by Dana Archer
For years, she’d been forced to keep her love for Nic a secret. Some days it had been incredibly hard to be in the same room with him and not gravitate toward him or follow his every move with her gaze. Her indifference had been the only thing that had allowed them to be together.
She completed another circuit around the room and cursed. Had she misread him? If so, what more could she do? There were only a few hours left before his pack stole him from her. Before Maria claimed him.
The front door opened, stopping her sob from forming. She spun. Nic stood in the opening.
“Nic.” She locked her knees to stop herself from running to him, her thoughts a moment ago making her hesitate. “You came back.”
He kicked the door shut. “For the last time.”
Her heart dropped. “So this is it?”
“Yes.”
Nic strode toward her, the bulge in his loose sweats growing more evident with each step. For the first time, the knowledge he desired her didn’t satisfy her. It left her feeling empty. No. She couldn’t overreact. She’d find out the truth, then tell him her idea.
He reached for her. She stepped back. “Why are you here?”
“To finish what I started.” He looped an arm around her and pulled her against him.
She pressed her palms against his chest, holding him at bay before her lust took over completely. They needed to talk. “And that is?”
Hunger flared in the soft glowing depths of his eyes. Like last night, blue overtook the white area of his orbs. The sight tore a gasp from her. He tensed. “What, baby?”
“Your eyes. They’re completely blue.” She might be a pack doctor, but she didn’t know all their secrets. “Except for last night, I’ve never seen yours change.”
“Last night.” Nic grinned. “When we made love?”
“Yes.”
He closed his eyes and chuckled. “You did it, angel.”
“Did what?”
“Fixed me.” He bent and took her mouth in a slow kiss before she could ask what he meant. Her thoughts scattered under his skilled touch. He twined his tongue with hers and ran his hands over her back. Each caress weakened her and tore what little resistance she had down. She curled her fingers into his shirt, holding him closer, and gave herself up to the emotion he urged her to feel.
On and on, he kissed her. Each brush of his lips added to the reverent stroke of his fingers over her body. He wasn’t kissing her good-bye. He was offering her a promise, a future, and a love to last a lifetime. The certainty radiated within her.
“Nic.” She breathed his name against his lips, hoping he understand everything she couldn’t say.
“Yes, Riley.” He skimmed his parted lips to her ear. “I’m yours.”
Her heart raced. “What are you saying?”
He swung her into his arms and strode from the room. Caught off guard, she yelped and looped her arms around his neck.
“Nic, what are…” He focused glowing blue eyes on her. Her question died on her tongue at the realization of what his solid eye color meant. His wolf had risen, and he watched her as intently as the man.
“I’m saying you healed me.” Nic pressed his lips to her forehead. “There’s only one question left to answer.”
She leaned close and trailed her lips over his neck to his ear much the way he’d just done to her. “And that is?”
Instead of answering, he cupped the back of her head, holding her in place, and carried her down the hall. On a click, the door to her bedroom closed. Her back met the mattress a moment later. It dipped with his weight. He crawled over her, propping his bent arms on either side of her face, and stared into her eyes. For several moments, he only held her gaze. Emotions showed in his expression, from carnal to sensual ones, but it was the look of possession on his face that sped her pulse.
“You love me.” Certainty laced his voice.
She nodded. “With all my heart.”
“For eternity. You’ll love me forever, won’t you?”
Riley skimmed her hands under his T-shirt and over his back. “Yes, Nic. In this life and the next.”
He dropped his head to her shoulder. His breath teased her skin, sending sparks along her nerve endings. “I don’t deserve you, Riley.”
She tightened her hold on him. “Didn’t we have this conversation already?”
“You’re right. No more talking, angel. It’s time for me to love you and make you mine.”
He sat back and swept his gaze over her. Her skin burned under his intense perusal. His hands followed the path his visual caress had taken. She squirmed with the desire to escape his teasing but knew escape was the last thing she truly wanted. She desired the fulfillment of the promise she saw in his eyes.
He was going to mate her. Or try to at the very least. Her rational mind tagged on the qualifier, but the intensity of his wolf’s gaze focused on her through Nic’s eyes pushed the debilitating thought aside. For once, both man and beast were on the same page.
She fixed him. Healed his broken soul. Love swelled her heart. She arched her back, offering herself to him. “Please, Nic. Touch me.”
Fingers skimming over her arm, he sat up and studied her body. His groan and the drowsy look of hunger on his face brought a smile to her lips.
He’d always loved her curves. She didn’t doubt he liked the slighter fuller figure she’d developed over the past couple of years. “Do you like my body?”
“Every inch.” He bent his head and pressed his parted mouth to her belly before peeking at her from under her lashes. “It’s mine, baby. No other male will ever see you naked. Only me.”
She licked her lips, hating what she was about to ask but knowing it had to be said. She needed the words. “Does that mean you’re not taking a mate?”
Again, he ignored her question and turned his focus on her, arousing her to the point of torture where nothing besides taking Nic inside her would ease. “Oh, I’m claiming a mate today. I won’t let the opportunity pass.”
Pain tightened her chest. She shoved it back. The uncertainty had no place in her heart. She knew better. Nic’s love was stamped on his face. The memory of the last time he tried to tie them together hung over her, though. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be quite free of it.
And she shouldn’t let it go. Not completely. It made her who she was, a woman who loved a flawed man. Right or wrong, she knew his soul and loved the purity she’d experienced in that brief moment when they were one. She wanted it again.
“Who, Nic? Tell me who will get the honor of loving you.”
He climbed off the bed.
His clothes ripped in his haste to get them off. He let the pieces fall and faced her. She swept her gaze over him in much the same way he had to her. He stood still under her focused study. She forced herself to glance into his face.
The smile he wore gave him a wicked aura. She gripped the sheets, needing something to ground her. He stepped closer. “Do you like what you see, my mate?”
Her breath rushed out. “Me? You chose me?”
He placed one knee on the bed, then the other. In a fluid crawl, he closed the distance between them. Her eyelashes fluttered closed. He dropped his head to the crook of her neck, his rough breaths matching hers.
She linked her arms around his waist, holding him close. “Nic, please. Tell me. Did you choose me?”
“I chose you before I knew anything, not love, not friendship, not power or strength.” He kissed from the bite mark he’d left on her across her shoulder to her throat before nibbling on her earlobe. “I chose you the moment you gripped my hand and said ‘mine’ when we were toddlers. I just didn’t know it.”
“I did. I knew it. You’ve always been mine, just as I’ve been yours.”
“I’m glad. One of us needed to understand the depth of our bond, and know enough to fight for us.” Nic eased back and held her gaze. “You’re my true mate, Riley. Few shifters find their partners or recognize them when they do. You did and helped fi
rst me to see it and then my wolf.”
Tears collected on her lashes. “He’s accepted me?”
“He knows I’m keeping you. He watched while I gave my pack away without fighting me.” He took her hand, twining their fingers. “And I feel him. He’s one with me, right here and now. He feels peace.”
“I do love him too, Nic. He’s a part of you.”
“And soon he’ll be a part of you.” He kissed her throat, his hands roaming over her body. “You’re perfect. My perfect mate.”
“You’re mine. I love you. More than anything.” She sifted her fingers through his hair, toying with the strands and tugging them. The low grumble in his throat rewarded her. She grinned. “But I need you to love me. I feel edgy. Ready to combust. I want you to make me come, and I want you to keep it going until I can’t think beyond the utter ecstasy you make me feel.”
“As your mate, it’ll be my honor to see to your needs.” He slipped his arm under her. “You want to see heaven, I’ll bring it down for you. Wrap it around you. Make it so it’s yours alone.”
“Yes, Nic. I want that.” She massaged his scalp. His hair tickled her hand. Energy danced along her skin, connecting them. From her fingertips to her toes, she came alive as he followed through with his promise of pleasuring her. Her heart swelled on a combination of lust and love only Nic could evoke within her
He bent closer and took her mouth on a groan, twining their tongues and replacing her breath with his. The pace of his kiss quickened as he loved her.
The deep groans only a shifter could make rumbled his chest. He tilted his head and deepened their kiss. Their teeth banged, but sharper fangs descended the longer he melded their mouths. Finally, he tore his mouth away, burying his face into her neck.
“Nic.” A plea, a command, a question. She couldn’t be sure what she asked. She only knew she never wanted the moment to end.
He nibbled his way down her neck, across her shoulder, to the mark he’d left on her four years ago. After today, it would no longer be a scar but a sign of his love she wouldn’t have to hide.
A sob shook her chest. Pleasure, frustration, and love fueled it. He latched on to the spot. His fangs lined up to the raised points. The pressure of his mouth on her skin increased. Sharp pain radiated outward. She would’ve scrambled away if he hadn’t held her down.
“Nic.” Agony made his name come out on a squeak.
The thump of Nic’s heartbeat echoed within her, urging hers into the same rhythm. The soft slide of his soul along hers followed, and the same sense of rightness she experienced once before slipped over her. She had found her home. It was here, in Nic’s arms.
Warmth spread from the center of her chest. She squirmed, the sensation bordering on pain. Fear gripped her as the feeling intensified, but she shoved it away and waited for the tug on her heart as he claimed a piece of her soul.
Utter agony followed by sheer bliss—that was how other mated females explained the process of soul-bonding. It was beautiful and ugly, and meant to be that way. Both halves suffered to enter into the ultimate bond, one that would guarantee them an eternity together.
Before it gripped her, the sound of pounding reached her ears, followed by splintering wood. Nic jerked, releasing her shoulder and the piece of her soul he’d been about to claim. She slammed back into her body. Her breath rushed out. Emptiness and confusion settled over her. She didn’t get the chance to process either.
Nic jumped off the bed. He had his pants pulled on and had tossed a blanket over her naked body before she could do more than relearn how to breathe.
Her bedroom door flung open. Hannah rushed in. Tears streamed down her face. “He’s dead. Our father is dead.”
Chapter 22
Nic’s heart stopped. His first instinct was to deny his sister’s words. The Nicholas Kagan he’d looked up to as a child wouldn’t allow anyone to kill him, not while his pack still needed him. His reign had passed, however, and he’d left hell behind.
“What happened?” Nic asked.
“The Tanner protector was having seizures. I was at Sean’s house when the dominant who was guarding him called. He needed help restraining him. The Tanner wolf kept begging for someone to kill him.” Hannah swallowed hard. “I don’t know what happened after Sean got there, but the Tanner male stumbled outside covered in blood, saying he was sorry. Before anyone could get to him, he slit his own throat.”
“And Sean? Is he dead?”
Hannah shook her head. “No, but he’s hurt. Nona and Jenna are working to stabilize him. They said he’ll be okay.”
But not soon enough to save Nic.
“Oh God.” Riley’s voice came from right behind him.
Not taking his gaze off his sister, he held his hand out to Riley. She stepped next to him but didn’t link their fingers, probably unsure of what role she should play. He twined their hands and drew her into the shelter of his body. They were long past pretending they weren’t involved. A sheet covered her nakedness, but it did nothing to hide the blood on her shoulder.
“Who knows?” he asked.
Hannah scrubbed at her face. “Other than those at the clinic, one of our betas. He’d gotten into a fight the night before and had just pulled into the lot to get patched up.”
Nic cursed. The bloodbath he’d tried to prevent by handing the pack over to Sean would happen anyway if he didn’t act quickly. “We need to contain this. Order everyone into silence until I can figure out who I’m going to have enter the circle tonight.”
Hannah glanced from Riley’s shoulder to his face. “It’s too late, Nic. Our dominants were watching over the clinic, not our protectors. You’d sequestered them here, don’t forget. Quinn and Jared have already gotten up into each other’s faces, saying they would both enter the circle and fight.” She shook her head. “They’re young and stupid. They think they would make a better alpha than any of their elders.”
Quinn, Sean’s younger brother, and Jared, Nic’s younger cousin, were best friends. At least, they used to be. Nic had no doubt they would be again, if Nic could stop them from killing each while trying to prove their worth.
He groaned. Quinn and Jared wouldn’t be the only ones at each other’s throats. Images flashed across Nic’s mind. His other cousins, childhood friends, elders—all dominants. All males who’d be instinctually driven to fill the void their alpha’s death had caused. Whether they wanted it or not, they’d feel the urge to act. Many would resist, especially the mated ones. The others? They’d get caught up in the influence of the full moon and the powerful drives of their wolves.
Nic knew firsthand how hard it was to contain his primal half. Only Nic’s love for Riley had stopped him from giving in. For those males who hadn’t found their true mates, they’d be swayed with the whispers of power Nic himself had experienced when he’d visited the ceremonial circle.
Those dominants would feel invincible.
They’d fight.
They’d die, lose their wolves, and their connection to the pack, all except one.
Dear God, Nic didn’t want that.
Riley squeezed his hand, drawing his attention. He glanced into her face. Worry formed tiny lines around her eyes. She brushed her knuckles over his cheek. “Nic, you have to accept the spirit of the pack.”
“No.” Nic felt his wolf’s agreement. Ever since he’d made love to Riley, he’d been more in sync with his animal spirit than he’d ever been before. The beast loved Riley too, not the same way Nic did, but its respect for her was strong. She’d saved them. “I’m not becoming alpha. I can’t.”
Riley stepped in front of him and pressed her palms to his chest. He automatically linked his hands around her waist, holding her close. “Yes, you can. You must.”
“I won’t take a shifter mate. I love you, only you.”
She slid her hands over his chest and clasped them behind his neck. “And I love you, but we have to do this. You’ll feel horrible if any of our pack dies tonight taking the positio
n meant for you.”
“We?” He shook his head. “We can’t happen if—”
“We will happen, and once we’re mated, we’ll try to conceive a child. I think I’ve found a procedure that’ll help us. It’ll turn me into a surrogate. The child I’ll carry will be yours and Jenna’s baby. I’ve already asked her. She agreed.”
“A baby”—he swallowed hard—“with Sean’s mate? How? I won’t touch her, Riley. I don’t know—”
“A doctor will harvest her eggs and implant them along with your sperm into my Fallopian Tubes. Our baby will be conceived within my body during the night of the full moon. He just won’t carry my genes.”
Nic let her words repeat in his head. Hope rose, but so did disbelief. “I know of a male with a human mate. I’d spoken to him, hoping to figure out a way to be with you. They tried all kinds of infertility treatments. Nothing worked.”
“Are you talking about the couple from your cousin’s pack in Ohio?”
“Yes.”
“I read over their records. They didn’t try GIFT. They also didn’t use a pack doctor. A human doctor wouldn’t understand the restraints of a shifter conception.”
He shook his head. “But they’d paid extra to bring doctors in on the full moon to perform the treatments.”
“Yes, but they all overlooked one aspect, the most important one that ensures shifter females aren’t impregnated by anyone besides their mates.”
He went over her words and groaned at the obvious answer. “That conception must happen naturally.”
“Yes. GIFT allows that. It just brings the egg and sperm together. Nature takes over afterward. Biologically, my womb isn’t different from a shifter’s. Only our eggs are.” She rose on her tiptoes and pulled him closer. He bent, bringing them eye to eye. “I can’t guarantee that this’ll work, but I truly believe it will.”
The hope in her eyes compounded his. He brushed his fingertips over her cheek, awed by how far she would’ve gone to win his wolf’s commitment. He was glad she hadn’t mentioned her ideas earlier. After the pain he’d caused her, he never wanted her to think he was only with her because of a child she may or may not conceive.