Page 4 of Under a Wicked Moon
“Good point.”
“Why would I lock myself likethisin a room withyou? That’s an unacceptable risk. I don’t know you. There’s a high chance you turn into a snarly, drooly beast with no control on a full-moon night.”
He snorted out a laugh.
“That wasn’t funny.”
He sobered at the seriousness of her tone. Someone hurt her. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to laugh. Me doing drooly isn’t a good image. I can do snarly, though.”
“Some lycans, like the last guy…” She shook her head as if to erase a memory.
His jaw grew tight as he worked it slowly back and forth. They forced her with someone without control? Tightly, he asked, “Did he hurt you? Force you?”
“We fought. In the end, I won, and they had to remove him. He went away bloody.”
“Good for you. It’s despicable to be unable to control oneself, even with all the odds against us.”
“Most of us can’t fight the moon’s lure. You staying over there so far is an anomaly.”
“I’m different. Don’t be fooled, though. I’m no one’s hero. If I flip out and go nuts, feel free to kill me. I’ve been ready for death for a long time. Probably won’t fight it too much.”
She watched him skeptically but seemed to buy his little speech. “There still won’t be any you and me no matter how smooth your words.” She shook her head as if convincing herself as well as him. “I can survive without relief from…” She gestured back and forth, tacitly acknowledging the hormonal pull between them.
He’d heard rumors that the pain when a female went into heat and wasn’t satisfied was brutal for about a day, but he’d never witnessed it. Society didn’t allow female lycans to choose their own mates or have lycan sex for fun. Someone like him could get close to one, could touch one if it was sanctified by her family. The rareness of lycan women contributed to the fact that the feminist revolution hadn’t yet made it to the Lycan Council or the elite families.
“You didn’t say what happens in this place.” When she didn’t spew forth more information, he asked, “Why aren’t you asking me what I’m doing in here? Why was I put in here with you?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I assume you were captured specifically for this and tossed in here with me. They’re going to leave us in here until we do what they want.”
“Which is what?”
“I know you’re not that dense.” She threw up her hands. When he said nothing, she rolled her eyes. “They want you to go moon crazy and tear off my clothes, so we can get it on. They’ll watch like”—she raised her voice and yelled—“like the pervs they are.” Then she lowered her tone. “They do many things to us in here. Awful things. The worst is to be put in one of these. They call them breeding rooms.”
Chapter Two
“If you weren’t so messed up on the tranquilizer, you would’ve noticed me sooner.” The lady lycan picked at a cuticle, a deceiving action to hint at relaxation while everything about her remained tense and ready for battle. “I could’ve already killed you six times in six different ways.”
Breeding room?Ky’s mind spun with options for escape while he said distractedly, “I like your optimism.”
“You’re new to this show, huh? Little warning: the first time or two with the drug sucks. It’ll make your equilibrium crap for days, mess with your memory, and probably give you the runs. And the headaches—awful.” Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t even think of crossing to my side of the room. If your dick comes within two feet of me, I’ll rip it off and strangle you with it.”
That voice, throaty with soul. There was nothing typical about this woman. Full moon and hormones aside, he wanted to know the person who would fight to hold her own against him, when it was obvious size alone was in his favor. “I’m flattered you think there’s enough of me to use for a garrote.”
With an irritated exhale, she leaned back against the wall. “Figures you’d focus on size. You alphas and your egos. Look, I’m not going to get it on with you, regardless of how attractive you are, or with anyone in this house of horrors.” She uncrossed her legs and turned farther away from him as if something uncomfortable roiled through her. Over her shoulder, she said, “Touch me and I’ll kill you.”
“I won’t cross the room.” He rotated away from her to hide the physical evidence of how much she affected him. He wouldn’t touch her because he didn’t know her and because she asked him not to. So what if she was the single most beautiful and kickass female he’d ever been incarcerated with in the same room?
Strangle him with his own dick? He bit back a smile. That was cute.
Damn…she smelled so sweet, like homecoming and freshness. And she looked amazing in the exercise getup. He tried not to look at her, but even out of his peripheral vision, the way the cloth outlined the perfect curves of her chest and her nipples pressed tight against the top enticed him to stare. And that glorious hair…dark and wavy. It fell to her mid back. He supposed their jailors refused her hair ties. Even those could be weaponized.
He hadn’t felt this kind of attraction in a long time. Certainly not since he shut the door on meaningful sex two decades ago. Random hookups with his kind were taboo. The mating-and-forever business wasn’t in the cards for someone like him. He wasn’t a monk, though. His encounters consisted of consensual no-strings-attached episodes with human women, after which he could compel them to forget him. Unlike a lycan. Voice coercion didn’t work on his own kind.
No one had ever lit him up like this. One glance back at her found her sneaking a peek at him, too.
Hormones. Moon madness.
Even though the pheromones plus moon madness were enough to drive him borderline insane, he wouldn’t break his promise to her.No touching!
