by Lacey Thorn
Their gazes held before Tah finally turned to Clara. “What do you want to do?”
“I trust him,” she answered.
“At least, someone does,” the Professor mumbled. “Now, move out of my way.”
Logan was snarling, fighting to get free of the bindings holding him. He was pure animal rage.
“Logan, look at me. Concentrate on me. Hear my voice. I love you. You’re my heart and soul. Do you hear me?”Clara’s voice was calm again, whispering in his ear.
The Professor filled the needle and injected it into Logan’s arm just as Finn and Zane charged in. Zane zeroed in on his mate, taking Vic’s place, while Finn headed straight for Laura.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his hands running over her.
An alarm filled the air before Laura could answer.
“No!” Diane yelled, pushing against her mate and reaching for the monitors Logan was attached to.
“What’s happening?” Laura asked, her gaze bouncing all over the room, trying to take it all in.
“Logan!” Clara screamed, her terror and grief tearing at everyone. “Don’t you leave me! Don’t you dare leave me! Logan! Logan!”
Tah and Reno began ripping off the bindings.
“Come on, pup,” Reno urged. “Don’t give up on me now.”
“Fight, Logan,” Tah demanded. “Dig deep and hold tight!”
They were falling apart. Diane was beating at the machines, somehow missing the button that would stop the alarm, so the blaring noise continued. Zane had one hand on his mate, the other reaching out to grasp the bed, holding Logan. Regan fussed in Abby’s arms, as if she were picking up on the emotions overwhelming the room. Tah, Reno and Clara continued speaking to Logan as if he could hear them. Gideon and Vic stood toward the head of the bed, and Laura realized they were there to help whoever needed them. Logan, Clara or any of the others. Finn stood with her, his presence the anchor she needed.
Her gaze moved to Logan. He was motionless. Clara clung to him, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed his name over and over again. Tah and Reno both had moisture staining their cheeks. They each held a hand, both of them commanding Logan to wake up. Logan remained unresponsive.
“Shh,” Finn whispered in Laura’s ear. “Don’t give up yet, baby.”
She knew her mate felt the swirl of her emotions. She hated to think of him seeing the vision of himself flashing through her mind. She’d watched her mate die, she couldn’t watch someone else she loved do the same.
“Don’t let him die,” she begged. “You have to save him.”
“Give it a minute,” the Professor said.
“Logan?” Laura whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. Had her blood killed him? “I can’t lose him, Finn.”
Her mate held her close. Every sob from Clara was like a fist hitting Laura’s heart.
“I need you, mate,” Clara cried. “I need you more than I need air to breathe.” Laura watched her gaze lock onto Tah. “Don’t let him die. I can’t lose him. I won’t make it without him.”
“Give it time,” the Professor repeated.
“Do something,” Tah roared. The sound filled the room, temporarily overpowering the noise of the machines. Laura’s animal responded, wanting to add her cry to his.
Reno growled and shoved the Professor out of the way. “I’m not fucking waiting. Stay with me, pup.” He jumped on the bed, straddling Logan, and began CPR.
“Give it time to work,” the Professor yelled over them all again. “We’re lucky I made it here before he took in too much of the pure blood. He would have crashed.”
“Before he took too much?” Diane challenged. “You made him crash. Whatever you gave him did this. We’re losing him.”
“The fuck we are,” Tah muttered.
“We’re not going to lose him, but we definitely could have,” the Professor said. “We gave him pure shifter blood, thinking it would help. With some it would. Not Logan, because he doesn’t have enough of the enzyme needed to process it. It was like giving him an undiluted dose of pure adrenaline. His heart wasn’t able to take it.”
“No,” Diane argued, looking horrified.
“I found the enzyme in Laura’s blood and was able to isolate it. This vial holds the key to getting that enzyme into Logan’s system and allowing him to begin processing what’s inside him. I don’t know why it was so decreased in him, but it should be taking hold very soon.”
“How soon?” Tah demanded while Reno continued chest compressions.
Suddenly, Logan surged off the table as if an invisible rope pulled his chest toward the ceiling. Reno fell back, and Tah reached out to steady him as he moved from his perch atop Logan and slid to stand on the other side of the bed again.
“Logan,” Tah called. “Is he okay?” he demanded, not taking his gaze off Logan.
Logan’s mouth was open wide as he gasped for air, arms flung out to his sides as life flowed back into him. Reno and Tah stayed close, giving Clara room as she moved from the head of the bed toward the side. Laura noticed they remained near and figured it was in case Clara or Logan needed one of them to step in and help.
“Logan!” Clara screamed and launched herself onto the bed with him, taking him back down. His arms surrounded her, hugging her close while she ran her hands over him and peppered his face with kisses. “Don’t leave me. God, please, don’t leave me.”
He groaned as she shifted her weight atop him.
“What? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“You let Reno do CPR, didn’t you?” he said. “He always breaks ribs. Bastard.”
“You’re welcome, pup,” Reno said, and Laura saw his hands were shaking.
“Let’s clear the room,” the Professor said. “I’ll leave this here. He needs an injection every twelve hours until it’s all gone.”
“I’ll give you all the blood you need to make more,” Laura said, finding her voice.
“I don’t believe we’ll need it,” the Professor replied.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Logan muttered. “Am I fucking dead?”
“No,” Clara said, smacking him lightly on the shoulder. “And you better never be again. Why would you ask that?”
“Because I can’t think of any other reason the Vampire King would turn down blood.”
* * * *
Laura stayed with Logan after everyone departed, leaving only her, Finn and Clara. She couldn’t make herself go, not without clearing the air. Gabriel had asked her if she’d been glad to see Logan again, and she’d decided she was. Still, nothing brought that home more than watching him almost taken from her.
“He’s okay,” Finn whispered again at her ear.
“I know,” she said, but she could still hear that shrill beep from when he hadn’t been.
“Come here,” Logan said, holding a hand toward her. His other arm was wrapped around his mate, keeping her tucked close to his side, where she’d remained since he’d revived.
Finn urged her forward when her legs didn’t want to work, and she grasped Logan’s hand in hers.
“It seems you saved my life,” Logan said, and Clara shuddered beside him. “Thank you.”
Laura nodded then shook her head as tears pooled in her eyes.
“Laura?” Logan questioned.
“Hey,” Finn said, moving in behind her until her back was braced against his chest.
“I can’t keep watching the men I love die in front of my eyes,” she choked out, tears falling like rain from her eyes. “I can’t.”
“I love you, too,” Logan said, and the dam released.
She fell on his chest, sobbing. “I’m so sorry, Logan. I should have run to you as soon as I knew you were here, not away from you. I hurt you. I wanted to hurt you because I was selfish. I blamed you when you were just as hurt as I was. I was too blind to see it. I love you, Logan. I’ve never stopped loving you. Never.”
“I know,” Logan said. “I could see it in your eyes. They’re always the way to find
out our secrets. You give yourself away.”
“Don’t leave me, Logan.” Laura echoed Clara’s earlier plea, reinforcing it with her own.
“Finn, I’m counting on you to remind her of this when she’s bitching and moaning about me never leaving her alone,” Logan said, but Laura saw his grin.
“I will,” Finn agreed with a laugh then leaned over her to give Logan a big smacking kiss on the cheek. “I’m glad you made it.”
“We should compare notes sometime,” Logan joked. “Did you see the white light everyone talks about?”
“More like a darkness coming to greet me,” Finn replied. “You always were the good one of the group.”
“You’re so not funny,” Laura said and reached over to smack Finn.
“You, either,” Clara agreed with a nip of her teeth at Logan’s jaw that made him moan.
“I think that’s our cue to leave,” Finn said.
“I’d appreciate some alone time with my mate,” Clara agreed.
“I’ll see you later,” Logan said to Laura, but his gaze was on Clara, an equal measure of love and lust in it.
“Later,” Laura agreed and let Finn lead her from the room, being sure to shut the door behind them.
“I think I could use a little alone time with my mate, too,” Laura said.
“I like the way you think,” Finn agreed, sweeping her up into his arms. He bent giving her a kiss. “Are you okay?”
She knew he referred to what Diane had done earlier. She reached down and lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing her perfectly healed stomach. “All better. Diane doesn’t use the solution they did in the lab that slows healing. So why don’t you take me home and put that erection I can feel to good use.”
“I like the way you think,” he said and headed out the door.
Chapter Fifteen
Finn was primed and ready by the time he stopped the ATV behind her house. Laura had taken advantage of her position behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and massaging his cock with both hands. She jumped off and ran toward the door before he had the vehicle shut off. He followed her scent, lust and need wrapping around him like the stroke of her skin.
He shut the back door and saw her shirt draped over the chair. He forced himself to go slow, to enjoy the cat-and-mouse game she played. He picked up the T-shirt and held it to his nose, fisting it in his grip as he moved toward the hall. Her bra was there, the scrap of lace out of place on the bare floor. He scooped it up and kept walking. Her sweats lay just inside the bedroom door, shoes kicked off beside them.
“I see you followed my breadcrumbs,” Laura said.
She stood naked by the bed, all lush curves and soft skin. He dropped her blouse and bra atop the pants and reached for the hem of his shirt, jerking it over his head and tossing it aside as he toed off his shoes.
“Did I miss a crumb?”
She gave him a questioning look then grinned. “You mean my panties?”
He nodded, popping the button on his jeans and lowering the zipper.
“I wasn’t wearing any,” she murmured, climbing onto the bed and crawling across it toward him before rising on her knees to face him.
He groaned, shoving the material wide then tugging it and his underwear down his legs and off. He gripped his cock with one hand, stroking his palm over the thick stalk while he prowled toward her. She met him with a crash, gripping his shoulders and jerking him to her. Their mouths clashed, biting and sucking at each other before she slipped her tongue between his lips and began a duel.
He was on the bed with her, urging her back, but she turned the tables, shoving him down and coming over him.
“I need to taste you,” she purred, licking over his skin, following a path down over his chest and abdomen until her lips brushed the head of his cock. “I’ve been wanting to do this since our shower.”
She ran her tongue over the head, appearing to savor the pre-cum leaking from the slit.
“So good,” she mewled. “I want more.”
She wrapped her lips around the crown and sucked, one hand cupping his balls while the other worked his shaft. He groaned, clenching his fingers in the sheets beneath him to keep from reaching for her. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to tear her mouth away so he could fuck her pussy or if he wanted to fuck her mouth and feel the back of her throat closing around him. It took everything he had to leave the choice up to her.
“Both,” she promised, taking her mouth off but continuing to run her tongue over him. “I’m going to give you both.”
She took him deep, somehow managing to take his full length and swallow around him.
“Fuck!” he cried out, one hand flying to the back of her head. He threaded his fingers through her hair but forced his touch to remain light instead of holding her still while he took over.
She twirled her mouth around his shaft, her tongue exploring every inch of him. Up and down, she went, driving him out of his mind with the pleasure she created. He couldn’t hold back much longer.
“Baby, you need to stop,” he warned. “I’m going to come, and I really want to be inside you when I do.”
“You are,” she murmured around him, sucking harder.
“God, baby.” He growled, pumping his hips up and loving the way she took him. “I’m coming. Oh, God, I’m coming, baby.”
She moaned around his length, swallowing every spurt of semen. He shuddered as she worked him, taking all he had to give. He went limp beneath her, completely spent while she licked and purred like a content kitten with a belly full of cream. Her sharp teeth nipped him.
“A kitten with cream? Really?”
He chuckled. “You have to admit it fits right now.”
“For you, maybe,” she said. “You’re the one who’s content. I’m still waiting.”
He flipped them over, pushing up on his arms over her. “I should do something about that.”
“You should,” she agreed.
He took her mouth again, tasting himself on her tongue. There was something erotic about that, and he wondered if she felt the same when she encountered herself on his lips.
“I do,” she panted when he broke the kiss to move lower.
He skimmed across the tops of her breasts and latched on to one succulent nipple, taking greedy pulls that had her clasping his head and pressing him closer. His mate was hungry for her pleasure, and he planned to give it to her. He scraped his teeth over the tight bud before releasing it and moving over to lavish the other with equal attention.
She thrashed her legs, pressing the cleft of her sex against him as he brushed his lips over her stomach. He smelled the musky scent of her pussy, and it made his mouth water with desire. He slipped his tongue between her plump folds and found the hard kernel of her clitoris and rubbed over it. Spreading her wide with one hand, he really tasted her and explored every inch of her before dipping his tongue inside and swirling it around her channel.
“Finn,” she moaned, her fingers clenching in his hair.
He returned to her clit, gripping it with his lips and tugging on it before letting go and blowing a puff of air over it. He slid his hand down to thrust two fingers inside her and groaned at the way she gripped him. Taking her to the edge, he held her there, kept her hovering, begging and pleading for him to send her flying.
“Soon, baby,” he promised, rubbing his chin over her clit, knowing she liked the feel of his beard against her there.
“Now,” she demanded, lifting into him. “Make me come.”
He gave in with a groan, granting her flight and reveling in her scream of his name as she soared. He gave her no time to recover. His cock was fully engorged and ready to claim the second part of her earlier promise to let him fuck both her mouth and her pussy.
“Yes,” she cried as he rose over her, spreading her thighs wider with his.
This was how he wanted her. Thrashing beneath him, clawing at his back and screaming for more, always for more. He thrust hard, penetrating her sex with his
and not stopping until his balls tapped against her flesh. Her thighs clung to his hips, and her feet wrapped around the backs of his legs. She moved her arms, sliding them under his and running her hands up to clutch his shoulders, her nails digging for purchase.
“That’s it, baby. Hold on to me.”
She pulled herself up, licking over his neck and zoning in on the mark she’d given him.
“Not yet, baby,” he crooned. “I’m not ready to stop.”
It would be over if she sank those sharp teeth of hers into him, and he wasn’t ready to come again yet. She felt too good, too perfect.
“Turn over,” he told her. “I want to take you from behind.”
“Yes,” she agreed, releasing her hold on him so he could push himself up and off of her. She rolled over, coming up on her hands and knees and glancing back at him over her shoulder. “Mount me.”
He growled at her choice of phrasing, easily reading her wicked thoughts and knowing she’d chosen the words on purpose. He gripped her hips, pulling her back until her lush ass bumped his groin, his cock slipping between her rear cheeks.
“I want to take you there,” he warned, rubbing along her seam. “Want to lube that tight hole and work my way inside, nice and slow.”
“Yes,” she agreed, pressing into him.
“Not yet,” he crooned, gripping his dick and moving it down to her sex. “I want my pussy right now.” He drove deep, and they both cried out at the added depth. She dropped her chest to the mattress, lifting her ass higher for his strokes.
“Harder!” she cried.
He tightened his grip on her hips, slamming his cock up her channel then slowly dragging it back out.
“Oh, God,” she whimpered. “Yes! Yes!”
He picked the pace up, riding her fast then forced himself to slow once more, giving her the strokes she commanded. He slid one hand between her ass cheeks and rubbed his thumb over the tight bud of her anus. He brought his hand up and spit on the fingers, using it to lube her back hole just enough to slip the tip of his finger inside. She cried out at the small invasion, her pussy clamping down on his cock, and he knew she liked the way it felt. He swirled the digit inside her, stretching her.
