LoveThineEnemy by Virginia Cavanaugh

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    Misha strode to the cell door that had been indicated. Bile rose in his throat as he thought of the woman on the other side of this cold metal door. This was wrong. A scream sounded from down the way and he cringed. He wanted to hunt down the two other men chosen for this and beat the living shit out of them. How could they take a woman against her will? It made him sick to his stomach. But he was among enemies and he couldn’t do as he pleased because they would kill him. But he could control his own actions.
    Getting himself killed wouldn’t help any of these people who were being held. He had to bide his time and play the game. He took the key to the cell from his pocket and inserted it into the key hole. A turn of his wrist had the door swinging open.
    Huddled in the corner shaking was a small female form. Long, dark hair covered her face. She tucked her bare feet up under her bottom. He ground his teeth at the sight, wanting to roar with his displeasure. He closed the door and secured the lock.
    Her sobs reached his ears and broke his heart. He’d never hurt this woman. Visions of the past assaulted him. He remembered the cries of his own mother before they’d left Russia. He’d been only seven and his father had been away for work. In a closet all alone, he suffered every scream torn from his mother’s lips. Never again .
    Arik had saved his family and brought them to the States, so Misha had done what Arik asked of him. The people he’d been forced to kill were no better than the man who had attacked his mother. But this was a new level of disgusting. And he’d be damned if he played a part in it.
    He could save this woman the horror of being violated. With slow movements he approached. His heart constricted as she flinched and tucked herself tighter into the corner. He wasn’t sure if there was audio in these rooms, so he dared not speak until he could whisper in her ear.
    Slowly he sank to his knees and reached forward to brush her hair away from her face. He couldn’t catch his breath for a moment. Beneath the dirt and tear streaks the woman in front of him was the most beautiful he’d ever seen. Light-green eyes stared back at him as more drops slid down her cheeks. And her scent. He took in a deep breath. His body started to react. It horrified him. He closed his eyes, willing his lustful response to go away. He’d heard others talk about the scent change that came with a werewolf in heat. He just hadn’t expected it to affect him under the circumstances. But he was in control of his body, and he would rather kill himself then force this woman beneath him.
    “P-please,” she whispered.
    Her words tore at his heart. He lifted his finger to his lips in a gesture for her to be silent. She stifled a sob and squeezed her eyes shut. He leaned forward, whispering in her ear. “You have nothing to fear from me. I’ll not harm you or force you to do anything. But they can’t know that I did not breed with you. So we need to put on an act. Can you do that?”
    He pulled back slightly to see her face. She stared at him, bewildered. After a moment she gave him a slight nod, confirming she was up to the task.
    * * * * *
     
    “A van, huh?”
    Shadeau smiled as he opened the back door revealing a bed. “As much as I would love to say I was thinking about sex, it would be a lie.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Well mostly a lie. I was thinking about your warmth and the ability to haul people.”
    Jasmine closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her face against his chest. She felt his erection against her tummy and laughed. “Wasn’t thinking about sex?”
    “I said mostly.” He gave her a toothy grin. “I seem to stay in this state around you. And as much as I want to bury myself inside your body, I’ll refrain because it’s way too dangerous to let our guard down like that.”
    He had a point. She released him and accepted his offered hand to help her