“I get it. I’ll do what needs to be done.”

I’d hoped for more time to get to know Hunter. To help him get to a better place emotionally before we took the final step to bond, but saving his life trumped that.

Petra left Grayson and me alone outside Hunter’s room.

Grayson stroked my cheek. “You should do it now before he’s too weak to…”

I nodded quickly.

“It’s my duty to the Tribus.” My stomach quivered with nerves. “I’ll get it done, and then we can all relax and figure this thing out together.”

Grayson pulled me into a hug and held me for long minutes. “I’ll be in the lounge when you’re…When it’s over.”

He kissed my cheek and then walked away. Fuck, this was hard for him. Hunter was his twin, but they’d been estranged for so long that the bad blood between them would take time to clean up.

But there was no doubt in my mind that Grayson wanted to save his brother. They deserved a second chance at a relationship.

I took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and entered the room. The blinds were closed, but the gray light of predawn filtered in through the gaps, providing enough illumination for me to see Hunter propped up against several pillows in bed. His chest was bare, and a sheet covered him up to the waist.

He was awake, though. Dark eyes pinned on me.

I approached the bed, and then his lip curled. “What are you doing?”

“Completing the mating. You’ll die if we don’t.”

His throat worked for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed. “Always on hand to do the saving, aren’t you, Fee?”

Oh, boy. “Look, Hunter, I’m not here to stroke your ego, okay. Given the choice, I’d rather not do this right now. I’d have liked to wait and get to know you a little more…But we don’t have that kind of time.”

He looked up at the ceiling, his jaw tight. “So what? You’re going to hop on and ride me? You know I need to be hard for that, and right now.” He gestured to his crotch. “Nothing.”

I took several steps closer and allowed my Loup to swim to the surface. His scent filled my head. My skin pebbled with anticipation and heat swirled low down in my belly before slipping down to settle between my thighs. My body wanted him, and I’d let it have him.

The sheet over his crotch rose as he grew hard.

“Fuck,” he bit out.

“Seems to be working now.”

His chest heaved as I bridged the distance between us. He was beautiful. There was no denying that. His skin was a shade darker than Grayson’s. His hair was ebony, drinking in the light around it. His eyes were fathomless pits of emotion I couldn’t begin to comprehend.

I shimmied out of my jeans and knickers but kept my T-shirt on. He didn’t need to see my breasts. I just needed to climb on top, slide onto his cock, and ride him until we were pulled into the Vista.

I could do this.

“Take it off,” he said gruffly. “Take the shirt off too.”

“I don’t need to take it off.”

He closed his eyes and turned his face to the side. “I’m a boobs man. It’ll help get this over quicker.”

He wanted this over too? A far cry from the Hunter of a few weeks ago. The one who couldn’t wait to fuck me. He’d changed…We’d changed.

I considered arguing further but decided against it and tugged off my top. His mouth parted, breath coming faster and shallower. My nipples tightened to hard peaks beneath his hot regard. I wanted him to touch me, to take my nipples into his luscious mouth and swirl his tongue around them.

No.

This was sex that needed to happen.

I didn’t have to enjoy it.

But my body was already singing, telling me I was going to have the time of my fucking life because we had a cosmic connection so deep it was woven into our souls.

Hunter pulled back the sheet to reveal his boxer-clad arousal. “Do you want to do the honors?”

I licked my lips. “You can…”

He pushed down the waistband of his boxers and freed his erection, palming it and working it up and down. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the motion, the thickness, the length, and the glistening tip that told me he was more than ready for me.

“What are you waiting for, Fee? You want to do this or not?”

His tone was thick with desire, but there was an angry edge to it. I didn’t care. He was part of my Tribus. Grayson’s twin, my fated mate. This wasn’t the order I’d have wanted to do things in, but I couldn’t risk losing him over my sensibilities.

He wasn’t evil. I just needed time to know him.

Time that would come afterward.

I climbed onto the bed and straddled him, reveling in the heat that crawled up my body as the beast inside stretched and filled me.

He didn’t touch me. In fact, his hands were fists at his sides, dark eyes locked on my face as I reached down and gripped him at the base.

His breathing quickened. I didn’t have to, but I couldn’t help but stroke him. He was silk over steel. He was velvet and slick precum and my mouth watered with the need to taste him. I squashed that impulse. No need to go there. I needed him inside me.

“Fee…fucking just do it,” Hunter snapped.

His body was coiled as if he was ready to lash out.

I pushed up on my knees and finally guided the head of his cock to my core. I ran it up and down, sliding it between my lips.

Hunter threw back his head, breathing through his nose, his jaw ticking.

Oh, fuck. He felt good. Too good, and then I positioned him and lowered myself onto him slowly.

He groaned as I encased him, and I couldn’t help but whimper as he filled me. He was thicker than I was used to, and the sensation, although pleasant, was slightly uncomfortable.

I rolled my hips, settling onto him, and then I began to undulate. The plan had been to get it over with quickly. The plan hadn’t been for it to feel so fucking good. I needed to touch myself. I needed to… My hands went to my breasts, pinching my nipples, and then down to massage my clit. The heat was a building, tightening, sweet torment preparing me to come.

“Fuck!” Hunter growled.

His hands found my hips, and then I was on my back, and he was on top of me, thrusting hard, fast, and deep. My Loup swelled inside me, taking over, sharpening my vision, heightening each sense. The ridges of his cock inside me as he thrust and the callouses of his hands around my throat, pressing down enough to keep me pinned but not enough to hurt. My Loup reveled in the domination. Pleaded for it, whimpering, panting, begging him to go harder, faster.

She pulled up her knees and dragged her legs over his shoulders so he could go deeper until my body was riding the pulsing wave of an orgasm so strong it stole my vision.

The scent of fragrant earth, the rumble of thunder, and the crackling electric threat of lightning surrounded me. My back pressed to the grass. Stars up above. Hunter deep inside me, we crested the rise together.

His orgasmic cry turned into a howl, and then he crashed down, palms either side of my head, his dark eyes blazing with an emotion I couldn’t define. I rippled around him as he pulsed and stared into my eyes.

His mouth…His mouth was perfect. I wanted to claim it, to kiss him. To savor him. I lifted my head, eager to do just that, but he pushed me back down.

“We’re here,” he said. “It’s done. Your pity fuck worked.”

Pity fuck? “What?” I reached up to touch his cheek, but he batted my hand away. “I heard you, Fee. I heard what you said to Grayson. You’ve done your duty now. It’s over. I’ll play my role as part of the Tribus, but I won’t touch you again.” He climbed off me, leaving me empty and aching, and stood looking down at me, his body gloriously etched in moonlight. “I won’t touch you, not until you fucking beg me to.”

The Vista melted, and I was back on the bed and Hunter…Hunter was gone.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

I found Grayson and Uri in the kitchen, making dinner and chatting away like old friends. For a moment, I considered sneaking away and leaving them to bond, but there was no getting away from Grayson’s sense of smell.

“You hungry, Fee?” he asked with his back to me.

My stomach rumbled in response. “Burgers?”

“And steak,” Uri said. “I marinated them myself.”

“I’m starving.” I’d made sure to shower off Hunter’s scent and put on one of Grayson’s old T-shirts over leggings. “Steak for breakfast. I love it.”

Uri chuckled. “After the night we had…”

He’d almost died. Wait, he had died and been sent back to me. I still had to wrap my head around that. Then there was the loss of Dexter, our civilian Loup, and the two Magiguard. “We lost good people today.”

“Bastian’s speaking to Dexter’s family. We’ll be holding a memorial service.”

“Good. Yes. Tell me what I can do to help with that.” I took a seat at the island. “Is Cora not back with Vi yet?”

“Oh, they got back a while ago,” Uri said. “But we sent them out to get dessert. We figured once this curse is off your back, we can celebrate with something indulgent and sweet.”

They were sweet. Neither mentioned Hunter or asked how it went. They knew I’d tell them if things had gone wrong; they appreciated it wasn’t something I wanted to talk about.

They were right, and they were awesome.

My guys…But not all my guys… “I wish Azazel and Mal could be here too. Just in case.”

Grayson turned away from the hob and fixed me with a stern look. “Nothing will go wrong.”

I took a deep breath. “You’re right. Vi knows what she’s doing.”

“And she has a medical professional with her.”

“Who you sent to get dessert with them?”

Grayson shrugged. “We said she could hang out with us.”

“She didn’t look too pleased about that option,” Uri said with a frown. “I’m not sure why.”