Authors: Kate Baxter
Sensation flooded Leah’s body with every roll of her hips. She rode Cade with wild abandon, desperate to free herself from the invisible ropes of binding pleasure that tightened around her with each passing second.
Cade kissed her mouth, her jaw, down the column of her neck. He urged her to arch backward and suckled one breast, and then the other. He took her nipple between his teeth and worked the tight point until she cried out. When she didn’t think she could take any more, he started over, licking, kissing, nipping at her flesh until Leah was nothing more than a tangled knot of want and need.
“Come for me, Leah.” Cade’s gruff voice in her ear sent chills down her spine. “Now.”
As though her body waited for his command, a wave of sensation stole over her. Leah gripped Cade as if he were her lifeline. Their foreheads touched, gazes locked as the orgasm swept her up and crashed over her like breakers hitting the shore.
“Don’t stop,” Cade panted. “Stay with me.”
She didn’t know how much more she could take. Her inner walls clenched with powerful contractions that made her thighs twitch and her body shudder. Cade dug his fingers into her flesh, his brow furrowed, and he threw his head back with a shout. His cock twitched inside of her and Leah was flooded with a rush of delicious heat. Cade thrust his hips with such force that he bucked Leah up and back down against his hips. She cleaved to him as he rode out his pleasure and repeated the words he’d murmured to her not moments before, “Stay with me, Cade.”
The light in his irises brightened. No longer shining turquoise, the color transformed to bright gaslight blue. A low growl rumbled in Cade’s throat, and for the first time Leah felt as though she truly glimpsed the animal in him. Her stomach clenched, not in fear but with wild anticipation. She couldn’t wait to learn all of Cade’s secrets. And that he thought her worthy to know about his world caused her chest to swell with emotion.
“I love you, Cade.” Like she had all those years ago, Leah laid herself bare to him. He moved inside her, a shallow thrust of his hips that served to reignite her desire. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.”
Cade gathered her in his arms and held her tight. Minutes passed, so many that Leah wondered if it had actually been hours. Their bodies remained joined, their arms wrapped around one another, her legs locked at the ankles at the small of Cade’s back.
“I’m sorry I left you.” In hindsight, Leah knew he’d done the right thing, and he’d been right about her. She’d been a spoiled, entitled girl who’d been too selfish to see that it was too soon for what she’d wanted for them. Maybe Fate had intervened and given them the space they’d needed to grow in order for them to truly be together.
“Just promise me you’ll never leave me again,” she said. “That’s all I need to hear.”
“Never.” Cade’s adamant vow caused a riot of butterflies to take flight in her stomach. “Never again, Leah. I promise.”
* * *
For hours they lay in Cade’s bed, naked limbs entwined as they spoke in hushed tones about nothing and everything. The gap of sixteen years closed with such ease that it felt as though he’d never left. Leah admitted that she’d called off the wedding the day before Cade had shown up to take her, and he admitted to considering dragging her halfway across the world and as far away from her fiancé as possible if that’s what it took to keep her.
Cade explained more about the supernatural world. Leah’s mind reeled with what he revealed to her. He told her about the Sortiari and his assignment in L.A. She listened, rapt, as he revealed the history of the vampire race to her and the Sortiari’s belief that they were dangerous creatures who would upend the balance of Fate. And so, the Sortiari had eradicated the race, wiped them from the earth. Or so they’d thought. Cade had been tasked with finding a lone vampire—the last one on earth—and eliminating him before he found his mate.
The story pulled at Leah’s heartstrings, and the tragedy of it brought tears to her eyes. She took Cade’s face in her palms. “Don’t do it, Cade. I don’t know why, but I can’t help but feel like if you went through with it, it would be a mistake. What if something had stood in our way? What if someone had tried to kill you in order to keep us apart?”
“I never would have let that happen.” Cade’s emphatic tone made Leah sure that he wouldn’t have.
“Then don’t be a party to denying any other creature the love he deserves,” Leah said. “Do whatever else they want you to, Cade. But please, don’t do this.”
“Anything for you,” Cade vowed. He kissed her slowly, a soft exploration of her mouth that turned Leah’s bones soft. He settled himself in the cradle of her thighs and slipped inside her with a growl. Leah arched up to meet him. She couldn’t get enough of him and spread her legs wide to take him as deeply as she could. “Forever.”
A simple touch had changed Cade’s entire existence and he was pretty fucking okay with it. For a week, they’d been holed up in his penthouse, and like he’d promised Leah, clothes hadn’t been an option. He’d taken her in every room, in a dozen different positions. He’d savored her body, taken her hard and quickly, fucked her with an animal ferocity that she’d matched and then some. And Leah had taken her new knowledge of the supernatural world in stride, asking questions as she tried to make sense of it all. She’d asked Cade to shift for her, but he’d held the impulse in check. He’d told her he wanted to ease her into his life. Besides, he wasn’t interested in scratching his floors with his claws.
She’d fallen into a fit of giggles at the mental image she’d conjured up of Cade lumbering through the house, and he’d taken her down to the bed and kissed her until she was breathless before sliding deep inside of her. Leah had claimed him, and he was more than content to belong to her as much as she belonged to him. Cade tried not to think about Leah’s fragile human state. He’d go mad with worry if he did. When McAlister was no longer obsessed with the vampire, he’d approach him about helping Leah. Because until his mate was less fallible, Cade wasn’t going to do a goddamned thing for the Sortiari. He’d scratched their back countless times over the years. It was time for them to scratch his.
Leah slept peacefully in Cade’s arms. The sun had dipped below the horizon a couple of hours ago and the penthouse was shrouded in evening’s gray light. They’d made love most of the afternoon, and while Leah had dozed off, Cade remained wide-awake. His brain swirled with so many thoughts, so many worries. His involvement with the Sortiari guaranteed that an element of danger would always be present in their lives. Could he protect Leah from the machinations of the guardians of Fate?
The phone on the bedside table rang. Two quick chirps and two more that indicated someone at the front desk was calling. Cade stretched over to snatch the phone from the receiver, careful not to jostle Leah. As he brought the phone to his ear, a ripple of anxiety coursed through his blood.
“Yes?”
“Mr. Mitchell, I have a man here who’s demanding to be allowed up to the penthouse. He won’t give me a name. Says he’s here on behalf of a Mr. McAlister to see you. Should I send him up?”
Fuck
. Cade knew that he’d pissed the director off by refusing to go to L.A. Looked like he was sending one of his watchdogs to fetch him after all. He kept his voice low. “It’s fine. Send him up. Thank you.” He hung up and eased his arm out from under Leah. She rolled to her side and a sweet sigh escaped her barely parted lips. Cade threw on a pair of boxers—he wasn’t about to get dressed for one of McAlister’s minions—and padded out of the bedroom, easing the door closed behind him. He headed for the front door and propped it open so his visitor wouldn’t wake Leah.
Cade made his way toward the kitchen. Leah would probably be hungry when she woke up, and he might as well put himself to good use while he pretended to consider what McAlister’s envoy had to say. He’d made a promise to Leah, and he’d keep it come hell or high water. Whatever plans McAlister had for the vampire, the Sortiari would have to deal with it on their own.
A couple of minutes later, the door whispered open and closed just as quietly. Cade’s senses prickled, and the hairs stood up on the back of his neck as a strong musky scent hit his nostrils.
Berserker. Gods fucking damn it
. McAlister must have been pissed to send one of his slayers after Cade.
“Playing house, Cade?” The berserker strolled through the living room, an arrogant smirk pulling at his lips. McAlister hadn’t sent just any minion. He was the most dangerous male Cade had ever encountered within their ranks. “You might want to open a window. This place reeks of sex.”
A growl built in Cade’s chest. If the son of a bitch didn’t watch his mouth, Cade was going to take him out despite the consequences.
“Whatever I’m doing is none of your fucking business, Ian.”
The berserker smiled, his expression as cold and emotionless as a winter frost. “You belong to the Sortiari, my friend.
Everything
you do is our business.”
Our
. Cade snorted. The singularity of the organization was almost laughable. “Not this time.”
He grabbed the boxes of leftover Chinese food from the commercial-sized stainless refrigerator and set them on the granite countertop. He crossed the kitchen and grabbed a couple of plates from the cupboard. It wasn’t that he was in a big hurry to heat up the food. In fact, he hoped Leah slept though Ian’s visit. Cade needed to adopt an air of nonchalance. As though he couldn’t give a single fuck that this male was standing in his living room. The truth was that Cade had been on high alert since the moment he’d walked through the door. Berserkers were dangerous creatures. Ruthless killers. And if McAlister felt it necessary to send this particular one to Cade’s penthouse, it was safe to assume they planned to take him by force, or kill him.
“You’re needed in Los Angeles.” Ian strolled around Cade’s penthouse as though he had carte blanche. “This isn’t a suggestion. It’s a mandate.”
Cade piled chow mein on both of the plates. “I work for the Sortiari. They don’t own me.”
The berserker cocked a brow. “Oh no? McAlister would disagree with you.”
The slight brogue of the male’s accent thickened. He brought his nose up and inhaled deeply. A sly smile curved his mouth as his gaze focused on the hallway that led to Cade’s bedroom. “She’s claimed you,” he remarked too conversationally for Cade’s peace of mind. “Interesting.”
Of all the supernatural creatures that roamed the earth, the berserkers’ senses were the keenest. They could scent a drop of blood from miles. See through the blackest dark. Hear a pin drop in the midst of a raging storm. And the bastards were virtually unkillable when in the grips of battle lust. That the berserker knew Cade had been claimed sent a renewed wave of anxiety through his body, and he forced it down to the soles of his feet lest the bastard pick up on that too.
“I’ve already told McAlister, I’m not going to L.A. So unless you have something else to say, Ian, get the fuck out.”
Cade abandoned his post in the kitchen and rounded the counter. To hell with keeping his cool. Ian had placed himself between Cade and his mate. The urge to shift overwhelmed him. Fire raced in his veins and his heart beat a frantic rhythm in his chest at the onset of magic that would initiate his transition. Cade’s senses sharpened and his incisors elongated as he prepared to do whatever necessary to protect Leah from this potential threat. But before he could launch himself at the bastard, the bedroom door swung open. Leah padded through the doorway, wearing nothing but one of Cade’s T-shirts. Eyes still bleary with sleep, she stumbled right into the path of the berserker, who grabbed her roughly by the arm and hauled her against his body. Her squeal of surprise speared Cade through the chest as fear gripped his heart with sharp talons. If Ian so much as scratched his mate, he’d rip the bastard’s head from his shoulders.
“Maybe I can’t convince you to come to L.A.,” Ian remarked. “But perhaps your mate can.”
Leah’s eyes went wide with fear. True, Ian didn’t hold a knife to her throat or a gun to her head, but he didn’t need a weapon to inflict harm. He could snap her neck with nothing more than a flick of his wrist, and Cade wouldn’t put it past the sadistic fuck to do just that if Cade didn’t do exactly what he was told. His muscles twitched with the need to lurch forward, to throw his body into Ian’s. Only his common sense held him in check. That, and the knowledge that the berserker wouldn’t hesitate to hurt her if Cade so much as took a step.
“Cade?” Leah’s voice quavered. The scent of her fear soured in Cade’s nostrils.
“Easy, love.” Ian put his mouth close to Leah’s ear. He kept his eyes on Cade, delighting in the tension he’d caused. “Your mate and I are having a conversation.” He winked. “Work stuff. Maybe you can convince him that it’s in his best interests to head out to the City of Angels and do the job he’s been tasked with doing?”
“No.” Leah bucked her chin in the air. Her bravery filled Cade with pride at the same time it flooded him with dread. “I absolutely won’t. And you can go to hell.”
“She’s got a fair amount of pluck,” Ian remarked. “I take it she knows what you are, then?”
“I know that if you don’t leave, he’ll tear you to shreds,” Leah quipped.
Dear lord. Cade fought the urge to roll his eyes. Her bravado wasn’t going to help them. She’d always been a brazen woman who knew her mind. It was silly to think that she’d show any amount of caution, even in the grips of a dangerous predator.
“Leah,” Cade warned. He hoped his expression conveyed what he couldn’t say. They needed to exercise caution. The slightest misstep might tip the berserker’s temper. And when he gave himself over to battle lust, it would make taking him out—and saving Leah—tricky at best.
“I like a female who speaks her mind.” He gripped Leah’s arm tighter and she winced. Cade’s growl turned to a snarl, and Ian cocked a brow. “You have two choices, Cade. You can leave with me for L.A. now, or you can stand there and watch while I snap your mate’s neck.”
* * *
Leah went from groggy to pissed in a second flat. The sound of low voices had woken her, and the undertone of hostility in Cade’s tone had piqued her curiosity. She’d ventured out of the bedroom only to be roughly seized against a body so hard and lean it might as well have been chiseled from stone.