Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(50)

His breath hissed through his teeth at the electric sensations that jolted through his body. She was magnificent. An alluring, courageous woman who’d suffered for far too long.

“Nicole,” he husked, his hips pulling gently back before sinking back into her welcoming body. “My sweet Nicole.”

“Yes,” she rasped, her claws raking down his back.

The tiny shock of pain was like a spark to his very short fuse. With a groan of surrender, he lost himself in the pagan rhythm that was as ancient and powerful as the magic that ran through their veins.





Chapter 5


Nicole slowly woke to discover herself wrapped in a pair of massive arms with her face pressed against a chest that was rough with hair.

Instantly, she blinked in confusion.

Not just at the fact that she wasn’t in her bed at her lair, but at the realization that she’d actually slept for hours without being tortured by the nightmares that always lurked in her subconscious.

Pushing her tangled hair out of her face, she took a minute to allow the memories to seep through the fog in her mind. She remembered traveling through the woods and being halted by a large man…no, not a man. An Unseen. And then, when she’d tried to slip into the SAU headquarters, that same aggravating male had once again interfered, hauling her back to his lair. And into his bed.

After that…

Well, it’d been hours of supreme, white-knuckled bliss as Tucker taught her just how skilled a bear could be when he set his mind to pleasing his mate.

Mate.

A tiny shiver shook her, her entire body trembling with sated satisfaction.

But even as she felt Tucker’s large hand skimming up the curve of her back, she gave a small gasp at the sunlight that dappled through the trees just outside the window.

“What time is it?” she breathed.

Tucker continued to stroke her back as he glanced toward the nightstand on the other side of her.

“Almost nine.”

“Shit.” She tried to sit up, only to be held in place when his arms tightened around her. “I can’t believe I slept so long.”

His lips brushed the curve of her ear. “It wasn’t long,” he teased. “In case you’ve forgotten, you spent most of the night seducing me.”

Excitement fluttered in her stomach, her toes curling as heat flowed through her veins.

It had been so terribly long since she had allowed herself to enjoy the pleasure of a male’s touch. Not since the death of her son.

Now she found it impossible to resist the melting pleasure as Tucker kissed a path of fire down the side of her neck.

“Yeah, right,” she muttered. “Is your bear always so insatiable?” she accused.

“No.” Lifting his head, he gazed down at her with fierce emotion that made her breath catch in her throat. “Only with you.”

“Tucker, I…I have to return to the compound before I’m missed.” The words tumbled from her lips as a jolt of panic raced through her.

Tucker tensed, then, with a deliberate motion, he lowered his head to allow his warm breath to tease the delicate skin of her neck. Jolts of pleasure shivered down her spine.

“Do they do a count each day?”

Unnerved by her reaction, she arched away from the potent heat of his caressing lips.

“No, it’s always random so we can’t anticipate when it will be done.” She wrinkled her nose. It always infuriated the Pack when the guards entered the compound and forced them to line up to be checked against the photo IDs the SAU kept on each shifter. It was not only a tedious waste of time, but also a painful reminder that they were prisoners. “But they usually do it at least once a month.”

“When was the last count?”

She shivered. The compound was so crowded, that the last lineup had been one of chaos and pain. The guards had herded them together like animals with cattle prods that had enough voltage to send a grown man to his knees.

“Just after the bears were forced into the compound.”

His grip tightened, and with relentless determination, he turned her in his arms to meet the blazing darkness of his eyes.

“Then you surely have a few days before they return,” he rasped, his hands gripping her hips and pressing her against the swollen jut of his arousal.

Dangerous temptation whispered through her mind, urging her to toss caution to the wind.

“You don’t have to deal with Holden,” she forced herself to say. She didn’t doubt for a second that the older wolf would be foaming at the mouth with fury when she finally returned. “Every hour that I’m gone is another hour where I’m pissing him off.”

“You don’t have to deal with him either.”

She arched her brows, startled by the lethal edge to his husky voice.

“What do you mean?”

He placed a hand against her cheek, his expression hard. Deep in his dark eyes, his bear watched her with patience that was different from a wolf. He wasn’t all fang and fury. He was slow and methodical and as relentless as an avalanche.

“Holden is no longer your Alpha,” he said.

“Tucker…”

“Your home is with the Unseen.” He leaned down until they were nose to nose. “You belong to me.”

Her heart faltered at the sheer certainty in his voice. “Tucker, I have to go back or they’ll punish everyone in the compound.” She had to halt to clear the lump from her throat. “Even the children.”