I reach for her hand and bring it to my cheek. I press a kiss to the inside of her wrist, over the delicate feather tattoo. She finally turns to face me, and I haul her back to my chest.
My lips skim her cheek, caressing the shell of her ear. "When the time is right, believe me, it won't be in a muddy truck. It'll be somewhere remote, where I have all the time and space to lay you down and fuck you properly, how I’ve been envisioning forweeks. After that, you can have me any way you’d like."
Vessa’s heart palpitates. “I'll be holding you to that, Commander.”
Chapter 29
DOMINIK
“Motherfucker!” I roar, slamming the book shut. Blood pumping, I swipe it off my desk with my forearm, clearing it of all its contents.
I stayed up the entire night rereadingAncient Remedies for Lycanthropyto try and catch what I missed. Why I failed on the full moon.
I’ve traveled the world to consort with witches, recited spell after bullshit spell, smoked wolfsbane for a month straight, even injected raw silver, all to no avail. The only new suggestion I found in the book was a ritual to cleanse the blood with the illunis leech, native to the rainforests of Mongassi. Wasting no time, I took the first flight out of Hichano and headed straight for the tropics. When I found a witch willing to chain me down and procure the bloodsuckers, I had foolishly latched onto hope as fervently as the mongrels who fed on me. Drained nearly to completion, my wolf had been too exhausted to shift. But deep down in my soul, he remained. Since returning to the loft, he’s been seething, using my ribcage as a punching bag.
Sinking back into my leather chair, I assess the disarray around me. Clothes piled on the floor. Dishes abandoned in thesink. Empty bottles on the windowsill. Nearly a dozen of them.Silverfire. I’m a mess.
Heavy footsteps thunk down the hall, slowing as they reach the doorway. When I hear a jingle from the other side, I spring up out of my chair. Axe wiggles the door open, beating me to it.
Dammit, why did I agree to let him make a copy of my loft keys?
Wiping his black boots on the mat, his eyes pan across the living room, jaw stiffening. Oh, he can smell the liquor on my breath alright.
He clears his throat. “You haven’t answered either of my calls.”
I bend to shuffle a stack of invoices and carry them back to my glass desk. “It’s nice to see you upright, brother. Demi tells me you survived another silver bullet.”
“Two, actually.” Squaring his shoulders, he flicks a tuft of dust from his jacket. Breathes deeply. “This weekend, your presence is required at the Great Lodge. Vessa and I are making an announcement to all members. You’re still one of them, if I recall.”
The wolf beneath my skin hisses. “What announcement?”
Sapphire slices into my gaze. “Vessa is to become Luna Superior. She accepts the bond.”
“That’s . . .” I shift my gaze to the floor, mentally thrusting back against the animal. My hands grip the armrest for support, hard enough to puncture the leather.
“Like it or not, this is her decision. And this is the best way we can ensure her protection.”
“So she agreed not because she has genuine feelings for you, but because she can’t protect herself?”
Though I’m struggling, I don’t miss the tautness that courses through every muscle in his body. “Her feelings are none of your concern,” he snarls.
“No? Well, tell me this. Did you bother showing her your true nature before she came around? Or were you afraid that she’d run away from you again?”
A muscle tics along his jaw. But for now, he keeps his anger reined in.
You’re a natural-born killer,” I continue. “And ever since Vessa stepped foot on our land, you’ve done everything in your power to mask just how much you enjoy it. She may be human, but once she has your mark, she won’t need an augment. She’ll be able to see right through you.” My canines are throbbing, the wolf desperate to spring forth and tackle him to the floor. To hurl something at him. “You will never care for her more than you do about getting revenge for this cursed family.”
The words hit their target. Axe advances. “I don’t seeyoudoing a damned thing about it.”
Resentment burns in his eyes. Almost ten years it took to rebuild Lupine Manor, and no matter how many times he tried to guilt me into taking part, not once did I bother to lend a hand. Instead, I built a nightclub.
“I let go of the past years ago,” I rebut. “You’re the one who lets it dictate his entire life.”
When I open my mouth again, his hands are around my throat. “Shut the fuck up for once and justlisten to me. This is about the future of this pack. The consequences we will face once Vessa becomes one of us. She will have an even bigger target on her back. If you care about her, which I suspect that you do, you need to understand that I will need your discretion in keeping her safe.”
My brows narrow. “Safe from what?”
He reveals his true reason for coming then. Vessa’s identity. The reality that not just vampires, but rogue mercenaries are searching for her, far and wide. All because three thousand yearsago, the gods vowed to gift her to the villain that butchered our parents. To replace the bride that was stolen from him.
