Page 38 of Undying
“After a few bloody and violent skirmishes, HQ came into existence, the guardians forging and maintaining an unsteady truce between the races, and certain checks and balances have been set in place to ensure that it stays that way.”
My throat is scratchy from talking so much.
Fresh air snakes through the tunnels, and I inhale deeply.
We’re close to the exit, and Tobias picks up his pace. The poor bastard must be going out of his skin at being locked away in such a small space, and I’m surprised he hasn’t turned wolf.
I’m so distracted that I nearly run over Jolie when she comes to an abrupt stop. She twists to the side, bringing up her knee and resting her arm over it as she glances back at me. She nibbles on her bottom lip in a way that has a growl humming in my chest, and I barely resist the urge to lean in and take over the job myself, just to steal a taste of her.
“By killing so many vampires, I tipped the balance,” she mutters almost to herself, her eyes full of worry as she slumps against the curved walls of the tunnel.
I inch closer, then reach out, wrapping my hand around her ankle, and something inside me eases at being able to touch her. “War was coming either way. I think you’ll actually bring a balance to us that the world is missing.”
“Or doom everyone.” A bitter laugh escapes her lips, and her head falls back, thumping against the stone wall, and I curse the fact that I’m unable to bundle her up in my arms and comfort her.
I run my hand up her leg and squeeze her knee, scooting forward until only inches separate us. “I won’t let that happen.”
Fuck if she doesn’t bite her lip again, her eyes searching mine. “Promise?”
Her little fangs flash, and my cock instantly hardens, which is uncomfortable as fuck while crawling in a damn tunnel. I press my forehead against hers, her scent calming my beast in a way I haven’t experienced for centuries. “Promise.”
* * *
JOLIE
Tobias—I can’t keep calling him the barbarian—slows, and my heart thumps once in my chest before falling dead again. If the big Viking weren’t behind me, I’m not sure I wouldn’t turn tail and run. The thought of going back and claiming the Dafoe name has my stomach churning. My skin prickles so painfully, it’s like my flesh is trying to crawl off my bones and escape.
While I’m repulsed by the idea, the thought of being sold to the highest bidder is even more repugnant.
I refuse to be prey.
Never again will I allow myself to be at the mercy of another monster.
So I follow the wolves, accepting the lesser of the two evils.
I’m so lost in thought that I don’t even notice when Tobias halts to open a gate. It’s not until my face is practically up his ass and I trip over his feet that I halt abruptly. Then he is out of the tunnels, and I suddenly feel exposed without him in front of me.
The sensation doesn’t last for more than a second before he reaches back into the tunnel, grabs my upper arms, and drags me out.
I find myself pressed up against his large chest, his massive hands locking my arms to my sides. He inhales deeply, his blue eyes glowing, then a slight rumble emerges from his chest, one that I feel more than hear, and I melt against him. It’s not until the Viking—Castle—presses against my back that I startle, and haunting memories of the two of them touching me surface from the back of my mind.
A flush warms my cheeks as I recall how they so expertly brought me to pleasure. I should be mortified or cursing them for taking advantage of me when I was vulnerable, but all I can think about is doing it again and again.
To keep from pressing against them like a bitch in heat, I wiggle out from between them…and the imprint of their cocks will forever be imprinted on my brain.
It almost makes me want to jump back between them and take them up on their offer.
If their hungry expressions are any indication, they both feel the same.
I shiver and push away those dangerous thoughts. No matter how tempting, I must resist. My life is already a mess. Sleeping with the wolves would only complicate things more.
Ignoring the men, I focus on my surroundings. “This isn’t what I was expecting.”
It’s a storage room of sorts, the ceilings so low that the boxes and crates stacked around the place resemble a maze. “Where are we?”
Castle strolls after me—more like stalks, if I’m being honest—his focus solely on me and not the room. His gaze is so intense that a tremor runs through me, and it takes a conscious effort to not flee. His green eyes sharpen, his body so tense, I have no doubt that if I so much as twitch, the man would be on me in a second.
The Viking doesn’t stop until he’s right in my space, seeming to suck up all the oxygen in the room. The man is absolutely massive, towering over me, his shoulders so wide that they block out the light. After everything that’s happened to me, I should be intimidated as fuck.
