The Mating Ritual Read Online Free

from the wall with
the intention of going further into the cave. There had to be
another entrance because where they were now, the only way out was
straight down. Toni only took two steps before she felt his hand in
her hair, and she was jerked backwards against his solid form. She
cried out, her hand automatically going to where his was clutching
at her hair.
    Facing his fierce expression, she demanded,
“Let me go!” She tried to pull away, raising her free hand to pound
her fist against his chest. When he didn’t respond she grew
frustrated and bit him on the forearm. Toni knew she’d made a
mistake as soon as she did it. She was no match for him, and he
could do anything he wanted to do to her. Provoking him was a
stupid mistake.
    “Woman, stop!” He growled.
    She halted at his command and stared up at
him, frightened. “Please let me go.”
    He let go of her long hair and grabbed the
fur from her body, wrapping it around his hips. His gaze fell to
her barely concealed breasts, remaining there until Toni felt her
nipples become hard. When Cormac’s gaze roamed down to the triangle
covering her sex a flush of heat spread throughout her body,
surprising her. She didn’t like the way his nostrils were suddenly
flaring, and his eyes had turned almost black. Toni had slept with
enough men to recognize that hungry look on his face.
    All of a sudden the air around them crackled
with an undercurrent of primal heat. It was palpable, and like
nothing she’d ever experienced before. In spite of her precarious
situation there was something raw and basic about the man, and it
was having a strong effect on her dormant libido. Of all the
times to get horny! It was the wrong time and the wrong place.
All wrong!
    “Go.” He pushed her in the direction that led
deeper into the cave.
    Toni dug in her heels. “Wait a minute, what
about me?” She pulled her arm from his grasp, swung around, and
peered up at him. “I need something to cover up with too.”
    Damn, she shouldn’t have brought attention to
her undressed state. Once more his gaze roamed over her, seeming to
strip off what little she had left on. She shivered, and not from
the cold air in the cave. His lingering look moved like a caress
over Toni, making her think about things that she shouldn’t be. What’s wrong with me? The only thing that should be on my
mind is getting back to the cabin. Had she hit her head the
night before, and this was some kind of odd side effect?
    “Please, just let me go.” Sensing they were
both curious about each other, Toni pushed the notion of what that
could lead to right out of her head. “There are police, people,
looking for me.” She wasn’t sure if she’d said that to scare him or
to take his mind off her lack of clothing. “Do you know what the
police are?”
    Her strategy didn’t work. “Only mated females
cover their bodies.”
    “What?” For a moment, Toni had forgotten what
she’d asked him. Then his words registered, turning her blood cold.
“But I’m not one of your females,” she said. “And where I come from
everyone wears clothes.”
    “Not last night.” He pushed her in the
direction that he wanted her to go.
    How was she going to explain last night? It
soon became apparent that the flicker of light she’d seen earlier
deeper in the cave was coming from the burning torches in the
ground, which were spaced every few feet apart. As she unwillingly
walked deeper and deeper into the cavern, she began hearing voices
in the distance. She started to drag her feet, afraid of what she’d
find at the other end.
    “Please, let me go,” she pleaded with him
again. “I’m telling you that there are people searching for me,
dangerous people.” Maybe Cormac would release her if he thought his
clan might be in jeopardy.
    He continued to push her. “I will protect
you.”
    Toni stopped and turned, but he didn’t. As
big as he was, when he hit her she went flying backwards with a
gasp. She would have hit the