by J. L. Madore
Jaxx leans back from studying the screen of the laptop and makes a face. “West.”
Hawk’s brow arches. “Seriously? That’s what you’re giving me? West is rather vague. The fourteen missing kids come from all over the country.”
Jaxx nods. “Maybe so, but the companies being contracted for the unexplained construction and renovation equipment are all on the west coast, Olympia, Portland, Seattle. The storage warehouse in your name that you say you never purchased is in Eugene, Oregon. I’m assuming that since Calli’s drow biker buddies ran the guns and girls up and down the coast of California, the Black Knight is operating along the Pacific Coast.”
My bear lets off a rumble. “That’s my home territory.”
Hawk puts the phone back to his ear. “We’re starting you at a warehouse in Eugene, Oregon. Jaxx will text you the addie. I want a carefully selected covert team on this, Lukas. We’re investigating our own people. I don’t want this getting back to whoever it is before we catch them in the act.”
I signal for Hawk to give me the phone. To my surprise, he doesn’t hesitate. “Hey, Lukas, it’s Brant. I’ve got a sleuth-mate with a cattle ranch outside Junction City. It’s only fifteen miles from the warehouse in Eugene. You could land without tipping off anyone that you’re in the area. Travis and his sons can go into town and rent a couple of trucks and have them waiting for you when you arrive.”
Lukas agrees and Hawk gives me the nod to go ahead. I hand the phone back and pull out my cell. If Darkside assholes think they can fuck around in ursine territory and not face the music, they’ve got another thing coming. As my Alpha is so fond of saying…
We’ve got the right to bear arms and the right to arm bears.
Calli
Despite Kotah’s pep talk in the clearing, after my washout attempt at shifting, my heart remains weighed down by the failure. Darkside assassins won’t pause their plans to give me time to find my inner fire goddess. They’ll continue coming at us. Me being the weakest link puts all of them in danger. I don’t want them dying to protect me. I want to be strong enough to protect myself and keep them safe too.
My skin remains hot to the touch as I wipe my brow with the back of my wrist. Now that I flamed out and we’re hiking through the trails of Kotah’s forest, I’m hot and sticky and—I lift my arm and perform a quick sniff test—yep need another shower.
Images of my morning session with Hawk make my girlie parts tingle. He is aggressive and sexy and as much as I enjoyed everything about our time in the shower, I want a chance to explore his body and be tender with him.
He doesn’t want tender—I know that.
After what happened with me and my uncle, I didn’t want tender either… not until I learned to deal with the abuse. And whether Hawk’s abuse was sexual, physical, or mental, somewhere inside him is an angry boy who’s so filled with fury he doesn’t recognize he deserves to be loved.
“I’m relieved Hawk accepted his place with us.”
Kotah’s smile is so genuine it fills my heart. “Hawk needs us more than he admits… even to himself. I didn’t tell you, but I hugged him yesterday morning before he left for work. He didn’t have time to guard his emotions and I sensed the loneliness in his soul.”
I squeeze our laced fingers and try to picture Kotah ambushing him with affection. Man, I love my wolf. “You just walked up and showed him some love? How’d he take it?”
Kotah chuckles, looking sheepish. “He stiffened like a plank of hardwood and made a hasty exit. Still, he didn’t get angry or tell me not to do it again.”
“I wish I’d been there to see it.”
Kotah winks and flashes me a playful smile. “Maybe I’ll surprise him again when you’re there.”
“Yes, please do.”
We walk in companionable silence taking in the natural wonder of the Northwood canines’ home territory. The trees sway overhead spackling us with the dappled light of the mid-afternoon sun. The enterprising rays fight through the canopy of leaves above chasing away the cool shadows of the forest.
As if the universe listened to my earlier wish for a shower, a faint rush of distant water calls. Glancing back toward the village, I wonder how far we’ve come. Though I’m sure Kotah knows exactly where we are, every tree and every rock look the same to me.
A moment of panic hits and I wonder how we’d defend ourselves if someone attacks. We’re alone in the wilds with no backup, no weapons, and no one informed of where we are. We could be ambushed at any moment, and who would know?
I scan the forest and the hair on my arms stands on end.
Paranoid much?
“If someone was perched in these trees watching us,” I say, feeling like I’m inviting trouble even saying it aloud, “You and your wolf would know, wouldn’t you?
I swallow, listening for anything beyond the birdsongs in the trees and creatures of the hunting and gathering variety.
Kotah turns me in his arms, looking concerned. “I would know, yes. My wolf’s senses are heightened beyond those of the others and the animals of the forest recognize me as one of their own. They will warn us if any outsiders trespass.”
There isn’t an ounce of exaggeration in his tone and my panic subsides. “My very own Dr. Doolittle.”
He laughs and starts us walking again. “Hardly. Animals are simply expressive creatures if you take the time to listen to what they have to say. Is it a happy chatter? Are they agitated? Has the world suddenly gone silent and still? If so, why?”
We follow the path for another few hundred yards when the forest transforms and the trees thin. The sound of rushing water grows louder and after a few more minutes spent winding along our forest path, the trees open up.
It isn’t a river I heard.
The grotto in front of us is the landing place for the cascading rush of a waterfall. The frothy, white water plummets over a wide crest eighty feet above, hits a platform of large, flat rock sheets, and drains down into an iridescent turquoise pool. From where we stand, opposite the pool, the water sits as still and clear as glass.
Cool mist kisses my face and my skin prickles to life.
Kotah pulls off his shirt, folds it around his glasses, and sets them carefully at the base of the pool. Then, he unlaces the leather ties of his doeskin pants and shucks them down his thighs. I take in the show and then edge toward the water. The outer edge of the pool is bordered by a natural gathering of low rocks. I reach over the rocks and dip my fingers. “It feels like bathwater.”
Naked, my wolf steps beside me and pauses with his fingers clutching the hem of my shirt-dress. “It’s a limestone pool, rich with fae magic and restorative properties. Join me. I want to show you something.”
I chuckle. “When a naked guy says, ‘I want to show you something,’ it’s his cock. It’s always his cock.”
Kotah laughs, pulls my dress up over my head, and strips me bare. He studies me with the devilish confidence that builds each time we’re alone together. He may be a late bloomer, but this guy has endless depths of passion. “I love you, Calli.”
I step into his embrace and meet his gaze. When he first said those words a few days ago, it felt too soon to say them back. Sometime in the past week, I’ve grown to feel at home within his arms. He’s my silent support… my number one fan.
How could I not fall for him? “I love you, my sweet wolf.”
Our mouths meet in an achingly loving brush of lips and then he steps back and tugs me toward the limestone pool. “And no, it’s not my cock. You’ve already seen that.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Jaxx
The three of us are plowing through a ton of information and making some serious headway when my instincts start firing. Something shifts inside me, my skin feels ultra-sensitive and my blood pulses fast. My cat snarls. Fear. Danger. I pause my fingers on the keyboard and look up to see if the others feel it. Hawk does. He turns his back to the suspect wall and searches the room with a puzzled scowl. Brant seems oblivious.
“You feel it too?” I say to Hawk.
He dips his chin. “Where’s it coming from?”
“Where’s what coming from,” Brant asks.
I save what I’m working on and stand. “You don’t feel a distant warning bell going off in the back of your mind? A vibration on the tension of your mating bond?”
Brant shakes his head. “Nope.”
Is that because Brant hasn’t consummated his bond yet? I’m about to ask when my chest warms, and the mating crystal starts to glow through the fabric of my shirt. I fish out the leather woven chain Kotah wrapped for my crystal shard and hold it up for them to see. “What do you suppose that means?”
Hawk frowns, and swings on his gun holster. “Nothing good. Let’s go.”
The three of us exit the main house and crest the rise at a jog. It’s a strange sensation… an invisible pull to where I need to be. My parents and Laney are chatting with Keyla and Doc outside the two guest cabins where they’re all staying.
As we pass, I call out. “Head inside for a bit. Something’s happening. Doc, can you—”
“I’ve got them,” Doc says, understanding and rising to full alert. The guy is ex-military and a bear—not that Daddy’s a pushover, but I feel better that he’s got strength and combat skills on his side.
The three of us continue following the pull and I tuck the crystal back in my shirt to keep it safe. I send up a prayer to the Powers to protect Calli and Kotah until we get to them. My cat is pacing, raging beneath the surface.
Brant’s bass rumble provides the soundtrack for our trip.
And Hawk has gone alpha-lethal.
Calli
There’s no helping the squeal that slips from my throat as Kotah tugs me into the water. It only feels cold because my skin is molten hot. The underwater inhabitants dart away in streaks of silver, gold, and crimson but are soon hidden below the rising steam that sizzles off the surface. I push forward and follow my wolf deeper into the pool.
Goosebumps tingle up my arms and my nipples tighten into hard peaks. The heated flesh under my breasts feels coldest of all and it takes a few minutes for my body temperature to adjust. Buoyancy takes the weight of my body as I glide toward the center of the pool. It’s a peaceful place to swim, and I understand why Kotah wants to share it.
I flip onto my back and flutter my feet until I meet up with Kotah sitting on a rock at the base of the falls. His gaze is locked on my breasts glistening wet in the sunlight and his smile is the most content I’ve seen him wear yet.
“How do I deserve such a radiant female,” he asks.
I float to where his knees break the surface of the water and right myself to stand between his thighs. He squeezes my ribs with his muscled legs, his flesh sun-warmed and smooth. The silt at the bottom of the pool is silky under my feet and scrunches between my toes as I push up to meet his kiss. “How do I deserve such a loving, passionate soul.”
His long, chestnut hair drips cold on my heated skin as we pay homage to our newfound love. His kiss is gentle and content and makes all the craziness and chaos of the past weeks evaporate. “Thank you for loving me, sweet prince.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
Lost in the solitude of our love-in, I don’t pick up on the niggle of a warning when it first pulls for my attention. I don’t want anything to interrupt this moment. Life can wait.
Kotah gets to his feet and offers me his hand. He pulls me up onto the rock and together we head toward the falling water of the falls. “Come. What I want you to see is beneath here.”
We skirt the heaviest of the falling water and step behind the thundering rush. Kotah helps me navigate the stepping-stone path until we arrive in a rocky cave behind the falls. The stone glitters with iridescence, and while it should be dark back here, it’s not. The stone glows bright enough to see perfectly.
I stare at the pink, silver, and green light shimmering along the rockface and my jaw drops. “It’s incredible.”
Kotah wraps his arms around me from behind and points in front of us. “Look. There you are.”
He points at the cave drawings and my mind stumbles on the depictions of a woman transforming into a fiery bird. She’s surrounded by her guardians in animal form and fighting a horde of dark figures.
In the next panel, the phoenix hovers in the air in front of a crack in a mountainside. Jagged bolts of lightning shoot off her wings and swirls of magic encircle the opening.
“Wow. Is this what’s going to happen?”
Kotah shrugs. “I have no idea. Maybe it’s a prediction or maybe it’s an artistic interpretation of the legends from centuries ago. I can’t say. The thing I do know is that I spent hours upon hours staring at this wall wondering.”
I shiver and Kotah’s brow draws tight. “Come. You’re getting chilled. Let’s get you back into the water and the sunlight.”
We walk hand in hand out from under the curtain of falling water and back across the rocks. The sun feels amazing on my skin and when we sit to put our legs in the water, I lean back on my palms and soak in the golden rays. “I love it here.”
“I’m so glad,” Kotah says, his voice deeper than usual.
I open one eye and peek over at him. Naked, with his brown skin shining in the sun and his long hair blowing in the gentle breeze, he’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
He draws in a deep breath and smiles, leaning closer. “Do you like what you see, mate? You seem hungry.”
With a strength I still don’t fully understand, Kotah pulls me from sitting beside him to facing him, straddled over his lap. I chuckle as his erection gets trapped between our bellies. “I’m not the only one who’s hungry.”
Making out with Kotah sparks all the sweet and sexy in me. Straddling him naked out in the wild brings out more of my wild side. “Isn’t this how we started?” I say, clutching his jaw and grinding against him.
“But in Hawk’s truck, we got interrupted.” Kotah grips my ribs and lifts me enough to position the tip of his cock at my core. As he lowers me, inch by delicious inch, both of us groan. The penetration is exquisite and being exposed with the sun beating down on us makes it all so erotic.
Fully impaled, I draw a deep breath and shudder. Is it fae magic that makes this feel so good? If so, I hope it never ends. If it’s a drug, I’m addicted.
Sharp crumbles of stone under my knees aren’t ideal but dismounting until we’re somewhere more comfortable isn’t an option. Kotah’s hands shift from my ribs to cup the weighted mounds of my breasts. Our mouths are locked, my fingers tight in his hair to hold him close.
Our bodies crush together. Even as he penetrates me, I penetrate him. My tongue sweeps his mouth as I ride his cock.
Kotah never seems to feel the need to rush. He savors every sensation, every touch, every pang of pleasure. It’s one of the many things that make intimacy with him special.
I pause. The spell is broken as the tingle of some distant warning hits me for the second time. I don’t push it away, this time. My phoenix rushes to the fore and I ease back and look around.
“Calli? What is it?”
“I don’t know. There’s something… I feel it.” When my heart searches for what it is, nothing comes to me.
Kotah inhales and lifts me to sit on the stone. Dropping forward, he splashes into the pool and searches the trees beyond. “What sort of something do you think it was?”
“I’m not sure.” My words haven’t completely left my lips when the flickers of light on the surface in front of him shift and swirl as if to dance on top of the water.
My breath catches as the shimmering colors form a circle and advance toward us. Even with the building movement of light, the water remains deadly still. I pull my feet from the water and stand, peering over Kotah’s head to the crystal-clear surface beyond. The circle of approaching light seems to frame an object below the water.
“What’s that in the water. Kotah, get out of there… I don’t like this.”<
br />
Whatever it is breaks the surface with a small flash and drifts closer. Freaked out, I shuffle back a couple of feet.
So much for being brave.
Kotah doesn’t share my scaredy-cat flaw.
The object—floating atop the water surface and moving as if with purpose—gets about a foot from Kotah before I identify what it is.
Okay, wow, so that happened.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Calli
I twist around, searching for Riley’s ghost or a witch or a magic-wielding fae who could’ve made this happen. No ghost. No witch. Just me and Kotah. The pie-shaped gemstone inches toward him catching the sunlight and casting prisms of color in every direction. Kotah opens the palm of his extended hand.
“Be careful,” I say, my pulse racing. “Remember how the first crystal jolted Hawk when it wasn’t meant for him?”
“Be at ease, Chigua,” Kotah says, his voice filled with the unending peace that is my wolf prince. “This one is meant for me. I feel it to the full depth of my soul.”
And he must be right because it settles into his hand and his body glows with the same golden aura Jaxx had when he first held his. Golden rays radiate from him like a shockwave of pulsing energy. They hit me first and then shoot across the surface of the pool.
Jaxx, Hawk, and Brant break through the trees and halt to a slamming stop as the energy pulse hits them and completes the connection.
When Kotah turns to me, he’s backlit like an angel of the heavens. When he takes my hand, his bond with the quint locks tighter into place.
“Holy shit,” Jaxx says, from across the pool.
“Are you two all right?” Hawk casts a scrutinizing gaze to assess the entire area.
I nod and slip into the water next to Kotah. “We’re fine. Kotah found the second crystal.”
“Where did it come from?” Brant growls.
I can’t take my eyes off Kotah. He was breathtaking before but glowing as he is… I can’t even.