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Exhaustion quickly settled in. She kicked off her shoes, grabbed a knitted blanket from the back of the couch, tucked it around her, then placed her head on the pillow-like arm of the couch. She’d close her eyes just for a moment.
A savory scent filled her nostrils and her stomach sent out another rumble just as she felt a large warm hand on the back of her lower back.
“Rhia, sweetheart. Let’s get some dinner into you, then I’ll get you settled into our, I mean, your room.” His continued touch sent sparks of pleasure down her back and bottom and for a split second, all her body wanted was to be under him. But what really had her reeling was her heart wanted it as well.
He handed her a bowl, sat down across from her, and they ate in comfortable silence. With her belly full, she snuggled into the corner of the couch. “Thank you for dinner, but I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight if I don’t hear the rest of the prophecy.”
She watched as he fought an inner battle as he attempted to wear her down by holding her gaze. He may as well learn now how stubborn she was. “I don’t give in when I want something, Keir. I promise, I can handle whatever you’ve got.”
His eyes flashed silver again. It hit her that was his tell that he was turned on, so she filed that tidbit away, and gave him a lopsided grin. “Please?”
“My brothers and I we were handpicked to oversee and defend mankind when necessary, plus keep the balance between good and evil between the immortal and the mortal realms. We would recognize our mates by a key shaped right pupil. But The Fates being who they are, we wouldn’t know when, or where, to find them. I guess they didn’t account for Athena. With the birth of our first child, along with my brethren’s firstborns, the continuance of the prophecy will be ensured. But we have a little problem with a Duke of Hell. Dante has done everything in his power to find our mates before we do in order to stop the prophecy. And until we’ve gone through the binding ceremony, you will never be safe. Dante has legions of demons in hell just waiting to follow his every command.”
“Which is?”
“To take over, lead mankind into temptation, then subjugation. Unlike Lucifer, he isn’t interested in Armageddon. It’s all about greed and power and absolute devotion from the human race.”
She had known none of this, but after today’s events, she had no energy left for a full on freakout.
“Are you all wolf shifters? Is this your pack headquarters?” She glanced around as if by saying it out loud, his brothers would suddenly appear.
“No, and no. Although we have the same parents, our mother has an odd sense of humor. She used her abilities to gift us each a different creature to be our alternate forms when we were born. Then there’s our father, Tiegh, who…I don’t even know where to start with him. Let’s just say that he and our mother are no longer together, and there is no shortage of drama."
When he finished speaking, she sprang from the couch, her adrenaline pumping. Had her mother even known half of this story, or did Lila purposely keep her in the dark, thinking she could control her?
“I’m not sure why you think I should believe any of this? I’m not even sure how my mother came to know the little that she did.”
"Rhia, is it so difficult to allow the possibility that what is happening—is meant to happen? Tell me you don't feel anything for me? Not a single twinge of knowing that tells you that we’re mates?" Keir stood and like the animal inside him, he slowly stalked her until he was so close his body heat burned her hotter than the flames from the fireplace ever could.
His eyes zeroed in on her lips, and she knew he wanted to kiss her. And lord help her, she wanted him to. He gave her plenty of time to say no. She didn’t say no.
Keir released another one of his low growls that did funny things to all her girly parts and kissed her. The touch of his lips on hers overwhelmed her senses. Oh, my…this is insanity. Rhia never thought to feel this way. To be consumed by desire. To be desired. It scared the hell out of her. She didn't want it to stop, but she knew she couldn’t give in so easily. She needed to end this.
Gathering what little control she had left, she pushed against Keir's chest. Nothing. Not an inch of relief. Instead, he wrapped his arms tighter. Think, think. She tried to remember her repulsion spell. Problem was, she needed to speak the words out loud, and currently her tongue was busy being sucked.
She may have agreed to a kiss but couldn't afford to be seduced by him, not yet. Digging deep, she placed her hand on either side of Keir's face, prying her lips from him.
Placing his forehead on her, he whispered, "Rhia, don’t fight it. We were made for each other."
Why, oh why, did every utterance of her name in his raspy, deep baritone make her feel like she was exactly where she belonged?
Rhia struggled for composure, a coherent thought, anything. Oh gods, she had to stop this before she gave in to his masterfully wicked tongue and let him take her where she stood. She didn't do this type of thing, ever. She'd just met him. But no matter how her mind ordered her to stop, her body overruled it. She snaked her hands up his muscled torso, reaching his shoulders and sighed.
More. She needed more. No—wait. She wasn't doing this. This is what he wanted. What they all wanted. Her to succumb. To him, and the prophecy. Digging deeper than she knew she was capable of, she placed her hands on either side of Keir's face, prying her lips from him.
Damn.
His eyes. They were nothing liked she'd ever seen—glowing a bright silver—was that the color of his wolf? He watched her intensely, as if he was about to eat her up in one bite.
Taking a step back, her hand to her heart. No one had set her off like this. And the way he was still looking at her, with promises meant to be kept, it sent her into full flight mode.
Loud banging filled the lodge, making Rhia jump. Keir grasped her upper arms and held her close. “Easy. If it were demons, an alarm would have sounded.”
She wasn’t sure how many more surprises she could take in a day. She either took him at his word or she didn’t. There was no middle ground.
“I have a feeling I know who that is. He’s a friend. Lives not far from here. Don’t let his looks scare you.” Keir warned as he strode to the front door.
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