“You moved.” He moved his hand free, rubbing her butt.
She clenched. “Wait—I—”
Smack. “I thought the rules were clear.” Smack. Smack.
Smack. “Let’s try again.”
Her eyes fluttered closed. Her butt pounded, and she was more turned on than she would’ve thought possible. “You’re terrible.”
“Actually, I’m pretty good.” He inserted a finger in her.
“And you’re wet.” A hum of appreciation echoed against her skin as he removed his hand. “Don’t move, or it’ll be more than four smacks. I’m raring to go, darlin’.”
The dark anticipation in his tone froze her in place. He levered himself up behind her, where she couldn’t see him.
On all fours, straining to hear, she tried to concentrate. A zipper released. Thank God. He was finally getting naked.
His clothing soon piled up beside her.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
“One for good measure.” A heavy hand descended on her buttocks.
Erotic pain spiraled through her skin. She cried out, arching her back. “You like that too much.”
He chuckled, grasping her hips. “I like seeing my handprint on your ass just enough. No doubt I’ll see that a lot in the future.” Tightening his hold, he thrust inside her with one powerful shove.
The orgasm roared down on her with the power of a storm. She whimpered his name, riding the waves, unable to do anything but feel. Pleasure rippled along her skin, inside her sex, until her head fuzzed. Finally, she came down with a soft sigh.
“We’re not done.” He reached under her to cup her breasts, his cock hard and pulsing inside her.
Hunger clawed through her, too strong to be safe. She flipped her hair out of her face. “Who said I was done?”
The hoarse breathiness of her response may have weak-ened the flippant words.
“Good point.” He rolled her nipples between his fingers, sending coils of pleasure through her nerves. With a tug, he released her.
One strong hand flattened against her upper back, forcing her face down on her arms. Then his thighs widened hers, immobilizing her. She couldn’t move if she wanted to. The thought sent fire through her veins.
He rubbed her smarting butt. “Jesus. My handprint may never go away.”
The bastard sounded pleased. She couldn’t help but arch into his rough hold. “That was a one-shot deal.”
An instantly hard slap negated the statement. Fire cascaded out from his hand. “Somehow, I don’t think so.” He leaned over to nip her ear. “Remember when you asked earlier what happens if you don’t obey?”
“You’re an ass.”
“I think we’ve stumbled upon an answer.” He grabbed her hips, sliding out and slamming back in.
“I don’t think so.” God, please don’t stop moving. She bit down on her lip.
His thighs widened hers even more, opening her for whatever he wanted. Fast, strong, he started to pound, not holding anything back. All of his power shimmered around them as he took her, as he claimed her. The authority of an Alpha, the determination of a mate, and the finely honed skills of a hunter all lent strength to his thrusts, to the hold he kept on her.
Pleasure washed over her, through her, with such intensity the forest disappeared. The world disappeared. The only thing in existence was Terrent Vilks and his pounding. He reached down and pinched her clit.
The universe exploded. She cried out, arching her back, the orgasm springing through her so sharply it cut. Pleasure burst so powerfully it bordered on pain. She rode the waves, gasping, entrusting him to keep her safe. To keep her forever.
His fangs dropped into his mark, the claiming so strong it threw her into another orgasm just as powerful. She screamed his name.
Coming down, her ears ringing, she sobbed in relief. He ground against her, his fingers bruising, as he came. His fangs remained embedded in her flesh for an extra moment.
Just so she knew. Just so there was no confusion, no question.
She belonged to him.
Terrent held out his hand, not liking the look of longing on Maggie’s face as she glanced at the sturdy cabin one more time. It would’ve been a nice place to call home.
Steeling her shoulders, she turned and slipped her small hand into his. “I liked being here.”
“So did I.” He led her to the truck and tossed their things in the back. “We’ll be back to visit.”
She jumped inside and nodded. “I know, but it won’t be the same.”
“No.” He crossed the truck and hurried into the driver’s seat, quickly turning the key and backing out of the drive. “I received an e-mail from the new Vaile Alpha, asking for you to visit your old pack. After checking with Dage, I think the new Alpha might be a decent guy.”
She gave a small sound of interest. “Maybe we’ll visit sometime. I need to think about it for a little bit.”
His woman was a planner. He liked that about her. “We need to say good-bye to Gerald.” The old guy had a lot on his plate.
“Will he continue as Alpha of the Raze pack, you know, since you, ah—”
“Killed Roger?” Terrent rubbed his neck, increasing the speed of the truck. He should probably feel bad about killing the Alpha. But Roger had made the colossal mistake of threatening Maggie, and there was no looking back. Besides, as a fighter, he really hadn’t been that good, now had he? “Yeah. I think Gerald will stay in place until somebody else steps up. He needs to increase pack security, though.”
“Do you think the Ausgel pack will attack again?” Maggie asked, her gaze out the window.
“Yes. Maybe not right away, but they’re not done.” He’d need to leave some instructions with Nash for training the younger members of the pack.
She cleared her throat, clenching her hands together.
“Roger said he contacted the demons . . . before you killed him.”
“Yes.” Damn insecure Alpha. Terrent shook his head. “I already sent a coded message to the king that Roger was wrong and you have no new ability. The demons should in-tercept it and be able to figure it out within a week or so.”
“Do you think the message will work?” she asked, her voice rising.
“Sure.” Hell if he knew. It was worth a shot. “The demons are egomaniacs. I doubt they ever truly believed you could mimic their gifts.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
The truck rolled to a stop behind the wide lodge. The parking lot was full. The pack probably wanted to say good-bye to Maggie—they’d really come to love her. Terrent grabbed Maggie to haul her across the seat. He rubbed his cheek along her neck, cradling her. “If you want, I could ask that you live here.”
She sighed. “No. I don’t want to stay here without you.
I’ll figure out a place to live . . . somehow.” She cuddled closer. “I never thought I’d be one of those women who waited at home for a soldier—I’m not that strong. Their sac-rifices always humbled me.”
“You’re strong enough for anything, little wolf.” The woman didn’t want to live at Realm headquarters, either. He had to find her a safe place where she could be happy.
Enough of this. They needed to get the good-byes out of the way before his woman broke down. He opened the door and jumped out, setting her on her feet. “Let’s do this.”
She nodded and pushed curls over her shoulder. God, he loved her wild hair. The scent of vanilla wrapped around his heart and squeezed. “We’ll be all right, Maggie.”
“I know.”
Her worn jeans hugged a sweet ass, while her bright green T-shirt brought out the wolflike flecks in her eyes. He grinned. “You’re gorgeous.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re a dork.” But a pretty blush wandered over her high cheekbones. The sadness continued to linger in her smile, however.