Savage Awakening

Without the pendant he was lost. His wards didn’t work on himself.

Better him than Mackenzie. He would protect her, no matter the price. With his last breath, when the time came.

And it would come.

Yesss, my boy, the voice purred seductively. Why do you bother to fight what you know is true? You are mine, and I do not share.

“Shut up, asshole,” Kalen hissed. “You’re full of shit.”

Am I? Does your pulse not quicken at the image of the ultimate power we’ll wield together? Does your cock not harden at the mere sound of my voice?

His groin throbbed, his length pushing against his leathers. Dark need demanded to be satisfied, the lust for mastery. To own all of the world.

Oh, yes, it’s such delicious temptation for a boy who’s had so little. No one has ever loved you —

“My grandmother loved me!”

And then she left you all alone. Poor mite kicked out of your family at age fourteen, unloved and misunderstood. But I will keep you safe, and we’ll rule together.

“God,” he rasped. “Help me.”

No, young one. There is no help, not for the likes of us. So we must take what others would not give, and make it ours.

“No.”

Yes. Prepare, my apprentice. I will come for you soon.

On that day, Kalen had better have a plan for how he was going to defeat Malik.

And the darkness within.

Thirteen

Sweet Jesus, she feels like heaven.

Aric tucked his would-be mate against his side, so close they were almost one body. As she napped with her head on his chest, he let his fingers slip through her sable hair again and again, and replayed their lovemaking in his head. Never had he felt closer to a woman—or anyone, for that matter.

And he had to lose her.

He was so freaking hot, and not in a good way, but he refused to move her just to try to get cooled off. These last few days were all he had left, and he wasn’t about to waste a second. Against him, she wiggled a bit, and a light kiss was placed over his heart.

“Mmm.”

He smiled at her sleepy moan. “Awake?”

“Barely. So good, bein’ lazy like this. Wish it could last forever.”

Closing his eyes, he willed down the pain. Hugged her tighter. “Me, too.”

“Unfortunately, I have to move.” Raising up, she kissed his lips. “Micah woke up earlier, for real.”

“Really? That’s great,” he said with relief. “How is he?”

“As well as can be expected, I guess. Confused. He has no memory of his months in the hands of those bastards, being rescued, none of it.”

“Shit. He’s blocking?”

“Yeah. It’s there, in his subconscious, but the only way he can cope is to shut out all the bad stuff. I’m so afraid of what’s going to happen to him when he can’t suppress it anymore.”

He stroked her cheek, trying to give her a measure of comfort. “The doctors will be there to help him. We all will.”

“I know. But the thing is, I have to head out day after tomorrow. I hate leaving him, but I have to go home for a while,” she said worriedly. “I need to pay bills, check on the apartment, and see when I can get more vacation time to come back.”

The news, though not unexpected, hit him like a fist in the gut. It didn’t escape his notice that she hadn’t expressed the same reticence to leave him, and he cursed himself for being a selfish asshole. “Reality intrudes, huh? Time and the day job wait for no man. Or woman.”

“Something like that.” She gave him a sad smile. “It’s not like I can tell my sergeant that I can’t come back to work because my brother is a wolf shifter who was tortured by an evil Unseelie and his shitheads.”

“At least not unless you want to find yourself on the wrong end of a psych eval.” He kissed her nose. “But he’ll be in good hands. It’s not like you’re abandoning him, so get that guilt out of your head. You’ll be back to visit as soon as you can, and he’ll understand. When you wear a uniform and are sworn to protect the public, you don’t just walk away from your career. Nobody gets that more than we do.”

There. He could be objective about letting her go. He could.

Some of the shadows left her eyes, making the sacrifice worthwhile. “Thanks for the pep talk. You’re good for me.”

Then don’t go. Please, don’t leave me.

“Great. Let’s get you up and moving, and we’ll go see him. Shower?”

“Race you!”

Leaping up, she sprinted for the bathroom. A broad smile bloomed on his face of its own accord and he didn’t even try to win, because he was too busy watching her edible, naked bubble butt jiggle all the way across the room. As far as he was concerned, he was the winner.

Once she disappeared, the lure of wet, soapy woman got his ass going. He jumped in the shower to see her face turned to the spray and he grabbed her hips, sliding his hard cock along the crevice of her butt cheeks.

“Ooh, is someone poking fun at me?”

“You bet!”

She giggled and then moaned as he made good on his threat. He made love to her under the cascade of water, slowly, savoring every moment of the glide of his cock inside her, the pleasure bittersweet. This was the last time, because he couldn’t touch her again. Not if he hoped to keep his wolf leashed and restrain himself from claiming her. Something she would never want.

No, didn’t deserve. She could do much better than being tied to the man responsible for her brother’s kidnapping and torture.

Still, his fangs lengthened, instinct almost stronger than human will. Almost. Resisting the urge to sink his teeth into the delicate curve of her neck and shoulder was more painful than ever. Heat sizzled under his skin, baked his insides. But he held strong in his resolve and plunged deep, brought them to orgasm with a rush of heady ecstasy, filling her.

Making it last forever.

Easing out, he cleaned them both and they finished their shower. Toweling off, they got dressed in simple jeans and T-shirts and went to see Micah.

Slipping into Micah’s room behind Rowan, Aric saw Ryon, Jax, and Zan already there, standing around his bed. The four of them were talking, and Micah was sitting up, looking tired but smiling—a fact that soothed some of the heartache, but not nearly enough.

How could he seek absolution for a sin Micah wouldn’t even recall?

Micah’s smile lit his scarred face. Aric managed not to react to the sight of the puckered skin pulling at his cheek and the corner of his mouth. The man would get the wrong idea.

“Aric! Jesus, it’s good to see your smart-ass self.” He held out a hand and Aric shook it carefully, avoiding the IV.

“It’s great to see you sitting up, bullshitting everybody with that trademark charm,” he said with a smile that felt strained. Fortunately, his friend didn’t notice.

Micah snorted. “Charm? Well, it’s not working or the docs would let me out of here.”

“Soon. Don’t push yourself.”