Page 31 of These Wicked Desires

My breath catches at her words. She doesn’t mince them, and they cut right through me. Sterling turns to me, taking my face in his palms. I stare into those icy blue eyes, hating the way everything blurs as tears build on my lashes. I furiously blink them away so I can see my mate clearly.

“Remember what I said last night,” he says quietly so only I can hear. “No matter what happens, I want you to remain strong. You keep going. Keep fighting. No matter what.”

I shake my head and press my wobbling lips together. “Sterling,” I whisper brokenly.

“I love you, kitten.”

He leans forward to kiss me and I throw my arms around his neck. This will not be the last time I kiss him. I refuse to even let that thought take root. Sterling slides his hands down my back and over my ass, gripping it tightly to lift me off the ground. I wrap my legs around him and kiss him even harder. This feels too similar to the time he left and got captured by Sam.

“Sterling and Noah.” Agatha’s crackling voice echoes through the clearing. “Shift now, and approach.”

“Come back to me,” I pull away and whisper, just like the last time.

Sterling reluctantly sets me on my feet and kisses my forehead. He steps away, tugging his shirt over his head and tossing it to Kai, never breaking eye contact with me. My heart thunders in my chest, almost painfully. He doesn’t look away until he tosses his pants to Kai, and then turns his gaze to my beloved. Kai nods. Sterling glances at Cade. Cade nods. A silent promise that they’ll protect me. They’ll care for me. If he doesn’t make it through this, I’ll be okay. At least physically.

In the blink of an eye, a giant silver wolf stands before me, it’s head almost reaching my chest. I drop to my knees and wrap my arms around its neck, burying my face in the soft fur. The wolf drops his head to my shoulder, a hug in the only way a wolf can.

“I love you both,” I say, pressing a kiss to the top of the wolf’s nose. A soft whine from the wolf, a lick of it’s tongue on my cheek, and it’s gone, running across the field to Agatha.

A dark brown wolf watches him approach. No. It’s not watching Sterling. Its beady black gaze is trained on me. Noah is smaller than Sterling, just barely. His dark brown coat doesn’t look as soft, either.

I shakily push to my feet and take a deep breath. Cade and Kai both grab my hands, and I practically break their bones as I squeeze them.

Agatha looks at both of the wolves, gaze sharp and full of authority. “Make this a fair fight,” she says, looking at Noah in particular. “May the strongest wolf win.” With that, she backs away.

They wait until she is clear of the field, and then they begin circling.

Ellis

This is awful. Watching my mate circle Noah. Waiting for the first move. The anticipation makes my gut roil. I’m seconds from throwing up, even though there is nothing in my stomach to bring back up. Each breath I expel is ten times harder to draw back in. I’m on the verge of a full blown panic attack, and I can’t let that happen. Any distraction to Sterling could cost him.

Kai steps behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “Breathe with me, Ellis.” His chest brushes against my back as he inhales, and I match it. Stray curls that have escaped my bun ruffle with each breath Kai exhales. I breathe with him, slow and steady, and eventually it becomes easier. I still feel like I’m going to puke, though.

“Noah is strong, but Sterling is stronger.” Cole steps up to fill the space on my right where Kai had been standing. “I’ve been training with Sterling these past few days, and I know he can beat Noah. As long as Noah doesn’t pull anything illegal.”

That’s what I’m worried about. We all know the kind of person Noah is. He will do anything to come out on top.

Noah makes the first move. He lunges for Sterling, snapping his jaw, and I cry out, covering my mouth with my hands. I’ve never seen a wolf fight before, so I have no idea what to expect. Sterling doges Noah’s jaws and uses his body weight to slam into the other wolf. He knocks Noah down and closes his jaw around a leg, but Noah gets to his feet quickly, seemingly unhindered by the bite.

I close my eyes, too overwhelmed to watch, but the sounds are almost worse. As the fight intensifies, growling, yips, and the occasional whine float across the clearing, and I want to cover my ears. It sounds so awful.

A small hand clutches mine and I open my eyes, expecting to see Allie. But it’s Sterling’s mom. Her eyes track the fight, mouth pulled into a frown. She’s just as worried as I am. I squeeze her hand, and we stand together, watching Sterling fight for his life.

Red blooms in Sterling’s white coat, the contrast of colors so jarring. Noah’s fur is too dark to see any blood, but I know he has to be bleeding as well. Neither of them appear to be flagging or hurting too badly. The fight continues, getting more and more vicious with each minute that passes. The taste of copper in my mouth tells me I’ve chewed my cheek so much I made it bleed. I don’t care though.

I notice a girl slowly making her way around the field, but I pay her no mind. My attention is glued to my mate. From the corner of my eye, I see Cole tracking her and I know he’ll do something if she’s trying to hurt me. A few minutes later, she screams behind me. A blood curdling scream that causes Sterling to snap his head in my direction. The distraction costs him. Just as Noah no doubt planned.

Noah lunges and buries his teeth into Sterling's shoulder, clamping down tightly. The whine that escapes Fluffy cracks my heart into jagged little pieces. My breath leaves me in a rush when Noah throws Sterling to the ground, blood rapidly staining his coat.

“Sterling!” His name tears from my throat so loud it hurts. Something inside me writhes, and fire blooms in my stomach. It grows hotter and hotter as I watch Noah bite down harder while Sterling tries to fend him off with his paws. My mate is in trouble and the need to protect him rises to the surface.

“Shit,” Kai says as he grabs my shoulders. “Ellis, calm down!”

His words float through the hazy smoke in my mind. My only thought, though, is to save Sterling.

“Ellis, your flames are sparking to life. You need to keep that under control.” Kai’s voice is low and urgent in my ear. “Don’t let Noah see them.”

That registers. He’s right. If Noah sees my golden fire, he’ll do anything to make sure he gets me to Sam.

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