They shifted back.
“There’s a cabin on the far side of the water,” Zio said. “It’s pack owned, but no one’s been here in years.”
“How do you know?”
“Because it belonged to Emma’s father, and I have the key.”
“Did she give it to you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Zio shrugged. “She never said, but I think she’d be pretty happy that this was the first time I came here.”
Devan couldn’t argue with that. With Dash’s help, he’d spent a few days working through Emma’s files, separating out those still of use and respectfully disposing of those that belonged to the dead. When Dash had gone, he’d lost himself in Zio’s file, finally reading it from cover to cover, laughing and wiping away tears as she’d painted uncannily perfect pictures of his mate. I wish I’d known her. But if he had, perhaps they wouldn’t be here.
Zio took Devan’s hand and led him around the loch to a wooden cabin nestled in the trees. It was small and basic and not unlike the cabin in the snow where he’d visited the wolf pack elders so long ago. At least, it felt like a long time ago. In reality, it had been mere months.
“Stop thinking.”
“Hmm?”
Zio shut the cabin door behind them and tapped the side of his head. “Stop thinking. None of it matters anymore.”
“I know that.” Devan’s gaze zeroed in on the bed covered by a plastic dust sheet. He stepped around Zio and ripped it away. A bare mattress greeted him. Bathed in the sunlight pouring through the windows, it seemed fitting.
They were already naked from their cross-country run. Devan trailed a finger down Zio’s chest. His skin should’ve been cool from the bracing winter air, but he burnt red hot.
Zio shuddered and bit his lip. “Are you going to draw this out? Because I think I might literally die.”
Devan chuckled. “It’s tempting . . . to draw it out, not see you spontaneously combust, but you’re overestimating my self-control. Do you know how many times I nearly jumped you on the way here? Threw you down and claimed you in the snow?”
“So why didn’t you?”
“Because I wanted it to be perfect.”
“That would’ve been perfect.”
“But so is this.”
Zio didn’t argue. Just tipped his head back as Devan continued his exploration of his body with a single, featherlight fingertip. With one hand pressed over Zio’s speeding heart, Devan traced his smooth skin as though it was the first time he’d ever seen Zio like this—so vulnerable.
It wasn’t, but it was different now. With so much behind them, they had all the time in the world. And nothing to fear.
Possessiveness swelled in Devan’s gut, fuelled by desire and the love that hadn’t been there at the start. He pulled Zio closer, so Zio’s spine moulded to his chest, and kissed his neck, softly at first, but then with more purpose as the heat between them amped up.
Zio moaned, a slow tremble starting in his long, muscular limbs. “Please, Devan. I can’t—please.”
Devan couldn’t deny the kick he got out of Zio’s premature incoherency. The urge to claim him was so strong Devan felt it in every fibre of his being, and the beast within him preened at the knowledge that Zio wanted it too. Craved it. Would beg for it if Devan was cruel enough to make him.
But you’re not cruel. And you love him.
Devan spun Zio around, relinquishing his position at Zio’s glorious throat. He pushed Zio’s hair back from his face, tucking it behind his ears. My wild boy.
Zio still trembled.
The healer in Devan ached to soothe him, but the man in him knew it wasn’t what Zio wanted. What he needed. He edged Zio closer to the bed and gave him a gentle push. Zio took the hint and scrambled backwards, tugging Devan along with him. Their lips met, the air shifted, and Devan’s mind emptied once and for all of anything that wasn’t Zio’s lips on his, the collision of their heated skin, and the hardness trapped between them.
They fought for dominance, rolling over and over. Zio was taller, heavier, but perhaps he wanted to win less. Lips fused together, Devan pressed him into the mattress, hooking one leg beneath his arm. Zio gasped, and a flicker of uncertainty coloured their connection.
Devan deepened their kiss and gripped Zio tighter. I’ve got you. I won’t hurt you.
The uncertainty faded. Devan found Zio’s cock and worked it gently, slowly drawing more plaintive groans from Zio. Venom dripped from his fangs as they lengthened and sharpened, eager for the bite, but he wasn’t ready to end this yet. I want him to love this as much as he loves me.
Devan had pleasured Zio before, made him shout and shake, but this was different. He didn’t need Zio to tell him he’d never allowed a man inside him before Devan. Still working Zio’s cock, he slipped a finger inside Zio, a jolt of desire thundering through him as hot, wet heat enveloped him.
Zio growled, arching his back, welcoming the sensations that licked through him, chasing more. For long minutes, Devan held off, but the need to claim his mate eventually won out.
Caution gone, he manhandled Zio until he was exactly where he wanted him, on his back, legs wrapped around Devan’s waist. He lifted Zio from the mattress and aligned them. A possessive growl built in his chest and he eased inside. Held still a moment, then gave in to the primal desire to make love to his mate.
Zio’s snatched breaths turned to drawn-out moans, then shouts of pleasure as he chased all Devan could give him. “Fuck yeah, harder, Devan. So fucking good.”
Devan hunched over him, driving into him as hard as he dared as the beast in his soul roared. Now. Do it now. Urgency overcame him. Desperation. Base instincts he couldn’t and didn’t want to control. Heat exploded in his gut, spreading fiery tendrils through every nerve. His heart swelled with the love he’d never thought possible, and he yanked Zio upright and onto his lap.
The change in angle drove his cock deeper inside Zio, and they both cried out. On his knees, Zio wrapped tight around him, Devan brought his teeth to Zio’s neck. Fangs sank into soft, heady flesh, and as his body poured his seed into his mate, his mind carried only one thought. Mine.
Zio cried out as the pain of Devan’s bite gave way to the bliss of the blossoming bond. He fell backwards, Devan still moving inside him, dizzy with pleasure, head spinning so fast he was sure it would never stop.
And it still wasn’t over. Zio’s wolf stirred again, rising inside him, demanding back everything he’d just given up for Devan.
He eased away from Devan’s still hard cock, separating them for a painful split second. “On your knees.”
Chest heaving, Devan obeyed without question, and Zio was inside him before he knew what he was doing, fucking him far harder than Devan had fucked him. Harder than he’d ever fucked anyone. The slap of skin against skin beat like the familiar metronome of Devan’s heartbeat. In his dreams—and there’d been many—he’d taken Devan slowly in the forest, the dirt beneath them, the birds in the trees, but as the sun bounced off Devan’s alabaster skin and made his hair shine like a damn halo, Zio knew he’d been right to follow his heart and bring him here. The thought that Emma was watching him fuck his mate was a thought too far even for him, but with the faint trace of her scent surrounding him, every puzzle piece clicked into place.
Harsh moans brought him back to the present. Zio gripped Devan’s hips ever tighter but slowed his pace. The brutal dig of his cock became something sweeter, and the craving to bite he’d carried for so long throbbed inside him, filling his every sense until it spilled over and white light blinded him.
He yanked Devan upright, bringing his back to his chest and marvelling at their perfect fit. His lips found Devan’s neck and he buried his face a moment, losing himself to Devan’s scent, already laced with his own. I want to smell like him. I want his scent to be mine, always. “I’m going to bite you.”
“Do it,” Devan ground out. “Make me yours.”
Zio sank h
is teeth in before Devan finished the sentence, biting down deep and hard, his mouth filling with Devan’s blood as release burst out of him. He howled, and it merged with Devan’s ecstatic cry. Devan’s shudders became his own. His laboured breaths and flailing hands.
His seed poured into Devan and the stars aligned. They were joined in every way possible. Finally. Absolutely. Forever. The bond solidified. Warmth filled Zio’s chest. Bliss. But it wasn’t just his. The joy seeping from him radiated straight back, and when a stunned chuckle broke the silence, he wasn’t sure if it was his or Devan’s. Where Devan ended and he began.
Slowly, he slipped out of Devan and turned him around. He laid his mate on the bed as though he was made of glass and dipped down for a kiss. “We did it,” he whispered.
Eyes shining, Devan laughed. “We did.”
Chapter Thirty
“I don’t want a prosthesis.”
Devan rolled his eyes and hauled Bomber out of the car. “We’ve been over this. If you don’t want a prosthesis, then you have to live with the fact that you’ll spend the rest of your human life on crutches.”
“Fuck that.”
“Exactly, now get in the damn doctor’s office.”
Bomber slipped his crutches over his arms and manoeuvred himself away from the car, swinging himself the way Devan imagined a ten-year-old boy would, but that was Bomber—his wolf a seasoned warrior, forever a delinquent teenager in his human form. And yet both his identities carried the scars of war. Bomber’s wolf was hardly a fraction less formidable than he’d been before, but he’d found it harder to adapt in his human form, something Devan was hoping to fix today.
They made their way inside the hospital and took a seat in the newly built waiting room. Bomber’s scowl remained. “Why does it have to be a human doctor?”
“Because he’s the best. He saved Gale’s life.”
“That was him?”
“Yes. Don’t you remember?”
“No, I wasn’t at the hospital. Besides, you saved my life. Why can’t you do this?”
“I’m not a doctor.”
“As good as.”
“Not really. I work with magic and flesh. These guys have science and technology . . . unless you want me to attempt to construct a new limb from berries, bark, and wishful thinking.”
“Zio’s a bad influence on you. You never used to be so sarcastic.”
Just the mention of Zio’s name tugged at Devan’s heart, but six months since they’d made their bond permanent, it no longer hurt. Loving Zio was as consuming as ever, but in all the right ways.
Didn’t stop Devan rubbing his chest, though. Or Bomber smirking.
“Shut it,” Devan said. “Or I’ll take your other damn leg off.”
The doctor called them in before Bomber could reply.
Devan followed Bomber into the consulting room and took his place hovering protectively in the corner. Of all his wolf brothers, he felt most responsible for Bomber. His injuries had been severe, and healing him had taken something from Devan he’d never get back. Didn’t want back if it meant giving up anything he had now.
The human doctor smiled at them both. Bomber glowered back, and Devan sighed. It was going to be a long consultation if he kept that up. The doctor had already made it clear he had no time for shifter intimidation tactics. And why would he when he’d endured enough of that to last him a lifetime? After being one of the hospital doctors who’d fallen victim to the rogue enemy blackmail tactics, they were lucky he’d been willing to help Bomber at all.
Still, the distrust on both sides was strong.
The doctor fitted the leg he’d had made for Bomber, showed them how it was removed and kept clean. “Obviously we haven’t tested it for resilience if it’s still attached when you shift, but I’d advise taking it off beforehand if you can.”
“Won’t work if we’re in the field.”
“True, but if your Shadow Clan friends keep the war out of this country, that won’t be a problem, will it?”
Devan bristled. He’d long ago decided to build his life within the wolf pack he now called family, but the mention of his clan set his teeth on edge. The war was far from over. People were still dying.
Bomber’s gaze flickered to Devan. “Chill, D. You know humans talk shit.”
A low growl cut off as Devan refocused. Huh. Maybe he was more influenced by Zio’s personality than he’d realised.
Twenty minutes later, the doctor—a good-looking blond in his thirties—walked them out of the office. Danielo and Zio waited by the car. Despite Devan’s continued surprise at how Zio and his brothers seemed to appear from nowhere with no prior arrangement, his attention was instantly hooked on his mate, but he didn’t miss the flirtatious glance Danielo sent the doctor’s way.
“You smell nice,” Danielo said.
The doctor glanced at him. “If you say so.”
“I do. Every time I see you.”
Flushing, the doctor sent Danielo a heated stare, then backed off as though he’d been burnt. After an hour of his clinical bedside manner, his animated reaction tickled Devan, and he hid his grin in Zio’s delicious neck. “We should go.”
Zio hummed his agreement. “Not in the car, though. I want to run with you.”
They left Bomber with Danielo and escaped to the forest, taking the scenic route back to the rebuilt compound. Running free with his mate, Devan had never felt joy like it, but even that couldn’t last forever.
Soon enough, they were home.
Barely through the door, they tumbled to the hardwood floor. Since they’d completed the bond, Zio had rarely let Devan fuck him, preferring to throw Devan around whenever the mood took them—which was a lot—and stake his claim on his body as he had on his heart. Devan wasn’t complaining, but from time to time, he fought back.
He wrestled Zio to the rug at the end of the hallway. He got Zio on his back, legs splayed, head thrown back, clothes a shredded memory.
Devan slicked his cock with herbal oil and pushed inside him. Over the last six months, they’d mastered the art of the long, sensuous fuck—they’d had to, to save everything around them from certain destruction—clothes, furniture, ancient forest trees—but Devan didn’t have the patience for that right now. It had been a long day.
Just breathing Zio’s scent was enough to bring him to the point of climax, and it wasn’t long before orgasm ambushed him.
Zio arched his back, his cock jutting out from his hips, hard and weeping. Devan caught it in his hand and squeezed, and Zio’s answering yell tipped him over the edge. He came hard and fast, then sat back on his heels to watch Zio fall to pieces. His bite mark stood out in the darkening light, raised and white. Devan bent and ran his tongue along it, drawing a tortured shudder from Zio, a moan, and more seed to seep from his cock. “Gods, if you do that, I’ll never stop coming.”
Devan laughed. Sated for now, he let Zio be and pulled him close. Zio was a fierce lover, but after, regardless of how it had played out, he often sought the comfort of Devan’s arms. And Devan wasn’t complaining about that either.
They slumped lazily against the wall, Zio lounging with his head in Devan’s lap. “I’m hungry.”
“Uh-huh. What are you gonna eat?”
“Whatever you cook.”
“Who says I’m cooking?”
“You always cook. Feeding me makes you horny.”
Devan didn’t need any help being hot for Zio, but he couldn’t deny that taking care of his mate brought a certain thrill. He grunted, and Zio smirked in victory. Then his grin turned sleepy and he let out a happy sigh. “I can’t believe how much I like being at home now. Like, it’s the best thing ever. Being in bed, dozing on the couch, hanging out in the bathroom like a weirdo. I think you’ve turned me human.”
“Nah, you’ve just remembered how to be human. You never had the chance before.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.”
Devan forced open his drooping eyes and sat up straighte
r. Since Shadow Clan had chased the southern packs out of England, the war had, as they’d feared, escalated beyond the realm of wolves. The thought of Zio fighting vampires made Devan’s blood run colder than theirs, and he’d been trying not to dwell on it. To make the most of Zio while he had the chance. “Are you leaving me?”
“What? No!”
“Sure about that?”
“Yeah, but—”
“But what?” Devan braced himself. He’d spent enough time with Michael, Danielo, and Shannon to know that so long away from the fighting was a life they’d never learned to live. Rebuilding the compound had kept them occupied for a few months, but that was nearly done.
Zio poked him in the arm. “Dash told Varian that Luca would take a unit from the pack to fight with the clan if there were any of us that wanted to go.”
“Do you want to go?”
“Of course I don’t.”
Relief flooded the sharp edges of Devan’s nerves. “You don’t?”
Zio shrugged. “I thought I did for a little while, but there’s thousands of shifters fighting all over the world. It doesn’t have to be me.”
“I didn’t think you’d ever see it like that.”
“Even after we bonded? Think about it—if I went south to fight, I’d either have to leave you behind or accept that I’d be putting you in danger. I can’t live with either of those scenarios, and it’s more than that. I’m tired. At least I was six months ago. I can’t—fuck, I can’t go back to that. I thought I’d be a soldier forever, and I’d still die for my pack, for my mate, and my brothers, but not if I don’t have to. It matters to me now that I don’t.”
Devan took a slow breath, Zio’s words carving a place in the soul he’d already claimed. “I wish no one had to die.”
“Me too, but I heard what that doctor said when Danielo made me peek through the window, and he was right. As long as the fighting stays out of this country, we can be safe here, we can be free. I want that more than you’ll ever know.”
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