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Alek kissed her slow and deep. He couldn't get enough of the taste of her, feeling her tongue explore his mouth and her harsh breath next to his ear. His heart beat even faster, if that was possible. His hands explored her body, noting every curve, every place that made her moan or gasp.

He moved his head abruptly to one breast, pulling it into his mouth as far as it would go. She responded by grabbing one of his hands and taking his fingers into her mouth to suck on, one at a time and in pairs. If his mind had been putty before, it was hot butter now. He began to tug at the drawstring that held up her pants, kissing his way down to her belly button and shoving in his tongue. Her hips began to writhe. “Oh, God. Alek. Please. I want you.”

Oh, she was going to get him, all right. The bow that held the tie finally loosened and he slid her pants down as far as he could reach. Her thighs already glistened with wetness and he knew what he would find as he slid a hand down to rub the hardened nub of her sex. His mouth followed and when he slid his hands beneath her buttocks to raise her up so he could lick and suck her, she let out a sound that was part cry and part scream. He eased his thumb inside her while he licked and her back stiffened. “Let yourself go over, Claire. I want to feel you squirm under me.”

Her head began to thrash from side to side on the carpet, blond hair sparkling in the firelight. “Please, Alek. Take me. I want you inside me now.”

Alek chuckled. “In good time. I want to take you over the edge first. Let go, Claire. Let it happen.” He moved his thumb inside her faster, harder, and moved his mouth back to her nub, sucking it in and flicking it with his tongue. Seconds later her fingers tightened on his back and then dropped to the carpet to clutch frantically at the weave. She cried out as her back arched. Muscles clenched around his thumb, and he couldn't stand it anymore. He pulled down his pants and slid inside her, causing a second series of spasms and another cry that made his whole body clench.

Claire's eyes snapped open. They were as bright as the sun, so filled with magic fire that he couldn't look at them directly. He dropped onto her and kissed her, his tongue moving in rhythm with his hips.

The magic that flared in her eyes flowed into his mouth, then down to his chest and limbs until he was on fire.

Time seemed to be going too fast, yet was utterly stopped. The climax took him by surprise. One moment he was building, hard, fast, pushing into her, and then fire consumed his mind and cock. He drove in one last time and it felt like he was pouring lava into her. She moaned and clenched around him again, her fingernails buried in his shoulder muscles while magic lashed at them—her nails like tiny stakes holding down a tent caught in a hurricane.

This is really happening, isn't it?

He could feel her heart beating in his chest, like an echo of his own, then a door blew open in his mind, one only she could see. A single word echoed in his mind as his jaws closed lightly around her neck, feeling her pulse beating against his tongue.
Mine.

She pressed her cheek against the side of his temple and spoke out loud. “I think so. God help us both, Alek, I think so.”

 

CHAPTER 22

Claire woke from a dream in which she was making love to Alek,
as
Alek, looking down at herself. Her eyes opened slowly, feeling the delicious weight of his body on hers, snuggled into the couch cushions. Every touch of his fingers felt like fire and ice, tingling her skin.

How many times had they explored each other since the first time? Four, five? The sky outside the window was still black, painted with a layer of ice, so it had happened faster than she'd thought. “What time is it?”

He lifted his head and twisted to peer at the clock on the kitchen wall. “I think it says two-thirty. Why?”

“I'm wondering where Amber is. Shouldn't she be back by now?”

He chuckled and the light scent of citrus filled her nose. “Are you eager to have her walk in and find us naked on the couch?” He went back to nuzzling her neck, then stopped and raised up onto his elbows to see her face. “You're worried, aren't you? Do you think something happened to her?”

She shrugged her shoulders as best as she could under the weight of his chest. “She's a Council member and a healer. I don't really know what
could
happen to her, but yeah. A little.”

“Do you still have a charge on your phone? Won't it show the stiletto heel wherever she is?”

It was the very thought that had occurred to her. Coincidence, or something more? She tapped his shoulder blade … his very firm, muscular shoulder blade. Yum.

She felt, rather than heard him chuckle against her chest just before he rolled off onto one knee, which hit the floor with a thud. Her face felt abruptly hot, and doubly so when he leaned over and whispered into her ear, “Is
yum
an observation or a memory?” Then he licked her ear. “Mmm. Good memories.”

Claire wanted to be playful with him. She did. But she felt so awkward.… “Why is this so easy for you?”

Now he laughed out loud. “Oh, it's not. I think I'm still in shock. But it was
really
good sex, so I'm running with that for now.”

Oh. Well, she'd had a few one-night stands. She wasn't a virgin, and it had been amazing sex. “I agree. Let's go with that for now.” She started putting on her clothes and had just pulled on socks when there was a flash of light through the window. “We have company.”

Alek was already dressed and at the window, using the cuff of his shirt to wipe away the layer of steam. “It's Amber, and she's alone. Get the door. She's loaded down with bags.”

Fully clothed by then, Claire opened the door and gasped as the icy wind stole her breath away. She started coughing, doubling over as she struggled to breathe. Amber raced past her, clapped her on the back a few times, and kicked the door shut so hard it vibrated against the frame. “What a mess out there. Breathe slow and easy. That cold will make your lungs seize up.” Her words were muffled behind a thick multicolored scarf that she hadn't been wearing when she'd left.

Amber unwound the scarf, which seemed impossibly long. As her nose came free, her eyes grew wide. She covered her mouth and nose again and nearly leaped across the room to reopen the door. “Wow, you guys. Are you wolves or bunnies? I guess I know how you spent your time while I was driving that death-trap clunker on the skating rink outside.”

The cold wind didn't bother Claire the second time. The ice cooled the fire under her skin that was likely making her face beet red.

Alek didn't look embarrassed in the least. Grinning at Amber, who shook her head and rolled her eyes, he said, “You missed a good show.”

She shoved one of the bags toward him. “I've seen that show. Not impressed. Do you know how to cook? I'm starving.”

He picked through the bag, which appeared to be mostly cans. “Man, this is an eclectic mix. It's like a
Chopped
mystery basket. But yeah, I can whip up something out of this.”

“Well, there's also a deer. It's in the trunk.”

Claire's jaw dropped. “You went
hunting
in this storm?”

This time it was Amber who grinned. “It jumped in front of my car, which is now an accordion. But it still runs, and it seemed a shame to waste the meat or have another driver run over it and wreck.”

In the kitchen, Alek was opening cabinet doors and drawers. “Wow, real spices, and a good set of pans. I think we're going to feast.”

Amber handed Claire a heavy coat from a cabinet next to the door and they went out into the wind. Still on the porch, the healer stopped Claire with a gentle touch and asked, staring into her eyes, “Is it a double mating?”

She shook her head. It was only during the orgasm that she could feel his heart, read his thoughts. But she was fairly convinced he felt hers all the time.

“Thought so. But he thinks it is. It'll feel real to him at first, like a double bond, so you have to keep the secret for now. He needs time to adjust. It would be a huge blow to his emotional state to find out otherwise. Early mating emotions are tricky.” Amber tucked her face back into her scarf and said, “Let's get that deer.”

Claire tucked her chin into the zippered collar of her coat, trying to keep out most of the chill, but her exposed ears felt like they were going to shatter and fall off any second.

Amber hadn't been kidding about the front of the car. It looked like the deer had jumped right into the corner, next to the tire. “The frame's probably not sprung, but you'll need to replace that marker light and turn signal. We can probably whip up something temporary with a flashlight, some plastic wrap, and a red or yellow Magic Marker.”

Amber laughed, caught a gust of wind, and started to cough. “That's what I like about the Texas pack. Always a low-tech solution to any problem.”

“No high-tech for a hundred miles in any direction. We've learned to improvise.” Speaking of improvising, the keyhole to the trunk was iced over solid. Claire had recognized the brand of the car, so she opened the driver's door, reached in, and pulled the trunk release.

“Improvising is good. You'll make a good agent.” Closing the door and returning to the rear of the car, Claire hauled up the trunk lid to reveal a nice two-year-old mule deer buck. Judging by the raw break, one antler had snapped off in the wreck. The meat had been nicely refrigerated, but it was also stuck to the carpeting.

“I'd expected this,” Amber said, producing a good-sized pocket knife from the pocket of her coat. “Besides, I really don't want the smell of that staying with the car for the next two weeks.”

She cut through the carpet all around the deer and the blood. Then it was Claire's turn. Lifting the carcass was no problem thanks to her supernatural strength, but the legs stuck out at odd angles and forced her to be careful with her footing.

Alek met them on the porch, holding a clean bowl and a set of knives in a wooden block. He was smiling at her. Claire was pretty certain they could have been holding a rabid skunk and he still would have been smiling.

It wasn't long before he'd butchered several fresh steaks, which he took inside. Amber joined him after asking Claire to clean up. She began carrying the skin and bones far out into the bushes for other hungry animals to feast on in the cold, and using a chunk of ice to soak up the rest of the blood, which she tossed out into the brush with the skin. As she scrubbed, she could hear Amber and Alek talking in the kitchen.

They didn't sound happy.

*   *   *

“The hell you say!” Alek whispered so Claire didn't hear, almost hissing between gritted teeth. “There's nothing wrong with me. I don't need you putting any kind of block in my head.” He flipped the steaks with more force than necessary, causing hot oil to splatter out of the pan and onto Amber's hand.

She didn't move, didn't even flinch, which made him nervous. “Of course you'd say that, but you have to understand that you're not being rational right now.”

He put a cover on the pan to avoid the temptation of smacking her with it, in sheer frustration. “So being happy isn't rational? The Council hasn't done enough damage in Luna Lake, now they have to take away the one thing that's finally making my life better? And besides, didn't Chief Santiago say to
exploit
the mating so you could hide your listening link?”

The healer let out an exasperated sound. She also kept her voice low. “That was before you actually mated. He's not here. I am. This is a very strong link, Alek. Trust me, I know. You about cut off your finger outside just now because you couldn't stop staring at Claire.” Moving so quickly he could barely see, she grabbed his wrist and lifted his hand until it was inches from his face.

“Take a good look. That's a deep cut. I haven't healed it yet because I wanted it to sting for a few minutes, give you a taste of the damage you could do to yourself and to Claire, if you can't think straight. The fact that you haven't noticed the pain is
not
a good thing. Ignoring pain when you're in a crisis is one thing. Not realizing you're wounded is dangerous.”

The splash of color caught his eye first. Then he focused on the wide gash that ran nearly the width of his left forefinger. The white of bone visible in the center was disturbing. The wound was still bleeding, tracing red rivulets down the side of his hand. He hadn't even noticed it. He glanced at the stove and saw that it was peppered with crimson drips. The gravity of what she was saying started to hit home.

“I didn't even realize I was cut.” He reached over and tore off a piece of paper towel with his free hand and tried to wipe up whatever blood was still wet. Unfortunately, the hot stovetop had dried much of it and he was going to have to scrub the metal once it cooled down.

Amber's voice softened. “That's what I've been trying to tell you. Not noticing things can get you dead in this job.” She put her other hand on top of his. Warmth coursed through his hand, making the skin tingle, then burn. He winced a little and tried to pull back, but her grip was like iron. When she released his wrist, the finger was completely healed. Pale pink skin covered the wound, which looked as though it was weeks old. “Let's eat first. I'll think about how best to go forward once we have full stomachs.”

The food was nearly ready. Claire came in from outside and washed her hands, then set the table. The only sounds for the next several minutes were the
tink
and scrape of metal on china and chewing. The venison tasted as good as it smelled. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd had such a great meal.

As Claire was using a slice of buttered bread to sop up the last of the gravy, she sighed contentedly. The sound made his heart race. “That was
amazing,
Alek. Are you sure you want to be in Wolven? You should open a restaurant. I thought I was a good cook, but I would absolutely pay money for that meal.”