Chapter 24 - Miley

Miley stared back at Kane, nodding.

"Are you sure?" Kane demanded. "I can"t afford your stubbornness right now, Miley."

Miley glowered back at him, baring her teeth. The wolf inside her, the one that had been seeking to control her before, now felt like it was a part of her. They were one now, and they both agreed, Kane was an asshole—a cute asshole, but an asshole nonetheless.

"I understand," she growled through gritted teeth.

She was surprised once more as he kissed her on the forehead and said, "Good."

Then he turned and started towards the door. He stopped in the doorway and looked back when she made no move to follow him.

"I thought I said stay close?"

Miley nodded and said, "I know. It"s just I…I wanted to say…"

Kane cocked his head, looking a little irritated.

Damn, it was astonishing how relieved she was to see his cocky ass face again.

"What?" he growled at her. "We haven"t got all day."

"Thank you," she said, shrugging as her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. "For coming for me."

Kane"s lips twitched in the beginning of a smile. "Don"t thank me. We aren"t out of the woods just yet. Come on."

With that, he turned and shifted, pausing only long enough to be sure she was following before he started to hurry down the hallway.

Miley couldn"t help but admire him as they went. His wolf was huge, twice the size if not more than her own, and his coat was such a glossy gray-black that it looked like an oil slick, dancing in the light as he moved.

The muscles that rippled beneath that coat were just as impressive as the ones that rippled beneath his tattooed skin in human form, and watching him stride into the hallway at the bottom of the stairs to meet several opponents was magnificent.

He wasted no time in taking them on. Whether he knocked them out or killed them, Miley couldn"t be entirely sure. Either way, they didn"t get back up.

When three more wolves appeared from various corners of the house, Miley gulped, unsure whether or not Kane would be able to dispatch another three at once.

But when, instead of attacking, they dipped their heads to him, Miley breathed a sigh of relief.

Who they were, she didn"t know, but when she breathed in, she oddly recognized the scents that hit her nose. That would take some getting used to, but already their scents were sticking in her mind, making her feel safer.

With four werewolves surrounding her, she was beginning to feel as if she were home-free already.

That"s when things seemed to take a turn for the worst all over again.

The man who stepped through the open front door was all too familiar. He snarled with laughter as he stepped into the hall with several men and wolves at his back.

"Did you honestly think you could come in here, kill half my men, release my new wolves, and we would just let you walk right on out?" Christopher said, glowering at Kane and the others. His gaze fell on the largest wolf as he added, "You, Jack Blackwell, are a dead wolf. And so are your friends."

Miley"s stomach twisted.

"I"ll kill you all and use your pelts to decorate the walls of Nightstar Manor once I"ve taken the town and rid it of every last human!" Christopher continued.

Nausea overwhelmed Miley. Just the thought of Kane"s glorious pelt pinned to some wall in the manor made her angry as hell.

Kane whimpered as if warning her to be calm, but she couldn"t.

Christopher"s words had done it. They"d frightened her. More than that, they"d angered her wolf. The beast ripped right out of Miley in an instant, so fast that the blanket was left shredded behind her.

Seconds later, she had thrown herself at Christopher with no fear whatsoever.

Kane howled. Jack howled. The others howled. And suddenly, as Miley barreled into Christopher and right out the door, the others threw themselves at his men and wolves, keeping them off her.

Miley had never felt so damn powerful before. She had Christopher on his back in an instant, pinning him to the porch floor with her paws jammed against his chest.

Instinct took over and she raised her head, baring her teeth, ready for a killing blow.

But she paused when Christopher"s gaze caught hers. There was no fear in his eyes. Why? He was still in human form, about to have his throat ripped out by a wolf, and yet there was no fear in his eyes.

Surely he had to be scared.

Her moment"s hesitation was all it took.

Christopher"s hand darted up and he grabbed her by the throat, crushing her windpipe with such strength that she started to gasp immediately.

She was about to die. She knew it. And yet, she oddly felt no fear. Behind her, Kane and the others battled on. At least she wasn"t alone.

Christopher"s feet slammed into her soft underbelly then, and suddenly she was thrown clear of the porch.

All the air was knocked from her lungs the second she hit the dusty floor.

Wolves landed on top of her almost immediately. They tore at her with tooth and claw as if they literally wanted to tear her to shreds.

It was pure agony. And though she instinctively tried to fight back, getting a few bites and scratches in, it was no use.

She was unskilled, clumsy, out of control. And with every wound inflicted, she felt her strength being sapped.

After everything that had happened, after surviving her parents, surviving meeting her grandma for the first time, surviving her first shift, surviving Kane"s assholery, it was going to end like this.

When she felt the teeth clamp in the back of her neck, she knew it was over. Her vision started to blur, dimming at the edges. Death was coming. And for the first time in her life, she oddly felt…peace.

***

Miley had never been religious, but the first thing she thought when she opened her eyes was is this heaven?

It felt like heaven. The surface beneath her was soft as a cloud, and the mixed scents of fresh linen and men"s cologne made her take a deep breath, sighing with relief.

There was no sky above her head, but the ceiling was a pale blue. She had seen that ceiling before only once. It had been when she had been awaiting Jack"s decision, the day Christopher"s men had taken her after she ran away from the manor.

Somehow, she was back in Kane"s room. Not just in his room, but in his bed! And the satin sheets felt glorious on her skin as she stretched longer and harder than she had ever stretched before. Every muscle was deliciously sore.

She felt astonishingly well, considering that the last thing she remembered was the pain of what felt like a hundred bites and the taste of blood in her mouth.

The gentle sound of breathing close by made her look across the room. Sitting to her left in an armchair was none other than Kane. His head lolled to one side, his eyes closed, his lips parted. She thought she saw the slightest hint of drool dripping from his mouth, and she couldn"t help but chuckle.

Yeah, for an asshole, he certainly was cute.

She was just feeling the urge to throw a pillow at him to wake him when he seemed to sense her watching him.

At first, his eyes fluttered open. Then, seeing her awake, he hurried to wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth and leaned forward.

"You"re awake!" he exclaimed, throwing himself to his knees at the edge of the bed. "Oh, thank the great wolf gods!"

Miley cocked a brow at him. "Don"t tell me werewolves are religious nuts."

Kane growled at that and rolled his eyes. "No, but can you honestly tell me that you don"t believe there could be some kind of gods out there? Up until last week you had no idea werewolves existed."

Miley bit her tongue at that and shrugged. "I guess that"s true."

Kane smiled at that and said, "We all need someone to pray to sometimes, and the great wolf spirits were mine tonight. I thought I lost you."

Miley was surprised when he reached out and placed his hand on her knee. Even through the satin sheets, his touch was warm and filled with electricity.

"Yeah," Miley said, clearing her throat. "About that, what the hell happened?"

She reached up and rubbed her head, trying to remember. For the life of her, she couldn"t. All she remembered was blood and pain.

"You don"t remember?" Kane asked, raising a brow.

Miley shook her head. "Should I?"

He shook his own head in response. "I guess you must have hit your head as you went down. You attacking Christopher surprised everyone enough that it gave us the edge we needed to fight our way out."

Miley smirked at him, barely able to stop herself from sticking her tongue out at him.

"And you told me to stay close and out of the way," she practically purred with pride until he scowled at her.

"Yeah, I did. You almost got yourself killed!" he hissed, slipping onto the bed beside her. He leaned over and stroked hair back behind her ear. "How are you feeling?"

Miley gave herself a quick mental once-over, tensing her muscles. They were still deliciously sore. "I feel better than ever!"

Kane laughed at that. "That would be the werewolf healing."

"So what actually happened?" Miley asked.

Kane grimaced at the question. "You attacked Christopher, and his pack was so concerned about losing another alpha, they all turned on you. It gave us the distraction we needed to pick a few of the weaker ones off."

"So, what happened to Christopher?" Miley asked, bile rising in the back of her throat.

Kane shook his head. "You don"t need to worry about him anymore."

"That wasn"t an answer," Miley protested. "Is he dead?"

"All that matters is you are safe, and nobody is ever going to hurt you ever again, least of all Christopher."

Miley glowered at him, and through gritted teeth, she growled, "Is. He. Dead?"

Kane met her gaze, and she heard the way he gulped before answering, "No. He and a large number of his pack managed to get away, but they"ll never lay a finger on you again. Nobody will."

Miley was surprised to hear the protective tone of his voice.

Breathlessly, she said, "My parents?"

"Especially your parents," Kane growled, and she saw the determination in his gaze. "If you"ll let me, I"ll protect you from ever being in harm"s way again."

Miley breathed deeply, unsure she wanted to ask the next question that came to mind. "What about the… the other humans Christopher collected? He… he said something about a barn?"

Kane"s gaze darkened at that.

"Christopher is hell-bent on destroying us after what we did to his brother and his pack," Kane said, shrugging. "But it appears all he"s done is strengthen us. Those who survived the shift have been offered sanctuary here in Nightstar. Those yet to turn are being looked after in the basement of the manor to be sure they don"t hurt anyone or themselves. And those…"

Kane paused and looked down as if he couldn"t quite bring himself to speak. Then, he gulped hard and looked up again, "Those who didn"t make it will be given a proper burial."

"What…what about their families?"

Kane"s face paled.

"We"ll do our best to track them down, but for obvious reasons, it"s best they are just believed missing," Kane said, growling low in his throat.

Though Miley understood, it didn"t mean she liked it. Her jaw clenched at the thought of never knowing what had happened to someone she loved.

You don"t need to worry about any of it," Kane assured her.

The sheer emotion in his gaze touched Miley's heart, and without thinking, she surged forward, grabbing him by the face to kiss him.

Then, unable to stop herself, she pulled back just enough to whisper, "Wasn"t I the one who saved you?"

Kane growled low in his throat, but before he could offer any kind of protest, she kissed him again. Naked as the day she was born, she slipped out from beneath the satin sheets and onto his lap, straddling his hips as she urged him down onto the bed.

The old Miley would never in a million years have done such a thing, but the old Miley was dead. She had died the day that she was bitten. The new Miley was braver, bitchier and one hell of a dominant she-wolf. The beast inside of her was clawing at her insides, pleading with her to get to Kane"s wolf.

Miley tore at his t-shirt with her fingernails until he grabbed her wrists and shoved her backwards, forcing her off him and onto her back.

She was almost disappointed until he came down on top of her, growling, "Careful, sweetheart. You"ve got claws now."

It was only then she realized he was right. She hadn't been tearing at him with her fingernails after all. Her nails had been replaced by blackened claws. She stared at them for a second. "It didn"t hurt."

Kane kissed the tip of her nose and said, "It doesn"t all the time, not when your mind is preoccupied."

"It hurt like hell before!" Miley protested, shivering when she remembered the pain of shifting.

"It does the first time, and a full shift always hurts, but the pain is temporary," he explained. Picking up her hands, he kissed her claws. "These are a part of you now. You"ll barely feel the pain when they come."

He gazed at her hands as if he thought her claws were the most beautiful thing in the world. Then he kissed them again. First, he kissed her claws, then her knuckles, then her wrists, and finally he trailed kisses up her arms, kissing every inch of her until he reached her shoulders and moved down to her chest.

Miley"s breath caught in her throat when he reached her breasts. She cursed herself silently when he paused and looked up at her. "Do you want me to stop?"

Miley shook her head eagerly, her cheeks burning red hot with embarrassment. "No, it"s just, I"m not used to this."

"To being loved?" Kane asked, and Miley"s heart skipped a beat.

Is that what this is? she thought, her heart hammering like a trapped bird in her chest. She couldn"t help but think it was more than that.

She shrugged and admitted, "All of this. I…I was a virgin before… before we…"

Shit! Why did she have to go and tell him that?

"I can stop if you want me to?" Kane asked.

The dominance of Miley"s wolf took over again then. More powerful than she ever even imagined possible, Miley shoved him hard in the chest, forcing him off her and onto his back on the bed.

Again, she straddled him. This time when she tore at his t-shirt, she ripped it right off him, sending it flying across the room.

"Like hell I do!" she growled at him, diving in for a kiss.

Kane kissed her back with such ferocity that it spoke to the animal inside her. She rubbed herself against him like a cat—or a wolf—in heat and arched her back when he stroked his fingertips down her spine.

When they came back up again, she gasped at the way he gripped the roots of her hair, pulling her head back to expose her throat.

Leaning up, he kissed her neck, the pressure so deliciously sensual that she felt a growling purr in her throat.

When he tugged gently on her hair, Miley surrendered to him, letting him pull her down onto the bed once more.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his warm, muscular body pressed against her own. She heard the click of his belt buckle as he popped it open and enjoyed the way his body rippled against hers as he shimmied his way out of his jeans.

Wrapping her arms and legs around him, she welcomed his cock inside her. Just as it had the last time, it filled her fit to bursting, bordering on painful. And she groaned with the way he paused, allowing her to grow accustomed to his presence before he started to thrust his hips back and forth, back and forth, slow and rhythmic, as if he were trying to write the perfect song with the perfect tempo.

With his bike and his tattoos and his tough-guy attitude, Miley had anticipated his skills in bed would be much more aggressive, with much more power and anger and just plain fucking.

But this was like nothing she ever could have imagined.

It was all sensual, the stroking of lips on her throat, the melding of bodies as she clung onto his back with her claws, the dancing of his cock inside her as he worked her toward orgasm.

It was all she had ever dreamt of and more.

Yes, Kane was still aggressive in his lovemaking. Each thrust was right to the very root of him, and he filled her up to the point of stretching. Yes, he pinned her to the bed, and she couldn"t have moved even if she had wanted to, and yes, he growled and groaned in her ear. And yes, she was utterly and overwhelmingly at his mercy.

And yet, she loved every single second of it. The tenderness of his kisses on her throat, on her lips, on her breasts, was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

When she finally came, his cock pushing her right over the edge with such sweet ecstasy, she actually cried. Not only did she tilt back her head and scream with pleasure, she actually cried. Tears rolled down her cheeks, unbridled tears of joy and love and the knowledge that this was more than just love. It was so, so, so much more than that.

The animal inside her was sure of it. She didn"t know how or why, but she and Kane were connected. They had been from the very moment they had met, maybe even before that, as if they had always been destined to find each other.

She knew it right down to the very marrow of her bones, and it made everything about their lovemaking intoxicating.

He utterly overwhelmed her. She gave herself over to him freely, pouring her heart and soul into him as she tilted her pelvis up to take everything he had to give.

And when she felt the oddly familiar throbbing of his cock and heard the change in his breathing, she knew what came next. She welcomed it wholeheartedly.

Wrapping her legs tightly around his waist, she pulled him in close, screaming with pleasure as her own climax came again while he spilled his seed deep inside her.

The beast inside her howled with sheer elation, and she knew without a single shred of doubt that this was far more than just sex. This was even more than love. This was more than even soulmates. It was impossible to describe, and it brought her to tears all over again.