"It did. I felt like my nuts were exploding. God, Jules, you can do that any time you like."
I looked over at the sex toys I'd pulled out of the drawer.
"Had some ideas, did you?" He picked one up and took a look. "Don't put these in anyone's butt. No flared base, and they're likely to go missing." He twisted the base and smiled when we heard the low rumble. "Perfect for you, though. You don't smell scared anymore."
"I'm not."
He smiled as he worked his way down my body.
19
"Finally."
The metal gate clanged shut behind me. I spun around to see the black wolf lounging against the wall, thankfully provided with pants now. He watched me quickly scan his body with a grin.
"I was starting to think I needed to induce a community wide orgy to get you here," he said. "You know, all 120 Days of Sodom."
"You’ve read the Marquis de Sade?" I said, my eyebrows shooting up.
"I'm impressed you know. I'm Sylvan, by the way." He tried to put one hand through the bars for me to shake, but he jerked it back when the barrier started to spark. He wiped it on his leg, instead. "Our relationship has developed in quite the topsy turvy fashion. Bonding first, then learning each other's names."
"I haven't given you mine."
"That's right, Julie, you haven't."
"Bonded?" We all turned to see Kelly, Ophelia, and Nancy at the gate. It was unlocked, and they were ushered in. Their eyes went from me to Sylvan.
"Why yes? What did you think my little attack was about? I was on my own, not leading a vanguard. I had to bide my time, waiting for just the right moment to make the little woman mine."
He said the words with a carnivorous smile, his fingers wrapped around the bars, ignoring the fact the metal was beginning to spark. The tiny flutter of his eyelids made me wonder if he liked the pain. I frowned, taking an involuntary step back. Bonded? My hand went to my neck, the women's eyes following it, which brought them near. A quick inspection both confirmed his assertion and ratcheted the tension in the room higher.
"Black wolves don't bond," Kelly said, shaking her head, her voice beginning to rise.
"We kept him locked up here in case of this eventuality," Ophelia said. "This is not unexpected."
"You say you laid in wait for this girl, wanting to bond her," Nancy said, drawing nearer, the deep purple of her dress trailing over the floor. "Why?"
"Because together she and I are going to save this place from imminent destruction."
Silence fell over the room like a thick blanket. I stared at the man in the cage, part of my pack, apparently. Or was I part of his? He was beautiful, as they all were. Even the black wolves seemed to possess this peacock gene that made them look like supermodels. But he was an alien presence here, moving restively in his cage now, as the three Council members communed via Vulcan mind meld or something. I wanted out of here. I wanted out, the scar gone, our connection broken. I wanted to be free of his influence.
Not going to happen, my dear, Sylvan said as he shot me a look. And you'd do well to listen to me, if you want to keep those pretty men of yours safe.
"You're raving," Kelly said. "The black wolves haven't made a serious attempt to break through the gate in centuries. The gold we harvest isn't useful to them, and I scarcely think you'd try to force yourself in here to steal televisions and microwaves."
"Which begs the question—why? If what I say is true, why would my people be coming?"
When Sylvan's eyes slid over to the council women, mine followed. They were curiously calm. Ophelia cleared her throat, and said, "They come for what we have, and they lack. Men."
Sylvan's grin spread wider.
"It has always been the way, it appears. As a warrior culture, we've produced a distressing surplus of women since the time of the curse."
"Curse!" Nancy spluttered. "Of course, one of you would see the fact that our forebears survived and took Tirian form as a curse. It was a blessing!"
"For you. For my people, it heralded a great change. The history books say we didn't take women as mates, kept none in our camps or settlements. We roamed the land, taking what we needed, killing the men and children, raping the women, and then leaving once we knew they swelled with child. When they gave birth, they always produced sons. Sons that grew up to be Tirian, taking nothing from their mothers except for perhaps colouring. The sons returned to us on instinct, and we trained them to be the next legion of warriors."
He scraped his hair back from his face.