Strength Enduring (Talon Pack Book 8)

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Apparently, his dick was ready to go because he was so hard he was about to burst. He shifted slightly, and her gaze went down to his lap, her eyes widening when she caught sight of his erection tenting the sheets.

  “I’m almost healed completely. You said you weren’t sore. Somehow, we’ll take it slow and see what happens.” He leaned forward again, and this time, he kissed her lips.

  She pulled away slightly, her eyes dark with lust. “I’m not sore. I can take it easy on you if you want.”

  He growled low, loved the way that her eyes widened when he did so. She was getting used to this whole paranormal thing, and he liked that he was the one helping introduce her to the new things. Yes, she had her friends, but he was part of her life now, too. He didn’t know how he’d become so addicted to her so quickly, but here he was. She was in his bed. Their bed. And all he wanted to do was have her in his arms.

  “We can talk about that whole commanding thing you mentioned if you want.”

  She bit her lip, and he let out a groan. He loved those lips. “We can try. Maybe. But since you’re the one who’s hurt, maybe I should do the ordering around.” She winked as she said it.

  This time, he growled louder, and she laughed. Then she was on her back, and he was on top of her, kissing her as if he couldn’t stop; as if he were a man starved for her. Because he was.

  But, somehow, she got the upper hand. Suddenly, he was on his back, and she was between his legs, her mouth on his cock. He groaned, his hand sliding through her hair as he fought not to pump his hips. The woman knew exactly how to take care of him, knew exactly what he wanted. And he was learning what she wanted just as much. How he’d thought he could stay away from a mate, how he thought he’d be able to fight her off, he didn’t know. But there was one thing he did know, he fucking loved her mouth.

  And damn, he was starting to fucking love her, too.

  She cupped his balls in her hand and looked up at him, her mouth around his dick, and her eyes looking so fucking sexy he knew he’d blow his load if he weren’t careful.

  “You want me to come in your mouth or in you?” He should be talking sweetly to his mate, but she wanted orders, she wanted him. That meant she got him. All his ice and crass.

  She let go of his dick with a wet pop. Fuck. That was way too sexy. As it was, he had to reach down and squeeze the base of his cock so he didn’t come on her face or her tits right then. He was a wolf, not an animal.

  “You’re a shifter. I thought you had all of that stamina I hear about from the girls. Why not both?”

  He let out a rough laugh, his dick twitching his in hand. “Then you better get back to blowing me, mate.”

  She rolled her eyes. “So romantic.”

  “Please go back to blowing me?” he asked.

  “That’s polite. Not romantic. But I’ll take it.” Then she took him in, and he closed his eyes, trying to keep his mind on what he was doing and not the fact he was falling for her. And when she did something special with her tongue, he came. Hard.

  He opened his eyes, his body practically shaking, and before he could flip them over so she was on her back, she was on top of him with his back to the headboard.

  “You’re injured, remember? Let me take care of you.”

  So he grabbed her hips and helped her slide down his already recovered length. He was always hard when it came to Dhani and they both knew it.

  “I can do that.” He groaned when she rocked her hips. “I can do that,” he repeated; this time, his words coming out in pants.

  “This is me taking care of you,” she whispered before biting down on his ear. Then she pulled back slightly, and he was able to take one hand, lower his head, and bring her breast up to his mouth. He sucked, licked, and bit down.

  He loved his mate’s taste. So damn much.

  She looked up then, her eyes dark, her mouth parted. He slid his hand from her breast to between them. When he played with her, she sucked in a sharp, shallow breath and came. And because she squeezed his cock, because he could feel her orgasm through the mating bond, he came again.

  And then they were lying together on his bed, on their bed, and he knew he’d fight to the death for her. He’d fight the world for her.

  He’d fight himself for her.

  And he had no idea how it had happened.

  The next day, Kameron was almost completely healed, yet a small part of him wanted to play injured so his mate could take care of him in their bed. Later that day, they were going to completely move her out of the small cottage and into his house. That way, someone else could have her place, and they could try to figure out how they were going to be mates in this new world. Yes, things were moving quickly, but for a race of immortals, things tended to move fast whenever bonds and magic were involved.

  But he hadn’t played sick or hurt. Instead, he walked her to the school so she could work and kissed her softly. He ignored the literal wolf whistles and knowing looks. No one had ever seen him like this. But they would just have to get used to it. He would have to get used to it, as well.

  Now, he was back to the grind…being the Enforcer. He was back in his office at the soldier barracks rather than the one at his house. When he was working, he liked to be surrounded by his men and women even if he wasn’t talking to them. He wanted to be available if they had any questions or if he needed to order them to do something. And though there wasn’t as much important paperwork or as many comfortable areas as there were in his home office, he was still able to get some work done before and after his patrols.

  Max was by his side, frowning over some notes, but that wasn’t anything new. His cousin was constantly frowning over notes as he tried to figure out exactly what needed to be done. In a way, Max was becoming his second in command. They hadn’t meant for it to happen, but over the past few years, Kameron had found himself relying on his cousin more and more. Max was smart, determined, and had truly needed a role beyond being a council member after everything that had happened. Kameron had realized that the two quietest Brentwoods of the bunch had come together—still quiet but determined.

  But at least he knew Max wasn’t alone.

  “I hate that we feel like we’re missing something. Because I only scented our people and humans out there. But there was that slight trace of magic. And I don’t know if I would’ve scented if I hadn’t been looking for it. And then I think I only scented it because I was looking for it. Maybe it wasn’t there at all.” Kameron growled. “I’m getting a headache.”

  Max gave him a look before shaking his head. “You sure the headache isn’t because you were just thrown to the ground because of a bomb? Because no matter how many times you say it was just a small bomb, it was still a bomb. You sure Dhani’s okay?”

  “If she wasn’t fine, I sure as hell wouldn’t be here. I’d probably be outside the den tearing off faces or right by her side. I’m just so fucking angry that someone was able to set the bomb off in the first place. Because that means one of my men or women didn’t notice. That means we’re still fucking up even though we’re still on high-alert. And that means that Blade is still getting the upper hand. Because even though I scented human, I still feel like it has to do with that man.”

  “Or maybe you’re just connecting Blade to everything bad that goes on here. Because you and I both know it’s not just some whacko Alpha who’s out to get us. Even though the laws changed, not all humans are happy with us. And there’s still that human faction that wants us dead—dead or trapped in cages. They might be quiet, but only for the media. They’re loud as hell online and in the threatening notes they send.”

  Max was right. The human contingent that hated anything that wasn’t normal was still out there. They might not be at all out war with the humans, and the government might be on the wolves’ side for now, but not everyone was happy. That was why he and Dhani had mated the way they had. And though the whole show had been because some humans weren’t happy, Kameron wasn’t sure any of it had been
for a good reason. Because now, some were reporting that Dhani was in danger by being with him. Or at least being near the Pack. Some didn’t believe that she was mated in—or married as some reporters called it since they refused to use the term mating. And still others were calling for her to be taken out of the equation completely.

  Not necessarily death, but hidden away from anything that could be attached to the paranormal. Her parents had been quiet on the media front for the past couple of days, but their initial pleading to have their baby girl back was on rotation on some news sites. And that meant that everything was still fucked up. Because it had been the humans who attacked them, at least from what he could tell by scent. He wasn’t sure about the magic. Wasn’t sure about anything honestly, but he had scented human.

  “Hey, boss, you’re going to want to see this.” Tino came in and turned on the TV that was in Kameron’s office. Dave was right behind Tino, a fierce expression on his face as he folded his arms over his chest.

  “Shit.” Kameron pinched the bridge of his nose, forcing his wolf back so he didn’t growl or slash at his desk.

  The news anchor went on and on about the proposed note that had been sent to them from the human contingent that was against the wolves. They didn’t have a proper name or title yet, but Kameron knew it was coming. All terrorist organizations had a distinction, even if it was one made up by the media. And that’s what this contingent was. A terrorist organization. According to them, they knew that the human women attached to the wolves were not safe. And they said they would stop at nothing to make sure they were safe. They hadn’t come out and taken responsibility for the bomb, but they might as well have. The media had alluded to it.

  Because the ramifications of that act were on the human side. And Kameron was pissed.

  “We’re going to need to talk to Gideon because I have no idea what to do next. Because this isn’t just a rival Pack attacking us. This isn’t just the paranormal. Now, we’re getting into politics and humans and everything that doesn’t have anything to do with us. But in the end, they tried to hurt my mate. So if I don’t talk to Gideon and have my Alpha calm me down, I’m going to fucking kill someone right now.”

  “Then let’s go to the house. We can get the family there—or at least some of them.” Max started tidying up his notes while Kameron looked over at Tino and Dave. They weren’t part of the upper hierarchy but were still part of Kameron’s team. He trusted them, probably more than he trusted anyone outside of his immediate family. They had always been there, had always protected Dhani even when she had just been coming into the den to visit her friends. They’d always been there to watch over her when Kameron didn’t know she was his mate. Because it had taken a while after meeting her for the mating bonds to be fixed so they could even feel that tug, that pull.

  And that meant he trusted the two men with his mate, part of his soul.

  He would do his best to make sure they understood that, even if he was so damn angry right now he couldn’t put it into words.

  “I know you guys have patrol today before you head out for sentry duty to keep on the lookout. I’ll keep you guys in the loop once we figure out what’s going on. Thanks for letting me know about the broadcast. I probably would’ve heard about it later, but I’m glad you guys are keeping me up-to-date.”

  Tino raised his chin. “No problem, Kameron. I don’t particularly like the fact that they’re using Dhani as their symbol when her community was the one that pushed her out in the first place.”

  “We’ll take care of her,” Dave added. Then the two men walked out of the office, and Kameron and Max followed soon after.

  Kameron texted Gideon as he walked, only bumping into a couple of people who were also texting and walking. Usually, others gave him a wide berth, inherently avoiding him when it came to his wolf and his position. But, apparently, mating Dhani had changed things. He still wasn’t quite sure if he liked that. People needed to be slightly afraid of him for him to protect them properly. He was going to have to find that balance again. He just hoped Dhani understood.

  And there it was again, him putting her first. He knew that’s what he needed to do, but it was still weird not putting the Pack and their safety above all else. He would just have to get used to it like he had been getting used to everything recently.

  His brother was already at the front of the house, the door open, when Max and Kameron made their way to Gideon’s. His Alpha didn’t look happy, of course. He never did these days unless he had his baby or his mate in his arms.

  “Come inside. It’s just the three of us for now because the others are all working or on their own patrols. We’ll let them know what happens, but we need to figure out what the fuck we’re going to do. Because no matter how many times I take a stand, it’s not working. And the idea of having to hurt someone in order for them to take us seriously…I know it’s going to make things worse in the end. Frankly, I don’t like the fact that we don’t have any true evidence about who attacked us yet again. Because this time it wasn’t magic, despite the fact that you think you might have scented it.”

  “I can’t tell you for sure. It could’ve just been a trace of the wards or another witch. It’s not like we can truly figure out the difference between each witch these days. It takes a witch to know exactly what kind of magic is being used, and that’s not something I can do. I know that we have more witches in our soldier ranks now as our Pack grows stronger, but it’s not enough. And at this point, I’m not certain it’ll ever be enough.”

  “And I thought I was the pessimist,” Max said quietly from his side.

  Kameron flipped him off, and it was a testament to Gideon’s frayed nerves that his brother didn’t say anything or even flip Max off, too.

  “Even if there was a touch of magic, there were humans here. That means that humans hurt my mate. And it’s taking everything within me now not to go after them. Not to make them aware that they can’t attack us again. Not to prove that we are the nightmares they fear.”

  Gideon gave him a look, and the three of them talked about what was to come and the threat. The entire time, his brother and Alpha never gave him the order not to attack those who dared to hurt his mate. Because Gideon shouldn’t have to. Kameron was the Enforcer, he wasn’t supposed to make stupid moves like that.

  But he was afraid if he weren’t careful, he might just break everything that he’d built because no one was allowed to hurt what was his.

  And though he had tried to run from it, though he’d tried to find another way, Dhani was his. And he would protect her. No matter the cost.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Dhani yawned as they walked into their bedroom. She was still getting used to calling it theirs rather than his, but she was making a choice to actively put herself into this new life instead of passively letting it pass her by. Kameron ran his hand along her hip before giving it a pat.

  “Are you tired? We can head to bed if you want. I can look over some notes while you sleep.”

  She stopped walking and looked up at him. “Really? That sounds so domestic.”

  He shrugged. “We’re in the middle of a shadow and political war. My mate’s tired, and I have work to do. I don’t mind sounding domestic if it means you get some sleep.”

  Yes, she was falling for this man. No…she’d already fallen for him.

  And times like these just proved it. How had she thought that Kameron was standoffish? He might play the icy Enforcer, but there were so many layers to him that it was hard for her to keep up.

  “You know…I’m not that tired.”

  He smiled down at her. “Oh, really?”

  “Really. I mean, we’ve probably worn out the bed at this point, but for a man who claims he likes it rough and wants to rock my world, you haven’t taken me against the wall yet. Or the door. Or on a table. Or—”

  She didn’t have time to finish her sentence because Kameron’s mouth was on hers, and his claws—his actual claws—were tearing off her
clothes. Then her back was against the door, and she was tugging on his shirt. Somehow, he was able to hold her up with one hand to strip off his clothes, as well. Thank the goddess for shifters and their strength and claws.

  When he slid into her with one thrust, she actually came. Just like that. She would have been embarrassed, but Kameron was fucking her too hard, too fast into the door for her to find the emotion.

  Instead, she dug her nails into his back, knowing she was breaking the skin, knowing he liked it from the way his glowing eyes met hers.

  “Hard enough?” he growled.

  “It’s everything,” she said honestly. What more was there to say?

  “Play with yourself. Make yourself come, and then we’ll go to our boring bed, and I’ll fuck you again.”

  She bent forward and bit his lip, loving the way he grinned. “There’s nothing boring about you, Kameron. And you know it.”

  “Damn straight.”

  Then he made her come.

  Again.

  And again.

  And as they lay in each other’s arms afterward, she knew that Kameron was almost asleep, and that was why she felt as if she could say the words. The words she knew she could keep to herself even though, deep inside, her soul already knew the answer.

  “I love you,” she whispered. She loved his strength, his humor, his ice. She loved him.

  But he didn’t answer.

  And because she could hear the deep sounds of his breath, the slight growl he made in his sleep, she wasn’t sure he’d heard her. But that was just as well because she wasn’t sure she could bear to hear the answer to those words—if there was one. The time would come, she knew. But until then, she would be his mate, be a part of the Pack, and try to find her place in this new world.