Bonded (58 page)

“Yes.” She felt no
shyness now and opened herself to him fully. There was no need to
hide from him. Her body was his and soon her thoughts would be,
too. Their minds would meld and then there’d be no turning back.
“You’re sure?” She asked stroking his face.

Reno bit the pad
of her thumb and rolled his eyes. “Isn’t that supposed to be my
line?”

Brandi shrugged.
“I never claimed to do things the usual way.”

“Good.” He leaned
forwards and nipped her chin. “I like the unusual.” And with that
he thrust into her in one long stroke.

A gasp escaped her
as he pushed inside. After more than two years, her body had
forgotten his size. She arched her back, loving the heat, the sense
of fullness. Reno rumbled in approval, his eyes half closed. In
then out, each time a bit deeper, the feeling of oneness growing
between them. Finally, buried to the hilt, he paused and they
savoured the moment.

“Okay?” He ran a
kiss along her jaw.

“Oh yeah.” She
closed her eyes, a faint smile on her lips. “More than okay.”

“The first
time—when you bonded with me—we were like this.” He took her arms
by the wrists and pinned them over her head.

Brandi opened her
eyes in surprise and tugged at her arms but he didn’t let go. Not
sure what was going on, she gave him a questioning look.

“You said you had
a fantasy, remember? About being hunted down. What if I have one,
too?”

“Oh.” She gave her
arms another tug and wiggled her body but being...impaled...and
held in place, her efforts were futile. A strange tingle ran
through her. Controlled. Dominated. She closed her eyes and felt
herself get wetter around him, her excitement spiking like never
before. Who’d have guessed?

‘
Yes,’
her
wolf hummed in satisfaction as it took advantage of her
preoccupation and pushed to the foreground.
‘Our mate is strong.
He will be our Alpha and care for us, ensure our every need is
met.’
The creature took a moment to scold her.
‘I have told
you for years, but you would never listen. See what we’ve been
missing because of your stubbornness?
’

Her wolf was
right. She should have listened.

“Is this okay?”
The sound of Reno’s voice had her opening her eyes. He was watching
her carefully. “I’ll let go if it bothers you.”

“No. I...I like
it.” Brandi felt her cheeks heat yet again. She was a strong,
independent career woman and yet being controlled by Reno was
turning her on. Her gaze lifted to his eyes and she noted how black
they were; could see the wildness lurking inside him. His wolf was
as close to the surface as hers, eager to stake its claim. At one
time, she’d feared the creature but now that hint of danger
thrilled her. He would be forceful and demand she yield to him, yet
his actions would always be tempered with love. And she’d enjoy
provoking that side of him. The battles of will they’d have should
prove to be...interesting.

A growl rose from
his throat and Reno curled his lip, a hint of fang beginning to
show. His gaze slowly raked over her, lingering on her up-thrust
breasts before returning to her face. “My wolf is pleased with you.
He’s wanted you as a mate for a long time.”

“I’m pleased with
him, too. And so is my wolf.” Playfully, she lifted her head and
nipped at his chin drawing another growl from him.

Desire flared in
his eyes and suddenly he dipped his head, kissing her deeply, his
tongue stroking hers. At the same time, he began to move, his body
rocking into her with powerful strokes, taking her as he might have
done in ancient times.

With each hard
thrust, her heart seemed to race faster. Her breath came in rapid
pants. It was like it had been at the Academy all those years ago.
Age-old instincts were coming to life, filling her with a strange
melting sensation, urging her to submit to the male who had finally
conquered her. But this time she didn’t fight the sensation.
Instead she revelled in it, and as he drove into her over and over,
excitement twisted and turned, muscles tightened, nerve endings
begged for release. This was what it was like to be claimed by a
male who would never let you go. An edge of danger yet at the same
time there was the knowledge that he’d never hurt and always
protect.

Brandi tossed her
head back, exposing her throat. She felt ready to explode, wave
after wave of pleasure filling her to the breaking point. Through
unfocussed eyes, she saw Reno leaning forward, felt his canines
brush her neck. She tensed and held her breath, hovering on the
brink of expectancy...

A pinprick of pain
pushed her over the edge. Her body convulsed in ecstasy as Reno
lapped at her blood. Light flared behind her eyes and then a tidal
wave of feeling sent her spinning out of control into a realm she’d
only dreamed of. There was no hiding, no shame. Only love,
understanding, and acceptance. After so many years of being
incomplete they were finally one in both body and mind. Two
separate souls united as they had always been meant to be.

Brandi and Reno,
bonded in love, mated for eternity.

Epilogue

Several weeks
later...

Reno drove towards
Damien’s house, barely listening to his partner who was talking a
blue streak beside him. Beth was pregnant and Damien was as proud
as the proverbial peacock. The young love birds had purchased a
home on the edge of town and had just moved in a week ago. There
were still boxes to unpack and landscaping to finish, but the rooms
were painted and the essentials were in place.

He and Brandi had
helped out as much as possible, and in exchange Damien was going to
fly out to Kolding’s Pass and return the favour in a few weeks’
time.

It had been a hard
decision to make, but Klaus needed him and Brandi was eager to help
her birth pack recover from its recent experiences. Besides, the
excitement of being an Enforcer at Lycan Link had faded. It was
time to move on. He’d miss the adrenaline rush of working a new
case, but Kolding’s Pass promised to hold enough challenges to keep
him busy.

Once the pack was
stabilized, Damien was even considering moving his new family
there. Reno hoped so. Klaus had hinted that he’d like to retire
soon and Damien would make a damned fine Beta.

“So you’ll come
for supper tomorrow night?”

Realizing Damien
was talking to him, Reno forced himself to pay closer attention.
“Sure. Another housewarming party?”

“No. Beth had an
ultra-sound this morning and she wants to show you guys the
pictures. Man, Reno. It’s the most amazing thing in the world, to
see your unborn pup.”

Reno wondered how
he’ll feel when Brandi finally conceived and decided he’d be as
much of a blathering idiot about it as Damien was. The idea of his
pup growing in Brandi’s belly was rather erotic, and he shifted
uncomfortably in his seat as his body responded to the idea. He’d
drop Damien off and then head straight home for a good bout of
sex.

His phone rang and
he turned on the hands-free feature.

“Reno? Fielding
here.”

He barely
suppressed a growl of frustration. “Captain, I just left work ten
minutes ago. A case couldn’t have come up that fast.” A month ago,
Reno never would have dreamed he’d complain about work, but now
anything that kept him away from Brandi was an annoyance.

“No. It’s not a
case. Another threatening letter just arrived from the
Purists.”

Both Damien and
Reno swore in unison.

“I thought we were
done with that.” Damien said.

“Apparently not.”
Fielding replied. “And this one’s more specific than ever. It says
they’re ashamed of Lycan Link and its persistent contribution to
the downfall of Lycan society. The fact that employees are now
actively engaged in sullying the blood line by mating with halves
is intolerable. They will now take direct action to stop the spread
of the scourge. Sufficient warning has been given but Lycan Link
has failed to comply. The time to act is now.”

“What a bunch of
bull,” Reno snorted and shook his head. “Captain, if they
think—”

Damien suddenly
stiffened and turned white. “Something is wrong with Beth. She’s
scared and worried about the baby!”

“Shit!” Reno
clenched the steering wheel. “Captain, I think the Purists might
have been referring to Beth. Damien’s sensing something is
wrong.”

“I’ll send a team
to the house.” Fielding hung up and Reno pressed down harder on the
accelerator.

“Don’t worry,
Damien. We’re only a few minutes from your place.” Skilfully he
wove through the traffic while Damien kept a death grip on the
dashboard.

As he turned the
corner onto Damien’s street, the sound of an explosion rang out and
a billow of smoke could be seen rising in the air.

“Beth!” Damien was
shouting his mate’s name and jumped from the car before it even
stopped. He took but a few steps when a second explosion rocked the
area, the blast knocking him to the ground.

Reno slammed the
car into park and leapt out, racing after Damien. The man was
already on his feet and heading straight towards the burning
building. He grabbed his partner’s arm and tried to hold him back.
The house was almost entirely engulfed. There was no way Damien
could enter without protective gear. It would be suicide!

“Damien, wait! The
fire trucks are coming. They’ll get her out.”

The wail of sirens
was filling the air even as he spoke, but it seemed to make no
difference for his partner.

“Let me go, Reno.
Beth needs me!” Damien growled while struggling against him. “Let
me go, dammit!” Suddenly he turned and snarled, his canines
showing. The air around him shimmered and Reno realized he was on
the verge of transforming right in front of the crowd of gathering
neighbours. Human neighbours.

“Damien, get a
grip man! You can’t do this!” He tried to get through to his
partner, but Damien swung at him and Reno barely managed to dodge
the blow. In that split second Damien pulled free and ran into the
burning building, calling out Beth’s name.

A few days later,
Reno stood gazing at his partner. The beeping of monitors and the
smell of antiseptic permeated the stark room of the infirmary.
Lycan Link’s medical facilities rivalled those of any human
hospital both in technology and decor.

Damien was still
unconscious with severe burns over much of his body. The doctors
said he’d recover physically, likely with little to no scarring,
though one leg had them concerned. Infection had set in but the
odds were good on it healing with proper treatment and high doses
of antibiotics.

Psychologically
the prognosis wasn’t as clear. The death of a blood bonded mate was
always hard on the surviving partner, but when the death occurred
so traumatically and the patient had a history of rogue
tendencies...

Closing his eyes,
Reno took a steadying breath still recalling Damien’s screams. The
man likely hadn’t realized he’d been yelling out loud when trying
to mentally connect with Beth. It had been agonizing to hear him
begging his dead mate to answer him. And then to see Damien throw
himself into the burning building...

A door opened, but
Reno didn’t turn. He knew who it was; the captain had said he’d
meet him there.

“How’s he doing,
Reno?”

“The same. I spoke
to the doctor a few minutes ago. His body will heal but no one’s
laying bets on his mind.”

“You’ll pull him
through. You two are closer than any two Enforcers I’ve ever seen.
He’ll recover.”

Reno grunted,
hoping, praying, it would be enough. Damien was like his brother,
his family. They were pack and pack meant everything. If he’d
learned one thing over the past few weeks it was that his rogue
tendencies were no longer an issue, if they ever had been. His
feelings for Brandi, his concern for Damien, those emotions were
too real, too deep, to belong to a creature with no pack mentality.
He’d give his life for either of them in a minute.

Fielding
distracted him from his thoughts by handing him a file. “The
forensic tests are back. They weren’t able to get an identity on
the other body found in the house. Whoever it was, he had severe
head trauma and was probably unconscious when the explosion
occurred. We’re speculating Beth must have come home early and
found him rigging a bomb to the hot water heater. When it cycled
on, there was an explosion. The most likely scenario is that she
tried to defend herself and managed to knock him out.
Unfortunately, the explosion must have occurred before she could
get out of the house.”

Reno slowly curled
his hands into fists. “It was the fucking Purists. Who else would
try to rig Damien’s house to explode?”

The captain laid a
hand on his shoulder. “I know what you’re thinking, Reno. It isn’t
your fault. You’ve devoted years of your life trying to stop the
group. You’ve rounded up scores of members, followed protocol every
inch of the way. There was nothing you could have done that would
have prevented this.”

“Yeah, well
sometimes protocol sucks. Klaus’ idea of blowing up a mine with the
whole lot of them in it sounds damned appealing right now.”

“Yeah. Sometimes
it sucks.” Both men were silent for a moment staring at Damien’s
bandaged body, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest that
provided the only indication that he was alive.

Reno cleared his
throat. “So, do you think this was the act of a lone perpetrator,
or is someone out there still directing the group and orchestrating
attacks like this one?”

“Who knows? The
members we have in detention at Lycan Link aren’t talking, if they
themselves even know. It’s a very secretive organization. We were
lucky at Kolding’s Pass, rounding up so many but there could be
dozens more scattered across the country, not to mention the rest
of the world.”