Emily knew that hours had passed because the sun had moved across the sky outside the bedroom window, but still, the only thought that she managed to hold in her mind was Wow.
Sex with Cade had been…amazing? Wonderful? Perfect? There wasn't a single word that could convey the sheer glory of making love to Cade.
So Emily stopped trying and let herself drift along, enjoying the sensations humming through her body. With her eyes closed, she could almost believe that she was floating on a cloud high above the earth without a care or worry on her mind. She couldn't remember ever feeling this relaxed before.
Even back in the beta world, Emily had been a little too tightly wound. She liked to think of herself as driven. The constant pressure certainly helped her accomplish many things, but it had also kept her from ever experiencing moments of contented bliss like this.
Eventually, Emily opened her eyes and slowly made her way to a sitting position, then stood up for the first time in what felt like days rather than hours.
Her clothes were nowhere to be seen. Neither was the shirt she'd borrowed from Cade. So she made her way unsteadily to his closet and took another from a hanger. She buttoned it up and belted it with a different belt she found hanging from a hook before heading outside.
It was even later than she'd thought, the sky fading to purple with the approach of dusk. But Cade was still hard at work, pulling out a damaged post near the edge of the patio. Cracks splintered the wood about halfway up, almost as if truck had plowed headlong into it.
Emily only knew one creature powerful enough to do that kind of damage to such a sturdy post.
"Do you make work for yourself just to keep busy?" she asked, taking a seat on a wooden bench that ran the patio's length, running a hand along the smooth bentwood arm.
A smile tugged at Cade’s lips as he positioned his boot on a pickaxe he'd buried deep in the earth next to the post. "Sometimes it sure seems that way."
Then he stepped on the blade, and the post groaned as its concrete base was lifted from the ground. Cade's muscles strained with the effort, his bare chest glistening with sweat, his massive shoulders bulging.
Damn, that alpha was sexy.
More than sexy, Emily thought—Cade was actually proving to be a good man.
The post pulled the rest of the way free and fell away from the house, dirt clinging to the base. Cade wiped his brow and leaned on the pickaxe, surveying his work. Maybe it was only the pheromones in his sweat, but an overwhelming feeling of possessiveness took hold of Emily, one she'd never felt before.
Especially not toward Sloan. An unpleasant shiver ran up Emily's spine at the thought of him. It had been over twenty-four hours since she'd seen him—an entire day during which she hadn't once cowered in fear, or watched her words, or braced for punishment.
Back in the beta world, a day could pass in the blink of an eye. Fridays arrived when the week barely seemed to have started; Sundays came even quicker.
But here in the Boundarylands, where a woman's entire nature could change in the span of a single touch, a day could be an eternity.
Even now, it was hard for Emily to remember how she gotten by before Cade had appeared in her life. It was almost as if…she felt silly even thinking it, but yes: as if they were meant to be together.
Was it really so outlandish? Sloan's touch had obviously been a horrible mistake, at least as far as Emily was concerned. Wasn't it possible that all of this had been orchestrated by some higher power, just to make sure that she would finally find the one she was meant for? Wasn't it possible that there was kindness in the universe's design, a natural order that favored happiness?
Emily had never been a big believer in fate, but looking at Cade now, remembering how perfectly they'd fit, it was hard to imagine that she was meant for anyone else. She let out a contented sigh as she relaxed against the carved back of the bench and gazed out over the forest. Even the trees looked different—more varied and interesting—now that she had a chance to simply experience them without worrying about what she was supposed to be doing.
Cade's land felt peaceful in a way that Sloan's compound never had. Emily could breathe here; she could order her thoughts and take in her surroundings. She could voice an opinion or make a decision without being shouted at.
She could smile.
But just because she was enjoying the moment didn't mean that she was going to become a lazy slug. Already, she was starting to feel the urge to be productive again.
"Tomorrow, I'll help you with replacing the bottom step," she promised.
"You will?" Cade's voice sounded distinctly devilish.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Because I was hoping you might want to go back to the creek with me tomorrow."
"Is there another obstruction that needs to be cleared?"
"No." Cade gave her a slow, wicked smile. "But we could splash around until we have to strip off our clothes again. I liked how that turned out last time."
Emily's cheeks flamed, but she was relieved to know that even after several hours of passionate love, Cade still had an appetite for more. God knew that she wasn't anywhere close to finished with him yet either.
"With a work ethic like yours, we won't get a damned thing done around here," she teased.
His smile broadened to a grin, an expression she'd never seen on an alpha before.
"What is it?" she demanded. "Why are you looking at me that way?"
His gaze locked with hers. "I liked the way you said 'we.'"
That seed of hope and trust that had managed to lodge inside Emily wound its roots a little tighter around her heart. She was seized with the urge to kiss him, hard and long and deep. To hold him close and never let go.
She launched herself off the bench, but before she could get to Cade, he tilted his head back, his eyes wide open.
Emily knew that look—it was the same with every alpha who sensed something amiss.
Emily felt the old, familiar tension stealing back into her shoulders. The peace of a moment before dissipated like smoke in the wind. She tried to resist fearing the worst, but it was impossible.
Only seconds had passed when the sound of a truck engine gunned so loud that even her far less sensitive ears could hear it.
"Who is it?" she asked, frozen in fear.
Cade turned to her, a deep frown etched into his face.
“Trouble."
Chapter Thirteen
There was a reason no one ever came onto Cade's land unannounced: he'd never given anyone a standing invitation to visit. If he'd been a different kind of alpha—one with a longer fuse on his temper, for instance—maybe someone would have asked for one. But the truth was that Cade was perfectly content with his own company, and had never given his isolation much thought.
Not until today.
Not until there was a truck barreling down his dirt drive too damn fast, hitting the dips a little too hard.
Cade should have been furious. Any intrusion onto his land was not just a crime but—at least here in the Boundarylands—an unforgivable one.
And yet what he felt right now failed to tip the meter much past annoyance. The reason? Sitting in the cab of that truck headed his way were three omegas and not a single damn alpha.
Cade would have something to say to his brothers next time he saw them, that was for sure. Somehow those sons of bitches had known that omegas were his personal kryptonite. He'd been raised by a strong mother and a father who adored his wife, and they'd drilled it into his head that when it came to girls and women, the first three rules were Respect, Respect, and Respect.
Obviously, he'd never shared that with anyone up here—but maybe some of his brothers had actually believed him back at Evander's Bar when he'd said he didn't hit women.
It was a cowardly play on their part, sending in their mates to do the job, but Cade had to admit it was effective. There was no way he could lay a finger on any of the women headed toward his house. And because of that, he would have
no choice but to stand there and take it, listening to every word they said.
"Is it Sloan?" Emily clutched the porch railing so hard that her knuckles had gone white, the scent of her fear snapping him out of his own irritation. He should have been paying closer attention—his poor omega was terrified.
"No, definitely not." He placed his hand over hers to reassure her. "Nothing to worry about, just neighbors sticking their noses where they don't belong."
Emily relaxed slightly, but her eyes remained fixed grimly on the road, reminding Cade that even though she'd become comfortable with him, learning to trust others was going to be a long road for her.
"Why don't you go inside?" he suggested gently. "I can take care of this."
She shook her head. "I'd rather stay with you."
Cade merely nodded, but inside, a sense of pride flourished and intensified his natural instinct for protection. Emily was counting on him to ensure her safety, not even realizing what a giant leap that was.
Only yesterday she'd fought him—now she seemed to understand that he wouldn't allow any harm to come to her, despite the fact that her first alpha had broken that same sacred commitment.
The speed with which she'd come to trust him was just more proof that this was meant to be.
Neither of them flinched as the truck burst into view, kicking up a dust cloud on the final turn before pulling to hard stop right in front of the cabin. Three women piled out of the cab.
"Omegas?" Emily asked in disbelief. "Really?"
Zeke's woman—Darcy, that was her name—had been driving. Cade noted that she still had that bright pink hair and those heavy biker boots and marveled again that this had turned out to be Zeke's type. Though it made sense that only a firecracker like Darcy would be able to handle the grumpy bastard.
Next to her was Aric's new mate, Jocelyn. Cade hadn't formed an impression of her yet other than the fact that Aric had turned into a goddamn boy scout since meeting her, keeping away from Evander's and spending all his time building her a new house to replace the one that had been destroyed by her angry ex-boss.
The third omega, however, made Cade do a double-take. Not because Maddox's omega, Hope, was any more likely than the other omegas to stay home and behave—but because she was heavily pregnant.
Holy shit. He didn't stand a chance with these three.
"You shouldn't be here." Cade addressed the invading army as calmly as he could, despite the overwhelming fog of female energy. "You need to get right back in that truck and leave."
Jocelyn's eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down, scanning for a threat.
Good, Cade couldn't help thinking; she ought to be cautious around anyone she didn't know, even a local alpha. Aric was teaching her well.
"So, you're not going to tear into us or toss us out?"
"I don't hurt women."
Jocelyn's face relaxed into a smirk. "Told you so," she told the other women.
Cade seethed. If there was one thing that annoyed him more than an intruder he couldn't fight, it was one who got the upper hand. "Not even foolish omegas whose alphas are so cowardly they send their mates to do their work," he couldn't resist saying.
Darcy gave him a cool, assessing gaze, arms folded across her chest. "You can leave our alphas out of this. They don't know we're here."
Seriously? Fuck, fuck—double-fuck.
Cade tossed down his pick-ax and stormed up to the omega, stopping just short of her boots. He'd never been so tempted to pick a woman up and shake some sense into her.
"What the fuck are you thinking? You know what's going to happen if your alphas figure out where you are—they'll storm onto my land demanding retribution, and it'll be a damn bloodbath."
"I thought you liked that kind of thing," Hope said lightly, her hand resting protectively over her hard belly bump, clearly not the least bit intimidated.
"I like to blow off a little steam now and then, for fuck's sake," he shouted. "Not murder my brothers in self-defense!"
"Oh, calm down, Cade," Darcy said. "They're not going to figure it out. Maddox thinks I'm with Jocelyn, and Aric thinks she's visiting Hope."
"Are you three out of your minds?" Emily called from the porch, instantly getting the women's attention. "You shouldn't be here."
"Oh, thank God you're all right," Jocelyn said, moving toward the steps.
Emily stopped her with an upheld palm. "It isn't me you should be worried about. I don't know what the hell makes you think you'll be able to fool your alphas."
"Don't worry about it," Darcy said with a wave of her hand. "Technically, we told the truth. We are with each other, after all. And with any luck, by the time our mates find out what we've done, we'll be back home."
"You call that luck?" Cade groaned. This was going from bad to worse. He could practically hear the chorus of battle cries from these foolish omegas' mates.
"That's why we need to be quick," Hope reminded the others. "Get to the point."
Darcy scrutinized Emily openly. "We're here mainly to make sure the omega is okay."
"Her name is Emily," Cade sighed. "And she's fine."
"We'd still like to hear it from her," Jocelyn said.
There was silence as all four of them waited, but Emily took her time, obviously deeply uncomfortable and choosing her words with care.
"Cade's right. I'm okay," she finally said. "But now I'm worried about you. I don't understand how you can take this so lightly. Don't you realize what your mates are going to do to you when they find out that you trespassed on another alpha's land?"
The three women exchanged perplexed glances.
"You mean besides huffing and puffing?" Hope asked.
"You do realize that real alphas would rather tear off their own arms than hurt their omegas," Jocelyn said, concern in her voice. "Don't you?"
Emily's face briefly emptied of all expression, as though she'd been given an impossible puzzle to solve. Then her eyes sought out Cade, and the color returned to her face, the barest trace of a smile on her lips.
"Yes," she said, and Cade felt his heart lift. "I'm starting to realize that."
"Good," Darcy said fiercely. "Because if I thought for a second that this little shit was abusing you—"
"Who the hell are you calling little?" Cade cut in, pulling himself up to his full seven feet, three inches, so that he towered over the omega.
Even then, she didn't seem the least bit afraid. "You. You're the little prick who tried to pick a fight with my alpha, aren't you? And on the day those men trespassed on his land and tried to kill me!"
Cade ground his teeth in frustration at the unfairness of her words. Yes, it was true that he'd tried to rile Maddox into finally throwing a punch that day, but that was before someone went after Darcy. And more importantly, if it wasn't for him, Maddox would have never been tipped off about the trespassers in the first place.
Which made him kind of a hero, actually.
But before he could point that out, Cade noticed that all three omegas were giving him identical don't-give-me-that-bullshit looks. Okay, maybe not a hero—but he sure as shit wasn't the villain here.
"Let's focus, people," Hope called out. "Time to get to the second part."
"The second part?" Emily echoed apprehensively. Apparently, she wasn't enjoying this intrusion any more than he was.
Darcy's expression darkened, at odds with her bright, zany style. "When your alpha left—"
"He's not my alpha," Emily snapped.
Damn straight, he wasn't.
"Sorry," Darcy said. "I meant to say that Sloan was pretty pissed off when he left yesterday."
"That's not really news, Darcy," Cade said tightly. "Let me guess—he's threatening to kill me."
"Well, yeah. But he also said he'd be back with friends to help him."
Cade shook his head derisively. They all knew alphas talked shit like that when they were riled up. But going through with such a reckless plan—trespassing on Cade's land, violating alpha
law, killing a brother—that was something else again.
"Thanks for coming out, ladies, but you can all go back home now," Cade said. "I ain't worried."
"But you should be."
Everyone turned to see Emily gazing over their heads into the distance, looking not at all pleased to have the last word.
Chapter Fourteen
Emily grumbled in frustration.
Cade wasn't listening—and Emily wasn't having it.
If there weren't so many other things to worry about, like not getting killed, she might take the time to appreciate what it was like to feel anger again. But as it was, she'd realized two months ago that was an emotion that would do her absolutely no good.
Everything was different with Cade, and along with the feelings that had emerged as she began to trust him, it was as if color and life had returned to her world.
But appreciating all of that would have to wait. Right now, she had a damn stubborn alpha to convince, and there wasn't time to sugarcoat her words.
Yes, Cade had been remarkably patient and kind with her so far—but that wouldn't do a bit of good if Sloan killed him. The challenge was going to be the arrogance that seemed to be ingrained in all alphas, that convinced them that they were better than everyone else at everything.
"What's so important you can't say it in front of our visitors?" Cade demanded after Emily dragged him inside the house.
Emily wasn't about to admit that she was trying to help him save face in front of a group of omegas. "I want you to listen to me. Sloan—"
"How many times do I have to tell you that I can take care of Sloan?" Cade dared to give her a condescending smile, as if they were talking about a leaking faucet rather than a brutal killer.
"Maybe you could," Emily conceded, "if it were a one-on-one fight. But you heard Darcy. He's gone home to get his friends to help. You can't fight all of them."
Cade shrugged as if this fact changed nothing. "So he'll bring a few more lazy, washed-up excuses for alphas and they'll take up all the barstools at Evander's for a few days. You heard how quick Sloan went down—those uplanders don't exactly impress me."
Cade: The Boundarylands Omegaverse Page 10
