“Only one way to find out,” she said, with a bitter edge to her voice.
Darien lifted Joe off his shoulder. “This is as much of a burial as you deserve, Joe, you bastard.” He tossed him into the pit, then he took Lelandi’s hand and walked her back to the cave.
She sniffled and wiped away another cascade of tears. “Don’t you want to see if he hits bottom?”
“No. I want to warm you up.”
She glanced at his hard, nude body, and he smiled back at her. Her eyes met his. “Your people will be here soon.”
He shook his head slowly back and forth. “Not as long as it takes to return to town and back again with the ropes. By the time they reach us, we’ll even have time for a quick nap.”
She clung to him and nuzzled her cheek against his shoulder. “I... I am cold.”
“I love you, Lelandi.” He swept her up in his arms and held her hard against his chest; the heat of her body mixed with his, helping to warm them both.
When they reached the encased furs, he set her down, then ripped open the plastic covering and spread the faux polar bear skins out. No scent of Larissa or Joe on the skins, thank god. Lelandi took a deep breath and started to pull off her pullover sweater. Darien quickly worked on her belt. She looked so contrite, he was certain she felt sorry for having supped away from him at the house, endangering herself and upsetting everyone. But she had rescued the kids from the cliff and the word of her good deeds was already spreading throughout the pack.
“I’m sorry for what my sister did to you, Darien.”
“Don’t be. It’s all in the past.” His mouth tasted her cold lips. “Just be glad we found each other.”
He finished helping her undress, her body trembling from the frigid air. Then he quickly sandwiched her in between the soft furs and himself.
The furs felt comforting, dry, and warm against Lelandi’s back, the contrast of Darien’s lean hardness resting on top of her. He rubbed her arms, then her shoulders, and with a devilish smirk plastered on his face, his hands shifted to her breasts, heating her up. She still envisioned him in his wolf form, self-assured, feral, beautiful, her protector. She should have known he’d be the one to come for her.
She dragged her fingers through his satiny hair and his teeth grazed her neck, sending a thrill through her. She swept her hands down his back, the muscles tensed with need. “I love you, Darien,” she mouthed against his ear.
His eyes glazed over, he growled low. “Never ever leave me like that again.”
She stiffened, her hands stilled on his waist. “I won’t quit trying to find out who killed my sister.”
“Lelandi...” He groaned and circled a nipple with his tongue, then kissed the tip. He lifted his gaze to her eyes. “I can’t ever lose you. Promise you’ll let me handle this.”
She pressed her lips tightly together. It didn’t matter that she was the female alpha leader in the pack now, as much as it mattered that she took part in avenging her sister’s death. And she would, one way or another.
“Damn it. Lelandi, I won’t have you getting yourself into dangerous situations like this while you’re searching for your sister’s killer.”
She raked her nails down his back and caressed his buttocks, squeezing and releasing. He gave out a husky moan and instantly capitulated. “All right. Ask me when you want to investigate something or someone, and I’ll make sure you’re properly guarded.”
Smiling inwardly, she loved him all the more.
The wet tip of his erection poked against her mound, and he gave her a lusty grin.
At first she rubbed against him, his eyes darkening, and he reached up to caress her breasts. “Hmm, Darien, you could hire out as a masseuse.”
“Only one body I’d be interested in massaging.” he said, his voice ragged. “Are you going to torture me much longer?”
Before she could respond, he pressed his fingers between her legs, parted her folds, and sank his fingers deep. His wet fingers rubbed her sensitized nub with exquisite strokes pushing her to the edge while his tongue danced across her nipples, teasing them into submission.
Every move Darien made heated her further.
He swept his ups over her closed eyes, down her cheek to the corner of her mouth, then brushed across her mouth in a warm, tantalizing caress. His heartbeat pounded in sync with hers, and his warm breath fanned her cheek.
“Lelandi, my love.” His smoldering eyes took his fill and his ups curved up in a feral way while he continued to ply his strong strokes, and she forgot what she’d intended to do to him, her body enraptured by his touch. If she didn’t slow him down... no, keep... keep going.
Oh, oh, heavens. She felt her body elevated, her spirit soaring, elation and... and a gush of warmth flooded her, her system filled with white hot completion. The orgasm rocked her body, sending pleasurable ripples of heated passion through her, and she moaned in ecstasy.
His sizzling gaze pierced her, and he didn’t wait for her next move. Slipping into her swollen folds, he plunged his thick cock deep, lifting her hips so he could drive into her inner core as if seeing her body come, he was pushed nearer the edge. His eyes heavily lidded and his face flushed with pleasure, he stretched her, thrusting hard and deep and fast.
Never while she’d made love to him in their dream state had she enjoyed sex this much. “Oh, oh, faster, harder.” She dug into his buttocks. “Don’t... stop... now,” she growled, not believing she could come again so soon after.
He chuckled and drove harder, his hands planted beside her head, and gave a final thrust, a warm bath heating her deep inside. Sinking on top of her, their bodies slippery and hot and satiated, he let out a gratified growl. “Thank... Odin... you... were... all right.”
“Just all right,” she whispered against his cheek.
“This side of heaven.” He rolled off her and pulled her on top of him, his arms wrapped securely around her while he tugged the fur that had slipped off them back in place. “Don’t ever leave me again like you did.”
“Hmmm.” She cuddled against his hard, sweaty chest. “Thank you for rescuing me. Some rescue, by the way.”
He growled, nipped her shoulder, and forced her head down on his chest. “Don’t forget that whatever happens, I love you. Lelandi, and would never let any harm come to you.”
She snuggled against his chest and licked his nipple, making him groan. “Better not, or I’ll give you a hard time.”
He grinned. “You already do, honey. A really hard time. Rest. We’ll be out of here soon, but we have a long, difficult trek ahead of us.”
Hearing footfalls a couple of hours later coming from the tunnel of pits and the shorter one that was supposed to be more navigable, Darien opened a sleepy eye and hugged Leiandi tighter against his chest, her breathing shallow, her eyes closed in slumber.
Hell, Darien.” Jake entered the cave with ten men from the shorter tunnel, and Tom and another twenty men came from the other. I thought you were dead.”
Glad everyone was okay, Darien gave him a small smile. “Thought so, eh?”
“Nah, not me,” Tom said. “I knew you’d be all right. Jake’s the worrier in the bunch. Kept hurrying the guys to move those boulders and loose rubble, afraid we wouldn’t reach you through the other tunnel in time. It was taking so long for Mason and Peter to get back with the ropes. So...” Tom looked around at the cave, spied blood on the floor and took a deep whiff of the air. “Where’s Joe?’
“Still making his peace with the devil in the center of the earth,” Darien said.
Torn snickered. “Pit burial, eh? Perfectly appropriate.”
Jake motioned to Lelandi. “She all right?”
“Yeah, she’ll be fine. Give us a moment and we’ll get dressed.”
Mason dropped a bundle next to Darien’s clothes. “Some gloves, snow shoes, and a heavy-duty parka for the little lady, more her size. The blizzard’s whipping up pretty hard out there.” He gave Jake a stem look. “Which is why it took us so long to get back to the mountain. It had nothing to do with my age.”
Tom laughed and slapped Jake on the shoulder as the men hurried out through the short tunnel. “See, what’d I tell you? Here we are slaving away to protect Darien’s ass, and he’s cozied up with his mate in a love nest of furs.”
“Yep, pack leader thinking.” Jake headed out with Tom.
“I still can’t believe you moved those boulders to clear the passageway,” Sam said, inside the tunnel.
“I didn’t want Lelandi to have to take the hard way out. Blizzard’s going to be difficult enough to get through,” Jake remarked.
“Good thing we have those ropes.” Tom said.
Jake chuckled. “Yeah, so we can all get lost together.”
Wanting to get Lelandi home safely, Darien kissed her ear to wake her. “Honey, time to get dressed.”
“Hmm, maybe everyone should stay here in the cave until the storm blows over.” Lelandi murmured.
“Not enough furs to keep everyone warm.”
“We could all turn wolf.”
“I’d rather be in the privacy of my bed with you. Come on, sleepyhead. Time to get up and get dressed.”
“It’s so warm here, and so...” She shivered. “So cold out there.” She pointed one finger outside the furs.
He kissed her finger. “I’ll help you dress faster.” Darien slipped out from under the covers, threw his clothes on, then slid his cold hands under the furs to Lelandi’s feet.
“Oh heavens. Darien. Your fingers are like ice.”
“By the way, Cody gave me back my favorite leather Jacket. He warned me it had a gun in the pocket and figured you took it with you to protect yourself.” He tilted his chin down and gave her an exasperated look.
“He offered me his parka so I’d stay warmer.”
“And for that,” Darien said, helping her into her clothes. “I was grateful. But sheesh, Lelandi...”
“I didn’t remember the gun was in your Jacket pocket until Joe pulled his on me.”
“Thank Odin for that. I could imagine you shooting each other and neither of you making it.”
He bundled her up to her neck in the winter parka, although he wished it was a bright color and not white where he could lose her in the blinding snow.
“We could return as wolves,” she said.
“The climb is too steep on this side of the mountain. Better suited to a mountain goat... or humans with climbing gear.”
After what she’d already been through, that didn’t bode well.