Sedona

Juanito takes away the bloody towels and spreads a blanket over Carlos. I curl up on the bed with him because it’s the only way I can get him to stay lying down. He refuses to be parted from me, won’t take his eyes off me for a second.

I twitch the blanket higher over his mostly naked form. He did put on boxer briefs in deference to his mother, who insisted on sponging the blood from him. She appeared lucid to me, although she did babble a lot about a wolf fight that I think must’ve been in the past.

Carlos reaches for me, and I nestle closer so he doesn’t have to move. “Just lie still and let your body take care of the bullet wounds,” I chide.

Shifters have incredible healing capabilities, but in such a serious case like Carlos’, with major blood loss, it takes a few days of rest. Or at the very least, a night.

We’re nose to nose and he strokes my hair back from my face, leaning his forehead against mine. “Mi corazon, I feared I’d never be this close to you again.”

“What does corazon mean?”

“My heart. You are my heart. What made you come here?” He strokes a hand over my hip. “Did you come to tell me about our pup?”

I shake my head, experiencing a pang of guilt at keeping that from him the whole time we were in Europe. “Carlos—” I stop, unsure how to tell him what I learned.

He stiffens, like he thinks I’m breaking up with him—again.

“I met a shifter from your pack. She told me the council killed your father.” I blurt it out quickly, so he won’t have to suffer any suspense.

He nods gravely.

“You knew?”

“No, I discovered last night that my mother believed so. I now think the council drugged her to keep her quiet. I planned to take her to the city today to see a human psychiatrist. I don’t know how much permanent damage has been done, but I’m hoping there’s a chance her mental faculties can be restored.”

“Were all the councilmembers killed today?”

“All but one—Don Santiago, who we saw in Barcelona. He’s still away, but I’ll deal with him when he returns. He’s the one who’s been stealing from the pack.”

I rub the place my arm had been pricked again. “I think he drew blood from me there.”

“What?” Carlos surges upright and I have to tug him back down to the mattress.

“When you were talking to him, these humans jostled up against me and something poked my arm. I think he was testing to see if I’m pregnant.”

Carlos’ grim face pales. “Santiago… playing doctor with my mother. With you. Interested in gene mapping. Healthy young wolves disappearing from this pack—like Juanito’s brother and father. Huge amounts of money disappearing… Could he be the so-called Harvester?”

I shiver involuntarily. “There were lots of cages in the warehouse where I was held. Many wolves had been prisoner there. And they took my brother and his pack mates prisoner rather than killing them. You think he’s… experimenting on shifters?”

“I do.” Carlos surges off the bed and onto his feet.

Fates, he’s pushing himself too hard. “Carlos, wait. He’s not here now—it can wait. Or do what you need to do in bed. With me.” I add the last part on and waggle my eyebrows and his expression softens into a smile. He sinks back down onto the bed. “Well if you put it that way…” His palm lands right on my ass and he squeezes a handful.

But his smile falls away again and he pins me with his gaze. “Tell me, Sedona. Can you ever forgive me? Forgive my pack?”

“Yes. I know you had nothing to do with it. And the council is now gone. I should tell you—my father and brother and their packs will be here soon.” I texted my dad when I landed last night. He let me know they were right behind me, on a flight this morning. I pull out my phone to text again and let him know I’m safe. “After we talked to the shifter from your pack, he believed me to be in danger from the council, so he’s coming to help you clean house. I’ll let him know it’s already done.”

“Then he will be here for our mating ceremony.” Carlos’ tone is light, but he watches me closely and I don’t think he’s breathing.

I throw a leg up over his. “I believe we’re already mated.”

His smile flashes, sexy and winsome. “Does that mean yes? You’ll have me as your mate?”

My nod wobbles a bit. “We’ll figure it out.”

“Of course.” Carlos sobers. “I would never keep you here if you cannot find joy. But I promise I will work very hard to keep you happy, mi amor. And if you wish to split your time with the States, I understand that, too. You’ll be like Persephone, taking a break from hell.”

“No,” I answer immediately. “My place is with you. I mean, yes, I want to visit home, but there’s nothing there for me. Not without you. And this place isn’t hell. It’s beautiful. A paradise, Carlos.”

He blinks rapidly. “Thank you,” he chokes and takes my face in both hands, stamping his lips over mine, stealing my breath. “I think it can be a paradise. It’s a fixer upper, but if I’m working for you, there’s nothing I can’t do. Fates, I can’t believe it. I feared I wouldn’t manage to keep you.”

“I’m here,” I whisper.

He kisses me again. “I see you, preciosa. Gracias.”

I gaze into his warm chocolate brown eyes, feel the love pouring from him. “When I thought you were in danger, all the walls I’d erected, all the fears and insecurities about whether you really loved me, or if it was just your biology insisting you follow because you’d marked me fell away. I knew I wouldn’t want to know a future without you in it, that I’d be willing to die to protect you. So I’m here.”

“Muñeca, yes, there’s biology—fates, so much—but my love for you goes way beyond the physical. You are everything that’s beautiful in the world. And I know I don’t know everything about you yet—I don’t know your favorite song, or movie, or television show, I haven’t met your family, yet, I don’t know your childhood stories. But I do know that I crave every part of you, even the parts you keep hidden.” His hand curves around my nape and pulls my face to his. He kisses me with a soft, exploratory movement of his lips over mine.

Heat surges through my body, but I do my best to ignore it. Carlos needs to heal. Jumping his bones definitely won’t help. There will be time for that tomorrow.

He must pick up my vibe, because his eyes smolder when he pulls away. “Don’t think you won’t be punished for putting yourself in danger out there, ángel. It’s not your job to protect me. I would much rather die than ever see you hurt.”

And just like that, my pussy is dripping. It’s all I can do not to close the distance between our hips and grind against the bulge in his boxer briefs. I can’t stop my lids from dropping to half-mast. My tongue runs over my lips. “How will you punish me, Carlos?”

His cock punches out to a full erection, tenting his shorts and he yanks my body up against his hard muscles. “You’re lucky you’re clothed or I’d already be inside you,” he growls.

I push against his chest, but he doesn’t give me any freedom—not that I wanted it. “Easy, big wolf. You still have five holes in your gut.”

He squeezes my ass and wedges a finger between the cleft, working deeper until he presses against my back hole through my pants. “Tomorrow, muñeca. Tomorrow I’m going to fuck this ass until you scream. That’s your punishment.”

A tiny whimper escapes my lips as my entire body lights on fire, flames sizzling right down to my toes. I bite his bulging pectoral muscle. “Promise?”