Swallowing hard, Katy forced her gaze upward to meet his knowing emerald stare. The smug glint in those eyes snapped her out of her trance.
“Seriously?” She gestured at him incredulously. “Did you take your clothes off just to mess with me?”
“I wanted to get comfortable.” His lips twitched, belying the innocence in his tone.
Katy folded her arms, hip cocked. “Uh-huh. So the whole topless lounging thing isn’t some ploy to make me ogle you?”
Propping himself up on one elbow, Gage gave her a slow once-over that made her pulse skitter wildly. “I mean, I won’t complain if that’s a side effect.” His voice dropped an octave. “Ogle away, Little Wolf. I certainly have plans to do the same to you.”
A flush that had nothing to do with illness crept up Katy’s neck. She shook her head wryly, moving to sit beside him on the bed. “Nice line, Romeo. But it’s gonna take more than some sweet talk and muscle flexing to seduce me.” She trailed a finger down the hard ridges of his abs teasingly. “I’m an independent, modern woman. Your masculine wiles won’t work on me.”
Gage’s abs clenched under her touch, but he merely raised a brow. “Is that a challenge I hear?”
His large hand slid around her waist, and suddenly Katy found herself flat on her back, pinned beneath him. Gage braced himself above her, the heat and tantalizing scent of his body enveloping her. Katy’s breath caught as he nuzzled against her throat.
“I don’t know,” Gage murmured, lips grazing her racing pulse. “I think you like the idea of being seduced, and at my mercy, no matter how fiercely that spirit of yours protests. Your scent doesn’t lie, Mate.”
Katy shivered even as she glared at him half-heartedly. “That’s playing dirty, and you know it. I can’t just take a sniff andknowwhat you’re feeling.”
The desire in his eyes increased. “You’re wrong on two counts. First, you can smell me if you just connect with the animal that now lives inside you. And second, you don’t need to smell me to know what I desire. I think I’m making it very clear.”
Her hands came up, intending to push him back. Instead, her fingers tangled in his ink-dark hair to keep him close. Gage’s deep chuckle vibrated against her skin as he continued trailing kisses down the column of her throat.
Katy knew she should stop this before they forgot themselves. But her treacherous body arched closer, chasing more of his intoxicating touch. All of her nerves felt exposed and raw under his intense attention, and Katy wanted to give him allof her and hide at the same time. The intimacy of the moment was overwhelming. She’d never experienced anything like it.
“I need to stop.” Gage’s voice was breathless and his entire body taut as if restraining himself. With visible effort, Gage drew back, eyes glowing wolf bright. His voice was rough with banked desire. “I should let you rest.”
Neither of them moved for several heartbeats, the room crackling with longing. Then Gage rolled to the side with a resigned sigh, pulling her against his chest.
“I’ve rested enough,” Katy growled, her agitation at the situation clear in her voice as she settled her head over his heart, clinging to his steady strength. She wanted nothing more than to give in fully, to seal this bond between them in body and soul. “I shouldn’t feel as if I haven’t slept in days.” After a few minutes of tense silence, Gage’s warm hand caressing her arm settled around her.
Katy sighed contentedly as she nuzzled against Gage’s bare chest, letting his warmth and strength envelop her. She was so weak, the mysterious curse sapping her energy despite Gage’s tireless care.
His large hand moved to stroke down her back. “I’ve been reading up on Dire Wolf lore. There are legends that claim our kind can heal each other through blood.”
Katy lifted her head to meet his solemn gaze. “Like some kind of vampiry-thing?”
Gage frowned. “Well, I guess it’s kind of similar, but I don’t think vampires are real. And if they were, I don’t think they’d go around biting people to heal them. No, I’ve read that blood sharing can enhance the mate bond, possibly amplify our natural healing ability.” His eyes grew uncertain. “I thought perhaps it may help restore some of your strength. Not permanently, because as long as your life is tied to those females, they will continue to drain you. But this might be a way to giveyou some relief from the exhaustion. I’ll only do it if you trust me enough to try.”
Considering only a moment, Katy nodded. “I trust you.” She laid a hand over his heart. “Do what you think will help.”
Relief broke out across his striking face. Gage leaned in slowly until his breath washed warmly over her throat. Katy shivered in anticipation, tilting her head back.
When Gage’s teeth first grazed the tender skin of her throat, Katy couldn’t help but tense, a shard of fear piercing through the haze of anticipation. Then he bit down, firm yet gentle, and sharp pleasure speared through her entire body.
Katy’s eyes drifted closed on a gasp as she sagged against him, overwhelmed by the intimacy of his mouth latched onto her neck. She had expected pain, but this was exhilarating, primal in its intensity. Every pull as he drank sent liquid heat pulsing through her veins.
Gage’s arm locked around her waist, supporting her as her body went molten under the onslaught of sensation. His warm, solid chest was an anchor keeping her from sliding out of his arms. Katy clutched at his broad shoulders, certain she would come undone from this alone.
She felt the rhythmic draw as he swallowed, an erotic give and take. When his tongue stroked over the bite, Katy actually whimpered, arching closer. She had never imagined being bitten could be so intoxicating. Biting was supposed to hurt. But if the Dire Wolf’s bite was likethat, then bite away.
Far too soon, he left the shelter of her neck and bit into his own wrist. The rich, coppery scent flooded her senses, amplifying the haze of need clouding her mind.
“Drink,” he commanded gruffly, his voice rough with his own barely leashed hunger. He held the wound insistently to her parted lips. “Take what I freely give, Katy.”
Compelled by instinct and the smoldering desire in his eyes, Katy obeyed. She wrapped her lips around the gash, suckling eagerly at the ambrosia welling forth. With the first taste, raw, primal power rushed through her. Gage’s wildness, his ancient Dire Wolf spirit, flooded her cells, binding them inexorably together.
She was only vaguely aware of Gage’s groan of pleasure or the way his body moved against hers. Her entire being focused solely on the blood link between them, giving her strength with each frantic swallow.
