by J. C RIMELL
Chapter Sixty-One
Ryker felt lost. Swallowed up by a rip tide so huge he was drowning in it. He didn't spend much time with women in that way, not since losing his leg. But when Madeleine arrived something changed inside of him. He fell for her at once. She was everything he would or could ever want in a mate if not for his pledge to the Society.
Beautiful, intelligent, caring, hell, the list was endless. They became friends. She was recovering from the vicious rogue wolf attack and he was healing from having his leg amputated. It became easy between them, even though she'd never know what had truly brought them together.
And despite his deep down attraction toward her, which, until the moment they shared that kiss it had all been fine.
Now he'd blown it.
Now it felt awkward and complicated. Even with her looking at him the way she was, her gaze soft and searching. He just couldn't bring himself to give in to her, to it―whatever it was.
“Listen, Madeleine―”
“Ah, there you are.” Fleet's voice cut him off and he turned to see his Alpha walking toward him with Gabrielle Robinson.
Shit.
“Hello again, Ryker.” Gabrielle's voice was warm and held a seductive taint when she said his name. He couldn't deny the slight race of his pulse as he looked her up and down. Dressed in a fitted blouse and tight black jeans that graced her athletic curves tucked into black, knee-high leather boots, she sure knew how to turn heads.
Clearing his throat, he pulled the peak of his cap down lower. “Hi,” he said feeling more than a little awkward. “I forgot we have a meeting this morning.”
She smiled, making her pale green eyes sparkle. “Yes, I've been looking forward to it.”
Ryker felt Madeleine's scolding glare on him, and his wolf whined beneath the heat of it. Fleet's gaze narrowed in suspicion as his eyes darted between the two of them.
“I'll take Agent Robinson to the Comm room while you finish up here.” Fleet offered, directing Gabrielle back up the tunnel.
“Don't.” Madeleine cut him off with a sharp bite when he turned back toward her. Intuition told her exactly where this conversation was heading. She hadn't missed the way he'd looked at that woman, and she couldn't blame him. “It's fine. It meant nothing to either one of us. Just forget about it.”
Brushing past him she left him little chance to reply as she marched away. Not that he knew what the hell to say anyway, her serrated reply had severed his nerve. Yanking off his cap he rubbed his short hair, wishing to Christ he wasn't such an idiot. He wasn't cut out for this crap, besides, he'd made the pledge and she deserved far better than him anyway...
He was incomplete.
Inadequate.
Defective.
He ignored the blood as it oozed from the deep lacerations in his fist after punching a hole in the concrete wall. His knuckles ballooned as he headed straight for the Comm room to deal with another complication.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Having called a meeting later in the day, Fleet watched his pack filter into the communications room. To his annoyance, the air was uncomfortable to say the very least. He felt the density like a cloud of mist. Full of awkwardness, tiredness, lust, mixed emotions that swarmed around him making him feel like his head was about to explode.
He pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to stop a migraine before it could take hold. “Murphy, I could use a little help right now,” he hinted at the shifter who was standing in the corner of the room. He seemed to be trying to avoid the suffocation of mental stimuli that was as confusing as it was overbearing.
The tall male flipped up his wraparounds with a grunt. “Jesus,” he muttered under his breath. The intensity of the vibes emanating off some of the pack hit him like nuclear radiation.
These guys needed to sort shit out, he thought quietly, stunned by his fellow pack members' emotional baggage. There was some seriously heavy stuff going on right here. Not that he'd ever say such a thing, he was a man of few words at the best of times.
Ryker and Madeleine appeared to shuffle in their seats. Both trying to dampen down their feelings and get their heads in the game before Murphy could penetrate their personal firewalls. Gunner avoided eye contact with Cade. He'd turned his chair so his back was to the guy and gazed forward at his Alpha, clamping down on his jealousy before it could be read. He'd heard about the female Cade was taking for his mate. It stung like a bitch. The reality of Cade never being his, never feeling the same way he did was the final nail in his fucking coffin.
Cade had only one thing on his mind. He couldn't wait to get back to Kit and carry out all the things darting around his brain. He fidgeted to try to douse his arousal and quieten down the sexual desire flooding his veins but found it an arduous task.
“Why do I feel like I'm in here with a bunch of teenagers?” Fleet's voice held an exhausted timbre, his deep scowl matching his mood. Nevada, Delta and the youngsters of the pack shared confused, fleeting glances and shrugs of bewilderment. Hell if they knew what was going on.
“We've got some serious shit to deal with. Right now, the vampire who's taken Jo is leagues away.” He moved away from the conference table and started to pace behind his chair. “There's no room for all this horse crap.” His eyes swung to Cade. “No matter what, we're shifters and we are duty bound to protect our race.”
Cade held his Alpha's intimidating stare and nodded in agreement. After all, once Kit was turned, she would be a part of their family, their community. And if he ever accepted the role of Overseer in the future, then he had some pretty big boots to fill.
“Right now, I need a second I can rely on, and I'm giving you that role, Cade.” He paused, all eyes in the room swinging from their Alpha back to Cade. Nevada whistled low. Fleet's eyes narrowed in silent challenge. “Think you can handle that?”
A silence gathered, but the vibe in the atmosphere remained calm. Murphy was working his magic. A good thing too, because Gunner would have flipped out big time and most likely still would once he was released from under Murphy's spell.
Cade knew the Overseer had a hand in this and he had two choices; accept the position and do things his way or back down and answer to a meat head like Gunner. Pushing his seat away, he stood up and walked over to Fleet. He felt each set of eyes following his every stride. He offered his hand to his leader in acceptance. “Yeah,” he said with a cool air of arrogance, “I can handle that.”
Fleet hesitated. He wasn't sure Warden's suggestion of giving Cade such a weighty position within the pack was a good idea. But having little choice he had to go with it. After all, the male was destined for far greater things than just being an Alpha's second. He gripped Cade's hand firmly and with a jolt of his own power, he let him know who was still in charge. “Don't let me down.”
§
Kit strolled leisurely around Cade's quarters. It was minimalistic, with only basic requirements such as a modern black and gray, granite top kitchen with a table and a solitary chair. The living room was large with two leather sofas, a natural wood coffee table and a bookcase full of motorcycle magazines like Hog Tales, Enthusiast, and Speed.
The almond walls and neutral colored furnishings kept it light and airy despite being windowless. There was no natural light in many of the rooms in the lower levels. Most of the premises was built into the rock-face.
Having found herself in his bedroom, it was a vibrant teal and a vast contrast to the rest of the accommodation. She gazed at a photo of a man and woman holding a small boy, the glass frame was set atop a deep, oak chest of drawers. She figured as they shared physical similarities to Cade, the adults must be his parents. The boy was most definitely Cade, but smooth faced and happy, no scar tarnishing his skin or his bright eyes.
A pain coiled in her chest as she lingered over the photo, bringing thoughts of her parents and mostly her missing aunt to the forefront of her mind. Feeling tears swell in her eyes she moved away. She ran a hand over the crisp cotton duvet splayed a
cross a large bed made of heavy, dark wood with a carved headboard. Resisting the temptation to sprawl like a cat over the covers she walked across the smooth, hardwood floor to the bathroom.
She flipped on the light and her brows bowed in surprise. The room was floor to ceiling in beautiful blue tiles that seemed to sparkle and shimmer like the ocean. In the middle was a sunken tub like a pool, housing jets, and corner seats.
She examined the expansive walk-in shower. It housed an extra wide head above and jets in the wall, there was a huge dent above them and a dozen tiles were missing. Deciding a nice hot drench might do her some good, she slipped out of her hospital gown and turned on the water. Walking in under the warm spray, it hit her bare skin all over. She sighed heavily as she tried to evade the emotional onslaught attempting to swallow her up.
Tilting her head back, Kit soaked her hair and let the heat of the jets shooting against her spine help her unwind. She tried to assure herself they would find Jo. That Cade and his comrades would track down the bastard that had taken her and bring her home safe.
Cade heard the sound of the shower running. He could smell his soap, hear Kit's beating heart, and his wolf howled deep inside. Prowling through his quarters to the bedroom, he placed the tray of food he'd prepared for her on the nightstand and went over to the bathroom. Standing in the doorway, he had to scoop his jaw back up off the floor. Kit's head was tilted back onto her shoulders with her eyes closed, her hands combing the suds out of her hair. His hungry gaze following the frothy bubbles that trailed along the column of her throat, down over her breasts.
Ah, hell.
He leaned against the doorjamb and took a minute to drink in her beauty.
Walking over slowly, already gone half wolf he was lost in her grace, in her every sigh. A man possessed, nothing would tear him away from her now and he hadn't a hope in hell of getting his wolf to heal. He edged closer; she opened her eyes with a slight gasp of surprise and Cade felt the sharp jab of her pain like a blade to his chest.
“You're crying,” he said in an untamed growl he couldn't mask. Stopping just short of her, he gripped his wolf with an unbreakable hold.
“Cade,” she sobbed his name as she reached out and tugged his T-shirt. Unable to deny her, he stepped in fully clothed and crushed her wet body against the jets, the water bubbling beneath her. He reached up and gently wiped away her warm tears with his hands, his big body all encompassing.
“Baby, it's okay.” He planted a kiss on the top of her head. “Jesus.” He spat out a ripe curse as a pang of her sorrow struck him like a spear, bringing his inner beast to a sharp halt. This was real now, she'd been through hell and back. He suddenly felt useless. How could he make her feel better? How could he take away her hurt?
He searched her bright, blue gaze that mirrored the mesmerizing color of the tiles, but despite their beauty he found only one thing hankering in their endless depths.
Burning desire.
Kit hated to admit to herself that she needed someone to lean on. But right now she needed Cade's strength both mentally and physically. After everything that had happened, she was a wreck. Regardless of his blood flowing through her veins, energizing her, repairing her body, giving her extra sensory ingenuity, she needed him. Kit gripped his T-shirt tighter. “Make me yours,” she whispered against his lips that had somehow found their way to hers.
The spray of the water overhead soaked his back, his clothes. He knew what she was asking. A need to escape the pain, make her forget and he would gladly do it if it eased her worries for even the shortest amount of time. Kit was his, and he'd move heaven and earth to protect her and keep her safe. He was selfish, taking her when perhaps she was emotionally vulnerable. But as his wolf growled and clawed at his skin, Cade couldn't fight the visceral urge any longer.
Reaching up, he removed his T-shirt over his head, her smooth hands lifting the hem to ease its departure. She moaned softly as the heat of his naked torso pressed up tight against her breasts, her chest heaving with jagged breaths. Cade's eyes were luminous pools, and as he threw aside his drenched T-shirt, Kit braced herself. Reality settled in amidst the charged, steamy air around them. With his bare flesh pushed up against her own, wet and hot as the water rained down on them both, she steeled her nerves.
Holding on to his thickly carved biceps, his fingers knotted through the ends of hair and tugged back her head allowing him full access to her mouth. Seeing the gleam of his sharp teeth, she swallowed in anticipation.
His top lip drew back a little in a smile and he licked a fang. “Don't be scared, baby,” he said, his voice laced with seduction. “It'll be better than in your dream, I promise.” A deep chuckle and a crackle of heat flashed in his molten gaze before his mouth covered her own. He stole her breath as his tongue swept across the seam of her lips, his tongue demanding and hot as he pushed inside. It was a kiss so unlike any they'd already shared.
This was the real him. No holds barred. Full of appetite and fervor and she thought she'd died and gone to hell because good boys surely didn't kiss this way. Kit was learning fast that Cade was a lethally, dangerous male. A magnificent and dominant shifter and she felt at complete ease wrapped within his powerful embrace.
§
Gunner stared up at the countless stars stretched out above him. His breathing was labored, and he was covered in a blanket of sweat having run himself hard in the woodland from the compound toward the ocean. Gathering the jersey track pants he'd stashed aside before his run, he slipped into them. He tugged the drawstring tighter but left them undone as he headed barefooted into the den.
He'd been plagued for the last few hours, unable to escape the images floating around his brain. Cade was with his female. Gunner didn't need a special snout to scent the arousal in the air as he strolled down the tunnel to his quarters, passing Cade's on the way.
Fuck.
He turned around.
His bare feet chewing up corridor after corridor until he found himself exactly where he wanted to be. The red glow of the night lights lit up the tunnel to the holding cells, allowing the prisoners to sleep in relative darkness. If they slept at all. His sight had turned predator and immediately located his prey within the secure room.
Just a fleeting moment of hesitation pinched his conscience before he used the biometric scanner and accessed the cell where Daniel, the Other lay sleeping.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Cade's large hands cupped her thighs and lifted her up. She hooked her legs around his waist, the very core of her pressing against his stomach. He needed out of his soaked jeans that were threatening to castrate him. His erection was thick and hard against the wet fabric as he carried Kit out of the shower, knocking off the water on his way. Trying not to slip, he made it across the bathroom tiles and into the bedroom, the hardwood flooring proving just as treacherous.
Laying her wet body beneath him, he allowed a little room to undo his belt buckle and shucked down his jeans which stubbornly clung to his legs like a goddamned second skin. A growl escaped him in frustration until his boots were gone and finally, so were his jeans.
Then he went rigid.
His erection was poised at her entrance and he took a fleeting second to look at her face. Her hooded eyes held a quiet demand he would not, could not refuse. He lowered his head to the slope of her shoulder. His tongue snaked along her silky, soft skin, the feel of it far surpassed that of their dream. Reaching her ripe, taut buds atop perfect mounds, he whipped his tongue over one and then coiled it around the other. Her moan was lustful, her body bowing beneath him as he tweaked and rolled and sucked at her.
He continued down onto the smooth plateau of her stomach. “Jesus, Kit, I want to be inside you,” he murmured, his voice strangled. Her fingers tightened in his hair as his hand slipped between her legs. Taking his time, he came back to the sleek pillar of her throat while his hand delved a little further until he reached the hot, wet core of her. “I've never felt like this with anyone, Kit.” It wa
s a free admission and a feeling that completely staggered him.
She writhed beneath him, wanting to feel him, to ride the wave that was crashing deep inside of her. He was holding back, she could feel his restraint, see the tight cords in his neck bulging in protest against his skin. “I want you. All of you, Cade, please take me.”
He savored the heat of her on his fingers as she pushed herself onto him, and Christ as he felt her tiny muscles coil and squeeze he nearly lost it. She began a steady rocking motion and he let her set the tempo, his hand rotating against her swollen nub. Her breathy mewling swept across his ear, sending an erotic spark down into his groin.
“Bite… me...” she pleaded softly.
Ah, hell. “Kit?” The man didn't want to rush her, she was a virgin, her body wasn't ready.
“Do it!” A scorching, breathy demand against his skin making his wolf overthrow Cade's conscience.
Withdrawing his hand, he lowered himself and reveled in the way she clamped her legs tight around his ass, bringing them closer together. The broad head of his cock nudged against her moist entrance as he placed his mouth on the curve of her neck. Her pulse beat on the tip of his tongue as he eased himself inside of her in one, unhurried thrust.
Then he bit down.
Kit cried out in what was a heady cocktail of pleasurable pain. The glorious intrusion of Cade's body into her own was like nothing she'd ever known. He was huge, and he filled every inch of her. His first thrust was a flash of white heat. His bite was a sharp assault that stole the breath from her lungs. Just when she thought she could no longer take it, a warm feeling drenched her. Made her insides go slack with a tide of sheer ecstasy that swept her away until she was lost amongst the stars and her senses awash with perpetual bliss.
Kit's fragrant blood filled his mouth. As he swallowed the taste was delicious, a ripe, sweet fruit on his tongue that was intoxicating. Her wails became gentler cries as he moved inside of her. She clung on to his shoulders, his big body crushed against her breast and Kit's blood seeped into every nerve ending, into every beat of his pulse. Feeling her pleasure twined with his own was like a sensory overload. Bringing back his head, he roared as she came, greedily milking the length of him with her need. Unable to leash the volcanic wave that tightened at the base of his cock he relented, pushing deeper, faster. He caught her heated gaze as it flicked up to his and their eyes locked and held. A joining of souls as his release rushed through his body like a rip tide. He came biting off a fierce growl as she wrung him dry.