“That’s because I am a killer. I was the male who”—he turns his head and focuses on me with black flames burning in his eyes—“made problems go away.”
“You’re the Ammon spirit.” I speak the words in my head without giving much thought as to why it seems right to converse this way.
He nods. “And soon I’ll be free.”
“And Megan will die.”
He glances at the small child covered to her upper chest with a thin white sheet. “She should already be dead.”
“Why isn’t she?”
With his arms crossed, the Ammon warrior drops his head to the wall. “Megan doesn’t like to be alone.”
“Heal her.”
“I can’t. She’s too weak. I’m too weak.” He turns his head, his temple resting against the wall. “Fucking sheer will is the only thing keeping us both here.”
“You love her.”
He rolls his head so he’s facing the hospital bed. “I fathered many children, some I knew, most I didn’t. Never did I watch one grow up. With Megan, I’ve been forced to share her journey, from our most vulnerable moments to the ones that made me swell with pride. The girl’s a warrior in pigtails.” He chuckles as if amused by his imagery. “I’ll miss her.”
“Where will you go?”
He shrugs, then steps forward as Kade moves away from the bed. The Ammon warrior kneels where Kade had and lays his hand over Megan’s shoulder.
Kade snatches my hand and, without looking at me, leads me out, ushering me down another hallway in the labyrinth of an underground facility that’s bigger than the building above. We enter an office. The moment the door closes behind us, Kade’s mouth is on mine. He kisses me, eating at my mouth without restraint.
My scarf is tossed aside, and my shirt is tugged free. Cooler air teases my skin, then heat sears me as Kade slips his hand under the top, skimming his fingers over the old scars covering my stomach to my breasts. The bra lifting and shaping them into plump mounds tears with a flick of Kade’s sharpened nail. My achy flesh spills over, and Kade’s palms are there, caressing and massaging me. He pushes his knee between my thighs, holding me in place, my back to the wall beside the door.
The pressure against my pussy tears a grunt from my mouth and sends quivering pulses through my vagina. The sensation of emptiness and the compulsion to take Kade inside fills me with urgency. I need him. Nothing else matters, but in truth, everything does. Kade’s demanding touch suggests otherwise. He cups my breasts, teasing the nipples with firm swipes of his thumbs. All the while, he kisses me, stealing my sanity and pushing me to the edge of abandon. He wants me crazed. He wants me begging. Any more of this, and I’ll be on my knees, Kade’s cock in my mouth.
While our world shatters around us, and the people relying on us suffer.
On a groan of frustration, I turn my head while Kade’s open mouth skims over my cheek. “We don’t have time for this. I need to tell you—”
“We have to make time.” Kade nips along my throat to where my shoulder meets my neck. A firm yank stretches my shirt. Another jerking motion, and my tights tear, exposing my underwear, and then Kade’s warm breath bathes the bite marking me as his female, his chosen mate, his everything. “I won’t face tonight without you.”
Kade’s fist replaces his knee, the rubbing press of his knuckles pushing my underwear between my lower lips and upping the need to fill my body with Kade until I can’t take another inch. I squirm, arousing myself more, and grab on to his shoulders as dots dance over my vision, an orgasm within reach. Amazement over my intense reaction to Kade mixes with this need to please him. Or simply to ignore all our problems for a few moments.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I shove against Kade’s shoulder. “Sex won’t solve our problems.”
“No, it won’t.” Kade tugs at the crotch of my panties, pulling the material from my wet folds and stroking a single finger down my lower lips. His fingertip barely slides between my folds, but my body understands Kade’s intention. And it wants what he can deliver. “But soul bonding will solve them.”
“What?” I grab Kade’s face and jerk his head to me. “You’re crazy. You know what will happen.”
“We’ll win.”
I shake my head. “You can’t guarantee that. My demon… I remembered everything—why I called her, what happened that night, the deal we made—and I’m screwed. No matter what I do, I’m going to lose, and she’s going to win.”
Kade puts a hairsbreadth of space between our bodies, spreads his legs, and plants his hands on the wall either side of my face. “None of that matters. Not anymore. My goddess anticipated this. You and your demon, me facing this moment, our pride in shambles. My goddess foresaw it all, and she’s prepared me to conquer everything.”
“Look, I’m not the answer to our problems. I’m not a weapon for you to use. I’m a ticking time bomb.” I press a hand to my chest. “My demon’s stronger than I am. She—”
“Trust me.” Kade leans in and presses his lips to mine, then maps a path to my ear, the soft brush of his lips caressing my cheek and making my eyes flutter.
“Just listen to me, please.”
“I’m listening.”
“I promised to release her, allowing her to walk among humans. She’ll be free, and she’ll grow stronger with every soul she claims.”
“In return for what?”
“For my baby’s life. For Josh’s. The demon…she was controlling Vince. He attacked me and my baby. Attacked Josh. Said the Conway bloodline needed to end with us. That was the demon’s motive. She wanted to stop the Golden Goddess from being able to walk among humans. Instead, my demon tricked me into releasing her.”
“Then you simply won’t ever release her. Or die.”
“So what? We soul bond, and you hand the Alexander spirit over to Asa without a fight? Allow Jarah to become our alpha while our family suffers under Asa. Is that what you want?”
“That’s not the only choice.” Kade unbuckles his pants, tugs the zipper, and lifts his dick from his pants. The length hardens without Kade’s fisted grip tugging it. He cradles the long shaft as if it’s too heavy to stand on its own, then glances from his erect penis to me. “We fight. For us. For love. For the destiny my goddess planned for us.”
“But you heard Jarah. Asa is more powerful than you. He’s had millennia to hone his skills. And I’m a fumbling idiot. I can’t control my demon. I tried. Jarah helped me. Still, I couldn’t do it. She manipulated me and made it look easy. Twice, Kade. I tried twice and failed both times. If we do this, we’ll lose. Simple as that.”
“And you heard Ezra. Power comes in many forms. Mine so happens to include a gorgeous human shaman with a stubborn streak who doesn’t know her own strength and continues to put herself down.”
“I’m being realistic. I can’t control what I am. As soon as my demon gets the chance, she’s gone. She’s stronger than I am.”
“But she’s not stronger than the Alexander spirit. She’s not stronger than the combined wills of every Alexander, living or dead. And she’s not stronger than our love. Neither is Asa.”
Kade’s determination and confidence spark mine. It’s hard not to feel the hope when Kade’s soul shines bright within me.
With trembling fingers, I touch Kade’s bite, then his lips. “I’m scared.”
Kade sucks my middle finger into his mouth, swirling his tongue around its length. My pussy squeezes on nothingness, the craving for Kade as real as it had been moments ago. He releases me and takes my hand, twining our fingers. “Then let me conquer your demon.”
Nothing I’ve said or could say counters the determination and commitment I see in Kade’s eyes. He’s alpha and will fight for me and for his family with everything he has. Giving up isn’t an option for Kade. That leaves me with only one choice—to stand by him.
I blow out a breath and nod. “And let me slay your enemy.”
Kade smiles. His grin lights up his face, my soul, our world. “
Is it a deal, then?”
“It’s my vow.”
“As you have spoken, let it be remembered.”
The sensation of something binding me to Kade steals my breath. An invisible cord wraps around us, pulling us together. Kade’s lips touch mine. His erection slips between my thighs. I open to him, parting my lips for his kiss and spreading my legs for his possession. He tilts his hips, the head of his cock breaching my body, and twines his tongue with mine.
A sharp tug slams us together. Real or imagined? I can’t tell, but the full length of Kade’s erection fills me as completely as Kade’s soul melds with me. The loop is gone. We’re one. Body, soul, heart—we’re one. And we’re stronger than I’d ever imagined.
My hands stroke over Kade’s back, memorizing every inch while pulling him deeper. The compulsion to hold him close, to never let him go, to bask in his light is overwhelming. I don’t fight the impulse. I reach for him. The flickering flame within me flares into a roaring fire that promises to chase away even the coldest of nights.
Our kiss turns frantic. Our bodies slam together again and again, until I’m shaking and trembling and ready to burn. Squeezing my inner muscles, I grind against Kade’s driving cock, rolling and pumping against him as he pounds into me, each thump cracking the wall around my soul. More light shines through. More warmth fills me. More power builds. The cord binding us tugs a little more, and the sensation of sinking into Kade is real. I cross my arms over Kade’s back and squeeze him as my inner muscles lock down. Then, with another rocking stroke, I let go.
Hard waves roll through me, from where Kade’s dick is lodged deep inside me to my fingers and toes. My spasming muscles leave me weak and shaky and vulnerable. Sharp white pain spreads from the bite on my shoulder at the same time as a ripping sensation tears through my stomach and stops my heart, but the hot splash of Kade’s seed centers me, strengthens me, and empowers me. I reach for Kade’s soul, the craving to lock him to me forever a palpable desire.
A sharp tug followed by agony steals my breath, but I don’t resist Kade or the theft of my soul. For Kade, I’ll give him anything and everything.
More pain seizes me, stopping my heart again, and again, and again. Each time, something soft and warm presses against me with an unspoken promise to never leave me. It’s Kade’s felines. They’re here with me…and my demon. They sense her, feeling her presence deep inside, but she can’t stop this or overpower Kade. The light he gives off is too bright and too damning for Hell. All she can do is hide and cower.
And now I have Kade with me forever. I never have to face her alone.
Kade kisses my throat, then settles his cheek against the bite on my shoulder as the last of the pain and pleasure of our bonding fades. “You have me forever and always.”
“I like the sound of that.” I wrap my arms around my mate and hold him. “Forever and always.”
Thirty-Eight
Kade
The Kagan ceremonial circle stretches along the hilltop overlooking the Kagan alpha’s home. On the night of the full moon, it’s normally full of Kagans celebrating births and matings and the memories of those who’ve died. Tonight, however, alphas and guests from around the country stand among my pride mates and our allies for the event that’ll change the course of the shifter world.
The challenge of alphas.
I scan the open area. Nobody lingers inside the large circle, despite there being no physical indication of its boundaries. Shifters instinctively feel its borders, however. I do too. The Kagan pack’s decades of worship and gathering have strengthened this portal to the heavens, and the magic and power contained here simmers in the air, a warm breeze wafting from the heavens themselves.
While the Kagan spirit isn’t up for grabs tonight, its power shall be lent to the one strong enough to tap in to it. Had Nic Kagan been here tonight, that power would be his to call upon as alpha of the Kagan pack. My friend isn’t here, however. Nic and his mate Riley are fighting to save Megan’s life, a feat that’s growing more impossible by the minute. I know Josh’s adopted daughter and the little girl I’ve welcomed into my family is fading. I feel her slipping away, the thin bond connecting her to the Alexander spirit nearly gone.
Blocking out the scene around me, I focus on the invisible thread linking me to her and channel more of my own power to the courageous child who doesn’t want to leave her wolf alone. The Ammon spirit gets scared when he’s alone. Megan told me that once. She has to be brave for him. I must do the same for her and all my loved ones.
“You are valiant, my mate. Brave and noble and fearless. You’re a worthy leader and a loving man.”
Zoe’s confidence weaves through me, building me up. I glance at where my beautiful mate is standing beside me with the scarf tied firmly around her neck, hiding the depth of our bond. Her attention is on me, not the crowd or my opponent standing on the opposite side of the circle. Love shines in her eyes, and assurance radiates from her expression. She projects the image of an assured mate who’s meant to calm those around us who fear for my death.
“It’s not an image, Kade. We will defeat Asa tonight. Our other choice is failure, and we’re both too stubborn to accept that fate.”
“As you said earlier tonight, we do have another choice.”
“What? To run from our problems?”
“Not run, exactly. You heard Jarah. He’ll accept us, and with our soul bond, your demon won’t ever escape.”
“She’ll try. She’s not defeated. I feel her hovering at the very edge of my soul as far as she can get from the light you shine upon it for a chance to break free.”
What Zoe says is true. I feel the evil in Zoe’s soul. It’s a part of her, and by association, it’s a part of me. I also feel the demon’s intent. It’s been waiting for this moment, but so have I, even if I hadn’t known it. “I made a promise to you, my mate.”
Zoe closes her eyes and peace slips over her features. She meets my gaze as my equal, my partner, my other half. “And I made a promise to you, my king.”
A bone horn is blown, the mournful sound resounding in my soul. Another wailing moan carries through the night. Then another and another, the long-drawn-out howls a haunting summons for warriors brave enough to walk through the shadows of death.
“Then let’s keep our vows, my queen. All of them.”
Zoe nods and backs up at the same time as I do, the space between us growing while the invisible bond tying us expands. Once my foot breaches the circle, I turn away from her and face the male ready and eager to take my head.
Asa waits in the center of the circle. With his shoulders squared and his stance widened, he exudes confidence while the small smile on his face suggests to me and all those watching us he knows who will walk out of here the victor tonight.
“I will spare your pride mates’ lives if they offer me their blood allegiance, and the souls of those who don’t will be released.” I stride forward, letting my words counter Asa’s expression. “This I vow.”
“As you have spoken, let it be remembered.” Jarah slams the hollowed bone horn into the ground before Asa can respond, and the ground heaves, rippling outward and across the circle to where Ilan yanks another bone horn from the ground.
A shimmering domed wall forms over the circle. The iridescent swirls and waves making up the barrier obscure the view of the world and dims the voices of those watching, but the magical obstruction meant to prevent interference doesn’t cut me off from Zoe. Nothing can. I hold her soul in mine, and I won’t ever let it slip through my fingers.
Asa shakes his hands and sharp claws replace his nails. The theatrical display would’ve been laughable if not for the black flames tipping each finger. “Your confidence turns you into a fool.”
With an air of assuredness, I kick off one loafer, then the other, before undoing my belt and pulling my shirt free. “Actually, I’d say your nephew was the real fool to have allowed a demon into his soul in the first place. Is that why you saved my beloved huma
n’s life? To thank her for exorcising Vince’s demon? Or out of fear that what Vince called forth from Hell would return for his soul before vacating this world?”
Asa curls his lip on a snarling growl while flames leap and crackle from his fingertips. “Vince was obeying his alpha.”
With a sharp tug, I loosen my tie, then work the buttons on the bloodied dress shirt until the fabric parts. “How? By putting an end to the Conway bloodline? What happened to saving the human who’d father the prophesized ones? Wasn’t that how you were supposed to fulfill the goddesses’ prophecy so you could claim your reward?”
“A shaman bloodline powerful enough to control Hell needed to be chosen, and a father needed to prove his strength. Vince accomplished both that night with a little help from the demon I bound to his soul at his birth.”
“You planned it all. Didn’t you? From Vince going to the same preschool as Zoe to Josh nearly dying at Vince’s hands. You selected a shaman bloodline you thought would fit the goddesses’ needs and made it so Zoe and Josh had no choice but to trigger the prophecy.”
“Of course. Why do you think the mighty goddesses chose me to share their prophecy with and to offer their reward for triggering it?” Asa turns in a half-circle, sparks flying from his flaming claws and creating dozens of small fires on the cold, ice-covered grass behind him. “I’m the only Royal alive who can foresee the future, and I made what I foresaw a reality. Now it’s time to claim their promised reward.”
“And what was their reward?” He never did mention it.
“On the night Mira’s children are born, an alpha will be chosen to lead them and the shifter world into a new era. This male will become king among alphas, feared by all.” Asa flicks his hand, tossing sparks onto the ground between us. “And tonight, I will be the one the shifter world fears.”
Possessed by the Alpha Page 35
