Even after multiple searches, there had been no sign of Net, the shadowy woman from the forest, but Lily knew what she’d seen and heard. On a more positive note, the fields they toured days before had miraculously regenerated and the seedlings were growing strong. No one seemed to be able to explain why, but nobody was complaining either.
When she’d woken up the morning after her trip into the forest, Lily had felt fine. No indication of any lasting effects, and she was back to normal, making her wonder if all the hard work and stress were the causes of her random nap and not something more sinister. Either way, that knowledge did nothing to calm her mate or her returning bodyguard.
The new signs of life in their fields had slightly boosted the morale of the pack. She would take it. Any positive sign for these desperate people was always welcome.
Lily hissed as she skinned her knuckle for the second time.
“I should be the one fixing this,” Chris protested from somewhere below her. “If you fall, I’m a dead man.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t intend on falling,” Lily hollered down as she walked along the peak of the main house’s roof.
She’d had the satellite give out almost a half a dozen times while she was busy working through the books and balancing accounts. Someone had mentioned the satellite was loose, but as of yet no one had gone up to fix it. That’s where she came in.
“Even if I fall, I’m a shifter and not that far up. There’ll be minimal damage.”
“Yeah, minimal damage, that’s what I’m going to tell Jensgar when he wraps his hands around my throat,” Chris huffed as he began pacing back and forth on the back deck. Lily had to admit she liked the man—he was a good warrior and friend to Marcus—but he really needed to lighten up a little. Considering she’d jumped from higher while in her wolf form Lily doubted there was any need to worry.
As she neared the satellite attached to the roof, Lily pulled the adjustable wrench from her back pocket. With a few turns, the bolts were tightened, and she was making her way back to the ladder, victorious.
She had a stack of paperwork to get through before supper while Jensgar was out checking on their latest delivery of supplies. Lily understood why the pack members didn’t warm to the idea of depending on others to survive. However, now there really was no other choice.
She turned and started down the ladder when she heard a deep growl that made her consider climbing right back up onto the roof.
“Good afternoon, love.” Busted.
Lily continued down until both of her feet were again on solid ground before turning around. Her mate’s expression was unreadable but his emotions ranged between concern and amusement.
“You’re back early. Did you find a problem with the deliveries?” That’s it…steer the conversation away from the ladder. Of course, Chris was of no help as he stood silently a few feet further away than he had been moments earlier.
“No, no the deliveries were fine. I wanted to bring the paperwork up to you,” Jensgar explained as he raised a stack of paper he was holding in his left hand. “Everything okay here?”
Lily removed the wrench from her back pocket and smiled sheepishly. “Yep, all fixed.”
His chocolate brown eyes sparkled in the sunlight as he held out his hand for her to take. “Good. Care to join me for lunch?”
She couldn’t help but smile as she readily took his hand and they began walking back inside the house. She handed Chris the wrench on her way by. Lily could feel that her mate wasn’t angry that she’d risked herself to go on to the roof and she wondered why.
The moment their office door closed behind them, Lily had to know. “Why aren’t you mad? You’re freaking me out here.” The click of the door lock brought up all kinds of new questions.
Jensgar set the papers down and turned to face her. The hunger in his eyes was unmistakable. “I’m not mad. You would not have been hurt falling two stories with our shifter strength.”
“Then why the growl?” Lily asked as she backed up into the desk. He was stalking her, and Lily’s wolf rose in excitement. She ran her tongue along the sharp edges of her canines making her mate growl once again.
“Because Chris was directly beneath you staring up at that gorgeous, jean-covered backside of yours.”
“He was making sure if I fell that he caught me. Something about you strangling him if anything happened to me.”
“Smart man.” Jensgar didn’t even bother to deny the fact. “Still, no one needs to be looking that intently.”
“You’re jealous.” Lily laughed as she wrapped her arms around Jensgar’s thick neck.
“Not jealous,” he denied like a petulant child, complete with the jutting chin.
“Baby, you have to know there’s no one else for me. You’ve been in my dreams since the moment I met you back at the Omega Celebration. Even after I had to leave you behind, I knew there would be no one else because you had my heart.”
“I should have never let you go.” Jensgar growled low before kissing his way down her neck until he reached the mark left by his mating bite. “Mine.”
Lilly gasped when he began licking and sucking the mark until her body began to shake. Waves of pleasure ebbed and flowed through her body until her legs gave out and Jensgar easily lifted her on top of the large oak desk. Luckily, there wasn’t much on it, and she really didn’t care what fell to the floor.
She heard fabric tearing and realized it was her pulling at her mate’s shirt, desperate to feel his warm skin against the palms of her hands. Jensgar took the hint and quickly stripped off his clothes and helped Lily out of hers. His hot, wet tongue travelled over her quivering body, leaving goose bumps and fire in his wake until she was reduced to moaning.
One moment she was lying on her back on top of the desk, the next, papers were flying as she was lifted and spun. She found herself on top of Jensgar who was now lying on the desk underneath her.
“Well, well, now I have you just where I wanted you,” Lily taunted before running one of her extended canines over his peaked nipple, causing Jensgar’s back to bow up off the desk. She latched onto her mating bite on his chest.
His moans drove her on but soon Jensgar’s large hands took hold of her hips and raised her up over his hard cock. “Put me inside you, mate. I need to feel our bodies joined together.”
Lily reached down between her legs and lined the head of his cock up to her core. With care, he lowered her until she impaled herself on him. The feeling of peace washed over her as it always did when they made love, the undeniable knowledge that their souls were joined.
She braced her hands on his chest before rising up and making her mate groan. “Yes, mate, love on me. Give me your passion.” At his sultry words, Lily did as asked.
She slid her body up and down while tracing the mating bite on his chest with her claw. Soon she was lost in a world of sensation as his nails dug into her hips with every thrust. The ecstasy combined with that small bite of pain set off an orgasm that exploded from her core out to every tip of her body.
Jensgar had taken over as she watched the play of emotions and raw need wash over his face. His lengthened canines bit into his bottom lip and she used the tip of her index finger to wipe the small amount of blood from his chin before bringing it to her mouth to taste his essence.
His eyes shone with the iridescence of his wolf moments before she was lifted once again, this time ending with her back pressed against the office wall and her legs wrapped around his waist. Jensgar’s deep growl vibrated through her body as he drove in and out of her. Lily had never felt so out of control, so needy, so loved, and a second orgasm swept through her body, only this time she took her mate with her.
Lily felt her mate pulse inside her before he howled his release. Heavy breathing was the only sound in the room as they both fought to slow their racing hearts. After a few minutes, Jensgar carried her over to the nearby couch and carefully lay down with her safely tucked in his arms. Exactly where she wanted to be for the rest of her life.
There was no need for words. They were deeply rooted in each other’s hearts.
***
Lily took a shortcut behind a few of the businesses on Main Street with Chris dutifully following along. She spent the morning at the school sorting out what upgrades needed to be made, as well as spending time with the youngest members of her pack. She’d received a call telling her that they had a visitor. Apparently, Ceva had teleported in, scaring more than one member of the pack. Lily couldn’t help but smile. She loved Ceva.
She felt the pull seconds before the shadow from the forest appeared before them on the path. Chris pushed a button on his walkie-talkie as he came to stand in front of her, his sword raised—they were dealing with something bullets would simply float through. Typically, the same would be true for a sword, except each of the warriors’ swords had been blessed by a white witch, enabling them to fight against anything otherworldly. This definitely applied to the “thing” floating before them.
Hello again, Lily.
“Tell me you heard that,” Chris growled without taking his eyes off the shadow.
“You’re not crazy. This is Net, the ‘woman’ I met in the forest the other day,” Lily replied before the area around them exploded with warriors, Jensgar and Ceva blocking Net’s path.
Well, this won’t do, Net said seconds before a bright light blinded Lily. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer standing behind Chris, or even still on the path. Lily was back in her bedroom. “How the hell…”
Oh, you’re nowhere near hell…yet.
“Is that a threat?”
More like a distinct possibility.
“Shit.”
***
A primal roar ripped out of Jensgar’s throat as his mate disappeared into thin air. “Find her!” His warriors scattered in search of his missing mate and he looked down at Ceva in question.
“No, I don’t know who this Net is, but I intend to find out.”
“What good is that to us now that she has my mate? How do we find her?” Jensgar’s heart was racing as he fought his panic to come up with a plan. A shadow had disappeared with Lily. Where was he supposed to start looking?
Ceva turned to him, her black wings folded close to her sides. “You should be able to sense her as Lily’s mate.”
“Lily can sense me and my emotions but I’ve never been able to do the same with her.” Was he screwing their mating up somehow?
The white witch studied him with her piercing golden eyes but he refused to flinch under the scrutiny. Jensgar had lost count of how many times he had come close to death fighting in battles all over these lands. He never flinched, except at the thought of losing Lily.
“You’re still holding onto your guilt.” It wasn’t a question.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jensgar turned and walked to his truck. “Can’t you sense her with all your powers?” He couldn’t simply stand here. He had to find his mate.
“Don’t you think I’ve already tried? Someone is blocking their location. However, nothing can stop the bonds between mates.”
Jensgar reached for the door handle of his truck when the six-thousand-pound vehicle vanished. “Ceva, where the hell is my truck? I have to find Lily.”
“You’ll never be able to sense her until you let this guilt go.”
“This is not the time to become a shrink.” He could feel his wolf clawing at his insides to be set free.
“You can never fully bond with her because part of you still believes that everything that happened to Lily is your fault.” Ceva was a pain in his ass.
Jensgar had enough of this game. “I should feel guilty for what happened. The pain I caused her. There, happy?”
“Not hardly, but it’s a start,” Ceva shot back. “Lily made her own choices whether you want to see that or not. Yes, you should have snatched her up the first time she told you she wanted you as her mate, but after that, her decisions were her own. In case you haven’t noticed, your mate is a strong-willed woman.”
“I love that about her.” Jensgar was quick to defend his mate. Lily was everything that was right with the world and he wouldn’t allow anyone to say less.
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing, but it was her choice to retreat to her wolf form and stay out in the forests around Black Ridge. Her choice to go for a walk alone that night when she ran into that crazed alpha, and again, it was her choice to sacrifice herself and her abilities.”
“I’m the one who got the whole messed-up ball rolling with my refusal.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Ceva replied cryptically, but continued before he had a chance to question her as to what she meant. “Do you think Lily wants you to hold onto this guilt?”
Jensgar knew Lily wouldn’t and she’d probably kick his ass if she knew. Was he compromising their bond by holding onto the guilt? He concentrated on his amazing mate while fighting back any thoughts of the past. He focused in on their future, their life together and all that was to come.
He felt Ceva’s hand on his shoulder. When had he closed his eyes? Then the lightest of touches to his mind tickled, only a little at first, making him push even harder. He threw all his second-guessing and doubts about not being good enough for Lily aside, until he felt the dam break and Lily pour into his subconscious.
Fears, anger, all hers, flooded him as he tried to pinpoint her location. “I’ve got her.”
Ceva touched his arm and ordered, “Show me.”
Immediately the world began swirling around them.