That meant they had to be taken out before word spread.
When she recalled the strange, all-consuming bloodlust that had rolled through Diskant and Kinsley as they contemplated the impending confrontation, her stomach heaved. She could almost taste the metallic rustiness of fresh blood on their tongues and feel the heaviness of the thick fluid as it trickled down their throats.
Shaking off the memory, she reached for the bottle of water Dougan had placed in front of her. The bartender gave her a small smile when she glanced at him, grabbed a rag from under the counter and started cleaning the bar. She knew that Diskant had entrusted him with keeping an eye on her, ensuring she didn’t get into any trouble while he, Trey, Kinsley and Emory prepared the rest of the group for what was coming.
Lifting the bottle to her lips, she stared out the window of the bar.
The sky was turning orange, which meant soon everyone would leave to do what had to be done.
“Hello.” An incredibly soft, feminine voice tore Ava’s attention from the window. Katie smiled nervously and motioned to the empty seat beside her. “May I?”
The woman was a far cry from the one she’d seen carried in the arms of her mate at the club months ago. Her skin was glowing and radiant, her complexion healthy and pink. Up close she didn’t appear frail or weak. In actuality she was very tall and her frame was long and lean.
Ava masked her shock and returned her smile. “Sure.”
“It’s really great having another bloodbonded mate in the pack,” Katie said quietly as she sat down and accepted the bottle of water Dougan handed to her.
“It is?”
Katie nodded. “Before I came along there was only Raelyn. The rest of the women were all shifters.”
“Raelyn?”
“Raelyn Chavez.”
“Chavez…” She recalled when a beautiful girl with flowing black hair, big green eyes and the most beautiful face she’d ever seen had come into the club to visit her father—the infamous head chef and resident wise-ass of Liminality.
“You’ll like her,” Katie continued. “She was the only one of us for a long time so she’ll be excited there’s one more person in the pack who understands what it’s like.”
Ava knew exactly what Katie was talking about. While some of the pack embraced any female one of their members mated, there were several who looked at the bond negatively, feeling as if humans weren’t worthy of such a gift.
“Where’s she now?”
Katie’s winsome smile wavered. “In California.”
Saying goodbye to her family.
Ava picked up on the second thought accidentally, along with Katie’s sadness, and opened her mind to listen. Soon Katie would have to do the same thing. You could only stay the same age for so long before someone started to notice, and she and Zach had decided it was time to finish the bloodbond.
As if he sensed his mate’s distress, Zach suddenly appeared. His brown hair was longer, his blue eyes a darker shade of indigo now that he was no longer worried but determined. He marched up to Katie, wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her from the seat. Although he whispered something into her hair, Ava knew he was about to carry her into the office, lean her over the desk and significantly alter her mood. Katie’s passion-laced eyes met Ava’s and she blushed when she was tossed over Zach’s shoulder and carried away without so much as a goodbye.
Diskant’s unique scent assailed her just before Ava felt his hand snake around her waist. She went soft at the contact, relaxed against him and placed her bottle on the counter. The entire situation was surreal, unbelievable, and made no logical sense but she was beyond caring. In the span of a couple of days she’d found the one place she wanted to be.
At Diskant’s side, in his arms.
“We have to leave,” he whispered into the shell of her ear.
“I don’t want you to go.” It wasn’t fair to tell him that but it was true. The danger he was placing himself in terrified her. She had only just discovered how wonderful it was to be cherished by him. If she lost that, she wasn’t sure she would survive it.
“I’ll be back,” he said as if reading her thoughts. “Don’t worry. Everything has been planned. I just need you to wait in the apartment until I return.” He nipped at her lobe and growled, “If you promise to be in the bed—naked, spread out and ready for me—I’ll be sure to return as soon as I can.”
“Is that all you ever think about?” She tried to sound stern but the question came out husky.
He chuckled, nuzzling her. “Don’t try to fool me, mate. I can scent your heat.” His hand came down until it rested between her thighs. He cupped her sex, causing her to groan and lowered his voice. “Your cunt is dripping for me. If I were to lay you on the bar and strip you, you’d be soaking wet and eager to take whatever I wanted to give you.”
Her entire body shook at the thought, embarrassment fading as desire took its place. Glancing at the mirrored backdrop behind the bar, she noticed that none of the shifters batted an eye at what was taking place before them. She’d learned rather quickly that sexual displays were the norm, not taboo. In fact, earlier that morning she’d gotten a bird’s eye view of exactly how open shifters were with their sexuality.
She shuddered at the memory, flushed as her nipples went hard, the sensitive beads pressing painfully against the lace of her bra. Her clit started to throb, a dull, insistent pulsing that matched the steady hammering of her heart.
“I know what you’re thinking about,” Diskant purred. “You’ve been thinking about it all morning, haven’t you?”
She met his gaze through the mirror and nodded, recalling the precise moment she descended the stairs and happened upon a newly mated pair christening the stairwell. She’d been mesmerized by the sight of the half-clothed male’s bare ass going taut as he pumped into the woman from behind, holding her by the back of her hair so that her head was turned to kiss him. They never stopped, not even as she and Diskant squeezed past.
“You wonder how it would feel to be watched when I fuck you, so that everyone could see how good I make you feel. They’d be jealous as hell, watching us, smelling your cream, unable to do anything more than watch and wish that they were in my place.” He brought his head down and licked a line from her shoulder to her ear. “I want that too. I want everyone to know that you’re mine. When all this madness is said and done I’m going to make it happen, and you’re going to let me.”
She gasped, struggling to breathe. The need for him had only gotten worse, and after their discussion this morning she knew it wouldn’t relent until he gave her the final bloodbonding mark. For once, her ability was a huge attribute because it allowed her to fully comprehend and understand exactly what Diskant was offering as he explained the process.
The first two marks were physical—when she accepted his seed and his blood—but the third went much deeper. It was that final, mystical mark that would bring all of his shifter beasts into her keeping, rending them in half only to bring them back together so that a portion resided in her just as it did in him. She should have been terrified by the notion but yearned for it in a way that made absolutely no sense whatsoever.
After squeezing her sex, he slid his hand to her stomach and pressed against her back, allowing her to feel the hard outline of his cock. “I’m as eager as you are, Pinkie.”
“I hate to break this up but we’ve got to get moving.” Kinsley’s deep voice was teasing but the underlying seriousness was apparent.
Diskant exhaled against her neck before spinning her stool around. She peered up at him—dizzy, lightheaded and aroused. The shadow on his face was thick now, nearly obscuring the skin beneath. He’d pulled his hair back at the nape with a leather tie, so she could fully appreciate his facial features—strong jaw, smooth nose, full lips.