Colton came through, Lily cradled in front of him, his gun held low against his thigh.
Riley lay flat on her back, the gun in her hands trembling as she aimed it at his head. “Don’t move,” she said coldly, wincing a little at the ache in her side.
Those liquid black eyes glanced her way, then back to Cane. Like a well-heeled dog.
Wade smashed Cane against the wall with a roar, his hands curled around the other man’s throat. Cane grabbed his wrist, his face twisting in effort as he tried to haul Wade away. His eyes rolled toward Colton.
“Shoot—” He managed to say, spittle spraying over Wade’s arm. “Shoot... erm.”
Colton lifted the gun, his expression cool and distant. His other hand wrapped around Lily’s chest, holding the frightened girl in place.
“Don’t!” Riley screamed, her finger twitching on the trigger.
Gunfire spat. Once. Twice. She screamed as Colton jerked back into the wall, her shot taking him high in the chest.
Someone fell. She rolled to her knees, and then onto her feet as Wade and Cane both went down. “Luc!” With a sharp, wary glance at Colton, she grabbed Wade's arm and rolled him off Cane. There was blood all over him, and his eyes were glassy.
Oh, God. Oh, God, oh, God. Heat sprang up behind her eyes as she went to her knees beside him. “Where is it? Where’d he get you? Are you all right?”
Wade coughed and pushed at her. “Riley—”
“I’m so sorry—”
He caught her wrists. “Riley! I’m fine.”
Fine. Her eyes went wide and she froze, melting into him. Wade cupped her face with a trembling hand, giving her a tremulous smile. Then he pushed her away. “He wasn’t shooting at me.”
She looked down. Cane stared sightlessly at the roof, his arms akimbo in a way that wasn’t natural, a bullet hole gaping in his temple. The gleam of a pair of pewter amulets sparkled around his throat.
There was no way Colton could have missed that shot. She looked up, just as Colton bared his teeth in a pained hiss, trying to drag himself into a sitting position against the wall. Their gazes locked.
“Have to be careful—” Colton swallowed “—with giving indirect... orders.” Leaning his head back against the wall, he laughed under his breath, a pained hacking sound. “Finally got the fucker.” Looking up, he focused on Lily, who was curled into a ball behind the door. “Pardon the language, darlin’.”
Wade slowly drew to his feet, grabbing the sheet off the bed and wrapping it around his naked waist. He held out a hand and Riley stood up slowly, her ears still ringing. At his questioning look, she realized she must have winced.
“Fell hard,” she muttered. “Just my ribs.”
He nodded. Then he looked past her, his gaze locking on the tiny little girl in the corner with an absoluteness that blocked everything else out. “Lily,” he said quietly, holding out his hand. “Lily, it’s okay. We’ll get you out of here.”
The little girl’s eyes swam with tears and she swallowed, looking between him and Riley. Seconds ticked past, and then Wade realized she wasn’t going to come to him. His hand slowly dropped, his expression shuttering completely.
“Hell, Luc,” Riley said, shouldering past him with deliberate lightness in her voice. “You’re covered in blood, and she’s been through an awful lot. She probably doesn’t even know where she is right now.”
Squatting down, she put her hands on her knees and stared at Lily. “You okay, sweetheart? Nobody hurt you, did they?”
Lily’s face screwed up, and she started crying. Riley dragged her into her arms, feeling the tiny body wrap itself around her so tightly she could barely breathe. Fire lanced through her ribs, but she couldn’t let go.
“It’s okay,” she murmured, running a hand through that silky-fine hair. “We came to take you home. Everything will be all right now. Your daddy’s here to make sure you’re okay.” She met his gaze over Lily’s head, “Nothing can hurt you now that he’s here, because he’s bigger and meaner than anything else, and he’ll do anything to keep you safe because he loves you.”
Wade tore his gaze away then, his jaw tightening. “Can you carry her? We need to get moving.”
“Lily,” she whispered, feeling the pain of his rejection. “Lily, are you okay to move? We can’t stay here. We have to go.”
The little girl’s grip tightened around her neck.
“I’m not leaving you behind, honey.” Riley struggled to her feet, her side aching. “Luc,” she called. “I don’t think I can carry her.”
He’d picked up the remnants of his jeans and was dragging them on underneath the sheet. At her words, his fingers slowed on the buttons. “Can she walk?” Hoarse words.
“Lily.” Riley took a step, and gasped as pain tore through her. “I can’t carry you. You either have to walk or let your daddy carry you.”
Lily shook her head against her throat, sobbing helplessly. “No.”
Visibly steeling himself, Wade crossed toward them, and reached out for her. “Come on, Lily. You’re hurting Riley.”
Taking her by the arms, he gently tugged. Lily looked up in horror and yanked at Riley’s shirt. Riley gasped and clapped a hand to her side as Wade gently took the little girl.
His broad arms wrapped around his daughter as she fought him. Setting his teeth grimly, he crushed her against his massive chest. “Shush, Lily. I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
The little girl’s sobs slowly died, and his hands relaxed a little. The expression on his face nearly tore Riley’s heart out of her chest as his quivering hand came up to stroke his daughter’s hair. Turning his face, he breathed in the scent of her, as if he couldn’t quite believe she was there.
“I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
Riley stooped to collect Colton’s gun, keeping a wary eye on him. Colton stared back at her, baring his teeth in a bloody grimace. One hand was clapped high against his chest, his shirt wet with blood. His long, dark hair tumbled over his shoulder, the sharp angle of his nose welted with bruises.
He’d heal, though it would take him most of the day.
Wade stepped up beside her, lifting his own gun as he cradled Lily against him with the other hand. His expression was bleak as he stared down at Colton.
Colton stiffened.
“No, don’t!” Lily cried out, grabbing Wade’s wrist. “He looked after me. He stopped the other man from hurting me.”
Wade looked at her beneath his lashes. Slowly, his gun lowered. “That's the only reason I won't do this. Don’t follow us.”
Colton slumped back, giving a pained wheeze that might have been a laugh. “No... intentions of....” He looked down, lifting his bloodied hand to examine the wound. As if the effort strained him, his head flopped back. “Leave me... a gun. For that pack... of hyenas... out there.”
Wade tucked the pistol in the waistband of his jeans. “Riley, can you fetch my amulet?”
She quickly retrieved the pair of polished charms, tucking them into her pocket. Wade had stepped past Colton with his bare feet, his body shielding Lily as he peered through the door. “They’ve gone to ground.”
“For the moment,” she murmured, glancing at Colton. It was clear Wade had no intention of sparing him a weapon.
A split-second decision. She clicked the safety off her own pistol and dropped it in his lap.
Colton looked up at her in surprise.
“Don’t make me regret it,” she told him, then slipped out after Wade.
Epilogue
One month later...
Luc shifted in bed, a warm armful against his chest hampering his movements. Riley grumbled sleepily, then brushed her lips against his bare chest.
“Morning,” she murmured.
“Morning,” he replied with a bemused smile. Of all the things he’d learned about her in the last month, the one that never failed to amuse him was this: she was barely human until after ten in the morning. "You said you didn't snore."
"If
I recall, I don't believe I ever actually answered that question. I asked if you snored," she grumbled sleepily, but the drum of his fingers along her hip was starting to wake her up. Riley shifted, brushing her ass against his cock.
Luc inhaled sharply. "Temptress."
"Demon," she whispered.
"Crazy woman."
"Kidnapper."
"Best mistake of my life."
Riley laughed. The sound of it thrilled him, sending his heart soaring. These were the moments between them that he enjoyed the most.
Turning her face toward the door, she cocked her head, listening. “Lily’s not up yet?”
Lily. His smile faded. “I can hear her shifting. She’s not quite awake.”
Noticing the sudden stiffening of his shoulders, Riley stroked a hand over his chest. “Give her time,” she said. “She’s been through a lot.”
He knew that. But knowing it didn’t stop the ache in his chest whenever his daughter’s gaze slid away from his. He let out a slow breath. Lily was getting better, slowly starting to respond to his questions, and letting him help her when she needed it. But he was fully aware that without Riley there to act as buffer between them, he wouldn’t have had a hope. As far as Lily was concerned, her father had died when she was two, and he was the warg who'd tried to kill her Uncle Adam. The fact he was her father had been a nasty shock for her.
Riley pressed a gentle kiss to his throat, in order to distract him. It might have been a whirlwind courtship, but she knew his moods well. Luc’s hand slid over hers, giving it a squeeze. That was one thing that was right about this new life of his. He didn't know when it had happened – when Riley had become the part of his life that he never wanted to lose – but he was glad it had.
Wargs don't get happy-ever-afters. Wargs don't have a future.
They were words he'd spent years telling himself, and they still struck at odd moments, but he knew them for the lies they were now.
"This is my happy-ever-after," he whispered, rolling Riley onto her back, and coming over her.
Her smile was slightly mysterious, but also happy. "Do I even want to know?"
That smile. It killed him. Wrapped a hand tight around his heart and wouldn't let go. His gut tightened with nervousness, but he leaned forward and brushed his mouth against hers. A fleeting kiss, just a tease, and then she drew back with that wicked gleam shining in her whiskey brown eyes.
Soft lips brushed against the slope of his shoulder, nibbling up to his neck. Those fingertips traced burning circles on his hip. Lower. Lower. Not quite low enough.
"Again?" she whispered.
"Helps keep control," Luc replied quickly.
"Really?" The word came out dry. "You wouldn't just be telling me that in order to get me into bed?"
"I'm already in your bed," he said. Those teasing fingers trailed down his flank, growing lighter and lighter until they broke from his skin, just before she reached the thatch of hair between his thighs. "I want to be inside you."
"You already are," she whispered, kissing his soft mouth. Taking his hand, she pressed it between her breasts. "You're in here. You'll always be in here."
Luc stilled above her, a shudder running through him. "You don't know how much I fucking love hearing those words."
Riley laughed, pressing her head back into the pillow and exposing her throat. Oh, she knew, all right; he could see it. A fierce urge came over him and he bit her throat, nipping at the skin, and then easing enough for him to press a kiss there. Riley moaned, her thighs falling apart and welcoming him between them.
He took her slowly, filling her with one sure thrust, and then sliding sensually within her. When she moaned, he captured her mouth with heated kisses. "Quiet," he whispered.
Riley shuddered beneath him, biting her lip as she tried to obey. The walls at Haven were solid stone, but there were some things he didn't want his daughter hearing. Somehow, the secretiveness of these encounters made them even more thrilling. He lost himself in her, and she in him, skin on skin, biting, licking, fucking….
Afterward, they lay entangled, with Riley's head resting on his chest and her breasts pressed against him. Luc dozed, idly untangling her hair. These little moments were the most precious to him.
A door creaked open elsewhere in the house, a sign that Lily was up and about. Riley sighed softly as he eased her head off his shoulder. “Time to rise and shine, love.”
“You’ve worn me out.” She stretched and yawned.
“Hardly.” Luc laughed, slipping from the bed. “Come on, sleepyhead. This place isn’t going to rebuild itself.”
The sun soared in the sky by the time Luc set about his duties. He could hear Riley talking to Lily in the little room they'd managed to scratch out of the burned mess she'd once called home, and were now using as a kitchen. Haven had been hit hard by the reivers, but he liked the feel of the place. There was a natural spring in the center of town, around which sprang up a grove of cottonwood trees, and most of the buildings were still standing, as they'd been built from stone. Plenty of room for pens for some goats, or whatever Riley wanted to rear, and enough space in the lush garden at the back of her home so Lily could play safely all day.
Of course, they were all alone out here, but that was the way he liked it. The rest of the townsfolk originally from Haven had stayed at Absolution, though some of them had ridden out after him and Riley when they'd discovered Lily was missing. Eden had led the charge, despite what the Council of Absolution had argued for. A rescue party made up of settlers, not soldiers, but he'd been grateful to see them when he, Riley and Lily made their dusty escape from Copperplate.
Of course, that gratefulness had changed when they’d arrived back in Absolution.
The soldiers on the gates had refused to let him in, eyeing him with hard, flat eyes. The distrust had probably been earned, but the rejection had come hard on the heels of his daughter’s. Luc had taken one step back, not quite certain what he was going to do, when Riley came to the rescue, taking Lily by the hand and telling him she’d be back with their things.
So he’d sat on the hot sand outside Absolution’s walls and waited, wondering if both of them would return. Eden had brought him water, perhaps out of pity. Perhaps out of a sense that her own brother was facing the same rejection. Or perhaps just because that was the type of person she was.
When Riley and Lily returned with their bags, he’d almost been surprised. He shouldn’t have been, however; Riley wasn’t the type of person to go back on her word. With a smile, she’d slipped her hand inside his and gestured for the keys to one of the jeeps from Eden. “I know exactly where we’re going to go,” she’d said.
Haven.
It felt strange to think of the place as his new home. He’d moved around so much in the past eight years that he could barely remember what it felt like to have a place of his own. He liked it. Every day was long and hard, but at least he could sit back as dusk settled in the sky, looking out over what he’d done for the day with a solid sense of achievement.
Squatting low, Luc took hold of a heavy beam of fallen timber, grit his teeth together, and began hauling it out of the way. Sweat trickled down his spine, and he dropped it in the pile of lumber that was still good enough to re-use. Dusting off his jeans, he paused. An engine’s roar echoed faintly on the breeze.
Two shadows leapt to life across the blistering haze of the plain surrounding Haven. Two men on motorbikes, by the look of it. Luc headed for the shotgun he’d propped against the porch and yelled, “Riley! Visitors!”
"Friend or foe?"
"Don't know!" he replied.
Stalking out into the street, he squinted through the hot sunlight. Tension eased from his shoulders when he recognized the lead rider. McClain. A different kind of tension filled him, but he lowered the shotgun, waiting for the pair of them to arrive. At McClain’s side was a lean young man, whom he recognized as Cole, the soldier he’d cut up at Salvation. They eased to a halt, McClain raking the bui
ldings around them with a hard glare.
Silver winked at the kid's throat – the amulet that Luc had taken from Cane and given to him at Absolution when they'd returned with Lily. It had been the least he could do, though judging from the narrowed look Cole shot him, the gesture hadn't granted him forgiveness.
Not that he blamed him.
Cole's hand strayed to his hip, and Luc tensed—
And then a hand slid into his, tugging at it to get his attention. Lily stepped between them, giving Cole her back as she held up her hands to Luc.
It was the first time she'd made some sort of overture toward him. And even though it cut his heart fair out of his chest, he tried to steer her back toward the house, where Riley stood watching, with a shotgun slung over her shoulder."Honey, you shouldn't be out—"
"Up," she said, tugging at his hand again and glancing over her shoulder toward Cole.
The kid looked like a kid again, barely a man, but old enough to look chagrined. "Ain't here for vengeance, Lily."
"Good," she said, and somehow Luc found his arms full of his daughter, with her legs slung over his hip. She was far too big to carry, but he didn't let her go. The last time he'd held her like this, she'd been two.
McClain eased in beside him, riding on the brakes. "Wade. Riley." He tipped his head in a nod. "Got any water a man could borrow?”
"This way," Riley said, stepping forward with a wary smile. She gestured to Cole. "I'll show you where the spring is. Lily, do you want to help?"
"Hey, Adam!" Lily waved, then slipped down his hip and took off after Riley and Cole.
"He won't—"
"He won't hurt them," McClain said, watching them both go. He arched a brow at Luc as the tension eased out of him. "He's a good kid. Not your biggest fan, but then I've explained matters."
Something wriggled in the saddlebags slung over McClain's bike. Light flashed off the solar panels that decorated the metal body of it. Gasoline was getting scarce – and expensive – and most vehicles out here were equipped with both sources of fuel.
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