Deadlock: Southern Arcana, Book 3 Read online

  Her arms slid around his neck, and her breath blew hot over his cheek and ear as she nuzzled him again, more hesitantly this time.

  He was going to hell. He was going to the lowest fucking layer of the darkest fucking hell, and she’d send him there personally when she came back to herself and realized what he’d done.

  What he was about to do.

  “That’s right…” Slow. Soothing. No lies, just nonsensical murmurs as he bit the edge of her jaw. “Let’s go inside, honey.”

  Carmen’s whimpers melted into a moan, and she curved one hand around his cheek, petting him.

  Forget her. His own damn dick was going to want him to go to hell by the time this was over. He slid his arm under her knees and lifted her, holding her tight against his chest. “You’re safe, Carmen. I’ve got you.”

  Her breathing roughened, and she whispered something unintelligible, her voice shot through with lust and longing.

  Alec walked faster.

  By the time he reached his front steps, she’d begun trailing kisses over his jaw. He staggered up the steps and barely got the door open. “Hold on a second, sweetheart. Just—slow down. A little.”

  The caresses subsided, and she lay still in his arms, eyes closed, as he opened the basement door and walked down the stairs.

  Hell was too good for him.

  He eased the door to the cage open with his foot and froze, hating the fact that the scent of Kat’s attacker lingered, thick with the stench of fear. As wild as Carmen was, she’d be sensitive to it. He was sensitive to it, even with most of his energy devoted to keeping her calm.

  Her eyes flew open and her hand shot out, curling tight around the bars on the door.

  No betrayal in her eyes, not yet. She trusted him. He made a soothing sound and kissed her, parting her lips with his tongue and driving deep, kissing her like it was going to be the last time—because it might be.

  She shuddered and let go of the door to hold him tight, her fingers clenching in his hair. A soft growl vibrated in the back of her throat, and she wiggled in his arms.

  The scent of her arousal hit him, and his resolve wavered. She wanted him. She liked him. A good hard fucking would make them both feel better about life. He could imagine the way she’d look, bent over, fingers tearing up his sheets in her eagerness, legs spread wide, begging for him—

  And if she’d been drunk on tequila instead of magic, he would have thrown her under a cold shower instead of sticking his dick somewhere it might not be welcome.

  Carmen trusted him, and that made it so easy to betray her.

  She was still panting for him when he dropped her onto the cot in the corner of the cage. The fact that it was a bed of sorts seemed to distract her long enough for him to get out of arm’s reach. The metal doors clanged shut and Mari’s spells activated, apparently no worse for the wear even with Andrew’s earlier abuse.

  It took her a moment to sit up, and another to realize they were on opposite sides of the bars. She shot off the cot and grabbed the door, rattling it loudly. It held, of course, and she turned a disbelieving stare on Alec.

  Leaving her there was going to break his damn heart. “I can’t let you run off into the woods, and I won’t fuck you when you don’t have the wits to say no.”

  She stumbled back, her hurt melting into obvious anger, and she turned away to stalk the cage.

  “Carmen.”

  She ignored him, and it hurt. It hurt more than it should, more than he’d thought possible. The ache in his chest made it that much more important to get his ass upstairs and call in backup, because it meant his judgment was seriously fucking compromised.

  Compromised judgment would get them all killed, sooner or later.

  He made a list of the people he had to call as he climbed the stairs. Jackson first, then Carmen’s brother. No need to worry about Julio getting the wrong idea now—the hurt in Carmen’s eyes had killed his hard-on and the silent treatment wasn’t liable to bring it back anytime soon.

  He should have been a lot more grateful.

  Chapter Eight

  They were hovering around the cage, talking about her again.

  The blue-eyed wizard hissed a curse and dragged his hands through his hair. “We’re back to square one. If I don’t know how she was weaving her spells, it’s dangerous for me to fuck around with it.”

  “Damn it, this is going to drive her crazy.”

  Alec. She remembered his name, though the wizard hadn’t said it. It was branded in her memory, along with his taste and scent. He’d rubbed his hard body against hers, given her his mouth—and then he’d locked her up.

  There had been no mocking in his eyes as he’d done it, and his voice now was rife with worry. He was scared for her, and it made it impossible to bare her teeth and snarl. To warn him off.

  Her mind began to clear quickly, the feral anger dissipating. He’d tricked her, but he’d done it because giving her what she wanted was unacceptable. She knew that.

  Still, the sting of betrayal lingered.

  “She hasn’t changed yet.” The wizard stood—Jackson, that was his name. “There’s one thing I can try, but only if you’re pretty sure she isn’t going to.”

  Alec shoved both hands through his dark hair, leaving the short strands standing on end. “I can try changing. That’s what I was going to do tonight. Shift and see if the magic sparks something in her.”

  “If it’s ever going to happen, it’s now.”

  “Fine.” Alec backed up a step, shooting Carmen one furtive look before he dropped his hands to his belt.

  He looked like he wanted her to turn away, so she knelt by the bars and watched him as he stripped off his shirt. It revealed the ink on his arm and shoulder, dark indecipherable lines, and she let her gaze trace them boldly as he reached for his pants.

  A challenge. He could answer it, or he could turn away.

  Of course he answered it. Dark, expressionless eyes held hers as he jerked open his jeans and let them slide to the floor. He stood in front of her in boxers and an unwavering frown, but he didn’t look away.

  One of them had to give, but it wouldn’t be him. The realization both soothed and excited her, and Carmen turned her head. “Can he leave?” she rasped. “The wizard?”

  Alec kicked his jeans out of the way. “I’m not coming in that cage, whether he’s here or not.”

  That chilled her even as it sparked sharp, hot anger. “I didn’t ask you to.”

  The sudden wariness in his eyes faded to confusion, but after a moment he nodded. “Jackson, go upstairs.”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets even as he backed away. “Yell if you need me, Alec.”

  Carmen waited until his footfalls faded up the stairs and a door slammed to rise and reach for her own shirt. “Tell me what to do. How to find her. The wolf.”

  “All right. Can you close your eyes and feel my power?”

  She could feel everything, the power of the animal inside him as well as his almost crippling concern. “I can feel you. Stop worrying so hard.”

  His rough laughter filled the room. “Oh, honey, we’re way past that. I worry. It’s what I do.”

  The last thing she wanted was to be yet another responsibility, a burden no good alpha would set aside. She opened her eyes. “Don’t. Don’t worry about me.”

  His hands fisted. His voice dropped to a whisper. “I worry about you more than I should.”

  Because he cared. She’d known he wanted her, but this was different. Something closer to what she felt, and insufferably dangerous for someone in his position, who lived the way he lived.

  It burned through her anger, and it didn’t matter that he was mostly naked, that she was half-dressed in her shorts and bra. Carmen dropped her shirt and closed her hands around the bars. “You talk a lot about what you do, what your job is. What do you need, Alec?” She’d give it to him, even if it meant walking out and never looking back.

  After a tense, endless moment, he opened his
eyes and met her gaze. “I need you to be all right. I need to keep you safe.”

  “The only way to do that is to find out what that woman did to me and why.” The possibility of Carmen killing herself had spurred the witch into a mistake, one that had cost her her life. “She needed me to be two things—alive, and a wolf. That means my family has to be behind this. There’s nothing else that makes sense.”

  He gave a short nod, then tilted his head. “You’re feeling steadier?”

  “I feel—” The vicious bite of magic had already faded. “How long has it been?”

  “An hour. Maybe a little more.”

  Last time, it had been longer than that before she’d come back to herself enough to recognize her surroundings, much less carry on a conversation. “How bad was it?”

  One dark eyebrow swept up. “You’re in a cage, sweetheart.”

  Her cheeks heated. “That was a stupid question.”

  “A little bit.” But he smiled and brushed his hand over hers. “You were pretty mad at me. I wasn’t sure you were going to forgive me. I didn’t put you in there willingly.”

  What he didn’t say made her blush even harder. “I tried to jump you.”

  The first hint of true amusement made his eyes dance. “I’m used to it. Women can’t resist a brooding loner.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Do it again some time when you’re not high, and all will be forgiven.”

  Will it? Asking seemed like asking for trouble, so she stepped away from the bars. “Show me how it’s done, and we’ll see if you can let me out of here.”

  Alec stepped back and hooked a thumb under the edge of his boxers. “I’m about to be really naked. Watching with your eyes won’t do you much good, but I don’t care if you do.”

  Carmen tracked her gaze down his hard body to where he’d dragged the fabric low. For a moment, temptation nearly got the better of her. “I shouldn’t, since I have to keep my hands to myself.” Reluctantly, she turned away and leaned back against the bars. “What about the rest of my clothes? Will I have time to get rid of them if I start to feel like something’s happening?”

  “Probably not. It’ll be over before you can count to three. Doesn’t hurt either, so you don’t need to be scared.”

  “Right. Are you—?” She swallowed hard, her hands on the waistband of her shorts, and almost glanced over her shoulder. “Are you watching me?”

  “Does that bother you?”

  “No.” It excited her, feeling the weight of his gaze on her, his interest and arousal spiking every time she moved.

  Part of her wanted to put on a show, send that twisting desire of his through the roof, but it didn’t seem fair to tease. Instead, she unhooked her bra and slid the cotton free of her arms. After tossing it across the cot, she pushed her shorts and panties down her legs in one quick, efficient movement.

  “All right.” His voice had definitely gotten lower. “Your empathy might help. Close your eyes and kneel, and try to feel what I’m doing.”

  She bit her lip and slid to the floor, wincing at the hard bite of concrete on her scraped knees. “I feel…” Worried. Determined. Turned on.

  Then the lust bloomed into something primal, something she recognized on an instinctive level. It was the magic that had always lived in her, just cranked up to an overwhelming intensity.

  It called to her, inviting and wild, and she clenched her hands into fists. She wanted to join him, release that sleeping part of her and run—

  Nothing.

  “Damn it.” The magic that had flared up in reaction to his settled, and Carmen rubbed her hands over her face. “I don’t know, Alec. I just don’t know.”

  A quiet yip answered her.

  He was right behind her, and she turned to look at him. Dark fur covered his large frame, muzzle to tail, and she smiled in spite of herself. “It’s weird how it’s impossible to predict what shifters will look like, but then they always look like themselves somehow. They look…right.”

  The wolf stretched slowly, then magic shimmered in the air again. It happened so fast it seemed like a blur, the wolf rising on his hind legs before the shimmer became too much. A heartbeat later Alec stood before her—

  Aroused.

  Her breath caught in a gasp as need washed over her. This time, she couldn’t look away. “Alec.”

  “Shh.” He wrapped his hands around the bars of her cage, fingers clenching so tight his knuckles looked white against his dusky skin. “Shifting is… There’s no high like it.”

  She had to get off her knees, so she climbed to her feet. “So I’ve heard.”

  “I should leave.”

  “I should make you.” The tables had been turned, and now he was the one crazy with magic. But she touched him anyway, sliding her hands over his. “You keep protecting my virtue. What about yours?”

  “The only way I’m keeping my virtue is if you stay in that cage.” A rumbling laugh escaped him. “Even that might not save us.”

  She felt no confusion, no doubt that this was what he wanted. That she was what he wanted. “You can stay or go. Either way, no regrets.”

  Something feral sparked in his eyes. “Turn around.”

  It was firm and forceful, and the command weakened her knees. She obeyed, standing so close to the bars that she could feel the heat of his body.

  His breath skated across the back of her shoulder. “Lift your hands. Above your head.”

  She raised her arms and gripped the cold metal bars, feeling curiously exposed by the position. “It’s as natural as breathing for you, isn’t it?”

  “What?” His fingers brushed hers, then started a slow, wicked glide down her arms. “This?” He curled his hands to cup her breasts, palms abrading her nipples. “Or this?”

  Carmen whimpered at the sudden rush of pleasure. “Dominating your lover.”

  “Don’t need a cage for that,” he agreed as one hand swept lower, spreading wide over her abdomen. “The only reason you’re still in there is to keep me from dominating you. Can’t fuck you through the bars…probably.”

  “I think you’re a liar.” She pressed back, reaching through the bars to tangle her hands in his hair. “You could find a way.”

  “Maybe.” His fingertips brushed her thighs. “There are people upstairs. You have to keep quiet. Believe me, honey, you wouldn’t be quiet riding my cock.”

  He had a dirty mouth, and she had to check a moan. “I don’t think I can be quiet with your hands on me, either.”

  “What if I give you something to bite?”

  The sensual possibilities left her dizzy. She could sink her teeth into him. She’d have to, because he’d touch her and he’d make her come so hard she’d forget everything, including the people roaming around his house.

  Including the dead bodies they’d left outside.

  She let go of his hair and pulled away with a ground out curse. “You wouldn’t be doing this if you were in your right mind.”

  Alec snarled, but he didn’t disagree with her.

  It strengthened her resolve. She bent to gather her clothes, still trembling from his caresses but determined. “Sometime when you’re not high, Alec, and that’s a promise.”

  “A promise.” He turned and snatched up his jeans. “I need to go upstairs. I’m going to pop the lock on the cage. Come on up when you’re ready.”

  The urge to call him back consumed her, but what would it accomplish? She had nothing to explain, no reason to justify being unwilling to take advantage of his magical arousal when he’d spent the last few days doing the same for her.

  And she had done it for him. Because, sooner or later, he’d come back to his senses and find a way to blame himself for losing control.

  Carmen dropped her clothes on the cot and pulled on her panties. “I’ll only be a minute or two.”

  He didn’t answer, just stopped at a number pad mounted on the wall and typed in a code that resulted in a soft click from the cage door. A moment later he
was gone, his feet barely making a sound on the wooden stairs.

  She finished dressing slowly, taking the extra time to steel herself. It was insane to feel as though she’d done something wrong, but that didn’t change facts.

  She felt like hell.

  Shut up, Carmen. It was karmic payback for sniping at Alec every time he pulled away, unwilling to take advantage of her heightened instinctive drives. He’d only been trying to do what was right, what was best.

  I need you to be all right. I need to keep you safe.

  Best for her, not himself, and that was the key. She climbed the stairs, her mind racing. Alec would hurt himself before he hurt her, and it was more than a platitude or something he’d try to do, except when he fucked up.

  It was who he was.

  Alec wasn’t upstairs, but the pretty brunette who’d picked Kat up from the clinic sat at the kitchen table, fidgeting. Carmen smiled and hoped she’d already stopped visibly shaking. “Hi, Mackenzie.”

  “Hey. Good to see you again.”

  “Want some coffee? I could make some.” It probably wouldn’t help Mackenzie’s fidgeting, but it would keep them both from sitting at the table, twiddling their thumbs. “I get the feeling it might be a long night.”

  “Sure, coffee’s great.” Mackenzie rocked to her feet. “I would have already made some but I don’t know where anything is in Alec’s kitchen. Or if he has coffee.”

  “After the last few days, I’ve figured out the lay of the land.” She rinsed and filled the carafe. “If I hadn’t, by Alec’s own admission, I would have starved by now.”

  “Yeah, I get the impression Alec eats a lot of takeout. God knows no one would deliver all the way out here. He’s pretty well in the middle of nowhere.”

  Carmen paused in the act of settling a fresh filter into the pot. “I have no idea where we are. South of the city?”

  “Southwest.” Mackenzie hesitated. “You were pretty out of it, I guess. But you seem to be doing a lot better.”

  “I don’t think it worked,” she confessed. “Or maybe it did, it’s just not finished. The witch said she needed more time.”