Page 31 of Snowbound with the Alpha Wolf
His mouth grazed her throat, his warm breath feathering over her skin. He smelled so good, like crisp snow and spices. Darcywound her arms around him, touching the strong muscles of his back, then sliding up to touch the edges of his dark, thickhair.
He kissed the corner of her mouth, a sweet, tender gesture. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to do this. It will only hurt for amoment.”
Darcy had a bad feeling about this. Lupines claimed their mates through a sensual bite known as the mating mark. “Adrian,maybe there’s anotherway…”
Fangs glistened in his mouth. He bent his head, nuzzled herneck.
“Now,” he breathed against herskin.
Sharp teeth sank into her neck. Pain surged, along with an erotic throbbing in her loins. She cried out with shock more than pain. The pleasure sang through her veins, and her female parts pulsed with pure need. The alpha licked the wound, histongue dragging slowly over the bite. Stinging pain faded, replaced by growing arousal. Arousal sharpened, wetness gushing between herlegs.
Staggering back until her bottom made contact with the ore cart, she squeezed her trembling thighstogether.
“Oh my god, I need; I need.” Darcy scrubbed her hands against her jeans and found herself rubbing her butt against the orecart.
Damn, what wasthat?
Adrian gave a faint smile. “I wish we had time to do what I know you need right now, sweetheart. But not here.” His smile faded. “This place is too full of sorrow anddarkness.”
Realization slowly dawned. “You gave me your matingmark.”
The mark all male Lupines gave their mates, to lessen their sexual appeal to other males and tell the world she wasclaimed by him and himalone.
His expression shuttered. “It is the only way you can have access to the mine. The magick inside will recognize you asmine.”
“Bastard,” she breathed, rubbing the mark, her breasts heavy and the urge for sex almost violent. “You did it to force my hand and get me to become yourmate.”
Adrian cupped her jaw, staring down at her. “I never force,sweetheart. Never. Certainly not you. A male Lupine can only give a mating mark to a willing female. If she is unwilling, his fangs will not pierce her skin.” He released her. “And the mating is not complete until the formal ceremony and the couple has had sexagain.”
Confused, she shook her head, as if to clear away the heavy arousal pulsing through her. Maybe she wanted him sexually,and she had hungered for him. Last night had been the best sex of herlife.
Settling down with Adrian, raising a family with him, caring for his pack—it was scary because she’d dreamed of such a life for a long time. And her dreams had a habit of vanishing, replaced with weary cynicalreality.
But now wasn’t the time to question. They had a task ahead of them, and she needed allher focus to summon the magick required toshift.
“We’ll talk later, dickwad,” she muttered. “Let’sgo.”
His mouth quirked at her profanity, but he sobered as he pointed the flashlight into the looming darkness of themine.
He gestured with his flashlight. “Follow me and stick close. The mine has different levels, but the crystal is hidden on the main level we can access byfoot. Most of the other tunnels areflooded.”
Taking a deep breath, she entered the mine. Soon as she was a few feet inside, the overwhelming arousal faded, replaced with primitivedread.
Dim light provided by the lightbulbs strung along the side cut the darkness only a little. She was glad of the powerful flashlights theycarried.
Walking presented a challenge on the unevenground. A few times, she had to duck to avoid the overhead rafters, and once she hit her head. Much taller than her, Adrian almost had to bend over in half at some places. In his right hand he held the meter, which beeped a steady, reassuringgreen.
Allsafe.
Yet it wasnot.
The entire mine seemed creepy and rattled her nerves. Darcy couldn’t tell if it was her imaginationor not, but the stench of dampness, old rot and something even more evil wound around her like a clinging, wetblanket.
Narrow rock walls seemed to close in on her as she followed Adrian along the rusty ruins of old rails that once serviced ore carts. She couldn’t fathom working here, underground, rock walls pressing all around her, with only the faint light of a hardhat’s lamp. After ahundred yards into the shaft, another shaft opened to her right. This passage had been blocked with screening and a locked, steel gate. The faint trickle of water sounded far below. Chilled to the bone, Darcy shivered and stopped, playing her flashlight over the rock walls. Distant screams echoed in her mind, the fury and howling of a pack leader defeated by another, sent hurling to hisdeath.
“Is that where you buried him?” shewhispered.
Adrian turned. Nodded. “The shaft goes down to the water table. It’s a long fall. No one couldsurvive.”
