Forgotten Read online

  “What?” Rone frowned at her, clearly not understanding.

  Kate felt stupid. God, what was wrong with her? Well, other than the fact that she’d just endured a brutal beating and shared the most private and painful experience of her life with a man she still couldn’t remember loving. She took a breath and tried again.

  “I mean, I told you my story. About why…why I didn’t want you, uh, tasting me.” Her cheeks felt warm but she made herself go on. “Now you have to tell me about the hunger.”

  Rone looked distinctly uncomfortable.

  “Ah, well…perhaps…perhaps we should keep it for another time.”

  “What?” Kate frowned at him. “Listen, Mister, I just spilled my guts to you and it was not easy. Now it’s your turn. Don’t tell me you’re backing down.”

  “All right.” Rone made a face. “No need to question my honor. I’ll tell you but I don’t want you to feel…to feel…”

  “To feel what?” Kate looked at him, honestly confused. “What is it? Are you afraid it’s going to make me feel bad?”

  “It shouldn’t,” he said, looking at her earnestly. “Truly, Kate, I don’t want it to. That’s why I’d rather not tell you.”

  For a moment Kate almost relented. But then she remembered how hard—how agonizing—it had been to dredge up the memory of her assault. Whatever Rone had to tell her, it couldn’t make her feel worse than that.

  “Just tell me,” she said evenly, looking him in the eyes. “What is the hunger?”

  He sighed, clearly defeated.

  “The hunger is the name we Wulven give to the desire we feel for our mates. Only…” He shook his head. “It’s not really just a desire. It’s more like…like an addiction.”

  “You’re addicted to your mate? To me, I mean?” Kate looked at him in surprise. “You mean…sexually?”

  “Yes, in a way,” he admitted in a low voice. “You know I have a Beast inside me—a feral creature that thinks only of feeding and breeding.”

  “I…I know,” Kate said, hearing the little catch in her voice. “The Knowing told me—warned me the first time I saw you. Or back at the mall, anyway.”

  Rone nodded. “It warned you when we first met as well. Yet, you still pursued me. I think it fascinated you—that and the fact that I wasn’t human.”

  “That sounds about right,” Kate said. “I love to get to know new people and other cultures have always interested me.”

  “I know.” He gave her a small smile. “That’s one of the things I’ve always loved about you.”

  “Okay, but getting back to the Beast…?” Kate prompted gently. “Do all Wulven males have them?”

  Rone nodded. “Before a Wulven male is mated, we have to allow the Beast time to come out and roam every month. At the convergence of the full moons, we go to the Howlund—a special area set aside for males, especially unmated ones—and let the Beast come out.”

  “What happens after you’re mated?” Kate asked.

  “Well, then we have another way to control it. To keep the Beast quiet.”

  “What way?” Kate prompted.

  Rone sighed reluctantly.

  “The Beast is a creature of pure emotion and appetite. It feeds on pleasure…sexual pleasure.”

  “So…because we’ve been separated for so long and we haven’t, uh…haven’t had sex…” Kate coughed. “I mean, are you telling me you need to get your rocks off? Is that it?”

  “The hunger isn’t fed by making love—or not only by making love,” Rone said softly.

  Kate felt a surge of relief. “Okay, so we could get you off another way? Maybe a, uh, hand-job? Or a blow-job?”

  Her cheeks got hot but she spoke the words anyway. After all, in the past several days, they’d touched each other very intimately and though she still couldn’t remember the past and Rone being her husband, she had to admit she was definitely attracted to the big Kindred. She could see her way clear to helping him out if he needed her to.

  But he was shaking his head.

  “I’m afraid you’re misunderstanding me. It isn’t my pleasure the Beast feeds on—it’s yours, Lalli. It’s the pleasure of a male’s mate that satiates it and keeps it quiet and contented.”

  “But…how can that be?” Kate asked blankly. “It can feel my pleasure?”

  “It can,” he admitted in a low voice. “But it isn’t just your pleasure that the Beast hungers for.”

  “What then?” Kate felt her breath catch in her throat. She thought she knew what he was going to say but…

  “Your honey.” He looked away and she saw that his big hands were clenched into fists. “The Beast—my Beast—is addicted to your honey. It craves it desperately, Kate.”

  “My honey? You mean my…” Kate nodded down at herself, to the V between her legs.

  Rone nodded. “Your juices. The sweet nectar your pussy makes when you’re aroused.”

  Kate felt herself go hot and cold all over.

  “And when it doesn’t get to…to taste my, uh, honey it becomes…what—dangerous?”

  She vaguely remembered hearing both Madam Shadow and Mistress Light warning the big Kindred that his hunger was getting out of control and there would be trouble soon if he couldn’t get it taken care of. But she’d been so out of it with pain the words hadn’t made sense. Now she understood.

  “My God,” she whispered. “I finally get it—why you told me you always had to, uh, ‘kiss’ me awake and ‘kiss’ me goodnight and the reason we had a freaking schedule for you to…to taste me. And now it’s been over six months so your Beast is probably starving.”

  Rone nodded, looking miserable.

  “Do you see why I didn’t want to tell you? Especially after what you told me?”

  “I guess so…” Kate bit her lip and then squeaked in pain. “Ouch!”

  “Are you all right?” He looked at her anxiously. “What happened? Is your back still hurting? I thought I healed all of it but…”

  “No, no,” Kate hastily reassured him. “My back feels fine—better than fine, actually. It’s my lip.” She touched one fingertip to it delicately and hissed in pain. “I practically gnawed through it when I was trying not to yell while Madam Shadow was whipping me.”

  “I know.” His eyes were shadowed. “I thought my heart would burst when I saw that. It nearly killed me to watch you take that beating and not be able to get lose and help you.”

  “It was no fun for me either,” Kate said grimly. “But you healed me up. And maybe something good came of it. Now we understand each other a lot more than we did before.”

  “Much good it does us.” Rone sighed. “What I still don’t understand is how you ever opened yourself to me in the first place after having such a horrible experience.”

  “I must have trusted you,” Kate whispered. Somehow, she couldn’t stop looking at him—his strong features…the way his eyes glowed with concern for her. And he smelled so good—it made her want to reach out and touch him. She put her fingers to her sore lip again.” Could…do you think you could heal this too? My lip, I mean? It really stings.”

  Rone’s piercing blue eyes were intent as he looked at her.

  “If you trust me,” he said quietly.

  “I do,” Kate whispered and she was no longer certain she was just talking about her lip.

  “Then I’ll heal you,” he murmured. Cupping her cheek, he lifted her jaw and leaned towards her. Kate’s heart was pounding as she felt his warm breath against her face. God, what was she doing? Just letting him heal me—that’s all, she insisted to herself. Then his hot tongue was bathing her wounded bottom lip, tracing delicately along her hurt flesh and taking away her pain.

  As she had before, Kate felt a tingling running through her, a healing warmth that spread to all parts of her body—especially the more sensitive areas. She moaned softly as she felt her nipples go tight and between her legs her pussy began to feel swollen and hot. God, how could he affect her so much with just a kiss? Because that