“But you will not give me your heart.” It wasn’t a question.
He sighed. He could give orgasms all day long, but he had no idea how to deal with this. “I don’t think I have one, sweetheart. Can’t it be enough that I’ll give you what I have?”
She seemed to come to some inner decision. She pressed her lips to his. “Mate with me.”
Her lips were closed against him, but he took advantage anyway. He pressed her down and covered her small body with his. Dante knew he should feel triumphant and thrilled because the night before had been difficult for him. Yet all he could manage was a strange sense of awe. Her clear blue eyes were open as she looked up at him. He didn’t need to remind her what he wanted from her. She spread her legs willingly. There was so much honest, open desire in her face that Dante almost turned away. It was too much, but he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted a woman before. Looking down at her, he realized he’d just wanted sex before. Now he wanted Kaja. It was a disturbing feeling.
“What’s wrong?” Kaja asked. There was worry all over her face.
He pushed down his unwanted emotions. This was just sex. It was just sex between a vampire and his consort. It was the most natural thing in the world. He gave her his surest smile. “There’s nothing wrong, love. Everything is just right now. The only problem is these pants of mine. They seem to be in the way.”
He ground himself gently against her letting her feel his hard cock.
She sighed. “How do you do this to me? Already I feel some pleasure.”
“I told you, love. I know what I’m doing,” Dante replied. He felt surer now. The need to fuck was riding him hard. He wasn’t thinking about the future. He was thinking about how damn good it would feel to pound away at his wife.
His hands reached down to unbutton his trousers. He didn’t want to take the time to get out of them. He’d just shove them down enough to free his cock and then work his way inside. The second time could be slow. They had all day.
Kaja stopped suddenly, throwing her hands to his chest and pushing him away.
“Don’t, baby,” Dante said, not giving an inch. “I promise I won’t hurt you.”
“Dante, something is coming,” she said, trying to get up.
“Yes,” he coaxed. “You can come first. Then I’ll come, and then I’ll rest, and we can both come again.”
The tent flap opened, and Meg ran in. She turned slightly when she saw the erotic scene before her, but she didn’t leave.
“Dante, there’s an ogre coming,” she said breathlessly. She had her gun in her hand. “He’s attacking the marketplace.”
In the distance, Dante heard the screams begin. He rolled off his bride and fastened his pants.
That ogre was going to suffer, he vowed.
Chapter Seven
The world seemed filled with chaos. Every sense Kaja had was on overload as Dante tossed back the door to the tent and walked through. His magic went to work. The shirt he was wearing grew a hood that he pulled up to cover his head. A strange black object flowed over his face, covering his beautiful eyes.
Screams filled the air along with a terrible roar that seemed to come from every angle. Kaja could sense a predator nearby. And he had a very strong odor. Whatever attacked the small village reeked of decay.
Rhys ran up to them, his hair in disarray. His eyes were flared, and he’d lost his cap. “You must run, Mr. Dellacourt. And my queen. You must run for your lives.”
“Which way? He sounds like he’s coming from all sides.” Dante was frowning, his face set in fierce lines. He held his hand out to her. “Stay close to me, Kaja.”
She moved to the First’s side. No. Dante. He was Dante. And she was practical. “We need only be faster than the little ones. This beast will dine on them first. We should keep Cara close when we find her. I can run very fast. I will carry her.”
“No, miss,” Rhys said. “I have a place to hide, but it is very small. You must save yourselves—all of you. I cannot hide until I find my wife.”
Rhys disappeared, his small body fleeing through the labyrinth of tents.
There was a loud roar that sent Kaja’s hands flying to cover her ears. That sound made her ache.
“Where the hell did that ogre come from?” Dante got to his feet. He stood behind one of the high tents and poked his head around the side as though trying to look but not be seen. “Holy fuck, that thing is huge.”
Kaja stood beside him and stared out as well. She swallowed as she took in the sight before her.
She couldn’t see its whole body, but it was massive. It wasn’t as big as a frost giant, but a frost giant had some intelligence. This beast looked like a creature that only lived to kill. “What is it called again?”
Dante stared up at it, his mouth slightly open. “It’s called an ogre.”
Kaja felt Meg’s hands on her shoulders, steadying herself there as she, too, took a look at the mountain of flesh currently destroying everything around it. The ogre was much taller than the tents, his torso barrel shaped and naked. Thick cords of muscles crossed his body. His arms were bigger around than Kaja’s waist and covered in flesh that had a greenish cast to it.
She did not see how they could battle the creature. Not without a pack. The pack could take out much larger creatures, but there were only three of them. Meg didn’t even possess claws and fangs.
“I think we could safely call it Godzilla,” Meg said. Kaja wondered what the strange silvery item in her hand was. Meg clutched it, holding it close to her body. “Cian didn’t say anything about ogres when he lectured me on all the things to stay away from.”
Dante turned back around. His hand was tight on hers. “That’s because it shouldn’t be here. It’s an Unseelie creature.”
“What is Unseelie?” Kaja asked. Her heart was pounding, but she couldn’t let the unknown words pass. She needed to understand.
Dante began walking close to the walls of the tent in the opposite direction from the screaming. “Meg, stay close. Beck and Ci are Seelie Fae. It’s basically a tribe. The Unseelie are the other tribe of Fae.”
Kaja’s bare feet sank lightly into the dirt beneath her. “This is a war between tribes?”
“No, it can’t be,” Meg said. “I don’t understand it. We have a meeting with the Unseelie king in a few weeks. Why would they attack us? And why send an ogre?”
Dante stopped. Up ahead was a wide road. They would be without cover until they reached the forest. As they stood there, the ogre was tossing about the things it found. Large items like tent poles and cages and wagons were being thrown toward anyone who tried to flee. “There’s no reason to send an ogre. An ogre is chaos. No one can control it. It would just as easily turn on the Unseelies. It makes no sense.”
“And it only helps Torin,” Meg said. “King Fergus hates Torin. He would never aid him. Fergus’s daughter was trapped when the civil war broke out. He’s had men looking for her, but he can’t get an army on the plane. He’s sent assassins, but they haven’t returned.”
Ah, now she understood. It was a bit like a pack war. Packs had territories. The Firsts often fought over those territories. These Seelie and Unseelies must be like packs, and Torin and Fergus were the Firsts.
This was not her fight or Dante’s. They were free to leave.
“We should go to the woods.” Kaja pointed to a spot of green trees just beyond the tents. “We can hide there.”
They would have to be fast. Even as she thought the words, she watched a creature fall beneath a large wagon that had been thrown into the fleeing crowd, but there was no other choice. They had to get to the forest. Once there, she could hunt for them. She knew forests. She would be valuable to Dante and Meg there. She wouldn’t be a hindrance in the wild. She wouldn’t feel like a fool there.