Now they looked shocked. He didn’t want to awaken Karma, but he was at a loss here.
Slowly, Boone walked toward him, still holding her sister’s hand. “You’re hurt?”
He let his lower lip pout just a little and felt like a total dumbass. “Yeah. My ankle and my stomach. I think breakfast would help.”
Boone reached out and gently touched his arm, her body braced. “You gots hurt saving us.”
Benny held perfectly still so he didn’t startle them.
Belle grinned, showing two wide dimples in her cheeks. “We can help.”
Benny smiled. “Great. Grab the pancake mix, I’ll get the huckleberries, and we’ll try to figure out this stove. It looks complicated.”
Belle leaned over to her sister. “He really needs help.”
Boone nodded wisely.
It was like another punch to the solar plexus. They were much safer away from him and his life, right? But he didn’t want to let them go any more than he did Karma.
He sighed.
Boone patted him. “It’s okay, Benny.”
* * * *
If Karma’s heart hadn’t already broken the night before, it shattered into pieces as she listened to Benny and the girls making breakfast. He was sweet, he was kind, and he built them up with every sentence. From how smart they were to figure out the stove to how they picked the perfect number of huckleberries for each pancake. By the time they were sitting down and eating, the girls were chattering along in a way she’d never heard them do.
They were happy, and for once, they knew they were safe.
She joined them after a while, and the girls both looked shocked when Benjamin served her. She acted as if it was no big deal and accepted the pancakes, eating even though she wanted to cry. Then when Benjamin cleaned up the kitchen and all the dishes, and the girls looked on in surprise, she didn’t know how to thank him.
Now, hours later, she checked on them in the queen-sized bed, making sure their napping was peaceful. Benny looked over her shoulder. “They’re cute.”
She quietly shut the door, turning to look at him. “This is a mistake. You going on a mission this close to the last one,” she whispered.
He drew her away from the bedrooms to the crackling fireplace. “This is what I do. This is my life.” He looked down at his clothing. “Can’t you see who I am?” He wore black cargo pants, a dark shirt, and a black jacket with guns at his thigh, waist, and probably boot. A knife handle protruded from a sheath at his other thigh, and combat sunglasses perched on his head, even though a storm outside was now actively trying to destroy the earth.
“I see who you are,” she whispered, trying not to wring her hands together. Maybe it was Benny who didn’t see who he was or who he could become.
“Good.” His jaw hardened, and he looked every inch the warrior he claimed to be. God, he was big and dangerous. “Go through the papers Mercy left and choose where you want to live. I’ll have bank accounts set up for you and the girls, and we’ll make sure to buy the right house before you go.” Then he kissed her on the forehead and turned to stride out into the storm.
She looked at the closed door for a second. Then her head heated, and so much pricking heat swept her body that her lungs stuttered. She ran for the door, whipped it open, and hurried outside into the battering rain.
Benny turned halfway down the path. “What are you doing? Get out of this storm.”
“No,” she yelled, stomping down the porch steps to the tall grass. “You get out of this storm. You’re crazy if you think this isn’t a life we can handle. How dare you make such a decision?” She couldn’t gather her thoughts, she was so angry. “You should not be going on this mission, and you know it. Yet you take the risk anyway.”
He tilted his head to the side, and his jaw tightened in a way that wasn’t comforting. “I told you to go back inside.” This time, it was a low growl.
She squared her shoulders and lowered her chin. “I said no.” It felt good to stand up to a male, and she knew she could do so with this one because he’d never hurt her. “You’re being a moron.”
His flash of a grin was a surprise. “You’re not the first to say so. Karma, my life is dangerous. It’s only going to get worse. The last thing I need is somebody worrying about me every time I step out the door, because usually I ain’t going to the grocery store.”
“I know that,” she spat.
He looked around. “You and the girls will be safe here in Grizzly territory until I get back. Choose a place to live.”
“No.” She ran toward him and shoved him as hard as she could in the stomach. He didn’t move an inch. “You don’t get to dictate my life if you don’t want to be in it. We won’t be here at Bear’s headquarters when you get back.” Now she wasn’t even making sense, but she couldn’t stop the words pouring out.
His lips pressed together. “Honey? You’re not going anywhere, and you know it.”
She stomped her foot. “You know what? It’s not me or the girls you’re worried about. It’s you. You’re the coward, Benjamin.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Stop trying to get me to lose my temper. It isn’t going to happen.”
Was that what she was doing? “I don’t give two fucks about your temper,” she said, meaning it. Yelling it.
“Then you’re not as smart as I thought,” he snapped, grabbing her arms and hauling her toward him. His mouth crashed down on hers. Hot and burning, the kiss tore through her with more power than the storm around them. She tried to hold on to reason and her anger, but the force of his kiss, of his hard body against her, burned both away until there was only Benny.
Only a passion that pierced so deep there was no turning away. He took control of her body, her mind, so quickly that all she could do was feel. Every nerve fired just for this moment and this male. Her nipples hardened to diamonds, and her clit pounded with a demand she’d never experienced.
He was raw muscle and deadly determination, and he made her crave both. Crave him. Hunger for him with an intensity that was too strong for her to do anything but sink right into him and let him take what he wanted.
When he let her go, her mouth tingled, and her mind fuzzed. His rugged jaw was hard and his eyes a blazing black with a rim of green. Otherworldly, powerful, and dangerous. For the first time, she saw the primal being he kept so carefully caged.
She gasped, trying to fill her lungs.
His hands much gentler, he turned her toward the cabin and gave her a light push. Then he was gone.
She put her hands to her lips and stumbled to the cabin and back inside. It took her a second, but she caught sight of a hovering spirit by the fireplace. “Whoa,” she muttered. “I don’t know who—”
The spirit turned, and it was Terre. Fury lit his face. “I’m going to kill you,” he spat.
That was it. Just plain and simply it. She put both her hands out and shoved imaginary energy right at his face. “Go to hell right now, you bastard.”
His face morphed in pain, and he wavered wildly.
Holy crap. She tried harder, and he screamed, pulled right into the fire. The tension dissipated as she vanquished him. She’d had no idea she could do that. It was crazy. She really was a badass.
A badass with a broken heart. The first tear slid slowly down her face, and she shoved it away. That was the one tear Benjamin Dumbass Reese would get from her. Steeling her shoulders, she picked up the printouts of good places for her to settle down with the girls.
She’d make a perfect life for them without Benjamin. He’d made his decision.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Benny leaned his head back against the side of the copter as the storm bounced them around. His knuckles were shredded, and he’d rebroken his ankle in the raid. What a raid. His brothers healed themselves on either side of him, injured and pissed off, but alive. The sh
ifters had been excellent backup, and Bear was even giving them one more night to get off his property.
“Did you see those women?” Garrett muttered.
Benny didn’t open his eyes as he healed himself. It was dark, anyway. “Yeah.” They’d managed to save twenty enhanced females, and the two other helicopters were delivering them to Realm Headquarters for medical treatment and rest until Dage could relocate them.
“One gal said she was an accountant taken right off her farm in the mountains,” Logan muttered. “She hadn’t been fed in four days.”
“We have to figure out how the Kurjans are finding so many enhanced females,” Garrett said. “Dage is on it, but he doesn’t know. None of them are safe. There is no doubt Jaydon is going to keep kidnapping women until he can complete the ritual.”
“That’s a worry for tomorrow. We’ll come up with battle plans ASAP.” Benny pulled his earbud out and stuck it in his pocket. What time was it, anyway? Past midnight at least. “Did we lose anybody?”
“No,” Bear said from across the craft as he healed a hole in his neck. “We’ve got some decent injuries, but everyone kept their heads on their bodies.”
“Good,” Benny said, opening his eyes to see Sam pop his shoulder back into place. Enhanced females weren’t safe anywhere right now. Karma had called him a coward. Was she right? Was he afraid to take the chance? Afraid he couldn’t protect her and those precious urchins? Afraid he’d be killed and leave them alone and Karma without a mate?
He was a member of the Seven, a brother to six, and he had a vow to fulfill.
If Karma was willing to take the chance, then maybe she was the brave one and he was a dumbass. He’d cooked breakfast for the girls without scaring them. Maybe he could figure out how to be around them, because he loved having them close. They did need protection.
A gust of wind hit the craft, and they spun sideways.
“Baby? Would you keep it on the proverbial road?” Logan called out.
Mercy looked over her shoulder from the pilot’s seat, her eyes sizzling. “If you want to fly, feel free to get your cute butt up here and do so. If not, be quiet.”
Garrett groaned. “Why in the hell did you give her flying lessons?”
Benny shrugged. “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Yeah, he’d fought both Logan and Garrett over it. True, Mercy was a little reckless and wild, but if they crashed, they’d probably survive. Maybe.
She landed just a little off the landing strip, the end of the helicopter taking out one of Bear’s hangar walls. He jumped out first. “Logan? You’re paying for that.”
“I always do,” Logan said, as he stepped out and headed to the pilot’s door.
Benny grinned and slapped Garrett on the back. “We need to talk tomorrow.” Then he turned and ran through the woods to his temporary cabin. He stopped short, yards away, at the sight of Karma sitting on a porch swing beneath the overhang, bundled up in the darkness. “What are you doing?” Rain poured over him, washing away the blood and the hurt.
She slowly stood and set the blanket aside. Once again, she wore a long skirt with a sweater, looking so pure and innocent that it hurt. “Waiting for you.”
Waiting for him? Nobody had ever waited up for him. All his emotions coalesced, landing hard in his chest. His body was in motion before his brain caught up, and he was in her space, inhaling her sweet scent. “I’m not a coward,” he murmured.
“I know.” Pink tinged her high cheekbones. “I shouldn’t have called you that.”
“Oh, I was being a dumbass, and maybe I was afraid of the future. But it’s coming for us whether we’re together or not. The future can’t be stopped.” When realizations smacked him, they did so with a vengeance. “You’re strong enough to face it with me.”
Her head tilted slightly, and surprise lifted her eyebrows. “I know.”
“So do I.” He leaned down and kissed her, going gentle this time. She tasted sweet and like…his. “I want the future with you. No matter how long it lasts.” Who knew. Maybe they’d have forever. “I’ll try to be the right guy for the girls.”
“I want a future with you, too. You’re already the right guy.” She flattened her hands across his chest, not coming close to spanning the entire width. “I’ll make you happy, Benjamin.”
“You already do. There’s nothing else you need to do but be you.” He had some work to do with his females, but he was learning how to be a patient guy. He leaned down and kissed her again, lifting her up to her toes to go deeper, his entire being settling.
She pulled away. “I’m not alone. I mean, I have—”
“They’re mine, too.” He swung her up in his arms and carried her inside, kicking off his boots and striding toward his bedroom. “You know what this entails? It’s all or nothing, and I’m taking it all.” The brand on his hand burned in agreement, shooting up his entire arm. The beast inside roared.
“You can have it all,” she whispered, tangling her small hand in his wet hair. “You already do.”
* * * *
Her heart might explode from love and need. Maybe a little trepidation. Benny’s words were calm, but there was a primitive tension flickering around him, coming from him. She felt feminine and vulnerable, strong and desirable in his arms. He laid her down on the bed and lifted her shirt over her head in one smooth motion. Buttons popped and flew in every direction. Then her skirt and undergarments were gone, just as fast.
He pressed her back on the bed, and her hair feathered over the pillow. Then he looked his fill, fully dressed while she was naked. “God, you’re beautiful.”
She felt beautiful. Only for him. Maybe for everyone, but he was the only one she cared about. So she let him look.
“You’re mine, Karma,” he said, drawing his shirt over his head. The play of muscle and movement was all male. Strong and hard. His words were a vow with more than a hint of possession. Considering she was giving herself to him, all he spoke was the truth.
He removed his pants, and weapons dropped to the floor. His legs still carried bruises, but he didn’t seem to care as he placed a knee on the bed and hovered over her, kissing her ankles, knees, hip bones, breasts and chin on his way to her mouth.
The kiss was raw and passionate…all Benjamin.
She tugged on his hair until he lifted his head, looking like a predator whose prey was about to flee. “You’re mine, too.”
The smile that curved his firm lips warmed her way beyond her body. If she had a soul, he’d just taken possession of it, too. “Yeah. Definitely all yours.” His fingers found her, and as usual, she orgasmed almost instantly.
“Sorry,” she breathed, coming down.
He flipped her over and sank his fangs into her butt.
She yelped, half-laughing, as he turned her back over. “I forgot.”
He sucked a nipple into his mouth. “I didn’t.” He growled around her, and her body spasmed, needing more than she would’ve thought possible. Then his hands were everywhere. His mouth, his hands, his entire body surrounded her, taking her, forcing another orgasm through her.
She gasped. “That was fast. Sorry.”
“You said that on purpose.” He flipped her, bit her, and yanked her up onto her hands and knees.
She smiled, her heart thundering. “Maybe?”
He penetrated her, forcing her internal walls to yield, his grip firm on her hips. Her head dropped forward, exposing her neck to him. He grasped her nape, his unrelenting hand holding her in place. For him.
Her sex quaked around him, and her breath deserted her. She couldn’t move.
“You’re where I want you, baby,” he rumbled in her ear, his breath hot. Desperately hot. She tried to move back, to take more of him, but he held her in place. “My way.” Then he pushed all the way in, consuming her.
She gasped again and arched her back, barely abl
e to do so with his commanding hold. It was everything. The mere idea that he held her in place, his hold unbreakable, gave her a sense of security she’d have to figure out later. All she could do right now was feel.
He pulled out, then powered back in, setting up a hard rhythm that had her breasts bouncing against the sheets. The warrior was in control, and she let him play, little sobs escaping as her need climbed higher and higher. Maybe too high. He was unstoppable, the pleasure he gave her edged with just the right amount of bite. Of Benny.
His fangs sank into her neck, and she flew into another orgasm, her body trembling. She whispered his name, overcome, the waves too powerful to stop.
A hot flash of deep pain centered in the middle of her back, spreading out from her spine. The mating mark. The intricate R would be beautiful right there. Another orgasm crashed into her, shooting from her core to her ears, quaking ecstasy in places she hadn’t realized could feel pleasure.
Into all of her. The physical body as well as the rest of her that couldn’t be seen. Not just her heart. More.
His massive body shuddered against her, and his fangs retracted. Slowly, lazily, he licked the wound closed. His heart thundered against her back, but his hold gentled. He withdrew and pulled her under the covers, spooning his big body around her. “I love you, Karma. All of me and all of you.”
Tears pricked her eyes. “All of me and all of you.” Could there be anything more perfect?
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Benny whistled as he entered Bear’s rec room, surprised to find the place lacking in coolie cups and naked females. “No party last night?”
“No,” Bear said from behind the bar. “Coffee?”
“Hell yes.” Benny accepted the mug shoved his way.
Just then, Garrett, Logan, and Sam entered the room and hustled toward the massive coffeepot.
Bear watched them with resignation in his honey-brown eyes. “Once you four clean me out of coffee, you need to get going. So far, I’ve kept your visit under the radar with the rest of the shifter nations, and I don’t need that kind of problem right now. Ever, actually.”
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