Dance with the Devil(67)

His shoulders.

But it was her butt that he wanted most. It begged to be cupped by his hands while he pressed her softness to his groin so that she could feel just how much he burned for her.

Against his will, he imagined her naked in his arms. Her lips on his, her breasts in his hands, while he lost himself inside her hot, wet body.

I have got to get out of here.

Zarek downed the last of the tea, then handed the empty cup back to her.

She took a step away from him, clutching the cup in her hands, her face even sadder than before. "I wish you would stay, Zarek."

He savored the sound of those rare words. Even if she didn't mean them, they still made him ache. "Sure you do, princess."

"I do." The sincerity on her face burned through him.

But it was anger he felt most from her comment. "Don't lie to me. I can't stand lies."

He pushed past her, intent on the door, but as he reached it, his head began to fog.

His eyesight dimmed.

Zarek paused as he tried to focus his gaze. His limbs felt heavy all of a sudden. Leaden. It was a struggle just to breathe.

What was this?

He reached for the door only to find his knees buckling. Then everything went black.

Astrid cringed at the sound of Zarek hitting the floor. How she wished she could have caught him before he fell. But without her eyesight, there was nothing she could do.

Going over to him, she checked to make certain he was all right.

Thankfully, he appeared to be none the worse for her deception.

"Sasha?" she called, needing his help to get Zarek off the floor.

"What happened?" Sasha asked as he came to stand beside her.

"I drugged him."

She felt Sasha flash to human form.

She knew from experience that her companion would be naked now-he always was when he changed forms.

She'd only seen him flash on rare occasions. As a Katagari Lykos, his natural and preferred state was that of the wolf, but his inherent magical abilities allowed him to take human form from time to time, as needed or wanted. His powers and strength were weaker in human form than wolf form, which was why he preferred his animal body.

Still, there were certain things his kindred preferred to do as humans.

Things such as mating and eating.

As a human, Sasha had long blond hair so pale that it was virtually as white as his wolf's fur. His eyes were a deep electric blue that were piercing in either incarnation. And his face...

Captivating and chiseled. The planes of his face were perfect and hard. Masculine.

It was a pity she had never been sexually attracted to him, because he had a body that was every bit as fit and well muscled as Zarek's.

But Sasha for all his beauty and charm was only a friend to her. One who often acted like an overprotective big brother.

"What were you thinking?" he asked in a deep baritone that carried the weight of his sorcerer's power. It was said the Katagaria could seduce any woman alive just by saying her name.