Unbelievable Faith (Fated Mates Duet Book 2)

by Jess Bryant

  “But I need to shower.” She tried to keep the whine out of her voice but didn’t think she’d managed it when Michael’s lips twitched.

  “I’ll carry you and hold you up in the shower.” He met her eyes, “If you don’t mind, that is.”

  Michael. In the shower. With her. Luna swallowed hard as heat flared back into her bloodstream just that fast and easily. Nakedness was something shifters learned to ignore early in life. Having a man see her naked wasn’t a big deal. Only this wasn’t just some man. This was her man. Her mate. Michael.

  She nodded slowly and knew it was the right answer when Michael’s eyes glittered.

  “Okay then, let me help you.”

  Michael stood from the bed and then gently leaned over her. Without so much as a wince, he lifted her into his arms and started for the door on the other side of the bedroom. A bedroom, she realized belatedly, that must be his.

  She smiled a little. He’d saved her. He’d gotten her out of that basement and away from Maddox and his goons. He’d brought her here, to his home and he’d put her on his bed while he waited for her to heal enough to wake up.

  She liked that. She liked that a lot. Whether it was the possessiveness of a newly formed bond making him keep an eye on her and keep her close or not, she didn’t care. She just knew that she wouldn’t have wanted to wake up anywhere else, with anyone but him.

  Luna snuggled closer to him despite her worries about how filthy she was. It felt good there, nestled against his chest. Michael brushed his lips across the top of her head and she felt his answering smile in the touch.

  God, had anything in her life ever felt so right? So easy and natural? It was like she was exactly where she was meant to be. Right where she belonged.

  Michael nuzzled her hair again and she knew that he felt it too when he sighed, “I don’t want to put you down but I need to start the shower.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” She reassured when he sat her on top of the bathroom counter and began to untangle himself from her.

  It was only a few steps over to the shower but Michael make quick work of them, his long strides eating up the distance. When he bent to turn the knobs she bit her lip and watched him. His muscles flexed with the movement and she could see the ripple beneath his tight t-shirt. The jeans he was wearing camouflaged his ass but she assumed it was as fit and hard as the rest of him.

  She forced her eyes away from him when that heat began to ache inside of her again. He was going to help her shower. She needed to get cleaned up. Assess the damage and the scars that she would always bear from this ordeal. She shouldn’t be thinking of jumping Michael when he was only trying to take care of her so she pushed that thought down to the back of her mind and took in the large master bathroom that surrounded her.

  It was nice. More than nice really. With its stone floor and huge glass encased shower, it was modern and masculine but the earth tones kept it warm and comfortable. There was a claw foot tub on the other side of the room and she imagined slipping into a bath there, relaxing until the bubbles faded and the water chilled. But that would have to wait for another time because right now, she knew what Michael must have known too. If she sank into that tub, she wouldn’t be strong enough to pull herself back out.

  Luna dropped her eyes to her hands in her lap. The cuts she’d sustained while trying to break free were thin red lines now. She was healing but Michael was right. She was weak. She hated it. Hated that he was seeing her like this. She’d never liked anyone seeing her as weak or fragile because she hadn’t been a born Alpha but this was Michael.

  Her mate. The Moirae Pack Alpha. She needed to heal. She needed to be strong. If not for herself, then for him.

  She cleared her throat as steam began to rise from the shower and Michael turned back to face her, “Thank you.”

  His head tilted curiously, “For what?”

  “Rescuing me. Getting my family to safety. Bringing me here to your home and taking care of me. Name it.” She shrugged with a lightness she wasn’t feeling, ignoring the way her midsection burned, “I owe you everything.”

  Michael’s lips thinned again and that line formed between his brows as he moved back towards her, “You owe me nothing, Luna. You’re mine. Mine to protect and keep safe and cherish. That means your family is my family now too. I only wish I could have been there earlier to stop any of this from happening to you.”

  “You came just in time.”

  He stepped between her legs and cupped her cheek again, that furrow deepening, “I should’ve known sooner. If I’d only met you sooner…”

  “Don’t do that.” She reached up and cupped her hand over his, “Fate sent you to me when I needed you most. That’s all that matters. I’m here now. I’m with you and I’m home.”

  Michael made a small sound in his throat that she thought might be a hum of pleasure. He dropped his forehead to hers. They were so close. As close as they’d been since all of this started. Their eyelashes almost brushing. Their mouths sharing the same breath. And the heat between them sparked again, flaring hot, begging for more.

  “God, you have no idea what it does to me to hear you say that.” His voice was low, deep and throaty.

  “Say what?”

  “That being with me is home.” Michael nuzzled their noses together in a sweet gesture and then pulled back slowly, “But we’re not home. Not yet.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’re at the pack lodge. I thought with your brother and sisters in tow that you’d want to stay close to them. My home, our home, is a few blocks away. I’ll take you there soon, once we have a chance to figure everything out and settle in a little. For now, you’re right though, this will be home because its our territory and you’re going to be Moirae now.”

  The pack lodge, Luna nodded as it sank in. That explained the noises she’d been hearing. Footsteps and voices. They weren’t at home alone yet. She appreciated that he’d kept her here more than she could put into words. Because he was right. She wanted to be close to her family.

  “My sisters…”

  “Maya wasn’t in the best shape but the healer is caring for her and she should make a full recovery. Nova is sharing a room with her on the next floor and before you ask, Leo is here as well. They’re all safe, Luna. I promise. Nothing is going to touch any of you here. Not if I can help it.”

  Tears welled in her eyes and she nodded quickly, trying to brush them away, “Thank you.”

  “No. No more of that.” Michael brushed a stray tear from her cheek, “Everything I do from now on, I do for you. To protect you and keep you safe and to make you happy. You’re mine, Luna. We can put off the claiming, the mark, however much time you need to put yourself back together and be ready for me, I’ll wait. But I won’t ever let you go, okay?”

  Luna struggled with the knot in her throat and finally simply nodded.

  She couldn’t find the words. He was… perfect. Everything she could have ever wanted or needed in a mate was wrapped up in this one beautiful man that fate had given to her. Even when Nova had told her about the vision, even when Maddox had given her his name, she’d never imagined it would be like this between them.

  Perfect.

  “You ready for that shower now?” Michael smiled softly, clearly understanding that she needed a change of subject and getting them back on track.

  She nodded again.

  “I’m going to help you take your clothes off then.”

  Her heart melted and she nodded, raising her arms to help him.

  She pushed away the bad memories. The ones where Maddox had tried to force her to undress for him. Where he’d intended to force her to do a lot more than that. This was nothing like that because Michael was nothing like that.

  He didn’t demand. He asked. He offered. And his touch was light, gentle and reassuring. So much so that she forgot all about how awful she must look and let him undress her with his thick, sure fingers. Listened to him murmur about how beautiful s
he was as her clothes fell away. She forgot that she didn’t really believe him because she was a mess. She simply, let go and had faith that Michael would be there to catch her.

  Chapter 9

  Jesus, Michael tried to steady his breathing but it was useless. His heart was racing and his hands shook. He was like a teenager with his first girl, losing his mind the more of her beautiful dark skin he uncovered.

  His wolf was clawing at his insides again. Now that Luna was awake and they knew she was going to be okay, his wolf wanted his mate. He wanted what he already considered his.

  Michael closed his eyes and forced his wolf to back down. She wasn’t ready and he wasn’t an animal. He had no idea just what Maddox Clary had done to her and he wasn’t about to force the issue of the mating when she was still recovering from that nightmare.

  It was easier to keep his urges at bay when he focused on the damage that bastard had inflicted on her.

  She was bruised. She was cut. She was sliced open. And for what? He had no idea. That bastard’s sick amusement? He’d wanted to claim her as his own but he hadn’t treated her like a mate. He’d treated her like a prisoner. He’d hurt her when any true Alpha would have cherished her.

  “You’re beautiful.” He whispered as she raised her arms to help him remove her shirt.

  She ducked her chin a bit, “You don’t have to say that. I’m a mess.”

  Michael frowned and tipped her chin back up with a finger, making her meet his eyes when he said it again, “You’re beautiful, Luna.”

  She licked her lips, “Thank you.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. It’s the truth. You’re so damn beautiful and you’re mine, all mine.” Michael tried to keep the growl out of his voice as he unsnapped her bra and dropped it to the floor with the shirt he intended to incinerate. “My mate.”

  Her breasts were fucking perfect but he didn’t tell her that. Not yet. He wasn’t sure she was ready to hear how much he wanted to lick and suck on those pretty pink nipples.

  They beaded under his gaze and his cock hardened painfully.

  Maybe he didn’t have to tell her how much he wanted that. Maybe she already knew. Her breasts bounced a little as she sucked in an unsteady breath and he forced his eyes back to her face to find her biting her lip. Maybe she wanted it too.

  “Luna?” His voice was rougher than he intended and her lashes fluttered.

  “Yes?”

  “You’re perfect.”

  Her eyes closed, as if she was soaking in the words and he took that as the only answer he needed. She hadn’t asked him to stop. She wasn’t shrinking away from him. He was going to touch her. He knew he wouldn’t be able to keep himself from it. But first, he was going to get her into the shower and wash away as much of the evidence of what’d she’d gone through as he could.

  He unbuttoned and unzipped her pants and Luna swayed. She caught herself on the counter. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed hard but still, she let him undress her.

  He took that as a good sign.

  Michael pushed her pants down along with her panties. He’d taken her shoes off while he was cleaning her up on the bed. She stepped out of the clothing one leg at a time, using the countertop behind her to hold herself up and only once she was standing before him, completely naked, did he allow himself to really look at her again.

  His breath caught. She really was perfect. Gorgeous dark skin that he just knew, instinctively, was going to glow a deep caramel brown by the time they finished in the shower. She was tall, only a handful of inches shorter than his own six feet, but where he was broad she was lithe.

  There was only a slight curve from her breasts to her hips and he had a feeling even if she was fully healthy she would never be called curvaceous so much as toned and athletic. Delicate bones poked from her shoulders and her wrists and he made a mental note to get them some food after the shower. She was healing but food and rest would help. But first, the shower.

  “Ok, come on, I’ll help you in.” Michael started to step back, to give her room to get past him and into the shower but she caught him by the wrist.

  He barely contained another groan. The heat was getting stronger. The electricity when they touched was threatening to burn him alive. His wolf all but growled at him to finish it already, to mate her and claim her as theirs. But he pushed down the urge and steadied himself with all of the control he’d worked his whole life to master.

  “What’s wrong?” He turned back to her.

  Luna licked her lips again and then her dark, chocolate brown eyes, fell down his body in a way that felt like a caress unto itself, “Your turn.”

  Michael swallowed hard, “To… undress?”

  She nodded.

  He closed his eyes and sucked in air through his nose before opening them again and telling her the God’s honest truth, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, babe. I want you more with every breath I take and I swore I wouldn’t pressure you but the heat… I think it would be best if I remain dressed.”

  Luna glanced away and then back at him from under her dark lashes, “I…”

  “What is it?” He asked when she trailed off.

  “I’d feel more comfortable if I wasn’t the only one naked.” She shrugged one delicate shoulder.

  He instantly softened. He understood that. She was the one at his mercy if she was the only one naked. It would feel like he was in control and right now, she needed to feel like she was in control of something in her own life. If he was naked too then they were equal and since she was exactly that, his equal and his mate in every way, he didn’t hesitate for a second.

  Michael reached behind him and pulled his t-shirt over his head. He dropped it to the floor along with her clothes and then moved his hands to the button of his pants. He didn’t dare look up at her until he’d pushed down his jeans and boxers. He was afraid of what he’d find in her stare.

  Fear? Worry? Dread? But when he gathered his courage and pulled up to his full height, when he saw the look in her eyes, he couldn’t contain his groan this time.

  Heat and fire. Passion and desire. It was all right there in her eyes as she took him in.

  She wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. He knew it. He could feel it through the bond that was still being forged. The need was his but the longing was hers. She wanted to reach out and touch him but she held herself back and he didn’t know whether to be grateful that she could show restraint when it was so difficult for him to do the same or annoyed that she was holding back from him at all.

  He knew he couldn’t blame her. She’d just gotten out of hell. She wasn’t ready for everything that came with being his mate. She needed time to heal and not just physically. But damn it, she was his and he wanted every piece of her. He wanted to be the one to help put her back together, to see the woman she became once all of this was behind them. He just, wanted her.

  “Luna.” He flexed his jaw and when she met his eyes again he shook his head, “Gotta stop looking at me like that. Or I’m going to take it as an invitation to touch you.”

  Luna licked at her lips again and her eyes drifted down his chest as a flicker of a smile tipped up one corner of her mouth, “Maybe I want you to touch me.”

  “Luna. Baby. Don’t tease me right now. I’m too close to the edge.”

  “I’m not teasing, Michael. I…” She met his eyes again, “I feel it too. The heat. The pull. I feel it too.”

  He groaned and swiped a hand across his face. She was going to be the death of him. She wasn’t ready. He could feel it, sense it through the bond. She was still wary and he didn’t want her wary when he took her for the first time. He wanted her as crazy for him as he was for her. So he shook off the urge to take her at her word.

  “Shower first. How about that?” He tried for a smile he wasn’t feeling, “You said you wanted to shower.”

  “Okay.” She nodded after a long moment, “As long as you’re coming in with me.”

  “I’m not letting you o
ut of my sight, Luna. I swear. Not ever.”

  She surprised him again when she reached for his hand. He let her take it and then he helped her as she stepped into the shower. The room had begun to steam while they undressed and he hadn’t even noticed until he stepped inside. He quickly turned the heat down a notch, shielding her from the scorching water with his big body. He pulled the door shut behind them with his free hand and then turned back to her.

  “You okay?”

  She nodded and then inched forward, closer to him and into the spray of the water. She moaned softly as the hot water hit her skin and his cock twitched wildly. She tilted her head back, letting the water cascade down her slim body, her eyes closed and her mouth slightly open, and he automatically reached for her, his hands going to her hips.

  Luna didn’t flinch away from him the way he’d feared she would. Instead, her lips lifted just at the corners again but it stayed that way this time. She made a small noise, a humming sound that sounded so much like contentment that he wanted to hug her and hold her close but he didn’t dare move his hands for fear of spooking her.

  He kept his hands in place as she rinsed beneath the hot spray. She took her time. She let the water run all over her body, stroked her hands over her skin, cleaning away all the awful, red marks. Only once the water ran clear did she turn in his grasp, reaching for the body wash on the ledge.

  They were both silent as she soaped her hands and began to run them over her body again but he could feel the tension building between them. The shower stall was burning up, or he was, inside his own skin. And when she moved her hands down to her hips, where he had very consciously kept his own, and covered his palms with her own, moving them over her skin, he nearly lost it.

  “Luna.” Her name came out as barely more than a groan and he dropped his forehead to her shoulder, “Baby, you’re driving me crazy.”

  “I know.” She relaxed back against him, her slick body sliding against his in the most delicious tease, “I can feel it, feel you, and I can’t deny us this. I need your touch as badly as you need to touch me.”