I bit my lower lip and released a heavy breath. The things he’d done to me? A punishment? Damn, that had been like no punishment I’d ever known. My body still tingled, and I throbbed between my legs. It hadn’t been like any fuck I’d ever had before, either. I’d never enjoyed sex much until Stone had laid his mouth on me a few days ago. Getting off, by myself or with someone else, had always been more of a stress release. I’d neverfeltanything for anyone. Even sex with Connor had been more to scratch an itch and use his influence to keep me safe in that fucking awful prison. Was that what this was between me and Stone? Did he just need a fuck buddy, and I was near enough? Would he get bored and tell me it was over when we got back to Hope? Or would he wait until we returned to the compound in Scotland….
“I can feel you.”
“Hm?” I wasn’t touching him, so I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Your thoughts.” He stopped and faced me, cupping my face. “You’re thinking far too hard.”
“No, I'm not.” He was right, of course, but I wouldn’t tell him that.
He grinned. “Don’t lie to me, Butterfly. Not unless you’d like another punishment. I can deliver one right now.” His brows arched with a sadistic gleam in his eyes.
My still sensitive nipples ached harder, as did my swollen pussy. “You wouldn’t.” But I didn’t sound as confident as I wanted to. It was more a question than a statement. Stone absolutely would, by the look on his face.
“Oh, I think we both know I would.” He stepped closer, winding a hand around the back of my neck to hold me in place—and I didn’t hate it. Part of me relaxed at that anchoring touch. “I’m never going to be done with you or leave you. You’re stuck with me until the Mother Wolf takes my soul.”
“Don’t say that,” I whispered, my voice catching. The thought of him dying sent a sharp pain through my chest, my wolf howling. She was still weak, but for the first time in what felt like forever, she was showing an interest in our well-being—and his.
His demeanour changed instantly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think. I’m not leaving you, I promise.” His mouth descended on mine, but it wasn’t a hard or desperate kiss like I’d been expecting; it was sensuous and—reassuring. My shoulders relaxed as his wolf pushed forward, wrapping itself around mine. He pulled away as they melted together and tucked my head under his chin. “I mean it, Shan. I’d give you my mating mark right now, but I understand that you need to be sure and trust that I’m never going to leave you before you can commit to that.”
I swallowed hard, wanting to tell him that I did trust him, but I couldn’t make the words pass my lips. Part of me still believed he’d change his mind, maybe even exploit my vulnerability just like my dad. It was ridiculous that I was allowing my father to influence our happiness—but it was such an instinctive reaction to protect myself, and I didn’t know how to overcome those thoughts. Perhaps I just needed a bit longer. I’d get there...maybe.
Lost in my thoughts, I squealed when Stone bent his knees and, with his shoulder in my stomach, stood, draping me over him until my palms slapped against the upper curve of his arse.
“What are you doing!?”
His chuckle was dark. He slapped my buttock hard enough that it stung. “Distracting you. You’ve gone right back to your busy brain again. I’d go for another punishment, but I thinkyou’re too up in your head for it to work right now. Besides, I’m taking pity on your body until you get used to the way I like to play.”
I yelped again when his hand landed harder on my bare arse. The sting wasn’t entirely unpleasant, nor was the bolt of desire the next smack sent through me.
Stone chuckled, grazing his hand over the heated patch of skin he’d left. “Hmm, another discovery. But we’ll explore that another time. For now, be a good girl and relax. I know you’re tired and hungry, and your thoughts always run away with you when you’re like that, so let me get us back to the cottage. While we walk, tell me more about what you and Ava found in the communications relay before she was kidnapped.”
“Fine. But slap me again, and I’ll kill you in your sleep.”
He laughed out loud. “Don’t lie to me, Butterfly. I can smell your desire. Besides, you’d miss me too much to kill me.”
I huffed but stayed quiet. I really would. “Fine, I’ll tell you, but it’ll give me a headache if I stay here. Let me down, and I’ll walk and talk.”
Immediately, I was upright but not put on the ground. Instead, Stone wound my legs around his waist monkey style, his arms under my backside and thighs.
My face burned. “Oh my gods, you can’t carry me like this!”
“Yes, I can.” He inhaled, his eyes flashing and a feral grin showing me his teeth. “Means I get to have your scent all over me by the time we get back to the cottage.”
My cheeks flared hotter, but I cocked an eyebrow. Two could play the teasing game. I still protested, though. “No, you can’t carry me. I’m too heavy. And it makes me look all damsel-in-distress-y.”
His chin jutted stubbornly, but his eyes shone with amusement as he glanced at my red face. “Aw, that’s cute. But there’s no one here but us, Butterfly, and I’m not lettingyou down because you are mine, and you’re tired and still recovering. That means I’m going to take care of you. I fucked you hard enough and long enough to make even me shake, so suck it up because you’re not walking.” His voice dropped to a growl, and he inhaled deeply, his wolf flashing in his gaze. Fuck, he was beautiful when he was wild like this.
He pulled me closer, and I wondered if I could drive him crazy enough to fuck me again before we made it back to the cabin. I rolled my hips, sliding on the ridges of his stomach. His arms clamped me in place, and he grinned. “Nice try, temptress. But we’re going back to the cottage. Now, behave, or your punishment won’t be so pleasurable next time. Like I said, tell me about the communications. There’s something odd about the way the Mades are using the satellites. I didn’t have time to discuss it properly with Connor or Ava.”
I couldn’t help the smile that curled my lips. I’d never had anyone look after me like this, and I might feel stupid for being carried like a baby, but he was right; I was tired and shaky. And, oddly, the fact he’d overridden my demand to walk didn’t feel wrong. If anything, I was happy he’d made that decision. Despite the lust sizzling in my blood, it was kind of freeing to know there was no point arguing because he wouldn’t change his mind. Stone was a mix of two stubborn, protective races and an Alpha wolf. And I...wasn’t. Deep down, I knew it, and the way my emotions settled as I rested my head on his shoulder and nuzzled into his neck was enough for me to comply.
He didn’t interrupt as I explained how Ava had found the signal hidden in Hope’s communications system. I believed it was one of the reasons she'd been kidnapped, the other being she’d fucked with the Mades’ systems, uploading a virus that would stop them from wiping out the bank accounts of the minted Original vampires and other general digital fuckery they got up to, to bolster their own funds. Although Ava hadn’t toldme much about the signal she’d found in Hope’s communication relay, I knew it worried her, and the mystery of where the signal was coming from had frustrated her no end. Stone adjusted my weight to his other side but still wouldn’t let me walk, silencing me with a look before continuing our conversation. “So the signal the Mades are using is hidden in SBI satellites?”
I shrugged. “That’s what Ava said. But she thinks they’re using any satellites: human, military, and private, too. The technology wasn’t anything she’d seen before. And that’s saying something, seeing as we use Fae technology now, but she couldn’t tell where it was coming from.”
Stone grunted. “That’s why she sent the code to Drake and Charlie.”
I blinked, surprised. “She did?” Drake Alexander was a billionaire tech giant who had been imprisoned with us. Charlie had been a friend to Ember in the prison, and it turned out she had storming IT skills, so Drake had employed her. If they were working on the signal, it wouldn’t be long before they discovered where it was coming from.
