Claiming the Jackal (4 page)

“Not with the experiments, but you and Markus might want to think about having one of the jackals train as a healer.”

His eyes darkened. “Leaving so soon?”

Would it bother him if she left? She didn’t think so. “I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. Not if I can help it. It’s always a good idea to have backup.”

“Backup. Makes sense.” He bit into the last of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully. “Can I ask you a question?”

Her stomach tightened with sudden apprehension, but she wiped her lips and hands with a napkin, then pushed her plate back. “Sure.”

“The Daughters of Isis.” He gathered their plates and took them to the sink, dumping the remains of their meal into the disposer before loading the dishes into the dishwasher. “I don’t recall seeing any men when we were at your compound. Are there no sons in your number?”

She followed his movements, appreciating the play of muscles beneath his shirt. “No, there aren’t any Sons. We are all Daughters in the coven.”

“What about your numbers—offspring? I know Tia is only in her mid-twenties.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “You know, wine would have been a better accompaniment to this interrogation than tea.” She smiled to reduce the sting of her words. “Chocolate would have been even better.”

“You got me.” His answering smile sent dangerous thoughts shooting through her brain. “Can I entice you to be talkative with brownies à la mode?”

“Dude. You should have led with that. Bring on dessert!”

As he warmed a thick square of brownie in the microwave, she thought about what she’d share about the Daughters. She didn’t think High Priestess Aya would mind her talking about their circle—after all, the exchange of information was the delegation’s purpose.

“The Daughters are able to manipulate their physiology, to a degree. Every so often, the high priestess and the Elders draw lots of volunteers to go out into the world. They find suitable men to father their children, then return to the coven.”

“So they all return pregnant from human men?” He proceeded to generously top the warmed brownie with ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream.

“Well, not everyone returns, but those who do soon give birth to daughters, and those daughters carry the magic of their mothers.”

He grabbed two spoons, then placed the bowl on the counter before retaking the seat next to her. “What if someone births a son?”

“No one has.” She spooned up a bit of the chocolaty confection. “As I said, we have some control over our bodies. We can ensure that we give birth to girls.”

He considered her as he took a bite. “Did you go out into the world?”

“Yes.” She hid a smile as he glared at her. “Not to get a child, though. I spent some time studying human medicine. They are so much more fragile than we are, so they push themselves to great breakthroughs in medicine. I change my identity and go out a couple of times a century. Sometimes I’m out for a decade or more, to learn all I can about the latest advancements. I mean, it doesn’t make sense to expend magic to cure a sinus infection when I can give them antibiotics.”

“That makes sense—” He broke off, turning to her so suddenly she dropped her spoon into the bowl. “We had sex last night.”

He sounded surprised, as if he’d had amnesia and had just regained his memory. “Yes, we did.”

His brows lowered. “We didn’t take precautions.”

Ah. She reached over, gave the tense muscles in his arm a reassuring pat. “Don’t worry. I take precautions. I’m in no danger of getting pregnant right now.”

Something passed over his features, a mixture of relief and disappointment. “Children are our most precious treasure,” he finally said. “We have so few of them. Two thousand years separate me and my brother. My mother thought she’d never have another child.”

“Your clan will have more children,” Rana told him, her voice ringing with conviction. “Your Anput will live as long as your Anapa, and will no doubt give birth to many jackals, witches and hybrids. The line of succession should be safe.” She gave him a look from beneath her lashes. “You don’t have designs on the leadership of the clan, do you?”

“Gods, no.” He shuddered. “I’m meant to be second in command, captain of the guards. I don’t have a diplomatic bone in my body, but I’ll do anything to keep the clan safe.”

“Including throwing yourself at the healer witch so your single men will leave her be?” She smiled when he started in surprise. “Don’t worry, I completely understand why you did it, and I don’t blame you. If our positions were reversed, I probably would have done the same thing. Though I would have used a bit more finesse.”

It took a moment for him to speak. “If you knew the reason behind my heavy-handed seduction, why did you go along with it?”

Her smile widened. “Because you’re gorgeous. Because I wanted you. Because something about you pulls at me, and for a moment in the infirmary, I thought it was as real to you as it was to me. And the sex was just as amazing as I’d thought it would be.”

“It was.” His jaw worked, then he stabbed his spoon into the brownie. “But we’re jackals given human form. For the human side, sometimes sex is just sex, but for the jackal in us it’s not.”

Did that mean that he wanted it to be more, or was his jackal conflicting with the human in him? “Come on, Hector. You didn’t hook up with me for procreation. You just wanted to make sure your men wouldn’t be distracted by me anymore.”

He had the grace to look sheepish. “That
was
the reason in the infirmary.” He glanced at her. “Before I kissed you.”

With that, the decadent dessert was a lot less appealing. “At the lake,” she managed to say. “There was another reason then?”

“Mmm.” He slid off his stool, taking the bowl to dispose of the remnants of the brownie. When he turned back to her, his eyes were almost pure silver. “You’ve got some cream and chocolate at the corner of your mouth,” he said, his voice a husky murmur that went straight to her sex. “Let me get that for you.”

He stepped between her legs, his predator prowling just below his human surface. She waited, a trapped rabbit, as he placed his hands on the counter on either side of her, caging her in with his big body. His magic and his masculinity wrapped around her, teasing and intoxicating her like ritual incense. Ensnared, she watched him through heavy-lidded eyes, anticipation firing her blood as she waited for the predator to strike.

He leaned down, his lips brushing the corner of her mouth. She shivered, her eyes sliding closed at the almost overwhelming sensation of feeling him on her at last. His tongue licked along the edges of her lips, removing any lingering traces of the dessert.

Blindly she reached out, dizzy with the pleasure of his leisurely kiss, needing to touch him to anchor herself. She ached to press her breasts against his chest, to feel the hard contours of his body against hers. But he kept his distance, only his lips, his magic and his heat touching her. Her hands landed on his biceps, which flexed at her touch.

Hector sighed against her mouth. “Open for me, sweetness,” he whispered. “Let me taste more of you.”

She parted her lips and his tongue swept inside, plundering her mouth with sensual thoroughness. A moan of desperation broke free as her nipples hardened to painful peaks. A new hunger roared to life inside her, hunger for this man. A hunger she doubted would ever be fully appeased.

He broke the kiss, stepping back from her. A whimper of disappointment escaped. Surely he wasn’t going to stop? “You’re not going to stop, are you?”

“Rana. Gods, you undo me.” He stared at her, chest heaving from the harshness of his breaths. “Last night at the lake, I wasn’t thinking about the other guards. I was thinking about you.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “I was thinking about our kiss and how I wanted more.”

“But you got more,” she felt compelled to point out.

“I did,” he agreed, his expression serious, so very serious. “We both did. It wasn’t enough.”

“Thank the gods.” Relief almost made her slide off the stool. “It wasn’t enough for me, either. I will want more.”

He groaned. “You keep looking at me like that and I’ll take you on that counter right now. We need something soft so I won’t hurt you. A bed this time.”

“Yes.”

“And I want to take my time, explore you fully.”

Heat broke over her skin. “Yes.”

Barely restrained desire flooded his face. “I want to feel you come on my fingers, on my tongue and then on my cock.”

Need pooled between her thighs. “Yes, gods, yes.”

She slipped off the stool, grabbed his hand and led him downstairs to her chamber.

Chapter Four

Nervous anticipation skipped through Rana as she entered her bedchamber, Hector following. This time, it wasn’t about yielding to the heat of the moment. This was about admitting that something was going on between them, something too strong to deny. Something that would give him a sensual control over her. In her travels, she’d seen much and done more. Never had she felt the pull to surrender, to give her all, like she did with this man.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Hector gathered her in his arms. “I’ve been thinking about you all day,” he muttered into her hair. “Thinking about holding you like this, being with you like this. One of the men actually managed to get a hit in during practice because I was so distracted.”

“Were you hoping that you’d get some sense knocked into you?” she teased, pressing her nose against his chest. His scent, full of power and magic and strength blended with musk and cardamom, settled into her lungs, intoxicating her. It would be so easy to become addicted to this man, addicted to the way he made her feel when he focused on her with a sensual intent.

“Perhaps.” His hands tightened on her waist. “It didn’t work. And if I must be senseless, I will not go alone.”

He captured her mouth, kissing her with his whole body. She returned his offering, pressing herself against him, entwining her arms around his shoulders. He thrust his hands into her hair, holding her in place while he explored her mouth, light nips at the edges of her lips, full sweeps of his tongue against hers followed by soft then hard presses of his lips.

He lifted away from her with a muttered curse. “I’m not ready to burn yet. Want to take my time enjoying this, undressing you like a present just for me.”

Suiting action to words, he undressed her slowly, giving her thorough kisses with each item of clothing he removed from her, nipping her throat as he removed her blouse, suckling her breasts as he took her bra, grazing his teeth on her hip bone as she removed her pants. By the time she stepped out of her panties, she was quivering with need.

He stared at her, his eyes silver with desire. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “Perfectly beautiful.”

The awe in his voice was impossible to doubt. Then she tumbled back into sensation as the sweep of his tongue over her left nipple had her moaning, arching up against him, a moan that grew louder as he plucked the other nipple into a hardened peak. Wetness gathered between her thighs, need fed by every touch, every kiss that Hector gave her. And still she wanted more.

His left hand slid down her rib cage, callused fingertips gently exploring. Despite his hunger, despite hers, he took his time, a wildling barely reined in. He raised his head, eyes glittering down at her, and his hand skimmed the slight rise of her belly, circled her navel, then continued lower. “Need to see your eyes,” he said, his voice hoarse.

Her body quivered with anticipation as she held his gaze, waiting for his fingers to breach her. He circled her clit with an almost negligent motion, a wisp of touch that kept her simmering but didn’t push her higher. Then his blunt fingers pushed into her and it took every ounce of will to keep her eyes open. Exquisite pleasure buffeted her, driven higher by his mesmerizing gaze.

She rode his hand, shameless, wanting to give him the pleasure of watching her be pleased by him. But then he pushed her back to the bed, guiding her down. He pushed her thighs open, then knelt between them. “So wet for me,” he said in a rough whisper, his fingers caressing her folds. “Have to taste you now.”

Breath left her in a rush as his tongue dipped into her slit. He lapped at her, long strokes that had her moaning his name like a mantra. She thrust her fingers into his hair, balancing her feet on his shoulders, opening herself further. His fingers returned to her opening, delving inside her as his tongue swirled around her clit. Helpless against the onslaught, she let go, allowing him to catapult her into mindless orgasm.

When she came back to herself, he was toeing off his boots, then sliding his pants and boxers down and away. Hungry for him, she reached out, wrapping her hand around the gorgeousness that was his cock. She had to taste him as desperately as he’d needed her.

A deep groan vibrated in his chest as she sucked him down as far as she could, then back up, her tongue circling the blunt head. He grabbed a handful of her hair, pumping into her waiting mouth with helpless thrusts of his hips, a dagger’s edge away from losing control.

She whimpered with disappointment when he backed away. “Next time, sweetheart,” he promised. “I need to be inside you right now.”

“Hector.” Bold with need, she straddled him as soon as he climbed into bed. “You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. Wonderful things. Only you seem able to scatter my thoughts, fire my blood and make me hunger for your touch and taste.”

“Good.” He lifted her by the hips, and then he was inside her, scattering her thoughts, firing her blood and making her hunger for his touch and taste. Leaning forward, she rocked against him, riding him, taking him deeper. He growled his encouragement, hands tightening on her hips to surge into her as inexorably as the tide coming to shore.

All too soon she could feel it, feel her orgasm rising from the depths of her core. Her inner muscles clenched around him. “Close,” she breathed. “So close. Come with me.”

He rolled them over, then dragged her hand between their colliding bodies, finding her clit. “Let go,” he softly commanded, holding her legs high, pounding into her with a frenetic pace. “Push us over.”

With a keening cry she did, her climax breaking over her, through her. He followed a heartbeat later, throwing his head back on a hoarse shout, coming in long pulses deep inside her.