Claimed by the Primals

Chapter Four

Not 'uh-oh' in a bad way. At least, I don't think so. I don't know, I can't really explain it. In a short time, I figured out Kade. He was an open book. Honest, hot, and came off as horny as I was. I could deal with him. I wanted him to deal with me in other ways.

But Warrick put me on edge. The fact that he bore such a resemblance to the creature in my dream was... it had to be impossible. It was a dream! I couldn't remember the actual events of that night, so the dream was just my brain compensating for that. I thought I made up the darkness stranger as a way to explain how I got out of there alive. It couldn't be real...

Warrick was quiet as he sat down in front of me. He seemed to have gotten over the shock of me in his or Kade's clothes and the blush in his tanned cheeks was already gone. After putting the medical kit down next to him, he leaned forward and pulled me forward by my knees so I was sitting on the edge of the couch, my legs between his.

Instantly, my body went hot, and I turned away to avoid looking directly at him. He was very gentle when he took my swollen wrist, but I still flinched before relaxing into the icepack he placed around the joint. Oh, it felt good. Okay, I could handle this. I wasn't going to lose my cool, I swear.

At least, so I thought... until his fingers curled under my chin and pulled my head around and I looked straight into his eyes. Oh, sweet Jesus.

Remember when I said I could handle Kade, like, five minutes ago? Yeah, that's because when I was that close to him, I could see and feel the raw, oppressive strength behind his passion. It's something I loved about big guys like him. I had imagined him holding me down, railing me into a wall, and not stopping until he'd finished taking what he wanted from me. I could handle that. I liked that kind of wild, animalistic fucking.

Being that close to Warrick, I could tell from his eyes alone that he was an entirely different beast. This was a man who was always in control. Control of himself and everything around him. I knew from a look that he wouldn't do anything so feral as hold you down. He would use ropes and bindings and put you in exactly the right position for both your greatest pleasure.

The intensity was too much, so when he let go to get the supplies, I tried to look away again. He just caught my chin again in a slightly tighter grip and pulled me back. "Keep your eyes on me, baby girl," he told me.

My stomach twisted as the heat in my body cranked up to max. His voice was like music. Soft and deep, and almost the complete opposite of Kade's coarse growl. That spot between my legs burned to be touched, and I squeezed my thighs together. That only resulted in reminding myself that I had no underwear underneath the shorts.

Thank God, he was mostly focused on the cut on my forehead, and I could lower my eyes to his neck. Peeking out of his V-neck shirt were delicate lines of gold inked into his skin. It wasn't as vibrant as the gold when he'd been in the anubi form, but still bright. I wondered what else he had hiding under those clothes.

God damnit, I swear, I do occasionally think of something other than sex. It's just... when it came to those two... whatever. That's not the point. I am a strong, independent woman who don't need no man!

Yeah, I don't believe me either.

Warrick was just as gentle as he cleaned and dried the cut and applied a few butterfly bandages. His fingers lingered on the bruise, and my skin tingled under his touch. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "We shouldn't have let this happen."

"It's fine," my throat was thick, so the words came out rough and strangled. "I've had worse."

It was supposed to make him feel better, and it was also very true. It very much did not. Somehow, his eyes got even darker, and his lips flattened into a thin line. But his touch remained soft as he trailed his fingers down the side of my face to my neck. He hesitated at the collar of the shirt, glancing quickly at my eyes, before slowly pulling it aside. He stared at the line of scar tissue, still bright red even after a decade of supposed healing.