Savage Silence: A Dire Wolves Mission (The Devil's Dires Book 4) (8 page)

“Someday will be amazing. But today wasn’t half bad either.”

“No, it really wasn’t.”

If there was ever a time to give her space, this was it. Thaus could feel it, could sense the tension growing within her. She needed time alone again, and he needed to get himself cleaned up.

“I need to patrol, baby,” he said, the excuse coming easy and true to his lips. “You should try to get some sleep.”

She sighed. “Yeah. I think I will.”

One more pat to the door, one more moment of staring at that barrier and wishing he could just destroy it. “I’ll be right outside. No one will get past me.

“I know that, Thaus. I don’t know how, but I know that.”

“Good. Now get some sleep.”

It took every ounce of control he had to finally peel himself away from the door and head for the kitchen. After a quick wash-up at the sink, he headed outside. How he did it, how he walked out without his mate beside him, he’d never know because it was the absolute last thing he wanted.

Still, the night air felt good against his overheated skin. His human mind had started to settle, but his wolf reared the second they stepped outside. It sought control, pacing and on guard as it waited for a turn to rule the body they shared. Something other than a satisfied mate and a lonely hand job had the beast on edge, and that was bad news. Thaus stripped off his pants and shifted, wanting to feel the earth under his paws and let the spirit of the forest grow around him. Wanting to give himself to his wolf senses to determine why the energy was all sorts of wrong.

He padded through the trees, sniffing and letting his wolf see the night for what it was. Letting him sense whatever was out there. And there was something out there. Something dark and dangerous, moving closer. Coming for them. A sense of being surrounded, penned in. At risk.

With only thoughts of Ariel on his mind, Thaus raced back to the porch where he’d left his pants, shifting human in the middle of a step. Not even the ache of his shoulder could slow him down. His phone was in his hand within seconds, his fingers dialing just as quickly. He would
not
risk her for pride. He couldn’t.

Phego picked up after just one ring. “S’up?”

“How many hours out?” Thaus asked, his words almost breathless.

“Still twelve or so. I’ve got Mammon with me.”

That pulled Thaus up short. “He left Charmeine alone?”

“Barely. I thought he was going to toss her in the suitcase and drag her ass with us.”

“Shut up, motherfuckers,” Mammon yelled in the background.

Phego chuckled. “He made Bez come stay at the farm with her and the pack, which means Sariel is there as well. It’s a big old party down in Texas right now.”

Thaus grunted, understanding Bez’s reasoning completely. “I may need you here sooner than twelve hours, and you’d better call Deus for backup.”

“Situation?” Phego asked, suddenly all business.

Thaus sighed and ran a hand over his shorn head. “She’s my mate.”

“Holy shit.” Phego mumbled something, as if covering the phone to speak to Mammon. The hollow sound of the device switching into speaker mode came next. Fuckers.

“What’s going on, man?” Mammon asked, his voice a little tinny. “You think we can’t handle the threat?”

Thaus growled, his irritation only growing. “I can handle anything. Normally. But this time…with her…”

“I hear you, and while I’m totally thrilled for you, I get where your fear is coming from,” Mammon said, all joking tucked away at the thought of a mate in danger. “But what’s the threat situation? Think logically for a second.”

Thaus closed his eyes, letting the energy in the air wash over him. Feeling for the darkness he’d sensed earlier. And finding it. “They’re coming for her now. I can feel them. I can’t tell how soon or how many, though.”

More mumbling, then Phego picked up the phone. “Mammon’s calling Dante to see if there’s a plane nearby we can jack. We’re coming, man.”

“Yeah. Perfect. Just…ping off my coordinates.”

“Hey, I get that you’re superconcerned, and congrats on the new mate, but this ain’t our first rodeo. We’ll get there.”

“You’d better.” Thaus hung up, not sure whether to feel relieved or not. He wasn’t used to being so unbalanced. He’d been a decision-maker for a long time, but for this mission, he couldn’t trust himself to do the right thing. His mind was clouded by thoughts of Ariel, by nightmares of her in danger. He needed his pack to keep him from making the wrong decision in the heat of the moment.

And he needed to arm his mate so she was ready for what was coming.

T
he next morning
, it took Ariel a good twenty minutes of pacing to get up the nerve to walk out of the bedroom. The one she’d stayed alone in all night, with the softest, biggest, most comfortable bed she’d ever slept in. Thaus’ bed. She’d fallen asleep to the scent of him wrapped around her, and she’d slept hard. No tossing or turning as the night ran on. She’d slept like a log after the whole coming to the sound of his voice thing.

By the gods, just the thought made her blush.

Her orgasm had been amazing, her sleep incredible, but by the light of the morning, she worried about what Thaus thought of everything. Would he expect her to be ready for more?
Was
she ready for more? She didn’t think so, but she also had never thought she’d get off with a man she’d only just met talking dirty to her through a closed door.

She really wished she could hide for the day.

But a threat was out there, and Thaus had said his team would be arriving. Ariel assumed that meant today, so it was time to grow up and face the music. With her cheeks and ears positively on fire.

“Morning,” Thaus said as she walked into the kitchen. He didn’t turn around from the stove, though. Ariel was oddly disappointed in that.

“Good morning,” she said softly. Not sure where to go or what to do. “Uh, can I help with something?”

“Got it all covered.”

And he did. She stood to one side and watched as he cooked eggs and sausages. How one got eggs out of frozen or pantry food, she wasn’t sure, but Thaus obviously did because that seemed to be what was for breakfast. The smell of food cooking almost made her mouth water, but it was the sight of his long, hard arms bulging and straightening that kept her attention rapt. Every muscle, every curve of flesh, was more intriguing than the last. She wanted to feel them, to place her hand over all that strength and touch that power. She wanted to know what it was like to be wrapped in arms like those, to be held by them, protected by them. A thought that startled her with its intensity.

Thaus coughed, though, and Ariel snapped back to herself. She’d taken a few steps closer, had even begun to edge around the island. She also had just about soaked her panties. Of course. Which must have been why Thaus coughed. He could smell how aroused she’d become. She hadn’t thought her skin could burn any hotter than when she’d walked out of the bedroom. She’d been wrong.

Ears on fire, Ariel moved across the kitchen area and grabbed a towel. She needed to keep busy, that was all. To stay distracted from that man’s body, his muscles, the easy sensuality with which he seemed to complete every task. She needed to do anything other than stare at him. So she wiped down the counter where they’d sit with more vigor than probably needed. Once completed, she headed off to find the utensils and plates to set their places.

“Almost done?” Ariel asked as she walked past Thaus, who’d just turned the burners off. She must not have been loud enough, though, because he jerked and spun.

And he grabbed her bicep.

For one tiny moment, she relished that touch. She’d craved it so much that to have it, to feel him, was a moment of bliss she couldn’t deny. But the agony of fear, the building of panic, wasn’t ready to pull its claws from her psyche just yet. Thaus must have known, must have seen the switch flip inside of her. He let her go quickly, released her to stand on her own even though she’d been leaning into his touch. Threw his hand up and gave her the room he must have assumed she needed to calm herself.

But, oh, how he was wrong.

There was no more calm to be had. Not with him so close. He made her dizzy with desire, made her body clench for things she wasn’t ready for yet. He made her need. That was why it had to have been an accidental move on her part. A clumsy, half-stumbled, single muscle twitch that knocked her off-balance and sent her arm forward. That caused her to brush her mate’s hand with her fingertips. That made her grasp his arm with one hand for support.

Had to be.

Thaus stood stock-still, staring at her with a heated expression. She didn’t move either, too afraid of breaking the connection to even breathe. And there was a connection. She felt the tingle all the way up through her arm and down to her toes. Felt it between her legs, too. The attraction, the desire. This man had a power over her that she couldn’t resist. Not wholly.

Thaus, his eyes staying on hers the entire time, slowly took the plates from her hand. Not touching her. Not moving close. Just relieving her burden. Ariel stood frozen in place, her hand on his arm. The need to feel and stroke and grab making her positively tremble.

“Baby?” Thaus said, his voice low and soothing.

“I’m not ready.” The words were a whisper, a plea, and a lie all in one.

“Then don’t.”

Ariel swallowed hard, her heart racing and her breathing shallow. “But I want… I need.”

Thaus inched a single step back so he could lean a hip against the counter, still not reaching for her. Not pushing. “So, take. I’m here for you, and I promised not to push.”

She shivered, the thought of touching him, of running her hands all over all that muscular flesh making her wet. “I don’t think I can.”

He practically seduced her with his voice, almost pulled her in with nothing more than the sound of his own desires. “Yeah, you can. Just touch me, baby. I’m right here, and I’m not moving. I’m not going to hurt you. Take what you need from me.”

So she did. She touched. She ran her fingertips up and over his arm. Slowly at first, then gaining more speed, flattening her hand to feel every inch she passed. Thaus didn’t move, just as he’d promised. Though his eyes followed her hand like a man hunting. Like a predator stalking its prey. He watched, and she touched.

His skin was warm under her hand, hard and soft all at the same time. The slight hair on his forearm tickled a bit, but it was the flex of the muscles underneath his skin that made her want to sigh. He was solid, almost impossibly so. Every sinewy line of muscle led to another, overlapped and twisted with others. There was no getting around it—the man was buff.

When her fingers reached the bottom edge of his T-shirt, she glanced up and licked her lips. Unsure. Unable to say the words she wanted to. Asking permission in the only way she could.

“Anything, baby,” Thaus murmured, his hands clenching the edge of the counter. Knuckles white with the stress and arms locked at his sides. She believed him. In that moment, with him standing as strong and sure as he was, she knew he wouldn’t push her. Wouldn’t go too far. She could touch everything, and he’d stand there and take it. The power that knowledge gave her was definitely something new, and she liked it.

Ariel slipped her hand under the shirt and spread her fingers across his abs. The muscles there made her mouth water, made her body clench on nothing. Good gracious, so many muscles. So much strength all in one man. Her second hand joined the first as Thaus began to tremble. She was unable to resist the call of his flesh. Needed more with every exposed bit.

“Thaus,” she whispered, inching closer. He growled soft and dark, a low, thrumming sound that she swore she could feel right between her legs. “I don’t know…”

“Anything,” he said again. Still holding himself back. Still clutching the edge of the counter like some sort of lifeline. Ariel swallowed hard and allowed herself to move closer, keeping a few inches of space between them.

“Can you…” She paused again, her skin warm and itching for something just out of reach. Her heart racing. Finally, she closed her eyes and let go. “Can you touch me, too?”

The silence was deafening, the tension between them so strong, she was held in place by the weight of it. Would he? Would he give her this? Would he risk what they’d built to satisfy what was basically her curiosity? Because she might not welcome his touch in the end, she might panic at the thought and run. She didn’t want to, but her mind was a wasteland of land mines she had no way to know how to get around. Touching Thaus was tiptoeing through at a slow pace. Letting him touch her was driving a tank across the land. In the dark. With no navigation.

When she opened her eyes again, Thaus was staring down at her. Unmoving. The look in his eyes, though. The heat. He wanted this. Wanted to touch. She just needed to convince him she could handle it…convince herself.

“Please.”

His expression broke, that heat simmering lower even as he shivered at her plea. “You don’t need to beg.”

Ariel waited as he raised his hand, as he slowly moved his fingers toward her. As he gave her an out. She stood and she fought her fear because the desire to feel him, truly feel him, was so much stronger.

“I’ll never hurt you,” he whispered, his words an oath, his voice a commitment.

“I think I know that.”

“Someday, you’ll be sure.” He pushed her hair off her shoulder, still not touching her skin. Ariel trembled under his gaze, anticipation putting more pressure on her body. How could she tell him to move faster? How could she push him to do what she’d been telling him not to?

But Thaus was not a man who needed pushing. He kept his eyes on hers as his hand came up, as his fingers brushed across her jaw. A soft, fleeting touch that set her entire body on fire. She gasped, her pulse pounding. Her skin aching for more.

“Okay?” he asked.

Ariel nodded, leaning in. Feeling more than just okay. The next touch was bigger, more than just fingertips. He ran his palm along the column of her neck, cupping it almost. A dominating move for sure, but one she appreciated. That touch felt as if he was holding her, as if he had her. Supported her. As if he was solely responsible for everything around them. She needed more touches like that.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered, pulling her softly toward him. She gave in to that pull, of course. Who wouldn’t? The man was a beast, but he was hers. A gentle giant when he needed to be. And right then, as his fingers pressed into the back of her neck, she needed that from him. Needed his solid sureness and his quiet way of being. She needed him to be her mate, to understand her needs, and to deliver on his promises. He looked at her in ways that made her ache for this, and fear or no fear, she was giving in. If just for this one moment. So long as he let her.

So she moved closer, and she allowed herself to fall against him.

Thaus twisted slightly right before she made contact, just enough to keep his lower body from touching hers. A kind move on his part, or something else? Was he hard for her? Did he desire her as much as she desired him? Would she ever get to the point that she’d want to find out? She hoped she would. She really did, especially once her skin met his.

Because feeling Thaus against her was pure and utter bliss.

Ariel surrendered to her need to touch him in the most complete way she could think of, but Thaus didn’t take advantage. He didn’t grind on her or slide his hands under her clothing. No. Her big, strong mate let her fall against his chest so she could hug him. Full body, arms all the way around, holding tight as his head came down so he could nuzzle into her neck, Ariel held on to that big body with everything she had as he stood still and curved into hers. A bear hug, though one-sided.

And she loved it.

Every bit of tension, of fear, faded away as she held Thaus. There was no more threat coming, no more past haunting her. There was just him and her wrapped together as best they could in the kitchen of a cabin in the woods. Alone and quiet and…peaceful.

His breathing slowed, growing deeper as he relaxed into the embrace. His warmth seeped into her very soul, and the comfort that came from feeling his skin on hers, to satisfying the first step of the mating bond, brought a sense of contentment she’d never experienced.

“You okay, baby?” he asked after several minutes of silent embracing. Ariel smiled and nodded against his chest. Not risking words at a time like this. Not needing them.

“Good,” he replied. “I want to get closer, though. Can I move us?”

Ariel nodded again, not at all apprehensive, too high on the feel of him in her arms to allow her fears to take over. Without waiting for words, Thaus lifted her and took two steps to set her ass on the island counter. Never letting go. Never allowing even an inch of space between them. Her legs wrapped almost of their own accord around his hips, pulling him in deep even as he rested his hands against the counter to keep from hugging her back. Pressing all sorts of parts of him against the hottest parts of hers. And that touch, that fiery meeting of hard and soft, was everything.

“Thaus,” she whispered as she rocked her hips into his very hard, very present erection. He grunted but didn’t move, didn’t respond. Didn’t acknowledge if that felt good. Shit. “Sorry.”

He growled and slid his hands down to her ass, pulling her in tighter before releasing her once more. Almost rubbing his cock against her. “Never apologize for trying to make yourself feel good.”

But quiet bliss had been replaced by something else. Something hotter and needier, something wanting. Something that gave her more courage than she’d thought possible. “I was hoping it felt good for you, too.”

“Just being in the same room feels good, baby. Being here, in your arms, with you letting me be this close?” He edged ever closer, tilting his hips to make her gasp just right. “It’s heaven.”

Ariel leaned back so she could look at him, and then she rocked her hips again. Harder. “And this? Is this heaven, too?”

He grunted softly and shook his head all slow. “This is sin, pure and simple. Beautiful, perfect sin.”

But when he moved as if to hold her, as if to wrap an arm around her, the perfect little bubble cracked. Panic sputtered to life in her mind, and she jerked away from him.

“Sorry. I can’t… I’m—”

Thaus was nothing if not understanding, though. He let her move back, gave her room to breathe again. To calm. He gave her space so she could move closer once more.

“I didn’t mean to scare you. Tell me if I do something wrong.” Thaus nuzzled her neck, locking his arms on the counter once more as he began thrusting softly against her. Giving her what she needed without pushing her too far. Hopefully, taking for himself as well.