TerrIIItory (16 page)

Chapter 30

Silence reigned for a few moments, then the entire pack stood in near unison.  Well, everyone except Evander who was scowling up at her, and Clay, who was still engrossed in devouring his French toast.

Mateo winked at her and snagged Swan’s hand before leading her from the room.  Lincoln wasn’t so subtle.  Bending, he scooped Raina into his arms and was halfway out of the room before her squeal of surprise died on her lips.

Bethany frowned down at Evander.  “What’s that all about?”

Evander stood and strode to the sink, where he dumped out his coffee and turned to pin her with amusement in his eyes.  He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked. “They didn’t want to be here when I had to let you down.”

“Let me down?”

“You’re not leaving, Beth.”

“And you’re not being reasonable.  Think of your pack.  Mateo almost died because of me.”

Evander snorted. “Hardly.”

“Hardly what?” she challenged, indignation flaring to life as Clay continued to chomp away, oblivious to their dispute.  “Mateo ‘hardly’ died, or it was ‘hardly’ because of me?”

“Both.”

“Those things clearly
want
me, Kane.  They keep attacking me, and until we find out why…”

“He knows why.” Clay piped in, earning himself a menacing glare from Evander.  “Sorry, Kane,” he squeaked as he rose swiftly and dumped his plate in the sink.

“Why do they keep attacking me?” Bethany demanded, eyeing first Clay then Evander.

“Because,” Kane looked to Clay, unsure of how to put it delicately.

Bethany advanced on him. “
Tell me
!”

Clay took advantage of her distraction to hurry from the kitchen.

Evander looked at his mate, and his expression softened as he lifted a hand to brush his knuckles against her impossibly soft skin.  “It’s your taste, Beth.  It’s addicting.  They’re attacking you because…well, you’re…delicious.”

Petal-soft lips parted on a startled gasp, and delicate hands lifted to clamp at her throat.  “Wha-…they…”  She couldn’t even formulate a defense, because the truth was too shocking.  She was being hunted by rogue vampires because she was their favorite fucking snack!  She shook her head and began to tremble as she turned away from Evander. 
This is terrible!  I-I can’t do anything about this! 
Had it been some affront, she could have made amends.  Had it been a blood debt, she could have paid it.  But there was nothing she could do to change how her blood tasted to vampires.  Absolutely nothing!  “W-what do I do?”  She sounded defeated even to her own ears.

Strong hands gripped her shoulders, pulling her back against the solid wall of comfort and support that was her mate.  “Nothing!  This isn’t anything you’ll ever need to worry about again.  They won’t ever get near you again, Beth.  It’s finished!”

She turned at the finality of his tone and he stared down at her, unwavering.  She understood.  He’d killed them, and he’d done it to protect her.

An almost inaudible sound of distress emitted from the back of her throat.  It was feminine and heart wrenching, a sound only a shifter female could make.

“Beth?”  His brow furrowed in concern.

              Bethany dropped her eyes and shook her head.  “I’m sorry, Evander.  I’m sorry you had to…”  She swallowed hard.  “And for me?  I could have never been worth it.”

Looking at her fearful expression, Evander knew he couldn’t fail her again.  His gaze bore into the top of her head, imploring her to look up at him.  She did.  “I’m sorry.” He spoke gently.  “I’m sorry I still haven’t told you how much you mean to me.  I should have told you my plan.  I should have held you.  I should have…” his words died off, and he tried again.  “You’re worth more than anything I could ever hope to give you.  I’m not sure why you ran the first time, I have an idea, but we didn’t get a chance to clear that up. But whatever it was, I’ll make it up to you.  I promise.”

Shaking her head, her eyes glittered with emotion.  “You…you’re not sickened by what I’ve become?”

The stark look of disbelief on her face was a like a punch to the gut.  His mate had actually thought he’d left because he was repulsed by her.  He wished he could kick his own ass.

“Beth.”  He dropped to kneel in front of her.  “What you
are
is my mate!  I don’t give a fuck about anything except keeping you and protecting you, and hoping that one day the changes in you disappear.”

She swallowed hard. “A-and if they don’t?  If I’m stuck like this forever?”

Evander smiled at her. “Then I guess I’ll just have to keep letting you bite into me while I explode in my jeans like an untried pup.”  He cupped her cheek.  “Nothing about you changes the way I feel about you.  I love you, Beth.”

Bethany closed her eyes, forcing herself to breathe through his admission.  She hadn’t even realized how much she needed to hear the words until now. 

She leaned forward and Evander caught her, pulling her tight into his chest.  The scent of her relief thickened his throat with emotion. 
Fucking fool!
He snarled inwardly.  His mate needed the words; it’s what she’d been waiting for.  He let his hands smooth up and down her back and said it again.  “I love you so much, Beth.  I’d be lost without you.  Every time I even think about you, it feels like a little part inside of me melts.”  He didn’t know how to describe it, but that was the best he could do.  When she looked up at him, he couldn’t help but claim her mouth.

Kissing him back, shudders wracked Bethany at the memory of Evander forging inside her.  The thick, heavy weight of his cock as he fucked deep into her, the explosion of ecstasy on her tongue as she’d bitten into him.  She wanted it again.  She wanted him inside her.  Eyes still shut, she turned from memories to desires.  She wanted him above her, his exquisite body sheened with sweat as he rode her with a power possessed only by an Alpha.

***

Evander could feel anticipation heightening, the air swirling around them nearly crackling with it, and his tongue couldn’t help but dart out and wet his lips, hoping to catch a brief taste.  When Bethany’s eyes darkened, he knew she felt it too.  It was spellbinding to watch recognition flash in her bright eyes, slowly melting into need before it forged into steely resolve.  He was going to claim his mate, and she was fully aware of it.  He throttled an eager growl and even as his balls drew up and his cock hardened to forged steel, he felt his body respond in kind.  Muscle grew taut, and his frame grew rigid.  Like a true predator prepared to pounce, he was waiting on Bethany’s next word, her next move.  It truly didn’t matter; this was only going to end one way.

Breaking the kiss, Bethany pulled back.  “I,” her eyes touched on his chest as she paused, swallowing hard before lifting clear gray eyes to his.  “I shouldn’t have left the first time.  I should have stayed and given you a chance.  I should have trusted my wolf.  Trusted that you were…mine.”

Elation soared, but still Evander didn’t move.  He wanted her more than he wanted his next breath, but this time she’d have to come to him.

“I didn’t trust my instincts, and I blamed it on what those things had done to me.”  She lifted a hand to massage the once venom-filled bite at her chest.  “But it wasn’t them.  It was me. 
I
was afraid.”

While Evander wanted her admission and for her to come to him, he didn’t want it at the cost of self-deprecation.  “You were changing, Beth.”  His tone was gentle, and so was his hand when it reached out and captured hers.

“No.”  She denied.  “But I’m changing now.”

Evander watched as she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin.

“I love you, Evander Kane, and I’m going to be a better mate.  I’m going to be the mate you deserve.”

He shook his head, tightening his grip on her hand to pull her into him before enveloping her in his embrace.  “You couldn’t be a better mate, Beth.”  He used a finger to tilt her head, so she was looking up at him.  “And don’t
ever
doubt that you are now, and always will be,
more
than I deserve.  I’m going to spend the rest of my life living up to
you
, and I swear to you on my honor that no one will take you from me again.”

Bethany beamed up at her mate.  “Rest of your life, huh?”

He nodded, smiling now.

“Well, let’s start with the next few hours.”

His eyes gleamed wickedly.  “And just what do you have in mind?” 

She snagged his hand and he followed eagerly as she led them toward their room.  “Oh, I can think of a few things we could do to pass the time.”  She shrieked when her feet suddenly left the floor, and she was carried to their room and their future.

Epilogue

Barron Kane gave one last look at Colorado before beginning his trek north.  His lips curved with relief, and what he was surprised to discover was true happiness.  He’d saved his brother’s mate, and Evander had offered him a place in his pack.  His younger brother, had grown into a fine Alpha, and had been blessed with his true mate, but that life belonged to them, not Barron.  After years of regret over not being there to lead Evander, Barron was glad to find his brother hadn’t faltered in his absence, but had flourished.  Now, Barron would seek out his own life, his own contentment.

Turning from the bluff overlooking Evander’s compound, Barron strode into the forest, hiking his wool-lined jean jacket a little tighter.  Winter was coming, and it’d be one hell of a cold trek, but he was determined to make it to Minnesota in human form.  Too many days had been wasted avoiding his own humanity.

Minnesota.
  He rolled the idea around in his head and still couldn’t decide if it was a good move or just another in a long list of bad ideas he’d gone through with over the years.  He wondered how Delano, Locke, and Wren were faring. 

The Alphas, all four, had spent the last seven years in the wilds of British Columbia.  Quintessential Lost Boys.  They’d abandoned their obligations and their true destinies for depraved lives living as wild wolves.  Days were spent hunting in the harsh mountains, while nights were reserved for treks to the nearest towns where they’d flit from woman to woman, sharing only carnal sex, no emotion involved.  It was the only time they’d assumed their human forms. 
Sex!
  It had been the best part of his existence…  Well, the second best part.  He had to admit, being able to roam freely without duty to a pack that relied on his leadership had been refreshing.  But no good thing could last.  British Columbia had been their own Pleasure Island, and just like Pinocchio; it had turned him into an ass.  He’d forgotten the point of living, and had degraded the honor that was the gift of his wolf.  Even now, walking in human form felt foreign.  He swore it was like having a hangover from seven years spent indulging in the excesses of the hunt, blood, and sex. 

Lengthening his stride, Barron’s legs ate up the miles.  It was time for atonement, and first things first. He’d do as Evander had requested by finding this woman, Willa Hutchinson, and fixing whatever in the hell it was she needed fixing before he got on with his search.  One last favor he couldn’t turn down.  He’d shamed his brother, and their family name, but that would end.  Soon.  Very, very soon, he’d be the Alpha he knew he was born to be.  He’d take a pack, find a mate, and breathe life into his power. 
Soon!

Exclusive Excerpt

Terr4tory

By

Susan A. Bliler

“What are you doing in here?” Willa hissed in indignation, struggling to keep the small towel high enough to cover her breasts and low enough to hide her lady parts.  Heat stained her cheeks as she watched Barron inhale, long and slow, his massive chest expanding with the action.  His eyes gently fluttered closed, as if savoring the aroma.  He was still a moment before his eyes snapped open to pin her in place.

Once hazel eyes were now dark, and his lips slowly tilted up knowingly.  “What are
you
doing in here?”  His voice came out rough and deep.

He took a step closer and, without any thought, Willa stepped back.

In that instant,
everything
changed.  Too late, she realized what she’d just done. and it was something she hadn’t before.  Instinctively, she had recognized the Alpha authority in Barron, the sheer maleness of him, and when he’d advanced she’d stepped back as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  She, as Alpha, had just ceded to him.

In a feeble attempt to regain her ground, she hurried forward and pushed him in the chest, hard.  He didn’t move, but caught her wrist and held it.

“Get out,” she growled through clenched teeth.

Instead of doing as she commanded, he lifted his head, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled again.  Just as before, his eyes closed, and Willa swore her heart was going to pound out of her chest at the nearness of him.  To her own mortification, she felt her still-sensitized clit throb in demand as her pussy seeped its heated moisture.  She was ready for him.

As if reading her mind, Barron’s grim, set lips parted on a pant.

Willa felt her body arching into his, though she was able to stop herself mere inches from rubbing against him invitingly.  Jerking back, she stumbled and righted herself in time to avoid Barron’s hands as he reached out to steady her.

“Get out!” she demanded and didn’t wait for his response.  Turning, she stalked to the bathroom with a tossed, “And the next time you feel the need to enter my room without permission or invitation,
don’t
!”

She closed the bathroom door behind her with a resounding slam and fell against it.  One small fist went to her mouth as she huddled in her towel.  What had she done?  She’d shown submission to Barron, a newcomer! 
What must he think
?  That she wasn’t worthy of her title, that is what he’d think.  Anger surged to the fore, followed closely by shame as she pushed off the door and dropped her towel.  Her eyes snagged on her image in the full-length mirror and she was horrified to find her breasts had grown heavy, her nipples flushed bright with arousal and peaked.  Worse, her eyes slid down the smooth glide of sheen coating her inner thighs.

She turned from her image in disgust and blasted on the shower.  She didn’t want his scent on her, and she sure as hell didn’t want him, or anyone else, catching wind of her clear sexual interest in Barron Kane.