still fighting to hold its grip on the area. But the world was a lush green again and life stirred around us. The earth was awake and alive again. And thanks to my dear father, I could now sense it all, unlike any other nightwalker.
“Why are you asking me?” I said, defensively. “You know you don’t need my permission to leave or stay in Savannah. You don’t belong to me.”
“You did claim me in Venice before the coven.”
I shoved one hand through my hair. “You know that was just for their benefit. You’ve never belonged to me.”
“You might not have seen it that way, but I know that you’ve been protecting me with your life from that very first moment in Venice. I can’t just walk away without . . .” Nicolai’s voice drifted off.
“Say the words, Mira,” Danaus gently instructed.
“Go, Nicolai. Help the other shifters,” I whispered past the unexpected lump in my throat. The lycanthrope walked over and wrapped his large arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. He was my golden boy, my earthbound Adonis, and he was permanently walking out of my life. “Just don’t get yourself killed.”
Nicolai pulled away, holding me at arm’s length so he could look down and smile at me. “I promise to avoid getting killed.”
“And don’t go picking fights with any nightwalkers,”
“There aren’t any nightwalkers in South America,” Danaus reminded me, but I ignored him.
“And keep your distance from the naturi. There’s no telling where Aurora is right now, and you don’t want to go waltzing into a nest of those bastards. Just keep your head down and your nose clean while in Argentina. If you need anything—”
My next words were cut off by Danaus placing a hand on my shoulder and squeezing it tightly while he extended his other hand toward Nicolai. “Be careful,” the hunter said, neatly summing everything up when I seemed unable to stop babbling. It felt like if I stopped talking, Nicolai would disappear.
“Thanks. I will,” Nicolai said, shaking Danaus’s hand. “I’ll leave it to you to keep an eye on things here for me while I’m gone.”
“Screw you both,” I snapped, turning my back on them. Danaus softly chuckled, while I heard Nicolai shift from human into wolf. I stared off into the woods until I felt something large press against my thigh. I looked down to find an enormous white wolf with a burnished reddish gold streaking his fur. I had never seen Nicolai as a wolf and he was just as beautiful in that form as he was in human form.
“Be safe,” I whispered, running my hand over his head. Nicolai lifted his muzzle and quickly licked the palm of my hand before darting off into the woods. I stared at the last spot where I saw him before he disappeared into the thick bank of trees that surrounded us. The hollow ache I’d felt earlier in the evening throbbed to life once again in my chest.
Danaus came up behind me and slid one arm around my waist, pulling me back against him. “He’ll be fine.”
“In less than a year, I’ve lost Michael, Lily, and Tristan. I nearly lost Valerio, and I was forced to fight Knox, endangering his life. Now, Nicolai is going somewhere that I can’t protect him.”
“You can’t protect the world,” Danaus said, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“I’m not trying to, even though it feels like it at times.”
Danaus grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me around, forcing me to look him in the eyes. “James is here, safe from the reach of Ryan and Themis. That should make you happy. I am here, out of the reach of Themis, and ready to protect you and the rest of Savannah. That should make you happy. Things are quiet now. Enjoy it.”
A reluctant smile pulled at the corners of my mouth as I stared up at the hunter. Less than a year ago we were at each other’s throats, looking for the first opening to insert a well-sharpened blade. Now we stood alone in the woods, a deep sense of peace sinking into my bones. While I was reluctant to release Nicolai, I knew it was time for him to go. For now, the others in my life were safe.
Five
Danaus walked over and entwined his fingers through both of my hands before pinning them gently behind my back. I looked up at the hunter, arching one questioning brow at him.
A seductive smile lifted his lips as he leaned in closer, pressing his chest against my stomach and breasts, while my thighs brushed against his. “You do realize that the kids are all taken care of now,” he purred.
“The kids?”
“James and Nicolai.”
“You mean my responsibilities.”
Danaus leaned down and ran his parted lips along my exposed throat so the edge of his teeth dragged across my flesh. There was no hiding my shiver of delight with our bodies pressed so close. “You’re not completely free of your responsibilities.”
“Really?” My voice was rough and breathless as I pressed closer.
Danaus released one of my hands and cupped one butt cheek, holding me tightly against him so there was no missing the rock hard erection in his pants. I wrapped my free arm around his shoulder while he bit down on some exposed flesh in the hollow of my neck. He was teasing me, pushing my hold on what little self-control I possessed when it came to him. It kept things infinitely more interesting as we danced on the edge of whether I could keep from biting him.
“I’d say that you still have a responsibility to me,” he said in a voice so low I could feel it rumbling between us in his chest. “You’ve been neglectful.”
My head fell back with a laugh. “Neglectful? That’s hardly true if you consider the two times just the other night.”
His hand squeezed my rear end, massaging it. “Yes, but it’s been a couple nights. We’re overdue.”
He was right. It did feel like we were overdue for a little quality time, but I didn’t want to just fall too eagerly into his arms. I craved him more than blood most nights and was more than a little frustrated when his job at the Dark Room intruded on our time together, but I kept the frustration to myself, as I knew the job was important to him.
“So you want to just have at it right here in some woods filled with shifters?” I asked.
Danaus’s smile widened as his grip tightened and he pulled me into the cover of a line of trees. Pressing my back against a particularly large tree, he grabbed both of my thighs and lifted them so my legs were wrapped tightly around his narrow hips. One hand resumed his massage of my ass while the other busied itself unbuttoning my blouse.
“The shifters are far from here and won’t be back for hours,” he said in a low, husky voice that sent a thrill through my body. “We’re alone.”
“We could always just go back to my place and do it,” I said, throwing up only a token argument.
“I supposed we will do both, but I want you now.”
Danaus captured my lips in a rough kiss that silenced the last of my weak protests. I thrust my tongue into his mouth while tightening my legs around his waist so that my body was pressed even more tightly against his cock. I wanted him just as badly right now, werewolves be damned. A low moan escaped him as his hand slipped inside my bra and cupped my breast. His thumb rubbed against the nipple, teasing it, hardening it into a sensitive little nub. The scent of him danced around me, driving me even wilder as we kissed. I needed him but there were too many clothes in the way. I wanted to run my hands over his warm skin and drag my tongue over his stomach down to his penis. I wanted him wild as well, sweating with need.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I dropped my legs from around his waist so I was standing before him. I pushed him away from me just a little bit as I dropped down to my knees, my nimble fingers dancing over the button and zipper of his pants. A growl escaped Danaus as his fingers slipped through my hair and he tightened his grip on my head. As I opened his pants, his cock sprang forward, pressing against the fabric of his boxer shorts. I ran my lips against it through the fabric, sending a shiver through his body.
