Something stirred inside her as Ryder kissed her in the corridor of what was going to be their home for as long as they could stay. It was soul deep and more than the connection they now shared. This man had become her everything. Her lifeline in a world that had flipped upside down. Was it possible to fall in love with someone this quickly? When he released her and took her hand to start toward the control room, she tried to swallow down her emotions. They would lead to nothing but sorrow. She absolutely could not fall in love with Ryder Mattis. Love meant loss, and she was done with that.
“What’s bothering you, kitten?”
She liked the new nickname. “Nothing more than usual.”
“Why am I not buying that?” He glanced at her.
“I’m just feeling jittery, I guess.” She also realized she hadn’t had anything more than coffee yet today and had an odd craving. She glanced at Ryder from the corner of her eye, her sight trailing down his neck to his beating pulse. She licked her lips, her hunger quickly becoming a red haze across her vision. Her tongue ran across something sharp and she startled.
“Something’s wrong with you,” Ryder said as they reached the control room and he shoved open the door.
She swallowed. Her skin tightened and her bones ached.
“Your eyes, they are the color of the cat's.” He grabbed her and pulled her into the room, barring the door behind them. “Kayla, tell me what you’re feeling.”
“Hungry.” She flashed him her new fangs and shoved him against the wall with a force she never would have thought she had. He didn’t flinch, and she scented zero fear. The man was a wall of calm in her stormy world.
“Those are some impressive fangs you have, kitten. Let’s take this slow, shall we?” He turned his head to expose his pulsing vein. She swore the blood flowing through it was visible.
“Ryder,” she whimpered and latched her mouth onto his skin. Somehow, she refrained from biting but the battle was one she was quickly going to lose.
“Follow your instinct and bite. I trust you, baby. You won’t hurt me.”
His words caused the grip on her resolve to shred. She pressed the points to his flesh and bit down. Instead of Ryder howling out in pain as she expected, he moaned and pressed his erection into her stomach. Blood flowed down her throat and calmed her hunger but ignited another. Gripping his shirt, she shredded it to pieces and scraped claw-tipped fingers over his naked chest. With every pull of his blood, her clit throbbed and his erection became harder. Fear that she might drink him dry faded when her fangs retracted on their own, and she lapped at his skin to clean up any remaining blood. His wounds were already healing when she pulled back to inspect him.
“Is that what it feels like when I drink from you?”
She rubbed against his stiffness. “I’m going to guess yes.” There was no way she was letting him out of this room. Her needs were out of control. She licked at his nipple then gave a gentle bite.
He growled.
The heat in her sex burned hotter.
She followed his gaze to the desk behind them and grinned. Before he could make a move, she was pulling off her shirt, her breasts exposed to him. Thank goodness she had not bothered to put on a bra when she’d dressed earlier. His mouth found her nipple and sucked it.
“I need you so bad.” She arched into him and tore at the button on his jeans. As soon as she had the zipper down, she brushed her thumb across the tip. That was all it took for him to go feral.
With impressive speed, he jerked her jeans and panties off and had her on her back on the desk. Legs spread wide, he shoved his jeans down just enough to expose himself and thrust inside her. Cupping both breasts in his large hands, he rolled the nipples between his fingers as he drilled into her. Kayla arched to meet him as her claws tried to gain purchase on the wooden desktop.
Their movements were fast and furious, and her pleasure climbed higher and higher until she feared she would never reach release. It was a painful ecstasy that built inside her, and she realized in that moment it would always be this way between them. Something had shifted for both of them. She looked into his eyes that had become dark and filled with emotion. He released one breast and brushed a thumb across her clit.
Colored lights flashed as her climax slammed into her with the force of a thousand horses. Her nails dug into the wood beneath her and splintered as she spilled over the edge. Ryder yelled as his cock thickened, his own release claiming them both.
As they fought to catch their breath, an alarm sounded in the distance. Ryder quickly pulled free and tossed Kayla’s clothes at her before he slammed into the thoughts of those he sired, including her.
What the hell's going on?
Rogues have portaled inside the building. Ace was the one who replied.
Ryder’s heart punched him in the chest as he jerked on his jeans while Kayla hurried to dress. In a burst of speed, he was to the door, fingers wrapped around the handle as he turned to her. “Stay here.”
“Ryder, you don’t have a weapon.”
“I am a weapon. A very lethal one.” Already his fangs had dropped, ready to rip out the throat of anyone who dared threaten his mate.
She shook her head, and her eyes flashed a storm of emotions. “I am not staying here. We do things together now, remember?”
“Kitten, I don’t have time to battle with you. I need to know you’re safe. I can’t concentrate otherwise.”
“I understand.” In a blur, she undressed and seconds later a lean, muscular cat stood at his side. A flash of her thick, pointed canines reminded him she likely held as much jaw power as he did. Probably more. She butted her velvet head against his palm, and he slipped into her mind.
All right, kitten, you’ve convinced me but stick close. He jerked open the door and together they charged down the corridor toward the ruckus. When they rounded a corner, Ryder spotted his men battling at least a dozen rogue vampires.
“We take out one and three more replace them. They keep popping in!” Ace shouted as he tore the head off one vampire.
Blood coated the floor making it slick, but Ryder managed to grab a rogue ready to lash out at Jaden from behind. Kayla leaped into the air, a mass of grace and power as she flew, and made contact with the closest rogue. Her powerful paws impacted his chest, shoving him to the ground as she sank her teeth into his neck and gave a headshake. In two twists, she had the vampire's head torn from its body. Ryder couldn’t have been prouder.
Events unfolded so rapidly, even Ryder had difficulty keeping up with the number of rogues dropping in from mid-air. “We need to find a way to close their portal,” he shouted.
“How?” Jaden yelled back.
It was then Ryder’s worst nightmare took hold. As Kayla leaped for another rogue dropping in on them, they both vanished.
“Kayla!” His shouts reverberated off the concrete walls and the ache in his chest like shrapnel to his heart. He battered through killing several more rogues, but numbness had taken hold and he couldn’t even enjoy tearing them to shreds. All he could think about was the female with pink-tipped hair and stormy eyes. The one person who undid his world, and she was gone. The thought of her being harmed on the other side gutted him, and his anger flared so hot it became an entity of its own.
He had to get to her. Somehow.
“Ryder! Snap out of it,” Ace shouted, giving him a shake. “You can’t help her in your current state.”
He shook his head, knowing Ace was right. They had to come up with a plan. He began to pace the blood-slick floor, needing to move or he would rip apart this entire complex. As he turned, the surrounding air electrified.
“Fuck, more coming in,” Jaden said.
The air in front of them opened up, but the most beautiful sight jumped from mid-air. Kayla hit the floor, her paws sending a splash of blood.
“Holy shit,” Gordy whispered.
Relief, never so sweet in his entire life, seeing his female back safe and alive. Bones snapped and seconds later, Kayla stood before them in all her naked glory.
Ryder growled and all his men promptly turned their backs.
“Kitten.” He rushed forward and pulled her into his arms. “I thought I’d lost you forever.” He swore he was never letting her go again. Someone waved a flannel shirt in front of him, and he snatched it, helping Kayla slip it on.
“I’m decent, thanks guys,” Kayla said.
Everyone turned, waiting for the same explanation as Ryder.
“I was transported to a cave. No idea where it was, but there were at least half a dozen more rogues waiting to come here. I managed to take them out.”
Pride swelled in his chest. “How did you get back?”
“I simply thought of you and here I am. I’m as surprised as you are.”
He thought for a moment, but Jaden spoke the words before he did.
“Demons can call up portals. Would it not stand to reason since the rogues can that Kayla’s demon DNA allows her to do the same?”
Ryder looked to Jaden. “It’s the only explanation we have at the moment.” He wondered what else his new mate was capable of. “Do you think you could go back to the cave?”
She folded in her bottom lip. “I don’t know. Maybe?”
He hated to place her in danger, but they needed to understand what she was capable of. Hell, he still didn’t know what all of his own powers were. He pulled her close. “Think about the place and see if you can take us there.”
“Okay.” She closed her eyes. It wasn’t long before the crackle of power ripped through the air, and Kayla pulled them through a tunnel of blackness. On the other side, they stood in a small cave. He spied an opening on the other side of the room. Using his senses, he searched for any living thing.
Nothing.
“Do you detect anything?” he asked.
“No. Only death.” She looked to where a pile of bodies lay.
He smiled. “You are a terror and I mean that in a good way.”
She grinned back. “I know.”
“We should go back. We can try to visit this place later with more manpower. I hope since I’m with you, you can still find our way back to the compound.”
She stepped into his open arms, and seconds later, they were back in the bloody corridor. Intriguing. This mode of transport might prove useful. “Get this mess cleaned up, and we will meet in the mess hall in one hour. I still need to send out the radio call, then I need a shower.”