by Delta James
Riley came hard, clutching at his back and calling to him with both voice and action. Everything in her strained to please him, to make him continue to pummel her pussy with his cock. She could feel the last of her first orgasm start to fade as the second one started to push its way to the forefront of her pleasure. She clung to him as she arched her head backward, offering him the place she knew he meant to mark.
As her climax began to peak, Cameron’s canines elongated and he lowered his head, sinking his teeth into the place between the hollow of her throat and the beginning of her collarbone. The same place every alpha male before him had marked his mate as a warning to others and as a promise to his mate that she was his and his alone—that he would protect and love her with every fiber of his being for as long as breath remained in his body.
Riley cried out. She was unsure of whether it was in pain or in ecstasy. Cameron began to drive faster and harder and seemed unwilling to let her go with either his hands or his teeth. Finally, the exquisite pain of his marking was replaced by feeling his cum gushing into her as he reached his own release to coincide with hers.
When Cameron was done, he brushed the spot that now bore his mark with his lips. He nuzzled her neck and kissed her deeply. He moved as if he meant to uncouple from her.
“No, Cam, stay. Please?”
“I don’t want you to have to bear my weight on your punished backside.”
“I know, but I need to feel you. Please? Just a bit longer.” Riley started to softly cry.
“It’s all right, Riley. You’re safe. I’ve got you. It will be fine. You’ll see.”
He nuzzled her and rumbled a seductive and comforting growl to her, which seemed to soothe her far better than any whispered assurances.
As his cock lost its rigidity, he slid from her body, rolling onto his back and pulling her so that she lay on her side with her body supported by his.
Riley fell asleep more contented than she had ever thought possible. Perhaps he was right. Perhaps things would be fine. One thing she knew for certain, things would be as they were supposed to be and never be the same again.
Chapter Nineteen
Cameron woke to find Riley still curled half on top of him sound asleep. Her breathing was warm and rhythmic against his skin. He glanced at the clock. They would need to start thinking about getting up. He hated to wake her. She was at peace and he worried that when she woke, the seductive mate he had bedded would once more be quelled and he would be forced to deal with the spitting hellcat. Cameron grinned and thought either would be fine with him. He loved them both.
“Riley? Sweetheart?”
“Hmm... fuck me.”
Cameron chuckled. “I’m afraid we don’t have time for that, but hold that thought and as soon as we can I’ll get us away from that crowd of people and claim you again.”
She giggled.
“Next time, can we skip the part where you rip open my neck?”
He shifted her so he could see the mark that was still raw and angry but would heal and leave a permanent, prominent mark.
“Is it overly painful?”
She stroked his cheek. “It was when you did it; not so much now. But if you’re feeling guilty, could I get you to indulge me?”
Cameron looked at her suspiciously. “I will always consider anything you ask of me.”
“Can we shift and go for a brief run? Before we go join the others, I’d like to take you somewhere and it’s faster if we’re wolves.”
“We don’t have much time.”
“I know, but we can shower together and I can dress quickly. Please, Cam? It’s important to me.”
“If this is some trick...”
Riley pressed her lips to his to silence him. “It isn’t. I promise. Please?”
“If it’s important to you, then it is important to me. Come on then, we’ll throw on some clothes and...”
Before he could finish, Riley had shifted, left their bed, leapt through the doors that led out onto the balcony, and cleared the railing.
“Damn it, Riley.”
Cameron ran to the balcony and saw that she waited for him below, her tail wagging. She play bowed to him in an invitation to join her. Cameron grinned, shifted, and did just that.
He hadn’t shifted into his wolf form in far too long. He’d forgotten the freedom that accompanied becoming wolf and running alongside a trusted companion. Riley ran in front, not to try to get away from him, but rather leading him to a destination only she seemed to know. They ran west over the rolling hills of her brother’s estate. Finally, they came to a craggy outcropping along the cliff. Riley carefully picked her way down to an area that had been leveled by thousands of years of the ocean crashing against it.
Riley shifted and waited until Cameron joined her.
“I don’t like you being naked where others can see you,” he growled.
She shook her head, laughing and hugged him. “Only if they have binoculars or some kind of spyglass and know where to look.”
She took his hand and led him to a carved stone sarcophagus. Unlike most, it was a large, simple box design with ancient Irish symbols. There were no people or even names carved on it.
“Cameron, I wanted you to meet my parents.”
He was thunderstruck. “Riley, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say hello and tell them you are my fated mate and will care for me the way they cared for one another.”
He felt a lump in his throat.
“I will care for her all the days of this life... and all the days thereafter.”
She grinned impishly at him. “Well, then we’re good. Race you back to the house.”
She shifted and was gone within the blink of an eye. He shifted and gave chase but his heart sang with joy when he saw that she was headed straight back for the house. She stopped at the top of the stairs into the front hall and looked back to ensure he was close behind. She bounded into the house, knocking Liam over, licking his face before racing up the stairs.
Cameron could do nothing but follow her to their room. As he went through the door, Riley, who had reverted to human form, shut it behind him, waiting for him to shift before pouncing on him.
“I just wanted you to meet them and I was afraid if I told you, you would think it silly.”
“No, sweetheart, you taking me to meet them is a precious gift that I will always treasure. Why are they buried out there?”
“That was their favorite spot in the world. So, when they died. I had the sarcophagus made, stole their bodies from the family mausoleum, and reinterred them there.”
“Does Aidan know where they are?”
“He does now, but it took him a couple of years to find them.”
Cameron laughed. “I think your brother wins the prize for naughtiest little sister.”
“But I am no longer his little sister, I am your mate.”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t work that way. My sister is mated to our omega... she’s still my little sister.”
“Do you think she’ll approve of you bringing home some wayward Irish girl?”
“Are you kidding? I’m thinking seriously about how to ensure you two never get to spend any time alone. The idea of you and my sister becoming friends is frightening. I don’t need the two of you and Heather, our beta’s mate, conspiring against us.”
“And your sister’s name is? I’ll want to know who to look for when we come out of seclusion.”
Cameron shook his head and laughed.
“You sure you don’t want to rethink that whole wait until we’re home before you knot and tie me decision? I can feel your knot; that cannot be comfortable.”
“It isn’t and you know it. But I’m quite sure I don’t want to rethink it. Now get off me so we can shower and get downstairs.”
Riley stood proud and glorious in her nudity. Cameron stood and held her close. His cock with its prominent knot nudged the apex of her thighs, pulsing with need.
“Go take a quic
k shower and get dressed while I do the same.”
She wrapped her arms around him.
“We could save time and shower together.”
“No, my naughty mate. I’m going to need you clothed after I take a very cold shower and focus on suppressing this thing. Mind me, Riley.”
He turned her toward the bath and swatted her behind gently, causing her to make a sound somewhere between a yelp and a giggle.
“Geesh, show a guy a good time, let him bite you, and suddenly he thinks he’s the one making all the decisions.”
“Shower, Riley, now. As for who makes the decisions, yes, that would be the guy who spanked you, fucked you, and marked you as his. Move it.”
This time the noise she made was pure giggle as she headed toward the bath.
* * *
While Cameron was in the shower, she left their room and headed toward what used to be her own. She knocked on the door and hearing no answer, she entered. It was the same. Tears began to fill her eyes.
“Did you truly believe I would put someone else in your room?” Aidan said as he came up behind her, laying his hand on her shoulder.
“I would have understood,” she said, placing her hand atop his. “I was gone and it is a beautiful room. It would have been silly to let it stay empty.”
“It was yours until you no longer needed it. Once I saw you with Cameron, I knew you didn’t need it, but I needed to wait until you were formally bonded. Gia suggested we wait a while longer until we know the sex of the next baby and then make a decision. If it’s a girl, she insists on it being hers.”
“Planning to knock her up again so soon? Jesus, Aidan, you might give the girl a break.”
“What can I say, she’s a very enthusiastic mate about taking my knot. And you’re talking future tense... I’m talking done deal.”
Riley laughed, turned and batted at her brother, enjoying the way his eyes danced. It occurred to her they hadn’t danced like that until he met Gia.
“You’re obnoxious,” Riley said.
“He is that. But he’s also very persuasive when he’s looking to bury that thing in me.”
Aidan rumbled at his mate.
“Before he rocks my world with it,” she continued in a purr, which seemed to mollify Aidan.
Gia separated them and pushed Aidan back out the door as she closed it firmly behind him, locking it securely.
“I think I can get you away if you want, but that mark will make what you do even more dangerous. Any wolf seeing it will know you belong to an alpha and will be pretty damn sure he’s looking for you and willing to reward someone handsomely.”
Riley hugged her close.
“Thank you, but I gave him my word when he allowed me to run. He didn’t have to do that. Besides, the bastard has yet to knot and tie me to him and now that he’s marked me, no other alpha will touch me without a formal dissolution and/or killing Cameron.”
“Oh, my God... you’ve fallen for him. You’ve succumbed to that damn fated mate call. That is so annoying. I mean I know we can call to them and they feel it, but they say an alpha male’s is far stronger than anyone else’s.”
“Ever tried to ignore it? Every time he’d get close and call to me and I’d ignore him, it felt like some demon would grab all my vital organs and squeeze. It was all I could do to breathe.”
Gia laughed. “I know. And I hate to tell you, but it gets worse the longer you’re together with them. Catherine’s been known to throw things at Marco.”
“Well, that’s not that bad...”
“It is if you’re Marco. She tends to choose very heavy, very valuable things. God, I adore her!”
“Aidan sort of implied...”
“Yes, and once again he’s very proud of himself. And before you think badly of him we both want lots of kids and we’ve always discussed whether or not I wanted to use protection. He, of course, maintains I’m easier to handle when I’m carrying his child.”
Riley hugged her again. “Then if you’re happy, I’m happy for you both. Now shall I wear something befitting the mistress of the Galveston pack or should I scandalize my mate and yours?”
Gia laughed. “I wish you were going to be closer. We could have so much fun together. Let’s make a pact.”
“Absolutely, what are we going to have a pact about?”
“At least once a year, you’ll come here and at least once a year, we’ll visit you in Texas.”
“Done. I say I go at least semi-scandalous,” said Riley as she began to rummage through her closet.
“I agree. If you want to stay just this side of out of trouble, make sure he can see his mark showing clearly. They like that. I don’t think dinner is going to be fancy, but I always thought you looked amazing in those black skin-tight doeskin breeches of yours.”
“I love those. I didn’t take them with me because they were dirty when I left. Hmm, those tucked into boots... and I know just what to pair with them. Do me a favor and tell Cameron I’ll meet him at the foot of the stairs.”
“Will do,” said Gia.
As she started to leave, Riley added, “And tell him I mean to hold him to his promise.”
Once alone, Riley took a moment to collect herself. It was hard not to feel guilty about being reconciled to being Cameron’s mate. Oh, who was she kidding, she was happy about it. Somehow when she was so focused on getting those women to safety, she’d fallen in love with him. She shook her head to clear it of any sad thoughts. She’d put Cameron through a wringer and she knew it, and yet he had let her save that last group without interfering except to save her life.
Riley dressed hurriedly and then headed down the hall to the center staircase where she knew Cameron would be waiting for her.
* * *
Cameron stood at the bottom of the stairs. Oddly, he had found Riley’s message sent via Gia to be reassuring. He could feel her approach and glanced up to the top of the stairs. He was glad to see someone had told her it wasn’t a formal thing but found her choice of attire heart-stopping anyway.
She descended the staircase dressed in tight black doeskin breeches tucked into highly polished black riding boots. She had donned a beautiful ivory antique silk poet’s shirt with a large lace collar that completely framed the deep V-neck. She had accented her waist with a wide black belt that looked as though it would have been at home on a pirate and that had an ornate sterling silver buckle.
Riley had pulled the front part of her hair, except for her bangs, away from her face, securing it in the back with a diamond and pearl hair clasp. The majority of her long, flowing red hair hung loose. Cameron had to hand it to her; most times he would have questioned the depth of the V-neck, but in this instance, it was perfect and he was quite sure that most eyes would be riveted to his mark.
* * *
Riley was beaming as she looked down at him. She could hear the low rumble of arousal from him as it washed over her. She returned the same to him. He was dressed in well-fitted jeans, a pair of lizard cowboy boots, and a crisp white linen shirt. The belt he had on looked vintage and expensive as did the silver trophy buckle.
She joined him and nuzzled his neck, nipping at him as she purred. “You clean up good. What do you say you tell my brother to hell with this and we go somewhere we can get naked?”
Cameron chuckled, turning the tail end into a quiet, seductive growl. “You owe Aidan this. He deserves to see his little sister having agreed to and yielding to her mate. And had you not been such a major pain in the ass about it, I might have ignored that you owed him.”
“I had reason, Cam. I wasn’t just being difficult,” she said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice.
He pulled her close and nuzzled her neck.
“Let it go, Irish, leave it to me, to us now. You’ve proven to anyone who doubted you that you had what it takes to rescue those girls without any help from anyone. I know it and so do the rest of the alphas in packs all over the world. I think you scare them even more than those who w
ere once Bae Diogel. But I need you to be safe. I’ll give you my word—an oath from me to you—those women will not be forgotten. We will get them to safety and will see them healed. Their abuse will not go unpunished.”
She pulled back only so he could see her face. “I believe you. When I was in Florence, Catherine told me that she didn’t care about justice... she just wanted revenge. I’m inclined to agree with her.”
Cameron leaned over and kissed her. “So am I, Riley. We will see them pay for what they did. If the Ruling Council doesn’t have the cojones to get the job done, I swear to you, we will. Jean-Michel has said on more than one occasion we have a number of oceans, seas, and deep lakes and a huge swamp that we can hide the bodies in.”
Riley grinned as she saw Liam approaching them, shaking his finger at her.
“You are still the naughtiest she-wolf that ever graced this pack. I’m glad to turn your care and discipline over to someone who seems far better at it than I ever was.”
Cameron laughed. “Appearances can be deceiving. Although I don’t think it’s the discipline that seems to have done the trick.”
Liam grinned as Riley blushed.
Chapter Twenty
The evening had been far more enjoyable that Riley had imagined it would be. Her old pack seemed delighted for her to be at home, even for a short visit, safe and mated to the man who was her fated mate.
Cameron had been attentive and not in an overbearing sort of way. He had ensured she was never without anything she needed. She, in turn, had enjoyed sharing stolen kisses and nuzzles with him and feeling his hand resting on her upper thigh throughout dinner.
Aidan had great fun telling stories of his younger sister’s childish exploits, making Cameron laugh and tease him about indulging her.
Sara and one of the other women Riley had rescued joined them and seemed to be relaxing and having a good time. Riley realized it felt good to actually see for herself what happened to these women. It was an amazing feeling... almost as good as the rescue itself.