Before we reached the wall, the gates opened. Forrest, Sylvie, and Blossom were standing there with a group of wolf shifters. As were Hale and Deltha.
When had the bears arrived? And where was Flint?
I scanned the small crowd for my brother—there. I spotted him behind Sylvie.
Willow was the first to run out, and to throw her arms around her mate’s neck.
I hurried in to see my brother. I grabbed his shoulders and looked him over. “So? Did the dragon cure you?”
It was too much to hope for, yet here we were.
He lifted his shirt, showing me his stomach. The skin that had been black with affliction was returned to pale peach.
“Yeah. He healed us all,” Flint said. “Every single one.”
I scanned the crowd, all of the smiling faces as everyone was reunited.
Thorn offered Hale his hand, and Hale accepted, pulling him into a big hug.
“I thought you wouldn’t make it back in time for the celebration.” Hale laughed.
“Another late night of festivities?” Thorn asked.
“Always.” Hale slapped him on the back. “Your second was kind enough to welcome us in your absence.”
Forrest raised a hand in greeting from the back of the crowd.
He was the last person I’d expected to welcome us all as a single tribe, but here he was. Here we all were, one people.
The reunion migrated to the dining yard by the picnic tables where a bonfire roared.
Based on the empty bottles of alcohol and the size of the flames, it seemed the party had been going on for some time. Sitting across the fire, looking tired but content, was Dahlia. She really was going to be okay.
My heart was full. With a broad smile, I took a seat beside Thorn on one of the empty logs. Flint sat at my other side.
Hale pulled Thorn into a conversation. I turned to Flint, excited to hear about his adventure with the Guardian of Water.
“What was it like to be healed?” I asked. “Did it hurt?”
“The opposite,” Flint said. “Ruarc—”
“You’re on a first name basis with the Guardian of Water?” I gave him an incredulous look.
Flint leaned closer and whispered, “He insists on it.”
“Really?” I shook my head.
“Really.” His green eyes sparkled with amusement. “Ruarc put his hand on my forehead and it was like a gust of powerful wind inside my body. In a rush, the affliction skated up my skin, until it was gone.”
Like Thorn and the trees.
“It was remarkable, and after, I felt a rush of energy, like I’d been asleep for years, and only just then opened my eyes.”
“That’s amazing.” I bumped my knee into his. “It’s all surreal. The healing, the fact that we’re here. All of it.”
“The fact that you’re alpha?” He cocked a brow.
“That, too.”
Blossom ran around behind the circle and tapped Flint on the shoulder.
“How are you feeling, Blossom?” I asked.
“I’m great, thanks.”
She poked Flint again.
He lifted his chin and turned, pretending he didn’t know where she was.
“I’m right here, silly.” She laughed.
“Ohhhhh.” He turned around to face her. “That was pretty tricky.”
She wrinkled her nose and giggled.
“Play with me?” she asked, with a grin that would be impossible to deny.
“Yes please,” Flint stood up and waved his hand at me before lifting her up for a piggyback ride.
Thorn was still listening to Hale. I leaned on his shoulder.
“There is nothing like it for training,” Hale said.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Thorn said.
“You could do the same with your little rocks. Bind the dirt into a golem, try it out.”
“Little rocks?” Thorn asked in a sharp tone.
Hale laughed, a deep bellowing sound. “I meant no offense, brother.”
Forrest said something to Deltha, and Hale turned.
Taking advantage of the break in conversation, Thorn rose from his place on the log and leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Let’s get out of here.”
I accepted his outreached hand and followed him from the firelight into a dark alley.
Sounds of the gathering carried, but I could no longer make out what everyone was saying.
Thorn’s expression was hidden in shadow. But now that we were finally alone together, my thoughts returned to the exchange we’d shared in the forest, and to what I’d wanted to say before Herrik had returned.
There always seemed to be an interruption. With Flint staying in Thorn’s hut—our hut—with us, we wouldn’t be more alone than we were out here in the corner of the village with everyone either asleep or gathered in the square.
Thorn stole my breath with a kiss. Startled, I gasped against him. Soft at first, his lips moved over mine, claiming me body and soul.
Need flooded my system, and I melted against his lithe form. I ran my hands up his chest, over his shoulders, around his back. I wanted to touch him everywhere all at once. I wanted to feel every inch of his skin, and I wanted to feel him all over me.
Our kiss deepened, his tongue caressing mine in a promise of what was to come.
Breaking apart for only a moment, he pulled me behind a small shed and pinned me to the wall. I could feel the heat of his skin through his clothes, and the intensity of his desire with his hard cock pressed against my lower belly.
He teased his thumb over the sensitive skin of my stomach and captured the small sound that escaped my lips. Quiet—I needed to stay quiet.
His hand slowly slipped up my shirt, lighting up my skin in the wake of his touch. We could be anywhere, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was the desperate need that swirled between us. After nipping my lip with his teeth, he grazed down my chin and neck, and dipped his tongue to my collarbone.
He cupped my breast and gently kneaded the tender skin and brushed his lips over the lobe of my ear.
“I want to spend every day leading the tribe with you,” he whispered. “And I want to spend every night inside of you.”
It was exactly what I wanted, too.
I arched into him and pulled down the waist of his pants. I grabbed his ass before wrapping my fingers around the base of his cock.
“I love you,” I crooned in his ear.
Sounds of celebration boomed through the streets, but everything beyond the two of us felt distant and unimportant.
Thorn closed his eyes as I slid my hand up his shaft. His expression grew taut and his breath hitched.
He opened his eyes, capturing me in the swirling pools of his hazel irises. “I love you, too.”
He lifted me and pulled my pants down to my thighs, just far enough to reach my core. I was slick and aching for him. There was nothing I wanted more in the world than to feel him deep inside of me. He teased my pussy with his fingers first, but I didn’t need to be teased. I was so ready I could scream.
“Please,” I begged. “I need your cock.”
I didn’t have to ask twice. He thrust inside of me, stretching and filling me.
It was intense. He felt so good, so right, and I wanted to stay just like this forever. The ache abated, replaced by the build of something more.
With my arms wrapped around his neck, I held on tight to the man I loved, to our future, to my mate.
He thrust in deep, filling me completely. The friction sent euphoric bursts from my fingers to my toes, and everywhere in between.
The noise of the village became the background to the rhythm of our entwined bodies. We were one, we were the moment, we were forever.
Higher and higher I rose, my head in the clouds, my heart in his hands. He swirled his hips, reaching so deep I didn’t know where I ended and he began.
It didn’t take long before the pressure built to a peak. His fingers dug into my hips, and I could feel
him pulsing inside of me, ready for release. We would reach this height together, we would come together as one.
He rocked me, up and down, my back pressing against the wooden shed. A sharp sting accompanied his teeth on my shoulder. It was just right, and all that I needed.
It was a landslide, and I tumbled, freefalling in pleasure.
Thorn leaned his forehead on mine. “You’re my world.”
He was mine, too. I’d tell him when my breath settled and I found the energy for words. We had our whole lives ahead of us—together as mates.
Epilogue
Ruarc
Raindrops pattered against the stone overhang, onto the trees, and into the water. Sounds ranged in pitch and tone, but no matter where the droplets landed, all returned to the river.
The current rushed around the secluded alcove, shielding any noise made within from the outside world. It was part of why I’d chosen this place. I could hear passersby approach, but they couldn’t hear Herrik’s screams.
For now, he was silent. For now, I waited.
Slouched and deflated, he sat motionless on a chair of ice. His body was skin and bone, malnourished to the point that he shouldn’t have had the strength to move. His scent was sour, unnatural, and it made my nose twitch.
Wet hair hung down over his jaundiced face. Perhaps the strands had lightened in hue a little since the last round of draining.
No, it was still black, just like his skin.
The blight was supposed to be drawn out when I pulled on the string of life magic. That was how it always worked. It was how I’d cured the rest of his people.
Herrik was different.
I took a step closer, examining the coyote from a distance. His eyelids flickered and his fingers twitched. His chest rose and fell in rapid bursts.
This strain of blight was different.
And I had no idea how to heal him.
—
Ruarc’s story is coming soon!
While you wait, do you want another Keira & Eva collaboration? Midnight Wish is the book for you!
A Taste of Midnight Wish
Chase
Something changed in the air, a pleasant scent that overshadowed everything else. I sat up a little straighter, my tiredness all but forgotten. Gentle and sweet like baked pears, a beautiful scent under so many layers of tragedy. And she was coming closer.
Her footsteps echoed down the hall, and I rose from my seat. My breath caught when she stepped into the room—destiny.
In lace-up brown boots, short denim shorts, and a fitted white tank top, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen lingered in the doorway. Her skin was tan, her long legs thick with muscle. Platinum blond curls cascaded over her bare shoulders and framed her face. I was completely enchanted. Then I noticed her eyes—dull blue orbs of despair.
She spared me only a questioning glance before moving to Mr. Wainwright’s bedside.
“Daddy.” She took his limp hand and held it tight.
I had no idea Mr. Wainwright had a daughter, but our families had always kept to themselves, so it could have been that he lived with his parents, a whole slew of kids, and even grandchildren. It was a reminder that this man was a stranger to me.
Flicking my gaze between the two, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I remained still. Tears began to stream down the woman’s rosy cheeks, and my heart ached. I had to console her—I had to do something.
“They said he’ll be all right, in a few days.”
She looked up from her father, eyes wide, as if she had forgotten I was in the room.
“Who are you?”
I’m Chase and we’re meant to be together.
Snag your copy of Midnight Wish!
Also by Keira Blackwood
Alphas & Alchemy: Elemental Shifters
with Eva Knight
Dragon Guardian of Land
Wolf Warrior of Land
Alphas & Alchemy: Fierce Mates
with Liza Street
Claimed in Forbidden
Fated in Forbidden
Bound to Forbidden
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About the Author
Keyboard ninja, late-blooming bibliophile, proud geek, animal lover, eternal optimist, visual artist.
USA Today Bestselling Author Keira Blackwood writes steamy paranormal romance full of suspense, action, and a dash of humor. No cheating. Always a happily-ever-after.
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About the Author
Night owl, ghost hunter, forest explorer.
Eva Knight writes paranormal romances with a dash of mystery and a touch of steam. No cliffhangers, and HEA’s guaranteed.
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Wolf Warrior of Land (Alphas & Alchemy: Elemental Shifters Book 2) Page 11
