“I know that you left with Volcan to sacrifice yourself for your friends. I know you tried to protect me by pushing me away. I know that you were forced to change Anna into a witch because his magic demanded it even though it sickened you to do so. I know you think you’re evil because part of you craves the knowledge and power. I know you’ve lost your mother, and you haven’t had time to grieve for her. I know you’ve been tortured and in some ways brainwashed. I know you’ve killed eight women because of the dark magic Volcan forced into you.” As he spoke, he put his hand gently around her jaw and held her head still, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I know, and I love you still.”
She started to shake her head as tears filled her eyes.
“I know it all, and I am still here. And it will take Volcan and one hell of an army to remove me from your side. I know, Jewel, and I still see the beautiful person you are.” Her body was trembling as she fought to keep her composure. He hated to be the cause of her tears, but he needed her to understand with totally clarity what he was telling her. “You are my true mate, Jewel Stone. You hold the other half of my soul, and I hold yours. We are at our best when we are together. We are at our strongest when we are working together. I go where you go. Do you get me?”
She nodded.
“I want to hear it, Little Dove. Tell me.”
“Yes, I understand,” she coughed out between sobs.
“You understand what?” His grip tightened on her, and he pulled her closer to him.
“You go—” She paused and bit her lip. She started to shake her head.
“DAMMIT JEWEL, SAY IT.”
“You go where I go.” She breathed out.
“Say it again,” he demanded.
“You go where I go.”
“Again.”
“You go where I go.”
Dalton leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, and he felt his own tears mingle with hers. His voice shook as he spoke, but his words were clear. “I. Go. Where. You. Go.”
She stared up into his eyes and he saw it, the moment she really grasped it. “To hell?”
“I go where you go.”
“Across the world on a quest for an evil fae?”
“I go where you go.”
“To a cemetery to bury my mother?”
“I go where you go.”
“To the same store a thousand times to see if the shoes I want have come in? To the movies to see the same movie we’ve seen five other times since it came out because I love it so much?” Her hands were gripping his shoulders, and her words were coming out faster and faster as she continued to come to terms with what he was telling her. The tears still ran down her cheeks, her face was flushed, and her eyes sported dark circles, yet still she was beautiful. “To the bathroom to hold my hair back while I throw up because I drank too much for the first time in my life and I just wanted to see what it was like and you insisted that I do it with you where I was safe? To visit the other healers because I miss them like crazy once they have gone to live with their own mates?” She paused and placed both hands on either side of his face. This time she spoke slowly but with just us much passion as she stared up at him. “To the end of our story, to look back with me on the life we had together?”
Dalton’s gut clenched as emotions overwhelmed him. “To all of those places, Little Dove, because I go where you go.”
She closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms. She let him hold her up, relying completely on his strength and trusting he wouldn’t let her fall. She may not have realized it, but Dalton saw the significance in her physical surrender.
“When we wake up, I might need you to tell me again,” she whispered against his chest.
“I will tell you as often as you need,” he said, pressing a kiss to her hair and breathing in her precious scent.
“The day after tomorrow, too?”
“Yes, my love.”
“A year from now, even though I’ve already asked you to say it every day?”
“Without fail, Little Dove.”
“Okay.”
Dalton knew the moment was but a small reprieve. There would be more breakdowns and more tears. There would be more doubts that he would need to defeat with the truth, and he would gladly do it over and over, for Jewel.
Gustavo was practically shaking with the need to touch her. But he refused to give in to what his wolf wanted because he knew how frightened she must be. They’d come a long way in their relationship from the time they’d spent simply talking through the bond, but that didn’t mean she would welcome him with open arms.
Anna was looking up at him with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. She chewed on her bottom lip as she stared at him as though she was dissecting him. She hadn’t woken up until Dalton was already carrying Jewel from the room, and even then she’d still been groggy. It wasn’t until she saw him that she sat up and looked around and then back to him. He hadn’t said anything because he wasn’t sure if he had complete control of his mouth. He had a feeling if he opened it, his wolf was going to declare her his own and demand she let him mark her. Instead, he waited. He would wait for eternity if it meant he could be in her presence.
“Gustavo?” When he didn’t respond she looked over to where Peri, Lucian, and Jezebel stood.
“He’s holding it together by a thread,” Peri told her.
Lucian took a small step forward, and Gustavo growled. “Peace, wolf,” Lucian said. “I will not harm her, and I do not want her for my own. She does not understand.” Lucian looked back at Anna. “His instinct is telling him to mark you, to make it perfectly clear to every wolf or other supernatural that you are his. He is fighting that instinct right now. You’ve been in danger. He’s been unable to protect you, and the fact that he’s standing there instead of sinking his teeth into you is a testament to how much he is willing to do to keep you from being afraid of him.”
Anna looked back at Gustavo, and he felt his wolf back down a bit. It had wanted to tear apart Lucian, who had captured his mate’s attention, even for a short time.
“Can you leave us alone, please?” she asked.
When none of their audience made a move to leave, Gustavo’s wolf forced his hand. “Leave!” He snarled, turning his eyes away from Anna and meeting the eyes of each of those who might think to keep them apart by some misguided need to protect her. She was the only creature on earth that didn’t need to be protected from him.
Lucian held his gaze as he pulled his mate from the room and ushered Jezebel with them. The door closed, and their footsteps moved further and further away.
“The dream didn’t do you justice.” Her voice caused his head to snap back around, pinning her with his glowing eyes. His head titled slightly as his wolf tried to understand her meaning. She breathed out a laugh. “I mean you are much more handsome in real life.” When he still didn’t move, or speak, she stood up and walked toward him. The smell of sweet spices and ocean air hit him like a freight train, and the need to touch her grew tenfold.
“Lucian is right. I don’t really understand what’s going on in your head right now. But you seem to be in a tough spot, and I’d like to help. Just tell me what to do.”
Anna took a step closer to the man she’d gotten to know over the course of several months simply by talking through the supernatural mate bond. He was a stranger in many ways, but in many others, she knew him and she wasn’t afraid.
“Gustavo, I’m your true mate, correct?”
He nodded.
“And you won’t ever hurt me.”
He nodded his head.
“Then I trust you. You aren’t going to scare me.” One more step and she was less than a foot from him. “I get it. You’re intense. I can feel what you are feeling right now, and it’s off-the-charts confusing but that’s okay. If I’ve learned anything through this whole massive mess, it’s that life is much too short to live in fear of the unknown. So, yes, I don’t understand much about you or the mate bond or all the other stuff that
goes with it. But I do understand what I feel for you. I do understand that no one else will ever fill the void that you have filled. I do understand that I sure as hell don’t want some other female being on the receiving end of your attention or affection. Please,” she said quietly, “let go, Gustavo. I trust you.”
“I don’t want to scare you,” he ground out through his tightly gritted teeth.
“I’ve faced Volcan and a sadistic vampire. Gustavo, you won’t scare me.”
He closed his eyes, and when they opened, they were glowing even brighter. Maybe reminding him of what she’d been through wasn’t the best strategy. After several heartbeats, she realized he wasn’t going to move. His fear of doing something that would send her running immobilized him.
Anna closed the small distance between them and looked up at him. She raised her hand and pushed her fingers through his black, wavy hair. It was as thick and as soft as she imagined it would be. She let her hand trail down the back of his head to his neck where she wrapped her small hand around him. With her other hand, she ran her fingers across his creased brow and down his clenched jaw. His features were classically handsome, and he was the perfect specimen of a Spanish male—tan skin, dark brown eyes, a natural sensuality that came through in the cadence of his speech. He was temptation wrapped up in the form of a male Canis lupus. And he was hers.
“I’m going to be honest. I’m pretty clueless when it comes to the whole relationship thing, but the lack of reciprocation of my touch is a tad insulting.”
“Mujeres no saben lo què están pidieñdo.”
“Still don’t speak Spanish, handsome.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. His accent was thick, but he sounded a bit more like the man she’d spoken to so many times through their bond.
“That I don’t speak Spanish? Yes, quite.”
He growled at her, and she shivered.
“Pequeña gitana, you will be the death of me.” His words were the first sign that he was giving in to her request. He was letting go.
He wrapped a muscular arm around her waist and pulled her against him as he buried his face in her hair. His warm breath against her neck was a sensation she’d never felt before. She tilted her head, giving him more access, and encouraging him not to stop. When she felt his teeth scrape against her skin, Anna bit her lip so she didn’t moan like a wanton idiot. Apparently, she didn’t hide her desire very well because her mate chuckled, a deep, dark sound that made her stomach clench.
“Don’t tease,” she said in a breathy voice she’d never heard come from her lips before.
“Not teasing, mí amõr, simply giving you a taste of what is to come.” He pressed a kiss to the same spot and then leaned back so he could look down at her. “That is where you will wear my mark when we complete the Blood Rites.”
“When does that happen?”
“When you’re ready,” he answered as he pushed her hair back, his fingers brushing against her skin as he exposed her neck and collarbone. He was staring down at her as though the world turned only because she existed. She never thought she would be on the receiving end of a look like that.
“Criña.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to kiss you now. If you don’t want me to, simply say so, and I will respect that.”
Anna stared back at him, her lips unmoving.
“My brave pequeña gitana,” he murmured just before his sensual lips pressed against hers.
Gustavo let his wolf have control as he took his mate’s offered lips. Ours, mate. His wolf growled. Yes, the man agreed. Want, need, touch. His wolf was desperate for skin on skin contact. He let his hands slip around her waist to her back and then under her shirt. Her flesh was warm against his hands and as soft as silk. She was perfecto, and she was his.
Gustavo tilted his head and ran his tongue along the seam of her lips. She submitted immediately and opened her mouth. He could feel her eagerness through their bond and was incredibly humbled that she wanted such intimacy with him.
As her tongue danced with his, he poured his desire into her mind, and her response was instantaneous. Her skin flushed and her eyes widened as she pulled back from the kiss. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to catch her breath, and he decided he liked the way she looked after he’d ravished her.
“Yep,” she said breathlessly. “Intense. The word should have your picture next to it in the dictionary.”
“Scared?” he asked, knowing she wasn’t but needing to hear it from her.
“Not in the way that you are asking. I’m scared of how you turn me into a hussy simply from a kiss.”
Gustavo chuckled. “There is no shame in desiring your mate.”
“This feels like something more than desire,” she said as she ran her hand up his chest and let it rest over his heart.
“It’s the bond between us. It is growing stronger and will continue to do so. It will be painful to be apart. You will need my touch, just as I need yours. Please know, you can touch me whenever you want. No matter the circumstance, if you need me, I’m yours. Always yours first.”
“What do you mean, need to touch you? I’m getting the distinct impression you’re not necessarily talking in an intimate way.”
He shook his head. “No, not like that, though I do hope you will want and need that kind of touch as well. I just mean contact. The comfort of knowing I am with you. The confidence that the freedom to touch me gives you, just as allowing me the freedom to touch you gives me confidence. It is essential to our kind. A lone wolf would eventually die without the connection of pack.”
“And you crave my touch?”
“All you have to do is use the mate bond to feel what I feel for you, Anna.”
He could feel her searching his mind, and he gave himself the freedom to search hers. And despite everything she’d learned, she wasn’t scared. But she was exhausted.
He swept her up into his arms and settled her in his lap as he sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard. He wrapped his arms around her and tucked her head against his chest. His wolf rumbled in satisfaction, and for the first time in his long life, Gustavo felt peace.
She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled closer. “So, this feeling is mine for the rest of my life, barring that we make it through this Volcan witch mess alive,” she clarified.
“Yes, Criña, this is yours. I am yours.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and because his wolf was still much too close to the surface, his tongue darted out and tasted her skin.
“Did you just lick me?” She laughed, though it sounded tired.
“My wolf likes the way you taste,” he said without shame. “Now, hush, and let me hold you while you sleep. You need rest. I can feel the weariness in your body. Let me take care of you.”
She yawned. “It’s a little disturbing to me that I find your bossiness incredibly sexy.”
Gustavo smiled. “Then I will use it to my full advantage, my beautiful mate.”
“I’ve no doubt you will.” She sighed, and he felt her relax. “You’ll be here when I wake up?”
“Every morning for the rest of our lives,” he assured her.
“I can live with that.”
Gustavo’s wolf practically purred as he felt his mate surrender to them. She wasn’t scared. She wasn’t running. She wanted them. He thanked the Great Luna for giving him such a precious, brave woman. He would protect her with his life. And he would wait to mark her until she said she was ready. He was pretty sure resisting that instinct would be more difficult than even being separated from her had been.
“Stop worrying. I won’t make you wait long.”
“I will remember you said that, Criña.”
Chapter 19
“If I’ve learned anything in all my centuries, it’s that I should never be surprised by being surprised. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but pump the brakes, I’m going to explain. As old as I am, you would think I’ve seen it all. But that is the beauty of creation and free
will. Creation is ever changing, evolving as the Creator intended it to. And the ability to choose our own fate forever keeps things interesting. So as many times as I’ve faced evil, I will not underestimate the enemy who has risen up. I will not assume he will be like all the others, because he is evolving and he has free will as well. And yes, it sucks that one so evil still gets free will. Life isn’t fair. Blah, blah, blah.” ~Peri
Peri stared out the window as the sun began to rise. The rays slowly ran across the sky, higher and higher, waking up each thing they touched. The night had slipped away much too quickly, and the light of day brought with it the worries they’d tucked away while they took comfort in being with the ones they loved.
“It went better than you expected,” Lucian said as he stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her back against his chest and let his calm seep into her.
Peri relaxed her head back against him. “Yes, occasionally, they surprise even me.”
“Do not growl at me!” Jewel’s voice carried from down the hall. “No, you cannot kill him!”
Peri turned and smiled up at her mate. “And then they return to acting like the barbarians they are, and all is right with the world.”
Lucian chuckled.
She stood up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. A simple kiss, and yet he always made her feel as though it was as essential to him as the air he breathed.
“I love when you kiss me, Perizada. Whether you realize it or not, every kiss is a tiny claim upon my soul. My wolf loves when you claim us.”
She knew the smile on her face was stupid big. “Then I shall try to claim you more often.” His answering growl made her laugh as she turned to find Jewel walking down the hall looking rather put out. Dalton was a couple steps behind her looking equally disgruntled.
“Jewel.” Dalton growled as he tried to get around a chair she’d stepped behind. Every time he moved left, she went right, and vice versa. “You smell like him.”