Unforgettable Lover by Rosalie Redd

Memories of their time in the forest flooded his mind. His beast, sensing an opportunity for a repeat performance, fueled his energy, and he picked up his pace.
    To take her again would be wrong. He shouldn’t even be here with her now, but he couldn’t stop, and if he was honest with himself, he didn’t want to. His shoulder burned hot as his marking for duty faded. He felt the skin lighten, and his own guilt grew like a small knot in his gut.
    The hair on the back of his neck rose. He stopped and Leonna bumped into him. Her firm breasts pressed into his back, and her hands landed on his waist. 
    Umpf. “Why’d you stop?”
    He pressed his finger to his lips, and pointed behind them. She closed her mouth. He listened, straining to hear the slightest sound. Only their labored breaths echoed in the silent hallway. He thought he’d heard the slight squeak of boot against smooth stone. Was someone following them? He could’ve been wrong, but he didn’t think so. They stood that way for several more seconds, watching, waiting. The stillness seemed to go on forever.
    Leonna’s warm body rubbed against him, encouraging his desire. He looked over his shoulder at her heated, inviting eyes. With a quickness born from his battle skills, he turned toward her and pinned her against the wall, caging her in his arms. 
    A delightful squeal escaped her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck and giggled. Her hot breath tickled his neck, sending a shiver of delight down his back to his buttocks. He growled, letting her know she’d hit a nerve.
    Cradling her head in his hand to protect her from the rough cave walls, he gave her a scorching kiss. She ran her fingernails over his scalp. The sensation both relaxed him and raised his craving for her. When he broke their connection, he stared into her eyes. 
    With his free hand, he trailed his fingertips down her throat to the thin chain of her necklace. He traced the golden string under the edge of her blouse to where the seashell rested in the “V” of her breasts. Her chest rose and fell in concert with her panted breaths. The carnal glimmer in her eyes just about did him in, but it was her breathless words that finished him off. 
    “Nicholai, please.” 
    He picked her up, and she straddled her legs around his waist. Ravaging her with kisses, her soft mewls were all the response he needed. He growled. The sound echoed down the corridor. He broke their embrace, and ran his thumb along her plump bottom lip. “Not here, not in the tunnel.”
    She nodded, and he placed her back on her feet. They resumed their trek down the corridor. At each new turn, he expected to see a familiar sign. A small niggle of dread grew in his mind. Were they lost? He wouldn’t admit this to her or himself. 
    They rounded a bend. He stilled in his tracks, holding his arm out to stop her. A giant chasm spread out before them in what used to be the passageway. “The Keep blocked this exit. Gossum must’ve found the entrance.” The Keep looked after the inhabitants like a mother hen, and caused cave-ins to protect the residents.
    Nicholai peered over the edge. Even with his preternatural vision, the sunstones didn’t provide enough light to see the bottom. 
    “I think they went this way.” From down the hall, the sound of his brother’s voice sent a chill over Nicholai’s skin. 
    They were in a no-win situation, trapped between an impassable fissure and his unrelenting brother. Nicholai wrapped his arm around Leonna and turned to face his sibling.
    Feet pounding on the stone floor echoed down the hall as his brother and his posse approached. Tiernan rounded a bend and stopped. His two henchmen, Alden and Macion pulled up behind him. Tiernan glanced from Nicholai to Leonna. 
    “What are you doing down here?” Tiernan’s eyes flashed with a hint of amusement, and his upper lip curled.
    “Nothing that concerns you.” Nicholai widened his stance and held his ground. 
    Tiernan and his