Desire Untamed (Feral Warriors #1)(9)

"Oh, God." She buried her face in her free hand in a. useless attempt to hide from the utter mortification. How had she gotten so excited from such a simple touch?

She hadn't. Not by herself. She peeked between her fingers, then lowered her hand and glared at him.

"You did that to me. You're a master of manipulation, aren't you?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it with a snap, "We need to get going." His voice was gruff, almost strained, as he released her hand and rose to his feet. "The draden found us once. They'll find us again."

Kara shuddered and stood, happy to drop the subject of her small sexual overreaction, even as aftershocks tightened her womb, refusing to let her forget.

"What about my mom?"

"She's dead, Kara. We can leave her for others to dispose of in a more traditional manner, or we can bury her now. Your choice. But we can't stay. The longer you're here, the more likely other draden will find you. And there's no protection."

Kara opened her mouth to argue, then sighed, feeling her control over her life slipping from her hands. She was going with him. Tonight. Not only was it no longer safe for her here, but she had to know who she was. What she was. And there was only one way to get the answers.

Lyon.

"You found her," Tighe called, hopping down from the cockpit of the small Cessna several hours later.

Lyon nodded as he ushered Kara across the dark tarmac. The rain had finally stopped while they'd dug the grave for Kara's adoptive mother. He'd called Tighe to come get them, deciding to leave his BMW behind. After the evening's events, he'd given up any thoughts of driving cross-country with the woman. They faced the danger of another draden attack, of course. But the bigger danger, he'd realized, was to himself.

He'd always been somewhat sensitive to others' emotions, but he seemed to read Kara's extraordinarily clearly.

Sweet goddess, all he'd done was heal her injured hand, yet with every stroke of his tongue, her excitement had risen, driving his own right along with it until he'd been on fire for her. When her passion broke, he'd nearly lost it in his pants. Since he hadn't… quite… he was still hard as a rock and painfully aware of her. Her sweet scent, the curve of her jaw, the fine silk of her skin.

Goddess help me. The last thing he wanted was an obsession for any woman, let alone the chosen one. Yet every time he touched her, he felt need power through him like a charge of pure lightning.

When they reached the plane, Tighe greeted him in the usual fashion, extending his hand as they clasped one another just below the elbow in a slam of hard flesh.

Tighe looked at Kara curiously as he bowed his head. "Radiant."

"I'm… Kara." Wariness and exhaustion laced her voice. "Kara MacAllister."

Tighe threw Lyon a questioning look over Kara's head.

"She's the one," Lyon confirmed. "She was raised human, with no knowledge of the Therian race."

Tighe whistled low. "That's awkward." He took Kara's suitcase from Lyon, then turned to Kara, flashing a pair of dimples that had slain too many feminine hearts to count. "So, it was a bit of a surprise to you, huh? Being chosen to live with a bunch of sh—"

"Tighe…" Lyon warned, silencing the man with a look. She wasn't ready for any more surprises. "Kara's had a tough night."

Tighe nodded. "Understood." He slipped on his dark shades, then slung his arm across Kara's stiff shoulders, ushering her to the plane.

Something dark and jealous deep inside Lyon sprouted claws. There was only one reason Tighe put on sunglasses in the middle of the night. He was becoming aroused. When this particular warrior's interest was piqued by a female, his eyes turned from emerald green man's eyes to golden cat's eyes. A change that would send a human woman screaming into the night. Or a woman who had been raised human.

A growl rumbled low in Lyon's throat.

Tighe glanced back with a questioning look, then dropped his arm with a smile that conceded nothing. He followed Kara up the steps, leaving Lyon to follow.

"Would you like to ride up front with me, Kara?" Tighe asked, closing the hatch. When he took Kara's hand, Lyon sprang, pulling her down beside him.

"Leave her alone."

Tighe stared at him for one startled moment before his face broke into a grin. "Looks like the Pairing Ceremony may not be necessary after all, eh?"

"Like hell." What was the matter with him? He was acting like his beast had already claimed her. But she wasn't his and probably never would be. Hell, he didn't want her to be.

But the thought of anyone so much as touching her burned a hole in his gut the size of his fist.

Lyon dug his hand in his hair, raking it off his face.

He was so screwed.

Kara stared out the window of the Land Rover as Tighe pulled off the narrow, thickly treed road onto a long drive. Though dawn was breaking to the east, the heavy blanket of trees held the morning at bay like a shield against the encroaching light. And made the approach to her destination, possibly her new home, dark and unsettling.

In the front seat, Lyon and Tighe discussed their ongoing war against the terrifying draden. Tighe turned toward Lyon, his strong face animated. With his fashionably short, sun-bleached hair and wicked smile, he was every bit as good-looking as Lyon, though in an entirely different way. Though both men were far larger than most, Lyon had the broad shoulders and chest of a linebacker. Tighe had the sleek, muscular build of a quarterback and an overabundance of sexy charm.