Taste of Darkness (36 page)

He stretched out beside her, placing a hand on her flat abdomen. His mate was so soft and delicate, yet strong in ways that continued to amaze him. “Did I hurt you?”

Her smile took his breath away. “Not even a little bit. I might be sore though.”

He didn’t want to leave her for even a moment, but… “Give me just a second. I’ll be right back.” He dropped a kiss on her lips before hurrying to the en suite. Moving quickly he grabbed a washcloth and rinsed it with warm water.

Back in the bedroom he kneeled in front of her and gently wiped between her legs. When he saw tears in her eyes, all the breath in his lungs escaped in one whoosh. “Victoria.” Her name sounded guttural.

“Happy tears,” she quickly said, her voice watery. “Turn around.”

Confused by her request, he let the cloth drop and did as she said. Her soft fingers trailed over a small section on his upper spine. “When wolf shifters, or werewolves as the older generation says, mate, it’s for life. But with…destined mates, a tattoo-like symbol appears on their bodies after they officially mate. You have one.” He could hear the emotion in her words, the way her voice shook. “It’s a black wolf. Just like me.”

Another swell of emotion pushed up inside him. Her mark would be on him forever. According to his brother, other supernaturals would be able to scent their mating anyway, and know they were taken, but the mark was something he hadn’t realized he’d needed. He was glad he had a symbol of her on his skin. She’d be with him wherever he went.

Turning, he pulled her into his lap, needing to hold her close. Though he was almost positive the tears in her eyes were joyous, he needed to know for sure. “This is a good thing?” he asked quietly, tightening his grip on her. He would never get tired of holding her, loving her, and taking care of her.

She nodded, wrapping one arm around the back of his neck and cupping his cheek with the other. “So good and very rare. I should have one too.” She leaned forward, her breasts brushing his forearm as she moved.

His heart caught in his throat as he saw it. “It’s me,” he managed to squeeze out, the outward symbol of their bond affecting him soul deep. A small, pale glittering dragon with flashing jade wings sat perfectly in the middle of her upper back. More intricate than any tattoo.

When she leaned back to look at him, he covered her mouth with his, needing to taste her again, needing this female like he needed his next breath. He’d meant what he’d told her in that cave too. For this female, for even this one moment, he’d go back and do everything in his life exactly the same.

Making it through Hell to get to Victoria was worth every second he’d been locked up. Now every day with her would be his reward. He didn’t care if he ever made it to Heaven. Victoria was his Heaven.

Chapter Thirty

One week later

“You’re sure about this?” Conall asked Keelin, looking warily at her plethora of suitcases in the foyer of her home.

Drake just wrapped his arm around Victoria’s shoulders and pulled her close. He was definitely staying out of this. Drake and Victoria were headed back to Biloxi to pack up Victoria’s things. His mate had surprised him when she’d said she wanted to live in Montana indefinitely. He knew how much her pack meant to her and he’d never planned to push the issue. But when Victoria got something into her head, he’d learned that nothing he said could convince her to change her mind. Then, surprising everyone, Keelin had announced that she’d be moving to Biloxi indefinitely. Gabriel had worked everything out with Finn and his sister would be staying in Victoria’s old room.

His sister nodded in that regal way of hers. “Yes. I need to get away from the clan and live my life on my terms. No one hovering constantly and no one telling me what to do. It’s time I spread my wings—pun intended. And I’ll be back all the time now to see Drake and I know Victoria will be back to see her pack. The Stavros pack took care of you and if you two trust them, I trust them to give me support if I need them.” She beamed at him and Victoria, but her smile grew brittle when she glanced past them to the opening front door.

He’d noticed that she’d been jumpy ever since they returned and Drake wondered if fear was part of her reason for leaving. It didn’t matter that Nevin had been working alone in his madness or that she was completely healed, a trusted family member had betrayed them all.

They turned to see Gabriel, Rhea and surprisingly Gavin and Bran Devlin, stride in. Drake thought the Devlin brothers had left this morning and had already said his goodbyes. When Drake had regained his full memory he’d discovered why Gavin seemed so familiar. They’d been friends when they were children. Best friends.

When he was just eight years old Drake had gotten himself snagged in jagged tree branches jutting out from the side of a cliff. He’d been too young and too panicked to free himself and Gavin had discovered him. He’d helped him get free and they’d kept their friendship secret because of their families. Deep down Drake didn’t think their clans would have actually cared but they’d been children and keeping secrets had been fun. The only person Gavin had ever told about his friendship with Drake was Fia. It was why she’d been so insistent on coming to Petronilla land. For her mate’s happiness.

Dropping his hold on Victoria, he pulled Gavin into a brief hug. They thumped each other on the back in the way he’d seen Gabriel and Finn and other Stavros packmates do, the action warming something long buried inside him. He’d worried that his friendship with the other male would bother Conall because of their history, but his brother had made it clear he was happy Drake had a friend. And Drake believed him.

“I thought you already left,” he said, pleased to see the male just the same.

Gavin’s mouth pulled up a fraction. “Fia decided to get some more shopping in before we left. And I wanted to see you again.”

“We’re going to see you in just a couple weeks,” Victoria said teasingly as she sidled up close to Drake, wrapping her arm snug around his waist. Her scent teased him as it always did, making him wonder if they could sneak in a quickie before their plane ride. He and Victoria had gotten very creative the past week, finding time for each other anywhere and everywhere. She was just as insatiable as him.

“Yes, well, I suppose I don’t need an excuse to see my oldest friend.” The male’s voice was oddly tight.

Friend. The word brought up all those damn emotions again.

“I knew I liked you,” Victoria murmured, her gaze trailing to where Bran was lifting two of Keelin’s suitcases.

Victoria was so observant of everyone and everything. She was still doing research into what had given him the ability to incinerate those dragons and then all those demons with that pale, blue fire. His mate had been in abject danger and his beast had simply reacted, calling on all its strength. That was all he needed to know, but she was determined to find out how he’d done it. He was just thankful he’d been able to protect his mate.

Drake followed Victoria’s gaze to Keelin, whose face was flushed red, whether in embarrassment or annoyance that Bran was helping her, he couldn’t tell. But she didn’t try to stop Bran from picking up her bags. Drake knew the male had been by to see Keelin every day since the females had been found, but he wasn’t sure what was going on between them. If anything.

Though a primal part of him wanted to rip apart any male who looked at his sister, Keelin was grown and capable. Something Victoria liked to remind him of. Plus, he actually approved of Bran. The male was capable of protecting her and had stepped up to help them with no questions asked and no strings attached when they’d needed help searching for the females.

“Hmm.” His mate slightly shook her head and made a knowing sound before turning back to Gavin. “I’ve never been to Oregon before. We can’t wait to visit you guys.”

He laughed lightly. “We’re excited to have you. Fia’s already making plans for us so you don’t have to worry about anything.”

As they continued talking Drake noticed Rhea pull Conall aside, but their voices were too low for him to hear anything. That was saying something considering his supernatural hearing. He’d asked his brother if anything was going on between him and Rhea but Conall had shut down. Even if he was still learning a lot about this new world, Drake knew that a female was the one topic he shouldn’t push his brother about.

Standing in his sister’s home, with his arm wrapped tightly around Victoria, the mate he loved more than anything, surrounded by friends and family, it was hard to believe how much things had changed in just four months.

From literal Hell to a small slice of Heaven. His time in the underworld had taught him to savor the smallest pleasure. Now he had the rest of his life to make the most of the new blessings he’d been given. He wasn’t going to waste one second.

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Excerpt from

Bound to Danger

Deadly Ops Series

by Katie Reus

Copyright © 2014 Katie Reus

Forcing her body to obey her when all she wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry until she passed out, she got up. Cool air rushed over her exposed back and backside as her feet hit the chilly linoleum floor. She wasn’t wearing any panties and the hospital gown wasn’t covering much of her. She didn’t care.

Right now she didn’t care about much at all.

Sometime when she’d been asleep her dirty, rumpled gown had been removed from the room. And someone had left a small bag of clothes on the bench by the window. No doubt Nash had brought her something to wear. He’d been in to see her a few times, but she’d asked him to leave each time. She felt like a complete bitch because she knew he just wanted to help, but she didn’t care. Nothing could help, and being alone with her pain was the only way she could cope right now.

Feeling as if she were a hundred years old, she’d started unzipping the small brown leather bag when the door opened. As she turned to look over her shoulder, she found Nash, a uniformed police officer, and another really tall, thuggish-looking man entering.

Her eyes widened in recognition. The tattoos were new, but the
thug
was Cade O’Reilly. He’d served in the Marines with her brother. They’d been best friends and her brother, Riel, named after her father, had even brought him home a few times. But that was years ago. Eight to be exact. It was hard to forget the man who’d completely cut her out of his life after her brother died, as if she meant nothing to him.

Cade towered over Nash—who was pretty tall himself—and had a sleeve of tattoos on one arm and a couple on the other. His jet-black hair was almost shaved, the skull trim close to his head, just like the last time she’d seen him. He was…intimidating. Always had been. And startlingly handsome in that bad-boy way she was sure had made plenty of women… Yeah, she wasn’t even going there.

She swiveled quickly, putting her back to the window so she wasn’t flashing them. Reaching around to her back, she clasped the hospital gown together. “You can’t knock?” she practically shouted, her voice raspy from crying, not sure whom she was directing the question to.

“I told them you weren’t to be bothered, but—”

The police officer cut Nash off, his gaze kind but direct. “Ms. Cervantes, this man is from the NSA and needs to ask you some questions. As soon as you’re done, the doctors will release you.”

“I know who he is.” She bit the words out angrily, earning a surprised look from Nash and a controlled look from Cade.

She might know Cade, or she had at one time, but she hadn’t known he worked for the NSA. After her brother’s death he’d stopped communicating with her. Her brother had brought him home during one of their short leaves, and she and Cade had become friends.
Good friends.
They’d e-mailed all the time, for almost a year straight. Right near the end of their long correspondence, things had shifted between them, had been heading into more than friendly territory. Then after Riel died, it was as if Cade had too. It had cut her so deep to lose him on top of her brother. And now he showed up in the hospital room after her mom’s death and wanted to talk to her? Hell no.

She’d been harassing the nurses to find a doctor who would discharge her, and now she knew why they’d been putting her off. They’d done a dozen tests and she didn’t have a brain injury. She wasn’t exhibiting any signs of having a concussion except for the memory loss, but the doctors were convinced that this was because of shock and trauma at what she’d apparently witnessed.

Nash started to argue, but the cop hauled him away, talking in low undertones, shutting the door behind them. Leaving her alone with this giant of a man.

Feeling raw and vulnerable, Maria wrapped her arms around herself. The sun had almost set, so even standing by the window didn’t warm her up. She just felt so damn cold. Because of the room and probably grief. And now to be faced with a dark reminder of her past was too much.