Savage Awakening (Alpha Pack #2)(50)

"Oh!" she breathed. "I'm going to come!"

"Do it, baby," he rasped. "Come on my cock!"

The last of her control snapped and the orgasm swept her in a rush of heady ecstasy. She clutched him tightly, crying out as he shouted, emptying his hot seed. Filling her to overflowing. When their spasms died, he eased to the side, slipping out of her, and gathered her close. With a contented sigh, she rested her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his middle.

"You were awesome," she praised.

"Thanks. So were you, sweetheart."

She frowned. "You're really warm and your voice is raspy. Are you still running a temperature?"

"Maybe a little." He gave her shoulders a squeeze. "I'm fine, though. Melina said it would pass."

"I thought shifters didn't get sick?"

"I said we don't catch or pass human illnesses. It's probably just my body still healing from my stay at Motel Hell."

Something in his tone gave her pause. She'd swear he was lying, but she couldn't prove it. She tried a different question. "You also said you couldn't get me pregnant unless we were mated. How do you know for sure? I placed a lot of trust in you."

"I know, and I'm grateful." He kissed the top of her head. "The scientists here at the Institute have been studying us for years now. And Nick is a born wolf shifter, so he brought a lot of knowledge with him when he came."

"How does mating work with your kind, exactly?"

"Um, from what I'm told, you bite your intended mate and, assuming you're true Bondmates, you're stuck together for life and you can never be with anyone else." She felt his shrug. "Though I wouldn't know."

Weird. She'd felt a strong urge for him to bite her when they were making love. Somehow it didn't seem like a good idea to tell him that now, if ever. He seemed sort of reticent on the subject.

Well, duh. The man was a free and easy wolf. He probably didn't want a female permanently attached to his side.

"Aric?"

"Yeah?"

"I would never try to tie you down. Just so you know."

Underneath her, his body tensed. Then slowly relaxed. "Sure. I mean, you're going to leave when Micah is better. You have a life in L.A. waiting for you. But there's no reason why we can't have some fun before you go."

A vicious stab of pain lanced through her heart.

"Yes, exactly. This is just sex. I just wanted to put that out there. So we don't get our wires crossed or anything."

"Sure, that's understandable," he said softly. "Sleep and we'll go see your brother later."

"Okay."

But the sandman didn't come. Rowan remained awake long after her lover's breathing had evened out.

Just sex. She'd go home, eventually. Returning to her own boring life would be for the best. A life that didn't include shifters, Fae princes, Sorcerers, gremlins, or evil Unseelies and their pet Sluaghs.

This place was like frickin' Disneyland on meth. She'd be glad to see all of this madness in her rearview mirror.

Really.

Chapter Ten

Aric placed a hand at the small of Rowan's back and guided her into Micah's room. After their much-needed nap, they'd awakened semirecovered from the excitement of the Sluagh's attack, not to mention the incredible life-reaffirming lovemaking that followed. No, not lovemaking.

This is just sex.

The straightforward, no-nonsense way she'd said it had stabbed him in the gut. God, he was still bleeding inside. The fact that he'd been right about her not wanting to be tied to him and the loony bin that doubled as his life was cold comfort. He was playing with fire, literally.

And then he'd have to let her go.

"Micah?" Rowan walked over to take the chair by the bed, and wrapped her fingers around her brother's.

Aric went to stand behind her and settled his hands on her shoulders. A gesture of comfort, and God knew she needed it. Micah's eyes were open, muddy and lifeless. He stared into space, either unaware of their presence or too lost in his own hell to acknowledge them.

You caused this, a vicious voice in his head snarled. If you'd only warned Jax about Beryl, this wouldn't have happened. And half the team wouldn't be either missing or dead.

The truth was killing him. He would have to confess to his team, and to Rowan. Sooner or later.

"Hey, little brother. It's great to see you awake again." She swallowed hard, making a visible effort to be cheerful for Micah's sake. "I'm getting to know your friends, and they've all been super to me. You've had tons of visitors and we're all relieved you're going to be okay. You know you're safe, right? It's okay to be quiet, but we're here if you want to talk and..."

She chattered on, but Aric stopped listening. Jesus, it was beyond painful. Seeing Micah like this, completely catatonic. But he was far from an empty shell. Aric sensed the rage boiling under the surface of the younger man's skin, the sadness choking off all speech. Yet as terrible as this was, it gave him hope. Where there were still emotions, there was hope.

If those emotions died, so would Micah.

"Do you think it's the medication?"

It took Aric a moment to realize Rowan was addressing him instead of her brother. "I believe so. My wolf senses his emotions, and it seems they're being suppressed right now." He stroked her hair. "It's for his own good, just until he can handle reality."