process. This is a little less drastic than his other home remedy, and as I get to enjoy her little moans and whimpers as well, I’m on board with this one.

He worships her, showing his devotion through care and touch. It’s a softer side he rarely shows, and it’s reserved only for her.

Once he’s satisfied that she’s largely unhurt by the race through the trees, and that her older injuries are still healing nicely, his thoughts turn less concerned and more appreciative. His hands, previously tentative, caress and massage her body with interest, a deep rumble reverberating in his chest, when his hands cup her pert breasts.

Kali sighs, relaxed and happy, as he dips his head to suck one pebbled nipple into his mouth.

“Mine,” he repeats, softer this time, but still ignoring her previous argument like the obstinate bastard he is.

She doesn’t fight with him. We all understand the point she’s trying to make, but to him, nothing changes the fact that she belongs to him, and him only.

The fates have gifted us to each other and brought him to Sutton to find her. He’s already hers, and she will be his. He’s determined to make it happen.

“You’re so stubborn.” She complains, even as she melts at our touch. “Griffin, if you can hear me, can you explain to him what I mean?”

The beast snarls, spinning her around so she’s forced to throw out her hands, bracing herself against the cool, flat rock. Leaning closely behind her, letting her feel his breath on the back of her neck, he clamps his teeth down on her shoulder, not hard or aggressive, just letting his displeasure be known.

She is his. Denying his claim and going over his head to me only fuels his frustration.

He brings my hand across her stomach before dropping lower between her trembling thighs. Two fingers swipe across her pussy to collect the copious juices dripping from her, already scenting in the air. Groaning at the feel of Kali’s warmth, he can’t resist dipping my fingers just inside her, teasing her, when all she wants is to be filled.

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