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  The hand at her hip released. Then the one at her back.

  She lay there, gasping, a tear winding down her face. Only his mouth and his cock held her in place.

  She still couldn’t move.

  Her heart beat several times, and silence echoed around the cabin. One gentle hand caressed down her spine. She relaxed into the bed, accepting him.

  The second she did, he grabbed her hip again and started to pound. His teeth remained in place. White hot lights flashed across her vision, and she exploded, the world going black for a moment. He increased his thrusts and ground against her with a powerful orgasm.

  The canines retracted, and he gave a lazy swipe of his tongue, healing the wound. He withdrew, flipped her over, and shoved back inside her. “We’re just getting started.”

  Chapter 17

  Bear rolled his hips, trying to get even deeper inside this stunning woman. The witch. His mate.

  The taste of her blood was still in his mouth, still driving him to take and tame. She looked up at him, her blue gaze shocked. Never in his life would he have believed what she’d unleashed in him.

  But they weren’t done. Not yet.

  He smoothed damp hair away from her lovely features. Moving inside her, going deep, he felt his entire world settle. For a century, he’d been alone. Sure, he had friends, brothers he’d claimed as his own. And he’d had two siblings across the world.

  But this bond was different. There was only one mate—and his had her hands on his biceps. Her nails cut in, and the slight pain drove his hunger higher. Would he ever get enough of her? “I’ll never let anything hurt you,” he vowed, caught up.

  Denial chased surprise across her face.

  Oh yeah. Independence and all that. She didn’t get it, and that was okay. But he’d never let anything harm her again. The need to protect lived in him, somewhere too deep to define, and he’d never fought it. He had no intention of doing so now. So when she opened her mouth to argue, to remind him this was an arranged mating, he covered her lips with his.

  Her taste was even better than her smell. Her lush lips curved under his, accepting him. She moaned low, her hips arching up into his.

  She’d searched him out for an arrangement, but he no longer cared about agreements. He wanted more from her. All of her passion—her dreams and fears. Everything.

  He let her pull back to breathe, and her lips were red and wet from his. The woman was addictive.

  “More,” she whispered, her ankles locking at his back.

  “Give me all of you,” he murmured back, his voice soft but his gaze direct.

  Her pupils dilated and she gave a short nod. Yeah. She got him. There was no question what she had to do next. “Where?” she asked, her neck stretching as he hammered harder inside her, those soft hands caressing him everywhere.

  His balls sparked and electricity burned down his spine. “Your choice.” If he was gonna carry a witch’s mark, she could choose where to put it.

  She licked her lips, inevitability in her gaze. It was way too late for either of them to turn back.

  At the thought, he increased the speed of his thrusts. Her eyes widened, and she stiffened, biting her lip as the orgasm took her. Her delicate inner muscles squeezed him, rippling along his cock, sending him into paradise.

  A piercing pain burned along his back and he jerked, coming harder as raw pleasure pierced him. The orgasm rung him out and took everything he had. He settled against her, careful not to crush her, his heart pounding harder than if he’d been in battle. “Are you all right?” he managed to gasp out, running a knuckle down her cheek.

  Her gaze dropped to his neck. “You’re a mite heavy.” Her tone was . . . bemused.

  So he wasn’t the only one feeling completely overwhelmed. Good. He rolled to his side and pulled her to face him, grabbing blankets to spread over them both. “I asked you a question.” He lifted her chin with two fingers. They might as well get a few things straight right now. “If you don’t want to answer something, tell me. But there will be no hiding or evading. Definitely no lying.” He had no clue where they were gonna end up, but some things were absolute.

  She gingerly touched her bright red shoulder. “What is up with you and no lying? You’re a fanatic about it.”

  He leaned in and rubbed his nose against hers. “I don’t like subterfuge.” His father, the asshole, had been full of lies and deception—when he wasn’t kicking the shit out of Bear. “There’s no need.”

  She winced and rolled the same shoulder. “I work in the Coven government, Bear. My life is full of confidential information.”

  “That’s fine. Your professional life can be all about secrets and lies.” He pushed her hand away to examine the wound he’d left on her. “But in our life, this life, we use the truth. All of it.”

  She scoffed. “You trust me? Really?”

  He paused. Did he trust her? He’d just mated her. Would he really mate a woman he didn’t trust? They had too much to learn about each other still. Good thing they were immortal. “I’m choosing not to answer that question because I’m not sure what to say at the moment. Other than, heal that shoulder. Now.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You don’t get to become all bossy now.” Tingles cascaded from her as she sent healing cells to the wound.

  “I’m the alpha, Ness. I am the boss.” It didn’t hurt to remind her. “Can you heal yourself faster because of your gift?”

  “No. Not faster.” Her skin regained a healthy color and lost the swelling. But his mark, that strong bite, remained in place for all to see.

  She glanced down. “You marked my entire shoulder.”

  Yeah. His bite was visible from her front and her back. Satisfaction filtered through him along with a powerful sense of possession. His mark. Her body. Yes. Though he hadn’t been the only one to brand tonight. He looked over his shoulder but couldn’t see her marking. It still burned, but he chose not to send healing cells to the area.

  The burn felt right.

  She snuggled sleepily against him, her eyelids closing. “We broke your bed.”

  Probably wouldn’t be the last time. “Go to sleep. We’ll figure things out tomorrow.” The wind rustled against the cabin as the night descended.

  She nodded, her hair brushing his shoulder like fine silk. “I have to go to LA tomorrow.” Then she dropped into sleep, her body relaxing completely.

  He pulled the blanket up to her neck and studied her. Long black lashes lay against her pale skin, hiding those spectacular eyes. Her hair was a wild mess over her slim shoulders. He reached out and ran his finger across the bite.

  She shifted and mumbled something, her legs moving beneath the blankets, one hand clutching the material up by her neck.

  He touched her fingernails and slim fingers. So small, so feminine. Yet the woman could punch.

  What was he going to do with her? So far, a known enemy wanted her kidnapped, and an unknown threat wanted her dead. All of that had been brought to his attention just during the last few days.

  How many times would he need to protect her in a whole month?

  He sighed and tugged on a wayward curl. It was time to start training his people again, and they needed to increase their numbers. With shifters only. His eyes closed, and he tried to feel his internal injuries. A healing balm was already spreading, and his constant pain had quieted. He stretched; now he could send his own healing cells throughout his body to start repairing damage. The mating, for him, was already a success.

  What about her? He might not have given her the gift of fire. If he hadn’t, he’d make sure he kept her safe, whether she liked it or not.

  After he was certain she was asleep, he slid from the bed and made his way to the small bathroom beyond the fireplace. Curiosity held him while he shut the door and tugged the string for the light. The small room lit up. He moved toward the mirror above the sink and turned, surveying his back.

  The dragon he’d had tattooed there faced to the side so its ta
lons could wrap around his shoulder and bicep. The tail was long and its scales appeared razor-sharp. The creature had bright eyes in a narrow face. Right in the middle of the dark beast now glowed a perfect Celtic knot with sharply delicate lines.

  “I’ll be damned,” he murmured. She’d marked the dragon right where its heart would be.

  Exactly.

  * * *

  Nessa fought the urge to rub her branded shoulder as she typed rapidly on the keyboard, canceling her flight. While her shoulder no longer hurt, the whole thing tingled as a reminder.

  She’d mated Bear.

  He’d barely spoken to her this morning before escorting her to the office and telling her to cancel her ticket. Then he’d said he’d be right back, before disappearing toward the main rec room of the headquarters. That had been an hour ago.

  She punched up a series of codes, and soon Jasper came into view.

  “Any news?” she asked, her stomach churning. Was her uncle all right? He had to be.

  Her friend shook his head. “We know nothing. Our only lead to Boondock is you. Are you sure you don’t want me to send backup to Los Angeles? You shouldn’t be going on your own.”

  Her uncle had to be all right. “I doubt I’ll be alone.” Looking around, she tugged down her shirt to show him the bite.

  Jasper gasped and sat back. “You did it. You really did it.” His eyes widened. “The idea was crazy, and I thought you’d change your mind. Are you all right? He’s a shifter.”

  She swallowed. “Remember when you had that weekend with the twin demonesses in Antigua a decade ago?”

  Jasper’s eyes widened. “Those females almost killed me. But it was worth it.” He grinned.

  “It was like that times a billion.” She tried to smile, but it was all just so overwhelming. “It’s hard to explain.”

  Jasper rubbed his mouth. “So what now? After you save Boon, you’re going to stay in the wilds and have a bunch of bear-witch babies?”

  She sat up straighter. “Of course not.” The idea of a baby warmed right through her belly, and she banished the sensation. “I have a job to do, and I’m damn good at it.” It was also a job that required a lot of travel, and she didn’t see Bear just trooping along all the time. “I said this was a mating of convenience, and I meant it.” But that was before she’d spent two nights with the shifter. Leaving him would hurt. Maybe. Why couldn’t she trust him completely? She should. There was nothing wrong with going on faith.

  “Nessa?” Jasper asked.

  She started. “Sorry. Mind wandered.”

  He leaned in. “I support you and always have. But there are going to be repercussions. About this.”

  “Aye.” A woman in her position mated to a bear shifter? “I know. That’s a problem for tomorrow, though.”

  “I’ll back your play. I always have.”

  Yeah, he had. She and Jasper had started training at the same time decades ago, and they’d instantly become friends and confidants. Maybe she could talk him into mating a female bear shifter. Wouldn’t that be handy? She smiled.

  He straightened. “Whatever you’re thinking, you must stop. I hate that smile.”

  “You’re a good friend, Jasp.” Besides her uncle, Jasper was the closest thing she had to family. Well, before she’d mated Bear. “Thank you for everything.”

  His dark eyebrows rose. “That had better not be a good-bye. Just say the word, and I’ll send backup of the kind the USA has never seen before.”

  “I’ll call if I need help. Is there any update on the worldwide chatter?”

  “No. Still going on, and an attack is definitely coming. But we haven’t been able to find out any more details.”

  Her chest hurt. “Please check in with any news.” She clicked off.

  It was time to figure out more about Bear. She leaned over and started typing in a command to reach hacking software created by the Guard. It was the best out there, and moments after she’d employed it she was scanning through Bear’s accounts.

  Bloody hell.

  She squinted. Bear was loaded. Not just kind of wealthy, but incredibly so. He had accounts all over the world in addition to land holdings and stock in a multitude of companies. Yet he lived in a ramshackle cabin and wore jeans so faded they looked more white than blue.

  What was he hiding?

  The old phone on the desk rang. She looked at it. When was the last time she’d answered a landline? Interesting. She picked up the bulky handset. “Hello?”

  “Hey, yeah. Is Bear around?” asked a gruff—very gruff—voice.

  “I’m sorry, he isn’t here.” She reached in a drawer for a pencil and a message pad, right where they should be, in an organized pile. “I’m taking messages for him. What can we do for you?”

  “Tell him Smitty called. I heard that he was back in town and just wondered if he still wanted me to meet him on Thursdays in Plato Park, or if he was going to handle things now from his end.”

  She took the note. “Thursdays?”

  “Yeah. Except for the Tuesday two months ago. In fact, tell him I still have a pair of his jeans and an ugly green shirt if he wants them back. Last time he shifted back to bear form, I forgot to drop them off at his cabin.”

  Her ears rang. Bear had been meeting this man every Thursday and had left behind clothing when he shifted to bear form? “Um, Smitty? Just curious. How long have you and Bear been meeting up?”

  “Why?” Smitty’s voice lowered.

  “I’m just wondering.”

  “Give him the message, girlie.” Smitty hung up.

  She stared at the quiet phone receiver. Talk about secrets. She’d known Bear hadn’t remained in bear form the last three months. Just who was Smitty? More important, why had Bear been shifting into human form every Thursday? Was it to pick up Apollo?

  It couldn’t be. But he had so many accounts with so much damn money. Bear could certainly finance a new drug—both the manufacture and the distribution. In fact, if he was the manufacturer, it would’ve been brilliant to have another motorcycle gang distribute the drug, to keep the Grizzlies clean and off the DEA’s radar.

  Until one of her people had blown up the rival motorcycle gang, and its members had scattered in every direction.

  Bear wasn’t a drug runner.

  Right?

  He nudged the door open with one hip and carried in two cups of coffee. “There’s a plane meeting us in three hours to head to Los Angeles.” Snow swirled in after him, and he handed her one of the cups. “Now, you’re going to tell me all about George Flanders, your uncle, and everything else I don’t know.”

  She looked at him, no longer surprised by the intelligence shining in his eyes. “Right. Because we don’t keep secrets from each other. Correct?”

  He took a sip of his steaming drink, his gaze intense over the cup. “Exactly. Glad you’re finally on board.”

  Chapter 18

  The private plane was too confining. Bear shrugged off unease and tried to stretch out his legs. After nearly two hours in the air, Nessa sat next to him, staring out the window, while Lucas played poker with Logan and Garrett up ahead of them.

  Bear glanced at the woman. His woman.

  She’d been out of sorts all day, but looked sexy as hell in a blue pencil skirt, white blouse, and black boots. She’d ignored him the entire flight. Maybe she was just worried about her uncle. “Every one of my contacts is trying to track down your uncle,” he said evenly.

  When she turned her head, a couple of curls escaped the clip she’d used. “This is a bad idea. We shouldn’t have Lucas and the boys with us.” Her eyes glowed, and concern deepened the hue. “George was very clear that I had to come alone. I knew I couldn’t talk you out of coming, but this is too much. They’re too much.”

  Bear reached for her hand, but she jerked it away.

  A growl filled his chest, and he cleared it. “I understand your concerns, but we’re all trained in combat missions. Going into something like this without backup
is fuckin’ crazy.”

  Anger poured off her. “Aren’t you the strategic fighter today.”

  Was that sarcasm? It was. His temper stretched to meet hers. The silent treatment had grated on him the entire day. Now she was being a smart-ass? “I’m tryin’ to be real understanding here, baby. Your uncle is taken, you just got mated, and life must be overwhelming.” He bit back a threat or two. “How about you lose some of the attitude?”

  Her smile lacked any charm whatsoever. “You’re right. Thank you for the plane ride. It sure is nice to have friends with money, now isn’t it?”

  The hair rose at the base of his neck at the derision in her tone. “What is wrong with you?” he snapped.

  Lucas looked back, and Bear glared until he turned around again.

  Nessa crossed her arms in a huff and focused out the window once more.

  That was it. He grabbed her waist and lifted her right out of the seat, plunking her on his lap to straddle him. Her legs went on either side of his hips, and she slapped his chest.

  He grabbed her forearms and drew her in. “Talk. Now.”

  She snarled. Actually snarled. “Let me go or you lose a testicle.”

  “Mom? Dad?” Lucas called back, chortling. “Stop fighting. You’re scaring the kids.”

  Bear ignored him and yanked the offensive pin out of Nessa’s hair. She protested, pushing against him. Her hair cascaded down and all around them, scenting the air with roses. For once, the smell didn’t calm him. He leaned in until his face was right at hers and whispered. “You want a fight right here and now? I’ll make it happen. I don’t give two fucks who’s in the plane with us.”

  Her glare could burn through concrete.

  He kept his voice low so only she could hear—probably. “If not, tell me right now what has crawled up your ass.”

  Color bloomed across her face. “You’re a crass bastard.”

  “Yeah. I am.” He gave her a slight shake. “I’m also not fuckin’ around. What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “You believe in truth and not having secrets. So much truth.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re a damn liar, you are. Seriously.”