Primal Heat (14 page)

I let out a breath and smiled. “I was just thinking how wonderful it is
watching the pack together like this. This place is kind of magical.”

He nodded. “There’s no place like it anywhere. At least not in North
America. I’ve heard there are some European packs that live together like this.
Not here, though.”

“Pat explained some of that. She said there are six packs that call
Wild Lake lands home.”

“That’s in large part due to her. And Harold. Without these lands we’d
be fractured. Struggling to find somewhere to hunt and hide when we need to.
That’s what it’s like for the packs down south. We’re out in the open here, at least
to some extent. Down south, were have to hide more than we do. It’s more
brutal.”

“And they’ve tried to move up here, haven’t they?”

Bas nodded. “In my father and grandfather’s time, it was open warfare.
A lot of people got killed or hurt. But, our packs drove them back for good
about forty years ago. Now it might be a skirmish or two here or there, but
nothing we haven’t been able to handle.”

I smoothed a hand over Bas’s hair. Water dripped down his back and he
looked up at me, his eyes flashing blue and bright. He reached up, encircling
his hands around my waist, he pulled me off Ladybug and into his arms.

“I wanted you to see this,” he said. “We don’t bring outsiders here,
Abby. Not ever.”

“I can see why. I’d hate to think what might happen if someone tried to
ruin what you have here.”

“Oh, they’ll keep trying.”

My veins turned to ice despite the warmth of Bas’s body. I knew the
answer. I knew where the next threat would come. I knew what the law said and
what I was supposed to do. But, as Bas held me close and showed me yet another
mystery of who he was and what he had to offer, something settled deep in my
heart. I knew what I had to do.

“Bas,” I said, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked up at him. “There’s
something you need to know.”

Chapter Twenty-One

We went up to the house. Bas brought me to a back bedroom, one Pat
reserved just for him. It was quiet and cozy, with a king-sized four poster bed
with a Queen Anne’s lace patterned quilt on top of it.

Bas sat shirtless on the edge of the bed, his bare feet sticking out of
his jeans. I paced in front of him as I got through the gist of what I thought
Foster planned to do.

“The land is only Pat and Harold’s while they’re alive. When they die,
it goes back to someone named Gaither. Do you know who that is?”

Bas’s face looked grim. He tore his hand through his hair and pressed a
closed fist into his thigh. “Yeah. I know who that is. Old Willie was Lloyd
Bonner’s lawyer. He wasn’t a shifter. Young Willie is his son. He took over his
father’s law practice about twenty years ago. He’s supposed to be a friend of
the pack. I’ve always had my doubts. Now I know for sure.”

“So Willie Jr. isn’t a shifter either?”

Bas shook his head. “Hell, no.”

“But why would Lloyd Bonner set it up like this? I thought he was a
friend of the pack too?”

“He was. The best kind. He died before I was born, but Pat has
mentioned a few times her father was senile toward the end of his life. I’m
betting Old Willie took advantage of that. Does that matter? Can’t we throw out
his will if he wasn’t in sound mind when he made it?”

“Maybe. But that might be hard to prove if he’s been dead for more than
fifty years. The cleaner thing to do, if you really believe this wasn’t Lloyd’s
intention, would be for Young Willie to just deed his interest to Pat and
Harold now. Would he do that? Or sell it to them?”

“You’d think.” Bas was on his feet. His shoulders hunched and his fists
curled. Rage poured off him in waves, and I could feel his need to shift.

“Bas?”

He froze and turned toward me, his eyes flashing silver. I reached out
and put a hand on his chest. His muscles flexed and bunched beneath my
fingertips. But, he went still, and his eyes settled back to human.

“What is Foster’s purpose with all of this? Why is he trying to mess
with Wild Lake? He needs your support for his reelection bid. Why do something
to sever that tie for good?”

“He thinks it will pave the way to a better offer.”

“But Dale’s were. He’s from Wild Lake too, isn’t he?”

“He. Is. Not. One of the other packs gave him sanctuary a few years
ago. I was against it, but it’s not my place to dictate how another pack
operates. I’ve never trusted him, but up until now, he’s mostly adhered to the
rules around here. This though? He’s crossed a line, and he needs to be
handled.”

“Who’s his Alpha?”

“He came from a nomad pack further south. I’ve worried for years about
their loyalties. But, like I said, it wasn’t my place to tell another Wild Lake
Alpha who to give sanctuary to or not. And Dale had political connections that
we thought could prove useful at some point.”

“So there’s nothing you can do about him?”

“I didn’t say that. He’s here as a guest of another Wild Lake pack.
Their home base is about forty miles north of here. Kane Matthews is their
Alpha. Kane’s going to have to be the one to do something about Dale.”

“He will though, won’t he? As soon as he sees what Dale’s up to? I
mean, if his plan is to try to take away this land through this Young Willie, that’s
bad for all the Wild Lake packs, isn’t it?”

“You’d think. Either way, I need to see Kane.”

“Good. And Bas, please don’t be angry with me for keeping this from you
as long as I did. I swear I wasn’t sure what it meant. Not all the way. Not
until I came out here and met Pat. Saw what this place was to you.”

Bas strode toward me and put his hands on my upper arms. His eyes grew
dark, his face hard. “Abby. Don’t think for a second I blame you for any of
this. I know what you’ve done. I know telling me crosses a line for you,
ethically. You’ve put yourself on the line for me and for this pack. I know
what that means.”

The air seemed to go still around us. One beat. Two. Time slowed and
Bas’s pulse became mine. Tiny hairs along my spine raised, and again I felt
that pull between us that went beyond just lust or even love. I
needed
Bas. Not just inside me. This was his pack. I wanted it to be mine too.

“What happens next?” I swallowed past a dry throat.

“I need you with me,” he said. “It’s too dangerous for you not to be.”

“What do you mean?”

Bas took my hand and guided me to the edge of the bed. I sat with my
hands folded in my lap as Bas sank in front of me, kneeling on one knee. “It’s
going to get back to Dale. These deeds and probate documents you showed me,
yeah, they’re public record, but he’s going to figure out who brought
everything to my attention. Make no mistake; I’m going to fix this. He thinks
he can strong arm Willie Jr. If Dale gets to him first, he probably can. When I
shut this down, he’s going to figure out how I knew. In the meantime, there is
no way I’m letting anyone hurt Pat or Harold.”

My heart tripped. “God. Do you really think their lives are in danger
because of this now? Would he really go that far?”

Bas didn’t speak, but the hardness in his eyes gave me all the answers
I needed. “Oh, God. I feel like it’s my fault. If I hadn’t put this together,
maybe Dale wouldn’t have either. Is he really capable of . . .
killing
them over land?”

“Yes. One hundred percent. Control of Wild Lake means control of the
packs on it. We’ll talk to Pat and Harold, but I’m certain they have no idea
what Willie made their father do. They’ll be heartsick. And make no mistake;
Dale’s going to try and make a move.”

I nodded. “Okay. Okay. I get it. God, I just wish I’d have said
something even sooner.”

Bas slid his hands up and gripped my arms. He jerked me forward
slightly. A shudder went through him, and he clenched his jaw hard. “Abby.
Thank God you didn’t.”

Fear like ice seemed to pour out of Bas and into me. It took a beat for
me to comprehend the source of it. But, as Bas held me like that, the last
piece of the puzzle slammed into place in my brain, taking my breath away. I
tried to pull away from Bas, but he held me firm. “Abby.”

Panic rose, making heat flush my face. A cold sweat formed on my brow.
I needed air. I needed space. But Bas didn’t let go. “Oh my God! He’s not just
going to try to kill Pat and Harold, is he? He’s going to come after me.”

Harold’s scarred face and sightless eyes flashed in my mind. He’d been
lucky. I shuddered at the thought of the physical sickness I often felt when
Dale got close to me. I understood it now. He was a threat to me. Real and
lethal.

“I can protect you,” Bas said. “Listen to me. But, I can’t do it halfway.
Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Buzzing bees seemed to have nested in my brain. The air felt thick as
tar.

“Abby!” Bas shook me again and his face came sharply into focus. Along
with my fear, desire flared inside of me. He could protect me. He belonged to
me. But, I didn’t belong fully to him. Not yet. And suddenly, I understood what
he meant with perfect clarity.

I cupped Bas’s face in my hands and tilted his chin. Bas. My Bas. I’d
resisted for so long. Unsure. Afraid. But now, he offered me protection. He
offered himself. If I was brave enough to take it.

Chapter Twenty-Two

We went down to the lake together hours later after the sun had set. I
hadn’t heard what he’d said to the rest of the pack, but I sensed them. Not
close, but there. Surrounding the perimeter of the lake. Vigilant. Patrolling.
A circle of threat.

Bas offered to take me up at the house, but something in me knew it
should happen here, at Wild Lake itself, as if they were baptismal waters.

“Are you sure?” he asked me for the millionth time.

For the million and first time, I started my answer with a kiss. “You
know I am. That doesn’t mean I don’t have questions.”

Bas smoothed a hair away from my face. A full moon rose over the tree
line, bright and blue, and the lake reflected it like a mirror. “Ask me
anything.”

“Will it hurt?”

He smiled. “Maybe for a fraction of a second. But, it will hurt worse
if I don’t do it. Hasn’t it already?”

He was right; it had. When we came together, he always held back. I’d
felt that burning ache near the nape of my neck. Although I hadn’t articulated
the source of that ache, I understood it now. I needed Bas’s teeth. I needed
his mark. My body craved it as much as the rest of our joining.

“And you said after, I’ll want you even more?”

His soft chuckle held the hint of sin and sent desire and heat coursing
through me again. “Probably. But, you’ll be part of me, Abby. You’ll
feel
me. And I’ll feel you. Even when we’re not together. I’ll know if you’re scared,
if you’re in pain. So will the rest of the pack. As time goes on, I’ll mark you
again and again. Each time, the bond grows stronger, but we can take our time
with it. Only what you can handle. But, eventually, we’ll be able to
communicate without words, just like I can with the rest of the pack.”

“And you’re sure I’m not going to sprout fangs and fur, mister?”

He kissed my forehead. “Positive. I told you. I can’t turn you. You don’t
have even a drop of were blood in you already.”

“Got it.”

I tried to be matter of fact. There was still some detached part of me
that couldn’t quite process what was about to happen. This was a marriage of
sorts. Once Bas marked me, there’d be no going back. But, as Bas looked down at
me with the moonlight reflected in his eyes, all my doubts washed away. In
their place, his pulse beat steadily along with my own as he brought my hand up
to cover his heart.

No doubts. No questions. Just this. Bas and me and fate. For weeks,
since the moment I met him, I’d known. He was mine. I went up on tiptoe and
kissed him.

He was slow and gentle at first, letting me trace the line of his jaw
with my fingertips. I peeled his shirt away from his shoulders and worked the
button on his jeans. He stepped out of them and stood before me. Solid muscles,
hard as steel. I closed my fingers around his erection, lengthening it, then
sliding my fingers down to stroke his balls.

One breath. Two. My heart quickened, then settled, synchronizing with
his.

Bas stepped forward, pressing his chest against mine. He ran his hands
along my shoulders, sliding my cotton blouse down. I wore nothing underneath.
The cool air hit my breasts, pebbling my nipples, but only for an instant. Heat
poured off Bas, enveloping me, protecting me. I slid out of my jeans and stood
before him. He sank to his knees as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

Bas pressed his lips against the sensitive flesh between my legs,
coaxing me nearly to a climax. I rocked back and forth, dropping my head back
as I drank in the sensation. He opened me with skillful fingers, working me. He
stroked gently, then grasped my swollen clit between his thumb and forefinger
until he had me on the brink of desire.

Then, he rose and circled me, trailing rough fingers along my abdomen,
up over my shoulder blades, then back around. He stood before me with his hands
on my shoulders. Bas’s wolf eyes flashed brilliant silver to match the moon. He
urged me down until I knelt before him. He was huge and hard in front of me and
I wanted to taste him, but Bas had a different purpose. He stepped behind me
and put a hand on the small of my back, gently pushing me down until I knelt on
all fours. Desire surged through me, settling to a throbbing point between my
legs. He angled me toward him, with firm hands on my hips, then slid one hand
up my spine.

He said just two things to me before he claimed me. “I love you,” he
whispered. Then, “Hold still.”

I was beyond words. My thighs trembled. My wetness grew. He stroked me
again, spreading the lips between my legs. I felt the head of his cock nudge
against my opening. Instinctively, I leaned further forward, my chin just
inches from the ground.

Bas slid into me, stretching me wide. I gasped at the size of him, as
if he’d grown even thicker than our last coupling. It wasn’t the only thing
that felt different. Only now did I realize how much Bas held back. Now, he was
primal, raw. He rooted himself deep, keeping one hand on my shoulder, the other
clawing at the ground. His wolf was there. I felt it in Bas’s ragged heartbeat
that now matched my own. Though I couldn’t see his eyes, I knew they’d gone
silver as the beast flared to life within him, finally reaching out to claim
what both of us craved.

Bas fucked me hard and deep; my teeth rattled and my thighs quivered.
It was good and hard, and I shuddered with pleasure. I arched my back as my
first orgasm tore through me and threatened to unseat Bas. He held me steady,
letting out a growl that vibrated in me along with my wave of pleasure. Heat
spread along my neck. A pulsation grew there. My thoughts turned base.

Fuck me. Claim me. Mark me.

I reached back and slid the hair away from the nape of my neck,
exposing my flesh to him. Bas grunted and rammed into me, holding himself still
and deep.

This moment. With Bas’s full length impaling me. My walls clenched
around him as I struggled to contain the next wave of pleasure rocking through
my body. I craned my neck, begging for a different kind of release. Then,
finally, Bas gave it.

He leaned far forward and scored my flesh with his teeth. He was right;
it hurt only for a moment, then pleasure blossomed out as my blood flowed. He
bit deep, making me well. I cried out as Bas came in me. His shuddering cock
spilled his seed inside me. His muffled growl made me gasp as his teeth pressed
even deeper.

Then, finally, we were both spent and Bas withdrew, cradling me against
him in a heap of limbs as we found our way to the ground. He kissed me, and drawing
me against his chest, he pulled my hair away and ran his fingers along the edge
of the wound he made. It throbbed in time with our pulse.

He’d been right. The connection between us grew from that single point at
the base of my neck. I
felt
him. He’d told me he loved me, and I wanted
to say the words too. But, I knew it didn’t matter anymore. He knew. He could
feel it in me just as I could for him. I said it anyway.

“I love you so much,” I whispered, craning my neck to kiss him.

“Are you all right? Did that hurt very much?”

“No, my love. It felt right.” I reached back and covered the wound with
my hand. Incredibly, it had already started to heal. I traced the
crescent-shaped edge of it. Bas’s brand. My mark. My love.