“The nymphs have experience with canaghs.You will not harm them,” Corson said. “I can show you how to feedfrom a wraith after.”
“We have a mission. I will not slow itdown,” Hawk replied.
“But you already are. We have to stopeventually to rest. We will not make it to the seals tonight. Theforest is the safest place for us to take a break. It is also themost pleasurable,” Magnus said and waved at a small redhead whoblew him a kiss.
“They are right, you must feed, and you needsexual energy to do so,” I said. “You are no good to us if you’reunraveling, distracted, and weak for the rest of this journey.”
A muscle in Hawk’s jaw jumped. More sweattrickled down his brow and over his cheeks as his teeth groundtogether. “This is not who I am.”
“It is now.”
Corson shot me a look. I could almost hearhim sayingtact, Kobalin my head, but there was no time fortact here.
“You are putting us all at risk by denyingwhat has now become your biological makeup. You’re putting yourselfat risk, because I guarantee, if you look atherlike thatagain, friend or not, I’ll destroy you.”
River stirred against me. I shifted my holdon her to keep her out of Hawk’s line of vision as I felt herlashes flutter against my neck. She started to lift her head; Ipushed it back down to keep her nestled safely within myshoulder.
“Kobal—” she started to protest.
“Not now,” I replied briskly.
I thought she would fight me, but sheremained unmoving. My gaze slid to Hawk again. I saw theuncertainty in his eyes and the shame he tried to keep hidden overhis unraveling restraint. He wasn’t looking at her again, but mylips still skimmed back to bare my fangs at him.
“Take care of this, Corson,” I commanded. Ihad to get away from Hawk before I killed him. “Make sure he doeswhat must be done and find me when it is over. The rest of you,stay with them.”
Keeping River’s head pinned against myshoulder, I strode away from them and deeper into the shadowytrees. “We can’t leave them,” River protested.
“If we don’t leave them, I’ll kill him,” Itold her. “I won’t have someone out of control around you, and Iwon’t have someone lusting after you.”
“Hawk wouldn’t hurt me.”
“He would if he doesn’t get himselftogether.”
She shivered in my arms. “Will he beokay?”
“If he does what he must in order to survivenow, yes, he will.”
Turning a corner, I released my hold on herhead when she tried to raise it again. Her head came off myshoulder and her fingers bit deeper into my skin. “You considerHawk a friend now,” she said.
“What do you mean?” I inquired as I stoppednear a grouping of calamut trees and set her on her feet.
“You said, ‘friend or not, I’ll destroyyou.’ Before you always referred to him as my friend or the human,but this time you didn’t say her friend. You like him.”
I frowned at her before lifting my head tostudy the trees. There were no animals within these woods, and theonly wildlife were the demons who rutted in the shadows. Scentingthe air, I listened to the leaves rustling in the trees, but Ididn’t hear or smell any other demons near us. “He’s one of usnow,” I replied.
Her nimble fingers playing at the buttonslining my shirt brought my attention back to her. “I think youliked him when he was still human too. I think you like Erin andVargas as well. Admit it, Kobal, we mortals are growing on you,”she said with a teasing smile.
Lifting my hand, I ran my knuckles over herdelicate cheek as the sweet scent of the prury fruit grew strongerin the air. Her mouth parted, and the rapid beat of her heartsounded in my ears. I’d spent a lot of time in this forest over theyears, but I’d never felt the drugging, calling effect of lustwithin it as badly as I did now.
My cock swelled with blood when her breastspressed alluringly against my chest. I tried to step away from herbut found myself moving closer. She drew her bottom lip into hermouth when my hand slid down the front of her shirt, circling thenipple already hardening beneath her clothes. She was alwaysirresistible, but now she was a lure drawing me deeper and deeperinto her as her hands slid one of the buttons on my shirt free andher palms rested against my chest.
Her body jerked closer to me as her midnightblue sparks warmed my flesh. “You feel…” Her fingers traced over mymuscles as she slipped the buttons free and she moved steadilylower across my body. “It’s like I can feeleverypart ofyou.”
“It’s the forest,” I told her as her handdipped to the edge of my pants. “It heightens desires, passions,sensations.”
“Sensations,” she murmured. Her gaze latchedonto my chest as she pushed back my shirt and swayed closer.
“The forest also feeds on sexualenergy.”
