Not wanting to be caught lurking in the background, Cade slipped back down the hallway and through the double doors to the kitchen. The cafeteria was in full swing preparing for the evening meal, just as Abby had predicted. Cade didn’t have much of an appetite. Instead, he crossed the dining area largely unnoticed and pushed open the glass doors that led out onto the patio.
A cold front had moved in earlier in the afternoon, plunging the temperature to below freezing. Winds gusted down from the mountains, stinging his exposed skin and causing plumes of steam to puff from his lips when he exhaled. At least the snow had melted, and according to the three werewolves in residence, it would remain clear until after the full moon.
How they knew that, he couldn’t guess, but it probably said something that he didn’t question it, either.
The door swung open behind him, bringing the enticing aroma of garlic, roasted tomatoes, and freshly baked bread.
“The spaghetti smells good,” Mackenna commented as she came to stand beside him. “And the breadsticks.” She folded her arms across her breasts and tucked her hands close to her sides as she shivered. “I even heard someone say something about dessert.”
Grunting, Cade shrugged out of his jacket, draped it over her shoulders, then pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled into her hair as he breathed in her scent and let it calm him. “I shouldn’t have walked out like that.”
“Believe it or not, I understand. I probably would have reacted the same way, but I can do this. I know I can.”
“I don’t doubt your ability, baby. The logical part of me knows that you’re the best person for the job, and if you weren’t mine, I’d probably have been the first one to suggest it.” He brushed a kiss over her forehead. “The part of me that’s in love with you, however, doesn’t want you anywhere near this.”
“But that’s not the world we live in.”
“That’s not the world we live in,” he agreed with a resigned sigh. Everyone had a role to play. Everyone did their part. She would do it regardless, so he could either help her or get out of her way. “If something goes wrong, if you feel like even the smallest thing isn’t right—”
“I’ll get the hell out of there.”
God, he loved her. He loved her so much it hurt. If anything happened to her, he’d lose his mind. He’d burn the whole damn world to the ground to keep her safe, but she didn’t want his protection. She wanted his support. She wanted him to believe in her.
He’d fought shifters, been drained by vampires, and had almost been eaten alive by Ravagers. He would rather face all of that a hundred times over rather than let her walk into a Coalition town alone.
“You make me fucking crazy.”
Taking her face in both hands, he sealed their mouths together, plunging his tongue between her gasping lips. It was a kiss of possession, a brand of ownership, a dark and primal display of dominance.
He didn’t tease or coax. He didn’t wait for her to set the rhythm. He consumed her, overwhelmed her. He demanded she keep pace with him as he poured every ounce of frustration, fear, and worry he felt into the mating of their lips.
Mackenna arched against him, moaning into his mouth. Her fingers twisted in his shirt to drag him closer, and she raked her teeth across his bottom lip, nipping the flesh with a quiet growl that set his blood on fire.
He loved the sounds she made for him, the way her small body vibrated against his. He loved the way she matched his need with her own desire. The carnality that burned between them was potent and palpable, making his heart pound and his cock throb.
Too impatient for propriety, needing her too much to bother with social niceties, he dragged her into the shadows of the patio and pinned her against the side of the building. Her eyes blazed with amber light, and her fangs elongated beneath her upper lip. Cheeks flushed with adrenaline, hair fanned out over her shoulders, her primal nature on full display, she was a siren, and he had never been more captivated.
Spinning her around, he pushed her roughly against the wall, pinning her in place with the weight of his body. Hand splayed over the bricks, she pushed back into him, grinding her tight ass over his trapped erection. The little vixen knew exactly what she was doing to him, and she showed him without words she wanted it just as much as he did.
If there had still been any doubt in his mind, however, she quickly erased it. “Hurry.”
It took little work to push her sweatpants down around her knees, but a lot more feverish fumbling for him to undo his own pants and free his swollen cock. Gripping the base, he guided the head to her entrance, groaning when her slick heat welcomed him easily.
God, she was tight, and so fucking wet for him. Her soaked pussy gripped his length, squeezing around him as he sank into her. With one hand on her hip, he gripped her hair in the other, pulling her head back as he began a punishing rhythm. Her feminine moan mingled with his grunts and the slap of flesh against flesh, creating an erotic symphony that echoed into the night.
Cade snapped his hips forward, driving into her and relishing the way she arched against him, meeting him thrust for thrust. As their need grew, their coupling turned frenzied and chaotic, pushing them both closer to the edge.
Mackenna’s breaths turned to gasps as her muscles tightened around him. Her head fell back, and her
