Page 48 of The Red Moon

Natalia’s claw grazes my free shoulder, barely slicing the skin.

Your mate has missed … again, my wolf says, each word dripping with annoyance.

She tries to knock me off-balance, only to lose her own in the process. With one claw lodged in my shoulder, her body swings back, set on a collision course for the same stone I’ve dropped her to a dozen times over. No more. I reach out, one arm finding her shoulder blades, the other looping behind her knees in one fluid motion, saving her from another plunge to the harsh stone.

“It’s not working!” she says with frustration.

“Natalia …”

“What?”

A smirk teases my lips, but I bite it back. Gods, she’s being feisty, and I can’t deny what her tenacity does to me. “Can you take your nails out of my shoulder?”

Her eyes widen as she takes note of each digit piercing my flesh. “Oh—uhm, sorry.” She removes them one at a time, fingertips dripping scarlet. “Is there a sink in here?”

I force a laugh and arch my head, bringing her slick fingers to my lips. The silence of the chamber fills with her steady heartbeat now working double-time. “Let me help you.”

Natalia gasps when I lick the blood clean, and the whimper leaving her is enough to unravel me. My cock, perfectly tuned to every wonderful noise this woman makes, twitches with longing. It takes every ounce of control I have not to drop her to the floor one more time, lay over her, and take what is fucking mine.

“Nik …” she moans, grating her teeth to that plump lower lip I want to suck into my mouth next.

I let her clean fingers slide away, giving a satisfied grin as I lower her to the ground. “Better?”

“Not one bit,” she scoffs and manages a step toward me. Hunger fills her eyes. The same insatiable craving I also feel whenever she’s near. Even now, the scent of her alone is enough to shatter my restraints. The way she looks at me is my true curse.

“We aren’t done yet, Natalia,” I say, adding distance.

“I think we are.” Her voice has a seductive edge, and I fucking despise her for it.

Hand to her chest, I stop her from stalking forward. “If you want me, prove it.”

Her expression shifts from lust to outright determination. That’s it. She faints right and slams a clawed hand to my shoulder with incredible speed and accuracy. But I won’t make it easy for her. I twist my body against the attack, attempting to dodge the second and expected set of sharpened nails. A growl escapes her as she not only seems to anticipate how I might evade it, but counters in one precise movement. Her claws land true, leaving my arms stricken to my sides. Pain shoots to my elbows, only outdone by the desire I have for her to take me to the ground and claim me as her prey.

Leg sweeping behind mine, she uses her hip to swing my body into the air and even digs her claws in deeper when my footing wavers. I crash backward, head slamming into the stone before I can save myself. The ceiling blurs between a blinding white and the image of Natalia mounting me for the kill. And gods, are the small glimpses of her beautiful.

“Better?” she whispers, straddling those thick, bite-able thighs around my hips. Fuck. I want nothing more than to free myself from these clothes. To rip off hers. But with her nails still tickling my bones, I am at her mercy. She grinds against me, teasing my cock with her center and bringing sharp gasps from my low-hanging jaw.

“Na—Natalia,” I plead.

“Mmm,” she says softly and smells from my neck to my collarbone, licking the trail upward. “I love it when you beg.”

Her teeth grate my skin next, ready to bite down wherever she sees fit. But before she can, a metallic crack echoes, pausing us both. Something accompanies the sound, loud enough to make out above our ragged breaths. A third heartbeat.

Through the slit in the hatch door, two glowing green eyes pierce the darkness of the hall. I know who it is, and with how Natalia’s claws dig into me an extra inch, it’s safe to assume she does as well.

“Let’s take this to the room,” I say, irritation lacing my tone.

She sits upright and rips her claws from my shoulders. “No.”

No? What does she mean no? I reach for her but Natalia is off me in a second, walking to the door with purpose. Gods. Not yet. She can’t challenge her. I try to move, regaining the feeling in my arms slowly. If I don’t do something, they will tear each other apart. And given Jade’s misplaced hatred, she won’t pull any punches. She’ll try to kill her. I pull myself from the ground and race for the hatch, praying I can force myself between them before it goes too far.

But I’m too late.

Natalia grabs the door and forces it open the rest of the way, letting the hatch crash into the stone wall behind it. Jade glares, lips snarling back to reveal fangs. Natalia doesn’t attack, though. No, she doesn’t even say a single word. She turns on her heel and stops me dead in my tracks.

“Watch if you want,” Natalia tosses over her shoulder, her voice as calm as it is dismissive. She wraps her arms around my neck and urges my mouth to hers, inexplainable heat exploding the second we make contact.

Her tongue swipes against mine skillfully, and through our kiss, something about her mouth changes. Almost like … she’s smiling.