Mary.
My mate.
Their motions became harder—faster—as she fucked herself on his cock. Her fingernails pierced his skin, her moans becoming louder. Bringing his hand between their bodies, he applied steady pressure to her clit, eager to give her release, to solidify the first state of the bloodbond.
“Come for me.” He quickened the motion, thrusting into her harshly, timing it perfectly and bringing them to the pinnacle together. When her cunt tightened around him, rippling and flexing, he allowed himself to follow. He roared as he came, keeping going until Mary stopped crying out in pleasure and started whimpering in pain.
Shit.
The worst part—the one he didn’t want to think about—was now upon them. The moment he pulsed into her womb, the mating process started. He felt the shift in his body, a tiny part of the wolf sliding from his flesh to merge into her. Although it felt right to him, it pained her, and that was something he’d sworn he’d never do.
“I have you. I’m here.” He held her down as she thrashed, keeping her locked against him as the first stage of the bloodbond began.
“It hurts. Why does it hurt?” There was so much confusion, so much misery in the question. “I can’t see. Oh God. I can’t see!”
“I know, it’s all right. I’m here. I won’t let you go.”
I’ll never let you go.
There was nothing to do but hold her, to wait out the fire rushing through her veins, forming the first mark between them as the wolf enhanced her senses, changing her reflexes and perception. He’d heard how bad it was—how much pain was involved. It was the only way but he hated himself in that instant for putting her through the process. Little comfort came from the knowledge that the second mark wasn’t as intense, because he knew the third and final one would be.
Would she be willing to face the agony a second time? Could he possibly ask her to?
What only lasted for seconds felt like hours, the suffering of his mate more than he could take. The wolf—bastard that he was—had no such guilt as he returned to Emory. The beast was the same yet different, a portion of him now attuned solely to Mary. When she sagged beneath him, no longer fighting, he lifted away and looked at her, making sure there were no outward signs of harm. She opened her eyes—eyes that were dull with pain—and tried to talk.
“Don’t.” He silenced her with a kiss. “Rest.”
“I’m so tired,” she mumbled. “Why?”
“We’ll talk soon. For now, I want you to sleep.”
She didn’t argue when he rearranged the bed, slid her beneath the covers and joined her. Instead she turned toward him, resting her forehead against his chest as he drifted to sleep. He remained like that, holding her close, stroking her hair and sheltering her in his arms.
It had to be done, but there was one thing he could do to make amends. Resting his chin on her head, he started thinking of all the ways he was going to please his mate. He’d make her breakfast in bed, profess his love and show her how much she meant to him.
Starting tomorrow.
Chapter Eight
Ava Brisbane cursed under her breath as she examined the refrigerator, taking stock of the items inside. The night before she and Diskant had engaged in their first official fight. Not an argument or disagreement but an honest-to-god fight. The memory of his shutting her out of his head—barricading his thoughts to himself—infuriated her. He’d sworn they were supposed to share everything. No secrets were supposed to exist between them—ever. Thanks to the consummate asshole Craig Newlander, Diskant had attempted to keep something from her, and the knowledge pissed her off.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she tried to calm down. At least she knew the truth now. Diskant might be an asshole but he knew when he was wrong. After he’d apologized he’d told her about the witch Craig contacted him about, as well as his plans to have Caden transport her to New Orleans. It was dangerous transporting the woman—a woman who was about to come into some monumental powers—therefore she could somewhat sympathize with Diskant’s aloofness on the matter.
She frowned when she got to the middle shelf, opened the egg carton and found there were only two eggs nestled inside. Fabulous. Now she’d have to walk to the nearby convenience store. Making the trip the day before for an extra special purchase didn’t mean squat, not when a house full of shifters ate everything in sight. Thankfully Becker’s stocked fresh produce and dairy, so it was an easy fix. Although most of the houseguests had left the night before, she still needed to make something for those who had remained. Diskant, Mary, Emory and Trey would need more than a couple of pancakes to tide them over—especially Mary.
“Poor girl,” she sighed, staring at the near empty shelves in the refrigerator.
Having been through the bloodbonding process, Ava wanted to make sure the addition to the pack was comfortable in her new home. It would be nice to have the other woman around to talk to, comforting even. Hopefully Emory would take Diskant up on his offer and stay in their home for a while so that Mary could ease into her new life and Emory could reestablish himself in the pack.
“Morning, Ava.”
She looked over the refrigerator door, surprised to see Trey sauntering into the kitchen. He looked like the man she once knew, not the crazed individual who’d taken off for retribution against the Shepherds who’d devastated his pack. His hair was smoothed back, he’d shaved and his clothing was shockingly free of wrinkles or stains.
“It’s good afternoon, technically,” she replied before inspecting the contents of the fridge for a second time, creating a mental list of things she’d need. Thankfully her shopping trip would be short and sweet. Closing the door, she faced Trey, who’d taken a seat at the table.
“Where’s D?” He reclined in his chair, a strange smile on his face.
“He had to visit Kinsley.” She didn’t reveal the real reason that Diskant wanted to see the head Alpha of the cat prides. If Diskant didn’t want her to know about the witch Craig wanted transported to New Orleans, he might not want Trey to know either.
“Hmm.” Trey hummed. “Anything I should know about?”
“I’d think if Diskant wanted you to know he’d tell you.”
Another shock—Trey actually grinned. “The more time you spend with D, the more you become like him.”
“That’s not a bad thing.” At least she hoped it wasn’t. Her mate wasn’t known for being easygoing or friendly.
“Not at all.”
Something is definitely strange, she thought, watching Trey closely. He looked like his old self, was amiable like his old self and appeared to be in control of his wolf like his old self. The question was, why?
What had happened to bring him back from the brink of madness?
Pushing the questions aside, she walked to the drawer beside the sink to get some cash. After she pocketed the money she started to walk to the phone by the back door. Every trip required an escort, even if she was only venturing to a store a few blocks down the street. Despite her arguments that she wanted to live a normal life, Diskant refused to budge when it came to her safety. If she wanted freedom, she had to accept she would never go anywhere alone, even if it was to the mom-and-pop shop down the road.
“Going somewhere?” Trey asked.
“I need to make a trip to Becker’s,” she answered, lifting the phone from the receiver.
“I’ll take you.” Trey rose, rotating his shoulders, causing the tight cotton T-shirt he was wearing to stretch across his chest.