York

by Susan A Bliler

  “No,” he kept his heated gaze locked on hers. “If you touch me, my heart, I’ll fucking cave. I want this to be about you.” He brushed his lips against hers. “Only you.” Sliding down her body, he jerked her pants and panties free and spread her legs wide. He didn’t hesitate to bury his face between her legs.

  A pounding at the door had him growling as Sky jerked up and pulled the blanket across her chest. It had to be Remy and his team.

  Reluctantly, York gave Sky’s pussy one last sensual lick before the pounding at the door had him jerking off the bed. “Get dressed,” he commanded as he exited the room, fully aware that he still hadn’t fully claimed his Angel!

  Chapter 21

  Arriving in Montana hadn’t been as Sky had expected, or York for that matter. There was a foot of snow on the ground, which was odd for two reasons. First, it was April and second, she’d just come from ninety-degree temperatures. They’d landed and been driven to a place called Apex, which apparently upset York. He’d thought they were going to StoneCrow, and she remembered it was the place he’d said Shy was located.

  Shivering, she crossed to the fire burning in the hearth of the bedroom as she strained to listen to the conversation York was having in the other room. A man named Tyce was highly upset that York had set a meeting between the Keepers and Monroe StoneCrow. York explained himself, and even though Tyce didn’t seem pleased, there wasn’t a lot he could do about it at this point. StoneCrow’s people were on the grounds, and the meeting was going forward.

  She was still upset with him for not telling her that she was a job. The way he’d initially explained it made it sound like he’d come to protect her because she was the sister of his brother’s wife. The fact that he’d only come for her because he’d been paid to do so hurt.

  The sudden silence in the other room had her blinking at the fire as she drew out of her thoughts.

  The door clicked open and York entered. He looked weary, and she felt it too. It’d been a long twenty-four hours.

  He carried a tray upon which a large bowl of soup, a mug of something steamy, and a plate of chocolate-chip cookies resided. “Are you getting settled?” He placed the tray on a nearby table and eyed her warily as if he was nervous.

  She shrugged one slim shoulder. “Settled as I can be in a new place.”

  “This is my suite. It’s where I live off assignment.” He winced at the word, remembering their heated debate. “This is my home, Sky, and you are safe here. Please, make yourself comfortable. What I have is yours.”

  She turned to eye the soup. She was starving. “Aren’t you eating?”

  “No.” He sounded disappointed and eyed her tray longingly. He was growing weaker with each day he failed to fully claim his angel, but he wouldn’t tell her. “I’ve got more work to do before I can rest.” He watched as she crossed to the food, staring down at it before lifting her arms and wrapping them around her body. She looked so small, so fragile. He wanted to promise her that her interaction with the Megalya and Keepers was over. She was safe now. “You are safe here, Sky. I’ve got you.”

  Her words were so low that even with his enhanced hearing he almost missed them. “You don’t have me.”

  “This isn’t like the movies where the hero vows to protect the female and fails. I won’t fail. I don’t know how to fail where you’re concerned. You are mine, and you will be safe even if I have to forfeit my life to ensure it.”

  “How can you say that?” She turned on him suddenly. “You can’t possibly mean those things.” She closed the distance between them and poked him in the chest. “You just friggin’ met me!” She made to turn, but was jerked back when York gripped her arm and spun her to him.

  “I’VE KNOWN YOU MY WHOLE LIFE!” he boomed.

  Sky froze, not in fear, but from the emotion that glittered in York’s green eyes. She didn’t move, wanting him to explain his vehement declaration and why her words affected him so…why she affected him. She didn’t blink as she stared at her Celtic warrior, waiting for him to explain as his gaze bore into hers as if attempting to brand his thoughts into her. Finally, she whispered, “York?”

  He released his hold on her and dropped his arms to his side. “I’ve been waiting for you forever, Sky.”

  The words, coupled with his look of defeat, had her heart contracting painfully. Unable to stop herself, she reached for him, smoothing a hand down his cheek to cup his jaw. “I…I’m sorry.” She didn’t know what she was apologizing for, but it was clear she’d hurt him and it wasn’t her intention. She didn’t like seeing him like this. He looked…lost, and it was painful to watch on someone who exuded such strength.

  York lifted a hand to cover hers as she continued to stroke a thumb over his cheek.

  “It’s not your fault. The blame is mine.” He lowered his eyes to her throat. “Apparently, I’m so desperate for love that I only know how to force it. I just… I just wanted to know what it felt like.”

  Sky’s lips parted and she shook her head. “What?”

  Jade eyes found hers, and she swallowed hard at the despair she read in their depths. “I wanted to know how it felt to have someone love me.”

  “York, don’t,” she whispered, unable to bear any more of his anguish. “You must have known love. Surely, your parents, your siblings, your friends….”

  “I have none of those,” his gaze hardened. “I have Walkers who I call my brethren, but my camaraderie with them is based on a mutual need for survival.”

  Sky licked her lips and spoke quietly in a placating tone. “E-everyone has parents.”

  “I do not,” his harsh gaze flicked to hers. “Much like you, they didn’t want me either.”

  Sky jerked a hand to her chest as she simultaneously gasped and recoiled. His accusation hurt, but not as much as the ache centered in her chest from his false assumption. “Y-you think I don’t want you?” She swallowed around the pain at his revelation that his parents had given him up. She couldn’t fix that, but she could fix what he thought of her. Dropping her hand, she swallowed hard and scowled, letting anger at his words and the guilt she felt over them surge forth. “I want you, you big friggin’ idiot!” She punched his chest, and the constriction on her heart eased some when a grin tweaked his lips. “Of course I want you! Look at you. You’re stunning, and strong, and you take better care of me than I do myself!”

  “But?” He looked away in resignation, as if her caveat was a foregone conclusion.

  Bastard! “But I want some say!” She planted her hands on her hips. “We aren’t Beauty and the Beast. You don’t just tell me what to do, and I go do it!” Then she was pointing a finger into her own chest. “I’m a fiercely independent woman, York! I…” her voice broke and when he reached for her, she slapped his hand away, wrapping her arms across her stomach, and turning her back on him. “I want to believe the things you said, but I’ve learned the hard way not to get my hopes up.” She shook her head. “I know what it’s like to be unwanted.” She lifted her head slightly to peer over her shoulder at him. “Do you know what it’s like to live in someone’s shadow? I was always the bad twin. The one that couldn’t live up to her sister’s accomplishments. At first, I thought Shy was just really smart and talented. After a while, I realized that she wasn’t that much better than me, I was just that much less than her. It fucks with your head.” She chuffed a laugh through the tears that streaked down her cheeks. “I was engaged once.” She looked up in time to catch the jealousy that streaked across his features. “We’d dated for months. I didn’t tell him I had a twin until he proposed, and only once we were headed to dinner to tell the family.” Her face hardened as she gazed into the distance, “The moment he laid eyes on her, I knew I’d lost him. Sky is a great sister, and she’d never betray me like that, but it didn’t keep him from dumping me to chase after her. He was trying to trade-up. It fucking hurt!”

  She turned to frown up at him as she used the palms of her hands to brush her tears away. Drawing in a stead
ying breath, she squared her shoulders. “I’m just not ready for this…for you. I’m…”

  There was a loud pounding at the door before it was pushed slowly open. A man she now knew as Remy entered. “Sorry. We’re taking the Keepers to StoneCrow. Monroe’s demanded your presence.”

  York looked at Sky, and she motioned with her head toward the door. “Go. We’ll finish this later.”

  He spoke to Remy, but kept his eyes on her. “Can you get James to keep an eye on her?”

  “Already done,” Remy promised.

  York crossed to her and grabbed her hand, pulling it up to place a gentle kiss on her palm before lowering his voice. “I’m not giving you up, so you’d better come up with a plan B.”

  She smirked, but her eyes remained sad.

  “York?” Remy demanded impatiently.

  He held Sky’s gaze a moment longer before kissing her palm again. “I’ll be back soon.” Then more loudly, “Coming.”

  Chapter 22

  Standing at attention just behind Skin Walker Dominant, Monroe StoneCrow, the rigid set of York’s large frame had little to do with his lack of nutrition, sleep, or a completed mating. No, the strain was the result of the ruling Keeper sitting across the desk from StoneCrow. The tension in the room was stifling. York should have guessed things wouldn’t go well.

  The meeting had been going so-so, up until the point Eden StoneCrow had entered the room. The human female was the Walker Domina. Monroe’s Angel.

  She’d entered the room silently and was heading for her mate when the ruling Keeper sprang to his feet. The sheer, voracious desire in his eyes had Monroe snarling and every Walker Sentry rushing forward to protect their Domina. What in the hell was it with these Keepers and females? Thank the Gods, Fatal had left his men back in his suite, and had agreed to meet with the Dominant alone.

  Monroe reached his Angel first. Without a single word, or ever having once looked back at their guest, Monroe’s hand collared Eden’s throat while his other arm snaked around her waist, pulling her into his hard body in a fiercely possessive display. A slight smile hovered at Eden’s lips. She knew what her mate was doing, he was showing the ruling Keeper that she was taken…owned. To the shock of her feminine pride, the display was simultaneously flattering and arousing.

  Her lips tipped up at the corners, “Yes, my Dominant?”

  Monroe’s steely blue eyes were commanding. “Return to our family and remain with them until our guests are gone.”

  Eden lifted her hands and buried them in his hair; she tiptoed and met him as his lips descended on hers. The kiss was powerfully passionate, a display for the Keeper. Monroe needed to brand her with his kiss, to show the ruling Keeper that she belonged to him and that even the slightest interest in her would not be tolerated.

  Monroe finally broke the kiss. Eden’s harsh breathing matched his own, and he found that he was hesitant to let her go. Heat filled her eyes and seared into him. He wanted her, but it’d have to wait. First, he needed her away from Fatal. Her proximity to the ruling Keeper was wreaking havoc on Monroe’s inner beasts who stirred restlessly with the conflicting need to get her far away from the fascinated Keeper and the urge to keep her close so that he could ensure her safety.

  As if sensing his Dominant’s reluctance, King stepped forward. “I’ll escort your Angel to your children, Dominant.” The title was rarely used by the Chief of Security, and Monroe knew King had used it to drive home to the Keeper that Monroe was in command and would be obeyed.

  Monroe nodded without taking his eyes off his Eden. He handed her to King, silently telling his second-in-command to take care of his Domina.

  Fatal nonchalantly reclaimed his seat and spoke as Monroe continued to eye the closed door. “Your Walkers respect you. How did you come about it?”

  “My position is granted,” Monroe growled, dragging his eyes from the door to frown at Fatal. “They understand I am the Dominant, and do not challenge my authority.”

  Fatal smiled. “It is not that way among us. We fight each other for dominance. I am the ruling Keeper because I am the strongest and most fierce.”

  Monroe crossed back to his desk and took a seat. He frowned, steepling his fingers to poke the tips of his two middle fingers into his bottom lip. “If you wish civility, you must be civil.”

  Fatal shrugged and eyed the room with disinterest. “That sounds very boring.”

  “You have more pressing issues than having your Keepers and their Soul Sentries entertained, Fatal. You can’t continue to hide. Living in the shadows isn’t necessary. You need to create a community where you can exist in peace with each other. Without it, you’ll never ensure the continuation of your species.”

  That caught Fatal’s attention. His eyes slid back to Monroe’s. “It is difficult for my kind to keep mates. Our women are often reclaimed in battles for dominance. Unlike your kind, we have no females of our own. We are forced to take human females. They are very weak, and do not like to be reclaimed. They often object to being used to breed as well.” He stood and crossed to the window that looked out over StoneCrow Estates. “Perhaps you are right. Perhaps if I too had a compound where we could form a hierarchy and,” his eyes shifted to the stone wall that surrounded the Estate, “keep our females locked in…”

  “We do not force our Angels, Fatal.” Monroe tried to control his temper, and had to shake his head to stall Legion’s advancement on the ruling Keeper. “The gate is there to keep others out, not to keep our Angels in. They have as much say here as any Walker. They are respected…cherished.”

  Fatal spun and eyed Monroe evenly. “Interesting.”

  “Out of curiosity,” Monroe had to know, “how would a Keeper take a mate?”

  “Just as you said,” Fatal shrugged nonchalantly. “We take them. Our seed is pounded into them, and they are marked.”

  “Fuck!” Legion hissed at Monroe’s side, his hands balling into white-knuckled fists.

  Monroe felt the room tilt with the white-hot anger that seared through him. He kept his eyes pinned on Fatal, his eyes transitioning to a matte black as he contacted King through the mist. “Do NOT leave my family! Contact all Sentries and get this place secure. All females need to be rounded up and taken to the cells. Lock them in. I want every Walker on this fucking Estate guarding the cells! You wait for back-up before moving my family. Do it now!”

  Monroe blinked once, and his eyes returned to normal. “Take?” he asked with a forced calm. “You mean force?”

  Fatal’s cheek twitched, but not in amusement. His eyes remained impassive. “Rape. I know the term.” He paced back to his seat and slowly reclaimed it. “Keepers are a highly valued species. We do not need to rape. It is a woman’s honor to have a Keeper as her own. They all eventually choose to stay.”

  “Eventually?”

  “As you said,” Fatal waved his hand around the room, “we haven’t been afforded the privilege of a community. We’ve had to take what we’ve wanted and needed.” He rolled his shoulders and relaxed back in his seat, “I must admit that I look forward to the change.”

  Monroe leaned forward, bracing his forearms on his desk. His eyes held the cold hard edge of determination. “Know now that the taking of any female in my domain will be considered a direct attack on me. I suggest you make that practice your first change and inform your Keepers immediately. Once a Walker female is claimed by one, she is never touched by another male again. She isn’t shared. She can’t be won by another in battle.”

  Fatal eyed the door. “So you do not share your female’s body with the one you call King?”

  “No!” The word left Monroe on a snarl. “She is mine! I would kill any man who attempted to touch her.”

  Fatal didn’t blink. “I’ll inform my Keepers.” He slowly stood and stopped halfway out of his seat. “How far does your domain reach?”

  “From the Rocky Mountain Front to the eastern border of Montana. To the North West, another Walker holds domain. He shares the area with
the Blackbird wolf pack.”

  “To the south?” Fatal queried.

  Monroe shrugged, “The wolves claim it as well, but don’t have the manpower to patrol the entire state.”

  “What of your men?”

  Monroe’s stare hardened. “My men can be anywhere in the state with a speed that is unrivaled.” He knew where Fatal was going, and as much as he hated to do it, he knew he’d need to have the Keepers remain close to monitor their activities. “I’ll find you several locations in southern Montana. You can choose which site you prefer.”

  Fatal smiled and stood. “Then I’ll leave you to it.”

  Monroe gnashed his back teeth with the offer he had to make. “You and your men are welcome to remain here until I can find you a suitable compound.”

  Legion’s gaze sliced to Monroe.

  Fatal’s smile turned sinister. “I think we’ll explore the area. I too am dominant, which means I know you. I know that you’ll have me followed from the moment I leave until the moment you decide I’m not a threat. I am not. I promised your York that I’d protect his female. I did. I vowed to meet with you in peace. I have.”

  Monroe tipped his head. “You stand a man of your word,” the corner of Monroe’s mouth tweaked but didn’t lift into a full smile. “Rare to meet my equal.”

  Fatal watched the Dominant for long moments before he dipped his head in response. “Rare indeed.”

  Monroe’s icy gaze remained on Fatal as he spoke to Legion. “Escort Mr. Ruler and his Keepers from the Estate. Good day to you, Fatal. I’ll be in touch.”

  Fatal nodded and turned to precede Legion out the door.

  Chapter 23

  York stood in the kitchen at Apex. The room looked like a culinary bomb had exploded. He’d spent the night at StoneCrow and wasn’t able to get back to Apex until the following night. Recon on the Keepers showed they had spread out and were scouring the area. Uncertain what it was they were seeking; Monroe assigned several teams to ghost the Keepers. Luckily, York had been dismissed from duty. Now, standing in the kitchen, he almost believed he’d rather hunt a Keeper than ever have to follow a recipe again.