CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
One month later
Do you hear that?”
Snuggled into Tao’s side with her head on his chest as they lay on the grass in the clearing, Riley opened her eyes. “What?”
“Exactly,” said Tao. “Nothing except for the sounds of nature. No kids squealing. No pack mates nattering. No Greta being a pain in your ass. Just us.”
With a smile Riley closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh air, letting it fill her lungs. “So this matches up to your dream?”
Fingers working through her hair, Tao said, “No, it’s even better.”
When she’d months ago suggested they enact the very peaceful dream he’d had about them lying here just like this, she hadn’t expected to feel so . . . serene. Being surrounded by nature always relaxed her, but as she nestled against her mate, enjoying the warm kiss of the sun on her skin and the surprisingly relaxing sound of the river water flowing across the rocks and boulders, she was sure she could easily drift into a dreamless sleep.
Makenna and Ryan had taken the kids off her hands for a while, since it was the one-week anniversary of Riley and Tao’s mating ceremony. The pack had promised to give them time alone—something they didn’t have often, given that they both had demanding positions. They saw plenty of each other; they were just often surrounded by others, mostly children.
Tao picked up his mate’s hand and traced the wolf tattoo on her inner arm. She’d gotten it done the day after their mating ceremony, while he’d had a raven tattooed on his chest, just above his heart. “Did you have this done on your inner arm to help cover your scar?” He didn’t think the scar was bad, but it was a reminder of what Shirley had done to her. Tao would have wanted to cover it too.
Sage and Ruby had been disappointed to hear that Shirley was dead. Since she’d attacked both their daughters, the Alphas had wanted to kill her themselves. Cynthia had taken a bullet to the stomach, thanks to Shirley, but she was okay—albeit allegedly shaken up. Like Tao gave much of a shit either way.
“No, I thought about having the tattoo done on my chest like you did,” said Riley, “but I want it where I can look at it whenever I want to.”
Tao smiled. “I guess you picked a good place for it, then.” He could remember the ceremony as if it had been yesterday, remember the violet dress that matched her eyes, remember the tender look on her face as she’d spoken the ceremonial words, and remember the huge celebration that had followed.
In addition to the pack, lots of other people had been present—including his parents, his brother, Max, Ethan, Lucy, Madisyn, and the Mercury Pack. Max and Ethan had already been on their territory, since they’d turned their brief visit into an extended stay. They didn’t leave until a few days after the mating ceremony, taking Lucy with them.
His mother loved Ethan and Max. Literally adored them. She’d had them over for dinner five times during their stay with the pack. She’d also made a full apology for her behavior to Riley, whom she’d promptly fallen in love with. Riley seemed to have forgiven Avery for her initial rudeness, and there had been a couple of occasions when they’d banded against Greta for the sheer fun of it. He suspected that Greta, being a little warped, had enjoyed the sparring just as much as they did.
Greta hadn’t made many disparaging comments at the ceremony, though—that was probably because her boyfriend, Allen, had been there. She didn’t seem to like exercising her bitchy muscle when the guy was around, which meant the females were all hoping Greta and Allen imprinted on each other at some point; maybe then they’d all get a damn rest from Greta’s bullshit.
Tao frowned as he heard the crunch of twigs and pine needles. Whoever was walking around these parts better head the other way; he wanted time alone with his mate. “Do you realize something?”
She propped her chin up on his chest. “What?”
“Three times this week”—a leaf fluttered down from a branch and landed in her hair, so he plucked it out and put it on the grass—“you slept the entire night through.”
“Sort of.”
He frowned. “Sort of?”
“Well, I did wake up, but I managed to get back asleep using the mating bond.”
He blinked. “I don’t understand.”
“The first time I woke up, I was totally wired and decided to just get up, but I was afraid of waking you. So I tapped into the bond, into you, to check how deeply you were sleeping. I felt how tired you were, how at peace your mind was, and how relaxed your body was. The next thing I knew, my eyelids were heavy and my mind had calmed down a little. It had to have been less than a minute before I fell back asleep.”
Hope shimmered through him. “And it worked three times?”
“Yeah. I thought the first time was a fluke, but apparently not.”
“This is fucking great news; why didn’t you tell me?”
She touched his face. “You have to understand that I’ve had insomnia for a long time. I’ve tried pretty much every supposed ‘remedy’ you can think of, and none of them worked. The idea that I might have found a way to fall back asleep that didn’t involve disturbing your sleep . . . I didn’t want to jinx it.”
“I get it.” He kissed her. “Let’s hope it keeps working . . . although I really have no issues with fucking you back to sleep.”
She smiled against his mouth. “Well, I have issues with you having too much broken sleep, so I truly hope this continues to work.” He kissed her again, deeper this time. She moaned as his fingers sank into her hair, holding her close as he took and tasted. Her insides melted even as her body flared to life.
A twig snapped close by, and then there was a loud hmph. “Here I am going for a walk, minding my own business, and I come across this. Must you do it out in the open where all and sundry can see you?”
With a sigh Riley glanced over her shoulder and squinted as shards of sunlight danced off the river, framing the old witch standing over her in judgment. “You say that like you caught us having sex.”
“Look at you, lounging all over him. This wouldn’t have happened in my day. Nooooooo. People were more reserved and believed in keeping certain things in the privacy of their own home. You have no self-respect at all.”
Riley rubbed her forehead. “I’m not saying you don’t have the God-given right to be neurotic, but must you really exploit the privilege?”
“If I were you, Tao, I’d be railing at fate for letting me down so dramatically.”
Riley closed her eyes. “I’m getting that déjà poo feeling.”
“Déjà poo?” Tao echoed.
“The feeling that I’ve heard all this bullshit before.”
Greta gasped. “How dare you!”
“Look, Gretchen—”
“It’s Greta.”
“I don’t care.”
At that moment, Dominic and Trick came traipsing out of the woods. Tao ground his teeth. What the fuck happened to having alone time with his mate? He scowled. “What are you doing out here?”
Grinning, Dominic kicked a pinecone into a bush. “Searching for treasure. Can I look around your chest, Riley?”
Stifling a smile, Riley sighed and patted her growling mate. “Dominic, please find the will to live.”
Trick cast them an apologetic look. “We didn’t mean to interrupt. We were just looking for Zac—he’s out here somewhere in his wolf form.”
“We haven’t seen him,” said Riley.
Dominic gave her another grin. “You know . . . you have a really sexy voice. It would sound even better if it was muffled by my co—”
“Dominic.” Tao looked at Trick. “If you don’t kill him, I will.”
Trick shoved a laughing Dominic ahead of him. “Let’s just go before you get yourself killed. Come on, Greta.”
Once the three wolves disappeared into the trees, Riley felt Tao relax beneath her. “Peace again.”
He let out a long breath. “Yeah. Peace.” She rested her head on his chest again, so he closed his eyes. The cool breeze fluttered over his skin, easing the prickling heat of the sun and carrying the scents of pine, sun-warmed rock, and wild herbs. Branches creaked, leaves rustled . . . and someone laughed somewhere in the near distance.
Tao hissed through his teeth. All he wanted was to be alone with his mate for a while. He didn’t think it was such a big thing to ask of the universe. But mere moments later, Makenna stumbled into the clearing.
Her eyes widened. “Sorry, I didn’t know you guys would be out here. We’ll get out of your way.” Ryan stepped into the clearing with Kye on his shoulders, Lilah clinging to his chest, Dexter wrapped around his left leg, and Savannah coiled around his right leg. He grunted at Tao in what could have been a greeting or a plea for help.
Spotting Riley and Tao, Dexter jumped down and bellowed, “Incomin’!” The cub flung himself at Tao, who caught him around the waist and held him high above his body while tickling his sides.
Knowing what was coming, Riley sat up just in time to catch Savannah as she leaped. “Hey, sweetheart.”
The little viper grinned. “You kissing again?”
Riley chuckled. “Yep.”
“Ew.” Savannah playfully hissed at Tao and then scrambled up a tree.
Tao sighed. “Let’s just go inside, we’re not going to have any peace out here.” He got to his feet, grabbed Dexter by the ankle, and dangled him upside down, making the cub laugh hysterically. Lots of bits of food fell out of Dexter’s pockets, unsurprisingly.
Makenna grabbed the little boy and righted him. “You two go off and be alone. The kids are fine with us.”
Riley blew a kiss at the kids and waved. She and Tao walked into the woods, leaving Savannah hanging upside down from a tree while the other kids climbed Ryan like he was a tree. Riley skimmed her hand over a weathered oak, feeling the rough edges of the bark. The woods really were beautiful and . . . and Tao was no longer beside her. Looking over her shoulder, she lifted a brow at him. He was wearing his “I’m thinking about sex” smile. “What?”
“You know watching you walk makes me want to throw you on the nearest surface and take you hard.”
“What’s stopping you?”
Tao was about to say nothing, but then he heard a wolf padding toward them. He halted, cursing. “I can’t take any more. I just can’t.”
She clamped her lips together, battling the urge to laugh. Then he suddenly swung her around and began dragging her deeper into the woods. “Where are we going?”
“To get some damn privacy.”
The trees thickened as they walked farther and farther, and then Riley stumbled into a cave, mouth open. Dead leaves crackled beneath their feet as he guided her inside. “I never saw this before,” she told him.
“You haven’t been on our territory long enough to explore every little crevice.”
She stiffened. “There are no bats in here, right?” Because if yes, she was so gone. Just thinking of their creepy, fanged faces made her shiver. She couldn’t smell any guano, but still . . .
“No bats,” he assured her, drawing her close.
Thank God. She glanced around the cave, trying to get a sense of how far back it went. There were claw marks all around, no doubt made by the pack.
“It’s not deep,” said Tao. “It doesn’t lead anywhere.”
“And there are no bats?”
He chuckled. “No bats.” He backed her against the cold, bumpy stone wall. “Just you. And me.” Which was just the way Tao wanted it. He slammed his mouth down on hers, feasting on her with a greedy, primal hunger that never went away. It was always there, always tempting him to taste and take what was his.
Riley slid her hands under his shirt, touching sleek, hot skin. Raw need licked at her flesh, making her nerve endings burn. She curled her leg around his and ground against his cock. He was hard and ready, and she needed him now. She dug her nails into his chest—a feminine demand for more that made him growl. She swallowed the sound, gasping as he shoved a hand under her shirt and gave her breast a possessive squeeze.
“I should have known you were mine by just how well this fits in my hand.” He rocked his hips into hers. “And by just how well this pussy fits my cock.” Tao whipped off her shirt and latched on to her nipple, sucking and nipping. “You really do have phenomenal breasts. And the softest skin. Perfect for licking and biting.”
“Tao, the compliments aren’t necessary—you’re gonna get laid.”
He gave a dark chuckle. “Oh, I know that.” Snapping open her fly, he thrust his hand into her panties and sank two fingers inside her. He groaned at how hot and slick she was, loving how her pussy clenched around his fingers. “You’re going to come for me. Then I’m going to fuck you.”
“I have no absolutely no issue with that, just in case there was any doubt.”
His lips curved. “There was no doubt, baby.” He fucked her with his fingers, kissing her hard. Her mouth was soft and hot and tasted of everything he wanted, of everything that belonged to him.
Tao hooked his fingers, finding that spot that made her gasp. She tried riding his hand, frantic for more, so he gave her more—thrusting his fingers faster and harder. Her pussy fluttered and contracted around them as she came, moaning into his mouth. There was no holding back any longer. He had to have her. “Jeans. Take them off.”
Panting, Riley blinked, still recovering from those skilled, sure fingers. He’d totally overwhelmed and devastated her senses, leaving her a little off balance. She toed off her shoes and unbuttoned her fly. He helped her shove down her jeans and then kicked them aside. He spun her around, and she slapped her hands against the stone wall.
“That’s it.” He thrust hard, burying himself balls deep, and her pussy clamped around him. “Fuck yeah.”
Riley let her head fall back as he fucked her hard, fingers digging into her hips. Every thrust was deep, bold, possessive. She bit her lip to hold in her moans, knowing they would echo, but she feared she wouldn’t manage it long. Not while he was mercilessly slamming into her pussy at this frenzied pace.
Tao raked his teeth over her pulse. “You’re ready to come, aren’t you?”
Hell yes, she was. “Not gonna last much longer.”
He took one of her hands and brought it down to her pussy, using her finger to play with her clit. He growled into her ear. “Come for me, baby.” Through their bond he felt her climax hit her, felt wave after wave of agonized bliss crash into her. It vibrated up the bond and slammed into him as he slapped his hand over her mouth, muffling her scream. Burying his face in her neck, Tao exploded deep inside her, growling as her pussy squeezed and milked his cock dry.
When he could finally move again, he curled his arms around her and kissed the side of her neck. “Mating you was the best and smartest idea I ever had.”
She smiled, panting a little. “I thought you didn’t like trouble.”
“I like your brand of trouble.” He nuzzled her. “Actually, no, I love it, just like I love you. I wouldn’t change anything about you. Not a thing.”
“Not even that I keep wearing your shirts?”
“No.”
“Not even that I have a raven inside me who keeps tormenting you?”
“No.”
“Not even that I borrow—”
“Steal.”
“—your stuff?”
“No.” She’d given his onyx ring back eventually. Besides . . . “What’s mine is yours.”
She melted into him, happy, mellow. But she had to ask, “Are you sure there are no bats in here? I really think I heard something.” An ominous squeaky sound.
He sighed. “Woman, there are no bats.”
“Woman?”
“Are you not a woman?”
“Are you not smart enough to sense the tone? And it was a valid question. It’s a cave. Bats inhabit caves. Do you want rabies?”
Honestly, Tao felt like banging his head on the wall. “Not all bats carry rabies.”
“Ninety-eight percent of rabies cases are caused by bats.”
“They are not.”
“They could be.”
He growled. “You’re a pain in my ass, Porter.”
“If you ever again want to be a pain in mine, you’ll get me out of this damn cave before the bats wake up.”
“Insane. Fucking insane.”