6. Chapter Six

He was going to kill Ghost. This is the second time his reckless ass had taken him away from Gaelynn. On the way to the office, Zeus had called him and given him an address. Ghost didn’t want to wait, he’d said.

Stupid adrenaline junkie. He should let him get his ass shot.

He wouldn’t.

It was crazy how fast the men and women of Superhuman Security had become his family. They’d pulled him from the dark cloud that hung over his head from his last official military mission. Made him think he was worth more than an expendable asset.

It was time to have a come to Fenrir talk with Ghost. Behemoth couldn’t protect his mate if he was constantly running after the reckless wolf.

He turned into the neighborhood, surprised to find neatly trimmed yards and houses in good repair. He even saw a flower box or two. Drug kingpins rarely lived in the suburbs. Depending on how high they were in the organization, they either lived in the slums or an ostentatious mansion.

Maybe Sean was smarter than they gave him credit for. He circled the block but didn’t find any easy vantage points. He did find Ghost. His infuriating teammate leaned against a telephone pole, chatting up a slender blonde in jogging pants.

Because of course he was.

He slammed the SUV door a little harder than necessary. Ghost just gave the woman a wide grin and said something that had her craning her neck to get a look at him. Then she laughed, gave Ghost a tiny wave, and jogged off. “Hey big guy. Ready to rope a druggie?”

He didn’t bother with words, he just growled.

“All right then.” Ghost rubbed his hands together. “I already confirmed the dude who lives one block over with his wife, two-point-five kids and a damn dog is our guy. He is currently hosting an afternoon barbeque with some of his closest cronies, including a few I recognize from last night.”

“Backup?” Behemoth was more alert now, the impending mission got his blood flowing.

“Damruck is sending their drug task force and SWAT.” The other man bounced on the balls of his feet, then started swaying from one to the other.

“No.” Behemoth put all the command in his voice he could. He knew the fool was thinking they could rush the house themselves. “Too many.” Too many civilians, too many drug associates who were most likely armed.

“I know. I just want to get this over with. The Level has been a pain in our city for too long.”

“Agreed.” His eyes scanned the row of houses that all looked the same. “There’s no one set to take over when he’s gone?”

“I haven’t found anyone capable of keeping the groups together. I also doubt Sean would share the identity of the partner cartel supplying The Level with raw product.”

“Not a no.” He pointed out the obvious.

Ghost shook his head. “I know, but it’s all I’ve got. We could sneak closer. See if we can overhear them talking about a boss of any kind.”

Behemoth shrugged. “Sure.”

There was nodding that had to make the dog dizzy. “Okay. I scouted earlier. The fence at the back of the yard is a privacy fence and he’s got the grill set up back there. That’s where we’re headed.”

Behemoth gave him a stern glance. “No funny business.”

Ghost made an X with a finger over his chest. “I’ll behave like a succubus in a nunnery. Promise.”

Behemoth couldn’t help but snort. As annoying as Ghost was, he was also a lot of fun. When he wasn’t trying to get himself killed.

They slipped through yards until they reached the fence. He settled into a comfortable squat and focused on the conversation from the other side.

“I don’t know what happened. It was supposed to be airtight.”

“Who talked?”

“That’s what I’m saying, man. I have no idea.”

“Only ten of you were supposed to know about that location. Run down the rat.”

The Miami Vice theme song blared, and Behemoth and Ghost looked at each other in amusement. A bit on the nose for a drug dealer.

“Hello?”

The voice on the other end of the phone made every muscle in the bear’s body lock. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and his eyes went glassy.

“You fucked up.”

“I’m working on fixing it. Give me twenty-four hours to find the leak and I’ll plug it.”

“Too late for that.”

Over the sound of the party’s chatter, he heard a distinct click. He looked at Ghost and yelled, “Run!”

They made it one street over before a massive boom sucked the air away. He was hit with pure heat and stinging debris as the explosion’s shock wave caught him. He tucked and rolled with it.

Shift. Now. I’m tougher than you.

No. There are Normals around.

The bear sniffed, clearly unimpressed. We need to get to Gaelynn. Protect our mate.

He tried to tell himself she was safe, in his house, with River watching over her. The bear snorted in disbelief. No one would protect her like him. They both knew it.

He came to a stop in the middle of the road, inches from his SUV. He couldn’t think about her right now. He needed to assess the damage. He stood and scanned the area. Ghost was shaking splintered wood and pulverized brick from his fur. The wolf could be passed off as a dog. None of the Normals in the street would think twice.

Behemoth opened the back door of the SUV. “Load up.”

Ghost jumped onto the seat and settled, one paw draped over the edge.

There was no point in hanging around for the police. Nothing of Sean bigger than a pea would have survived the blast. He eased away from the curb and wound through larger pieces of structure, onlookers, and arriving first responder vehicles until he cleared the neighborhood.

He told the car to call Zeus.

“Report.”

“Sean is dead.” He took a deep breath and debated the merits of mentioning who he’d heard on the other end. If it wasn’t who he thought, saying it lit a firestorm. If it was, his past would come roaring into his present, and that was a problem.

Ghost crawled to the passenger seat, back on two feet and wearing a spare pair of sweatpants. “Whoever this guy was, he doesn’t mess around. Dude blew up a thirty-foot radius to ensure the job was done.”

“Civilian casualties?” They could hear Zeus typing, probably looking for any available details.

“Unknown.” Behemoth bit out, knowing the only question was how many. The party was too packed for anything else.

“I’ll get the task force in here for a debrief. We need to proceed slower. This is getting complicated.”

Yeah, and if he heard who he thought he did, it was about to get a lot more complicated.

Her friends tried to distract her but Gaelynn’s thoughts were stuck in a loop. Is he okay? Am I being weird? Is this what love is like? Oh God, was she in love with him? Was that even possible?

She’d heard of love at first sight, of course. Was there such a thing as love at first sex?

She was being crazy. Typical psycho girlfriend… record scratch. She wasn’t even his girlfriend.

They’d agreed to date exclusively, but did that mean she was his girlfriend? What was expected of a girlfriend? Was she supposed to sit there waiting and not worry? Could she do that?

Was she fickle if she changed her mind?

And around and around they went.

Virginia and Cate gave up and went home, saying to call them if she needed them and they’d come back.

Virginia would go home to Titan and their normal, sane relationship. Cate would go to her apartment and do risk-reward calculations or whatever it was she did for fun. River got a call and went in to work.

Which left Gaelynn alone to spiral out of control. She paced. She tried to watch TV, finding the most ridiculous reality show she could, but it didn’t hold her attention for long.

She flopped back onto the couch cushion, letting her head loll along the back. She hadn’t had this level of anxiety since she left Matthew’s compound. She groaned. With everything else that happened, she’d forgotten about her run-in with Elliot. Behemoth’s voice rang in her head. “The way I see it, you have two choices: dig in and face him, or run for the rest of your life.”

She didn’t want to run for the rest of her life. She wanted to stay in Damruck, with her friends. And yes, with Behemoth. Whatever that looked like.

She knew he could protect her. He’d proven it while they were dealing with Virginia’s ex. More than that, she trusted him to protect her. What made her twitchy was feeling like eventually his need to control would override her freedom.

Would he listen to her when it came to the best way to deal with Matthew and The Guiding Light Mission once and for all, or would he think he knew better than her?

Did she know what the best way to deal with them was? Nope. She needed to figure that piece out, fast. If she could approach him with a solid plan, something that wouldn’t get either of them killed but would send a clear message that Matthew needed to find himself another sacrificial lamb, maybe he would agree.

Panic sliced her stomach. Was she really considering this? Stay and face the threat that had loomed large over her for years?

Running was comfortable. Safe. She was in control of every aspect of her life when she ran.

The idea felt lonely now.

The rear motion detector lights flicked on and she startled. When had it gotten dark outside? She lifted her head and stared directly into the eyes of the giant polar bear, who seemed to stare right back at her.

“Are you a metaphor for something? I feel like you are. Like maybe I’m supposed to see you as the problem looming large just outside.”

The polar bear cocked its head and snuffled at the French door, its breath fogging the glass.

“Or maybe you’re my fierce side, telling me I can overcome any obstacle.” She stood up and wandered closer to the creature towering on the other side of a very thin piece of glass. She put her hand out, touching the condensation left by its breath, and found it warm. “Wow, this hallucination is really going all out.”

The bear chuffed and ambled off the deck, disappearing into the dark forest beyond.

She turned as Behemoth came through the front door and dropped a heavy bag.

“Hi.”

His lips turned up. “Hi, yourself.”

“You didn’t see a polar bear outside, did you?” He was going to think she was completely off her rocker. “I keep hallucinating one on your deck.” She giggled, trying to cover the nerves tightening her stomach.

This shouldn’t be awkward. She was a grown woman. He was definitely a grown man. Grown folk could have sex and be fine after.

“A polar bear?” He squinted out the glass, moving around the couch to get a better look. “We don’t get many of those this far south.” He winked at her.

“Yeah, I figure if you’re going to hallucinate, might as well go big.”

He leaned back against the bank of windows and studied her until she wanted to squirm.

“How did everything go?” She stood and walked into the kitchen under the pretense of getting water. She couldn’t sit still with his intense eyes on her.

“Good, and bad.”

She felt the air warm at her back and wanted to lean into him but didn’t. That would be weird, right? She expelled a sharp huff of irritation and spun. “What are we doing?”

He took a half step back. “Well, I thought we’d have some dinner. Then relax for a bit.”

“No,” she shook her head and waved a hand between them, “what is this?”

He stepped forward and she backed up. He herded her until her butt hit the edge of the counter.

“What do you want it to be?”

She darted her eyes to the side, her body heating and making it hard to think. “I want you.”

“For now, for a while, for forever?”

The words stuck in her throat, clawing to get out. She whimpered. “I don’t know.”

He moved even closer, caging her with his arms on the counter behind her. He leaned in and put his warm mouth right next to her ear, his scruff scraping deliciously on her cheek. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Nobody knows. We all move through life seeking connection. Some never find it. Some of us find it and lose it. Some of us get the ride of our lives.”

He ran his nose up her neck and around the shell of her ear.

He growled. “It’s a leap of faith. You don’t know how it’ll go until it’s gone, but even finding that out can be a rush.”

He took three steps back, releasing her from his hold, and her knees buckled. Hooking her elbows on the counter kept her from falling on her ass.

“So, little rabbit, do you want to run from me? Because you should know, I will chase you. I don’t intend to let you go again.”

Every muscle in his body locked into place. Even his lungs stopped. He’d given her space, he’d made his declaration, now he had to wait.

It was agony.

He could smell her desire, wrapping around him like a soft, familiar blanket. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and worship her body. Show her just how good it would be between them.

Because he knew.

She was his.

The strength of the feelings he felt for her scared him. He knew the mate bond was strong, but he hadn’t bitten her yet. He shouldn’t be having such intense cravings for her, shouldn’t need to be where he could see her, touch her, taste her.

He watched as steel entered her spine and her eyes locked on his. Good girl. He relished the fight, preferring it far more than the uncertain creature she’d been when he walked in.

She nodded once, a sharp movement that brought her hair over her shoulders. “Okay.”

He tilted his head, his voice more beast than man. “Okay?”

“I’d already decided to stand and fight. To be free of Matthew for good. I want you by my side.”

Air rushed into his lungs and he closed his eyes in relief. Thank fuck. He pinned her with a stare. “Okay.” He smirked. “I’d rather be under you, over you…” He leaned into her ear again, “Inside you.”

Her breasts hit his chest as she sucked in air and chuckled. “That too.”

He captured her lips with his, teasing her bottom lip until she opened for him. He surged forward, too agitated from waiting on her decision and the rest of the day to be gentle or slow.

He pressed his full length against hers and swallowed her moan. His hips jerked and cradled the long, hard length of his dick in her soft belly. One hand snaked under her ass to pull her closer, grinding on her through their clothes.

She was going to stay. With him.

The bear roared in triumph.

The scent of her desire grew thicker and he knew she was soaked. “You smell so good.”

She panted and ran her hands up his neck and fisted them in his hair. “Bedroom.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. She wrapped her legs around his waist when he lifted her and extended his stride to get them there faster. He needed to bury his nose in her pussy, lick her sweet cream, hear her scream his name.

She bounced once on the bed when he tossed her. She giggled and he grinned. When was the last time he’d smiled so much? Oh, right. The last time she was in his house.

He slid her pants off and dove between her legs. He tapped his tongue against the fabric still covering her and growled. He grabbed the sides of her underwear and yanked, ripping them clean off.

“Hey, I liked those,” she pouted.

“I’ll buy you more.”

“You can’t, they were limited edition… Oh!”

He licked her entire cleft and flicked her clit at the end. “Quiet now.”

“Yes,” came out on a breathy moan, her hands fisted in the sheets.

He swirled his tongue against her bundle of nerves and pressed against it. He plunged into her channel and scooped out her cream, making sure to rub her G-spot on the way out.

Her back bowed and he smiled.

Her hips swayed back and forth, her movements jerky and he knew she was close. He latched on to her clit and sucked.

She screamed but he didn’t let go. When the breath was forced from her lungs he lessened the pressure, returning to soft, slow licks.

“Damn, you taste so good.”

She threw her forearm over her eyes and groaned. “I didn’t mean to scream. How embarrassing.”

“Everything you do, and I mean everything,” he growled at her, “is incredibly sexy. I don’t care if you scream so loud you wake up the neighbors. Let them hear how well I pleasure my woman. Let them hear you take what you need from me.”

“Okay.”

Her voice was shaky but he hoped it was from the mind-blowing orgasm and not a lack of confidence. She was so sure in every other aspect of her life. It didn’t bother him if she was timid in the bedroom, but he wanted her to let go and free herself of any kind of stigmatizing thoughts she had.

He kissed his way up her belly and hovered over a breast, waiting until she looked at him before he took the nipple into his mouth. Her eyes shuttered and she moaned, quiet and soft.

He thought his dick was hard before, but that sound turned it to steel. He wanted to sink into her so bad it hurt, but he held himself back. “What do you want?”

“What?”

Her eyes were dazed and he smiled. “What do you want me to do next?”

“Umm,” she looked everywhere but at him. “You know.”

“Nope. I’m dumb as a rock. You’re going to have to tell me. And be explicit.”

Her eyes shot to his and he winked. She rolled hers and let out a little huff. “Fine.”

They stayed exactly like that for almost a minute. He could see the gears turning in her mind, trying to gather her courage, or maybe the right words, to ask for what she wanted.

She closed her eyes on a sigh. “I want you to—“

His cell phone erupted on the nightstand. “Ignore it.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “What if it’s work?”

“I don’t care. Ignore it, or I will smash the fucking thing into pieces so small only a microscope can see them.”

She smirked. “How very specific.”

It stopped ringing and he heard the voice mail notification ping. “Now then, where were we?”

The damn thing started ringing again. He dropped his forehead between her breasts and let out an impressive string of curses.

“Twice in a row. It must be really important.”

She snickered as he growled and rolled to the edge of the bed, snatching up the device and trying very hard not to crush it. “What?”

“Am I interrupting?” Titan’s cheerful voice was the last thing he wanted to hear.

“Motherfucker.”

“I’d love to fuck with you more, but Zeus activated the phone tree. Something happened and it’s all hands on deck. He wants us at headquarters ASAP.”

He bit out, “Fine,” before punching the end call button so hard he thought he cracked the screen. He reversed his roll and settled his hips between Gaelynn’s legs again, taking her mouth in a punishing kiss.

When he finally came up for air, he kissed her forehead. “Sleep. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

She nodded and put her hand on his cheek. “Be safe.”

“Always.” For her, he’d always come home.