Time ticks further on by. It’s now Tuesday, three days till the full moon, and we still don’t know how we’re going to defeat Killian. Tate is here, and he won his fight, along with two other shifters, Dixon and Alister. During my hour with Dixon, I learned he’s an arrogant ass. No amount of persuading him was going to get him to back out of the tournament. Alister, however, was a different story. I wasn’t able to convince him to back out, but I did coerce him into a bet. He wouldn’t fight me because he heard what I did to Anson, but he did agree to a race. If I won, he would back out. If he won, I’d have to spend an extra two hours with him. We raced in front of everyone, and he lost. I’m glad I was able to save two people out of the forty-eight. Orin kept to his word and told Killian he wanted out.
Now it’s time for my hour with Tate. It feels like it’s been an eternity since I’ve touched him. I stand in the gardens, waiting not so patiently for Tate to walk out of the building.
“You sure are taking forever,” I say in his mind.
“I’m coming. I have to wait for these fuckers to walk me out. They’re talking about the women in town they’re going to fuck tonight. Killian’s taking them out to celebrate.”
“Celebrate? He hasn’t won yet.”
“True. Vilkas gets cockier the closer we get to the end.”
A few minutes later, he walks out of the building with three wolves following behind him. Once he’s halfway, they stand back, and he finishes the rest of the way by himself. I don’t care who’s around, but I throw my arms around him.
“We have an hour. What do you want to do?”
He hugs me. “I can think of plenty. Making love to you would be my first choice.”
“That would be nice.”
“I don’t know,” he says out loud since there are wolves within hearing distance. “Guess you could show me around?”
I take his arm. “I’d be happy to.” We walk around the gardens, even though he’s seen it all through my mind.
“Nice job challenging that moron to a race. You surprised everyone when you beat him.”
I tighten my hold on his arm. “That was fun. If only I could’ve spent time with the other fighters. Maybe some of them would still be alive.”
“You can’t blame yourself for that. They chose to do this.” We head around the side of the house to the front entrance. Killian and Roman walk out just as we’re about to enter.
Killian holds out a hand to Tate. “Good fight today, Grayson.”
Tate shakes his hand. “Thanks.”
Killian focuses on me. “I’m going into town for a while tonight. If you need anything, you have my number.”
The further he’s away from me, the better. “Have fun.”
He looks at Tate one more time. “Barrett and Wilson will be taking you back shortly.” They walk off, and we watch them get into his expensive Mercedes and drive down to the gate.
“Faith,” Micah calls out, his tone urgent. I turn toward the door, and he waves for us to follow him. “I need you and Tate, now.”
He runs up the stairs, and we follow him. “Micah, what’s wrong?”
When we get into my room, Colin and Tia are in there. Micah shuts the door and sighs. “There’s something you need to hear.”
The grave expressions on Tia and Colin’s faces make my stomach clench with dread. “Go on,” I say.
Tia paces my room, her face pale. “Killian finally told me his plans for the full moon.”
Tate tenses beside me, and both Colin and Micah look as if they could kill someone. “And?” I ask, barely recognizing the sound of my voice.
A tear falls down her cheek when she meets my eyes. “And he wants me to subdue you so you two can complete the bond after he wins the main fight. That way, once you’re mates, there’s nothing you can do.” It’s what I feared and refused to think about. Tia breaks down and cries. “I can’t stop myself from doing that to you, Faith. It makes me sick to think of him taking advantage of you like that.”
Tate’s rage fills the room. “We have no choice. We have to call in Laila and Cedric. Her magic is the only thing that can save us.”
Tia shakes her head. “There’s another way.” We all stare at her, and by the sorrow filtering out of her, I know I’m not going to like what she has to say. She turns to Micah and Colin. “I’ve tried breaking the link before, and the pain was excruciating. I can try again, but if it doesn’t work …” She stops mid-sentence, her lips trembling.
“If it doesn’t work, then what?” I ask.
She takes a deep breath. “Then I need someone to kill me. It’s the only way you’ll defeat Killian.”
Colin and Micah both shake their heads. “No,” I shout. “That’s not going to happen.” She paces the room faster, and I grab her shoulders to stop her. When she looks into my eyes, there’s a vulnerability in hers I’ve never seen before. I’m starting to think it’s time I trust her. “When you came in here the other night asking if Tate was my mate, you seemed to have a plan for that.”
Nodding, she wipes away her tears. “I did, but you were adamant that he’s not.” I glance over at Tate, and he nods. Tia’s eyes widen, and she huffs. “So he is, isn’t he? I had a feeling you didn’t fully trust me.”
“Can you blame me?” I counter.
She laughs sadly. “No. I would’ve done the same thing.”
Tate steps forward. “Tell us this plan. How does me being Faith’s mate help us?”
Tia’s smile widens. “You can thank your good friend, Laila, for this.” She pulls out two light blue stones from her pocket. “I’ve kept these with me just in case. I had a feeling Faith wasn’t being completely honest with me. I wanted to be prepared.” Laila was a master at using various stones for their magical properties. Tia places a stone in both Tate and Micah’s palms and closes a hand over them. With her eyes closed, she whispers a chant. When she opens her eyes, she steps back and smiles.
Colin gasps. “Holy fuck. What the hell happened?”
I look over at Tate, but instead of it being him, he looks like Micah. When I turn to my left where Micah was standing, he now appears to be Tate. Tia giggles and pulls me to her side so that I face the guys. “It’s a glamour, Faith. As long as the guys carry the stones, they’ll appear to be the other.” She takes the stone away from Tate, and instead of looking like Micah, his true self appears. The same goes for Micah. He no longer looks like Tate when he gives up the stone.
Tia turns me to face her. “Micah and Tate can switch places. There are always loopholes in magic. Micah can leave as Tate and Tate can stay here with you. They’ll just have to switch back before Tate’s next fight. That is if the guys don’t mind.”
Micah slaps a hand on Tate’s shoulder. “I’ll do it, brother. You two have been separated long enough.”
Tate gives him a side hug. “I’m in your debt.”
Colin clears his throat. “This is all nice and all, but how’s this going to help us with Vilkas? Tate will still be under your magic during the final fight.”
We all look at Tia, and she brightens. “The full moon begins at sunset and lasts until sunrise the next morning. Killian wants the fight at midnight, the peak of when shifters are the strongest.” She steps forward and takes our hands. “You may not have hours to enjoy mated bliss, but if you can complete your bond right at sunset, then you’ll have all the power you need. My magic won’t work on you because you’ll be stronger.” She smiles up at Tate. “You’ll be a royal. You can defeat Killian and put an end to all of this. I’ll get my freedom.”
“And I’ll get mine,” I murmur. “To think we almost missed out on this chance.”
Tia squeezes my hand. “It’s not over yet. We still don’t know who’s fighting against who tomorrow. If Killian wants it to be Tate, then we’re screwed. There are only four fighters left.”
Tate’s jaw clenches. “If Killian fights Dixon tomorrow, that leaves Anson for me.”
Tia lets our hands go, and I wrap my arms around Tate’s waist. “I’m sorry.”
He leans down and kisses me. “He’s the one who’ll be sorry. No one touches my mate and gets away with it.”
Two wolves approach the house, and their footsteps pound on the floor beneath us. Tia hands the stones back to Micah and Tate. I turn to the real Micah and stare into his eyes which are now Tate’s. “Thank you for this. I love you so much.”
He hugs me quickly. “You better. Stay safe.”
“I will.”
The door opens and Barrett glares at who he assumes is Tate. “Let’s go, Grayson.”
Micah winks at me and follows Barrett out the door. I hurry to the window and watch them leave through the gate. There are only two wolves on the property, but they’re on the far end where the building is.
“Where is everyone?”
Tia snorts. “In town. Killian knows you can’t go anywhere. That’s why he only has two men protecting the compound and two for the house. Plus, he knows there’s nothing romantic going on between you and Micah. He doesn’t mind you two being alone together.” She smiles and nods toward Tate who is talking to Colin. “You can always take advantage of this alone time. Especially with Barrett and Wilson taking Micah into town.”
Tate hears her, and Colin backs away to the door. “That’s my cue to leave.” Tate sets the stone on my dresser, and Micah’s body fades away.
Tia smiles at us both. “Have fun, you two.” She walks out and shuts the door behind her.
Tate’s need hits me like a ton of bricks. “We may only have a few minutes,” I say, my heart racing out of control.
His eyes flash. “That’s all we need.” He rips off his clothes, and I barely get mine off before he tosses me onto the bed. His lips lock onto mine, demanding and hot as he tastes me. I give in to him, loving the feel of him claiming me. “I want you so fucking bad right now.”
I want him too, more than I’ve wanted anything else in the world. His hands are everywhere, caressing my skin, and I do the same to him. I can’t get enough. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.” All he has to do is feel between my legs to know how much. My thighs are wet, and my body screams at me to let him inside.
A groan rumbles in his chest, and he licks his lips. Crawling up my body, he spreads my legs with his hands, his gaze on mine as he slides his tongue across my clit. Everything inside of me tightens, and I suck in a breath. He plunges in deep, breathing me in as he tastes me. My orgasm hits me from the inside out, and when my hips lift, he holds me to his face. Biting my lip to keep from screaming, I ride wave after wave of ecstasy. Tate groans and slides his tongue inside me one more time.
“You taste so fucking good. I wish I could do this every day.”
I giggle. “Trust me. I’d let you.” With his heated gaze on mine, he kisses his way up my thighs to my stomach. His hands clutch my breasts, and one after the other, he pulls my nipples between his teeth and sucks them generously—my back arches off the bed, desperate for him to suck harder.
“As you wish,” Tate says in my mind.
He gets into position and pushes his hardness inside of me while ravishing my nipples. I suck in a breath as he fills me completely, thrusting his hips gently yet deep. I never knew I could need someone as much as I needed him. His touch sends fire through my veins. Gripping me gently, he flips us over, and I’m now on top. I can feel him stretching me, the ache of it so blissfully erotic.
Pulling me down to him, he sucks a nipple between his teeth and groans as I ride him hard. His hands clench my waist, and he moves me faster. Everything builds up inside me, and I hold back my scream as he too is milked to completion, his cock pulsating as he spills his warmth inside me.
Tate grabs my face and kisses me. “Holy fuck, that felt good. I needed it.”
“So did I.”
A car rumbles in the distance, signaling our time is up. Tate holds me in his arms for another minute before sliding off the bed and throwing on his clothes. “I love you, Faith.”
He grabs the stone and his appearance shifts to Micah. “I love you too,” I whisper. He hurries out the door, and I close my eyes. We have a plan, but we don’t know if it’ll work yet. Our fate will be decided tomorrow.