by Chloe Cole
And it would leave her forever changed.
That, she’d already come to terms with. She would have done it already, except Liam and Billy had refused to allow it. There would be days of pain and fever, and then days more as they waited for a full moon to complete the process, and then weeks on top of that until she gained enough strength to be a help instead of a hindrance.
Once the fighting ended, if they were victorious, Billy would wait until the next full moon. And then? She would become one of them. The Kotke and Big Sky Canyon packs would do everything in their power to stop it, fighting tooth and nail to support their antiquated laws and outdated logic. Now that she knew about weres, they wanted her dead and no other solution would do. Once she was turned, though, she would have as much to lose as they did by exposing them to the general public. Both Billy and Liam felt there was a chance they’d let it be eventually, the way they had with Amalie.
But if she stayed a human in their midst, win or lose, they would never stop coming for her.
Not ever.
Even without that threat looming, she would have done it if it meant a lifetime with Billy.
She pressed her bottom against his groin, relishing the warmth pouring off his body. She was still sketchy on the details of some of the were stuff, but one thing was for sure, it definitely had its perks.
Her skin tingled when she thought of the night before. Her man was tireless and passionate and oh-so generous.
She slipped one hand behind her and realized that, while her lover wasn't awake yet, the bottom half of him sure was. In their short time together, he'd taught her that there was no such thing as too brazen. He'd encouraged her to take what she wanted sexually, to come at it with total abandon. With all the real life dangers around them and the strife of the past month and a half since the kidnapping, she became grimly aware of just how fragile life could be. There was no more leaving even an ounce of happiness on the table. She was going to grab every bit of it and hold on tight, just in case tomorrow never came.
And right now? What would make her happiest was Billy. On her lips. The taste of him on her tongue. The sight of his big, strong body, every muscle flexed and tense, teeth gritted as he worked his cock in and out of her mouth until he exploded.
Something about the uncertainty of the future added a sense of urgency that she didn't bother to try to control. Instead, she crawled beneath the covers, took him in hand, and suckled on the thick, smooth head of his cock. She started off slow, and she heard a sleepy hum overhead. Encouraged, she took him deeper, opening her throat to accommodate him, loving the feel of him pressing against the tender skin at the back of her throat.
His body stiffened and he rocked his hips toward her, groaning her name. A second later, a blast of cool air hit her face as the blankets were torn away and he peered down at her, his jaw tense with need, his eyes filled with naked heat.
"Jesus Christ, is this the way to wake up," he murmured, spearing his hands into her hair. "Look at you." Apparently, that was something he could no longer do himself, because he squeezed his eyes closed like he was in pain. "You must have read my mind. This is exactly what I'd been dreaming about. Seeing you, and those plump, sexy lips around my cock, sucking me off."
His words sent a blast of need through her that landed right between her thighs and she was already planning act two when his hips began to move faster.
"That's it, babe,” he growled. “Deeper. Take it all.”
The grit in his voice fanned the flames higher, and more than anything, she wanted to please him. Wanted to make him feel as wild and out of control as he made her feel. She swirled her tongue around the head of his cock, and brought a hand up to work his shaft.
“I’m going to come,” he groaned, giving her a chance to pull back if she wanted to.
She didn’t. Instead, she doubled her efforts, deep-throating him until she’d almost swallowed him whole. His fingers twitched in her hair as he let out a long, low growl.
“Fuck, yeah.”
The hot stream of come jetted into her mouth and she swallowed hard, taking it all, eager for more as he bucked against her, his stomach muscles standing out in sharp relief as he came.
The breath was still sawing in and out of his lungs when she finally swallowed the last drop and pulled away to drop a kiss on his stomach, before climbing up to straddle him.
"I want you to ride my cock,” he demanded, releasing her hair and reaching between them to press his still rock hard erection against her swollen clit.
“Ah, god, that feels good.” Yet another perk of being a werewolf. Literally, no down time needed. Before she could even congratulate her good fortune, he was pushing inside her, sliding deep, sucking the very breath from her lungs.
“Come, take what you want, love. It's all for you."
She started off slow at first, but after only a few thrusts, her movements grew more fevered as the need built. She rode him faster and faster as the tension built, spreading from her pelvis to her belly. Her nipples tingled, and she didn't quell the urge to touch them. His resulting gasp as she tweaked them, pinching and tugging as she rode him, only made it hotter.
"I'm going to come," she groaned.
"Yeah, that's it," he urged, trapping her hips in his hands and working her over him.
"Oh, god, Billy!"
She came in a rush, chanting his name as shockwaves took over, shimmering through her like a thousand points of light.
He was right behind her, calling out on a groan as his cock spurted inside her in a rush of hot liquid.
They stayed like that until their bodies grew cool and her leg started to cramp, but even then, she didn’t want to get up.
“I’ve got to take a shower and get ready for our watch,” she murmured, leaning forward to nip his chin before rolling off him. The pack had someone manning the cameras and the compound security twenty-four/seven since they were on high alert. Tonight, Billy had the midnight shift and she had convinced him to let her keep him company.
His sexy mouth curved into a wicked smile. “You want me to scrub your back?”
She shimmied off the bed with a laugh. “No way. Last time we used up all the hot water and we missed breakfast.” She bent to gather up her yoga pants, along with her purse and a change of underwear.
Regardless of the fact that she’d had to refuse him on his offer of a round three, the fact that he’d wanted one put a pep in her step as she headed into the bathroom. She closed the door and peered at herself in the mirror with a groan.
What a cliché. Grinning like a fool, cheeks pink and glowing, she looked like the poster child for love. He might not have said to directly yet, but surely…
"You've got to get a grip, girl."
She set down her stuff on the corner of the sink and made to turn on the shower, gasping in surprise at the thud behind her. The clicking sound of plastic on the ceramic sent her whipping around with a groan. Her purse had fallen, sending its contents spilling to the floor all over the bathroom. She dropped to a crouch and started picking up. All in all, it could've been worse. Her favorite eye-shadow had survived, but her peach blush along with the attached mirror had shattered into tiny pieces.
"Seven years bad luck," she murmured under her breath. Even that didn't dampen her mood. She hummed softly under her breath as she cleaned up the last of the mess, tossing what was broken into the tiny trash can in the corner of the room, and the rest back in her purse. She was just about to tug off her shirt and climb into the shower when she saw it.
A tiny, metal disc that had skittered halfway beneath the cabinet. She reached down to pick it up and stared at it for a long moment.
She'd seen something like this before on Scandal. A bug. Someone had planted a listening device in her purse so they could spy on her. How long had it been there? And, more importantly, who had put it there?
Her heart pounding in her chest as she yanked the door open and stepped back into the bedroom, trembling hand extended. “Hav
e something you want to tell me?"
Until that very moment, she'd held out the tiniest hope that it wasn't Billy. That he would look at the bug and shake his head in utter confusion. Then, whatever happened from there they could deal with together. But as she looked at the sick guilt on his face, that last little nugget of hope died.
She fisted her hands at her side to stop them from shaking. "When did you do it?"
"The night you came back to my apartment.” He rose to his feet and took a step toward her, but she backed away as she tried to keep it together. “That’s how we knew you’d been researching werewolves and asking questions.”
“And that’s why you got involved with me. To shut me up.”
“No.”
She had to believe at least that much, or she would drive herself insane.
“I have other people I need to think about. People who count on me. As much as I wanted to trust you, I didn't have the right to make that decision for my pack until I knew you could be trusted. But then, once we spent some time together, I knew.”
He was right to be cautious. Especially when she had almost cost Chandra her life. But he’d told her a dozen times that she needed to forgive herself for that. It hurt something fierce realizing now that maybe she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t forgiven her yet…
“So why is it still there?” she asked, her throat aching with unshed tears.
Billy raked a hand through his hair and began to pace back and forth. “It’s part of the condition for your staying. The night I brought you, Liam spoke with me privately, and told me that we had to leave the bug in place to monitor your calls. It was a precaution to ensure that you weren’t sharing the information you had about us with anyone else, nothing more.”
His face was earnest, his emerald eyes clear, but one fact remained.
“But if you trusted me, you could’ve told me it was there.”
He held her gaze and inclined his head. “I can see how it would seem that way, but when you’re part of a pack, you’ll see yourself. It’s not that simple. You aren’t just one person anymore.”
She nodded slowly, her insides hurting just looking at him. “I’ve seen you all together enough now to believe that.”
And still, her heart felt battered and bruised. She’d quit her job a few days before, without even the courtesy of doing it in person because they’d asked her to stay at the compound. She’d packed up her clothes and her life and moved in, few questions asked. She accepted him immediately when he’d revealed that he was, in fact, something straight out of legend. A creature that many would fear. She knew for a fact that he and his friends were responsible for a man’s death, yet, from the moment she’d moved to the compound, she never once feared that they would hurt her.
Because she trusted them.
She trusted him.
With her life.
Suddenly, the weight of it all threatened to crush her and she was desperate to get out, far from the place she’d felt so safe in just moments before.
“I...need a little time alone.” She bent and began to tug on her yoga pants when his low voice stopped her cold.
"You can't leave the compound, Amber. I know you want to, and I understand that. But it’s not safe.”
She strode toward the door, spurred on by the threat of tears she refused to let him see. Because that mirror she’d broken wasn't the only thing shattered.
CHAPTER TEN
Billy stood, staring at the door, frozen with indecision as his world crumbled around him. In her mental and emotional state, she could very well head straight for the door. It was one thing to tell a person they were in mortal danger. It was another for them to truly understand it. If she left their borders, she would be murdered in cold blood before she made it a mile. Thing was? Even if he stayed put, one of his packmates would stop her before she even got down the walkway.
And then you won’t have to be the one forcing her to stay against her will. She wasn't going to like that one bit and, added to the crimes he'd already committed against her, would likely never forgive him.
He weighed his options and realized that it was a no brainer. As her mate, it was his job to care for her, even when she didn’t want him to. He would deal with the fallout when it came.
Filled with a grim sense of determination, he yanked on a shirt and gym pants and then stalked down the stairs after her, catching up with her at the front door and scooping her up into a fireman's hold.
"Put me down,” she demanded, her voice breaking as she wriggled and squirmed. “Put me down, god damn it.”
He tried to block out her words and focus only on the job at hand. Getting her somewhere safe until she was calm enough to realize she had to stay.
He was managing okay until her yells turned to sobs.
"I just need some air, damn it. I won’t leave the grounds. P-please, Billy."
His heart gave a squeeze, and he wanted nothing more than to set her onto her feet, pull her into his arms and beg her to forgive him, but he knew she was in no shape to hear him. Until he was sure she was calm and rational enough not to do something foolhardy, he had to assume the worst.
They’d built in the east wing when Sara was pregnant with Ryan to ensure her protection should they come under attack, and he was halfway there when he heard it. The first of the trip wires had been activated sending a low but insistent droning sound through the house. Adrenalin coursed through his body as he bit out a string of curses.
"They're here," Jax's whispered voice called up the stairs from a few yards behind him.
Amber stopped struggling and squeezed his arm.
“Put me down.” She sounded far calmer than she had, and he held his breath as he set her on her feet.
“This is not a drill, Amber,” he said solemnly, fear for her safety making his stomach roil. She swiped at her tear-streaked face and nodded.
“Got it. What do you need me to do?”
His relief was so great, his head spun with it for a second. She was hurt, but she was nobody’s fool. They would deal with the enemy at hand, and work through their issues later.
He took her elbow and led her into the great room where his packmates had all converged with the exception of the two pack elders and the children, who had left town at Liam’s insistence until the fighting had ended.
"Who's at the cameras? Do we know how many?" Billy asked.
"Maggie. She says fifteen,” Liam said.
"Maggie?" Billy turned to pin him with a questioning look.
"Yeah. She came back this morning. She's in."
It was the last piece of the puzzle. He didn't even realize it was missing until it clicked into place with an almost audible snap. It was right now. The way it should be. They were all together now and the feeling filled him with renewed determination.
They would fight their enemies as a family. And they would win. He'd never felt more sure of anything in his life, except his feelings for Amber.
"You guys feeling strong?" Chandra asked, a stoic expression on her face.
"Always,” Jax said. “We're not going to have to tie you up, are we?" He tried to keep his tone light, but there was no question he meant it.
"I would never risk our baby like that. You have my word. Protecting our son is my top priority.” A fierce light filled her eyes as she covered her non-existent belly with both hands. "Now you guys go make sure I don't have to raise him alone, all right? Amber and I can take care of each other."
“If the interior of the house gets breached, you head straight for the panic room, understood?” Jax tugged her into his arms and kissed her firmly on the mouth before letting her go and turned to face the rest of the pack. "Let's get these motherfuckers."
Billy turned to Amber and found her staring up at him. “Please be careful,” she murmured, pressing a hand to his chest and then clutching a handful of his T-shirt. “And promise me you’ll come back. I didn’t even have a chance to yell at you properly yet.”
“I�
��ll be back before you know it,” he promised. He dropped a kiss to her forehead before Chandra came and led her away, murmuring soft instructions as they made their way toward the table where a host of weapons were laid. Chandra was a deadly weapon as it was, but Amber needed a little help in the event that all their security measures failed. In the past few days, she’d learned to become a proficient shot, and they had enough tranquilizer darts to fell a wooly mammoth.
He dragged his gaze from her and focused on Liam, who was giving direction.
"Billy, you and Amalie take the back of the house, Jax, you come with me to the front. The rest of the pack is going to patrol the surrounding woods.”
He wasn't sure which of the packs would have the balls to attack them on their own grounds, but the second Liam opened the door, the scent was unmistakable.
Kotke.
Which explained why Liam had sent him to the back of the house with Amalie. She'd had her own run in with this pack when she was still human and one of their members, Mikhail, had nearly killed her. No doubt, Liam hoped for a chance at revenge and thought that keeping Amalie in the back of the house with Billy at her side would offer her some measure of protection. Given what his alpha was risking to help Amber, Billy vowed to make certain he didn't let him down.
"Ready?" At their collective affirmatives, Liam whispered, "Go, go, go."
They moved as if they were one, leaping off the porch in tandem. He and Amalie stayed in human form to start, as was the plan. They needed to access the most strategic parts of their minds until the fighting started. Because once it did, their wolves would take over, and it would be pure instinct until the last of the blood was spilt.
The smell grew suddenly thicker, and they both stiffened, on high alert.
His keen eyes picked them out a second later. Two men, walking toward them. He recognized one of them instantly.
Mikhail.
He let out a cold bark of laughter, his Rasputin-like, maniacal eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Perfect. It's about time I got a second chance at you, bitch."
