Soul Mates: Sacrifice Read online

  "Boo!"

  He yelped and jumped and I laughed, sighing in some weird sort of contentment. Lucien rolled his eyes again and pulled me along with him.

  "Now you're just being mean."

  I tossed a look back at the hunter and winked. Man, if Nikolas didn't take care of this guy soon? I might be convinced to play with him a little myself. I stopped off in Nikolas' room and put the gun back as it was when I found it, one round short. Lucien waited patiently in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame.

  I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed his clothes when he stepped out of the viewing room. The leather pants he wore had corset lacing from hip to knee. They were tight, low-slung in the waist, and hugged him in all the right places. His boots came up to just below his knee, the lacing complicated and sexy as fuck with all the grommets and D-rings.

  His shirt was black and tight, with just a hint of metallic silver shimmering in the light. The arms of the shirt were about half the length of a regular tee and stretched over his muscular biceps. When he moved, I could see the glint of his nipple rings.

  My own clothes mirrored his in a way, except I didn't have the sexy corset leather pants and my own shirt was a deep burgundy instead of black. My boots, while nothing too special, made me feel like I was a foot taller. I found out quickly that while my pants were pretty comfortable, they didn't suit getting hard.

  And I was well on my way.

  I stepped up to Lucien, nuzzling into his throat. "You look sexy, baby."

  "Do I?"

  He tugged my hips close, grinding against me. I could feel him hard in the confines of those pants and wanted nothing more than to fix that for him. And more than that, I had a sudden craving to taste him on my tongue. But not his blood. Him.

  "Uh-huh."

  I licked a line up his throat, across his jaw, sucking the lobe of his ear between my lips. When he groaned, I smiled, biting my way down his exposed neck. I dropped to my knees and without a word, unlaced the front of his pants. The scent of leather and hard, male flesh was strong and I bent for a taste.

  I flicked my tongue along his shaft, then pulled his pants down just a little more in front to release him from the confines of his pants. His cock jutted out proud and hard, precome beading down the slit. The pants were too tight to pull down any farther, so I had to settle for teasing his balls through the material.

  Lucien grabbed onto the door frame, moaning as I traced the length of his cock with my tongue. I knew every inch, every vein, every little spot that drove him wild. Yet it was always like it was something new I'd just discovered. I took him in fully, scraping my teeth lightly along his shaft when I pulled off again.

  He growled and tangled his fingers through my hair. "Suck me."

  And I did. Hard and fast and deep. It wasn't long before his hips jerked and the salty-sweet, coppery taste of him exploded on my tongue. I didn't get much, as when he started coming he shoved deep into my throat and just held himself there.

  I pulled off him after a few moments and licked him clean. He licked at his lips, shaking his head. "What was that?"

  "Just had a craving," I answered with a mischievous grin.

  I stood and started tucking him back in, helping to get his pants laced up again. He caught my hand. "You do not want, lover?"

  "I got exactly what I wanted."

  Chapter Twelve

  The ride down to the hunting area was quick. The fight tonight was taking place just outside it. Huge lights illuminated the clearing, heavy equipment looming on the far edge. Bleacher seats were set up in a large circle. It wasn't until I got out and we'd almost made it to the area that I noticed a dais with several large chairs at the head of the bleacher circle.

  And then I looked out across the circle and realized that it was a huge hole in the ground. It had to be at least twelve feet deep and fifty feet in diameter, maybe more.

  "What's up with the hole?"

  "Since we don't have a permanent pit, we make one," Lucien answered.

  "Damn." I was impressed. "All of this in such a short amount of time?"

  Lucien laughed. "That's the way the coven works. Nothing is too much or too big when it it's something I give the order for."

  "Oh, and I bet you like that a whole hell of a lot."

  "No, me? I don't know what you mean."

  I elbowed him playfully as we started to walk through the crowd of people. Most of them smiled or bowed their heads respectfully. There was music playing somewhere off in the distance, something hard and edgy. Lucien and I took our seats and I sat back, closing my eyes, trying to figure out where I'd heard the music before.

  The air was charged with energy—vampire and werewolf. So much energy and power gathered in one place.

  When I opened my eyes, there was a procession of people coming to Lucien with questions or needing advice. I tuned it all out and just tried to relax, watching the people, taking in the atmosphere. Hell, I wished I could absorb some of the energy for myself.

  I closed my eyes again and just as I got comfortable, someone plopped down in the chair beside me. I cracked one eye open only to see Nikolas grinning at me. I smacked him in the chest and he leaned over, biting down on my shoulder. Groaning, I turned into him. Our lips met, but only briefly.

  "We okay?"

  "I just kissed you in public. I think it's fair to say we're getting along just fine." Nikolas sat back, lighting up a cigarette. "You look like you're having fun, princess."

  "I just got here. Not like I've had a chance to really get bored yet."

  He hummed in agreement. We shared a comfortable silence and I was thankful that whatever had happened between us earlier wasn't some big, fucked-up thing. Lucien leaned over me, startling me with a kiss.

  "I'll be right back, lover."

  "Okay." I watched him wander through the crowd and stop in front of someone, pointing out toward the pit as if giving orders.

  A few minutes later, Xander stepped up onto the dais and stopped in front of Nikolas. "You're in my chair."

  "Then I guess you should have gotten here earlier to claim it." Nikolas laughed, and thrust his hips forward, grabbing Xander. "You're more than welcome to sit in my lap."

  Xander growled and lunged toward Nikolas as if he was about to hit him and Nikolas stood, getting right in Xander's face, a wicked grin gracing his lips. "You really don't want to do that. I will not hesitate to meet you all the way this time."

  At Nikolas' threat, I knew I needed to break this up. "Xander? You find anything out about my old apartment?"

  "No. Wasn't anything. Electrical."

  "Nice of you to let me know that—like I asked you to."

  "I'd already told you they said it was electrical. You said to let you know if I found out anything other than that." He shrugged. "Then I got busy."

  Leave it to Xander to get technical about it all.

  I stood. "Go on, Xander. Sit somewhere instead of trying to stir up trouble."

  Xander met my eyes. "We need to talk."

  "About what?"

  "Us."

  "Oh, honey. Remember? There is no us."

  Xander stalked off toward another chair and Nikolas looked over at me, nearly cringing. "That had to have stung."

  "Sit down before I make you move, too."

  I sat back down and got comfortable, keeping an eye out for Silver. I found Logan, instead, who'd shown up wearing a pair of tight-fitted black Wranglers, boots, and a black polo shirt. He stopped before me and I licked at my lips.

  "God, Logan. You look hot tonight."

  Logan seemed amused. "Does that mean you approve?"

  "Approve? Oh, yeah…"

  He smiled and leaned down and kissed one of my cheeks, then the other. He paused before rising. "I'd hoped you would."

  I clenched my teeth to avoid an audible groan and Logan rose and inclined his head before moving on. Nikolas and I both leaned forward to watch as Logan walked away, the tight Wranglers fitting Logan like a denim glo
ve.

  "Fuck me." Nikolas murmured. "I think I've got a new appreciation for cowboys."

  "Too bad we can't fuck him," I said, then realized it'd been out loud.

  "I say we tag team him," Nikolas added.

  I groaned. "Wouldn't that be a night to remember?"

  Nikolas sat back with a wistful sigh. "So much ass around here and I don't get nearly enough."

  I laughed and sat back as Logan disappeared into the crowd. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few werewolves gathered at Xander's feet. A pang of jealousy went through me, strong enough that I wanted someone to sit at my feet, too. A few more than Xander had, of course, because that would only be right. But there was no one here for me. I had to fight the urge not to stand up and stomp and demand for someone come to sit before me.

  Something clicked into place, wheels turning in my head. Maybe Nikolas and Lucien had been right all along. Maybe the pack wasn't something for me to want—but to need. And maybe they'd been right about me being leader already after all. I was through denying their words without hearing them out.

  Next time, I would listen. And maybe even ask for advice.

  Xander looked up and met my gaze, brow furrowing as he seemed to hear my unspoken thoughts. Oddly, he didn't seem worried at all. Did he think his place was safe? And that I'd never even think of taking his position away from him? It was tempting to do, just to teach him a lesson.

  Something brushed against my leg, drawing my gaze away from Xander. I looked down to see my alpha wolf nudging my leg with his shoulder, leaning against me. I held my hand out for him, smiling when he licked my fingers and set his teeth gently against them.

  "Hey there, boy." I scruffed up the thick fur at his neck, scratching behind his ears. "You seem to be finding your way around the property. Like it here?"

  "You talk to him like he's going to answer you."

  "Shut up, Nikolas."

  Nikolas leaned forward, eyeing my wolf that I'd yet to name. "He was raised around vampires and werewolves. He just might be a decent dog."

  "Bite him!"

  The wolf snarled at Nikolas and Nikolas laughed, just amused as hell. "Careful, wolf. I bite back."

  I scrubbed my fingers through the wolf's fur and sat back, wondering when this thing would get started. I wasn't bored yet, but if things kept on like this, I would be in a short time.

  Someone kneeled before me, eyes happy and bright. He acted as if he knew me – intimately – but I didn't have a clue as to who he was. Short brown hair, dark brown eyes, body lean and lithe. He wore loose black pants and a tight-fitting, long-sleeved red shirt. I racked my brain, trying to come up with a name.

  His eyes looked so familiar…

  "Hello, Sabaan."

  "Nikolas." The man took Nikolas' hand, exposed his wrist, and ran his tongue over the soft flesh. "You miss me?"

  "Sabaan?" I leaned forward and grabbed the man's face, forcing his gaze to meet mine. "That really you?"

  "Of course it is." His eyes bled to black from the nondescript brown. When he smiled, it revealed his tiny fangs. "I guess we do need to teach you a little more about demons."

  "I don't understand."

  "I can't very well go around in public in my true form now, can I? Imagine the poor babies in the grocery store and the tellers at the bank…" He paused, as if he was considering the wickedness of actually doing it. "It wouldn't be nice."

  I laughed and leaned forward, kissing him. "You're not in public here, Sabaan."

  "Yeah, but… There are so many people here I don't know. It's too," he considered his words, "open. Makes me nervous."

  "I'm glad you're here."

  "Mind if I sit here by your wolf?"

  "Not at all."

  Sabaan didn't just sit at my feet, he wormed his way to sit with my legs bracketing his body. Every now and then, he'd rest his head on my lap and smile up at me, pointing out this person or that that he thought was hot. It was nice having him here, having Nikolas at my side. The only thing that might have made it better would've been for Xander to be sitting here, too.

  Before I could dwell on that again, Lucien walked up onto the dais. He leaned in and kissed me, scented the air, then jerked his gaze down to Sabaan at my feet.

  "Sabaan?"

  "In the… Well, in one of my fleshes."

  "It's him," I said with a laugh. "When is this going to get started?"

  "I'm about to start it. Everyone that is fighting for the position is in the pit."

  "So, what? Everyone just starts fighting when you give the go-ahead?"

  "Pretty much. Last man standing leads the team."

  "Wow. How… simple."

  "Some things need to be." He kissed me again. "Get comfortable, lover. This could take a while and all you need to do is be here. If you need anything at all, you have Sabaan and Nikolas here at your service. Doc is on the far side of the pit and so is Daniel. If you need blood…take from Sabaan. I'm sure he won't mind."

  "Not. At. All."

  "Shut up, you big perv." I thumped Sabaan on the back of the head and turned my attention back to Lucien. "Where are you going to be?"

  "I'll be here, for the most part. But with everyone gathered, it's inevitable that I'll be called away for something."

  I was okay with that. It'd been a long time since Lucien was just there for the people of the coven. This would go a long way in trying to make up for lost time and hurt feelings. That was too important to get in between.

  "Not a problem. Was just curious."

  Lucien kissed me on the cheek and rose up, turning to face the crowd. His voice boomed as he welcomed everyone. Idle chatter stopped and all eyes turned to him. Including mine. Of course, I was looking at his ass, noting the way the leather hugged him just right. Admiring his muscular thighs as they flexed and bunched as he moved this way and that as he spoke. His lean hips, his broad shoulders, muscular arms that were cut in all the right ways.

  "Settle down, Peter," Sabaan whispered.

  "Not doing anything."

  "You keep looking at Lucien like that and I'm going to get horny, too. I get horny and we're going to have a big, big problem on our hands."

  "There ever a time when you aren't horny?"

  "Well, no. But trust me, Peter. It's a domino effect when there are several with incubi abilities gathered in close proximity."

  And we had quite a few.

  I forced my gaze away from Lucien, but it didn't stay off. He gave the command for the fighting to begin and his voice reverberated through my entire body. He turned as he started back to his chair and our eyes met. Heat flared in them, in what I assumed was a response to the way I was looking at him, but he quickly snuffed it out.

  When he sat down, he put an arm around my shoulders and pulled me as far against him as he could with the arms of the chairs between us. I felt him in my head, calming, soothing.

  "Put your attention on the fight, lover. It'll help."

  "Sorry."

  "Don't be. You'll be able to learn how to control it soon enough."

  Tomorrow night it would all begin. Or end, if something went wrong. But I didn't want to think about that now. I couldn't, or I'd end up driving myself insane. I turned my attention to the pit below. Growls and snarls and roars of battle filled the air along with cheers from the crowd gathered around watching.

  If you watched closely, you could see the splattering of blood when someone took a blow. With over thirty people in the pit, that was a lot of blood. The point wasn't to kill, of course, but to wound your opponents to the point of them dropping out of the fight. It had only been going for a few minutes and there were already wounded being helped out of the pit.

  Maybe this wouldn't take so long after all.

  I tried to pick Silver out of the commotion, and found him once. After that, I lost track. Gage, however, was kicking ass and taking names. I hoped like hell when it all came down to it that Silver's feeding from Nikolas had done him some good.

  Adam st
opped in front of Lucien and handed him what looked to be a tumbler of Scotch. He then offered me a glass of ice water with a wedge of lemon floating in it. I took it and thanked him. He nodded politely and moved on to Nikolas. I nudged Lucien after Adam had wandered on down the line of people on the dais.