Chapter 29

Annika—who I'm still having trouble thinking of her as—spends the rest of the day in the nest. I've never seen the nesting impulse play out in person, but it's fucking cute.

I'm not sure if Grady is trying to give me an in with the little omega, or maybe he's trying to pull one over on me. It's impossible to tell.

I knock on the nest door. There's no answer. I still let myself in because, apparently, I'm nothing if not committed to this plan. Striding over, I gently tug back the soft fabric since the curtains are down.

Annika is ass up, on her hands and knees, with her dress not covering one single bit of her luscious behind. Her face is buried under a pillow, and she has several blankets tossed over her back. It's so bizarre that I do a double take, but my eyes continually travel back to the peek of her pussy.

"Knock, knock." My cock throbs with the scent of her perfume. Maybe Grady was wrong about this being the perfect time to carry out this little adventure.

Annika lets out a little squeak, flipping over on her back and ripping the pillow off her face. "Oh, hey. What's up?"

"I was hoping you might eat a little something with me while the others are preoccupied." My head tilts, and I give her what I hope is an inviting grin.

She nods, pushing herself up until she's sitting. "Yeah, if I can bring my blanket."

Goddamn.

She really is adorable.

Grady was right. She gets sweeter the closer her heat gets, and not just her scent.

Annika stretches forward on the couch to drop her salad bowl.

I put my plate down next to hers and turn to face her. "It just crossed my mind that I don't know if I asked if I could court you."

Her lips push together as she leans back. "I can't remember if you said the words, but I kinda thought that's where we were headed."

"I, uh, have something for you." I grimace, digging in the pocket of my jeans. "It's yours, no matter how this courting thing goes, but I…" I exhale heavily, scooting closer and grabbing her hand.

She blinks at me with wide eyes, and it's clear I'm fucking this all up. I pull my other hand over, revealing the small ring box.

"Kane…"

"Open it, please," I say, shaking the box. She grabs it, popping open the lid. Her jaw falls as she rears back against the cushion. My heart races. This might have been a huge mistake. "She wasn't wearing it that day. Ranger found it in her jewelry box."

"My mom's engagement ring?"

"Yeah." I study her face, trying to determine if this is the world's worst courting gift. "I thought you might like to have it. You don't have to wear it. We'll buy you another one, but I just thought it might be nice to have something from them."

She nods, studying the ring in the box. "I'm honestly not sure if I want to wear it, but it means the world to me that you brought it to me." Her eyes sparkle as she looks up at me. "I had nothing of theirs when I ran last time. It hit me harder than I expected. Not at first, you know?" She closes the box and drops it on the coffee table. "In the beginning, I was so in shock, it didn't click. Once I settled in and was safe…" She climbs right over into my lap, and my heart races as she gives me a sincere smile. "That was the most thoughtful courting gift that I can think of. It means a lot. Thank you, Kane."

"Of course. I know our circumstances aren't ideal, but if you'll let me, I'll spend the rest of my life courting the hell out of you."

She grins, kissing the edge of my mouth. "Who knew you were such a romantic?"

I chuckle, shaking my head. "We just have one thing to get out of the way first."

"Oh yeah?"

I nod, eyeing her thin dress. It seems like a normal dress, rather than a pajama or sleep dress.

"Would you mind coming outside with me?" I ask.

She glances down at her bare feet. "Um, I guess. Will you carry me? I don't have my shoes."

I snort, moving to stand. "Yeah, princess. I've got you."

Annika wiggles in my arms, burrowing deeper into me. Possibly because I made her ditch the blanket on the couch. Kicking the patio door closed with my foot, I swivel my head to check for threats.

Ward and Grady should be finished installing the trail cams by now. If they're keeping their word, they should be out scanning the property for threats, so I can have some bonding time with my wiggly little omega.

"There's a pool," Annika says, twisting in my grip. "I don't know if it's warm enough to take a dip, but if there's a hot tub or it's heated, I would totally be down for that."

"There's a jacuzzi, but Grady gave me a different kind of idea," I growl as my boots hit the concrete steps heading down into the backyard.

It's right before sunset, but there's still enough light to see—at least, for another few minutes.

She gasps, stretching so far in my arms that I'm concerned she might tumble out. "Is that a hedge maze?"

"It is." I stop at the entrance and place Annika on her feet.

The walkways are lined in some type of synthetic grass. It's not painful to walk on barefoot. I know because I tried earlier to ensure this wouldn't be a miserable experience.

She spins around, studying the eight-foot hedge walls. "Okay, this is actually really freaking cool. Are we going to take a moonlit walk for our first courting date?"

A low growl rattles in my chest. "Not exactly. How do you feel about being hunted?"

"What?" She turns back to me. "You want to chase me?" Her pupils are huge, round saucers, but it's the way her nipples tighten through the fabric of the thin dress that gives her away. Or maybe it's the way her chest heaves as she sucks in rapid pants of air.

"Are you interested?"

Her waves are a little frizzy, likely from rolling around in the nest all day. They bounce around her shoulders as she gives a clipped nod. "Yeah, it's always been one of my fantasies."

"Just a fantasy?" My head tilts, and I'm not sure I won't snap and pin her to the ground to spank her tight ass if she says the wrong thing.

"Grady has chased me around my apartment, and we've dabbled in CNC, but nothing like this."

"Safe word is red, but understand that, if you consent, I'm going to spank your ass before I fuck you into the fake grass." I step forward, yanking her to my chest with my hands on her hips. "Do you get how rural it is out here, princess? No matter how loud you scream or beg me to stop, no one is coming to save you."

"Unless I say red," she repeats, wrapping her arms around my back.

"Correct. Would you like to participate?"

"Uh, yeah." She nods against my T-shirt. "Absolutely."

"Take as long as you need to think. It's important you list what's off-limits." I move a hand to her chin and tilt her face up. "Anything you want taken off the table. Now is the time."

"Hmm." She blinks up at me, but her eyes seem far away.

It's a good thing she's taking my words seriously and thinking the situation through. At the same time, the longer my anticipation grows, the hazier my mind gets.

Fucking alpha fog.

It's dangerous for both of us if I'm not in complete control. I've got more than a foot in height on her and probably eighty pounds of pure muscle. I could hurt her if I don't keep my instincts on a short leash.

"No closed-fist punches—open hand is fine anywhere but my face. Absolutely no fucking my ass without lube. My slick will work in an emergency, but don't dry fuck my ass, or we will have problems." She gives me a serious look when I chuckle.

"None of that is my style, anyway," I assure her, wondering what the hell she and Grady normally get up to.

"Perfect. I always forget not everyone is a sadist. Likewise, no ass to mouth and absolutely no going from my ass to my pussy without a shower first to clean up. Drawing a little blood is fine, but I don't want any scars." She squints, patting my back. "Yeah, I think that about covers it."

"Got it. I'm going to give you a one-minute head start." I bend low, brushing my lips over hers as my hand teases up the back of her dress. "The middle of the maze has an old shed with a water pump. If you didn't like the spider at the hotel, I highly suggest you not use it to hide in."

She groans, deepening the kiss as her soft tits press into my muscular chest.

I pull back, and it makes my heart soar that she pouts, stamping her foot like she wasn't done with me yet.

I get very close to her throat and growl, "Run, princess. And know that, when I catch you, you're all fucking mine. I intend to use your tight little body as I see fit, and trust me when I say it's been a long fucking three years."

Her brow furrows as she squints, but I didn't mean to admit that I haven't been with anyone since we met.

"Run, Sparrow!" I bark.

She squeaks, jolting and ripping out of my hold to take off toward the entrance. I catch sight of her as she takes the first left turn, which might be cheating, but there is no safe zone.

One way or another, this little adventure ends with her speared on my cock.

I pace back and forth across the entrance to the maze. Time is moving exceptionally fucking slowly. My eyesight adjusts to the disappearing light like I'm a cat, but I'm going to thank the adrenaline coursing through my system for that.

My nostrils flare as I count down the last few seconds in my head. When I get to zero, my entire body pivots, lunging toward the maze. I take the left, jogging down the corridor. The first curve is to the right, and there are no other options to choose.

Did I spend an hour this afternoon learning every trail from both entrances?

Yes.

Is that cheating?

Who the fuck cares?

My nose is convinced I'm supposed to take the next right instead of continuing straight. It's not even a question; I follow her scent in full alpha-beast mode.

My head tilts as I jog down the corridor I'm now on. The rustling of the tree branches in the cool night air helps to mask some of her noise, but I know she's somewhere to the left deeper into the maze. The next two choices are both lefts—one in the middle and one at the end, but the one at the end will take you to two dead ends.

"Motherfucking agents of death," Annika squeaks from somewhere near the middle of the maze.

That seals it. She took the first left. I doubt she would have had time to make it to the dead end and circle back. I jog down the straight path. The far end of this corridor ends in a left or right choice, but both of them bring you to an aisle parallel to this one.

I take the right when I hit the end. It's an edge corridor, meaning you can only go left after taking the corner. It's a solid distance ahead, but I spot movement taking the first left, and my body kicks up my speed.

It might be unfair, considering my legs are much longer than hers.

But life isn't fair.

I chuckle darkly. "You doing okay, princess?"

"This sounds like much more fun when you're not faced with the reality of spider webs." She huffs.

I barely catch sight of her arm as she takes the next right. That runs right into the middle of the maze, which is perfect.

I come around the corner while she blinks at the few solar lamps laid out sparsely around the area I was hoping I'd catch her in. There's a blanket on the ground, and the shed is in the back right corner of the box that makes up the middle of the maze.

I slow my pace to try to sneak up on her, but she notices me and squeals. She takes off toward the opening on the left. Each side of the middle box has its own opening back to the maze corridors. She successfully makes it to the opening as I jog toward her. She pivots to the right, but I make a mad snatch for her hair.

Annika's head snaps back, but luckily, I get close enough to her skull that I don't think it'll hurt too much. She moans as I tug, but instead of allowing me to pull her back into my chest, she spins around, landing her fist against my jaw.

"Hey," I growl. "You said no closed-fist punches."

"That only applies to you."

Okay, so, that actually makes sense.

My hands move to her hips, and I toss her over my shoulder as she kicks and wails.

I smack her ass. "Behave, or I'll fuck you on the AstroTurf, instead of the blanket."

The pain in the ass fights even harder. It's like she wants to fall from over six feet in the air.

We make it to the blanket.

I kneel down, sitting back on my heels and pulling her to rest over my lap. "Do you ever think about how life could have gone if you'd just trusted me?"

"Oh, fuck you," she snaps, pushing with her feet and trying to army crawl off my lap. "If you had come in with me, Edmond might have lived."

My head rears back. "You blame me for Eddie's death."

"Things could have been different." She bends her knee at an awkward angle and kicks at my side.

I move an arm under her middle. My other hand falls to her hip, and I stand up. It puts her in an awkward position as her palms fall to the ground to keep her top half up. She's in a modified wheelbarrow configuration, except her legs fall over my arms sideways.

"Yeah, you're right. Things could have been different. We all could have died," I growl as my stomach churns uncomfortably. I've spent a lot of time lamenting the past, but hindsight is twenty-twenty. It could have gone much worse. Or maybe I'm a selfish motherfucker because, ultimately, she's the only person I couldn't process losing. "Those guys I hit outside before coming in for you could have wiped out all of us instead. Do I wish things could have been different? Yes, but that's not possible."

"I know," she says, still fighting my hold.

"You shot me." Stabilizing her on my forearm, I pull up her dress with my other hand.

Goddamn.

She's got a fantastic ass.

Her slick cunt wiggles as she shimmies her hips side to side, and a feral growl escapes my chest.

Motherfucker.

This might be a problem, I realize as the fog slams into me.