Her fingers tangled in his hair as she tried to urge him into bringing her over, but he could read her body too well. He knew when to back off, when to tease, and it wasn’t until several minutes later, when she was nearly in tears and begging him for release that he sat up, flipped her over onto her hands and knees, and fed his cock into her.
She threw her head back and moaned as he slowly started thrusting. “That’s it, baby,” he said, his voice thick with need. “I know what you want. And you know who you belong to, don’t you?”
Dewi whimpered something that sounded like an affirmation. He loved it that he could drive her so deeply into passion that all her defenses fell for him and him alone.
“Who do you belong to?” he asked as he held on to her hips, slowing his pace.
“You,” she whispered. “I belong to you.”
He folded his body over hers, one hand slipping around her to find her clit and begin playing with it as he nuzzled the back of her right shoulder.
“That’s right,” he said. “You do.” He bit down, hard, the way he knew she wanted, her back rounding against him as she let out a cry. Her body squeezed his cock as her orgasm washed through her, triggering his own release.
Moments later, he rolled onto his side, his arms around her and keeping her with him, as he continued to lick and suck at the bite on her shoulder.
She shivered in his arms, pressing her bottom against him, trying not to lose contact with him.
“Better, baby?”
She tipped her head back and kissed him, hard, deeply, her hand reaching back to tangle in his hair again as she flicked her tongue against his.
“Yes,” she whispered. “You always make it better. You made everything better. You’re my hero.”
He knew she meant well, but he didn’t agree with her. “I’m just a geek.”
“No, you’re not.” She palmed his cheek. “You gave me a life. A good life. You gave me love. You saved me. You saved Nami. And you found Da.” Her gaze searched his face. “Tell me,” she whispered, “how that’s not being a hero.”
“I don’t feel very heroic.”
“You are.” She rolled in his arms to face him, pressing her face against his chest, one leg draped over his. “Not many women get to say they married their hero. I’m the luckiest woman on the face of the planet.”
* * * *
I’m the luckiest woman on the face of the planet.
Other than the craziness of how she and Joaquin met, and her sister nearly dying at the hands of drug cartel guys, Malyah had no complaints about her new mate and husband. As midnight approached and they lay twined together in their bed, exhausted from their lovemaking, she nuzzled her face against his chest.
“I hope your parents liked me.”
“They did, sweetheart.” They’d flown in the night before, and Joaquin and Malyah—along with Trent and a well-armed Badger—went to pick them up at the Spokane airport. They’d had dinner together, all of them, filling them in on recent events.
Once Malyah and Joaquin had their own house and were settled, his parents would fly to Florida to visit for a week and spend time getting to know her.
“I have a lot to learn, don’t I?” she quietly asked.
“Not really. I mean, yes, if you want to learn about wolf stuff in particular, sure. But none of that matters to me. I love you, and you’re my life.”
Her old life felt centuries and light years away, not just a week ago.
He nuzzled his face into her hair. “In fact, there are things I would probably prefer you not know about.”
She looked up into his eyes. “Like what?”
“Like the details about what I do for a living.”
“I kinda already know those deets,” she muttered. They’d offered to try again, to have Peyton or Badger or even Duncan remove her memories, but she’d decided after everything that had happened not to let them do that.
She’d rather have them, so any time she felt the slightest bit melancholy about their biological father, she could tap into the hatred she had for the man.
It would also be a valuable tool for her when she started learning the self-defense stuff they said they’d teach her when they returned to Florida.
She also realized she loved Duncan. Much like Badger, he’d quickly become a kind of adopted dad for her, and for Da’von, too. Peyton and Trent, Gillian and Asia—Malyah got it now. She loved them as family, her initial fears about not being accepted by them now little more than wisps of smoke in the wind.
Although she still worried about Joaquin’s parents. But that was different. Hopefully, once they got to visit and she spent more time with them she would soon lose those fears as well.
“I don’t want you worried about what I do.”
“I’m always going to be worried. But look at Ken and Nami. They were going shopping, for crying out loud. I want to learn to defend myself. I want a concealed carry permit. I don’t want to feel helpless. I did enough of that as a kid, although I was damned lucky never to get myself into a situation I couldn’t get out of.”
“I don’t want you living in fear.”
“I won’t. Not if I can protect myself.”
He sighed. “I wish I could have made this into a fairy tale for you.”
She grinned. “You did. The big, bad wolf turned into my Prince Charming. How is that not a fairy tale?”
“I meant it about kids. That’s totally your decision, if or when you want them.”
She kissed him. “I do want kids. Not right now. Gillian and Asia told me I’ve got at least forty or fifty years now to worry about that, if I want. So I want to get my degree and enjoy our time together first.”
He stroked her cheek. “Your wish is my command, my dear princess.”
She pulled his head down for a kiss. “And they lived happily ever after.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Despite missing Florida, Ken didn’t realize how emotional he’d feel trying to peel himself away from Idaho.
He had a family now. Bittersweet that it wasn’t his birth family, his own mother and father, and the siblings he never had simply because his father died so young, but he’d be grateful for them nonetheless.
Peyton and Trent and their families, as well as the rest of the pack, had welcomed him as one of their own and treated him with far more respect and love than his step-father and step-brother had ever even conceived of showing for anyone else.
The nieces and nephews, cousins—Dewi’s aunts.
And, especially, Duncan.
Duncan looked like a new man with a shave, fresh haircut, and new clothes that actually fit him properly. Jeans and a casual shirt, he looked like a fit man close to retirement age, not a wolf over four hundred years old. More a father figure than a grandfather.
Duncan stared across Peyton’s yard toward the woods as they finished loading the SUVs for the return trip to Spokane.
Ken walked over to him. “Second thoughts about leaving Idaho?”
He rested a hand on Ken’s shoulder. “Always, son. Always.”
If Ken hadn’t heard the man’s first words since his self-imposed exile, he never would have believed this man’s smooth, strong voice had belonged to the same person.
Duncan smiled down at Ken. “But I’m not going to abandon them again. I promise. I want to see at least some of my great-grandpups born since I’ve missed so much. Be there for their firsts. Be there to help them, to guide them. I’ve missed too damn much of their lives already.”
Duncan’s smile faded. “Badger told me how much of a change you’ve brought about in Dewi. I feel ashamed of myself, that I wasn’t here for her during her life. Maybe if I had been, Chelsea and Charles…”
He stared back toward the trees without moving his hand from Ken’s shoulder.
“Stop looking at the past,” Ken said. “You can’t get it back. What matters is you’re here, now, for her. For all of us. And we want you here with us.”
“I won’t
be cramping your style?” The wry smile returned, but he didn’t look at Ken. “Newlyweds. Newly mated. Won’t be long until pups, I’m sure.”
“All the more reason I need you in Florida,” Ken said, lowering his voice. “If or when she gets pregnant, I don’t want her out there fighting bad guys, and that’s exactly where she’ll want to be. I need more than Badger and Beck and Martin and Joaquin there to help me reel her in. I won’t refuse another Prime’s help.”
Duncan gently squeezed Ken’s shoulder before releasing him. “She’s a wild spirit, son. But she loves you fiercely. She might not like it, but if you ask her to go easy, she’ll bend to your will. If you sweet-talk her.”
“There’s still one more guy out there from the cartel,” Ken said. “The head guy. We don’t know if he’ll try again. Trent said their contacts lost track of him and can’t locate him. That they tracked Joaquin to Idaho so quickly shows how well-connected the guy is, and that worries me. Gillian is changing paperwork now and creating new shell companies to move stuff around, but who’s to say he won’t find Dewi’s Florida house and show up there?”
“I know. That’s another reason I know I have to go to Florida.” Duncan’s expression turned hard and cold. “I’ll be damned if I’ll let someone get another crack at ours without paying them back in blood for it.”
* * * *
They made it through airport security at Spokane without any trouble. Gillian’s work obtaining Joaquin and Duncan new identities had apparently not been in vain. Officials didn’t give the wolves as much as a second glance.
Ken could tell Dewi wanted to ask him something but apparently wasn’t sure how to broach it.
As he sat there staring out the terminal windows while waiting for their plane to arrive, Ken said, “Whatever it is, honey, just say it.”
Dewi dropped her voice. “Do you want me to…” Her voice trailed off.
He turned and slowly arched an eyebrow at her. Keeping his voice low, he said, “I deliberately drove a car off the road. Down a mountain. On purpose. Risking death.”
“Uh huh.”
“I took Nami and went on the run through the wilderness, hiding from gun-wielding Mexican drug cartel asshats while armed with nothing but a cell phone and a tire iron.”
She frowned. “Yeah?”
“I somehow kept us alive until Duncan found us. Then, when Duncan sprung the trap, I interrogated and executed the fuckers without hesitation or a hint of remorse.”
She nodded, but didn’t speak.
“I met your family,” he said, smiling. “All of them. And survived.” He grinned.
“But I know you don’t like flying.”
He took her hand. “Sweetheart, flying is a goddamned cakewalk compared to what I’ve been through the past three weeks. It’ll be like a mini-vacation. One I can sort of actually, you know, sleep through and get served drinks upon request.”
Eventually, Dewi returned his smile. “Broadening your horizons?”
“Yeah. You could say that.”
Malyah sat across from them, her hand clutching Joaquin’s as if afraid to let him go for fear he’d disappear. Nami, sitting next to Beck on Ken’s other side, noticed.
“You need to chill out, sugar,” Nami drawled. “That boy’s gonna need both hands.”
Malyah looked down and immediately loosened her grip. “Sorry,” she quietly said.
Joaquin smiled as he wiggled his fingers. “It’s all right, sweetheart.”
Ken leaned close to Dewi, and silently, through their mate bond, said, “Maybe she’s the one you should be helping out.”
She sighed aloud in response.
* * * *
Ken felt more than relief when they turned off their road and their gate slowly swung open.
He felt like he was home. And that was a massive comfort to him after all he’d been through. More than he’d thought it would be.
Duncan had done remarkably well during the journey to Florida from Spokane, despite the drastic technological changes during his absence.
Cell phones fascinated him most of all, that such a little device was far more powerful than any science fiction he could have imagined back them. And he wondered over the fact that, in Florida, it was rare you couldn’t reach someone with your cell phone.
Duncan had never been to Florida, so this would be yet another first for him. Dewi was already planning a trip for the three of them down to Manasota Key, to her favorite beach, to show Duncan around. And Disney, and a ton of other tourist traps that Duncan had never heard of before but which Dewi was now eager to visit.
With her grandfather.
When Beck pulled up in front of Dewi’s house and shut the ignition off, everyone took a moment before getting out.
“Home,” Dewi said. “Man, did I miss it.” Badger wasn’t there to welcome them because he was out with Martin handling a minor shifter family squabble over in St. Pete.
As they unloaded the van, Duncan insisted on carrying his own luggage despite Beck and Joaquin both wanting to help.
“This is where you live, Dewi?” Duncan asked.
“Yep. Gillian went overboard.” She shrugged. “It’s okay. Big house, lots of guests and family can live with me. I don’t need guest houses like Peyton has. Wait’ll you see the pool. And the gun range.”
“Oh, I forgot about that,” Beck said. He’d hit the garage door opener and Ken spotted the bike Joaquin had stolen sitting there.
“Yeeaah,” Joaquin. “Guess we’ll need to take that back.”
“We can deal with it this week,” Dewi said, sounding exhausted. “I’m not worrying about it tonight.” Badger and Martin had been busy, without any time to handle it.
Beck insisted Nami use the wheelchair despite her ankle feeling a lot better. They’d left Beck’s truck parked at Dewi’s before they flew out to Idaho. As he got everything transferred over to his truck, Nami hugged everyone good night.
Nami poked Joaquin in the shoulder. “Let me know when we’re gonna start lookin’ at houses.”
“Sis,” Malyah protested. “Come on, lay off him.”
Nami finally smiled. “Come down here and give me a hug.”
Joaquin looked wary, but he leaned in and she hugged him. “This don’t mean you’re off the hook, you hear?”
“Yes, sis,” Joaquin teased.
Ken spotted Nami’s pleased smile. He was glad to see Beck’s hint to Joaquin to suck up to her as a big sister was already paying off.
It wouldn’t be very long before they could all relax and be sure that Nami wouldn’t try to castrate Joaquin when others weren’t looking.
After a fantastic night’s sleep, Ken awoke to find himself alone in bed. Pulling on a robe, he found Dewi, Duncan, and Badger talking downstairs in the kitchen.
“Hey. Morning.”
Dewi hurried over to give him a good-morning kiss and get him a cup of coffee. “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you.”
“That’s okay.” He saw they had something on the counter. “What’s that?”
It turned out to be a large pocket knife.
“Badger kept some things of mine,” Duncan said. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it, mister,” Badger said. “Charles and Chelsea, they were distraught, but they knew we were friends.”
Dewi slipped an arm around Ken’s waist. “That reminds me. I need to go shopping for you and get you a good knife to carry.”
Duncan smiled, picked up the knife, took Ken’s hand, and placed it in his palm, closing his fingers around it. “Done.”
“But…this is yours. You just got it back.”
“I never had a son. I was close to Charles, but…” He seemed to get lost in the past for a moment. “Badger kept it safe for me all these years. I want you to have it.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything, son.” He smiled. “Keep your promise that you’re going to learn how to protect yourself, and your pack. T
hat’s all.”
“I will.”
Dewi positively beamed.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
They’d been back from Idaho for two weeks when Badger walked into the office and plopped down into one of the chairs in front of the desk without first asking Dewi if she was busy.
She sat up from where she’d been working on her laptop. Beck, Duncan, Martin, and Joaquin had taken Ken, Nami, and Malyah out to the shooting range and were working with them. Dewi took comfort in the fact that Ken was eager to not just learn, but master whatever defensive skills he could. He totally got why she’d wanted him to learn them.
Although the circumstances around him gaining that eagerness sucked hairy donkey balls.
It could have been worse. Much worse.
“What?” she asked when Badger didn’t volunteer the reason for his presence. But the air of smug amusement floating around him couldn’t be missed by anyone, much less another Prime Alpha wolf.
“I been doin’ a little research,” he said.
“What kind of research?”
“Genealogical.”
“Okay. Why? The pack already did that. We know my history.”
“Not yers. Malyah and Nami’s family.”
Now Dewi leaned back in her chair and studied him. “We going to do this the easy way where you just get right to the point, or are you going to force me into some bullshit game of twenty questions for your own sadistic glee?”
“Rotten-brat spoil-sport is what ye are. Malyah and Nami’s mother, Beatrice, had a several times over great-grandfather on her father’s side, who was born in Scotland. Man by the name of Cornith McTavish.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “Ring a bell?”
Her eyes widened. “No. Fucking. Way.”
Cornith McTavish was a Prime Alpha wolf who’d helped fight against the British in several successful battles. Unfortunately, it hadn’t changed the eventual outcome, and that had led several of the packs to emigrate from Scotland and Ireland to Europe and the New World to avoid detection and retribution by the British.
A Bleacke Wind (Bleacke Shifters Book 3) Page 34
