The Devil's Wolf
Chapter 16

Ashlynn's high heels slipped on the water-slick surface of the boat, and Elior had to hold her against him to balance her before handing her up to the vampires above.

She saw the mer carry away the boats, back to the town and jetty. "The mer are working with you."

"We are in their waters, so, yes." Elior replied as he handed her down a hatch.

A vampire reached up from below, lifting her down so that Elior was free to follow. She was prevented from asking further questions because the moment they were all in, they were moving through a narrow walkway, the sound of their footfalls loud on the metal, and their voices echoing.

"We will see you secure to your cabin, and then submerge," the vampire guide told them briskly. "You should remain in your cabins for the duration of your stay."

"We can do that," Elior agreed readily. "Thank you for making yourself available to us. How long will the journey take?"

"We will arrive at your destination by tomorrow evening."

"Excellent."

The cabin was a tiny room with a narrow bed and nothing much else, and barely fit Elior and her standing in the narrow walkway between bed and wall. Elior closed the door. "Cosy," he observed.

"I hope Cael can replace us," she sat on the bed. "I feel wrong just leaving him like this."

"I wouldn't worry about it," Elior shrugged out of his jacket and opened a panel on the wall, hanging it within. As he began to loosen his tie, she sat up.

"You knew where that cupboard was - you've been here before," she observed.

"It's not my first time," he smiled and unbuttoned his shirt. "Pass me your shoes."

She kicked them off and shoved them towards him with her feet. He placed them in the closet and removed his shirt.

"Not that I mind the show," she smirked. "But why are we undressing?"

"There is nothing that can be done except sleep and f-k," his smiled showed the sharp points of his teeth. "Until we reach our destination. No phone reception. No internet."

"Fair enough," she wriggled free of her dress and tossed it to him.

"Leave the stockings on."

She laughed, but did as he requested, leaving the garter belt and stockings on.

He finished undressing, and they eased under the sheets of the narrow little bed.

The slide of his skin against hers was a sin, she thought, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair as he leaned over her. He stroked a finger down her cheek.

"So beautiful," he murmured.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"About what?" He was surprised.

"About fixating on Cael and rejecting you."

"Ah," he watched his fingers as he trailed them down her neck to her collar bones. "There are not many triads amongst vampires. I imagine there are almost none amongst wolves as your culture revolves around the alpha pair. You had already made that connection with Cael before we met - it was only natural that you would not see what we had."

"I see it now."

"Yes," he met her eyes and smiled. "I know you do."

"I think I saw it, from the start, but didn't know what it was that I was seeing. I don't make a habit of f-king vampires on the carpet within ten minutes of meeting them." "No," he chuckled. "I imagine not."

"My parents are going to be..." she closed her eyes trying to replace the right word.

"Difficult," he supplied. "Especially about Cael."

"Yes," she sighed. "If he comes back."

"He'll come back," he was confident about that. "He won't be able to stay away."

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"I guess we'll see. I feel like it's a bad joke fate is playing," she admitted. "My whole life had been a bad joke. Not a werewolf, then not one but two mates, one of whom doesn't want me."

"He wants you," Elior leaned down and brushed his lips over hers. "He just doesn't want to."

"He has very good reason for that."

"And yet," he stroked his hand down her body. "He will replace us."

"Oh my god," she arched into his touch and slid her hand between them to close around him. "You are so very good at that."

He grinned, the red Other flashing in his eyes with arousal. "I am better at this," he moved between her legs and drove himself into her, causing her to cry out. He brought her legs over his shoulders and gripped her hips forcefully. There was a knock at the door, and he snarled, his lip lifting to reveal his teeth. "Now is not a good time," he called out. "We must forever be interrupted."

"At least it's not my dad this time," she reached between her legs to run her hands down his stomach muscles, feeling their movement as he thrusted against her. He increased speed and force, holding her hips up and still. "Oh, f-k." She felt movement in the ship around them.

"Ah," he said without altering his pace. "That's what the interruption was about. Warning that we were submerging."

"Oh, god," she pushed herself against him. "Don't stop. I'm so close."

He lowered her legs from his shoulders and lay over her, kissing her briefly before nuzzling under her chin. She felt his teeth against her skin and dug her fingers into his long hair, cupping the back of his head. His bite sent a tremor through her body, and he sucked hard taking more than he'd done previously, his hips pushing her into orgasm.

His moan was wet, and she felt him come, but he did not heal the wounds, continuing to draw from her, his hand sliding up from her hip to cup her breast.

"Elior," she murmured, her head swimming. He swiped the wounds with his tongue and kissed his way along her jaw until he could meet her lips. "Thirsty?"

"I am going to need the boost when we land," the Other was dominant in his eyes. "And the journey will enable me to sober up."

"Alright," she could see the sense to that.

"Sleep," he brushed a kiss across each of her eyes. "For a while, and then I will take some more."

"Your children will be having the refrigerated blood now, too," she realized. He lifted from her, and she rolled onto her side, feeling him settle against her back and place his arm around her. "So that they can recover from its affects." "That was the plan," he buried his face into her hair. "They will be less intoxicated from it than I because it has been stored for a few hours. It reduces the potency."

"Hopefully they won't get horny and come knocking," she could feel that he was hard again.

He chuckled. "I'm sure they'll take care of their own needs."

"What about your needs?" She pressed back against him. "Your friend back there is knocking."

His laugh was smothered, with an edge to it that revealed that he was feeling the intoxicating effects. "You need to sleep. If it grows too much for me, I can take care of myself."

"Well, that would be a waste," she replied. "I'd rather f-k than sleep."

"Ashlynn," he groaned and shifted so that he could enter her. "I was trying to do the right thing by you, but you are entirely too much of a temptation."

"Funny," she interrupted herself with a moan as his hand went between her legs. "Ah. F-k. Funny because you were the one tempting me."

"Maybe fate knew what it was doing when it gave you two mates," he nipped her shoulder lightly between his teeth, not breaking the skin. "It will take two of us to keep you satisfied."

When they lay replete, she stroked her hand over his chest. "What will happen, Elior, when we arrive? How bad is it?"

He sighed heavily. "It's bad, Ashlynn, and despite my best efforts, it wasn't getting better. I fear that it will be worse by the time we disembark."

"You will be a target," she said the fear that had been haunting her heart.

He linked his fingers in hers, holding her hand against his chest. She could feel the press of the gold signet ring he wore on his smallest finger.

"Yes, but I already was. It was not coincidence the sites that they struck first. They were the locations of the strongest vampires remaining after the so-called Armageddon, the vampires of the oldest family lines." "Spy," she realized. "You have a spy."

"Yes," he agreed. "Which means that not only am I faced with human military action against vampires, I am also faced with insurrection from within vampire ranks. I am fighting a war, on two fronts."