Authors: Carrie Ann Ryan
Tags: #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Paranormal Romance, #Paranormal, #Romance, #Fantasy, #Werewolves & Shifters, #Paranormal & Urban, #Literature & Fiction
somewhat and cupped her breasts, molding and squeezing.
“I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, I love your tits, Cailin.”
She let out a laugh. “I love you touching my tits.”
Reaching behind him, he grabbed the shower nozzle and rinsed her off. His throat worked as he
watched the line of soap run down her body to between her spread legs.
“Not done yet,” he said, his voice gruff.
“Logan…” she whispered, begged.
He put the shower head back then washed up and down her legs, using his hands instead of a
loofah so he could massage as he went. Cailin let her head fall back to the shower wall as she closed
her eyes, letting him take care of her.
That above all else spoke of the depth of emotion, the depth of trust forming between them.
Bond or no bond.
He ran his hands up and down her thighs, each movement bringing him closer to her cunt, already
wet and ready for him in a way that had nothing to do with the water running down her body.
She let out a little gasp as he teased her opening with his finger then met his eyes. With a grin, he
breached her with two fingers, curling them so he could rub against her G-spot. Her mouth parted as
her pupils dilated, and her eyes glowed gold. He worked in and out of her, his other hand on her
throat, collaring her.
“I’m letting you do this,” she whispered with a smile.
He grinned back, still fucking her with his fingers oh-so-slowly. “I know.” That’s why he did it,
why it was worth even doing in the first place.
When she clamped down on him, her back arching in that sweet surrender of release, he moved
his hand then thrust into her to the root, leaving them both gasping for air.
He moved his hand from her throat, bringing both hands to her hips so he could pump into her
without knocking each other out in the shower. The feel of her hands on his back, her nails digging in
as she fought for control made his wolf howl and the man inside to take her even harder.
So he did.
Their gazes never leaving each other, he pumped into her tight channel, the cooling water from
the shower having no effect on the heat spiraling between the two of them. He slammed into her with
all his strength and she lifted her hips to meet him thrust for thrust. The fact that they looked at only
each other as even their breathing synchronized, made it more intimate than pure hardness against a
wall.
Soft and hard, that was his Cailin.
That was their mating.
The scent of blood filled the air as she broke the skin on his back, her nails digging harder. He
smiled a feral smile and slammed home once more, coming hard within her as she squeezed his cock,
milking him during her release.
“Logan!”
He captured her mouth with his, fucking her with his tongue as they both came down from their
bliss before resting his forehead on hers, out of breath.
He’d die for her, bleed for her, ache for her. She was his.
He just hoped it would be for longer than this moment.
Chapter Twelve
It was now a month since her parents had died and she’d been tortured at the hands of the demon,
yet Cailin could still hear the screams in her dreams.
Sometimes she was still awake when she heard the screams.
“Cailin?”
She blinked, clearing her thoughts at the sound of Mel’s voice. The Jamenson women were
scouring through old texts the elders had given them, looking for a way to defeat the demons. The
children had all been evacuated from the Pack, along with many of their other Pack members.
The loss of innocence, the lack of laughter and giggles made Cailin want to weep.
She cleared her throat. “Sorry, were you talking to me?”
Mel tilted her head, the Alpha female taking note of all of Cailin’s tics. “I was just asking if you
were done with the book; you haven’t moved past page two. What’s wrong, honey?”
Mel was only two years older than Cailin and hadn’t spent the majority of her life within the den
and living among wolves, but right then, with the power running through her veins, Mel seemed so
much wiser.
“I’m just inside my head,” Cailin said honestly. “No worries,” she lied. “Here, take this one.”
She handed Mel the book underneath the one she’d been trying to read. “I’ll actually work on this one
now that I’m awake.”
Mel took the book, set it down, and then pulled Cailin into her arms. Mel had been standoffish,
afraid of touching others because she hadn’t been used to it. Times had changed, and now she was just
as tactile and loving as the rest of them—if not more so.
Hannah blew out a breath then fluffed her curls. The woman’s hair would not be tamed, not
matter how much she tried. Cailin had a feeling it was just one more thing Reed and Josh loved about
her.
“So, I need chocolate,” their Healer said, closing the book she had with an audible thump.
“Did someone say chocolate?” Ellie asked, closing her book as well. She smiled then, the
darkness that had been in her eyes for so long finally fading away to a shadow. Maddox and Charlotte
were so good for her.
“I brought molded chocolate, actually,” Willow said with a smile. Jasper’s mate stood up and
went to a basket near the door. “I’ve been toying with chocolates for the bakery.” A sad smile
reached her face. “Well, at least I had been. Now with everyone gone…” She shrugged. “It hadn’t
seemed prudent. But Jasper and I were home alone without Brie and I…” Tears filled her eyes, and
she shook her head. “Help me eat this so I don’t eat it all on my own.”
Bay stood up and helped Willow with the basket. “I could use a handful or four of chocolate.
Without Micah at the house, I swear Adam is a nervous wreck.”
Lexi raised a brow, taking a piece of chocolate from the basket. “Just Adam?”
Bay blew a raspberry at her. “Okay fine. We’re all nervous wrecks. Hence the chocolate.”
Cailin took a milk chocolate molded in the shape of a wolf’s head and bit down. Flavors burst
on her tongue, and she practically had an orgasm right there. “Oh God, Willow. Make these. Please.
I’ll pay you. Lay prostrate at your feet. Just tell me what you need.” She gobbled up the rest of her
piece quickly then reached for another.
In a world of war, pain, and loss, sometimes chocolate made things just a little bit better when
hope was lost.
Cailin bit into her next piece, this time a paw print, and leaned against the armchair. Bay and
Ellie had both taken the seat, cuddling into one another on the large piece of furniture. Willow leaned
on Mel’s legs from the floor next to the couch while Hannah and Lexi sat next to Mel.
Everyone ate silently, the nirvana that was Willow’s chocolate too decadent for words. She’d be
a hit when the Pack could reconnect and use the bakery again.
That thought cooled her quickly.
What if they never came back?
“What is it, Cailin?” Ellie asked. “I’m not the Omega, but Maddox told me that you’re feeling
something way off.” She tapped the side of her head and winced. “Sorry for acting like a Peeping
Tom, or whatever, but we’re all worried. Not just about you, but everyone.”
Cailin finished the last of her chocolate, licking her fingers to make sure she got every last
morsel. It was, after all, the best chocolate in the history of chocolate. And if she kept thinking about
it, she’d be able to ignore the looks and worries of others for a few more moments.
She let out a sigh. Not even chocolate could fix this. “What if they can’t come back?”
Willow choked on a sob and shook her head, and the other women—all mothers now—closed
their eyes, petting each other. Bay’s hand came down on Cailin’s shoulder, and both of them let out a
breath.
“There has to be a way,” Cailin continued. “You know? Absolute evil might be absolute, but that
doesn’t mean it’s unbreakable. It just means it’s pure.”
“And that’s what Caym is,” Mel added. “He’s tortured us, killed us, and taken so much of what
we hold dear. But we’re still here. Never forget that. We’re not backing down, even if that seems like
the best thing to do.”
“She’s right,” Bay added. “Caym might be my father…” She winced, and Ellie rubbed her
shoulder. “He might be my father, might have my blood, but he’s nothing to me. Nothing. There was a
way to get him to this plane. There will be a way to get him out.”
Ellie let out a breath. “The Centrals killed my cousin to bring him here, and Caym killed my twin
to stay. We know death brings him here.”
“Maybe life will send him back,” Cailin breathed.
Hannah sat up, a frown on her face. “That would be a balance, a symmetry, that the Fates would
like. But how would that work?”
Cailin closed her eyes, willing a magical plan to pop into her brain where everything would
become pretty and perfect. So not going to happen. Not in the world she lived in. Not in the world
Caym lived in.
“So we need life,” Cailin whispered. “Or something like it. Or maybe we’re going down the
wrong track. I mean there have been births since Caym showed up after all.”
Lexi moved so she sat next to Cailin, leaning in. “Maybe not the right birth. It’s a track. One we
haven’t really looked at. Well, Emeline might have, but she hasn’t told us yet. That elder is so quiet I
never know what she’s going to say when she
does
speak.”
Bay let out a small laugh. “She’s cagey because that’s how she’s had to live for hundreds of
years. She’s getting better. And she’s honestly working on Caym and North.”
Lexi winced. “She’s working on the spell that caused North’s blindness, but my mate won’t let
her work too hard. He’d rather take out the demon than get his sight back.”
“That’s my brother for you,” Cailin said.
Lexi gave a sad smile. “Yes. That’s my mate. And as for
my
brother, you’re making him happy,
Cailin. I don’t know if I’ve said that. I love that we’re sisters in two bonds.”
Cailin leaned into Lexi, her wolf rubbing along her skin, liking the other woman’s new wolf.
Lexi had been a latent wolf, stuck in her human skin and not able to shift, until recently. Things had
changed so much since everyone started mating, and Cailin wouldn’t change the outcomes. People had
found their other halves, their bonds. They’d had children and found even more to adopt into their
families. The good didn’t outweigh the bad, not yet. But it was a start.
Mel rolled her shoulders then let out a breath. “Okay, we have more books to look at. The men
are all at Jasper and Willow’s with more books. I say we work for another hour then head to them. At
some point we all need to cuddle.” The Alpha female blushed. “Or whatever.”
Cailin closed her eyes and groaned. “Please don’t tell me any details. It sucks that all my
girlfriends are mated to my brothers. The images in my brain right now require more than bleach.
Maybe a blow torch.”
Lexi giggled. “Just don’t talk about
your
mating, and we’re golden.”
Hannah laughed, her eyes dancing. “You mean you don’t want her to talk about Logan’s penis?”
Lexi made fake gagging sounds, leaning into Cailin. “Stop it. Please. For the love of the goddess.
Stop it.”
“It’s a nice penis,” Cailin said deadpan, and the women broke out into laughter.
“Nice? That’s it?” Ellie asked with a smile.
“I’m not listening,” Lexi said as she plugged her ears.
“Well, it’s nicer than nice. Like oh-my-god-let-me-bow-down-to-you-and-stare-in-utter-
amazement nice.” Cailin batted her eyelashes at Lexi, who growled.
“I’m a freaking wolf so that means I can
still hear you
when I cover my ears,” the other woman
mumbled. “Maybe I’ll start talking about North’s penis.”
“Oh God, please don’t,” Cailin shouted.
“I hear Lexi likes North’s penis so much she does
exactly
what she’s told,” Willow teased.
Lexi blushed then shrugged. “What can I say? North knows exactly what he likes and tells me
what to do. It’s hot.”
Cailin closed her eyes and prayed to the moon goddess for this conversation to end. “I’m sorry I
brought it up.”
Mel raised a brow. “Brought what
up,
honey?”
The women laughed again, the last of their tension easing away. “Okay, I’m done,” Cailin said,
finally catching her breath. “Let’s get another look at those books.” She moved to stand, only to blink,
becoming lightheaded. “Whoa.”
Hannah was at her side in an instant, her hands hovering over Cailin’s body.
“I’m fine,” Cailin said, more to herself than the women in the room. “Just got up too fast.”
Hannah cupped her face, her eyes full of light. “Maybe, but, honey, that’s not all.”
“What?” Cailin asked, worry filling her quickly.
“You’re pregnant,” Hannah said simply.
Cailin blinked. “Uh, say what?” Pregnant? No way. She’d just mated with Logan a month ago.
And before that, she hadn’t had sex in a year. Or maybe more. When had she and Noah broken up
anyway?
“Cailin, look at me,” Hannah said.
“What?”
“You’re pregnant, honey. You and Logan are going to have a baby.”
Cailin swallowed hard then smiled. “A baby?”