Chapter Fourteen
As Grant recovered, he kept remembering the sounds of the fae held captive in Kryder’s dungeon room. She’d been in pain and if he understood the full extent of Kryder’s methods in The Sapphire Club, the fae would have been pumped with the sapphire flame drug in order to enhance her futurism.
What he feared was the typical brand of vengeance Kryder would have exacted when Grant slipped away from the hook-and-chains in the torture room. He couldn’t even be sure the fae was still alive.
Despite his fears, he would do whatever he could to secure the fae’s rescue.
Natalie had left the bay to escort Emma to the exit door. Grant had thanked the witch for again tending to his wounds.
As he stared up at the ceiling, he still couldn’t believe he’d basically performed a feat of dematerialization when he brought their corporeal bodies to the beach in Santa Cruz. Yet, what had been more miraculous was that even with a severed artery, he’d managed to pilot the dreamglide back to Phoenix. Of course, if Natalie hadn’t been with him, he would have died on the beach.
He felt wrung out, yet restless. Kryder was probably already checking the future to see what his next move should be. Maybe he should do the same.
When Natalie returned, he was about to ask her, when she said, “I should find out what’s happening with Kryder, don’t you think? In the future, I mean.”
He smiled. She looked beautiful with her light brown hair and a mass of curls around her face. When she sat down, he took a long lock between his fingers. “You have the softest hair.”
“And so much of it. And very curly.”
His lips curved. “My wolf loves it.”
She smiled but said nothing more.
He searched her eyes. “You don’t have to jump into the future just yet. Not if you don’t want to.”
“Oh, no, I want to. Part of the lesson of the past few hours, of being separated from you, was not being sensible enough to check. Let me do it now.”
“Good deal.” He released a sigh grateful they were on the same page.
She sat down in the bedside chair then closed her eyes. He didn’t see the usual tensing up because of the pain she’d described to him earlier. Instead, she’d never looked more peaceful during the process.
He watched and waited. She took her time, yet no particular emotion showed on her face.
Finally, she opened her eyes and murmured softly, “Huh.”
“What?”
“He’s alone in what I believe is his apartment at The Sapphire Club. His room is in blue tones. I kept checking in five-minute intervals. He remains in place either sitting and sipping a Scotch or pacing. He’s frowning hard.
“No phone calls?”
“Nothing.”
“How far into the future did you go?”
“Until dawn.”
Grant leaned back against the pillow. Kryder had to be up to something. “Can you check on the fae, the one that was in the room next to mine?”
She nodded and once more closed her eyes.
When she was done, this time her brow was furrowed. “She’s resting on the bare floor, but I couldn’t see her face. She’s definitely breathing. He keeps her in chains and she’s covered in blue flames. Grant, we need to get her out of there.”
“We will. For now, though, I need a good meal and maybe a couple of hours of rest to finish healing. Then we can tackle what we can accomplish before dawn.”
“Are you thinking of going back to the Meldorin Compound?”
He shook his head slowly. “If I go back, Kryder will attack again.”
“Would you like to join me at Agnes’s compound?”
He agreed readily.
He continued, “First, I think we need to go invisible. It’s possible we can’t be tracked in the future if we can’t be seen.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. But I want you to know I won’t return to my canal home until Kryder is out of the picture permanently.”
They took a few minutes to thank the staff at the refuge, then headed to the ER doors. Once outside, he spoke the word softly, “Begin.” The invisibility spell covered them both instantly since what they could see now had the usual soft glow.
“Let’s fly together.”
She smiled up at him. “I’d love that.”
He slid his arm around her waist and lifted them into the air. He could feel that she was using her levitation as well to match his movements.
As he flew, it struck him hard that he now had a woman by his side. He’d asked her to marry him and she’d told him she loved him. His chest expanded, and he took in more air. His heart felt full for the first time in years.
He squeezed her waist and she wiggled just enough to slide her own arm around his waist. She hugged him in return.
The flight to the compound didn’t take long. If we could get inside without have to check in with the guards, that would be the best thing possible.
I’ve thought of that. Agnes is meeting us. Watch, she’ll open the door in a moment then let me know when we can touch down and slip through.
Perfect.
The tall metal door opened, and Agnes appeared. She stepped toward the guards and began chatting with them.
Natalie said, “We can go in now.”
Grant began his descent and the moment he felt the cement beneath his feet, he let go of Natalie. He took her hand instead, moved swiftly and quietly between the guards, past Agnes then slipped through the doorway.
I’ll lead the way, Natalie said. The cottage is past the terrace and the townhouses, second on the right.
Agnes’s compound was a small gem surrounded by tall walls. He’d heard about her security system, that it included an invisible grid across the entire top of the property. No one could drop inside the walls, whether in an invisible state or not, without tripping the alarm.
Natalie levitated and sped through the large patio. Several women and a couple of men were talking quietly. The compound was a place of recovery with several private safe houses for anyone in serious trouble.
A large central green belt was flanked by rows of townhouses on either side. He could see a cottage straight back, but at the end of the townhouses on the right, Natalie moved toward another cottage. It was set back from the other dwellings. There was also more new construction of what looked like additional cottages. The property was quite large.
Once at their destination, he followed Natalie around the back. She entered his mind with, I left the slider unlocked. I thought it might be best, since we’re invisible, to enter through the rear.
Good thinking.
She opened the door and the moment they were inside, she drew the vertical blinds then went around and closed whatever coverings the other windows had.
He followed her into the living room, a space that was barely nine feet wide.
“There. We’re safe. Or as safe as we can possibly be.”
“But we should stay invisible.”
She stood in front of him and nodded. “I agree. I’m hoping it will keep anyone from seeing us in the immediate future.”
He’d been bleeding out on a beach in California barely two hours ago. He’d almost died en route and most certainly he’d died in the ER. Now he was here. With Natalie. He’d been given a second chance and he wasn’t about to blow it.
“You look so serious,” she said. “What are you thinking?”
“I want to apologize for the way I behaved after we made love. I was acting as though nothing had changed, as though now that I had defeated Kryder, I could pick right back up where I’d left off. I dismissed you without a single thought. I didn’t even bother to see you to safety myself. I’m so sorry, Natalie.”
She took a step toward him. “And I apologize for not saying something to you then and there. I could have, but I didn’t. I wanted an excuse to disappear and you gave it to me. I think we were both pretending we could walk away, no problem.
“But Grant, I have never felt so desolate in Five Bridges as I was during the time I spent apart from you. I even went to the chapel to think things through.” She chuckled softly. “I confess I offered up a few prayers, because it didn’t feel right being separated from you.”
She sighed, then continued, “I’ve built up a considerable shield against my life here. I’ve kept everyone at bay and fell right back into the old pattern the minute you walked out. “It didn’t even occur to me, until much later, that I was making a mistake by not challenging you.”
He shook his head. “Even if you had, it wouldn’t have mattered. I was too focused on pack business and refused to acknowledge how important you’d become to me. The truth was that I feared losing you, feeling that grief again.”
“We were similar in that way,” she said. “Renee even asked me to take a look at my deepest fears and it was the same. I didn’t want to love you because if I did then my heart could get broken all over again. But what I didn’t understand was how much being with you had already changed me. I began to see life in Five Bridges differently, as a daily challenge I needed to pick up and accept rather than this horrendous burden to bear.
“I know that in our world, and because of the role you play in Savage, I could lose you in the next five minutes. But the uncertainty of it no longer matters to me. I guess you could say I’ve come to accept the reality of this life. No, not just to accept but to embrace how hard this life is. How impossible.” She stepped closer and put her hands on his chest. “I love you and I’ll keep loving you for as long as we have together.”
“We’re in the same place then.” He felt his lips curve. “So, here’s my next question. Will you bond with me?”
“Hell, yeah I will. The sooner the better.”
He glanced around. “Does this place have a bed?”
She grinned. “Sorry, it’s a queen. We’ll have to snuggle.”
He chuckled then swept her up to cradle her, one arm slung behind her knees. She slid her hand behind his neck then planted her lips against his.
She’d been doing this from the start, kissing him straight out, and he loved it.
However, he didn’t do much to encourage her in the middle of the living room. He wanted to get on with things.
He returned the way he’d come and walked down a short hallway. The glow held which meant they were still behind their invisibility shield. The partially-opened door to what had to be the bedroom was just past a dining area adjacent to the kitchen.
He shoved the door with his bare foot until it swung wide.
The room was oddly charming with the queen-sized bed opposite and a fireplace to the right. He lowered her to her feet. He was still caked with blood here and then so like hell he was taking her to bed in this state.
“I need a shower.”
She smiled again. “Me, too, though it’ll be tight. Just warning you.”
“I like it tight.”
She gasped then slipped beneath his arm and ran to the bathroom door. Her long, tunic shirt and bra had disappeared before she crossed the threshold. Once inside, she turned and threw her shoes at him, then began stripping off her leggings. These, too, landed on his arms.
He dropped the lot then headed in her direction. Once at the threshold, he looked inside. “This might be the smallest bathroom I’ve ever seen.”
Her back was to him and she was bent over slightly setting the water running in an equally small shower.
She glanced at him over her shoulder as she tested the temperature. “You just going to stand there?”
He realized he’d become fixated on her bare bottom.
She added, “Lose your pants or maybe I should call them shorts.”
He glanced down at the shredded leather and unbuttoned. There was a slit down the right side as well as gashes on the upper parts of the pants. Nothing was left below the knees. Kryder had worked hard to make him hurt.
As he stripped, he watched Natalie step into the shower. He owed her so much. Hell, he owed her his life. At least twice.
He drew close. “You amaze me, Natalie.”
She had her head beneath the nozzle and waved him inside. “Same here,” she said as he eased his way in.
He barely fit, but he wasn’t sure it was a bad thing since he was essentially pressed up against her.
She then slid in the direction of the shower door to let him pass and suggested he shampoo his hair. Given his height, he had to bend his knees to get beneath the spray. She bunched herself into the corner and chuckled.
Holding a bottle of shampoo, she squeezed it into his waiting hand. As he began to lather up, he felt himself relax, head to foot. Until this moment, he hadn’t realized how much this was what he had wanted, the normalcy of showering with the woman he loved.
He turned to face the showerhead in order to stand upright and give himself some room to work. He felt Natalie move in closer. She joined in and helped lather his hair. She worked it all the way to the ends.
Besides having bled from a dozen wounds during the torture, he’d sweat profusely as well. He could tell she was using additional shampoo to work the sand from his hair.
Thank you, he said quietly mind-to-mind.
You’re welcome. This warm water feels like heaven, doesn’t it?
Yes, it does. Your hands do as well.
She leaned into him, her front to his back, and he laughed. Okay, your breasts, too.
He felt her fingers graze his thighs then she was fondling his cock. He drew in a deep breath. His hands froze and all he could feel was the sensation of being stroked with a soapy hand.
That’s amazing.
She pressed her head against his back. Want to come like this? Right now?
His jaw quivered as he planted his palms against the tile. Yes.
She began to stroke him firmly and in long glides down the length of his cock. He was already rock hard. Her voice penetrated his mind. I want you inside me. I want to spread my legs wide and have your cock push and push until you reach the depth of me. Then I will hold onto you as you pull back. Her fist went faster. He thought she was groaning but it turned out to be him.
Keep talking, he said. I like it.
I want you moving fast, Grant, with your teeth biting my neck like you did last time, holding me still while you have your way with me.
Faster she pumped though in shorter, quick strokes, closer to his head.
I’ll feel you up as you get close, dig my nails into your skin, and as I come, I’ll scream long and loud.
Fuck, he said. I’m coming.
She kept the rhythm steady as each pulse erupted through his cock. Pleasure coursed through his veins and lit his brain on fire. He caught her fist to let her know he was good.
She surrounded him with both arms and pressed her head against his back. She sighed heavily. I love you.
For a moment, with so many chemicals dominating his body and mind, he couldn’t respond. He took deep breaths and savored the warm water that hit his chest.
She loved him. His eyes burned.
Slowly he turned around careful not to hurt her in the cramped quarters. When he was facing her, he slid his arms around her and kissed her. He went deep with the kiss, letting her feel his love, his gratitude for her. I love you, too. So much, Natalie. God, so much.
She moaned and kissed him in return, her nails fulfilling her earlier promise as they dug into the muscles of his shoulders and back. Her tongue dueled with his.
He drew back. I want my tongue inside you and I want to hear you scream.
Her eyelids fluttered. As her knees gave out, he caught her. He was chuckling, but she wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. She said, I loved making you come, but I want you so much right now, I ache just about everywhere. My sex, my heart. Even my toes keep curling and uncurling.
We’d better wash all this soap off, then.
~ ~ ~
Natalie watched him crane his neck to get under the water to rinse the shampoo out of his hair. While he did, she took the time to rub off any other debris that had resulted from his recent brush from death.
Afterward, he left the shower so that she could more easily finish her own hair and soap up as well then rinse off.
By the time she left the bathroom, he was reclining on his back in the stripped-down bed. Though it was queen-sized, he took up most of the space. His large, muscular frame made the bed look like a twin.
She had a towel around her head and he’d placed one under his long mass of hair. No sense getting the bed wet or the pillows.
When she was within a couple feet of the bed, she stopped just to look at him. She allowed herself a moment of pure appreciation.
The wolves of Savage were beautiful and Grant even more so. Every muscle was defined and exquisite from his shoulders, chest and abs to his heavy, gorgeous thighs and well-shaped calves. His toes were longer than a human’s. Maybe it was a wolf thing.
Slowly, he rose up enough to turn toward her, one elbow supporting him. “Like what you see?”
“You’re extraordinary.”
“Back atcha.” She watched his gaze fall the length of her body then slowly rise back up.
He moved to the edge of the bed and slung his legs over, spreading them wide. He pulled her to him until her thighs were touching his. He caressed both breasts at the same time but looked up and held her gaze. “Do you like this?”
“Un-huh. A lot.”
“How about this?” He leaned in and took her left breast in his mouth and began to suckle.
She closed her eyes and moaned. Yes, I love it.
He slid one hand around her waist and pulled her even closer. He took more of her breast in his mouth and sucked harder still.
This time, her moan sounded like she’d swallowed some sand paper. Oh, God.
You’re beautiful, Natalie. I love you so much. I love doing this with you, making you feel good.
He grabbed her waist with both hands and squeezed then ran his thumbs in the direction of her sex. All the while, he kept suckling.
Her sex clenched, and she cried out. I need more.
Suddenly, he let go of her breast, lifted her into the air and twirled her. She thought she would land with a bounce on the mattress, but he broke her fall and gentled her down.
She smiled up at him.
He kissed her while his right hand massaged her mons. She parted her lips and his tongue drove deep. I’m going to put my tongue inside you, Natalie, and do this to you, over and over until you come.
When he drew back and looked down at her, she had no words except a breathy, “Please.”
He kissed his way down her body until he was on his knees, on the floor, and he was gently kissing her abdomen.
She waited, her mind loose, but every part of her was focused on the path he forged.
Down he went, lower and lower. Her sex clenched as his lips drew near.
The first swipe caused her hips to jump and a quick, ‘Oh’, to slide from her mouth.
He began to lick, long slow swipes that had her moaning with pleasure. Chills kept sweeping up her abdomen then down her thighs. Desire rose in quick waves only to crash over her then to rise again.
He pushed her thighs farther apart until she felt his tongue at her entrance. Lemons and mint. You taste so good. He swirled light at first, a terrible tease that caused her breath to come in shallow gasps.
When he drove inside, her entire body undulated with pleasure. He pressed a hand down on her lower abdomen so that with his thumb he stimulated her mons.
The two sensations combined had her writhing. She would have lost contact with his mouth completely, but he continued to press on her abdomen and to hold her in place.
Do you like what I’m doing?
You’re driving me crazy.
Good.
His tongue went faster. He pushed in as far as he could reach, pulled out. In and out. Faster and faster.
When he went wolf-quick, ecstasy rushed toward her, pulsed in her sex then streamed up through her chest. Pleasure cascaded in searing waves until she cried out repeatedly.
He slowed but didn’t stop.
“Oh,” she murmured, breathing hard. She grabbed the sheets as he began to tongue-fuck her again, quick and hard.
Pleasure once more ripped through her as shivers rained down her body. She grew hoarse with shouting.
Again, he slowed, but didn’t stop. When he began driving his tongue a third time, she arched her neck as a final orgasm pulsed through her sex, bringing with it a wind of pleasure that rushed once more through her abdomen, into her chest to send stars bursting over her mind.
He drew back leaving her weak and satisfied. She huffed a heavy sigh as though it was almost too much effort to breathe.
She chuckled at the thought.
He rose from his kneeling position, then slid his arm beneath her bottom all the way up her back. He was able to lift her to recline farther up the bed. He immediately stretched out next to her, reclining on his side to face her. I love watching you come.
She turned her lazy head to meet his gaze. It was hard to even lift her hand. Same here.
It makes me hard.
She glanced down at his arousal. So, I see. She drifted her hand low to feel the velvety crown. Even though she’d just had three wonderful orgasms, her sex tightened at the thought of having his cock inside her.
She continued fondling him but met his gaze once more. “What’s involved with wolf-bonding?”
He massaged her breasts. “You’ll be on all fours.”
“I like being there.”
He smiled. “I know you do. I’ll bite down on the back of your neck.”
“Like you’ve done before.”
“Yes. But this time, I’ll release the bonding scent. The thing is, I’m not sure how it will go because you’re not an alpha female wolf.”
Natalie felt her wolf stir within her and she released it. The iridescent wolf lay half on the sheet and half on Natalie’s belly. She yipped.
Grant reached over and pet the wolf. She lifted her snout and rubbed it against Grant’s hand.
“What does that feel like?” Natalie asked.
“Like the softest fur yet more like air. She’s beautiful.”
“Do you know what I think?” Natalie also pet her wolf. “I think the bonding isn’t going to be a problem. If I’m not an alpha wolf, I’m the next closest thing.”
Grant chuckled then pushed his cock into her hand. “I’m getting really hard. All this talk about bonding has my hormones firing up again. But are you absolutely sure you want to do this with me?”
This time she turned toward him, so she could meet his gaze straight on. “I don’t have even the smallest whisper of a doubt. Truly. You’re my man and I want to be your bonded mate, your wife and anything else in-between. But are you sure? I know you were always certain you’d take a female wolf as your alpha-mate.”
“Any doubts I had disappeared when you helped me drop us both in the sand and I was delivered from Kryder’s dungeon. All I could think was what a fool I’d been. I knew you were the woman for me.
“You have more courage than any woman I know, more grit. But there’s something more. You have a pure heart. The way you’ve responded to the pack at the barbecue was respectful and loving. I’m in awe of who you are.”
“I feel the same way about you. I admire you so much. You’ve been a savior to your pack all these years and always put your own comfort and safety above everyone else. Do you know how rare that is?”
~ ~ ~
Grant heard Natalie’s compliment and tears bit his eyes as he recalled the trials of the last six years while working doggedly to remove Kryder from the Meldorin Pack. The first part of the goal had been accomplished. At long last, he’d forced Kryder to break the bond with the pack.
Now he was here, with the woman who had made it possible, who was even now sharing an invisibility spell with him. He leaned close, loving the very faint freckles across the bridge of her nose, then kissed her. Sliding an arm around her, he drew her against him so that he could feel the full length of her.
The time had come. “Thank you for saying what you did. It means a lot to me.”
He kissed her again but this time, he began to engage his bonding process.
She lifted her chin and her nostrils flared. “Grant, I’m smelling your scent, all that lumber. But it’s richer somehow and so erotic. Is that the bonding scent?”
“Yes.” His voice had dropped an octave.
He rose onto his knees, which put his fully-erect cock close to her mouth. She lifted up enough to take the head inside and swirl her tongue over the sensitive ridge.
“Fuck,” he murmured.
She let go of him then in a quick move, spun around and dropped to all fours so that he had a view of her swollen sex. His jaw quivered, and he leaned down to take several licks. You’re wet again. More lemons and mint.
I have no doubt of it, because your scent has got me worked up. Take me, Grant. I’m ready.
He grabbed her hips and positioned his cock at her entrance. Her moisture drew him in and he pushed all the way to the hilt. He groaned long and loud.
She arched her back and released a soft howl. Her iridescent wolf yipped then paced back and forth through the air.
He set a steady rhythm. She pulled her long damp hair well over her shoulder revealing her tender nape. He leaned down and began to lick a line across the area he would bite.
She moaned softly and howled again. Bite me, Grant. Please. I ache for it.
He opened his maw and let just a little of his wolf come to him so that his jaw elongated slightly, and fur appeared on the lines of his cheeks, his chest and the backs of his hand.
At the same time, he opened his bonding hormones completely. A mist came from his body.
“Your scent! It has me on fire.”
“It’s the bonding mechanism.”
“I’m feeling waves over my body. They’re warm with a soft vibration.”
He grunted as he drove into her. Saliva filled his mouth as he lowered his chest to reach the inviting nape. As before, his jaw quivered.
He switched to telepathy. Once I bite you, I don’t know what’s going to happen. So, hold on.
Got it. She was panting hard.
Everything about his alter life coalesced in this moment. He was more wolf than he’d ever been. The iridescent wolf-sign rippling over her body called to him. His balls tightened. He needed release, but not yet.
The moment his teeth made contact with her skin, Natalie’s wolf took up a place in front of Natalie. Grant stared into the wolf’s eyes, mesmerized. His hips went faster. He bit down hard, but not hard enough to break skin.
His bonding mechanism flowed in heavy waves.
Grant, this is amazing. I’m going to come.
I’m with you all the way.
As he sped up and went wolf fast, as the bonding reached a pinnacle, he began to release. The sensation was beyond pleasure, beyond anything he had experienced before. The waves of the bonding became an intense river of sensation, of heat and life, of pleasure and the spinning of the universe.
From a distance, he could hear Natalie’s cries of pleasure. Her wolf howled and howled. He had so much seed that it seemed as though the orgasm would never stop. Still, he held onto her neck.
Ecstasy became a series of pinnacles that he kept reaching. He would slow just a little and another one would build. She was with him and would cry out in pleasure each time then pant, then cry out again and again.
Suddenly, the bond locked into place, a miracle of his wolf life, but there it was, as solid as steel.
Only then did the intense pleasure peak one last time. It then eased down to drift away like a wave coasting in a thin layer of water over the wet sand of a beach.
He released his hold on her neck but didn’t pull out of her. He didn’t want to end the connection, not yet. Never, if he was honest with himself.
He was one with her and it was heaven.
She was breathing hard.
So was he.
Supporting himself on one hand, he slid an arm beneath her and offered an on-all-fours embrace. Her arms shook from holding herself upright.
“That’s nice. Better. I could collapse.” She sounded breathless. “This was beyond amazing. I think I’m in shock.”
“Me, too.” He meant it. He kissed the side of her head, her hair still damp. His own hung off his back.
“The bond feels like I’m sharing your body, that your body is now part of mine.”
“Yes, that’s it. That’s what it feels like.”
Finally, he reached for the washcloth he’d brought with him from the bathroom then drew himself out of her. He tucked the cloth against her sex, afterward lowering them both down to the bed. She remained on her stomach, but he rolled to recline on his back and slung an arm over his forehead.
She shifted just enough to drape her arm across his chest. She stroked his shoulder gently, her face turned toward him. It wasn’t long before she switched positions a little more to tuck herself against him.
“Lift up,” he said. When she obliged, he slid an arm around her and pulled her close.
He had a wife again, that’s what went through his mind. He smiled up at the ceiling.
“You’re smiling.”
“How can you tell?” He chuckled softly.
“Like I said, I can feel your body. I have the oddest sense of you. Can you feel me?”
“No, I don’t think I can.”
“Maybe the sensation will pass. It just seems so odd, but so wonderful.”
~ ~ ~
Natalie allowed herself to savor the moment. She was bonded to the man she loved. She belonged to him body and soul until death separated them.
“I love you, Natalie, more than I can say. I’m planning on saying it often, so you’ll never be in doubt.”
She moved slightly to look at him. His eyes were fully gold and so beautiful her breath caught. “I wish you could see how your eye color transforms. It’s spectacular.”
“I wish you could see what I see, this beautiful fae with a heart of gold.”
“Aw.” She reached up to kiss him. When she tried to pull back, he drew her to him with the pressure of his arm.
She moved in closer still and spent some time working his lips. Desire began to rise all over again.
When at last she drew back, she smiled down at him, her heart so full of love tears bit her eyes. “I think we need a honeymoon. A very long one. Maybe we could lock ourselves in your rooms at the compound and hang a do-not-disturb sign on the door handle for about a month. Maybe two.”
“I have a better idea. How about we return to Boulder Beach in Cape Town, sustain our invisibility and make love among the penguins.”
She smiled then laughed. “Well, it’s not the most romantic idea.”
He laughed as well and rubbed her back. “I suppose not.” He thought for a moment. “We could go to Paris. Or Rome. How about Venice?”
“I don’t think I even care. I just want to be with you.” As she kissed him, she glided her hand along his abdomen and found his arousal. She’d been right, he was fully erect again.
She took it as an invitation and slid on top of him. She mounted him easily and once more rode the intense waves of ecstasy.
Sometime later, after falling asleep in Grant’s arms, Natalie awoke with a warning tug on her mind. She didn’t at first understand what it was.
Grant was asleep beside her. She looked at him wondering if it was something he was dreaming, but he looked very peaceful.
She relaxed against the pillow and took several deep breaths. She wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, so she wasn’t worried about falling into a doze.
Instead, she focused on the small piece of stress that had taken hold of her mind. When nothing happened, she remembered her wolf. Somehow externalizing this new part of her always made a difference.
Summoning her wolf, she let her out.
Immediately, the beautiful, iridescent form began to race around the room.
Natalie sat up. This was unlike her wolf. What is it, girl?
The wolf returned to sit in the air above Natalie’s chest and to stare down at her.
Kryder came instantly to mind as though the wolf had placed the thought within her.
Kryder. Of course. She’d almost forgotten about the madman that had driven her into the safety of the compound in the first place.
She chose to check the future. She knew the hour was four in the morning. In late September, it was a couple of hours from dawn. Slipping her legs over the side of the bed, she grew very still. She and Grant had chosen to sustain the invisibility spell as a precaution, so the yellow-flowered wallpaper had a soft glow.
She opened herself to the future and smiled because there was no longer any pain. Apparently, all that suffering had been more about her resistance to dealing with her special fae gift than anything else. Now that she’d accepted it, the pain was gone.
Focusing on Kryder, she found him ten minutes from now. He was in the torture room and holding the chains that had once kept Grant fixed on the hook.
She fast-forwarded another ten minutes. He was shooting the fae up with more sapphire flame. “I need to know where they are. Both of them.”
“Yes, master.” The woman rose unsteadily to her feet. She pushed her hair back and Natalie gasped. She knew the woman. She was her friend, Alexis, the one she’d believed had been killed by wolves. Instead, Kryder had captured her and used her for years as his futurist slave.
She felt ill that she hadn’t known, hadn’t thought to try to find her in the future. She’d assumed as so many had that Alexis had been killed during the Fae-Wolf Wars then cremated without anyone knowing.
“Let me make this clear,” Kryder said. “You’re coming with and if you don’t help me find Grant and Natalie, this is your last night in Five Bridges.”
Natalie saw absolutely no emotional reaction from Alexis. She could only suppose death was preferable to living as Kryder’s slave.
A plan began to form in Natalie’s mind. First, though, she needed to know more.
Again, she scrolled forward in the future, but what she saw horrified her. Kryder took a blade and sliced Alexis’s throat open. She fell to the cement floor as blood drained from her.
She knew what she needed to do.
She opened her telepathy wide and focused on Alexis. Can you hear me? It’s Natalie. Remember me? I want to help.
Natalie heard a mental sob. Go away. You can’t help. Kryder has me. He’s used me, and I’m addicted to sapphire flame. Besides, I’ve spied on you. I’ve made your life a terror.
None of that matters. This is all on Kryder. Now, listen to me. I’ve seen your future and I know how to help you. I can get you away from him. More importantly, I want you to bring him to me.
I won’t do that, Natalie. He’ll kill you. He’s a madman.
Natalie heard the despair in her friend’s voice. I know he is, Alexis. Trust me.
Kryder wants to kill Grant, so he can retake the Meldorin Pack. Alexis sounded stronger. But he’s wanted you all these years. You’re the real goal. He knows he will be invincible if he can enslave you.
That’s not going to happen.
Oh, God, he’s coming. I can hear him.
You’re on the floor, right?
I am.
Stay there for now because here’s what I want you to do.
It took her less than twenty seconds to tell Alexis her plan and in the end Alexis agreed.
When she disconnected her telepathy, she flipped around on the bed to wake Grant up. But his eyes were open as he stared at her intently.
“You’re awake. Good.”
“How could I not be when you’d included me in the telepathic conversation.”
Natalie’s eyes widened. “I did?”
Grant shoved the covers back and headed to the shower. “I’ll make it quick. What do we have, ten minutes?”
“Thereabouts. I’m going to let Agnes know what’s going on.”
“She’s not going to like it.”
Natalie heard the shower running. She wasn’t put off, though. In fact, she smiled.
This time, when she opened her telepathy, she made sure she closed herself off to Grant. They were bonded now, and she suspected this wouldn’t be the first crossover of power she’d have to navigate.
Agnes responded quickly. How’s the cottage? I’ll bet that bed is too small.
Natalie couldn’t help but smile. The bed is perfect.
Spoken like a newlywed.
How did you know? I mean, we’re not married.
But you’re bonded. I felt the earth give a shudder not too long ago. Figured Grant had come to his senses about you.
Wait a minute. You felt our bonding?
Well, yes, but I’m exceptional.
Natalie chuckled. You are at least that. But I’ve contacted you to let you know to keep your guards away from the front of the compound for a few minutes. We’re setting a trap for Kryder.
How?
She explained about Alexis then told her the plan.
Oh, my God. Alexis is alive? I hunted for her in the future for years but couldn’t find her. Still, I had the oddest sense she wasn’t dead. So, how did you locate her?
Natalie heard the shower shut off and turned to watch Grant open the door. Magnificent was too small a word. She had to shift her gaze away from him to stay focused on the conversation. I’m convinced it’s my connection to, and now bonding with, one of the finest men I’ve ever known. I have odd powers and manifestations these days.
Extraordinary. All right, I’ll alert my guards. Let me know if you need back up.
For some reason, a certainty came over Natalie. I can’t explain it, but this needs to happen between Kryder and us. We’ve got this. Besides, I have a ghost helping me out.
Right. Grant’s wife.
She’s been wonderful. Essential.
All right. Let me know when you have control of Kryder.
This time when she disconnected, she asked Grant if he’d been afflicted with the conversation. As she spoke, she headed to the shower.
“Not at all.”
“Good. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
She traded places with Grant, wrapped her hair in a towel then hopped beneath the spray. She washed up as fast as she could then made quick work of getting dressed.
Grant, however, stood staring at his ruined leathers. “Shit.”
Natalie hurried to the closet. “I forgot to say that I had Ryan send some of your clothes to the compound earlier, while we were in the ER.”
“You are an amazing woman.”
She chuckled. “Thank you for that, but I think I’m just really, really practical. Speaking of which. We’d better go.” She’d had only enough time to run a brush twice through her hair and pull it back in a ponytail.
She dressed in double time in her usual tunic and leggings, then swept to the front door where he was waiting. She stuck close to his heels.
Agnes stood by the tall front door of the compound when they entered the back of the building by way of the terrace. The invisibility spell held so Agnes wouldn’t be able to see them.
Natalie spoke to her telepathically and let her know they were ready to leave secretly but to be sure to bring her guards in.
She opened the door then waved her people back into the building. Each of four guards trotted in swiftly. When they were well away from the door, Natalie took Grant’s hand and slipped around the small group and crossed the threshold.
Once more, she contacted Agnes. We’re walking through now. Feel free to close the door tight behind us.
Got it. Just let me know if you need my help. I have a small army ready to go to war with Kryder.
I know you do. I’ll let you know how things progress.
She stood beside Grant just off the walkway where one of the guards would usually be standing. Everything glowed which told her their invisibility spell held.
She released her wolf and watched as the iridescent creature began pacing through the yard. Grant, can you see my wolf?
Yes. I’m watching her. I know she sees things you and I can’t.
Like invisible wolves and fae.
Exactly.
Her wolf stopped suddenly and lifted her snout to the sky.
Natalie turned in the same direction. Kryder was descending with his hand gripped around Alexis’s arm. The only thing she could see was the aura that her wolf could detect and reveal to her. Do you see Kryder? She asked Grant
I can. Is that Alexis? God, she’s got more flames on her skin than I’ve ever seen.
Yes, that’s her.
When the pair touched down, Natalie took Grant’s hand. Shall we do this?
Grant turned to her. And you think you can pilot the dreamglide?
Natalie smiled and nodded. It’s weird, but yes, I can.
She gave his hand a squeeze and removed herself from the invisibility spell. At the same time, she could feel Grant building the dreamglide.
She drew her wolf close to her. “I can see you, Kryder, even though you have an invisibility spell of your own. So why not show yourself? I know you have my friend with you as well. What have you got to lose?”
“Where’s the wolf?”
“What wolf? You mean Grant? At Meldorin, I suppose. I keep checking the future, to see where you are, and I knew you’d be here. You and I need to talk.”
“You need to come with me, Natalie. I’ve waited for this for a long time. If you come with me, I vow I’ll never touch Grant again. If not, I’m planning an assault on Meldorin in the next hour that will demolish the compound. Your choice.”
“I won’t deny I’m tempted. But first, I want to know why you had to make me an alter fae. Why was I so important?”
Maybe it was the subject, or that she kept as relaxed a posture as she could manage, but Kryder suddenly stepped out of his spell and moved toward her. He held Alexis with a manacled chain so that if she tried to escape, she wouldn’t get very far.
Natalie had only one goal, to get Kryder as far from Alexis as she could so that when Grant made his move, Alexis would be left behind with Agnes. With Agnes’s security system, by now she would have seen Alexis as well.
As Kryder tugged at the chain, Natalie laughed at him. “This is the best you can do? Keeping a woman on a leash like a dog?”
Her scoff had the effect she wanted and Kryder threw the chain on the ground and walked toward her. Alexis, now trembling, stayed where she was.
His heavy features took on a sneer. “What I want to know, Natalie, is why you’re so damn cocky? What are you doing here? Alexis and I looked into the future and we saw you here, alone, and taunting me. No guards, no Alpha, no nothing. Don’t you know I could snap you in half with little more than a thought?” His lips turned down in a disgusted grimace.
He was at least three times her size and what he’d said was true. But all she saw was the monster that had killed her husband and daughter. She lifted her chin. “What fun would that be, asshole?”
Saliva leaked between his lips as he sped the few yards between them. He grabbed hold of her arms with both hands. The moment he did, Grant pulled them into his dreamglide performing the dematerialization process with apparent ease.
At almost the same time, he sent the dreamglide onto a northern trajectory and the impossible craft shot through the air. Natalie had already sent word to Agnes to take Alexis into the compound.
In his surprise, Kryder released her. “What the hell is this?”
Neither of them responded. By prior agreement, Natalie switched places with Grant.
The dreamglide felt like a ship to her and as Grant turned over the mental controls, her bond with him allowed her to continue the flight plan.
They were bound for Alaska. In September, at this hour, it would already be light.
He’s all yours, she sent to Grant mind-to-mind.
Just get us to the ice fields.
That’s the plan.