Chapter 7 #4
Isabella turned toward me, her gaze wild and vicious. I expected her to come after me next. It had been me who had pulled the trigger and killed her Nathaniel, but she didn’t make a move. Instead of rushing to kill me, she took a step back and mouthed two words to me that chilled me to the bone.
“Next time.”
She didn’t waste any time in racing out of the club and bounding over the exterior wall. She was gone in a flash, moving so quickly that I doubted even the wolves would be able to catch her.
The chaos inside began to lessen with only the last few vestiges of the Asamire left. Many of the vampires belonging to other clans had either fled or were dead on the floor.
The wolves returned to make quick work of those that were left and when that was over, they sat around the perimeter of the room, cutting off any of the exits that I’d pegged as potential escape routes.
From a cursory glance, they’d funneled all the women out of the club.
I stood up warily. The woman in red was still beside me, but interestingly the wolves did not show any signs of preparing to attack her too. In fact, they appeared to be fairly relaxed in her presence.
Interesting…
A single wolf stalked through the entrance.
His fur was mostly white but was pierced with streaks of gray and black in several places.
He stood several inches taller than all the other wolves.
Every wolf in the room dipped their heads in deference to him as he strode across the floor.
Beside me, Josephina nearly bristled with delight.
I watched the entire display with growing wariness.
“It’s always a treat to see your wolf form,” Josephina purred. Without any sort of reservation at all, she approached him and ran her hand down his side. “Just as strong as I remember.”
The wolf ignored her and continued toward me. I lifted my chin and gathered every single ounce of bravery left in me. Thus far, these wolves hadn’t attacked a single human, but I wasn’t na?ve enough to toss the possibility aside. This one could certainly decide to rip off my head.
Those yellow eyes bored into mine, holding me captive in their intense thrall. There were specks of emerald and topaz hidden in their depths. Fearlessly, I stared back into them and at once, I knew the man behind them.
“Adrian,” I murmured in wonder and the corners of his eyes turned up just slightly enough to reveal his appreciation at my recognition of him.
He lifted his head and released a howl that vibrated into the marrow of my bones.
My body reacted with visceral force, and I had to gasp as a wave of heat flowed through me and settled straight down into the bottom of my core.
Slowly, his massive form began to soften and shrink right before my eyes.
His fur receded, and his claws retracted.
In the blink of an eye, Adrian was standing before me once again.
His eyes were dark with intent.
“I’ve been looking for you, Natalia,” he purred, and Josephina grinned with delight.
Her gaze whipped back and forth between us with extreme interest that only seemed to grow by the second.
She slowly lowered herself onto one of the VIP couches behind her while keeping her eyes locked on us the entire time.
“Adrian,” I scoffed. The corner of his lip tilted upward, and my breath caught in the back of my throat.
I had denied it last time, but I couldn’t ignore the gravitational pull between us. Everything about him was screaming for me to just give in and melt into his arms, but I did my best to push that feeling away.
I didn’t know how long I’d be able to do that.
In the days since I’d escaped his bed, I’d thought of him often.
I wasn’t angry that he’d spanked me or even that he’d been the one to take my virginity, but I was furious at my body for reacting to it with such visceral arousal.
More than that, I was livid that just thinking about being taken over his knee made my clit pulse with desire over and over again long after I’d run from him.
“I thought I might find you here,” he answered, and I turned my head, dismissing him. “I must say, watching you tear through that horde of vampires was one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen.”
I narrowed my eyes. What was his game? Did he mean to make me stand down with flattery alone? His eyes darkened and I couldn’t escape the feeling that he just wanted to fuck me again.
“I told you I didn’t need your help,” I spat.
I needed to get out of here.
“I know. I see now that you’re more than capable on your own,” he replied. I studied him carefully, waiting to see what his next move would be. His gaze dropped up and down my frame in appreciation. “Just look at you. A queen like you would only be fit for the likes of a king,” he purred.
“I belong to no one,” I argued. “You are not going to decide my fate.”
His smile only grew larger. “That’s where you’re incorrect, little human,” he said with dark intention. Swiftly, he walked toward me, and I aimed my guns at him, knowing full well that I was out of bullets.
He didn’t know that though.
“Do you remember what happened last time you shot a gun at me, Natalia?”
I gritted my teeth. There was no way I’d ever forget the feeling of his hand or his belt on my backside.
“Yes,” I grimaced, but I didn’t back down.
“Now be a good girl and put the guns down unless you want me to bare your bottom and spank it bright red, right here in front of my pack, instead of in the privacy of my penthouse,” he warned.
Josephina clapped her hands with glee. “Oh, yes, please! Let me watch you teach the girl a lesson!” she exclaimed.
“Your choice, Natalia,” Adrian continued, his voice deepening with every syllable.
I opened my lips, wanting to come up with some smart-assed retort but my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth and absolutely nothing came out.
Would he really do such a shameful thing to me with everyone watching?
I studied his face, trying to gauge the sincerity in his threat and finding nothing there other than the truth. His lips perked up in a smirk and I was left with no doubt that he would follow through with his word. With a hard swallow, I lowered my guns.
“Drop them both on the floor,” he instructed, and a quiet gasping cry escaped me at the sound of his directive. I didn’t want to obey him, but I found my fingers loosening on the grips anyway. Both weapons fell to the smooth concrete floor with a clatter.
He took several more steps toward me and I retreated until my heels grazed against something behind me. It was one of the supporting pillars and by the time I’d realized it, Adrian was already surrounding me with his massive form.
“Natalia, you should know that I’m proud of you for what you accomplished tonight,” he murmured as he pressed his palms to either side of my head.
His presence was immediately overwhelming, but as he curled around me, that familiar feeling of being out of control began to quickly swell to life once again deep inside my belly.
“Release me, Adrian,” I demanded, embarrassed that my voice trembled in the wake of his closeness.
“No, I don’t think I will, Natalia. You see, I’ve been looking for you. You left my bed without permission and now that I’ve found you, I’m not going to let you go,” he answered.
“You’re a monster,” I spat.
“There’s something you should know, beautiful,” he warned, and my upper lip rolled just the slightest bit with fury.
“You will let me go this instant,” I spat.
“Ever since you ran away from me, I have been thinking of all the ways to punish you and teach you that your rightful place is at my side. You are my mate, Natalia, and by morning you will finally understand what that means,” he vowed.
“Do your worst,” I dared him, trying to ignore the way my pussy was clenching tight with need. He grasped me around the waist and tossed me over his shoulder and a part of me knew that he had already won. I didn’t want to accept that because I was afraid of what that might mean.
I started to struggle, and his grip only got tighter.
“Oh, Natalia, I promise you that I will,” he swore.
My traitorous little clit throbbed to life.