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FORTY-THREE

Fiona

O ne moment, I was curled against Reed’s chest, his comforting scent and familiar warmth helping ease my shaking body, the next, I was flying through the air, landing hard against the damp, hard cement.

I didn’t know what hit us, only that it felt like a semitruck.

I stared down at my bleeding palms, blinking in shock as my brain struggled to catch up to what had just happened. Frantically, I looked around for Reed, only to see that he had shifted, his massive black wolf tangling with another.

No, that wasn’t right. Three others.

They weren’t as large as he was, but they’d caught him by surprise—while carrying me—and in human flesh. Blood was pouring from multiple wounds on his sides, and he was limping on one back leg.

A sob broke out of my chest as I used my bloody hands to push myself to my feet.

“Stop it! Leave him alone!” I charged forward, not thinking clearly as I stumble ran toward the nearest wolf. All I knew was that I had to help Reed, had to help him fight off the attackers.

I might as well have taken a fly swatter to a rhino for all the attention the shifter paid me. I shoved at his haunch, trying to distract him, but he swung to the side and knocked me over, sending me right back to the pavement.

I hissed when my elbow connected with the pavement, jarring pain shooting all the way up to my shoulder. That was a mistake.

The wolf I’d shoved turned, glowing yellow eyes fixated on me, where I was down, injured and completely at his mercy.

The snaps and snarls mere feet away told me Reed was still fighting for his life, and I was on my own. What I didn’t expect was for the big fucking wolf to change before my eyes into a very naked, very aroused man.

Shit, shit, shit!

“Well, hello there. Aren’t you a pretty little piece,” he cooed, closing the distance between us easily on foot as I tried to scramble back.

I didn’t like the hungry look in his eyes, and I suddenly remembered what Reed had told me from a meeting with Galyna a few weeks back.

If an omega-marked female is unbonded, she’s basically flies-to-honey to any shifter male nearby . Most will just try to breed her.

Fuckity fucking fuck.

I rolled over, pushing to my knees, getting ready to run for it, because this asshole trying to breed with me was not on my bingo card. But before I’d even made it fully to my feet, his hand was fisted in my hair, his knee knocking my legs out from under me as he followed me back down to the ground.

I froze in fear as he ran his nose down my neck, inhaling sharply and moaning. The sound of his pleasure, his enjoyment of my terror, sent a frisson of disgust and fury through me.

Fuck no. Fuck no! I was not about to get raped on the street by some asshole wolf who had attacked my mate and me.

I didn’t consciously call the power to start with, but when the wind started to howl, blowing down the alley with the gusting howl of a tornado on the way, I closed my eyes and pushed everything I had to the well of blue flame that resided in my chest.

His hands were on my shoulders, trying to turn me over, trying to yank my straps down, and I slapped and scratched at him, fighting like a wildcat as he tried to strip my dress off me, urging the power to hurry, to punish him.

The thunder came next, only seconds passing before the rain started to pour, to pound down on our heads as he swore.

And then, just like that, the weight behind me, his scrabbling hands, his frantic touches, were gone, and I was weightless, floating in a sea of tumultuous power, the cleansing rain I’d called pounding my skin like so many needles.

I couldn’t move, couldn’t think, could barely breathe as the thunder cracked so loud, it rang in my ears and drowned out everything else. I was frozen out of time, lost in the midst of the storm I’d created.

And then I felt different sensations—softer, warmer, gentler. A warm nose, prodding my cheek. A soft, worried whine. I knew instinctively it was Reed—wolfie, my sweet companion, my valiant protector—come to rescue me.

I was still shaking as I undertook the herculean task of getting back to my feet. I’d lost my new ballet slippers in the fight, and my bare feet slapped into cold puddles as I stood, surveying the damage around me. Reed was swaying on his paws, blood dripping from his maw and gore coating his fur, some of it his, I knew. The other three shifters lay dead on the ground around him, completely eviscerated.

The one who’d turned to human form and tried to… I couldn’t even think the words about what he’d tried to do. Not yet. His eyes were wide, his mouth stretched in a silent howl of pain, his body rigid where it had fallen, frozen where Reed’s claws had finished him for daring to touch me.

I felt a sick sense of gratification at seeing him destroyed for what he’d done. But it was also a horrifying sight, and I briefly flashed back to when Elodie had killed the troll, the gore and the blood pulsing from her wound.

But I was so relieved that Reed was okay—hell, that we were both okay—that my horror lasted only a second. I leaned down, wrapped my arms around his furry neck, and cried.

The rain pounded in an unrelenting downpour as I wept my fear and pain and fury into his scruff, until he shifted, wrapping me up in his human arms, the heat pouring off his bare chest visceral against the cold lash of the rain.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you. You’re okay, we’re okay. No one is going to hurt you, ever again. I’m so sorry, Fiona, so sorry.”

His words were an endless stream of sorrow to match my own fear and pain, his touch soothing even as it burned me through the cold that was steadily soaking into my bones. I wanted it to beat away the memory of other hands on my skin, but no matter how much I shivered with the cold, I could still feel the man’s grasping fingers.

By the time his security team found us in the alley, my powers had fled, leaving nothing but the two of us, soaked to the bone and exhausted. Everything but exhaustion had drained away as I wept, down into the storm drains along with the evidence of my fury and terror.

I clung to Reed as he carried me to the car, utterly empty inside.

* * *

Getting back to our hotel room was a haze. Nothing seemed to make an impression on me, not until the hot water beat down on my back from our showerhead.

Reed had carried me all the way in, still cradling me in his arms. I didn’t even notice that he’d slipped pants on in the car until he was stripping them back off for the shower.

The dress—the beautiful, sexy dress I’d been so excited to wear for him—was destroyed, tattered from my falls and the fight for my life.

“You can put me down,” I whispered, but I knew with his exceptional hearing, he’d catch it. He tightened his grip around my waist.

“Maybe I’m not ready to put you down yet.”

He hadn’t stopped touching me since he shifted back. It was a comfort. But the heat of the shower, the soft stroke of his hands as he smoothed bodywash over my skin, was slowly bringing me back into reality.

We’d been attacked. I’d nearly been raped. Reed had eviscerated three men to protect me.

Yet I didn’t feel a single ounce of regret for the fact that they were dead. It was us or them, and damn it, I was not going to apologize for choosing us. If my mate had protected me at the cost of their lives, so be it.

Eventually, Reed had to set me down to remove the dress and finish his very thorough wash. We found ways to stay close, keep in contact. And when he was done with me, I took my turn scrubbing him, soft brushes, reassuring touches as we both recovered from the ordeal.

Finally, by the time we stepped out and Reed wrapped me carefully in a fluffy towel, I felt clean on the outside but also like I’d come to grips with it all on the inside. I was shaken, yes, but the primal beast inside me knew that protecting ourselves was necessary.

Not that I’d forgotten or that I wouldn’t still see the gory husk of a man when I closed my eyes, no. But I’d accepted it.

Which was why I was so startled when I finally looked up, to see the look of utter devastation on Reed’s face.

“Reed? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“I’ve failed you, Fiona. I’m not worthy to stand at your side, to call myself your mate. They never should have touched a hair on your head, and it’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I was distracted, and I let them get the jump on us.”

“Uh-uh, no! You didn’t attack me, you didn’t cause any of this. You’ve done nothing but protect me from the shooter and the three wolves. You can’t blame yourself for the actions of shitty men.”

But I could tell from his expression that my reassurances weren’t landing. He had fully taken on the mantle of blame; the failure rested around his shoulders like a cloak he couldn’t—or perhaps wouldn’t—shake off.

I held on to his shoulders, forcing him to look me in the eyes when I spoke again, more slowly.

“You did not make them attack us. You fought valiantly at three-to-one odds. None of this was your fault.”

“It doesn’t matter. Don’t you see? A male who’s worthy of you can protect you, no matter the cost. You should never have had to fight. He should never have touched a hair on your head. Look at you. You’re injured.” He held my hand tenderly between the two of his, staring down at my scraped palm.

I was shocked when a salty tear landed and stung it.

“Reed, you have to stop this. You are my mate. You said it yourself, the Moon Goddess doesn’t make mistakes. There’s no one more perfect for me in the whole world. You protected me. You killed for me, Reed. You hold the other half of my soul, right? Tell me you still believe that.” I was begging, grasping at straws to make him see, to hear me. Hear that I didn’t blame him.

“Fiona, I can’t protect you alone without a complete bond. I can’t—this omega seal? It’s going to keep calling to them, any male around you. Those three were only the first. There will be more. And you don’t want to be locked up. You don’t deserve to be locked up. I know that, no matter how much it terrifies me. But I’m not enough, not without my pack. We have to go back to Kane and Brielle, back to the enclave. I can’t deal with the vampires when I know there are going to be wolves dogging our every step. I can’t see you hurt again for my failure.”

His voice was broken, and I hated every single second of it. And in that moment, I knew what I had to do. What we had to do.

“So bite me. Right now, tonight. Make me yours forever, seal this bond between us, so that no wolf ever tries to lay claim on me again.”

His entire body tensed, taut as a bowstring under my fingertips, near to breaking under the strain of it.

“No. You don’t understand what you’re asking me.”

“So tell me. Make me understand! I’m your mate. This is our problem, my problem, that’s tormenting us. You didn’t ask for an omega-sealed mate, and I didn’t ask for this. But this is the hand we were dealt .”

“A bonding is beautiful, the culmination of love and trust and respect. The joining of two into one forever. There’s a ceremony, and you in a gorgeous gown—if I bit you tonight, you wouldn’t get any of the beauty and tradition you deserve. I can’t take that from you for my failure. It would only compound what you’ve lost for being with me.”

I wanted to scream, shake him, but curse it all, he was deadly serious. “Reed, look me in the eyes right now.”

He obeyed without hesitation, giving me his stunning blue eyes, the ones from my dreams that felt a lifetime ago. The eyes of the man—the wolf—who I loved.

“What I deserve is you . To be yours. Those traditions sound lovely and beautiful and wholesome. But they’re not mine. I’m not a wolf. I am… Fiona. Your Stormy. I’m not losing a damn thing. I’m gaining everything, because all I need is you. You make me safe, you make me whole, and I don’t want to waste another second waiting on the moon, waiting on ceremony or tradition. Do you understand?”

He hesitated, then nodded, his eyes starting to glow. Wolfie understood. I could trust him to always give me what I needed, even over the man’s protests, and right now? I needed that bite. I needed to seal this bond between us, so that what happened to us tonight never happened again.

Because I simply couldn’t bear the look of fear and pain in Reed’s eyes for one more second. Some instinct inside me rose up, and I craned my neck to the side, baring my throat for the alpha wolf. I knew what I wanted, what we needed.

I wasn’t sure what I expected—a growl, maybe a snarl as the wolf took over and claimed me. But that wasn’t what I got. Reed rumbled, low in his chest, that soothing sound that offered me comfort, solace.

And that tenderness? That unexpected balm, that offering of safety, even as I offered him everything? It was earth-shattering.

He reached forward and undid the towel he’d wrapped around me, leaving me bare for his eyes. He lifted me from the floor like I was weightless. Wrapping my legs around his waist, he carried me to the bedroom and laid me back on the oversized mattress like I was precious to him, because I was.

His lips hovered over mine, his expression serious as he stroked my jaw possessively with his thumb. “Are you sure, Stormy? I won’t take this choice from you. You can still say no, and we can curl up in this bed and go to sleep. Tomorrow, I’ll make you safe with my pack.”

“I’m sure, Reed. I don’t want to wait.”

He lay at my side, kissing me softly, erasing the feeling of other hands on my skin one by one as he peppered kisses along my throat. He cupped my breasts reverently, sending easy waves of pleasure through me, a low hum of desire threading through my blood and heightening the feel of his lips, his teeth, as they slowly worked over my neck. No pain, only warm pleasure, filling me up like honey, making my limbs go soft and pliant.

Liquid heat pooled at my core, but I sensed that he wasn’t warming me up for that reason. He didn’t move faster or further. He didn’t push for sex. He worshipped my body with his hands and lips and tongue until I was panting, restless, and needy beneath him.

That was when he struck, his fangs piercing me with unexpected ease, hot and sharp and intensely blissful all at once. One moment, I was lazily aroused, warm and safe—the next, I was crashing over the edge of bliss, wrapping myself around him as intense pleasure filled me, shattered me.

Whether the bite lasted seconds or minutes, I couldn’t have said. All I knew was that I rode a wave of euphoria so intense, the blood rushed in my ears, and when I came back down from the peak, I was shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. Reed licked and sucked over the wound, the ache fading to nothing more than tenderness. I prodded with my fingertips, surprised to find it already closed, neatly sealed from whatever claiming magic the wolves possessed.

I looked up at him, suddenly feeling vulnerable from the intense experience we’d just shared.

“How do I bite you?” The question hadn’t really occurred to me before, when it was theoretical. But a mate bond was a two-way street, and I didn’t have wolf canines to sink into him. I had blunt, mostly human teeth.

“Don’t overthink it. The bonding magic will find a way, just… do whatever feels right.”

He kissed me on the lips, and the languid heat in my belly rose again instantly, desire for more of him filling me at the simplest of touches. When he pulled back, I followed, rolling him to his back and straddling him, chasing him with a hunger that I’d never experienced before. He was right, my instincts were pushing me, urging me, driving me forward in a way I didn’t have to question.

I leaned down to his neck, nipping him playfully at first, but when he groaned and arched beneath me, I did it again, harder this time.

His stiff erection jumped against my ass, hot and tempting, I pushed back against it, relishing the fact that he craved me as badly as I craved him. Reed might not have wanted to push things physically between us, but I had no such compunctions. Aching with need, I rose up on my knees to slot him where I wanted him. His hands were on my thighs, his eyes greedy on my body as I slowly slid down, sheathing his length inside me with relish.

His moan of pleasure only stoked my own higher, and I worked up and down slowly, teasing him even as I rode him. When his hand snaked down to thumb my clit, I bucked, too close to the edge and not ready to give up my power just yet.

I still had to mark him, bite him, make him mine like he’d made me his. And in that moment, I knew exactly what to do. I grabbed his hand, pulling it slowly up my torso, between my breasts, to my lips. I kissed his fingertips, sucking the tips and nipping lightly, until I got to his thumb.

I closed my eyes, kissing the wide stretch of skin at the base of his thumb, and called on my magic. The blue ribbons of power in my chest were languid, but ready.

“Fuck, Stormy, don’t stop.” His hoarse words were all the encouragement I needed. Holding that power, holding him, I bit down, shocked when my teeth sank in easily, the metallic taste of his blood coating my tongue as Reed shouted his pleasure below me, thrusting up inside me like he was possessed. I followed the bite with a kiss, and then his hand was gone, anchoring my hips in place so he could fuck me from below.

I stabilized myself with my hands on his wide pecs, staring into his eyes as something shifted between us, and pleasure engulfed me in a golden shimmer, bursting behind my eyelids as the mate bond locked into place.

He shouted his release, digging his heels into the bed as everything that had separated us vanished. And just like I could feel his heartbeat beneath my fingertips, I could feel it echoed in my own chest. He was mine, and I was his. We were one.