Page 28 of Stolen

Chapter 14

“But we can’t,” Ariana said, her dark eyes still filled with fear. “He’s our alpha. You’ve seen how powerful he is.”

Her fear made him angry. No one who claimed to love her should ever make her afraid.

“We’re more powerful.” Her scent surrounded him; the softness of her body pressed against his. The strength of her spirit reached out to his, already twined around his heart.

She made a soft sound—part negation, part longing. “You’re already too far into this,” she said. “I don’t want to be the death of you.”

“You already are,” he said. “The death of the man I used to be—or the half a man I used to be. Cold, hard, with nothing to live for. But the first time I saw you, it was like the sun had come out, like spring had come after a lifetime of winter. Warmth and light and new life.”

Her face softened, and he saw the faint shine of tears. She cupped his face in her hand, her skin soft against the rasp of his beard. “You are the one who brought that to me, mi corazón,” she said. “You brought me light, and hope, in the darkness of my life. And you risked everything, to bring me here to this new place. I wanted to use what I know to stop my brother.”

“And now he’s brought himself here, where we can do that.”

“But how can we?” she asked desperately. “He’s here, inside my head.” She touched her shining hair. “You said it yourself—if he can get to me in that way, then I will be a liability. Helpless. And what if he uses his power not just to frighten me, but to turn me against you, or those who guard me? To harm them?” Her voice shook. “I don’t know how to fight him.”

There was only one way he knew of. Hawk said slowly, “You could bond with someone else. A more powerful bond. You could bond with me.”

A mating bond. Ariana knew what he was saying, and it took her breath away. He went on, “You know how I feel about you. You’ve always known. But I didn’t want to ask this of you. I didn’t want to pull you into the shadows.”

She gave a shaky laugh. “I wanted you to pull me out of them,” she said. “It was selfish.”

He shook his head. “It’s not selfish. We belong together. Every path I was ever on led to you.” His eyes were fiery and full of hope. “You’re my mate.”

His mate. The idea filled her—joy and pain and an almost unimaginable future. She couldn’t speak, and he mistook her silence for negation.

“You know you are,” he told her. “You’re the only woman I will ever love. The only wolf my wolf will ever love. We’re together, whether we want to admit it or not.”

Tears ran down her cheeks, and she pulled him to her, holding him close. “I do want to admit it. But I’ve been so afraid that bonding to you would only bring you more pain.”

He shook his head. “Every second we spend together is precious, no matter what happens. But if we embrace this, if we accept it, then we can be stronger than we’ve ever been. More powerful. Nothing will be able to stop us.”

“Not even an entire army?”

“Not even them.” He pulled back just enough that he could kiss her softly. Both cheeks, her forehead, and finally her lips.

“Let me claim you,” he said. “A claiming bond, chosen freely, is powerful magic. It could break your bond to your brother, keep him from being able to attack you the way he did earlier.”

The idea of being free of her brother, free of his mental hold on her, made her giddy for a moment. “And you would really do this?”

“For you? A million times over.” He tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. “I want this. Hell, it’s the only thing I want. Then if I die, I’ll die whole. Free. Happy.”

She pressed her forehead to his. “Being with you was the first time I knew what happy really felt like. Whatever we can have of that, I want it.” She kissed him. “And kicking my bastard of a brother out of my head? That’s just a bonus.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “I love you.” In his eyes she saw a reflection of herself—stronger, braver, more treasured than she ever thought she could be.

All her resistance crumbled into dust, and all she wanted was to be part of him, one with him. Belonging only to each other.

“Claim me,” she whispered. “Make me yours.”

His response was something between a groan and a growl, and she saw the gold of his wolf flash in his eyes. Desire, deep and strong, shot through both of them.

He dipped his head and captured her lips. They slid across hers like scented silk, slow and sensual.

She had expected—wanted—him to be hot and demanding, but instead he went slowly, softly, watching all her reactions with the intensity of a stalking wolf.

His fingers skimmed across her skin, removing her clothes as if by magic. Unhurried, he traced her curves and valleys, stroked and tasted.