Page 11

Lanie/Lamia

M ac was actively checking his contacts to track Alainen down. They’d narrowed him to being in England, but the question was where?

Lanie had emailed Laura, stating she’d be working from home, which should protect the people who worked for her. Laura had been told to set up video conferencing for Lanie’s meetings.

The next issue was Ranson and Mac wanted Lanie out of the house and somewhere safe. Ranson wanted Lanie to go to Refuge, but because of the time difference, that wouldn’t work. They could go to the castle, but Mac and Ranson weren’t welcome. They were all on edge and twitchy.

“Something has to give,” Lanie said three days after her decision to stay at home.

“We’ve been searching for Alainen for years. We won’t find him overnight,” Mac replied.

“So, let’s set a trap with me as bait,” she suggested.

“Hell no!” Mac exclaimed, and Lanie flinched back a little.

“Something has to give, and nothing is happening,” Lanie argued.

“Things are, I get you’re fired up, but you can’t risk everyone’s safety because you’ve a bee in your bonnet,” Mac retorted.

“That’s what you think this is about?” Lanie demanded.

“I don’t know because you are not exactly explaining your thought process!”

“Wow!” Lanie snapped.

“Lanie. Everything is being investigated. Every little lead we have is being tracked. Simon Clare’s life is being turned upside down. Simon had to meet Alainen somewhere, if we can find that, then we could narrow Alainen’s position down. Right now, two hundred people from Refuge are working their asses off in real time. They’ve left Refuge.

“They are putting themselves in danger to locate Alainen. Do you understand the risk they are taking? They’re doing that because this is the closest we’ve ever got to one of the Five. Simon Clare has given Alainen a weak spot. Even if Alainen kills the little prick, he remains a link. Because Simon isn’t clever. He’s a kid out of uni who doesn’t know how to hide his past. And it’s doubtful that Alainen would have bothered to teach him. Simon is another throwaway human for him,” Mac said.

Lanie listened carefully and took in his words.

“But if I come out and show myself, we’d get him quicker,” she insisted.

“Yeah, and how many would die bringing Alainen to justice? Who would you sacrifice, Lanie? Me, Ranson? A man who just had a baby, a woman with a family depending on her? They face a war as it is. Whose life will you gamble to catch Alainen?”

“That’s harsh,” Lanie replied.

“That is the facts. Which lives are less valuable to you?”

“I get it!” Lanie exclaimed as she rose to her feet and paced back and forth.

“No, you don’t. Do you want to know how many families I’ve told that their loved one won’t come home? Thirty-seven death announcements I’ve had to make. I do not throw life away needlessly, nor do I take unsupported risks. If Anger gets free and there’s no Shifter close by, what then? There are repercussions to you being bait. And damn it, I care about you, in fact, I’m falling in love with you. So, yeah, I don’t want you in danger,” Mac spat.

Lanie’s jaw dropped open. Her mouth worked for a few seconds as she tried to get her words out. “You’re in love with me?”

“Near enough. You are everything I want and didn’t know it. Apart from right now, because you’re being an idiot,” Mac snapped.

“Well, thank you!” Lanie shouted.

“You’re welcome!” Mac snarled, grabbing her and hauling her close.

Mac pulled her head back and kissed her hard. Lanie gasped into his mouth as her body responded to his anger, and she was aroused for the first time in forever. Mac backed Lanie against a wall and lifted her up. Lanie instantly wrapped her legs around him as she kissed him with all the pent-up frustration she had.

For days now, being in close proximity had been driving her mad. And Mac’s little touches or sneaky kisses were making her just as crazy.

She wanted Mac, and something deep inside her called out to him. And Lanie was going to give in. She was going to fuck the brains out of Mac and enjoy it.

Lanie hissed as Mac broke off the kiss and sucked hard on her throat. That made her wetter. Lanie clung to his shoulders as Mac’s cock pressed into her core, and she mewed as she moved her hips against it. Mac kept Lanie pinned to the wall as he cupped her neck and kissed her again.

“I want you,” Lanie gasped when the kiss ended.

“I’m going to bury myself deep in you. You’ll never doubt you’re mine,” Mac promised, his eyes blazing at her. He ripped her blouse open and ducked his head to suck on her exposed flesh. Lanie cried out as his teeth dragged across one lace-covered nipple and then the other.

Making love to Alainen had been a gentle affair. Mac was fury, passion, desire, and a little pain, too. His hand snaked through her hair and yanked her head to the side as his teeth bit the vein in the side of her throat gently. He pulled it between his teeth and sucked. Lanie moaned softly as arousal swept over her.

Mac turned and carried her to the couch, where he laid her down. He tore the rest of the clothes from her and stripped naked.

Lanie’s mouth watered. Mac was tanned skin over rock-hard muscles. His cock was thick and heavy and certainly bigger than average.

“Will that fit in me?” Lanie gasped.

“Oh yeah, baby,” Mac said, stroking himself.

Lanie knocked his hand away and replaced it with her own. Mac allowed her to touch him as Lanie discovered the pre-cum on the tip of his dick and smeared it around.

Mac’s eyes were blazing, and he shoved her back and knelt. He spread her legs and exposed her pussy to him.

“Fuck, that’s the prettiest I’ve ever seen,” Mac declared and bent his head.

His teeth nibbled at her thighs, and his tongue trailed lazy circles on them. All the while, he inched closer to her core.

Lanie squirmed and tried pulling him to where her body throbbed for attention, but Mac refused to allow her to take control. His fingers shoved inside her with a suddenness that took her by surprise, and Lanie screamed as his tongue grazed her clit. Her hips thrust towards him, and Mac banded an arm underneath her, lifting her hips.

His mouth made love to her, driving her wild. Alainen had never done this, and Lanie had no idea how good this could feel. Her hand reached down and grabbed Mac’s cock, and she stroked him.

“I’m going to take you hard,” Mac growled out as he pulled away from her. Lanie mewed at the loss of contact.

Mac picked her up and placed her on her knees. “Hold on to the back of the sofa,” he ordered.

Lanie did as Mac shifted her hips. With a groan, Mac slammed into her, and Lanie cried out.

He smacked her ass hard and rubbed it before repeating his actions.

“Ah, God,” he moaned as he pulled out and thrust back inside.

Lanie screamed as Mac shoved deeper, and her walls tightened around him.

“You’re so tight.”

“Mac!” Lanie shrieked as her butt burned. Mac slapped her cheeks again and soothed it before gripping her hips tightly. He held her in place as he let his control slip and began pounding into her. Lanie’s breaths came in short pants as she gave herself over to Mac’s ministrations.

She sensed something building inside her and thought it was an orgasm. She’d rarely experienced one before. Therefore, it was a shock to them both when Lanie shifted.

Lamia screamed out in triumph and shoved against Mac’s cock, and then Lanie reappeared. Mac pulled out and twisted Lanie around. He knelt between her legs, acting on instinct, and pushed back in.

He set a pace that had them both sweating, and once again, Lamia appeared. She reared up and sunk her teeth into Mac, and he returned the favour.

Lamia faded, and Lanie cried her orgasm just as Mac climaxed, too. He pumped his seed into her as Lanie stared at him, shocked and sated. Lanie watched as he stiffened as the last of his cum left him and then sagged back onto his heels.

“Did we just mate?” Mac asked with a lazy grin, his cock still inside her.

Lanie nodded dumbly.

“I can feel something between us,” Mac said.

“The mating bond.”

“It feels strong,” Mac mused as he considered the strange sensation.

“Why are you not shocked!?” Lanie cried.

“Oh, I was a little when Lamia appeared, but I guessed what was happening,” Mac replied.

“And you carried on?” Lanie demanded.

Mac pulled out of Lanie and dragged her up onto her knees against his chest. “You belong to me. Mine, you hear me. I own you, you own me. I do not give a shit what happens, but you and I are one. Lanie, I’m falling in love with you, and I don’t care who knows it. I’ll bite you all over so people see my mark on you and realise you are mine!”

Mac spun Lanie around and bent her over the sofa. “I love this view of you,” he said as he pushed back inside her. Lanie groaned as he filled her again.

“Mac,” she moaned.

“If I have to fuck you into oblivion until you accept facts, I will do,” Mac promised and rammed into her hard.

Lanie screamed as her pussy clamped down on his dick.

“Feel what you do to me.”

Lanie felt Mac open to her, and she was lost in the wonder of his emotions and his cock. It didn’t take Mac long to make her orgasm again, and he followed soon after.

They both collapsed on the sofa, and Lanie blinked sleepily at him. Mac picked up his tee and cleaned between her legs.

“I love you,” Lanie whispered.

“I know, baby,” Mac replied and tucked her in against his body. Mac was smug to Lanie, and it amused her. He was all ‘beat his chest and crow to the world, alpha male’ at the moment.

Her eyes closed, and Lanie drifted off to sleep.

◆◆◆

Mac’s body jolted hers.

Lanie shot up as Mac gave a cry of pain and tossed on the mattress. They’d moved their love making to the bedroom, and Lanie had lost count of the orgasms he’d given her. She was beyond sated and was incredibly tired. Her body ached in places she didn’t know she had.

Mac cried out again, and Lanie looked over and saw him contorted in pain.

She leapt out of bed and shifted. Then Lamia scooped Mac up and slithered over to the portal.

“Mary Worth, Mary Worth, Mary Worth!” Lamia cried in panic.

The mirror shimmered, and Lamia rushed through.

“What is it?” Mary demanded as Mac arched his back in Lamia’s arms and screamed.

“Help me! We mated, but something’s wrong,” Lamia shrieked.

Mac hollered again.

“Your quarters, now! I’m calling Andie, Lily, and Maeve,” Mary ordered.

Lamia took off at speed even as Mac’s screams echoed around the castle. She burst into her quarters as Lilith appeared out of thin air.

“Lay him down,” Lilith demanded as Lamia rushed to the bed. She laid him on it and his back arched so much he rested on his heels and shoulders.

“Help him!” Lamia cried.

“Talk to me. I need to know what happened,” Lilith said as Maeve arrived. Maeve shifted into Baba Yaga and began examining Mac.

Lamia explained that they’d bitten each other and had sensed the mating bond.

“There is a bond. It is golden,” Pandora stated from the doorway as she entered.

“But?” Lamia demanded with a hiss.

“There is another one, and it’s strong, too. Mac and Lamia’s is a beautiful thing made of love, it moves freely between the two of them. The second is black and twisted, it is evil, and nothing flows from Lamia into it. But it goes to her. It’s hate, greed, jealousy, possession, and everything negative about a relationship,” Pandora continued to explain.

“What?” Lamia gasped.

“This bond was forced on you. You didn’t accept this freely, nor were you aware of it. It attached itself at it’s master’s bidding,” Pandora said.

“Alainen! But he was my soul mate. That’s why I was able to get pregnant,” Lamia exclaimed.

Pandora shook her head. “No. You might have been Alainen’s, but he wasn’t yours. The fact he convinced you he loved you must have strengthened his bond enough that he impregnated you. But looking at that ugliness, you were never his mate.”

Mac screamed, and Lamia looked panicked. “What is hurting Mac?”

“Alainen’s bond. It is attacking yours. Mac’s body is trying to shift, but Alainen’s bond is stopping him. It wants to destroy your bond with Mac because then it’s in control again. As it is, your mating with Mac is a threat to it. Because a soul can only have one, and if Mac’s takes root, it shall wither and die,” Pandora explained.

“How do you know this?” Lilith demanded.

“Because I can see it. Lilith, look closer at the metaphysical plane,” Pandora suggested.

Lilith’s eyes narrowed, and she turned to Mac and looked for what Pandora had claimed.

“Oh, hell! I see it, and the two bonds are attacking each other,” Lilith exclaimed.

“What does that mean?” Lamia cried.

“One will win, and the other lose. Who the winner is depends on how strong Mac is. If he loses, I believe he will die. Should Alainen lose, I think he’ll be severely diminished if he doesn’t pass,” Pandora answered.

“Why does Mac die but not Alainen?” Lamia hissed beside herself with worry.

“Because for now, without shifting, Mac remains human,” Baba Yaga added, pouring blue healing energy into Mac.

“How interesting, the black bond shied from the healing power,” Lilith announced.

“And look, the real bond glowed a little brighter. Lamia, we can’t bring Mac out of this, nor can we force the shift. But we could heal Mac, and as long as he fights, there’s a chance he’ll succeed,” Baba Yaga elaborated.

“Do what you need to. I can’t lose Mac,” Lamia said and curled up on her bed with him. She gently wrapped Mac in her coils and drew him closer. As if he sensed her, Mac settled a little, but his body dripped with sweat.

Minutes turned into hours, and each ticked by so slowly Lamia wondered if they’d been transported to Refuge. Lamia poured her love and devotion into the bond to strengthen it and aid Mac.

The fight inside Mac raged back and forth, with the three women healing him when he was at his weakest, and Mac held on. Her siblings came and went, all offering words of support. Jase sat in the corner, not leaving her, even though he couldn’t help. Lamia had told him to return to his family, but Jase had replied she needed him more than them.

The battle hit the twelve-hour mark when there was a commotion, and a winged figure entered the room.

“Move aside,” Tisiphone ordered. Baba Yaga and Lilith stared at their sister.

They’d not seen her for centuries, and Jase bolted up straight. Pandora merely nodded and obeyed Tisiphone’s order.

“Welcome, sister,” Pandora responded and left.

“Be well, little sister,” Tisiphone replied and glanced at Lilith and Baba Yaga. “I said move out of the way.”

They both moved as Tisiphone sat on the bed. “Oh, Mac,” she said with a heartfelt sigh.

“Can you help him?” Lamia asked with hope.

“Yes. But you should have called for me earlier. Mac is weak and needs an infusion of strength,” Tisiphone explained with a pissed-off tone.

“How could I call you?” Lamia flared up. “You don’t mind speak!”

“But Ranson could have called me!” Tisiphone retorted.

Lamia opened her mouth to argue and snapped it shut. Tisiphone was right. Ranson could’ve contacted those in Refuge.

“I’m going to open a portal. Stay away from it. Should you touch it, it will cause a great deal of pain,” Tisiphone said. Her eyes unfocused and refocused and a portal burst into being. “I need Chimera.” Chimera came through the portal as a human male. He headed for the bed as the portal shut, and he lay next to Mac.

“Not the first time we’ve done this, boy,” Chimera chided, placing a hand on Mac’s head and heart. He closed his eyes and went still.

“Hear me, Joe McIntyre, I am your lord and commander. You shall obey me. Mac, you will accept the gift of strength given to you and shift into Lamia. Fight the corruption attached to your soul mate and use our strength to win the day,” Tisiphone murmured.

Lamia watched as Tisiphone’s own eyes closed. A soft glow arose around Mac as Lilith, Baba Yaga, and Jase watched. Lamia noted figures crowding her doorway but paid them little heed. Once again, minutes ticked by, which slowly turned into hours. But Lamia realised how Mac lay quieter, more serene, and knew that Chimera and Tisiphone were helping him.

“How long has it been?” Lamia asked tiredly.

“A full twenty-four hours now,” he replied. “Twelve since they arrived.”

“And still they fight,” she muttered, worried.

“Lamia, that forced bond has been attached to you for thousands of years. Mac’s has existed only a few hours. Alainen’s slave bond has buried itself deep inside you. But Mac has the righteous on his side,” Lilith said from where she sat.

There was a noise from Chimera, and Lamia looked up. Her bed broke as he shifted and rolled off the mattress. Settling himself on the floor, Chimera placed one paw on Mac’s head and the other on his chest. Chimera’s eyes shut as he once again gave Mac his strength.

“That’s not a good sign, is it?” Lamia whispered.

“No, honey, it’s not,” Lilith answered.

Lamia ducked her head and closed her eyes. Joining those fighting to save her mate, Lamia poured her own strength and love into Mac. She’d kill herself to save him, and that was final.

Vladimir/Vampire

“How are they?” he murmured to Manfred, who watched with worried eyes.

“There is no change. They all remain in battle,” Manfred replied.

“Mary says Mummy needs to feed,” Vladimir said.

“Yes. Elder Abuse is rising and is hungry. I shall leave these in your hands, brother,” Manfred agreed and walked off.

Vladimir exchanged glances with Jase. “Have you slept?”

“I’ve dozed. Lamia needs me,” he responded.

“Jase, go spend some time with Willow and the triplets. I will keep watch for a few hours. Should something change, I’ll call,” Vladimir said.

Jase sent him a grateful look and rose to his feet. “Thank you.”

It was a testament to how tired Jase was when he left the room without an argument.

Vladimir settled in. He’d not leave until Lamia opened her eyes. Lamia had suffered enough, and Vladimir experienced rage at the thought of what Alainen had done to her. The man was a true narcissist.

Alainen had a lot to answer for. His punishment would come, and Alainen would pay for every harm he had caused. Vladimir would ensure that. Irideesa had been an innocent, and there was no doubt in Vladimir’s mind that Alainen had seduced and abused Irideesa.

As his former self of Mir’ald, Vladimir had become aware of the rumours around Alainen and Irideesa. He’d been planning to speak to her after their shift, but events had overtaken them.

After that, it didn’t seem worth bothering about. They had more important things to consider, such as survival. But a reckoning was coming, and it had that backstabbing bastard’s name on it.