“Probably Allan,” she said, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
I shoved down the instant reaction to his name, remembering the way Skye had described him molesting her as a child when we were at the Summit and the ways he had hurt Addie.
That man was going to die a slow, painful death, if I had any say in it.
“What time are we going to leave?” she asked softly.
I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. “I told Dante and Rhodes to meet me downstairs so we can go over everything in an hour.”
She opened her mouth, but I silenced her with a hard kiss.
“Yes, you’re coming, too,” I told her firmly when I released her lips.
Her green eyes glittered happily.
“We need to figure out who we’re taking,” I added, already starting to compile a mental list. “And how to get down there.”
“Flying is fastest,” she pointed out.
I nodded, agreeing. “Yeah, but we can’t use our planes. We’ll have to fly commercial and land in Albuquerque to stay under the radar. They would be watching for planes to take off from our airstrip. That means we can’t bring a lot of people.”
She frowned back at me. “But you wanted to take Linden. I don’t see a regular airline being okay with us dragging him gagged and bound onto a plane.”
I snorted back. “You’re right.”
“We’ll meet with the others and make a plan,” she replied with a shrug. “We’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah. We will,” I said, kissing her again. I loved the way she tasted. It was downright addictive.
She rolled her hips against me with a groan. “You said we have an hour, right?”
I smirked, loving where her mind was going. Especially when she ground her hot center against my hardening cock. The thin material of her leggings was already damp.
My wolf stretched languidly and rumbled appreciatively, loving that our mate was so easily turned on. She reacted beautifully.
I palmed one breast over the lacy of her top, dragging my knuckles lightly over her nipple. I grinned as it pebbled and her eyes went hazy with desire.
“I think what I want to do to you will take more than an hour,” I admitted, lifting my hand to her collar and pulling it and her bra down to free the breast I’d been tormenting.
“So, you think we should st—” Her sentence was cut off by a throaty moan I felt in my dick as I sucked her nipple into my mouth.
She whimpered, her nails scratching my scalp before her small hands fisted in my hair to hold me close.
“I think I said something about fucking you with these heels on,” I murmured, licking a path up to delicate bones beneath her throat.
“Great plan,” she panted, rolling her hips again.
My dick jumped, throbbing behind the confines of my zipper, and my hips thrust upwards against her shallowly.
My hands dipped under her shirt, sliding up the supple skin of her ribs and lifting her shirt as I went. It took seconds to pull it off and unhook the clasp of her bra. Both items fell to the floor with a soft rustle that was drowned out by the throaty moan Skye released.
I stood up, still holding her before turning and dropping her back onto the bed. I hooked my hands inside her leggings and underwear and stripped them down her body, taking the extra seconds to stretch and ease them over those heels I wanted digging into my back.
“You’re seriously overdressed,” she grumbled playfully.
I undressed faster than I ever had, kicking off my boots and jeans and practically tearing my shirt off when getting it over my head.
Skye giggled as the material ripped. The sound of her laughter lit up my chest like a Christmas tree.
My hands went to her hips, gently caressing her skin as I resisted the urge to cover her body and slam into her welcoming heat.
I looked at her eyes, making sure they were filled with need and desire and zero traces of fear.
She smiled softly up at me, totally unaware that she looked like a fucking goddess with her dark hair haloed around her head and her green eyes calling to me like a siren’s song.
“I’m fine, Remy,” she whispered.
I tightened my grip on her hips to the point of bruising as I lifted her, angling her so all I needed to do was pressed her thighs open a bit and then I was sliding home, her tight body clenching around my dick, practically strangling it.
Fuck.
I panted, letting us both catch our breath as I did my best not to come inside her immediately. I grit my teeth as her muscles fluttered around me, her slick heat encouraging me to thrust.
I dragged out, enjoying the way her body naturally clenched around me, trying to keep me in place before slamming back into her.
Unable to reach my shoulders, her small hands fisted into the bedspread as she whimpered and tried to rock her hips to gain some control. My hands easily held her weight so only her shoulders were on the mattress.
All she could do at this angle was take what I gave, and I wanted to give her everything.
“More,” she pleaded, her pupils blown and nearly eclipsing the emerald irises I loved to stare into.
I thrust again, taking the time to grind against her clit until she gasped and threw her head back in ecstasy. Her legs hooked awkwardly behind me, the sharp heels of her shoes digging into my ass.
“Remy,” she moaned, my name a breath on her lips as they fell open.
I wanted to draw this moment out for hours, torturing her sweet body into as many orgasms as possible before letting myself fall over the edge. But I was also bitterly, annoyingly aware that I needed to get my pack ready to head to Long Mesa.
The place that had nearly stolen Skye from me before I knew who she was.
My hips snapped forward, driving into her with renewed vigor. The sudden urge to claim her as mine ignited a new fire that licked through my veins.
With a growl, I leaned over her and claimed her mouth as I thrust harder and faster. Her nails raked down my back, clawing mindlessly as she writhed beneath me with a whimper that twisted into a satisfied moan as she shattered beneath me.
Her pussy clamped around me like a fucking vice, pleasure zipping like a lightning bolt down my spine as I exploded with a grunt.
Breathless, I let my weight pin her to the bed, blanketing her.
Her fingers absently dragged down my back.
“Wow,” she whispered.
I lazily kissed her breast, swirling my tongue around her nipple. I smirked as her body clenched around me one more time, the aftershock of her orgasm fluttering.
“We should get ready,” I mumbled, not wanting to get up, but knowing I couldn’t keep my weight on her much longer.
She laughed, the sound a soothing balm. “Says the guy currently crushing me.”
I started to lift away, not wanting to hurt her.
Her arms held me close, not letting me go. “That wasn’t an invitation for you to move.”
I settled against her again, resting my head against her chest and listening to the steady beat of her heart.
In the end, a private plane was the way to go. Well, two planes.
“You’re sure about this?” I asked Nikolai as we stood on the tarmac. The plane he had used to fly over another group of shifters for us was currently being refueled.
“It makes the most sense,” he agreed. “We can’t very well drag a man onto a commercial flight. Besides, I rather enjoy the idea of tricking these simple minded fools.”
It had been Dimitri who came up with the idea when we talked last night. And even I had to admit it was a good one.
The second plane, the larger of the two, would leave an hour after us and land in Albuquerque. It would look like we were sending the army Long Mesa was expecting on that flight.
In reality, we would take a smaller plane with less bodies and land in a small airfield east of Phoenix and drive the rest of the way. Lulu offered to do something to the vehicles we drove to mask them from anyone Long Mesa
might have on the roads, watching for our arrival.
Addie and Skye told us that Long Mesa ruled by brute strength over their pack, but the victims far outnumbered the ones who loved to inflict harm. Only forty or so people might offer any kind of resistance. Addie was particularly emphatic that most people would likely be hiding in their houses when we arrived.
We were stacking the deck with our numbers, and it left Blackwater slightly more exposed than I wanted. But the new pack members had almost all agreed to stay and fortify our borders while I was gone, including the new group from Europe that immediately pledged themselves to Skye upon landing. Michael and Will would oversee things since Rhodes, Dante, and Ryder were coming with me.
Rhodes glared at me from several yards away while he argued with Larkin.
I hadn’t been able to say no when Larkin and Katy made their case to come, too. In truth, I knew I couldn’t be next to Skye at every second, and if she needed support, Larkin and Katy would be the best thing for her. Tate coming was a foregone conclusion. If Dante and Ryder were going anywhere, she was going, too.
It still bugged me that we hadn’t taken the time to memorialize Luke, but things seemed to keep taking precedence. Tate didn’t seem too bothered, but I wasn’t sure if that was because she was focused on what was going on or she was trying to delay the inevitable.
Skye and Addie broke away from where they were talking to the others as the car arrived carrying Linden.
Lulu, Dimitri, and Alexei exited the black SUV and opened the backdoor to haul Linden out.
He blinked against the bright sunlight, and then his eyes locked onto Skye and Addie.
I was moving towards them with Nikolai before I realized what I was doing.
“You know, this all could have been avoided if you’d just kept your fucking legs shut, big sister,” Linden sneered.
Addie’s shoulders stiffened, and I had to clamp a strong hand on Nikolai’s shoulder when he tried to lunge forward.
“You’ve lost, Lindy,” Addie said softly, stepping forward. “Everything you did to break me didn’t work. After today, Long Mesa will cease to exist.”
He grinned at her. “Maybe. But you know what will exist? The memory of every single person who forced those legs of yours apart and ripped into you. Every time you—”
His words ended with a strangled garble, his eyes going huge as he clawed at his throat with bound hands.
Lulu calmly stepped in front of him. “That’s quite enough out of you. Next time you try to talk, I’ll start breaking each of your vertebrae until you’re squirming on the ground like the pathetic snake you are.”
Glowering, Linden let out a low growl.
Smirking, Lulu snapped her fingers. The audible crunch hit my ears a second before Linden cried out, his knees sagging.
“Next rib will puncture a lung, asshole,” Lulu spat, glaring at him. “Be nice, or I’ll pull your intestines out of your ass and let your sister use them as a jump rope.”
It was hard not to be a little amazed, watching the petite woman completely cow an Alpha that had reigned with terror and violence.
Lulu tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and smiled at Addie. “He’ll behave now.”
“Good,” Addie murmured, unconsciously brushing against Nikolai’s shoulder as he stood beside her.
“We should get him into the plane,” Alexei remarked, jerking his chin at the other airplane.
“Can we wait a minute?” Skye asked before turning to me. She was hiding something. And judging by the way her eyes snapped to the entrance of the airfield and the car driving through it, that something was on its way here.
My brows lifted. “What’s up?”
“Zara texted Mom. She and Bella wanted to see him before we left,” Skye admitted. “I think they both need a little closure. They were already on their way here, but if you don’t think it’s a good idea, they’ll just drive home.”
“Do you think it’s a good idea?” I countered.
After a second she nodded. “I think they both need this to move on.”
“Okay,” I agreed, trusting her judgement as the small compact car pulled to a stop.
Zara emerged first, her shoulders squared and head high as she glared at Linden. Bella was slower to get out, her head ducked and hair hanging down to block her face. She hugged her arms around her waist, and I realized how little she really was. The clothes she wore were baggy and massive, dwarfing her tiny frame.
“Zara,” I greeted before turning to her daughter. I softened by tone, trying not to spook the skittish girl, but Bella still jumped when I said her name.
“You don’t have to do this,” Skye said softly, gingerly wrapping an arm around Bella’s thin shoulders.
Bella’s head lifted, her big green eyes saucers on her face. “Yes, I do.” Her voice warbled with emotion or from not being used. From what I understood, Bella didn’t go out or interact with anyone outside of her family. Zara even homeschooled her so she wouldn’t be around others.
“Will you c-come with me?” Bella stammered, looking at Skye.
Skye nodded. “Of course.” She turned Bella towards Linden, but not before glancing over her shoulder and meeting my gaze, letting me know she was okay.
I exhaled.
“Thank you,” Nikolai said from my right.
I blinked and realized he was talking to Zara.
His hand splayed low on Addie’s back as he spoke to her best friend. “You helped save them both. I owe you a great debt for that.”
“You owe me nothing,” Zara said firmly. “I’m just sorry it went on as long as it did. I should’ve strangled him in his sleep.”
“I wouldn’t have objected,” Nikolai agreed with a smile.
None of us would have.
I kept my eyes on Skye as Bella talked to her father. Or, rather, tried to talk. The small girl couldn’t seem to stop shaking long enough to stammer out a sentence. At one point, Linden actually rolled his motherfucking eyes at her.
Bella dissolved into sobs and Skye immediately pulled her back, propelling her back towards us. At the last second, Bella balked at seeing all the people watching her and she spun, running for the car and all but diving into the backseat.
Skye let out a frustrated sigh, and I could see she was fighting tears herself.
My hand curled into a fist, knuckles cracking, as I resisted the urge to beat the shit out of Linden.
“Addie, can you check on Bella?” Zara asked, her voice oddly detached as she looked at her husband. “I need to say one last thing to my mate.”
She spat the last word with so much venom I almost shuddered. Instead, I wrapped an arm around Skye who was now in front of me.
“I hate him,” she seethed, her voice shaking.
Addie headed for the car as Zara headed to Linden.
I glanced down at Skye. “What happened?”
She bit down on her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. “Bella just wanted to know why. That’s all she kept saying. Why. And he just … fucking laughed at her. Like she was some insignificant wrench in his life.”
“He deserves a slow death,” Nikolai hissed, watching Skye.
“I could do that,” Lulu offered. “I mean, I could literally keep him alive for years while everyone he hurt took turns carving him up like a Halloween pumpkin. We could even have Linden-carving contests.”
My jaw dropped, but Dimitri started to laugh.
“You’re seriously twisted, Lu,” he muttered, but he was grinning as he said it.
Even Nikolai and Skye cracked smiles.
Skye cleared her throat. “I think maybe—”
“Zara, no!”
Addie’s cry made us all jump. My head whipped around in time to see Zara plunge a knife deep into the side of Linden’s neck. She ripped it out, slashing his throat open in the process.
“Oh, fuck,” Skye swore, her nails digging into my arm.
Linden’s knees buckled, cracking against the blacktop as he went
down. His hands uselessly pressed to the gaping wound on his throat as Zara lifted her hands and stepped back, letting the knife fall to the ground.
“Holy shit,” Lulu whispered, shaking her head.
Linden pitched forward, his body hitting the ground and not moving as blood pooled around his head.
Addie reached Zara first, grabbing her shoulders and twisting her away from the grotesque scene.
“What did you do, Zara?” Addie gave her a shake.
Zara stared back with glassy, empty eyes. “He’ll never hurt anyone I love ever again.”
The others ran up, asking what had happened, but Linden’s body and the blood sprayed across Zara made it pretty obvious. Skye’s hand clenched around mine before she dropped me to hurry to Bella’s side. The younger girl was staring in horror at her father.
Or, rather, what was left of him.
Nikolai finally cleared his throat and turned to me. “So, Alpha, are we still thinking we need to bring him with us? Or will just his head in a box suffice?”
43
Skye
Not much had changed in the six months since I had run away from Long Mesa. The land was still barren, the air was still stifling, and the sun was still blazing high in the sky, making the desolation and worn structures look all the more broken.
I was surprised we had made it this far in the cars without being stopped. It’s not like we could hide the caravan of eight black SUVs. It looked like we were on an FBI sting or some shit I had seen on TV.
I was in the middle of the caravan in a car with Remy, my parents, Lulu, Dimitri, and Alexei.
And a cooler that held my uncle’s head because my father hadn’t been kidding when he said we should bring it to show their Alpha was dead. When he pointed out that Zara had done half the work hacking his head off, I walked away.
It was weird as hell, and I had told Nikolai he was sitting in the backseat closest to the cooler.
Which he didn’t seem too disturbed by.
But Mom was plenty disturbed, and becoming increasingly agitated the closer we got to Long Mesa.
Legacy (Blackwater Pack Book 3) Page 36
