Bethany's Rite by Eve Jameson Page B

One she wouldn’t make the mistake of
dreaming again. This time she wasn’t wanted for money, but for her bloodline.
It might be a new reason, but the pain arrowed straight to the same wound. With
everything that had happened in the last several days, this was the one threat
experience had prepared her to handle.
    Bethany closed her eyes and cocooned herself tightly under
layers of self-preservation toughened through years of use. She didn’t need to
belong with Wyc or Ilyria. She belonged to herself. And that was enough. It had
to be.
* * * * *
    Wyc frowned as Bethany stiffened against him. Felt something
shift between them. As if she had pulled away from him without moving. Sliding
deep within herself.
    He reached out with his mind and hit cold emptiness. His
concern deepened, and he tried again. She was there, but hidden so deep he
could only faintly sense her emotions. She was upset and feeling rejected.
Damn.
    He hadn’t meant to hurt her. Had, in fact, been trying to
protect her. As much as he wanted to bury himself deep and hard into Bethany,
he wouldn’t. He was barely holding on to the edge of his anger at the
increasing threat to her life. If he took her body now, the moment her cunt
wrapped around his cock all the emotion burning through him would roar in
untempered lust. Violently. Desperately.
    Hell, he had been too rough the first time because she had
pushed him beyond his control. And if he fucked her tonight, the first time
would seem sweet and easy by comparison.
    It was pure torture simply holding her body against his
without taking what she had offered. But it was a torture he was helpless to
deny himself. When she had closed her hand around him, his need had momentarily
blinded him, he wanted her so much. He used the last of his fading willpower to
fight the desire to crush her beneath him and ram his cock into her hard enough
for her to feel it in her throat.
    The final, straining thread that held him back was the
memory of the shock on her face when she saw him transform into the kyltar .
He didn’t want her to go from seeing him as an animal to him fucking her like
one.
    His back teeth ground together. He had to quit thinking
about fucking Bethany before he ignored wisdom and rolled over and into her anyway.
    He tried to push assurance and comfort into her mind, but
the extremity of her withdrawal managed to keep him blocked out. Without the
connection of being completely mated, he was unable to break through the thick
walls of her resistance. He stroked her stomach and rested his cheek on the top
of her head. He’d smooth things over tomorrow, when he had a tighter rein on
his lust.
    His hand skimmed over her silky skin. The gentle swell of
her belly reminded him of kissing her there before moving down between her
legs. A rush of furious heat surged through his cock. He closed his eyes and
silently cursed.
    He forced his thoughts on the information Rordyc had brought
back tonight and shared privately with him and Amdyn. After nearly forty-eight
hours without sleep, he was too exhausted to fully wrap his mind around the
possible implications it suggested. His cousin’s report had arrived on the
heels of two days spent tracking and closing down a Sleht portal.
    Myrra had felt the gateway forming between worlds last week.
As a Keeper, she was extra-sensitive, and he was damn glad. They had caught one
Predator and a team of Slayers coming through as they were shutting it down.
    They were finally closing in on Magdalyne’s daughters after
decades of searching, and the Sleht had somehow gotten wind of it. Information
was being leaked. There had been too many coincidences for any other
possibility.
    Though the second oldest of his cousins, even he had been
too young to take part when the search first started twenty-four years ago. It
had taken twelve years to find which world Magdalyne had jumped into, and by
that time, he and Amdyn were leading the hunt. They were working with a
handpicked team here,