by L. P. Dover
“You feel so fucking good,” he moans, dropping a hand to my breast. Still rocking his hips against mine, he lowers his lips to my nipple, flicking his tongue against me. He sucks me harder while thrusting deeper inside of me. My release builds to the point I feel like I’m going to scream. I graze my nails down his back as it grows stronger and stronger.
Tate grunts with his thrusts, and it turns me on even more. “I know you’re close. I can feel you getting tighter.”
“I am.” I rock my hips harder against his, and I instantly fall over the edge as my release explodes all around me. Tate grabs my face and kisses me, keeping his hungered gaze on mine as he deepens the kiss and finds his own climax. His cock pulsates inside of me, and I love the way it feels.
Breathing heavily, Tate rests his forehead to mine. “That wasn’t a disappointment for your first time, was it?”
My heart races out of control. “Definitely, not. I thoroughly enjoyed it.” He slowly pulls out and rests beside me. I lay my head on his chest and smile. “I think I want more.”
Tate laughs and rubs a hand down my back. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be up for that.”
When I look down at his body, he’s more than ready for another round. He tilts my chin up and looks deep into my eyes. A few seconds pass, and all we do is stare at each other. There’s so much longing and love in his eyes that if I were standing, I’d be weak in the knees.
“I love you,” he murmurs.
Tears burning my eyes, I lift up so I can kiss him and breathe him in. I want to remember this moment for as long as I live. “I love you too.”
Chapter 19
Faith
TWO DAYS LATER
Paradise can only describe what I’ve been in the past couple of days. Each day, Tate and I have explored several of the different islands of the Florida Keys that are close by. My favorite is Big Pine Key with its secluded Bahia Honda State Park. We snorkeled for hours, and I held onto my stone the entire time to make sure I was protected. I found some exquisite seashells that I know Bailey and my friends will love.
Today, however, Tate and I decided to take it easy. He’s determined to catch our dinner for tonight, and I’m having fun watching him do it all while drinking a berry cider we picked up in Key West. It makes the perfect drink for a day out on the beach.
Tate casts his line out into the water and glances at me over his shoulder. “You sure do look sexy laying on that towel,” he says through our bond.
I smile. “Maybe you should join me. No one’s around.”
Even though he’s a little way down the beach, I can still hear him chuckle. “Dinner time will be here before we know it. I can’t give up just yet.”
“Okay. I’ll just admire you from afar.” His shorts ride low on his hips, and his bare chest glistens with sweat. There are only ten days left until the full moon, and I’m counting them down.
A few minutes pass and my phone begins to ring. I haven’t been getting many phone calls since Tate and I arrived in Florida, only because we thought it best to go incognito. If Killian knows the right people, he could easily have them tap into my phone line and figure out where I’m at. I look around for my cell, and it’s under my tank top. Kami’s name is on the screen when I pick it up.
“Hey. Is everything okay?”
“I know I’m not supposed to call, but I have to tell you this.” Her voice sounds frantic.
My heart rate must’ve alerted Tate because he turns to look at me. When he sees that I’m on the phone, he rushes over. “What happened?” I ask Kami.
She blows out a breath. “Okay, so remember me telling you about my dreams?”
“The one about Tate and me?”
“Yep, and the one about the other two wolves. Their names are Nina and Flynn. It just so happens that they’re mates. The signs showed up last night. Word spread through the pack like wildfire this morning.”
Tate kneels down in the sand, watching me curiously. “Oh, my God,” I reply. “That’s amazing. I’m putting you on speaker so that Tate can hear.”
“What all does it mean, Faith? It could be a freaky coincidence or …”
“Or it could be something big,” I finish. “Shifters with magical abilities are special.”
Tate sighs. “They also become targets.”
I nod in agreement. “That’s true.” I look down at the phone. “What made you dream of Nina and Flynn? Did you interact with one of them recently?”
She gasps. “I did. Holy shit, I didn’t even think about that. I ran into Nina at the sandwich shop during my lunch break. That night was when I had the dream.”
“There has to be a connection to that somehow. You were also around me, and you dreamt about Tate and me. Whatever you do, keep this to yourself, Kami. I don’t know what it means or why it’s happening to you.” It truly is fascinating, and I can’t wait to see what comes of it. “Honestly, I think it’s pretty interesting that you can see future mates together in your dreams.”
She snorts. “I see mine too, but not his face. It’s weird having him in my dreams and touching him, but not being able to see who he is.”
Tate chuckles. “Yeah, that is kind of strange.”
Rolling my eyes, I shake my head. “Strange and kind of awesome. I wonder if you’ll ever get a clear view of him.”
“I don’t know,” Kami says. “Only my dreams will tell.” She blows out a breath. “Okay, I’ll let you two go. I just thought I’d call and let you know.”
“Keep me updated if you have more dreams,” I tell her. “When everything settles down, and I can safely come back, we’ll figure it all out.”
“Perfect. I’m ready to have you both home.”
Home. It brings a smile to my face to know that my home is with Tate. We say our goodbyes to Kami, and I lay back on the towel. Tate sits to my side and looks down at me. “If what she has is a gift, don’t you think we might need to keep it a secret altogether?”
I shrug. “Maybe. If people like Killian knew, they could exploit it.” She’ll have wolves coming in from all over the place, seeking her out to help them find their mates. That could turn into a disaster really quick and fast.
Tate growls low. “I’ll kill anyone who goes after my sister.”
“So will I,” I promise him. “When we go back to your pack, I’ll train Kami and all the females who want to learn how to fight.”
Tate’s shoulders relax. “That would absolutely make me feel better. I want them as strong as you.”
I wink. “They will be.”
He opens the small cooler beside my towel and looks in to find it empty. “What happened to all the ciders?”
A snicker escapes my lips. “I got thirsty watching you fish.”
Getting to his feet, he picks up the cooler and laughs. “I’m going in for more. Do you need anything from the kitchen?”
I shake my head. “I’m good.”
He takes the cooler and walks toward the house while I lay back and rest my head on the towel. The sand is soft underneath, making the perfect pillow. Closing my eyes, I listen to the sounds around me. Seagulls squawk in the sky, and I can hear the current of the water. On mine and Tate’s next adventure, I want to go somewhere with waves.
My body starts to get heavy, and I can feel myself drifting off to sleep. It feels good to give in.
Opening my eyes, I bolt up when I see the sun about to set in the distance. I grab my phone and look at the time, seeing that I’ve been asleep for almost two hours. How is that even possible? Tate is nowhere to be seen.
“Tate?”
I try to concentrate on our link, but all I get is silence. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. Something’s not right. There’s nothing but quiet all around me, even from the house. Tate’s heartbeat is all I hear, and it’s slow, very slow. The only reason it’d be that way is if he’s sleeping and there’s no way in hell he would’ve left me outside alone while he took a nap. Grabbing my phone, I click on Micah’s name. There
’s nothing he or my pack can do, but I can at least alert them if something were to happen to me.
Me: I think we’re in trouble out here.
His reply is instant.
Micah: Where are you?!?!? Run if you have to.
Me: Not running. Sugarloaf Key, Florida.
He’s going to be pissed at my reply, but I can’t leave Tate. I refuse to. Killian and his men have done this before. The eeriness surrounding me feels familiar, just like the night he came for me. Grabbing my tank top and shorts, I slip them on quickly, making sure the black carmine stone is in my pocket. Anger wells up in my chest, and I stalk toward the house. If he or anyone else hurts Tate, I’ll rip them limb from limb and not think twice about it.
When I get to the back porch, the glass sliding door is open like it’s taunting me to enter. “Tate? Please answer me.” Still, nothing. I walk inside, and that’s when I see him on his stomach, out cold on the kitchen floor. From what I can see, there’s no one else in the house. Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean they’re not there.
Rushing over to Tate, I kneel and push him onto his back. “Tate, wake up,” I demand, tapping his cheek. He doesn’t budge. “Dammit! Wake up!” Clenching my teeth, I stand and jerk around, knowing I’m not alone. “Come out, asshole. I know you’re here.”
A chuckle echoes down the hallway. Killian. He turns the corner, grinning mischievously. “It’s good to see you again, Faith.”
“I can’t exactly say the same,” I snap. “How did you find us?”
He shrugs. “It wasn’t easy.” He flourishes a hand up and down my body. “There’s some kind of magic at play here. I’m assuming your good friend, Laila, did that.”
“It’s a black carmine stone.” The sound of the sultry voice makes me freeze. It has to be Tia, his witch. She strolls into the living room, dressed in a long, black dress with her chocolate-colored hair pulled up in a ball of curls. Her sea-green eyes stare down at my shorts. “It’s in her pocket.”
I try to think of a way to get out of there with Tate, but Killian is by one exit, and Tia stops by the back door. I have no doubt it was her magic that made me fall asleep earlier. She could easily put me out again.
“Did you have a good nap?” Tia asks, her lips spread into a smirk.
“Go to hell,” I hiss. Then I turn my glare to Killian. “It’s sad you have to use magic to take us out.”
He chuckles. “I’ll do anything to get what I want. Would you rather I killed your friend instead? It could’ve been easily done.” A growl echoes from my chest, and he holds up a hand. “I’m not here to fight you, Faith. No one is going to hurt Tate Grayson. He’ll wake up when we’re long gone from here. If he wants to see you again, he’ll get the chance.”
It’s obvious they don’t realize he’s my mate. I need to keep it that way. His words, however, confuse me. What reason would he have to let Tate see me again? “What are you planning?”
Killian steps closer, his eyes raking down my body. “You’ll find out soon enough. Right now, we need to get on the road. We have a long journey ahead of us. You can either play nice or …”
My first instinct is to fight, to rip off Tia’s head and put an end to it all. The only problem is that she’d put me to sleep before I could even wrap my hands around her neck. “Fine,” I growl, holding my hands in the air. “I’ll come without a fight.”
Tia laughs. “Oh, Faith, you expect us to believe that?” I don’t want to be put down, but I can sense her magic drawing closer. My eyes grow heavy, and I feel myself falling, but Killian picks me up in his arms. I can’t move or speak, but I can still hear them. “We can’t have her trying to rip your throat out on the plane,” Tia says. Plane? Where the hell are we going?
Killian chuckles, and his nose grazes my neck as he breathes me in. “True. I think that’ll change once everything’s said and done.” Once what is said and done? I want to hear more, but the darkness seeps into my body, dragging me under. Tate …
Chapter 20
Tate
My eyes shoot open, and I’m on the floor. Growling, I get to my feet, my wolf desperate to break free. Fucking Killian. I’m going to kill him if it’s the last thing I do.
“Faith, can you hear me?” Closing my eyes, I concentrate on our link, but it’s silent, just like it was when I tried to get her to run away. Tia had put a spell on her to make her sleep so she wouldn’t hear us in the house.
My body shakes with rage as I replay it over in my head.
Reaching into the refrigerator, I grab a few more beers and put them in the cooler. Before I can close it, my arms and legs begin to feel heavy. “What the hell?”
“Look who I found?”
I jerk around, but it takes a monumental effort, like a colossal weight presses down on me. The second I get a good look at the cocksucker in front of me, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who he is. Killian Vilkas. He even has his fucking witch beside him.
“How the hell did you find us?” I hiss. I try to reach Faith through our bond, to tell her to run away, but it’s like I’ve been blocked.
Tia waves her hand in the air, and I drop to my knees. She saunters over to me and traces a long, red fingernail across my cheek. “Wolves are so sexy when they’re pissed.”
Gritting my teeth, I glare up at her. “You won’t be saying that when I’m ripping off your head.”
She leans in close, and I fall to the floor, fighting to stay awake. “You’re a strong one.”
Killian chuckles. “But not strong enough.”
My wolf fights to break free, but he’s trapped. The weight presses down on me, crushing me to the floor. Killian walks over to the back door and looks out, grinning when I know his eyes fall on Faith. He peers over at me and winks. “Sweet dreams.”
The darkness creeps over me, and I try to fight against it, but Tia’s voice echoes in my ear. “Nu sunt dușmanul tău.” I have no clue what it means, but I know not to forget it.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling me back to reality. It’s Micah, but I’m not ready to speak to him. The last thing I want to do is tell Faith’s pack that I failed. When I look at the time, four fucking hours have passed since Killian took her. I run outside, and the only trace of Faith is the towel she laid on. I hurry back inside, and all of her belongings are gone in the bedroom.
Scrambling around the room, I throw all my stuff together in my bag and call Faith’s phone. It has to be somewhere in the house. The call goes through, but I don’t hear it ring anywhere. But then a voice answers on the other end.
“I figured you’d call at some point.”
“Where the fuck are you taking her, Vilkas?” I demand.
He laughs. “Don’t worry, she’s fine. She’s just sleeping it off for a while. We’re about to take off. I’ll be more than happy to tell you how to find her. You just have to be willing to pay the price.”
“What sick game are you playing at?”
“No game,” he laughs. “Are you in or out?”
“In,” I growl. “Now, where are you taking her?”
“I have to get there first, Grayson. I’ll call you when it’s time.” And with those words, he hangs up. Fucking bastard. I scroll through my contacts and press send on Chase’s number. I need his jet to get me back to Montana … and fast.
It’s early morning, and I’m almost home. The jet ride felt like an eternity. I spent the entire time wondering where Faith was and if she’s truly okay. I hate myself for what happened. I talked to Micah and found out that Faith had sent him a text to alert him that something was wrong. He and some of the others from Faith’s pack had a head start and are on their way to my house. They should be there when I arrive, along with my family and Anson, if I can ever get in touch with him.
When I pull up to my house, the driveway is full of cars. Kami rushes out and races over to me. “Where’s Anson?” I ask her. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with him.”
She throws her arms up in the air. “Hell, if I
know. Everyone has been trying to call him. No one around here has seen him either. Ansley was on her way to his house not long ago, so hopefully, she’ll get some answers.” Ansley is Anson’s sister and one of Kami’s close friends.
Red flags shoot up in my head. “How long has it been since anyone’s seen him?” I haven’t spoken to him since I left for Florida.
She follows alongside me up to the house. “Ansley’s the last one. It was the day you left.” I pause mid-step and look at her. She blows out a sigh, her gaze concerned. “Dad tried calling him about a job the other day too, but he never got in touch with him.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “We didn’t want to worry you.”
“I don’t have a good feeling about this.” He’s the only one who knew how to find Faith and me.
“Neither do I,” she admits.
Where the hell could he be? My dad comes out on the front porch with Micah, Colin, Cedric, and Laila. Micah walks forward and slaps a hand to my shoulder. He can see the turmoil on my face. “Nobody blames you, Grayson. It happened to me too, and I’m her protector.”
Colin agrees with a nod. “It could’ve happened to any of us.”
Nothing they say is going to help. I failed at protecting Faith, and I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life. “Yeah, but I’m her mate,” I say. Colin’s eyes widen, and my dad gasps. Micah, Kami, and Cedric already guessed it earlier. I’m pretty sure Laila knows because of Cedric.
My dad places his hands on my shoulders. “Oh, son. I’m so sorry.”
“We have to find her, Dad. I won’t rest until I do.”
He nods. “You will. And when you do, you’ll bring her home, and we’ll make her a part of the family.”
I want to know she’s okay. As long as Killian and his witch don’t find out Faith and I are linked, we’ll be safe. I’ll be able to connect with her when she wakes up.
