Page 6 of Under a Wicked Moon
Two years.
A gripping sensation hit her chest as if something external squeezed. Shaking started in her hands and progressed everywhere. Her heart beat so hard it hurt. Dizziness rocked her racing mind, which scared her and made all of it worse.
How was that even possiblewhen it felt like months? The tranquilizer was made from lotus flowers, which were known to induce a state of forgetfulness. It seemed if the lotus was combined with a powerful elephant tranquilizer, it not only knocked out lycans for hours but also made them amnesic.
“Are you okay?” He shifted a micro movement in her direction, with eyebrows drawn together.
She heaved in a breath and pointed. “Keep your ass parked. I’m fine.”
He held up his hands and leaned back against the wall. “You don’t look fine. I suggest slowing your breathing. Take deeper breaths. It helps.”
Her breaths came in short gasps.
He shifted as if about to move her way.
“Deep breaths. Got it,” she choked out. “You stay.” She would kill this guy if he got near her. At least, she tried to convince herself she would. She abhorred violence to the point where she was the girl who swerved the car at her own peril to avoidanimals, and during rain hunted sidewalks for worms to push them back into the grass before they dried out. Being in here had forced her to fight and hurt others, mostly to protect herself. She hated the vicious, paranoid person she’d become.
Long exhales helped. Air moved easier.
The humans had never subjected her to anyone like him. Someone who was almost nice.
Lycan males? Yes. But younger ones who were less experienced and certainly not well-versed in fighting.
Lycans were sexy, especially him, even if he was loopy on the sedative. She no longer trusted those with beautiful exteriors. Based on experience, having lost her heart stupidly to a gorgeous one of her kind, she knew firsthand that the betrayal lycan males could inflict hurt.
His way of speaking suggested he’d been around a long time, which might explain why his latent sexiness was exponentially higher than any lycan she’d ever met. And why he had such disciplined control. Nothing was more attractive and surprising than his restraint.
Lordy, she was losing her bloody marbles. But the power of him, with his long limbs and all those muscles… He was so hot that she felt woozy and turned on at the same time.He cannot be sexy in your head. He’s a stranger.
The second his greenish-blue eyes had first met hers, she couldn’t remember what came out of her mouth or whether he replied. His stare sucked thought right out of her head. That whole thing about the moon being blue was only half her screwing with him and half from her brain glitching as she fought to find coherent thought.
In her mind, she started a list. Lists kept her focused, and arguably sane while locked in quarantine. She could create a list for almost anything, so a list of what she knew about him came up right now. First, he was a fighter, built into every line of histhick muscles, huge body, and tall frame that had to be almost six-foot-five. His biceps alone were gigantic. Second, there was something about him beyond physical appearance. Something beneath the skin. A deeper confidence? A purpose or drive? She couldn’t put her finger on it. She believed him when he said he’d leave her be, unlike the male previously thrown into a cell with her who gave in to the drive to mate within a half hour. A hint of the moon, and that guy had attacked, forcing her to fight him. They’d fought for hours until he bled so much the humans zapped her collar and removed him. Third, she detected some form of bad magic inflicted on this guy. It made him somewhat vulnerable in a way that put a few points on the pity card.
This list sucked. She wasn’t assessing important information. She was dwelling on hisbiceps.
The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in a cell with the full moon rising while being at the peak of lycan heat, and tempted by someone like him. Being in heat happened only once every three years for most lycans. And occurred only on a full moon. During the nightmarish twenty-four hours, unless she had sex, which she’d never done during this time, she was racked by a continuous hormonal drive to mate that was so intense, it grew painful. Sex during this time was the only way for a lycan to become pregnant.
She had to unglue her fixation on this enormous guy’s chest, where tattoos peeked out of the dip in the scrub top. His body, still damp from a bath or maybe the rain outside, was full of deadly promise. She bet he could put his body to use for far more than killing. The power of him…
Her abdomen clenched as a wave of painful desire rippled through her. She bit her lip against a moan and looked away from him.
Not thinking about the way his arms flexed as he rested his head in his hands or how thick his forearms were. Not boardingthe sexy train. He wasn’t the right male. And she certainly wasn’t the right female.
But everything about him made her mouth water. This was trouble.
Big trouble.
Think about Nova. It’s why you’re here. You have to find her.Her older sister was the only family she had left. It wasn’t Nova’s fault they’d both been caught. It was hers. Her need to find her sister was why she hadn’t fought or planned escape every waking moment. She needed more information on where Nova was being held before she left.
He lifted his head from his hand and pulled back his damp hair, which was drying blond. Oh, Holy Mother, the angles of his face and that sculpted nose, and the deep hue of his green-blue eyes… She slammed her eyelids closed. This was going to be a very long night.
“Are you okay?” His eyebrows drew together.
“Damned if I know.” She felt as if someone held her by the throat and slowly suffocated her.
“Breathe,” he whispered.
She tugged in a few rough breaths and rasped out, “Years. I’ve been in here for years.” Her voice cracked. “How’s that possible?”
