White Knight (21 page)

Awareness stole Shay quickly out of slumber, and she blinked the far bedroom wall into focus. A heavy weight was draped across her back and snuffling into her hair. She resisted the urge to stretch, not wanting to disturb Knight and ruin the moment. A near-perfect moment of waking up with her mate, still able to feel his kisses on her skin, his body moving in hers.

She’d gone to his room when he didn’t come to hers, and they’d made love again—the first time in a real bed. His confidence grew with each encounter, and she looked forward to every new thing they tried. And they had many, many years in which to do so.

The house was quiet, no one else up and moving around yet. From the pale glow beyond the curtains, the sun had only begun to rise.

Something is going to happen today.

Wonderful or horrible, she didn’t know. Her gut told her that the long siege was soon going to end.

She shivered. Knight shifted, the arm around her waist squeezing tight, pressing his naked chest to her back. She knew the moment he came fully awake, because his entire body relaxed on a deep sigh.

“I like waking up this way,” he said.

“Me, too.” She twisted around so they were face to face, still wrapped up in each other. They’d gone to bed naked, and she gloried in the beautiful man who’d chosen her. “Did you sleep well?”

“One of the best night’s sleep ever.”

“Could have been the endorphin rush.”

“It was all you, love.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Join me in the shower?”

“I’d love to.”

For the trip down the hall, Shay borrowed his robe, while Knight slipped into a pair of boxers he snatched up off the floor. Every other door on their floor was closed, suggesting the rest of the household was still enjoying the peaceful morning.

Knight set the water while she took a minute to brush the tangles out of her hair. She loved it long and flowing, but some days the upkeep was frustrating. Knight slid up behind her and took the brush. He began long, slow strokes from her scalp to the tips, the bristles sliding over her back. Tingling it, waking it up. She met his eyes in the mirror, entranced by the joy he seemed to find in such a mundane thing.

“Your hair was one of the first things I noticed about you,” he said, his voice barely a whisper above the rush of water in the tub. “I love running my fingers through it. I’ve wanted to do this for a while.”

“Have you? It feels amazing.”

“Good.”

She closed her eyes and fell into the sensations of the brushing, which was coming close to being a massage, as well. Steam filled the bathroom and warmed her skin. At some point the brush became his fingers. He swept her hair away and kissed her exposed neck. She shivered, the simple touch sending a flare of heat deep into her belly. His erection pressed against her backside.

I’m not the only one enjoying this.

The opportunity to do something she hadn’t yet managed had been presented, and it was too good to ignore. She turned around. Knight allowed the last heavy strands of hair to fall through his fingers and lie with the rest, smiling like he knew a secret that she didn’t. She flashed him a smile of her own before kneeling in front of him.

He sucked in a breath. She looked up, gauging his reaction before she proceeded. His nostrils flared as his breathing increased. She wanted to do this so badly but she would back off if he asked her to.

His hand slipped behind her head, down to cradle her neck. Gentle pressure moved her head forward—her answer.

Shay inhaled deeply, coating her senses in the scent of him and in the scent of his arousal. She ached for him to be inside of her, but more than that, she wanted to see him fall apart at her hands. To be the one pleasured and taken care of. She stroked him with one hand, something she’d already experienced and would gladly do to completion.

Not this morning. This morning he would climax in her mouth.

She parted her lips and pulled just the tip inside, savoring the sharp taste of him. The hand on her head pressed a bit more, and Shay took more of his length. The heat and thickness surprised her, but she relaxed her jaw and concentrated on pleasing her man. She took her cues from his gasps and grunts, from the hand on her head, and the way his thighs shook.

The power she had over his pleasure was shocking and humbling. She ventured onward, rubbing his testicles with her free hand, and he stifled a moan. She didn’t care if others heard or what they thought. She worked him with her hand and mouth and tongue, drawing his orgasm higher. Taking him right to the edge.

“Gonna come,” he gasped.

Meant as a warning to pull off. Shay ignored him. The first salty pulse surprised her into withdrawing, and more landed on her chin and lips. She didn’t mind at all, too entranced by the wide-eyed way he was staring down at her. Mouth open. Cheeks flushed. So gorgeous.

He touched her cheek with a shaking finger. “You are the most erotic thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“You’re not too bad yourself.”

His laughter carried her to her feet. He kissed her, his tongue delving into the depths of her mouth. Knowing he was tasting himself only aroused her more, made it harder not to touch herself and be done with it.

Maybe he’d like to see that.

She made a noise that bordered on a please. He turned them so her back was to the wall, reading her mind when he slipped two fingers down her belly, then lower to brush over her clit. Pleasure erupted inside of her, and she screamed into his mouth, glad he was there to hold her while she pushed against those fantastic fingers, milking the orgasm for all it was worth.

They sagged against the wall together, both of them sated, panting into the other’s shoulder.

“Now that is a fantastic way to start a morning shower,” Shay said.

He laughed as he stood up straighter. “Agreed. Time to get cleaned up.”

They played together in the tub until the water ran cool. Shay was too damned happy to care.

***

The general good mood in the dining room hit Knight the moment he and Shay walked in for breakfast. It hung there like a fresh scent, so surprising and wonderful that he had to fight back laughter. Bishop and Jillian, Rook and Brynn, and even Devlin and Rachel were feasting on Mrs. Troost’s cinnamon buns and oatmeal, and all of them wore the expressions of the very much fucked-out. Happy couples all around.

The only lemon in the room was Atwood, who sat a little apart from the rest and carefully ate his breakfast. Knight ignored the man. He doubted he’d act less like he had a stick up his ass even on the off-chance the man ever got laid.

Knight grabbed some food and plunked down next to Rachel. Shay took the seat on his other side.

Bishop checked a text. “Nothing new on Mason’s end. No sign of the hybrids.”

“How long are you going to keep them out there?” Rook asked.

“They went with enough supplies for three days. We’ll have a team prepared tomorrow night to relieve them.”

“I’ll put that together.”

He probably would have volunteered to go if Atwood wasn’t in town. Despite all of the time Bishop had spent talking to him behind closed doors, Knight still saw no value in having the man around. He seemed too sharp to admit to anything incriminating, even to Brynn.

What’s the old saying? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

“So what’s on your sightseeing docket for the day?” Knight asked Atwood. “Another tour of the backyard? Maybe a trip to the quarterly cage?”

The Magus blinked at him like he was a fly that had just landed in his food. “My lack of freedom of movement is of little concern to me, White Wolf.”

“Really? That’s excellent.” He caught Bishop’s frown and backed off. Needling Atwood was more Rook’s style anyway.

“In fact, I will be spending the morning in the library with your Alpha, his mate, and two of your enforcers. We will be continuing our discussions of the current situation with the hybrids and expand our attempts to strategize a solution.”

“How to find and kill them before they kill more of us?”

“Precisely. As I promised I would.”

“Glad to hear it.” He held Atwood’s cold gaze until the Magus looked away first.

“Luke should be strong enough to do a first shift by this evening,” Rachel said, effectively shifting the conversation. “He’s well on his way to recovering.”

Knight grinned down at her, grateful for the news. “Good. Thank you.”

“Any time.”

Bishop’s phone rang. He listened without saying much, and Knight was the only one who picked up his mood shift. From calm to anxious in only a few seconds. He paid attention to the clipped way Bishop hung up. “Jillian, can I speak to you outside for a moment?”

The pair disappeared through the side door and a moment later the patio doors slid open and shut. Knight looked at Rook, whose concerned expression told him nothing.

“You two go,” Brynn said. “Find out what’s going on. A.J. and Jeremiah are on their way to play bodyguards.”

“What?” Devlin asked. “I’m not intimidating?”

“Only to small children, sweetheart,” Rachel said.

Rook snickered. “All right, see you in a bit.” He kissed Brynn’s cheek as he stood.

Knight did the same, hating the brief separation from Shay after such a wonderful night, but something was clearly happening. He and Rook headed out to the back patio, opening the doors in time to hear Jillian ask, “Is she dead?”

“Is who dead?” Rook asked. He slid the door shut behind them.

Bishop glared at them both. “Daria Smythe. She was patrolling the southern border with Benson. He called me just now. He found her about a quarter mile from town, shifted and pretty torn up. He’s carrying her to the road, and we’re going to meet him there with a truck.”

Daria was a top-notch enforcer, and she’d just given birth to her second child six months ago. Knight had been there for both births. Often once a Black female became a mother, she was pulled from standard enforcer duties, but with their resources so strained she had stepped in to help.

Please don’t let her children lose their mother, or her husband lose his wife.

“So she’s not dead?” Rook asked.

“No but she’s bleeding heavily, according to Benson. You two—”

“Are coming to help,” Knight said. “It’s very likely the hybrids did this, which means they could still be nearby, so you two aren’t going alone. I need to go because if Daria is conscious, she might be upset and need me.”

Bishop opened and shut his mouth twice, probably intending to argue, before saying, “Fine, let’s go.”

***

Shay chatted with Devlin and Rachel through the rest of her meal, irritated by Atwood’s continued presence. Brynn was still picking at her oatmeal, likely nauseated by it but not wanting to alarm anyone. The poor girl was pregnant with a hybrid child, had no idea what to expect to happen next, and a father who disdained her husband. Shay had no idea if Brynn had been told about Fiona’s difficult birth, and she wasn’t about to bring it up.

Especially not in front of Atwood. Knowing the man’s history with infants, he’d probably try to make Brynn miscarry.

Rachel’s phone beeped with a text. She frowned at the screen. “Dr. Mike says an emergency is incoming. I have to go.”

Shay perked up. “Did he say what happened?”

“No, I suppose I’ll find out when I get there.” Rachel excused herself from the room. Devlin followed her out.

Shay remained seated, torn about going with them, positive it had something to do with all of the McQueen brothers disappearing. She hated being out of the loop. But too many people crowding around at Dr. Mike’s wouldn’t help matters.

“You want to know what’s happening, don’t you?” Brynn asked.

“Very much so, yes. I want to help.”

“Sometimes helping is staying out of the way.”

“That’s not how I was raised.”

“You were raised an Alpha’s daughter,” Atwood said. “You are living below your station.”

Shay gave him her very best side-eye. “You know nothing about my station, Magus.”

“I know what my daughter has told me.”

Brynn blushed. “I haven’t told him a great deal, I promise. You’re my sister, and he was curious.”

She waited until Brynn would meet her eyes. “I’m not angry, but I would prefer if you didn’t speak of me to him again.”

“Okay.”

“You have a lot of spirit, Alpha’s daughter,” Atwood said. “And my daughter cares for you. You are important to her.”

“She’s important to me, too,” Shay replied. “Everyone here is.”

Atwood reached beneath the collar of his starched white shirt and produced a gold chain. At the end was a gold pendant the size of a nickel—a plain clear jewel in a gold setting. It looked exactly like the necklace Brynn always wore. It had been a gift from her father, said to be able to warn her if the hybrids came near.

The letter hadn’t exactly specified how near.

“I gave one of these to Brynn when she chose to stay here,” Atwood said as he lifted the chain over his head. “I brought this for my own protection, but seeing as how my fate has been foretold by her vision, I’d like to give it to you.”

Shay stared at the man, flabbergasted by the offer. “You’re giving me a magic necklace?”

“Don’t sound so shocked, child. I’m not entirely heartless, despite some of my past misdeeds.”

“Intentionally poisoning a child is a misdeed in your world?”

The bastard didn’t even blink. “You’re a target now, Alpha’s daughter. You stole the boy and you stole the baby. If they come again, it won’t be only for your mate.”

Shay studied the pendant as it twirled in the light. It seemed innocuous enough, and if it worked, it could be a useful tool. But her beast rebelled at accepting anything from her enemy. Shay reined in her instinct, and let her mind make the decision. “Gratitude, Mr. Atwood. I accept your gift.”

“You are welcome.” Atwood dropped the pendant in her palm.

For some reason she expected a shock or jolt, something to prove it was magical. All it felt was warm and heavy. Shay slipped it over her neck. The disc lay between her breasts, an unfamiliar weight.