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Deadly Sins Ch. 01

By: cardboard_halo



My name's Hex. Odd name huh? So I've recently been told by the sniggers of the matron here. Me? Well I sort of like it, it's simple and uninformative, it doesn't tell much about me, which suits me fine because I don't have much to tell, I don't know anything to tell even if I wanted to.

I'm shortish, or petite if you prefer, just pushing 5ft 5, I'm slim I'd like to say skinny but my chest is 34DD, or so I've just been informed ,so I can't exactly be that tiny and I guess my hips are quite big too although they don't stand out like my chest does, not here anyway. 

I never had to wear a bra back home, never knew why I had breasts or exactly what they were to be honest, but here things are different. 

Some plump woman made me stand while she measured me, I wore a thin dress, there are no uniforms here, and when she wrapped the measuring tape around me a shiver ran through me, my father had warned me about these feelings, I have taken care to avoid touching myself and to feel someone else was mind blowingly embarrassing, made even more difficult by the hatred I have for my chest.

I am lead to believe it is attractive but I don't think so, until today I'd never met another women and I suppose my idea of normality is flatness my figure to me is soft where it should be hard curvy where it should be straight and in general I despise it. 

On the train up here I was given a briefing, I was terrified enough, I'd never realised how big the world was, how rich in culture and how different people were, they seemed to sense that too. As I walked people stared at me mouths gaping open, I kept my head down, my waving black hair scraped back into a tight bun, but it didn't seem to help much.

Anyway to add to this terror was the new revelation of male and female, turns out I am not a freak of nature just a different piece of the jigsaw, a perfectly formed one at that, but it's hard to believe. 

The idea of sex was explained to me vaguely, I'd heard my father talk of it I knew how terrible it was and now I understand why exactly, the very thought of a male joining with me, pushing himself deep inside me, into a place I never even knew existed filled me with shock and disgust, an odd sensation overtook me though, for a second my insides felt ice cold and swollen and an odd throbbing started between my legs, I supposed it was just so much shock in such a short time but I must admit something about this made me feel so very good I suppose I must be slightly delirious with shock still.

I retired to my dormitory anyway, I lay on the purple satin sheets and the silkiness lulled me into sleep, quieting my troubled mind for the time being. 

I awoke to strange voices.

"Just look at her" "Oh my god Cass she's so perfect" "Shh she's waking up"

My bleary eyes unscratched themselves to see tree girls sitting on the end of my bed, I sat up quickly half through fear.

"Who, who are you?" I asked shaking.

"Honey don't look so scared" a tall, skinny girl with cropped scarlet hair , a ring through the centre of her lip and a pink stud in her nose answered me. Throwing back her pretty head and laughing she introduced herself as Cassandra, or Cass to me, then pointed at an extremely curvaceous girl with elbow-length, poker-straight, black and red streaked hair and an eyebrow piercing, calling her Raven then a petite blonde girl with the sexiest smile I'd ever seen who she introduced as Sasha or Sash.

"We're your roomies baby" Sash said standing to reveal a frame as slight but quite a bit shorter than Cass's dressed in a red, lacy top and long, black skirt.

Raven stood and without saying a word shot elegantly long, black nailed fingertips out along my jawbone, she wiped her thumb across my cheek drawing back blood red lips to reveal pointed, white teeth almost vampyric, then leaned in and kissed my cheek.

This simple action sent sparks shooting within me, I had no idea what was happening to me, I shook myself and said hello to each of them. We talked for a while, I eventually felt myself beginning to open up to them after about half an hour we went down to dinner together, I already felt closer to them than I had to anyone else in my life and the knowledge of this made me feel worse than ever.

After dinner I wandered the grounds alone for a short time, trying to collect my thoughts. The school was undoubtedly beautiful and my troubled mind seemed to have adjusted miraculously well to the revelations, I suppose that most of me was actually relieved that after so many years of being ashamed of myself, of my body, that it was infact the world, not myself, that was primarily at fault.

As dusk began to sift into the sky I walked back to the dormitory, my three roommates were already there, lounging around reading studying, things I am lead to believe were normal. 

When I walked in they looked up and after id settled down awkwardly on the edge of my bed they moved to join me.

I admired the lithe body of Cass encased in a black polo neck and seemingly endless black jeans clinging to her mile long legs as she glided over, I was stunned by the delicate body of Sasha as she half skipped over to me, an as for Raven, the most womanly looking of the three girls, she struck me as quiet in a way which was vaguely dangerous, she had yet to speak to me much but it was undoubtedly not for lack of interest, whenever I looked at her she was gazing at me with a predatory stare which she made no effort to hide, indeed she had several times just run a pointed pink tongue across blood-red lips curved into a smile which seemed to vibrate with forbidden thoughts.

Something about her enchanted me, I did not recognise the feelings within myself and assumed them to be through nervousness.

Sasha was bubbly and seemed much younger than the other two girls by personality rather than looks, Cass seemed to be a sort of ring leader confident and talkative she made me feel at ease.

"So honey tell us about yourself?" Cass reached out and took my hand in hers in a gesture I knew to be of friendship but something about the way she ran her fingers so lightly across my palm made me choke on my words.

Eventually I managed to begin and once I did the words seemed to flow from me, the night ate up the remaining fragments of day as we spoke and I ended up telling them everything. I paused before revealing my innocence to them, I don't know why I suppose I was confused as to how much these girls would know but something pushed me on and I did.

Raven who's gaze had been fixed determinedly at my chest ( I assume admiring my blouse) shot up at this ' So you've never touched yourself?' 

I was confused by this question of course I had a little sometimes it was unavoidable ' I still was and stuff' I blushed hoping this was not what they had been thinking ' Just I had to try and avoid certain areas' I mumbled indicating my breasts and the space between my thighs.

Raven raised two curved brows dragging open her heavily outlined beautiful navy eyes 

I decided it was time to call it a day and pointedly yawned Cass looked at her watch and said they should all get some rest, we had several weeks off as I had joined at the end of one term but she supposed I would want to explore the grounds tomorrow.

Gratefully I went into the bathroom with my nightdress. For once I didn't turn from the mirror and look away from my body I stood and watched as I slowly stripped my body, I watched as my hefty breast with their large dark centres were freed from a burgundy bra, I wiggled my curved hips out from a long black skirt and removed the tight burgundy shorts to reveal a nest of dark curls, for once I stopped and looked at myself, the slope of my sides the glossiness of my hair and skin and for the first time in my life I found something enticing there.

I lifted one thumb and ran it gently across my left nipple, the feeling was so strange, it caused a pounding to begin between my legs, it scared me so terribly I had to stifle a cry, I quickly dressed and went to bed as quickly as I could.

During the night I was woken by a strange buzzing noise followed by a cry, I turned to my side to see Sash writhing around under her covers, I assumed it was a nightmare and my sleep deprived mind took me back under before I could work out the buzzing.

I left early the next day deciding I would return and wash after breakfast however it was nearer to dinner before I could drag myself from the expansive gardens, I sat for a while just watching and thinking.

The dormitory seemed empty when I returned, so after I had washed I happily walked out wrapped in a small towel covering just the bottom half of my breasts to most of my slightly reddened ass.

Just as the bathroom door closed behind me the dormitory door opened and Raven walked in I looked away in embarrassment unsure what else to do oddly I heard her give a wicked giggle, I looked up when I heard her footsteps approaching me, without saying a word she took my hand and pulled me a little closer into her, she stood at least 3 " taller than me when I was barefoot so I found myself staring up into a beautiful face drawn back into a playful smile. 

Deadly Sins Ch. 01: Lust



Lust. Lechery. Excessive thoughts of a sexual nature. Intense or unbridled sexual desire. Lasciviousness.





Deadly Sins Ch. 01: Lust



Green eyes watched her. But they weren't his. They were the eyes of a hunter. A predator.

And they were full of hunger. For her.

Jesus, he hadn't been talking about hurting just anyone. He had been talking about her.

Eyes on the floor, Rayn dashed out of the elevator. She made a beeline for the club's exit, colliding with a hard surface when she was still several long feet away.

Strong hands grasped her shoulders and Rayn looked up into the face of the man Thane had called Cael. Then past him, taking in the various scenes of sexual depravity her fellow club goers were engaged in.

As she watched, a man lounging against the bar pulled his hips away from another man's mouth, creamy, white liquid pulsing from his erection. Flames ignited Rayn's cheeks.

Following her gaze, Cael muttered, "Jesus fucking Christ, what the hell is going on?"

Rayn yanked free, immediately bolting out the door into the cold night. Sucking deep gulps of icy air into her lungs, she didn't stop running until she reached her car.





Deadly Sins Ch. 02



She reached out as she had done the first day with one hand, one finger tracing my jaw line, she leant in and kissed the place her fingers vacated but this time she did not remove her mouth, instead running her tongue swiftly across my jaw, involuntarily I felt myself suck in my breath, one arm frozen to my side with fear the other clutching my towel around me I found myself shiver with what I must admit was excitement. 

She drew back to look at me her fingers tilting my chin, she could not have mistaken the disappointment in my eyes and it made her laugh. 

Without warning she moved forwards her lips stopping millimetres from mine, without even thinking I closed the distance, once I hit her soft sensuous flesh I regained sense and was unsure what to do, I kissed her lightly as if that was all I meant to do and pulled back.

Lust filled eyes gazed back at me 'Oh baby' she whispered 'you're so perfect' With that she coiled her hand in my hair and pulled me into her. Shockingly her wet tongue forced it's way into my mouth, I stepped back with the shock tripping and falling onto the bed the towel riding up around my thighs, blushing profusely I struggled to cover myself.

She released my hair gently pulling her hand from under me she stood back and looked at me drawing in a deep sigh of wanting she quickly mounted the bed, straddling me she whispered 'honey be still you'll like this'

I trembled beneath her undoubtedly I was strong enough to push her off me but I was reluctant to risk exposing myself again and truth be told something's were happening within me that made me want to stay there, trapped by her.

My breath came in short sharp gasps as she slowly moved her head down, gently flicking her head so her bottom lip ran over my top one. She stopped and looked deep into my eyes before catching both my hands and holding them over my head, I lay perfectly still knowing that if I moved my towel would fall open. 

She once again shot her tongue into my mouth but this time I lay back and considered the feelings, as everything within me churned and an odd feeling of moisture began in between my legs, a cool breeze running across it driving me to madness, I began to respond.

Tentatively at first then with more courage soon I was sucking at her tongue trapping her lip between my teeth, wrestling her tongue with mine, it felt so natural so easy and so damn hot. 

After a few minutes she drew back 'good girl' she murmured smiling contentedly she caught both my wrists with the same hand pulled her scarf off and bound them to the headboard, only once shed finished did I realise what was going on.

'W w w what are you doing?' I asked in a frightened tone.

She raised a finger to my lips then carefully climbed off me 'Honey I just want to see if this body is as good as it looks for myself.'

I yelled no as she pulled the towel down from my breasts but she continued anyway, they jutted out from my body at her she stared for a moment then put her hand around one lifting it slightly, she moaned lightly and I have to admit I followed suit, bolts of electric seemed to shoot from it down my body tickling between my legs in that most precious jewel.

'Looks like it is' she giggled suddenly darting her head down catching my nipple between her pretty lips and beginning to suck. I screamed into the empty room my whole body responding to her against my will, my still damp hair curled against her head as I strained backwards moaning and sighing, my hips flailing madly, she must have sensed this because without even looking she stripped the towel from the rest of my body and flung it away.

'No' I cried, as one petite hand laced down my stomach pausing to caress the nest of hair.

Suddenly regaining my sense I realised the full extent of my position, trapped naked between the thighs of this gorgeous women, my bare still moist flesh radiating heat certainly not entirely from the shower I had taken.

I attempted to wriggle away; she slapped my ass hard making me gasp in what was unmistakably desire.

"You love that don't you honey? Lucky for you I enjoy doing it." I merely moaned in response as she brought her soft hand down once more against my damp flesh, this time leaving it there she returned her head to my breast and began to roughly squeeze my ass, all of a sudden she stopped and began to stroke it, long drawn out actions that had me bucking against her, a hollow feeling forming inside me as if something somewhere within me was calling out to be filled. 

Abruptly she leapt off the bed and looked at me with a devious smile licking at her stunning face, she laughed lightly in a way that bared pearly white fangs.

'You're so fucking beautiful' she whispered, 'I've always thought I was the definition of gorgeous you know, I'd be jealous if you weren't mine'

I stared up at her through half closed eyes, radiating arousal, my breath came in short and sharp and the liquid seeping from between my thighs turned cold with the chilly air only to be replaced by more streams of hot fluid drawn from the idea that I belonged to this girl, suddenly all my thoughts were replaced with one conscience desire, all I wanted was for her to use me, touch me taste me torture me if necessary just to satiate herself, this was the first memory I have of desiring to be no more to a person than a toy, to be owned, it was certainly not the last.

I looked her dead in the eye and bit my lip, jutting my chest out in a way I hoped would bring her back to me.

Looking at me she let out a primal cry of excitement and tore open the front of her tight black jeans revealing a lacy purple thong, she tugged them down over her rounded hips and let them slowly glide to her black stilettos

Her eyes smouldered as they met mine and a long fingered hand snaked down her stomach winding its way through a tiny patch of hair and in between her legs which parted slightly.

She stroked back and forth several times as I quivered against the bed, my damp ass twitching as I ground myself into the bed desperately trying to touch some part of me which was screaming for attention.

Raven leant backwards slightly until she was resting on a dresser opposite my bed, as soon as she touched it she lifted herself up onto it, kicking off the clothing tangled around her legs and placing one, still stiletto clad foot on the dresser beside her leaving the other to dangle down freely so her glistening pussy was now bared for me to see. 

I watched the lubrication dribble slowly down the crack of her ass, mystified, she seemed dissatisfied though and gracefully climbed off the dresser walking over to me, she extended her hand to my own sopping cunt, making me believe for a blissful second that she was about to relive the need inside me, instead however she simply wiped the tips of her fingers over me once collecting up the moisture there before returning to her previous position.

She held the hand still wet with my juices up to her nose and sniffed it a contented smile playing over her lips as she then proceeded to rub it into herself, using it as lubrication for the part of her body which I know now to be called the clit.

She rubbed this in a circular motion never once taking her eyes off me, after a minute or two she let her free hand wander down to the dresser beneath her, opening a drawer she groped around without taking her eyes off me she pulled out a long blue object in the shape of a cock, she thrust it deep into herself and finally the intense eye contact was broken as she threw back her head, long hair tossed back from her face she jumped from the dresser to the floor, pounding the tool in and out of herself, screaming and writhing as she did so. 

I couldn't help it everything about the scene made me so hot, I began to squirm relentlessly against my restraints.

After what seemed like no time at all she screamed one final hungry scream, shuddered, slowed then lay still. 

She lay there for a moment, breathing heavily into the silence before finally standing and dressing,taking the rod i now know as a dildo into the bathroom i heard her clean it then she returned and put it back in the dresser before she walked over to me and stood at the foot of the bed facing me.

'I'm sorry sweetie you just look so delicious lying there, tied down for me. But I know I mustn't touch...just yet,' with this she clamped her hand gently around my cunt, gently cupping it, ' but you have such a beautiful pussy, I cant wait to taste it, need to bare it properly first though, god that's gonna be so fucking hot' .

I couldn't help it, my mind was just suddenly taken over by the vision of her kneeling between my legs pink tongue lapping at my cream as my legs wrapped themselves around her head, stroking her soft hair.

I had no idea people did such things but the image was so clear in my mind, even though I have to admit it disgusted me a little it was such a delicious thought I whimpered and closed my eyes opening them to find her smiling lovingly at me.

Without saying a word she pulled her clothes down slightly and trailed one index finger between her thighs until it was glistening with moisture, then forced it into my mouth, rolling it over my tongue before I could protest, my mouth was flooded with the sweet taste of her, she dressed fully, loosened my bonds and left.

I struggled the rest of my way free quickly shedding the bonds and showering without looking at myself, my traitorous body, the shower woke me up and made me feel so terribly humiliated.



Deadly Sins Ch. 02: Lust



"Contact Cullen. Have him find out where Rayn lives from her sister." Thane pushed himself to his feet and moved out of the elevator. His over stimulated senses needed the break. "Then you're on stake out detail."

Phone in hand, Cael questioned, "Is there anything in particular I'm on the lookout for?"

Thane drew in a ragged breath. His body was his again, his wolf leashed. For the time being. "Yeah, my sanity."

"You know, I didn't think I would live to see this day. The day our great Alpha was brought to his knees." Softly chuckling, Cael sniffed the air. "Literally."

Shit wasn't funny. Not in the least. "Get your jollies in now, my brother. Cause I'm damn sure you won't find it amusing when it happens to you."

"That's because it won't happen to me. And even if it did, I'm sure I'll still find amusement somewhere." Cael sobered. "As my mother taught me, life ain't worth living if you don't have joy."

Cael was the unwanted result of a loveless union between two members of rival packs. In an effort to form alliances and strengthen ties, a female from the Louvre pack had been promised to a male from Thane's pack. The female had been fiercely resistant to the coupling; she'd also been Cael's mother.

The events had occurred prior to Thane becoming Alpha, when he was nothing more than a pup. But every member of both packs knew the story. After expelling the baby from her womb, Lindy had committed suicide. For her, Cael's birth had not been a moment of joy.

It had been a moment of truth, the moment which solidified her status as a permanent member of the Kensington pack. For fear of starting a war, she could never go home; her family would have been forbidden to accept her.

If Lindy had returned to her parents and Cael's father discovered his mate was being given shelter against him, it would've been an insult too great to ignore.

Male pack members were proud, dignified. And jealous. What was theirs was theirs.

And no one else's concern.

Lindy had loved her family enough to not put them in such a precarious situation. But that love had not extended to her son. He had been a burden, an invisible chain.

The damage wrought was evident: Cael didn't trust females. Never would. Period.

"I'll hit you up once I have her in sight, T," he called over his shoulder, cell pressed to his ear. His big form ambled down the hall. "Cullen, I need a favor. Naw, my man, I don't give a shit. Get your rocks off after...damn! Is she like that? For real? I feel ya and I'll let you get down to business right after you find out where her sister lives."

As Cael listened to the conversation on the other end of the line, Thane waited. He knew he should be on his way to his office, making the necessary arrangements to shut down the club for the night. There was also an important phone call to be made.

But first he had to know Rayn's address.

Reaching the end of the short hall, Cael stopped walking. "Goddamn, Cullen, what the hell are you doing to her? Why is she screaming-"

Thane tensed, ready to jump into action.

"Tell her to calm down, I'll take care of it." Cael grimaced, pulling the phone away from his ear for the span of a few seconds. "Jesus, can't you shut her up? Hell, I don't know, man, use your imagination. I can think of at least one thing you can stick in her mouth."

As soon as Cael snapped his phone shut, Thane demanded, "What's the deal?"

"The deal is your mate needs better friends and family."

"Cut the bullshit, Cael. What are you talking about?"

"Seems a car was left here for her, but no keys. Her sister has them and Rayn's purse is locked in the trunk. In short, Rayn doesn't have access to her money or phone and it's freezing outside." Cael paused, a smirk spreading across his face. "Do you want to go get the icicle? Or shall I?"

An image formed in Thane's mind of toned, mocha legs encased by a short jean skirt. It was freezing outside; those luscious legs would need a good thawing out by now.

And Thane knew the perfect way to take care of the problem. He would suck Rayn's cold fingers into his hot mouth while massaging her frigid toes to start her blood flow again. He would slide her feet under his shirt, placing them against his chest to return her lost heat. He would kiss up her ankles to her thighs, ending his exploration with a second taste of her sweet nectar.

Then he would let his wolf have her.

By the time he got done with her, frostbite would be the least of her concerns. Carpet burned knees and a swollen pussy, on the other hand, were entirely different matters. Thane's cock hardened as he visualized Rayn on hands and knees, ass pointed in the air.

But if he let his libido get the best of him, none of the matters which needed attending would be seen to that night. Or even the next day. "You go. Take her home."

"What about the car? I think it belongs to her."

"Stays here. She can get it tomorrow." Cael nodded, but before he disappeared to fight his way through the wantonness Rayn had brought down upon Orgasm, Thane extracted his keys from his pocket and tossed them to his Beta. "Take my truck."

"Don't feel the need to tell me why," Cael grumbled, reciprocating Thane's action with the keys to his own vehicle.

"Wasn't planning on it. One last thing, Cael."

"What?"

"Touch one hair on her head and I'll skin you myself."

"You don't have shit to worry about, T."

"Touch one hair on her-"

"You definitely don't have shit to worry about there." Cael threw up his hands in offense. "Condemned ain't my type."

"Just making sure we see eye to eye." Thane maneuvered back inside the elevator car, bending down to pick up Rayn's discarded underwear. He pressed the piece to his nose and inhaled deeply.

Lilac was the perfect fragrance to have ingrained into the seats of his truck. It was the reason he initiated the vehicle exchange. Once Rayn slid inside, her short skirt would ride up and her bare ass would be damn close to touching the leather, anointing the soft material with her natural aura.

Fuck those little trees, he had his own personal brand of car freshener. Sinful Rayn.

Tucking the underwear into his pocket, Thane rode the elevator to the second floor. He stepped off into the immense office which spanned the entire width of the club and almost half the length, deliberating on his next actions.

Sitting in the black executive chair behind his desk, he lifted the handset of the landline, dialed three numbers and swiveled his seat in the direction of a one-way mirrored glass wall. The wall had been designed with the sole purpose of allowing him to see the actions of those below without allowing those below equal privileges.

Whenever trouble arose, Thane's bird eye view made sure he was the first to know. As had been the case tonight with Rayn.

"Time to shut it down?" his human bartender answered. She sounded more than a little breathless.

Thane watched the hips of the man behind her as he drilled wildly against her ass. "Think you can remove lover boys dick long enough?"

"Consider it d-done. Oh-oh-"

Thane disconnected the call, tempted to deluge every person present on the floor underneath him with bucketfuls of ice water. If he wasn't getting any, neither should they.

Vetoing his plan, he spun back to the desk, kicking a foot onto the edge. He couldn't put his next step off any longer. It was time to consult with the pack elders. Much as he didn't care to include the input of others in critical decisions, in this case it was necessary.

The elders were the only ones who would possess knowledge on how to deal with this situation. He wouldn't be surprised to find out some of the decrepit bastards had been around to confront the original sins, when they had all been neatly bundled into the form of one snake in the Garden of Eden.

But he didn't feel like holding conference with all of them quite yet. Besides, there was only one whose opinion truly mattered.

Thane's fingers tapped out a second number on the keypad.

"This is Amina," a voice filled with sleep answered.

"Prepare for me. I'll be there to see you within the hour."

*****

Apathetic.

The perfect description.

Adriana lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling as the word rolled around in her head. She rubbed a hand along her satin sheets, enjoying the feel of the coolness against her naked skin.

Impassive. Disinterested. Callous. All good descriptives, actually.

In an attempt to distract herself from the uncomfortable, wickedly hot wetness that bloomed in her core, Adriana ruminated on the disturbing quality of her state of emotions or, as it were, non-emotions. When had she turned so cold and uncaring?

Funny, she was the consummate contradiction.

For as long as she could remember, she had been groomed to one day wield control over one of the most powerful emotions ever known. Anger. Animosity. Hatred.

In two months time, on the dawn of her twenty-fifth birthday, Adriana de la Cruz would be able to manipulate to her will all of the world's wrath.

An emotion of fire. Intensity.

Yet here she was, not able to bring herself to give a damn one way or the other.

Two soft clicks signaled the opening and closing of the door to her bedroom. Adriana didn't bother granting the unannounced visitor her attention. She knew who it was.

An unwelcome annoyance.

Then again, she pretty much felt the same about everyone and everything nowadays.

But this annoyance was different, important. Still, Adriana refused to acknowledge his presence. If he'd wanted her audience badly enough to seek her out in her private quarters, then it stood to reason he also wanted her audience badly enough to humble himself and speak first.

She knew she risked a grave offense because Marcus Williams, leader of The Society of Shaitan, humbled himself to no one.

That was certainly one perk of being sovereign. You didn't have to be servile to anyone else.

A lengthy silence stretched and Adriana closed her eyes, breathing in his muskiness. The heat between her legs intensified with each breath she took until finally she was forced to squeeze them together.

"I came here to see if you felt it," Marcus's low baritone rumbled from his position next to the door.

Felt what? All she could feel was her skin crawling at his nearness. That and the throbbing ache at her apex. "I'm in no mood for your company, Marcus."

"I suppose not. But you are certainly in the mood for something, aren't you?"

Hearing him draw near, her eyelids flipped open and on seeing him, a blast of pure, unadulterated lust coursed through her body.

The force of the reaction stunned her. Marcus had been forcing himself upon her ever since she'd come of age, but she'd never liked being intimate with him.

She didn't like him.

But damn if right now she didn't want him. Right now she felt like he was the only person alive who could ease her need.

He trailed a finger up her lower leg to her thigh, stopping when he reached the coarse hair which covered her sex. Twisting a tuft around a finger, he dropped a kiss to her belly. "Perfection."

Adriana expended a tremendous amount of effort to remain still, fighting against every nerve in her body which screamed at her to arch toward his hand. "I want you to leave."

"Says your mouth. But your body is telling me something different." As he slipped his finger inside of her, Adriana moaned. "Look at that, appears we got your mouth on board with the plan too."

He bent over the bed, sucking on a nipple and Adriana's blood pounded through her, roaring in her ears. When he tried to pull away, her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him in place and forcing him to continue his ministrations.

"By Gods, what is wrong with me?" she screamed, helpless against the liquid desire which rushed through her veins.

Marcus laughed softly. "You're feeling the effect of your sibling's power, Adriana."

The statement carried the effect of a slap in the face. Coming to her senses, her passion chilled instantly. "Get off of me."

"You don't mean that." Slowly, he plunged his digit in and out of her sex, catching her nipple between his teeth again.

"Get your mouth off of me. Now."

With one last suck, he released his hold, murmuring, "Shame."

"Your finger, Marcus."

The offending digit withdrew. "And I had such high hopes this would be the time you enjoyed yourself with me."

"And that is one dream that's never coming true. But keep fantasizing. I hear it's good for the mind." Rolling off the bed, Adriana scrounged around on the floor for her robe. When her hands touched it, she stood, sliding her arms into the sleeves and concealing her body from view. Ignoring his expression of disappointment, she asked, "What sibling are you talking about?"

"The one you're going to bring to me. Lust."

"Care to explain why you think I would do anything for you?"

"Because his or her power isn't fully formed yet. But it will be. Very soon. I would even dare say they will be celebrating their twenty-fifth within the next week."

Adriana exhaled a sigh of relief on hearing the words. It meant the only reason she'd been attracted to the swarthy complexioned, red haired, gray eyed devil was because of a blip, a surge in the power of the person who embodied the world's lust. For a moment, she'd feared she was going crazy.

But, Jesus, if this preview had made her enjoy-want-Marcus's touch, what would the main attraction be like?

A sinister grin snaked across his face. "You always were a smart girl. I see you understand the implications."

Undiluted, the power of lust would reduce everyone within a thousand mile radius to simpletons writhing in passion. There would be no stopping until they all expired from exhaustion.

Not exactly a fate of misery considering there were worse ways to die.

But it was a fate Adriana absolutely could not risk for herself. If she willingly slept with Marcus...

She trembled, thinking of the backlash.

For that reason alone, she needed to deliver her "sibling" to him so he could teach him or her how to control their dangerous weapon. "How will I locate this person?"

"Easy enough."

Adriana waited for him to continue. He didn't. "Expound."

"Follow the trail of rutting, of course." Yanking his shirt free from his pants, he pulled it over his head and discarded it to the floor. He took a single step closer.

Adriana took an equally measured step backwards. "I don't find you amusing."

"What's new? You never do." He unfastened his belt. "I'm having someone track down an address as we speak. You will have it by tomorrow morning. Then, my sweet Adriana, you will go to your sibling and convince him or her coming to me is the right thing."

Right thing? Adriana scoffed in disdain. Right thing her ass.

The Society of Shaitan was a powerful group of Satanists. Cliché as it sounded, their ultimate objective was worldwide domination through the establishment of a New World Order. It had been their goal for the thousands of years The Society had been in existence.

But it was only in the not too distant past, when Marcus came to power, that they'd finally devised a way to achieve said goal. Locate the current seven who possessed the power of the deadly sins. Help them realize the full extent of their powers while forming alliances with them.

Use them to bring forth the apocalypse on all who would oppose the formation of a one-world government.

Then offer the seven co-positions of leadership with Marcus at the head of the New World Order. And so began The Society's quest.

They'd found Adriana when she was just a babe, killed her family then taken her for their own. She'd been reared in their midst, raised from an infant knowing her role in their plan.

Despite childhood teachings that had been horribly slanted in favor of The Society, Adriana knew the truth. There was nothing right with a group of psychopaths who met daily to chant to the Antichrist.

And there certainly wasn't anything right when after the service each follower prostrated him or herself before Marcus, bestowing kisses on the feet of their "most beloved and revered high priest".

They were all a bunch of quacks.

They were also the reason she was so jaded.

The Society sanctioned the killing of innocents without remorse. The maiming of inferiors with no second thoughts. The destruction of the unworthy with no qualms.

She should've left long ago, but she had to be honest with herself: What person in their right mind walked away from a chance to rule the world?

Especially when it was a damn near sure thing.

Dropping his pants to the floor, Marcus stared at her through hooded lids. "Get rid of the robe, Adriana. We're going to fuck now."

Silently Adriana prayed she found her sibling. Quick. And while gender didn't matter, she did pray they would at least be aesthetically pleasing. The arrival of a new attractive plaything promised to divert some, if not all, of Marcus's attention from her.

"I'd rather we didn't, but if it's any consolation I won't mind if you still tell yourself we did."

"Shame," he said, rapidly closing off the distance which separated them. "I really had hoped this time would be different."

Dropping into a crouch, Adriana prepared herself for the familiar battle. Reflecting back to her earlier musings, she acknowledged just how erroneous she'd been.

She didn't feel apathetic about all things. At one time she'd loved Marcus.

Roughly, he grabbed her upper arm, pulled her to her feet and over to the bed, then shoved her down to her beloved sheets. She would burn them later because they were about to be tainted by sweat, semen, and, if she got one good bite in, blood.

Of the man she loathed with every fiber of her being.

*****

This was fantastic. Just fan-fucking-tastic.

Rayn loved her car, a newer model champagne colored Lexus LS 460. The thing was loaded containing a MP3 player, in dash 6 cd player, rain sensing wipers, heated seats, tinted windows, V8 engine and the list went on.

Normally, such a piece of luxury would be far out of her range considering the list price for the vehicle was somewhere in the mid to high fifty thousands and she barely scraped by on her measly month to month salary. Compensation as a home based customer care representatives for National City was not spectacular. So two months ago, when her piece of crap Ford Escort kicked the dust, her despair had rapidly dissipated into ecstasy on seeing the for-sale-by-owner ad for the Lexus in the Columbus Dispatch.

The offer had been too good to pass up, Rayn immediately calling the number listed at the bottom of the ad. She'd scheduled an appointment to come to the house of a royally pissed off housewife who had recently walked in on her politician husband cheating with one of his campaign workers. A male campaign worker.

The woman had explained her fool proof pre-nup. Either she left with three quarters of her husband's wealth in her pocket and no guarantee to keep quiet. Or she stayed with the promise to keep silent regarding his indiscretion and the understanding that his precious Lexus would be sold at her will along with the extraction of some other very nice perks. She opted on the latter for the sake of their children.

And Rayn had never been happier in her life to walk away two thousand five hundred dollars lighter. The wife had also thrown in an expensive set of golf clubs, explaining that her dear husband would just have to understand it was a misfortunate "accident" she'd forget to remove them from the trunk.

After she'd put them in there.

So, yes, Rayn loved her car, was in love with the car. What she didn't love, however, was being forced to cast her loving looks at its plush interior through the windshield because her keys were in her sister's purse. And her sister was long gone.




Deadly Sins Ch. 02: Lust



She should go back inside Orgasm and demand Thane let her use his phone. It was the least he could do considering he'd been instrumental in arranging the meeting between Cullen and Nicki which led to their subsequent disappearance.

But she wouldn't. The man had snarled at her to get away from him and get away she would. Frigid temperatures be damned, she wasn't laying down her pride for anyone.

Even if she did end up with freezer burned butt cheeks. This was what she deserved for agreeing to not only come out with Nicki and Alexis in the first place, but also letting the two pick her outfit.

Rayn sighed, thinking of the well known Proverbs verse: Pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall.

A mighty tumble was apparently in her near future. Only the knowledge that Thane's tumble would be farther, harder, and with any luck, more painful, assuaged her.

Not wanting to chance catching a heel on the loose gravel of the deteriorated sidewalk, Rayn started walking up the center of the street. The closest business still open would be the Kroger's at the juncture of Parsons and Livingston Avenues. They would have a payphone she could use to call her sister so she could rip her a new one.

Rayn didn't plan to rip into Nicki because she had left her with no way home. And not because she'd convinced Rayn wearing summertime clothes in the dead of winter was okay. Not even because she'd persuaded Rayn to lock her purse in the trunk while handing over her keys for safekeeping (because, as Nicki put it, "It's a travesty to ruin such a cute outfit with that hideously outdated piece of crap.").

She was going to rip Nicki a new one because she had been the one to pick out the four inch black stilettos Rayn was now being forced to walk half an hour in.

As headlights approached, Rayn edged to the side of the street, trying to get out of the way. But the closer the vehicle got, the more it slowed, until finally it stopped right next to her.

Great. Just what she needed, a SUV no doubt filled with drunkards. Because no evening on the town was complete until you could say you'd been sexually harassed by walking, talking Crown Royal soaked testosterone.

The passenger window rolled down, revealing Cael. "Get in."

An unexpected pang of disappointment rolled through Rayn. If anyone came to get her, it should've been...she squashed the emotion. "I'm good."

"Either you get in." Cael shifted the vehicle into park. "Or I get out and put you in. Your choice, sweetheart."

"My choice, huh? Then I choose to keep enjoying my midnight walk."

"I'll bet you're enjoying it all right. It's-" he glanced at the dashboard "-twenty degrees and you've been out here for ten minutes. You might last another five minutes, maybe ten, so why don't you just make it easy on yourself and get in?"

"I'll pass."

"Make it easy on me then. I don't particularly care to have my head bashed for manhandling Thane's woman."

Thane's woman? That just had to be the most charming Neanderthalish possessive she'd heard in a long while.

Too bad, she was a modern woman.

Infusing her words with saccharine sweetness, Rayn said, "The woman you're looking for is walking in the opposite direction." She jerked her thumb behind her. "Can't miss her. She's the one dressed in animal furs with a huge bump on her forehead from Thane's club. Better hurry, I think she's planning to retire to their cave for the night."

Cael muttered something vulgar about sinful females and major disasters. "Look, Rayn, all I'm offering is a ride to your sister's so you can retrieve your keys. No big deal."

Rayn contemplated the offer. Krogers was still twenty minutes away by foot, twenty five in her ridiculously high heels, plus it would be another twenty before Nicki showed up to meet her.

By car, she would get the chance to tear into Nicki's ass ten times faster.

She regarded Cael for a moment, realizing for the first time the man was just as mouthwatering as Thane, Cullen and the man Alexis had hooked up with. With his icy blue eyes, buzz cut brown hair and strong angular features, he could've been a model for Calvin Klein. Except he wasn't wafer thin and emaciated.

Hand on the door handle, Rayn asked, "Why didn't you just say that to begin with?"

*****

Thane watched the gentle sway of lush hips as the woman walked away after granting him access to the interior of the house. He winked as she cast a look over her shoulder to make sure she still held his notice.

This was a game of theirs. A game they'd been playing for the past year.

Blond hair, blue eyed, fair of skin, this was the woman he'd been considering taking as a mate, regardless it had been plain to them both his werewolf would never bond with her. Amina's granddaughter. She was everything a man desired in a mate right down to her beauty and subservience.

She paled in comparison to Rayn. In more ways than one.

"Follow me, my lord," her soft voice drifted to him, her slight accent pleasing to the ear.

Doing as bid, Thane deliberated on how so much had changed. And in such a short amount of time.

At the beginning of his evening, the idea of taking Katya as a mate had been acceptable. Now it was out of the question.

His wolf would never allow it to happen.

"Where's your grandmother, Kat?" he asked, settling on the longer of the two couches which occupied the room she'd led him to.

"You know grandmamma. She felt it best we spend a few moments together first." Retrieving a bottle from a wine cabinet, she removed the cork and filled a flute half full with a deep purple liquid. She placed the glass in his hand. "She'll be down shortly."

Though he wasn't really in the mood for it, Thane had to respect Amina's temerity. She was determined to have Thane and Katya mated soon with a pup born each year thereafter.

He took a sip of the expensive wine, then set the glass onto a nearby table and tugged Katya down to his lap. She giggled as he burrowed his nose into the hollow of her neck, swiping his tongue playfully along the pale column.

Unsurprisingly, his wolf was noticeably absent.

"Thane, I didn't know you were here," Amina exclaimed, striding into the room, her gaze full of mischief. Though she'd definitely been sleep when he had called, she was immaculately coifed with not one gray hair out of place. "Katya, why didn't you come get me?"

"Cause you told me not to," came the cheeky response.

"Yes, I suppose I did, didn't I?" A throaty chuckle filled the air.

"You're incorrigible, Amina." Thane helped Katya to her feet. "Give us a few moments. I need to speak to your grandmother in private."

No sooner had Katya shut the door, than Amina sighed dejectedly. "I know why you're here. I'm never going to get my wish, am I?"

Thane mulled over the question, before answering. "She's young, she's beautiful. She'll be mated and giving you great-grandchildren before you know it." He smiled before adding, "Mayhap even sooner if you stay out of it."

"All those years of running off those randy puppies for naught. I warned each and every last one of them the Alpha would have their heads for sniffing around his female."

"But she's not for me, Amina," he said gently. "She never was."

"I know, Thane. I know." She sighed again. "But enough of this old lady's nonsense, I want to know about the woman who did manage the formidable task of lassoing the mighty Thane Wulff."

Picking up his glass, Thane swirled the liquid around in circles, appreciating the opaque color and rich, nutty aroma. "How did-"

"I've known you since you were a child. I can sense the difference in you. Your wolf is unsettled, unhappy, whereas before he was just-"

"Lonely." Thane drained his glass.

"When will the mating ceremony take place?" Amina asked.

"Couldn't tell ya. Not anytime soon."

Amina started, the expression on her smooth face indicating her incredulity. "Your wolf has staked his claim, Thane. You have to mate this woman now or else he'll drive you crazy. And you'll drive the pack crazy."

"There's a..." Thane cast around his mind for the appropriate word to describe his situation. "Complication."

"Is she from a rival pack? Not interested? Already mated?" Thane shook his head in response to each question. "A vampire? Demon?"

"She's human."

"Not unheard of. Bring her here and we'll slowly introduce her to our ways. I'll oversee her acclimation."

"There's more."

"Like?"

"She's lust."

"Lusty is good. It'll keep things lively, if you know what I mean." Amina waggled her eyebrows.

"That it will," Thane agreed. "But when I say she's lust, I mean she's lust."

"She's..." Amina's face paled as the magnitude of his words hit home. Her hand fluttered to her throat to nervously finger the diamond pendant which hung there from a necklace. "You're right, Thane, that is a complication. One hell of a complication, actually. Has her...has she reached her majority yet?"

"No. But it's coming. Soon." Thane closed his eyes, remembering Rayn's potent flavor. Opening them again, he continued, "I need your help, Amina. I need to know how I can save her."

She didn't speak for several long minutes. "You know the answer."

"But what I don't know is the alternative."

"How do you know there is one?"

Thane's hand unconsciously tightened on the flute until it shattered. Brushing the glass to the floor, he smiled grimly. "Because I refuse to accept the death of my mate."

"Hold on to that stubbornness, Thane. You're going to need it where you're headed." Amina's hand dropped from her throat. "But before we even get that far, you need to be relaxed."

Walking to the door, Amina disappeared through it briefly. When she returned, it was with Katya in tow her pale blue eyes immediately landing on his lap. "Katya, see to our Alpha's needs."

Although his wolf was not interested in the relief Katya's pink lips could bring, the man in him was. Strategically speaking, he needed this relief. It would alleviate his stress and help him remain clear headed.

Shit. He wished it was Rayn doling out this pleasure.

But that would come all in good time. For now, he would take what release he could get.

"Call me when you two are done," Amina bade, closing the door.

Thane allowed Katya to pull him to his feet and lead him to a seat free of dangerous shards. As soon as he sat down, she dropped to her knees between his legs, reaching for his belt.

Thane placed his hand upon hers, stilling her motions. "If you don't want to...?"

"I want nothing more." She opened his pants, freeing his erection. "As always, it is an honor to pleasure you."

As Alpha, he could suck and fuck any unmated female in his pack. And though he'd sampled quite a few of the lovelies, he'd been with Katya more than any other.

But...things were different now. And he needed to make sure she understood.

"Kat-"

"If you're getting ready to tell me you've found your mate, I know. I knew when I first laid eyes on you tonight." Before her hot, wet mouth engulfed his cock, she added, "And I still want to do this for you."

Thane tangled his hands in the blond locks which draped his lap, using his grasp to guide her head up and down his shaft. The feel of his cock hitting the back of her throat was incredibly gratifying. "Fuck, Kat, I love your mouth."

But how would Rayn feel about his cock being shoved down another woman's throat?

Probably wouldn't give a shit considering she didn't know him. Yet. But the thought of another man's mouth touching her in like fashion was enough to deflate his ardor sure as a push pin put to a balloon.

"My lord?" Katya formed the question around his flaccid member.

Thaned tamped down the murderous rage he'd unwittingly conjured. He removed himself from her mouth and straightened his clothes. "Go get Amina."

Just as surely as Rayn was his, he was hers.

No woman would ever touch him again but her. And no man would ever touch her again but him.

Lest that man desired to be dismembered...starting with his cock.



Deadly Sins Ch. 03: Lust



Author's Note:

Thank you guys so much for taking time out of your busy day to read my story! I am very happy that everyone is enjoying.

Please continue to rate and comment.

And, without further ado, I present Chapter 3!





Deadly Sins Ch. 03: Lust



A male responded, "Did you think your mutt could stop me?" A thud sounded, the sound of soft flesh hitting a hard surface. "I found you first so he can't have you. You will always belong to me."

Thane kicked the door open, the sight which met his eyes causing his boiling anger to overflow. A demon had Rayn pinned to a wall, his hand at her throat securely holding her in place.

His beast snarling to be let free, Thane thwarted him. This wasn't the time. This was not how Rayn needed to find out what he was. Or the hazard he presented to her. "Turn her loose."

The demon turned towards him, letting his visage of a handsome dark cocoa complexioned African American man slip for a fraction of a second to reveal mottled red and yellow skin and soulless black eyes. "Back off, dog. She's mine."

"That's where you're mistaken. That's my mate you have your fucking hands on." The words were out of Thane's mouth, the significance of his relapse nothing compared to his rage.

"Mate?" Countenance in place, the demon rotated his head back to Rayn. Thane could tell by her expression that his grasp must have tightened. "I can't believe it. You deny me but willingly fraternize with-"

"I'm warning you...awww, fuck it." Thane freed his Glock from the waistband of his slacks, took aim and fired several times at the demon's free hand.

Cursing, the thing freed Rayn so he could use his remaining appendage to grab his newly formed stump. Rayn took advantage of the distraction, running towards Thane who pushed her behind him, shouting to Cael, "Take her outside!"

"Fuck!" the demon yelled. "That was a piss poor warning!"

"Really? You did get that it was a warning though, right? Last guy didn't." Thane kept his weapon trained on his adversary. "Why are you here?"

"Collecting what belongs to me." The answer was delivered through tightly gritted teeth. "I discovered her well over a year ago and well before anyone else knew what she was. I claim her as my own."

"See, here's the thing, soul sucker, all of that is pointless because she's mine. And I don't share." Thane advanced cautiously. "Show your true form."

"Happy to oblige." The man disappeared, a monster of seriously oversized proportions left in his place. "I must say, I'm going to enjoy absorbing your soul, mutt. I haven't had a werewolf in quite some time."

"And you won't today." Thane let loose another shot, the bullet whizzing past the demon's head to imbed itself into the wall behind. "Was that warning enough?"

Mirthless laughter rang loud, the sound grating and high pitched. "Idiot. Didn't your elders ever teach you bullets are useless against my kind?"

"Checked to see if your claw has re-grown yet?"

"What?" Raising his arm, an expression Thane guessed to be shock flittered across the demon's face on seeing the stump hadn't rejuvenated when he'd switched forms. "Wha-how?"

"Kensington."

The moment of comprehension was heralded with a bellow of rage. "You cannot kill me. It's forbidden as I've done nothing wrong!"

"That I know of. But, hey, I've always operated on a guilty until proven innocent premise. And I don't like you. Therefore..." Thane shrugged.

"You dare-"

"Follow in the footsteps of my ancestors? Protect innocents? Protect what's mine? Always."

"You can't kill me," the demon said again, cradling his arm to his chest, oblivious to the black shit oozing out of his wound to soil his shirt. "I'm immortal. I can't die."

But the lack of physical aggression spoke louder than the heat filled words. "I'm well aware of that unfortunate fact. But I'm also aware that disposing of your current form sends your essence back to hell. I'm guessing it'll take you another two hundred years or so to work your way out again. But I could care less since I'll be dead by then. As will Rayn." Thane moved his gun down a notch, no longer aiming at the head but the heart. "Ready to go home for what I'm sure will be a long overdue family reunion?"

Thane waited patiently as a silence stretched. He was prolonging the inevitable with the intent of gleaning any useful information he could. If there were more demons coming for Rayn, he wanted to know beforehand so he could be prepared.

But, useful information aside, the demon would still die. He had dared lay hands on Rayn. In violence.

And that wasn't the real reason he wanted to kill him, Thane thought darkly. The demon would die because he was in Rayn's personal sanctuary. Her personal space. And Rayn's sweetness was heavy in the air.

Thane was one hundred percent the demon hadn't fucked her...but the possibility was enough to doom the unlucky fucker regardless.

When the demon finally answered Thane's question, it was with a question of his own. "How can a member of the Kensington mate with her? She's a sin. And you're the mongrel designed specifically to destroy her."

"I'm Alpha. Didn't your brethren ever tell you we do whatever the fuck we want?" The time for talking done, Thane squeezed the trigger.

The bullet, etched with circular patterns which sealed in the sacred, ancient blessings passed down through generations of Kensington pack elders, pierced through the demon's skin. And the moment it entered the heart was signaled by an explosion of light.

Afterwards, the demon was gone, clothes and all. Disintegrated.

"Alpha's have all the fun," Cael's mocking voice said from behind him. "I'm jealous."

Still looking at the spot where the demon had stood, Thane said, "Shove it. And why the hell aren't you with Rayn?"

"She sent me in here to tell you to pack her bag."





Deadly Sins Ch. 03: Lust



Pity. A weak emotion. Hardly strong enough grant the demon the hold he'd been seeking.

Only two emotions had ever been known to jumpstart the insidious binding process to a sin: love and hate. Those two emotions coupled with consensual intimacy affected both parties deeply. They became connected, linked together by unseen shackles.  

Forever tied together, they fed off each other, influenced each other, incited one another to higher levels, greater depths. All around, just some real bad shit. Especially if that bond to a sin occurred with an entity already capable in his or her own right of depravity.

Narrowing his eyes, Thane studied her face closely. "He did something to hurt you. What?"

Bowing her head, her eyes flicked down. "Noth-"

Grabbing her jaw in his hand, his tan skin only a couple shades lighter than her smooth mocha, he gently but firmly raised her face towards him. He held the position until her eyes met his again. "Do not lie to me. Ever."

"I-I don't want to talk about it. It makes me...uncomfortable."

He would let her have that. For now. But sooner or later she would tell him.

And if he didn't like what he heard, which he suspected would be the outcome, he was going to find a way to conjure that piece of shit demon so he could annihilate him all over again. Permanently.

"Thane? I couldn't help but notice that you're speaking of Dominic in the past tense. Is he...is he dead?"

Fire burned through Thane on hearing the asshole's name leave her lips. "Not exactly. But let's just say he won't be bothering you anymore."

"The woman?"

"Cael will see to it that she's taken care of." Pulling on the door handle, Thane opened the door then hopped out of the vehicle. He inhaled deeply while rolling his shoulders in an ineffective attempt to relieve the pressure building there.

Behind him, he could hear Rayn as she slid over the leather seats until she occupied the spot recently vacated by him.

He was so attuned to her, before she even opened her mouth, he knew the exact moment it would happen. And he knew what would come out of it. So when she asked, "What happens now?" he wasn't in the least bit shocked.

What happens now, indeed. "Now...now I take you to my home."

"What if I-"

"Princess, that wasn't an invitation, suggestion or request. It's what's going to happen."

She didn't have a choice, damn it. She was coming with him to Kensington Estates.

And God help them all if he couldn't keep his distance from her.



Deadly Sins Ch. 04: Lust



Author's Note:

Thank you so much for continuing to read. And thank you everyone for the wonderful comments and e-mails. It truly serves as my inspiration to continue writing this story for you guys.

Please comment and rate.

Thanks!

*****

"See that corner over there? Works perfect for me. You can just pull over and let me out and I'll be on my way." Rayn offered the suggestion, praying her captor would take heed.

But, no such luck for her. Thane just continued to drive, rewriting every traffic law known to mankind as he went, all the while ignoring her request. Except...that was definitely the unmistakable sound of acceleration right in front of said corner. Guess she now knew what he thought of the idea.

And that was fine with her. Thane apparently had a grievance against that particular intersection; just meant she would have to try again with another. And if the next still didn't suit his fancy, she would try yet again with a different one and gladly continue on so forth if that's how he really wanted to play at it.

Thane would find her to be a more than willing participant in any game of his because she was going to make damn certain victory was hers. Columbus had thousands of intersections and she would be getting out of his vehicle on one of them.

Staring out the glass of the rear passenger window, Rayn watched with disinterest as the rising sun set the sky ablaze with a colorful palette of vibrant oranges and blazing reds. Normally she would enjoy such a lovely view, but today was shaping up to be anything but normal. Besides, she was too confused to take pleasure in something so mundane in comparison to the man she was currently taking the possible ride of a life with.

Her lips were still raw, swollen, from Thane's vehement kiss after he'd declared her his. But now that Thane, fiery Thane, was gone, leaving unbalanced Thane in his place.

It was this second of disorienting incidences of about-face which fueled her bemusement. One minute he'd been a passionate, steamy, demanding lothario...the next just plain scary as hell.

"This corner right here works just as good." More with the damn acceleration.

This was the Thane from her nightmare, the Thane she'd had the misfortune of meeting two times too many now. This was the Thane from the club who'd threatened to hurt someone-her-if she didn't get away from him. Of course, in line with his alter ego's persona, this was also the Thane who'd bellowed at her to keep her hands to herself when she'd slipped out of the Navigator behind him to lay a hand on his arm. The force of his reaction stupefied her.

Gathering her wits quickly, and never one to be outdone, instead of the gentle rebuff she'd been prepared to dish, Rayn had bellowed twice as loud she wasn't going any damn where with him. His prompt response had been, "You don't have a fucking choice, princess."

Rayn would've told him in very explicit, colorful detail what part of her body he could kiss with his foul mouth, but after facing her to glare fire lit daggers, he'd lifted his hand to roughly drag it through his hair and the words caught on her tongue. Then dissolved.

Jesus, he was beautiful. All refined sumptuousness with his clean shaven jaw, fresh black long sleeve button down shirt intimately molded to each and every muscle of his chest and sporting black slacks perfectly tailored to accentuate his tapered waist and powerful build.

His dark locks were loose, the soft, luxurious curtain pushed back off his forehead. And for the second time, Rayn imagined threading her fingers through the waves; imagined having the inkiness draped across her chest, hundreds of ends tickling her nipples into hard nubs.

Imagined the contrast of midnight against coffee as he knelt between her open legs, his mouth fastened securely to her clit and his eyes fixated upon hers as he pleasured her.

Rayn's fantasy kicked into high gear as she noticed his action also caused his shirt to ride up. Greedily, her eyes had trailed down his face to the fine fabric which covered his chest to finally stop at his waist...where she got a good ass peek at what was shoved into his waistband.

While she was certain there was something in those designer slacks she would have liked to have a very personal meeting with under drastically different circumstances, his weapon-that weapon-wasn't what she'd been thinking of. His gun was big, deadly. The same one used on Dominic though to what end she still didn't completely know.

And, at that very moment, Rayn hadn't been able to help but wonder if the glimpse hadn't been intentional. An unspoken threat.

If push came to shove, she wasn't positively convinced Thane wouldn't shoot her too, so Rayn had squashed her misplaced desire and shut her mouth. Although he was staring right at her, she'd absurdly hoped he wouldn't notice as she'd begun to slowly edge away. Or, at the very least, not say anything.

But cooperation definitely wasn't his strong suit. Affixing her with a disconcerting stare more jade than its earlier emerald, he'd softly ordered, "Get in the truck. I'm not going to ask twice."

Compliantly, she had done exactly as commanded. Confident Thane was manic depressive, Rayn possessed no interest in testing his patience levels any further for fear of discovering first hand whether or not he was on medication.

If he wasn't...he could very easily kill and dispose of her during one of his delusional highs, then convince himself it had all been a hallucination when he hit his next low.

"What about that parking lot over there?" The huge Navigator sailed by, not slowing an ounce. "Or that one. Or even this one right here. Or-"

"Jesus Christ," he finally breathed, the words low and hard. They were the first verbal signs he'd shown her requests weren't falling on deaf ears. The vehicle halted abruptly in the middle of the street as he hit the brakes.

Dare she believe...

"You really wanna get away from me that bad?"

"If I say yes, are you going to let me go?"

"Of course." He nodded his head in accession, his cold emeralds meeting her gaze in the rearview. "Seems the gentlemanly thing to do."

And he was about as much of a gentleman as she was the Queen of England. Seeking clarification, Rayn added, "And not come after me?"

"Can't make that promise." A menacing smile touched his lips. "But I am giving you five seconds to get out. Five. Seconds. Starting now. One."

"And I'm going to take them...right after you give me your word you won't pursue me."

"No. You're now down two seconds. Willing to waste any more precious time haggling with me?"

He was serious. Rayn knew he wasn't going to debate with her and once he reached five that was it, her chance at escape would be gone.

Eyes widening, she looked down at herself. All she had on was a t-shirt, a pair of shoes not even adorning her feet. She could go straight away, leaving her belongings behind, but at most it was a frosty ten degrees outside.

And she wouldn't last ten minutes before the onset of hypothermia.

Pushing herself to her feet, Rayn leaned forward, close enough for Thane's dark spiciness to suffuse her nose and cause her to momentarily falter on a tantalizing inhale. The brief hesitation proved to be all the window he needed; as she finally remembered she was in the middle of a great escape and made a grab at the duffle sitting on the front passenger seat, her hand wrapping around the handles, he called, "Five."

The vehicle lurched forward, toppling her on top of the armrest. Rayn struggled to right herself, seething in anger. "Let. Me. Out."

"I gave you your time. Now we're back on mine."

"You shorted me a couple seconds, asshole. Those seconds are all I need to get away from you and you know it. Stop this vehicle now!"

"Those seconds were meaningless, princess, and you know it. And I know you know it. I suggest you take this as a learning experience. Next time you'll be prepared to make a move at the first sign of opportunity knocking."

Flopping onto the seat, bringing the bag with her, Rayn yanked open the zipper. "Save your slice of wisdom for someone who needs it, you arrogant ass son of a bitch."

"Such a lovely opinion you have of me." His crack of laughter sounding loud, Thane blew through yet another traffic light. "And truer than you know."

And this was the man who wanted to claim her as his? Hell-to-the-no!

It was hard enough trying to understand the goals and objectives of a man with one personality much less a man who possessed two. Plus, serious mental issues were nowhere on her list of one hundred and one must haves in a man. Boiled down to twice the work for half the gain rather than twice the fun for half the price.

Rayn rifled through the items Thane had thrown into the bag, planning to capitalize on his advice to move as soon as opportunity knocked. She would get dressed and if he slowed to below forty-five miles per hour she was going to move right on out the door.

The hell with waiting for opportunity to come find your door. Sometimes you had to make your own and place them in the most favorable locale. Even when faced with solid walls of concrete. Even when faced with barriers of pure muscle weighing a good two-hundred and sixty pounds.

Her duffle contained a couple pair of jeans, a few sweaters, underwear, socks and a pair of tennis shoes. All in all, pretty efficient for a man who had been moving rather quickly and Rayn was thankful for Thane's insight. His thoughtfulness would aid in her getaway.

Extracting a pair of the jeans, Rayn shimmied them up her legs and over her hips.

"What are you up to, Rayn?"

"Laying framework." Forgoing socks, she thrust her feet into her Nikes, simultaneously risking another glance at Thane in the mirror.

Only to discover him scowling at her intently. His jaw was clenched tight, a muscle ticking at the corner of his lusciously sculpted lips. Lips which were currently screwed into a very thin, unattractive line.

Tension radiated out from his very soul. Tension brought on, apparently, by her. What a nice confidence booster to know she was the cause to his unsettling effect.

"Don't do anything stupid, Rayn."

"Like?"

"Like something you'll live to regret."

His tone was so calm, Rayn couldn't believe she'd heard him correctly. Because if that didn't qualify as a threat, she didn't know what did.

"How 'bout you just keep minding the road." Pulling her t-shirt over her head, she bared her breasts. "And I'll mind me."

But before she could cover herself in one of the sweaters, she heard it. A sharp hiss. Thane's.

Now this could prove advantageous. Opportunity was here, but it wasn't knocking. It was an industrial grade bulldozer blaring its horn and ready to eradicate doors, walls and all other bothersome barriers, framework and all.

Emboldened with a wealth of sensuality, Rayn cupped a breast in each hand. She kneaded the mounds, pushing her size Ds up until her chin rested in their crevice.

"You like this?" she asked, lowering her voice to purr, "You want this?"

Flicking her tongue out, she laved her right nipple with moisture causing it to pucker into a tight knot. Issuing a moan she tried to convince herself was contrived, she lavished the left with just as much care. "If you want it, you have five seconds to come get it. One."

Continually switching between the two, Rayn felt the electrifying sensation tingling down her spine to take up residence between her legs in the form of an all too familiar ache. Her moans started coming more frequently and of their own accord. "Two."

When the Navigator came to a second stop, her ache transformed into a full blown agony. With severe effort, Rayn dropped her hands. She had meant only to excite Thane, not herself. If she wanted her plan to work, she had to keep her sense.

Because Thane was already out of the vehicle. And he was coming for her. Fast.

She jerked the sweater down over her head and as the door next to her popped open, her lips twisted upwards evilly. "Five."

Thane climbing inside, she shoved herself towards the opposite side of the vehicle. The door swung open as she made a desperate grab at the handle and her momentum caused her to tumble out, hurtling her towards the ground.

"Shit," she heard his voice from up above. "You okay, princess?"

Okay? She was perfect! And she couldn't think of a better way to answer his question than to show him. Actions always carried more meaning than words.

Rayn sprang to her feet, legs already pumping wildly to carry her far away. Although she didn't recognize the location, anywhere had to better than the inside of the Navigator. With Thane.

He had essentially abducted her. To do with her only God knew what.

And if she wanted absolute assurance she would live to see the next sunrise, then she had to get away from him. Else she ran the risk of suffering an unknown fate similar to that of Dominic.

*****

Thane was dumbstruck, a little amused and a hell of a lot aroused. He couldn't believe what had just occurred. And, as much as he appreciated the sight, he couldn't believe he was currently being treated to a view of Rayn's appealingly round backside as she ran away from him and towards a huge brick structure.

His wolf demanded to come to the forefront and Thane let him, exercising the utmost care to not shift forms. Escaping prey was something his other half just could not sit idly by and watch. And he was already tired of fighting against that part of himself, trying to keep his two halves separated.

Thane surged out of the vehicle, the dawning morning now a completely different experience. Giving Rayn the head start that was only fair, he listened to the sound of cars traveling on streets he knew to be at least four to the east as this part of the city wasn't yet awake. The businesses here wouldn't open for another two hours or so.

The faint sounds of a conversation also drifted to his ears, though the particulars were lost to him and the parties involved nowhere near; their scents were weak, indistinct, and overpowered by the decay of trash from a nearby dumpster.

He had no doubt the offending dumpster belonged to the store he was in front of. And was more than likely around the corner Rayn had just rounded.

Thane sprinted after her. It was time to introduce a concept many an evil had grasped wholly before falling at his hand: Escape was impossible.

Reaching the rear edge of the building, Thane paused. Never failing, his senses sized up the situation, telling him everything he needed to know.

There was a hot spot to the right of him in the shadows of the building's overhang, just about the size of a body. A female body. The soft scent of lilacs wafted from the same direction.

But before he could turn his head for a visual inspection, a minute movement in the corner of his eye forewarned him to duck. Seconds later a piece of lumber smacked harmlessly against the brick wall just above his head, pieces of chipped wood raining down on him.

Thane leaped forward, knocking Rayn off her feet. With a shriek, she released the two by four in surprise, letting it clatter noisily to the ground. Twisting their bodies mid-air, Thane maneuvered them so he took the brunt of the jolt when they landed on the ground at the base of the dumpster. His breath swooshed out of his lungs on contact, but the shock wasn't unexpected as he'd been prepared for it.

What he wasn't prepared for, however, was having Rayn's body sprawled on top of his, pressed intimately into him, chest to nether region.

"Careful, princess," he cautioned, as she moved around trying to sit up. Thane removed his Glock from his pants, laying it to one side, within arms reach, just as Rayn managed to get one knee on either side of his waist to straddle him. "Oh...shit."

"Why? Why didn't you just let me go?" Hazels bored into him, flashing with anger, rage...desire.

In a motion Thane presumed to be entirely involuntary, she began to rock her hips against his. Her body knew what it wanted and was determined to finish what she'd started in the Navigator. Even if her mind rebelled.

"Why?" she lamented, the grief in her voice for so much more than his pursuit.

It was in her eyes. She wanted him more than she had any other man. And though he could tell it killed her to be so out of control, it pleased him to no end.

Thane grinned inwardly as he realized he was as much of a trigger to her as she was to him. Her nature demanded a response to his nearness just as his did to her. For each day, each hour, each minute she got closer to the day which signified her twenty-fifth year on this earth and that second side of her became a little more prominent, that reaction to him that had been potent to begin with would intensify.

On her birthday, Rayn would experience her final transformation. Afterwards she would still look like herself and would still be herself for the most part, but she would also be something entirely different. And how and if her reaction to him would be affected lay far in uncharted territories.

History taught all sins eventually became aware of the change within themselves. While some embraced their newfound identity, reveling in the horror they created, others didn't. Invariably it was those who fought against their nature who caused the most damage.

It was how HIV/AIDS got its start in the nineteen fifties. A British printer in denial, using the Navy to travel the world to slate a growing form of lust he'd convinced himself was wanderlust and along the way experimenting with shit he didn't fully understand...the rest was history.

The Alpha at the time ended up giving the guy a reprieve. Instead of sending him to an early grave, the Alpha pronounced the Brit be allowed to live out his days in peace because although he'd introduced to the world the most abominable disease to date, he hadn't done it with ill will. Plus, by the time the pack discovered who and what he was, he was so bad off they knew he would soon be dead anyways.

And within that very month, the disease did manage to claim its first victim. The first of millions.

Thane wished he knew how much time remained for Rayn, but the present moment didn't seem appropriate to ask when her birthday was. Not when she was caught in the throes of passion that carried such an imminently critical and drastic aftermath. Hands wrapping around her waist, Thane stilled her motions. She whimpered in response and the sound cut through him like a dagger.

Fuck! As much as he knew he couldn't let this happen, shouldn't let this happen, he could never deny her when she was this close. That would be cruel as somebody forcibly preventing him from shifting.

"Shit, baby, you were almost there, weren't you."

Taking his words as permission, she placed her palms flat on his chest and began to rock again. Rasping groans worked their way up her throat and out into the open air as blood rushed to her face and her ample tits bounced up and down in rhythm with her motions.

Thane wanted to rip the sweater from her body and cup the fleshy mounds in his palm while guiding cocoa nipples he suspected were buttery soft into his mouth. Instead he tightened his hands, ceasing her motions again, before she could get too carried away.

"Please...fucking with...don't-"

Thane cut into her garbled protest by quickly moving her along the rigid length stretched up his stomach. The friction created was perceptible and they both started to breathe a little harder, rapidly forming white puffs escaped from parted lips a testament to their expanding ecstasy.

Attempting to resume control, Rayn tried to brush his hands away. But he would have none of that. He wanted control. Total control. He was going to be the only one to make her crest.




Deadly Sins Ch. 04: Lust



Capturing both of her hands in one of his and using the leverage to yank her close, Thane put his lips right next to her ear, growling, "I don't need your help. I do this alone."

And he was going to take his time. Fuck the winter morning. Fuck possible witnesses. Fuck duty.

Fuck the consequences.

Thane released his hold, reaching around her back to grab handfuls of ass in each palm, deeply massaging the sweet globes. With his hands, he drew a picture of how the small of her back flared out into the perfectly sized, opulent buttocks.

He wanted to kiss her there, to run his tongue along the crack, savoring her essence. His cock jerked as he thought of how the brown gift wrapped package would quiver under his attention.

Rayn's build was different than the females of his pack and the contrasts intrigued him. Where female werewolves were lithe and slender, Rayn was all lushly toned curves he wanted to explore with his oral cavity in intricate detail. Each and every nook and cranny, down to her last.

"Ow!" she yelped when he landed a well aimed smack to her left cheek.

"That was for trying to rearrange my face," he mumbled into her neck, her tousled hair covering his nose, filling him with her flowery aroma. She squirmed as he graced her right with a match. "And that's for thinking I could let you go. Never, princess, never in a million years."

Damn she smelled good. Thane wanted a taste; wanted to verify her flavor was as he remembered...sweet, intoxicating. Drugging.

"Please," she begged breathlessly.

"Please what?" he baited.

"I...I need...

"This?" Thane thrust his hips upward while holding hers securely in place. "Huh? Is this what you need, Rayn?"

"I...I...oh-"

"Thane," he supplied seamlessly, grinding up against her, setting a slow, maddeningly steady pace. "That's the only name you will ever call from now on, understand?"

Her head bobbed against his neck in agreement. But it wasn't enough, he needed verbal confirmation. Sliding her jean clad pussy up and down his straining cock, Thane demanded, "I want to hear my name leave your lips. Say it."

But before she could comply, her breasts thrust into his chest as her back arched. Her entire body stiffened, frozen for several long moments in the exquisitely erotic pose of completion, shudders running the course of her frame before she finally collapsed on top of him in a boneless heap.

Thane held her close, running his fingers down the graceful curve of her spine as her body twitched with the occasional residual contraction. He pressed his lips to her temple, her neck, her lips.

God, she was so fucking hot. He couldn't wait to get her back to the estate and in his king size bed. The way she responded to these moments of pleasure in the most inopportune of locations was just a precursor to what was to come.

Eventually he was going to make her scream...his fucking name.

But, goddamn it, there he was again prematurely claiming a utopia that had a high ass probability of never becoming fulfilled.

Rolling to his knees, Thane stood, pulling Rayn with him. Wishing things were different, he cradled her to his chest for one sweet instant longer.

In that instant he saw her longing face turned up to him as he claimed her in the mating ceremony. Saw her weary face relax as he pressed his to a belly swollen by his seed, murmuring words of comfort and love to their unborn young. Saw her by his side when they were older, matured with time, and smilingly watching the babes of their babes playfully wrestle as little pups were wont to do.

He saw his life with her as it would've been in another time, another place.

But he had to live in the here and now. Where, for all intents and purposes, she was his enemy.

Thane set her away from him and echoed his words and deathly calm tone from earlier, saying, "Get in the truck. I'm not going to ask twice."

Hazy passion faded into perturbation and a bitter sneer masked her lovely features. "So...we've come full circle, have we?"

"I'm not going to ask again." Thane bent down to pick up his Glock.

"You have yet to ask once." She regarded the weapon warily. "Earlier or now."

"Since you're still standing here," he stated, checking the safety before sliding the gun into his waistband, "I assume you require my assistance."

But before he had a chance to reach out a hand towards her, she jerked out of his range. "Don't you fucking touch me. Ever again."

Yeah. Right. As she pivoted away, he called, "Rayn."

"What now?" she snapped, back to him, shoulders slightly slumped.

"No matter where you run, no matter how far you go, I will always find you."

Slowly she drew up into her full five foot seven inch height as her back tautened. "Spoken like a true nut case." She marched in the direction of the Navigator.

Stepping from the building's overhang, Thane watched her go, but didn't follow. When she was halfway to the truck, he warned, "Don't try to run from me again."

If she did, she would quickly learn he spoke the truth. No matter where she went, he would follow. And bring her back.

Thane pulled a hand rolled and a lighter from his pocket as the thud of a shutting door signaled Rayn's immediate acquiescence. A tiny fire flared orange as he lit the cigarette sorely crumpled from his recent activities. Taking a deep pull on the wrinkled stick, he blew out a white cloud more icy cold air than smoke.

He laughed as he realized the conversation he'd heard earlier was done, replaced now by loud male grunts of pleasure and feminine wails.

Rayn was fucking amazing. Any person was who could take down the world in such a pleasurable way, making them all fuck themselves to death or lose themselves in her abandon not giving a damn about the fallout. Hell, she'd even managed to make him forget about the stomach churning stench emanating from the dumpster.

As he got ready to rejoin her, a chill ran down Thane's spine. Turning in a slow circle, he scrutinized his surroundings. He didn't see anything out of place and as quick the sensation had come, it was gone.

But he couldn't shake his feeling of apprehension, his faculties on full alert. There was something lurking, watching, biding its time. Just out of his sight.

Something evil. Which could only mean one thing. It wanted Rayn. It wanted his mate.

Thane exhaled another stream of smoke, the white cloud rising in a swirling, dancing mist.

"Battle's on, asshole." He strode to the Navigator.

*****

She was right back at square one.

Staring out the rear passenger window at the passing scenery, Rayn was bogged down by an overwhelming sense of helplessness. Here she was again, caught in a predicament out of her control. The same predicament she had foolishly thought to escape. With disastrous results.

The tension between her and Thane was solid and real as ever, but somehow the dynamics were different. Rayn was clueless as to the cause of the change but intuitively knew while it had all to do with her, it had nothing to do with her attempt to knock him senseless behind the hardware store. Or the resulting episode of salaciousness.

Regardless of the origin, the shift in the atmosphere was noticeable. Where before she had felt comfortable enough to speak her mind, now she absolutely did not. And the silence was fast becoming unbearable.

Thane must've felt similarly because the sounds of an acoustic guitar accompanied by gritty, soulful wails filled the Navigator. The song was Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin, a song before Rayn's time but nevertheless one she recognized from her adolescence. It brought to mind warm memories of her father with his vinyl record collection stacked in numerous neat piles in one corner of their tiny basement.

As a child, the albums had captivated Rayn. She'd sorted through them for hours, trailing her fingers over the artistic covers, pulling the black vinyl free of the squares so she could get a closer look at the large circular discs.

When her father returned home from work in the evenings, he would let her pick one of the records to play. In their nightly ritual, she would joyously sit in his lap as he stroked her hair and the music transported them both to a time of real music, before the Ice Ice Babys, Baby Got Backs and Humpty Dances of the world.

After they'd listened to her choice, it was his pick. He'd introduced her to Jimi Hendrix, The Doors and Santana. But his all-time favorite, the one he returned to most often, was Led Zeppelin.

"Now, baby girl, this here is some real music," he would say to her. Rayn would fall into fits of giggles, listening to him sing along off key in his powerful baritone.

Settling into her seat, Rayn closed her eyes and brooded on what was undeniably the happiest time in her life. A simpler, innocent time before a drunk driver took her father from her and her sister and heartbreak stole their mother away. And a time before Nicki accidentally moved the precious records too close to the radiator.

The albums used to be a tangible for Rayn to remember her father by. Now all she had were photos and the memories conjured by her mind which both became a little more faded and yellowed with each passing year.

And the photos were in the apartment she didn't know if she would step foot inside of ever again.

"What's wrong, Rayn?" Thane asked, adjusting the volume until the song became a dull roar in the background.

Rayn shook her head in answer, keeping her eyes tightly sealed.

"Ah, so we're back to lying, are we? In case you hadn't noticed, you're crying."

Raising a hand to her lashes, sure enough her fingertips encountered telltale wetness. It was no great surprise; she always shed tears whenever she thought about her parents, her father in particular. "I didn't lie."

"But you didn't answer the question either."

"Why do you think you're entitled to one?"

"Because I care. No matter what you think, I never want to see any woman in pain. I don't want to see you in pain."

Rayn sighed heavily. Would that she could tell him, share that small piece of herself with him. But theirs was not a friendship. "You don't get to act like you care. Let's not pretend this isn't what it is, Thane. You're my captor."

"Is that all you think I am?"

"You got a better description?" He was silent for so long, Rayn finally opened her eyes, seeking out his reflection.

Staring straight ahead, an unreadable emotion flickered across his handsome face. "I'm only doing what is necessary and best for us both."

"Call it what you will, but the truth remains unchanged. I didn't ask to be here with you, yet I am. And you won't let me go, will you?"

"No." Green orbs flicked to hers in the rearview for a moment before focusing again on the street. "And I call it no more and no less than what it is."

Rayn opted not to reply, instead letting quietness take over. On second thought, she'd decided she wasn't in the mood for conversation. She was too scared by what was happening, confused that in spite of it all she felt a connection to Thane that inexplicably required further exploration.

She needed room to think, room to regroup and plan her next move. She still planned to escape, but escaping on foot was out of the question. Thane was fast as evidenced by the speed in which he'd chased her; Rayn had just gotten around the corner of the store before he'd been upon her. Evading him without the aid of a car would be impossible.

And his reflexes...uncanny, un-freaking-believably so. He had dodged the attack from her makeshift weapon one second before she'd truly made up her mind she was going to attack him with it.

"Tell me what's on your mind, princess."

Sex and escape, in that order. "No."

A long silence stretched, then finally, "Please."

"Why?"

"Because I want to know."

Fine. He wanted to know so she would tell him...partially. And when she got done he couldn't say he hadn't asked for it.

"I was thinking of...of all that is lost to me. I was thinking of my car sitting on a side street just begging for a thief to come take her away. I was thinking of all my personal belongings that I suspect I'll never see again. I was thinking of my sister and my best friend and how worried they'll be when they can't reach me after calling my phone over and over and over again today. I was thinking that I owe my sister an apology that she'll probably never get." Rayn's voice cracked on a sob. "And I was thinking of the catalyst behind all the bullshit." Breathing fast, she paused for a moment to compose herself. "You."

Holding his tongue, Thane nodded his head to acknowledge her concerns. He turned up the volume on Led Zeppelin while maneuvering the Navigator onto an entrance ramp to the freeway. Rayn made note of the direction.

Ten astoundingly long minutes elapsed before he broke his silence. And when he did, his words caused Rayn's heart to stop beating for a fraction of a second before starting again double time.

"None of what I feel for you is an act."

*****

A persistent shrill sounded from far off. Adriana tried to focus on the noise; she knew if she could just get to it, she could get to where she needed.

Adriana also knew she was asleep although she wasn't supposed to be. There was something important she needed to take care of, but for the life of her she couldn't pull herself completely free of the blackness so she could take care of it.

So close to the surface, even from behind closed lids she could feel the room going Tilt-a-Whirl on her. And if it didn't stop, she was going to soon be horribly ill.

Adriana fought against her mind, which was insistently trying to shut down in reaction to the queasiness. No! She had to fight. She had to wake up because...someone's life depended on it? Who's?

Her's!

Lids flipping open, she sat straight up in the bed, the dizziness threatening to send her right back horizontal. She pushed through her nausea, trying to remember why she was in danger. Or if she was even truly in danger.

And where the hell was she? Even through the absolute darkness, she could tell she wasn't in her room. The bed was too large, the bedding, though fine as her satin sheets, unfamiliar. Marcus must've transported her to one of his other holdings after unconsciousness had overtaken her.

Smarmy bastard. Another form of control. Exerting his power while she was helpless by his hand by taking her out of her comfort zone.

The shrill ringing sounded again, commanding attention. Her cell phone.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, Adriana found her feet, taking small, painful steps. Relying on the sound of the ringing and the touch of the wall as guides, she eventually made her way to a chair situated not too far from the bed.

Groping on the cushion of the seat, she discovered her purse lay upon it. She reached a hand into the depths of the bag, grabbing the object responsible for the god awful racket.

The id on the phone flashed Marcus and Adriana debated not answering. Why the hell was he calling? Why not just do as normal and send one of his minions to demand the pleasure of her presence immediately?

The fact that he hadn't is what finally compelled her to answer. "What?"

His loud voice boomed an instant response, "Goddamn it, I've been calling you nonstop for the past hour! I thought you dead but here you are daring to answer the phone with a nonchalant, not to mention insolent, what? What mean you by that?"

Wincing at the shards of pain lancing her brain, Adriana adjusted the volume of the phone down. "Just how it sounded. What do you want? And where in the hell did you bring me?"

"Not hell, my sweet." His voice lowered, "I brought you to Rayn."

Adriana felt light headed as the events of the morning returned to her full force. Rayn Holland. The Alpha of Kensington. And the werewolf she had first mistakenly thought was Alpha.

The one with the blue eyes and brown hair.

"You fucking bastard! You beat me to within an inch of my life then left me to die. Literally."

"Have you forgotten who you're speaking to, Adriana?"

"How can I? I've got bruises and years worth of nightmares to remember you by."

"And the bruises so become you." He chuckled cruelly. "Listen, girl, I don't have time to fuck around with you. I called to let you know I followed you. You're on Kensington property. And the Alpha just drove in with Rayn. Find her and meet me at the main gate in one hour."

But there was one fatal flaw with his plan...how the hell was she supposed to find Rayn, much less help her elude werewolf captors-Kensington captors-when she was barely mobile? "How exactly do you expect me to do that, Marcus? You seem to have forgotten the brutality of your actions."

"You're a big girl, figure it out. One way or another, if you know like I know, you'd better have your sweet little ass at that gate in one hour." He terminated the connection.

Adrianna returned the phone to its original location, only then becoming aware of the heavy ominous presence in the room with her.

Right on cue, a deadly soft voice questioned, "Is Marcus the one who did this to you, little one? Is this Marcus's handiwork I've had the pleasure of viewing?"

A light turned on and Adriana collapsed on top of her purse in a mixture of fright and awe on seeing the man standing across the room from her, right between a heavily draperied window and the door.

His eyes were the color of the Caribbean. His close cropped head of hair russet colored. And his heart duty bound to kill her if he found out her true identity. If he didn't already know.

And he'd apparently been in the room with her the entire time. How much had he heard?

Licking her chapped lips, Adriana asked, "Can I have a drink of water, please?"

He cracked the door open a sliver to speak quickly with an unseen person waiting just beyond. So...she was being held prisoner. They already know then? And was Rayn on her way to her death at this very moment?

When he was done issuing his orders, several long strides brought him to right in front of her. He stared down at her, silent. Hard. Cold.

Not sure why, not sure what she could possibly say to save her life, Adriana blurted, "I can-"

"You have a mild concussion, several broken ribs, two black eyes, countless bruises and contusions covering damn near your entire body and you've passed out on me not once but twice. So, please forgive me for not being my most charming at the moment, little one, but I would really like for you to confirm for me that Marcus is the person responsible."

A knock at the door prevented Adriana from having to give an immediate answer. Eyes still glued to her, the man barked permission to enter.

A second huge male strode in, this one possessed of hair an amazing multiple shade of warm browns and reds, friendly amethyst eyes and a quick smile he readily flashed at her. "Shit, Cael, lay off already. Poor thing looks like she's 'bout ready to succumb to a coma."

Cael. That's right, his name was Cael. What a common name for a man who was downright...menacing. He looked like he should be named Mass Murderer, Serial Killer or Sadistic Bastard. Or, at the very least, Snake.

"Thank you for the water, Cullen." An obvious dismissal.

With a demeanor like that, since he wasn't Alpha he had to be Beta.

"Heed my advice, my man. Or you're just as bad as the maggot what did this to her," Cullen offered in parting, handing Cael the glass of water. The door closed securely behind him as he departed.

"Your water." Cael handed the glass to her.

Adriana took a long gulp, gagging as the refreshing liquid hit her parched throat. As she sputtered, he was instantly upon her, pounding on her back.




Deadly Sins Ch. 04: Lust



"I'm alright," she finally managed to gasp, fearful if her present state of disrepair didn't send her back into unconsciousness then he would.

He dropped his hands immediately, taking a step back. "I'm still waiting on my answer. I need a last name as well. And an address."

Adriana raised the glass to her lips, taking a second sip of the water, this one more cautious than the first. When she didn't gag, she quickly finished off her drink, a sharp sense of alleviation flooding through her. He really...didn't know...who...she...

The blackness she'd fought against so studiously earlier reached up and dragged her down into its depths.

The last thing she heard after Cael retrieved the glass from her slack fingers and picked her up to deposit in the center of the bed was stomping feet, a door crashing open and a shout, "Goddamn you, Cullen! What the fuck did you put in the water?"

Her last thought was, There's a real chance for me to get out of here alive.

Fuck Rayn. Fuck Marcus. This was survival of the fittest.

Rayn was on her own.

Adriana succumbed to unconsciousness for a third time.

*****

Rayn hated to look impressed. But she knew with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide that that was exactly how she looked. Not that her awe was without cause.

In spite of the barrenness that was winter in Ohio, it was quite evident she was viewing a landscaping masterpiece. Thane drove through an ornately decorated iron gate and up a long drive with dozens of intersecting streets each lined with dozens of huge houses. Each structure was an architectural work of art in its own right but when combined the multitude created a magnificent veritable modern day village built right in the middle of what amounted to little more than a forest.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the end of the drive and Thane parked the Navigator in front of the largest structure which sat there. Rayn alighted from the vehicle and realized the windows had prevented her from truly experiencing and appreciating the undiluted beauty before her.

Fifty to one hundred feet high pine, oaks and an assortment of other trees soared majestically above all four sides of the huge mansion she was in front of. And the smell...fresh, untainted. None of the inner city rancidness to mar the perfection that was Mother Nature.

Listening closely, Rayn picked up on the babbling of running water. A stream had to be somewhere near, brimming with water that was sure to be sweet and pure. What she wouldn't give to feel that icy, refreshing water run down her neck to her bosom and lower to get lost in the hairs that covered her mound.

"Welcome to Kensington Estates," Thane whispered in her ear, stepping close. His muscled arm stretched out as he reached for the duffle bag on the seat behind her. He slung it over a broad shoulder, turning away. "Come on, let's get you settled."   

Much as Rayn wanted to offer some sarcastic remark, some smart retort, she hinged her mouth. Thane and his neighbors apparently wanted the full Mother Nature adventure because once her eyes drifted down from the tops of the trees she could see people of all ages milling around the bases along with huge animals. Gargantuan animals.

And she did not want to give him motive to feed her to any one of those pets. Nope, she didn't want there to be any reason at all for any of those steroid infused Siberian Huskies to come anywhere near her.

As if hearing her thoughts, damn if one of the animals didn't come elegantly loping towards them. It was a pure, snowy white with pale orbs clear and blue as the unseen stream. Beautiful and exotic.

Rayn took a step back as the dog pushed between her and Thane, rubbing against his legs. She heard Thane call the beast Katya as he rubbed his hand over her head and down her back, petting, massaging.

The small ripple of jealousy was unexpected. The familiarity between Thane and the animal was obvious and it bothered her.

Get a hold of yourself, Rayn, it's a pet for goodness sake. And you don't want him...well, you don't want him that much. Okay, you shouldn't want him although you do but you're working on it.

Katya sat on her haunches, head quirked to the side as she studied her. With a start, Rayn realized the dog was taking her measure, sizing her up.

She also realized the dog was not a dog. It was a wolf. What the hell?

"You two coming?" Thane stood at the door to the mansion which hung agape, poised to stride into the interior.

Nodding, Rayn followed, trepidation dodging her every step. She was starting to fear Thane was into some immoral and altogether really weird shit. Like bestiality.

After Rayn entered, he held the door open a few seconds longer, allowing Katya to enter. The wolf disappeared up a grandiose wooden staircase and around a corner.

Rayn watched the departure. The beast hadn't growled or bared its teeth at her, but she wanted to know where it was at all times regardless...just in case. She had no intention of finding herself with a matching imprint of wolfish canines marring her ass.

"Is this her?" a husky voice asked. The owner was a tall, older woman, standing in the doorway to what appeared to be a great room or some type of common area. Her gray hair was smoothed into a severe bun at the nape of her neck and her overall appearance flawless.

Must be his mother. Or maybe an aunt. Examining her closely, Rayn realized the woman was even older than she'd originally guessed, gracefully aged, and closer to the age of one who would be Thane's grandmother.

Grasping her hands in his, Thane planted a kiss on her wrinkle free cheek. "Yes, Amina, this is her. Rayn, I would like you to meet Amina. Amina, Rayn."

"Oh, thank God," Amina breathed. "For a moment I thought the girl Cael brought by my house..."

Rayn's relief was palpable that this woman who seemed to know Thane didn't seem to know the beat up woman. Although she'd already convinced herself of his innocence, this was the finishing touch her mind needed to make that final leap.

Just because Thane was an asshole did not necessarily make him a woman abusing asshole.

For the first time since arriving, Rayn spoke, "She's here? Can I see her?"

She wanted the battered woman to know she had an ally. There was nothing worse than recovering from such a traumatic ordeal alone. She knew that better than anyone.

After her encounter with Dominic, Rayn had been too ashamed to face Alexis and too incensed to face Nicki. Even over the phone. So her recuperation process had been a lone, solitary punishment.

But this woman didn't have to go it alone. And Rayn wanted her to know that. For as long as Rayn was around, she would be there for her.

Unfortunately, Rayn couldn't say exactly how long she would be around. She still didn't know why Thane had brought her here to begin with and first chance she got...

"She's resting," Amina answered. "I'll take you to her room later."

"I...I would really appreciate that. Thanks."

Thane and Amina entered the great room, speaking quietly to each other and Rayn felt compelled to trail behind despite the fact she felt like an outsider.

She scrutinized her surroundings, getting a definitive masculine impression from the dark hardwood floors and matching decor. No Martha Stewart Living going on in here. More like Peyton Manning Living.

Very Thane.

"Ah, there she is," Amina said, looking at a point just beyond Rayn's shoulder. "Come, Katya, and meet Thane's guest."

Katya? Why was she talking to the wolf like it was a person? "Amina, I've already-"

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Rayn whirled around where she stood. And found herself in the presence of a pale, ravishing blond. With eyes a startlingly similar shade to that of the wolf.

Katya glided-she freaking glided-to Thane. Elegant. Just like the wolf.

How cute, Rayn thought, must've taken some serious trial and error to breed that beast to be such an exact replica of this real life Barbie doll. And as she watched Katya thread her arm around Thane's waist and lay her head on his chest, the jealousy was no longer a ripple, it was an eighteen wheeler ripping through Rayn at ninety miles an hour, full speed.

The familiarity was present, pronounced. Just like it had been with the damn wolf. More than it had been with the damn wolf.

"Yes," Rayn choked through her teeth as Thane dropped a kiss to the flaxen tresses of his companion, "definitely a pleasure."

She'd wanted to know the reason behind Thane's strange behavior around her. And now she had it.

Thane Wulff was already spoken for. And had apparently been being a very bad boy, cheating on his girlfriend-wife?-with her. Even having the audacity to bring her, his would-be plaything, into his wedded home.

The man, while apparently having somewhat of a guilty conscience, suffered a complete lack of impulse control. He saw. He wanted. He felt bad about wanting. He got over negative feelings. He took. This also explained his actions on discovering Dominic in her bedroom.

Situation: Another man in the room of the woman you don't know but want.

Solution: Shoot the man. Take the woman.

Oh, she had far surpassed anything her sister or Alexis had ever managed to do. She had managed to make herself the other-fucking-woman. Priceless.

Katya cocked her head to the side, studying Rayn. Taking her measure. Just like that goddamn wolf.

And Rayn could swear she sensed a hint of reproach, disapproval, behind those alluring eyes and exquisite features.

"Rayn, I'm going to take you on a brief tour then I'll show you to the room you'll be using while you're Thane's guest." And with that, Amina swept past, leaving Rayn little choice but to follow.

It wasn't until later, much later, when she was standing in the middle of the room which was thrice the size of her one bedroom apartment, still fuming over Thane and Katya and plotting another escape, that Rayn remembered the ass still had her bag.

Which, now that she thought about it, she didn't remember seeing her keys in. Same as the night before she was left with no phone, no money, no credit cards, no transportation...conniving bastard had her right where he wanted her.

*****

Thane sat behind his massive steel desk, his brothers all gathered in his office for the meeting he'd called.

Cael was leaned against the door, preventing all unwanteds from entering and, from the regular looks of death he was shooting at Cullen, preventing at least one of the brothers from leaving after the meeting was concluded. Either oblivious to the threat, or not giving a shit, the latter more likely being the case, Cullen lounged in the middle of the single sofa which occupied the room, his back to the male.

What the hell was going on with those two now? If the situation didn't straighten itself out, Thane knew he would have to intervene before the day was done. Or end up with two pissed, bloodied warriors.

Roark, who had just straggled into the house from his intervention with Rayn's friend, who he warmly referred to as that goddamned Alexis, was sitting on the floor, one leg stretched straight in front of him and the other cocked at an angle at the knee and his gaze, though exhausted, sharp as a dagger.

A few feet from the man stood Amun, thick legs spread apart in a fuck you stance, heavy arms folded across his chest and bald head gleaming under the dying rays of the sun which poured through the windows. For the millionth, and certainly not the last time, Thane was grateful the dark skinned, dark eyed hybrid was on his side.

The guy was ruthless, vicious. A trait of his vampire heritage. And loyal to a fault. Passed down from his werewolf mother. Definitely a first choice to have at your back in the heat of battle.

They all were.

"What did you find out?" Roark asked.

"She's an enemy," Thane answered easily.

"Figured as much."

"She's also under my protection."

"The hell?" Cullen hunched forward, elbows meeting knees. "Evidently I missed out on some serious shit after I left. Mind filling me in?"

"You're not nearly as stupid as you persist in acting, I'm sure you can figure it out." Cael's contribution.

A long finger, mid-way on Cullen's left hand, stretched up in response.

"Wanna turn around and face me like a man while telling me to fuck off? Or will that take away too much of the pleasure you derive from doing shit with backs turned?"

"I wouldn't have had to do shit behind your back if you didn't excel at being such a callous idiot. Funny, don't you think, that I knew what you were going to do before you did it. I felt it my responsibility to intercede. So I did. Remember, my friend, women are my forte, not yours."

"Cullen, I'm going to break your fucking nose in half."

"Only after I knock several teeth out of your piehole."

"Scratch that. I'm going to completely reorganize that ugly puss of yours."

Elbows resting on the arm of his chair, Thane leaned back, steepling his fingers under his chin, observing the highly volatile exchange. Maybe he wouldn't step in, just let the two asses pound on each other until they were bloody pulps.

It had been awhile since their last fight. They were about due.

"If you two chill the fuck out," Roark said, trying to ease the tension, "Thane can tell us what exactly happened."

As his brothers quieted, Thane recognized it was time to drop his bomb. "My wolf has bonded to her."

Cullen's expression was incredulous. "Congrats. Now what the fuck is she?"

Time to set that motherfucker's fuse alight. "Lust."

Roark blew out a low whistle. "Jesus Christ."

"Or not," Cullen added. "I'm thinking definitely not."

"You? Thinking?" Cael scoffed. "Please forgive me if I seem in awe. It's just that you thinking doesn't happen too often. Like earlier. Or ever for that matter."

Cullen jumped to his feet. "You wanna do this, Cael? Right here, right now?"

"Certainly." Cael straightened to his full height. "It would be my pleasure."

"Stand. Down." Every eye in the room jerked to the man who issued the order. Amun rarely spoke. But when he did, they all listened.

The whole pack listened.

That was just the inevitable effect Amun had. They all knew he was capable of ripping a man's heart from his chest, then sucking out the blood until the organ stopped beating in his hand.

The brothers had all seen him do it. More than once.

"We'll take this up later," Cullen promised, sinking back down to his ass.

"Can't wait."

The floor his again, Thane proceeded to tell his brothers of his bond to Rayn. And his half baked plan to not think of her as his mate until he received further directive from Amina.

And his commitment to kill her if he had to.

Clearly dubious, Cael said, "Good luck with that."

"You're definitely going to need it," Roark agreed. "Along with some serious fucking willpower or five bottle of Goose if that fails."

Luck? He didn't need luck. What he needed were fucking brain and heart transplants. Along with a new wolf.

"Shit. This would be much easier if she were simply a demon." Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Cullen slouched against the couch back. "So much easier."

Cullen was right; Thane had found himself thinking the same during his ride with Rayn. Demons were creatures who naturally tended towards evil, however rules put in place long before the birth of Thane, or any of his brothers, prevented their killing unless the demon made a conscious choice to indulge their less than desirable side. And many demons chose not to, chose to live among humans for years, never so much as slipping up even a little tiny bit. Some even mated with werewolves.

Sins, on the other hand, were a totally different story. They were instantly marked for death.

While demons could chose whether to use their darkness to influence others, sins didn't have that luxury. They influenced others even if they didn't mean or want to.

And that was a menace to the world that simply could not be allowed to exist.

A light knock came at the door. Cael swung it open to admit the younger pack member Thane had summoned before he'd called the meeting. The male stepped into the room, eyes nervously traveling from face to face until they finally landed on Amun.

Amun's bright whites gleamed from his mahogany face. The boy shivered.

Standing, Thane extracted from his pocket the keys he'd pilfered from the dresser in Rayn's room, laying them on his desk. He couldn't immediately address all of her concerns, but he would do whatever possible for the ones he could. "I need you to bring me a vehicle which is currently parked on the side street beside Orgasm. It belongs to my guest. Lexus 460."

The pup's gaze swung to Thane as he grabbed the keys, nodding his head.

"Come right back here and park it."

When the boy started to nod his head again, Thane met the action with a raised eyebrow. Realizing his slight, the pup managed to stammer out a "Yes, sir" before disappearing through the door.

Thane perched on the edge of his desk, addressing his brothers again, "Far as the pack is concerned, I've already told them Rayn is a succubus of pleasure."

"Really think that will work?" Cullen asked. "Her aura is stronger than any succubus of pleasure I've ever come into contact with. Carnally or casually. Has to be the same for the rest of the pack."

But Thane had already come to that same conclusion. "Amina has taken some precautions. No one should be the wiser as long as Rayn stays in her room."

"And as long as you stay out of it," Cael voiced what was obvious to them all.

*****

Rayn jumped up from the bed, pacing the outline of the room. She'd been there for hours and though neither Thane nor Amina had said or insinuated she was being held prisoner, Rayn could feel that she was.

She knew if she tried to march down the mansion's grand staircase and out the front entrance, somebody was going to stop her. She knew if she tried to go searching through every room on this floor looking for a phone, somebody was going to prevent her. And that somebody was more than likely Thane.

Reaching the bed, she kicked one of its legs, cursing when a pain shot through her big toe, radiating upwards. That certainly wasn't the brightest thing she'd ever done.

Neither was getting involved with Thane. How could a man she'd known less than twenty-four hours have turned her life so completely inside out and upside down?

She needed to leave. She had a job. Family. Friends. He couldn't hold her here. Certainly he would be somewhat reasonable.

And if he wasn't, then what?

But a secondary course of action was already forming in her mind. Thane's passionate side liked to show up unexpectedly and he seemed to have very little control whenever it did. So why not invite it out to play again?

Because she wasn't a home wrecker. Much as her dislike of Katya had been instantaneous, she wouldn't stoop to such a level now that she knew he was involved.

Only way out of here was to charge out.

Taking a deep breath, Rayn walked to the door which had the strangest design of patterns freshly carved deep into its surface. The same patterns which were freshly engraved on the four posts of the bed. Weird.

Rayn grabbed the brass knob, turning it slowly to the right. The door opened with no protest and she eased into the corridor, surprised to see there were no guards stationed outside.

Maybe she wasn't being held prisoner. Just her overactive imagination at work.

But Thane had already said he wouldn't let her go, hadn't he. Twice.

Retracing her earlier tour with Amina, Rayn found herself at the head of the staircase which led down to the foyer. Hidden in shadows, she scoped the scene below.




Deadly Sins Ch. 05: Lust



Author's Note:

Hi ya'll. Sorry for the long time between updates but life has just been getting in the way. I've worked on this piece night after night for weeks, many times falling asleep with my laptop in my lap.

Anyways, here it is. And it's a long one. And, as Thane will tell you, there are lots of problems to be solved.

Thanks for reading! 

*

She was being followed. Big surprise there.

Keeping a close eye on the rearview, Rayn switched from the left lane of the east bound road she traveled on to the right. And, as she expected, a car traveling in the same lane, two vehicles behind, switched lanes right along with her. It was the third time the driver had copied her actions with such unerring, unmistakable synchronization.

Although she couldn't pinpoint the exact moment she'd first become aware of the other vehicle, now that she was conscious of it, a distinct mixture of nervous excitement flowed through Rayn. Despite the fact the vehicle wasn't the massive gas guzzling contraption produced so proudly by Lincoln, but rather a sleek sedan with luxurious, exorbitant ,street hugging curves, she knew who was in that car. And the thought titillated her.

Cool it. You're not supposed to be thrilled he's found you, you're supposed to be freaking out, alarmed. Stranger danger, kidnapper wary and all of that.

But somehow the thought of Thane tracking her down didn't cause alarm. The thought made Rayn's heart pump erratically, her core temperature rise and her-

Alarmed! Right, alarmed. While trying futilely to force her mind to generate an appropriate dose of the feeling, Rayn found herself wondering exactly how Thane had located her.

After escaping Kensington Estates, and guessing he would take issue with her sabotaging of his master plan, whatever that may be, instead of turning in the direction which would take her back to the freeway, Rayn had turned opposite. The theory had been to throw him off kilter by not acting in a manner easy to predict.

And with today's superior technology, she had assumed she would still be able to find her way home easily enough; that's what her navigation system was for. It would link up with a satellite floating way up yonder and recalculate the golden route to lead her there.

At least, that's the way it was supposed to work. In a perfect world.

But her current world, the one which had just been thoroughly upended by Thane, was far from perfect. Exciting? Definitely. Scary? Most certainly. But perfect? Nope. As currently demonstrated by her navigation system with each additional mile she added to her journey. The device insisted she turn around and head the other way if she harbored one small hope of ever reaching Columbus.

Rayn switched back to her original lane. As did her tail.

Oh, yeah, everything was going exactly as planned. Never better. Thane hot on her ass, she thoroughly lost. Not that there weren't plenty of oh-so-helpful traffic signs posted every five to six miles. The problem was the signs proclaimed she was x amount of miles from Bumfuck One also known as Cow Pasture, Bumfuck Two better known as Maize Plot and Bumfuck Three... Middle of No-Freaking-Where. Just a sampling of the million such cities in her great home state, none of which she'd ever heard. None of which she'd ever visited. None of which she even had the slightest inkling where it was on a map.

To have a fundamental idea of where she was would be seriously handy. That is, to have a fundamental idea-Rayn studied the passing scenery wryly-outside of knowing she was driving on a roadway built right smack dab center of a cornfield.

In retrospect, her lack of knowledge was probably her own fault. She was pretty sure, at one time or another, Columbus Public School systems had tried to hammer something into her noggin about Ohio. State Flower. State Bird. State motto. But whatever they'd taught she'd retained about as efficiently as a sponge with water.

Immediately soaked it up...only to have it just as quickly wrung out.

If she managed to get out of this situation unscathed she so was heading to Columbus State Community College to sign up for each and every course they offered on the Buckeye state. Immediately.

The driver directly behind her decided at that very moment his life would be better served in the slow lane. Where he promptly goaded his little red sports car into doing the exact opposite of what the lane was designated for so he could cut in front of her. Which left, Rayn glanced again in her rearview for confirmation, just the one vehicle between her and her pursuer. Her heart fluttered with excitement.

Alarmed...alarmed...ala-oh, forget it. That blood pulsing organ was not big on cooperation at the moment.

What she should do is pull over and allow herself to be recaptured. Any man who wanted something so fiercely to exert the time and effort similar to that of Thane probably deserved to get everything he was after.

But did she deserve to be caught? What harm would come to her from being detained by him?

The answer, Meredith, is A. Hurt feelings, a demolished ego and a healthy serving of self-esteem issues. Final answer.

Katya was a walking, talking, unbearable representation of everything Rayn was not. An ethereal beauty of the kind medieval minstrels eternalized in centuries past with well-chosen words of praise set to melodious tunes of romance. The type of beauty sought after for thousands of years by sculptors and painters alike hoping to find their muse so they could make a name for themselves in their respective crafts.

Most famous thing any of Rayn's ancestors had been sought after for was to pick cotton, suckle babes and to serve beautiful, spoiled mistresses...like Katya. Who had sexy, handsome husbands...like Thane.

And, like her predecessors and their masters, the only reason Thane wanted her was because she was a curiosity. Something different he'd never before experienced. Once he was done satiating his thirst of the unknown, Rayn had no doubt she would be discarded quicker than his used condom. Then he would return to Katya who would sneer at her disparagingly while welcoming him back with open, forgiving arms.

So, no, stopping was not a good idea.

She would keep going. And succeed in getting away...if she wanted to remain sane. The feelings Thane aroused, the desires, were troubling to say the least. She'd never laid aside her self-respect or pride for anyone ever before, but for Thane, just to experience one night with the man, Rayn was almost willing to cast aside all reservations.

But she wouldn't, couldn't. One night staring into his handsome passion filled face was not worth the remainder of her lifetime she'd spend staring at her self-loathing reflection in the mirror...was it?

Absolutely not, she decided with a resolution she knew she didn't stand behind one hundred percent. More like seventy-five. Minus seventy.

And it was as a result of this wishy-washiness she had to shake him off her trail. Then, and only then, could she be assured her wayward wantonness would never be allowed the chance to get the best of her. Because otherwise...

Gradually, Rayn became aware of the change in scenery. Gone were the stalks of corn, replaced now with walls of rocks. Formulating a plan, she eased down on the brakes, slowing until she coasted ten below the posted speed limit. Then fifteen. And finally twenty.

Her actions completely flustered the woman in the battered pick-up following her. The lady swerved to the lane to the right, following in the tracks of the earlier impatient driver.

And the suspect car behind sped up.

Exactly as Rayn hoped it would.

The timing was impeccable. She was right upon an emergency vehicle access point which bridged the steep, rocky depression separating the road she was on from the road with cars traveling in the reverse direction. Slamming on the brakes, Rayn abruptly jerked her car into a sharp left turn in order to cross the narrow pathway. Her quick action didn't leave the advancing sedan much room to maneuver.

And Rayn almost lost complete control when it clipped her rear end.

Heart thudding painfully in response to the threat of imminent injury, she struggled frantically to correct the Lexus from a fishtail. She jerked the wheel to the right, but the move didn't correct the problem. Conversely, it resulted in an over-correction and a wild fishtail to the left.

Exerting an extraordinary amount of self-control, Rayn turned the steering wheel slightly to the left. And inhaled a lungful of calming air once she found herself traveling in a straight line towards the safety of the other roadway. And not in either of the deep rocky ditches surrounding the emergency pathway.

Her pursuer hadn't been able to make the turn and still traveled east.

Her pursuer who was not Thane. As the car stalled in the berm, right under a street light, Rayn gained a quick peek at the occupant, an older man possessed of a full head of coppery bright hair. And she might've been tempted to convince herself the man hadn't been following her, to blame her overactive imagination for making her think he had been, to allow herself to believe he was only stopping so he could come check to make sure she was okay...if his face wasn't glued to the window.

It was almost comical really, his eyes narrowed in anger, lips pressed tightly together like an unsuspecting innocent getting their very first serving of Lisa Lampanelli, raw and uncut. But this was not a comedy routine. Not in the least.

Who the hell was this guy? And why the hell had he been following her? And why the hell was he upset when he was the one who'd just smashed the rear end of her car?

If she truly wanted answers to those three questions, and many more, he would be on her ass again in about the next fifteen seconds. Or, she could put the time to better use.

The tires of his car spat gravel and debris in an angry spray which pelted passing cars as he hit the accelerator and lurched backwards. Oh, yeah, definitely putting that time to better use.

Decision made, Rayn floored it. She narrowly missed sideswiping a giant rickety van as she joined the west bound travelers. Horns blared, and she steadily accelerated in response, deftly navigating her way through the traffic. Her erratic driving called forth in the other drivers the basic defensive knowledge all new drivers were encouraged to use their very first day in driver's ed. The others slowed to let her pass, some even pausing...and creating a jam. That would hopefully ensnare her pursuer.

Rayn kept it moving, periodically checking for signs of the dark sedan. She didn't allow herself to stop until she was at a location she recognized as being a few scant minutes from Kensington Estates.

Easing onto a gravelly shoulder, she contemplated whether she risked going any further. On the one hand, she felt like if she crossed in front of those iron gates, even from the opposite divide of the roadway, Thane would sense her. And come roaring after her. And then she really would find herself fleeing from his diligent pursuit. And Rayn didn't fool herself into thinking for one second he would be as easy to evade as the driver of the sedan had been.

Could she honestly say she would even put an equal amount of effort into evading him? Probably not.

But, on the other hand, according to the traffic sign directly in front of her, she was only fifteen miles from the freeway she needed to get on to start her highway hopping journey to reach the heart of downtown Columbus. And her navigation system sounded regular chirps of agreement.

Not willing to take the risk of idling any further while she thought through her options, Rayn began to ease forward. She didn't dare stay put for too long. Because she had a strong feeling the red haired man was going to show up very soon with those answers she still didn't want. Answers which would probably lead to Thane.

But before pulling back into the flow of traffic, she noticed her bright halogens were highlighting a mostly obscured turn off from the roadway, well hidden by the thick trunks of surrounding trees. After scanning her rearview, and still seeing no signs of the other car in the thick traffic, Rayn made an impetuous decision. Sending up a quick prayer she wouldn't soon regret her choice, she turned onto the path, planning to drive only far enough along its length to be unseen by passerbys traveling on the main road. The hideaway would grant her the precious time she needed to stop and rationally think through her next steps. But after driving for a few moments the path ended, opening into a good sized clearing. Which was deserted.

Turning off her headlights, Rayn drove to the far end, popped her trunk and jumped out of the vehicle to retrieve her purse. Once back inside the safe confines of her car, doors locked and her mind made up, she dug through the tote for her cell phone.

She was going to call the police. It was the reasonable next step any sound person would take after going through an ordeal such as hers. Report her abduction, and the subsequent game of automotive cat and mouse, and wait for the police to arrive to take her statement.

But that didn't allay the unease the thought brought to her. She felt like she was committing a...a betrayal. Of a man she didn't know. Who was, that's right, the one responsible for her abduction.

And was also still in possession of a very seriously injured woman who needed immediate medical attention. Palming her cell, Rayn suppressed her misguided sense of loyalty.

Briefly scanning the missed calls log which presented itself as soon as she unlocked her phone's keypad, of which the vast majority she was unsurprised to see were from Nicki, and another five or so from Alexis, Rayn dialed the three digits which would connect her to the local authorities, then pressed talk. And waited.

And waited. And waited. And waited.

For nothing to happen.

Eventually she did receive an error message she was out of her carrier's range. And apparently out of every other carrier's range as well since she wasn't given the option to place a roaming call.

Rayn rolled down her window, stretching her arm out and holding the phone towards the bright moon in hopes of improving reception. But, still, there was no change in her phone's signal strength. There were no bars. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

She shook her head in disgust. Freaking Metro PCS. Great plan. Unlimited talk. Unlimited text. Unlimited web. Easy on the pockets.

Ideal phone for the budget conscious consumer...as long as said consumer didn't need to make an emergency phone call while trapped in the Middle of No-Freaking-Where evading an unbalanced nutcase.

So thoroughly engrossed, Rayn didn't see or hear the large figure inching up the length of her car.

*****

Rage barely contained, Thane coolly took in the audience he'd been unwillingly subjected to. Hundreds, thousands, of important matters which required his immediate attention permeated his head in a large, writhing, intertwined mass. Pack matters. Unraveling the past of a new, interesting pack member. Locating an associate of hers. This issue. That issue.

The entertainment of anybody, however, pack elders especially, didn't figure anywhere on his list of things to do.

Not when his brothers hadn't successfully located his mate.

No, he corrected harshly, not my mate. They hadn't successfully located Rayn. The sin. The unwitting menace.

"Wulff, are you listening? Have you even heard one word I've said?" Alaric, self-appointed head of the elders, questioned crossly. He glared at Thane from his comfortably seated position on the couch.

"One word, Alaric?" Thane asked. He stood in the center of the room, hands clasped tightly behind his back, fingers biting painfully into the skin of his wrist. Turning his full attention to the male, he acknowledged to himself he only half cared letting go of his physical hold would result in trouble for the elder who had managed to excel time and again at one thing: being a constant pain in his ass. "After that impassioned oration you graciously treated us all to and all that concerns you is making sure I've heard one word? Just one?"

The man huffed, irritated. He uncrossed his right leg from overtop of the left, readjusted his hefty weight, then the left went over the right. "This is a very serious matter I bring to your attention. One that needs to be neutralized immediately."

And one Thane was already very much fucking aware of.

Funny then, he found himself more inclined to dispose of the elder rather than the problem. But not because of any past transgressions the elder had committed (and there were plenty to choose from). And not because Alaric was currently on a headlong, reckless course with pissing Thane the fuck off.

Thane wanted to off the fat bastard based solely upon the grating, whiny quality of his voice. Each time the man's mouth opened, he rubbed every nerve in Thane's body raw like the verbal form of a Brillo Pad.

Standing next to a far wall, Cael glanced over, gauging Thane's reaction. Then immediately focused his attention on the elder, drawling, "Alaric-"

"Hold up, Cael, sounds like our respected elder here has a most pressing concern. And I'm sure he would like to have it addressed without further delay." Thane's eyes bored into the elder's. "Alaric, you can rest assured I've heard every word you've said."

"Then what think you of the situation?"

Walking to his desk, Thane picked up a half empty bottle of Grey Goose which occupied one of its four corners. It had been left there for him earlier by one of his brothers after Cullen had returned to the mansion sans Rayn. The male had scoured the immediate area surrounding Kensington Estates before traveling halfway to Columbus. He'd spent the better part of two hours searching before admitting a defeat which rang bitterly throughout Thane.

And on returning he'd related some pretty interesting theories he'd had time to think on while searching. Theories which had nothing to do with Rayn on face value...except for the timing of the woman showing up at Rayn's house. Way too much of a coincidence. After visiting the unconscious woman himself, and acknowledging there was a disturbingly familiar undercurrent to the otherwise innocent aura surrounding her, Thane had declared the injured woman the newest member of the Kensington pack.

Pouring two inches of the liquor into a glass, Thane passed it to Cael. Then poured an equal amount for himself, not bothering to offer any to anyone else. Pissed host was the flavor of the moment and the sooner the elders figured that out, the quicker this meeting would end. And that would be in the best interest of all involved.

More to the point, it could potentially be a lifesaving move for Alaric.

Cael tossed his shot back, consuming the clear liquid in one go. Thane downed his right after. The fiery path it burned down his throat was a poor imitation of the fiery worry twisting deep in his gut. "I think I'm already aware of it."

"And I think you're full of it." Alaric's words were filled with scorn. "This situation is a new occurrence and the elders have only just learned of it these past ten minutes, thus the reason I called this emergency meeting." Caught up in the moment, excitement clear, he sat straighter. "And you standing there trying to deceive us into thinking you had previous knowledge just reiterates my belief you are not fit to sit as Alpha of this pack."

And there you had it. Alaric's disdain put into words.

An audible gasp from the other elders rebounded off the walls before an absolute, tense silence took its place. Every person present knew of Alaric's disdain, it evidenced itself in his dogged determination to butt heads with the Alpha at every pass. But respect in the form of survival instinct had always precluded the male from an actual vocal voicing of his displeasure.




Deadly Sins Ch. 05: Lust



"I think it is truly a feat you've managed to live as long as you have, much less become an elder," Cael remarked idly, shaking his head. "And I don't think I'll ever understand how you managed to pull that off as the term signifies intelligence." He moved away from the wall, placing himself in a better vantage point in case he needed to interject in the bloodbath which was sure to erupt at any moment. "Which I am now sure you don't possess."

Wolf rearing at the prospect to let loose its aggravation, Thane kept his attention firmly trained on Alaric. "Think you can do better than me at running this pack? If so, I am more than happy to accept your challenge." His words were soft, calm. Only a fool wouldn't have been able to see they were a deceptive cover for what he was truly feeling. "And that was a challenge for my position, was it not?"

Visibly paling with the dawning comprehension he was about to be faced with a fight he had no hopes of ever winning, the other man stuttered, "T-t-that's n-not what I meant, my lord."

"He does have a brain," Cael interjected with mock awe. "The wisest man in Oz."

With a wave of his hand, Thane silenced his Beta. "Second time tonight you've questioned my hearing, Alaric." Taking lethal, measured steps, he advanced until he stood on the area rug directly in front of the man. "And I can assure you not only have I heard every word which has left your mouth this evening, I have understood each one as well."

Slowly, cautiously, with eyes downcast, Alaric lifted his chin, baring pale, veined, jiggling jowls. An act of submission. Although the man had most of the annoying tendencies of a yappy Pomeranian, at least he demurred to his wolf's instincts in this matter.

Breathing deeply, Thane let the male remain in the position for several long moments. Wisely, Alaric chose to keep his mouth shut, not making the mistake of putting his atonement into words any further...else, atonement or not, Thane might not have been able to calm enough to accept the elder's silent reaffirmation he accepted him as his Alpha. Although acute disgust for the man would prevent Thane from ever ripping the elder's throat wide open, he wasn't opposed to slamming a fist into his windpipe.

End result would be the same. And that was all Thane cared about.

"As I was stating before our tangent, I am already aware of the situation with the Harvey pack," Thane snarled, stalking to his desk where he slammed his glass in an exchange for the bottle itself. Back to his guests, he took his second shot directly from the source. Along with the third. And the fourth.

It was useless.

As if the problem of Rayn wasn't bad enough, to learn a group of five or so pups from the Harvey pack had decided to model themselves after the Kensingtons was the final destructive blow to a slice of serenity which had been nearly non-existent to begin with. Vigilantes is what Cael had informed him just within the past hour the little assholes were calling themselves.

The Harvey Beta had called to warn the group had already been responsible for the death of one of their own, a Harvey wolf suspected to have gone rogue that very evening, hunting and goring a human couple in their neighboring West Virginia. There had been no firm evidence of the wolf's wrongdoing, no proof; only the pups suspicions. And instead of bringing their concerns to their Alpha, they had decided to take care of the problem themselves.

Which hinted one of the moronic shits was calling big time shots, acting as Alpha of the little group.

And, oh joy, now they were on their way to Ohio to beg an audience directly with their hero, the Alpha of Kensington. They wanted to boast of their actions to the male mother werewolves across the globe made up bedtime stories about. And to pledge their allegiance to do their part in the never ending battle against evil.

Great. Just fucking great. Exactly the stress Thane needed. To deal with pups who were reckless and had flagrantly disregarded their pack's protocol. Like he didn't have enough to contend with as it was. Little idiots were playing with shit they didn't have the foggiest idea about and they would soon be renaming themselves Victims once shit went wrong.

And wrong was the way this whole situation was bound to go. The circumstances were just too right for it not to.

If, along their way to Kensington Estates, the unenlightened pups decided to play superhero again and tried to dispatch of the wrong entity, one of two things was going to happen. Either they were going to mistakenly kill an innocent. Or they were going to be brutally murdered in their attempt to kill a true evil.

And if they came across and caused harm to Rayn, their fate was signed, sealed and just waiting to be delivered to the Alpha of Harvey.

Every thought always had to return to her, didn't it. Every concern. Every consideration. Every emotion. Every every-fucking-thing. The side effects of being bonded were really starting to become a pain in his ass. More so than Alaric even, and that was saying a lot.

And it blatantly violated the foremost rule an Alpha was forced to abide by. The wellbeing of one never took precedence over the wellbeing of the multitude.

Thane took another long swig of the liquor, finishing it off.

"My lord, if you already knew of this problem, then why didn't you disclose the information to us?" asked Nicholai, who shared not only the space on the couch beside Alaric, but traditionally also the other elder's inclination to question Thane on matters which were none of his concern, albeit a bit more tactfully.

But tact be damned at the moment. Thane wanted to hurl the empty vodka bottle at the male's forehead. And hopefully get a two-for-one if it rebounded onto Alaric's.

Instead of playing whack-a-elder, he tossed the bottle in a trash receptacle. Rolled his shoulders. Cracked his knuckles. Faced his audience. Then leaned a hip against the desk.

"Because-" To emphasize the importance of the next words which would leave his mouth, Thane locked eyes with each of the elders. He started with Nicholai then moved on to Alaric and Natasha before concluding with Amina, who was the only one to give him a small smile of encouragement. "-I didn't have to. Your place as elders is to educate and enlighten members of this community in our ways, our missions, our curse. Not to be fucking involved in any issues which transcends Kensington. Dealing with other packs is firmly in the realm of my duties as Alpha. Got it?"

Nicholai nodded his head thoughtfully. "Understood, my lord. And, as I've expressed before, if that is truly your will, then I have no choice but to accept it. However, I would like to point out in the past-"

"And as I've established long ago, Nicholai, we are no longer in the past anymore, are we?"

Mouth tightening into a thin slash, he agreed, "No, my lord, it appears that we are not."

Smiling grimly, Thane offered, "Glad we were able to reach that understanding. Again. Let's all try to all remember it this time so we don't have to revisit this subject anytime soon."

Since becoming Alpha of Kensington, there had been a shit load of changes initiated by Thane. Of them all, enforcing the boundaries of the roles of the elders had been the biggest. And the most difficult. The only one to nearly give him gray hairs when he'd acceded at the tender age of twenty-six. The preceding Alpha, a weaker minded Alpha, had given the elders too much power, relied on them for advice in issues which were out of the elder's range of authority.

How to handle problems within the pack...elder territory. How to handle problems outside the pack...not a Lucifer's chance in hell at redemption.

After all the adjustments had been orchestrated, the elders had been left with limited power to be used solely for the negotiating of disputes within the pack. Their new, lower status granted them only a fraction of the power they'd enjoyed before, but it was all they would get. End of story.

Because being given too much power brought out the worse in any wolf not a born Alpha. Inherently, werewolves not born in wolf form couldn't handle supremacy over others for any extended length of time without abusing their leverage in some form or manner. It's just the way it was. The way it always had been.

Just look at Saddam Hussein. Perfect fucking example of a non-Alpha in a position of leadership.

As far as Thane knew, none of the elders of Kensington were born Alphas. They'd all been birthed as humans, same as Saddam. Therefore, it had been more of a necessity rather than a choice which had forced him to wrench their power from them, relegating them back to the positions of teachers and educators of the mass, despite their vehement protest to the otherwise.

Thane had taken their power and made a return to the ways of old, the ways the prior Alpha should never have deviated from. He'd taken the elder's power and bequeathed it to his brothers, his tight knit group of handpicked advisors. Who were all born Alphas, but possessing of no interest in leading packs of their own.

Only another born Alpha possessed the knowledge essential for making decisions which would be for the right of the pack as a whole; it was ingrained in them from birth, honed with time. And only should another born Alpha be allowed to share their thoughts and opinions at the ruling Alpha's request, to influence the Alpha's decisions.

And if any of his advisors weren't in agreement with him, they were each allowed the right to challenge him for his position.

It was all a huge checks and balance system. His advisors were his friends, brothers. And it was this brotherhood which prevented strife from festering within their ranks, allowing them all to remain clear and levelheaded. The only time they would ever challenge him for his position of power was when circumstances dictated it could absolutely, positively be no other way.

Although Thane's position remained uncontested by his brothers, it was not uncontested by all. As the system only applied to his advisors, it didn't stop born Alphas from other packs from challenging him. Nor did it stop born Alphas within his own pack who weren't a part of the brotherhood from issuing a challenge.

His strength of mind and raw physical power prevented those problems from cropping up too often.

In the eight years since his triumph over the previous Alpha, Thane had managed to do what most considered impossible. He'd restored order to a pack roiling with tension. A pack eventually headed towards self-destruction.

A pack whose very existence was crucial to the survival of the world.

And he sure as hell wasn't about to start backsliding now.

"Meeting's adjourned." Striding to the door, Thane swung it wide. "Out."

The office emptied of elders, save Amina. Gazing up at him with concern blazing bright, she said, "The matter of the pups must be handled with care, liege. Else we will find ourselves at war with the Harvey pack."

Thane gave a curt nod of acknowledgement. "The other matter?"

"I've spent the day with Natasha combing through the compendium of our history. I've gone back three centuries." Her expression was grim.

"Nothing," he hazarded.

"Nothing positive," she confirmed wearily. She reached out a hand, stroked his cheek. "Want my advice, Thane? She's your mate. Quit fighting against that fact and embrace her." Her words were tender. Maternal. "Because this is the only opportunity you and your wolf will ever have to be happy, truly happy. Even if only for a few days. I suggest you forget everything for the time being, lock yourself away with her and make every moment you two share count."

Relief flooded his wolf now that the human half was finally given the green light to accept the inevitable. Rayn was his mate. His to take. His to mark. His to care for. His to love.

And his responsibility to kill when the time came.

"As always, you're right, elder. I defer to your knowledge in this matter." Thane covered her hand with his own, then gave it a soft squeeze. "But I want to do this the right way, Amina. This will be the only time I'll ever take a mate, so I want to keep with tradition. I want a ceremony."

"It'll be my pleasure to arrange it, my lord. And the timing couldn't be better. The full moon will bless the night skies tomorrow. This will be an event to rival the one I've planned in my head for years for you and Katya." Her smile was sorrowful. For she knew not long after organizing the jubilant event, she would then be responsible for planning a joyless one.

Amina departed, leaving Thane alone with Cael. His Beta edged closer, watching him concernedly, frowning. "T, somehow we'll find a way to make this work."

"Get your head out of your ass, I've already removed mine. There is no other way." Thane faced Cael and placed a hand on the male's shoulder. He stared into his eyes. "You know what you have to do. Don't fail me, brother."

Thane turned away, heading back to his desk. And ignored the agony on his brother's face left in the wake of his fatalistic words.

*****

She awoke yet again to the pitch black.

Pushing through her pain, Adriana eased out of bed and slowly made her way to the chair. Picking up her purse, she searched through it, searching for her phone...only to discover it was missing.

Fuck! she thought frantically. Now what?

Find a way out, that's what. With that intent heavy in her mind, Adriana slowly continued on her way pass the chair down the wall of her room. Her short term goal was to hopefully find an in suite bathroom without toppling over and causing more damage to her person. Her long term goal was to stay mobile long enough to then scope out all the doors and windows of her room to see if escape through one was a viable option. And her all consuming goal was to accomplish everything before one of the werewolves reappeared to stop her.

Halfway to her short term goal, her all consuming goal was thwarted. The main entry to her room opened, allowing weak light from the corridor beyond to spill into the dark interior and to silhouette the huge male form stationed in the doorway, face cast in shadows.

Adriana's breath hitched in her throat. There was no need to see a face to know her visitor's identity. The towering height, vast shoulders spanning frame to frame and imposing presence were all the indicators she needed.

Mesmerized, she watched until Cael closed the door behind him, cutting off the sole source of illumination. Then she relied on her ears to give the details of his slow journey to the bed. He was light on his feet, his gait quiet, as though he didn't wish to disturb any sleeping occupants.

Well, well, well, aren't you about to receive an unexpected surprise.

The discovery of her absence was signaled with a low, growled, "Where the-"

"Here." Adriana hobbled away from the wall.

She knew she could've attempted to remain hidden. But it would've been no more than an attempt, never a success. No matter the effort put into blending in with the drywall, there was just no way she could ever convince herself Cael wouldn't have found her immediately. And, at least by revealing herself to him rather than having him find her, she had the upper hand.

"Jesus, luv," he asked gently, "why are you up?" With that, he was at her side, sweeping her feet off the floor right along with that upper hand she'd been so proud of. He gathered her to his chest, his powerful arms lending the strength her battered body lacked.

This has to be a dream. Cael was intimidating, unnerving. Not tender. But his gentle hold and the soft kiss pressed to her forehead as he tucked her close contradicted all earlier assessments of his character.

Dazed, she whispered, "I am really losing it."

"Losing what?" She felt the question rumble through his chest against her cheek, more than actually heard it.

Her mind. Her sanity. Nobody had treated her with such kindness since Marcus during her childhood, before she'd become privy to his true nature.

And wasn't Marcus a good of a reminder as any as to what nastiness could be shrouded by an attractive exterior. As was she herself. The Lady of Wrath. So she'd better not allow herself to get caught up in this romance novel moment and forget Cael was a killer.

Which wasn't really all that bad in and of itself...it was his dedication to the eradication of her kind which gave pause for concern.

Placing the hand not smashed between their bodies flat on his chest, she pushed away. "My bladder if I don't relieve myself. Soon."

He hugged her tighter, bringing her cheek flush with his muscular chest again. "Then by all means I must assist you with getting to the bathroom. Cute as you are, waterworks just ain't my thing."

Supporting her as though she weighed no more than a doll, he took several long strides then stopped. He stood her on her feet, back pressed to a solid surface containing a small fixture which jutted uncomfortably into her lower back. He leaned close, enclosing her between two forearms she knew rippled with ropy muscles.

"Don't take too long," he murmured, nuzzling his cheek against hers. Each word was a soft, tingling gust of warm air against her neck. "Else I'll be forced to come in there after you."

Adriana ducked under one of the tree trunks, nervously grabbing the door handle which had been digging into her back. She kept her flaming face lowered, aware that, unlike her, Cael could see in the dark.

And if his wolf was anywhere near the surface right now, not only would he have a front row view of her heightened color, he would be able to feel it as well.

Once inside the safe confines of the bathroom, door shut and locked, she flipped the light switch. Only to be confronted by the reflection of her grossly discolored face in the mirror above the vanity. Lightly, Adriana traced the purplish half moon bruise under her right eye while staring at its twin under her left. Rage filled her at the throbbing brought on by the miniscule amount of pressure. She was going to kick Marcus's-

"What's wrong?" The handle rattled as Cael tried to open the door. "You need some help in there?" The rattling became more earnest, punctuated by loud knocks. "Hey, can you hear me?"

Holy hell...had she, shit, had she unwittingly projected some type of vibe or something? That he picked up on? She couldn't have, she thought wildly, gripping the counter hard, she wasn't twenty-five yet. She could only access minute amounts of her power...and only when she put forth a conscious effort to do so.

"If you need help, open the door so I can tend to you." Cael's voice carried easily through the thick wood.

But Adriana didn't answer, her mind still whirring with a magnitude of frightening possibilities. He must've heard her gasp unintentionally, she finally decided. Yeah, that was it.

And it was just as she reached that comforting conclusion she heard him say, "If you can, try to move away from the door, luv. I don't want to hurt you."

Puzzled, Adriana tried to figure out...oh, no, he was going to burst through the door. Knowing he was more than capable of reducing the wood into millions of toothpicks if she didn't provide a placating answer, and get her emotions under wraps, Adriana took a deep, calming breath. She released her death grip on the counter. "If you don't mind, I would greatly appreciate it if you stopped trying to get in here with me. And your supersonic hearing needs to take five steps back."

A long silence ensued. Adriana held her breath, hoping he wouldn't argue. She released it only upon his response of, "I'll be waiting by the bed if you need me."




Deadly Sins Ch. 05: Lust



Taking care of essentials, Adriana eyed the bathroom. A walk in shower with embossed glass sliding doors adorned the full length of the right wall. A depressed Jacuzzi tub took up the left corner. The vanity was made of a rich, dark wood with a granite countertop and it was situated next to the tub. Obviously expensive Terrazzo tile of differing shapes and shades of brown covered the floor. And the ceiling was high, creating the illusion of spaciousness in a room which was spacious to begin with.

But there were no windows. And there were only two doors. One of which led to...a closet stocked with plush towels. And the other led right back into the bedroom. Right back to Cael.

A beautiful room designed to serve a double purpose. Filled with all the tools needed to provide a calming, relaxing, spa-like experience, yet sealed tight against an unwanted escape.

Turning on the water in the sink, Adriana washed her hands then left the water running to cover the sounds of her invasion of the vanity. She fervently hoped to find something which would be of use. But her snooping turned up nothing. At all. The cabinets were completely empty.

They would give her the only bedroom in America with an attached bathroom that didn't contain a bottle of Clorox. And what she wouldn't give for a bottle of the stuff. One splash into Cael's blue eyes and she would be free and clear.

To make an escape into a house abundant with nasty, filthy creatures with an aggravating compulsion to "do right" by humanity. While displaying the temperament of rabid pit bulls to their enemies.

And she was the enemy.

Time for Plan B. Sweet talk. She didn't know how far it would get her, but it was worth a shot. Adriana squared her shoulders, shut off the faucet and light, then reentered the bedroom. The room was no longer dark, artificial light emanating once again from what she could now see was an elaborate chandelier hanging over the bed.

Instinctively, her eyes sought out the form of her companion. He sat at the foot of the bed, his head turned in her direction and attention already focused on her. Only it wasn't Cael. It was the one who'd brought the water earlier.

*****

"You alright, ma?"

Jerking in surprise on hearing the masculine voice, Rayn's arm hit the upper frame of the window. As she withdrew the stinging limb into the interior of her vehicle, her hand unclenched reflexively letting her cell drop. Horrified, she listened to the device's angry meeting with the ground below and knew it lay there, shattered into several pieces.

"Damn, my bad, didn't mean to scare ya." The man bent down low, disappearing from sight before she could get a good look at him.

But Rayn took for granted that his speech pattern was a pretty accurate clue he wasn't the man she'd been fleeing from. And she was willing to wager the navy blue ball cap stamped with a golden W situated snugly over top of a V the same shade wasn't hiding a mop of red hair.

While waiting for him to surface with the remnants of her phone, she rubbed the sore spot on her arm, reflecting that normally she would consider an incident of this nature an insignificant accident to be dismissed with no hard feelings. Insignificant accidents were the reason she carried insurance on the phone, after all. And, if the context of her current dilemma had been different, that's exactly how she would view this situation.

But, as it was, the guy had appeared out of nowhere and was indirectly responsible for derailing a plan that had been frustratingly failing to begin with and for destroying the only chance she had of forcing the plan to work one way or another. And that was something Rayn just could not dismiss. Not after the day she'd had. "Use that line with all the women you sneak up on?"

"Just the ones who almost run me off the road," he replied easily, standing. Most certainly not the red haired man. "You late to a casting call to be the next Angelina Jolie or something? Because if that u-turn was any indication of your skills, I'd say you got it in the bag." He winked, adding, "Seriously, though, you do realize u-ies are illegal in Ohio, right? Statewide."

Rayn felt the heat of embarrassment rush to her face as she recognized the identity of the man. He'd been the one she'd almost hit. And he'd also been a part of the horde honking their displeasure at her. Long and loud. "I...I...oh, damn it all to hell, I don't have an excuse."

"Damn, you mean there's no casting call? Shame, cuz I really wouldn't mind seeing you in I-Max. Or 3-D." He rubbed dirt off the phone's screen onto his pants leg, then started fitting the pieces back together. "Nah, on the real though, you don't have to explain shit to me. I've had more than my fair share of bad days to commiserate without hearing the story."

"Thanks for being so understanding. I really appreciate it. More than you could ever know." Palm up, Rayn extended her hand partially through the window. "How bad is the damage?"

"My blood pressure was flying with the eagles for a while back there," he answered, attention still focused on the task at hand. He'd already snapped the screen's cover back into place. Then the battery pack was inserted. Then the back cover was slid on.

"I was..." Rayn's embarrassment deepened. She'd nearly been responsible for the guy having to make an unexpected visit to a body shop, possibly even a hospital, yet here she was, only interested in the state of her cell phone.

Talk about being a callous shrew.

"Asking about the phone? I think it's gonna be okay, too." One corner of his goatee surrounded lips twitched. Even in the shadow created by the hat's brim, Rayn could see the amusement which lit the depths of his dark brown eyes, crinkling the corners and spilling out to highlight and accentuate all parts of his attractive deep brown features.

He pushed the power button and the screen flickered to life. "And if you don't believe the words leaving my mouth, here's your-hey, ma, everything's straight," he consoled on glancing up and noticing her aggrieved expression. "I was just pulling your leg with blood pressure shit. No harm, I promise."

The sound of a vehicle door opening, followed by gravel and rocks being quickly eaten under heavy footsteps foreshadowed the approach of another. "Yo, Nick, she straight?"

It was at that very moment the full magnitude of her newest set of circumstances hit Rayn. A secluded area. At least two men she didn't know. One of who possessed her phone.

Fitting ending to a screwed up day.

"Figures," she muttered.

Nick swiveled towards the other man, stationing himself so he blocked her view of everything but his leather bomber covered back. Rayn would've taken the time to give the highly detailed depiction of the dark, wavy haired wolf howling at the silvery full moon on his jacket the attention it deserved, but Nick barked, "Back in the car," keeping her focused on the situation at hand.

"If she's straight, what's the hold up? We're ready to roll, man. Let's bounce."

"We leave when I'm ready to leave. Not one moment before. Not one moment after. Now get your ass back in the car."

Though slower, the forward motion persisted. "Damn, Nick, you feel that? Is that com-"

"Last warning," Nick snarled softly in response.

The advance stopped, but tension still hung in the air thick and heavy as a ground hugging early morning fog. Although Rayn hadn't been born able to speak male ego, she'd been saturated with so much of it that very day she would've had to be blind not to see and understand the challenge being issued.

Nick took a step forward, away from the car, towards the other man. "I said, back the fuck off."

"I'm gone, dude, be easy." The crunch of retreat was immediate and hasty.

Rayn didn't relax until the sound of a shutting door filled the clearing. Even then, her relief was only infinitesimal. The man in front of her was still a stranger. And her most recent encounter with a man she didn't know had taught not all men were created stable. But they were all filled with inordinate amounts of testosterone it seemed. "My phone. I'd like it back now."

"In a minute, ma. Just want to make sure it's working properly first." Nick turned his full attention back to her, flashing a smile full of warmth and in direct contrast to the scene which had just played out with his friend. He slid out the phone's keypad and started typing. "By the way, as you've probably guessed by now, I'm Nick."

"Kinda gathered that," Rayn answered dryly. "Rayn."

"Nice to meet you, Rayn. Real nice."

Amazing. She'd managed to escape Thane only to, almost quite literally, run straight into his doppelganger. Nick issued orders with ease like Thane. He went from cool to hot then back again in thirty seconds flat just like Thane.

But there was something more, something else which tugged at the strings of memory. It wasn't him, she was sure she'd never met him before. But it was in the way he held the phone. His wide legged stance boasting of a high level of confidence. His cocky attitude. Rayn studied him closely, trying to pin down who, or what, he put her in the mind of...

"Here, you're good to go." Placing the phone in her hand, he snapped her out of her reverie. "Listen, I'm a sucker for the whole damsel in distress bit and, no disrespect, you got it down pat."

"None taken...I think."

"Don't. Because it's cute. If you ask me, it's too many women running around as it is screaming 'bout being independent." Hunkering down to eye level, he reached a hand through the window to run the member up and down her sweater covered arm. "When sometimes there's nothing wrong with letting a man do what a man is supposed to do." The path of his fingers lightly burned her bruised skin. "That being said, ain't no Brad Pitt I need to be worried 'bout hiding in there with you somewhere, is it?"

Irritated by his comments, yet slightly charmed despite herself, Rayn shook her head. Jeez, she needed to just go ahead and take a photo of herself to be marketed as the poster woman for Cro-Magnon. She could really use the money.

And how cool would it be to see her photo posted on Wikipedia.

"Good, although honestly I have to say I wouldn't have given a shit even if there was. Brad ain't no match for me, baby. And you can believe that."

Rayn felt the beginning of an idiotic grin form. Was she really starting to find him endearing? Or was she just experiencing the effects of the first stage of a mental breakdown? Hopefully it was the latter. Please let it be the latter. At least then her doctor could just prescribe some happy pills and she would be on her way. If it was the former...there was no hope for her.

"And she smiles. Ten points for Team Nick," he cheered. "Man, ma, you should do that more often. Smiling is a real good look on you. Arm feeling better now?" At her nod he squeezed softly, letting his touch linger for another few charged seconds before withdrawing. "Hope you don't mind if we stay in contact. Matter fact, what you up to tonight? I'm headed to Columbus to hit up Club Ice...I could use the company."

"You already have company." Rayn angled her head towards the run down van she could now see parked at the mouth of the clearing. "Besides, you two need to do some male bonding after that little pissing contest you just had."

"Little?" He snorted. "Ain't nothing little 'bout me, ma. And I can prove it."

"I was not talking about that," Rayn defended with a laugh. Then found herself wondering about the intimate details of that before moving quickly on.

"Yeah, okay, I'll let that one slide. And, on the real, do I look like a fool to you? Choice between kicking it with my boys and a beautiful stranger and you think I'm going to choose those fools? Just say the word and I'll ditch them all right now."

Definitely endearing. And damn appealing, too.

"Just like a man." Rayn scowled playfully. "Ready to bail on your friends in a heartbeat."

"They'd do the same to me. Come to think of it, they have done the same to me." He lifted his ball cap, rubbing a hand over his face. "Many times."

"Well, tonight you're going to have to be a better friend to them than they have been to you because even if I would love to keep you company, I can't. I have some...things which I need to take care of."

"They can't wait?" he asked cajolingly, settling the hat back into place.

"Not really."

"Can I help? I've been told a time or two I'm pretty efficient with female problems." Dark eyes gleaming, his voice deepened with innuendo, "I can prove that, too."

The sexual suggestion called to Rayn. Although her response was more of a clinical reaction, more of an interest in seeing how far she could push him, than an actual desire, it shocked her all the same.

"No," she answered quickly. Too quickly. "I mean, ah...no. And in answer to your not so subtle suggestion there, Romeo, hell no."

"Man, you're killing me, ma. Any chance you'll let me get a shot at changing your mind?" Correctly interpreting the look of exasperation she shot him, he relented, "All right, all right, all right, I quit." He straightened and backed towards his van, keeping eye contact the whole way. "If you ever need anything, be sure to call, alright. No matter how big or little, baby. For real."

Rayn scrambled out of the car. The chilly night stole the air right from her lungs. She wrapped her arms around herself. "Nick?"

"What's up, ma?" He had been in the process of ducking into the interior of his vehicle, but reversed mid-action. A slight smile of hopefulness was on his face. "Have need of me already? For warmth, perhaps?"

"Just a question. The red haired man who was following me...did he already pass?"

"What red haired man?"

"The one who made a u-turn right after me."

Even from several feet away, Rayn could see his confusion. He stroked his goatee as he answered, "Nobody made a u-turn after you, ma. It was just you."

Goosebumps took up residence on her arms. Although she knew what his answer would be, she still asked, "Are you sure?"

"I think I would remember if there had been a second car trying to run me off the road. But if you say someone was following you, then someone was following you. You want me to stay while you contact the police?" He made to move away from his vehicle.

"No." That man had been following her. She had been so sure of it. "No, I'm fine."

He hesitated before saying, "Alright, ma. But, remember, call. No matter how big or little."

As he maneuvered the car up the pathway, Rayn reentered the Lexus and scrolled through her contact list. But when she reached the Ns there were no new entries. Not that she had planned on it, but if she had needed, how did he expect her to reach him?

Rayn scrolled further through her electronic phonebook, finally locating the new entry. It was under Y. And she couldn't help but laugh as she read the name of her newest contact: Your Future Husband.

And her happiness soared even higher when she realized her phone now picked up a signal. Before it vanished, Rayn dialed 911. Her call was answered on the first ring.

After explaining her predicament to the operator, she was placed on hold so her call could be patched through to the correct jurisdiction. While waiting, Rayn rolled up her window and adjusted the heat to a toasty seventy degrees, then leaned her head back against the rest.

Unbidden, Thane's voice came to mind. The way his deep timbre seductively caressed her eardrum and melted her insides to liquid currents of desire whenever he called her princess.

Rayn sat up straight. God, the memory of his voice was so realistic. So realistic, in fact, no matter how vivid her imagination, there was no way the word had only been in her head. It had sounded too authentic, too graphic. And if she didn't believe anything else, the wetness between her thighs was irrefutable proof.

His voice had come through the receiver and right into her ear.

Disbelieving, she questioned, "Thane?"

"You, my love, are not where I left you." He exhaled a deep, ragged breath. "So, that begs the question of where are you?"

Pulling the phone away from her ear, Rayn double checked the number she'd dialed. But 911 still showed as the number she was currently connected to. Placing the phone to her face again, she demanded, "How?"

"Any call to the authorities about Kensington Estates is immediately diverted to me. We police our own. Now answer my question, where are you?"

They policed their own? Rayn nearly succumbed to peals of hysterical laughter as she began to truly understand the magnitude of what she'd unwittingly gotten herself involved in. Involved with.

Thane was a part of the mob. The mafia.

If he wanted her, he was going to have her. He not only had the resources but also the capital to ensure it happened. If his ultimate goal was to kill her, she was already good as dead.

But if his ultimate goal was to bed her...a delicious shiver stole down her spine.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, wincing when she heard the husky quality of her voice. "Please tell me what the hell it is you want from me?"

"I've already told you." A rustling sounded, as if he'd covered the mouthpiece partially with his palm. His voice was muffled as he said, "Cael, tell Amun I need that information. Now." Then he was back on the line. "To know where you are so I can give that sweet little body of your hours upon hours of uninterrupted pleasure, princess. Now tell me where you are."

Across the street. Come get me. Rayn wanted to shout the words, but instead asked, "Why'd you call your friend off?"

He paused, as if surprised by the question. "Because I'd very much rather find you myself. Much more satisfying."

"I am not-am not- telling you where I am, Thane," Rayn ground out, angered now that she knew for a fact he'd set his crony on her.

"Always the little spitfire, aren't you. I like that." His voice dropped an octave lower, ripe with those hours of untold pleasures, "Are you going to be every bit as fierce once I get you under me? Are you going to kick and claw and fight tooth and nail against the ecstasy I'm going to coax from your body?"

The thought made Rayn shiver. But, damn it, this man was crazy. She couldn't lose focus. "Me under you? I'm not worried about that happening, Thane. Not in this lifetime at least. Not even the next."

"Oh, it's going to happen all right. Very soon." The heavy pounding of a fist meeting wood sounded in the background. Thane said, "Thanks, Amun," before saying to her, "Actually, before this night is over with, it's going to happen. Within hours, I'm going to be buried balls deep inside of you," he promised. "And you know what, Rayn? I'm looking forward to the battle."

The line went dead, leaving Rayn perplexed for several minutes. Why had he cut the connection if he was so determined to find her?

Then it came to her. Today's superior technology had managed to kick her in the ass a second time. Thane had kept her on the phone just long enough to get a lock on her location.

Sweet Jesus, that meant he had a good three minute head start out of the five it would take to reach her. Rayn sped out of the clearing and up the path, hoping she wouldn't find him waiting for her at the end. Yet a small part of her also hoped she would.

*****

Caught off guard, Adriana blurted, "Cullen? What are you doing here?"

"You remember me." Pleasure registered on a face Adriana noted was as beautifully chiseled as that of the god Baldr she'd seen in her past studies of Norse mythology.

Oh, this was better than she could've hoped for. Talking Cael into assisting her would've probably ended up an aggravating exercise in futility. But Cullen...Cullen was a different story.