Never Cry Wolf (Night Watch #4)(82)
Author: Cynthia Eden

And Piers had damn well better obey. Lucas could understand the guy going bat-shit crazy because he thought his mate was dead—if Sarah had died—no. He could understand. So Piers wouldn’t be punished, but he would obey now or hell would come.

Piers lowered his head. His fingers curled into a fist, never touching Josette.

“He needs her,” Sarah whispered.

Just like I need you.

Piers could fight his battle for Josette. But right then, the priority was getting Sarah and the rest of the pack to safety.

He stood, would have stumbled, but Jordan was there. Watching his back now, the way Lucas had once watched his brother’s.

Lucas didn’t let go of Sarah. He didn’t look back at the house or at the torn body of his nemesis. It was over.

“Another part of the legend,” Sarah murmured.

Lucas frowned down at her.

“You took out Rafe, his pack is destroyed, and you walk away, cheating death again.”

Not cheating death. Telling the bastard to wait. Wait—I’m living with her. And that cold ass**le wasn’t getting either one of them for a long time.

He planned for them both to have very, very long lives. “Tell Josette I’m coming for her!” Piers yelled, turning back once. “I waited . . . years, but I’ll be coming for her now.”

“You won’t hurt her.” From Brody. Always so protective of Maya and those close to her.

“No, but I’ll have her.”

Did Piers understand just what he’d be getting? Because Lucas suspected that Josette wasn’t the same woman she’d been before. He knew power when he smelled it.

A new mambo seemed to have taken over.

Dane had hot-wired a truck. Jordan leapt on his bike. The other vehicles couldn’t be traced to them.

Lucas eased Sarah inside the truck. Her eyes had closed again. Fear pumped through him. “Sarah?”

Her eyes didn’t open. “Relax, Lucas . . . can’t go anywhere . . . without you.” The faintest of smiles curved her lips.

He climbed in and pulled her close. “No, babe, you can’t.” From here on out, they’d be together.

And if anyone tried to come between them, he’d slaughter the dumbass.

Because Sarah King was his. He’d bled for her, killed for her, nearly died for her . . . and he’d never give her up. Never.

When Sarah opened her eyes, she was in a bedroom. Lucas’s bedroom. The window’s broken glass had been repaired. The room was cleaned up and no signs of the old battle remained.

The mattress was soft beneath her, and Lucas’s hand was a warm weight on her stomach. She stared up at the ceiling, not daring to look at him yet.

Last night they’d almost died. Somehow, they’d made it through. Rafe hadn’t. One less crazy jerk in the world. One less nightmare to haunt her.

They’d made it, and she’d told Lucas—I love you.

But he hadn’t said a word back to her. If she hadn’t been barely clinging to consciousness, that would probably have hurt her more then.

Since she was fully awake and aware now, it hurt like a bitch.

She tried to ease away from him, but his hand slipped down and curled around her waist, holding her in place. “Thought we covered this,” his voice rumbled. “You don’t get away from me.”

Yes, she vaguely remembered something about that. But, what was crystal clear in her head . . . He didn’t say he loved me. We almost died and he never said . . . She swallowed. “I just . . . I—” Great. She didn’t know what to say. What to do.

“While you were sleeping, you called my name.”

That wasn’t going to embarrass her. She’d already said she loved the guy. So she whispered his name in her sleep. So what?

“I don’t know if anyone has ever dreamed about me before.” His lips pressed against the curve of her shoulder. “Had nightmares, yeah, but not dreamed about me.”

“Well, if you want the truth . . .” She turned her head and met his bright stare. “I’ve been dreaming about you for months.”

He blinked.

What did she have to lose? “I wasn’t out of my head last night. It wasn’t pain talking. I meant what I said.” Did you mean what you didn’t say? “I’m in love with you, Lucas.”

No more blinks. His gaze bored into hers. “What do you want from me?”

Not that response. “I want everything that you can give me. You said we’re mates. Okay, I don’t know what makes someone a mate or—”

“You can have my children. Your genetics balance with mine. I knew the first time we had sex that we were compatible.”

Compatible? She didn’t want compatible. Sarah rolled away from him.

He caught her arm and rolled her right back. “Dammit, I’m messing this up!”

“Yes, you are.” Gritted.

His eyes blazed down at her. “I’m not sure I know what love is.”

Her lips parted.

He kissed her. Hard and deep and his taste was right, just what she wanted, and her sex began to moisten. For him. Only him. The guy had ruined her for other men. And not because they were compatible or had a good genetic match.

His head lifted. “In case you haven’t noticed, my life hasn’t exactly been easy.”

She’d noticed.

“Women in my life have been around for a few days. I just took the pleasure and walked away. No attachments.”

She didn’t want to hear about his pleasure with other women. The guy was really lucky she didn’t have claws.

“Jordan’s my only family. The pack—hell, we don’t know about love. None of us. Obsession. Need. Hunger. Lust. Yeah, we got that.”

Wolves always understood the darker drives. Animal instinct.

But it was the man who could love. Didn’t he realize that? “I want you, Sarah. I need you. Hell, sometimes I feel like I need you more than I need my next breath.”

That was . . . oh.

“I knew you were dying last night. I could see it, and I just wanted—”

“I wanted to touch you,” she whispered, cutting across his words. “Just one more time.”

“That was some powerful touch.” His lips skimmed hers.

“I think you pushed death back for us again.”

How many more chances would they have?

“You know how it works now, don’t you? Whatever magic Marie wove, it can’t be broken,” he said. “Our lives are linked, everything tied together. When one of us dies . . .”