Cole’s Redemption (16 page)

There wasn’t much that was better than having his cock sucked. He defied any man to
say differently. That guy would be a liar.

Making satisfied noises, she sucked him until he was cross-eyed. Until he was pumping
down her throat in regular rhythm, deeper and faster, loving that she wanted it like
this. Wanted him.

He felt his balls draw up. “Baby, gonna come!”

She held on fast, grabbing a double handful of his ass and squeezing. That was all
he could take. With a shout, he emptied his seed down her throat, spasming on and
on. She swallowed every drop, easing him down, her tongue massaging the underside
of his cock, producing a bunch of little aftershocks.

Eventually, he reached down and helped her up, then carried her to the big bed that
awaited them. They slept for a while in each other’s arms, but he woke up hungry for
her again sometime in the night.

He kissed down her back, loving that she was stirring awake with pleased little sounds.
She liked what he was doing. Encouraged, he trailed his tongue down her spine, to
her butt. Then spread her legs and flicked her sex with his tongue.

Making an incoherent noise, she spread wider.

So he licked her slit, laving her as though eating ice cream. He enjoyed returning
the favor, getting her all sloppy wet, making her writhe on his face, lost in pure
pleasure.

“Oh! God, yes!”

She was a vocal lover, and he liked that. He wanted to hear her get loud, so he latched
on to her little clit and suckled like a starving man. She came undone under his attentions,
bucking and screaming the mountain down. On and on, he sucked and lapped her cream,
until she was boneless on the bed. Replete.

After wiping his face on the sheet, he held her and they fell asleep, content.

Sometime later, he awoke to find her studying him. Then she smiled and kissed his
chest. “Good morning.”

“Is it morning? It’s hard to tell what time of day it is when you’re holed up in a
mountain.”

“According to the clock, it is. Hungry?”

“Yes. But I need a shower first. You game?”

“Always.”

The shower was fun, and he felt like a new man when they finally emerged—long after
the hot water had run out. Then they dressed and at last went in search of food.

They found most of the Pack and a bunch of vampires in a dining area not unlike the
one at the compound. Zan was a little surprised to see vampires eating normal food,
but he knew they had to have blood as well to survive.

He and Selene tucked into eggs, bacon, and toast, with a healthy dose of coffee to
go with it. “Wonder where Nick is,” he said, looking around.

“I don’t know. He’s scarce lately.”

“You’re still worried about him.”

“More than ever. He’s not eating much, as far as I can tell.”

They were chatting with a group of vampires about their coven when one of the soldiers
came into the room and approached.

“Selene?” She nodded. “Your father would like to see you in Prince Tarron’s study.
He said to tell you that you’re as ready as you’ll ever be. He said you would know
what that means.”

Beside him, she paled. “I do, thank you.”

“Baby? Do you want me to go with you?” But he already knew what she’d say.

“No. I have to do this alone. You understand, don’t you?”

She suddenly looked so fragile. He wanted to hurt Nick for putting that expression
on her face, but that wasn’t fair, either.

“Of course I do. I’ll wait for you in our room. Come to me as soon as you’re done.”

“I will.”

Rising, she gave him a kiss and then left to have a long-overdue conversation with
her father.

Zan said a quick prayer for them both.

He had a feeling they would need all the help they could get.

S
elene’s knees shook as she walked to Prince Tarron’s study to speak with her father.

This was it. The moment she’d waited so long for, when she’d learn the truth about
her mother’s death. And now she found she wasn’t ready at all, because she knew the
facts would somehow be different from what she’d been told all her life. It would
be a dull knife rending open a scab to expose ugliness and pain.

Part of her no longer wanted to know. But she couldn’t back out now.

Opening the door to the study, she stepped in and closed it behind her. Nick was alone,
sitting in a chair near the large antique desk that dominated the room. For a moment,
she thought it would be easier to fall back on the old hatred. To blame him for her
past misery and simply walk out, refusing to hear. But the anguish on his face stopped
her cold.

“Sit down, please.”

Granting his request, she took a seat on the antique chaise longue closest to him
and waited for him to continue.

“I can’t protect you anymore, though God knows that’s all I ever wanted to do,” he
said, voice catching. “I’ve put this conversation off for too long, and now I’ve run
out of time.”

“Run out of time, how?”

“That’s not important right now.”

She swallowed hard. “Okay. Protect me from what, then? Tell me, and don’t leave anything
out.”

“From the past. Leaving you was the very last thing I ever wanted, but I had broken
clan law and made a mistake too horrible to be rectified. I was banished from the
pack forever.”

Selene gasped and gripped the arm of the sofa. “What? I was told you ran like a coward
after Mom was killed. And you didn’t care enough to take me with you.”

“No. I made a grave mistake that caused your mother’s death, and I deserved to be
punished. But I didn’t run away, and I didn’t leave you voluntarily. Damien rallied
the support of the clan and stripped me of my title of Alpha and took over. He forced
me to leave—without you.”

“I can’t believe that!” she exclaimed, voice rising. “Uncle Damien wouldn’t lie to
me!”

“But he did,” Nick said quietly. “Whether or not you believe me, it’s the truth. I
imagine my brother lied in part because he knew that believing the worst of me would
make your life more tolerable. You would be accepted and protected by the clan, and
you were. I don’t blame him for telling you and the others what he had to in order
to make things easier for you.”

Her mind whirled in confusion. “Do you hear yourself? You actually expect me to buy
all of this?” Desperately, she cast about for another explanation. Her lifelong beliefs
about her uncle Damien and what a great man he was, that he and his mate and family
were her own, were suddenly crashing around her feet.

“I have a hard time buying that your motives for leaving me behind were so altruistic,”
she countered. “If you didn’t kill my mother, why didn’t you just take me with you
when you left? You could’ve gotten us away, and we could’ve had a good life together!”

Nick hung his head for a long moment, breathing hard. It occurred to her that he was
trying hard not to cry, and her heart stuttered.

“I couldn’t, baby. When Damien confronted me, he brought a witch with him. He said
if I didn’t go peacefully, without you, he’d have the witch strip you of your gift.
He wasn’t bluffing, and my sight had told me that someday you’d need your special
ability desperately, so I left.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“I don’t expect you to believe my story overnight, but I’m telling the truth. I didn’t
leave you out of fear for my own life, or any other selfish reason. I hoped to see
you again one day, but if I didn’t . . . I did what I had to do to protect you.”

Staring at Nick, she struggled to process all he’d told her. Her soul grieved for
all the time they’d lost, even as hope sparked anew. Still, there was plenty she didn’t
understand.

“What gift are you talking about? I don’t have any special abilities.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” One corner of his mouth hitched in a half smile. “You
have a very special gift that will manifest when you need it most. I can’t tell you
what it is and risk swaying the future again.”

“Again? What do you mean?”

“I want you to remember that I knowingly broke clan law and Damien felt he had no
choice but to act. He’s not a bad man. He did what he believed he must at the time
to discipline me and protect you.”

Steeling herself, Selene asked the tough question. “So, what did you do? And what
does it have to do with Mom?”

Here it was at last. Her father looked her right in the eye and gave her the rest.

“I had a vision. It showed me one of our clan members being snatched off the street
by a rogue vampire, assaulted and brutally murdered. I used my gift to change the
outcome.”

“Oh, no . . .” Tampering with the future was a grave offense, and obviously his interference
had gone terribly wrong. “What happened?”

“My vision showed that the victim, a mere child, was going to be snatched off the
street by a rogue vamp after a dance lesson while waiting for her mother, who would
be running late. I made certain the woman knew of my vision, and then I picked the
child up myself as a precaution, thwarting fate. Or so I thought.”

He cleared his throat, obviously fighting to keep it together. She waited, heart pounding,
dreading what he was about to say but knowing she had to hear it.

“The rogue was watching, and he became enraged. In revenge, he turned his attention
to the child’s mother. Four days later, he caught her alone and killed her.”

For a few seconds, she simply stared at her father. Then she whispered, “The child
was me.”

“Yes.”

“You interfered, changed my fate, and he killed my mother instead.”

“Yes,” he choked. “But I know how much your mother loved you, as I do, and she wouldn’t
have survived had the vampire gotten his hands on you instead. She wouldn’t have changed
the outcome even if she could have.”

Selene couldn’t speak.

“I learned my lesson on tampering with fate,” he said hoarsely. “And I learned that
sometimes death just won’t be cheated, no matter how we try to avoid it. I’m so sorry,
baby. Your mother died in your stead, and I wish it had been me. I lost my mate and,
despite my efforts, you as well. Sometimes I—” He fell silent, leaving the rest unfinished.

The clock in the study ticked, and Selene grappled with her emotions. “I don’t know
how to feel. You thought you could control everything, and all you did was get my
mother killed! I don’t hate you anymore, but honestly . . . I don’t know if I can
forgive you, either.”

As soon as those words left her lips, she regretted them. Raw pain flashed in her
father’s eyes before being quickly hidden. “I understand. I just wanted you to know
the whole story. If you still doubt what I’ve told you, I don’t think Damien would
deny the truth now.”

Damien. There was another person on her shit list.

She stood. “I’ll talk to you later. And thank you . . . for telling me.”

Turning, she walked out before she gave way to the sorrow.

•   •   •

Nick sat in Tarron’s study long after Selene left.

Shadows closed in on his soul, crushed his heart.
She’s never going to forgive me. I’ve lost her for good.

And he knew, then and there, that when death caught him, he was done. He’d die without
a fight because he had nothing left.

For the first time since his mate was murdered, since he lost his baby girl, Nick
hung his head and cried.

•   •   •

Zan knew something was wrong the second Selene stepped into their room.

Shutting the door behind her, she leaned against it and met his gaze. Tears were streaming
down her face, and he jumped up and hurried to her, gathering her into his arms.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” He kissed the side of her head. “Tell me.”

“I talked to my dad. He finally told me everything.”

His blood froze. “What did he say?”

“It was supposed to have been me!” Her voice broke, and she cried harder.

“What?”

“I was the vampire’s target, not Mom!” she rasped, sobbing. “He saw what was going
to happen and got me away. The rogue killed her instead.”

“Oh, no.” He squeezed her tighter. “That’s why he never interferes with fate.”

“Why? Why did this have to happen? I loved my mom and dad. We were happy.”

“I know, baby. Shh, please don’t cry.”

“They were the best parents.”

“I’m sure they were.”

In stops and starts, Zan managed to get the rest of the story out of her. He led her
over to the bed, eased her down, and held her as she cried. He’d known the story would
be tragic when it finally came out, but God. His heart broke for all she and her father
had lost. And her mother, too.

Gradually, her tears subsided and she turned to him, placing soft kisses on his chest.
Arousal stirred, his cock lengthening in his jeans and making the fit uncomfortably
tight. “We don’t have to do this now, sweetheart.”

“Make love to me, my mate,” she said breathlessly. “Please.”

He knew what she needed—to be loved. To forget for a while.

“With pleasure.”

He removed his jeans and underwear first, then helped her off with her shirt, shoes,
and jeans. He left her lacy black panties for last, spreading her out for his gaze,
wearing those and nothing else.

“You’re beautiful.”

“So are you—inside and out.”

Leaning over her, he took her mouth in a deep kiss, putting all of his feelings for
her into it. He stroked her hair, her cheek, shoulder, and finally cupped one full
breast. He loved the weight of it in his palm, the warmth. Kneading the mound, he
flicked the tight nipple a few times with his thumb, enjoying her gasp and the way
she arched into his touch.

His hand moved lower still, fingers slipping beneath her panties and combing through
her pale bush to probe at the heated flesh between her thighs. She moaned, opening
for him, and he sat up, helping her get rid of the offending garment. Dropping the
scrap of material to the floor, he returned his attention to loving his mate.

He positioned himself between her thighs, spreading her legs, baring her to his hungry
gaze. His cock throbbed, eager to be buried inside her, claiming her once again as
his. Not just yet, though. He wanted a taste.

She loved being eaten, so he obliged, laving her slit. Getting it nice and wet for
him while savoring her salty sweetness. Her essence. He lapped her until she pulled
on his hair, as eager for him as he was for her.

“Please, I need you inside me!”

Settling himself in place, he guided the head of his cock to her entrance and slid
home.

“Fuck, yeah,” he groaned.

She clung to his shoulders as he began to move, pumping slowly into her depths. Shocks
of pleasure raced along his length, tightening his balls long before he was ready
to shoot. He wanted this to last. Slowing down didn’t help him hold back. In fact,
it only heightened the ecstasy that set him on fire and made him lose control altogether.

Especially when his fangs lengthened and he sank them into the soft curve of her neck
and shoulder, reasserting his claim.

White-hot lightning raced down his spine and wrapped around his cock and balls. There
was no stopping the intense orgasm that rocked his core, sending his seed spurting
into her again and again. Her legs wrapped around his waist and she cried out, finding
her own release, and they rode the rest of the waves together. At last they floated
gently down, holding to each other tightly, and basked in their love.

He loved his mate. There was no doubt.

“I love you,” he said, kissing her hair. “You don’t have to say it back. I just wanted
you to know.”

“Thank you.” Her arms tightened around his neck. “You have no idea how much it means
to me to know how you feel. Give me more time?”

“Always.”

He couldn’t help but be disappointed that she couldn’t yet say the words. She’d been
through too much in her life, so much heartbreak. He didn’t blame her for waiting
until the time was right. She did love him. He believed that. Every look, every smile,
her support of him, every small thing she’d done since their surprise mating showed
him how her feelings had grown. And weren’t actions more important than words anyway?

That would be more than enough.

For now.

•   •   •

Zan left his exhausted mate sleeping and slipped from the bed, pulling on his jeans
and a shirt as quietly as possible. She’d been through too much today and needed the
rest. Besides, he had a visit to pay to Nick, and he preferred to do it while Selene
was sleeping.

Tugging on his boots, he gave Selene one last glance and eased from the room, shutting
the door with a soft snick. He strode down the lit corridor, glad he was finally learning
his way around Tarron’s immense stronghold. The entire team had gotten lost at one
point or another, and he still half-expected a friendly vamp to leap from the shadows
and try to jump his bones like the one who’d shown him and Selene to their room.

He chuckled as he recalled how fast his mate had put the vamp in her place.

His amusement was short-lived as he arrived at Tarron’s study. A peek inside revealed
that his commander was still in there, seated behind the desk. His head was bent over
his laptop, and he wore a troubled frown as he stared at the screen. Zan knocked quietly.

Nick looked up and sat back in the chair. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Had to see to my mate. She was pretty upset when she came to our room.” He kept the
accusation from his tone, but it was difficult. He reminded himself that Nick was
just as much a victim of tragedy as Selene. “She’s sleeping now.”

Regret and sadness were etched on the man’s face as he answered. “My daughter has
been through so much. The last thing I wanted was to bring her more pain. But she
deserved the truth.”