by Lacey Thorn
“God, you feel so good,” he moaned.
“Declan.” She turned her head as she spoke his name. Everything she felt caught in her throat, allowing no further sound to escape.
He dropped a soft kiss onto her lips, a brush before sipping from the lush bottom curve. His tongue traced it while his fingers explored her. She lifted one arm, dropping her hand behind her to brush through his hair.
He pulled back from her mouth, his cock poised at her entrance. Then, as their gazes held, he slowly eased in, not stopping until every inch was buried inside her.
“Let me love you,” he crooned then suited action to words.
It was slow and easy. His fingers were soft and gentle, in sync with the rhythmic thrusting of his hips. His lips grazed her skin, stopping here and there to taste a specific spot more thoroughly.
Her head was tilted back, exposing her throat to him, allowing him dominance over her. He growled, and she felt the sharp graze of his teeth. One palm slid around to rest upon her stomach while she rocked gently back into him. He slid it down along her thigh then pulled her top leg back, placing it over his hip. His nimble fingers moved to where they were joined, zeroing in on her clit and strumming it. The man was a generous lover.
Her orgasm approached in soft waves, lulling her into flight instead of flinging her there. She soared, her breath growing choppy while moans filled the air.
He turned them, moving with her until she lay beneath him on the bed. He tugged her up to her knees and rose to his knees behind her, his thrusts increasing in tempo. It was faster now, harder and deeper. His hands were still gentle, caressing her curves, massaging her rear cheeks as he rocked into her.
He groaned, and it made her feel good to know he was finding equal pleasure in her.
“Yes,” she cried as he moved even faster. “God, yes!”
She fisted her hands in the sheets, holding tight as each thrust carried her closer to the headboard. She dropped her head, biting into the pillow in hopes of containing her scream as her orgasm ripped through her.
It was his shouts that filled the room and perhaps even the hallway beyond. Her name bounced off the walls as his semen splashed inside her. Funny how he’d told her to breathe one moment only to steal it from her the next.
He collapsed against her back, taking them flat to the bed, and she felt the harsh puffs of air along her neck as he panted. They stayed there for long moments before he listed to the side, moving the bulk of his weight off of her. She missed it, craved it on her like a comforting blanket.
“We slept through dinner,” he murmured. “I had them put something up for us.”
“I didn’t mean to sleep so long,” she swore. “What time is it?”
“About nine or so. Don’t worry about it. We both needed the rest.”
“Your brother must be pissed.”
“Laramie’s fine. I assured him we’d come talk to him as soon as we woke up and ate.”
“We should probably get going then,” she suggested.
“Soon,” he offered with a grunt, rolling completely off her to sprawl on his back at her side.
She moved her head so she could look at him, enjoying the view.
“We need to talk, too,” he added.
She knew they did. She just wasn’t sure what to say yet. She was still dealing with how she felt about mating, with accepting that they were mated. These were waters she’d never intended to swim, and she felt as if she were bouncing between barely treading water and sinking below the surface.
“Let’s focus on Laramie first and the questions he’s going to have for me. We can talk afterward.”
Declan seemed to search her eyes, and she took the coward’s way out and blinked them closed.
“I feel really good,” she admitted. Boneless. Satisfied. Alive. She felt completely alive.
“Yes, you do,” he agreed, running his hand over her.
She snorted out a laugh, blinking up at him and smiling.
“That might be the first smile you’ve given me,” he told her, rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip. He stared at her for a long moment, and she had the impression he was coming to some decision in his head. “Want a shower before we head upstairs?”
“Yes,” she said quickly. Just the thought of a long, hot shower perked her up.
“Give me five more minutes to catch my breath, and I’ll get the water going for us.”
“Planning to shower with me?” she teased.
One corner of his mouth tipped up. “There’s not much I don’t want to do with you,” he vowed and leaned over to kiss her.
Would he go with her? Leave his family to hunt Lawrence? It was too much to ask, but God help her, she didn’t think she could stay. Not now. Not yet. Maybe, he would understand when he knew what she’d lived through for the past five years, the torturous comments Lawrence had used to control her.
“Be right back,” he whispered as he broke the kiss. He nuzzled her cheek then rose from the bed. She watched the sway of his ass as he prowled across the room to the en suite bathroom.
It would kill her to leave him, but if the last five years had taught her anything, it was just how much pain a person was capable of withstanding.
Chapter Ten
Something was going on behind those big, brown eyes of Xandra’s. It was almost comical the way she thought she could hide what she was thinking from Declan. Comical if it didn’t piss him off so much.
He realized they were still building their bond, realized she’d yet to admit he was her mate. Didn’t matter. Facts were facts, and the fact was they were mates. He belonged at her side, protecting and loving her for the rest of their days. He needed her protecting and loving him, too. She was his other half. Now that he’d found her, he’d allow nothing to keep them apart. Not her stubbornness. Not her denial.
She was nervous, jittery. Their impending meeting with Laramie played a part in that, he was sure, but there was more. He felt it like a twitch beneath his skin. She was going to run, and it was hurting her. The woman was positively infuriating, and she left him completely breathless. She was everything he’d never known he craved.
He pushed the office door open, waiting for her to step in before him, then followed her inside. Laramie sat in one of the two leather chairs in the seating area. Declan wasn’t surprised to see Koby sitting in the one at Laramie’s side. Thankfully, no one else waited for them. He had a feeling Xandra would have turned around and refused to say anything if there had been.
“Shut the door,” Laramie ordered, though Declan was already pushing it closed behind him. He liked the way Xandra waited for him, so they could cross the room together. “Were you able to get any rest? Did you eat?”
Declan lifted a brow at his brother’s concern then took note of Koby’s slight nod. That made sense. As the mate to one of Xandra’s sisters, Koby would have reminded Laramie of his manners prior to this little meeting.
“I’m good,” Xandra said. “Let’s get this over with.”
Her gaze flicked over Laramie then settled on Koby. “There are things I don’t want my sisters to know. If that’s going to be a problem, you should go ahead and leave now.”
Koby’s gaze narrowed. “I won’t have a problem.”
Xandra nodded then glanced back toward Declan. He took a seat on the chair and a half in case she wanted to join him. He doubted she’d appreciate him pulling her into his lap the way the other mated males seemed to do with their women.
“What do you want to know?” Xandra asked when no one said anything.
“Whatever you can tell me,” Laramie answered.
“You already know Lawrence is an asshole and a murderer. He set this whole thing in motion, starting with the death of Matthew Holloway.”
Declan and both of his brothers leaned forward at that declaration.
“What do you know about that?” Koby demanded.
“Lawrence liked to brag about how he brought down the mighty Matthew Holloway. Your father went to answer
a distress call, didn’t he?”
Koby shared a look with Laramie, who slowly nodded.
“It was a ruse.”
“That son-of-a-bitch.”
“He was here, in this very house, days before it came through. He knew where all the enforcers were, and he knew your father wouldn’t be able to leave a woman in distress,” Xandra told them. “The group of hunters Lawrence was working with were waiting for your dad.” Her voice grew quiet, her face leached of color, and Declan wondered what picture Lawrence had painted for her. “He didn’t stand a chance alone. There were too many of them.”
“Tell me everything you know,” Laramie ordered, but Xandra shook her head.
“Your father’s gone, and you know the man responsible. I doubt there’s anyone who would be able to tell you the truth of what happened that day. I guarantee you Lawrence won’t. You knew your father, the man he was. I’m sure he fought heroically, but betrayal from someone you trust…” She shook her head again. “Very few people are prepared for that.”
Laramie’s hands were fisted at his sides, and Declan realized his were in the same position when his nails digging into his palms finally registered.
“What about the day you lost your family?” Koby asked softly.
“There was laughter and joy,” Xandra replied with a far off look. “Until there wasn’t.” Her eyes were empty, as if she were shutting everything away, locking her emotions deep within herself, so she wouldn’t have to feel them. Part of Declan understood it. A bigger part of him wanted to jerk her to him and shake her, to beg her to stop shutting him out, to just reach for him and find solace.
She moved a fraction closer to him, leaning a hip against where he sat and he tensed, not wanting to do anything to make her pull away. Was she aware she sought him? Did she note the way her breathing seemed to even out, the way her body relaxed marginally as she inhaled the scent she’d marked him with?
“You can tell us what happened, Xandra,” Laramie tried to assure her.
Her gaze went back to Koby, and Declan knew she wasn’t going to say anything. Xandra was smart enough to know Koby wouldn’t be able to keep anything from his mate, and what Sidia knew her twin, Jaeda, was sure to find out.
“No good would come from sharing those moments. I’m grateful my sisters were hiding that day. I have no doubt it’s the only reason they’re still alive. My father…my mother and my…” She paused, swallowing. “Saphira…they’re gone, and nothing I say now will change that. Besides, I’m sure my story is the same as many families who were attacked that day. None of us sensed it. There was a strange smoke in the woods, and it masked everything else.”
“Sidia mentioned smoke,” Koby said. “It was used when she and Nicholas were attacked. It was why she didn’t smell the two hunters waiting for her to emerge.”
“Did Lawrence create this smoke?” Laramie asked.
“No, if he had, he wouldn’t have been able to keep from bragging about it. He mentioned it a few times but merely as a passing thought. The smoke is from the hunters.”
“But Lawrence helped them with the attacks,” Laramie stated.
Xandra nodded. “He spoke often with a Dr. Talbot. My guess is he was the man Lawrence fed all the information to.”
“That name’s familiar,” Koby said. “I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere, but I’m not placing it at the moment.”
“Holt mentioned it. Dr. Talbot is the one who almost managed to kidnap Holt’s best friend, Kenzie Marshall,” Laramie stated.
“Gabriel’s mate,” Declan added, remembering when they’d all come to the Holloways for help when Kenzie was being hunted. Whatever this doctor had done, Kenzie was still unable to shift, though she was getting more and more in touch with her beast. “Was it this doctor who gave Lawrence whatever he used to drug you?”
Xandra shrugged. “I don’t know what he used or where he got it.”
“We’ll have Jensen get in touch with Diana Renway,” Laramie offered then explained to Xandra, “She’s the doctor for the pride Holt was part of before your sister mated him. She might be able to help if Jensen finds anything in the blood he took from you.”
“Have you heard anything?” Declan asked.
Laramie shook his head. “Nothing yet. I’ll check in with him as soon as we’re done here. What else can you tell me, Xandra?”
She sat on the chair’s arm, her hip nudging Declan’s arm. He didn’t stop his impulse to turn and caress her thigh and was rewarded by her settling more fully against him. He placed his palm atop her leg, willing some of his strength to her.
“My father heard rumors of another pack of bears. He approached your father with that information and your father ignored it. I know my father sent my brother, Malachi, to check into it, and we’ve heard nothing from him since. I don’t know where my brother is or even if he’s still alive.”
“I can assure you he is. Malachi was in contact with Nicholas not too long ago. I don’t have contact information, but I know he’s somewhere in Washington state and that he’s supposed to get in touch very soon.” Laramie met Declan’s gaze before continuing, “He doesn’t know you’re alive, Xandra. He thinks all of his family was killed in those attacks five years ago. Nicholas didn’t tell him otherwise.”
She opened her mouth, closed it then slowly nodded. “Nicholas wasn’t sure who he could trust. I understand that.”
“Did Lawrence say anything about this other pack?”
“The way he spoke, I’m fairly certain he means to be alpha of it, once he’s fully finished annihilating our pack.”
“Why wait five years?” Koby asked. “If he meant to finish us all off, why wait at all? Why not continue the attacks when they began all those years ago?”
“That I don’t know,” Xandra admitted. “I got the impression that wasn’t a call Lawrence made. He muttered about hurry up and wait a lot of the time.”
“What about the surviving females? Did he mention if there were any more of you? Did he say why he kept all of you alive?” Laramie wanted to know.
Her body tensed again, and Declan automatically ran his fingers up and down her thigh in a bid to comfort her, to soothe.
“I know there weren’t many of us left. There were seven hidden in our den. I know… Lawrence said he’d given a couple females who’d survived to the doctor.” She swallowed forcibly. “Some sort of testing the doctor was doing. He needed female bear shifters.”
“Fuck!” Koby muttered.
“Did Lawrence mention any names?” Laramie questioned.
She shook her head. “No names.”
“He threatened you with that, didn’t he?” Declan said as the knowledge sank in.
“That’s how he kept you in line?” Laramie asked. “Threatening to send you to the doctor.”
“No,” Koby answered, and Declan shared a look with his other brother.
“He said he’d make sure Sidia or Jaeda went to the doctor, didn’t he?” Declan finished.
Her eyes were haunted. She didn’t need to verbalize. The answer was written all over her face. Lawrence had weakened her by suppressing her bear. His threats, however, had done something far more powerful than the drugs he’d given her. They’d firmly locked her in place, keeping her compliant to his wishes.
Eventually, Declan would know all Xandra had suffered at Lawrence’s hands. As their bond grew stronger, there would be no keeping it from him. He hoped he had half the strength she did when it came to bearing those memories.
“Xandra?” Laramie asked.
Declan watched as she physically shook off the thoughts and memories plaguing her. “There’s not much more I can tell you. I heard bits and pieces of conversations, but they were all one sided and didn’t make much sense. Lawrence was…” She shrugged, letting the sentence dwindle off uncompleted. “I know Lawrence thought he’d be the alpha of the last bear pack standing, and I know he didn’t plan for it to be ours.”
“What happened yesterday morning?” Lara
mie’s gaze zeroed in on Xandra and only her, as if he could pull the answers from her by sheer will alone.
“Lawrence was…off. He seemed…agitated…anxious. Worried.” She settled on that word. “He was worried about something.”
“He probably knew we were on to him. After Nicholas. I wasn’t exactly quiet about taking care of the hunters left behind to take my mate,” Koby stated, referring to when he’d met Xandra’s younger sister, Sidia. Koby had come across her being hunted in the woods and shifted into bear form, shredding the men threatening to harm her.
“That could be,” Xandra agree. “Whatever the cause, it made him careless, and I was able to slip away.”
“You were heading home?” Laramie inquired, repeating what Declan had shared with him earlier. “Why would you head back there instead of seeking help immediately? Instead of heading toward us?”
“I didn’t know where to go and didn’t care. All I knew was that I was free for the first time in five, long years. I ran in the only direction I could think of. Home. I knew there was no one there. Trust me. I understood that completely. Five years with Lawrence didn’t leave me with a lot of faith in anyone. Not the alpha.” Her glance skittered over to Declan. “Not his family.”
Declan growled. He tried to bite it off, but it rumbled up his throat anyway. He was angry, yes, but not at her. He’d find a way to prove to her that she could place all her faith in him.
Xandra glanced at his palm on her thigh, and he forced his fingers to stay pliant, refusing to submit to the tension crawling up his spine.
“Why home?” Koby asked.
“There are things I’d like to have. Mementoes.”
“Then what? Where were you planning to go after you left there?” Laramie demanded.
“To hunt Lawrence and make sure he pays.”
“He will,” Laramie swore. “I promise you he will, but not by your hand. It’s the right of the pack to avenge those they lost. Those among us who were robbed of mates, of families, of futures. You have that—”
“I don’t have anything.” Her words were clipped, angry, and though her denial pierced Declan’s heart, he felt it had more to do with what Laramie refused her than anything between the two of them. “Vengeance is just as much my right as anyone else’s.”
