He turned to her and looked into her beautiful gray-blue eyes, brushing her hair back. “Can I kiss you? Just in case this all goes terribly.”
She nodded, tilting her face up to his. “I wouldn’t forgive you if you didn’t. You big, stupid wolf.”
His lips crashed over hers, and he felt a surge of possessive strength inside him. He was here. He would protect her. He was meant to be with her at this moment, with Fifi, taking everything down from the top.
He pulled back from her as a shrill alarm sounded, trying not to panic as he heard footsteps and shouts.
“Disappear,” he said, turning to her, but she was already gone. His heart beat rapidly the second he couldn’t see her.
“I’m here,” she called out, and then he heard her footsteps on the stairs. As he followed her down, he saw a dozen guards running at them from up ahead.
As Tasha got closer, some of them tumbled, fighting sleep. Others faced her, reaching for weapons, and Lock ran in front of her, reflecting their attacks.
Several guards fell, bleeding, and Lock dodged them, running with Tasha toward the doors that led outside.
Hopefully, Fifi would have finished his final mission by now.
Lock glanced over at the guards behind him and noticed several seemed to be shoving syringes into their arms to resist going to sleep.
Snarling, Lock shifted into his wolf and skidded in front of them, blocking their path to Tasha. Grabbing one by the neck before he could shift and tossing him to the side ruthlessly, Lock knew he would do anything to keep his mate and her brother safe.
The last guard shifted, but before he could charge at Lock, he was knocked back by an invisible force.
Tasha.
Lock ran forward, taking advantage of the opening Tasha had created to sink his teeth into the wolf’s neck, knowing that any member of the Tribunal deserved what he got.
When the wolf was tossed to the side, motionless, Lock looked around for Tasha, panicking.
“Fifi,” Tasha said, drawing Lock’s attention as she suddenly appeared beside him in wolf form. “Should we go find him?”
They’d dispatched one group of guards, but more would be forthcoming.
“He said he would meet us outside. Let’s believe him.”
“Okay,” Tasha said, backing up. She bolted out the doors and onto the grass, bounding around any obstacles. Lock followed her until they were some ways down the hill, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of a blond wolf.
And then they saw Fifi jumping into the night from one of the upper windows. Glass shot everywhere, and Fifi covered his head as he shot down, landing on the ground with a thump that shook everything.
When he stood up, looking around him, he appeared totally unshaken.
Lock gaped as Fifi finally noticed them and ran over, breathing heavily.
He crouched down with them, hidden by a row of trees. “We’re done. How are we getting out of here?”
“I have a car,” Tasha said. “We can take it when we reach the bottom of the hill.”
“Um, did you just jump out of a freaking window?” Lock asked, eyes wide. “Are you okay? You weren’t even in wolf form…”
“My healing surpasses even yours,” Fifi said, leading the way down the hill. “If anything was broken, it healed practically by the time I stood up.”
“Gross,” Lock said.
Tasha chuckled.
When they all reached Tasha’s car, she motioned to the trunk. “There are clothes in there. Someone else is going to have to shift and open it, because I’m not going to get naked.”
“I nominate Lock,” Fifi said, leering.
Tasha laughed. “Me too.”
“Fine,” Lock said. “But only so we can get out of here before anyone kills us.”
He quickly took human form and distributed their clothing, and they all went in different directions to change.
When they were done and wearing their slightly ill-fitting outfits, they piled into the car, with Fifi driving, and peeled out.
They were quiet, listening for any sounds of danger, until they turned onto the main road. Then Lock let out an audible sigh.
“About them killing us,” Fifi said. “I sort of… left a message. I don’t think anyone will be coming for us at all. Now that they have no leverage on me, they wouldn’t dare touch me. And with the leader dead, they’ll be dealing with that for a long while.”
“I intend to tell Rowan to make an alpha challenge,” Lock said, pulling Tasha close to him in the back seat. God, it felt good just to breathe her in. “Everything should work out.”
They drove like that for an hour, with Tasha and Fifi catching up on their lives while Lock just got to enjoy the feel of holding his mate and knowing everyone important to him was finally safe.
A happy ending had never been so close.
The next few days were a mix of scolding from Rowan’s family, visits from Thor and Lacey, and spending time with Lock in the beautiful mountains while Fifi met with Rowan to update him on how to take down the Tribunal from here.
And hot nights celebrating her mating with Lock.
There were no more secrets between them, and after they’d worked together to free Fifi, they truly felt like one united team.
All that remained was to figure out where they were going to settle, and as Lock opened the door to the balcony of their room at Rowan’s place, Tasha thought that was finally going to be addressed.
Lock helped her into one of the cushy deck chairs before taking one for himself. As he stared out at the beautiful trees rising in all directions, his expression was peaceful.
Enjoying the bird sounds and the wind through the pine trees, Tasha felt peaceful as well.
“I love it here,” she said. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Me too,” Lock said. “And I know I’ll always love to visit, but…”
“But you don’t want to settle here?” Tasha blinked in surprise. “But your brother—”
Lock shook his head. “I will always want to come visit him, but I could never live in those mountains. Especially in the town where I grew up.” His amber gaze lowered. “To be honest, my home feels like it is elsewhere. I miss my friends, and… it’s a much fresher start.”
“Club Crimson?” Tasha asked, eyes widening.
“Yes,” Lock said. “Would you be okay with that?” He put a hand to his head. “There are so many memories here. Of my childhood. Of the person I was with Misty. And back at Club Crimson, you’d be around Jackie as well.”
Tasha grinned. “Oh man, I have so much to tell her.” She stood, hopping into Lock’s lap so she could be nice and close while she reassured him. “I was already thinking of moving there before I even met you. Something was just drawing me in. So yeah, that could be our home.”
“I already told Fifi he was invited,” Lock said. “That there would always be a job for him there.”
“Oh, you think Benny would be okay with it?”
“Benny would be ecstatic,” Lock said. “I actually called him this morning to finally check in. He didn’t really appreciate either of us disappearing.”
“I bet,” Tasha said, frowning. “Anyway, I can always do hair over there.”
“You could, but you won’t have to,” Lock said. “When my uncle was chased out, I got my pack inheritance. I tend to just leave it in the bank in case Thor somehow runs through his, but…”
Tasha laughed. “Are you telling me you’re a rich wolf?”
Lock nodded. “How do you think I bought Club Crimson?”
“That’s right,” Tasha said. “Sometimes I forget you’re part owner. Yes, of course I’d move back with you. I’d love to move on, be with our friends, and have an excuse to come visit here. It sounds absolutely perfect.”
Lock held her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “How did I get so lucky?”
“I don’t know,” she said, standing up and pulling him back into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them.
Tasha ignored everything but the feel of Lock’s lips as she stood on her toes to kiss him. His hand wound down her neck, stroking it before trailing to her shoulder.
She arched, moaning, as his lips left hers and kissed a trail down her neck to her shoulder. He moved down her body, kissing along her arms until he was kneeling in front of her.
His hands gripped her belt loops, and he pulled her toward him with a little growl. “God, you’re beautiful.” He stood and threw her over his shoulder. “I think we have time before dinner, don’t you?”
She laughed as he tossed her gently down on the bed, crawling over her.
She pulled his shirt over his head, revealing a gorgeous, tanned torso that she could only barely believe she got to touch whenever she wanted.
As she dragged her hands down his rippling abs, he unbuttoned her jeans, then got off her for a second as he pulled them down.
She pulled her shirt off and then unhooked her bra. He grabbed it, sent it flying behind them, and then went to her panties, dragging them off her legs.
“Always naked,” she said, grinning up at him as he shed the rest of his clothes.
“That’s the best,” he said, spreading her legs as she moved his head down between her thighs. “Oh, look, I found dinner.”
She tried to swat at him. “Gross! Don’t…” But then it was impossible to think straight because his tongue was flicking over her clit, swirling gently and then making long strokes over her folds that made her whole body clench up.
She moaned as his hands kept her thighs trapped, forcing her to accept every bit of pleasure as he kissed and sucked and tortured her with wet heat.
With one long lick up her center and his amber eyes on her face, she came, putting a fist in her mouth to stifle her scream of pleasure.
Lock was there in a second, his mouth closing over hers, capturing any sound she could make, leaving her free to react and writhe beneath him, lost in the best sensations of her life.
“Only for me,” Lock said, kissing her again, this time more gently. She kissed him again and his finger moved down to play against her entrance, dipping in to test and then stroking lightly inside.
She mewled at how good it felt. “More. I want you.”
“I know,” he said. “But if I don’t draw it out, you’ll get spoiled.”
She growled at him but loved when he teased her like this. His finger moved in and out languidly, and his lips captured her nipple, sucking it in. He added a finger, then two, filling her as his tongue continued to sweetly torture her breasts.
When she was close, when her nipples were hard and aching, and her insides were trembling from trying to hold on, he slipped inside her, filling her with his hard length.
She groaned in satisfaction because nothing felt as good as having him inside, lighting her up in places she’d never known existed before she met him.
“You’re amazing,” she said as he started to move. She was used to his size now, and all she felt was pleasure with every thrust. Unbelievably tight friction that kept her constantly, unnervingly close to the edge.
“You’re everything,” he said, and his handsome face looked as tense as hers was. His body was sheened with sweat, each muscle defined and gleaming.
Just looking at him made her closer to the edge.
“I can’t hold on much longer. I—”
“Go, then,” he murmured against her lips.
Her body bucked as she went over, and he crashed his lips over hers to take her screams. Over and over, her body convulsed in pure pleasure, and all the time, he held her in his arms.
At some point, he went with her, and she felt him spasming inside, making her even warmer.
When it was over, he held her against him, and she could barely breathe, her body was so overwhelmed by what they’d done.
Like it was every time.
She curled into him, not wanting the moment to end. Not wanting him to come out of her. Wanting to just stay skin to skin.
“God, I love you, Tasha.” Lock brushed a hand through her hair. “I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect mate.”
She looked up at him, smiling. “Me too.”
As they lay there enjoying the sunlight and each other, Tasha was just grateful that fate had worked so hard to bring them together.
Lock had given her both her past and her future, and as the alpha wolf inside her let out a little growl of satisfaction, she knew she would never let him go.
Epilogue
Lock watched with amusement as Tasha and Jackie let out little squeals of delight, hugging each other and exclaiming about how fun it would be to live in the same town.
Harley was pouring drinks, looking on happily until she was pulled into the frantic hugging, and Benny strode over to Lock, looking concerned.
Benny folded his huge arms over his chest as he leaned back against the counter.
Luckily, the bar was still closed so there was time to catch up before they worked later that night.
“Well, you seem happy,” Benny said with a sigh. “Though seriously, you could have kept in touch better. I was worried about you.”
“I told you I was on a vacation,” Lock said.
“Yeah, and I knew you weren’t,” Benny retorted, walking around the bar to put away some freshly washed glasses. “I’m glad you called when you did, but seriously…taking on the Tribunal? You didn’t even let me help you.”
Lock frowned. “I’m sorry, Ben. It’s just that I was actually kidnapped and Tasha didn’t really have time to call for back-ups before rescuing me.”
“I know, I know,” Benny said, giving Lock a smile that made his eyes tight. “I just worry about you, you know?”
“I know.” Lock took a seat at the counter, grinning over at Max who was standing beside his mate, looking puzzled over her extreme outburst at seeing her friend again.
When the girls pulled Max into their hug, he looked ruffled but pleased.
“So are the rumors true?” Benny asked conspiratorially. “Is the Tribunal falling?”
“Weakened,” Lock said. “And I know a strong family who intends to take advantage of that spot. Fifi is helping them now, that’s why he can’t come work for the club yet. He’ll be here soon.”
“Great,” Benny said. “The more the merrier. But you’re not upset you’re not there helping him?”
Lock’s eyes lit on Tasha. “I just want to spend time with my mate right now. Catch up on the life I’ve been forgetting to live.”
“That makes sense,” Benny said, his eyes wandering to Harley.
“Seriously, when are you going to do something about that?”
“I don’t know,” Benny said, getting a faraway look in his eyes. “I guess I was always hoping you would find something, at the Tribunal if nowhere else, that could make it possible.”
“It is possible, Ben,” Lock said. “You just have to control yourself.”
“Ha,” Ben said. “Easy for you to say. Controlling my animal is like stopping a runaway bus with a marshmallow.” He scratched the counter lightly. “You didn’t find anything when you were there?”
“No,” Lock said. “The research really seems focused on dragons and other things. Dires are too rare. I’m not even sure how aware of them they are.”
Benny sighed. “Yeah.” His eyes flicked to Harley again. “I’ll just have to find another way.”
Lock raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean, another way?”
Benny shrugged. “Just been looking into a few things is all.”
Lock walked around the bar so he could be closer to Benny, so they could talk with only them hearing. “You know, that sounds sketchy. And I’m kind of the king of sketchy, so I would know.”
“Not sketchy anymore,” Benny said, glancing at Tasha. “You made good. Tasha seems happy. I’m glad you decided to be a man who could deserve her.”
“It’s not
like that,” Lock said quietly. “I never did anything to deserve her. I still don’t. But she wanted me and I wanted her and I had to step up. The right person brings that out in you. Makes you feel like you could do things you never thought you could.”
Benny shook his head. “Our situations are different. My problem isn’t my personality. It’s my monster.”
Lock cocked his head to the side. “There has to be another dire out there who has made things work for him. What makes you think your animal would even hurt a human at all?”
Benny’s eyes shuttered. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You’ve never hurt someone. I don’t believe that.”
“No,” Benny agreed. “But I’ve seen it.” He put away another couple of glasses. “Don’t ask me again.”
Lock hesitated as he watched his friend focus on dishes instead of the beautiful woman across the bar who was obviously crazy about him.
Lock was tired of watching the dance between the two, but he was also a bit worried about what Benny had said about other options.
Lock pushed in front of Benny, forcing him to stop and face him. “Listen. What do you mean, another way? Benny, I really need to know what you’re thinking here. There are some really dark things out there, trust me.”
Benny raised a dark eyebrow. “You think I don’t know that? Lock, I run this club with you. I run ten times more underground meetings. I’ve come across shifters even you can’t imagine, and I still haven’t found a way out of my situation. So if I find one, I don’t care how sketchy it is. I’m looking into it.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Lock said. “Some things are worse than being a dire. Besides, I know you. You aren’t the monster you think you are.”
“I’m exactly that monster,” Benny said softly. “And I need to find some way out, or let Harley go.”
Lock snorted, as Tasha looked up at him, waving for him to come over. “We’ll figure out something, Benny. Together. I swear. But don’t go into anything alone. Let Max and I help you.”
Benny took a deep breath, then finally nodded. “I’ll try.”
It was all Lock could hope for, as he grabbed Benny by the shoulder and shoved him out onto the dance floor to be with his friends.
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