The Encounter

Lilitha recoiled. He was ~massive~. Towering over Mateus. ~Significantly~ larger. How could he be ~larger~? He had to be over seven feet tall! His horns were as thick as her upper arms. His shoulders were as broad as her entire body.

His colossal legs, his solid abdomen, his enormous arms—he was a mountain of hard, sinewy muscle. His hand could easily encase her entire head.

His skin was as dark as Carmella’s, his eyes glowed with a predatory intensity. He had a mane of long, black, fuzzy hair that cascaded down his back like a frothy wave. He was as bare as Mateus, his manhood so large it hung low between his legs.

A tail as thick as a python swayed slowly from side to side at his back.

His dark gaze shifted to Mateus, then to Carmella and Lilitha, where it lingered. Mateus stepped protectively in front of them.

“Stay back. They’re mine!”

He met Mateus’s challenge with a sneer. The corner of his mouth curled upwards in a smirk of disdain as he looked Mateus over.

“Mateus…don’t.” Lilitha’s heart pounded in her chest. What if he hurt Mateus? What if he killed him? He was too big!

“Shut up, Lilitha,” he growled.

The giant alpha’s dark eyes returned to Lilitha. His gaze flickered over Carmella, finally resting on Silus in her arms.

Now it was Lilitha stepping protectively in front of Carmella.

“Stay back!” Her voice, part Diablon bellow, part Diablon screech, shattered the silence like the crack of a whip. “You can’t have us. You can’t have either of us! So you might as well leave.”

The alpha studied her, his hungry eyes roving over her body. He smiled and extended his hand. Lilitha shook her head in refusal.

He bared his teeth at Mateus, a clear threat that he would harm him if she didn’t comply. Was he mute? Or perhaps he was too much of a beast to speak.

“No,” she said.

He advanced toward Mateus. Mateus lowered his head with a growl, spreading his legs in preparation for a fight. The massive black Diablon bared his teeth, his growl echoing Mateus’s like the rumble of thunder.

Everything happened so fast Lilitha barely had time to dodge. They collided with such force she was sure the ground shook.

“Run, Carmella!”

“What about you?”

“Just run! Get Silus to safety!”

Silus was crying as Carmella turned and disappeared into the trees. Lilitha retreated, awed by the raw power of the two alphas. They were like two titans clashing, their blows so powerful she could feel the impact in her bones.

When they struck each other, something broke. When they clawed at each other, they literally tore each other apart. They charged at each other with their horns, intent on killing. The fights she’d seen between Damon and Mateus were nothing like this.

She finally understood what Carmella meant by training. By play-fighting. How not to worry.

This was terrifying.

“Mateus!” she screamed as the black Diablon lifted him off his feet and threw him headfirst into the ground. Mateus barely managed to roll out of the way before the Diablon could slash open his throat with his whipping tail.

“Mateus!”

They crashed into each other again, roaring and snarling and growling. There was the sickening sound of a bone breaking, followed by a pop. The black Diablon yelped and jumped back when Mateus gashed him across his abdomen with one of his horns, blood clotting in the intruder’s pubic hair.

The black Diablon lowered his massive head and roared like a wild beast, teeth bared in a savage snarl. Mateus was staggering, shaking his head, trying to stay upright but failing. Blood covered him from multiple wounds, streamed down his face from a broken nose.

He was coughing and choking on it. A large bite mark marred his neck, a chunk of flesh torn away. His left leg threatened to give out, a bone protruding somewhere below his knee joint.

Lilitha didn’t know what else to do. She had no other choice—she charged at the enemy. Anything. Everything. To help Mateus. The black Diablon turned. Lilitha screamed as he scooped her up into his arms like she was weightless, slinging her over his shoulder.

It was humiliating but at least he was leaving Mateus alone, dashing through the trees at a speed that was astonishing. She could hear Mateus bellowing her name.

Lilitha could do nothing but hang limply down his back. The forest was a blur. His massive feet pounded heavily into the earth at such speed she had to close her eyes to keep from getting sick, her face buried in his thick hair.

The trees whizzed past. Her stomach jarred against the sharpness of his shoulder. He was eerily silent. His speed was terrifying. He was so nimble it felt like they were going to crash into a tree at any moment.

Was this how fast Mateus and Damon ran? She’d never really seen them before. Not like this.

Damon. Mateus. Carmella.

A sob caught in her throat.

The Diablon began to slow. Lilitha had no idea how far they’d run. She was still unfamiliar with her new home. The Diablon was staggering, clearly injured from the fight. From what she knew from Damon, an alpha could normally run for several hours at full speed.

Finally, he stopped. He was panting heavily. He bent over, gently setting her on her feet. Lilitha immediately tried to run but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him. She screamed, pounding her fists into his sides but it seemed to hurt her more than it did him.

She tried kicking at his shins. She even tried digging her fingers into the wound in his belly. But he simply twisted her around and pinned her arms to her sides.

He was making grunting noises. Keeping hold of her with one strong arm, he ran his fingers through her hair.

“Get off me!”

He lifted her effortlessly, guiding her through the forest until he found a flat patch of earth. He gently laid her down there. For a moment, Lilitha braced herself for the worst, but he simply settled next to her, beginning to nuzzle her.

Her cheeks, her neck. His attention moved lower, toward her breasts. It felt as if he was marking her with his scent, signaling to others that she was his.

Lilitha attempted to push him away, but he held her arms down. His stubble scraped against her sensitive skin as he moved lower. Lilitha sat up, pulling at his hair as he pressed his face into her lower body.

“Stop it! Get off me!”

Once he was done, he pulled her into his lap, chest to chest. He nudged her face into his shoulder. Lilitha tried to pull away, but his hands were large and his strength was overwhelming.

It was effortless for him to keep her restrained. His reactions were almost teasing as she punched and bit him.

He held her close, a low growl rumbling in his throat as he caressed her back. Lilitha gritted her teeth, digging her fingers into his waist, but it had no effect.

The blood from their fight was smeared all over her. His blood. Mateus’s blood. He lifted her face to kiss her, but she jerked her head away, so he pushed her face back into his shoulder, holding her securely.

His scent seemed to permeate her skin. It filled her lungs until it was all she could smell. She felt lightheaded.

She weakly scratched at his back. Why did she suddenly feel so powerless? She shifted her face and realized she was drooling onto him.

She slumped against him, feeling oddly heavy as he traced her back with his fingertips. Up and down. Up and down. His low growl morphed into a high-pitched whine.

The next time he lifted her face, Lilitha didn’t have the strength to resist. He kissed her and she allowed it.

He kissed her again, with more passion. The third kiss was a bit too intense. His whining turned back into a growl.

Suddenly, he pulled her tightly against him. His lips pressed against the back of her neck and Lilitha yelped when he bit her hard.

Now, she was fighting again, scratching at his back, then his head, pulling at his hair. Lilitha could feel the blood from her neck trickling down over her breast.

With a growl, he pushed her from his lap and onto the ground. His eyes were wild, his hands clenched into fists as he loomed over her.

Lilitha tried to roll over, but he rolled her back. Lilitha cried out as he forced her thighs apart. He squirmed between them and began to lick the blood from her breast.

“Damon!” she screamed, trying to pull him away by his horns. “Damon!”

Her screams echoed through the forest. His tongue swirled around her nipple. Then he bit down again, and Lilitha screamed.

He was biting her all over now, some bites small, others deep and painful. He held her thighs down as he gnawed at her hip bone as if he wanted to devour her.

Then he was tearing at her pants. He tried to bury his face between her legs, but Lilitha clamped them shut.

“God, no! God no! Stop! Stop! STOP!”

A familiar scent wafted into the clearing. Powerful. It cut through the Diablon’s sweat and musk.

Lilitha’s heart pounded in her chest. It smelled like rain carried on a warm breeze. Familiar and heart-wrenching.

“Damon!”