Page 47 of These Deadly Dreams

We both still as Cade lubes up and presses his hips against Kai. He doesn’t prepare him, just slowly pushes inside. Kai grits his teeth at the intrusion, but I can tell it’s not painful. His eyes glaze over and he pants. With each inch Cade gains, Kai’s cock twitches inside me. When Cade stills, fully seated in Kai’s ass, the sound of our breathing fills the space. The waiting is too much. I need Kai to move. I need him to take care of the ache he created.

I whimper, and the sound sets Cade into motion. He pulls back and gives Kai enough room to move. Soon we’re all lost to the sensations. The sounds of slickness and heavy breathing. The moans and skin slapping against skin. We’re all covered in sweat as we chase our pleasure. Pressure builds behind my spine, a tingling warmth that grows with each thrust of Kai’s hips.

Angling my head to the side, I meet Kai’s lust glazed eyes. His fangs scrape his lower lip as he drops his head to my neck. The rough slide of his tongue up the column of my throat is my only warning before he plunges his fangs in deep.

I scream as my orgasm overtakes me like a freight train. With each pull of blood from my vein, my pussy clenches around Kai’s cock. My toes curl and vision fractures, my breath stuttering out of my chest as my body shakes from pure ecstasy. The fluttering of my inner walls sets Kai off, and he stiffens above me, pulling his fangs from my neck as he comes. Cade follows with a grunt, his thrusts shoving Kai into me, drawing every last bit of pleasure from me.

Kai licks the puncture marks, and pulls back to look at me with blood dripping down his chin. My heart flutters at the sight. My sexy, tousled, bloodied vampire. Cade flops onto his back at the foot of the bed, his chest glistening with sweat and rapidly rising and falling as he catches his breath. He rolls his head to the side and catches my gaze. That sweet smile tugs at the corners of his lips.

“Wow,” I breathe, brushing damp curls from my forehead with a shaky hand.

“Wow is an understatement.” Kai grins.

I whimper when Kai gently pulls the plug from me. He walks to the bathroom, and my eyes fall shut. Slowly, my heart calms and my breathing returns to normal. Soft footsteps on the carpeted floor announce Kai’s return, and he gently cleans me up before settling next to me. The bed dips as Cade crawls to lay on my other side. With their warm, comforting presence on either side of my body, my breathing slows even more as my mind slips closer to sleep. They successfully took my mind off of the worries that this recent mission created.

The last thing I notice before I fall asleep is the gentle kiss Cade places on my forehead, and Kai’s fingers tucking my hair behind my ear.

I jolt awake, my limbs tangled with Cade and Kai’s. Normally, waking up between them after mind-blowing sex is my definition of perfect. However, something isn’t right. My stomach is uneasy, tumbling and rolling. An urgency I’ve never felt before settles over me, making my muscles twitch with the need to move.

Carefully, I disentangle myself and slide out of bed. I spare one glance for my sleeping boys, faces lax with sleep. The constant edge of danger that always surrounds Malakai is gone, replaced by an almost boyish appearance with his lips slightly parted and black hair falling across his forehead. Cade’s sweet smile makes an appearance as he rolls over and tucks in close to Kai. My heart can’t handle it. I love how much they love each other.

A sharp tug in my gut makes me stumble and drags me from the moment. Scooping Cade’s shirt from the floor, I pull it on and let instinct draw me out of the room. The storm has stopped, but rain still falls gently, a soft pitter patter on the roof of the cabin. I pad silently down the steps to the front door. Without a second thought or care for what could be outside, I open it and step into the cool early morning air. The sky is still dark, but a lighter shade of black is just starting to transform the horizon.

I know what caused my body’s reaction before I spot him. Sterling is halfway across the yard, back to me, as he heads for the edge of the pine tree forest surrounding the cabin. I know exactly what he plans on doing, whether that is instinct, the bond, or just knowing the wolf shifter. However I know, I know I can’t let him do this.

“Sterling,” I say quietly, taking a step to the edge of the porch.

He stops mid-stride, shoulders hitching up around his ears and back muscles tensing. With a huge exhale, his body seems to deflate, and he turns to face me. I’m moving before I realize what I’m doing. The grass is wet and cold under my feet, and rain quickly soaks through Cade’s shirt, making it cling to my skin uncomfortably. I push wet curls from my eyes as I approach him, my heart thundering in my chest.

“Don’t do this,” I plead with him, blinking away the rain and searching his icy blue gaze for something that will give me hope about our future.

“I have to. You can’t keep living like this.” He shakes his head, a frown pulling his mouth down. “I need to make things right.”

“Just wait. Wait until we have the information from Drew.” I lift my hands and cup his cheeks. Even with the cold rain sliding down his face, his skin is warm. “This is too dangerous,” I whisper. He doesn’t answer, so I stand on my tiptoes. “Please.”

His gaze searches mine and raindrops gather on his lashes. Then he lowers his head and kisses me. I’m swept away. He kisses me like he has all the time in the world. Deep and searching. Like he’s trying to find my soul through my mouth to consume it. I’d let him have it. Happily. My heart flutters so fast in my chest I’m scared it will stop completely.

Warmth surrounds me as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me against him. My fingers tangle in his wet hair, grasping the strands like I can keep him here with me by that action alone. Of the three guys, I think Sterling’s kisses are my favorite. Maybe it’s because I’ve only kissed him a few times. Maybe it’s because we both know it might never happen again. Whatever it is, it makes his kisses more meaningful. They hit me right in the chest and consume my very being.

His hands land on my bare thighs and slide up, lifting the shirt as they go. He grasps my ass and picks me up so I can wrap my legs around his waist. The kiss never falters. He keeps devouring me as one hand slides under the shirt and up my back. Fire trails in the wake of his fingers, making me shiver from the temperature difference between the rain and his skin.

Sterling finally pulls away, breathing deeply. “Kitten,” he says softly against the skin of my throat.

I bury my face in his neck, and we both inhale each other’s scents. Pine and winter air flood my lungs and I hold my breath, hoping to keep it there for as long as possible. My heart hurts—it’s like a crack has formed and is slowly splitting wider and wider. Why does this feel like goodbye?

He tries to lower me to the ground but I cling to him tighter. Not ready to let go yet. Not ready to say goodbye. “Please come back to me,” I whisper against his neck.

He shudders, but doesn’t reply. When I finally let him lower me to the ground, his icy eyes appear duller than normal. He steps back, fingers grazing my hand, before he turns and heads toward the forest. His pants hit the ground, but I’m not drawn to marvel his ass like I usually would be. Each step he takes makes it harder to breathe, like he’s taking all my oxygen with him as he leaves.

I blink. When I open my eyes, a silver wolf stands on the edge of the forest. It turns back to look at me, blue eyes shining in the rising sun. Lifting its muzzle to the sky, it releases a howl that pierces my heart, and I gasp, clutching at my chest to make the hurt go away. With the howl still echoing across the mountains, the wolf takes off into the trees, quickly disappearing in the darkness.

I stand rooted to the spot for who knows how long. The rain continues to fall, but I don’t feel it, even as I shiver and wrap my arms around my middle. My gaze never strays from the forest. A desperate, foolish hope that Sterling will return keeping me there. The sky brightens, the black and deep blues turning to vibrant purples, pinks, and oranges. I don’t notice them, though. I don’t notice my teeth chattering or the chill that has settled into my bones until a warm hand lands on my low back.

“Ellis?” Cade comes to stand in front of me, his violet eyes creased with worry. “Are you okay?” The warmth from his palm on my cheek makes me shudder.

I watch a raindrop travel down his bare chest, and take a breath. “He .. he left.” The words barely make it past the lump in my throat. “He’s going to the warehouse.”

Cade sighs. “Fuck.” Brushing a wet clump of hair from my face, he turns me around. “Come on, love. You’re freezing. Let’s get you warmed up.”

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