Untamed Hunger (Alpha Colony Book 1) Read online

  She grabbed her rifle and helmet and hurried after him. “Who started the fight? Why were they fighting? Who is the jaguar female, and who was the tiger you challenged?”

  Suddenly he stopped and jerked her toward him by the front of her suit. “It’s going to take a lot more than a handjob if you want me to turn traitor.” His tone was hateful and unnecessarily loud.

  She started to look around and see if they were being watched, but he caught her chin and brought their faces together until their noses nearly touched. “Fight me.” Though his mouth barely moved she clearly made out his words.

  “Stop it.” She jerked her head sharply to the side and struggled against his careless hold.

  “I know you’re not supposed to sleep with us, but can you go down on me instead? I might remember all sorts of things with your mouth sliding up and down.”

  Twisting away from his grasp, she managed to break his hold. He caught her upper arm and swung her back around. “What about your ass? Is that still against the rules? There’s no possibility of conception that way, so what’s the harm?”

  “You’re disgusting!” She swung her helmet at him, unwilling to risk the rifle going off accidentally. As they reeled and grappled, she tried to take in their surroundings, but everything was a blur, indistinct shadows against the darkness of the night.

  His shoulder slammed into her belly, and he lifted her off the ground, his arm firmly banding her legs, and his hand boldly cupped her butt. “We’ll see if you still think I’m disgusting in an hour or two.”

  Chapter Two

  Grant locked the door to his cabin, then pulled on a pair of jeans before he returned his attention to his indignant guest. Sasha stood in the center of the main room, exactly where he’d set her down. She looked angry and bewildered.

  “Do you know who was watching us? How long were they there?” she asked.

  At least she’d figured out the reason for his sudden attitude change. Convincing her he wasn’t a complete asshole wouldn’t have been fun. “I’m not sure who, but they saw more than enough.”

  “And now they think we’re here finishing what we started in the woods.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and gazed at her with hungry appreciation. Even disheveled and mostly hidden beneath her protective suit, she was captivating. Her long auburn hair was braided, the thick plait resting over one shoulder. Curling tendrils teased her temples, accenting her large, dark eyes. And her lips… whenever he looked at those lush, pink lips his thoughts turned carnal and urgent. And possessive.

  Dragging his gaze back to her eyes, he cleared his throat and refocused his mind. “There isn’t anyone in the colony who doesn’t know how we feel about each other. Isn’t it time we stopped pretending?”

  “Grant, don’t.” She sounded almost sad. “Wanting something doesn’t make it right, doesn’t make it possible.”

  He snatched her helmet from her hand and tossed it into a nearby chair. Her rifle followed, and then he pulled her into his arms. The release she’d given him in the forest had barely taken the edge off the emotions surging through his system. He’d been a hairsbreadth away from ending Izak’s miserable life. Everyone knew the rogue wouldn’t stop, that his behavior would escalate until there was no choice but to resolve the situation permanently.

  Grant had tasted blood, known his actions were justified, but he’d fought through the killing rage… for a human.

  “Have you had a lover since you came here?” She tried to avoid his gaze, but he wouldn’t allow the evasion. He caught her chin and guided her eyes back to his. “You can’t sleep with those under your command. That’s not allowed. And morphs are off limits too. So who fulfills your sexual needs, Major? Am I supposed to believe you don’t have any?”

  “My sexual needs are none of your business.” Hostility narrowed her gaze, yet her lips remained moist and parted.

  “I’m making them my business.” He remembered those lips crushed beneath his, open to the thrust of his tongue.

  She closed her eyes with a weary sigh. “I can’t sleep with you. You know I can’t, and you know why.”

  “It’s a bullshit lie they use to keep this from happening. Do you think we’re the first mixed couple to be attracted to each other?”

  “How do you know it’s not true? Have you ever slept with a human?”

  “I haven’t, but plenty of others have and no one died. It’s ridiculous.”

  “I’d rather not find out the hard way. That’s not why I came here.”

  He ignored the superficial argument. She was hiding behind the rules, while the cause of her hesitation lay deeper, the reason more fundamental. Like most humans, she wasn’t quite sure if he was human or animal. And what human would allow herself to desire an animal? That was fundamentally wrong. Perverted.

  He wasn’t empathic, exactly, but images often appeared in his mind, images inadvertently broadcast by other people.

  The scent of her arousal intoxicated him still. He had no doubt she wanted him. But she’d sent him an image while she’d stroked him, an image so vivid and unexpected it had nearly triggered his climax. She’d been kneeling and her hands were bound behind her back. He’d held her elbows and thrust into her with deep, steady strokes. Her expression had been rapturous.

  Why had she imagined herself bound? Perhaps he’d stumbled upon the key to winning his elusive human? Did she crave a firm hand as much as he longed to train her?

  “I’ve watched you for months. No, more like years.” He paused, torn by the implications of this opportunity. He desperately wanted to explore their attraction, but she could also become an invaluable ally if he could win her affection. “You’re always disciplined, always in control, but beneath the reserve I sense your hunger, your need for passion.”

  “Occupational hazard.” Defiance hardened her expression, but failed to disguise the vulnerability he glimpsed so often when she thought no one was looking. “Discipline is an inescapable part of the military. I’m what this life has made me. Aren’t we all?”

  “You expect me to betray my people, to tell you anything you want to know simply because you asked the question. What would that make me?”

  “The information I’ve requested endangers no one.” She wiggled out of his embrace, tucking a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. “The attacks are growing more frequent and more violent. I need to understand what’s happening so I can --”

  “The fact that you don’t understand what caused this attack only reveals how truly useless you people are!” His anger was counterproductive. Sasha wanted to help. That’s why she was here. “The only surprise is that there haven’t been more attacks like the one we interrupted. Sheila’s heart was still beating when I left. Were your people able to stabilize her?”

  “Is Sheila the female jaguar?”

  He growled and spun away, unable to hide his aggravation. “They were leopards, not jaguars. Do you really know so little about your captives?”

  “We don’t consider you captives.”

  “What are we, then? Pets? Zoological specimens? We’re frequently called refugees, but what the hell are we escaping?”

  Rather than respond to his provocation, she slipped on her helmet and checked in with Eric. She told the young officer she had two more stops to make and then she’d head straight to her quarters, so he didn’t need to wait for her. “What’s the condition of the leopard female?”

  Grant smiled as she corrected her earlier misconception. She’d also put herself at his mercy for the rest of the night whether she realized it or not.

  “Thanks. I’ll pass the word. Young, out.” She pulled off the helmet and returned it to the chair before she explained, “Sheila’s lost a lot of blood, but the doctors are expecting a full recovery.”

  “Good. She didn’t deserve any of this.”

  Sasha took a deep breath and clasped her hands behind her back, looking very much the military officer. “I came here for answers, Grant. Not to play games. Wh
o attacked Sheila, and what triggered the brawl?”

  Despite the tension in her stance, her lower lip trembled. Grant noted the inconsistency without outward reaction, encouraged by the chink in her armor. He couldn’t allow her to retreat too far into her training. If she became the hardened soldier again, he’d never reach the woman inside. And they’d avoided these feelings too long already. It was time for action.

  “Unfortunately for you, cats love games.” He moved toward her slowly. “We prowl, we stalk, we tease, and then we pounce.”

  “I can’t sleep with you,” she said emphatically. “So what else can I offer? There has to be something you want.”

  “My freedom.”

  She tossed her braid over her shoulder with a frustrated sigh. “This is getting us nowhere.”

  “I want the one thing that means more to you than anything else.”

  Her delicate brows drew together, creating adorable furrows over her nose. “What do you think that is?”

  He chuckled. “I should make you tell me what you’re thinking. I suspect our ideas are completely different. I’m talking about control.”

  “You want me to give you control?” Her relieved sigh was premature. “Of what and for how long?”

  “Of you -- body, mind, and spirit -- until dawn.”

  “I can’t --”

  “We won’t do anything that will risk your safety, or compromise your principles any more than what happened in the forest.”

  “What happened in the forest was a mistake,” she insisted. “It was dangerous. I never should have touched you. That crossed the line, especially if someone saw me do it.”

  He laughed. “Your principles only apply when others are watching? I never took you for a hypocrite.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Relax. I was teasing you. You’re taking all this much too seriously. There’s a world of gray between black and white. You’re not allowed to screw a morph, and you’ll honestly be able to say you didn’t when the sun rises tomorrow. But that’s all I’ll promise.”

  He caught the gleam in her eyes as she glanced away. She was obviously scrambling for alternatives. “This is extortion. You’re expecting me to perform sexual favors in exchange for information.”

  “I’m not expecting you to ‘perform’ anything. I want to exchange answers for submission. I want you to surrender control to me, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know while I explore your amazing body.”

  “I’m not sure I see the difference.”

  “You will.”

  Sasha looked around the rustic cabin, anywhere but at Grant. He was too damn tempting, too handsome, too sexy. He’d slipped into a pair of faded jeans, but they did nothing to conceal the rugged masculinity evident in each highly defined muscle and ropy sinew.

  Ice-blue eyes dominated features so strikingly regal he turned heads wherever he went. And that was saying a lot. All of the cats had an inherent nobility. Grant was unique, the only white-tiger shifter at Alpha Colony.

  Images and memories melded in a surreal collage. She rubbed against his naked body, brazenly stroking his sex. Then he knelt behind her, taking her with possessive fervor, his hands clasping her bound arms.

  Always bound. What was it about Grant that made her long for helplessness? Or was it only with Grant that she’d ever felt safe enough to indulge the fantasy?

  “If you want answers, take off your suit.”

  His casual order cut through her distraction and ignited a fire in her blood. How literally did he expect to control her? “Body, mind, and spirit” didn’t leave much room for interpretation.

  “If I refuse?”

  “There’s the door.” He took a step to the side, giving her a clear path to the portal.

  Could she do this? Was the information worth the risk?

  Sheila’s image flashed through her mind, slashed and bloody, savaged. Eric hadn’t mentioned whether or not she’d been raped, but Sasha suspected she had. Was the attack a crime of opportunity or had the motivation been more sinister?

  With a revolted shudder, Sasha forced the images to the back of her mind. Yes, she needed answers and Grant was the person most likely to give them to her. Even so, she always tried to be honest with herself. The investigation was an excuse. She wanted Grant to touch her, kiss her, and put his mouth on her. She wanted to dance as close to the fire as she dared without being consumed by the flames.

  She was a fool.

  Slowly lifting her hands to the front of her suit, she reinforced her determination. “This is a really bad idea,” she whispered, her body pulsing in protest at the delay.

  He came up behind her, his body warm even through her suit. “I’ll leave my pants on no matter how much you beg. Does that make you feel safer?”

  “You don’t have to take them off to --” He reached around and grasped the front of her suit, jerking the halves apart. She gasped. “All right. I get it. This is about trust. You said you won’t force me to have sex with you. Either I trust you or I don’t.”

  “I’ve never forced myself on a female, and I won’t start with you.” His voice purred, playing over her senses, making her squirm.

  There was no way he’d make this easy for her, but that was all right. Nothing in her life had come easy. She welcomed the challenge. “I know you think I won’t be able to resist you, that I’ll give in before the night is through. But it won’t work. I’ve been horny so long I’ve forgotten what it feels like not to need an orgasm.”

  His chuckle was low and wicked as she pulled her arms free of the sleeves. “If you say so.”

  She bent and pulled off her boots; then he helped her step out of the bulky material. He draped the suit over the chair that contained her helmet, then turned to face her. She wore ankle socks, black panties, and a matching sports bra. Though the design of each was utilitarian rather than sexy, she felt exposed with so much of her flesh visible to his hungry gaze.

  Grant wasn’t a stranger. She knew him, had interacted with him in a variety of situations. He didn’t butt into the business of others unless there was no other choice. He was more thoughtful than most of the other cats, but he wasn’t afraid to stand up for what he felt was right. He wouldn’t force himself on her. Of that she had no doubt. So as long as she held herself together enough to tell him no, she could learn what she needed to know without jeopardizing her career.

  He walked around her in a lazy circle, his gaze sweeping up and down. “What were you told when you were brought here? Do you know any of the truth?”

  His questions caught her by surprise. Not his questions so much as the bitterness driving the words. “I’m not sure what you mean. The truth about what?”

  “I guess that answers my question.” He stepped in front of her, his expression shuttered, eyes suddenly cold. “How long have shapeshifters existed?”

  “Why are you asking me? You know more about your species than I do.” She crossed her arms over her breasts and rubbed her upper arms.

  “How long do you believe my kind has been around?”

  Why the sudden inquisition? He was supposed to answer her questions. “I was taught that morphs have been hiding among humans for many centuries.”

  “Go on.” A note of challenge crept into his tone. “What else were you taught?”

  She took a deep breath and licked her lips. “This wasn’t our agreement. You’re supposed to explain what I saw in the clearing.”

  “And you’re supposed to submit to me physically.” He stalked toward her, gaze focused on her mouth. “Are you anxious for that part of our bargain to begin?”

  “I’m standing in my underwear. I’m pretty sure we’ve already begun.”

  “We’ve barely begun. Come here.”

  He led her to a door on the back wall. She stepped over the threshold but went no farther until he lit a lamp on the nightstand. A large bed dominated the modest room. The high mattress appeared soft and inviting, but her gaze was drawn to the thick p
osts at each corner of the bed. Large metal loops had been attached to the posts, the fittings stout and functional rather than ornamental.

  It didn’t take much imagination to figure out what the loops were for. He intended to restrain her. Tingling currents of desire flowed through her, stimulating her body from the inside out. Had he sensed her need for submission or did he dominate all his lovers?

  Thinking of him with anyone else dropped a weight into the pit of her stomach, so she concentrated on what he was doing. He crossed to the far wall and knelt in front of a large trunk, raising the intricately carved lid. “Take off the rest. I promised to keep my pants on, but I want you naked.”

  This was what she wanted. Wasn’t it? Fear pushed icy fingers through her excitement, leaving her trembling, yet tingly. Would he bind her, paddle her, whip her? And worst of all, would she like it, crave it, need it? Once she crossed this threshold there would be no going back.

  As Grant had pointed out, her opportunities for sexual interaction were extremely limited. Even before she’d come to Alpha Colony, she’d been more focused on her career than her personal life. Her trusty vibrator had always taken care of her needs when a human alternative wasn’t available.

  Human alternative? The phrase sent uncertainty ricocheting through her brain. Grant was exciting and attractive, but he wasn’t human. She couldn’t let herself forget what he was no matter how tempting she found his humanoid form.

  Not too long ago he had pinned another tiger to the forest floor with his powerful jaws as moonlight gleamed off his eerie white coat.

  Wide cuffs attached to long lengths of chain draped his forearm when he returned to her side. “You’re still dressed.”

  “I don’t need to be naked.” She tried to sound firm, but this was all unfamiliar territory. Her entire life had been rules and regulations, order and discipline. Control.

  He was offering an opportunity to step out of that world and experience complete freedom. If she was bold enough to trust him.

  “I say you do.” His tone changed, took on an autocratic edge. He set the restraints on the bed, then faced her. “Lose the underwear or leave. It’s your decision.” He didn’t raise his voice or glare. He simply explained the alternatives.