Page 29 of Act of Passion

Seeing her bent before him was exactly what the lion and the man wanted. He wasted no time driving home, feeling complete once she was wrapped around his cock oncemore.

He gritted his teeth, sure he’d explode if he dared to move. She had that effect on him. When he felt as if he could move, he did, easing in and out of her slowly at first before increasing his pace. He focused on her upper back, just beneath her shoulder. He felt his teeth beginning to lengthen, but he didn’t stop fucking Brooke. He couldn’t. She felt too good. The moment felt tooright.

Her tiny intakes of breath as he pounded into her only served to drive him onward in a frenzy. Brooke clutched the sheets, her body spasming around his. He thrust in, going balls deep, bending over her as he did. She cried out, coming hard, and for a split second he could have sworn he felt Fae power around them. As quickly as it had arrived, itvanished.

“Mine,” Malik groundout.

He opened his mouth and bit the tender flesh near her shoulder. Seed burst free from him as nothing short of what could be described as nirvana washed over him, making his lion roar with victory as his cock twitched more, pulsing more seed intoher.

The taste of her coppery blood eased over his tongue, and reason began to set in. He opened his mouth and stared at the bite mark on her flesh. Blood oozed from it and the lion in him pushed up faster, forcing him to lick the wound. He did, and the healing agents in his saliva went to work closing the bite markover.

Malik’s mind swam with worry as he realized he’d not only bitten her during sex. He’d done it while coming in her. As his lion continued to try to fully take over, he knew he wasn’t safe to bearound.

He’d hurt her if she remained close to him. He couldn’t have that. He couldn’t let his beast hurt the woman who stole hisheart.

Malik hurried off the bed, horrified at what he’d done. He’d bitten her during the height of passion. He’d claimed her. Thankfully, she was human, which meant the claim wouldn’t stand. It was a by-product of the suppressiondrugs.

His arms heated and he felt fur starting to spring forth. He was losing control and about to shift formsfully.

Brooke wrapped the sheet around herself and slid off the bed. “Malik? What’s wrong? You look pale. Are youokay?”

“I can’t,” he managed, his teeth lengthening. “Getout.”

“You’re kicking me out? You just got done trying to convince me to move in with you and consider marrying you. Now you’re throwing me out of your hotel room?” Her expression fell. “You regret this, don’tyou?”

“Yes,” he said, meaning that he regretted losing control. He did not regret being with her. Being with her had been the best night of his life—right up until he fucking lost his damn mind and bit her while releasing his seed inher.

Hurt flashed in her eyes. “Oh, okay. Wow. You weren’t kidding about being gone by morning. Guess I should feel flattered you bothered to feed me the lines about wanting more. You know what, youareanasshole.”

“No,” he said, trying to get across that he hadn’t fed her a line. He didn’t want to be away from her. He didn’t have a choice. If his lion broke free with her there, it could kill her. “Go!”

Malik wanted to explain in detail that it wasn’t her, it was a drug meant to help give his kind more control—and failing—but he couldn’t even speak with his mouth shifting forms, let alone explain that things that went bump in the night were real and he was one ofthem.

Brooke found her dress and yanked it on, leaving her ripped panties on the floor. She grabbed her boots and her bag, refusing to meet his gaze as tears streaked her cheeks. “Malik…”

He held on by a thread, unable to respond toher.

“I’m sorry that I started to believe there was more to this than just sex. I’m sorry that I already started to let my guard down with you. Mostly, I’m sorry I ever met you. I’ll go. Do me a favor and lose my number. I don’t want to ever see or speak to youagain.”

That wasn’t what he wanted in the least. Telling her wasn’t even an option. His lion was too fargone.

She ran for the door and he fell to his knees, trying to stop a full shift from coming. As Brooke shut the door behind her, his body contorted and he lost the battle against hisbeast.

The last clear thought he had before fully becoming an animal was that he’d just ruined the most perfect thing that had ever happened tohim.

Chapter Nine

Striker McCracken strolleddown the hall of the hotel, whistling a song that was an ode to the lycan legend William Wallace. So far Egypt had been a great mission. He’d wanted to get laid last night, but he’d ended up closing the bar with Edee and Boomer. He had to admit he’d had fun, even without havingsex.

That wasrare.

He was partway down the hall, nearing his room when he saw Brooke running out of Malik’s room. She slammed the door behind her and twisted, tears running down herface.

Unsure what was going on, Striker put his arms out and caught Brooke just as she tripped. “Careful,lass.”

She sobbed and righted herself, pushing out of hishold.

His wolf stirred, scenting Malik all over her, in more than just a sexual way. It was almost as if Malik had marked her. But that was ridiculous. The Egyptian would never claim a human. None of the men he knew would. Hell, he didn’t even think they could claim one. From his limited understanding of mating, it was instinctual and only happened with one’s chosen mate. Not randomly. And only with anothersupernatural.

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