Chapter Three
Dante felt his head smash against the iron bars of the cage as the female slammed into his body. She was slight, but he was shocked by the strength in her delicate frame. She didn’t feel insubstantial as she pressed down on him. She wrapped a hand around his throat.
“Get away from him!” Beck’s command roared through the tent.
The woman snarled as she looked to the king of the Seelie Fae. “Låt mig gå, eller ska jag doda honom.”
Dante’s head was throbbing, and there was something about the hand at his throat that was bringing out the beast in him. He looked up at the slender feminine body that crouched in a dominating fashion, and he felt something break inside of him. Too much. It was too much for a man to take. First his father, then Beck, and now this slip of a woman thought he was less than a man. His heart began to pound. His fangs lengthened in anger, rather than arousal, though he admitted that was present as well. He could smell her now. He smelled past the filth to the woman under the dirt. The smell was strangely familiar, as though something primal in him recognized her on a base level.
Beneath the filth, there was a sweetness. It was there, hidden under the dirt and bravado. She thought she could hide it from him? A dark need began to twist in Dante’s gut. It was totally foreign and a little frightening.
And it was far too powerful to ignore.
“Dante, just stay calm, and I’ll get you out of this.” Beck’s words were meant to be reassuring, but all Dante heard was that Beck intended to get between him and the female.
The female had attacked him. She had put him on his back and laid her hands on his throat as though he were some submissive, soft thing to bargain with. He didn’t know exactly what her words meant, but he understood. She was using him. She was threatening to kill him if Beck didn’t back down and allow her to flee. He was her pawn, her weak little pawn.
She was afraid of Beck, but Dante wanted her afraid of him.
His claws popped out, an ancient gift from his royal ancestors. Almost no vampire used them now except in the arena when they fought for a mate. It was considered impolite to show one’s claws, but there was nothing polite about this situation. His fingertips hurt where the claws had burst, but he made no sound. He felt his vision expand and knew that his eyes had bled out, filling the orbs with a deep green as his irises expanded. All of his senses opened up. He could see the heat pouring off the female, and he knew she was different. She wasn’t vampire or human or Fae.
But she was his.
Her hands tightened around his throat. She didn’t bother to look down at her prey. “Jag vill doda honom.”
The female sounded in control now. The frightened little girl who had pleaded with him was gone. Her brilliant blue eyes were still on Beck. Beck seemed to be the only thing in the room she found worthy. Dante needed to make a few things very clear.
The growl that came from his throat was both foreign and deeply satisfying to Dante. His people had left their primal selves long ago, but now he allowed instinct to take over, and it felt good.
Shocked blue eyes looked down at him, as though she was surprised he was still there. He opened his mouth and bared his long fangs. In a single move, he flipped her over on her back and straddled her hips. He didn’t try to hide the erection he was sporting. He ground it against her, further intimidation he could use. He genuinely enjoyed the fear in her eyes. It meant she was finally aware of him.
“Don’t try that again, sweetheart,” he said harshly through his fangs. She squirmed under him, getting him harder. Her hips bucked up, and Dante ground her down. “I’m a little on edge. Let’s try to start over.”
She kicked up neatly, catching the edge of his cock as she shoved him to the side. Dante gasped and fell over. The pain bloomed across his flesh.
She was on her feet in the blink of an eye. Dante heard Beck shouting and the clang of metal against the iron of the cage. Ignoring the pain in favor of the righteous anger that now burned through him, Dante followed. He hissed at the ache in his groin, but he was on his feet immediately. The female ran through the cage, seeking her freedom. Dante followed, knowing he would never permit it. She would not get away from him.
Beck’s face was savage as he drew the sword over his head.
“No!” Dante screamed the command in a voice that didn’t sound like his own. Beck froze, the sword in his hand hung in midair. The entire tent seemed to still as though time itself was taking a short break. Dante stared at his prey. “I will handle her.”
The woman looked between Dante and Beck. Her eyes darted between them as if she couldn’t figure out who was the bigger threat.
“I can’t let her go,” Beck said quietly. Every bit of Beck’s focus was on the woman. “Meggie and Ci are out there. I won’t take any chance that she hurts them.”
Dante understood. If there was the smallest chance that Meg or Ci could suffer a moment’s discomfort from this creature, Beck would kill her without a second thought. His cousin loved very few people, but those Beck did love had his whole heart. Dante knew his cousin would kill for him, too. But Dante needed something besides his cousin’s sword this afternoon.
“I will take care of her.” He had to speak carefully. Forming the words around his fangs felt alien to him, but he forced them from his throat anyway. She was his responsibility. She had been from the moment he’d heard her plea. He was the only one who had understood she was intelligent, and he was the only one who could save her now. She just might not like how he did it.
Beck snarled, frustration pouring off him as he lowered his sword. “See that you do, and quickly.”
Dante knew how hard it was for his cousin to stand down. The warrior king was used to taking charge. Beck’s eyes were narrow and focused solely on the female. Dante knew his cousin was waiting and watching for her to make a single wrong move. Dante would have to be careful. Beck nodded to him and moved to block the entrance to the tent.
The woman turned and squared off against Dante. She moved, her limbs fluid and close to the ground. She circled him, her every move a testament to grace and potential violence. Dante watched, taking in the way she moved until he had the rules of engagement down. He could take a sword from Beck, but that would only prove that he had better weapons than she did. Dante wanted to take her down in a way that left no question who was in charge. The need to dominate the lithe creature in front of him was overwhelming.
Dante mimicked her, allowing his body to flow in a predatory fashion. He felt an almost drugged sense of peace as he gave in to his primal urges. This, he realized, was a simpler place. The world narrowed to include only two people.
The female seemed to realize his intent. Her eyes formed slits, and her mouth firmed stubbornly. She reached her hand out as though to swipe at him. He reacted instantly. He batted her hand down. Dante didn’t hold back. He heard the smack as his hand slapped viciously against hers. She pulled it back quickly, clearly surprised at his violence.
“Är du Första?” She bit her bottom lip as she asked the question.
“You will kneel and take the fucking translator,” Dante declared.
He moved his hand down in a gesture she couldn’t possibly mistake. Dante wanted her on her knees in front of him. She might not know why he wanted her to do it, but she would know where he wanted her. “Rhys, get the chip. Get it now.”
She backed up, but she didn’t back down. Her eyes slid between Dante and the door that was guarded by Beck. It was obvious she was trying to decide between fight and flight.
“Kneel!” Dante would allow her neither option. She would kneel and submit. There was no other acceptable outcome.
She turned and ran. Dante jumped into action. Before Beck could draw his sword, Dante was on the woman. He wrestled her to the ground. He pulled ruthlessly at her arms, gathering her wrists behind her back and shoving her breasts into the hard dirt of the floor. He used his weight to cover and control her. She fought, but his hold dominated her petite body. She spat out curses until Dante had finally had enough of her rebellion.
He gathered her wrists in one large hand. He used his other hand to shove her face into the ground and, running on primal instinct, placed his fangs directly over the delicate bones of her neck. He bit down with a gentle, but unmistakable force, careful not to break the skin. She stilled beneath him. The only movement from his prey was the breath rattling in and out of her chest. She was obviously aware that he could break her neck with the slightest force. She was at his mercy.
“Jag lämna,” she said breathlessly. She relaxed beneath him.
Dante had the insane urge to press his victory. The little predator lay still and silent beneath him. Even her words sounded submissive. The impulse was there to pull off his slacks and pound into her softness, claiming that which he had conquered. He could spread her thighs and take her. She was his by right of battle. She would accept him now.
Instead, he took a deep breath and sat up, releasing his hold on her neck. He hadn’t broken the skin, but there were twin indentions on the back of her neck where he’d pressed his fangs. He stared at those marks, allowing his finger to trace them. If he’d used a bit more force, her blood would have flowed into his mouth. Consort blood. He’d heard the stories. Consort blood was sweet, sweeter and richer than any meal pill. If the stories were true, her blood could make him stronger and faster than he was. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to plunge his fangs in and drink his fill. He wanted so badly to feed in that moment, though it had nothing to do with hunger.
But he wasn’t an animal. He was a modern man, and he had a job to do.
“The chip,” Dante commanded, holding his hand out.
Rhys responded immediately. The chip was in Dante’s palm, and he placed it against the delicate skin right behind her left ear. The chip disappeared, burrowing painlessly through skin and bone and into the brain.
“My consort needs a bath. See that it is drawn,” Dante ordered. He didn’t move from his position. Now his hand moved forward, rubbing across her neck. She was still beneath him, her eyes closed, her posture utterly submissive.
It filled something inside him he hadn’t known was missing.
“Your consort?” Rhys asked. There was no mistaking the shock in the gnome’s voice.
“Dante, what are you saying?” Beck asked.
“You heard me.” Dante grinned, looking at the gnome. “I’ll take her. Do you need cash or will credit do?”
* * * *
Kaja sat quietly as the First checked the water. She wasn’t sure why he needed such a large bowl, but many things in this odd world confused her. She kept her eyes on the First. She thought about running again, but he’d caught her so quickly. She still remembered the moment when he’d placed his fangs against her neck and proven himself to be Alpha. She had been wrong. She had thought him weak, but he was obviously the First in this pack.
“Bath,” he said.
There were many more words in that strange language he spoke, but the word “bath” seemed to stand out. He spoke rapidly to the little creature in the pointy hat. Kaja’s stomach growled. The little ones were fast. She hadn’t been able to catch one yet. Perhaps now that she was out of their cage, she could make a meal of the fat one. She would only feast on the male, though. He was the one who spoke to the thin man with the sharp claws. The male had been the one who had locked her in the cage. The female had brought her fresh meat and sang while she worked in the tent. Kaja had found the sounds soothing. The small female had talked to her. Kaja hadn’t understood her words, but there seemed to be kindness behind them. Kaja knew she shouldn’t have, but she had grown fond of the female and wouldn’t eat her.
Of course, she wouldn’t do anything just yet. The First kept his eyes on her. Anytime she attempted to stand, he moved over, placed his hand on her neck, and forced her back down. He said something called “wait.” Kaja thought that meant to sit. He was First here, so she did.
When they had walked in, she had believed the large man with dark hair and the sword was the leader. Now, she utterly discounted the fact. He didn’t even have fangs or claws so far as she could tell. He had the sword because he could not fight with his hands. The one with the reddish-gold hair, he was the leader. He had been the one to force her to submit. He hadn’t used magic to do it, either. If he had, she would still fight him as she had fought her captor and the little ones. She would respect this First’s dominance because it was natural.
It wasn’t anything like the Nightmare Man.
Kaja let herself think about it for once.
It hadn’t taken long to get to the mountains Stellan had spoken of. She had stayed in her wolf form, preferring it greatly in the cold forests. So far from the small valley she had grown up in, Kaja had seen many wonders. There had been frost giants in the mountains, their massive forms almost too much for her eyes to take in. She had hidden her body deep in the snow, and they had passed her by. She took it as a sign from Freya that her quest would be fruitful.
She had hunted freely. Without the restrictions of rank, she had eaten far better than she had with the pack. Rabbits at first, and then small deer had been her prey. When her strength was up, she’d taken down a buck on her own. Oh, she had feasted. Her belly had been full for the first time in her life. The week she had spent traveling to the mountains had been strangely fulfilling. On her own, she felt strong and capable. Her foster mother had been wrong. She had not died. She had not faded. She had been lonely. But then even among the pack, she had been lonely.
She had searched for the magical doorway Stellan had spoken of, but the Nightmare Man found her first. He had been tall, not as tall as the frost giants, but much taller than Kaja. His stick thin body belied his strength. Kaja had underestimated him, as she had underestimated this First. She should have run, but she’d attacked the thin man instead. Still, if it had only been a battle of strength, Kaja knew she would have won. The Nightmare Man had a weapon. There had been a terrible sting when he had shoved it into her arm. She had felt her strength fade, and she changed without willing it. One moment she had been a strong wolf, the next she had been small and frail and freezing in the snow. Kaja could still remember the way the air and snow had bitten into her skin. It had been so cold it burned. She had tried to change. She had needed her fur.
“It’s no use, little one,” the thing above her had said. He spoke her language perfectly when he wanted to. “You can’t change. Don’t fight it. I’ll get a good price for you. One of these days my clan will have to thank that jackass Torin. We’ve made more money off the slave trade in the last ten years than we could have imagined. Behave now, little dog, and soon you’ll have a new master to take care of you.”
The Nightmare Man had picked her up and carried her. Her weight hadn’t slowed him at all. He’d found a cave, but the entrance shimmered and when he’d walked through it, Kaja had found herself in another world. The new world was warm, without a hint of snow. It had taken a day to get to the village and her cage.
Kaja shook her head and pulled herself back into the present. She had worried at first that she was in Hel, the place where wolves went to die, but this male made her doubt it. He must be the master the Nightmare Man had spoken of. She watched him, trying not to let her appreciation show. She had seen several males over the days she’d spent in the cage. None of them had shown her his glorious fangs and claws. All the men had seemed appalled with her. They looked at her with disdain as the pack had. This First wasn’t afraid of her. He’d fought her. He had fought for her.
“Come,” he said, his voice taking on that deep cadence that pulled at her.
Kaja’s eyes went wide. That had made a little sense to her. “You want me to come?”
“That’s just cool,” the second man with midnight hair said. There seemed to be two of him.
After she had calmed and accepted the First’s dominance, the second man with black hair had been allowed inside the tent along with a pretty red-haired woman. The two men wouldn’t let their woman get as close to Kaja as she obviously wanted. The woman had complained, but backed down when the one with the sword growled.
“I am not cold at all,” Kaja said. Their words suddenly made sense. They seemed to be learning her language. Or perhaps there was some magic at play, after all.
The second dark-haired man smiled broadly. He seemed to do all the smiling for the two. “I wasn’t talking about the temperature, dear. I’ve spent too much time with my wife. It’s a human saying. It means I think the technology is very advanced. I’d like to take one apart and figure out how it runs.”
“Small words at first, Ci,” the First said. He frowned. Kaja liked the little line it put in between his eyebrows. “And she won’t understand slang at all.”
“What is slang?” Kaja asked.
The First turned to her. His eyes seemed kind as he walked over and knelt down. He took her hand in his. His skin was cool to the touch, but she liked the feel of it against her own. “It means this is going to be hard, sweetheart. Just trust me. There are going to be words you just don’t get.”
She didn’t “get” half of what he had just said. She did understand the request. He’d asked her to trust him. She breathed in. He was so close to her. She opened her senses and let him fill her. Oh, she liked his smell. She leaned over and let her nose run against his neck. He smelled of many interesting things. Beneath all of it was a scent that was uniquely his own. Kaja sighed as she caught the scent of his arousal. He was interested in her. She felt her own body respond, softening and preparing. The First wanted her.
“Hey!” the black-haired man, the irritable one, called out.
“Back off, Beck,” the First said. He held still and let her smell him. He honored her by allowing her this close. And in front of his kin. No one allowed her so close in her own pack. “She isn’t doing anything to hurt me.”
She reveled in him for a moment. It was the closest she had been allowed to another being. Even when Sven had taken her, he had simply shoved her on her knees and thrust in from behind while some of his kin held her down. He hadn’t allowed her the intimacy of rubbing skin to skin and covering herself in his scent. She liked this First’s warmth and the faint sound of his heartbeat. She breathed him in, memorizing his smell. Like a memory, a smell was something to think upon long after the action was done.
After a long moment, she leaned back. The First stared down at her, a curious look on his handsome face. He was so beautiful with vibrant green eyes and sensual lips. His face was not covered in hair. His skin was perfect, and she longed to trace the utterly masculine line of his jaw.
“I really hope that wasn’t some formal greeting, sweetheart,” the First said with a chuckle that did strange things to Kaja’s insides. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to return it right now. You stink something horrible, love.”
Kaja frowned, her heart sinking. He did not like her scent. It was a very bad sign. She swallowed down her emotions. She should have known. The pack had always told her she was cursed. No one would want her. She should have stayed alone rather than trying to seek out a new pack. Now she was alone in a world that she couldn’t understand. She couldn’t even change anymore.
“Hey,” the First said quietly. He placed a hand under her chin and forced her to look up. His voice had shifted to a musical, cajoling tone. “It’s all right. We can get you clean, and then I’ll sniff you all you like. You can teach me all your kinky little ways. You’ll find that I’m a very tolerant man, love. It’s just customary where I come from to not reek of…all the things you reek of. Come on.”
He stood up, his muscular frame unfolding gracefully. Kaja took a moment to study him. He did not seem to require immediate compliance. He seemed a very patient First. Perhaps it was why the others followed him. He was very tall, perhaps a full head taller than Kaja. When she stood, her head fit neatly under his chin. She appreciated his lean build. He had taken off the strange clothing that covered his chest, and now she could admire the strong muscles found there. He was very different from the males of the pack. He had no hair on his chest. She found she liked it. His skin was very pale, almost luminous. There was no fat on his body. Just long, muscular lines. His stomach was covered in muscle that led to lean hips. His pants covered the part of him she wished to see. She was curious if he would allow her to look at his male parts. She wondered if they were as beautiful as the rest of him.
He grinned down at her. “I’m glad you like the package, sweetheart. It’ll make things a lot easier between us. Now let’s get you cleaned up.”
She gasped in happy surprise. He wanted her to groom herself. She understood that. It was easier when she was in her wolf form, but she could do it if it pleased him. She nodded and decided to start with her hands. She licked one hand and frowned. She did not taste very good.
“Whoa!” the First said. Kaja looked up. He seemed a little horrified.
“Do you think she was raised by wolves?” The red-haired female’s eyes were wide as they studied Kaja. Shame washed over Kaja. She was as stupid as the pack said. She did not understand even the simplest command. It must have shown in her eyes, because the little female softened. “It’s all right. We just don’t lick ourselves clean.”
“Sometimes you do, lover. Beck often orders you to lick him clean,” the softer of the two dark-haired men said. It earned him an elbow in the ribs from the woman.
The First frowned at his lessers. “Nice, guys. Make her think we’re all pervs.”
“She’ll find out soon enough,” the man said and stepped back to avoid another elbow. His twin laughed aloud.
The First sent them a dirty look. His eyes softened when he turned back to Kaja. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Name?” She did not recognize the word. The magic they employed only worked part of the time. She still was confused at much of their talk.
He patted his chest. “Dante. That’s what people call me. What do people call you?”
The People called her many names. She flushed thinking of all the things she had been called. She had chosen her own name at the age of eight, though the members of the pack still refused to use it, preferring to call her “that creature.” She did not have to tell him that. She could hide her shame here. “Kaja. I am Kaja. I like it. It means pure.”
She had always liked the way it sounded.
“Kaja, that is very ironic.” The First laughed. Kaja felt a sweetness center in her chest. It was the first time she had heard her name from another’s lips. The First stopped and smiled down at her. He touched his chest. “You are Kaja, and I am called Dante.”
“Dante,” she said, trying the word out on her tongue. Dante, the First.
“Come,” the First said. He held out his hand. Kaja let him pull her up. “Meg, do you have anything with you that will take the stink off her? I think there’s a pretty woman under here somewhere.”
The female handed the First a square. It was pink, and Kaja could smell a pleasant floral scent. She hoped they didn’t want her to eat it. It didn’t look like something good to eat. The First held his square and began pulling her toward the water. Perhaps she was supposed to take a drink. She leaned over and smelled the water. It seemed fine, though it was a bit warm.
“No, sweetheart,” the First said. “Get in. I want you to bathe yourself.”
Her eyes went wide, and she pulled her fingers out of his hand. He wanted her to immerse herself in water? She had seen two members of the pack fall through the ice into water once. They had struggled and fought and finally went under never to be seen again.
“No,” Kaja said, shaking her head.
She would not allow him drown her. She would not be put down. She had done nothing wrong. She planted her feet to stop from coming one step closer to that small pool.
“Yes,” the First sighed. “Look, this isn’t going to work if I can’t convince you to stay clean. Vampires are very fastidious creatures. Heightened senses and all. Let’s get you cleaned up, and then we can talk. I have plans, you see, and you, little darling, figure into them.”
She would never talk. She would drown. She pulled back and tried to change. She growled in frustration. Her limbs would not change. She was weak in this form. Why, oh why, could she not change? She tried to pull away from the First’s hold on her. She wanted so badly to run. She would run and never come back. She would find a place with a forest. She would live alone forever.
“Stop fighting me,” the First said, sounding very tired. He wrapped his hand around her arm and tried to haul her to the pool.
“Tell her, Dante.” That came from the dark-haired man with the sword.
The First refused to give up his hold on her. They were at an impasse. She struggled against him. “I just did that, Beck.”
“No, you didn’t. You were polite. That’s not what she needs. She didn’t respond to you until you forced her to submit, and then she followed you like a sweet girl. Dogs are like that. They fight and bite until you show them you’re their master.”
“She is not an animal.” The First sounded irritated.
“Neither is Meggie, but trust me, our lives got easier once I took control,” Beck offered.
The red-haired girl, Meg, they called her Meg, snorted. “As if.”
The one called Beck stood too close now. He stared at the First. “Tell her what to do, Dante. If she doesn’t do it, make her do it. She needs it. She’s scared. We have no idea where she came from or what she’s been through. She calmed down once she realized you were stronger than she was. It makes her feel safe. She needs dominance first and then kindness. Take control or I will.”
Kaja fought harder. She didn’t like the look of that one. He was larger than the First and probably cruel. What was this kindness he spoke of? The word did not translate. Why would the First let her close and then kill her? She felt tears form in her eyes. She hated them. Helga used to slap her every time she cried. It was weakness. She growled low in the back of her throat to cover them up.
“No.” The First growled right back. “You will do as I say. Don’t make me hurt you, sweetheart. I don’t want to do that, but I will if it means keeping you alive. If you get away, Beck will hunt you. Do you understand?”
His words were too fast, and she wasn’t really listening. The man, Beck, had his hand on his sword again. Meg was pulled behind the soft one. Kaja kicked out, trying to hit the First in the groin again. She was surrounded, and she couldn’t change, but she wouldn’t go down without a fight.
The First roared at her, and she was on the ground once more. She felt the hard dirt against her skin and his hand on her neck.
“You belong to me,” the First snarled at her, his breath hot against the back of her neck. “You will do as I say. If you don’t, we’re going to have a problem. I might not have played at BDSM, darling, but I assure you I can spank that little ass of yours if I have to.”
Kaja went limp. The tears began, and they wouldn’t stop this time. Perhaps it would have been better if they had left her to die after her father’s betrayal. She had been a baby. She wouldn’t have cared. She would have given in to the snow sleep and never woken up.
“Damn it,” the First muttered. He pulled her up. His arms wrapped around her. She was filled with his scent once more. She didn’t struggle. He was warm and smelled so good to her. She cried and let him settle her on his lap. “Why are you fighting me, sweetheart?”
“I do not wish to die,” she said quietly. She didn’t know why. Valhalla had to be better, but she worried she would be given to Hel.
The First’s face was wide open. “What? I’m not trying to kill you. I’m trying to get you clean.”
She stared up at him, sensing no lies. “Other pack members have drowned when they have fallen into the water.”
His hand caressed her cheek. “I promise, I won’t let you drown. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’ll get in the tub and wash the filth away. Rhys is already preparing water for a fresh tub. We’ll haul away the grimy water, and I’ll soak with you for a while. Would you like that?”
She didn’t see that she had much of a choice in the matter. He was the only thing she’d found to cling to in this odd world. If he betrayed her, at least it would all be over. But if he was not lying, perhaps she had found something good. When he got up, she followed.