Cautious, Caz reached out. When his bear’s paw touched human skin, he let out a sigh of relief. Carefully, he set his head on her uninjured shoulder. Nessa reached and knotted her fingers in his fur. She pulled on him, putting her weight on him.
She was real. She was safe. Already, her wounds were closing. Now that the witch and her warlock were dead, they could sleep for days. He would let Nessa sleep until the sun set, if that was what she wanted. He didn’t think about anything beyond that. All that mattered was his mate.
His unstoppable mate.
Nessa’s knees gave out. Caz caught her before she could crash and bruise them, but he couldn’t carry her well in this form. His claws scraped against her arms. The urge to flinch, to draw back, was too great. Carefully, he lowered her to the ground.
Caz asked his beast if they could shift back. The pack was dealing with Nessa’s warlock, and Hillary was as dead as a witch could be. Still, the beast clung to reality. It wasn’t convinced that they were safe. Death could have been an illusion, it warned him. Caz assured the beast that the witch was dead, and if the warlock wasn’t, then he soon would be.
They could not care for Nessa with bear paws. It was that thought that turned the beast away. It retreated, vowing to return should Hillary or Victor reappear. Caz agreed. Hillary might be able to feign death, but he could also hope that the woman had learned her lesson if she still lived.
With human hands, Caz lifted his mate into his arms. He cradled her close to his chest and took her to her car. The keys were still in the ignition. After he buckled Nessa into the passenger seat, he squeezed himself behind the wheel. The seat was comically small, forcing him to shove it so far back he thought he was sitting in the rear of the car.
All the way back to Nessa’s house, he held her hand, grateful for the automatic transmission even if it did struggle up the hill. At the door, he hesitated. The scent of Victor tinged the air with acrid spice. A growl from his beast rumbled inside him. He gripped Nessa tight in his arms, a surge of jealousy biting its way up his spine, but when she made small sleep sounds and snuggled into him, it vanished.
Mate, he thought. This tiny kitty-shifter was the woman fate thought he could love for the rest of his life. This was not what Caz had expected. He hadn’t been sure what, exactly, he’d get for a mate, but Nessa was not it. And, yet, he couldn’t be more grateful.
This tiny woman had saved him. Mistakes had been made on both ends, but she’d been clever and quick enough to turn it to her advantage. Caz would gladly be her muscle if she would be his brain.
Nessa stirred, waking. Slowly, she blinked at her surroundings. Her short fingers dug into his arm for a moment, before releasing as she let out her breath. She looked up at him with wide eyes and his knees trembled. His grip on her tightened.
In his mind, Hillary’s illusion played over and over. He saw nothing but that dagger as it plunged into the small cat. That could have been his mate, could have been his Nessa. The thought made his stomach tighten and his heart stutter.
“What is it?” Nessa reached up to touch his cheek.
He turned his face into her palm, a shudder racing through him. He’d almost lost her. His time with his mate could have been cut to only a few, hazy days. Hillary had addled his mind so much that he could remember little of his days with Nessa. It only served to anger him more. His grip on her tightened.
Chapter Eighteen
His need for her sharpened. He wanted to be hilt deep inside her, to know that she was alive and whole as she moaned his name. The scent of her would fill his mind as they made new memories. Desire twisted him until he could barely control himself. Need drove him toward her bedroom, his footsteps too fast.
“Caz,” Nessa began, her voice softening. “Is everything okay?”
His eyes burned as he leaned them both over the bed. Careful of her shoulder, he hugged her tight and buried his face in her bosom. In response, she threaded her fingers through his long hair. She waited, patiently, for a response.
“No. I’m not okay.” The words were hard to get out. Each one was a lump in his throat, a heavy rock he could not expel. “I could have gotten you killed. I could have lost you forever.”
His hands raked down her waist, as if to remind himself that she was still alive. He continued, from waist to hips, from hips to thighs. He needed to know that she was alive and whole. His core throbbed, blood pulsing with voracious need. It begged him to drive himself deep in her. Sex would not be gentle or sweet in that moment. It would be furious and desperate.
He warned her as much, and still she nodded.
His mate was already naked beneath him, leaving him to furiously tear at the jeans he’d put on earlier. The tearing sound echoed through the room, lost on their ears as they grabbed at one another. Her nails raked over his skin. She left marks in her wake, taking ownership of his body in a way that made even his beast purr.
“I need you so much.” He ducked his head into her shoulder. “I need to know you’re alive. I need to know you’re mine.”
Her lips touched his ear. They sent a shiver down his spine as she spoke. “Then fuck me.”
His beast roared victoriously.
Her desire swirled through the air. It filled his nose and drove him wild. He didn’t waste time before entering her. His cock drew a gasp from Nessa. She reached for him, small hands wrapping around his wrists as if she needed to hang on to something.
Slowly, he rocked in and out of her. She came alive around him, writhing and rolling. Nessa was alive. He could feel every blessed inch of her moving. Her hands lifted to his neck, sliding up to cup his face before she pulled him down for a kiss. His teeth met her lips. His strokes became harder as he devoured her mouth.
Nessa groaned into his mouth. The sound turned into a purr against his lips. Behind them, the bed slammed into the wall. Caz returned home with each banging sound. He would have worried for his mate’s safety if it hadn’t been for the groans she released beneath him. When their kiss broke, she arched her back and rolled her eyes.
His mate. His forever. She was a sliver of moonlight in the dark room, a goddess beneath him.
He explored the expanse of skin she presented, enamored with her little nipples. Pinching them between his fingers brought a small sound from her. It tightened his core until he thought he couldn’t bear it any longer. Soon enough, Nessa let out a cry. His name tumbled from her lips, over and over.
It was this cry that brought him. Just before he climaxed, he pulled back. His seed spilled over her bare skin. He hadn’t meant to mark her like that, but the look in her eyes said she didn’t mind. If anything, she seemed to appreciate it since she reached for his face and pulled him toward her for another long, drawn out kiss.
“Forever more, I promise to be there for you, Casimir Frost. I will be everything you need and more.”
“And, I promise to be there for you, too, Vanessa Caldwell. I will be your muscle by day and your teddy bear by night.”
She laughed. It was like bells through the air. “I don’t think teddy bears fuck like that.”
He growled with pride before nipping the skin of her shoulder. “I could try again. Softer. Harder. Whatever you want.”
Her eyes slowly drifted shut. She nestled into the blankets, the purr still vibrating through her. “Clean me up and come cuddle. I need to sleep. Victor used me like a familiar.”
Anger sliced through Caz. Though both spellcasters were gone, he wanted to hurt Victor all over again. He hadn’t known. If he had, he would have waited to sleep with his mate. His knuckled grazed her shoulder and rose to her cheek. She smiled at his touch, falling asleep in his presence.
Victor had pulled magic from his mate, weakened her, and yet he’d demanded they fuck. Caz felt awful as he retreated to the bathroom for a washcloth. He dampened it with warm water to not bother her and came back to clean the mess he made on her. Already, Nessa was snoring softly.
He tucked her into the blankets before wrapping hi
mself around her. He was her shield against the world while she healed.
Chapter Nineteen
That was it.
Nessa packed the rest of her office into plastic bins. Files had been burned and some payments returned, which had hurt more than she’d wanted to admit. When she stood and surveyed the empty room, it wasn’t regret that she felt.
Instead, there was freedom singing through her heart. While her matchmaking business had done good for so many in the Monterey area, she knew it was time for her to move on. Caz had apologized to her every time he came down to grab a plastic tote. It made her laugh and shake her head.
He acted as though he was turning her life upside down against her will. Soon, he would realize she wanted this, too. Her life had been lived to its fullest here, but everything had moved on while she’d been stationary. Her sister had a husband and a baby now. Of course, Nessa would visit her niece. She would bring back the best gifts, but she couldn’t stay here.
“Are you sure your mom doesn’t mind storing your things? Because we could get a bigger car. A truck, maybe.”
Nessa quieted her mate with a kiss. His words died upon impact, his tongue suddenly too busy exploring her mouth. When she pulled away, he had nothing more to say.
“You aren’t getting rid of the convertible. We don’t need to cart my crap across the country with us.”
“You’re right. I just…feel bad dropping this on your parents.”
“I promise it will all fit in their garage. If anything, it will force dad out of the garage and into the house to actually talk to my mother.” Nessa was matchmaking her own parents, weaponizing her belongings to push her parents back together. It wasn’t like a divorce was on the horizon, but she wanted to see them happier.
Caz smiled and kissed her head. His arm snaked around her middle, pulling her closer to him. His lips travelled lower until they found her mouth. Soon enough, he’d pulled her into his arms. One large hand splayed at the base of her spine, warm and protecting. Caz was large enough to crush her, but she never felt more at home than in his arms.
“Are you ready to go?” she asked, breathless after breaking away from his kiss.
“Mmm…not yet. I’m hungry for dessert, if you catch my meaning.”
“You’re always hungry for dessert.” The same hunger rose through Nessa and filled her until she could barely think straight. “The mattress is already packed. We could do it out on the patio, though. No one can see into the back yard.”
Caz’s response was a low growl. He carried her outside, never letting her feet touch the ground. Nessa worked to lift her skirt above her hips, already feeling the length of him grow against her leg. Her rear hit a low, brick wall, and Caz pulled back to unbuckle his belt.
***
Caz watched his mate spin in place, her arms thrown wide and her face turned toward the sun. She was a wild pixie against the rust colored back drop. When she stopped, and her wide eyes met his, his stomach dipped. Then sensation bounced back into his heart and brought a smile to his face.
They’d been on the road for two weeks now. Saying goodbye to everyone they knew in Monterey had been difficult, especially the part where he’d had to face Nessa’s sister and apologize. His own pack had been warmer than he’d expected. They would truly miss him, even after all he’d put them through.
They were all free of the witch and the warlock. Even Caz, who now had a wide future ahead of him. It sprawled forward, with no purpose or path. He didn’t know what to do with it yet, only that everything he needed was in the small package named Nessa. She spun wildly again.
“The Grand Canyon really is… grand!”
“Our next stop is the world’s largest ball of yarn. Are you excited?” He winked.
“We’re going to need two pictures for that one. I’m going to need a…” she glanced around to make sure no one could hear her. “I’ll need a human picture and then one where I’m scratching it in cat form.”
Caz smiled. Her tiny beast was going to look ridiculous against the giant yarn ball.
A few yards away, a pair of humans stared down at their phones. One covered her mouth, eyes wide. The other laughed incredulously. When Nessa met his eyes, there was silent laughter all over her face. Her lips were pressed tight against the bubble that threatened to escape. He shook his head and drew her into his arms, leading her back to the RV.
Nessa glanced back one last time. “I still can’t believe that video went viral.”
She tugged her own phone from her purse and opened it to the video in question. Of course, she had it saved in her bookmarks. A shaky lens captured a lumbering grizzly bear in the forest. Beside it was a small house cat. The cat pounced on the bear’s feet every few steps and jumped on her back legs to smack his nubby tail.
The two played like that for a few minutes before the bear settled down in a nest of leaves. The cat climbed atop him, even though he let out several grunts. She started to knead his stomach before circling and curling into a ball of feline.
Caz didn’t know who had captured the video. He’d been sure to scent the area before they shifted, to make sure it was clear of humans and hunters. Otherwise, he never would have allowed them to even go near the area. He suspected that it might have been a hunter’s camera, set up and left to look for deer.
Well, the hunter or whoever, had posted the video to the internet, and it took the world by storm. They’d been featured on news shows as the light point of the day, been shared on social media, and earned themselves the laughter of their friends. The world only saw a very brave cat beside a rather gentle grizzly bear.
Caz saw his mate, his life. He rustled her hair and pulled her under his arm because he couldn’t bear being apart from her for more than a few moments. The urge to touch her was always there, just under the surface. He wanted to wrap her in himself and save her from the world. It was her that had saved him, though.
When she looked up at him, he felt the urge to thank her. He didn’t know how to repay her for all she’d done. His life had been a trap, one that pulled him under day by day. Hillary had only been able to sneak into his life because he’d already been miserable. The pack he’d created didn’t need him anymore. The thought of constantly fighting to keep control, to keep everyone safe, had been exhausting.
Not only had Nessa saved him from the mistake that was Hillary, she’d swept in and whisked him away from the life that had been draining him. They’d seen the Grand Canyon, the wild horses in Nevada, and the Yellowstone National Park. There was still so much more he wanted to see.
“Are you ready?” Nessa asked.
Caz looked at her. Of course, he was ready for their future.
Nessa smacked him on his chest. “Are you ready to go? We have to get on the road if we’re going to make it to the Yarn Ball.”
He shook himself, returning to the present. “Oh, yeah. I take it you’re going to sleep the whole time.”
She raised her arms over her head in a luxurious stretch. The motion parted the hem of her shirt from the waist of her skirt, baring a delicious swath of skin. He wiggled his brow.
“I’ll trade you,” he began. “I’ll drive the whole way if we can have sex first.”
Her grin sent a bolt of heat straight to his core. It took every ounce of will he had to not run after her as she disappeared into the RV. He could think of a few places inside that they hadn’t yet christened, and he was all too ready to break them in. As he climbed the steps, he wondered if the shower could fit both of them.
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