Power Awakened Read online

  Magnar stared at him through hard eyes.

  “My female gets to go to a place of safety—”

  “No!” Magnar snarled. “I agree to everything but that. Besides, she will be perfectly safe here just as long as you live up to your end of the bargain.”

  Cadon had no leg to stand on. Nothing!

  “The female is collateral in this,” Magnar continued, “She is my insurance that you will do as you are told.”

  “That’s unacceptable,” Cadon snarled, knowing he was on the losing end of this battle. There was a male in the bedroom and two more in the hallway. There were several more downstairs. His own males were still downed. Blast! There was nothing he could do. He was backed into a corner.

  “It is what it is. You teach us, and your female will be safe. If you thwart us in any way. Try to take word to your king…” he spat the word. “If you so much as look at us in the wrong way ‒ and that goes for your males as well ‒ our deal will be off and I will take her. I will make her mine, willing or otherwise.” He shrugged, like her fate in his hands was nothing.

  “Those are unfair terms. I am not in control of what others do and say. There is no way—”

  “You had better find a way. I will not hesitate to make her mine. As it stands, I am sorely tempted to do just that.” The bastard palmed his cock again.

  Kerry made a sobbing noise that sounded like no. The female had been through so much. Too much. She was counting on him to keep her safe.

  “Fine!” he growled. “You need to listen to me throughout. You will need to follow my instructions.”

  Magnar’s face warped into one of rage. “I am the one in charge.”

  “Not when it comes to human females. I will be the one in charge. Me! If you go vigilante. If any of your males go against my wishes, deal’s off. You leave. I keep my female. Are we clear?”

  It took long seconds for Magnar to calm down. The male finally nodded. “Fine.” He bit out the word, like it was hard for him to say. “You need to know that you will all be watched every minute of every day. If you or one of your males even attempts to escape, I will kill you all and take her.” His eyes moved to Kerry. “No,” he shook his head, a smile toying with the corners of his mouth, “I will kill your team and leave you alive to live with the guilt. With the knowledge that your female and offspring are mine. That I am mounting her every night. Live up to your end of the bargain and all will be well. Do we have a deal?” Magnar held out his hand.

  No, no and no! Cadon grit his teeth, trying to uncurl the fists that had formed at his sides. There was nothing Cadon could do. Not a damn thing! He wanted to tear into Magnar. Make the male pay for his words and despicable thoughts. In the end he had to hold his hand out. It shook with the need to destroy. “Deal,” he said it between clenched teeth. They clasped wrists. Cadon squeezed. “You so much as touch Kerry and I will hunt you down and put an end to you. I will hurt you before I kill you. You’ll beg me to finish it.”

  “You’d better hold up to your end of the deal then.” Magnar’s voice was low. His eyes hard…but then so were Cadon’s. He meant every damned word. “Hagan,” he yelled. “Go with them and take their communication devices.”

  “Those small things that the humans hold against their ears?” Hagan frowned.

  “Yes.”

  “No.” Kerry shook her head. “I need to stay in contact with my family. If I don’t they will know something is wrong and come looking for me.” Her hands shook. Her voice was filled with fear.

  “Take the device,” Magnar growled. “You will be permitted to stay in contact with them, but I will personally monitor all correspondence.”

  Kerry made a whimpering noise.

  “I would take great pleasure in punishing you if you tried anything, female.”

  Cadon knew that Magnar was baiting him, but he couldn’t help but growl. How in the hell was he going to get through a few weeks of this?

  Chapter 14

  “This can’t be happening,” she mumbled as she dressed.

  “I’m sorry,” Cadon said, his back to her.

  “I can’t believe it.” She pushed out a heavy breath. “I just can’t.” She rubbed her eyes and reached for her sweater. “You can turn around.” Kerry’s heart was still beating a mile a minute. She struggled to catch her breath, as she pulled her sweater down. They were well and truly prisoners of a bunch of madmen.

  Cadon was wearing a pair of low riding black jeans and nothing else. As he turned, she saw that his eyes were filled with rage and concern. “I’m sorry about all of this.”

  “You’re sure I have to stay?” she blurted even though she had been there. She’d heard everything that had just gone down. Of course she had to stay. “Don’t answer.” She sucked in a deep breath. “We’ll pretend to be together. I’ll help you teach them how to…how on earth are we going to teach them how to be anything but cavemen, because that’s what they are?” Panic bled into her veins. “Complete Neanderthals. I’m surprised they didn’t club a woman over her head and bring her back…to wherever they came from.”

  “That’s the thing…” Cadon ran a hand through his hair. “An unwilling female can’t be mated. A female must cream if she is to become with clutch…although the second requirement is much easier than the first. It is very rare that a Feral will get a female with clutch and not be mated. It’s not how we do things.” He locked eyes with her. They were beautiful. Strange and yet bizarrely gorgeous. “Magnar and his team are looking for mates. If they were here to mount they’d have taken females with force like you said.”

  “Well that asshole can forget it, I’ll never be willing, so he’ll never be able to…mate me or any of that other stuff.” She said, injecting as much force into her words as she could.

  “He is the most arrogant male you will ever encounter. Magnar firmly believes that if he mounts you, you will want nothing more than to become his mate. Besides, I don’t think he truly wants you. Sure, he’s attracted to you but that’s not it. He has realized that he can use you to get to me. He’s not convinced we’re together, but he has correctly assessed that I would go to great lengths to protect you. If you hadn’t been here, I would have risked the lives of my males and headed back to my territory for reinforcements.” Cadon shrugged. “He is using you against me and it’s working.”

  She sucked in a breath. “I’m so sorry.” Guilt flooded her.

  “It’s not your fault. Please believe that. I’m glad I wasn’t forced to leave my males. If I had they may very well be dead.”

  “That does make me feel a bit better. I’m glad they’re not dead.” There was something she was struggling with. Seriously struggling. “What is up with that?” She pointed to the enormous erection he was still sporting. Cadon had been in a fight. Both in the physical sense as well as a verbal sparring session with someone who could easily be called his enemy. She was fully dressed and yet…there it was. A bulge. Make that, a huge bulge, still present. It didn’t look like it was going away any time soon either. She definitely couldn’t ignore it anymore. Especially if they were sharing a room.

  Cadon shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Ignore it.”

  “I tried but at this point I can’t anymore.” Even though she should. “I also really need to know who you are…what you are,” she added more firmly. “Especially if I have to stay here.” She put a hand on her belly.

  “I’m a shifter.”

  When it was clear he wasn’t going to say anything else, she continued. “I gathered that. What kind of shifter? You have wings. Wings and beaks…some kind of bird?”

  “I believe humans call us griffins; we call ourselves The Feral.”

  “Griffin…” She searched her memory. “Half eagle and half…I can’t remember the other half.” Something with fur and a tail. Something strong.

  “Lion. Half eagle and half lion.” Cadon sat down on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his thighs.

  “Oh, yes.” She nodded.
“I didn’t know you existed. Never thought I’d see a shifter. Certainly not a shifter like you.”

  Cadon smiled. “Not many people know of our existence, so it is no wonder. This needs to stay a secret.” He turned serious. “I also need to warn you that you have to stay clear. Especially when it comes to Fallen males.”

  “Why are they not a part of your group? Did they do something wrong?”

  “Yes.” Cadon nodded. “They went against my king. They were excommunicated some years back and with good cause.”

  “Oh. How did they go against him?”

  “Let’s leave this conversation alone. You know too much already.” Then his whole stance softened. “I will keep you safe and you will be able to return to your family. I’m hoping sooner rather than later. The less you know the better.” He spoke softly. “If you knew too much I’d have to take you with me.”

  “Oh!” Her heart beat a little faster. There was this tiny part of her that liked the idea of going off to some faraway land. An adventure. Far away from Jeff and all of her worries.

  Then he smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t divulge too much and you can go home when this is finished, but we need to be convincing as a couple. That’s worrying me some because we aren’t actually together. I have a feeling Magnar will be a dick about it because he’s a sadistic bastard.”

  This was just great. “I’m sure we’ll manage. So, we need to share a room. I don’t see any couch. Will you be comfortable on the floor? Maybe we could take turns sleeping on the bed or something.” At least the carpet looked plush.

  Cadon shook his head. “For all intents and purposes, you are my female. I am pretty sure Magnar still suspects we lied about that. We will need to be very convincing. Me sleeping on the floor would be a dead giveaway. We are sleeping together, holding hands, sharing kisses…we need to do what it takes to convince him. I only hope…” He let the sentence die.

  “Only hope what?”

  “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it…if we come to it.”

  She swallowed thickly. She was going to have to share a bed with him. It had to be a king-size, but with him on it, it didn’t look it. Not even close. He might not be human but he was a good guy, wasn’t he? Of course he was. He was going to all the trouble to keep her safe. Logic told her she could trust him. This had nothing to do with her gut, since she still didn’t trust herself when it came to that.

  “Make sure you act natural around me. No flinching if I touch you or hold your hand.”

  She nodded. The thought didn’t scare her half as much as it should. Cadon was a good-looking guy. He didn’t seem like a bad man. All of this subterfuge had been his way of trying to help her. He was still trying to help her. She needed to remember that. “Okay. I understand, and I am sure I will manage.”

  He stood up. “Good.”

  His jeans bulged in…that area. It was ridiculously obvious because he was packing and very erect. “You still haven’t told me about that.” She pointed at his erection again. The elephant in the room. The one she needed to address, especially if they were going to share a room. The way he’d looked at her earlier was with hunger and need. For a second he had scared her almost as much as Magnar.

  “There isn’t much to tell.” Cadon shrugged.

  “I don’t know so much, is it a Feral thing?” she asked.

  “Human males get them, surely? Otherwise…” His frown deepened. “Human males do get erections, don’t they?”

  She nodded. “Of course, yes! Only…” she made a face, “not during a fight. Not in that kind of a situation and…not for this long. I’m just trying to understand, although, I shouldn’t have said anything. Forget it.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed. “It has been a very long time since I saw a female in any state of undress.”

  “Oh.” She felt her cheeks heat. How much had he seen of her? She was sure she’d managed to hold onto the towel and cover almost everything. The important parts were covered, as far as she knew. “Am I right in saying you have no women where you come from?”

  He nodded. “That’s right. We used to, but they all died. Most of them at any rate.” He looked sad, his eyes clouded with…a memory maybe? Was there a specific someone he had lost?

  “That’s terrible.” She didn’t know what else to say.

  “Like I said, it has been a while and, I guess, I…I’m sorry, I don’t have much control over my body’s reaction. As you heard, we are instinctively drawn to mate and procreate. I’m sure things will go back to normal soon…I hope. You are safe though, I swear!” he quickly added.

  “I understand.” She waved her hand. “No problem! It’s just one of those things. It’s not like you’re actually attracted to a pregnant woman or anything.” She remembered how Jeff had looked at her. His eyes held that look of disgust. Poor Cadon was so desperate after all these years that a bit of skin from just about anyone would have had the same effect.

  “That’s where you are wrong.” Cadon cleared his throat. “There is nothing more attractive than a female swollen with child. You are the height of fertility. Like I said, all of our instincts are geared towards procreation. So, to respond to your comment, I am attracted to you, Kerry. You are a beautiful female.”

  What?

  This was coming as a bit of a shock.

  “Oh!” Her mouth felt a bit dry all of a sudden. It wasn’t like that though. It couldn’t be.

  “Don’t worry about it. You have nothing to fear and are safe with me. I won’t act on my attraction to you. You need to know that,” he looked down between his legs, “this might happen again. We will spend a lot of time together. We’ll have to pretend to be together, which would involve contact, sleeping in the same bed. Don’t be alarmed though. Just ignore it, please, and know that I am sorry.” He looked pained.

  “It’s okay.” Her voice was a bit shrill. “It’s better we cleared this up. I’ll have a better understanding, of things.”

  “I’m glad that’s out the way as well.”

  “Moving on then,” she said. “Um…” Kerry held up her bag. “We have a bit of a problem though.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I only packed an overnight bag. Most of my things are still at my sister’s house. I planned on heading over there to pack properly. I have nothing to wear.”

  “I need to address my males. I need to inform them of the situation and about us. I have a feeling Magnar will want to get started soon. It might have to wait.”

  “Yeah, he doesn’t strike me as the patient type.”

  “If he is focused on finding a female, he will leave you alone. Do you have enough to get by until tomorrow? You can borrow a shirt…whatever you need from me, since we are…together. It might even be more authentic that way.”

  “Yes, I’ll get by until tomorrow.”

  “Good,” Cadon said as he made his way to his closet. He opened it, grabbing a shirt, which he pulled over his head. “Help yourself to whatever you need.”

  She nodded. “I’m fine for the moment.”

  “Let’s go then.”

  “Maybe I should stay holed up in here.” The thought of facing those creatures scared her half to death.

  “No.” Cadon shook his head. “I can only protect you if you are at my side.”

  That made sense. “Okay.” She nodded.

  How did he keep this female safe? He couldn’t be in several places at once. Right now, he needed to brief his males. Yes, about the deal he had made with Magnar but also about pretending to be with Kerry. Magnar could not find out that the child was not his. Moreover that Kerry was not his. It was clear that the male wouldn’t hesitate to take her for himself.

  Time to test her reactions to him before they were with the others. Cadon put his arm around Kerry and pulled her against him. Thankfully, she didn’t protest or try to pull away. If anything, she melted against him, fit at his side like she was made for him. That was crazy talk. Kerry was with child. A human child. Another
male’s son. It didn’t matter that the male in question was out of the picture. Also, she was just playing along. Taking up the role and doing a good job of it.

  What was happening to him?

  His balls still felt achy and his prick was still semi-hard. He knew the answer. His hunger had reawakened. It sounded like more males would be affected. More than his king realized. Cadon was the second previously mated male to come into contact with human females and he too had been affected by them. He needed to get word to Leukos of The Fallen resurfacing, but also about this. Two out of two…chances were good it would happen to many of the males. His gut churned over the implications of that.

  His king was wrong when he said that Talon was an isolated case. That it was not worth getting worried over. If the Fallen king got word of this…Dread continued to unfurl inside him. It could mean war. What was he saying? There would be war. One with blurred lines.

  The Fallen king might no longer be considered fallen. The tables could turn and quickly.

  “What is it?” Kerry asked.

  “Nothing. Why?”

  “You tensed up.”

  “This whole situation. That’s all. You ready?” There were males everywhere. They were outnumbered at least three to one.

  Kerry clutched at him, eyes wide. He couldn’t blame her. The Fallen males leered at her. Some of them licked their lips or sniffed as she walked past. One of the males cupped his prick and made a groaning noise. He needed to keep Kerry safe and find these males mates. It wouldn’t be easy, it might be damn near impossible, but it could be done. There was no other choice!

  He snarled at one who tried to come in too close, nose twitching. Kerry whimpered.

  “No one touches the female without my express permission.” Magnar was grinning. Loving every minute. “No one touches any of the males either. Cadon has been so kind as to offer to teach us how to win human females.”

  “What?” Worth was propped up against the wall.

  “…kidding me.” He caught the end of whatever Andy had said. The male lay on the ground where he had left him. Still too weak to move.