Skender snorted and mumbled, “He’s got you there.”

  She elbowed him in the stomach. “You were helping. You aren’t now.”

  Tenia watched as Skender walked to Torion and put his hands on the child’s shoulders. “An adult knows when it’s appropriate to use those kinds of words.”

  “So…” Torion’s face scrunched up, and the boy was clearly trying to digest what they were telling him. “Sometimes it’s okay… to be not okay?”

  “Yes,” Skender said. “That’s exactly right. Sometimes there’s a time and a place to call someone an asswipe.”

  “When?”

  “Well”—Skender pursed his lips for a moment—“when you’re facing someone like Alston who really is an asswipe.”

  “Could we please stop saying asswipe?” Tenia rubbed her temples with her thumbs as if the action alone could make the awkward conversation disappear.

  Torion pointed at her. “You just said it.”

  “Good grief.” She snapped. “Apologize to Stedan, now. He did not deserve to be called a name.”

  Torion turned to his sparring partner. The boy’s shoulders rolled forward, and his chin lowered. “I’m sorry, Stedan, You’re not an asswipe.”

  “Mother of pearl.” Tenia rolled her eyes. “Quit saying it, Torion.”

  “No worries, little man,” the warlock male said. He smiled at her son. “I shouldn’t tell you it was funny, but I don’t like to lie.”

  Torion grinned. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell my mom,” he said, as if she wasn’t standing a few feet away.

  “Torion, it’s time to eat and then get ready for bed,” Skender said. Tenia could tell Skender was picking up her growing irritation through their bond.

  “Okay, Dad.” Torion waved at Stedan. “Same time tomorrow?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Torion headed off, and Tenia sighed, exhaustion setting into her bones. She did not know why she was so tired, considering all they did most days was spar and just hang out. It was weird to have so much time on her hands. “I’m going to kill that cotton-candy-obsessed djinn,” she told Skender.

  “You have to admit, it was kind of funny.” Skender laughed and took her hand. His touch elicited feelings she was still adjusting to. Mostly a level of desire that often scared her because she felt so out of control of her need for him. Something that he, at times, exploited shamelessly.

  “It most certainly was not funny.” She tried to pull her hand from his. He wasn’t having it. Skender loved touching her and did it as often as he could. Not that she was complaining. Before Skender, the only person who showed her any affection was Torion. Even Torion’s father had never elicited such feelings and emotions in Tenia.

  “Is there a specific reason you’re thinking about Torion’s birth father?” Skender’s tone was carefully bland, as if he didn’t want to upset her.

  She shrugged. “I was just comparing you two.”

  His hand tightened momentarily on hers, but then relaxed. “In what way?”

  Tenia could feel his jealousy and possessiveness. This was something else that was new to her. Fae weren’t possessive, at least not that she’d ever experienced. She found a certain amount of comfort in knowing where she stood with Skender. He claimed her as his mate, and he and his wolf were very vocal about reinforcing that sentiment regularly. “You’re much touchier.” She lifted their joined hands as they walked toward the suite they shared with Torion. Their quarters had two bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining area, and a living room. It was miles better than any accommodations they’d been given while being held hostage by the Order.

  “Does it bother you?”

  Her lips turned up in a small smile. “Have I ever said that it bothered me?”

  He shook his head.

  “Have you ever felt anything like that through our bond?”

  Again, he shook his head.

  He opened the door to their place, and Tenia heard water running in the bathroom. Torion must have decided it would be better for him to actually do what she’d instructed the first time around instead of making her repeatedly harp on him before he obeyed like normal. Perhaps he could tell she was going to be harsher than usual, considering her irritation with him over his language.

  Skender pulled her to a stop as the door closed them inside their suite. He drew her to his chest and rested his hands on her hips. His eyes glowed slightly as he looked down at her, not as brightly as if his wolf was in full control, but enough that she knew the beast was close to the surface. “I love touching you,” he whispered. “Nothing brings me more comfort or peace than feeling the soft places on your body where I my own body is not soft, or touching your silky skin. Having your scent linger on me soothes my beast when we are having a rough day.”

  Tenia had heard Skender’s voice grow gruff when he spoke about his past. Occasionally it seemed to overwhelm him, and she knew those were the “rough” days to which he was referring. Skender struggled with the choices he’d made. He wanted to make amends for them, but as he had told her, he felt there was nothing he could ever do that would repair the damage he had done.

  “I love that you touch me when you want to, Skender,” Tenia assured him. She lifted her hand and cupped his firm jaw. “I never knew how much I needed touch until you.”

  “Just touch?” he asked, his brow raising.

  Tenia rolled her eyes. “Your touch,” she specified. She started to tease him about being insecure, but then felt a heavy dose of shame roll through their bond so she swallowed back the words. “You can’t undo the past, Skender. But you can change the way you live in the future, and you’re doing that.”

  He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. “I wish that was enough. What I would give up in order to change the past.” It was something he’d said more than once, and she knew he’d say it again. Tenia didn’t know how to help him. So she tried to simply listen when Skender appeared to need to talk. She let him hold her when that seemed like the best thing for him. And occasionally, she left him alone when, on rare occasions, he went hunting in his wolf form without asking her to go with him. She’d never admit it to him, but it hurt when he didn’t invite her. Maybe it shouldn’t, but it did.

  Tenia felt his warm breath on her face as he breathed out. “I don’t mean to hurt you.”

  Dammit. She was usually very good at keeping things to herself—things that made her feel vulnerable or that she worried would make him feel worse than he already did.

  “Usually when I go hunting on my own, I need to think about my past, Tenia.” He pulled away from her head and then ran his thumbs across her cheeks. “I’m trying to remember more about my childhood, about what was done to me. It doesn’t change what I did, but it gives me hope that maybe my true self wouldn’t have been a traitor. Maybe if I had not been tampered with by a high fae, I would have been faithful to my pack. Perhaps I wouldn’t have been driven by such selfish motivation. It’s hard for me to let you see that.” He gently pressed his thumb to her temple, indicating their bond. “I’m a man. Your mate. I should be strong, and there are so many days when I feel anything but.”

  Tenia rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. She was becoming more and more comfortable instigating physical affection with him, and she always felt pleasure from him when she did. “Sometimes it’s okay to let me be the strong one.”

  “Is this one of those times when I need to go to my room and turn on some music?” Torion’s voice came from behind Skender.

  Her mate chuckled, and she smacked his chest as she felt her face flush.

  “No,” Tenia said at the same time Skender said, “Yes.”

  She leaned around the large male in front of her and saw that her son—

  “Our son,” Skender corrected her through the bond.

  “Our son,” she whispered, and he nodded at her, then released her and turned to face Torion.

  “You ready for a story?”

  Torion nodded, his eyes brightening. He loved Skender’s stories. They were full of adventure, battles between good and evil, and even a smidgen of a love story sprinkled throughout. Somewhere along the way, when Tenia had been eavesdropping, she had realized that he was telling Torion about Skender and Tenia’s own lives, filling in what he could glean from her mind. He was sharing with their son how they had come to be a family.

  She didn’t join Skender in Torion’s room. She liked to allow them to have that time together. Tenia did, however, sit outside the room and listen.

  Later that night, as she and Skender lay in the bed, he ran his fingers through her hair. He did this every night. Tenia closed her eyes and released a contented sigh. Perhaps it was wrong of her to feel this way, considering what Lilly had told them regarding the things going on outside of the warlock mountain. They’d offered their help, but Lilly had said that until Fane specifically called on them, then she and Skender were to stay put. They had no idea how long they would live in limbo.

  “I’m sorry,” Skender said into their dark room. “You’re stuck in this situation because you’re mated to me.”

  “I’m not sorry. Do I wish we could help? Yes. Because that’s just who I am. I have been given powers that have been exploited and used for evil, and now I have the opportunity to use them for good. It aggravates me that I’m not permitted to do so, but I don’t blame that on you, Skender.”

  “Fane’s a good man, and I have no doubt he’s a good alpha,” Skender said, as if he needed to defend the male who’d commanded them to stay put.

  “I believe you. And I believe that he honestly wants to do the right thing when it comes to your … well … our situation. And considering all the stuff he and his people are dealing with, there hasn’t exactly been time to do that. In a way, he’s actually protecting you, and therefore protecting me and Torion.”

  Skender rolled until he leaned half over her body. Tenia shivered as his hand ran down the bare flesh of her arm until he could twine their fingers together. “I don’t deserve you, but I can’t give you up either. That’s probably my biggest issue, Tenia. Knowing all that I’ve done and how you deserve better than me.”

  “You tried to give me up, remember?” She practically growled. “I didn’t let you.”

  His chest vibrated with his wolf’s growl. “You are a demanding little thing.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” she teased. “And you’ll learn to love it.”

  “I already do. I love you, Tenia. I love our son. And whatever our future holds, I will fight to my last breath to keep you both.”

  She ran her hand up his shoulder to the back of his head and pulled him down closer. “Let’s worry about that when the time comes. For now, let’s try to keep Myanin from turning our boy into a foul-mouthed hoodlum and enjoy this reprieve we have from all the crap going on outside of these walls.”

  “I think we can manage that.” He brushed his nose against hers before pressing their lips together. Tenia loved the way Skender kissed her, as if his very life depended on it. He didn’t just kiss her. He devoured her. She loved that his entire focus was solely on her. She could feel him searching in her mind for what she wanted or what she was feeling. He desired to give her those things, not just outside their room but inside as well.

  “A well-satisfied mate is a happy mate,” he murmured against her mouth.

  She laughed. “Is that so?”

  He nodded. “How am I doing?”

  “I’ll tell you in the morning.” Tenia tugged on him. He acquiesced to her wishes by blanketing her body with his much larger one.

  Skender buried his face in her neck, and she felt his teeth scrape her flesh. A shiver ran through her, and he chuckled. “You like that.” It wasn’t a question.

  “Shut up and do it again.” She growled at him, which only made him laugh more. His laughter stopped the second her fingers danced across his skin. She applied a small amount of her power to her touch. This time, it was his form that shuddered, and he even moaned. Tenia couldn’t help but smile. She loved she had this effect on him. “Close your eyes,” she instructed him. She pulled more on the power inside of her. Her hands warmed as she pressed them tighter against his bare flesh. Skender sucked in a breath as Tenia let it flow from her and into him. She pictured the fae magic that lived inside of her flooding his body, moving under his skin, hitting every nerve, lighting up the pleasure sensory areas of his brain.

  Skender cursed under his breath. “That’s new.” He was breathless, but there was still a growl in his tone.

  “You’re not the only one with all the tricks,” Tenia murmured, her lips close to his ear. She could feel every inch of him press closer to her, and she soaked up the heat from his skin. It was the first time she’d used her power during an intimate moment with him. It made her feel vulnerable, but Tenia wanted him to know all of her. She didn’t want there to be anything between them. She reached through their bond and shared her needs with him. It was something she’d been a little shy of at first, but when she felt the pleasure it brought him, to know how he could provide for her in every way, even in their love life, she happily gave him what he needed.

  “And I will happily give you what you need, my female.” His deep voice rumbled through her mind while his hands wandered over her body. Tenia forgot the worries from the day and let herself be consumed by her mate, her lover, and the man who’d become her best friend. Though she had to make sure Myanin didn’t find out that last bit of information or the djinn might just challenge him to a fight to the death.

  “Maybe a little less thinking about your unstable djinn friend and more thinking about what your male is doing to your body,” he grumbled just before his teeth sank into her neck, remarking his bite.

  Chapter 10

  “Many times I have wanted nothing more than to destroy every single Canis lupus I could find. I would say they are little more than dogs, but that would be an insult to the dogs. But I’ve discovered that my enemies might be suitable for something more than complete eradication. How could I have guessed that one day modern science would make something so extraordinary happen? And now I stand on the brink of the biggest discovery in supernatural history. A new species. A stronger species. Unfortunately, there is one teeny, tiny detail that I did not consider. That damn true-mate bond.” ~ Cain

  Finn and Cain walked through an open space in a building the size of a warehouse. Row after row of bodies lying perfectly still surrounded them on either side. The wolf looked around at the prone figures. “I’m seriously doubting my decision to accompany you, Cain, king of vampires. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many lifeless bodies.”

  Cain scoffed. “They’re not lifeless, wolf. Look at their chests. They rise and fall.”

  “Okay, so what are they doing here? Are they just juice boxes for your vamps?”

  “Good grief.” He sighed. “You realize we do more than just drink blood, right?” He paused and looked at the wolf.

  Finn frowned. “Not really.”

  “So you think our sole existence is just feeding off every human that walks too close?”

  The wolf nodded. “Pretty much.”

  Cain rolled his eyes. “I suppose that is my predecessor’s fault.” He motioned for Finn to continue to follow him. “As I told you when I met you, I want more for my race. I want them to have something better than they do now. And if I am successful, then they will have more control of their urges.”

  “Um, yeah. Something tells me there’s more to it than that.” Finn paused and stepped closer to one of the prone forms.

  Cain stopped and turned to watch the wolf.

  Finn leaned down until his face nearly touched the neck of an unconscious male. He took a deep breath through his nose. Then he bared his teeth, and his head snapped over to Cain. “He’s a dormant.”

  Cain inclined his head. “He is.”

  Finn stood back and motioned to the room. “Are they all dormants?”

  The vampire king considered how much he should share with the wolf. Considering Finn would never leave the facility alive, what harm could it cause?

  “I shared with you my plans to merge the vampire race with the Canis lupus.” Cain slipped his hands into his pockets. “And I gave you some of my reasons.”

  “World domination,” Finn said dryly. “Typical, fanatical dictator. Sounds an awful lot like what the Order was trying to accomplish, but I’m attempting to keep an open mind.”

  “Excellent.” Cain smiled, letting his sharp canines show. “But it’s not only about developing a superior race. Here is a little fact about your race, Finn, that you might not even be aware. Dormants are a superior food for my kind than mere humans. Their blood sustains us better. Not only do they handle our need to feed better because they heal faster, but they quench it longer. I believe a hybrid will not need nearly as much blood as a full-blown vampire requires. And, if I’m right, their urges will also be more controllable.”

  “That’s all well and good but I know there’s still something you are not telling me.” Finn motioned around the room. “Look at all the people. You wouldn’t be risking the alpha’s wrath simply for urge control and a more nutritious food source.”

  Cain hissed. “Yes, the alpha of alphas.” He practically spat out the words. “He might be powerful, but he will not stand against an army of wolf/vampire hybrids. My army will have the combined power of our two species. And an army of them would wipe the damn floor with the wolves.”

  Finn’s eyes widened. “So that’s what this is really about. You think you can build an army to oppose Fane Lupei?”

  Cain lifted his chin. “Not only Fane, but every supernatural race that poses a threat to my new creation.”

  “Well, that would be all of them,” Finn pointed out.

  “You are very astute.”

  The werewolf growled at him. “Why would you want to kill them all? Aren’t there still some races that would work with you?”