Chapter Thirteen

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“She’s gone,” said Tanner, standing in the middle of Muriel’s living room a short while later.

Larkin perched her hands on her hips. “It doesn’t seem like any of her things are missing. Her wardrobe and drawers are full. Her door keys are in the bowl in the hallway. Her purse is near the sofa. The TV’s on.” Her nose wrinkled at the bowl of stale soup on the table. “Looks like she sat down to have lunch some time yesterday and then …”

“And then someone came and took her,” finished Knox. His nostrils flared. “Fuck.”

“I just skimmed through her phone,” said Levi. “She’s had a lot of missed calls. The last one she answered came yesterday morning at 10am. Her first missed call was at 2:30pm, so she was taken some time before then.”

“There’s no point ignoring the reality that she’s been taken by whoever killed her brother and the others. God knows where they’ll leave her body.” Knox sighed. “We need to get back to my office.”

Flames erupted around them and licked at Tanner’s skin as the Prime pyroported them back to his Underground office.

Planting his hands on his desk, Knox said, “Larkin, Keenan—I’m going to need you both to try to locate Royal Foreman and Patrick Stephens. One of them has to be the killer. It’s the only thing that makes sense of everything that’s happened.”

“Finding them might not be a fast process, especially with respect to the killer,” Larkin warned. “He’s probably taken precautions to hide his identity just in case anyone worked out what was happening and started to hunt him. He might have changed his name, moved away, switched lairs.”

“I’m not under the illusion that you’ll find the killer in time to save Muriel,” Knox assured her. “He’s had her in his grasp too long.”

“We’ll find Stephens and Foreman,” Keenan stated.

Knox sat on his leather chair. “What do we remember of Stephens?”

Levi pursed his lips. “He was a quiet kid. Kept his head down. Made no effort to draw attention to himself. He was also an illusionist. Could force people to believe they could hear, see, smell, taste, or touch something that didn’t exist. He didn’t have a good handle on his ability back then, though.”

“He had cold eyes,” Tanner recalled.

Larkin nodded. “Yeah. He could chill your bones with just a look, and he wasn’t even frowning or scowling. His face would always be blank.”

“Foreman was the opposite,” said Keenan. “Loud and brash. Always acting out. But then, ensnares are natural-born tricksters, aren’t they? I remember he used to create traps to amuse himself. Sometimes the traps were physical, like nets or tubes. Other times, he’d trap people’s minds inside their bodies, stopping the brain from communicating with the body—it meant they couldn’t move or speak.”

“His snares never stood up well to attacks, though,” Tanner remembered. “And they usually only lasted twenty seconds or so. But his ability would have strengthened with age.”

Levi folded his arms. “The question is … which one is most likely to be the killer?”

“I’d say Stephens purely because I found him creepy,” said Larkin. “But I don’t think we can really base our suspicion on how they acted as kids. People change.”

“Whoever it is, something must have happened recently in their life to spur them into suddenly going after the people they hold responsible for their pain,” said Tanner.

Knox nodded. “There must have been some sort of trigger.”

Tanner took a deep, pained breath that tightened his chest. “If one of the kids had just told us, just hinted at it …” He’d have obliterated the abusers in an instant.

“You can understand why they didn’t talk,” said Larkin, her mouth downturned. “But I sure wish they had.”

Yeah, Tanner could understand it, because shame was crawling through his system. He’d noticed the haunted expressions Harry and the others sometimes wore, but he’d never wondered at it. He’d always attributed their hurt to the other shit that went on there. Plus, everyone had a sad story of how they’d come to be at Ramsbrook—it hadn’t occurred to him that something else could be going on.

“Harry got them help, in his way,” said Levi. “It didn’t save him from whoever’s been hunting kids from his dorm, though.”

And that only made it worse. Tanner was glad the tutors were dead, but slit throats? They’d deserved a fuck of a lot worse than that. “Giles and Shephard died too easily, too quickly. Theyshould have been the ones who fucking suffered, not Harry and the others—they were victims.”

“So is whoever killed them,” said Larkin. “That’s the worst thing. We’ll be killing someone who’s already been through enough.”

Exhaling heavily, Knox pushed to his feet. “I need to speak with Harper about something.”

Tanner suspected that his Prime didn’t have anything in particular to speak with her about. Suspected that Knox simply wanted to see her, wanted to touch the one thing that calmed him. Just the same, Tanner was itching to see the person who had the singular ability to still the chaos in his head. Devon.

Anger, guilt, and disgust were clawing at him. The only thing that would give him any relief from it was her. He knew it, because she’d done it for him several times in the past. She just had no idea she’d done it.

They’d slept in her apartment the previous night. He’d taken her in her bed, just as he’d told her he would. Earlier that morning, he’d dropped her and Harper at Urban Ink before leaving with Knox and the other sentinels to visit Milton. She’d be finishing work soon, but he didn’t want to wait that long to see her.

“I’ll come with—” Tanner cut off as a familiar male mind reached out to his.

Thought you should know that Devon is on the move, said Dez, one of the two members of Knox’s Force who Tanner had assigned to watch over her. He’d relieved Lex and Enzo of guard duty, since they’d messed the fuck up by taking their eye off the ball long enough that she was snatched right in front of them.

She’s leaving work early?asked Tanner. Her shift didn’t usually finish for another hour.

Two guys came to the studio to see her. She introduced them to me as Adam and Hunter; said all three of them were going for a fancydinner to celebrate the anniversary of the day she and her anchor bonded—apparently, it’s an annual thing.

Oh, was it now? What he’d very much like to damn well know was why she hadn’t forewarned him about it. Feeling a muscle in his cheek jump, Tanner asked, Where exactly are they going for dinner?

*

As the waitress set their drinks and complimentary hot bread on the table, Adam shot the blonde a winning smile that had her blushing. “Thanks so much,” he said.

The ice tinkled against the glass as Devon picked up her soda and took a sip. This restaurant was highly popular within the Underground, so only those who made a reservation a week in advance stood a chance of getting a table. Adam had pre-booked their table, just as he always did this time of year to celebrate the anniversary of their anchor bond. To her shame, she’d forgotten about it. Adam thankfully wasn’t upset by that, but she still felt bad.

Although the place was full, it wasn’t rowdy. The chatter was mostly soft, and the music played low in the background. None of the servers looked flushed or frazzled. They were calm yet efficient, which added to the relaxed atmosphere.

A door on their left swung open, and a waitress breezed out of the kitchen, effortlessly balancing several trays on her arms. Devon shook her head in wonder. “I have no idea how they do that.”

“Practice,” said Hunter, expertly slicing into the crusty bread.

Each time the kitchen door opened, a cloud of mouth-watering scents filtered into the room. If she hadn’t been hungry before arriving here, the scenes of grilled meat, spices, hot peppers, and garlic would have wakened her appetite.

Setting down her glass, she raked a hand through her hair. “Damn, Adam, I still can’t believe I forgot our anniversary.”

Adam snorted. “I can. You have all kinds of crazy stuff going on. I’d have been surprised if you were thinking clear enough to remember. It’s a relief for me that you’re not—it assures me that you’re taking the threats to your safety seriously. You have a habit of brushing off danger.”

She lifted her chin. “I do not.”

“You totally do.” Hunter handed her a piece of the bread he’d buttered. “But we love you anyway.”

She bit into the bread a little too roughly, tossing her anchor a haughty look that only made him smile. But that smile faltered when his eyes once again landed on the fingerprints on her wrist. Both males had noticed the brands pretty much straight away. Adam looked concerned. Hunter seemed amused.

“I’m guessing those brands are courtesy of the hellhound,” said Adam.

“You guessed correctly.” She took another bite of her bread rather than elaborate. She adored Adam, she truly did, but this simply wasn’t his business. Not that it would do any good to remind him of that. As her anchor, he saw it as his right to interfere in her life in whatever way he saw fit. Sometimes it was cute, other times it was annoying, but she knew his actions came from a good place.

“And you’re okay with it?” he asked.

Not at all. But if she said that, he’d see it as the green light to confront Tanner about it. That would not only be utterly pointless, it would run the risk of Adam getting his ass whooped.

She shrugged. “The brands will fade soon enough.”

“Don’t think I’m buying the casual act. Your emotions have always been all over the place where this guy is concerned.”

How she wished she could deny that. Chewing the last of her bread, she used a napkin to wipe crumbs from her fingers and mouth. “Look, Adam, I already had this conversation with the girls. I’d rather not have it again.”

“Hmm, I’m sure you wouldn’t. But I’m not just a friend, Dev, I’m your anchor. I’m one of the most important people in your life.”

The hurt in his voice made her chest tighten. “I know, I’m not trying to blow you off.”

“Feels like it.”

She grabbed his hand. “You’re worried I’ll get shit on, I know. I love you for it. But this just—”

“Isn’t his business,” finished Hunter. Slurping his milkshake through his straw, he shrugged at his mate, who was now glaring at him. “Well, it’s not. Come on, Adam, you’re her anchor, not her keeper. She’s not dumb; she knows exactly what she’s gotten herself into. She’ll get herself out of it once she’s ready. And then, if need be, we’ll dig out the shotgun and see how fast the canine can run.”

Adam sighed. “I just—”

“No ‘justs,’” Hunter told him, wagging his finger. “Let it go. Get rid of the frown. Let’s enjoy our meal.” He gave her a subtle wink that said, “I got your back.”

Adam licked his front teeth and then let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. Tell me what it’s like to live in an apartment that costs more than my house.”

Smiling, she smoothed a wrinkle out of the soft, white tablecloth. “Well, it’s pretty awesome.”

Just then, the waitress appeared and set their plates in front of them.

“I just have to snap a photo of this,” declared Hunter, his eyes bright as he stared at his meal. “I’m going to have a bash at recreating this at home.”

Just then, the happy birthday tune began to play out of the loudspeakers. Servers surrounded a circular table, clapping and singing along with the people seated there.

Forking some of her food, Devon smiled at the celebratory spectacle. And that was when the hairs on her nape stood up. Her gaze unerringly shot to her right, and her pulse skittered as she saw Tanner breezing toward her, his muscles rippling and bunching, every inch the predator. And his gaze was firmly locked on her.

Devon swallowed and put down her fork. His feet didn’t make a sound as he prowled along the hard, tiled floor. Eyes followed him, of course. Some people shrunk back, as if not wanting to earn themselves the attention of one of Knox’s deadly sentinels. Other people, mostly women, tossed inviting smiles his way. Bitches. Okay, that wasn’t nice, but she hadn’t said it aloud.

His golden eyes raked over her face with blatant possessiveness, glittering with something dangerous that made her scalp prickle. Even so, that good ole visceral, ever-present sexual chemistry pulsed between them like a heartbeat.

Unease snaked through her. If she hadn’t come to know him so well, she’d have been fooled by his cool expression; wouldn’t have picked up on just how pissed he was. Had something else happened? Was someone hurt? Or was it something to do with whatever was going on in his lair that he, Knox, and the sentinels seemed to spend a lot of time debating in private?

He didn’t stop at their table and say his hellos. He slid into her booth as if she’d been waiting for him; sat so close that his side was practically fused to hers. Before she could say a word, he leaned in and took her mouth. Just like that, her unease gave way to the need she harbored for him that always seemed to hum beneath her skin, as if lying in wait for him. That need crawled over her, pulled her under, drowned out her awareness of her surroundings and—

Someone cleared their throat.

With a nip to her lower lip, Tanner pulled back and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Hello, kitten. Miss me?”

“Like I’d miss a root canal.” She kicked his foot under the table. “Move over.” He didn’t. Well, of course he didn’t. Why would he?

His mind slid against hers just before his voice breezed inside, cool and gravel-rough. You didn’t tell me you were going out for dinner.

Such a casual comment, such a soft tone. And yet there was something so dark there that goosebumps swept down her bare arms. Something’s wrong. What is it?

He breezed his thumb over her jawline. You said you’d tell me if you ever had plans to leave the studio while I wasn’t with you.

He didn’t trust anyone else to escort her anywhere safely, yeah, she got that, but … I didn’t know about the dinner plans—Adam surprised me with them.

Hmm. He took her hand and circled his mark on her palm with the tip of his finger. You really think it was a good idea for you to go waltzing around the Underground when someone’s after you?

Maybe not, but … I’m not letting the son of a bitch stop me from doing something as important as celebrating the anniversary of—

Yeah, yeah, Dez told me why you’re here. No celebration is more important than your life, kitten.

Okay, he had her there. Tell me what’s really wrong. Because something was going on with him right then. You’re worrying me.

His expression softened. It’s not related to what’s happening with you.

“Fancy seeing you here, Tanner,” said Adam, a forced curve to his mouth.

Hunter’s smile, on the other hand, was far from fake as he stirred his milkshake with his straw. “Yeah, what a coincidence.”

Tanner draped his arm over the back of the booth. “No coincidence. I came to see Devon.”

Adam’s expression hardened just a little. “You don’t trust that we’ll keep her safe?”

“I don’t fully trust anyone but me with her safety. It’s nothing personal,” Tanner added with a lazy shrug.

“Does this mean you’re not leaving?” her anchor asked.

“That’s exactly what it means.”

Well wasn’t that just super. Devon nudged him with her elbow. “At least move over so I can have a little more space while I eat my meal.” But he didn’t. So she gave him a psychic shove, making him skid a few inches along the leather.

His brows hiked up, and he looked nothing short of impressed. “Sheathe those claws, kitten.”

“Or?”

“Or I’ll do what I always want to do when you use them on me—I’ll bite you hard enough to leave a mark.”

In public? She narrowed her eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?”

“Not unless you want to find yourself choking on your own testicles.”

His mouth quirked. “You have such a short fuse.”

“In the exact words I used when we were in bed last night discussing something wholly different … it’s okay, sweetie, we can just imagine that it’s bigger.”

Adam started choking on his drink, and a laughing Hunter had to slap his mate’s back several times.

Shooting the pooch one last scathing glare, Devon turned her attention to her meal.

Tanner wouldn’t have thought he had it in him to smile right then, but she always had a way of loosening the grip of whatever bullshit was crippling him. Like it was her fucking super power or something. Or maybe it was just because she was a surprisingly restful person to be around. She just made you feel at ease. Accepted. Relaxed. Honestly, he’d swear he breathed easier when she was with him.

The waitress scrambled over and asked if he wanted to order anything, but he waved her away. He was content to simply watch his kitten while she dug into her food. Content to watch her throat work, her tongue swipe over her lips, and her eyes go heavy-lidded each time she ate something she found particularly flavorsome.

He knew she was keenly aware of his gaze on her, but she said nothing. Well, she said nothing to him. She easily kept up a light conversation with the other two males as they ate.

His hound brooded, not liking that it had to share her attention. But Tanner found her struggle to ignore him amusing … because it was a struggle for her while an electric sexual tension purred in the air between them. Neither of them stood a chance of ignoring it.

Waves of disapproval radiated from Adam, but Tanner paid him no attention. If the guy had something on his mind, he’d just need to come right out and say it. Not that it would make Tanner leave, if that was what the male wanted. Tanner was going nowhere.

Finally done with her meal, she slanted him a put-out look as she lifted her glass. “Stop staring.”

“Nah.” He watched the block of ice bump her lips as she sipped her drink, and he couldn’t help but picture the head of his cock bumping her mouth that way.

With a cute little huff, she swiped one of the lemon-scented handwipes that the server had left on their table and tore it open. “God, that meal was amazing.”

“It really was.” Slumping into his chair with a dreamy smile, Hunter sighed. “I am so stuffed. I don’t know about you guys, but I have no room for dessert.”

“Neither do I,” she said.

Adam snickered. “You’re both lightweights. There’s always room for dessert.”

“Then you’d best order yourself one.” Having wiped her hands, she drained her glass and then slid out of the booth. “I need to use the restroom.”

With no intention of allowing her out of his sight, Tanner flowed to his feet. Before you try telling me you don’t need me to walk you there, know that you’d be wasting your breath. Harper was once taken from a restroom, remember? I’m not taking the risk that the same could happen to you.

She shot him a dirty look and then flounced off. He followed her to the restroom, passing tables and booths, and carefully skirting a caution cone.

Once she disappeared inside, he stationed himself near the door, satisfied that he was close enough to hear if things went to shit. He also had a good view of the restaurant, so he instantly noticed when Adam exited the booth and began making his way over. Ah, it seemed that the male was ready to spit out whatever was on his mind.

Tanner slowly raised a brow. “Problem?” Even he heard the note of challenge in his tone.

Adam slanted a look at the closed restroom door. “That girl is very important to me. I don’t want her hurt.”

Bristling, Tanner flicked up his eyebrow. “You think I’d hurt her?”

“Not on purpose. But you’re a hard man, Tanner. It’s obvious you don’t like emotional attachments. Devon is warm and kind and caring. She’ll give her partner everything she has, and she deserves to get that in return. In some ways, you seem good for her. But I don’t know if you could ever give her what she needs.”

Tanner’s eye twitched. The words far too closely echoed those that Larkin had spoken to him not so long ago. Just like he’d told the harpy … “This is between me and Devon.”

Face hardening, Adam leaned toward him. “She’s my anchor—”

“That’s great,” said Tanner with mock enthusiasm. “But it makes no difference.”

“It does, because she’s very much my business.”

Thinking it would be fun to stab a claw right into the fucker’s eyeball, Tanner ate up the space between them in one smooth stride. “You don’t want to get in my way where Devon’s concerned,” he warned, his voice whisper-soft. “You really, really don’t.”

Looking remarkably calm, Adam gave an innocent shrug. “I’m not in your way. You are. Whatever issues you have about relationships are in your way. Typical male hellhound, really.”

He flexed his fingers. “And, what, you’re going to tell me to end it?”

“I don’t need to. I’m certain you’ll end it yourself at some point. Another guy will come along who’s willing to give her everything she deserves, of course. The question on my mind is … will you let him live long enough to make a place for himself in her life? If the answer to that question is no, well, I have to wonder what it is that you’ll do about it.”

The hinges squeaked as the restroom door swung open. Devon sauntered out, her gaze dancing from him to her anchor. “Something wrong?” she asked.

Adam smiled. “No. We were just talking.”

She twisted her mouth. “Hmm.”

Tanner seized her hand. “Time to go.”

Devon barely got a chance to say her goodbyes to Adam and Hunter before the pooch was dragging her toward the exit of the restaurant, where there was a long line of people waiting to be seated. And that was when she noticed them gathered near the front of the line. Shit.

She would have looked straight ahead and pretended she hadn’t seen them if Finn hadn’t then turned … and instantly spotted her.

He blinked. “Devon.”

Stopping in front of him, she forced a smile and let her gaze sweep over Leticia, Spencer, Reena, and Kaye. “Hello.”

Smiling, Spencer stepped out of the group. “Hi there, you look good.” He gave her a brief pat on the back and then turned to the male at her side. “You must be Tanner. I heard you were guarding Devon.” He held out his hand. “I’m Spencer, her brother.”

Brother? It wasn’t often that he used that word when referring to their relationship.

Tanner shook his hand and gave him a curt nod, but his eyes turned flinty when he slid them back to Finn.

Sensing the two people who’d come up behind her, Devon gestured to them and said, “This is Adam, my anchor, and his partner, Hunter.”

His smile weak, Finn nodded their way. “Devon’s mentioned you a time or two.”

“It’s good to meet you both,” Spencer told them.

“Same to you,” said Hunter, but Adam didn’t speak. Considering his utter distaste for her paternal relatives and how fiercely protective her anchor was of her, it didn’t surprise Devon that he didn’t conjure up even the slightest bit of civility for them.

“We were just, um …” Finn cleared his throat. “We came here to celebrate. It’s Reena’s birthday.”

“I know,” said Devon, her tone even. “I sent her a birthday card with a gift card in it.”

Surprise seemed to ripple around the group, and Reena averted her gaze.

Leticia shot her eldest daughter a hard glare that she didn’t see. “That was very nice of you, Devon. Thank you. Reena’s very grateful.”

Kaye snickered. “Reena’s very embarrassed.”

“Kaye,” her sister hissed.

“You’re welcome to join us,” Finn said to Devon.

She didn’t miss the way Reena tensed, or the way Kaye’s nose wrinkled.

“We’ve eaten,” said Tanner, tightening his grip on her hand.

Purely because Devon knew it would annoy her, she said, “Happy birthday, Reena. I hope you all enjoy your meal.”

Outside, Adam gave her shoulder a supportive squeeze. “I wish we’d picked another restaurant.”

“It’s our ritual to come here. They don’t get to ruin that.” Devon gave both him and Hunter a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you so much for dinner. Love you both.”

Adam smiled. “Love you, too.”

“Back at you, Clarke,” said Hunter, pinching her cheek.

And then Tanner was literally dragging her down the Underground “strip.” When he didn’t head in the direction of the studio, she frowned. “Harper—”

“Is riding with Knox tonight,” he finished.

People cast them curious stares as they walked through the Underground toward the elevator, hand in hand, his body language as boldly possessive as it was protective. And it was a true struggle not to plant her palm in his face and shove him out of her personal space.

He didn’t say a word during the short elevator ride. Nor did he speak as he led her to his Audi. He maintained said silence as they drove to his apartment building.

She sighed. “You gonna tell me why you’ve got a bug up your ass?”

“I’m fine,” he clipped.

“Oh. Okay.” She turned to the window, deciding to let him brood.

Finally inside his building, they slipped into the elevator. And he was still a silently seething mass of anger. When the elevator paused at his floor, she didn’t step out. “I’ll be upstairs—hey, let the fuck go.” But he didn’t. He all but dragged her to his apartment and into the kitchen, where he switched on the coffee machine. “Christ, pooch, what is your damage?”

He didn’t answer. Just stared out of the window.

She slipped onto a stool and rested her folded arms on the island. “What did Adam say to you? You’ve been pissy ever since you spoke to him outside the restroom.”

He glanced at her over his shoulder, his brows drawn together. “I don’t get pissy.”

“Dude, you’re pissy.” She tapped her nails on the counter. “If you’re not going to tell me what he said, you can at least tell me how serious this thing is that you and the other sentinels are all in a tizzy over.”

His face blanked. “It’s lair business.”

Yeah, she got that. And she wouldn’t expect him to share such information with someone outside of his lair. “I never asked you to tell me what it is. I asked how serious it is.”

He turned to fully face her. “Very.”

“Then you should be concentrating on that, not on what’s going on with me.”

“I’m focusing on both.”

“But you feel disloyal dividing your attention this way.” Sensing he didn’t like that she’d read him correctly, she shrugged. “It’s not hard to sense. And it’s understandable.”

Tanner almost laughed. Understandable. Levi’s ex-girlfriend had used that word, too. She might have even meant it. But it hadn’t been long before she’d grown resentful of the time, attention, commitment, and loyalty that Levi showed to Knox. Neither Levi nor his inner demon had been able to accept someone into their life who didn’t truly understand and accept their dedication to the role of sentinel.

Devon was a very different creature from Levi’s ex, though, wasn’t she? His hellcat didn’t rely heavily on others. Didn’t hold them responsible for her happiness. Didn’t need a man to feel “complete.” Devon had her own life, and she lived it fully.

It hadn’t been easy for Tanner to wangle his way into said life—even now, she held him on the periphery of it. He didn’t like that, but he couldn’t exactly blame her for it. What reason would she have to open her life fully to him when he wasn’t offering her what she needed?

Tanner crossed to her and twisted her stool so that she was facing him. “Next time you feel like going somewhere during work hours, you tell me,” he said, his voice low.

“So that you can tag along?”

“Yes.” Insinuating himself between her thighs, he placed a kiss on the gentle curve of her mouth. Her lips parted on a soft sigh, but he didn’t accept the silent invitation. He pressed a kiss to the other corner, breathing in her delectable scent.

Catching sight of the small black infinity symbol on the hollow of her ear, he flexed his grip on her hip. Whenever demons formed the anchor bond, they left such symbols on each other as a message to the outside world that these people were under the protection of someone who’d fight to the death to avenge them—any anchor would.

He brushed his thumb over the symbol. “I don’t like that you wear someone else’s mark on your skin.” Nor did his hound, as it happened.

“It’s an anchor mark,” she said patiently.

“I still don’t like it.” He gently collared her throat, deliberately concealing the symbol with his thumb, and her pupils swallowed the color of her eyes. “Didn’t like it before I knew how it felt to come deep inside you. And I really don’t like it now.”

He swooped down and took her mouth, sinking his tongue inside. He ravished and feasted until his head spun with her taste and his cock was hard as a steel spike. Keeping his hand curled around her throat, he slid his other down her arm, took her hand, and dug his thumb into the center of her palm right over the mark. “It’ll always be there, you know.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“I can.”

She shook her head. “Your demon will pull away from me soon enough.”

“But it won’t cease being protective of you. Not now that you matter to it.” Not even if her feline pulled away first. He brought her hand to his mouth and nipped the heel of her palm. “And I really don’t think it’ll cope well when you take someone as your mate. I know I won’t.”

She swallowed. “One day, you’ll find someone who matters enough to you that the idea of having a mate won’t seem so bad.”

He knew his smile was somewhat bitter as he said, “Some people are better off alone, kitten. They’re just built that way.”

“And some people, especially when they’ve been alone for as long as you have, just get so used to it that they don’t know how to be part of something. But that doesn’t mean they can’t be.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “I’m a lost cause, kitten.”

He wasn’t lost, Devon thought. He was just surrounded by so many protective walls that he’d emotionally isolated himself, and now he didn’t know how to be any different. “I still maintain that someday someone will come along and change things for you.” Devon would probably hate her on principle, but she’d like to think she’d still be happy for him. “And she’d better be good to you, or I’ll kick her ass.”

His lips curled slightly. “You’d kick someone’s ass for me?”

There wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for him, which was just plain sad. “If the situation warranted it, sure. You’d do the same for me.”

“I’d kill for you. I will kill for you.” His eyes went so cold and flinty she almost shivered. “As soon as I find out where Asa’s friend is, I’ll fucking destroy him.”

And then he closed his mouth over hers. She instantly caught fire, and in mere minutes they were both naked and more than ready to fuck. He took her right there on the kitchen floor, yanking her body to him each time he thrust forward, burying himself as deep as he could go.

The tension built and built until neither could take any more. His cock thickened, her pussy quaked, and then they were both coming. Coming hard and long, until every bit of pleasure was wrung out of them, and all they could do was collapse.