Claiming His Need (13 page)

“Tease,” I whispered so Pup couldn’t hear. She gave me a cheeky grin.
 

I took a deep breath and wished again for more time, more privacy, and more of my new mate. “Your brother Dante will be below your balcony, and Pup will be here in the hall. You’re safe with them until I get back, okay?”

She nodded, her eyes locked on mine. “I’m not afraid.”

I took a step away from her, never breaking our stare. “I have to go.”

She stood stock-still, watching me leave.
 

“Hurry back.”

“So it’s decided?” Half Trac looked at each of us in turn. “Then if no one objects, let’s retire for the evening. Tomorrow will be a big day.”

He stood, his Cleaners following his lead. I stayed in my seat, glaring at a spot across the room, my heart in my throat and my bones aching. I hated the plan. I didn’t doubt we could pull it off, but I hated it.

My mate would be used as bait. Against every argument I could possibly think of, the Breed and pack teams had agreed Kaija would be needed on the battlefield. The Feral Breed team would circle the escaping nomads, the Cleaners would assist us in destroying all but the leader, and the pack would be present as backup in case we needed assistance. But my mate would be the pretty little treat setting the trap. And I would not be the one making sure she stayed safely out of harm’s way.
 

I hated that plan.

“You okay?” Sandman sat on the edge of the table across from me. I grunted in reply, unable and unwilling to communicate further.
 

Sandman sighed and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I know the fear within you, Gates. But put faith in us… We won’t fail.”

I stared hard at the man across from me. He’d lost his mate when he’d challenged his pack Alpha, so he understood the level of pain that would come to me should anything happen to Kaija. He knew how badly I would fight against any person or group that threatened her. Or at least he thought he did. Because no one in the Breed—not my denmates or my leaders or even my own brother—could understand the amount of evil lurking in the corners of my mind. For centuries, I’d been training, preparing myself for a battle I knew would one day come. And if this was it—if this was the moment I would unleash my inner animal fully to take out the danger to my mate—so be it. No one had any idea the level I would sink to protect her, or the lengths to which I would go to kill those who threatened us.

“You should go now, boy.” I growled and sank farther into the chair, needing a few moments to myself to recapture the rage coursing through my body.

Sandman sighed and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “We won’t fail. She’ll return to camp safe and sound because we
will
not
fail you, brother. There is nothing to fear.”

My growl deepened, his ignorance inflaming my rage. I motioned for him to lean closer.

“When you see what you believe is fear within me, don’t assume it’s only for Kaija. Because as much as I’m afraid of the pain of losing her, it’s not all that’s burning inside of me. The fear the human side of me feels is for everything. It’s for the very fabric of life as we know it.” I grabbed Sandman by his T-shirt and yanked him toward me as I growled.
 

“If anything happens to her, anything at all, you had better hope she dies. If she dies, I die… It’s that simple. But if she’s injured? If they dare to take her away from me? I
will
seek vengeance. I’ll bring a wrath down upon this planet until every possible participant in the offending party’s life has been destroyed, without regard for collateral damage or bystanders. I’ll spend the rest of my eternity looking for her if they manage to evade us again. I’ll expose the secret; kill anyone who gets in my way. I’ll annihilate our entire species to find my mate. There will be no stopping me. You think the worst thing to happen would be her death. I know the worst thing to happen would be if they took her. Because as long as she lives, as long as there’s a bond between us and breath in my body, I will ravage the world to find her.”

I stood, tossing him to the floor. “The nomads threatened to burn the camp down if we didn’t comply with their demands. Cute threat… But they’d better be prepared. If they touch a single hair on Kaija’s head, this Gatekeeper will set their entire world ablaze.”

I spent an hour after my talk with Sandman running through the woods on pack property. I needed to burn off the aggression pumping through my veins. I didn’t want to scare Kaija or let her see me in such a state of distress. The idea of using her to lure the animals who’d already stolen her from her family once set my very soul on fire. No one would hurt her again. I knew she could defend herself if necessary, but I didn’t want her to have to use those skills. It was my job as her mate, as her equal. I would protect her.

Missing her face and the softness of her body against mine, I ran toward the Alpha house. Dante stood under her balcony as I’d asked him to do.

“Go. Now.”
 

He stiffened for a moment, obviously unaccustomed to being bossed around by anyone other than his father.
 

I closed my eyes and pulled out what little patience I had left. “Please.”

With nothing more than a slight lip curl, he turned and raced for his cottage. I swung up onto Kaija’s balcony quietly, not wanting to wake her had she fallen asleep. But her bed was empty when I peeked inside, the blankets turned down and the lighting in the room dimmed. The sound of water splashing caught my attention. Straight across from the screen I stood behind was the doorway to her en suite bathroom. Normally the door was closed, but tonight it stood open. I took a step to my left to double-check the room was clear and nearly fell over.
 

The bathroom was completely lit with candles. From my position on the balcony, I had a straight view to the tub at the far end of the space. The tub my mate was in…presumably naked…lifting her legs and rubbing a white cloth over all that gorgeous skin.

Have mercy, the woman is trying to kill me.

I let loose a growl, one I couldn’t hold back. She paused for a second and smirked, but quickly continued her cleansing, pretending she didn’t know I was there. But she knew. Of course she knew.
 

I pressed myself against the screen, desperate to be near her, wishing she would tell me to come in. I knew she wanted me with her, but I didn’t want to invade her space without her permission. Not that watching her bathe wasn’t invasive, though she had to have known I’d be here. She could have closed the door so as not to give me a show.
 

Unless she wanted me to see.

Her hands slid below the water, and she dropped her head back against the towel she’d placed at the back of the tub. A war erupted in my mind. Did I stay and watch? Stay and keep my eyes focused on the night sky, as hard as that might be? Leave the balcony and give her a chance to finish her ablutions?
 

The fact that a word I hadn’t used in nearly a century had entered my mind in my moment of indecision made me realize how wrong it was to watch my young mate in such an exposed state. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable with my actions, I turned to look out over the forest below. But then she moaned.
 

“Oh, Gates. Mmmmmm, yes.”

My eyes widened and my jaw fell as every ounce of blood I had rushed to my tortured cock. No way. There was no way she could be so cruel as to—

“Feels so good. Yes.”

Fuck me, she
was
that cruel. She was getting off in the tub, knowing I was only feet away, knowing I could hear her. Or at least, I assumed she knew.

Just in case, I coughed to announce myself. “Are you okay in there, princess?”
 

I closed my eyes, wishing she would call for me, tell me to join her. That she would ask for my help or make the decision for me by demanding I leave. But she just giggled.

“I’m good, mate. Mmmm, yes. So good.” Her breathing picked up as the sounds of splashing grew.
 

“Can you see me from out there? I wasn’t sure if the candlelight would be enough.”

I growled as I fought to keep my eyes closed. “I’m not looking, princess. I didn’t want to…intrude.”

The room fell silent, even her breathing seeming to soften as my words hung in the air. Tortuous. The lack of sound was absolutely tortuous. But then…
 

“Please look at me, Lorenzo.”

I spun, my eyes meeting hers through the screen. Need, desire, want, lust, and affection looked back at me.

“I want you to watch me.” Such emotion in those six words. Such hope and desire.

Adjusting myself and preparing for the hardest—no pun intended—few moments of my life so far, I pressed my forehead to the screen and gave her a small nod. She smiled, all sweet and cute and completely fucking deadly before settling into the tub, bringing one foot up to rest against the rim. She made such a pretty picture—all red lips and pale skin against the pure-white of the ceramic fixtures. But dammit, I couldn’t see enough. I nearly whimpered as her head rocked back and forth, her teeth biting into that full, red lip, wishing it was my own instead. She continued to moan and hum as she rocked against…something. Her hand? Yes, probably her hand. Fuck, I wanted it to be my hand. Wanted to feel how swollen she was from her need. Wanted to bury my fingers inside her and feel her tremble.

“Getting so close. This heat is killing me, Gates. I need release.”

“Are you asking for my assistance?” My hands pressed into the woven surface of the screen as I waited for her response. Time slowed, every second lasting hours as I stood on the precipice of desire. But when she spoke, when she breathed a simple “Yes,” the world restarted with a jolt.
 

The screen was no longer in my way. I had no memory of actually sliding it open, but that didn’t matter. My feet moved of their own volition across the plush carpeting of her bedroom toward the light beckoning me. My mate was fully in her heat and she needed relief. That was my job, and thoughts of all I could do to sate her need consumed me. I would not leave her wanting.
 

“Gates.”

“What do you need, sweet girl?”

Her eyes popped open. Bubbles obscured some of my view, though I’d seen almost everything before. The only part I’d not witnessed was the connection between her beautiful pussy and her hand. The way her fingers disappeared between her lips. How the swollen flesh wrapped around her digits. She continued moving her hand as I watched, in and out, her thumb pressing against her clit in time with her thrusts. Beautiful, arousing, and sure to be the death of me.

She opened her legs a little farther as her fingers increased their speed. “You came.”

I huffed a laugh. “Not yet.”

Her returning smirk was positively wicked. “Me neither. Think you can help me out with that?”

I hovered over the tub, leaning down to place a small kiss on her wet lips. “We’ll be breaking a few rules.”

She moaned and moved her hand faster, biting her lip again. “I don’t care about the rules. I just want to be with you.”

I nearly groaned in relief. “As you wish.”

I slid my arms under her body and yanked her up into my hold. She squeaked but didn’t offer a complaint, just leaned her head against my chest as I carried her out of the candlelit room. Drowning in the scent of her need, I walked her to her bed and placed her gently on top of the blanket.

“Gates,” she whispered as her nails dug into my shoulders. “Please.”

“I can’t have you yet, princess.” I picked up her leg and rested her foot on my shoulder as I ran my tongue along the curve of her knee. “If we start our bonding, I won’t want to stop, and we’re not free from the threat yet. But I know you’re in heat. I can smell it on you. I can practically feel your frustration.” I knelt at the side of her bed, holding eye contact as I pulled her ass to the very edge and draped her legs over my shoulders. “Let me help you.”

A single nod was the only permission I needed before I dove in. My lips and tongue made contact with her soft, pink flesh as I groaned and fought the urge to just take her. Her pussy tasted as perfect as I’d imagined, and I made sure to lick every inch in my quest to please her. Her gasps taught me what she liked, her moans what she loved. And when she arched off the mattress and fisted her hands in my hair, I knew I’d learned exactly how to make her come. I tongued her clit hard and fast, rubbing my teeth along the hood and holding her lips open for my assault. She rocked against my face, alternating moans and pants as I savored her.

When she lifted her ass off the bed, pressing herself against my tongue, I took her hint for more. Without warning, I slid two fingers inside her. I curled them, searching for the spot that would drive her crazy. I pumped them in and out, pressing harder with each swipe, pushing deeper and deeper as I teased and stroked inside. And then I found it. Her feet dug into my shoulders when I slid my fingers over the fleshy spot, and her moan grew loud and solid. I hoped her packmates guarding outside could hear it. I hoped they would know her mate, the only man who would ever get this close to her pussy again, was sating her. I hoped they heard and knew not to come near her.

She tried to bring her legs together as her walls fluttered around my fingers, but I didn’t let her. I wedged my shoulders between her knees and held her open, plunging and curling and sucking and licking until her entire body shivered and she keened with the force of her upcoming orgasm.
 

“Gates…Gates…Ga-Lorenzo.”

Her pussy squeezed my hand, tight and hot and wet, just as I’d imagined it would. I craved it, needed to feel it wrapped around my cock, couldn’t wait to sink into her. I would happily die in her arms with my cock in her pussy, but not before I’d felt her come all around me the way she was coming around my fingers. Fuck, the pressure was astounding, sucking my hand inside and making my balls crawl up into my body with a need so powerful, I nearly came.