A View to a Kill: (A Bird Shifter Novella) (King of Prey Book 2) Read online

  He lifted his hand and touched her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his palm. “I promised I would come. Did I not?”

  Skimming her hand over his forearm, Paige nodded and stopped when her fingers brushed over shallow cuts. She grabbed his arm and turned it to get a better view. It looked as if he’d been clawed. “Sachin, what happened?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Uh-huh, try another one, buddy. It looks like someone tried to take your arm off.”

  He stiffened. “Nonsense. It was…” he seemed to fumble for the right words, “a result of a night of passion. The woman I just left was rather rambunctious.”

  Woman?

  Paige tossed his hand away from her face and backed away. “We should go in. Sarah has dinner waiting.”

  “Paige?” He took her hand in his. “You’re angry. Why?”

  “No reason. I’m fine.”

  *

  As Paige brushed past him, Sachin cringed. Why had he said he’d been with a woman when he hadn’t? He’d been caught detaining a traitor, one who’d tried to infiltrate the castle and kill the king. The man had nearly succeeded in removing Sachin’s arm. Thankfully, Sachin was the more skilled of the two and killed the man before he could finish what he’d started.

  He’d had to wait a few hours to ensure the wound was mostly healed over before flying to be with Paige. Telling her the truth wasn’t an option, but the lie he’d chosen caused her pain. She cared for him a great deal. More than a woman should for a man she called a friend. He didn’t mind. He cared for her as well. Much more than a warrior from another realm should for a human female.

  Paige disappeared into the house and Sarah appeared on the front porch, her look pensive. “I told you not to build her up if your heart wasn’t in it.”

  “Sarah, nothing can come of my feelings for Paige.”

  “Who says?” She posed a question he asked himself often as of late.

  Prophecies telling of Kabril needing to take a mate seemed to be everywhere. The pressure for Kabril and other healthy young males of their race to figure out a solution to the lack-of-children issue was great. Sachin would never help bring a child to his people by bedding a human. No one had ever heard of a successful mating between a human and a member of his race. He ought to know. He’d asked around enough. His guards were beginning to whisper behind his back about his obsession with this realm.

  Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. “You planning on standing out there all night or are you going to come in, be a man, and face the girl I know owns that rugged heart of yours?”

  Letting out a long breath, Sachin chuckled. “You are a wise woman. My people would cherish one such as yourself.”

  Sarah winked. “Well, I’m lovable like that. Come on in, boy.”

  “Boy?” he echoed. “I’m older than you think.”

  She grinned. “I know. Now, get on in there and eat. And while you’re at it, tell that young lady in there that you were just being a horse’s ass. Beg her to forgive you.”

  He’d never begged for a thing in his long life, but knew in that moment he would if it meant he’d be back in Paige’s good graces. “Lead the way.”

  Sarah headed in and Sachin followed. The chill in the room had little to do with temperature and everything to do with Paige’s mood. She cast him a look that froze his soul. He bowed his head and took a seat at the table. “This looks delicious, Sarah.”

  Paige stood quickly, causing her chair to make a scraping sound. “I, umm, forgot something.”

  “Paige?” Sarah called after her.

  Sachin began spooning mashed potatoes, a food he’d found he very much enjoyed while in the human realm, onto his plate. Paige returned from the kitchen, carrying a plate. The devil was in her eyes and Sachin knew he wasn’t going to like whatever she had planned. He also knew he deserved whatever it was.

  “Here.” A sugary sweet smile claimed her face. “I know how much you love roasted chicken. I saved you some.”

  His stomach twisted. While hawks from Earth ate an array of foods they could catch, Sachin and his people did not eat birds of any kind. It was cannibalistic in their eyes. The smell of the chicken made his stomach protest. He turned his head away and clutched his thigh. “I’m…fine. I’m not that hungry.”

  Sarah took the plate from Paige, giving her a scolding look in the process. Paige blinked innocently. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t like chicken. Sorry. I forgot.”

  The smell of the chicken gradually cleared out of the dining room, leaving the scent of roast in its place. Paige returned to her seat, her gaze still icy. She pushed the food around on her plate before stabbing a cherry tomato so hard her fork clanked against the plate. The urge to cross his legs was great. Paige was most likely picturing her fork stabbing sensitive areas of him.

  His gaze met hers and she nodded, as if reading his thoughts. His throat went dry. Taking hold of his water, he glanced down the table at Sarah, who looked amused by what was going on.

  Sachin gulped his water. Wiping his mouth, he tried to come up with something profound to say that would make it all better. What came from his mouth wasn’t what he had in mind. “I’m a horse’s ass.”

  Paige set her fork down. “Go on.”

  She wanted more?

  He’d just referred to himself as the ass end of a livestock and she wanted more? If Kabril could see him now, he would never hear the end of it.

  “I lied.”

  “About?” Paige demanded.

  “I was not with another woman.” He could do this. He was head of the guards. A fierce warrior. So why was it he wanted to crawl, begging the auburn-haired beauty before him for forgiveness?

  “Why would you being with another woman matter to me?” Paige picked her fork up again, holding it like a weapon.

  Sarah rolled her eyes and snorted.

  Paige ignored her.

  Sachin cleared his throat and continued on. “I lied because I’m unsure how to handle how I feel for you.” There. He’d said it.

  “On that note, I’ll let the two of you be,” Sarah said. “I need to call Sheriff Bailey back anyways. He wants to come out in the morning and talk to us about those vandals we had here last week.” She left the room, leaving Sachin to face Paige alone.

  He hoped for leniency but knew his temperamental seductress would give him no such leeway. “And how do I make you feel, Sachin?”

  “Like I can’t breathe without you near,” he confessed.

  Paige was silent for what felt like forever, before standing and coming around to his side of the table. He reached out and eased the fork from her hand, unsure if she’d attempt to unman him with it.

  She touched the scratches on his forearm. “How did you really get these?”

  He wanted to tell her the truth but she wasn’t ready yet. “Would you believe me if I said they were not from a woman and that I cannot tell you at this time exactly how I received them?”

  He anticipated a battle.

  “Yes,” she whispered, bending and planting a kiss on his arm.

  “Paige, I know it’s customary for one to receive gifts on their birthday. I have something I…”

  She pressed her fingers to his lips. “Shh. I want something you can’t give me, Sachin. I want you.”

  His heart pounded madly, thumping so hard he feared it would leap from his chest. “You don’t mean what I think you mean.” He hoped she did.

  A slow sweep of her lashes and curve of her lips made his cock jerk to life. She ran her fingers over his jaw and he nipped at them. He caught one and sucked on it gently, holding her gaze with his own.

  Paige’s lips puckered and she fell into his arms, her breath hissing out. Sachin dragged her to his chest, his heart still pounding and his cock aching for relief. “Paige.”

  “I can’t breathe,” she said, clinging to him.

  “Neither can I.” He did the only thing he could think to do. He kissed her. Her lips parted and her tongue greeted hi
s. Sachin knew he was lost to her, that he would never feel something so intense for another.

  Paige drew back, touching her swollen lower lip. “Sarah could walk in and find us.”

  He took her hands in his and kissed her neck. “Mmmhmm.”

  “Sachin,” she scolded as she giggled. “Let’s go for a walk.”

  “Or,” he narrowed his eyes, “we could race to a secluded spot out behind that big oak tree and see who can undress the fastest.”

  Much to his surprise, Paige grinned. “Ready. Set. Go!”

  Chapter Three

  Sachin smiled down at the beauty below him, still shocked to see her smooth, pale skin exposed to him. Never did he think Paige would surrender to his desires. He’d hoped and prayed but thought it all to be in vain. He’d known her for a little over three cycles and had longed to touch her, always holding back because of their age difference. Now, she was a woman according to her culture and able to make her own decisions. Thankfully, they included him, though Sachin could not fathom why. He didn’t deserve something as precious as Paige. Her trust. Her love.

  Love.

  Such an interesting emotion. One he had not understood until she came into his dull existence. Before her, he was content with village whores and quick tumbles with Earth females. Paige changed his perceptions of women. She made him feel something for the first time in a long time.

  When he met her, she’d been broken, bruised and in shock. To this very day she held next to no memories of the night her mother had been murdered by her mother’s live-in boyfriend. It was for the best. Had Paige recalled the night’s events she would know just how close she came to death before Sachin swept down from the sky, killed the man who threatened her, and then cradled Paige to his chest as he flew high in the air, taking her to safety. He held his secrets of being part man, part bird from her and didn’t relish the idea of telling her the truth. He knew she suffered from night terrors, but he couldn’t reveal the fact—that he wasn’t human.

  She bit at her lower lip. He spent many a day dreaming of how soft her lips were, the bottom one fuller than the top, and how easily they molded to meet his. Too often he had to leave her when he wasn’t ready. The wars ravaging his realm had increased to the point it was harder than ever to slip away undetected for even a few hours, let alone days. The enemy seemed to be camped outside their gates, waiting for the right time to strike. They’d become organized. Where before they were small pockets of resistance, they were fast becoming an army to contend with.

  A true threat.

  Even with the knowledge of the state of affairs in his home realm, Sachin couldn’t seem to stay away from Paige. Her soft laugh and tender looks haunted him sweetly, even from a distance.

  Will I ever be ready to leave her?

  The answer was simple. No. He would never be ready to say goodbye to Paige, but the choice wasn’t his to make. Humans weren’t part of his world. They were looked down upon, thought of as nothing more than vile creatures who lacked the ability to shape-shift into a bird of prey. Though they did have much in the way of technologies, they used them in the wrong manner—self-destruction on their part was imminent.

  Their realm was polluted, riddled with disease and overpopulated. Still, even with all the negatives, Sachin couldn’t stop traveling through the portals that brought him to Paige. When he’d first seen her in the woods, her auburn hair reflecting the moonlight and her big brown eyes wide as she tried to huddle against a tree for protection, he’d lost a piece of himself to her. Things had ended well for Paige. Sarah had welcomed her into her home and the two bonded instantly.

  Sarah was middle-aged, with no children of her own and a horse ranch in need of some tender love and care. Paige fit well with Sarah, becoming a surrogate child for her. In the process they had become an odd sort of family with Sachin as well. He couldn’t stay away. The need to check on Paige was almost all consuming.

  He’d been coming to Paige’s ranch for months now, stealing visits and kisses from her, never once conveying the extent of his feelings or what he truly was—a Buteos Regalis—a man with the ability to shift into a hawk. He wasn’t human. Didn’t even hail from her realm, yet she had become the flame and he the moth. Duty called and he had no choice but to part ways, forcing him to savor every moment with her.

  “Sachin,” she whispered beneath him, arching her back, exposing her neck to him. He showered it with kisses as he ground his hips against hers, his cock hard and pressed to her abdomen. Their clothes and boots lay discarded haphazardly on the grass surrounding them. When Paige had whispered “yes” to wanting to lie with him, Sachin had been left fighting the urge to partially shift forms—something legends spoke of happening when one merged with their life mate.

  She is human. She cannot possibly be my life mate.

  Kissing her earlobe, Sachin inhaled, committing the scent of her arousal to memory. She was young, only twenty-one cycles old. Far too young for his nearly four hundred cycles.

  His morning prayer sessions were no longer spent asking the bird gods for guidance, they were now spent begging them to break the pull the human below him had over him.

  He bent, capturing one of her tiny pink nipples between his teeth. He tugged gently and she melted under his touch. His eyes slipped shut as he licked her pebble-like peak. His cock jerked, threatening to come before he wanted to.

  She was innocent to the ways of a man and Sachin knew he had to prepare her to receive him. Paige writhed under him as he continued his sensual assault on her nipple. He licked, positive she tasted of berries. Her skin was cool to the touch and yet his palms felt as if they were ablaze. He would surely burn alive before he even entered her. He’d never heard of a fellow shifter spontaneously combusting during sex, but there was a first time for everything. He’d also never thought he’d be so taken with a human female that he’d risk his position among his people just to be near her.

  Sachin rolled her nipple in his mouth and smiled. She groaned, fisting her hands into his shoulder-length hair and tugging firmly. The excitement of the act raced straight to his groin. He wanted to burrow into her tender flesh but hesitated, unwilling to risk harming her.

  “Sachin, please.”

  “Mmm, ta’konima,” he said, his voice low as he moved to her other breast, giving it equal attention.

  “I can’t take anymore. Please.”

  He kissed his way down her flat belly to the swell of her abdomen. Another dusting of freckles lay there and he licked each and every one. It looked as if someone sprinkled cinnamon on her pale skin. “You can and you will.”

  Her brown eyes widened as he forced her legs open wide. Red curls adorned her mound, thick and slick with cream. Already she was wet for him and he had yet to touch her sex.

  So moist.

  The sound of the horses in the stables nearby reminded Sachin they were exposed to anyone who might wander past. He didn’t think Sarah would happen upon them, and if she did, Sachin suspected the woman would simply smile and walk away. She seemed to push Sachin to accept his feelings for Paige even when he refused to believe he had any.

  I am weak. He caressed her. And she is my weakness.

  So beautiful, so angelic and blissfully unaware of what truly touched her. More than a man. A monster in the eyes of her people.

  Sachin took in a deep breath and almost lost control of himself. Never had he smelled anything more seductive than the scent of her arousal. Paige squirmed, pushing her sex towards his face. He laughed and buried his mouth into her slit. He had found heaven. Her rosy clit glistened, covered in her creamy wetness. A low moan of approval escaped him. Paige cried out, jerking under his touch as he alternated licks and sucks on her swollen bud.

  Her fingernails dug into his shoulders briefly before her thighs clamped to the sides of his head. Sachin felt whole, as if he’d finally found a piece of himself he’d not known was missing.

  Inserting the tip of a finger into her tight sheath, he stared up, never seein
g anything as erotic as Paige looking down at him. Her eyes held lust and her mouth was pert—thoroughly kissed. If he dared to push farther, he’d break her virginal barrier and claim her for his own for all time. He eased a second finger into her, this time meeting resistance.

  She is human. She cannot be claimed.

  The thoughts niggled at the back of his mind, but the way her pussy closed around his fingers drew his thoughts to Paige. He had to be in her. He pushed his finger through the resistance and she stilled. Sensing her pain, Sachin dipped his head, licking her and inserting his tongue in place of his fingers. Paige moved her hips, slightly at first before increasing the pace. He rubbed her clit as he licked her. She tightened around his tongue and pulsed, her orgasm taking hold of her.

  Cream coated his tongue and a pinching at the base of his spine warned he was near a partial shift. Sachin tried to calm himself, but the sight of her quivering pussy, all wet from his labor, was too much. He moved upwards, his wings uncurling from between his shoulder blades, and he used his body to cover hers, hoping she wouldn’t notice. She closed her eyes as her orgasm continued to move over her.

  He lined the head of his cock with her entrance and thrust in, no longer able to wait. Paige cried out, grasping his upper arms, her eyes still closed tight and his name on her lips.

  “Paige Rapp, do you accept me—all of me from now until the end of time?”

  Writhing under him, she nodded, her eyes still shut.

  He needed to hear her say it. Something deep and primitive within him demanded she recognize his words. They were words that had spilled free from him, words through the fog that was now his mind, he understood were important.

  Very important. Though, his mind was a jumbled mess.

  She moaned.

  “Do you…accept me…” it was hard to talk when all he wanted to do was take pleasure from her, “…all of me from now until the end of time?”