by Kali Argent
“What’s going to happen to the pack members who surrendered?”
“Tomorrow.” Leaning back against the headrest, Rhys closed his eyes, exhausted down to his bones.
Covering his hand with her own, Thea squeezed it lightly and sighed. “Tomorrow.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Two days later, Rhys awoke alone in a king-sized bed in Valley Falls, frowning as he reached for his mate but encountered only cold, empty sheets.
“I’m here,” Thea said, her voice coming from somewhere behind him.
Rolling to his side, he found her standing at the second-story window beside the bed, staring out into the morning with an odd expression. “What are you doing, angel?”
“Thinking.” Her voice was rough, still husky with sleep. She clearly hadn’t been awake very long.
He didn’t have to ask what she was thinking, more aware than most of the troubles that plagued her. He didn’t ask if she wanted to talk about it, either. She’d come to him when she was ready to talk about her friends, when it didn’t hurt so much, but badgering her wouldn’t help her heal. As his gaze raked down her naked body, over her luscious curves, and across the smooth expanse of her skin, he wondered if maybe she’d be open to a distraction instead.
“Come here, angel.”
Turning away from the window, Thea regarded him through narrowed eyes for several seconds before her lips turned up at the corners. With a sway in her hips, she prowled toward the bed, the tip of her tongue darting out to trace her upper lip.
“Mm,” she purred as she crawled onto the mattress to stretch out beside him. Her hand dipped beneath the sheet, wrapping around his morning erection. “Good morning, love.”
Rhys groaned, his hips jerking, pushing his length through the circle of her fingers. “If you keep that up, we’re never going to leave this bed.”
Her grin turned wicked, seductive, as she tightened her fist and stroked him from crown to base. “Who said anything about leaving?”
Growling, he lowered his head to nip at her bottom lip. “You’re killing me, angel.”
“Well, we can’t have that.” She wiggled closer, arching against him. “Now, stop talking and kiss me.”
Their mouths met in a heated kiss, their tongues sweeping together, one tangling around the other. She moaned into his mouth and bowed up, pressing her naked breasts against him, stoking the embers of desire that flamed within him. Hard and aching, desperate for her taste, her touch, he flipped her onto her back and hovered above her, trailing open-mouthed kisses down the slope of her neck and across her collarbones.
Head back, eyes closed, she tangled her fingers in his hair, holding him closer, groaning when he traced the swell of her breast with his tongue. “Rhys, please.”
Sucking one erect nipple into his mouth, he worried the hard bud between his teeth, laving it with his tongue as he tugged. Goddess, she was beautiful, and he knew he’d been blessed beyond measure. He caressed her skin, sliding his fingers over her hip and across the tops of her thighs. He mapped every inch of her body with his hands and mouth, reacquainting himself with all the curves and valleys, every swell and dip.
Panting, writhing against the mattress, Thea arched against him, pressing closer to his mouth. “Rhys, please.”
He could go on teasing her all morning, but they had a meeting later, and more importantly, he simply needed her too much to deny either of them. Skimming his fingers up the inside of her thigh, he brushed his knuckles against her pussy, growling from the heat that emanated from her core.
“Fuck,” he breathed against her soft skin, his body vibrating with the effort to keep himself leashed. “I want you, angel, but I don’t know if I can be gentle.”
“Then it’s a good thing I won’t break.” Cupping his cheeks, she pulled his head up, stretching toward him to capture his lips in another searing kiss. “I want you, Rhys. Right here. Right now.”
The boldness of her statement undid him, and his chest rumbled as he parted her, pushing two fingers into her quivering entrance. Tight, wet heat surrounded his digits, the muscles clenching, drawing him deeper. His head swam as pleasure assaulted him, his heart pounding so fast he feared it would burst.
“More.” She rocked against his hand, gasping when he curled his fingers on the next inward stroke. “Rhys!” Eyes aglow, Thea jerked upright, growling as she pushed his hand away and shoved him onto his back, climbing atop him to straddle his thighs. “Mine!”
Silky heat surrounded him when she impaled herself on his swollen cock, her inner walls molding around him like a glove. His mate consumed him, enthralled him, and her dominance ignited a fire within him that couldn’t be tamed. Tangling his hand in her hair, he jerked her down, locking their mouths together in a hungry kiss, delving between her lips to taste and explore.
With his free hand on her hip to guide her, he stared up at her intently, completely enraptured. Eyes dark with desire. Cheeks flushed. The tangle of wavy locks that fell around her face. She was a goddess, a beautiful and glorious sight, far more than anything he deserved.
When her moans increased in volume, and her breaths came in quick, hard pants, he slid his hand over the curve of her hip, pushing it between their bodies to part her slick folds. With the first stroke of his thumb over her swollen clit, she jerked, crying out, her movements faltering. She found her rhythm again quickly, though, rocking and gliding, rising and falling as he drew tight, hard circles over the bundle of nerves.
Hands splayed across his chest, head thrown back, she called out his name as she tensed above him, her tight pussy convulsing around his length. Rising up from the mattress, Rhys locked his arms around her, his gaze fixed on her exposed throat. His fangs elongated, and his gums ached, saliva flooding his mouth. Urging her head to the side, he thrust upward, driving into her as he embedded his canines in the crook of her neck.
Thea cried out, her screams echoing through the room. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. A shiver rippled down her back as warmth and light flooded her, pushing her closer to the edge. Holding the back of his head, she craned her neck, giving him better access. His cock jerked within her depths, his thick length stretching her wide.
When he lifted his head and sighed her name, she couldn’t hold on any longer and fell headlong into the most intense orgasm she’d ever experienced. The glide of her hips became jerky and uncoordinated. Her muscles flexed, her inner walls convulsing as a rush of moisture pooled between her thighs.
Sated, her body wonderfully relaxed, another need overcame her. Her canines lengthened, a tingle started at the base of her skull, and rational thought abandoned her, replaced by an intense and overwhelming need to mark her mate. He was hers, and everyone would know it.
“Mine. Only mine. Always mine.”
It was the only warning Rhys had before she struck, her fangs piercing the flesh at the apex of his shoulder. The pinch of pain only added to his pleasure, robbing him of all self-control, and he tumbled after her, roaring her name as he released himself into her clenching depths.
Panting, their skin coated in perspiration, they tumbled down to the mattress in a tangle of limbs, content to hold each other in silence as they recovered. Rhys nuzzled her cheek, her chin, and brushed his lips across the mating mark on her neck, his heart bursting with satisfaction.
“I’m never letting you go, angel. Not ever.”
“I love you, Rhys Lockwood.” She pressed her palm to his cheek and rolled toward him to claim his lips in a slow, tender kiss. “I’m not going anywhere,” she promised. She paused, turning to glance at the clock on the bedside table, and wrinkled her nose. “Except to the shower. We need to get going, or we’re going to be late.”
Rhys didn’t give a shit about the meeting in Captain Dresden’s office, but after a few more kisses and a lot of prodding, he finally agreed. Dragging himself away from his tempting mate, he showered first, knowing that if they bathed together, they’d never make it on time.
With a towe
l slung around his hips, he exited the en-suite and fell down on the mattress with a yawn. “All yours.”
“Don’t go back to sleep,” Thea warned over her shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom. Not a minute later, she stomped back out, completely naked, dripping wet, and brandishing a pink razor. “What is this?”
Rhys’ gaze raked over her body, his heart pounding up into his throat, and his dick began to swell with renewed interest.
“A razor?”
Thea scoffed. “What am I supposed to do with this?”
“Um, shave?”
“It has one blade. One.”
Rhys didn’t understand the problem, but then again, he was a little distracted. “Do you need more than one?”
The look she gave him said she clearly did, and he was an idiot for not knowing it. “I haven’t shaved in over a month. It’s a freaking forest down there.”
Rhys ducked his head to hide his grin. He couldn’t care less if she refused to shave for a year and decided to grow a beard. She’d still be beautiful to him. “We’ll get you a new razor,” he promised. “Come here.”
“What?” Water dripped from the ends of her hair, the droplets rolling down the swell of her breasts and over her erect nipples. “Didn’t you hear me?”
He’d heard her. He just didn’t care. “Come here, angel.”
“Forest, Rhys.” She waved her hand in circles around the lower half of her body. “Forest.”
“It didn’t seem to bother you a minute ago.”
“I…yeah…well…shut up.”
Then she spun on the ball of her foot and marched back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. That female was going to be the death of him, but damn he loved her.
In the two days since they’d arrived in Valley Falls, not much had happened. Twenty-two wolves—almost a third of the pack—had surrendered during the fight, and they’d all been taken to a local motel where they’d been given shelter, food, and clothes. There, they’d been presented with three options.
They could join the Revenant. Most of the males, along with two females, had chosen the first option before even hearing the others. Secondly, they could stay in Valley Falls, find jobs, and contribute to the community. The women with children and the older, mated couples comprised most of the group who had wanted to stay. The last option had been to leave, face the Deadlands on their own, and never return. Only one male had decided to leave.
Their choices didn’t surprise Rhys. Like he’d told Thea, the pack he’d known as a child had been comprised of mostly good people. Kind, generous people who had stayed because they’d feared their alpha and his thugs.
Pushing up from the bed, he stretched his arms over his head and groaned. It had been a long damn time since he’d slept in anything more comfortable than an armchair, and his body and mind hadn’t yet adjusted to the softness of the mattress. The first night in Valley Falls, he’d barely slept at all. He’d tossed and turned for hours, covering himself with the blanket, then kicking it off when it made him feel claustrophobic. The pillow had been too fluffy, and after a few minutes, he’d tossed it to the ground.
A little before sunrise, he’d finally given up and moved to the floor. That was where Thea had found him, in the corner of the room, stretched out on the plum-colored carpet, his head resting in the crook of his elbow. She hadn’t said anything, but he’d seen the worry in her eyes.
When he heard the shower shut off in the bathroom, he forced himself up from the mattress, dropped his towel to the floor, and went in search of something to wear. He smiled when he found his clothes folded neatly and stacked in the rocking chair beside the window, right where Thea had left them the night before.
Pulling on the black cargo pants, he noted vaguely that they actually fit. It had been so long since he’d worn anything that wasn’t covered in filth or two sizes too small, he had forgotten how good it felt. The long-sleeved, black T-shirt had been emblazed near the right cuff with the symbol of the Coalition—a star encircled by a silver ring—the uniform of a dutiful soldier. The scent of fresh, clean cotton tickled his nose, and he held the fabric up to his face, inhaling deeply before tugging the shirt on over his head.
Dressed, he sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a hand over the back of his head. He frowned when his palm encountered short, cropped hairs instead of the dirty, shaggy locks he’d been used to during his imprisonment. The top remained long, falling to one side, reaching down to brush against his ear, the strands smooth and silky soft to the touch.
Not much had happened in the past two days, but at the same time, a lot had changed.
Thea exited the bathroom, dressed in similar attire, just as he’d finished lacing his boots. The leather molded around his feet, constricting his toes. It was just one more thing he’d have to reacquaint himself with if he wanted to get back to normal. Inside Captain Dresden’s mansion, he never wore shoes, but they’d be going out into the city later, and it made people uncomfortable to see him walking barefooted through the snow.
“Ready?” Thea asked, tying her long hair into a ponytail at her crown.
“Ready,” he confirmed, rising to his feet. “How’d the deforestation go?”
She wrinkled her nose. “Not great. We’ll have to pick up new razors on the way back from the gym.”
Captain Dresden had repurposed an old high school gym into a training center, and despite Rhys’ protests, Thea had volunteered to work with the new female recruits. He knew she’d make a hell of an instructor, and he had no objections to her teaching the other females. He’d just wanted her to wait. After everything she’d endured during the past month, she deserved some downtime, a chance to rest and recuperate.
Her response had been that bad guys didn’t rest, so she couldn’t, either.
“Well, let’s go,” she insisted, crossing the room to stand beside the door. “Luca doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’s going to wait for everyone to be there before starting the meeting.”
As usual, she’d been right. The meeting had already started when they’d arrived at Captain Dresden’s office. Although they’d technically been four minutes early, Luca had still berated them for their tardiness. He didn’t bother repeating information they’d already gone over, telling them they could ask to borrow someone’s notes after class.
Sometimes, the guy could be a real dick.
“Nik has some information about the Abraxas coven.” Sitting atop Captain Dresden’s desk, Luca motioned to Nikolai.
Stepping away from the big, bay window, Nikolai folded his hands together behind him and nodded. “As most of you know, the Abraxas coven spans a territory from Texas to Georgia. They’re the largest coven in the country, and certainly the most powerful. Their numbers alone are overwhelming.”
“Big, scary vampires,” Thea retorted, bobbing her head. “Lots and lots of big, scary vampires. Got it. Get to the good stuff, Nik.”
Seated on a squashy loveseat in the sitting area of the office, Deke curled his arm around his mate and chuckled. Luca glared, no surprise there. Cameron Dresden didn’t seem to know what to make of Thea, while the guards seemed cautiously amused by her outburst.
Rhys just smiled and slid his fingers down the inside of her forearm to take her hand. He wouldn’t have her any other way.
With a crooked grin of his own, Nikolai bowed his head in a graceful motion that would have looked completely cheesy coming from anyone else. “The Abraxas family has a residence just outside of Dallas, Texas, and they began…procuring humans about a year ago.”
No one asked why the ruling family had been collecting humans. They were vampires. It seemed pretty self-explanatory. What Rhys didn’t understand was how the werewolves fit into the equation.
“Why are wolves kidnapping these people for the coven?” If the coven was as big as everyone claimed, he didn’t see why they’d employ werewolves to do their dirty work. “What do the packs get out of it.”
“They get to keep the
ir lands.” Sighing, Nikolai took another step toward the center of the room, his gaze sweeping to every person gathered. “My sources say the Abraxas coven is looking to expand their already vast territory. Packs up and down Demon Alley have been making deals with them.” He held his right hand out, palm up. “The packs kidnap humans, weed out the weak ones, then hand them over to the coven.” He repeated the same motion with his left hand. “In exchange, the coven leaves them in peace.”
No one spoke for several seconds as they absorbed the implications. The Abraxas coven already had control over a large area of land, and if they were looking to expand, it seemed a reasonable guess that their numbers would multiply with their territory.
“We can’t fight them,” Rhys said, breaking the silence that had settled over the room. “We can’t win.”
Nikolai shook his head, his blond hair swaying against his back. “No, we can’t, and it would be foolish to even try.”
“Then, that’s it?” Cheeks flushed with anger, eyes narrowed, nostrils flared, Thea released Rhys’ hand and took a jerky step forward. “We’re not even going to try? We’re just going to leave our friends there to die.”
“It’s been more than a month,” Captain Dresden reminded her, his tone subdued. “It’s more than likely that your friends are already dead, Corporal.”
Her hands fisted at her sides, and Thea leveled a look of pure hatred on the captain. “Fuck. You. I promised I would find them, and I will. Dead or alive, it doesn’t matter.” She breathed heavily, her chest heaving, her shoulders shaking with barely restrained fury. “Sit here and cower in your fucking mansion. I’m going to find my friends.”
Rhys hadn’t expected anything less, but he’d be damned if he’d let her walk into the lion’s den alone. “You know I have your back, angel. Tell me when, and we’ll go.”
“I’m going, too.” Standing from the loveseat, Roux dodged Deke’s hand when he reached for her, and came to stand next to Thea. “Abby and Cade are my friends, and I’m going to find them.” Quieter, she added, “I don’t want to lose anyone else.”
