13. Kye

Chapter 13

Kye

I use the bolt cutters Sawyer leaves at the door to remove the cuffs from Apryle's wrists. After we shower and make love twice more, she falls asleep in my arms, and I relish the feel of my mate. I wasn't sure she would ever come around to us being together, even though I could feel through our bond that it wasn't me—her mistrust came from her trauma. She has every reason to fear outsiders, considering what she confessed. She killed people to save herself, but I know that guilt weighs on her shoulders like an anvil. She should never feel bad for protecting herself, and I'm glad she did or else we never would have met, and I don't even want to think about that.

She stirs against me, making an adorable little grunt before her lids flutter and she comes awake. When her beautiful piercing eyes meet mine, everything feels right in my world. It doesn't matter that we are fighting a war, that people want us dead. Apryle is in my arms, with my mark on her neck and my scent on her skin.

"Morning," I rasp, suddenly choked with emotion. I never thought I could have any of this, and yet here I am, with my mate's soft body pressed against me. This is as close to paradise as I can get.

Apryle gives me a smile as she stretches like a lazy cat. "Morning. How long have you been awake?"

I pull her into me and nuzzle my nose against the claiming mark on her neck, unable to stop the satisfaction from sweeping through me. Whatever trauma she's suffered and whatever hurt has been inflicted on her, I will spend the rest of my life erasing it all with better memories.

My fingers hold her in place so I can swipe my tongue over the mark, and she lets out a whimper that makes my cock solid.

"Long enough to note all the little sounds you make when you're asleep."

"You know it's creepy to watch someone while they're unconscious, right?" she murmurs even as she grips my biceps, holding me in place.

"I don't care."

She snorts. "Of course you don't. Did Savannah come back?"

I shake my head, and when Apryle's brows draw together, I ask, "What?"

"We are keeping her, aren't we? I don't want her to feel like we've abandoned her, but I also understand this is kind of new between us?—"

I silence her with a kiss, and she melts against me for a moment before pushing me back with two hands on my chest. "You can't just shut me up by kissing me," she complains even as her cheeks flush with pleasure.

"We nearly died. I'm going to kiss you every chance I get."

I lean in to claim her mouth again, but this time she presses her fingers over my lips. "Savannah… Kye, are we keeping her?"

I feel her love for this little pup already blossoming through the bond and her desire to take care of her. I would do anything for Apryle. Anything.

"Of course we're keeping her. She's ours," I tell her, brushing her hair from her face as I lock to her pretty eyes. "Now can I fuck my mate?"

A grin tugs at her lips even as she rolls her eyes at me. "One track mind."

"Is that a yes?"

She nods.

I make sweet, slow, and steady love to her this time, using every available moment to explore her body thoroughly.

After I spill my seed into her waiting pussy, I pull her on top of me and wrap the blanket around us both. Her cheek presses against my chest, as if she's listening to the beat of my heart and in this moment, I feel more complete than I ever have. All these years I have been existing, but Apryle makes me feel finally alive.

"Are you okay?" I ask as I trace circles on her back.

"For the first time in a long time, yeah, I am. I'm not that scared girl anymore, Kye," she says, pulling back a little. "That's why I want to fight. I don't want anyone else to suffer what I have. We have to stop the Order and all these other assholes who want to hurt us."

Her explanation resonates with me in a way I didn't expect. I want to protect her from danger, but this is part of her healing journey.

"Then I'll be at your side every step of the way." Her smile makes everything fade into the background.

"I know."

I pick her up bridal-style and carry her into the bathroom. I've never taken care of anyone before, not like this, but I want to do this for her. Her eyes are locked to mine as I let the water get warmer before I guide her under the spray.

Joining her in the cubicle, I wet her hair before I shampoo it. She doesn't stop me or try to help me, lost in her own thoughts, and I try to keep my mind neutral so she can't sense my tumultuous feelings through the bond.

"Thank you," she says.

"For what?"

"Taking care of me."

Fuck, she doesn't have to thank me for that. She rolls to her tiptoes and presses a kiss to my mouth, the water pelting off both of us as we stand under the spray. I kiss her back like she is the air in my lungs. Every inch of my body feels alive when she's with me, and knowing she is safe in my arms gives me a peace I haven't felt for a long time.

When we pull apart, both of us are breathless, and as much as I want to be inside her and claim her again, it's not what she needs. I finish washing the soap from her hair and cleanse her body and mine before I turn the water off.

Grabbing a towel, I tuck it around her slender body, noticing a few new bruises from our capture.

"We're in this together," I tell her as I wrap another towel around my hips and lead her into the bedroom.

After taking my time to dry her, I help her into a pair of my sweatpants and a sweater that hangs off her frame. Apryle lets me take care of her, like a mate should, but when I start to dress myself, she takes over, and she looks after me the same way I did her.

My heart is racing as her fingers skim over my body, and I can't resist kissing her with a mindless desperation that leaves her lips swollen.

I want to fuck her, show her with my body everything I can't say with just words, but I can sense she's eager to see Savannah, and I can't resist doing whatever will make her happy.

Apryle is attached to the girl already, and Savannah seems to like her—and me—just as much. I never considered pups before. As much as I want to see Apryle in heat, my cock swelling into a knot to bind us together, the thought of having a child now scares me. Our world is too dangerous to bring young into it, and I wouldn't subject any child to this, but if we can destroy the Order, maybe we can make things safe enough that we can have a normal life as a mated pair.

When we step into her old building, a ruckus greets us. A couple of members of her coven and of the small pack led by Cade are gathered in the communal living area. Everyone stops to look at us, and Apryle grabs my hand in hers, as if she needs the support. I give her a squeeze, letting her know I'm by her side no matter what. She will never be alone a moment of her life again.

Roux smiles at our joined hands and exchanges a glance with Halle, who grins, but my attention is captured by the small bundle rushing at us.

Apryle braces herself as Savannah throws herself into her arms, wrapping her little body around her like a vine. I can sense the relief coming off the little girl, as if she thought we had left her.

Holding the back of her head, Apryle threads her fingers through the little girl's hair. "Are you okay?" she asks, concern threading her voice.

Savannah nods against her, and the smile on my mate's face softens the cage I've built around myself as protection.

"Have you eaten?" Apryle brushes her hair back from her face.

There's no dirt on her skin, her hair is soft and shiny, and she's wearing a shirt that reaches down to her knees, like a dress. I'm not sure which of the females it belongs to, but it has a logo on the front I don't recognize.

"Uncle Sawyer made me grilled cheese."

Uncle? I glare at him. That's not becoming a thing.

"I think you'll find I made you the best grilled cheese in existence," Sawyer fires back. His easy demeanor always manages to annoy me, but when Savannah giggles and Apryle beams, some of my irritation toward him dissipates. I like seeing them happy.

"Thank you for taking care of her," Apryle says.

The smile Roux gives is warm, but there's concern beneath it. "Are you guys okay?" Roux asks.

Apryle glances down at Savannah before bringing her attention back to me. "We are now."

"We didn't find out you'd been taken until Callum and the others were on their way back with you," Roux says. Her tone suggests she's annoyed by this fact.

Apryle moves over to the sofa and sinks onto it, Savannah pressing against her side. I go with them, keeping close, even though I know they are safe here. It'll be a long time before I let them out of my sight again.

Something definitely changed between me and Apryle when we were locked in that facility together. All hostility and dismissal seem to have dissipated, which I'm grateful for. I would have kept pushing, trying to help her see that we are meant to be together, until she saw it as clearly as I did. Our coming together felt amazing, and I am more connected to her than ever.

I enjoy the noises she makes when I fuck her hard, the way she appears dazed as I slide into her body. I must telegraph my feelings through our bond because she turns toward me, heat in her eyes. Oh yes, I like how much my little mate wants me.

Her cheeks stain pink, and I wonder if she is remembering what we did as she lowers her gaze to her lap, where she is holding Savannah's hand in hers.

"Did they take you to the Order facility? Did you see other tau there?" Halle's questions are rapid-fired at us, and the desperation tells me she's lost someone to the Order.

"It wasn't the Order that took us," Apryle admits, glancing at me.

"Then who was it?" Cade asks, reaching for Halle and pulling her against his side.

The group is an odd mix, the males part of a pack under their alpha, Cade, and the females forming a coven. They're all bonded in friendship, and my jealousy rears its ugly head at how close they all seem. I've never belonged anywhere, even when I was with my cousin. I have made something of a home here, but I never felt truly settled until the day I saw Apryle and recognized her as mine.

"Another crazy group," she says. "They said they follow Revna."

The girls exchange glances, and I wonder what they are thinking. It is bad enough to have the Order hunting us without adding new factions of homicidal maniacs to the list of things that want us dead.

"Why haven't we heard about this before?" Roux glances between us. "The Order has been pretty open about its intentions to harm us, but now this new group emerges from nowhere? Why now?"

"And they seem to be just as well-funded as the Order," I interject into the discussion. "The facility they took us to was large, and they had a small army they had at their disposal. This wasn't some small unorganized group."

"They're looking for something," Savannah adds in a quiet voice, and yet it reverberates around the room as if she yelled it.

"What were they looking for?" This question comes from Cade, but it's not Savannah who responds.

It's Apryle. "They wanted my blood. She was spouting a lot of stuff, but she said she'd been looking for someone like me for a long time."

Sawyer leans back on the sofa, his demeanor easy, but his eyes are not relaxed "Tau?"

"I don't think it's just about that," she says. "I got the feeling there's something about my blood that's different from other Tau."

"That's creepy," Halle mutters.

Roux's nose wrinkles. "What are they doing with it when they get it?"

Apryle shrugs. "I don't know. She drugged me to draw it and then said ‘they' were coming. I don't know who they are, but from past experience I'm going to guess they're not going to be on our side."

Halle blows out a breath, leaning her head against Cade's shoulder. "Is anyone else getting sick of all these unanswered questions?"

I am, but I am also scared. If Savannah is right, that means my mate still has a target on her back and I have no idea who is doing the shooting.