Chapter 31

THE WOLF

Inky blood dripped off my chin; the splatter on her white shirt left an onyx spiderweb pattern on the fabric. I yanked her hips and settled her on my cock more comfortably. Her spine formed an arch, but she said nothing as she stared at me with tenderness that wrenched me by the heart and held on tight.

Weaving my fingers under the hem of her shirt, I moved them up inch by inch.

I loved how those little goosebumps lifted to my touch. Finally, I had her shirt over her beasts, baring her to my sight. Beautiful. In all forms, now and before, she was a stunner—my Maya.

Taking mental images to engrain her in my mind, my gaze traveled over her caramel skin. I couldn’t hold off from touching her, especially when her eyes begged for it. I was weak for her—proudly.

Flicking my thumb over her brown nipple, I bent to fit my mouth on her breast with my cock still inside her. Her thrashing settled, and her moan sent tingles up my spine. My dick jolted. She sucked in a breath and scrunched her nose while her soft channel sucked my cock harder.

God-fucking-dammit . I groaned as she milked me. Her faint moans filled me with euphoria I never thought I’d reach.

Sliding my hands beside her hips, I propped myself up. It became fucking difficult to breathe when she fixed her eyes on me. Exhaustion weighed my eyelids down, but I gritted my teeth.

Finally, the pressure abated at the base of my cock, and my dick popped free. A groan wrenched from my gut, and I thumped against the couch as she blinked sleepily at the ceiling. Jerking my sweats over my wet dick, I bit back a moan when they pressed the sensitive flesh down.

Reaching over, I dragged her shirt down over her breasts and pulled the blanket strewn across the back of the couch over her. Her head settled on my lap.

I cradled her, brushing hair away from her cheek. She smiled and nuzzled my thigh as the wood in the fireplace popped.

My weakness had allowed the rift between us to happen. All those years lost. When she’d gotten sick, I should have seen through the fear eating me up. How could I have stayed away from her while she wasted away in a bed?

Her blinking slowed until her eyes remained shut, and her breathing evened out. Such a sweet Runt. She wanted to help, but I refused to burden her. I didn’t want to put everything in my head into hers, hurting her in the process. She couldn’t understand the extent of the fucked-up shit going on.

She would take it onto herself while trying to make me feel better. In doing that, she would discredit the pain my actions had caused her simply because I’d suffered. But I deserved her anger, and it was unfair to force her to stifle it. At the end of the day, she’d experienced my betrayals. She’d suffered enough, and if I had to die at her hands a million times to garner her forgiveness, I would gladly take the most gruesome deaths.

Stealthy footsteps padded across the floor. Maya twitched, and I rubbed her neck to settle her.

“You must be low on energy,” Tanner commented, handing me a granola bar.

I took it and tore the wrapper with my teeth while he dropped onto the couch, bare torso bunching in his sprawl.

“Thanks,” I said after swallowing the first bite, ravenous from fucking Maya. Her feeding caused it and stuffing my face was how I replenished. Enzo was similar, while Tanner rested to garner strength. The bloodsucker needed to feed on blood, but I didn’t dwell on it. Even after finding him sucking the blood out of a bunny yesterday. Not my business.

I wasn’t sure when I’d stopped hating Tanner, but I trusted the fae with Maya’s life, and that was the clearest indication of my faith in him. Maya meant everything to me.

“Are you all right?”

Color me surprised. I never thought he’d worry about my wellbeing. We could get along and we’d defended each other from death, but caring about each other? A new development, and I couldn’t say I hated it. Knowing he hovered in the background was a comfort.

I side-eyed him. “I will be.”

“I’m just as surprised as you are about the lack of animosity I hold toward you.” He chuckled.

“She screwed things around.”

“She saved us,” Tanner corrected.

So true and in so many ways. I swallowed the last of the strawberry flavored granola bar and balled the wrapper.

“Want another?”

“Could you? I don’t want to move her.”

He stood gracefully and his phone thudded to the ground, but he didn’t pause. His quiet steps retreated, and I looked down at my girl. Her eyes moved behind her closed eyelids.

“We know you’re awake,” I commented and dragged my fingers over her forehead.

She rolled to her back and grinned up at me sleepily. The long lashes framing her deep brown eyes fluttered.

Her smile gut-punched me.

I trailed fingertips over her soft, flushed lips, pink from her habit of nibbling the flesh.

Tanner’s cell vibrated. Maya propped herself up and wiggled over to the phone on the floor. Her eyes rounded, flicking from the screen to me. “The number looks familiar.”

I angled closer, but I didn’t recognize the area code.

“Should I answer? Do you think he’ll be pissy about it?” She peeked over to where Tanner had disappeared. She needed to come to terms with the fact that anything belonging to us was hers as well, but her concern was cute.

Us . . . it had become an ‘us.’ As if the other three, including me, were a unit. Even the obnoxious vampire.

She answered and hit the speaker button. “Tanner Volkov’s phone.”

Silence.

She was about to hang up when a frail voice echoed from the other end.

“Maya?”