Chapter Three

Raine wasn’t sure how long she lay awake in Sanjay’s arms before the warm, fuzzy feelings started to fade and anger set in. She wasn’t sure if she was more angry at him for seducing her or at herself for allowing him to.

She was a Succubus, ruler of the bedroom, yet she’d surrendered to him like a mortal submissive bowing to her master. For the first time in her life she had gained more animal pleasure than life force.

All right, weretiger. It’s time you paid up, she thought, moving away from his side, careful not to wake him. Simple enough since, in his sleep, he’d moved his arm from her shoulders and raised it above his head.

Kneeling beside him, she gazed at him for a moment. He was so handsome, his face utterly relaxed in sleep, his long, lean body draping the bed like a cat in repose. Raine smiled slightly, noticing how long and thick his eyelashes were and how kissable his sleep-softened lips looked.

Damn it, Raine. Get a grip.

She closed her eyes halfway and summoned her power, feeling it roll through her in hot, passionate waves.

Sanjay stirred a bit, his nostrils flaring slightly as his finely-tuned sense of smell detected her Succubus pheromones. She needed to act quickly before he woke. It galled her that she feared staring him down, at least before she had him under proper control. Something in the man’s expression made her go weak all over.

She straddled him and covered his mouth with hers. Her tongue thrust between his lips and she drew on his energy while clasping him with her thighs. Almost immediately his cock hardened and he moaned with pleasure.

Raine concentrated on his heartbeat and the rhythm of his breathing, keeping hers in perfect sync while rocking against his erection. It pressed against her soft, aching flesh, making her wet, ready to claim him and take everything he had to give.

Her mouth still fused with his, she shifted position and grasped his cock, relishing the feel of velvet over iron. She flexed her strong leg muscles, lifting herself a few inches higher, and placed the crown of his erection against her damp pussy. She broke the kiss and lowered herself onto him, fully impaling herself upon his swollen flesh. Her hands clutched his broad chest, kneading the steely muscles and relishing his pure, virile perfection.

Sanjay’s eyes flew open and met her gaze, his expression unfocussed. His eyes were too black for dilated pupils to show, yet she knew if she could see them they would practically fill his irises, so lost was he in her Succubus’ spell.

Ah!” he gasped, his hips bucking in time with her furious pace. His neck arched against the pillow, tendons straining beneath the smooth, dark skin.

Raine could scarcely control her excitement, the incomparable high of being filled with his energy. He was so strong, this weretiger. By all that was sacred, she could probably survive a month on his life force without a bit of hunger.

His eyes closed halfway and his hands clawed the air for a desperate moment before gripping the headboard so fiercely that she actually heard the wood creak.

Moaning deep in her throat, she rode him faster, her internal muscles clamping around him almost painfully, draining him of his very essence. It felt so good to have him buried inside her without the stupid condom. Somewhere in the back of her mind Raine thought she would have to remember to thank her witch friend.

Raine’s entire body throbbed with orgasm, yet combined with such savage feeding the sensations grew stronger with every moment rather than diminishing. Her power sustained his erection while at the same time keeping him in a relentless state of climactic pleasure. Usually mortals lasted only moments before either passing out or forcing her to cease before she killed them.

This weretiger possessed far more stamina.

His head thrown back, hips thrusting in a ferocious rhythm, he spoke to her in his native tongue, too lost in sensation to translate his thoughts to a language she understood. Beneath her caress, his chest grew slick with sweat. His heart slammed against her palms, powerful, immortal – a weretiger heart.

For the first time ever she began to tire, burning off the energy she had taken in. Her legs trembling, she clamped her vaginal muscles around him tightly then released him. Gasping, she collapsed atop him, her entire body throbbing. For several moments she didn’t move, but lay still, listening to his heartbeat slow and enjoying the sensation of their sweat slicked bodies pressed so close together they were like a single being.

Finally gathering her strength, she sat up and glanced at Sanjay. He was completely unconscious.

If he had been human, she didn’t doubt what she’d done would have killed him. This man challenged her yet fulfilled her in a way she never imagined possible.

A chill swept down her spine. Her almost uncontrollable attraction to him terrified her. Was this what the beginning stage of love felt like?

Of course not. This was lust. Her area of expertise.

Then why are you shaking, Raine?

Her head spun. She had to get out of this room. Away from this man. She needed to collect herself before traveling with him to Portugal. If she didn’t regain control of herself she knew Kesi or her grandmother would notice her attraction to him. They knew her almost as well as she knew herself, perhaps even better. She didn’t want them to think she had agreed to speak for Sanjay because she had feelings for him.

She dressed quickly, left the hotel, and drove off as fast as possible without risking a speeding ticket.

* * * *

The following evening Raine and Kesi stood in the airport waiting for Rahul and Sanjay to arrive.

They’re not going to show,” Kesi said, her arms folded beneath her full, firm breasts that strained against her red tank top tucked into snug jeans.

Kesi was about the only vampire Raine had ever trusted. She found most of them to be self-centered gluttons like her father, but Kesi was the exact opposite. If more vamps were like her, they’d have caused a lot less trouble for themselves throughout the ages.

They’ll be here,” Raine said, though a tiny voice inside her kept murmuring that Kesi might be right. “If their intention was to run, why would he make the effort to arrange a meeting?”

We should have stuck a guard on Sanjay like I suggested last night.”

I told you I kept an eye on him.”

Kesi cocked an eyebrow and said, “I don’t even want to think about how. Did you leave him with enough strength to even get to the airport?”

Raine glanced at her friend for any sign of suspicion that she knew Raine was on the verge of emotional involvement with the weretiger. Nothing. She was doing a fine job of keeping her private thoughts just that.

I said he’ll be—there he is.” Raine lifted her chin toward the door through which Sanjay just stepped. A thrill of desire shot through her just from seeing him again. He wore black slacks and a black collarless shirt. Sunglasses concealed his eyes and his hair was tied at his nape. A younger man, not quite as tall and with a slightly darker complexion, strode beside him. Rahul.

She recognized him from a photo taken by a member of the Veils who had tracked him before they attempted to execute him.

So the weasel and his daddy showed up,” Kesi sneered.

We’re supposed to keep this civil, remember?”

All I remember is him knocking me the fuck out a couple of nights ago.”

Kesi—” “It’s fine.” Kesi held up a long, slender hand adorned with several silver rings. “I know how to do my job.”

Raine.” Sanjay nodded as he joined them.

He looked calm and collected. Rahul, on the other hand, wore a tense expression, his brown eyes alive with fury. Raine nearly smiled. The boy obviously had his father’s spirit but a lot less experience in keeping it under control.

Sanjay. This is Kesi.”

We met,” Kesi snapped, taking a step closer to the men, her stance relaxed yet powerful.

Sanjay turned to her and removed his glasses, his dark gaze fixed on the vampiress. “I offer my sincere apologizes for any harm I caused you the other night.”

Yeah. Right.”

You must understand the necessity of my actions.”

Kesi curled her lip and said, “They just called for us to board. Let’s just get on with this and the less talk the better, get it?”

I told you, father. They are completely unreasonable.” Rahul glared from Kesi to Raine and back again.

And I told you to be either silent or polite,” Sanjay said in a quiet yet deadly voice.

Rahul looked ready to argue, but refrained. He glanced past the women toward the enormous windows facing the runway.

I’ll take junior,” Kesi said sarcastically and motioned for Rahul to follow her so they could board.

Sanjay and Raine walked behind them. She noticed that other than when he’d first greeted her, he hadn’t so much as glanced in her direction. He pocketed his sunglasses and kept his gaze fixed straight ahead.

So you decided to drain me and run last night,” he said very quietly so that no one else could hear. “Not that I should have expected any courtesy from a Succubus.”

What’s that supposed to mean?”

Nothing of importance.”

I don’t recall either of us making any promises last night,” she continued, unsure of why she felt the need to defend her actions. “You got just as much out of it as I did. Probably more. When was the last time you had an hour-long orgasm?”

His expression stiffened and he cast her a disgusted look. “Have you any pride? We are in public, not a hotel room. Or perhaps your kind can’t tell the difference.”

Raine’s first reaction was anger. She was prepared to slap him with a nasty comeback but stopped, a realization dawning on her. An uncontrollable smile spread across her face. “You feel used? I hurt your pride a bit, Sanjay? I’m sorry.”

No you’re not.”

Under normal circumstances he would have been right, but not this time. “No. I am. I thought it was just a way to pass the time for both of us.”

Another lie.” He turned to her with such intensity in his eyes that she felt heat rise in her face.

You didn’t really take me the first time. I took you. That tells me many things, Raine, most important of which is last night was not simply a way for you to pass the time.”

Before she could think of a satisfactory reply, it was their turn to board. Once seated with Kesi and Rahul there was no way they could continue the conversation.

Frustrated, Raine gazed out the widow and thought about Sanjay’s accusation. Unfortunately, he was correct. Last night meant far more to her than she was willing to admit. She thought for sure she had been in control – if not right away then at least after she’d drained his energy. Usually if she took a man like that, she had no desire for him again. Rather than sate her hunger for Sanjay, making love with him and taking his energy had only increased it. To her dismay it wasn’t really his energy she craved, but him. The sensation of his kiss and touch, the sound of his voice in her hear, his scent mingling with hers.

Sighing deeply she prayed for a fast trial. If she was forced to spend any length of time with Sanjay, she would be lost. A proud Succubus tamed by a tiger.

But not just any tiger, she thought, glancing at the handsome man beside her. A clan leader. One of the first of his kind and probably the only black tiger in the world. He was beautiful, wild, passionate and quite possibly meant for her.

No. That thought was too frightening. Yet even as she told herself that she could not surrender to him again, she knew she would. Already her most sensitive places ached for his touch. She shifted in her seat, her pulse quickening and her nipples growing stiff beneath her T-shirt and bra.

Sanjay glanced in her direction, her lust reflected in his eyes. She turned back to the window. It seemed Rahul wasn’t the only one facing a trial. In some ways Raine’s was even more difficult.

How could she possibly defend herself against the only man who had ever managed to stir her soul as well as her body?

* * * *

The group arrived in Lisbon in the morning where they took a rental car to Cassias, Raine at the wheel, Sanjay beside her, Kesi and Rahul in the back seat. They drove in almost complete silence, except for a necessary word or two. Tension filled the car, particularly when they entered the lovely seaside resort town that had been home to Raine’s maternal family for generations.

Throughout the ride, Raine’s thoughts spun, focusing mostly on the trial ahead but also on her feelings for Sanjay. Part of her actually wanted him to be right about his son’s innocence. One thing she didn’t doubt was his love for Rahul. She wondered if he would have felt the same way about a daughter. Probably not. Focusing on that grounded her a bit.

We’re here,” she said, stopping the car in the circular driveway in front of her grandmother’s villa.

It was a beautiful home of tan brick surrounded by trees that danced in the cool wind blowing in from the nearby beach.

As Sanjay stepped out of the car, he gazed with longing toward the seemingly endless stretch of sand lapped by frothy waves. She didn’t doubt he wished to be running free down the beach in his tiger form, stretching his powerful feline legs. One thing she knew about all types of weres, they hated being trapped in their human bodies for any length of time. She almost sympathized with him. Rahul was a different story. Not only had he nearly ruined a woman, but he was dragging his father down with him.

Unless he’s innocent, she reminded herself. Doubtful, but possible.

Move,” Kesi ordered, shoving Rahul toward the house.

I’ve had enough of you!” The young man glared. Sanjay’s hand fell heavily on his shoulder and Rahul kept silent.

Enough?” Kesi curled her lip. “I’ve got news for you, pussycat, everything has just begun.”

Kesi.” Raine glanced at her friend.

Kesi flashed her fangs a bit and motioned for Rahul to lead the way toward the house. Raine and Sanjay followed behind. By the time they reached the door, two tall women in semi-wolf form stood to greet them. Covered in hair, their faces slightly elongated, they retained their bipedal position but with heavier muscle and more flexibility. Much like when Sanjay had stopped shifting halfway between tiger and man.

The loup-garou warriors carried guns and kept wary yellow eyes fixed on the men.

Fifi. Angelique.” Raine nodded at the guards.

Rahul curled his lip. “Fifi? She looks more like Fido.”

Enough,” Sanjay hissed, his hand clamping around Rahul’s throat. “It’s as if you want to die.”

Break it up!” Kesi shoved her way between father and son while the wolfish guards each grabbed one of them and yanked them inside.

Wait,” Raine called, following the guards down the corridor she knew led to secret holding cells in the basement. “They’re to come with me. I want my grandmother to—“ “Raine.” She spun at the sound of her grandmother’s voice.

Vidonia stood at the top of the wide spiral staircase. Like most Succubae, she was very beautiful and aged so slowly that she looked more like Raine’s sister. Slightly above average height with long black hair, dark eyes, and delicate lips painted red, she exuded charisma that most men found irresistible. Many people told Raine she had inherited that magnetism, but at times she doubted it.

I had hoped for you to speak with Sanjay before the trial,” Raine said, walking toward the staircase where she paused at the base.

Sanjay, how long has it been?” Vidonia asked, a slight smile on her lips.

Long enough for many things to have changed.”

At his reply, Raine’s brow furrowed. What was he talking about? She didn’t like the way her grandmother was looking at him, and vice versa.

As long as your respect for the Wakened Veils has not changed.”

If it had, we would not be here,” he said.

Vidonia held his gaze for a moment longer, then motioned for the guards to take them away. She looked at Raine. “Come with me.”

Excuse me,” Kesi said. “Have Bo and Saloni arrived yet?”

Yes,” Vidonia said. “They’re having breakfast by the pool. Feel free to join them. My granddaughter and I have much to talk about and will meet with you later.”

Kesi nodded and disappeared through a door to her left while Raine walked upstairs and followed her grandmother.

In the master suite, Vidonia took a seat at the breakfast table. “Come with me, Raine.”

Raine joined her grandmother. Though filled with questions, she waited respectfully for the First Wrath to begin the conversation.

When we spoke on the phone you made it clear that Sanjay believes he is telling the truth about his son,” Vidonia said.

Yes. Even though Rahul is most likely guilty of the crimes he is accused of, Sanjay has faith in him. Of course, it is not unusual for one man to have faith in another. If Rahul were a daughter —“ “He would hold her in the same regard,” Vidonia interrupted. “Unlike many males, especially from his time, he has respect for women. If any man could raise a son with equal respect, it would be Sanjay or one of his clan. Weretigers serve a most powerful goddess. Sanjay is descended from the first clan created many thousands of years ago. Through the ages, the clan divided. Some no longer retained their respect for females, but Sanjay and his clan are still loyal to the old ways – to their goddess. Unlike many weres, he has mastered his power, not the other way around. That is why I convinced the other First Wraths to allow him and his son to be brought to trial.”

A question had been burning in Raine’s mind since Sanjay had disclosed his acquaintance with her grandmother. “How is it that you know Sanjay? He would not go into detail about that. I can’t understand how you could let a man, no matter how good, know of our existence. If you didn’t believe he should die, then you could have at least used one of our psychics to erase his knowledge of us.”

Vidonia sighed deeply, her gaze shifting past Raine to the picture window. Finally she said, “Sanjay’s mind would not accept the hypnotic suggestion. You’ve met him, so I’m sure you felt his strength.”

In every way. Raine shook her head. She couldn’t think about the lovemaking she and Sanjay had shared. Not in front of her grandmother.

Yes. He is powerful.”

A slight smile touched Vidonia’s lips and she nodded. “He is probably the first man I ever trusted and he has never betrayed that trust. For over two thousand years he has kept the secret of the Wakened Veils. I believe, and the other First Wraths agree, he has earned the right to this trial.”

But how did you meet him?” Raine pressed.

Vidonia stood and walked to the window. She gazed at the beach in silence for so long that Raine grew a bit annoyed. Sometimes her grandmother got this way, sinking into a state of meditation.

You’ve taken him, haven’t you?” Vidonia finally asked.

His energy?”

His energy. His body.” Vidonia turned, still wearing that slight, knowing smile.

Raine stiffened. “If you think, grandmother, that I would arrange a meeting with the First Wraths because I’m lovesick—“ Laughing, Vidonia returned to the table and rested a hand on Raine’s shoulder before taking her seat. “Of course I don’t think that. You’re not a child or a fool. I know you sensed his integrity and part of you trusted him. I’m not talking about that, however, but him.”

Yes,” Raine said quietly. “I’ve taken him.”

Have you?”

Yes.”

Or did he also take you?”

Thinking back to those final moments before she’d broken away from him, Raine recalled how her energy had seemed to drain away. It was as if she needed to expel what she’d just taken in order to match his strength.

I’ve never felt energy like his,” Raine admitted. “But I’m accustomed to human males.”

Magical ones are much stronger,” Vidonia said, “but even among them weretigers are powerful.”

Raine started to lose patience. “Will you answer my question, grandmother?”

Sanjay was the first and only man ever to overcome my powers.”

The meaning of her grandmother’s words struck Raine like a fist. She wasn’t sure of the reason why. Her grandmother was a Succubus. It probably wasn’t the first time they had taken energy from the same man.

Were you and he—“ “Lovers,” Vidonia admitted. “For a short time. I couldn’t accept the power he had over me. After killing my husband, I vowed never again to let a man have control of me in any way. Had I allowed it, Sanjay might have commanded my heart.”

Raine felt a little sick. The idea of her and Vidonia in love with the same man was somehow wrong, even if they were Succubae.

You’re falling in love with him, if you haven’t already,” Vidonia stated.

Of course not. I told you I’d never—“ “But you have.”

Are you? Still in love with him?” Raine almost didn’t want to hear her grandmother’s reply, yet she had to.

No.” Vidonia held her gaze steadily. In her eyes, Raine saw only the truth. No jealousy, no competitiveness. “Anything between us ended long ago. I have retained a measure of respect for him and, if you choose to continue exploring your feelings for him, I will support you.”

Providing we don’t put him and his son to death.”

Vidonia nodded. “Providing that. If Rahul is found guilty again, he will be executed and the First Wraths have decided that Sanjay must be destroyed with him. Otherwise he would be too big a threat to us.”

You should have followed your own advice, grandmother. It seems no good comes out of a relationship with any man.”

You’re still young, Raine. Eventually you will learn there are exceptions to every rule.”