THE AWAKENING

“Two days ago you wanted to kill me.” Yeah, sorry that was a hard one to let go, she thought grumpily.

“Now you’re suddenly all interested in my welfare? Not buying it. Not be rude or anything,” she tacked on for appearances sake because frankly, she was a bit pissed.

Of course, Cristophe had been planning to kill her as well, but for some reason, she wasn’t as miffed at him for his momentary lapse in judgment.

“Here I am kidnapped by creatures I’ve never even heard of until a few days ago and since then I’ve been, well, for lack of a better word, violated, when I’d been planning to save myself for marriage and I can’t seem to help myself when that stupid Phase thing starts heating up my body like an engine that’s been running too hot without oil; suddenly, I’m this raging slut who wants to screw anything that walks, oh! And if that’s not bad enough, I’m some mystical werewolf with a magical hoo-ha! Then, I get kidnapped by this really, really bad guy named Ulster who has terrible plans for the world, I should let you know, and when I finally manage to get away — on my own, thank you very much — I come to the one place I thought I’d be safe and the first thing you do is try to kill me. Forgive me if I don’t think much of your managerial style.”

She finished her last bite, shoveling the meat into her mouth in an angry gesture. “That was delicious,” she snapped, privately shocked at how feral she felt inside.

She was all riled up and could almost feel the hackles of her wolf-self rising from beneath the skin. She wanted more food. That steak wasn’t nearly big enough to satisfy her hunger but she wasn’t about to ask Tieran for a single thing.

The silky smooth fabric began to chafe her tender skin and a bead of sweat dotted her hairline.

Someone had washed and bathed her sometime after she’d passed out for her epic snooze and had dressed her in a thin chemise the color of cream.

Seconds ago she’d been perfectly comfortable but now, everything felt too hot and scratchy.

Oh no.

She recognized this feeling.

Nooooo, not with him in the room!

“You need to leave,” she gritted out, swallowing as her heart rate rose. Instead, he closed the door and locked it.

To her horror, he began unbuttoning his shirt. His chest, smooth and chiseled, was the picture of male perfection. Muscle corded his stomach and tapered to tight hips. Her tongue snaked out to slide along her bottom lip.

“Please go,” she whispered, too ashamed to care that she was pleading. “I don’t want to be with you.”

unnecessarily. She probably had that figured out seeing as she was about to

sounding from his chest when she actually bared her tiny, human teeth at

away from me,” she warned. “Go get Jandin or Koris,

the bed, trying to escape, possibly to jump through the window — anything to get away — but he jerked

she hated this! Even as she cursed him, she rubbed against the granite of his chest, writhing in

seconds before she latched onto

locking into place. Cassandra didn’t know if it was the Phase that made her feel as if she’d just leapt into the arms of destiny or something

as her core

breaking free from her ravenous kiss. He cupped her behind and squeezed the plump flesh.

at the possessive imprint on her skin. His eyes darkened to a wild hue

against her lips as he plundered, stabbing her mouth with

distasteful if she were in her

handful of his dark hair and wrenched it back, laughing when he responded in kind, twisting a hank of her

that baffled but she didn’t care. A low throaty laugh followed and he threw her to the

he said in a low growl as he followed her to the bed to rip the

hips and

He slapped her hand and pushed it away from her folds as he climbed her body with the grace of an animal; all muscle and sinew corded

slap. He smelled of something so intoxicating she couldn’t even put words to it, but she wanted to bury her nose against his groin like a woman who’d found her drug of choice.

seed in your belly. If you are to whelp a pup that

attempt at holding onto her sanity but the Phase would

calm the fire that raged inside her. She wanted to feel his pup grow

her behind in both hands and squeezing with a grunt of approval. “On your knees,” he demanded, his voice tight. “I want to see your beautiful ass

She didn’t hesitate.

natural to offer herself to Tieran like this when in fact, if she were completely lucid, she

there was nothing but eager compliance in her head at the moment and

no readying either. No, it was a brutal assault from the start but there was something about Tieran that made her heart sing even as

circumstances. But right now, she was infected with the insatiable need to feel him inside her, thrusting into her with the