Sierra Cartwright - Doms of Dark Haven

“In here? In the club?”

There was a light knock on the door. Neither looked in its direction. His thumb dragged over her lower lip, coming away with the sparkle of her lip gloss. He carried his thumb to his mouth and tasted the sweet gloss. She shivered and felt a tug of arousal at her belly. Her nipples went hard, and he was gazing at them, which made her skin go hot. She knew exactly what he wanted from her. Her body was intrigued, but was she willing? Would her wolf submit?

Her gaze boldly dropped to his groin, but his formal coat was buttoned closed.

It didn't matter; she'd suddenly identified that delicious fragrance. It was his arousal. She didn't fool herself. It wasn't her; it was the situation that had him excited. He probably went hot with arousal the moment he walked in the door of a place like Dark Haven. Now he was getting off on her fear and the possibility of her surrender to him. He was a dom, and she was fresh meat.

“I'm not into this stuff. I don't like pain. Being helpless… Let's just say it taps into my fight-or-flight response. That could make me shift.”

“Don't worry. I won't let that happen. And we won't do anything that you don't want to do. Those are the rules.”

It seemed to Eva that he was making up his own rules as he went along.

The door opened and then settled closed again.

“That was a dungeon monitor. They make sure that nothing gets out of control.

They're very responsible here.”

“How will my posing as your sub tonight protect me?”

“You won't be posing. And it will help you because your scent will be lost in here. They might know that you're in the building, but they won't be able to pick you out. Plus, as I mentioned, I'll teach you.”

“What? What will you teach me?”

He stepped back, drawing out of her space. Immediately she felt cold.

“I'll teach you survival skills. I'll teach you not only to hide, but to use all your senses. If you're very good, I'll teach you to hunt.

“Tonight? All that in one night?” She forced a skeptical smile.

“If you behave. If you do everything I tell you to do.” He was back at the table, leaning casually against it. All the sexual pressure had receded like an invisible wave. He wasn't going to coax her anymore. She had to push back a smile. He'd come on like a tidal wave and was now pulling back, denying her of his presence. He was flirting.

“If you want, you can meet a couple of members of my pack later. I can put you in touch with others like us. You won't have to be alone anymore.”

“How do you know I'm alone?”

He grinned, causing her heart to stutter. “I know a lone wolf when I see one.”

He paused, letting her think about that. “I like lone wolves. They're always tougher at the core than those of us who've been raised in a pack. Always willing to take a risk. And when they find their place in a pack, they place a higher value on it.”

She wasn't ready, not yet. Not for a pack, but especially not for him. Her heart pounded. If she said yes, her entire life would be altered this night. If she said yes…

Her gaze dropped to the shackles. How could she submit? It went against every fiber of her being! Desperately, she changed the subject.

“Who are they?”

“Abraxas?”

She nodded. The name was familiar. It was probably the name she'd heard her mother speak of all those years ago.

“On the surface, they're a legitimate international company that deals primarily in medical research. Unfortunately they actually exist to do research on us and on others who are different. From what I've heard from the new Truckee alpha, they're trying to bioengineer soldiers with various paranormal skills. They've got hidden labs all over the world.”

Eva looked away from the alpha, not willing for him to see the impact that information had on her. Those people had taken her mother. God only knew what they'd done to her and what they planned to do to Eva once they caught her. If they caught her. She clenched her hands, anger trumping any grief that she felt. All those years ago, she'd been a helpless kid. She'd sworn vengeance for her mother but known that it was a vengeance she'd probably never see. Now she had a name…

Abraxas.

“How long have you been able to shift?” His voice was soft but firm.

Eva blinked quickly, gaining control of her emotions. “A couple of years. I lived up in the park, and one night I woke up trapped in my sleeping bag. I remember being surprised that I could see so well in the darkness.”

“That means you're sexually mature. They want females of childbearing age.”

That meant they would never stop hunting her. As long as she was alone, she was a target. She needed every tool, every weapon that this alpha could give her. It would be worth any price that she had to pay.

Eva looked at the stranger, and oddly, he didn't seem unfamiliar anymore. His scent was embedded in her brain. She knew every plane of his face. If she let her imagination run free, she could picture the hard brown body under the suit. His wolf was dark brown; its eyes, molten gold. Her fingers tickled with the feel of his fur under her hand. He would be swift…

“What's your name?” If she was going to submit to a stranger, she should at least know that much about him.

“Harte Sommers.” He reached out and offered his hand. She had to move to him to shake it. He was certainly a manipulative bastard! Yet his hand was warm and strong, and he didn't let go.

“Evangeline Jones. Call me Eva.”

“Jones?” He quirked a brow, smiling slightly.

No, that wasn't her real last name. She'd left it behind when her mother had been taken. There were plenty of Joneses listed in the phone book. Details like that slowed down the hunters.

She looked down at where their hands joined; his skin was the warm brown of someone with genetics other than Anglo. Her skin was the lily-white of Ireland and Scotland. Someday she hoped she could find her missing family and learn exactly who she really was. For now, she was Eva Jones.

She looked at Harte, awaiting his instructions. Her jaw was so tight it ached.

Submission went against her nature; Eva had no illusions about that. But for tonight, she would bend.

She saw a flare of triumph in his eyes, and the stirrings of hunger laced his scent. Again her body responded to his. He already knew her answer. He pulled her to stand in front of him. They were so close she could feel heat rising from his body.

“Yes or no, Eva?”

Back to that. Could she really submit to this man? Granted, he was an alpha, but hell, Eva had always had issues with authority. While she'd never returned to school once her mother had disappeared, she'd attained an education of sorts, haunting libraries and slipping into the shadows in university lecture halls. For years she'd studied kendo under a noted fight-master. Unlike the other students, she'd never called the man “sensei,” in spite of her great respect for him.

If this man wanted her to call him “Master,” could she do it?

“Yes.”

That was all she needed to say. The rest would follow. If he truly could teach her to survive on her own, then it would be worth the humiliation.

“Tonight you will begin to learn two sets of rules. The first are the rules of this world, the behavior of a submissive toward her dominant.”

Eva nodded. She hadn't lived in San Francisco without learning about the alternate lifestyles that flourished here.

“The second set of rules is more important to you—to us. It is the protocol of the wolf pack. Much of that is already imprinted on your genes.” She glanced at him and then glanced away.

“See? You avoid holding my gaze because I'm dominant to you, as you will be dominant to some. Your head is turned away slightly. Doing so opens your throat to me. Do you understand what that means?”