Laurann Dohner: Valiant

Mine. The thought wouldn’t leave Valiant’s head. It repeated over and over. Mine. Mine. Mine. His moved faster, to take her somewhere private, away from the others, inside his home. They weren’t going to take her away from him. He’d fight to the death to keep her and kill anyone who tried to tear her from his arms. The scent of her flooded his nose, made his body ache with need, and nothing else mattered.

She’s a human. She’s not what I had in mind or what I thought I wanted. Things change. It doesn’t matter.

She’s all mine. He glanced at Tiger, the two Species males with him, and the two humans to make sure they didn’t invade his territory.

The human male had a red face and gripped the fence, appearing ready to climb over it, and the human woman’s mouth hung open as if she wanted to scream.

He knew he horrified them but he didn’t give a damn.

They posed no threat to him. It was the Species he might have to fight if they attacked. He’d do it. He wasn’t going to let the woman go.

Mine!

His arm tightened around the glorious woman he held, careful not to crush her, and grateful she didn’t fight. She almost seemed docile in his hold, as if she knew as well as he did that she belonged to him. Hope soared that she’d want him as much as he did her.

You’re not acting sane, he silently admitted but it didn’t matter. She smelled wonderful, her delicate features were something he wanted to stare at forever, and holding her in his arms made the desire to keep her only stronger. The idea of spreading her out on his bed and stripping her bare to explore every inch of her skin had his dick aching painfully.

She’ll be someone to talk to, someone to hold, and I’ll convince her we will be happy together. I can do it.

She’ll want to stay. She has to. Mine. Mine. Mine. She belongs with me.

He had no real idea how to make it happen but he was a strong male, determined, and anything was possible now that he was free. He’d spent a lifetime locked in a dank cell, hurting most of the time, and always so lonely. The idea of having a mate, someone to get to know, to share life with, had become his ultimate dream.

He held her more tenderly, swearing to protect her with his life and not allow anyone to take her from him.

It didn’t have to make sense. She was in his arms, he’d claimed her, and he wasn’t about to release her.

Somehow, some way, he’d convince her he was the male for her.

He’d once dreamed of living outside the concrete walls and that had finally happened. Anything was possible. He inhaled her wonderful feminine scent, his arms secured her more firmly against his body, and one word repeated in his head.

Mine!

“Damn it, Valiant,” Tiger yelled. “Bring that woman back this instant!”

“Tammy!” Ted screamed. “Put her down! He’s going to kill her. Do something!”

“Leave,” Valiant roared over his shoulder as he sprinted toward the house.

“Bring her back, man!” Tiger shouted. “Don’t make me bring a hunting party in there to retrieve her. Justice is going to have your balls if you hurt her.”

Tammy gripped his shirt when he slowed to a walk and clutched her against his body a little higher as he stomped up some steps. She couldn’t see a thing but his tan T-shirt in her face.

The man-beast suddenly paused, they turned, and she heard a door slam closed. A second later the distinct sound of locks being turned registered before he moved again.

They climbed a lot of stairs. She closed her eyes and didn’t fight. She could feel the strength of the arms that held her pressed tightly against his firm, hard body. She inhaled and admitted the guy smelled great, that whatever cologne he put on was a good one that wasn’t too strong.

She bit back some self-loathing. She was losing her mind to be thinking about the guy’s delectable-smelling cologne under the circumstances. She was being taken somewhere by Valiant, the man-beast, and was locked inside the house, which it turned out was his.

Another door slammed and Valiant stopped walking but his body twisted around and another lock being turned registered in her mind. He turned again, her legs swinging slightly from his sudden movements, and took about ten steps before he suddenly released her.

Tammy gasped as she fell but she didn’t hit a hard floor, dropping onto a soft bed instead. She landed on her back with her legs over the edge of the massive mattress to stare up in mute shock at the man standing between her thighs. Valiant’s exotic eyes were fixed on her.

Oh shit. She finally found the ability to move. She was on his bed and it smelled the way he did. She instinctively knew it was his bedroom. She glanced at the large room with the dark-wood bedroom furniture. She backed up, using her elbows and dug her feet into the bed to try to get away from him. The huge man watched her silently.

“Don’t,” he growled softly.

Tammy froze. “You don’t.”

His lips twitched and his eyes narrowed a little. “Don’t what?”

“Don’t…” She frowned at him. “Stop scaring me.”

Full lips curved into a smile. “Are you afraid of me?”

She nodded. “Of course I am.”

He suddenly moved, his hands flattened on the mattress as he bent toward her on the bed. Her body was under him instantly as he stretched his body over her, knocked her flat, and halted her plan to crawl backward away from him.

“Why? I won’t hurt you. What I want to do to you will feel really good.”

Is he kidding? She didn’t believe he was, considering the intense look he directed her way. This situation was a lot of things but humorous wasn’t one of the descriptions that came to mind.

“You’re huge and you have sharp teeth and…you took me from outside. I want to leave.”

“I don’t want you to go. As you pointed out, I’m bigger.”

Her mouth opened and closed as she stared up at him. “They will come in here to get me.”

He nodded. “They will.”

Huh? She frowned at him. “Why are we here if you knew that already?”

“Time.” He actually grinned at her. “It’s going to take them a lot of it to get enough of my people together to brave my home. Not many would be so foolish to attempt it. They fear me.”

She started to feel nervous as she studied him.

“Could you please stop hovering over me?”

He shook his head. “No.”

“You’re frightening me again.”

The smile faded. “I don’t want you to be afraid.”

“What do you want?”

His gaze lowered down her body slowly before he met hers again. “I want you.”

Her heart missed a beat. “That’s not going to happen.”

“Ummm.” He didn’t look convinced. He suddenly pushed up with his hands and straightened off the bed back onto his feet. He kept his sole focus on her. “Are you sure?”

“You promised you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Tammy watched as he gripped his T-shirt, his fingers hooked on the lower edges of it and he tore the material up his body. He threw it on to the floor behind him. She couldn’t help but stare. The man’s skin was a golden brown all over and he had a perfect chest. She imagined he’d be hairy but he wasn’t. He was muscular and really cut with smooth, nearly hairless skin. She couldn’t miss the six-pack abs clearly displayed over a flat belly.

His arms were massive, thickly defined with muscles, and he had a broad chest. The disks of his nipples were a light reddish color that nearly matched his eyelashes and his hair. Her gaze ran lower and saw that a thin line of reddish-blond hair lightly trailed from his bellybutton down to the top button of his jeans.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” He reached for the snap of his pants. “Of all the things I want to do to you, pain isn’t involved.”