“It beats walking.” Ethan takes a knee, then offers a hand.
I wrap an arm around his neck, and using my legs, I brace my body on his back. His warmth offers a welcome change from the cool night air.
“Uhm. You sure you can get up there with me like this.”
“Yeah.” He rises, takes a few steps, and then does a slow shuffle. “And it’ll be faster.”
I hug him close, pressing my chest against him. Thoughts of the kiss—his touch—enter my mind.
In the span of forty-eight hours, a lot of shit has gone down. The Greene family’s incarceration, leaving friends and my high school behind, moving to a small town, inheriting a house of horrors, discovering lupines, lycans, and witches exist, and even with all that newfound information, I feel a connection—a sense of belonging in Kensington Cove.
I’m Shoshone now, or almost, whatever that means.
The two shallow puncture marks—bites from Cole and Keegan—tingle.
Marked? What about claimed by a wolf, a lupine? Would it be so bad? Hmm. Claiming would require . . .
The thought of skin on skin in the thralls of, well sex, makes my body flush again. That’s a huge leap from no base to fully on the board, traveling around all the mounds of the diamond at once, so to speak.
Ethan draws in a slow, deep breath.
“What’s on your mind?” His words have an underline growl to them.
“Stuff. Lots and lots of stuff.”
“Like what?” Another growl starts deep in his chest. “Tell me.”
“San Antonio. Moving. My car. What happened at Roman’s house. Knowing supernatural beings exist . . .”
“And?” His body, which was warm moments ago, feels hot as if he’s core temperature has increased.
“That’s all. Nothing else.”
“You know I’m a lupine, right?”
“Uhm, yes. What’s your point?”
“I have an enhanced sense of smell.” He sniffs the air.
I glance first to the right, then left. Darkness fills my vision. “Is it them? Are they back?” Panic causes the flutters in my belly to take flight. “Do you smell them?”
“No.” A chuckle passes his lip. “I smell your lust.” He enters the mouth of the cave.
“Well, I think your senses went haywire.”
Inside the cave, I slide off. At once, I feel a void, a loss of heat from his body.
His footsteps track deeper into the dark chamber.
“Uhm. Ethan.” My heartbeat picks up speed. “I don’t want to be—”
A clang rattles, echoing around me.
I take a step forward, turn and then head to the opening of the cave. The primal need for light drives me forward in search of the moon.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Chapter Sixteen
Ethan Cotter
LIGHT FLASHES at her feet.
She whips around, shields her eyes, and slams into me.
“How?” Confusion etches her face. “Where’d you get that?”
“This?” I hold up a lit lantern.
“Yeah.”
“From the prepping kit about a hundred yards in.” I take her hand in mine, coaxing her inside the cave. “Thirsty? There’s water.”
A howl pierces the night, followed by another one a few seconds later.
She nods but doesn’t speak a single word.
My inner wolf stands on alert, ready to act.
“What if the rogue lycans don’t care this is sacred ground?” Taking the lantern in hand, she scans the area. “With only one way in”—she peeks around a narrow corner—“if they rush inside, we’ll be trapped.” Crossing the chamber, she checks another tunnel. “Captured.”
“Hey.” I intercept her at the mouth of another opening.
“That’s a dead end, too.”
“We’re safe in here.” I draw her into my arms. “Toby assigned sentries.”
“What if they leave? Or those things get them?” A light sheen covers her forehead. “We need another way out.”
“Hey. Look at me.” Fear wafts around her, pungent and thick. “We’re not trapped, and Sadie, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Her breaths, fast and shallow, keep beat with the racing cadence of her heart thumping in her chest.
She’s gonna hyperventilate if she keeps this up, I think to himself.
“Slow your breathing.” Inhaling a controlled and steady breath, I model some deep breathing, and she follows the example. “That’s good. In . . . One, two, three.” I pause for a couple of seconds. “Out . . . Four, five, six.”
The rise and fall of her chest slows.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” she replies barely above a whisper. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to flake out.”
“It’s all good.” I take the lantern from her hand. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
Lacing my fingers with hers, I guide her to the west side of the cave, containing the prepping kit.
Flipping the locks open on a trunk, I pull out a blanket and then spread it out.
“Water?” I offer her a bottle.
“Thanks.” She takes it from my hand.
“Come here.” I sit, then pat a spot next to me. “I don’t bite.”
Her brows shoot up, and a small smile rolls across her lips.
“Wow. I can’t believe you just said that?”
Slowly, she brushes off the bottom of her bare feet and then plops on the blanket.
She draws her knees to her chest. “So, you’re really going there?”
Fear still lingers, swirling around her, just not as heavy as before. His inner beast, highly attuned to the clues her body gives off, stands on high alert. The wolf lies in wait, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice if a need for action presents itself.
A wolfish grin rolls across my lips. “In my defense, you started the line of thought.”
“And how do you figure that?” She holds my gaze.
“Your lustful thoughts when on my back.”
A crimson blush covers her face, neck, and ears. “I wasn’t—”
I tip her chin and draw her in so close; I can almost feel her lips on mine.
She holds my gaze. Her tongue slides over her lips, and she closes the small gap.
“What were you thinking?” My mouth brushes against hers. “Tell me.”
“Uhm.” Her lids flutter, sending her lashes fanning across her high cheekbones.
“Was it this?” I press my mouth against hers, then nibble on her lower lip. “Or this?” I coax her to open to me, and when her lips part, I plunge my tongue inside, deepening the intensity of the kiss.
Sliding a hand down her arm, I draw her to my chest and ease her on to the blanket.
“I want to touch you.” My arm rests on her hip. “Taste you.” I trace the hem of the boxers with the tips of my fingers.
She chews on the inside of her lower lip, enticing the wolf.
Stretching out beside her, I hold her doe-eyed gaze.
“O-okay.” The word comes out with a squeak.
A wolfish grin washes across my face. The beast howls a silent call, excitement building.
Rolling her hip back, I guide her into a prone position, and then skim a hand across her stomach.
Her abdominal muscles contract under my touch.
A nervous giggle escapes her lips, and her eyes brighten.
I trace the edge of the boxers from her belly button to the hollow of a hip.
A nervous energy swirls around her, and a wave of goosebumps erupt from her toes to the top of her head.
“Your bead . . .” She touches the stubble on my face. “It tickles.”
Pressing my mouth to her neck, I leave a trail of kisses to her mouth.
“Uhm.” She trembles in my arms, and then a soft moan escapes her lips.
“You like that?”
She nods, and then wraps her arms around my neck, drawing me closer.
Claiming her lips once again, I slip a hand to the band of the boxers and toy with the edge of the fabric. Slowly, I dip the tip of a finger under the elastic.
Her heart pounds in her chest as if seeking an exit.
“Wait. Uhm.” In a flash, her hand shoots down, halting my exploration.
“Am I moving too fast?” Breathing in her scent, a mixture of lust and anxiety wafts around her.
She nods her head but avoids eye contact, so I tip her chin until her eyes meet mine.
“Breathe.” Moving my hand from her hip to her face, I caress her cheek. “We can go as slow as you want.” I kiss her cheek. “You call the shots. Okay?”
“Can we just lay here? Like this?” She places her head on my chest.
“Yeah.” The wolf in me listens to the thumping of her heart as it slows to a steady beat.
Slowly, he whispers in my thoughts. Don’t scare away.
I cradle her in my arms.
A single thought replays in my mind, will she agree to the bite?
I yearn to mark her—claim her.
My inner wolf sniffs her neck. Mine, the word resonates in the recesses of my mind.
Closing my eyes, I’m left wondering . . . Is it the wolf who claims a mate by marking, or does the mate claim the wolf in heart, body, and soul?
Chapter Seventeen
Sadie Reed
A STEADY BREATH BLOWS warmth across my neck.
My eyes snap open, and I lock gazes with Ethan.
“I, uhm”—I cover a yawn with the back of a hand—“must’ve dosed off.”
“A little.” Ethan repositions his body and rolls to his side.
He draws me close and presses his lips to mine. The kiss deepens, and he caresses the side of my face. His body tenses, and a low, throaty growl rumbles in his chest.
He springs to his feet, leaving me alone on the blanket.
“What is it?” I sit, hugging my knees to my chest.
Fear rekindles in my belly, twisting my insides into tight knots.
“Shh.” He motions for me to remain silent.
A shadow snakes along the walls of the cave.
The piercing sound of a whistle echoes inside the cavern.
“Whelp.” Toby’s voice booms around me. “Time to go.”
Ethan offers a hand. “Come on.”
“Go where?” I set my hand in his.
“About to find out.” He draws me to my feet and into his arms. “Toss the blanket in the trunk.”
Grabbing the corners, I half-fold it, and then return it to where it came from.
“What is all this?” Inside the trunk, first aid supplies, MREs, clothing, and some crude cookware take up space next to the blanket—each in airtight packages.
“Prep kit. Remember?” He turns the dial on the lantern, and the glow of the flame decreases to a thin, ruddy hue.
“Prep? Yeah, looks more like ‘on-the-run’ shit stashed in a cave.”
“That too.” A chuckle passes his lips.
“Any time now.” Annoyance etches Toby’s voice.
“Comin’.” Ethan heads to the mouth of the cave, and I follow on his heels.
The flat stone underfoot contains a smooth texture. Thoughts of the rocks, prickly plants, and dirt outside make me shudder.
Damn. What I’d do for a pair of shoes right now. I take in my mode of dress. And some fucking clothes, too.
“Charlie.” Looming just outside of the entrance, stands Toby. “We head out in five,” he shouts over a shoulder.
Twenty yards away, Charlie mans the same horses from prior.
Toby draws in a deep breath, filling his lungs. He looks from Ethan to me, and then back to Ethan.
“It’ll be dawn in”—Toby glances at the watch on his wrist—“two hours.” He pauses. “You wear his scent, but no mark.” His eyes land on Ethan. “Care to explain?”
“We were getting’ around to it.” Ethan runs a hand through his hair. “Just haven’t gotten to that point yet. And I have until sunrise.”
“Cutting it close, don’t you think?” Toby heads down the side of the mountain. Five feet out, darkness swallows him.
A chill slinks up the length of my spine. The sensation of eyes watching me from a distance makes me shiver.
“What if those things are out there?”
Ethan leaps to a rock below. “The rogues?” He offers a hand.
“Yeah.” I sit on the edge of a bolder and slides into his arms.
“Get on.” Ethan kneels, offering his back.
Without hesitation, I take him up on the offer.
It beats stepping on prickly things that sting.
“Don’t waste energy worrying about the lycans,” Toby calls out from the darkness.
“Why not?” The warmth of Ethan’s body offers a layer of comfort I find calming.
“Because they’re not who you need to concern yourself with.”
“Oh, yeah?” I search the night, but only darkness blooms six feet out. “Who then?”
“That’d be the Wiccans.”
Chapter Eighteen
Ethan Cotter
MINE, my inner wolf whispers. Protect mate.
I focus on keeping my beast at bay.
She’s not ours yet—transformation with Sadie on my back isn’t the way I want to introduce her to him—but soon, real soon, she’ll be mine—theirs.
The gums around my canines tingle, itching to elongate. And the warmth of her body pressing intimately against mine, makes my dick strain against the jeans.
Fuck. Get a grip.
“Hold on.” I tug on her arm, and she tightens her embrace.
I clear the last thirty feet of the descent with ease, leaping from rock to rock. At the base, I land next to Toby, and then do a shuffle to the waiting horses.
Sadie slides off my back then fidgets with the shirt hem, avoiding Toby’s gaze.
Her uneasiness sets my beast off. “If you have something to say”—I direct my words at Toby—“spit it out.”
“What did you decide?” Toby stares her down.
“That’s not any of your—”
Even in the darkness, the flush on her face shines.
“I disagree.” Toby checks the belt of the saddle I rode on with Sadie earlier. “Me and my pack answered a call to arms.” He looks up, locking on to her gaze. “Lost a good man in the scrimmage.”
Holding out the reins, he relinquishes them to me.
“The way I see it, I have every right to know your decision—as does everyone else.”
Silence blankets the night.
“So, what’s it gonna be?” Toby mounts his horse. “You a lab rat?”
“Fuck off.” She spits the words out with defiance and a touch of venom.
The corners of Toby’s lips quirk. “Shoshone it is.”
My inner wolf grins. Her spunk and tenacity in the face of the unknown intrigues both me and my wolf.
Back at Roman’s house during the attack, she had embraced fear head on instead of allowing it to break her. Yet, back in the cave, she had a moment of weakness. But even then, she overcame it.
Now, I understand why. She carries Roman’s lineage—an ancient lupine line.
Swinging a leg over, I mount the horse, reach over, and then pull Sadie on to the saddle in front of me.
Anger along with something else swirls around her—a scent I’m not sure how to classify. It’s the same aroma I had noticed during the attack.
Her aroma, not lupine in nature but most definitely supernatural in origin, coats her body like a second skin.
Wiccan, my wolf whispers. Old and ancient, it is.
The ravine leads into an open pasture of flat land, it’s the same area the lycan’s only hours ago had launched a sneak attack.
Memories of the rogues snapping at Sadie’s bare feet and exposed legs, feeds the anger brewing in my gut, which in turn, nourishes my beast’s hatred for any all who seek to harm what is mine.
I trot up next to Toby. “
What of Samuel? The Order?”
“Agartha took him and his coven down a few notches. Ain’t that so, Charlie?”
A smile of satisfaction rolls across Charlie’s face, and he nods.
“They’re camped out on the front lawn and as docile as newborn kittens.”
“What?” Sadie places a hand on my thigh and leans in Toby’s direction. “How?”
“Binding spell.” Toby whistles and the horses pick up speed. “Let’s ride.” He casts a glance at Sadie. “Destine awaits.”
Chapter Nineteen
Sadie Reed
“ARROGANT ASS,” she whispers the words under her breath.
“I’ve been called many things, Sadie Reed.” Laughter erupts on Toby’s lips. “That doesn’t even rank in the top five.”
“Do you try to piss people off”—the desire to wipe the smile from his face grows—“or is it a God-given gift?”
“I like this one, whelp.” Toby pulls ahead, taking the lead. “Hope you haven’t bitten off more than you can handle,” he says over his shoulder.
“Oh, my God. Is he always like this?” I wiggle on the saddle seat, repositioning the hem of the boxers. “And why’s he calling you a whelp? Isn’t that a puppy?”
“It’s like calling someone younger a kid or runt, it’s an endearment. You’ll hear it a lot in the lupine and lycan communities.” He leans next to my head and draws in a breath, filling his lungs.
“Did you just smell my hair?”
“No. Your scent. It has a spicy tang to it when you’re angry.”
I turn just enough to lock gazes with him. His irises, once a smoky blue, contain the coppery, glowing hue from earlier.
Wonder if that’s how he can see in the darkness?
If he and the wolf are one and the same, does that mean he can view things through the eyes of his—what did he call it—his beast.
He wraps an arm around my waist, drawing me against him. “He likes you.”
“Who?”
“Toby.” The increasing warmth of his body makes me conscious of how close we both now sit.
“Why do you say that?”
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