Master of the Hunt: (A Bird Shifter Novella) (King of Prey Book 3) Read online

  The Oracle’s advice was not lost on him.

  He visually scanned the club, desperate to find the source of the disturbance. Then he saw her. Light from the lobby area of the club spilled in behind her as a man led her into the establishment. Her lithe body had a fluid grace about it. Her blue eyes were wide with wonder and curiosity. They narrowed quickly as one of the waitresses at the club strolled past, clad only in leather straps and thigh-high boots.

  Aeson stepped away from the woman on her knees before him and moved with determination in the direction of the newcomer, making it only a couple of paces. The sight of her siphoned the blood from all areas, causing it to pool in his cock. It hardened. The woman on her knees reached for him, her palms gliding over his cloth covered erection.

  He caught the woman’s wrist, his gaze never leaving the newly arrived beauty. It was she who brought his cock to life. She who demanded his attention. Her light brown hair was kissed with streaks of gold and fell to her mid back. She turned just a smidge and a breeze from the opening door ruffled her hair, her scent instantly finding him.

  His body burned for the change. He wanted to shift forms—to allow his wings to sprout and to charge forward and seize what he wanted. The need to shift was great and growing at an alarming rate. He stopped, needing to take a breath and compose himself. It was hard to cage the animal side of him but it had to be done.

  The breeze lifted her short blue dress, revealing a glimpse of matching panties. Aeson moaned and grabbed the chair nearest him, clutching the back so tight it began to splinter. He’d never responded this fiercely to anyone or anything. She had to be the one the oracle spoke of. She had to be his mate. But he needed to be sure. He needed confirmation.

  The club’s owner walked past and Aeson grabbed the man’s arm, mindful of his strength. “That woman. Who is she?” he managed, just barely.

  “The one in the blue baby doll dress?” asked the manager.

  He nodded, unsure what he was agreeing to.

  A baby doll dress?

  The owner shrugged. “I don’t know. I can tell you that guy she’s with is a weird one. Got all jumpy when I told him I needed references for him to have his own room. Even tried to get me to take a huge wad of cash if I didn’t ask any questions. I told him no references, no room. Really thought the asshole was gonna take a swing at me. Kept mumbling about a masterpiece or something. Anyways, his references told me he’s a voyeur—likes to bring in girls of his choice to be fucked by another guy. The girl is a club regular normally, not someone he’s bringing in too.”

  Aeson attempted to read the male with the woman in blue. One of his many gifts was the ability to sense intent. It had proved useful when weeding out traitors among them. While it was often hard to control around his own kind, humans were normally no matter. But the harder he tried, the blanker things became.

  Curious.

  The man’s mind was dark.

  Incredibly dark.

  Almost void of anything.

  The man in question yanked hard on the woman, jerking her through the mass of bodies. The fierce and unexplainable need to protect her came over Aeson and he was powerless to stop himself from charging forward.

  * * * * *

  Shelby Sparrows took a tiny step back, no longer sure of her decision to attend a club with the man she’d been seeing less than a month. He’d seemed nice and normal. As he led her deeper into the thick of a club that she’d never heard of or would have ever gone to, she wasn’t so positive.

  “Roland, I don’t know about this,” she pressed.

  Ever the suave one, he flashed a dimpled smile and continued dragging her through the crowded club. Just about everyone there was dressed in leather of some sort and many of them looked like they were answering a casting call for a dominatrix movie. There was so much exposed flesh that she couldn’t believe her eyes. She wasn’t a prude but this was a tad much.

  “You told me this was a dance club,” she said, trying to get her voice to rise over the pumping techno beat.

  “What?” He didn’t slow his pace. He moved so fast that he caused her to slam into what felt like a wall.

  A very hot, very hard, very muscular wall.

  She gasped as strong hands grabbed her sides, steadying her. Roland kept going, nearly ripping her arm from her socket. She yelped and the same strong arms that held her, jerked Roland’s hand free from hers.

  “Hey,” said Roland, stopping and facing her. “Shelby, come on. I told you that I have a surprise for you.”

  She looked up and had to step back to see the face of the man holding her. He was breathtaking. Men didn’t come made like him. Dark brown, wavy hair hung just past his broad shoulders and eyes of pure gold stared down at her.

  “Shelby, come,” Roland demanded and she tensed.

  The large man before her, dunked in leather from the waist down and wearing a snug fitting black, short-sleeved shirt, grunted. His attention went to Roland and Shelby couldn’t help but notice the size difference in the men. Roland stood about six foot. The man in black had another half foot or more on him, not to mention much more body mass.

  Much, much more body mass.

  “Aeson!” another man shouted, rushing up behind the guy in black. “Everything all right?”

  The sexy man nodded.

  Aeson.

  That was an interesting name.

  “Okay, if there’s a problem, get me.” He walked off, glancing back twice as if to see if something had arisen.

  Roland either didn’t notice or didn’t care that Aeson looked like he was hoping for a chance to break him in two. Instead, Roland slipped past the man and plastered a saccharine smile to his face. “Shelby, sweetheart, I’ve been planning this for us for months. Come on.”

  Clearing her mind slightly of thoughts of the man in leather who seemed as glued in place as she was, Shelby looked towards Roland. “I’m sorry? Come again? Months?” She shook her head and let out a soft, nervous laugh. “You mean weeks, right. I haven’t known you for months.”

  His light blue gaze lit with something that made her gut clench. “Isn’t that what I said?”

  She glanced around. “Roland, what is this place? It’s not a dance club, is it?”

  “People dance here,” he said, still watching her in a way that made her throat tight. “They do whatever they want here. I thought you’d know that already. It’s a place where your every fantasy can be realized.”

  A seriously bad vibe was coming off him.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a woman being bent over a table, looking all too eager to have her red leather mini skirt pushed up and over her ass. The man behind her undid the front of his pants, seemingly unconcerned with the fact he was in a public place. As he withdrew his erection, Shelby’s gaze whipped to Roland. “You brought me to a sex club?”

  He schooled his face. “I’m surprised you realize that is what this is. You’re so,” he touched her cheek, “innocent and trusting. Like a little lamb.”

  Lambs to the slaughter.

  The catch phrase she’d heard before from a source she didn’t want to believe was real let alone standing near her resonated in her mind. Fear and unease danced over her skin.

  “R-Roland, I want to go home now.”

  “Nonsense, darling,” he said. “The fun is only just about to begin. If this one is interested,” he glanced at Aeson, “he’s welcome to tag along. At least to start with. We can watch one of the shows and then break away to enjoy ourselves privately.”

  Her lungs refused to take a breath as she let his words sink in. In a sudden act of desperation, she reached out and grabbed Aeson’s hand. He caressed her inner wrist and stepped in closer. “I will allow no harm to come to you and none will do what you wish not to have done.” He paused a moment. “That includes the one which you arrived with. Should he push me on this, it will not end well for him.”

  His words while meant to be comforting worked both ways. She clutched his han
d tighter. “I think I’d like to go home now.”

  “Very well,” Aeson said, moving her away from Roland and starting towards the door with her.

  Roland reacted, grabbing her other hand. “Hold on. No. What I mean to say is let’s stay for a bit, Shelby. I just thought this might be that walk on the wild side you mentioned craving.”

  She tried to calm herself down but something wasn’t right. She found herself moving towards the man who was technically a stranger, while realizing the one she came with was truly the one she didn’t know.

  Chapter Three

  Aeson held the human female to him, every inch of him burning with the need to take flight with her. To whisk her away to his realm and keep her forever with him. She came to just under his shoulder—small compared to the females from his realm.

  A shiver ran through her and he wrapped his arms around her, raising his core temperature to warm her. The man with her, whom she’d called Roland, gave Aeson a hard look, seeming as if he might actually comment. Sensibly, he kept his mouth shut.

  “I have a private room for us, Shelby,” Roland said. “This one can maybe watch a show or two with us and then come to our room for a few drinks, then be on his way.”

  If the male thought Aeson was leaving Shelby alone with him, he was wrong.

  Dead wrong.

  From the way she stayed close, Aeson suspected she too was beginning to sense something was very off with her male friend.

  Patting his chest gently, she looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. She nodded. “I made up my mind. I want to go home. Please.”

  “Of course,” said Aeson, dipping his head, her lips too tempting to resist a moment longer. They were the color of lacine berries which were native to Accipitridae. He wanted to know if they were as sweet as the berries from home.

  Anger rolled off her male friend in waves. Aeson turned her enough that he now stood between her and the man. A master and her slave picked then to stroll past. The master tugged at the collar the male wore and when he didn’t respond fast enough, the woman turned and cupped his chin. “For that you’ll spend the night licking me.”

  Shelby’s sharp intake of breath was endearing, her innocence making him want her more. Normally, he sought out only skilled bed partners, having spent too many of his early cycles training the inexperienced.

  “Shelby, don’t be ridiculous,” Roland blustered. “You were reading a book about this very thing not that long ago and—”

  She went ramrod stiff and practically glued herself to Aeson. Not that he was complaining. Her ample breasts smashed against his chest, her nipples hardening at the closeness. They were like diamonds against him, hard, precious. The woman was bewitching. That was the only thing that could explain why simply having her near him left him on the verge of ejaculating.

  “H-how do you know about the book?” she questioned, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t think I’d have told you that.”

  Roland’s expression was unreadable—a sure sign a man was lying or at the very least, withholding information. “Of course you did. How else would I know? You’ve been under so much stress, darling. I just wanted to do something special for you. Something to help you loosen up.”

  Shelby relaxed slightly but remained close to Aeson.

  Another woman he’d permitted the honor of taking his cock in her mouth approached. She set her sights on Shelby and licked her lower lip. A spark of jealousy ignited in the female’s gaze and he knew he would not like what was about to happen. “Master Aeson, if you’ll have me, I’m all yours tonight. I would love to serve you.” She stepped closer, crowding him with her tempting body. “I can do more than you’ve let me even. So much more. Just accept me and I am your slave for the night.”

  As Shelby jerked away from him, he silently cursed. He clenched his fists. “No. I have selected another.”

  The woman’s expression hardened on Shelby.

  Shelby glanced at him and whatever she saw made her do a double take. “Oh, no. Not me. No.” She paled as she took in more of the sights the club had to offer. A woman was in the process of being secured to a St. Andrews cross by two men in masks. All persons within the club were willing—aside from a very nervous and taken aback Shelby. Her jaw dropped. “You have got to be kidding me!”

  Her outburst drew the attention of others.

  Aeson hid his laugh as she cringed, almost darting back into his arms but stopping at the last minute. She pointed towards the woman on the cross in a delicate and discrete way. “That something you do too, Master Aeson?”

  He knew he was being mocked and didn’t mind in the least. Normally, he permitted only his brothers the luxury of such familiarities, but she was an exception.

  Dipping his head, he put his face close to hers. “If you wish to be spread wide for me, all you have to do is ask and I shall make it so.”

  She squeaked.

  “Is it your wish?”

  “No one is spreading me eagle on that thing,” she replied, her voice shaky.

  Aeson stood to his full height, pondering her statement. “I know of no eagle that can spread in quite such a manner. Close but not exact.”

  She stared at him.

  Lifting his arms, he thought harder on her wording, attempting to mimic a move such as the cross would make. “I suppose it could be done.”

  “Are you on drugs?” she asked.

  “Pardon?”

  “Drugs,” Shelby answered. “Are you on them?”

  “No. Should I be?”

  “What do your doctors say?” Her lips twitched as if she were trying not to smile.

  “They tell me I am a healthy,” he crowded her body with his, “virile man with an appetite for life’s carnal desires. They have told me to indulge in them. It is the only cure, so they say.”

  “You need new doctors.”

  The smile that spread over his face caught him off guard. Never had he enjoyed witty back and forth more with a woman. Each word that fell from her luscious lips was pure temptation, an invite to verbally spar with her before sinking deep into her.

  “Should you find yourself changing your view on the cross, do not hesitate to notify me. I can tell you that I will be imagining you spread upon it all night.”

  Something akin to a strangled mouse cry came from her at his words.

  Roland seized the moment to grab her hand in his. “Shelby, darling, this is a chance to live on the wild side. To walk the edge you crave.”

  “I crave chocolate not that.” She thumbed towards the cross. “I don’t even know what to call that other than painful. And I’m sorry, but I get these people are totally into this. That’s wonderful but it’s really not my speed. If I’m not comfortable being here, you, as my date for the evening, should be courteous enough to escort me home. After all, you drove, Roland.”

  She spoke with an air of superiority that made Aeson question her occupation and upbringing.

  Roland seemed surprised by her stance. “Shelby, where have you been hiding this side? It’s… exciting.” He stroked her cheek tenderly and Aeson considered breaking the man’s fingers one by one. “Do you have any idea just how beautiful you are? Take this fire in you now and live a little. Life is so short.”

  She seemed to think upon it before she glanced at Aeson. He inclined his head, willing her to understand he would not leave her side. Even if she wanted him to, he didn’t think he could. Whatever was happening between them, it was on a baser level. One he had no chance of denying.

  He didn’t want to hope she was his mate. To do so and find out it wasn’t true would be devastating, especially since she sparked such raw yearning in him.

  Aeson put a hand out to her and much to his delight, she took it. He waited for Roland to be foolish enough to comment. He didn’t. Instead, he led the way deeper into the club to a seated viewing area. Velvet covered sofas flanked by end tables were set up in various ways on what would normally be considered a dance floor area below the stage.
The area was constructed to permit patrons to watch whatever show was being presented while being free to explore their sexual desires in a laid back setting.

  Reluctantly, Aeson permitted Shelby to sit between him and Roland. He’d have preferred the poor excuse for a man sit on a different sofa altogether. He hid his delight as Shelby naturally slid closer to him rather than the man she came with.

  Roland ordered a round of drinks and then touched Shelby’s face, directing her attention to him. He kissed her and Aeson lost his battle with his self-control. He was about to seize the man by the throat, when Roland stopped his kiss and twisted Shelby around. He cupped her chin and looked directly at Aeson. He nodded.

  Aeson put killing the man aside for the moment, deciding instead to sample what he was offering. Hesitating above Shelby’s lips, he waited for a sign she was willing to accept his lips on hers.

  Her eyelids fluttered closed and she came to him, feathering her lips over his. The kiss was barely there to start with until Aeson took control. It was in his nature to dominate—to assume complete and total control of the woman. He watched for any indication of her wanting to stop but she gave none. She did however, run her hands up the length of his arms and into his hair. She moaned as he parted her lips with his tongue.

  Her body trembled and he had to fight to be gentle and slow with her. She was so timid yet responded to him. He could smell her arousal and wanted to bury his head between her legs and taste it.

  * * * * *

  Shelby sank against Aeson, her mind screaming at her for agreeing to stay and then for giving in to the urge to kiss him. Never had she felt like this before. So free. So liberated. So sexy. So totally out of control.

  The way Aeson looked at her made her feel wanton. Like he knew under it all she could be as bad as any other girl. Vaguely, she heard moaning and light grunting. She paid no mind to it, her full attention on Aeson’s mouth. God, the man was pure sin and sex all wrapped in a deliciously male packaging.