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The dark irises of her eyes glowed with uncertainty, but she followed his order and untied her gown. The thin material slid from her shoulders until it hung from the tips of her full breasts. She shifted, and the dressing fell.

  He caught a quick glimpse of her breasts before she turned her back to him and bent to retrieve her clothes.

  A groan of pleasure slipped from his lips. The round curve of her hips thrust in the air, begging him to enter her wet sex from behind. He stepped forward but missed capturing her as she stood and carried her things to put them on the table beside his. Her shoes, she arranged next to his boots.

  Finished with the chore, she paced back to the bed. “Why don’t I turn down the blankets?”

  She didn’t glance in his direction. Her plan to hide under the covers as soon as possible would fail, but it maneuvered her into the right position and exactly where he wanted her.

  Chapter Eight

  Faye Lynn reached for the blanket. Hayvn caught her waist and pinned her against the bed. “At the moment, rest isn’t what my body hungers for.”

  The deep rumble of his voice so close to her ear sent sparks of awareness over her skin. She tried to turn, but he held her still.

  Instead, she sent him a teasing wink over her shoulder. “What did you have in mind?”

  A dumb question really because she knew from the time they’d entered the room he planned to make love. The rich scent of his lust filled the room with a dark woodsy perfume. His fingers played over her breasts. She swallowed to keep from panting out her own desires.

  “I thought I’d show you a position we can use when we’re in one of our other forms.” He leaned forward, forcing her onto the bed. His thick erection worked its way between her legs. Off balance, she fell onto the bed but caught herself with her hands. Her legs shot out behind her and hit the outside of his thighs.

  “Hayvn.” She attempted to roll over, but the weight of his large hands on her back pinned her down. She scrambled to gain purchase, and her knees caught the edge of the bed.

  “Easy, Faye Lynn.” His hands shifted to her hips. “You’re in perfect position to...”

  The hard head of his cock slammed against the opening of her vagina, teasing her with the pleasure to come. With him behind her, she couldn’t grab onto him for support. “This won’t work. I can’t touch you.”

  “No, that’s part of the fun. I can lavish your pussy with my tongue. Taste your sweet juices and prepare you for my cock.” His hand slipped over her thigh and nudged aside the sensitive lips of her sex. “And you can’t move.” A large finger found her center and toyed with her clit.

  She rocked her hips. “I can never stay still when you touch me.”

  He bent lower and glided a moist tongue over the line of her back. Shivers broke out on her skin. The sharp edge of his teeth nipped at the ridge of her shoulders. Her hands gripped the blankets, knotting the fabric in her fists. His teasing touch excited her senses.

  She lowered her head and moaned. “This isn’t fair. I can’t feel your skin under my hands.”

  “Yes, but your mind is concentrating instead on each point where I’m stroking you.” He whispered between love bites on her neck. “Your body is growing hot with desire.”

  He shifted, and the tip of his penis bumped in and out of her vagina. “You’re thinking about my cock and how deep you yearn for it to be inside you.”

  His penis nudged her clit and took a short tour of her vagina.

  Hard.

  Thick.

  She rocked her hips backward to rub against the long length of his erection.

  “See your pussy is already begging for my cock to stroke your heat.” He shifted in and out on a sweeping caress. His finger nudged and toyed with her G-spot. “An urgent hunger is growing in your loins. You don’t care anymore that you can’t touch me. All you want is for me to fuck you until you explode.” He thrust forward, buried to the hilt. “Say it, Faye Lynn. Say you want me, only me and no one else.”

  “Yes,” she screamed and slammed her hips back against him to force his rod a precious bit deeper.

  “Good.” He rose and captured her hips. His first stroke sent her to her elbows, but his pace didn’t slow. Faster. Stronger. He drove his cock deeper.

  The pressure mounted. She bit her lips and tightened her inner muscles. Her mind locked onto the pounding friction between her legs. Only a breath away, she silently begged for relief, the moment of complete bliss.

  A screamed erupted. Her climax pumped hot pleasure to every nerve ending. A deep groan followed her outburst, and he fell forward. The weight of his body forced her into the mattress, knocking the wind from her lungs.

  Hayvn rose to his elbows.

  Air reentered her chest.

  His labored breathing sounded against her ear. “You are,” he inhaled some air, “incredible. I can’t wait to make love to you in one of our other forms.”

  His words reminded Faye Lynn of who she was and how different she was from the other women Hayvn made love to. Shadow mentioned another woman. He said her name. May? Mery? If Havyn loved her, where did she go?

  A knock sounded on the door before Faye Lynn could ask him about the other woman.

  “Who is it?” Hayvn rolled over onto the bed.

  “Shadow,” a voice said through the door. “Jacko will talk to you, but you must come down the hall to room two-o-seven.”

  Havyn stood and walked to his clothes. He pulled on his pants and caught Faye Lynn struggling to sit up. The tired droop of her shoulders indicated her exhaustion.

  “Should I go with you?” She forced her feet over the side of the bed.

  “No, you’re tired. Why don’t you stay here and rest? Tomorrow, we’ll travel most of the day.”

  Her gaze followed him around the room. Uncertainty glowed in her sleepy eyes.

  After dressing, he secured the fire then stepped back to the bed. “I shouldn’t be very long. I’ll lock the door when I leave so no one will bother you.”

  He lifted her legs and laid her along the length of the bed. The blanket, he brushed over the soft peaks of her breasts. “Try and get some rest. I’ll wake you when I return.” Havyn forced himself to step back.

  His protective instinct told him to join her in bed and hold her secure in his arms for the rest of the night. But his loyalty to his country demanded he find a way to return her to Ardenia.

  ****

  Havyn plastered a smile into place then knocked on the thick wooden door. The bastard son of a shape-shifter and a witch, Jacko could be a dangerous enemy. Havyn managed to stay on the good side of the man during the war. If the meeting started off on the right foot, then Havyn might be able to buy the information he needed.

  A loud squeak sounded, and the door slowly slid open. Shadow stood, blocking the entrance. “Are you packing a weapon? Neither Jacko or I want any trouble from you.”

  Irritated by Shadow’s arrogance, Havyn shoved on the door to gain entrance. The room held only a few pieces of furniture. A lantern, the only light in the shabby room, glowed from a table in the far corner. “That wouldn’t be a smart decision on my part to come here armed, not when I’m going up against two of you in your territory.”

  A laugh sounded from behind the door. Havyn couldn’t see anyone until he forced the door open wider and stepped past Shadow.

  Jacko sat at a table near the window. The man hadn’t changed in the three years since Havyn had seen him. A slight figure of a man, his soft green eyes and wavy blond hair didn’t excite fear in most men. But those men died because they underestimated the true viciousness in Jacko’s character.

  “You haven’t changed Havyn. You’re still too smart for your own good.” Jacko indicated a place for Havyn to sit. “And I hear you’ve hooked up with another woman. I would’ve thought after Meriel, you would’ve learned your lesson when it came to females.”

  Havyn’s chest tightened with anger. Grabbing a chair, he jerked the seat around then straddled it. “Faye Lynn is nothing
like Meriel. She’s an innocent girl who doesn’t know where she belongs.”

  “And you, as usual, want to be her hero. Don’t you remember that’s how you got into trouble before?” Jacko grinned, obviously taking undo pleasure in the heartache Havyn had experienced at Meriel’s hands.

  Havyn forced his shoulders to relax. “Young and naïve to the ways of the world outside of Ardenia, I believed her father’s lies. He used her to gain support wherever he could, but he paid the price with her death.”

  “Yes, but you paid a higher price by being forever banned from our homeland.”

  Havyn shrugged. “You might say that’s why I’m here to see you. I plan on returning to Ardenia, and I—”

  “Are you crazy? They’ll kill you without remorse.”

  “Maybe, but this time I can provide something they want.”

  “I can’t imagine anything you could possess that would grant you enough power for them to free you again. They almost lynched you after your trial. Most the people of Ardenia believed the queen was too lenient.” Jacko shook his head. “Rodman fought to have you locked in iron shackle and imprisoned for life. He’ll be out for blood and demand the queen behead you.”

  “Possibly, but I’m still going.” Havyn squeezed the spindles of the chair.

  Jacko’s green gaze narrowed. “The woman with you is behind this, right?

  “It’s really not any of your concern. I’m here to find out the location of the portal to Ardenia, and I’m willing to pay you well for the information.” Havyn worked his hand under his jacket, searching for the gold he’d brought along.

  Leaning forward, Jacko placed his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands. He studied Havyn for a few moments before commenting. “What witchery does this girl have over you that you’d be willing to take such a risk?”

  “And why should it matter to you one way or the other?” Havyn hoped to divert Jacko’s attention back to the deal at hand. “You know where the portal is located, don’t you?”

  Jacko nodded.

  “Then this is free money as far as you are concerned.”

  A smile spread across Jacko’s face. The sly smirk twisted a hole through Havyn’s gut.

  “No, my friend, I can smell the potential to make a lot more money.”

  “With a lot more risk,” Havyn hissed.

  “Yes, but my helpers can handle the dirty work.” Jacko brushed his hands together as if the task wouldn’t soil his hands.

  Havyn glanced over his shoulder, scouring the room for Shadow. Not a glimpse of the man anywhere. “But we both know that would be bad for business. You have no intention of tangling with the queen of Ardenia, not with your illegitimate lineage.”

  “True.” Jacko straightened. “But if it’s what I suspect, returning a princess to her mother could ease some of the tension that has formed between us.”

  “Maybe, but you’ll have to kill me to get her.” Havyn pushed to his feet. “And that won’t be an easy task.”

  “Who says I don’t already have her?”

  Chapter Nine

  The lock clicking into place didn’t sooth Faye Lynn’s fear of being in their room without Havyn. Rooms in slum bars opened for more than one key. She’d been woken before by strangers entering her room in the dark of night.

  The man they met in the bar earlier worried her, too. Shadow hadn’t liked her revealing his presence to Havyn. Would he retaliate? Or did the twinkle in his eyes mean he planned to force her to pay in another way?

  Either way, she didn’t want to find out.

  With a swing of her arm, she threw off the blankets and sat on the edge of the mattress. If the man entered the room, it would be best not to be lying in the bed. She should hide.

  Searching the room, she found no place that offered the type of protection she needed. Under the bed would be the first place he’d check.

  But with no other choice, Faye Lynn grabbed a few blankets off the bed and shoved the fabric as far as she could under it. He could easily find her in her human form. But in another shape, she might avoid him noticing her at all.

  Closing her eyes, she pictured her small wolf shape. Her muscles twitched, and her sense of smell grew sharper. If someone entered the room, she’d know.

  Her body shrank. The cold tile on the floor chilled her bare paws. She studied the room. Each feature stood out through her keen night vision.

  The vibration of the floor alerted her to someone’s footsteps lurking in the corridor outside the room. She scurried under the bed and buried herself in the thick folds of the blankets. The heavy scent of hers and Havyn’s earlier lovemaking filled her nose. She ached to snuggle against Havyn’s large frame and strong muscles, which would keep her safe.

  She burrowed deeper under the bed and curled into a ball.

  Only a moment later, the lock on the door clicked open. Uncovering her head, she shifted to catch a glimpse of the door. Slowly it opened. A dark figure shuffled across the room, his soft footsteps tapping lightly on the floor.

  Her wolf sight tracked the predator’s progress to the bed. The strong odor of ale hit her senses. His pungent scent drove home the point. Havyn hadn’t returned. She wondered who it could be, Shadow or someone else. Without seeing his face, she couldn’t be certain.

  Her heart raced with renewed fear.

  Who stood in her room, and what did he want?

  The man spoke. The soft bass tone sounded reassuring, but not being familiar with the sound of human words in her wolf form, Faye Lynn couldn’t decipher his words.

  Unwilling to believe him, she edged closer to the head of the bed and waited.

  The man’s boots didn’t budge. The slight rustling of blankets sounded over the loud thumping of her heart.

  A ray of light beamed around the bed. He spoke again. This time his voice held a rough demanding quality.

  She shivered.

  Bam!

  Faye Lynn jumped. The door hit the wall. A thunder of noise erupted in the room. A large shadow fell across the floor. Havyn’s scent hit her senses. His angry voice echoed through her head.

  ****

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing in my room?” Havyn grabbed Shadow by the arm. Guilty of not being able to protect Faye Lynn from the scoundrel, Havyn landed a punch to Shadow’s solar plexus. “Where is Faye Lynn?”

  “I...” Shadow gasped for breath. “I only pursued her so I could give her to Jacko.”

  “I warned you, Shadow. If you so much as laid a hand on her, I’ll kill you.” Havyn tightened his grip and jerked the man upright.

  “I didn’t touch the sweet nymph.” Shadow threw a fist at Havyn’s chest.

  Relief hit Havyn as he dodged the attack and wrestled Shadow’s arm behind his back. If the son of a bitch didn’t have her...”Then where—”

  “My guess is she’s under the bed.” Jacko walked over the threshold and into the room. “She probably heard you coming Shadow, or didn’t trust the security in this fine establishment.”

  Shadow twisted in Havyn’s grasp. “She’s gone. I looked under the bed, but there’s only a couple of blanket stuffed under there.”

  Havyn released the man and shoved him toward the door. He stumbled and drew to a stopped in front of Jacko.

  “She skipped out on him, boss.” Shadow shrugged his shoulders and straightened his dark wrap. “Should I check around town to see if I can pick up her trail?”

  Jacko shook his head and cocked an eye at Havyn. “No, we’ve lost our best opportunity to secure her. I’ll arrange a different deal with Havyn.”

  Shadow nodded, gave Havyn an evil glare, and strolled out of the room.

  The door slammed closed. The rich scent of Faye Lynn’s transformation punched Havyn in the gut. An urgent hunger gathered in his loins. He caught a glimpse of a small hand coming out from under the bed.

  “Faye Lynn.” He grabbed her arm to help her up.

  He examined her naked body, checking for injury. Her soft skin
unblemished, she rose to her feet. Her full breasts bobbled invitingly next to his hand. Wild hair flew around her face. Havyn shoved several strands back to search her face.

  She blushed.

  “Are you all right?” He ran a hand down her neck and swished her hair over her shoulder. Tears gathered in her eyes, and he drew her forward. Her arms circled his waist.

  “I’m fine.” She mumbled against the wall of his chest.

  “I can see why the woman has captured your attention, Havyn. She looks a little like Meriel.”

  Jacko’s word reminded Havyn of the man’s presence. Havyn peered at him and read the hunger in his eyes.

  “Same build. Petite, yet her hips and bosom can support many offspring.” Jacko’s gaze sweep over Faye Lynn’s backside, and he took a deep breath. “And she smells like a male shape-shifter’s wet dream.”

  Havyn swept a possessive hand over her butt and tugged her closer. The soft cavern between her legs caressed his rock-hard erection.

  He ignored Jacko’s comment and returned to his earlier business with the man. “And now that you weren’t able to steal her from me, are you willing to tell me where the portal to Ardenia is?”

  Faye Lynn shifted in his arms, trying to grab a sheet off the bed. Her unimportant yearning to cover herself didn’t warrant a valid reason for releasing her. Havyn tightened his grip.

  Also of shape-shifter blood, Jacko wouldn’t mind her nudity.

  “You left me no choice. If I’d known before we met we were dealing with a woman shape-shifter, I would’ve warned Shadow to look for any type of creature when he entered the room.”

  Jacko stepped forward. “Since I won’t have the pleasure of her company in the future, at least introduce us, Havyn. After all, she might have liked me better than you. But now all I can ask is for her to put in an encouraging word for me to the queen.”

  Faye Lynn tightened her arms around his waist.

  Havyn guided his hands over her back and gripped her shoulders. He couldn’t let her continue to hide behind her human fears. With her beautiful body, she should be proud to show it off.