Virtue Saved, page 2
Grabbing her towel, she walked off the stage and took a water bottle from the mini fridge. Alina closed her eyes, sipping greedily, and that was when she smelled him. Warm and sweet, with a hint of spice that tickled her senses, Eduardo’s scent filtered into her nostrils. Her inner Tigress growled softly, that same infrasonic sound that paralyzed prey in the wild. Maybe she saw the Bruin as her target, maybe she was just tired of waiting.
“Alina,” he whispered, and her gaze flew to his.
“Eduardo,” she replied, swallowing the lump that seemed stuck in her throat.
So many emotions. Anger, joy, relief, need—all of these and more washed through her and Alina swayed slightly on her feet.
Damn it.
No, damn him for making her body betray itself. Alina was an athlete. An accomplished dancer whose precision and technique had been praised by her teachers. How this one man could knock her so off balance was inconceivable. Unless he was a wizard or something, but no.
Eduardo Valens was just a man. At least, that was what she told herself. Just a man and she was just a girl, but for some reason, he just wasn’t after claiming her. Alina just did not understand.
Unless, maybe, that was why he was there? To talk. To plan.
Please, yes.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, inky black eyebrows furrowed as he looked over her rehearsal garb.
“I am dancing,” she replied, stating the obvious.
“Not here, you’re not,” he said, aghast.
“Excuse me?”
“You are not dancing here. Konstantin will not allow this,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I don’t know why you think my brother would have any say over what I do. But just so you know, I will open the renovated wing with a performance Yasmin and I choreographed together tomorrow night,” Alina said coolly.
Eddie’s eye twitched. And wasn’t that interesting? Alina put the empty water bottle in the recycling bin, keenly aware he watched her every move. She might want the big Bear, but she would not be told by him or anyone else what she was going to do. Eyes narrowed, she watched Eddie war with himself, disappointment filling her when he simply nodded.
“As you wish, mi fiera,” he muttered, turning his back on her.
Unsure what her next move was, she left him there, returning to where Rosie and Marcella were waiting. Good thing they had done enough rehearsing for now, she thought, dismissing the two dancers with an agreement to meet the following morning for a final dress rehearsal.
“Speaking of which,” she muttered, changing her shoes and grabbing her duffle.
“You’re talking to yourself,” Eddie said, startling her.
“What are you doing in here?”
“My job,” he replied, eyes narrowed. “Some of us have to work.”
“In case that was a dig of some sort, I know all about working hard, Eduardo. Ballet is not all tutus and pink ribbons, you know,” she mumbled, hating the way he made her feel.
She wasn’t all that young. Well, maybe in years, but not in spirit. She had been dancing on stage since she was ten years old. She loved it, yes, but there were other things she wanted from life.
No more fear. No more hiding.
Happiness was within Alina’s grasp for the first time in her life. But was she brave enough to take it?
CHAPTER THREE
Eduardo was so tense, he was liable to jump right out of his skin. Looking at Alina and the picture she made in her nude leotard and slippers had damn near stopped his heart. Such a beauty. Too fucking beautiful for him.
I don’t deserve her.
Her eyes cut into him, sharp and bright with intelligence. They gleamed like the palest of blue diamonds, slicing him with their laser like focus. She was poised and elegant, her cat-like grace prominent in her posture. Damn. Did she know she could bring him to his knees with barely a glance?
Grrrr.
He closed his eyes to settle his beast. The Bruin inside him wanted to claim her more than he wanted his next breath. It was a difficult battle, the Bear nearly out of control with longing, but Eddie’s human side was master here.
She was an angel, and he was so far from perfect. He just had to look at himself to see it. His skin was marred by countless battles. Both beast and human skins marked up like he’d seen a thousand wars. Sometimes, he felt like he had. Bullets, knives, teeth, claws, shrapnel, and even Dragonfire had worked against him, scarring him on the inside and out.
Still, he wanted her. Nothing could stop him from feeling that intense desire of true mates. All the legends said a Shifter would go mad if he did not claim his fated mate. Eddie was not sure about that. But sometimes, it felt like they had it right.
Fuck. What was he going to do? He could not claim her. She deserved more. But he could not sit there and watch her take her clothes off and shake her ass for the paying public. Just the thought made him want to tear someone’s fucking head off.
Grrrrrr. Mine.
No more. He just could not take anymore. Eduardo thrust his tablet into the hands of one of his security guards, a young Panther named Carlo. He gave him terse instructions to place the thing inside Eddie’s office, and then he took off.
Forty-five minutes later, Eddie pulled over on a back road close to a wooded area. He wasn’t even paying attention to where he was going, noticing too late he was on his way to Short Hills. That was where Konstantin and his family lived on a sprawling compound.
He should know. Eduardo had only recently moved out of the guest house, having made a menace of himself after they’d rescued Alina from the Ivanovich motherfuckers who had kidnapped her from Russia. It had almost killed him, leaving the place she slept.
Not that he went far. Eduardo grabbed a rental only a few minutes away, sating his beast by driving by several times a night to ensure she was safe. Damn it. This was no way to live. He knew that, but it was a cycle he could not break. His Bear roared deep within him. The beast scratching at his skin.
Eddie almost didn’t make it out of the car before his Bruin ripped out of him, landing on the snow covered ground in a crash of claws and rage. His clothes were ruined, but he did not give a rat’s ass.
His beast was angry and feeling territorial. Standing at his Grizzly’s full height of nine and a half feet tall and weighing fourteen hundred pounds, Eduardo’s beast let an earth-shattering roar explode from his prehensile lips before he went to town on half a dozen oak trees.
His five inch long claws made easy work of tearing through the bark. When he was finished, he hunted up some dinner, foraging for whatever was left of the nuts that had fallen from the trees. Afterward, he went for a dip in the tiny creek that ran behind rows of expensive houses dotting the landscape. Eddie exited the water, shaking his fur and grunting softly. He paused and looked around, realizing he’d moved further away from his car than intended.
Fuck. I know this place. Goddamned Bear.
The soft sound of singing reached his Grizzly’s sensitive ears, and he stilled. Shit. How much time had passed? He must have been in his fur for hours. Unable to help himself, he followed the sounds of singing as it grew louder. The further he walked, the more he felt the pull towards the source of all that music. A few moments later, Eddie found himself standing at the edge of Konstantin’s property.
His lovesick monster had brought him to her. Damn. Damn. Damn. Tension roiled through him like a thousand bees stinging his skin, and no sooner had he spied her than his body began to break. The pain was agonizing, but he was used to that.
The popping sounds of his bones breaking and reknitting were loud in his ears, but they were replaced by the gentle whispering of the female he was so utterly obsessed with.
“Shhh. Moy bogatyr, be still now.”
“Alina,” he growled, a panting mess on his knees before her.
Well, fuck. At least the position was correct. He should be at her knees, unworthy fucker that he was. Eddie grunted as his body finished resetting itself. The change was something he did not fully understand, or if he did, well, he sure as fuck could not explain it.
He’d been born with the Bear, but the shift from human to beast and back was just about as magical as it got. Only, it wasn’t the Disney kind of fairytale magic. It was brutal, bloody, and a daily fucking occurrence. But Eddie could not imagine life without his Bear.
Still, he wished the fucker would listen better. Alina was not for him. He didn’t want to look at her, but he could not help himself. She stood in the winter frosted garden of her brother’s home in a nightgown, like some sort of snow fairy, and his breath caught in his throat.
Her dark blonde brows were furrowed, and a breeze stirred her hair. Fuck, she had it down. Of course she did. It was late. He must have been in the woods for even longer than he suspected. Eddie had a thing for hair. Especially hers. Long, shiny, blonde, it swirled around her shoulders like a living thing, one lock dipping inside the front of the tiny slip of a nightgown she wore.
“What are you doing outside alone at this time of night?” he asked, shaking off the last of his change.
He did not bother to ask if she was cold. The woman had a Siberian Tiger inside of her. New Jersey winters had nothing on the kind of cold she was used to.
“I was just walking. Sometimes I can’t sleep, and walking helps.”
“You were singing,” he stated.
“Yes, it relaxes me. Today was long,” she whispered, and her eyes seemed to glow so bright they were almost white.
Fucking gorgeous.
Eduardo could relate to her statement. Today had been long. He cleared his throat, unembarrassed by his nudity. Shifters were used to that, and it was bad manners to stare. Alina was a Tigress, she knew the deal. She kept her eyes on his face.
As she should, he thought.
Then why did he want her looking at him? Fuck. He was sick, coveting the sweet, innocent female. Eduardo exhaled slowly and stood up, turning his back on her.
He fucking had to. If he looked at her for one more minute, bathed in moonlight, surrounded by snow and ice, like some winter woodland nymph who only ventured out at night, he was going to lose his fucking mind.
I’m getting downright fanciful. Shit. Get a fucking grip.
“Wait. Where are you going?” she asked, and fuck, she placed her hand on his arm.
“Back. This was an accident. I did not mean to come here—”
“Coming here in your fur was no accident, Eduardo. You know what you are to me. I do not understand, What have I done wrong?”
He cocked his head but remained facing away from her. Shit. This was bad.
“Nothing. Why would you think that?”
“Because, for days and nights, you stayed by my side after you rescued me and now you won’t even look at me. I must have done something for you to reject me.”
“It is not rejection, Alina. You deserve so much more than I could give you—”
“You think I am so shallow? I am just some stupid little girl who wants things from you. Is that how you see me?” she asked and the pain in her voice broke his damn heart.
Shit. He was fucking this up.
“Your brother is my best friend and my boss, Alina. I can’t do this. Do you understand?”
“No. I love my brother. But he does not choose for me. I choose for me. Konstantin must live his own life and I must live mine.”
“If I acted on this impulse, it would be a betrayal, Alina,” he said, begging her to understand.
“Impulse,” she scoffed, and then he saw them, the tears streaking her face. “That is what I am to you, then? Just an impulse?”
“Alina, I am no good for you,” he confessed.
“Why not?”
“Because,” he growled, desperation in his voice.
Images flashed through Eddie’s brain of when she’d been kidnapped. Alina tied to a bed. Drugged. Beaten. With guards leering at her.
Grrrr.
“I am a killer. I am stained. Don’t you see that? How can you want these hands to touch you knowing what I have done and what I would do again,” he growled, more beast than man at that moment.
Maybe that was why when she stepped forward, taking his hands in hers and placing them on her body, Eddie could not help himself.
He pounced.
CHAPTER FOUR
Alina was going after what she wanted, regardless of the big Bear’s refusal to see the truth. She was not made of glass.
Alina was a Tigress. A predator in her own right. When she wanted something, she went after it. Right now, she wanted Eduardo Valens. In fact, she wanted him for always.
Mine.
But she was tired of waiting. Taking matters into her own hands was scary, but she was used to that. Hadn’t she gone up against some of the toughest Russian directors and dancers to fight for her spot in the ballet?
Hell yes, she did. This was no different, and to her, it was infinitely more important. Eddie was the key to her future happiness. The moment she had woken up after being kidnapped by the Ivanovich monsters, she’d caught his scent, and her Tigress had been on her to claim the man ever since.
He was her knight, her bogatyr, and her heart was so full of joy at the prospect of being mated, she could not stop smiling. But Eddie did not claim her as she had hoped. Instead, he’d left.
She pushed the heartache of that rejection from her mind as he stood before her, naked and beautiful, after his beast had brought him there. His human side did not believe he was right for her, but his Bear knew, and that was enough for Alina.
In Russia, women were not the same as in America, but Alina had read books, watched TV. She was no shy flower. Virgin? Yes. But that was by choice. That was when her career was more important than her heart. America was the land of dreams, wasn’t it?
Well, she already was a dancer, yes? Now she wanted to be a mate. Eduardo was her new dream. And like her other, she would get this one for herself. She reached out and touched his arms, pulling his hands to her body.
The man was giving off heat like a furnace, and she purred for him, reveling in the slight touch. They stood frozen for a moment, then he moved, grabbing her roughly and crushing her in his arms.
“Yes,” she whispered, kissing him with all the pent up passion she felt.
“Alina,” he whispered against her mouth, and she submitted to his fervor, aching inside for his touch.
Eddie’s eyes bled black with his beast as he framed her face in his hands and kissed her with bruising force. Alina loved it. Without a second thought, she jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist, swallowing his responding groan. His hands cupped her bottom, as he started to walk with her towards the guest house where he had been living up till a few days ago.
Yes, she thought. Please, yes. Do not stop.
He opened the door with her still in his arms, never once breaking their kiss. By the time he had her in the bedroom, Alina was panting like mad. She ran her hands across his wide shoulders, down his arms to his belly, then up his chest. She could not get enough of him. His body was gorgeous, incredible, and she wanted to mesmerize every single inch.
His tongue slipped in and out of her mouth, a mimicry of the sex act, and Alina shivered in response, her body swelling with need. Kissing was good. She liked kissing, and she tilted her head to grant him better access, loving the feel of his enormous body as he moved between the cradle of her thighs.
“Alina,” he moaned her name, pulling her nightgown over her head.
She tensed, knowing she was not built like other Shifter females. Her breasts were small, her body tight and muscular, but that was to be expected of a dancer. Still, she was nervous.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he growled, lifting himself off her so he could look his fill.
“Eddie, please,” she begged, missing his warmth.
Then he was back, touching her reverently, kissing her mouth, then her neck, and shoulders. He slid down her body, laving her breasts with his tongue, paying attention to the tight nipples that tipped each.
“I knew you would be beautiful, mi fiera, but you take my breath away.”
Alina gasped as his fingers traced her thighs while he sucked on her breasts. The tugging motion felt so good, his mouth so warm, she felt as though she were burning for him.
His body felt so delicious on top of hers. She loved the play of muscles, more than she could count, as they moved against her. Eddie was an attentive lover, he licked, and kissed, nipping her flesh with tiny little nibbles as he moved down her body.
Before she could mourn the loss of him at her breasts, he’d parted her thighs. Alina leaned up on her elbows, eyes wide as he caught her gaze with his own.
“I tried to stay away from you, but I can’t. My Bear won’t let me. Need to taste you, Alina.”
She nodded her head, granting him permission to do what she wanted him to. What she was desperate for him to do. Alina was more than ready for anything and everything he wanted to do to her. She was a virgin, technically, but she was not ignorant. She’d gone out with boys, but she had saved herself for her mate. That was her choice.
And nothing was more feminist than that, she thought with a sigh as his hot breath tickled her skin.
Eddie growled as he used his shoulders to part her legs wider. The sound reverberated from his chest through to her, making her shiver with need. Liquid desire pooled between her legs, and Alina felt hot and shaky.
Dear gods, he was looking at her, staring at her sex with hunger blazing in his black eyes. She bit her lip, moaning deep and low when he finally dipped his head and kissed her there. First, it was a gentle sort of sucking on her lips, then his tongue started to explore her, and Alina lost her damn mind.
She started speaking in her native tongue, telling him all the things she wanted him to do to her. How could she help herself? She had heard stories of Bear Shifters as lovers, knew all about their prehensile lips and the things they could do with them, but this was the first time Alina had ever experienced it, and holy hell, it was better than the stories.
