His body bowed as another wave of violent pleasure swept through him.
He’d never felt another resembling this. He’d never known such complete pleasure, such heady satiation. He wanted to lie here forever, locked to her, lost within the waves of pleasure that washed over him again and again.
He couldn’t imagine ever being without it, being without her. He couldn’t imagine a moment, so much as breath being taken, without the scent of Mica infusing it.
And he knew the dangers of that. He knew the folly of what his body had just forced on both of them. He knew exactly what it meant, not just to him but also to several other Breeds within both Sanctuary as well as Haven.
He knew.
And he prayed as he had never prayed before that this time, he wouldn’t fail.
CHAPTER 9
Mated.
She was mated by a recessed Breed that had shown absolutely no signs, not a single one, that he was even on the verge of mating.
But there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that it had happened.
There was no way she could deny it, even if she wanted to, not after she’d felt him lock inside her, his already wide shaft thickening farther halfway up the heavy organ and fitting firmly inside the narrowest part of her sex.
And the moment he’d been able to remove himself, he’d come right out of the bed, dressed and stomped out of the bedroom.
So much for whispering sweet nothings, cuddling and doing all that growling and chest thumping “my mate” crap like she’d heard happened with other Breeds and their mates.
Wasn’t it just her luck?
Her mate was out stomping, cursing and railing at fate because he had a mate.
Yep, it was just her luck. She should have expected it.
Rising from the bed, Mica moved to the attached bathroom, took another shower, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and left the bedroom with a sense of resignation.
The anger was there, but she had spent so many years hiding her emotions that she barely felt it as she descended the curved staircase to the wide marble foyer.
Night was easing over the mountains, the cold rush of the evening air moaning outside the wide double front doors as it heralded a storm.
Rain or snow? At this time of the year, it could be either or a mix of both.
She shivered at the thought of any of those options. The thought of rain only reminded her of that mad dash through the dark streets of New York City, while the thought of snow in the mountains made her wish she had simply stayed at her parents’ ranch in Colorado rather than returning to her job at the paper after she finished at Haven.
“There you are.” As Mica stepped from the stairs, Merinus stepped from the kitchen entrance farther along the foyer.
Still slender despite the two children she’d had, and the fact that she had passed her fortieth birthday, Merinus still looked the same as she had the day she stood in front of those journalists by Callan’s side while he told the world what he was, and what he was created to be.
“Yep, here I am.” Mica pushed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “It’s quiet here today.”
“There’s a storm moving in.” Merinus’s smile was quiet, confident.
She was the pride leader’s wife and mate, the prima they called her, and she carried her title well.
Moving toward her, Mica suddenly felt self-conscious, wondering if Navarro had spoken to this woman after he left, if she knew what had happened in the bedroom Mica had slept in whenever she visited, since she was a child.
“Come on into the kitchen. There’s coffee and chocolate cake. I’ve been indulging today.”
Turning, Merinus led the way back into the spacious, cheery kitchen, the jeans and sweatshirt she wore looking incredibly comfortable when paired with the thick, white socks on her feet.
Stepping into the kitchen, Mica almost breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that Merinus was the only one there.
“Cassie called earlier,” Merinus stated as she poured coffee and slid a cup across the wide center island, as Mica took a seat on one of the high bar stools in front of it.
“I lost my cell phone,” Mica sighed. “I’ll have to see if Jonas will get me another.”
The Breed-secured sat phone she carried had been in her purse along with her ID, cash and credit cards.
“Cassie told me to assure you she was taking care of things in regards to cards and so forth,” Merinus stated as she pushed the cake across the counter. “She assumed that since the sat phone was disconnected that something had happened.”
Mica gave a short nod. It was an agreement they had. If the other even suspected that somehow one of them had been hurt, robbed or taken, then they’d take the precaution of canceling all credit cards. The last thing they wanted, or needed, was some bastards cashing in after they’d possibly been killed by one of them.
“Callan, Jonas, Kane and Navarro are at communications headquarters going over mission stats,” Merinus told her. As though she needed to know, Mica thought resentfully as she dug into the cake.
“I just need to know when the heli-jet will be here to take me home, Prima.” Mica stared back at the other woman questioningly. “As much as I enjoy Sanctuary, I think I’d feel better if I were at my parents’ ranch.”
“Your parents are at Haven, Mica,” Merinus revealed gently. “The ranch was hit at the same time you were targeted in the city. Your father and mother were, thankfully, not at home at the time.”
Mica inhaled slowly, carefully. “Does Jonas know why they were targeted? Does he know why I was targeted?”
Merinus gave a quick shake of her head. “I know he’s working on it. I promise, we’re doing everything we can to figure this out and to get you safely home. But the key word is safely. We’re not certain that even the heli-jet would be a secured means of transportation at the moment. Until we know for certain, it’s not a chance we want to take.”
Mica took another bite of the chocolate cake, sipped at her coffee and simply allowed the information to settle inside her.
She couldn’t leave yet. She was stuck here, which meant the support system she would have counted on at any other time wasn’t available.
Hope, Faith and Charity, and especially Cassie, as aggravating as she was sometimes. They were her friends, her support system. She could have talked to them, and they could have helped her figure out which way to go at this point, with a Breed mate MIA only hours after said mating.
“Does Jonas have any idea how long it will take?” Mica finally asked Merinus.
“I’m sorry, Mica.” Merinus shook her head, her shoulderlength brown hair emphasizing the compassion in her expression. “I do promise you, he’s not the only one working on it. Callan, Kane and Navarro are investigating as well. I’m certain it won’t take them long.”
What was she supposed to say at this point?
She wanted to go home. If it was up to her, she would have gotten in a car and simply driven. She was one woman, and as long as no one saw her leave, then there would be no one to report it to whoever the hell was out there looking for her.
That wasn’t going to happen though, and she knew it. She wouldn’t make it to a vehicle, let alone past the gates of the compound, before Jonas, Navarro, and any number of Breeds who had watched her grow up, would stop her.
“Cassie asked that you call her whenever you have time.” Merinus leaned against the counter and sipped her coffee. “She said to remind you to beware of contentment?” It was obvious Merinus was very curious as well as partly amused.
Mica sipped her coffee.
She was going to strangle Cassie.