Page 34 of Beast

Kaja followed Roan. It rankles.

“She’s playing a game, Dante.” Meg looks at me withsympathetic eyes.

Am I that transparent? “I know that.”

“No, you don’t. But I know exactly what she’s doing. If shewanted to run, she’d be long gone. She’s going to help us. Is this man workingwith Torin?”

The fight I was so eager for seems to be coming at us like asteam train. “Yes. There’s a faction on the Vampire plane that wants to make adeal with Torin. The royals are desperate for consorts. We age until the momentwe take one. You’re kind of our version of the fountain of youth. We’ll stilldie one day, but as long as we’re taking consort blood, we’ll look damn goodwhen we go, if you know what I mean.”

Meg lets her head fall forward. “What would happen to me ifthey managed to kill Beck and Ci?”

I don’t even want to think about it. “Right now there wouldbe a riot if you hit the open market. The tournament would be huge and bloody.I don’t think Roan intends to allow that to happen. He fully intends to takeyou when you’re available. If he gets his fangs into you, no one will questionhis claim.”

“I don’t understand any of this. Not really.” Meg soundstired, her voice soft and weary.

Meg didn’t grown up on the linked planes. She was born onthe Earth plane. It’s a difficult plane to travel to. It’s very isolated. Shedoesn’t have any real comprehension of how special she is.

She needs to understand the power she has over Roan. “Royalsare raised to treat a woman like you with great reverence. If you play yourcards right, he’ll take care of you no matter what happens. But you shouldunderstand, he’ll have a price for his care. He’ll feed off you, and he’lldefinitely want to fuck you.”

Meg shudders.

“It’s going to be okay.” I can’t imagine how scared she mustbe. “They don’t understand what Beck is. Roan is a royal. He was raised to bepolite around women like you. Just be sweet, and he won’t let anything happento you. It shouldn’t be too long before Beck shows up and blows the roof offthis place.”

But a lot can happen in a short amount of time. Roan is aroyal, but I bet the rest of his men are peasants. Peasants don’t have the sameworshipful reverence for consorts that royals do. If the rest of Roan’s teamdecides they can make more by selling Meg, they will. If they give her toTorin—I don’t want to think about what will happen to her.

Beck can handle these guys easily, but Beck isn’t here. I’mresponsible for Meg and for Kaja.

I have to get them away from here.

“Can you move at all?” I ask.

I’m bound tightly in sonic cuffs. The mercenaries are wellequipped. They brought along all the latest sonic equipment. The swords attheir sides can slice through flesh with almost no effort. If they manage toget Beck in hand, they can kill him. Killing Beck will almost certainly killCian.

“I have some room, but it could take me a while.” Meg’s armsmove, struggling against her bonds. They might not be sonic, but the old wayswork, too.

“I can’t get out of these.” I need to know the lockingsequence. Even if I can get Meg free, I won’t be able to get out of thesecuffs. Still, I have to try. If she can run, she needs to. “If you can make itover here, I might be able to use my teeth to loosen those ties.”

“Or we could wait for Kaja to get me out.” Meg nods towardthe front of the tent where Kaja is nosing her way through the flap.

I never saw anything as beautiful as that wolf. Kaja willsave Meg. There isn’t any hope for me, but maybe the women can get to Beck. I’mstartled to realize all that matters is that they are safe. If I can ensuretheir safety, I’m going to be okay with whatever happens to me.

Kaja shifts, her form moving easily from wolf to onegorgeous, naked woman. She stands, her perfectly shaped breasts bouncingslightly as she walks toward Meg. She really is lovely. Damn. I might never gether breasts in my mouth. I really should have sucked her pink nipples lastnight, but I didn’t quite manage to get my face out of her pussy.

“Kaja, you need to get Meg out of here.”

She turns her face up, lips curling softly. For a womanperforming what amounts to grand theft consort, she’s remarkably calm. “Yes,that was my plan, Dante.”

She moves around to Meg’s back.

I wonder how much time we have. If she manages to get mycock out, I can probably get off really fast. It might be my last time. Even ahummer will work. One last blow job before I sacrifice myself.

Meg shakes her head, seeming to read my mind. Or she seesthe tent in my pants. “Dante, seriously? What is wrong with you?”

Nothing, from what I can tell. Meg is staring at myerection. It pushes my pants up admirably. Nope. Nothing wrong with that. Andmy fangs are out. I’m fully functional. “She’s naked. You can’t expect me tothink about my inevitable death when my wife is walking around with all herpretty pink parts on display. Now, Meg, I really don’t care if you watch ornot, but Kaja and I need to say good-bye in the nastiest way I can possiblyachieve with my hands and feet tied.”

Meg flexes her hands. “I don’t think I like real, actualbondage. There was nothing fun or sexy about that. At least when Beck and Citie me up, I get something out of it. This time, I just got a headache. Youdon’t have time for sex.”

“There is always time for sex. Come on, Kaj. I’ll be quick.”I know I sound jokey, but deep down I really want her. Without Meg to keep himin check, Roan is likely to take out his frustration on me. There’s no way Icome out of this whole, if I survive at all. I want Kaj. I want one last momentwith her. I can couch it in sarcasm, but I want to know what it feels like totruly bond with my wife.