As I threw my head back with a deep roar, I could feel her in my loins, my needs increasing by the minute. Soon, my mate. Soon. She would obey my command, agreeing to come with me or I’d have no choice but to capture and take her against her will.

  For she was the only hope for our future.

  Thunder rolled in the distance, the approaching storm creating another wave of hunger. The single flash of lightning was invigorating, pulling at my beast.

  I remained in the shadows, waiting for her return. My hunger had refused to abate since allowing her to leave. Hell, she’d pulled away, trying to recover from her own animalistic needs as well as the shock of what she’d seen.

  As I walked through her house, it was easy to gather a sense of the woman. Her home was neat and tidy, with very few items that weren’t necessary. I was drawn to the group of paintings positioned on one side of her living room. While they were all quite beautiful in their natural majesty, the ones she’d painted of a tiger were exceptional. Not just a tiger. She’d been capturing my likeness and had done so more than once. While she lived very well, very few humans could afford to have the same kind of luxuries I’d seen in pictures from decades and centuries before.

  I’d been around humans since the day I was birthed. I’d been born sick, my parents fearful I would succumb to the same plague-like illnesses that had already erupted in several Streaks and Prides. It seemed lions and tigers had been affected first, but that had changed over the last few years.

  Now there wasn’t a Breed who hadn’t experienced the same debilitating sickness that was afflicting our encampment. And things were about to get worse.

  I’d been fortunate, a human doctor able to nurture me back to health. The few visions I could remember had been stored in my long-term memory, perhaps allowing me to tolerate humans as a whole. I’d even been with other human women, but I’d considered them little more than a treat I’d allowed myself for years of hard work and strife. They’d meant nothing to me.

  Perhaps because I’d been waiting for Nicolina.

  I heard the sound of an engine. Nicolina. She’d waited until close to dark before returning home. A growl erupted from my throat, my reaction the same as I’d had before.

  Carnal.

  I would devour her.

  I took a whiff, easily able to gather a scent of the area surrounding the house. There were no signs that she’d been followed, although a nagging remained.

  She’d thought about her sister more than once. I’d followed Nicolina to her sister’s home, immediately gathering a sense of fear enveloping Yasmine. I’d shielded as much of my mind as possible, able to do so given we were yet to be fully mated. However, my mate would have felt my presence as I’d felt hers.

  As well as her fear and concern.

  While I’d struggled to hear their conversation, my lovely mate still had the ability to mask her thoughts. Soon that wouldn’t be the case. However, my instinct easily told me that her sister had no love of the Breeds, tolerating them only when necessary. There was the kind of disgust remaining within her that usually only occurred when dissidents were involved. I could only wonder what stories Yasmine Wells had filled her sister with. I snarled slightly as Nicolina approached the house. She slowed down, allowing the clunker of an engine to idle a solid thirty feet from the house. There was no doubt she was deciding whether to try to run away or trust me enough to come inside.

  “Come to me, Nicolina. Come now.”

  I sensed a massive wave of discord and uncertainty trickling in her mind.

  “No. No. No. No.”

  She continued to fight the inevitable, loathing the way her body continued to react. I could easily gather the scent of her desire.

  Snarling, I dragged my tongue across my canines, my cock pushing so hard against my jeans that I had difficulty moving from the agony.

  “Come to me,” I instructed again, rubbing my hand over my groin. “I am your master.” Only when she cut the engine did I exhale hard, my nostrils flaring as her scent increased.

  I sensed her dichotomy of emotions from what remaining fear she had to another wave of excitement from before. There was also more anger than I’d noticed before. What had her sister told her?

  When she opened the door, she scanned the room before closing. The automatic system locked us down.

  Together.

  My mind moved to a dark and filthy place, envisioning all the lurid and nasty things I wanted to do to her. I could feel her body coming alive, just as electrified as mine, shifting into a level of desire that we were both unable to push aside.

  The moment she opened the door, the automatic lights turned on. I was surprised when she manually shut them off, standing just inside for a full minute as the glow of the nighttime lights added a golden hue to the entire house. She finally eased her clutch onto the small table in the hall before taking tentative steps forward. “I know you’re here. I can feel you, Akuma, even stronger than before. You also followed me into the city. Didn’t you?”

  “I was already in the city,” I said quietly.

  “Why? Did you kill those soldiers outside of a laboratory?”

  For her to assume that was interesting, perhaps something her sister had told her. “I had a reason to be in the city.”

  “Including watching me,” she whispered, swallowing hard.

  A crash of thunder made her jump, but her nerves had little to do with the weather outside. She was beginning to succumb to the effects of our mating, her yearning for what we shared almost as intoxicating as the way I felt.

  “You are under my protection.”

  My answer forced her to exhale. “There are hundreds of dissidents in the city.”

  “I am aware.”

  “They’re planning on attacking. Aren’t they?” She asked the question from a haunted place in her mind.

  “Yes. That is why you’re coming with me.”

  I was surprised when she didn’t refute my statement. Whatever she’d learned during her trip into the city continued to trouble her. It was more important than ever that I finished the mating process.

  “You are the alpha,” she added, a faraway look forming in her eyes.

  “Yes.”

  “Then you are being hunted.”

  “Yes, as are all the other alphas.”

  She trembled when she looked at me. “They want to exterminate you once and for all.”

  “Of that I have no doubt. We won’t let them,” I said with a low and husky growl.

  “We.” Nicolina brushed a single finger across her lips.

  “Say my name,” I whispered from the darkness. From where I stood, I was able to see her lower lip quivering, could hear the hard beating of her heart. I could also read every sinful thought she was trying to shove aside.

  Tasting my lips.

  Sucking my cock.

  Enjoying my feast on her wet and swollen pussy.

  Moaning from intense passion as I fucked her in every hole.

  And I would do all those things and more.

  “Say it,” I commanded again, the rumble of domination in my voice unmistakable.

  “Akuma.”

  As another clap of thunder rolled even close than before, the sense of danger became more prevalent.

  It surrounded us, coming from all sides.

  Humans were watching.

  Waiting.

  Planning.

  Soon, the blood of hundreds of Breeds would be spilled.

  Chapter 10

  Akuma

  “Akuma,” she repeated as she gazed into the darkness.

  Her seductive, lilting whisper was the most beautiful instrument in the world. My cock pressed hard against my jeans, my balls tightening to the point of sheer agony. I couldn’t wait to shove my shaft deep inside, taking her again and again. She would soon learn the throes of pure ecstasy, surrendering to me in every way.

  “You are in danger. You have been made aware of just how perilous the situation is,” I said with no particular inflection. She needed to begin to understand there was little recourse.

  “Because of you, our connection,” she said quietly.

  “Correct. There are men who seek what I own. I will protect you at all costs, but you must obey every command.”

  She shook her head, her body tensing. “You don’t own me, Akuma. The fact I realize now that the entire government can’t be trusted, that doesn’t mean you can possess me. I’m not a thing.”

  “That is where you are wrong. I own every inch or you. I always have. While I can’t explain our intense connection, there is no way to avoid the inevitable.” I sensed the lovely human processing the information, even though it was something she’d known for weeks, possibly longer. “We were destined to meet. You’ve seen me in your dreams for years, the same as I. We’ve experienced dreams that became a reality.”

  “That’s not true. I just…” Nicolina dragged her tongue across her lips, various incidents from her past rolling through her mind. She’d known since she was very young just how special she was, fighting it every step of the way, refusing to use her abilities and gifts. She’d toiled with understanding why she’d been given what she believed to be a curse.

  Now she would come into her own power by my side. Together we would rule. Together we would fight our deaths. And together we would eradicate our enemy alongside thousands of other Breeds.

  The odd look she gave me was intriguing, a past experience remembered.

  “I don’t know what the hell to think any longer,” she finally managed. “I just don’t know what’s real or more lies. Nothing is my life is what I believed to be true. My family. My job. Nothing.”

  “Yes, you have learned truths,” I said in a gruff and demanding voice. “You also know by instinct what is necessary in order for survival.” She was masking something from me, her tone of voice haunting.

  She closed her eyes briefly, vivid images flashing through her mind. Breeds. Science. Humans. I couldn’t grasp her thoughts given her heightened level of fear. “I’m afraid. The soldiers will hunt you down.”

  “There is no need to be afraid. You will be protected.”

  Her laugh was bitter. “And why do I crave you so damn desperately?”

  “Because of our connection. Tell me what you hunger for, Nicolina.”

  She trembled, remaining where she was, her body swaying back and forth. “I don’t know.”

  “Yes! You do. Tell. Me.” My voice held a hard edge, gravelly as my beast attempted to surface. I was so damn hungry I could barely think straight.

  “I…” Her voice faltered. Then I could feel her remaining resistance decreasing, the woman inside breaking free of her mental chains. I could tell she was ready to explode from the prison cell she’d placed herself in all these years, prepared to be set free.

  “Go on, my beautiful little human. Tell me exactly what you want.”

  “What is happening to me, Akuma?”

  “You’re awakening.”

  She swayed back and forth, her breathing rapid. What in God’s name had she been told? When she let go of her doubts as well as her inhibitions, I was surprised.

  And it fueled my hunger even more.

  “I want you to touch me. I want you to kiss me. And God, I want you to fuck me.”

  The words were like sweet music, the invitation blatant and without reservation. I stepped out of the shadows, tilting my head as I drank in her sweet perfume. The combination of exotic flowers and spices almost overpowered the delicious fragrance of her wet pussy. I dragged my tongue across my lips as I advanced two more steps. “Are you wet for me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you ready to taste my cock, to consume every last drop?”

  “Oh, yes.” Her tone was throaty and ripped with such desperate hunger that I almost lost control.

  “Then come to me.”

  There was a moment of hesitation, her mind continuing to question our closeness. Yet as a wave of electricity surged through both of us, she let off a whimper, taking two steps in my direction. She opened her eyes wide, staring into mine.

  I want you. I need you.

  Her thoughts fueled the beast as well as the man.

  “Come,” I said again, more demanding than before.

  She continued to quiver as she came closer, lifting her head and giving me such a defiant look, one that I’d already come to adore.

  I allowed a growl to erupt from my throat, a reminder that she belonged to me. Her lurid thoughts pushed a shot of adrenaline through every cell, my muscles tensing. “You will have everything you’ve been craving. Remove your clothes.”

  Her mouth twisted as she considered her options and whether she was going to obey me. When she finally reached for her blouse, taking her time unbuttoning the front, my breathing became more ragged. I was like a live wire, barely able to control my actions.

  Very slowly she eased the material off her shoulders, allowing gravity to take it to the floor. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath and her beautiful breasts called to my tiger, making my mouth water. Her nipples were already hard as perfect little pebbles, her chest rising and falling as she continued to obey me.

  A wry smile crossed her face as she tugged off her shoes, unfastening her jeans far too slowly for my tastes. I slid my hand down to my cock, stroking through the dense material to allow some kind of relief.

  “Do not tease me, little pet, or I assure you that you will receive another round of punishment.”

  She offered another smile before lowering her pants, tugging them past her rounded hips and to the floor. When she kicked them away, I was forced to take a series of deep breaths.

  “You are so damn beautiful.”

  Nicolina also took her time removing her panties, a warm flush creeping up her cheeks from another rush of embarrassment. As she attempted to cover herself, I growled again, stopping her immediately.

  “Turn around, Nicolina. I want to see every inch of you.”

  “But it’s dark.”

  Two flashes of lightning forced her to smile, the eerie yet beautiful blue haze filtering in through the blinds.

  “Darkness is a powerful tool. I can see everything around us.”

  “What other skills do you have?” she asked in a provocative manner, one that nearly drove me toward releasing my beast.

  “You will soon learn.”

  “Why do I crave you so much? Why have you been in my thoughts all day long?”

  I chuckled as I took a step into the shadows, forcing her to use her increased senses in her search to see me.

  “Because we are becoming as one. Now, crawl to me, little pet.”

  The way she dropped to her knees first, undulating her body was a beautiful sight to behold. When she eased onto all fours, my mind exploded once again with all the filthy things I was going to do.

  Shoving my cock down her long throat.

  Burying my face into her wet pussy.

  And taking her once again in her tight asshole.

  Then I’d start all over again as she called out my name, begging me to fuck her.

  The way her long red hair cascaded across her shoulders, almost reaching the floor was beguiling as hell. The sight of her actually obeying my command pushed my limits of self-control.

  She was mine.

  Mine.

  Mine!

  I bellowed the thought in my head, as if the entire world needed to hear me. She didn’t seem fazed by my mental outburst, except that a smile crossed her face as she slowly crawled in my direction. The shimmer in her eyes was just as breathtaking, the mark I’d left providing additional strengths, her senses heightened.

  My body was shaking by the time she came close, my cock aching to the point I winced from blissful yet blinding pain. She knew exactly what she was doing to me. She’d fallen into a sweet abyss, a turning point for our connection. She was succumbing and would become my mate.

  When she was between my legs, I was unable to keep from wrapping my hand around her long strands, pulling her head until she was forced to look into my eyes. “I own you. Every inch. Every breath. Every aspect of your being. You belong to me.”

  Another series of purrs left her mouth as she huddled closer, rubbing her face against my leg. I knew she was enjoying taunting me with her beautiful body, pushing her own boundaries as she continued to fight acceptance of who and what we were together. Tonight we could play.

  Tomorrow we would begin a journey that would contain far too much danger as well as the possibility that one or both of us wouldn’t survive. We were dangerously close to losing all we’d strived to achieve, a life that we’d never intended on living.

  So many enjoyed being in human form, while others had refused to accept what we’d been required to do. A dam was about to break, and God help us, I hoped that the majority of Breeds would survive.

  She continued to rub her face against my leg as she slid her hands up the insides of my calves, crawling her fingers up to my thighs. When she positioned them on my belt, I let out an intense roar.

  The fire erupting within me was shifting into a firestorm, flames licking at my veins. I closed my eyes as she unfastened my jeans, once again taking her time as she lowered them past my hips. The second she blew across my cockhead, a series of shudders erupted from my loins.

  “Remember what I said about teasing me,” I said in a gruff yet whispered voice.

  A smile crossing her face, she dragged the tip of her finger down the underside of my cock just once then darted her tongue around the tip. She had no idea what she was doing to me, the erratic sensations coursing through my muscles.

  I tore at my shirt, yanking it over my shoulders and tossing it. My chest rising and falling, I had difficulty keeping my tiger at bay.

  Nicolina darted another look into my eyes as she pushed my jeans all the way to the floor, removing my boots then helping me step out of the confining material. When I was freed of the hindrance, she crawled further between my legs, bending her head. “No teasing, huh?” She dragged her tongue from my calf, swirling it back and forth before dragging it up to my thigh.

  “You are a very bad girl. Bad. You should be punished.” My voice was almost unrecognizable. I had difficulty breathing as she moved to my other leg, repeating the move. When she finally dared to dart her tongue around the tip of my cock, I fisted her hair, holding her in place. “Suck me. Take every inch.”