The Wolf's Surrender (20 page)

Everything he’d protected would be lost. The woman he loved would be torn from him. Forever.

He shifted into human form almost without thinking. He wanted her to hear him.

“Mia!” he roared above the din of the wolves and the mad chanting from within the circle. He could see her on the ground, covered in swirling darkness, the white-haired warrior crouching over her. He raced to the flames, beat his fists against it. “Mia, no! Fight it! I love you!” His voice broke as anguish bubbled up through all of the fury. “Don’t leave me!”

He could see the Shadowkin taking shape, gathering around Mia. A sacrificial lamb. And still Murdock chanted, all of them did, words older than humanity, older than this world. A bright beam of light shot upward from her, from the center of her chest. He saw her body jerk, saw her eyes open wide and sightless.

He roared Mia’s name again, and saw her head jerk toward him, trying to free herself from the oppressive blanket of shadow even as Murdock passed through the light that poured from her, bathing in her magic.

Mia could hear him. Jenner knew she could. If he could just send her strength, help her to free herself...

And then, clear as day, he knew what to do.

Knowing the connection was there, and hoping it was strong enough for her to hear him now, Jenner reached out to Mia with his mind. And if he couldn’t save her, he’d be damned if he didn’t tell her what was in his heart.

Please. Please don’t leave me, Mia. I shouldn’t have fought it, and I shouldn’t have been such an ass. I love you. Please fight, please try. You’re the brightest part of my life. I don’t want to let you go.

He pressed his hands against the barrier surrounding the flames, watching helplessly as all around him, his brothers and sisters tried everything they could to get in. At first, he heard nothing. But then, softly:

Jenner.
Not a question, but a sigh of relief, full of warmth...just like Mia.
I’m trying. I can’t. I love you, too...

The flames melted away beneath his hands the instant she gave him the words, dissipating before him like so much smoke. Jenner didn’t think, didn’t have time. He raced through the breach, feeling the surge of power as he leaped into the circle the Shadowkin had cast. Murdock, now completely solid, spun to look at him as Jenner leaped again, shifting into his wolf form in midair.

There was a single, furious roar in the split second that Murdock realized what had happened.

“No!”

Jenner saw an instant of pure terror reflected in the Shadowkin’s eyes before he was on him, teeth sinking into flesh, foul, thick blood pouring from the creature’s throat as Murdock’s new life left him as quickly as he’d gained it. The shadows still feeding on the bound victim scattered as the rest of the Blackpaw rushed in, tearing at the wisps of malignant darkness that were thick in the circle and drawing spatters of inky black blood.

Jenner had no time to savor Murdock’s death. Jenner charged the few shadows that still enveloped Mia, lapping at the blood that ran freely from tiny bite wounds on her arms, her neck, trying desperately to coax enough magic from her to keep the doorway open. He leaped, bit in, and shook his head viciously as one insubstantial creature caught in his jaws screeched in pain and fright. It tore away from him, ruins of it trailing behind in tatters.

In seconds, the Shadowkin were gone, rushed back to whatever dark place they were confined to on some other plain. But even as he became a man again and scooped Mia’s limp body into his arms and cradled her, even as he shouted for help, he realized that they had been just a little too late. Three men, their inner darkness still clinging to them like cloaks, sprang out of the circle, dashing away from the victim at a speed greater than any werewolf could muster. One turned to look directly at Jenner, locking eyes with him and giving him the faintest condescending smirk before joining the other two and dashing into the night.

Three had escaped, and were loose in the world for the first time in a thousand years. Jenner’s heart sank, but he turned away from it. There were only three, and there was nothing he could do about it right now. All he cared about, as he gathered Mia close, was that she lived.

He looked up briefly, and his eyes met Kenyon Chase’s. For a moment he thought the young wolf would challenge him now, try to take her from him. Jenner’s thoughts were still half wild, primed from the fight. But instead of approaching, Kenyon looked from Mia to Jenner, then lowered his head in a sign of deference.

The surge of triumphant possession was as overwhelming as it was fleeting. Mia’s skin was like ice, her lips faintly blue. But as he held her, he knew she wouldn’t go down easily.

And he felt the beat of her heart, keeping time with his.

Chapter 21

M
ia awakened to the most wonderful warmth imaginable.

She drifted slowly up from the depths of sleep, feeling nothing but the arms wrapped around her, thinking of nothing but how lovely they felt. This was where she wanted to be, always: with Jenner, enveloped by all the wonderful things that made up the man she loved.

Memory pricked at her bliss, at first gently, then more insistently. All the terror, and the loss...and the joy as she’d realized he was alive, and had come for her after all. But then had come the cold, and some sense that she and Jenner had exchanged words that were very important.

A voice rumbled softly by her ear.

“You shouldn’t think so much as soon as you wake up. It’ll give you a headache.”

Mia opened her eyes, saw that she was curled in Jenner’s bed. With him. The warm familiarity of her surroundings, the rightness of being in Jenner’s arms, had Mia drawing in a shaking breath. She hadn’t thought she would ever be here again.

She rolled over to look at him, saw his handsome face set in the lazy half smile she loved so well. His eyes, though, told the true story of what he was feeling as he looked at her. It was like looking into a tempest.

She was no better. Mia sniffed back the tears that wanted to come.

“Hey, don’t do that,” Jenner said gently, catching a stray tear with his thumb and stroking it down her cheek. “It’s over. It’s all over. You’re with me now, and that’s how it’s staying.”

Her lips quivered into a smile. “Even though I’m not what you wanted?”

There was so much remorse in his beautiful, golden eyes, she forgave him everything in an instant.

“You’re everything I ever wanted. Everything. I’m so damned sorry, Mia. I was...I didn’t know what to—”

She pressed her hand to his lips. “Shh,” she said. “I know. It’s okay. We’re here now. That’s all that matters.”

“No one should ever have made you feel like you weren’t good enough, me included. I’m going to make it up to you, if it’s the last thing I do.” His voice was gruff, and full of all the emotion she wanted him to feel for her.

“Well,” she said, “you already saved me from a monster by jumping through a magical ring of fire.”

His crooked grin was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. “Baby, stick with me. That’s just the beginning.”

She laughed, even through the tears that started despite her best efforts. How he had become so important to her so quickly, she didn’t know. All Mia knew was that she never wanted to be without him.

“I was so scared,” she said. “I thought you were gone. I saw you, and I thought—”

“Didn’t happen. I’m pretty tough to kill,” he soothed, brushing her hair back from her face. He didn’t seem to want to stop touching her. Maybe he thought she’d just disappear if he stopped, Mia thought. She was certainly afraid Jenner was going to vanish and turn out to have been just a beautiful dream.

But no. He was real, solid. Here. And he was staying.

In quiet tones, he told her what had happened. How he had crawled from the truck and called to his pack, how they had lost precious time tracking her because Gaines had done such a good job covering his tracks. How Kenyon had stepped up and proved himself a fierce ally, despite his realization that Mia belonged with Jenner. And finally, how three of the Shadowkin had gotten their wish, and disappeared just as Murdock was taken down, his circle destroyed.

Mia listened to all of it with alternating hope and sadness.

“I know they weren’t good people,” Mia murmured. “But I wish there hadn’t been so much death last night. That poor man the Shadowkin were feeding on...”

Jenner shook his head. “It was too late. It’s small consolation, Mia, but he was one of the ones who’d been running with Gaines while he was here, probably longer. He knew what he was risking. Bad enough that three of those creatures are loose out there now. Gaines did enough damage before he died. We’ll have to alert the other packs to be on their guard. Shadowkin are a nuisance in their less corporeal form, but walking as men...” He trailed off. Mia didn’t ask. She could guess.

Mia sighed, resting her head on the pillow and enjoying Jenner’s touch. She had dozens more questions, but for most, the answers could wait a bit. All she really wanted was to enjoy the fact that she was alive, and here. Right now, those two things counted for a lot.

Still, there was something pertinent she felt she had to address.

“You mentioned Kenyon,” she began cautiously, hoping the name didn’t provoke a tirade. To her surprise, Jenner gave a rueful little grin.

“Yeah, I did. His pack thinks a lot of him, and I guess I finally see why. He fights like a hellhound. And despite everything, once he saw what happened with you and me, he backed right down. He even apologized later on.” Jenner shook his head. “I have a bad feeling he’ll be hard to keep hating, but I guess I’ll try. Just on principle. Maybe he’ll harden up a little now. Losing you to me could be good for him.”

Mia looked at Jenner, surprised. “Kenyon becoming bitter and cynical would be a
good
thing?”

Jenner shrugged, then gave Mia one of his brilliant smiles. “Can’t hurt.”

Mia looked blandly at him. She was never going to understand men. But hearing about Kenyon was a relief. “He’s like...a cute, fuzzy puppy. He’ll find the right person someday, I’m sure,” she said. “He has time.”

Jenner grunted. “Puppy, my ass. But as long as he keeps his paws off of you, he can look wherever he wants.”

Mia thought a moment, then looked up at Jenner. “What do you mean, when Kenyon saw what happened with you and me? What
did
happen?”

“You don’t remember?”

Mia shook her head. “Only very vaguely. I thought, though...I thought we said...”

“We did,” Jenner interrupted, cutting her off neatly. “And I’ll say it again. Actually, I’ll say it as many times as you want me to. I love you, Mia. I love you with everything I’ve got. And I never want to let you go. Losing you would have been like tearing my heart out and then having to go on living. I thought I’d been through that, but this would have been a thousand times worse.” He touched his forehead to hers, a simple gesture that touched Mia with its sweetness.

“I love you. God, I love you, Mia. It scares the hell out of me, but I don’t want it to stop. Whatever kind of magic you’ve got, I never want to be away from it. From you. Please be mine. I’ll spend my life trying to be worthy of you.”

Instead of answering right away, Mia claimed Jenner’s mouth in a long, lingering kiss that sizzled right through her. She savored the taste of him lazily, enjoying the brush of his tongue against hers, the way she could feel his temperature rise. When she pulled away, she could see she’d done a lot to turn Jenner’s mind away from last night.

“I love you, too, Nick,” she said softly. “But the only thing I’m scared of is losing you. I don’t ever want to do that again.”

His eyes glowed faintly. “You’ll never have to. Make a life with me, Mia. Be my wife. My mate. I didn’t realize how much I was missing until I had you. I was so busy fighting how I felt that I didn’t realize what it all meant: falling so hard and fast, and then being able to sense you, even hear some of your thoughts though we weren’t pack bonded. We’re right for each other. True mates don’t come along that often. And I’m such an ass that I almost missed it.”

Mia felt her heart leap in her chest. She’d dreamed of this, the man who was perfect for her, offering her everything she ever wanted. There was only one possible answer.

“Yes,” she breathed. Then she buried her face in his chest and squeezed him tight. “Yes!”

He laughed, and Mia realized he’d actually been nervous when it came out a little shaky.

“I’ll...I’ll get you a ring. Soon. But after everything that’s gone on, I wasn’t going to go one more day without making you mine, Mia. I’m far from perfect, and I’ll probably drive you crazy sometimes. But I will love you for the rest of my life, pretty glowing skin and all. And hopefully that’ll make up for all the future things you’ll want to kill me for.”

“I’m not perfect, either, so same goes,” Mia replied, lifting her head to look into his beautiful eyes. “But I don’t expect perfect, Nick. I just want you. Fur and all.”

“Speaking of,” he said, his voice dropping to a growl. “It’s the middle of the afternoon. I won’t push if you’re not ready, but tonight’s the full moon, and there’s sort of an outstanding problem with your lack of initiation...”

He trailed off, looking at her hopefully, and Mia laughed before slipping a leg over his hip. She found him already hard for her, and the lingering remnants of her fatigue vanished. Desire coiled through her, suffusing her with a warm glow.

“Hmm,” she purred, touching her nose to his. “I hate to be the source of any outstanding problems. We’d better fix that as soon as possible.”

His grin could only be described as wolfish. “My pleasure.”

Then his hands were on her hips, and he was pulling her into him. Jenner gave a guttural groan of pleasure as Mia’s breasts pressed against his bare skin. As quickly as they could, they removed what scant clothing they were wearing. She loved the way he felt, hard everywhere and so blissfully warm. Then his mouth came down on hers and she was drowning in pure sensation, his clever tongue lighting fires inside her that only he would be able to extinguish. His hands were on her, everywhere, as though he couldn’t get enough of her.

She gasped at the first tender stroke of his fingertip against her swollen sex.

Jenner quickly coaxed her into a rhythm, Mia arching her hips against his rubbing, stroking fingers while he claimed her mouth in hot, open-mouthed kisses. Already, Mia could feel herself building toward climax. She tried to hold back, wanting this to last. Her head fell back and she gave a soft cry of pleasure.

“Yes,” Jenner murmured, trailing hot kisses down her jawline, her neck as he pushed her further toward the edge. “Come for me now. I want you ready.”

The low vibration of his voice against her skin was all it took. Mia dug her nails into his back as her body arched and stiffened against his, riding the shimmering waves of sparks that rocketed through her bloodstream. As they began to ebb, she opened her eyes to look into Jenner’s, seeing hot desire and purely male satisfaction.

Incredibly, her own need for him caught fire again, this time even stronger than the last.

The wilder half of her, so new and unfamiliar, flooded her senses with the man who loomed over her, his body pressing against hers, his heart pounding against her chest. Mia stretched beneath him, breathing him in, feeling all of her nerve endings begin to sing at the slightest contact. He removed his hand from the place where she still ached and throbbed for him, and gave her more of his weight, letting her feel how hard he was for her.

Jenner rolled his hips against her, his eyes going hazy and slipping to half-mast. He exhaled her name breathlessly. It was only then she realized how much power she truly had over him. It was heady stuff, awakening instincts that she’d never known she had. The need to join with him, to feel him moving inside of her, was sudden and overwhelming. But just as urgent was the need to please him as he’d pleased her. To have him quivering beneath her hands, wanting her as much as she wanted him. With a soft growl, Mia slid her leg up Jenner’s side, cradling him more snugly against her.

His eyes glowed like twin flames as he looked back at her. There was such raw possession in that gaze that Mia wondered how she could have missed it before. She’d been so worried...but the love had been there all the time, even before he’d been able to admit it.

Mia rose to her knees, Jenner rising up against her, sliding skin against skin. His hands, so large and yet so impossibly gentle, slid up her torso, cupped her breasts. He dipped his head, and proceeded to suckle at each taut nipple with his tongue, grazing them with his teeth in a way that had fresh moisture pooling between Mia’s legs. Then his mouth dipped lower...lower...

She pushed herself back, grabbing his upper arm to pull him with her. Then he was against her again, hot, insistent, nothing between them but skin. Emboldened, her heat rising, Mia nipped at Jenner’s lips when he kissed her. His response was a roughening of his touch, and his breathing grew increasingly ragged.

“I want you, Mia,” he growled. “So bad. It’s hard for me to hold back.”

“Then don’t,” she breathed.

He pulled away just far enough for her to see his eyes, wolf bright. When he spoke, she could see his lengthened, sharpened canines. She knew why he was worried about letting go with her. But he didn’t need to be.

“I don’t want to scare you away from me,” he said. “Ever.”

“You never will.” Mia slid her hands into his hair and dragged his mouth back to hers with new urgency. She felt Jenner relenting, felt the points of his fangs in each kiss, felt the tips of his nails begin to scrape more like claws against her skin. It fueled the wild thing inside of her, now struggling to get out. They rolled across the bed, each vying for supremacy. Strength unlike any she’d ever had flooded Mia’s body, and she managed to flip Jenner so that he was beneath her. Triumphant, she scrambled on top of him, but no sooner had she slipped her fingers around his shaft with the intention of guiding it home than he’d pinned her beneath him, and with a single hard thrust, buried himself in her to the hilt.

Mia cried out, her body bowing. The pleasure was intense. He filled her completely, and every small movement was exquisite torment. And still, there was more. She could feel it, just out of reach. Through unfocused eyes, Mia saw Jenner’s face change with concern.

“God, I’m sorry, Mia, I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

She couldn’t speak. She didn’t especially trust herself to form coherent sentences at that moment. Instead, she moved her hips against him, beginning a slow and pulsing rhythm that had Jenner’s eyes slipping shut with a look of utter bliss. He started to move inside of her, harder and harder until the bed shook with the force of it. Mia raised her knees and took him deeper, rushing to the edge of a shattering orgasm. As she tensed, her entire body coiling tight and begging for release, a flash of heat so intense it seemed as though it should have left her in ashes tore through her. Magic, bright and pure, flashed around them as her skin began to glow once more.