“We’ll run,” Monster stated, solving the seating problem but Caleb glared at him to my surprise.
“Straight home,” he ordered them and Monster nodded, not speaking. “I mean it, Theo.” He nodded again and Caleb leaned back, waving his hand for them to go. Exhaustion overtook me and my head started to drift forward and I jerked, forcing myself to stay awake. “Easy, Dru. I’ve got you.” Caleb’s bright blue eyes met mine. “Sleep. I won’t let anything happen to you.” I nodded, trusting him to take care of me, as my body shut down, no longer able to function now that the adrenaline had worn off.
Trent hopped into the driver’s seat as Luke sat in the back, staring in horrified fascination as Monster and Dylan shifted into wolves and took off to the woods. I rested my head against Caleb as Trent made a wide circle, taking us back the way we came, and finally closed my eyes as the tires rumbled on the road.
***
I woke up to bright sunshine and a warm body curled around mine. I didn’t need to see him to know Caleb had stayed with me, his presence a comforting blanket. I stretched my toes, awed by the softness of the sheets. I raised my hand to my face, frowning when I saw blood and dirt crusted on it, and scrambled out of the clean, soft bed.
“Wha- Dru?” Caleb sat up, instantly alert as he glanced around in concern, searching for me.
“I’m dirty,” I told him, brushing at the sheets as I tried to get any dirt that may have flaked off of me when I slept. “I don’t want to mess the sheets up.” He stared at me in disbelief, and captured my hand when I got close.
“It’s okay,” he assured me, his gaze bleary as he realized there was no danger. “We’ll wash them.”
“Exactly,” I protested. “Washing sheets is my least favorite chore. I usually make Paige do it.” Her name brought a sudden stab of alarm. “Paige!”
Caleb shot out of the bed, alarmed. “Was she taken too? We didn’t see her.”
“Huh?” I cocked my head and he stared back at me, confusion written on his face. “No,” I said, catching on. “They didn’t take her, but she’s probably worried sick about me.”
Caleb sank back down on the bed and I noticed for the first time that he wore a random set of clothes, as if he’d just grabbed them from a box or something. “She can wait,” he replied. “Gregory has gone to your family lands to try and make peace with your Gran.”
“Gregory?” I questioned, not sure which one that was.
“The old one,” Caleb answered, adding, “The one who knew Mildred. He called her Millie.”
“Oh, okay. Brave of him,” I muttered, scratching my arm, the dried blood itchy.
Caleb caught my arm, rotating it carefully, but there was nothing there. “I checked you for injuries, but I couldn’t find any. There was so much blood though.”
“Not mine,” I assured him, as it flaked between my fingers. “The other wolf, Dylan, it’s mostly his.”
“He was shot?” Caleb questioned and I nodded.
“He was, but he wouldn’t shift. I managed to heal him.”
“You healed him?”
My gaze flicked down as I said, “I did. It was weird. I’ve never been able to do that. I felt the power like I’ve never experienced. It surged through me, like it wanted me to use it.” I plucked at the filthy shirt I still wore. “Do you have a bucket and some more clothes?”
“I have clothes,” he mentioned, his forehead wrinkling as he asked, “What’s the bucket for?”
“So I can clean up.”
“You can take a shower,” he suggested, pointing to a door I hadn’t noticed. “Plenty of hot water. Dom is famous for taking 30 minute showers so they have a tank less hot water heater.”
Most of what he said didn’t make a lot of sense, but I followed him as he walked over to the door. There was a sink, a toilet, and the biggest shower I’d ever seen. It was like the one we had outside but clean and nice, the walls made of a slick tile and the shower head went into the wall. “Where’s the cistern?”
“We don’t have one,” he replied, twisting a handle on the wall and water came pouring out, steam quickly filling the room. “Just turn it to make the water hot or cold or turn it off.”
I stretched my arm out and flinched as the droplets pricked my skin harder than I expected. “It won’t run out?”
He shook his head and I smiled excitedly, stripping the shirt over my head. He backed out of the room, keeping his eyes averted, as he said, “I’ll go get some clean clothes. Have fun.”
I didn’t even hear him as I stepped under the stream of hot water as it came down harder than the most torrential downpour. I played with the knob thing, turning it the wrong way and the water turned cold, and I hurried to turn it the other way until the water came out scalding. I scrubbed my skin, then saw a bar of soap, but it wasn’t like anything I’d used before, it smelled wonderful and as I rubbed it over my body, bubbles formed on my skin. I used it to wash my hair since it smelled so good, then just stood under the water, letting it rain down over me, and wished I could show this to Paige.
“Dru?” Caleb called through the door, tapping and then opening the door as I continued to stand under the waterfall. “Hey, you coming out? You’re going to turn into a prune.”
I blinked at him through the water, but steam coated the glass door hiding him from my view. He finally opened the shower door, reaching over to turn the water off. He grabbed a towel, wrapping it around me as he tugged me from the shower.
“That thing is amazing,” I told him and his lips curled up. “You should have put me in there before you let me get in the bed and dirty the sheets.”
“I’ll wash the sheets,” he promised, knotting the towel so it wouldn’t fall, and I nodded, not arguing since I really hated laundry. His hands framed my face, brushing the wet strands of hair from my cheeks, and intensity radiated from him. “I told myself to wait. To give you time.” He shook his head. “I can’t. Dru, you are everything to me. Everything I didn’t know I wanted. Everything I didn’t know I was missing. Giving you up was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I know I can’t do it twice.”
His blue eyes measured my expression and I knew he saw the fear I couldn’t contain. “I can’t do that again,” I whispered, the empty agony of the mating bond still there, a constant reminder of loss. “I wouldn’t survive.”
“You won’t have to,” he swore, his eyes almost glowing at the sincerity in them. “I will never do that again. My life is only complete with you. I don’t want to live with this emptiness. To wonder what we could have been.”
The ache in my chest grew, equal parts fear and hope. “There’s so many things we don’t know. Gran and Paige. Me. I’m a freak. You don’t want to have kids with a mutant.” I wanted so badly to give in, to have what he promised with his eyes, but there was no escaping the memory of him severing the bond. Our relationship would never be easy and there was no guarantee he wouldn’t do it again, thinking he was protecting me.
“I’d love to have kids with you,” he stated, his thumb stroking my temple. “I want to face all of those things with you, by your side, a bonded unit, unbreakable. I want people to see us and dream of one day having what we have.”
“I can’t lose you. Not again.”
“You won’t,” he vowed. “Everything that comes we will face together as mates.”
“You have to swear that for the rest of our lives,” I paused and his expression turned serious as he waited for my condition, “That you’ll do the laundry.”
A smile broke out on his face, revealing the wide smile lines bracketing his face. “That seems only fair, but I have to tell you, we have washing machines.” My forehead wrinkled at that revelation, but he didn’t bother to explain, his head lowering. He hesitated right before his lips met mine. “Do you accept me as your mate, Dru?”
“Yes,” I whispered, brushing my lips against his, and ensuring our fates would always be entwined. His mouth moved over mine gently, exploring every inch as I threaded my f
ingers through his hair. He trailed his lips over my jaw, lingering at the hollow beneath my ear before using his teeth to tug on my earlobe.
“There’s only one way to seal a mate bond,” he reminded me, tucking my hair behind my ear as he pressed kisses down my neck, one finger tracing along my collarbone. “When you’re ready.” He lifted his head, his eyes glittering as a faint flush covered his face.
My hand found the knot holding the towel up and I loosened it as I said, “I’m ready.”
He sucked in a breath, his eyes tracing the towel’s path as it slowly slid to the floor, and I stood there as the emotions locked behind his eyes started to flood through me. Awe and gratitude, quickly supplanted by pure desire. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, his Adam’s apple bobbing. His hands hovered above my arms, almost but not quite touching and goosebumps raised on my skin as an electric current seemed to form between us.
His fingers lightly stroked down my arm, sending shivery sparks through me. He brought his hands to my sides, barely touching, but the rough calluses on his fingers made me tremble in anticipation.
“You’re sure?” He confirmed and I arched an eyebrow.
“Are you?” More emotion flowed through me from him, an absolute certainty that couldn’t be mistaken.
“Nothing I want more,” he promised, his hands coming more firmly around me. “You’re it.”
I tangled my arms around his neck, standing on my tiptoes so I could reach his mouth and he brought his head down, meeting me halfway, and our lips met in a smile. His tongue delicately traced the inside of my mouth and curiosity had me mimic his action, his groan telling me I was doing something right.
Bed? He asked over the bond and I felt a rush of pure happiness at the mental connection we once again shared. He walked me backwards toward the door and I broke off our kiss to stare longingly at the shower. Next time, he promised, catching the direction of my gaze.
The back of my legs bumped against the mattress and I fell backwards, enjoying the sensation of the cool, crisp sheets against my naked body. Caleb stood there, his gaze sweeping over me and I could see his jaw tighten when he spotted the bruises. I used my foot to lift the edge of the shirt he still wore and his attention snapped down and I could feel the threadbare control he maintained.
“Take it off,” I said sweetly and he yanked it over his head in one smooth motion. His body was strong, capable, and I crawled to my knees to get a closer look, giving in to my desire to explore the dips and curves of muscle and bone.
“You’re killing me,” he groaned, holding still as I lingered along the plane of his hipbone. The thin sweatpants he wore did little to hide his desire from me and I hooked my fingers on the elastic hem, slowly pulling them down until his dick sprang free, the tip glistening, and moisture pooled at my core. “Dru,” I heard the desperation in his voice, the coiled need he barely controlled, and his desire only intensified my own as our emotions spilled into one another over the newly recreated mate link.
I ran my finger over his erection, and his control snapped as he pushed me back on the bed. “My turn,” he gritted out roughly, but his touch was impossibly delicate. Each stroke designed to drive me mad as he traced circles around my nipples, watching them pebble but never touching them directly. He continued down and I had to curl my fingers into my palms as he leaned down, his tongue circling my belly button and then dipping inside as his finger found the crease between my legs. I spread my legs further apart as he explored the folds, glossy wetness making his fingers slide with ease as he toyed with the tiny bud exploding with sensation. “Please,” I begged, unashamed as my hands came to his shoulders, clawing at him.
He covered me, his dick bumping against my entrance and my insides clenched. He didn’t enter me though, his head lowering to my breast, his lips sealing over my erect nipple and he sucked hard as his finger pressed against that bud of nerve endings and I cried out as my world ignited, pleasure burning through me. The rigid length of his dick pressed into me, sending more sparks of pleasure through me as he rubbed against the sensitive bud. I tilted my hips, feeling him sink deeper, and he groaned deep in his throat.
He pulled back, then thrust, and my body felt stretched, almost painfully, but the friction of his thrusts and the tilt of his hips quickly overrode everything else. He quickened his pace, and I could feel the pleasure building inside of him, an echo of my own, and my hand slid to his butt, squeezing in encouragement, needing him to find his release. He thrust faster, hitting my center harder, and I could feel the spiraling need build higher until everything went black as pleasure wiped away every thought, erasing the memory of our broken bond, as we formed a new bond, one that would never be broken.
Chapter Eighteen
Caleb
I watched her sleep, the subtle fringe of her eyelashes hiding those striking mismatched eyes from my view. Contentment filled me, chasing away the last vestiges of restlessness that had consumed me for so long. I stroked the curve of her eyebrow, the color a match to the darker strands of blonde running through her hair. Her scent saturated the air, and I inhaled deeply, picking up the strong note of the earth after a deep rain. She was a perfect mix of wolf and witch, each balancing the other naturally.
Is she awake? Dom’s voice intruded in my thoughts and I couldn’t help the shortness of my answer.
No.
Wake her up, he ordered and I stiffened at the echo of Alpha command in his words. This guy you brought back isn’t talking and Monster is gone. Worry seeped through our link and I sat up, realizing something was really wrong if Dom was concerned.
Monster might be out running with Dylan, I replied, seriously hoping that was the case.
No, he never came back. His bed isn’t slept in and he’s not answering me.
Shit, I murmured, knowing this was bad. If Monster wasn’t answering his Alpha then it meant he was too far away or coming way too close to challenging Dom’s authority. Dylan?
Nothing, but that’s not unusual, Dom replied. Jess is freaking out. She’s afraid they went after hunters to find out more about the whole auction thing. I’ve been trying to get this kid to talk but he’s more terrified of your mate than me.
I almost smiled at the hint of annoyance in Dom’s voice at that admittance, but his growing concern overwhelmed me. Monster was headstrong, but he was still young and that combo was enough to get him in trouble. He might have went to the Ghost Pack, I mentioned, habit making me use what I now knew was a wildly inaccurate name, and Dom growled.
He better not have, Dom snapped, impotent anger surging through him. He’ll be lucky if I let him run a lap around the school’s track if he did.
I winced at the threat, knowing full well Dom would follow through with it, and there was nothing worse to a wolf than being put on a leash. I’m sure he didn’t, I replied soothingly, tasting the lie because we both knew full well that was exactly where he’d gone.
He’s sixteen, Dom muttered in irritation. Of course he followed the scent of a female.
We’re on our way, I mumbled hastily, breaking the connection before he turned his aggravation to me. “Dru,” I said softly, shaking her shoulder. “We need to get up and go see the others.”
Her eyes popped open, the amber and blue of her eyes eerily symmetrical. “Your Pack mates crossed onto our lands,” she said, her voice echoing oddly. “Gran isn’t happy.”
I sighed at having my suspicions confirmed. “We thought so. We’re going to get them.”
She blinked at me, her hand going to her throat. “Something strange is happening to me,” she admitted, sitting up slowly. I wrapped my arm around her, rubbing her back gently. “I have more power than I’ve ever had. It’s right at my fingertips, just waiting to be used.”
“You’re half witch, half wolf,” I commented. “Maybe you’re just feeling the witch more now.”
“It doesn’t feel like half of anything,” she replied, exhaling. “Monster didn’t listen,” she told me, her grimace sympathe
tic. “But I’m sure Gran will straighten him out.”
“That’s kind of what I’m afraid of,” I answered, getting to my feet. “How did you know?”
“Paige, I think.” Dru’s nose crinkled. “I was dreaming about her and we were talking.”
“You think it was more than a dream?” I questioned and Dru nodded slowly. “That’s…different,” I settled on, not really sure what to make of this new information and Dru’s lips quirked up.
“Different,” she breathed with a light chuckle. “Accurate description.”
“We need to go. That guy isn’t talking and Dom is getting frustrated,” I mentioned and her mouth formed an O as she hopped up.
“Damn,” she muttered, grabbing the clothes I’d brought her earlier that she’d never had a chance to put on. “Shit,” she grumbled as her foot got stuck in her pants leg and I reached over to rescue her, untangling the leg. “Thanks.” She yanked her shirt over her head then stared at me, still sitting there bare assed. “Come on. I need to go lift the magic if he’s still not able to talk.”
I got up, mouthing, “Magic,” as I tugged a loose pair of shorts and t-shirt on, catching the door she disappeared through it. “Left,” I said as she froze in the hallway. She went left, her hand running along the wall as she stared around in awe. “Straight ahead.”
I caught up in time to see her mouth drop open as she entered the kitchen, the huge island sitting square in the middle of the space, and the guy we’d brought back huddled on a bar stool as Dom and Jess’s kids brandished plastic swords at him.
He glanced at us in helpless panic, his lips pressed together as Dom stared at him, huge arms crossed over a wide chest, the very picture of intimidating menace. Dru caught sight of him, and as she squinted at the guy, her blue eye glowed faintly. “Speak,” she said firmly, and the guy’s mouth popped open and he sucked in a deep breath, pathetically grateful as Dom’s arms dropped, his stare markedly confused.
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