Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
She shrieked, falling over, diving into an orgasm so strong she stopped breathing for a moment. The waves took her, wrung her out, and spit her out on the other side of reality. She jerked several times and finally mumbled something, not sure what, as she came down, her body going limp.
His teeth sank deeper into her bone, and he shuddered as he came.
Silence surrounded her for the briefest of moments.
Then she came back to the present as he slowly withdrew his teeth and licked her wound clean. Her shoulder was on fucking fire. He kissed the wound and pulled out of her, lifting her with an arm banded around her waist and shoving her beneath the covers, where he joined her.
Spooning her.
She gulped. All right. So. That was done.
They had mated. Completely.
Her mind shut down two seconds before her body did, and she slid into a deep sleep with no dreams.
The sound of screaming woke her up way too early.
Chapter 27
Caidrik jerked awake and jumped to the other side of the bed, reaching for his jeans. “Who is screaming?”
Nadia sat up, still foggy with sleep, her hair tumbling in every direction. “Holy crap.”
They’d mated. The realization hit him fully awake now, sharp and unavoidable. He blinked, dragging a hand down his face. It was what he’d wanted from the first time he met her, even if he hadn’t admitted it to himself. The bed was warm, tangled sheets holding the scent of them both, thick and unmistakable. Outside, someone shrieked again, high and panicked, cutting straight through the walls.
“That is loud,” he said, his voice rough as he yanked on his boots. “I’ll go out the window and run around.” He paused, sniffing the air, the instinct automatic. “You’re an Alpha. You have Alpha blood. Can you mask the scent of our mating? For just a short time?”
She blinked several times and then rubbed her eyes like she was trying to wake herself fully. “The scent.” Her hand dropped. Her eyes widened as she looked down at her shoulder. “My shoulder feels like you ripped it off,” she snapped.
Relief surged through him so fast it almost made him laugh. Yeah, he’d marked her for all time. He grinned despite everything. “Can you mask the scent of our mating?”
She rubbed her nose, thinking. “I can put on some lotion and mask for a little while. All Alphas can, I think, but probably not for long.”
Yeah. He could feel their bond already, a steady pull through his chest, growing stronger by the second. The connection was warm and grounding, even with the chaos creeping closer. “Hopefully we can mask long enough for me to take care of the problems.”
The screaming got louder.
She frowned. “Who is that?”
Oh, he knew the voice. “Wait here until I come and get you.” He yanked on the rest of his clothes and barreled out the window, brushing his hair back with his hands as he landed. The cold hit him immediately, sharp and bracing. Dawn had broken clean and bright, the sky a hard blue, the sun catching the snow and lighting it up until the ground looked scattered with diamonds. Was he getting romantic in his mated stage or what?
He shook his head, trying to clear the last of the fog, and rounded the house. He skidded to a halt at the scene in front of him.
His mother stood on the porch, rigid, while both Bussy and Margaret hustled out in their housecoats, their bare feet pink on the icy porch. The metallic smell hit him next. He slowly turned to see Luca sprawled unconscious on the porch swing, blood pouring from multiple entry points in his body. Even from where Caidrik stood, he could smell silver.
Luca gurgled once and went silent.
“Bussy, call the doctor,” Caidrik ordered. “Mom. Stop screaming.”
She went silent instantly, eyes wide, face pale. She was dressed in a long silver gown with slight colored accents, her hair once again piled high.
Bussy spun and ran back inside, her bare feet echoing sharply against the marble.
Margaret frowned, folding her arms, her hair still in curlers. “Where in the world did you come from?”
He didn’t look at her as he leaned down to lace his boots. “I was scouting the territory and heard screaming.”
She stiffened. “Without your boots fastened?”
He sighed. “I had taken them off to shift when I heard the screaming.” As a lie, it wasn’t bad.
His mother, her back to Margaret, rolled her eyes. Yeah, she knew him well.
Nadia’s voice cut in clearly as she nudged Margaret aside and stepped into the cold. She’d thrown on jeans and a white sweater, her hair pulled into a quick ponytail. He sniffed the air again. Yep. He could smell himself on her. Since they were all standing there, hopefully the ladies wouldn’t notice.
He urged his body to mask the scent of their mating, forcing the instinct down hard. They wouldn’t be able to do it for long, but he only needed a few hours. He hurried forward, ducking his head as he moved past them, eyes already on Luca.