Chapter 17 Ch 17

A biting wind blew through the rustling brown vines of the vineyard. There were hundreds of rows of dying leaves and fallen, forgotten grapes. Soon the chilly weather would be gone, though, and spring would be filling in. The glass of wine in my hands felt heavy, perhaps because my body was reserving its strength for healing.

Most of the open wounds—like the scab across my throat—were well on their way to healing. Earlier, however, I had taken inventory of myself. It felt appropriate after being kidnapped and held hostage without knowing the extent of what the fuck had happened to my body. Bruising seemed to be my biggest opponent for the moment. That was good; it could have been much worse. My wrists were still sensitive from the restraints and my neck felt tender to touch, probably from being slapped around. Aside from that, I physically felt pretty good. All things considered.

"Cabernet," whispered a throaty tenor.

I jumped and turned to see Basileus cut across the balcony where I'd been standing for several minutes. He leaned against the rail beside me on his two trunks of hind legs. The pose seemed unnaturally natural for his beastly body. His eyes roved the vineyards.

"This doesn't exactly taste like Cabernet," I remarked, sipping from my glass.

"It's French. Not American."

I sighed.

"These were once the finest vineyards in the region," he told me. "Time and poor management have been a disgrace."

There was something personal about the way he spoke. My deprived mind reached out at the connection, desperate for stimulus.

"You seem irate by that," I said. "Were these once yours?"

"They still are." His lip peeled back in a wolfish smile as he looked down at me. "Even if I was not the King of the Lycans or of the planet, they would belong to me. These lands have belonged to my family for millennia. Through aristocracy and tyranny. Famine and wealth. They have always produced and always been renowned."

"Why can't they be anymore?"

"The servants and their families who were left to maintain the estate fled after I started the war."

Lifting the glass to my lips, I sipped down another swig. "Hardly a war," I remarked coolly. "It was more like an ambush."

He wrapped an arm around my waist and dragged me into his side, squishing my front against his. The wine spilled out onto my shirt. My startled gasp was silenced under his unwavering gaze.

"I do not wish to talk like this anymore," he growled. "This is how we used to be. We are no longer unfamiliar—you know me. You know I had my reasons."

"I hardly know anything." My words came out as reluctant mumbles although I knew he could still hear.

His paw reached up to pull my head against his chest. My cheek sunk into his silky fur. He smelled clean like body soap.

"You know enough," he whispered. "I am a king, Flower. I earned the title once, twice, and I will always fight for it again. Power is in my blood." He suddenly released my head and dropped to a kneel. Our eyes met, sending a jolt of thrill down my spine. "Being a king isn't enough to make you mine. I see this now. You do not need a king."

My face blazed under the intensity in his voice. I had no idea what to say to him. Breathing shallowly, I placed my hands on his shoulders.

"Basileus, I . . . I don't know what to say. I don't know what you want me to say."

His eyelids closed and sealed away the vibrant blue glow behind them. It was a rare moment for the lycan to turn his back on the world. There was a slight tremble in the powerful, rippling body beneath my fingertips. When his eyes opened again, I lost the ability to breathe. His irises were a deep ocean blue, darker than their usual electric blue. I wanted to fall helplessly into them. Maybe I already was.

"You loathe my power," he told me. "I know this. It has taken everything from your old life. I am sorry, Anna. I can apologize for what I have done to you but I cannot ever wish to take it back. Because I am a king. I will always have to make difficult decisions and reinstate the power that my descendants handed over . . . it had to be done. Humans were killing the very earth that offered them life. They would kill off my species too." His shoulders slumped and he pressed his giant head into my stomach. "This is like Angelica. Lee will never forgive me for letting Angelica sacrifice herself, but it is necessary. I know you are upset about her as well. I want to assure you that I would not let her do this if there was any other—"

"Enough."

His head jerked back. We stared in silence at one another for a few seconds.

"You don't have to explain anything to me," I said firmly. My hands grabbed his sides under his arms and pulled him up, so he would stand. He did so and towered far over me. "You're right. We're beyond this. I have to get over the world that is gone and you have to get over the impulse to plead with me. And you're right that I don't need a king. But . . ."

Shit. It was going to sound so stupid I didn't know if I could get it out.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I choked the words out. "I want one. I want you. I want to stay with you."

He smiled in that strangled, beastly way of his. I let the confession wash over me. As much as I hated him at times, something had happened to me since we met. Or since he captured me. I was tangled up in his life and the lives of his companions, and they were now my life too. One day I would get back to my family. Until then, I would allow myself to sink into the embraces of those around me, who had proved to be as faithful as true blood.

A purr rolled out of his muzzle as he pushed his nose into my neck. The feel of his damp nose and warm breath on my sensitive skin nearly became my undoing. I heard the moan before I felt it. When I realized it came from me, I grew hot from head to toe. It felt like the half glass of wine I'd had was suddenly taking its toll.

He chuckled. His tongue reached out to stroke the two round scars he left. My body shuddered and I whimpered, clutching onto his massive shoulders.

"Anna," he spoke quietly.

"Yes?" My voice was tight, breathless. I could hardly think.

His hands ran down my sides, gripping my hips. For the first time in months, I felt my body ache. Not from fatigue. Not from physical exertion. It ached to be touched, to be invaded.

Basileus repeated my name louder and it sounded like a plead. "Anna." He skimmed his teeth along my neck and it sent waves of erotic pleasure straight to my pussy. "I want you, Anna."

"Then why don't you fucking take me."

There was absolute stillness. It didn't seem like he even breathed. And then his arms wrapped under my thighs and hauled me off my feet. I instinctively wrapped my ankles around his waist as he carried me back into the estate. My heart was racing. Holy shit. Albeit slowly, my mind was catching up.

I hadn't had sex in months and now I was about to get split open by Donkey Kong. Still, my body's arousal far outweighed my doubts. Just the feel of his warmth seeping through the crotch of my shorts made me wet. This was happening.

We made it into a bedroom and he roughly kicked the door shut. As he carried me to the bed, I leaned up to whisper in his ear.

"I'm soaking for you, my king."

Tossing me onto the bed, he roared. The possession and power sent a pulse through my blood. I stared up at him with wide eyes.

His lip peeled back with a low growl, his own eyes glowing luminously. "Clothes off. Now."

My mouth curved into a smile. He thought he was the dominant one? Oh, he was in for a surprise.