“Or maybe I didn’t want to endanger anyone I cared about.”
He cupped her chin and leaned closer, inhaling her scent. “You came to me because we’re attracted to each other. Keep up the denials and I’ll make you say it.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips and her attention shifted to his mouth. He was about to kiss her when she said, “I thought we were talking about Carlos.”
She was right. They’d drifted far off course. “Did he define you?”
“Yes.” She looked away again before she explained, “He made it clear from the start that he had no intention of resisting his carnal impulses. My father had sanctioned our match, so Carlos saw no reason not to…”
Dread fisted his gut. A female’s first transformation could be terrifying and painful. Emotions ran high and desire frequently followed. “Did he force himself on you?”
“No. This isn’t about rape.”
He touched the side of her face again and her gaze returned to his. “Then what? You were clearly terrified by what you were seeing in that dream.” His mouth was so dry he could barely get the words out. Why did her fear rile him so badly? He wanted to hunt down everyone involved in her nightmare and make them pay for upsetting her.
“Dad was afraid Carlos wouldn’t keep his word and wait to form the permanent bond, so he—”
“If he’d already approved the match, why did he care when it was instigated?”
“The condition was basically a test to see if Carlos would keep his word. An alliance is worthless without trust.”
“I’m sorry I interrupted you. What were you about to say?”
“Dad gave me some sort of injection. He said it would keep me from getting pregnant and prevent Carlos from forming the bond even if he lost control.”
Jake absently stroked his jaw. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Neither had I, but I didn’t see a reason to object. The last thing I wanted was to be bound to Carlos.”
“Where would your father have gotten that sort of compound?”
“I have no idea.” She finger-combed her hair back from her face and shrugged. “Why is that detail important?”
“It probably isn’t. That’s just how my mind works. The devil tends to be in the details.” He adjusted the pillows behind him, trying to find a more comfortable position. “You said Carlos died that night. What happened?”
It took her a moment to answer but once the words started flowing they poured out of her. “Carlos had my father’s blessing, so he could have taken what he wanted. He chose to seduce me instead. I was an emotional wreck, as you can imagine. Dad must have suspected that I’d run because he didn’t give me a chance to escape. Carlos wasn’t cruel or abusive. We both knew it was inevitable.”
She lapsed into silence and her gaze took on a haunted glaze. He didn’t want to rush her but she was obviously lost in memory. “Go on.”
“I didn’t want to betray David but they left me no way out. Even so, I felt guilty as hell. Dad and Bruce stayed just outside my bedroom to make sure I didn’t do anything rash. Little by little Carlos eroded my defenses.” She rattled off the events with surface calm but he sensed the emotions churning beneath her nonchalance. “Everything was fine then suddenly he grew really aggressive. He growled and bit my shoulder. I tried to fight him off but he grabbed my arm. I’ve never been so terrified. I saw his hand. It was covered in hair, and claws had replaced his fingernails.”
“Carlos transformed while he was in bed with you?”
“It wasn’t a normal transformation.” She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered. “I’d never seen anything like it. He became a monster, part wolf and part man.”
“He was a werewolf? I thought they were extinct.” Werewolf clans had declared war on Therian wolves in the late eighteenth century. The conflict had swept across Eastern Europe, decimating werewolves and Therian wolves alike. Werewolves dwindled in number in the following centuries until most believed they simply died out. Therian wolves, on the other hand, had been able to replenish their ranks by defining Therian females from non-canine clans.
“I don’t know what he was or why he went feral. Dad thought he might have had some bizarre reaction to the injection. All I know is Carlos was no longer rational. Bruce heard me screaming and burst into the room. He had to kill Carlos. There was no other choice. Carlos tried to rip out my throat, literally. And he came damn close to succeeding.” Color drained from her face and she pressed her hand against her throat. “There was so much blood.”