Page 39 of The Monster's Desire

“My life is intrinsically tied to hers now, mutt. So, you can lose your prejudice and bias against my kind,” Echo says.

The dangerous growl that comes from Ridge makes me jolt. “It’s not your kind, it’s you.” His teeth elongate and his claws grow.

“Leash your beast,” Echo says dismissively.

My dress rides up my thighs as I push myself off the couch. Ridge’s eyes immediately follow the movement, and he bares his teeth at Echo. His clawed hands reach for me, but he’s very careful not to dig into my soft flesh. My knees go on either side of his hips.

I’m a little confused about why this wolf alpha is having such a violent reaction. Maybe he feels like he has to protect me as repayment for saving Brock?

My pussy rests over his cock, and he pulls me to his chest. Bending his head down, he takes a deep breath of my scent at the juncture of my neck. A freshly humanized hand wraps in my hair as he tilts my face, so I have no choice except to stare into his eyes.

“I’ll be accompanying you to the peaks.” Ridge’s tone ensures this fact is not up for negotiation.

“Of course,” I agree. “I’ll take any backup I can get.”

“You’ll not distract her while she works,” Echo says haughtily. “Pace the woods like the animal you are, but do not get in our way.”

Ridge ignores the angry vampire and, instead, pulls my mouth to his for a deep, dirty kiss that mimes mouth fucking. My hips involuntarily roll over his thickening cock. There’s a weird warmth in my chest as his tongue rolls around mine. He’s an excellent kisser, which I’ve found is a great indicator that he’ll be a generous lover.

“You taste so fucking sweet,” Ridge groans, palming the back of my head.

My tits ache as my chest rises and falls in rapid movements.

Echo lets out a grunt behind me. The next thing I know, his cool hands land on my thighs. He lifts me from behind with no problem, zipping us across the room before Ridge has a chance to object.

“Meet us there or don’t,” he says, pausing by the door. “Lock it on your way out, mutt.”

ChapterFourteen

Nadia

Echo drives much like I’d expect an ancient immortal vampire to drive. He zips around the precarious mountain curves, as though his passenger isn’t very much mortal.

“Ridge Hawthorne is an elder,” Echo says with zero prompting.

“What?” My mouth does an impressive impression of a fish. “He looks thirty or thirty-five.”

“How old do I look?” Echo asks.

Okay, I walked right into that one. Wolves and other shifters do age, though it’s much slower than a human. The only exception to that is the literally freaking ancient wolves before they began breeding with humans and watered down the lines. We call those ancients or old-blood wolves.

“Thirty?”

“I was turned at thirty-two. I’m nearly three-hundred and fifty,” Echo says with a smirk.

“Sorry.” I glance out the window at the winding mountain road. “That’s a long time to be tied to that stellar example of a maker.”

“Mmm, you’ve no idea,” he says, his voice slipping into an old accent I don’t recognize.

“Did you purposely set me up to break your sire bond?”

“You think I have that type of power or sway?” he replies incredulously. “No, Constantine was tired of losing witches. The barrier is on the brink of dissolving. They need you to be successful. Imogen wasn’t pleased that I would be the next guardian. However, she quickly realized that I am the most capable option.”

“She’ll never have that level of control over you again,” I say absently. “I’m sure she’s not going to be very happy about that.”

“I’m Imogen’s greatest failure,” Echo says, shifting gears. The road curves up the mountain, and on the right side, there’s a small pull off that must be the parking lot. Gravel crunches under the car tires as he pulls into a spot. “The only of her progeny that didn’t inherit one of her ancient gifts.” He stares out the window. “Much to her disgust and horror.”

“Fuck her.” Unbuckling my seat belt, I glance down. “I probably should have changed into the hiking attire I brought. You whisked me right out the door. I didn’t even think about it.”

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