Desire Untamed (Feral Warriors #1)(49)

Vhyper's fangs slowly retracted, a show of more control than Lyon himself had. "She's your responsibility? Or is she yours? To touch. To fondle. To f**k?"

Lyon's hands balled into fists, and it was all he could do not to smash them through Vhyper's face. "Watch your language, Snake."

"Watch your hands, Roar. I saw you touching her. Holding her. You've said yourself you lost control during the preparation for the Pairing. And every Feral watched you lose control during the Pairing itself. Why in the hell should I trust you with her now?"

He shouldn't. Goddess knew, Lyon didn't trust himself. What in the hell was he doing?

Yet he couldn't back down. Kara needed him. All he knew for certain was she needed him.

He rarely explained himself to his men. He sure as hell didn't feel like explaining himself now. But he didn't have a choice. At the very least, he had to convince himself he was doing the right thing. That he hadn't, in fact, lost complete control.

He straightened and crossed his arms across his chest, pinning the other man with his hardest look. "Until she's ascended, you're not touching her. And I'm not letting her out of my sight."

With a hiss of anger, Vhyper whirled and stormed from the room.

As his beast roared with approval, Lyon wondered what in the hell he'd just done.

"I'll be right outside your door," Lyon told Kara that evening as he stood with her in front of her bedroom. This was the first time he'd been alone with her since they'd returned from the falls. Dinner had been a tense affair, with Vhyper glaring at him and Foxx snarling at every man at the table. Kougar and Jag had gotten into it over something trivial, but both managed to regain control when he'd demanded. Not once had he left Kara's side, but neither had he trusted himself to be alone with her.

He rested his hands on either side of her neck, now, draining the emotions, hoping she'd be able to fall asleep before they became unbearable again. Because the one place he didn't dare follow her was into her room while she slept.

His control wasn't that strong.

"Are you going to stay out here all night?" Her blue eyes watched him.

"All night." His thumbs brushed the underside of her chin. If not for Vhyper, he might have attempted the torture of staying with her to keep the emotions at bay. But Vhyper's accusations were too close to the truth. He wanted this woman with a need that was like fire in his blood. The temptation of her was just too much.

Kara lifted her hands to cover his. Warmth flowed into his bloodstream.

"I'm glad." She sighed, her lips parting, drawing his. gaze. He tried to look away, but it was no use. Her scent teased his nostrils, her hair gleamed beneath the golden glow of the lamplight. Her mouth beckoned until his hands shook from the effort of not giving in to the need to taste her again.

He should leave. Now. Before he did something he'd regret.

But the thought of putting so much as a door between them had his beast howling with unhappiness. His fingers brushed her neck. With one hand, he stroked her hair.

"Have they found the dark charm, yet?" she asked.

"Not yet. But they will. And if they don't, I'll call the Shaman. He has a unique ability to sense magic. He'll find it for sure."

Something warm glowed in her eyes. "I almost wish you'd wait and call the Shaman later."

He lifted a brow in surprise. "Why?"

"Because once the fear goes away, you won't have any reason to touch me."

Lyon tossed back his head and groaned even as he pulled her against his chest and dug his fingers into her hair.

Her slender arms went around his waist. "I wish it were you." Her voice was so low he wasn't certain those words had been meant for his ears, but he heard. Goddess help him, he heard.

His hand slid down her back, hard, shaking with a need he couldn't slake. The blood pooled between his legs, heavy, his erection pressing against her abdomen.

If only he could slake his desire for her. Maybe it would be over, then. He'd be able to forget her.

But he couldn't. Ever.

He needed to get the hell away from her.

Lyon gripped her shoulders and pulled her gently back. "Go to bed, Kara. Before I do something I'm going to regret."

The look she gave him was almost a smile. A sad one, but a smile.

"Good night, Lyon."

He locked his hands behind his back to keep from reaching for her. "Sleep, little one. Dream-free." Then she turned and left, closing the door behind her.

Lyon settled on the floor, propping himself against the wall. It promised to be a damned long night, but he wouldn't be able to sleep in his own bed for wondering if she was okay. At least this way, he'd hear her if she became distressed during the night. And more importantly, he'd be here if Vhyper got it into his head to claim his mate.

He could hear the sound of a basketball game on the television in the media room punctuated by the yells of his men as one team or another scored. More than two hours had passed when Paenther came upstairs.

"No sign of any kind of charm. I called the Shaman, but he's in New York visiting one of the enclaves. He's going to drive back tonight and will come over after dawn."

"Good. Any change in Wulfe?" Lyon asked, as the other warrior leaned one wide shoulder against the wall.