Page 65 of Protecting The Gray Wolf
“Believe me, I know, but I heard it through our connection.” He traced the tip of his finger around the edges of the tattoo. The possessive side of him loved that she carried his mark, but he’d keep that tidbit to himself.
“A lothashappened in a short time.”
His heart sank, but he forced himself to nod. “I understand.” It was enough that she loved him. Hell, she’d died to protect him. Actions spoke louder than words. “You need to concentrate on getting your strength back.” Not to mention her life had imploded. There was nothing left for her to go back to. Not as long as their enemies were out there.
“But,” she walked her fingers up his chest and rubbed them over his tattoo, “I don’t care. I’ve stayed away from emotional entanglements all my life, created a safe and rather boring existence. I don’t want to do that anymore.”
“What do you want?” He swallowed heavily, his fate in her hands.
“I want to take a chance on you, on us. I love you, Kade Alvarez.”
“I’ll always have enemies.”
“I don’t care. I’d rather have one day with you than a lifetime without you. I’ll always be a weakness that can be exploited.”
“I’d rather have one day with you than a lifetime without you,” he repeated her words back to her, meaning every one of them. Together or apart, the future was uncertain, but their love was worth any sacrifices they’d have to make. Blinking back the tears burning in his eyes, he buried his face in the curve of her neck and inhaled deeply. “I promise I’ll take better care of you than I have.” It wasn’t an agreement to mate, but it was the first step.
“We’ll take care of each other.” She nudged his head up and kissed him. It was the softest touch, but it set his soul on fire with need. Her lips had never tasted as sweet. He wanted to sweep his tongue inside and lay claim to every part of her mouth.
Like a man who’d been lost in the desert, he was parched, and she was his oasis. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her. Each time they came together, his need for her grew instead of abating. A week ago, that would have worried him. Now, he counted his blessings.
As much as he wanted to make love to her, the overriding need to take care of her dominated all else. She’d been injured, locked in a coma for days battling a mage. Hell, she’d died and come back to life, thanks to the power of the lone wolf. She was his living, breathing miracle.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, and then I’ll dig up some food.” He climbed off the bed with her in his arms and carried her into the bathroom.
“Then you can catch me up on everything that happened.” When he went to put her down, she gripped the ends of his hair. “Maybe you could join me in the shower.”
“Maybe I can.” He walked straight into the stall, laughing when she cranked both taps on and water hit him full in the face.
…
Solange fell backward, screaming as her ass hit the floor. “No!” The conduit between her and Luna’s mind slammed shut, locking her out. “Impossible.”
“I take it things didn’t go as planned.”
Putting her hand down to support her, she pushed herself to her feet. She hated being weak. Somehow the wolf and his little human had managed to drain her power during the exchange. Using such complex magic took massive amounts of energy. When she swayed, Charles clamped his hand around her upper arm. She shook her head, not quite sure what to tell him. He’d been edgier since the white wolf had injured him, more aware of his mortality than ever before. “I’ll figure it out,” she assured him.
“You’d better.” His fingers dug into her hard enough to leave bruises. “That’s twice those damn wolves have defeated you.”
“Defeated us.” It was good to remind him he’d been the weak link the first time around. Squaring her shoulders, she shook her hair back and gave him a confident smile. “You forget, I have a trick up my sleeve.”
“The black wolf.” He released her arm and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, the gesture both a caress and a threat. “Yes, you were diabolical there. I admit, I had my doubts at the time, but I see you were right.” He rubbed his thumb up and down the slender line of her throat. He could snap it like a twig, but he wouldn’t. He needed her. They needed each other.
Solange rubbed her hands over his chest. He was healed and healthy once again. Physically, a long, jagged scar was the only sign of his almost mortal injury. Mentally, neither of them could forget how close he’d come to dying. How close they’d both come. “It will work.” It had to. His normal lifespan was ticking down. Before long, he’d start to show signs of aging.
Theoretically, she could continue sacrificing humans and paranormals to feed her own life force, but like a battery that had been charged too often, the results were weakening, lasting less time.
She’d never admit it to anyone, but she feared death and what came after. It was almost laughable, considering how many she’d killed for her own ends. Some nights she dreamed the darkness she’d sought and cultivated her entire life was simply waiting to swallow her whole, as payment for all that it had given her.
“It better. We need to move quickly. I have people searching for all the lone wolves. I don’t care which one we capture, but we need one of them and soon.” Charles dropped his hand, turned, and walked away, leaving her standing alone in the middle of her workroom.
She took one step toward him and stopped. He’d been different since he’d been hurt. They had sex, but the closeness they’d shared for a century had vanished, leaving a cold void, an aching emptiness inside her. “It will come back.” It had to.
He was the one person who understood the dark cravings of her soul. “All I have to do is capture one of the wolves.” Once she could concentrate all her efforts toward her experiments, she’d find the right spell. She’d test it on herself first.
She glanced at the closed door and smoothed her hair back into place. If one opportunity was all she got, she was taking it for herself.
The black wolf was key, she was certain of it. The females linked to the other lone wolves had been chosen according to the best magical alignment. She’d left nothing to chance with the one for the black wolf, taking extreme measures.
