Fated for the Alphas: The Complete Collection (Nine Book Paranormal Romance Box Set) (51 page)

She relaxed, leaning into his kiss. Tingles ran up her spine as he growled appreciatively. What had she been scared about, again? With Kane this close, it was hard to think about anything, let alone fear.

He put his arms around her, one hand gripping her ass. Lia ran her tongue over his lip. His flesh was scorching with the heat of his want. Grinning, she held his lip with her teeth.

It was too much. With a roar, Kane pushed her against the stone wall, pinning her. His engorged cock throbbed against her thigh. She could feel his pulse of need, his ache for her.

Lia kissed his neck, his weak spot, the place no one could touch but her. He shuddered, letting out a shaking breath.

“Take me,” she whispered.

He groaned, running his teeth over her neck. They had sprouted into fangs, which made her flesh prickle. Kane wanted to bite her again, she could tell. He wanted to sink his teeth into her and claim her, again and again.

Lia bared her throat to him. She was his, and he was her Alpha. Her life, her love was in his hands. He could take what he wanted.

Kane kissed her neck and looked up at her, his eyes molten. “How do you do this to me?”

But she couldn’t answer, because his mouth was on hers, his hands grabbing her hips and pressing her to the cold stone.

There was nothing to fear now. There was only this moment, Kane’s strong arms, his insistent lips. His body arced against her, taut like a bowstring.

He breathed in deep. She knew he was smelling her arousal. Lia couldn’t hide it even if she wanted to. But with his cock pressing against her, there was no way she could help getting wet for him.

Kane buried his face in her shoulder. He slid a hand between her thighs, making her spread for him. Lia clutched him to keep from losing her balance. Wrapping an arm around her, Kane held her steady. Between her thighs, his hand slid ever upward. His breath hot on her neck, he curled a finger into her wetness.

Lia gasped as his finger entered her, teasing her. She thrust her hips toward him. It wasn’t enough. She wanted more. She wanted all of him.

Kane didn’t make her wait. Leaning back, he set his tip to her entrance. Her fingers spasmed against his skin as he slid into her. Kane groaned, his teeth against the place where her neck met her shoulder. His cock filled her so completely that she didn’t dare draw breath. It twitched inside her, and her legs almost buckled.

He gripped her ass, holding her upright. She wasn’t going anywhere. Kane pulled back, his cock covered in her wet scent. He lifted her leg, his fingers caressing her thigh.

Lia gasped when he plunged in again. The new angle made her dizzy, along with the force. She felt like she might drift toward the stone ceiling, then on toward the heights and the stars. Yet she wanted more. Raising her other leg, she wrapped herself around Kane’s waist.

He let out a primal noise, grabbing her ass and letting it fill his hands. From the strength of his grip, it felt like he’d never let her go. Kane buried himself in her, his hands and her ass slapping the stone wall. Lia kept pulling him closer, until her leg muscles burned. All she wanted was for him to be closer, deeper. She wanted to forget everything in the world but his sharp, masculine scent, the aching throb of his cock. She wanted to drown in him.

Kane’s breath came hot and fast now. His thrusts were urgent. They sent her soaring and made her sing for him. There were no stairs, no stone, only Kane’s hands, sweat, and cock.

He called her name as he emptied into her. The rush of warmth inside her made her come again. Kane held her, stroking her hair until she returned to earth.

They held each other, panting. Kane pressed her into the stone, which was now warm against her back. Lia laid her head against his chest. She never wanted to leave him. She wanted to climb inside this moment and live in it forever.

But she couldn’t. They had to return to reality, to their pack. Kane had to help her unhook herself, and stand again. They waited until her legs stopped shaking to continue down the stairs.

They walked down the darkened hall, Lia leaning on Kane. She felt calm and clear, ready to face whatever tomorrow might bring. Outside, she could hear the pack laughing. She smiled. If they only got one quiet night before the battle, this is what she wanted it to be.

She and Kane had just reached the entrance of the den when someone screamed.

***

Ronan looked at the man, stunned. “Your daughter?”

“Yes. Take me to her.” Reaching into his cloak, the mage seemed to conjure a staff of blood-red wood out of thin air. Magnus leaned against it, as if waiting for Ronan to show him the way.

Ronan stood straighter, trying to hide his confusion. So this wasn’t just some mage Della had known. But—
Lia’s father?
He shook his head. There would be time for questions later, probably on the long journey they had ahead of them. Ronan cut off a bone-weary sigh as it tried to escape. If Lia’s father wanted to travel now, Ronan would lead him.

“We need to go south,” Ronan said. “It’ll be a hard night’s trek through the mountains. Or longer.” He bit back a curse. He couldn’t run on all fours while the mage walked on two. But on two legs, they’d be slow. Much too slow.

“When is this battle of yours?” Magnus asked.

“We have one more day. But if we travel…”

“If we
walk
.” Magnus shook his head. “Nasty, brutish way to travel, if you ask me. Come here.” He beckoned Ronan close to the fire, where the flames still burned bright red.

Carefully, Ronan approached. The flames were scorching.

“Now—what’s your name, lad?”

“Ronan.” He tried not to bristle at being called a lad. It was Lia’s father, after all. Ronan squinted at the man, backlit by firelight. Was he old enough to be her father?

“Ronan. When you called for me, did you make your first attempt on the nearest peak? Or did you try your home fire?”

“I tried my home fire first.” Was Magnus going to be mad that Ronan hadn’t followed instructions?

“Excellent.” Magnus rubbed his hands together like he was trying to create a spark between his palms. “Let me see what I can find…” Muttering, he stuck the butt of his staff into the flames.

The fire swelled, images riding the heated air. Stars, a peak, a field of boulders. They made Ronan’s head swim. He had to look away before he was sick.

“Is this your fire?” Magnus asked at last.

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was like he was in the pack’s fire, staring up at Dove and Lark as they turned a spit.

“That’s them! How are we seeing this?”

Magnus grinned. “Oh, we can do more than see them.” He held out a hand. “Hold tight. Don’t be afraid.”

Despite his confusion, Ronan took the mage’s hand.

“Ready?”

He didn’t have time to ask for what before Magnus pulled him into the fire. He screamed as red flames shot into him, searing his flesh and bones…

The screaming continued. But Dove was screaming, not him. He had nothing to fear. Red flames danced around him. They tickled. They wove around his arms, urging him to stay awhile. They could show him other sights, take him other places. Images flitted past his eyes. A blue and yellow bird that cocked its head at him. A wall that stretched as far as the eye could see. A block of ice floating in endless water. A—

“That’s enough,” Magnus said. “Let him go.”

Ronan felt a tug on his arm, and then he was standing in the meadow.

***

Lia ran toward the flames, which billowed bright red. Was this Finn’s doing? Magda’s? Had their enemies chosen to attack early?

Two figures stepped out of the fire. She blinked. Had someone fallen into the flames? Were they hurt? Her brain couldn’t seem to comprehend what her eyes were seeing.

She knew one of the people standing there. It was Ronan, unscorched and unhurt. And the other… a man in a crimson cloak. Could it really be Della’s mage? Were they saved?

At some point, her feet had stopped moving. She stood in the meadow, staring. The pack was silent. Some of them had their weapons drawn, but they had all been struck dumb by the sudden appearance of their Alpha.

The mage turned to her. “Come here, Magnolia.”

She looked behind her. There was no one there but Kane, who shrugged. She looked back. “Me?”

“Or Lia, if you prefer. Your mother never did like Magnolia.”

She swayed on her feet. Kane had to catch her. A father. She had a
father
. A strikingly handsome one, with high cheekbones and dark hair swept back from his face. He looked so young though, his skin unmarked by age or weather. Was he really old enough to be her father?

He stepped toward her, sweeping his cloak aside. Lia had the oddest sense that she had seen that happen before, though she couldn’t remember when. The mage tucked the staff he was holding into his cloak, where it seemed to disappear.

“Let me look at you,” he said. “Yes, you have your mother’s eyes. Her mouth, as well.”

It was so strange, looking at this man. Now that he mentioned it, it was obvious where she’d gotten her nose, and the color of her hair. She wondered what else he’d given her.

“You’re my father,” she whispered.

“Magnus,” he said. Taking her hand, he brought it to his lips. “At your service.”

She resisted the urge to snatch back her hand. His fingers burned. It must be from the fire. Once he let go, she glanced at her hand, half expecting to see red welts, but her skin was unharmed.

“Lia,” Ronan said, “why don’t you talk to Magnus by the fire? We’ll leave you some cuts of venison to eat. The rest of us will head back to the den. I’m sure the two of you would like to catch up.
Alone
.” The last word came out as a growl that brought the pack to their feet. They had all been staring with their mouths open. Everyone picked up their food and retreated to the den, encouraged by low growls from Ronan.

Lia barely noticed. Her father was standing before her. This was the man Della had fallen in love with, before he abandoned her. What if her father—Magnus—had never left? Would Lia have been able to grow up with two loving parents? With a family?

The pack streamed past her into the den. Some cast fearful glances at Magnus while others looked at Lia as though she’d suddenly grown another head. Kane didn’t move from her side.

Once everyone was inside, Ronan put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “We should all give them some privacy, Kane.”

Kane looked at Lia. “Will you be all right without us?”

She nodded. She wasn’t sure she wanted them here. Not for this.

He squeezed her hand. “Just call if you need us. We won’t be far away.”

Her Alphas turned toward the den, leaving her alone with her father in the firelight.

Chapter Two

“Shall we sit?” Magnus motioned to one of the logs. “I imagine you have some questions.”

She did, and they were all buzzing in her head at once. Somehow, her feet took her to the log, and she sat an arm’s length from him. He had left Della, and Lia, though he hadn’t known it. But he had come when Ronan called. What kind of man was he?

Magnus pulled a kettle from his robe, and set it over the fire. “Tea?” he asked.

Lia shook her head.

“Very well. Feel free to change your mind, I have plenty.” Shaking out a sleeve, he conjured a cup and saucer and set them on the log. “Peppermint, lemon, black dragon—”

“Why did you leave Della?” Lia blurted out.

He sprinkled some tea leaves into the kettle. “Black dragon it is, then. For tranquility.”

“If you need tranquility so badly, maybe you shouldn’t have abandoned her.”

Magnus swung the kettle back over the flames. “I see you got her temper as well.”

She wanted to kick his kettle into the fire, but that would only prove him right.

He sighed. “I meant to come back, you know. I didn’t think it had been this long.”

“What do you mean you didn’t think it had been this long?” Her voice was rising in pitch. “It’s been over twenty years!”

Magnus put a hand to his chin, deep in thought. “How old do you think I am?”

“I don’t know.” She crossed her arms. “You look thirty, but you’re probably forty. Why does it matter?”

“Lia, I’ve lived for over seven hundred years. Twenty is but a blinking.”

She sat back. Seven hundred? Was that even possible?

“I don’t keep track of time all that well. To me, it seems I left Della a few weeks ago. I was planning to return. Time just seems to get away from me.”

“Why come back at all, if everything passes so quickly for you?”

“You’re my daughter, Lia,” he said quietly. “I’d like to get to know you. To make up for the time that was lost.”

“Why bother? Won’t you just blink, and be gone again?” She clenched her fists. This was her father. She only had one of him. She shouldn’t be so furious with Magnus, but she couldn’t help it. Why was this going so terribly?

The kettle began to sing. He reached for it, his movement weary. In that moment, he really did look like he could be hundreds of years old. Lia felt a pang of sympathy for him.

“I’m sorry. I truly am. It’s just… it gets difficult, this life. I swore not to take another lover, because something like this always happens. I go off for what seems like a few days, and return to find them aged beyond all recognition, or…” He trailed off.

“Della convinced me to try, though. And I wanted to succeed. Remember, Lia, when I left, I left my woman and my unborn child.”

“Wait… You knew about me?”

Magnus poked the fire, his expression guilty. “I may have looked ahead a bit. I asked Della how she liked the name Magnolia for a future child. We settled on Lia. I do wonder if she suspected…”

“And you left anyway?”

“I didn’t want to leave forever. Lia, you don’t understand. For a brief, shining moment, I had a family. And now Della’s gone, and you’re grown. It’s wondrous, this life of mine, but it’s also lonely. Times like this… I wish I could go back.” He looked into the fire, his eyes haunted.

Magnus poured himself a cup of tea, letting it rest in the saucer. “I don’t blame you for your anger. I deserve it, all of it. I should have been there to watch you grow, to train you.” His face twisted. “I can leave, if you like. Maybe check in on you later. I can’t promise I’ll catch you in time, but I could try. If it’s too painful for you to see me now—”