Claiming the Jackal Read Free Page B

hers again. She wanted to feel his body brushing against hers again. She wanted him.
    The jackal stepped out of the water then shook himself, causing water droplets to fly. The beast was enormous—she figured it had to weigh the same as Hector’s human form, somewhere around two hundred pounds. Its shoulders probably reached her waist, and would be taller than her if it reared up on its hind legs.
    This jackal was jet-black and almost hairless, which she’d learned was an indication of age. The younger the jackal, the more variations in coat and color. For Hector’s jackal form to be so close to the depiction of Anubis—so close to Markus’s Anubis form—meant that Hector was not only one of the older members of this Sons of Anubis clan, he was one of the most powerful. Little wonder, then, that he was Markus’s second in command.
    As she watched, he shifted forms. Being jackals given human form by the god Anubis, he didn’t have to endure the painful transition of other were-creatures. A soft golden glow surrounded the inky-black jackal like a sprinkling of gold dust. Between one blink and the next Hector stood at the water’s edge. He was beauty, he was grace, he was...fully aroused.
    “Sweet Mother Isis.”
    “What are you doing here, Rana?” he asked, his voice a silky caress that slid over her senses and stripped her caution.
    “I don’t know.”
    “Yes, you do.” He stopped a few feet away from her, the current between them growing stronger with his nearness. “You usually walk the part of the lake closest to the community house. Perhaps you’re here for the same reason I am, to cool off, to get you out of my thoughts, to cleanse your essence from my senses.”
    He gestured to his erection. “Obviously it didn’t work for me. I’m guessing it didn’t work for you, either.”
    She tried to look him in the eye, she really did. No matter how she tried, her gaze kept drifting down. Even in the encroaching darkness, she could tell his arousal showed no signs of abating. “I couldn’t concentrate on my lab or magical studies, and the community house felt too small and confining. I had to come outside.”
    “That’s not all, is it?” His gaze bored into her. “You know exactly why you’re here. Say it.”
    “I was drawn here.” She gestured to the space between them. “Drawn to you.”
    “Why?”
    This time she met his gaze. “Because I want you.”
    He sucked in a hard breath and his cock, gods, his cock actually bobbed in reaction. Need uncurled inside her like a predator rising from sleep, ready to prowl, to hunt. It rose, a vibrant living force just as heady as the times she channeled magic in rites honoring Isis. Only, this was sharpened by the razor edge of lust.
    “I told you that if you had a need, I would provide.” He stepped closer. “What do you desire from me?”
    Desire made her bold. “Everything.”
    He huffed. “And how do you want me?”
    “Every way I can have you.”
    “Are you sure, Rana?” he asked, his voice a low, intense caress. “Everything in every way? Do you think you can handle that?”
    She dropped her hands to her hips. “Do you think you can handle me?”
    “I think I can rise to the challenge.”
    Slowly he closed the distance between them, a predator stalking his prey. Power and lust thickened the air between them, pressing against her skin, filling her pores with aching need. She saw his response to the energy flare in his eyes as he stopped again. So much beauty, so much power, so much sheer focus of will. If he touched her now, she’d be overwhelmed.
    “If you’re unsure, you should leave now, Rana,” he told her, his voice dark and seductive. “You keep standing there, I’m going to kiss you again—and probably more. You don’t want that, walk away. If you do want that, stay where you are.” He grinned at her. “Or better yet, run.”
    She shivered at the erotic dare in his words, her nipples tightening under the weight of his hungry