Page 9

NINE

Reed

W hen Fiona kissed me, my mind went blank. All the thoughts and worries that had been racing through it about what her reaction would be to the information I’d just dropped in her lap disappeared, leaving nothing behind but static and a certain primal satisfaction pouring in from my wolf.

Her lips were so soft, so supple beneath mine. And when I traced my tongue along her bottom lip, she opened for me beautifully, I couldn’t quite restrain the growl as I wrapped my arms around her waist and deepened the kiss.

A whimper in her throat had me dragging her closer, relishing the feel of her breasts molding against my chest, her warmth against my skin in the chilly garden. I lifted one hand, threading my fingers into her silky hair, knocking some tendrils loose of the bun she’d pulled it into, but the sound of running footsteps on the garden path had me drawing back, tucking her safely into my side again.

She was breathing hard, cheeks flushed and lips reddened from my attention when Galyna jogged half past our little cutout, then backed up when she spotted us.

“There you are. Making out in the garden isn’t exactly an approved activity in a maiden’s enclave,” she said with a wicked grin.

“Apologies. It won’t happen again,” I said smoothly.

It’s definitely happening again.

“Whatever, that’s not why I came to find you two. The witch is here.”

I was struggling to get my brain back into the present, when all I wanted was to go back to kissing Fiona. “The witch… Karissma?”

“That’s the one. She’s standing at the gates, waiting to be approved for entry.”

“Can’t Kane handle that?” I wasn’t proud of myself for asking. As a rule, I knew and valued my role as Kane’s third, especially now that things were so fraught with the Omega Defense League and Interspecies Governing Council. But a new mate bond was absorbing, and I didn’t want to be pried from Fiona’s side.

“He’s already there, and he’s asking for you.”

I nodded, turning to Fiona, who watched the interaction with quiet focus. “I’m Kane’s third, which means I handle interpack politics and act as one of his advisers. If he’s asking for me, he has a task he needs me to take care of. Do you want to come with me, or?—”

“I can take her back to the Alpha’s room. The other Blackwater women are all there.”

I tried not to grimace at Galyna’s offer. It was considerate, but did I trust Fiona alone with her when her first reaction to their meeting had been to draw her sword?

“It’s okay, you’re important. You can go,” Fiona said, giving me a drawn smile and a pat on the arm. Something about her dismissing herself rooted me to the spot, Alpha calling or no.

“I don’t think you understand, Fiona. You are important. To me. Your needs come first from here on out. So would you be more comfortable with me or with the women?”

“Umm, well… The women are great, and I’d like to get to know them all a little better, since they’re your pack. Plus I don’t want to keep you from your work, with everything seeming so up in the air here.”

She was perceptive, especially for someone so new to all this. I closed my eyes for a second, pressing my lips to her forehead and stealing one last pull of her scent to steady myself.

“Okay. I’ll see you to the Alpha’s room, and then I’ll go see what Kane needs me to do. Come on.” I stood, offering her my hand.

Ever since she’d broken the invisible barrier between us by initiating that kiss, I couldn’t get enough of touching her.

I would never get my fill of her, and she didn’t even know it yet.