Nox reluctantly agreed, and they made a plan that he and his pack would follow the van that carried her in the morning.
He hated leaving her, but he had to. He held onto her body closely, memorizing every curve, the melody of her breathing, the enthralling scent of her divinity.
“One more thing,” he said, looking down at her.
“Tell me,” she purred.
“Kiss me.”
She leaped into his arms and pushed her lips against him, hard and fierce. She tasted just as delicious as she always had, the power of her passion pushing him up against the wall as she ran wild. He kissed her back, his desire growing sharper and more insane, harder to control.
He managed to stop it, though, out of some miracle, and he placed her down. He traced a finger over his lips, then sucked on it. The act made Kelli bite her bottom lip, another gesture that drove him nuts.
“I will be back soon,” he said. “I promise you, my darling.”
She gave him one last peck on the cheek, and he made himself move through the window in the room. He climbed out and was glad to see that the cabin wasn’t far from where they had originally camped.
The next morning, Nox, Roland, and the pack followed the van that took Kelli to her “job.” They stopped just outside the mine that they walked her through, bound and blindfolded. The wolves listened in, their hearing far more powerful than that of any human.
He heard Kelli ask Archie to take the wolves out of the cage. Archie agreed quickly, with Kelli saying she needed to know whether they would behave with visitors. Nox continued to listen, his heart aching with empathy for his brother and wife.
They needed a plan, and they needed it yesterday.
TWENTY-THREE
NOX
Nox was ready when his phone rang with Archie’s name on the caller ID screen. Archie had said since Kelli had been officially hired and signed a gag order, Nox was allowed to come to the cabin to visit her.
He nearly scoffed at his “signed a gag order.” Like that meant one damn thing. If Archie wanted to sue them for breaking the contract, let the dumbass try. What a stupid idea that was. It made Nox wonder about the mental state Archie was in.
How could someone be so smart as to pull off whatever he was doing yet be dumb enough to think a piece of paper would make everything “legal.” What went through the sick fuck’s mind?
After racing to the cabin directed by Archie, Nox couldn’t help but tear the door off its hinges getting inside. Their greeting went much the same as it did the night before when he found her through a trapdoor in the cave.
“Well, lookie here,” Archie said as he walked in on Nox and Kelli, his thumbs hooked into his jeans as always. “The big man is already on campus.”
Nox still had the urge to rip each hair out of Archie’s face, one by one, but restrained himself, shooting him an animated smile.
“Hey, there,” Nox said, sticking out his hand. “It’s nice to see you again.”
Archie lurched forward, seeming genuinely excited to interact with another man. His hands felt grimy and unwashed.
“How’ve you been?” Archie drawled.
“Well, I’ve been missing this one here,” Nox said. “And she was telling me all about that great opportunity you’ve given her here.”
Archie nodded, his eyes gazing over Kelli while he licked his lips.
“Where’s the little one?”
“She’s with the cousins we are visiting,” Nox said without hesitation. “I wanted to have some time with my wife, if you know what I mean.”
Nox drastically winked, and unfortunately, Archie did know what he meant.
“Oh, you can’t get enough of that sweet stuff, can you?” Archie said with a childlike giggle.
“Oh, you know a good man ain’t nothing without his woman.”