Cade: The Boundarylands Omegaverse

by Callie Rhodes

  "Oh, that." Cade swept the trees with his gaze, as he'd been doing since they sat down. "It's just what happens when someone is claimed."

  "Really?" she asked skeptically. "Becoming someone's cattle makes them more content?"

  "Cattle?" That got Cade's attention, and he gave her a hard look. "I'd ask who told you that, but I have a feeling I already know."

  Emily knew there would be no point in telling Cade how many times Sloan had smacked her around, demanding that she allow him to complete his ownership over her. "He said it was like a cattle brand, so everyone would know which heifer was his."

  "That doesn't even make sense," Cade growled. "The omega is the one who chooses to initiate the bite. She's the one who starts the connection."

  "Do you mean the connection like the ones between those omegas and their alphas?"

  Cade nodded. "A connection so strong they say that even death can't break it."

  Emily was taken aback by the uncharacteristically sentimental notion. "Who says that?"

  "I don't know." Another shrug. "People who are more spiritual than me, I guess."

  "So…everyone."

  Cade surprised her by laughing. "Yeah, pretty much."

  For a while, neither of them spoke, Emily digesting this new version of the claiming bite. She had to admit that it sounded nice.

  Better than nice—it sounded wonderful. Especially if an omega really cared about the alpha she shared it with. If her alpha made her feel safe, and protected, and cherished. If his touch filled her with bliss like nothing she'd ever experienced. If she couldn't even imagine a world without him.

  Emily gathered up all of her courage, taking a deep breath.

  "Cade…"

  "Yeah."

  "Would you ever want to be claimed?" It came out as barely more than a whisper.

  Cade stopped his surveillance, his energy palpably shifting as he turned to face her, the chair's rockers moving soundlessly on the porch. He took both her hands in his, but this was not the same as when he'd touched her to reassure her moments ago. This was doubling down on their connection, locking their thoughts and emotions, demanding truth, and promising the same.

  "What are you saying, Emily?"

  Emily bit her lip before repeating the question. "Have you ever thought that you might want to be—"

  "I heard you the first time." He leaned closer. So close that she could feel his warm breath on her forehead. She forced herself to look up and into his eyes. "Tell me what you really meant."

  Emily swallowed. She'd come too far to back out now. "What would you say…if I wanted to claim you?"

  Cade didn't answer. Instead, he pulled her into his lap, sliding one hand behind her neck to kiss her more deeply than she'd ever experienced while the other guided her knees so she was straddling him.

  Emily gasped for breath. Who needed words when their bodies communicated so well?

  She could feel his cock straining against the fabric of his pants, pressing against the cleft between her legs and unleashing a torrent of slick. He pushed the hem of his long shirt up around her waist as she ground against him, moaning. The next rush of slick soaked through their clothes and the slats of the chair and puddled on the floor.

  Oh, wow. She'd never done that before.

  And she'd never felt this way before either.

  Emily was starting to realize that almost everything that had come out of Sloan's mouth had been a lie.

  There was nothing wrong with her. She wasn't frigid or broken. Her body knew exactly how to react to the touch of an alpha.

  But it couldn't just be any alpha—it had to be Cade.

  He was the only one who could make her feel like this. He was the only one who could make her want more—both physically and emotionally.

  And, dear God, did she want more.

  Emily scrabbled for his zipper, her fingers moving clumsily, made awkward by the force of her desire. When she finally managed to pull it free, his cock fell heavily into her hands.

  It was so big…so damned perfect.

  Cade let out a roar and stood up with her in his arms, twisting so that her back was against the cabin's wall. He made short work of his pants, kicking them out of the way. Then he ripped open the shirt she was wearing and pulled it off her.

  Emily wrapped her legs around his hips, rubbing herself against the base of his cock. She could feel her first orgasm building and marveled at the knowledge that it would be followed by more…and more. The well of her desire for Cade was bottomless.

  She would never get enough of him.

  He pulled back a moment to gaze down at her, his body vibrating with a low rumble that was like the purring of a massive, predatory cat. Then he shifted her effortlessly up so that he could take her nipple between his lips, teasing, rolling, nipping until she was crying out and clawing at his back.

  Suddenly he stopped, letting out a growl of need as he lowered her down his body. It was time. They both felt it. Their hunger for each other had overtaken everything until all Emily felt was pure need.

  She writhed against him, her soaking pussy lips sliding along his rigid shaft. "Please," she chanted, barely aware that she was speaking. "Please, Cade, please."

  Cade didn't make her wait. He grabbed her hips and lifted her to him and entered her with a roar, plunging all the way in a single thrust.

  Emily cried out. She had never been filled so completely, both body and soul. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he started to move, his thrusts growing more urgent.

  She couldn't hold back any longer, and as she came Cade swallowed her cries with his kiss. He let the next one echo off the cabin wall.

  But as Emily felt herself starting to crest the third wave—the most powerful one yet—Cade was right behind her. He sunk in all the way to the hilt, and through her screaming, shuddering orgasm, Emily felt him grow even larger inside her.

  Dimly, she was aware that his knot was swelling and locking into place, but instead of subsiding, even more intense waves of pleasure seized her and carried her beyond anything she'd ever imagined, to a place where she couldn't help but let go of all her fears and put her hope and trust in her alpha.

  Emily pressed her mouth to his shoulder, and as her mind seemed to explode into a million brilliant shards, she bit down hard, the sharp tang of blood washing over her tongue.

  And even then, it wasn't done. A new sensation of completion and ecstasy and rightness ripped through her, burning her to ashes and building her up again in the space of a second. But as awareness returned to this new self, Emily knew she was more than she'd been before, that Cade was a part of her now, and always would be. That she was a part of him.

  "Yes!" Cade's roar filled the world around them, rumbling through the ground and shaking the trees.

  And then his mouth found her again.

  Not to kiss, but to claim her as his own.

  Forever.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The sun was already rising high in the sky by the time Cade led Emily to his old truck and helped her up into the passenger seat.

  It was the latest he'd slept in years, but Cade figured he had a pretty damn good reason: they'd spent the entire night making love after giving each other their claiming bite. Hell, after coming in from the porch, they'd fucked in every damn room in the cabin. Cade would have dragged Emily up on to the roof to do it there too if he could be bothered to get the ladder.

  But once he was inside omega, all he could think about was staying there.

  She was his now—really, truly his.

  He was about to close the door when Emily stopped him with a hand on his cheek. The tender gesture might have embarrassed him once, but Cade didn't think he could ever get enough of her love and affection. He leaned in for a kiss that took a little longer than he expected, and when they finally broke apart, Emily closed her eyes and sighed, a sound of pure contentment.

  Cade understood. He felt it too—a settling in his soul, a peacefulness he'd never k
nown before. A sense that everything was perfectly right.

  To say that Cade had never expected to feel anything close to this was putting it mildly.

  It never occurred to him that the hum of tension that had been his constant companion as far back as he could remember would ever fade, even briefly. Until now, he'd thought every alpha felt it, that constant tightness in the muscles, a sensation of building aggression and disquiet that could only be dispelled with violence.

  But when Emily had given him her claiming bite, it was as if a piece of her soul had splintered off and lodged itself deep inside him, soothing away the worst of that anger.

  It wasn't the sort of thought Cade had often, but as he put the truck into gear and backed into the turn next to his house, it felt right.

  There were probably scientists who had studied the chemistry behind bonds like theirs. There had to be doctors who knew the names of the neurotransmitters and hormones that bound an alpha and his omega tightly together.

  But Cade couldn't care less about any of that.

  As far as he was concerned, all their diagrams and equations and studies were just another way of saying what he already knew to be true: that no one could ever take Emily away from him.

  Not today, not next month or next year—not ever.

  Cade would do whatever it took to make sure it stayed that way, to keep his omega safely by his side. Even if it meant asking for help from brothers who'd made it clear he wasn't welcome among their ranks. Even if it meant backing down, eating crow, and—damn, it was going to be tough—keeping his peace and not starting any more fights.

  Cade drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought about what could go wrong. Honestly, all he was hoping for was that when he walked through the doors of Evander's Bar, they weren't waiting to jump him for insulting their omegas' honor, or some such shit.

  Although even if he was ripped to shreds—whether it was by his brothers or by Sloan and his friends—Cade knew he'd die a happy man, and it was all because of Emily. He cast a glance over at her just as a patch of sunlight reached through the trees and lit up her face, turning her eyes to sparkling ice blue, her hair pale fire.

  She was heaven. Perfection. Proof that paradise existed here on Earth.

  Sloan was a damned fool for not seeing the prize that was right in front of his eyes. The way Cade saw it, failing to recognize that Emily was a precious gift from the Fates was almost as unforgivable as trying to tear her down.

  Emily caught him looking at her and flashed him a smile that was no less beautiful because of the tension beneath it. They were only a few miles away from the bar now, which meant there were only a few minutes left to enjoy this blissful silence.

  Seconds later, that silence was shattered by the roar of another truck barreling down the road behind him.

  No, not one truck—three.

  Cade frowned as he focused in on the sound of the engines, the unique whirrs and clicks that acted as a signature for every alpha he knew.

  He had never heard these engines before.

  Cade tightened his grip on the wheel as he glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing nothing but empty pavement bracketed by dense woods on either side. But moments later, a tiny dot came into view, quickly growing into what was unmistakably a jacked-up truck—with another close behind, and a third taking up the rear.

  They were powerful vehicles, and they were coming at him fast—faster than Cade could push his old clunker.

  Damn—why hadn't ever taken care of the thing like Troy had been nagging him to do? Cade rarely drove anywhere but Evander's, so he hadn't seen the point in doing any more than the bare minimum in the way of maintenance—but now those worn gaskets and cracked crankcase weren't doing him any favors.

  He jammed his foot down hard on the gas anyway, and the truck picked up speed—not enough to outrun the trucks behind him, but enough for Emily to notice.

  "What's wrong?"

  Cade hated the fear in her voice and wanted nothing more than to tell her it was nothing, but he couldn't lie to her. The best he could do was try to keep her safe.

  "Put on your seatbelt," he said tightly.

  Emily instantly obeyed, looking out the back window once she'd tested it. "That's Sloan's truck."

  She was only confirming what Cade already feared.

  "We're only a few miles from the bar. Zeke, Maddox, and Aric should already be there." It occurred to Cade that stealing that extra kiss had given the other alphas extra time to get to Evander' s—but also ensured that Sloan was able to catch up. He silently cursed himself. "If we can make it there, we should be in good shape."

  If.

  Cade bore down so hard on the gas it was a wonder he didn't put his foot through the floor, and willed his old truck to go faster.

  Just as he'd feared, it wasn't enough. Before he hit the next curve in the road, Sloan was already on his tail, close enough that Cade could make out the vicious scowl on the man's face.

  If he'd been alone, Cade would have simply hit the brakes and taken Sloan on right then and there. But in the two other trucks behind him were alphas who wouldn't hesitate to snatch Emily away the moment Cade was distracted.

  As he came whipping out of the turn, Sloan smashed into Cade's back bumper, the impact jolting Cade to the core—but he still held on tight to the wheel.

  Shit. They were still nearly three miles from Evander's Bar. There was no way in hell they'd make it the far—the old truck couldn't take another hit like that.

  Somehow, Cade had to find a way. He took advantage of the downhill grade to pick up speed, not letting up on the gas for a second. And still, Sloan managed to gain on him in the next lane. Cade tensed, waiting for his next move—but to his surprise, the other alpha didn't overtake him.

  Probably because he didn't have to. Sloan waited until his grill was barely past Cade's taillights and then wrenched his wheels to the right, smashing hard into the side of Cade's truck and sending them into a spin.

  At this speed, there was no way to correct. "Hold on!" Cade bellowed as his truck slid across the two-lane road as though it was covered in ice, bracing for the impact he knew was coming.

  There was a sudden, deafening sound of twisting metal and breaking glass. The last thing Cade saw was a massive redwood trunk looming straight ahead.

  Then nothing.

  "Cade…"

  It hurt to speak—Emily could manage no more than a choked whisper that made everything hurt. She blinked away the swirling black fog in front of her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw smears of blood on her arms and legs, seeping from what seemed like dozens of tiny cuts. Most of her body ached, but the worst pain stretched across her chest and deep into her rib cage.

  The seat belt.

  No doubt it had bruised the hell out of her ribs, but it had also saved her life, keeping her from flying through the windshield.

  But Cade hadn't been wearing one.

  "Cade!"

  Emily tried to shout, clawing at the buckle, ignoring the pain until she managed to free herself. She twisted to look in the driver's seat—then wished she hadn't.

  Cade was slumped forward over the steering wheel. One arm dangled limp, the other splayed at an unnatural angle onto the dashboard. Blood splattered the console, great splashes of it, and more seeped from a deep gash on his head.

  Emily tried to crawl over the seat toward him, ready to shake him back to life if she had to—but before she could make her limbs move properly, the passenger door was wrenched open, and a meaty hand grabbed her arm. Her scream was cut short when she felt herself yanked out of the truck and into a pair of arms covered in battered leather.

  She didn't need to see his face to know who had her. "Let me go, Sloan!"

  She had to get to her mate. It was the only thing that mattered. But another hard yank was her only answer.

  "I said, let me go!" Emily fought with a strength she never knew she had, hammering Sloan's forearms with her fists, kicking at his shins.
But it wasn't enough.

  "I heard you, whore," Sloan growled, his arms unyielding. "I just don't fucking care."

  With what seemed like barely any effort, he dug his fingers so deep into the muscles of her arm that she howled as he dragged her away from the wreck. She dug her heels into the ground but succeeded only in carving twin furrows into the dirt.

  "You don't understand," she screamed, as Sloan tossed her into the cab of his truck, the impact taking her breath and adding to her bruises. "I have to go to him. He could be dying."

  "Good." Sloan slammed the door shut. "Saves me the trouble. Now I only got one of you left to get rid of."

  Tears stung Emily's eyes as she kicked at the door, but he'd locked it from the outside. She scrambled over to the driver's side, but before she could escape that way, a burly alpha in a hunting jacket appeared and blocked the door with a mocking grin.

  "Don't think so, bitch," he taunted. "We came a hell of a long way to get you back. We ain't gonna let you go that easy."

  Emily frantically tried to get a glimpse of Cade but was blocked by the three alphas clustered around the truck, who were howling with laughter at her pain.

  "Oh, don't be sad, slut," the burly alpha said, grinning to show a mouth full of crooked teeth. "We'll make sure you're not lonely, now that your lover's dead."

  "That's right," the third alpha, a red-haired man with a florid face to match, joined in. "Sloan says that since you've taken up whoring, we can get a taste of that sweet omega slick of yours before he destroys your ass."

  "Don't know why you'd want to," Sloan observed, cracking his knuckles. "That fat pig ain't much to look at."

  Emily kicked harder at the door, thinking of Cade, alone and bleeding. She delivered an especially savage blow to the window, putting all her strength behind it, and a spiderweb of cracks covered the glass.

  "You bitch!" Sloan roared. "What the fuck do you think you're doing to my truck?"

  He appeared to be about to throw open the door and beat her right then and there…but something stopped him.