and stepped back. His hands were still shaking, his world tilting precariously. Whirling away from her, he strode to the window with harsh strides, his chest feeling like it was about to implode.
Goddess, he needed this over. He needed this woman . . . this thing . . . out of his life.
Pressing his hands to the window frame, he dipped his head and took deep, unsteady breaths. Every instinct he possessed told him to go, to get the hell out of there before she destroyed what was left of his sanity.
But he'd come for a reason. He had to force her capitulation, force her to enter the spirit trap. That was all that mattered.
Slowly, he turned back to face her. She watched him with eyes as deep as the darkest well, her mouth damp and full from his kisses. His body tightened, desire eclipsing everything else. He hated her. But, goddess, he wanted her.
He strode to her as he'd left her, his strides long and angry, but when he gripped her face this time, his fingers were steady. "I'm going to . . . fuck . . . this body of yours." He'd almost said make love to , but there was no love involved. Not anymore.
She swallowed visibly, the pulse pounding in her throat. But she didn't deny it.
He squeezed her jaw. "You're going to turn to mist, Ariana."
"If I do, I'll just escape you."
His grip tightened. "I'm aware of that. But then you'll return and help my friends, because if you don't, I'll give away your secret. I'll tell the immortal world you still exist."
She paled, and he felt a moment's hesitation as that old, fierce protectiveness tried to rise.
"You can't. You can't betray me, Kougar. The mating bond won't allow it."
He shoved off the protectiveness, reminding himself she wasn't the woman he'd loved, ignoring his cat's hiss of denial. "I'll find a way, never doubt that. And when I do, you soulless bitch, I'll destroy you and yours. I swear it. Unless you help me."
Her gaze never wavered from his. Shadows of fear slid through her eyes, then dissipated, replaced by a weariness that almost plucked at his sympathy.
"Do your worst, Kougar." Her words throbbed with exhaustion. Defiance, he would have understood, but not this. His threat hadn't hit its mark. Why not? Because she didn't believe he could betray her? Or because she truly didn't believe he could make her turn to mist?
The latter sent a frisson of fear skating down his spine. If he couldn't make her turn, his friends were dead.
Falling. Falling.
Hawke felt as if he'd been tumbling for hours, perhaps even days. One minute he'd been digging the heart out of one of the Daemon's throats, the next, the ground had fallen away, the earth opening to swallow him in a swirling red vortex.
He'd lost all sense of feeling, of sight, of sound. And the sense that he'd never landed was messing with his mind.
As was the fact that he had no idea where he was. Or how to get out. Inside him, his hawk let out a fierce and angry cry, clearly not liking this any more than he was.
Tighe had been right there beside him as the earth opened. Had he, too, fallen?
Tighe? Tighe! Lyon? Anyone?
They'd only be able to hear his telepathic call if they were in their animals. Would he be able to hear them if they responded? He couldn't even feel his body, though he knew his heart must be pounding, rivulets of sweat running down his neck. Everything primal inside him roared with a need to escape this forbidding darkness.
But he refused to panic. The same thing had happened inside the Mage stronghold in Harpers Ferry, from what he'd heard. Those Ferals who'd been caught inside had been unable to communicate with anyone. But they'd gotten free, and he had to believe he would, too.
Goddess help him if there was a Daemon in here as there had been in that other place.
Goddess help them all if the other Ferals had fallen, too. He'd only seen Tighe go down, but that didn't mean others hadn't been caught.
If only he could feel his body. Feel something.
He got his wish as sudden, searing pain
Goddess, he needed this over. He needed this woman . . . this thing . . . out of his life.
Pressing his hands to the window frame, he dipped his head and took deep, unsteady breaths. Every instinct he possessed told him to go, to get the hell out of there before she destroyed what was left of his sanity.
But he'd come for a reason. He had to force her capitulation, force her to enter the spirit trap. That was all that mattered.
Slowly, he turned back to face her. She watched him with eyes as deep as the darkest well, her mouth damp and full from his kisses. His body tightened, desire eclipsing everything else. He hated her. But, goddess, he wanted her.
He strode to her as he'd left her, his strides long and angry, but when he gripped her face this time, his fingers were steady. "I'm going to . . . fuck . . . this body of yours." He'd almost said make love to , but there was no love involved. Not anymore.
She swallowed visibly, the pulse pounding in her throat. But she didn't deny it.
He squeezed her jaw. "You're going to turn to mist, Ariana."
"If I do, I'll just escape you."
His grip tightened. "I'm aware of that. But then you'll return and help my friends, because if you don't, I'll give away your secret. I'll tell the immortal world you still exist."
She paled, and he felt a moment's hesitation as that old, fierce protectiveness tried to rise.
"You can't. You can't betray me, Kougar. The mating bond won't allow it."
He shoved off the protectiveness, reminding himself she wasn't the woman he'd loved, ignoring his cat's hiss of denial. "I'll find a way, never doubt that. And when I do, you soulless bitch, I'll destroy you and yours. I swear it. Unless you help me."
Her gaze never wavered from his. Shadows of fear slid through her eyes, then dissipated, replaced by a weariness that almost plucked at his sympathy.
"Do your worst, Kougar." Her words throbbed with exhaustion. Defiance, he would have understood, but not this. His threat hadn't hit its mark. Why not? Because she didn't believe he could betray her? Or because she truly didn't believe he could make her turn to mist?
The latter sent a frisson of fear skating down his spine. If he couldn't make her turn, his friends were dead.
Falling. Falling.
Hawke felt as if he'd been tumbling for hours, perhaps even days. One minute he'd been digging the heart out of one of the Daemon's throats, the next, the ground had fallen away, the earth opening to swallow him in a swirling red vortex.
He'd lost all sense of feeling, of sight, of sound. And the sense that he'd never landed was messing with his mind.
As was the fact that he had no idea where he was. Or how to get out. Inside him, his hawk let out a fierce and angry cry, clearly not liking this any more than he was.
Tighe had been right there beside him as the earth opened. Had he, too, fallen?
Tighe? Tighe! Lyon? Anyone?
They'd only be able to hear his telepathic call if they were in their animals. Would he be able to hear them if they responded? He couldn't even feel his body, though he knew his heart must be pounding, rivulets of sweat running down his neck. Everything primal inside him roared with a need to escape this forbidding darkness.
But he refused to panic. The same thing had happened inside the Mage stronghold in Harpers Ferry, from what he'd heard. Those Ferals who'd been caught inside had been unable to communicate with anyone. But they'd gotten free, and he had to believe he would, too.
Goddess help him if there was a Daemon in here as there had been in that other place.
Goddess help them all if the other Ferals had fallen, too. He'd only seen Tighe go down, but that didn't mean others hadn't been caught.
If only he could feel his body. Feel something.
He got his wish as sudden, searing pain
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