Betrayal: Reckless Desires (Dark Wolves Book 2) (12 page)

She smiled at him and swiped at her damp cheeks. The door to the infirmary opened. She didn’t have to look to know it was Wesken. Every cell in her body cried out in joy at his nearness. “I hear you’ve met my mate.”

“I have. I’m happy for you. He seems like a good man,” James looked over at Wesken as he approached, giving him a solemn nod. “He’ll take good care of you.”

“He will. But you’re staying, right? I mean, you can’t go back. They’ll kill you if you do. They have to have figured out it was you who helped Roxie escape. You’ve been away too long.” She stood and tucked herself into Wesken’s side. “He doesn’t have to leave, does he?”

“He doesn’t. In fact, I just spoke to Argram, and James can have my house since I imagine we’ll live in yours.” He cleared his throat. “That is, if you want me to move in. To your house, I mean.”

Amalija grinned up at him. As if she would ever say no. “Of course I want you to move it. There’s more than enough room,” Besides, if the passion that burned between them was any indication, it was only a matter of time before they needed that spare room she had for a nursery. She couldn’t quite keep her smile from slipping out, earning her an odd look from her mate.
Mate.
She smiled again.

When she looked back at James, he was sitting himself up on the edge of the cot, taking deep breaths to wash away the pain. “I wish I could, but there are still people in that camp that need my help. Your friend Orrin did me a favor by beating me so badly. Roger will believe I was taken captive and escaped.”

“No, that won’t work. There isn’t enough time. Argram won’t wait for retribution. And neither will I.” Wesken tightened his arm around her shoulders as he spoke. “They harmed my mate, tried to abduct my nephew, and I can’t imagine what they’ve done to Roxie. Your Alpha needs to be taken down. Once you’ve healed, you will be brought into the discussions. We will consider the people you feel are worth saving and eliminate the rest. The Mahehkan pack, what will remain of it, will need a new Alpha. You can’t get yourself killed before that happens.”

James considered what Wesken said, then finally nodded. “We’ll have to move fast. Roger will be angry that another female has gone missing. He’ll take it out on the others, and I’m not there to run interference.”

“Plans are in the works. But first, you must heal.” Wesken told him. “When you’re ready for it, the house is yours. I’ll take what I need from it today, and you can keep what’s left.”

“Thank you,” James said.

Amalija went to him and gave him a gentle hug. “I’m glad you’re here. It’s like home—like it used to be. You’ll see. I’ve been happy and safe, thanks to you. I never got to thank you for rescuing me all those years ago.”

“That’s all I ever wanted, Mali,” James said, exhaustion lacing his words.

Amalija grinned. She hadn’t heard that nickname in seven years. “Get some rest. We’ll come and help you settle into your new place later today. If you’re lucky, I’ll even fix you a meal or two.”

The door opened again, and Bryony came in with a cup in her hand. As soon as she noticed others were in the room, her steps faltered, and she looked back at the door, but then squared her shoulders and came deeper into the room. “You’re supposed to be resting, James,” she told him. Her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink.

“You’re right. He should be. I’ll take my mate and get out of your hair,” Amalija said. Not that she needed to claim Wesken in such an obvious way since the woman had yet to take her eyes off James. Amalija didn’t know Bryony well. The woman was as Omega as they got and kept to herself most of the time, but she seemed nice enough. And if Bryony sweetened the pot for James to stay, Amalija wasn’t above using it to her advantage.

She grabbed Wesken’s hand and tugged him toward the door.

“Delana asked me to bring you this tea. She said it would help with the pain,” Amalija heard Bryony telling James as she ushered Wesken out the door.

“Thanks. Sit with me while I drink it?” James’s voice deepened as he spoke to her, and Amalija smiled.

If her instincts were right, they’d be seeing a lot more of Bryony in the weeks to come.

As soon as they were outside, Wesken pulled her into his arms and gave her a long, hard kiss. “What was that for?” she asked him when he pulled his lips from hers.

“Because I love you. And I hadn’t told you that yet. A definite oversight on my part,” he said, as he bent to give her a much more tender, gentler kiss.

“I love you, too. Can we wait a while to find Roxie? I’m dying to see her, but maybe we can do that later?” Her gaze darted to his lips, and she licked her own. His fingers tightened around her waist.

“Orrin is showing her around. She’ll be busy for a while.” Wesken wrapped his arms around her, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

“I could get used to this,” she said when he finally sighed pulled away.

He took her hand in his and gave her fingers a little squeeze as he smiled down at her. “Home?” he asked.

“Yes, let’s go home.”

Return to Avalore Series

Flickering Light

Call of the Dragon

Rise of the Phoenix

Once Upon a Fiery Christmas

Lost in Magic

Taming the Gryphon (Summer/Fall 2016)

Dragon Blood Series

Releasing Her Dragon

Her Gingerbread Dragon

Finding His Dragon

His Secret Dragon (June 2016)

Austin and Tulia’s story 2016

Dark Wolves Series

(Reckless Desires Collection)

Torment

Betrayal

Wrath (June 2016)

Deadly Whispers Series

Bump in the Night

Broken Angel (Fall/Winter 2016)

Black Velvet

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About the Author

Self-proclaimed tropical princess, Élianne Adams has no idea how she came to be born and live in snowy Ontario, Canada. She has always enjoyed curling up with a good book and a warm blanket. Even before she really knew what love was, she dreamed of writing her own happily ever after stories. It wasn’t until her very own hero encouraged her to follow her lifelong dream that she began putting the words begging to be told onto the page. When she isn’t reading or writing, Élianne can be found spending time with her husband, three children and pets.