Pieces of Three (15 page)

She curled her legs around his waist and he delved deeper inside. “Umm.”

He quickened his strokes, focusing on her warmth, the way her breasts compressed against his chest, and how she moved with him. His little human who somehow kept up with two Lykans and during a lunar cycle no less. “Alyssa.” He cupped her bottom in his palm, concentrating on how she flexed her muscles to fit with him. She fit with him, pure and simple. “You’re so beautiful.”

“You are.” As with Porter, she held on to him.

He shook his head and buried his face in her neck. “I need you.” His control left and he drove into her.

“I’m here,” she whispered.

He tried to hold out. She only climaxed minutes before and he wanted to feel her lose it with him, but he wasn’t going to make it. “Alyssa, I need to…”

She tangled her fingers in his hair. “Let go.”

Everything seemed to disappear but him and Alyssa. His mind begged his body to hold out, but his body won in the end, his erection lengthened and thickened in preparation for his release past the point of any control. “Ah.” He was right there at the edge he only needed to fall.

“Now, Julian.” She kissed him.

“God.” He propelled himself into her and suddenly his body gave way. His orgasm hit him hard, not a gradual build up but a blast. He struggled for air and ground his body into hers.

His strength gone, he collapsed on top of her as he was consumed with a series of smaller bursts of ecstasy.

“Julian!” She cried out and pushed him down. “Don’t move.”

With his mind clearing, he was treated to her climax, her quivering waves traveled over him. A perfect end. He pressed his lips to hers.

The bed shook, and it was only then that he remembered Porter.

“I’ll never get over watching the two of you.” Porter shook his head and bent down and kissed Alyssa as well.

He moved off to one side, Porter took the other, and Alyssa took her turn kissing the both of them until her eyes fluttered and she fell asleep.

They both stared down at her. She sighed and her breathing evened out.

“She’s incredible.” Porter moved her hair off her forehead.

He nodded. “She was willing to have us in our wolf form.”

“She risked her life for ours more than once.” Porter gave her a soft kiss. “We will need to protect her at Lykos.”

“With everything I have.” He almost wanted to hit Porter for even reminding him. There would never be a question as to her protection or her life. He would give her his in a second and never think twice. “That’s it.” His chest constricted at his realization. No one would ever fit him better than her.

“What?” Porter stretched and got up out of bed.

“Where are you going?” Not that he cared, but he needed Porter to go.

“I’ll be right back with some food. I don’t want her starving, she didn’t eat.” He left the quarters.

Once more he gazed down at Alyssa. “I’ll never let anything happen to you and I’ll never leave you.” At last he understood everything about taking a mate. It came as a blast like their lovemaking. He wouldn’t let her arrive at Lykos without his complete protection, the protection of a mate.

Porter had his chance and unfortunately lost it. Alyssa was his. After they settled at Lykos he would explain to her their rituals and she would have to understand. Later he would throw her a party and they could be the Lykan/Human couple who survived. Noah would guide them and they would go down in history.

However, at the moment he had no time to waste on fanfare or planning, Porter would be back any second. He bent down to her ear and spoke the words that would bind them even if she didn’t know it yet.

“Every heart searches for its mate,

With you I have found mine,

In you I see the impossible,

There is hope, there is infinity.

Our pasts will merge into our future,

We are bound.

For us drawn together,

Two become one.”

He kissed her.

She let out a little noise and opened her eyes. “Julian?”

“I’m right here.” He took her hand. “I’ll always be right here.”

She smiled. “Where’s Porter?”

As if timed, the door opened and the male in question entered carrying a bowl. “I’m right here. I’ll always be right here.” Porter slid into bed with them.

He stared at Porter and held her tighter. Alyssa was his mate. Their bond had been forged.

She was his.

Chapter Eight

The ship docked at Lykos and instantly their pack members gathered around. Cheering rang out the second the Lykans caught sight of him and Julian, but before they disembarked Porter needed to retrieve the newest member of their island. He practically tiptoed into the quarters to find Alyssa sitting at the edge of the bed with the scant few belongings she owned.

“Alyssa we’re here.” He kept his voice soft and metered when in reality he wanted to scream. In the last two days he watched her deteriorate, restless sleeping and eating little. Heat radiated from her, and half the time she was soaked in sweat. All the signs he knew by heart were there.

Though he never spoke of it, Julian knew. Porter saw how he mated with her, tended to her, wouldn’t leave her side. In fact, he didn’t remember the last time he saw her alone.

She cleared her throat and raised her head, her red-rimmed eyes telling him all he needed to know. “Come here.” She held out he hand.

He rushed to her side. “Just think, you are the first human to set foot on our island.”

“I never dreamed it. Never dreamed any of it.” She smiled and pushed the suitcase she first brought with her toward him. “I want to give you this.”

“Is this…” He swallowed down his question, swore he would let the matter of the injections go. How much more did she need to prove to them she was on their side?

“I found the injections when I was cleaning up. I almost threw them out, but then put them aside. Please use them to do good.” She nodded. “As you know I gave away the one set to the Gatonians, getting you out the other night was more important than anything else. I never meant to hide them from you.”

“It’s fine.” Rather than taking hold of the suitcase, he took hold of her hand.

Julian’s shadow darkened the room.

She shook her head. “I just wanted to be with you and Julian. I didn’t want my time with you tainted with these.”

They looked at each other. Julian turned and wiped his eye. “The ship is secure. We should go greet them.”

The cheers and yells from land grew louder.

“You go. Alyssa and I will follow.” He pushed the suitcase toward him.

“I can take care of Alyssa.” Julian set his jaw.

“I am better suited to take care of her.” He was also her mate, a matter that needed to be cleared up soon. No one could argue he was the better match for her.

“I think I can do the same as you. I will have the whole island tending to her in the blink of an eye.”

He shot up. Alyssa’s heat seemed to radiate through him. “I don’t need a whole island, I can do it all solo.”

They stepped toward each other.

Alyssa stood. “Stop!” She put her hand to her forehead.

He took hold of her and Julian came around her other side.

“Please don’t.” She leaned against him, her voice laced with defeat.

“Hey.” Julian ran his hand down her back.

She straightened up. “I want you to both go out there together. I want to see it.”

Neither of them could deny her anything. He nodded at Julian and they both held their hand out to her.

“Go ahead.” She motioned for them to leave.

“We want you with us.” He reached for her. More precisely, he wanted her with him, but they didn’t have time for that discussion.

“I’ll be right there.” She pointed toward the door. “They want to see you. You’re heroes.”

He shook his head.

“You’re heroes. Also inside are all my notes.” As if reading his mind, she put the suitcase handle in his hand. “You also brought the first human to the new Lykos.”

He and Julian walked forward and true to her word, she followed staying a few steps behind.

The gathering crowd erupted into a round of applause the moment they stepped out onto the bow.

Julian nodded, bowed slightly and let out a smile.

Again the crowd clapped and cheered.

“We thought you were lost!” Someone yelled to them. “We feared the worst!”

Julian raised his hand and everyone became absolutely silent as if they all held their breaths to not miss a word he may utter. “We have been on an incredible adventure.”

A low hum of acknowledgment waxed and waned through the onlookers.

“We went to several islands for supplies and we stepped foot on Anthros,” Julian continued.

Everyone gasped. Simply the mention of the island caused a collective shudder.

Porter stared as Julian controlled the crowd as if they were playthings. He scanned the crowd. Not a female in sight.

“Did you bring a cure?” Another person called out.

He ground his teeth together. Some heroes they were, they brought nothing, not even an aspirin. How would Julian handle such a question?

“There’s no cure,” Alyssa whispered.

He turned to her. They came to Anthros in search of a cure that didn’t exist and in the process may have killed their own hero. She stood in the shadows pale, wiping her forehead even with the sea breeze. For the first human here, she didn’t have the strength to look at the island.

“We didn’t succeed in bringing back a cure. What we searched for doesn’t exist.” Julian put even more power behind his voice.

The crowd mumbled but quieted down.

“We failed our mission and for that we apologize.” Julian’s tone changed, his confidence fading.

“What are we going to do?” Someone from the crowd yelled.

“While we still need to work on the plague that is consuming our females, we did bring back something that may help us long term.” He lifted the suitcase above his head. “The humans Antiamorphis drug…” He paused until there was absolute silence. “And the antidote!”

The males surrounding the ship went wild, cheering and whistling.

“And we have the human responsible for this great feat here with us.” Julian held his hand out to her.

Porter had to hand it to Julian, he knew how to turn things around, take a negative and change the charge.

She bit her lip, but stepped forward, tripping.

He lunged toward her, but Julian caught her and held her up. “Citizens of Lykos meet Alyssa Wilkinson of Anthros.”

Not one sound came from the crowd. Not an applause, or a boo or anything. However, in the sun he noticed the flush that took over Alyssa’s face, the droplets of sweat, the slight tremble in her hand.

“I bring you the only human to show us an act of kindness in decades and get nothing!” Julian screamed.

Her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed, sagging in Julian’s grasp.

“No!” Julian caught her and got her down on the deck.

“Alyssa?” Porter’s heart threatened to explode as he went to her and he fell to his knees to inspect her.

Still the crowd did nothing. Julian couldn’t undo years of hatred for one species no matter what miracle she brought with her.

“What’s happening?” Julian pressed his palm to her face.

He didn’t need to answer what Julian already knew. His mind went into overdrive, he forced himself to think of her as a patient and began his mental checklist, but he couldn’t catch a full breath. He gathered her up in his arms, swearing he was cursed. At least with Alyssa he’d got a chance to be her mate even if she didn’t know it.

“Porter, do something.” The grandeur in Julian’s voice completely disappeared.

“Let’s get her to the infirmary.” He stood. Limp in his arms, her head fell back. “Now!”

“Come on.” Julian grabbed the suitcase, turned to the crowd and held the suitcase up once more. “Everyone move back, we need to take care of the person who saved us.”

Though only a low mumble rumbled through the mob, they parted, clearing the way for them.

With Julian in the lead, he carried Alyssa off the ship. Not wanting to risk dropping her, he remained in his human form and ran through the familiar streets. The contrast to Anthros hit him hard. Where her home island thrived with the latest money and technology had to offer, Lykos wilted, their buildings not near as tall or grand, their small city in no need of maps and directories. With her deteriorating right in front of them, they should have never brought here. If he couldn’t save his own mate he wasn’t fit to save anyone.

He sped up. Everything around him turned to nothing but a blur, his only mission to get her safe, get her well, do anything but watch her die in front of him.

They made their way off the docks. Unlike Anthros with its organized sections for like businesses, Lykos was small enough to cluster all their important buildings together.

They arrived at the infirmary in minutes.

“Wait!” Aiden Aton, the healer who trained him, rushed to them the moment they entered. The rest of the infirmary stood empty except for two assistants wheeling a gurney.

Porter’s lungs burning from the exertion in a form better suited for thought rather than action, he skidded to a stop, laid Alyssa down and pressed his ear to her chest to hear her breathing, get any sign of life from her. “Please, Alyssa.” The thump of her heartbeat calmed him a bit.

“Aiden, we have to help her.” Julian set the suitcase next to him. “She–”