Bound in Sin (Bound #3)(4)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Maybe if she’d stop clawing his heart out…

But then, she was doing that just by breathing. Just by being there. Close enough to take…

So take her. The growl was from his beast, one that was never far from the surface these days.

“You want me to protect you.” He held the beast back, barely, because they had a deal to strike. He knew how these bargains worked in the supernatural world. So much could be bartered and exchanged. Flesh. Blood. Sex. Souls.

Sure, humans might be shocked by a deal like this–but then, humans would be shocked to see a man turn into a wolf.

Deal with it.

“You came to me, to my pack,” he said slowly, determined not to let his rage escape, not yet, “because you want us to keep you safe.” And he would. He–

“No.” She shook her head.

Drake frowned. If not for protection, then–

“I want you to kill the bastard after me.” Her fangs seemed to lengthen. “I want you to rip his head off, and I want you to make damn sure that he never rises again.”

Never rises again.

“You’ve got a vampire you want me to fight.” He’d grown used to battling them. In this part of Alaska, where the cold could creep straight to the bone, where darkness could reign for days and days…this part was home to all manner of supernatural beasts.

The ones at the top of the food chain? The wolves…and the vamps who kept trying to fight them for supremacy. A supremacy they weren’t ever getting.

“I’ve got a vampire I want you to behead.” Her breath rushed out. “A vampire named Gabe is the one who made me, he’s–”

Drake’s claws burst from his fingertips and sliced into the bedding. “He’s f**king already dead.” As far as Drake was concerned, the vamp–Gabe–had died the instant he put his fangs in Paige.

Her gaze held his, and he saw the worry there. “Gabe is a pureblood. He’s strong, he’s–”

“No match for an alpha.” Didn’t she get it? He wasn’t the boy she’d left behind. He was a warrior. A monster. A walking nightmare.

Since she’d left him, he’d seen more blood and hell than she could possibly imagine. No, he’d always known the blood and hell…Paige had been the only thing that had been good in his life.

Sweet. Pure.

Then she’d left him, and he’d gone back to the darkness.

She won’t leave again.

He stared up at her. He could move her easily enough, but he didn’t want to do so. He wanted to keep her just where she was, only he’d like to remove a few of her clothes. Or all of them.

But business came first. “What will you do for me?” Drake demanded.

She blinked. Vampires weren’t supposed to look so innocent. “I…um…”

He smiled and knew that his own sharpened teeth would flash. “Death doesn’t come for free. In the supernatural world, there’s always a price.”

He heard the slight hitch of her breath. “And what do you want?”

You.

But he wanted to play the game longer and see just what she’d offer him. “What have you got?”

Her gaze fell to his chest, but while she wasn’t looking at him, her slender shoulders straightened in a move he remembered. Pride. “I have some money. Not much, but a few thousand that I can pay–”

Drake laughed at that. A hard, deep laugh that sent her bouncing on him. Really? A few thousand to take out a vamp? She didn’t quite understand the paranormal market value. Most assassins wouldn’t touch a vamp for less than fifty grand.

Unless those assassins were werewolves.

Sometimes we do those hits for free. Depending on the vamp…and the blood and death that the bastard had left in his wake.

But she didn’t need to know about the free hits. That knowledge wouldn’t work in his favor.

“I can–I can fight with you. Help your pack.” Her gaze rose to meet his and a light flush still covered her cheeks. Her voice had hardened, probably because she was pissed by his laughter. “Having a vampire on your side wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

The laughter faded away and Drake knew his gaze hardened as he said, “I don’t want your strength.” She’d always had strength, even as a human. A solid core that had drawn him to her. Paige’s parents had both been killed when she was just thirteen. They’d only been in Alaska for a little over a year before their accident. Her parents had promised her that they’d all get a fresh start in America’s last frontier.

They’d only gotten death.

After their funeral, he knew that she’d bounced around the foster care system and never found a real home. But all that pain, it had never weakened her.

Wolves were attracted to strength.

“Then what do you want?”

Did she realize that her nails were digging into his shoulders? The wolf inside growled.

He liked that.

Time to take what he wanted. Drake stared up at her and said, “I want to f**k you.” Endlessly. Again and again until the ache for her, that damn gnawing ache that had kept his body tense and hungry for her–for years–finally vanished.

She stared down at him. Swallowed.

And nodded.

Chapter Three

So, what? Did the wolf think that she was gonna pull some kind of shocked, Oh, no, you can’t have sex with me! routine on him? When she’d been dreaming about him for so long?

Guess again, wolf. If he beheaded that sick freak Gabe and gave her the passion that she’d been yearning for, well that was just win-win in her book.

But she didn’t want to look too eager. A girl had her pride, after all, and she’d already had to come dragging into his compound looking for some werewolf strength.

Paige swallowed back that eagerness and slowly said, “Well, I guess once we can–”

“Not once, sweet, not even close.”

Sweet. He’d called her that, so long before. Only then the word had drifted with affection, and not held the tight, tense edge that honed the endearment now.

“H-how many times?” So she could plan. Savor.

His eyes burned up at her. His c**k was also shoving right at the junction of her legs. It was all she could do not to rub against him. If she told him that there’d never been anyone since him, Drake wouldn’t believe her.

Even if the words were the truth.

Her body was starving. She was already wet for him. Just the touch of his hands had sent a shiver sliding over her. She wanted more. Just how much more would she get?