“Pretty dress.” Rayven stored her travel bag and eyed the tiny, sexy, black, formfitting dress on a hanger that Brindy had tossed into the tiny luggage closet behind the cockpit. Evidently, Brindy was heading on to new adventures. “That your spy wear?”

She wanted to laugh at Brindy’s eye rolling and groan. Breslin’s friend had been an immense help not only in prepping for her trial, but with encouragement about their mating.

“It’s not espionage or anything.” But the gleam in Brindy’s eyes claimed otherwise.

“Really?” Rayven held up one finger. “First, you were painfully vague on your description of the mission—so secret, hush hush?” She added another finger. “Next, finding someone to break the chemical cocktail code sounds a bit…undercover.” One more finger flipped up. “Last, you’ve got all the cool tools. Your mission is more than a little James Bond-esque.”

“Deacon asked me to head up this mission, and if all our current leads don’t pan out, then we’re headed to a posh invitation-only venue that might turn up something. First night there is a black-tie event.” Brindy shrugged. “I’m not really a high-heels kind of girl, but since I need to participate with the corporate executives and scientific frontrunners at what looks to be a private think-tank shindig, I don’t have a choice. I can do heels as long as it isn’t for more than a few hours. Besides, Wharton and Trim from Deacon’s team will handle most of the people contact and rough stuff. They’ve got that down pat.”

“Oh, come on. Sneaky as a fox,” Rayven said as Brindy turned an innocent look her way. Her laughter bubbled up after all, and it felt good. “If anyone can pull off the Mission Impossible drill in a silk-and-spandex black dress and high heels, I’m sure it’s you.”

Briny blushed before she retracted the stairs and locked the door, then she gave Rayven a cautious smile. “Well, when you put it that way, it sounds downright fun.”

Sobering at the thought that the children affected in her clan might have a cure coming in the near future, Rayven patted Brindy’s arm. “Good luck. I’ll wait for word from Deacon, but if you need anything—”

Brindy’s quick hug caught her off guard; as did the brief shimmering image of Deacon’s people in the clan constellation where Rayven had briefly hidden. Brindy blinked there, a fine trail of sparks heading off into the distance. Then, the connection was gone. The sharing of her space with the people who’d helped hide her alpha abilities dissolved as if it had never happened.

But it had, and she’d never forget what she owed them.

With a sparkling smile and two-finger salute, Brindy headed toward the cockpit. “Thanks, Rayven. I’m pleased to have a female alpha next door. Especially one I know and like. Good luck finding the scum hiding in the bushes and kicking their asses to kingdom come.”

Rayven made her way to the luxurious open seating of the Gulfstream GV and plopped into the plush spot across from Breslin. She eyed the laptop on the raised table in front of him with curiosity, but he seemed entrenched in whatever he was working on, so she didn’t want to interrupt. He’d tell her in his own good time. They’d been fully mated for less than three hours, and by tomorrow, she’d be home and either kill those who challenged her or be dead.

Despite her decision to leave Breslin to whatever he was doing, she couldn’t sit silently and brood over her thoughts. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Brindy has a mission.”

“Deacon has a big territory. We were frequently on missions.” He glanced up, his eyes narrowing. “Stop thinking about tomorrow and try to relax.”

Easy for him to say. Unless he was covering his worry by distracting himself with—well, whatever. “She’s heading to a resort after she drops us off. Aren’t you curious why he’s sending her?”

“No.” He raised an eyebrow, seemingly puzzled, but kept on typing. “She’s going to retrieve the microbiologist. It’s also her first time leading a team, and a good opportunity but nothing life altering.” His brows bunched together and she could tell he was thinking it through. “Do you suspect something more?”

“Hmm, just a hint. Especially when I consider how Deacon sent you on a mission to find me and look what happened.”

“Technically, Deacon and Vendrick colluded on that plan. The two of them are like mischievous old women scheming.” He stopped, his eyes widening before he twisted toward the cockpit with a discreet sniff. He shook his head. “I’m not catching any change in Brindy’s scent—then again, I’m in your clan and you’re the head alpha.” His brows drew together. “Matchmaking powers had better fall under your purview.”

She gave him a cheeky smile, because across their bond, she could feel his relief. “Yeah, I am the big, bad alpha. Still, I’m getting some sort of—tugging along the constellation for Brindy.”

“How? You’re not even her alpha.”

“Brindy helped us both and considers us friends. We formed a bond of sorts over the time I shared a space in Deacon’s clan. Not to mention that I did nothing since I arrived in his home but watch him operate and soak it all in, so sending her off on this mission feels very multilayered—very Deacon.”

“Fair enough, former alpha padawan.” Breslin gestured toward Quinn, and the others seated farther back in the plane. “You get anything from them? Some sonic ping that signals a mate in their future? Because all I get is restlessness. No doe-eyed looks in sight.”

“No,” she said with a laugh. “And I don’t remember either of us having doe eyes.”

“Your memory’s faulty. You definitely had them for me in between the angry glares.” He raised one brow, the muscle in his cheek twitching as the gray in his eyes darkened. “Why are you sitting way over there instead of cuddling over here?”

The man was incorrigible. But she moved swiftly to his side and snuggled in. “What was I thinking?”

He lifted his arm and pulled her closer, his lips by her ear and his gentle purr caressing her skin. “That’s much better.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, we’re about to take off. Flight time should only be a few hours, and we’ll be landing on a small private airstrip. However, for your safety, I’ve also registered three flight plans to keep any unannounced challengers guessing. You are free to notify the parents of the children of the location after I signal we are ready to land. Please buckle up and enjoy your flight.”

There was that pesky reminder of Rayven’s next battle to keep her clan. Every person on board was still at risk, though no one else appeared uneasy. Nathan and Elijah lounged in their own row of reclining chairs. Mirror images of each other, they sprawled with their hands crossed over their stomachs and their eyes closed. She was glad for that. After all Nathan had been through, he’d come out of the visitor room after the challenge calmer than she’d seen him in a long time, though strangely, his memory of Alpha Ping’s last questions seemed to be blank.

Aubrey and Quinn were cuddle cushions along two L-shaped couch units for the remaining children retrieved from the lab.

Breslin nudged her with his elbow. “I’ve got some ideas.”

She glanced at the screen of his laptop, though all she saw were open files with detailed lists. “About what?”

“Your stronghold.” He clicked on an icon and opened an application, producing a large map with various symbols dotting the landscape.

“And this is?”

“Your place of safe haven for the clan. Rebuilt from scratch. The outrageous fence goes.” He pointed to a bold line encircling a large space in the center. “You’ve more than enough alpha power with the mantle to maintain a shield. That absurd excuse for a ranch house—gone too.”

“I’d rather call it a sanctuary instead of a stronghold. But frankly, Karndottir Sanctuary might be a bit much for most people to handle. How do we keep it secure?”

“Once the area is cleansed of challengers, only shifters who have pledged to you can come and go through the shield. Like the way everyone’s relaxed on this plane, there’s implied safety—freedom. Everyone shares in the trust and gets a little breathing room. Others can be accompanied in, but there are limits to the power anyone else can exercise. Humans won’t even be able to see our private land.”

Yes, that made sense, though she tried not to think about the strange power that had briefly invaded Deacon’s tribunal room. That wasn’t her focus for now. The other alphas would continue searching for the creators of the drugs used on shifter children and follow the clues for an answer. However, Breslin was right, she could finally breathe within this small group. A group of people who’d helped save her because they believed in her. The thought of expanding that connection on her own land suddenly snipped the huge invisible bands binding her and filled her with relief.

She bit her lip and concentrated on the shiver across their mating bond. Somehow Breslin had known. Yet instead of capitalizing on freeing her from her claustrophobic moment of panic, he seemed too intent on adding small structures to his map. Or maybe he was just giving her space.

He slid a side-glance at her and winked.

Yeah, he helped her breathe, and everything was going to be all right. Epic battle or not, they’d be fine. She pointed to an octagonal piece in the center of the map. “What is that?

“A large pavilion with a road circling it for your clan meetings,” he added. “You don’t have to choose this layout, but it’s easy to set up. Open, with some shelter from weather until you decide on another structure that suits your style.”

“And these boxes interconnected with wavy lines?” She ran her fingertip over another area.

“Cabins. One you can use for your private meetings and one for our home. These others are for more families to stay and maybe start their businesses.”

For a former assassin, he had such a beautiful mind. But as beautiful and simple as the dream looked, it was impossible. “I love this idea,” she said, her voice catching. She paused a moment and tried for calm with a side helping of straightforward. “But we don’t have the money for this—at least not yet.”

A smile broke at the corner of his mouth, and it rose until he looked way too much like the fairy-tale Grinch for her own peace of mind. “I have money. Deacon paid me very well. I’ve created a sizable nest egg we can use.”

“I can’t take your savings,” she whispered and dropped her gaze to the map. “Maybe after a while, we’ll—”

He cupped her chin and forced her to look at him. “I lied. I have tons of money. More important, you are mine and I’m yours. This isn’t about me and mine. It’s about how we can put our money to good use.”

“My clan finally gets a home and a fresh start. I get this dream. What do you get?” she asked as his lips came close and he breathed life into her.

“I get you.”

Suddenly misty eyed, she pressed her forehead against his. Boy, did she love the way the steel in his eyes turned molten when she was this close.

“Besides,” he whispered back, nipping at her lower lip and pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “This isn’t just your dream. We are both fighting with everything we’ve got for this. I’m going to do my part to make sure our whole clan reaps the benefits.”

Yep, he was definitely a keeper, and she felt lucky the Goddess chose him as her mate. “Rebuilding is going to take a lot of people.”

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” He frowned, looking up in annoyance at the shadow looming over them. “I don’t remember calling you over here, Quinn.”

“Needs a bar,” he said as he crouched down to the height of the boy standing beside him. Not soon enough to avoid the swat across the back of his head from Aubrey. “Watch it. There are delicate people here.”

“I’m not going to hurt that child,” she snapped from behind him as she too swept an appraising look over the plans.

“I wasn’t talking about him,” Quinn whined, rubbing the back of his head.

Aubrey rolled her eyes at Breslin. “Glad he’s on your team and not on Rayven’s detail. What we really need is a restaurant. A family place.”

“A family place with a bar in back.” Quinn snarked. “And my vote is to call the sacred grounds Rayven’s Nest.”

Everyone was now focused on the discussion and wrinkled their noses, including Rayven. “I am not doing that.”

Breslin slung his arm over her shoulder, easing her back against him. “With a Spirit Bear as an alpha and a stronghold located near one of the largest peaks in the area, Spirit Peak Sanctuary sounds like a safe, magical place. What do you think?”

Rayven snorted, wondering where he’d hidden this sentimental side to him. But she loved his choice of name enough that her beast grunted inside her in agreement. “Technically, this isn’t the peak of the world.”

“Close enough,” Aubrey interjected. “I like it.”

“Second that,” Nathan said, holding two fingers in the air without opening his eyes.

Elijah only grunted.

Breslin slid the laptop toward Quinn. “Take this way over there and let your alpha have some peace.”

By the time Rayven relaxed, the adults were huddled around the laptop making plans and suggesting people who could help as the kids kept trying to add ice cream shops and pizza parlors to the growing list of businesses. She could almost pretend the happy ending was already here. But several deadly challenges still remained in their future.

“This is great, assuming we all survive,” she murmured. “Feeling lucky?”

“We heard that. Don’t be a buzzkill, Alpha,” Aubrey yelled.

Breslin linked his fingers with hers and rested his chin on top of her head. “This isn’t about luck. We’ll survive and any challengers will fall. You’ve earned this new beginning for all the hard work you’ve put in to save your people.”

She twisted enough to look into his face, memorizing his contented expression. “This will just be the start of hard work.”

His eyes sparkled as his arms tightened around her. “We wouldn’t want it any other way.”

* * *

Breslin stood at the doorway of the boardinghouse and swept an expert gaze across the well-manicured acre of yard between the house and the surrounding woodland. Callum had procured this property several years ago, along with several others he planned to offer to Rayven’s new clan. His own way of making peace with the financial mess they’d inflicted on the clan. Brindy had scouted out the location via remote electronic surveillance and guided one of Elijah’s cousins through a meticulous installation of cameras and security software throughout the house and woods.

Breslin may have left Clan Black, but his friends stayed true. And while he trusted them, he now had Rayven’s life to protect, that of her teams and all the children. He had multiple reasons to check and double-check every decision.

However, his cougar was satisfied. No strange scents lingered around the perimeter or underbrush. The house proved free of electronic bugs and hidden nooks. The location was conveniently close to the small private airport where Brindy had landed and a safe distance from the clan’s sacred grounds. No one would expect them to be here. He had the extra assurance of Elijah’s two large grizzly shifter cousins already wandering through the woods bordering the small lane leading to the house on sentinel duty. Elijah had more family coming in to ramp up the security within the next couple of hours.

All the effort assured everyone on the premises would have several peaceful hours and some hard earned shut-eye.

Most of the children’s parents had long drives and wouldn’t be here before he and Rayven left at dawn to scour her clan’s sacred grounds. The men and women here would keep the kids safe in their absence.

Done for now, he turned and watched as Rayven and Aubrey sorted the kids into groups and assigned them to rooms for the night. Each enforcer had kids in their rooms in trundle beds. Not surprisingly after the trauma they’d gone through, the kids would rather have their security guards close by than sleep alone.

The children with their bellies now filled with fresh, warm meals and more ice cream than any child should be able to eat scampered upstairs to their assigned rooms holding toys and stuffed animals thanks to Shanae and Trevor’s thoughtfulness. Nathan remained the only one not pleased with his assignment of a bodyguard. He’d finagled the small pullout couch in the office of the house from his alpha. Breslin could tell Rayven didn’t want the boy alone, but the youth had earned some privileges, and she’d accepted his compromise.

More important, the grizzlies would keep a close eye on him. Even the most determined challengers wouldn’t get through the grizzly brood to get the boy. They wouldn’t get through him either.

That left Hazel. They couldn’t take her with them tomorrow, couldn’t risk having her anywhere in the vicinity. They’d claimed her as their own child at the tribunal for every alpha to see and for any enemy to catalog her as a prime target.

Breslin sensed her checking constantly between him and Rayven, as if she expected them to disappear. She knew they would. He’d already explained to her that he had another mission. Rayven had explained she needed her little girl to teach Aubrey how to have fun and they would be back together soon. Still, bolstered by too many chocolate chip cookies and promises of bedtime stories, she looked wide-awake, sleep a long time off.

Yeah, they were going to owe Aubrey big time.

Officially, Aubrey and Nathan would watch over her until the challenges concluded and it was safe for her in the sanctuary. Unofficially, the grizzlies joined that duty after the other children left with their parents. But just like Rayven, he had a few tricks he’d learned from Deacon.

“How long do you think she’ll stay awake?” Rayven asked, stroking the clean and shiny golden curls on Hazel’s head.

“Two minutes tops.”

“No way.”

Breslin smiled and leaned in toward Hazel. She grabbed his face and rubbed noses with him. Sharp laughter broke out behind him, but he ignored it. He’d worked hard to get this little bunny to trust him, and a nose rub wasn’t a bad reward. “Be good and sleep tight.”

He brushed his fingertips over her chubby cheeks, sending a long, low purr across the clan constellation to Hazel. In the past, he’d wondered how Deacon had managed to subdue youngsters: scared ones, angry ones, tired ones. Learning about the existence of the alpha access to the constellation was a godsend. “We’ll see you soon, little one.”

Within a few moments, Hazel sighed and her eyelids fluttered shut.

Breslin grinned as Rayven tilted her head in surprise and Aubrey’s jaw dropped. He backed away as Rayven transferred the sleeping child to her enforcer, and then he drew her with him to the back door.

“We can’t leave.”

With a finger to her lips, he stopped any questions and gestured toward the backyard. She bit her lower lip and looked longingly toward freedom, then slid him a heated glance.

He eased them quietly out in to the yard, determined not to let anyone stop them. The private guest cottage behind the house was the perfect spot to worship Rayven’s sweet, hot body and brand her with a mate mark neither of them would ever forget. He intended to leave no doubt in her mind how much he wanted her. Forever.

“We’ll only be fifty feet away. We have guards and alarms in the main house, and can get back in seconds if the need arises.” Not giving her a moment to reconsider, he swept her into his arms and strode over the grass, up the stairs, and across the small porch.

“I could have walked,” she said with a laugh.

“This way, I get to hold my mate sooner.”

He whirled her into the small main room, locking the door behind them with a soft click. As she glanced around at the wide bed and table set with candles and platters of food, her eyes widened, the violet darkening into indigo. “This is lovely.”

“I’m claiming my mate the way she deserves. With hours until dawn, we have the place to ourselves.”

Her lips twitched. “Well. I’m not fighting.”

“Then my plan is working.” He let her legs slide down his body, and they met in a melding of lips and tongues, slow and decadent. He teased with his tongue until she opened beneath him and captured her sigh. He deepened the kiss, tasting the sweet clover honey of her. Fresh, spontaneous, and passionate, she was his home. The last place on earth he’d ever thought to go willingly and the only place he never wanted to leave.

He’d make this the first of their many nights together—one she’d remember forever. Before she put her life on the line and defeated her enemies. Oh, he’d be right there with her, but he didn’t delude himself. While Rayven’s alpha abilities were a recent development, she was a woman in charge of her life. Self-trained and full of grit. Freed of her past and already envisioning her future. The way to keep a woman like that by his side was to have her back and stay out of her way.

But behind closed doors, he could give her his rapt attention, all of him.

“They’ll know we’re in here,” she murmured against his lips, her hands pushing his clothes off with a speed that sent his blood racing. He slid his palms under her shirt and stroked over her satiny skin.

“You’ll just have to be very quiet, sweetheart.” He tossed her shirt and nuzzled beneath her ear. As she arched her neck, giving him more access, he bit there lightly, testing. Both man and cat searched for the perfect location to mark their powerful modern woman. Here? No.

Her breath hitched and her faint puzzlement registered in his thoughts, yet they vaporized as he kissed along her collarbone and traced his tongue across her shoulder. No. Not there.

He wanted somewhere discreet for their personal brand, at least for hers. He enjoyed the fact that anyone could see his mate mark when he worked shirtless. But he wanted to be the only one to see her mark. “These pants need to go.”

She stifled a laugh, kicked off her shoes, and danced backward out of his hold, unbuttoning her jeans. Not fast enough to escape him. He picked her up and softly tossed her into the center of the thick comforter blanketing the bed. Her pants and lacey thong came off in his hands and landed somewhere behind him.

Eyes sparkling, she pulled him to her. “Are you sure you don’t want to eat first?”

“Don’t mind if I do,” he said and licked between her breasts before he ran his nose around each nipple. He headed down an invisible line to the delicate scent calling to him from between her thighs, then settled between her legs and nosed against the crease between her nether lips and thigh. Soft, creamy, and tantalizing. Here?

A quick nip and lick proved delicious, but not quite the right spot. No, too remote.

“I didn’t mean—”

A long slow swipe between her folds ended her words in a gasp. He chuckled against her flesh and licked his fill until she writhed beneath him. She was close, and he looked up at her as he captured her nub between his lips and sucked. Her back arched, her keening echoing in the room, but he continued to gentle her until her climax passed and she went limp.

A small laugh escaped as she shook her head. “With shifter hearing, they are all going to know.”

He shrugged. “Stabilizing and rebuilding your territory will take months. Months in close quarters with your—our people—and I plan on being very persistent about ensuring you have the attention from your mate that you deserve.” He crawled back up her body and ran his tongue around one dusky-rose nipple. “I don’t care whether they know I’m taking care of you or not. Do you?”

Licking her juices from his mouth, he pressed her knees higher and rose over her. Warm heat embraced him, with only a layer of denim between his hardening erection and her sweet core. Yet he could only stare at her. With her face beautifully flushed and full lips pleasantly kissed, she was a meal he never wanted to finish.

It was all he could do not to unzip his jeans and plunge into her. Instead, he took his time. His fingers traced along her skin and over her breasts as he took in every inch of her. “You’re gorgeous.”

Just to make certain she was ready for more, he licked around her nipples and blew a warm breath over them. Her flesh tightened into rosy buds.

“Please,” she gasped.

“Please what, my alpha?” He captured her mouth before she could answer and filled his hands with her creamy globes. He squeezed, brushing his thumbs across her nipples with the same steady pace that his tongue dueled with hers.

“Missed you.” Her fingers tugged at his belt, pulling him closer as her legs wrapped around his waist. “Don’t want to wait. Claim me again.”

She lifted her wrist toward him.

“No, never there again. Patience.” His fingers moved down over her belly and into the wet heat of her. At her tiny rumble of pleasure, he circled the nub with his thumb and delved two fingers inside her moist heat.

“Need more of you.” She mustered in spite of a groan as he found a spot that made her tremble.

He curled his fingers and played her flesh. “Pretty bear. You’ll have all of me if you come again.”

She tempted him, and he captured her mouth again, in time for her cry as she crested over another peak. He loved the cavern of her mouth. Sliding his tongue against hers, he soothed her through the end of her orgasm. Before she could come down completely, he unzipped his jeans and sheathed himself in her liquid heat.

She’d managed to move enough to lick his chest. “Do it, Rayven. Claim me again.”

The pricks of her teeth didn’t register, but the sizzling streak of pleasure in his blood made it damn hard for him to hold off. He never wanted this to end. He needed the reaffirmation that they were together, bonded and mated.

Determined to drive her to new heights, he forced a slow, lazy pace in direct opposition to the wild beating of his heart.

Rayven clung to him, matching his movements with her fingernails digging into his shoulder urging him faster.

Not happening. He wanted to claim her the right way. Needed to feel his canines sink into her as her pussy milked him dry. It might be the tiny death to some, but with her in his arms, he’d gladly embrace the final reward.

Beneath her lashes, gold dominated her irises, violet only a narrow ring at the edges. She was close. Too close.

“Hold on.” He bent and nuzzled for a sweet taste of her breast. “Yes, here. Perfect.” First with one lick, and then another, he teased. He sucked at her nipple until her muscles convulsed around his cock.

His hips bucked as he pushed into her, abandoning all gentleness, single-minded in his pursuit of her climax. He nuzzled the swell of her breast.

“Now, love. Again.” His balls drew up tight as fire raced down his spine and his canines extended as her hot sheath clenched tight around him. He sank his fangs deep and placed his claim.

“Oh, my…”

He felt her emotions flood across their bond, pulsing with need, hope, and the most addictive—love. She was all he’d ever wanted and more than anything, he wanted her to know, for her to feel him here, deep inside her always.

In bed and out. In good times and bad. No matter how old they became, she was the light that led him from the weight of eternal darkness to freedom and life. “Mine.”

Licking over the mark, he rolled to the side and pulled her against him. Tight and warm for a few hours in this cozy bed, they’d have the illusion of normalcy.

“What made you put the mark there?” she whispered.

As her thoughts came to him in languid, relaxed waves, he brushed the claimed skin, aware it still sent tingles of pleasure through her body. “I’ll be able to see this every time I make love to you. And one day, I’ll see it when you hold our baby to your breast.”

“Don’t you think that’s rushing things?” Yet, her bear rumbled aloud as Breslin tucked her against his warm body.

The more he considered it, the more he liked that idea. Across their bond, he knew she did too. “Someday, when you choose, Rayven.”

She didn’t look at him, but he felt her smile against his chest, before she looked up at him and replied. “Definitely, someday.”