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Her eyes widened with delight and excitement as she saw the hungry look in my own. The way she bit her lip as I took off my pants drove my wolf wild. Without prompting, she took my cock in her hand, hand gliding smoothly up and down.

I growled, pressing my mouth against hers, needing to taste her, to have every inch of her. Her fingers continued to stroke, fueling that need and craving. All the frustration and worry I felt over her, I channeled into those kisses, the way I gripped her, the way my teeth bit gently down on her lip.

I lifted her up off the counter, keeping her in the air, her breasts level with my face. I bit one nipple gently, grinning around it as she bucked slightly in pleasure. My cock twitched once again. Without giving her warning, I impaled her on my cock, taking pleasure in the gasp that escaped her as her legs tightened around me and she grinded up and down my dick, hips moving in time as I bucked her up and down.

I thrust into her, grinning as she gasped, the lust in her eyes telling me that she was already craving more. She bit her lip, that burning need in her eyes driving my own lust and craving. Her breaths grew ragged again, her grip on my hair tightening as her head lolled back as she got close again.

One more thrust was enough to undo her. She screamed, and I felt her muscles clench around me as she came for the second time. I stifled the scream with my mouth, silencing her as I continued to pump in and out of her. Her body writhed beneath mine as I held her in place, squirming in a way that only excited me more.

I could feel myself getting close, and I held on, waiting until her own orgasm had finished. The moment hers had finally begun to subside, the pressure and need for release that had been swelling inside me exploded. My cock twitched and spasmed as I pumped in and out of her, slowing as I finished filling her with cum.

Slowly, I lifted her off me and put her on the floor. We stared at one another for a long moment, much like the first time. Except now there was a charge in the air. The first time had been a fluke. We could chalk this time up to heightened emotions, but it wouldn’t be the whole story, and both of us knew it.

But neither of us wanted to talk about that. There were other, more pressing things on both our minds.

“I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I shouldn’t have gone.”

“At the very least, you could have told me,” I said. “If you were so hellbent on going, if you had told me, we could have come up with a better plan.”

“I didn’t know if you would let me go,” she admitted. “I couldn’t risk it.”

I let out a sigh and pressed my forehead to hers, my arms slipping around her. “I just wish you would trust me,” I said.

She took her own deep breath, pulling away to look me in the eye. “Give me time,” she said. “I’m trying.”

That was really all I could ask for. I gave a short nod, letting my hands fall back to my side. I watched her as she bent down to grab her skirt. As she slipped it on, she turned back to catch me staring at her.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“Besides, how I desperately wish you weren’t putting on clothes?” I asked, earning a wicked grin.

“Besides that,” she confirmed, though not without a coy smirk of her own.

I flashed her a smirk, then sobered as I took a deep breath. “You’re not going to like what I have to say,” I warned.

She stiffened. After a long moment, she turned so she was facing me. Apprehension and suspicion filled her gaze as she stared at me, her mouth becoming a cautious frown as she studied me.

“What?” she asked. “If this is about Morgan—”

I shook my head. “It is, and it isn’t. Mostly, it’s about you.”

She stared, her jaw tightening. Not necessarily from anger, but more in fear, as if she knew that whatever I said, it was going to be bad.

“What?” she repeated.

“We’re going to need to get you out of here as soon as possible. Through the portal.”

She shot to her feet, eyes wide as she shook her head. “No, you can’t do that. I can’t leave here without Morgan.”

“Cain is going to find out what we did,” I said. “He’s going to come after you. You know that.”

“We made them forget,” she said. “And Morgan wouldn’t say anything.”

“We can’t guarantee that.”

“I don’t care,” she said. “Let him come after me all he likes.”

I came around to stand in front of her. She gave me that defiant look that normally drove my wolf wild, but this time was different. I hated that I had to do this to her, but I knew it had to be done, even if she hated me after.

“Listen to me,” I said. “He’s going to come after you. He knows what we’re doing here. The longer you stay, the more likely it is that he’s going to come after you as a way to get to us. And the second he has you under his thumb, he’s going to use his hold on Morgan against you and vice versa.”

“So this is only because of the mission,” she said bitterly. “Not because of Morgan or—”

“I need you out of the way so I can keep my own head on straight, too,” I snapped, cutting her off. I reached out and gripped her shoulders, holding her in place, making sure she was looking at me because she needed to understand exactly how I felt. “Because as long as you stay here, I’m going to worry about you, and I’m not going to be able to focus. And this mission's succeeding is the best chance your sister has.”

Her mouth parted, as if surprised by the declaration. Something in her gaze softened. Then she closed her eyes, shaking her head as if to clear it, and that steely look had returned.

“You don’t know her. She isn’t going to be able to take it. He’ll break her, and she won’t be able to take it. She’s too sweet. She won’t be able to…” She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. She ran her fingers through her hair, clearly searching for the right words.

“You’re not giving her enough credit,” I said, startling her. Her head snapped toward me, and her eyes darkened, but I held up my hand. “I’m not saying that you shouldn’t look out for her, or that she isn’t in danger. But she’s your sister. And I’d bet good money that any sister of yours has some of your spirit.”

She collapsed back on the sofa, wrapping her arms around herself. “I can’t just do nothing. If I run away, I’m abandoning her. I can’t…” She trailed off again, the last word almost unintelligible as she choked back tears.

Letting out a long exhale, I moved to sit next to her. I pulled her against me. Instead of resisting, she leaned against me, nuzzling her head into the crook of my neck.

“Is that why you went out?” I asked. “Because you wanted to do something?”

I felt her nod against my neck. “Yes. And also because I had to fix my mistake.” She took a deep, shaky breath. “It’s my fault she’s there in the first place,” she said, and I could hear tears beginning to form in her eyes. “If it weren’t for me trying to escape with almost no plan, then Cain wouldn’t have even noticed her.”

I shook my head, pushing her away from me and turning her chin so she couldn’t look away. “If you hadn’t tried to escape, you would likely have been sold on the auction block by now,” I said. “You and your sister. And for all you know, Cain would have noticed her regardless.”

“I was reckless and impulsive,” she said. “I saw a chance, and I took it without thinking. And this is the consequence. My sister is going to be stuck with an evil asshole for the rest of her life, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I’m completely useless.”

“You’re not—”

“I couldn’t do anything when they came for us, either,” she said bitterly. She gave a half-laugh that sounded as sharp as knives. “I actually let them into the house. I trusted them. It wasn’t until they grabbed me and put the forced collar and cuffs on me that I realized what was happening.”

“You couldn’t have known,” I said. “For all you know, trying to escape was the best thing you could do in this situation.” When she gave a disbelieving laugh, I shook my head. “No. If you hadn’t tried to run away, you wouldn’t have been going to the fighting pits when I came through the portal. Seeing you was the only reason I went to the fighting pits. I couldn’t help but follow you. If none of that had happened, I wouldn’t know anything about you or your sister, and I wouldn’t have found out all the information I have on Cain.” I raised an eyebrow. “Are you telling me that all the help you’ve given me counts as doing nothing? You’ve done more than you know.”

She shook her head. “I have to save her. She’s my responsibility, ever since our parents died. And I’ve failed her at every opportunity. I have to do something.”

“The best way to save your sister is by taking Cain down,” I said. “And you’ve given us enough ammo that we can probably make a move on him. We wouldn’t have that chance otherwise.”

She swallowed, glancing away but not saying anything. I took her chin and tilted it so she looked back at me.

“Please,” I said. “Do this for me. And for Morgan. It’s the best thing you can do. I know you hate being sidelined. If I thought you staying would help in any way, I’d keep you next to me in a heartbeat.”

She hesitated. I could see her shoulders trembling slightly. But her gray eyes stared into mine, and something sparked in them. She believed me. No, not quite. But she trusted me.

Her body sagged. “Okay,” she muttered. “You’re right.”

I took a deep breath as relief washed over me. “Thank you,” I said.

I was relieved. Relieved she was going to be safe, relieved that she was finally putting her trust in me, relieved that there was now a way for her to get out of here without dragging her feet. All I wanted was for her to be safe, and she was finally letting me help her. I wouldn’t have to worry about her every second I was here anymore, and that relieved me more than I could say.

Unable to express any of that, I pulled her into a hug, holding her against me, trying to convey everything I felt in that simple gesture, fighting that overwhelming urge to kiss her.

She leaned into me, not saying anything but nuzzling against my chest, almost as if on instinct.

We stayed like that for I didn’t know how long. I could have stayed like that forever. Eventually, though, we parted. I reached out and tucked a strand of her brilliant red hair behind her ear.

“I’ve got a few things to do first,” I said. “But we’ll get you to the portal tomorrow. In the meantime, stay here.”

She nodded. “Okay,” she said.

***

Kendra’s words ate at me. As much as I believed getting Cain out of the picture was the best way to ensure Morgan’s safety, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe she didn’t have a point.

So later, after Kendra had gone to bed and Chris and Nolan had come back down, I went right to business.

“We need to figure out what to do about Morgan.”

“Could you be a bit less vague?” Nolan asked, with one eyebrow raised. “As much as I love trying to read your mind, I haven’t quite gotten the knack of it just yet.”

“I want to save her,” I said. “But we’ve already compromised the mission with that failed attempt. We got lucky with the memory spell, but I doubt we’ll have that chance again.”

“So, are we going for the mission or for Morgan?” Chris asked.

“Both. But we need to be stealthier about it,” I said. “Tomorrow morning, we need to go out and do some recon. If we can get more information about the security here, then maybe we can find a way to get Morgan out at the same time we go after Cain, instead of waiting until after.”

“Easy enough,” Chris grunted. “I’ve got a couple of ideas on places we can look.” Nolan nodded his agreement.

“Great. But not a word to Kendra,” I said.

“You think she’s going to do something impulsive?” Chris asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to get her hopes up. She’s been through enough already.”

It wasn’t because I worried she would impact the mission, I realized. The reason I didn’t want Kendra to know yet was that I didn’t want to give her hope until I knew more about the situation. She’d already been through enough and was worried enough as it was. If I added to that by dashing her hopes if this attempt failed… I didn’t think I could do that.

I blinked, taken by surprise. I had never felt like that before. It didn’t make sense.

Was I falling for her?

I thought about the way I couldn’t get her out of my mind, how I desperately wanted to keep her safe while also helping her with her sister. I thought about the way she drove my wolf wild, and how I had to control myself whenever she was around, both because I was wildly attracted to her and because she muddied every thought I had about the job I was here to do.

I pushed the thought from my head. I couldn’t dwell on that or give it any kind of consideration. The mission came first. Before my emotions, before everything.

Except, if it came to rescuing Morgan or completing the mission… if it boiled down to that choice, I didn’t know if I would be able to make it anymore.