Alpha Mine (The Alpha Council Chronicles) (28 page)

“I could give you more time to consider this,” he kindly offered. “You don’t have to answer tonight.”

She loved him dearly, but she didn’t need more time. Time wouldn’t overcome her fear. They would have a human lifetime; that would have to somehow be enough.

“All the time in the world wouldn’t matter. I can’t do it. I’m so sorry.” Tears streaked down both her cheeks.

“It’s all right, Kitten,” He gathered her into his arms. After he placed his chin on top of her head, he stroked the long silken strands that flowed down her back. “It’s okay, you don’t have to convert,” he whispered.

Slowly Stephan’s eyelids lowered to contain the emotions that suffocated him. If she wouldn’t convert, that left him only one choice. He would have to keep her safe the only other way he knew, he would have to send her away. With her memory wiped, it would be easy for her to live away from him, only he would have to suffer. And he loved her enough to willingly suffer any torment to keep her safe.

Katrina pulled back and gently cupped his chin in the palm of her hand. “Look at me, my love,” she said gently. “I can feel your sadness. We will be okay. I promise. Who knows, maybe in a few years I’ll feel differently.”

Stephan opened his eyes slowly, realizing that she would not understand why he felt so distraught. He pushed into her mind to glean her thoughts. Kat’s only concern was for him. She wanted to make him happy, wanted to erase the internment of the emotions consuming him. She may not fully understand the reason behind his dark mood, but she was determined to ease his suffering.

As the song,
In the Air Tonight
played sultrily in the background, she began feathering soft kisses in a trail up his neck. By the time she reached his lips, his mouth met hers with a fiery passion. He poured all of his love for her into that kiss. His emotions were too raw. He couldn’t be gentle. He needed to be fierce, almost punishing, and Kat reveled in every second of the kiss.

He allowed his emotions to engulf her, consume her, igniting her own fiery passion. His emotions flowed into her until he could not tell where his ended and hers began. They became one and the rest of the world melted away.

One hand slid up her thigh under the towel while the other grabbed the corner and pulled it from her, letting it pool on the floor. Her hands worked his clothing. In their frenzy, together they unbuttoned his shirt so she could slide it off his shoulders before she helped him from his pants.

She slid down his body coming to rest before him on her knees. His erect shaft jumped when she took it into her hand and leaned forward. Kat licked the length of him, swirling her tongue around his sensitive tip while her hand worked up and down in a tantalizing rhythm. Up and down, in and out. The combination nearly drove him out of his mind. She worked him masterfully, making his body burn each time he plunged into the scalding cavern of heat and fire. She built speed. The combination of suckling and rubbing caused him to throw his head back and growl with need.

His hand fisted in her silky strands, hips worked in time with her hot mouth. She swirled her tongue around his shaft and settled into a fast rhythm of licks, nibbles, and forceful pulls that made him harden further.
His stomach tightened with his need as the climax started to build. He pulled from her scorching mouth before he embarrassed himself.

Stephan grabbed her under her arms and raised her to her feet before him. Taking control, he bent and suckled at her breast. Her nipple pebbled against his tongue as he slid one hand slowly along her stomach. He traced the lines of each hip bone before resting his hand at the juncture of her thighs. She opened her legs for him, pushing against his hand as if needing the contact. He found her ready and wet for him. Two fingers glided into her velvet folds and he rubbed tiny circles with his thumb on her sensitive nub. When she began to writhe, his free hand grabbed her buttocks, holding her still for his ministrations. She clung to his strong shoulders. It felt good having her nails digging into his flesh, and he welcomed the pain as an expression of his inner turmoil. He gently nibbled her nipple, causing her to thrash her head from side to side from the pleasure, a small mewing sound escaping her throat.

“Please,” she breathed, pleading for more. He willingly gave it to her, wanting to make this evening perfect for her. He brought her over the edge for the first of what he knew would be many times that night. She trembled in his arms when the spasms racked her body.

In the blink of her eye, he had her up on the bed on her hands and knees with him behind her. He sat back on his heels, running his hands roughly along the sides of her body until they rested on each hip. Kat looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes dark with passion.

“Please, take me,” she whispered.

He did not need a second invitation. Stephan happily obliged, entering her with one swift thrust that made her arch back toward him. A delicious moan escaped her kiss-swollen lips as he drove into her. Their flesh pounded, the sound drowning out the music playing in the background.

She met him thrust for thrust, their intensity increasing as did the pressure in her. He brought one hand around and began once again rubbing tiny circles on the most sensitive spot between her folds. She straightened, leaning back against him, the angle changing the pressure where they were coupled. He felt another orgasm take her, those velvet folds gripped him like a silken vice.

While she cried out his name, he released her hips and ran both hands up her body until they found her breasts. Slowing the rhythm, he began to knead her breasts in time to his thrusts. He leaned his head and whispered, so his hot breath would ghost over her ear. “You’re so beautiful.”

He kissed a sultry trail down her neck. When he reached the spot where her shoulder met her neck, his teeth slid down from his gums. His mouth watered as he carefully kissed her pulse, feeling it beat under his lips. His body wanted desperately to taste of her, just a small taste would be enough to know if she was his heartmate. Every instinct in him screamed for him to take her properly and bite into her, but instead he separated their bodies and willed his teeth to retract, for knowing she was his heartmate would not make what waited in their future any easier.

He lay down on his back, and brought her to rest astride him, the sensuous sight taking all other thoughts from his head. Her golden hair enveloped their heads, veiling them from the world. Everything became about her. Every thought, every sensation. Her. She surrounded him until he no longer knew where he stopped and she began.

She braced herself with her hands on his chest as she slid up and down his thick shaft. Each slip brought a new sensation of pleasure racing through his body. Their breath came faster now as he leaned up and captured one of her ample breasts in his mouth. She increased their pace, making him buck beneath her. His hand bit into her hips, and she rode him like a rodeo bronco. Her silken folds tightened around him, indicating she was close to tumbling over the edge once again. She pushed off his chest, arching back when the next orgasm took her. He growled and continued pumping wildly into her, letting her slick muscles milk him into his own release.

Completely sated, Kat slumped over him. They lay together, still joined, trying to catch their breaths. Neither spoke. They simply lay together until Kat fell asleep. Then Stephan gently separated their bodies and rolled her off to his side. He covered them both with the smooth cool sheet as he gazed down on her thinking how much he wished there was another way to keep her safe.

Stephan slid from between the silky covers leaving Kat to her dreams. After dressing, he padded downstairs on soundless feet to discover Marcus sat alone in the dark living room. He slumped down onto the couch across from his fellow Alpha.

“Well,” Marcus asked, hope widening his eyes, “how did it go?”

“She won’t convert,” Stephan replied. The agony washed over his face when the full weight of that simple statement fell heavily on his shoulders.

“How did you present the conversion?” Marcus inquired, alarm raising the tone of his voice.

Stephan efficiently relayed the story of how he had asked Kat to convert. Marcus nodded his head silently when Stephan finished his tale.

“Tell me what you are going to do,” he demanded wearily.

“I only see one thing I can do. The only option is to wipe her memory of us and send her away.” Stephan sighed, a look of resignation clouded his face as he crossed his arms across his wide chest.

“When are you going to do it?”

“Tomorrow evening.” Marcus opened his mouth to protest when Stephan cut him off explaining, “There’s no point in waiting. It won’t hurt any less if we wait.”

Marcus sunk into himself.

What are you thinking, Marcus?

You are in my mind. I don’t need to say it.

He didn’t. It was all there for Stephan to see. Marcus loved Katrina dearly, cared about her deeply. He couldn’t imagine his life without her shining face and bubbly personality to bring him happiness. She was his friend, his confidante, and he loved her in his own way, perhaps not as much as Stephan, but he loved her none the less. The thought of losing her, never seeing her again, ripped out his heart. But he also knew Stephan was right, it would only hurt more the longer they waited.

Stephan pulled from his mind, no longer able to bear his friends feelings which so closely mirrored his own. He watched Marcus in silence. The downtrodden look on his face reflected the one Stephan wore. Both males radiated hurt and sadness as they thought about the inevitable. Stephan knew neither of them wanted to do what was necessary to keep Katrina safe. It was only the knowledge that she would be safe that even allowed Stephan to contemplate such an atrocity.

But Stephan knew they could not be selfish. They had to have the courage to let her go. At least she would be alive, without them, but alive none the less. And her safety had to be put above all else, no matter how much it hurt them to do so.

Stephan looked at Marcus and asked, “Do you have your cell phone on you?”

“Yeah. You need it?” Marcus dug it out of his pocket and tossed it to Stephan.

He flipped open the phone and punched in the memorized number. After a few rings, a familiar voice picked up.

“Hey Alex, it’s Stephan…Yeah unfortunately it looks like we’re going to need your friend…You’re sure it will be safe? …Thank you, that would be great…tomorrow evening. I’ll arrange to have her brought to the ranch…And Alex, thanks again.”

Marcus said, “So I take it she is going there tomorrow?”

“Yes. Alexander is going to make all the necessary arrangements with his friend for us,” Stephan said solemnly snapping the cell phone shut and tossing it back to his friend.

Marcus easily caught the phone and placed it back into his pocket. “I can’t believe this is happening so soon.”

“I wish it didn’t have to happen at all, but it is for her own good,” Stephan countered. After swallowing the lump in his throat, he continued, “For tonight, I just want to hold her.”

Marcus nodded. “I know what you mean,” he agreed.

“I know you do, my friend. You understand better than anyone else how difficult this decision is. I realize this is hurting you as much as it’s hurting me.”

Marcus nodded his head. “It’s killing me.”

With nothing more to say, the two warriors went their separate ways to retire for the day, Marcus to his room and Stephan up the stairs. They parted in silence, each consumed by their grief at the loss that was to come.

Back upstairs, Stephan grabbed Kat and brought her against him, squeezing her tightly as he realized this would be their last day together. Kat groaned.

“Stephan,” she whispered, pushing back slightly, her hands against his chest. “You’re squishing me.”

He stiffened slightly when he realized he’d been so rough, and immediately softened his hold. She turned in his arms so she faced away from him, and he engulfed her, drawing her back against his chest. He placed one of his thick thighs over her legs protectively, as she pillowed her head on his outstretched arm. He gently laid his free arm across her chest before burying his nose in her hair, deeply inhaling her honeysuckle scent, trying to take her essence into his soul so she would always be a part of him.

While he lay beside her, he tried to absorb every nuance. He lightly trailed his fingers along her body attempting to memorize each curve, the softness of her skin. He forced himself to remain awake all day so he would not miss one minute of the last few hours with her.

He lamented throughout the day about the decision. Erasing that many memories was not without danger. He would be rearranging her mind and that ran a risk of doing irrevocable damage. He racked his brain trying to come up with another way to keep his love safe.

As he felt dusk approaching, having not come up with another alternative, the time had come. He slipped into her mind while she slept and began the arduous task of changing her memories. Some he erased, others he altered. Finally, he added memories of waking up in a hospital after having been in a coma for years and being excited about starting a new life on a ranch.

The exhausting work completed, he stared down at the woman he loved, knowing her love for him vanished with her memories. He could only hope he had not accidentally done any damage that would take away the core of who she was. Silent tears fell from his eyes to wet her face as he pushed back into her mind once again to command her to sleep until he awakened her.

Chapter 33

Michael Garsoe glanced over as the Alpha leader lowered a sleeping Kat into the passenger seat of his rental car. He took note of her shapely, long legs that peeked out from under her slightly bunched skirt and the blonde hair that flowed around her shoulders in golden waves. Though he usually preferred redheads, he couldn’t help but notice Kat looked exceptionally beautiful sitting in the seat beside him.

Michael glanced up at Stephan questioningly. “So what’s the cover story?”

Stephan rested a forearm on the door jam and leaned down over Kat, handing a piece of paper to Michael. “I implanted the memory that she had a car accident shortly after she arrived here in Vegas. She will think she’s been in a coma for the past seven years because of the accident. You are the psychiatrist who has been helping her to recover.