Moving toward the sink, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the counter as he turned on the tap, then splashed his face with cold water. Lifting his head, Razl stared in the mirror, no longer recognizing the face staring back at him. It was hard, etched with need, his eyes glowing with the primitive hunger of the wolf, an unusual rim of amber around the brighter silver that he’d never seen before. He didn’t know what it meant—but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. Craving, dark and inhuman, battered against his conscience like a hammer, fighting to break him down…shatter his control.
But she wanted more. “I need you inside me,” she moaned, her short nails digging into his sweat-slicked shoulders as she tried to pull him up her body. “Need you to make love to me. Now.”“Goddamn it, Tourmaline.” His voice was little more than a guttural snarl as he shoved his fingers deep and held them there, letting her clench around him. “Don’t do this to me,” he choked out, squeezing his eyes shut as he lowered his head. “I’m trying to help you, baby, but I’m not… Damn it,
Opening her eyes to the bright morning sunlight, Tourmaline said the first words that came to mind. “Oh. My. God.”“It’s okay,” Razl rasped from the other side of the bed.“Don’t be scared.”
“I haven’t done that since I was…” He looked forward and scrubbed both hands over his face, his harsh sigh loud enough for her to hear. “Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like that.”A soft burst of laughter slipped past her lips, catching her by surprise, and Tourmaline quickly covered her mouth, mortified. “I’m so sorry.”
Trying to hide her fear, she said, “I don’t need any medical attention. I’m fine. And you’ve already done enough to help me, Razl. More than any other man would have, that’s for sure, and I truly appreciate it. But this isn’t your problem.”The brackets around his mouth deepened, his gray eyes glittering with streaks of silver that must have been a play of the light. “Those men from the club last night—they’re not going to let you just walk away from this. They more than likely searched your wallet, which
“What was wrong with it?” Tucking one leg under her body, she turned in her seat to face him. “It was… adorable.”“Adorable, huh?” Razl slid her a laughing look from the corner of his eye. “That’s not exactly the image I think you’d go for. Did you have to buy it after losing a bet or something?”
Climbing out of the truck, Tourmaline took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh mountain air, her eyes a little wide as she took in the surreal setting. Sunlight filtered into the clearing through the leafy trees, casting dazzling splotches of gold across the grassy carpet. It was like something out of a fairy tale, which sent a shiver of unease down her spine. Fairy tales always came with monsters, and she couldn’t help but feel that there was something unnatural about this strange, primordial place.“What’s wrong?” he asked, obviousl
If he hadn’t been so irritated, he would have thought her reaction was priceless. She stumbled back a step, big blue eyes going all wide and shocked again. “I meant for helping me at the club,” she said after a moment, each word formed with slow, careful enunciation. “And you can be such a jerk!”“Yeah. And you can be an uptight little bitch.” His gaze followed her stiff form as she stormed across the room.
“It’s at times like this that I wonder why I put up with you,” Razl muttered, following the others inside as they all made their way to the kitchen.“You talking about me?” Brody asked with an expression of mock devastation as he leaned back against one of the counters, a grinning Michaela at his side. “I’m crushed, man. Crushed.”