Taking Nicole (Vegas Mates Series)(#4) (16 page)

“A-a-ron,” she gasped. “Nooo-ahhhh!” Her protests morphed into a glorious scream of release. Her pussy pulsated around his dick, sending him over the edge. One more thrust for good measure and he joined her in a shout of ecstasy.

He grabbed his tee shirt from the ground and used it to clean up them both. She lay limp on the hood of the car, panting.

“Now, what … am … I going to … wear?” she managed between huge gulps for air.

“You’re going to shift into your fur coat,” he answered, walking off to retrieve his jeans from the ground a few feet away. He pulled them on and looked back at the car.

A beautiful gray wolf with black markings along her back sat by the passenger door. Her tongue lolled out and a wide grin split her muzzle.
 

“So, do you want to hang your head out the window?”

She snapped her jaws shut and one side of her lip curled as a growl rumbled from her throat.

He laughed, holding up his hand in surrender. “Too far?”

A low-pitched
woof
answered his question.

The ride back to the palace was quiet. He could still feel her emotions even though she was in wolf form, and she was still riding a high from their lovemaking.

As they rounded the last curve of the Antipas driveway, lights cut a bright swath through the darkness of the countryside. Several men stood at the doors, but for the most part, the palace was quiet. Only a few windows glowed with light.

He pulled the car to a stop near the main doors and held his door open for Nicole to come through. She hopped lightly onto the gravel drive and walked beside him to the doors.

The men at the doors were unfamiliar wolves, probably men from the cages he’d never met.

“Who are you? I thought all had returned from the arena already.”

“Aaron Katsaros and Nicole Demakis,” Aaron answered. “We took the scenic route.”

The guard smiled and nodded. “Of course you did.”
 

The second man opened the large door and waved them in.

Aaron walked through the doors, surprised to find the lights still bright and dozens of people milling about the halls. Chatter and laughter filled the space. Not something he’d ever heard in the Antipas palace.

Nicole padded softly beside him glancing from one person to another. A soft
woof
was his only warning before she raced down the hall and nearly jumped into Kate’s arms.

Kate laughed and rubbed Nicole’s head between her ears. She was telling her how glad she was to see her when Aaron reached their side.

“You made it back,” Kate stated, giving him a quick wink. “I thought I might not see either of you until the sun’s rays woke you from your love-drunk sleep.”

“The thought crossed my mind,” he answered.

“I see she managed to lose her clothes.”

Nicole barked again and wagged her tail, apparently not at all embarrassed that her friend knew she was naked because he’d shredded her dress. Shouldn’t have surprised him. She probably would’ve walked in completely naked if he hadn’t requested her in a fur coat. Well … maybe not in front of all these strangers.

“It was unsalvageable.” A grin tugged at the corners of his lips.

“I’m sure it was,” Kate said, scratching Nicole’s head again. “Naughty girl. Did you find yourself a man who can handle you?”

A resounding
woof
echoed through the hall.

“You two find an empty room for the night. Lee and Jason will be flying back to New York with both of you in the morning.”

Nicole cocked her head to the side and whined.

“Everyone is fine, dear, I promise. All your sisters are in New York eagerly awaiting your arrival. Lee will explain everything.”
 

“Thank you, Kate. I can’t begin to know how to repay you and the others for everything you’ve done.”

“I’m just glad we were in time,” she replied. “Oh, your sister is sleeping now, but she will of course be on the plane with you, Aaron. Please be outside and ready at eight.”

He nodded. Everyone in this place needed a good night’s sleep, including him and his mate. Unless someone had the code to his quarters, his bed should still be empty. He and Nicole had a few hours to grab some sleep before they left this prison for good.

***

The plane engines whirred to life and the cabin shuddered.
 

They’d been driven from the palace to the airport early and boarded a private jet. Nicole sat in the chair next to Aaron. Sasha sat directly across and Lee sat next to her. Jason sat on the other side of the plane, separate from the rest of them.

“So, Nicole, tell me about your family,” his sister chirped.

“I have one older sister, Sam. And two younger, Tess and Hallie. The younger ones are twins. Sam found her mate last Christmas and they live in Las Vegas, where I grew up. Most of the pack is still there. Although quite a few travel back and forth between a newer pack base in Logan and home. Woodhaven is beautiful. You’ll like it.”

“We are going to New York, though. What’s in New York?”

“My mother,” Nicole sighed.

Before Sasha arrived that morning, Lee had privately explained to Nicole and Aaron the circumstances surrounding the capture of Nicole’s mother.

“Oh, that’s so nice. I’m sure she’s been worried sick.”

Aaron started to speak, but Nicole touched his hand.

“She’s dying. We are all meeting there to say goodbye.”

Nicole’s comment surprised him, but it was a good cover. His sister’s demeanor changed instantly. “I’m so sorry. At least you’ll be able to see her again.”

“I hope so.” Nicole’s voice wavered, a mixture of sorrow and hope flooded their mate bond. He knew there was a good chance what Lee was going to do wouldn’t work and so did she. There was a possibility her mother was gone for good.

He wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed. “You need the closure, love. One way or another.”

She met his gaze for a moment before resting her head against his shoulder. The pain in her blue eyes tore at his very soul.
 

He knew her mother had attacked Samantha several times, nearly killing her right after her mating ceremony. She’d also shared that Renata had succeeded in killing many of the pack males, including her father. If not for the warning the pack was able to send Melinda, there would’ve been even more deaths.
 

Instead, there would only be one.
 

Renata’s.

Aaron had lost both his parents in a territory war with another pride, and he and his sister were offered to the Antipas family as a bribe to keep the wolves out of leopard affairs in the area.

It worked for a while, but ultimately backfired on the conquering pride. It wasn’t but a few years later when those damn wolves came looking for more servants. The royal magick they wielded was too strong and they wiped out everyone who wouldn’t surrender and serve in their private army, cheating him of any revenge he’d hoped to exact on his parents’ murderers.

Nicole facing her father’s murderer should give her and her sisters some closure, but not when the villain was their mother’s animal soul.
 

Only royal wolves would create situations that hurt them and those around them. Everything was about politics and power.
 

“Look where it got them. Most of them are dead and their children are no longer wolves.”

The Originals are still alive. One of them is sitting three feet away. They can just have more children.

“Perhaps,”
his leopard answered.
“But they forced the Originals out of hiding. They’ve been gone a long time. I don’t think they’ll just up and start having families again.”

Maybe not, but it’s not like the feline races are much better. We fight and kill each other too … like animals. The bears, however, have learned how to exist without bothering a single soul. It was interesting observing the O’Hearn family. They just go about their business like average humans, for the most part.

“That’s bullshit and you know it. They get their kicks serving in military squadrons. Haven’t you heard of special forces?”
His leopard laughed.
“We both know what ‘special’ really means.”

Aaron smiled. He definitely didn’t want to be on the receiving end of any bear paw. They were giants as men and near impossible to fight as beasts. Still, even though they were vicious killers, they managed not to be constantly fighting among themselves.

“The wolf packs in America are much different than here at home. These wolves function as multi-family groups. You saw them fight to protect each other when you attacked them.”

I know. We’ll see how they react when they realize she’s mated to me. It may not be the warm welcome she expects.

“What are you talking about up there,” Sasha asked, tapping her temple and giving him a quizzical look. “You know you were never good at keeping your face clear during a conversation with your leopard.”

A chuckle shook his chest and Nicole stirred against his side.

“Just wondering what life will be like living with a wolf pack.”

“An adventure,” Sasha giggled. “Hell, as long as I’m not in a cage, it will be like heaven.”

Nicole covered her mouth and yawned. “Our pack has witches, vampires, lions, bears, now a leopard. They won’t care what you are as long as you are loyal.”

“I’m a little more than worried. I know you said they all fully recovered, but still … I almost killed two of them.”

“Chris and Sarah will not be your best friends by a long shot, but trust has to be earned, Aaron. Once they get to know you, they’ll love you, too.”

He shrugged, still not convinced. She had a lot of faith in the melting pot she called a family. The seat across from him squeaked and he looked up. His sister was wiggling like a two-year-old who needed a potty break.
 

“Spit it out, Sasha.”

“Do you have any tiger shifters in the pack, Nicole? You said witches, vampires, which by the way—eeewwww—and lions, bears, now us, but do you have any tigers? I’ve never met one and I’ve always wanted to.” She winked and smiled.
Such a tease.

“No,” Nicole shook her head, but did chuckle just a little. “I’ve never met one either. Camila, our vampire slash witch, is nice though … most of the time. You will like her.”

Aaron turned his attention from the chattering of his sister and Nicole and focused on first on Lycurgus or Lee or whatever he wanted to be called. Lee was pretending to sleep, but his irregular breathing pattern was a dead giveaway that he was faking. A little farther to his right, on the other side of the plane, Jason Demakis gazed out the window.

Jason turned and looked him in the eye for a moment and then turned back to the window without a word. One of the eleven Original werewolves and his creator were sitting not more than five feet from him. Two of the most powerful supernatural beings anywhere on the earth.
 

They were all on a plane to the headquarters of a New York werewolf pack where the Alpha female called the shots and her player of a husband was never to be found. And this had been their standard arrangement for nearly two centuries. Needless to say, they’d yet to have any children, probably because she refused. He couldn’t blame her.

The Vegas pack took in everyone. Humans, witches, lions, bears, awakened latent wolves, and now unbeknownst to them, were about to add two leopards into the mix.
 

“It’s the beginning a brand new life. Chin up. You need a little more of your sister’s enthusiasm.”

Yeah, well. She didn’t almost murder two of their pack.

No response.

Thought so.
Even his leopard knew when to stop arguing.
What am I going to do? It’s not like they’re going to turn around and offer me a job doing something in the pack. They don’t even know me. I can’t stand the thought of just being a weight around someone’s neck. Nicole might have grown up with a silver spoon her mouth, but I earn my keep.

Nicole put her hand over one of his knees and rubbed her thumb in a circular pattern. The movement was subtle and she continued to chitchat with his sister about all kinds of things regular girls talk about. Of course, the last time his sister had been a girl was back around nineteen hundred. A few things had changed since then and she couldn’t wait to explore. Her joyful spirit lifted the mood of the whole plane. Even Lee and Jason had joined in with Nicole, regaling Sasha about all the cool things she had to see when she got to New York.
 

It was good.

Nicole was smiling, not dwelling on her mom.
 

He was distracted from his thoughts of being a hated agent of the Council, and Nicole’s thumb was lulling him into a deep sleep. His eyelids were heavy. He needed to rest. Really rest. The last full night of sleep he’d gotten was so far back he couldn’t remember it.

“Just remember, I love you, Aaron,” she whispered into his ear.
 

Their mate bond was broadcasting his emotions loud and clear.
Damn magickal connection. Nothing would ever be private again.
At the same time, it was a relief. He couldn’t keep things bottled up with a mate to sense them.

Those three little words were just what he needed. The worries slipped away and his mind relaxed. His eyes closed and he leaned his head back against the headrest of the seat.
 

He would walk through fire for the woman next to him and that was all that mattered right now. He would never be alone again. Taking Nicole from that little cabin in Logan may have been a mistake to begin with, but it’d turned out to be just what fate had in mind.

If she thought his redemption was possible, then maybe it was.

“I need to do this with my sisters.” It took all her willpower to keep from breaking down and letting him go in with her. Sam had asked that it only be family and she hadn’t let her husband Chase go into the cell either.