She didn’t growl or flinch or snap at him. Instead, she relaxed a little at his touch, half closing her eyes. For him, it was the equivalent of a miracle.
Dante stayed like that with her for hours, not daring to move for fear that the moment would be broken. When it came time to feed Kye and the baby had to be moved, Dante had expected the wolf to change back into her fearful, defensive state. Instead, she watched Taryn carefully as she scooped Kye from the crib and took him to the bed to feed him. The wolf remained at the foot of the crib with Dante, apparently content enough to simply be around Kye.
Thankfully, Taryn and Trey agreed that Dante could sleep in their room later that night. Not that he would have moved from that spot no matter what anybody said, but it was easier that they were okay with it. Being cautious, Trey insisted that Kye sleep in the huge bed between him and Taryn, but the wolf was happy to stay near the crib and Dante. So, leaning back against the chair near the crib, Dante fell asleep with his mate’s head still resting on his lap.
A huge impact to his chest and head woke him with a start later. But, strangely, there was no pain whatsoever. A millisecond later, he understood why, and he also realized that there was a naked woman on his lap wrapped around him. Instantly his arms were locked around her so damn tight he wouldn’t be surprised if he broke a few ribs. He’d promised himself that the second he had Jaime back in his arms, he’d tell her how much he loved her, but he couldn’t say a word because he found himself sobbing into the crook of her neck just as she was sobbing into his.
He didn’t need to ask how the bond had clicked right into place. He could feel why. Could feel her wolf’s trust, her clarity, her total acceptance of him, and her faith in his ability to protect her. He could also feel Jaime’s heartbeat totally in sync with his own, feel her inside him, a part of him.
He didn’t remember moving, but soon he was carrying her back to their room, wanting nothing more than to be alone with her. It wasn’t until they were inside the room that he finally lifted his face from the crook of her neck, searching out that smoky-blue gaze he’d missed so fucking much. Then his mouth was on hers, taking it almost violently. He clutched her to him, running his hands over every part of her, unable to stop touching her.
Not a word was spoken as he pressed her against the wall, reached down to snap open his fly and free his cock, and then slammed into her. It didn’t last long. It wasn’t about pleasure. It was about a need to reconnect, to know it was real, to know that she was really with him and he had her back.
Maybe that was why when his climax hit he came harder than he ever had before in his life. He had his crazy, stubborn bitch back.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Opening her eyes the next morning, Jaime found Dante wide-awake and staring at her. The fatigue on his face told her something she already knew through their bond—he hadn’t fallen back asleep after he brought her to their room. All night he’d watched her sleep, frightened that if he closed his eyes, she’d be back in her wolf form before he could do anything to stop it. Softly, she ran the tips of her fingers across his jaw. “You needed the sleep as much as I did.” His voice came out gruff. “Don’t care. I wanted to look at you. I’ve missed looking at you.
And I’m not moving from right here unless I absolutely have to.” She gasped when he flexed his cock inside her. After taking her against the wall last night, he hadn’t pulled out of her. Instead, he’d lain down in bed, still joined with her, which had suited Jaime just fine. Then—absolutely exhausted—she’d gone straight to sleep like she’d been dealt a blow to the head.
“You don’t have to worry so much,” she told him. “My wolf…She’s not healed, but she thinks of you as safe, as ‘home.’ The bond…she’s letting it center her now. Before, she was content with it, but she wouldn’t relax into it. I think if anything can heal her, it’s the bond, our bond.” That very bond allowed Dante to know these things were true. After having her wolf distrust him for so long, it was the biggest relief to know that she now regarded him as safe. “It’s weird to think that just a little time around a baby could change everything.” Jaime shook her head. “No. It started when you rejected Bitch Face. We’ll be having a separate conversation about her in a minute, by the way. My wolf saw it as a demonstration of loyalty. When you slung Bitch Face out of the room, you also slung out Trey. I know it was because they were suggesting you put me out of my misery—I’m not feeling good about Trey right now. But what my wolf saw was you chasing away two people who she regarded as threats to her. The fact that you protected her went a long way. You might have realized that if you hadn’t walked out in a huff.” He ran a hand over her hair, wanting, no, needing to touch her. He still couldn’t quite believe she was back. “I just needed to have a minute somewhere alone to pretend that none of it was happening.”
She kissed him lightly. “I know. She was intending to follow your scent and find you, but then she scented Kye. It’s hard to explain…his scent was like a calling for my wolf. It’s comforting and inviting. When I first held Kye, my wolf felt drawn to him, but I hadn’t wondered about it. Anyway, when you protected her from Trey a second time while we were in his room, she again saw it as a demonstration of loyalty. She saw you as someone who would protect her. If it hadn’t have been for any of that, no amount of time around Kye would have made her very receptive to you right then.
Kye…He oozes safety. At that moment, she felt safe, and it meant that she wasn’t defensive or feeling too threatened by everyone else to be open to you.”
He joined his forehead to hers, tightening an arm around her. “I was so scared that you wouldn’t come back.”
“So was I. Thank you for not giving up on me or my wolf.”
“I would never have given up on either of you. Don’t be too pissed with Trey. What he suggested might have seemed cold, but Trey’s a guy who functions on logic. You’re one of his wolves, he felt some of your pain, and he could relate to what was happening to you. Logic told him that you were suffering and that it was fairer to you to put that to an end.” She huffed, though she did see his point. She never used to huff. Greta must be rubbing off on her—a scary thought. “Whatfreakingever.”
“You’ll be pleased to know that Laurie’s gone.”
Both Jaime and her wolf growled. “What? I can’t believe you let her leave! She was the one who—”
“Let your wolf out of the crate,” he finished, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb. “We know. Dominic smelled her scent on the key and then caught her trying to sneak out in the middle of the night with Leif, so she’d most likely heard you were alive and calming. There was no way she was going anywhere. Trick and Ryan found out from one of Glory’s relatives who we kept captive that Laurie had conspired with them. Apparently, when Taryn and Trey confronted her about everything, she eventually admitted it, hoping it would lighten her punishment. Did you know she was also the one who hired the lone wolf?”
Jaime nodded. “What punishment was decided?”
“I think it would have been death if it wasn’t for Leif. The poor kid’s already lost one parent.”
“Blane’s dead?”
“No. But he was involved in a bar fight with a human, so he was dealt with by human laws.
He’s in a maximum-security prison, where he’ll stay for a very long time. Laurie’s parents spoke with Trey over the phone. They asked if he’d accept her punishment as being isolated to a cabin on the border of their territory, where she’ll be away from her pack but Leif can still visit. It gives her the opportunity to try to earn a place in her pack in a few years, but she’ll forever be confined to pack territory.”
Jaime winced. Being confined was one of the worst punishments that any shifter could have.
“Who’ll be caring for Leif?”
“His grandparents. They’re good people, and he loves them. They’ll give him the stability that his parents could never have given him. From what I understand, he more or less lived with them anyway. They’ve g
ot no problem with me staying in contact with him.” That was good news. “I really need to take a bath.” When she felt his arm contract around her, she rolled her eyes. “I’ll only be in the next room.”
“I know. But I don’t want to let you go yet.”
“I know. But I desperately need one, and then I need food.” He nipped at her mouth. “I’ll ask Grace to bring some breakfast for us.”
“Why? We can go to breakfast with everyone else.”
“I don’t want to share you with everyone yet.”
That made her smile. “I have to at least see Gabe. He’ll be a mess until he knows I’m okay.” Dante couldn’t deny that. He’d received several text messages from her brother in the past hour—among many more from others within the pack, all of which he’d ignored. He would bet that the only reason Gabe hadn’t barged in was that he knew his sister needed rest. “Fine.” Smiling, she kissed him. “Thank you.”
“But can we do something about this first?” He flexed his cock inside her again, grinning wickedly at her loud moan.
“Oh yes, we certainly can.” At that moment, there was a knock at the door. “Or not.”
“Who is it?”
“I just need a quick word,” called Trey. “Of course if you’d have just answered your phone, I wouldn’t have had to come here.”
Frustrated in every sense of the word, Dante carefully pulled out of Jaime, dabbing a kiss on her mouth. Once he’d buttoned up his fly, he opened the door. “What?” he griped.
Trey arched a brow at his tone, but his expression was amused. “I didn’t want to interrupt,” he said quietly. “I just thought you and Jaime should know something.” The way Trey’s expression quickly became serious made Dante’s hackles rise. He stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. “What is it?”
“Shaya’s leaving in an hour.”
“Leaving?”
“You must have seen this coming.”
Yes, he had, and so had Jaime. It didn’t mean this would be any easier for either of them, particularly Jaime, as she had grown quite close to Shaya.
“Taryn thought you and Jaime might want to stay in your room all day doing that reconnecting thing. I wanted to tell you about Shaya so that you at least left the room to say good-bye to her. Plus, I figured Jaime would do better with the news if she had prior warning.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you soon.” When he reentered his room, he saw that his mate was gone from the bed. He found her in the en-suite bathroom, lying in a bath that wasn’t even a quarter of the way full. Approaching with a smile on his face, he asked, “You couldn’t wait until there was some water in it?”
No, thought Jaime, she couldn’t, because then he would have seen the tattoo that she’d had done as a surprise. He’d been so distracted by their reunion that he hadn’t noticed yet. “Shh. I’m trying to relax.” When he squatted and dipped his hands into the shallow water, skimming them over her legs, she guessed, “You’re not going to leave the room, are you?” Nope, not at all. Maybe it was unreasonable, but Dante didn’t want to be away from her. He’d only just got her back, and the fear of losing her was still fresh in his system. Feeling her skin against his and smelling the unique smell of their combined scents were the only things keeping his anxiety at bay. He couldn’t let her out of his sight yet. Didn’t want to.
“So what did Trey want?”
He breezed his thumb over that mouth he loved. “I’m sorry, baby, but Shaya’s leaving today.” It had only been a matter of time, hadn’t it? “When?”
“In an hour.”
“Okay, I’ll make this bath a quick one. Could you go get me some clothes and lay them on the bed for me?”
“I’d rather wash you,” he said with what he knew was a devilish smile.
“So would I, but then we wouldn’t get out of here for a while.”
“True.” Still, even leaving her to go to another room was hard.
“I’ll be fine.”
“I believe you. I just don’t want to be away from you. I want to be able to see you and touch you and smell you. I’ve missed you.”
There was that talented mouth again. “And I’ve missed you.” Jaime moaned when he mashed his lips with hers, knotting a wet hand in her hair. The kiss was slow, wet, and almost like liquid. “I promise I’ll be quick.”
Getting dressed in front of Dante without him noticing the tattoo had been a lot easier than Jaime had anticipated. He’d been so distracted staring at her breasts that her lower back hadn’t held any appeal to him. Once in her black denim jeans and red cashmere sweater, Jaime dragged a brush through her wet sable hair and tied it up into a ponytail. Then, with his arm curled around her, they proceeded through the tunnels toward the kitchen.
Occasionally he’d kiss her hair or temple, driven by a need to keep touching her. Jaime could feel the strength of that need through their bond, and tears stung her eyes as she once again remembered him saying that he loved her. Sure, it could have been just one of those things people say in desperate moments, but Jaime would prefer to believe that it was true. In any case, she was resolved that she would give him those words back later today. After the way he hadn’t given up on her or her wolf, he had earned them. It was selfish to hold them back any longer.
Just as Dante had expected, no sooner had they entered the kitchen than Shaya was wrapped around his mate like a clinging vine. Dante released several impatient sighs as each of the pack—
other than Greta, who was holding Kye—hugged Jaime and told her how glad they were that she was fine.
Dominic’s hug was extra tight. “We missed you around here.” He studied her face and sighed, smiling. “You’re so beautiful you’ve made me forget my line, but I was thinking—”
“Dominic,” bit out Dante, shaking his head.
The pervert’s shoulders slumped. He smiled again at Jaime. “I know, I know: lines are for people who are sad and pathetic. Let’s just fuck.” Dante whacked him over the head, but Dominic just laughed.
“Can’t breathe,” rasped Jaime as her brother practically folded his body around her.
“Sorry,” said Gabe, but he squeezed her even tighter. “You have no idea how worried I was.
My wolf was going insane because your wolf wouldn’t respond to him.” He pulled back and scrutinized her face. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s not healed, but she’s healing. She’s fully accepted Dante and the bond, and it’s anchoring her.”
“Just like I said it would,” Dante chipped in before he took Jaime’s hand in his in a possessive hold and pulled her to him. “Okay, okay, you’ve all had your moments with her.” As he’d told her, he didn’t want to have to share her yet.
Jaime rolled her eyes affectionately at her mate’s behavior and allowed him to lead her to the table. To her delight, Shaya sat at her other side. “I wish you didn’t have to go.” The words were so heavy with emotion that they came out in a whisper.
Shaya smiled; it was sad, but there was no hint that she was at all torn about her decision. “I needed to stay long enough to know you were okay. But now…”
“Where are you going to go?”
“Don’t worry about me. I know exactly where I’m going, and I’ll be fine.”
“You have to keep in touch.”
“I will. You guys definitely have to come visit me—slyly if it turns out that Nick doesn’t react too well to not knowing where I am anymore. If he does explode over this, don’t let him intimidate anyone into telling him where I am. He can’t know. He can’t find out, Jaime.” Jaime gripped her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “I promise you, he won’t. I understand why you feel you need to go. But if something happens, Shaya, if you need any kind of help, you call me. Okay?”
“I’ve already made her promise to come to us if she needs anything,” said Taryn, giving Shaya a pointed look that said she was holding her to that promise.
Shaya raised her hands in surrender. “I will, I swear.” Turning
back to Jaime, she squeezed her shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I can’t believe baby Kye’s a healer.” Greta, who had obviously been eavesdropping, huffed. Her scowl was solely for Jaime. “If you think you’re going to use my great-grandson as some sort of safety blanket, you’re wrong.”
“Greta, could you not go hatch somewhere else?” Jaime gestured to her plate. “I’m trying to eat here.”
“I see you’ve still got that bad attitude.”
“It’s obviously not that bad or you’d be holding in all that hot air. I’ll work on it.” Although Shaya’s leaving hung over everybody’s head, breakfast was an unusually cheery event. That cheeriness swiftly disappeared when everyone was gathered in the parking lot, saying their good-byes to the bubbly redhead. Taryn said her good-bye last, and honestly it was like watching the end of E.T. —there was no parting the two friends as they stood hugging one another.
“I’m really going to miss that girl,” Jaime said to Dante as they watched Shaya drive off.
“Nick will be utterly pissed, won’t he?”
Pulling her even closer to him with the arm that he had locked around her, Dante nodded. “He won’t let it go when he finds out she’s gone. He’ll track her down as best he can. Luckily, she has Ryan, Trick, and Marcus working on erasing her trail.”
Setting aside her concerns for Shaya, Jaime gave her mate a mischievous smile. “Think you can track me?” She was gone before he could respond.
Figuring it was only fair, Dante gave his mate enough time to get into the forest before racing after her. Excitement, anticipation, and amusement swirled around inside him. Only yesterday he had been nearing a state of depression, tired and exasperated and faced with the frightening prospect that he might never get to hold his mate again. Now here she was playing with him, using every single trick and technique he taught her to evade capture. He doubted that there was anyone who appreciated what he had more than Dante did at that moment. Doubted that—