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“The madness of love is the greatest of
heaven’s blessings.”
-Plato-
LUCREZIA
It’s easy enough to find Dom’s pickup truck parked in the filthy parking lot. Harder, however, to find the keys while trying to keep him standing up. “How much alcohol did you consume, anyway?”
Considering the past times I saw him drink, it must have been a lot to incapacitate him so. And let me tell you, trying to get him in the car while drunk is a workout in itself.
After a few attempts, I buckle Dom in the passenger seat, and hop behind the wheel. The entire drive, I feel his stare is on me, as vivid as his touch, yet he doesn't say anything.
It’s with a sigh of relief that I park in front of my building and turn off the engine. I rest my head against the wheel for a second, running through the night’s events in my head.
“Dom...” I glance up, so many things on the tip of tongue, but choke on them when I see his expression.
In the semi-darkness, his features are taut, his gaze intense with a hunger that pulls at me—because it’s also within me, and it’s clouding my judgment.
Without a word, Dom unbuckles both our seatbelts and pulls me into his lap. This close, I notice his clear eyes, no longer glazed by the drink. My frown must show my surprise, as he shrugs.
“Werewolf perks.” His voice is not what I’m used to, like he’s trying to rein himself in. Then his nostrils flare, and his entire body underneath mine grows taut with tension. “Lucas' scent is on you—”
I kiss him before he can finish, putting everything I can in that. His hand at my neck draws me closer, and he takes over the kiss. I’m so out of my depth in this, but his every touch feels right, and I want him.
Panting, I pull back and rest my forehead against his. “Lucas was trying to salvage his ego. I was clear about whom I love. Dom... You’re my first choice, always. Alpha or no alpha, I couldn’t care less. I love you.”
He runs his knuckles down my cheek, then pulls my mouth to his. “Good. Because I’ve loved you since I laid eyes on you that first day... And tonight, I want to show you in every possible way. It will also mean I’m claiming you as my mate. So if you have any objections, now’s the time, draga mea.”
I look him in the eyes, shaking my head. “No objections. I’m yours.”
He growls and takes my mouth with his. For long, epic moments, his lips are the only anchor in the ocean of sensations I’m drowning in. Then I feel cold air on me and realize somehow Dom opened the car door and has extracted both of us, kicking it closed behind us.
I wrap my legs around him, allowing him to carry me upstairs. “Dom, the car—”
His kiss stops me, but he shifts around until two beeps break the silence of the night. I relax back in his embrace, but his chuckles distract me.
“What?”
He moves quickly, because within seconds we’re at the top of the stairs. I’m pinned between him and the wall, two steps away from my apartment, and he’s busy laughing in the crook of my shoulder. “I can’t believe you interrupted this to make sure my car doesn’t get stolen.”
“Oh.” My cheeks warm up and he lifts his head to kiss the tip of my nose.
Then his mouth moves back to mine, and I hear a click behind us. Dom kicks open the door to the apartment and moves us in.
Dominic
If heaven exists, it must start with what I’m feeling because I could die a happy man. If Luz thinks I’m about to speed things up, she’s dead wrong. I’ve waited a year to touch her like this, and there’s no way tonight will go any other way than slow—torturously slow, for both of us.
I take my time kissing her by the entrance, her cute butt perched atop the coffee table near the door. My hands roam down her sides, taking off her jacket and sweater until she’s only got on her tank top and jeans.
Satisfied with her level of undress, I settle back to enjoy her lips. But it’s not long before both my wolf and Luz demand more—much more.
Her deft arms grab unto my belt, trying to unbuckle it. When that doesn’t work, she runs her hands under my shirt, trying to peel it off me. I pull back with a chuckle, meeting her darkened emerald gaze.
“In a hurry?”
“Yes!” The answer is more of a growl, and her brow furrows as she focuses on getting me naked.
I help by taking my shirt off, and her hands roam everywhere—my chest, my abs, then move to my back, raking her nails. I hiss, and Luz draws back with wide eyes. “Did I hurt you?”
“Hell, no.” I claim her mouth again, picking her up in my arms without releasing her lips. We head towards the bedroom this time, dismissing the comfortable-looking couch.
Luz clings to my shoulders, peppering every inch of skin she can get to with light kisses, and I groan. Dropping her to the bed gently is a feat, especially when my wolf pushes for a more direct approach. But I push back, unwavering in my resolution to take my time.
I move us both in a position where Luz is straddling me, which means I have access to everything. My lips move from her lips down her neck, before I drop lower and kiss along her collarbone, venturing as far as the top of her breasts.
Luz moans against me, pressing her hips down into mine with enough urgency to make me catch fire. It's a good thing I’m fireproof—I think.
My hands slip under her thin top, taking it off and the bra that goes with it. Then she’s there in all her glorious semi-naked beauty and I can’t help but slow down my pace again. I kiss every inch of skin I can get my mouth on, ignoring her mewls of protest at my pace.
When I latch onto a nipple, Luz gives the most delighted gasp—so I do it again, and again, until she’s writhing and moaning and begging me for things she doesn’t understand.
I move us so her back lands on the bed. Never interrupting contact with her skin, I trail lower, taking my time with her waist and belly button as I undo her jeans. I peel them off along with her panties, taking a deep breath of her arousal.
“Dom... Please...”
I know what she’s asking, but it’s too early. “Not yet, iubirea mea. Not quite yet.” She hits the covers in frustration, and I chuckle as I kiss my way up from one ankle to her thigh, and do the same thing with the other leg.
Once I reach the apex of her thighs, Luz is sobbing with need. I part her folds with my fingers first, then my tongue, and heavens she tastes like the sweetest of nectars. But what’s even sweeter is the glorious sounds she makes, and the way she lets go, trusting me implicitly.
Only when I’ve brought her to the stars and back more than once, do I give in and pull a condom from my jeans pocket, the slide it on. Luz parts her legs, biting her lip as she meets my gaze. “Please.”
I nudge her slightly, pushing in one inch at a time. With it being her first time, the last thing I want is to hurt her—though I know it’s impossible not to. When I reach the last of her barriers, I stop and hoist myself on my elbows.
“We can stop if you want to, you've only to say the word.”
Luz bites harder on her lip, shaking her head. Before I can do anything, she arches her back and pushes her hips towards me—and cries out. I’m buried to the hilt, deep enough I can feel her every tremor.
I don’t move, watching her face for the tell-tale sign to go ahead. At first, she’s still biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, and I stop her with a kiss. My mouth nibbles and sucks on hers, teasing her, until she sighs in my mouth.
My hands focus on her breasts, massaging them and trailing light kisses on her nipples. Luz’s sighs become moans, and soon enough she’s moving against me of her own volition.
When I pull back from the kiss this time, she’s smiling, nodding her head. “Please. Keep going.”
I pull back, gritting my teeth and cording my muscles, feeling like I’m about to snap. She’s so tight against me, it’s all I can do to take things slow, but she deserves every moment of torture it costs me—and then some.
When her nails rake my back again, tugging on me, and begging me to go faster, only then do I let myself increase my pace and plunge deeper, until we both break on the cliffs of ecstasy.
Lucrezia
I can’t sleep, my mind going haywire over what we shared. Dom’s drawing lazy circles on my back, causing delicious shivers to run up and down my spine. Low in my belly, desire stirs anew and I shift.
Dom stops his ministrations, chuckling. “Ready for more already?”
I peek at him, nibbling on my lip. “Maybe.”
His eyes flare dark and one hand rises to cup my cheek. “Much as I want to take you up on that—and trust me, I do—it might be a good idea to let your body rest.”
I know I’m pouting by the way he laughs, his entire chest rumbling with it. It’s such a change from the man I dragged out of the bar and it fills me with female power.
Dom shifts so I’m sprawled even more over him, and plays with my hair. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”
“Many things. But mainly, I have this weird urge to be honest with you.”
When I meet his gaze, it’s not surprised. “I claimed you, Luz. And since wolves mate for life, that’s the purest form of commitment you can get into, stronger than any bonds of human marriage. There’s no glowing light or singing angels, but I think it’s normal a part of you feels the purity of what we just shared, hence the honesty.”
It makes sense, on a bizarre level. “Well then, to answer your question, my head was recalling the bar, and picking you up from there. And I was thinking how much of a difference there’s in you now.”
I search his gaze, sensing his body tense underneath mine. “What happened, Dom? Why were you there?”
He sighs, running his free hand—the one not on my back—over his face. “When Lucas kicked me out of the pack, it broke the connection I had with them. You have to understand that being part of something like that, it’s... It’s big. Especially for someone like me, who lost his link to wolves when I was so young.”
My heart clenches for him, but I don’t want to interrupt. So instead I wrap my arm around his waist and set my chin on his chest, giving him my full undivided attention.
“At first, I wanted to go after the creatures, or find something to sink my teeth into—a fight, preferably. But then my feet carried me there, and I didn’t move. It’s the type of place that lets you fall into oblivion.”
“I noticed.” My tone was meant to be neutral, Dom picks up something in it and his gaze returns to my face.
“Luz, I touched no one there, you have to believe me. Hell if I know how that girl got near me.”
I wave my hand, dismissing the thought of her. “Don't worry, I get it.”
Dom seems relieved, but a slight frown creases his brow. “How did you find me, anyway? The guys couldn’t have known where I was, disconnected as we were.”
“Yeah, about that...” I shift, biting my lip. Before I have time to finish, my buzzer rings—repeatedly.
Dom scowls at the door. “Expecting someone?”
“Not really...” But I slide out of bed anyway and pull on my robe. His eyes follow my every movement, his heated gaze making me blush.
Then the buzzer breaks the moment and I huff. “Something better be on fire, somewhere.” Dom’s laugh follows me into the hallway and back to my front door. To my annoyance, the buzzer stops ringing as I near it.
I’m about to return to the bedroom when loud, insistent banging starts on my front door. I tiptoe to it, peek through the peephole, and sigh.
“Seriously?” I open the door, having a faint idea what this is about. Tristan and Finn are gracing my doorstep, both appearing flustered—and relieved at finding me.
Their eyes grow wide as saucers when they notice what I’m wearing. I feel the tell-tale sign of a flush on my cheeks, but refuse to back down. “What’s so damn urgent?”
They share a look, and Finn says, “We wanted to make sure you were all right. After the way you left...”
“And the guy you left with!” I scowl at Tristan’s interruption, but heat behind me interrupts the verbal lashing I was about to give him.
“What guy?”
Dom opens the door wider, at the same time throwing an arm around my waist and pulling me to his side. I warn Tristan to behave with a glare—which he ignores.
“Hummer guy.”
I roll my eyes at Tristan. “His name is Tytus, and he was more help than you two.”
“You took off before we returned!”
“You were about to get in a pissing match with Lucas. Do you honestly think I wanted to waste time waiting when I could be out there, finding Dom?”
Tristan falls silent at that, and I realize Dom has been just as quiet, listening to the entire exchange. Recalling his mention of honesty from earlier, I glance up at him.
“When I went looking for you, Finn’s car ran out of gas. I was in the middle of nowhere with no cellphone battery, so I got out and walked to the closest intersection. A small cluster of wolves tried to start something, and I fought them off. This guy Tytus showed up and called them off.”
Dom’s expression is unreadable, but at least he’s not throwing a tantrum like Tristan. “Called them off? How?”
I shrug. “Beats me. He told them to leave, and they did.”
“Then he’s a wolf.” He glances to Tristan and Finn for confirmation, but they shake their heads.
“He’s not, amigo. Finn won’t say what he is, and I can’t place the smell, but he’s neither human nor wolf.”
“I see...” Dom’s gaze darts between them. “Well, I’m assuming you both came here to see if Luz is alright?” When they nod, he says, “As you can see, she’s fine. And we have some catching up to do.”
Finn coughs into his palm to hide a smile, but Tristan’s nowhere near that subtle. “About damn time!”
Dom shakes his head, moving me back inside. He’s closing the door when Tristan puts a hand on it. “Hold up. What Lucas did... You need to know, we didn’t vote on it. He didn’t run it by us.”
Finn nods. “And we don’t support it, and have told him as much.”
“Thank you.” Dom pats them on the back one at a time. “I’ll let you know if I get anything useful on those creatures. And... You can tell Lucas I’m still in town. I don’t need you lying to your alpha for me.”
With that, he shuts the door all the way and faces me. Something in his expression shifts, and his hands come to rest on my hips. “This guy Tytus. Did he try anything?”
“Nope, he was a perfect gentleman. Almost old-school.” I hesitate for a second, then shrug. “He’s the one that showed me where you were.”
“And how did he know it was me?”
“Said he caught your scent on me.”
Dom’s nostrils flare, then he pulls me closer. His mouth moves to my cheek, my ear, kissing all the way down to my shoulder. “If you see him again...”
I gasp when he nibbles on the sensitive skin, my body arching towards his. There’s an aching need inside me, and I can no longer control it. “I’ll tell you. I promise.”
His mouth cuts off any further comments, and talk of Tytus is forgotten.
Dominic
I wake up with a start, breathing heavily. Next to me, Luz mutters and shifts on the bed, draping her body over mine.
My eyes move to the hallway where a faint light shines. I recognize the glow enough to call out. “Ileana?”
Luz stirs against me, blinking. When she lifts her head and her gaze lands on my godmother in our bedroom, her jaw goes slack.
“Lucrezia, meet my godmother, Ileana.”
The immortal waves from afar, a soft smile on her lips. “It is a pleasure.”
Luz pulls the blanket to her chin, blushing three shades of crimson. “The pleasure is all mine.” She glances at me, her expression questioning.
“Remember when you told me my great-grandfather was forgiven by the Church?” When she nods, I jerk my head towards Ileana. “She made it happen with her white magic. And she’s been a benefactor for my family ever since.”
Luz sits up straighter, making sure the blanket still covers her. “So you were around during Dom’s childhood?”
Ileana inclines her head, stepping closer to the bed. “I was, though he could not see me. When his parents died in that horrible house fire, I made sure he was placed with a good family. Knowing he was safe and hidden from his vrykolakas relatives, I focused my energy on keeping an eye on them, and lost track of him.”
Before Luz can follow the same train of thought Finn did, I intervene. “Ileana followed Radu, my cousin, across the ocean, and that’s how she ended up back here. She feels guilty over not being able to save all their souls, and hopes I might be able to change that.”
“By taking over as their alpha?”
Surprise must show on my face at her question, as Luz chuckles softly. “You forget I went all the way to New York to get this information. I can draw my own conclusions.”
Humbled by all she’s done for me, I kiss her forehead and squeeze her against my chest. Everything else I want to say will have to wait until later, because there’s no way in hell my godmother is here just for kicks.
So I turn to Ileana, frowning. “What is it?”
“Your cousin grows restless. They need more kills to feed the habit, Dominic. If you ever plan to take my advice, now is the time. Not later.”
“I’ll do it. I have no alpha to answer to, so nothing stands in my way now.”
Ileana glances between me and Luz. “You should take your mate with you.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Hey!”
Luz shifts again, and I can sense her agitation. But I tighten my arm around her waist instead, immobilizing her. “I don’t want her in danger.”
Ileana moves closer to the bed, her eyes saddened. “Her love grounds you. When you meet your brethren, they will want to turn you. Tonight is a full moon, and you will be at your most vulnerable. Heed my words, godson.”
With the cryptic words, she disappears before we can ask anything else. Luz breaks out of my hold and gets to a kneeling position on the bed, wrapping the covers around her.
“What did Ileana mean, about a full moon making you vulnerable?”
I sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. “Remember that old legend I told you about how the vârcolacs eat the moon and that’s why it’s bloody?”
“Yeah... You also mentioned something about how a full moon makes you faster.” Her green eyes shine with confusion, trying to see where I’m going with my evasive answer.
“True, I can run at three times my regular speed. But it also makes my concentration less than optimal, and my ability to heal is impaired. Most importantly, it emphasizes the primal part of me, making it easier for my wolf to rule me.”
Luz completely ignores that last part, focusing instead on the hurting part. “So a regular morphing back to human won’t fix you, if you get bad wounds?”
I shake my head, watching her closely. “Not until the full moon is completely gone.” Which, we both know, could take a few days.
Luz is silent as she absorbs the knowledge, but what she ends up saying is nowhere close to what I’m expecting. “I want to come with you.”
“You don’t even know what this is about.”
Her emerald eyes sparkle, and not with amusement. I know she wants to help, but if anything happens to her...
As if reading my thoughts, Luz’s expression softens. “I’ll be careful and listen to what you tell me, I promise. But please let me come.”
In a weak moment, I nod, praying to all the gods I don’t live to regret it.
∞ ♦ ∞
The forest is quiet, except for their constant howls. Me and Luz move as a unit, silent, and I keep my human form for ease of communication. Her hand is warm in mine, and despite my worry over her well-being, something in me says this was the right decision.
When we pass through the area we were last attacked in, she wrinkles her nose at the dead bodies. Their rotting scent fills the air and we quicken our pace through it, on the way to the cave.
“It’s weird, but I feel bad for them.”
Her whisper reaches me and I nod in agreement. “They didn’t deserve the atrocious ending. Which is why I was afraid to bring you.”
My grip tightens on her as we cross the river, keeping to the unbroken ice this time. Luz squeezes my hand in reassurance once we're over.
“I’ll be fine.” She flashes me the army knife I gave her in the car. “Armed and ready.”
I snort at her poor attempt of a joke. We bend under the last of the branches and emerge in the area Aiden was killed. Radu must have dragged his body elsewhere, a small blessing that keeps the air only semi-clear. The cave is below us, and I point it to Luz.
“That’s where I need to go.”
She nods, biting her lip. I had intended to scope out the territory, but a voice at the back of my head tells me that won’t be possible.
“Welcome back, cousin. Returned to join us so soon?”
I whirl around, as does Luz at my abrupt movement. Our eyes fall on Radu, only a few feet away. And this time, he’s not alone.