he had her pressed against the counter. He clamped his hands around her wrists.
She made a small gasp, but didn"t struggle. Her pulse raced under his hands.
He lowered his face close to hers. “Is there anything you won"t defy me on?”
She shivered, but maintained eye contact. “You should probably get used to it if you plan to keep me around.”
“Oh, I intend to keep you.” He dove in and covered her mouth with his. He pushed her wrists back, pinning her arms behind her back. A warning growl made her lips vibrate. He smiled against her mouth, then backed off.
He stared down at her. She didn"t blink, deliberately provoking him. Fenrir"s teeth, she was amazing. Her wolf roused, lending her eyes the shine of silver. The brood energy sparked around her, heating her skin.
She pushed against his arms, trying to free herself. She fought with the tenacity of the best fighters he"d ever known.
Even so, the bite caught him off guard when her blunt teeth ripped open the side of his neck.
His blood hit her tongue, and a tremor shook him.
Every nerve seemed to come alive at once. He groaned as waves of sensation from her surged through him.
Dagny went limp against him with an incoherent moan.
He released her wrists and wrapped an arm around her to keep her upright, bracing his other hand on the counter.
She loosened her bite and brought up her head. A thrill 88
raced through him when she licked his blood from her lips. She had actually bitten him. Her audacity was unbelievable, not to mention exciting. He rushed in to kiss her again, threading his fingers through her hair.
Leaning into him, she raised her chin. Her arms came up around him as he lifted her onto the counter. He slid his hands up her legs, fingers pressing into the curve of her thighs.
Her knees parted, and he stepped into the space between them, pulling her closer.
The racing of his heart pushed searing heat through every blood vessel. His hands dug into her backside and ground her against him. The force of his kiss increased until he pushed her back against the cabinets. The beast inside him roared.
Panic seized him. Gasping, he pulled away from her.
Without even noticing, he"d almost lost control.
She jumped down from the counter and reached for him. “What"s wrong?”
How could he explain just how much of a monster he was? He could lose control and be unable to stop himself until she was bleeding on the ground. Loss tore through him at the idea of hurting her and he knew he couldn"t risk it. He had to get away from her.
“I can"t let it happen, not with you.” His voice sounded strangled to his own ears. He staggered down the hallway to the front door.
She followed after him. “What?”
When he reached the door, he pulled it open.
Bera stood on the other side, eyes glassy and red. The shock of seeing her on his threshold cleared his head. She rushed forward and closed the door behind her. He"d never seen her in such a state of near panic.
It took several attempts for her to say, “Erik is gone.”
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Chapter 10
Unsure how to interpret what she"d said, Brand stared at Bera. „Gone" wasn"t a word mates used lightly. Unless Erik was dead, Bera should be able to feel him. Brand put a hand on her arm to calm her. “What happened?”
“He felt Lucas, nearby and hurt.” She pulled a hand through her disarrayed hair. “He told me to leave because he thought something was wrong.” Her entire body shuddered.
Brand frowned. That Erik had told her to leave was one thing, and that she had actually done it was another.
Guessing that she wouldn"t be able to stay on her feet much longer, he slid his arm around her back and led her into the living room. He eased her into the leather chair and sat across from her on the coffee table.
Alice hovered in the doorway of the bedroom she had claimed, head down and arms wrapped around her middle.
He sensed Bera"s distress as keenly as Alice did. “I know you better than that. You wouldn"t leave just because he told you to.”
She looked into his eyes. Tears overflowed her lower lids, streaking over her red-splotched cheeks. “He Compelled 91
me. He"s never done that before.”
His throat constricted. He knew Erik wouldn"t have Compelled her unless the situation was dire. “He told you to come here?”
Bera sniffled once, then nodded. “He had an escape tunnel put in