Drantos Read online

  Her gaze lowered down his body to the front of his jeans. She couldn’t miss the outline of his aroused cock. She frowned in response, refusing to allow him to intimidate her.

  “The day I blow you is the day you turn into a eunuch. Do we understand each other?” She snapped her teeth at him to make her meaning clear.

  “Don’t threaten to bite someone unless you want to be bitten back—and sweetheart, I have sharper teeth.”

  “Stop calling me that. I don’t like it or you.”

  He glared. “Go to the bathroom.”

  She carefully stood and headed deeper into the woods to find a safe spot to empty her bladder. The fear of bears and other animals made her do her business fast before returning to the small clearing next to the water to wash her hands in the river.

  Drantos wasn't where she'd left him, and one sweeping glance around didn’t show any sign of him. Her heart accelerated from the jolt of fear that he might have abandoned her. He had seemed mad when she’d stomped away.

  A noise made her jump and she faced the splashing sound. Drantos’s head popped out of the water as he stood up about ten feet from the bank. Dusti gawked outright at the sight of his wide, tan back. He’d removed his shirt to expose his muscular upper body. The guy obviously belonged to a gym that he worked out in a lot to have gained those thick biceps. She’d seen bodybuilders at her own gym with less muscle mass. She had to close her mouth that had dropped open.

  He turned his head, seeming to sense her there. His gaze met hers.

  “Now is the time to do it if you want to strip down and use the water to get clean. Just splash yourself with water. I’m about to build a fire to cook our meal.”

  “No thanks.” No way would she remove any of her clothes for a sponge bath in front of him.

  He shrugged those impressive broad shoulders of his before wading deeper into the water, up to his armpits. He took a sharp breath before he pushed up with his legs. His sleek, wet skin showed as he rose to dive into the river. Dusti gasped when she saw his bare, beefy ass flash before he disappeared under the water completely.

  She spun away, refusing to see that sight again. That’s when she spotted his neatly folded clothes. He’d left them near a small bush she’d walked right past when she’d left the tree line. A pair of black briefs was on top of the pile.

  Water splashed behind her and she tensed. He was probably showing off his body again. Cold water hit her and she gasped, spinning around. Drantos stood in waist-high water and grinned. He shook his hair again, more drops of the river striking her skin.

  “Knock that off.”

  He grinned wider. “Did I get you wet? It wouldn’t be the first time, would it?”

  The words sank in. He was referring to the night before when she’d lost her mind. “You’re so rude, and that was uncalled for.”

  “Was it? That was for the crayons remark. Be happy I don’t walk over there, strip you bare, and remind you how much you want me. Kraven isn’t here to stop me this time from finishing what I start.”

  She wanted to smack him. He was purposely being an ass. Two could play at that game. “Keep being a dick and I might toss your clothes in the river with you.”

  His amusement died. “I wouldn’t recommend it. Don’t piss me off any more than I already am, sweetheart. You already insulted me. Get my clothes wet and all bets are off on what I’d do in revenge.”

  His tone implied a threat. “Fine. You’re not crazy. Everything you’ve told me is true. Prove it to me then. Turn into a dog. Don’t Werewolves do that? Your brother said something about shifting forms. Show me.”

  “You’d be terrified and run from me. That’s the last thing I want.”

  “Right. Like I’m currently here because I volunteered to be. What are you going to do if I do toss your stuff in the river? Suck my blood? I’m not forgetting that you said you’re also a Vampire.”

  “Damn it, Dusti.”

  “Damn you!” She was tired of living in fear and her life had turned to hell since the moment she’d laid eyes on Drantos. He’d appeared next to her seat, and then the plane had crashed, and now she was in the middle of the wilderness worried about her sister. “I want my sister and I want to go home!”

  His expression softened. “I’m sure you do. I’ll catch a few fish and we’ll eat. You’ll feel better with a full belly. Let’s call a truce for now. I could use your help.”

  “I’ll feel better when I see Bat and we’re on our way back to California.” She glanced at his bared chest. His nipples were hard pebbles. “I’m not coming in there. It looks cold.”

  “It is. I just meant I’m going to catch some fish and I want you to prevent them from flopping back into the river once I toss them on the bank. That’s all.” He paused. “You’ll see your sister soon. I promise that Kraven is keeping her safe. They’re probably down river already eating.”

  She hoped so. “Fine. Let’s see you catch fish. Where’s your pole?”

  He grinned and took a few steps closer to her, revealing more of his body. “I’ll show you.”

  She spun around to give him her back when she saw his hipbones. “You’re naked. I’m not looking.”

  He chuckled. “I thought you wanted to see my pole.”

  She clenched her hands into fists at her sides. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

  “I was hoping,” he muttered.

  She turned back around. He hadn’t exposed more than just his upper body and his lower stomach. He had the best body she’d ever seen. It irritated her to notice that. He stared at her for a moment but then turned, walking deeper into the river. She watched the way he moved, his muscles flexing as he lifted his arms and then dived back in. His lower body surfaced, flashing his nice ass again. He disappeared under the water completely.

  Primal and beautiful. Those were the two words that popped into her head to describe how he looked. Sexy, she added. Her heart rate increased suddenly at the memory of the night before, and she clenched her teeth. Thank God Kraven pulled us apart.

  She had to admit that she’d wanted Drantos so bad, she’d hurt for him for hours. I’ve lost my mind. I snapped when the plane crashed. That had to account for why she was attracted to him.

  “Ready?”

  His voice made her start, aware her mind had drifted off with her thoughts. She met his gaze where he stood in waist-high river water. He held up a big wiggling fish to show her. Somehow he’d caught a monster-size one with his bare hands. It shouldn’t have surprised her but it did; he had a way of doing that to her often.

  “I’m going to toss it to the shore. Make sure it doesn’t flop back into the water. I figure five more and we’re good. If you let one get away,” he grinned, “that one was yours.”

  He pitched the fish right at her.

  The fish hit the ground in front of her, lay stunned for a few seconds, and then started to flop around on the grass. She bit back a curse and lunged to prevent it from getting close to the water’s edge. Sympathy rose inside her for the poor thing but hunger won out.

  “Sorry, pal. You’re dinner.”

  “What?”

  She turned her head to glance at Drantos. “I was talking to the fish.”

  “And you think I’m the crazy one.” He dived back under the surface.

  “Asshole.”

  He caught all six fish in a quick amount of time, throwing her each one, and then started walking to shore. Dusti presented him with her back again when he came out of the water, to give him privacy while he dressed. She resisted the temptation to glance over her shoulder to sneak a glimpse of that amazing body he had, and he remained quiet until he approached her, fully dressed, to hover at her side.

  “We’ll have to set up a temporary camp. It will be risky to light a fire long enough to cook these but we need to move on soon anyway.”

  She looked up at him. “You know it’s freaky that you can fish with your bare hands, right? Is that an Alaskan thing?”