Page 10 (1/2)

The relief and welcome in her eyes as he approached nearly drove him to his knees His hands shook with the need to pull her into his are He cupped her bare shoulders and pulled her against hi into a wildfire with the first brush of his heated flesh against her silken skin Her breasts pebbled against his bare chest Her scent rose up, clouding hishim in a haze of lust that was almost too thick to breathe

When he covered herall thought but the certainty she was the only sustenance he would ever need His hands pressed against her back, pulling her closer as her own hands swept up to catch in his hair, holding hiue swept inside the lush cavern of hersrew in force until she was rocking against him In a far, distant corner of his mind, he remembered where they were Remembered they stood within the circle of his fellows He should let her go and step back

But his beast roared, Mine! and he increased the pressure of his tongue strokes instead, nore his clai to him as soft whimpers escaped her throat

Lyon continued to kiss her, drinking in the heady taste of her release until the torrent passed, and she clung to hiht against hioddess, he wasn’t letting her go She had to be his His logical mind took up the cry of his beast Mine

But she would only be his if his fingertips glowed in the le with cold realization Glowing fingers would have triggered a shout A cheer The only sounds that met his ears were the crackle of the fires and the stunned and utter silence of his brothers He knew Before he ever pulled away frolow

Mine! his beast roared in anger and betrayal But he lifted his hands and stared at the traitorous normalcy of his flesh

Kara wasn’t his

He released her and stepped back, her gaze clinging to hi body

This was good, his logical mind cried He didn’t have tirowled at the treacherous fates, and he knew his beast was right

All his life he’d been alone And hadn’t realized it He’d thought it was just him, just the way he was Until Kara The first ti deep inside, a stark and painful illumination of the lonely holloithin hied, perhaps never even known existed An ache that eased when he touched her

But she wasn’t his The goddess, in her cruelty, had given her to another And those hollow places inside him, raw and open, would bleed for the rest of his life

He would never touch Kara again

Kara covered her face with her hands, longing to sink into the ground and disappear Never had she been so humiliated Every tih to do in front of hiht men Men she was supposed to live with!

Oh, God

She lowered her hands and saw thethe dungeonlike roo, or were they merely horrified at the sluttiness of their new Radiant?

The odd cherry-sweet she approached her, hisblue jeans, a silver arlinting in the firelight Above his right nipple he had the scar, the four claw he stopped in front of her, delasses, and she gasped when she saw his eyes No whites rier eyes stared back at her with the saer she saw in the others’ A chill slid down her spine

Never had she been the object of such attention, and never from men such as these While it was a heady experience to have sotheaze caressed her face "Look at you," he breathed "You’re glowing Absolutely glowing" He shook his head, looking mystified "He should have been the one"

He slid his hands over her shoulders, his hands shaking ever so slightly, telegraphing the hunger she saw on his face "I feel like I’htly against hi passion, sweeping his tongue inside her mouth She kissed him back because she was supposed to, and because she liked hihe pulled back and looked at his hands, then ot a little carried away That kiss you gave Lyon was… inspiring" He cupped her chin, briefly, then turned away

Kara looked at Lyon, but his gaze was fixed fir on? Lyon had told her this ceremony was only to choose theit far more seriously With a sudden, horrible certainty, she kneas lea with a fire all its own "I keep waiting for sooose, but they’re all so soht"

Kara forced a smile, but couldn’t hold on to it forto pound a deep thud "What’s the purpose of this cere through his eyes "To find your ainst hi ainst his hold He released her so suddenly, she stuht her froround

Vhyper thrust his hands in the air and turned in a circle like the chalowed like blue Christmas tree bulbs When he turned to face her, his eyes flashed with triumph

"It looks like you’re mine"

No Kara leaped off the pedestal and ran to Lyon But unlike before, he didn’t open his arms to her Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back and looked over her head, his shoulder-length golden hair fraaze

"You said this ritual was to choose thethe bones of his face into harsh relief "It was It did"

"But that’s not all it did, is it?" Tears burned her eyes as her hands fisted at her side "You purposely misled me What was the reason for this ritual, Lyon? What have you done to ht furring of his hard chest, de he look at her, but he refused "You’ve sold me" She beat on his chest "You’ve sold me"

Lyon’s hands shot around to claaze bore into hers, harsh, yet pained "He’s your destiny, Kara The Pairing never fails"

"You expect me to marry him?"

"You will He’s youryour Ascension, the only one hoht ever have a child He’ll be the love of your life"

"You’re crazy" Her vision blurred as the tears began to slip down her cheeks "I’ainst her will They couldn’t

And ould stop them? They weren’t human Dear God, she wasn’t hu away

Kara ran after him "Lyon!"

He turned, his face hard "You don’t have a choice" His voice was harsh Angry "You must ascend And Vhyper is the only one who can help you do it"