What would he do when he caught her?
Ifhe caught her.
A series of rock ledges led down to the river. If she could cross, she could get free. Or wait. She could teleport. The thought hadn’t occurred to her because she’d needed him to catch her for this plan to work.
But now? Forget the plan. Now she wanted to win. Wanted to show him she could. At an even more primal level, she needed to know that he could catch her. That he was that good. She took a deep breath, drew in moisture-laden air, and started to teleport midstride.
Something hit her from behind. Strong arms anchored around her waist, and he lifted her straight off her feet, halting her dimensional jump cold. The universe receded and her power sputtered out.
“Cheaters never win.” He took her down to the grass, placing her on her back none too gently.
She struggled with his hands, angry he’d captured her so easily the second she’d tried to leave. Had he just been playing with her the entire time? The damn male wasn’t even out of breath.
He dropped to his knees, straddling her and yanking her torso up toward him. Then his mouth devoured hers.
Chapter 36
Logan fought the beast inside him, straddling his female, having caught her. “You shouldn’t have challenged me.” His hands curled over her slim shoulders.
Her smile was pure sass. “You call that a challenge?”
His gaze tracked over the light flush across her face, the hard nipples beneath her wet shirt, and the tremors cascading through her slim thighs. The scent of her arousal, sweet and pure, dropped his fangs to his lip.
He retracted them. “Yeah. I call that a challenge.”
Her eyes glittered, one blue and one green. “So who won?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? The marking on his palm burned hotter than before, theKin the center hungry for her flesh. She belonged to him. Always would. She deserved an answer. “I won, Mercy. Will every time. Feel free to make me prove it.”
“So prove it.” Her wild red hair spread out on the wet grass, darkening in the rain.
He ripped her shirt in half, enjoying her sharp gasp. Arousal clamped on him with sharp claws. The rain washed over her smooth skin, turning her bra translucent. A flick of his fingers, and he tore it in two.
God, she was beautiful. Headstrong and too ready to leap into danger, but stunning as she did it. The wildness in her called to him as much as her serious side. But one would get her killed, and that he wouldn’t allow. She already held his heart, perhaps his soul. For the remainder of his life, no matter how long he had, it would be Mercy he craved.
He palmed her breasts, her pretty pink nipples brushing his flesh. She arched into his hold, her lips curving in a half smile.
Then she dug her nails into his shirt, biting past the cotton to his skin. The slight pain drove him higher.
Defiance clearly in her eyes, she gathered the energy around them. Challenging him.
He felt the universe tug on her, and he pushed it back, keeping her in place. “I fully intend to survive the ritual tomorrow, but if the worst happens, I’d rather not spend our last night together teaching you a lesson.” His voice dropped to a hoarse growl.
“Teach me, Logan,” she whispered, not bothering to hide her sarcasm.
The reins on his control jerked hard. Keeping her gaze, he grasped her waist and pulled her up, tearing her jeans off her before tossing her onto her stomach.
Her surprised shriek ended on a chuckle. She was laughing?
The twin globes of her ass showed clearly through the panties he mercilessly destroyed.
She tried to turn back over, but he planted a hand across her ass, hard, holding her in place. The smack echoed through the rain. Her inhale was sharp, and her legs quivered. She threw her head back, and her hair nearly hit him in the face. The smell of gardenias unleashed the demon inside him.
He traced her ass, finally moving between her legs to palm her sex. She was wet and slightly swollen. All Mercy. Ready. The blood pounded between his ears, roaring through his head. Lightning cracked across the forest, and thunder followed with a bellow. He flipped her to her back and pulled her to her feet. “We’re returning to the cabin.”
“No.” She stepped into him, caressing his straining cock through his jeans. In the rain, fully nude with her long hair hanging down her back, she was magical. Perfect. His.
A growl rumbled up from his chest, and his arms shook as he fought for control.
