Her breasts were freed to the cold air. Cohen pulled back and took them in. One hand slipped beneath her breast, tracing the curve of it along her rib cage. She shuddered beneath his touch and arched into him with a soft groan of her own.
Her core pulsed and ached. She wanted him inside her, wanted Cohen as close as she could possibly get. She grabbed for him, ran her hands beneath his shirt, over the planes of muscle. He growled into her ear and she felt a thrill shoot through her.
She grinned and reached for the skin of his shoulder while he worked at the button on his jeans. He smelled like a fresh spring night as she clamped her teeth onto his skin. His head fell back, and his hips thrust against her. She felt his cock, hard and ready, rub against her.
She felt a new fire burn through her. It was a cold burning fire that consumed the both of them. He was the Hades to her Persephone, the darkness that she felt inside herself.
“Pants off,” she commanded.
He growled, the beast in his eyes as he met her gaze. He moved to capture her wrists when she tugged on the power inside herself. She threw it at him and pushed him back. His molten eyes gleamed with defiance, but she smiled.
“What did I say? Pants off.”
She watched as her power commanded him to slowly and carefully unbutton his pants. Her mouth grew dry as the sight of his cock, long and thick. She’d beheld it before, but each time it still took her breath away. He was silken beneath her hands and she watched his eyes drift close when she cupped his balls.
Ashe liked having the power. Her whole life had been powerless. She’d made herself small and insignificant, but everything about Cohen made her feel strong. She’d brought Sampson’s beast to his knees. She’d escaped her worst fear by discovering her animal.
She was unstoppable.
“Ashe,” he whispered. He bit his lip and her heart fluttered.
She leaned forward, tugging at his cock as she gently claimed his mouth. Her gentle passion turned to one of fiery need. Her hands worked him, and her power slipped away, pulled back inside of herself.
His hands freed, he found the wet evidence of her desire. His fingers slipped inside, and he growled with need. Together, they fell back onto the bed. Cohen pushed her legs apart and set his cock at her entrance. Swirling in small circles, he teased.
Ashe groaned and arched. She wanted him inside her. She couldn’t take the teasing. Each time she thought he would plunge deep, he pulled back. She cried out with frustration. She dug her nails into his shoulders, trying to pull him inside her, but he held back with a smile on his lips.
She’d had the power and now he’d turned the tables. And, he was enjoying it. She cursed, and he laughed right before he finally took the plunge. She cried out. He filled her so completely that, for a moment, she thought she might burst. She struggled to breathe as her heart raced.
Cohen lowered himself, resting his weight on his elbows, and began the slow thrusting rhythm. Pleasure pooled deep inside her, slowly spreading through her body. She’d never thought this was what it could be like to be with a man, but perhaps it wasn’t. Perhaps, this was what happened when a shifter found its mate.
This was the ecstasy of finding her perfect match and she was glad she had waited for this. She was glad this was all she would ever know because it was so much more than she ever expected. Ashe clung to his shoulders as he rode her. His pace quickened, a fierce expression taking over his face as he grit his teeth and growled.
She smiled and arched into him, so he could thrust deeper. He slammed against a wall and she felt a sharp pain, only for a moment. It was there and then gone, exploding in the sea of pleasure that was taking her over.
“You’re mine,” he grunted as he slammed inside her.
“I’m yours,” she breathed, feeling weightless. “And, you’re mine.”
“I’m yours,” he agreed with one final thrust.
It sent her over the edge. His hand slipped over her mouth to muffle her cry of pleasure. It burst inside her and crashed into the walls of her body, throwing her in every direction. She thought she might drown in it, might sink beneath its surface and never rise again.
Cohen’s head tipped back and his own orgasm spasmed through his body. He pulled out and spilled over her belly, warm as it left his scent in her skin. His eyes burned with molten gold as he pulled back. She knotted her fingers in his hair and yanked him down for a long kiss.
“Now clean your mess,” she whispered into his lips.
He growled in response, but didn’t argue. He found a shirt on the floor and offered it to her as a towel. She gave him a skeptical look, but knew she wasn’t getting anything better any time soon. When they lived together, he was going to have to learn about the magical thing called a towel. Until then, she would make do.
He sat back on his haunches as she cleaned herself, his face scrunching up as he was sucked deeper into thought.
“What is it?”
“We’re going to have to invest in some condoms. I’m assuming you aren’t on birth control.”
“Uh, no. I’m not.”
He nodded, slowly. “It’s not that I’m against children, but I want us to both be ready for something like that. I want it to be our decision.”
She smiled and leaned back into the bed. “That’s if we survive this war.”
“You keep calling it a war,” Cohen said as he crawled over to her and laid beside her. He tugged her into his body and laid a possessive arm over her.
That’s what it felt like. The blank cards had thrown her and planted a deep-seated fear inside her. While she’d almost died, she hadn’t. So, she still didn’t know what the blank cards meant. Were they supposed to represent the spell her mother had placed over the Pack? The one that wiped this brother from their memories?
Or was there a different kind of blankness coming, one that took lives with abandon?
“I have a feeling this won’t be as simple as a dominance challenge. This man, your older brother, is crazy. He’s angry about what happened to him and I think it festered inside him all of these past years. That kind of embitterment has turned into this sense of righteous revenge.
“Trying to kill me last night might have been a part of that revenge. It was my mother who helped Sampson, after all. Pushing her towards insanity might not have been enough.”
Cohen gripped her tight.
“And I shudder to think what he might do to the Packs.”
She ran her hands down his back as he rested his head on her bare chest. A thought skittered through her mind, a whisper until she snatched it and inspected it closer. Could it work? Her nails dug into his back as she mulled it over, making his head rise.
He was patient, the shadows that normally surrounded his eyes now gone, and waited for her to bring voice to whatever was bothering her.
She licked her lips. “I know you weren’t a fan of this idea, but… but what if it could stop this war before it even starts?”
He hesitated and swallowed. “I’ll do anything to keep the Packs from getting hurt.”
“Even if it means doing the very last thing you wanted to do?”
She saw it the moment he realized what she was saying. He rolled away from her. His feet hit the floor. She moved to watch him rest his elbows on his knees. He sucked in a deep breath. She could tell he didn’t want this. It’d been the first thing he’d asked of her.
Break his bond to the Pack that’d pledged to him.
Now, she was asking him to lead his father’s Pack. As it was, they were vulnerable without an Alpha. His brother could sweep in and steal leadership from them, starting a vicious cycle all over again. Killian had been awful, but Ashe was certain this shifter would be so much worse.
“I know… I know what you’re asking, but are you sure? I mean, are you sure I’m the right person? What if I hurt them?”
She inched closer to him so that her stomach pressed against his back. His warmth seeped into her and steadied her. “I’ve told you before
that I think you’re the perfect man for the job. Gage is bound to you, but Archer is trapped here. If you walk away from this…”
She let her unsaid words hang in the air. It was a low blow, using Archer to sway her mate’s decision. Yet, she knew this was the right move. She knew it deep in her soul, even without the use of her cards.
“Archer has an Alpha,” Cohen argued without turning to face her.
She heard the wobble in his voice. He was unsure of his own argument. The desire to protect was rising inside of him. It was what his beast had been built for. He just needed to see it.
There was a long pause that stretched out. Cohen was still beneath her touch. She waited, holding her breath.
“Fine.”
She exhaled.
“I’ll do what I have to.”
His voice was strong and confident. He meant what he said, and it warmed her. This was her mate, her warrior.
“Alright,” she said as she nodded. “First thing’s first, I need some damned clothing.”
Cohen laughed, the weight of their future suspended for a brief moment. He rolled away and she was left cold until he returned with a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. The t-shirt was too tight across her breasts, even if he liked the way it showcased her nipples. He gave her a hoodie to cover them and, together, they went in search of the rest of the Packs.
Chapter Seventeen
Cohen watched his mate fly away. His stomach protested, churning with fear. He had to remind himself she was capable of taking care of herself, but the urge to protect her was overwhelming. How did anyone get anything done once the mate bond took effect?
He turned back toward his younger brothers, both mated men. Were their minds on their women? Did they worry about where they were or what kind of trouble they could get into? Did Archer worry about Joanna being an Alpha? Did Gage worry about Kaylee getting into a car accident? The way his mind spun was overwhelming.
“Are you ready?” Archer asked.
“Just a moment,” Cohen said, his feet stuck beneath him. He looked past his brother at the house. It belonged to him now. Later, he would have to talk to his witch about moving in with him. She would be able redecorate it, of course. Maybe they would have a demolition day and destroy all of Sampson’s outdated furniture.
Thinking about Ashe living with him helped him steady his overactive mind. Could he go through with this? The bear said he could. In fact, it was what the bear had been born to do. Having people to protect would calm the beast. It would fill it with a sense of family and safety.
Not once in his life did he think he would find himself here. A week ago, he’d cornered his witch to demand she break his bond to Gage and Kaylee. He’d been ready to run back to solitude, preparing himself for the day someone might have to put him down.
It had been an awful truth, but now that truth slipped away, replaced by a new one. One not so awful, but terrifying all the same. What if he couldn’t do this? What if he screwed up?
“Hey.” Gage slapped a hand on his brother’s shoulder and threw him a sly smirk. “You got this. You can’t fuck up any worse than that time you burnt a package of ramen in the microwave.”
Archer scrunched his nose in disgust. “The house reeked for a month. It’s one thing to have a human nose, but we don’t. That was easily the worst month of my life.”
Their words bolstered him. He nodded and felt their humor sink in and push a smile across his face. The bear rose inside him, proud and excited. His mate had been right. This was what they needed to do.
He turned back toward the house filled with people. They looked at him with expectant eyes. He tried to meet each one in turn, tried to keep up with the bevy of emotions that filled them. Some were hesitant, some were hopeful.
Yet, each time someone approached him to bare their neck, his stomach flipped. At first, he questioned each second, yet as more people stepped up with hopeful smiles on their faces, he steadied. He smiled back at them, trying to appear gentle.
He would not be the cold man his father had been. He would not be the monster he’d feared he would be. The people who knelt and bared themselves before him, binding their pledge, trusted him.
The bear leaned back and roared through him. This was what they’d been born to do. He could feel it as each pledge steadied his rough-hewn soul.
His mind slipped back to his mate, who’d taken the pledge the night before. She hadn’t questioned her decision once and sealed the pledge with a long kiss.
An hour later, he stood before a room, more confident than when he’d entered. A slow smile slipped over his lips. A sense of belonging anchored him. This was how things had been meant to be.
Now, they just had to find their missing brother.
***
No one knew where the eldest Vancourt brother had disappeared to or what he might be doing. No one knew if there were more shifters coming to his aide or if he came to Stonefall alone. Ashe had filled them in on what she’d learned, telling everyone the story of Sampson and her mother, telling them how Killian had lied and how Grover had turned on them. Nancy had spat on the ground when she spoke of Grover. They’d been close, and his betrayal pissed the little cat shifter off.
Ashe released her owl and let it take to the skies. The eldest Vancourt brother’s face was fresh in her mind, her mother’s fading magic apparently not working on her. All her life, she’d hated the woman, but now that she understood what happened, she found a small amount of forgiveness in herself.
Using her owl eyes, she scanned the world below. Trees, some fitted with needles and others budding with new life, passed beneath her, but she saw no sign of the brother or even Killian. It wasn’t likely that they’d packed up and vanished overnight. She’d seen the crazed determination in the brother’s face. He wasn’t about to leave without causing some sort of trouble.
She flew over the now dead bonfire. Embers flickered in the ashes, a charred post now toppled onto the ground. She would not fear the fire. She would not fear this man or his intentions. The mantra repeated through her mind as she surveyed the area around it.
Her magic had been slippery and out of reach when Killian and Grover had grabbed her. She had the power to command their bodies, to make them turn away from her. Theoretically, she was untouchable, yet fear had rendered her useless.
She was anything but. She could be strong. She only had to remember.
Part of her feared she would forget again. That panic would take hold and she would become prey once more. The animal inside of her scoffed. The owl was irritated with her feeble human emotions. It wouldn’t allow her to forget. It would not get trapped again.
There, below, she caught the sparkle of something in the light. It flashed, and she circled back, dropping steadily, to get a closer look. It flashed again as she passed over it. Whatever it was, it was catching the light. She caught a perch in a nearby tree and observed the object.
A small cell phone sat on the ground with a little note stuck to the front of it. Her stomach flipped. She glanced around, wondering if this was a trap. The owl flapped its wings. Magic flowed over them. It tried to tell them they would not get caught again.
Sure, and she told herself she’d never eat cookie dough ice-cream again after drinking too much tequila and bingeing on ice-cream. That hadn’t lasted long.
Still, she hopped a little closer. A few branches later, she could read the note taped to the phone.
I’ll call you,
Logan.
She wanted to sneer. Quickly, she launched herself from the branch and snatched the phone from the ground. Like a blur through the air, she swooped up into the sky before anything could jump out at her. Owls were the ultimate predators of the sky, soundless and sleek. Gripping the phone, she flew back to the Vancourt house.
Chapter Eighteen
The call came not too much later. Cohen had finished, and a new feeling sat on his shoulders. He thought it would feel like the weight of the world, but it felt more like a
cloak. It settled on his shoulders and wrapped around him. It gave him power, but with it came responsibility. One that he didn’t mind.
The call didn’t shake him. Instead, power and confidence flowed through him as he held the phone up to his ear.
“Hello, little brother.”
It was odd to hear the strangely familiar voice call him little brother. Cohen had always been the eldest. This man didn’t know what it meant to be the eldest, to have a family.
Cohen rolled his shoulders. “You’re welcome to come to Vancourt house. Come tell us why Sampson kicked you out of the Pack. Of all people, your brothers understand the sentiment.”
Across from him, Ashe’s face twisted with annoyance. His mate didn’t want to give this man a second chance, but Cohen felt it was his duty now. He could give this stranger a second chance, and if he refused it, he would do what needed to be done.
Blood or not.
“Oh, no. Father kicked you out of the Pack because he feared the three of you would become better than him. He ousted me because he feared I would become a monstrosity.”
“And did you?”
Silence stretched between them, static from the phone buzzing in his ear.
“As much of a monster as you are, brother. I know you’re like me. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and we both inherited the explosive power of father’s bear.”
A shudder passed through Cohen. Not once had he released his bear to do as it wished. He’d always fought for control when the bear lost it. If Logan was anything like him, he had the same struggle with his beast. No, he didn’t struggle. It sounded like Logan let his beast run wild.
It had infected his mind. It had spoiled him with a false sense of power.
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