“It stunned me when you talked about saving Grady. I didn’t expect that. After the way you rushed into that old breakfast room, I just knew you were going to want to sound an alarm and send out a hunting party. Although I don’t think anyone would have listened to you much. At least the natives wouldn’t.”
“Well, I was concerned for the safety of others. If there was a wolf running around that would attack humans, well then, I figured people should be aware. But that didn’t mean I wanted him killed.”
“I know…now.”
“And the blood on your clothes?”
“Grady attacked another human and killed him. I had to dispose of the body.”
Jesenia’s jaw dropped. “What did you do with it? And what about the family of this person?”
“They will be notified when his body is found at the bottom of the cliffs. I had to make it look like an accident to hide the fact wolves are in the area.”
She nodded. Part of her wanted to argue about his actions being wrong, but at the same time she understood why he’d done it. The how wouldn’t change the fact that the man was dead. A shiver ran down her spine. It could have been me. “So if you’ve managed to stay out of sight for all these years, why is Grady now attacking people?”
Dorian turned his gaze to his lap. “He is rabid. Which is unheard of for my kind. But there was a lab in the nearby village of Kilmorny. They had a fire and one of the dogs they were testing a new rabies cure on escaped. It wandered into our den. We knew it carried the disease but we weren’t concerned. Grady was bit in the struggle to take the dog down. A few days later he began to change, to where now I don’t think there is anything left of the man he used to be. The animal has taken over.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“The only thing I can. Kill him. That’s why I’m here. I was about to hunt him when you ran through that door.” He moved on the bed to face her more fully. “Keeping my race a secret is what keeps us alive. Plus, I can’t risk the spread of this mutated strain of rabies.”
“Then I’m going to help you.”
“No.”
She reached out and placed her hands on his face. “Just listen for a sec. I can help you. You don’t have to do this alone. I’m stronger than I look, passing out aside.”
He gripped her hands and guided them away from his face, bringing them up to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “No.”
She pulled free of his grasp and stood up. “I’m helping whether you approve or not. I could be bait.” Jesenia crossed the room, looking for her shoes. “If we hurry, we may still be able to find him in the woods. Whoa!”
Her feet left the carpet and she found herself banded in strong arms. “Wait a minute. Just because you’re bigger doesn’t mean you get to haul me around like a sack of potatoes.” He jostled her slightly before tossing her on the bed. She bounced slightly and pushed her hair out of her face. Before she could sit up, his large, muscled body covered hers, pinning her to the mattress.
“You’re not going back out there. Do you have any idea what having you in that situation tonight did to me?”
Her chest tightened as she stared into his pale-green eyes. “No,” she whispered.
“I couldn’t draw breath into my lungs. In a flash, a thousand different possibilities ran through my mind, most of them not good. Had I not been there? Had Grady’s wolf not bowed to my alpha status? Really bad things could have happened, Jesenia.”
Her palms flattened on his chest. His warm skin heated hers. “But they didn’t.”
“I’ll not risk you again like that. Do not ask me to.”
She slid her hands up over his powerful shoulders, lacing her fingers into his dark, silky hair. “Kiss me.”
He complied and she opened her mouth for his seeking tongue. He might think he’d won the argument, but she planned to help him whether he wanted her to or not.
Her legs spread and his hips nestled between her thighs. His hard cock pressed against her pussy and she moaned, lifting her hips to increase the pressure against her clit.
She sucked in a breath, tearing her lips from his as he palmed her breast and teased her nipple. His lips tracked down her neck, nipping and licking the skin on his way.
He growled. “Too many clothes.”
Jesenia gasped as he ripped her shirt and bra down the front.
“You have such beautiful breasts,” he whispered, then leaned in to suck one taut peak into his mouth.
Her fingers speared into his hair and she held him to her breast as his tongue and teeth played a pleasurable game against her flesh. “Dorian, you make me feel so good.”