The barb beneath the head of his cock pressed out, became erect, violently hard and locked him inside her at the moment of his release. With each spurt of semen he felt the shudders of furious pleasure tearing through, ripping through his soul, opening it for her.
He held her close, one hand buried in her hair, to hold her to his heart, as he fought to breathe through the ecstasy.
She was his. His woman. His mate. His life.
Nothing in this world would ever matter as much as Cassa.
Not his life or others. He would die without her. And by God, he would have no compunction in killing to protect her.
She was more than just his heart. Cassa was his soul.
◆ CHAPTER 23 ◆
“I’m not going to sit here in this room and wait on someone who’s not coming.”
Cassa made her announcement the moment she stepped out of the bathroom, freshly showered and dressed. She wasn’t a patient person when it came to pacing the floors. She would just as soon be pacing the sidewalk adding to her story or hunting down sources.
Hunting down sources was her primary concern today. She had several in mind, for information she needed. Chief among the questions she had was in regards to any surviving members of the Feline pride that had been massacred on Valentine’s night twenty-two years ago. Who was left? Who would be taking vengeance now?
She knew Walt Jameson had information, and there were the two Breeds that had been in the café the morning she had met Myron there. On closer thought, those Breeds had been a little too curious. They were watching her that day, listening to her conversation. Which meant they were most likely involved.
She was going to find them and simply have a nice little conversation with them. Maybe mention Valentine’s Day. Maybe mention Douglas.
She felt armed for battle. Dressed in jeans, her favorite dark gray long-sleeved T-shirt and boots. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and a light dusting of makeup had been applied where she felt it was needed.
Last night had held too many revelations, and too many surprises. She wasn’t a sitting duck for anyone, especially Douglas Watts. She had put that behind her the day she thought Douglas had died, and she wasn’t returning to it.
She watched Cabal as he turned from the window to stare back at her. She took in the hard expression, but paid attention to the glitter of amber in his forest green eyes.
Those eyes almost had the power to mesmerize her. She could stare into them for hours, lose place and time and never regret a moment of it. If she let herself.
“What do you think you can do before Watts arrives?” He crossed his arms over the dark gray cotton shirt he wore, as his gaze flickered over her.
“There’s any number of things I can do.” She shrugged. “High on the list is finding Walt Jameson. I’d like to talk to him a bit more.”
“Why?” Suspicion hardened his eyes.
“Because I suspect he’s more involved in this than even you know,” she informed him. “And he offered me information. I intend to take him up on that.”
“He’s close to Myron and Danna,” he informed her. “Anything you talk to him about he’s going to talk to them about.”
“Then I’ll just have to talk to him discreetly.” She shrugged. “I am aware of how that’s done, Cabal.”
And she needed to get out of this bedroom, away from him. The night before had thrown her off balance. Not just in terms of the revelations she had learned, but also in terms of things she had learned about herself as he held her in his arms.
She had felt more last night than she had ever felt in her life. Each touch he had given her, each kiss had sunk clear to the core of her spirit. It had been like flying. Like being reborn. And now she felt off balance, uncertain. She needed time to think, time away from his touch to make sense of it.
“I have no doubt that you can question him very discreetly, Cassa.” He blew out a rough breath as he pushed the fingers of one hand through his hair, feathering it back from his face only to have the silken strands fall back into place. “I just know Walt. If Danna and Myron are involved in this, he’s going to protect them. And if they’re involved, then no doubt he is as well.”
“I’ll talk carefully,” she stated. “But I will talk to him.”
She moved to the desk and quickly stored her electronic notepad in its case before pushing it into her pack. Sitting here waiting wasn’t something she could do. She had to get out of this room, she had to put some distance between herself and her need to stroke Cabal from head to toe.
Her hands were tingling with the need to just pet him. Just touch him. And she knew damned good and well where that would lead.
Her body was already heating in response to that thought. It seemed that the more she touched him, the more she was touched by him, the more she wanted.
“You think you’re leaving here without me, don’t you?” he asked with an edge of amusement in his tone and his expression as he watched her.
Cabal personified male arrogance. She could see it, feel it pouring off him. She might think she was going to go without him, she might even want to go without him, but as far as he was concerned, it wasn’t going to happen.
It was a damned good thing she had decided she was better off with him than without him at this point. She was stubborn, and she liked her job, but she had to admit that with the information she now had, things might be just a little too dangerous for her alone.
“Actually, I more or less assumed you would just follow along,” she replied blithely. “So come on, Bengal. Let’s get to work.”
She didn’t miss the narrowed eyes or the look of male outrage in his gaze. Well hell, if she was going to have to put up with his male attitude, then he better learn to take her female adjustments. It was that simple.
“You know, Cassa, we’re going to have to discuss this penchant you have for pricking my ego,” he stated as they left the room.
“Really?” She couldn’t help the laughter in her voice as she glanced back at him. “You know, Cabal, I was just thinking the same thing about my ego. Sounds like a lengthy discussion to me. Are you certain you have the patience for it?”
The sound he made behind her was between a purr and a growl. Almost one of anticipation.
Funny, she thought, she had heard that Feline Breed males would purr for their mates, normally after sex. She hadn’t heard a single purr yet. And here she had been looking forward to it.
Another discussion they might be having soon. She made a mental note of that one.
Start as you mean to go on. That was the advice her mother had always given her where men were concerned. Weigh each confrontation and ensure you can handle years of it before you decide to bow down and let a man have his way. Because give him an inch and he was going to take a mile. Or in Cabal’s case, an interstate.
As they left the inn, she felt his hand settle in the small of her back as he led her to the black Raider normally designated as a law enforcement or Breed vehicle. The high-profile, four-wheel-drive vehicle was rated for normal road use, but designated for off-road efficiency.
She’d often heard that it could almost climb a tree if it had to. The Bureau of Breed Affairs loved the vehicles.
Having opened the door with the keyless entry remote, Cabal helped her step up into the seat. She didn’t miss the way his hand caressed the outside of her thigh, or the heated look he gave her. It was enough to make her wonder if perhaps she should have postponed this little outing for a bit more inside playtime.
She almost laughed at the thought, as well as the almost giddy euphoria she could feel moving through her. She felt . . . happy. And why she felt that way didn’t even make sense.