His heart damn near stopped in his chest. «Carmen—»
The witch spoke over him, her dark eyes narrowing in her pale face. «You’re bluffing.»
«Am I?»
For an eternity, the two women stared at each other. Finally, the older woman whispered something and magic snapped through the air. The gun flew out of Carmen’s hand, and the witch turned to Alec, one hand raised as she whispered an incantation.
An incantation she’d never finish. Adrenaline gave him speed. The need to shake Carmen until she promised never to bluff again — and dear God, she had better have been bluffing — gave him a vicious edge.
Alec crossed the space between them before the woman got three words out. On the fourth he pounced, flying through the air separating them.
She never got out the fifth word. She threw up both hands and Alec knocked them aside and caught his fingers in her braids. His palm slammed into her chin. One twist, one snap, and she hit the ground in a lifeless heap.
Carmen sucked in a harsh breath and fell to her knees. For a moment, everything was silent. Still.
Then she screamed.
Alec’s heart tried to climb into his throat. He scrambled to his knees and lurched to his feet, covering the space between them in a few ragged steps. He hit the grass and skidded toward her. «Carmen, Carmen, it’s okay, sweetheart. You’re okay—»
Her hands clenched, fingers digging into the grass. She growled and lifted her head, her entire body trembling and wary.
Wild. She was wild. His instincts said feral, and he kept his body rigid. Ready to stop her from hurting herself. «Take a breath,» he coaxed. «You’re okay.»
She growled again, part question and part warning, and moved closer. One hand hovered near his chest, and she pressed her cheek close to his and inhaled sharply.
Carmen turned her head and bit his jaw.
Lust burned through him, wiping away everything human and leaving the wolf in its wake, hungry and curious. Alec’s hands swept up her back before he could stop them, curling in her hair so he could guide her head back.
He was supposed to guide her head back. He just couldn’t remember why.
She released him, only to brush her lips and tongue soothingly over his skin. Her hand flattened against his chest, slid down past his stomach.
Alec caught her wrist when her fingers reached his fly. «Oh, no you don’t, lady. This is not you.»
She didn’t snap or snarl. Instead, she made a soft, coaxing noise and nuzzled his ear.
Christ. If he let go of her hand she’d find his dick rock-hard and willing, but the rest of him couldn’t be. Not with her clearly out of her mind and a body on the ground.
Two bodies. Christ. «Carmen.»
She went rigid and jerked her hand free of his. Her eyes narrowed in confusion, and she rocked back, moving away from him slowly.
If she bolted, he’d have to chase her down. He only had so much self-control. He held out a hand, stopping just short of touching her arm. «Honey, let’s go inside».
Carmen slapped at his hand and scrambled out of reach. She opened her mouth as if to speak — then turned and sprang into a dead run.
He chased her because he had to. Because she was beautiful and wild, because she was hurting and he had to make it stop.
Magic must have been at work, because she was damn fast. She nearly hit the tree line before Alec caught her around the waist, dragging her body back against his chest. «Be still.»
She fought, her nails digging painful furrows into his arm, and she kicked. One blow bounced her heel off his shin and his knee, and she threw back her head and howled with rage and pain.
It shredded his heart, but he couldn’t let her go. So he kept his arm locked around her body and summoned all the power inside him, setting it loose in a soothing rush that should have dropped her to the ground in a submissive heap.
She whimpered and fell still. He could taste her fear and confusion, but she didn’t struggle anymore.
«That’s it.» Keeping up the press of power would drain the hell out of him, but he had a sinking feeling she’d start struggling the second he stopped. «I’m gonna pick you up, sweetheart, and get you inside. Then we’ll make you feel better.»
Her arms slid around his neck, and her breath blew hot over his cheek and ear as she nuzzled him again, more hesitantly this time.
He was going to hell. He was going to the lowest fucking layer of the darkest fucking hell, and she’d send him there personally when she came back to herself and realized what he’d done.
What he was about to do.
«That’s right…» Slow. Soothing. No lies, just nonsensical murmurs as he bit the edge of her jaw. «Let’s go inside, honey.»
Carmen’s whimpers melted into a moan, and she curved one hand around his cheek, petting him.
Forget her. His own damn dick was going to want him to go to hell by the time this was over. He slid his arm under her knees and lifted her, holding her tight against his chest. «You’re safe, Carmen. I’ve got you.»
Her breathing roughened, and she whispered something unintelligible, her voice shot through with lust and longing.
Alec walked faster.
By the time he reached his front steps, she’d begun trailing kisses over his jaw. He staggered up the steps and barely got the door open. «Hold on a second, sweetheart. Just — slow down. A little.»
The caresses subsided, and she lay still in his arms, eyes closed, as he opened the basement door and walked down the stairs.
Hell was too good for him.
He eased the door to the cage open with his foot and froze, hating the fact that the scent of Kat’s attacker lingered, thick with the stench of fear. As wild as Carmen was, she’d be sensitive to it. He was sensitive to it, even with most of his energy devoted to keeping her calm.
Her eyes flew open and her hand shot out, curling tight around the bars on the door.
No betrayal in her eyes, not yet. She trusted him. He made a soothing sound and kissed her, parting her lips with his tongue and driving deep, kissing her like it was going to be the last time — because it might be.
She shuddered and let go of the door to hold him tight, her fingers clenching in his hair. A soft growl vibrated in the back of her throat, and she wiggled in his arms.
The scent of her arousal hit him, and his resolve wavered. She wanted him. She liked him. A good hard fucking would make them both feel better about life. He could imagine the way she’d look, bent over, fingers tearing up his sheets in her eagerness, legs spread wide, begging for him—
And if she’d been drunk on tequila instead of magic, he would have thrown her under a cold shower instead of sticking his dick somewhere it might not be welcome.
Carmen trusted him, and that made it so easy to betray her.
She was still panting for him when he dropped her onto the cot in the corner of the cage. The fact that it was a bed of sorts seemed to distract her long enough for him to get out of arm’s reach. The metal doors clanged shut and Mari’s spells activated, apparently no worse for the wear even with Andrew’s earlier abuse.
It took her a moment to sit up, and another to realize they were on opposite sides of the bars. She shot off the cot and grabbed the door, rattling it loudly. It held, of course, and she turned a disbelieving stare on Alec.
Leaving her there was going to break his damn heart. «I can’t let you run off into the woods, and I won’t fuck you when you don’t have the wits to say no.»
She stumbled back, her hurt melting into obvious anger, and she turned away to stalk the cage.
«Carmen.»
She ignored him, and it hurt. It hurt more than it should, more than he’d thought possible. The ache in his chest made it that much more important to get his ass upstairs and call in backup, because it meant his judgment was seriously fucking compromised.