These Wicked Desires (Fates #3)

21. Kai

Kai

We wait until we’re back at the cabin and back in our routine of sleeping during the day and training at night, then we decide it’s time to make our move. Grace has been held captive long enough. And two more bodies have washed up from the river not far from the warehouse, both humans with traces of magic. We’re running out of time, and I don’t know how much more training we can give Ellis that will make a huge difference. I’d prefer another year or two, but that obviously can’t happen.

I call Connor, Cole, and Drew and have them meet us one evening at the cabin. We sit in the living room and talk quietly while we wait for Ellis to wake up.

“So, we’re really doing this?” Drew asks, taking a drink from his beer.

“We are.” I glance at Cade and he gives me an encouraging nod. “And before Ellis wakes up, I want to make sure everyone knows the only thing that matters is her making it out of this alive. Cade, Sterling, and I will give our lives for her. No questions asked.”

Cole nods in understanding. “If anything happens to you three, I’ll make sure she’s okay. She can move in with mom.”

“Thanks, Cole,” Sterling says quietly. His usually vibrant blue eyes are dull.

I close my eyes and rub my chest. Just the thought of leaving her alone makes me panic. And I don’t need to use my abilities to know Cade feels the same way. His eyes are wild, hands fisted tightly at his sides. But the chances of all three of us dying are slim, right? At least one of us will survive to keep her safe and care for her. Fuck. I can’t think of that.

“I also want everyone to know Ellis gets the right to kill Sam, if she wants it.” I open my eyes and stare at our three companions, making sure they understand the severity of that statement.

They all nod and I sit back in the chair, looking at Sterling. He’s been writing down various plans for getting into the warehouse and getting Grace out. He runs his fingers through his silver hair, grimacing as they get caught in knots. “I think our biggest decision is whether or not we do this all in one go, or split it up.”

“You mean rescue Grace first, then go back to deal with Sam? Or do it all at once?” Cade asks, sitting on the arm of my chair.

“Exactly. I’m worried splitting it up is pushing our luck. Right now, Sam is quiet only because he knows we’ll be coming for Grace.” Sterling frowns, flipping through the pages of his notebook. “If we rescue Grace, there will be nothing to keep him from coming after us. Or worse, setting his creatures on Altair.”

Cole leans over to glance at the notebook. “What if we break off into groups? One deals with Sam and his creatures, the other rescues Grace.”

Sterling bobs his head from side to side. “That's an option. But we’d have to run it by Ellis first.”

“Run what by me?” Ellis’s sleepy voice cuts through the room as she descends the stairs.

I smile. Her hair is wild and untamed like she didn’t even bother to attempt to wrangle it into a bun. A pair of shorts peeks out from under one of our shirts, and her bare feet drag across the floor as she walks to Sterling. He tosses the notebook onto the coffee table and sits back so Ellis can plop onto his lap. She snuggles against him, knees curled to her chest and eyes closed.

“We’re making plans for rescuing Grace,” Sterling says quietly, brushing her curls away from his face.

She makes a non-committal sound and attempts to bury herself further against him. Cade laughs softly and heads for the kitchen. When he returns, he’s holding a steaming cup of coffee which he waves in front of her face. As the steam hits her nose, her eyes pop open.

“Coffee,” she breathes, reaching for the mug. She inhales and a beautiful smile spreads across her face.

Cade returns to my chair and sits on the armrest again, draping his arm over my shoulders. I’m hit with a surreal sense of rightness. Take Cole, Connor, and Drew out of the picture, leaving just the four of us. Me and Cade on the chair, Ellis and Sterling on the couch. An early morning with coffee and tea, maybe a fire in the fireplace. No threats. No danger hanging over our heads. Just laughter, peace, comfort. Love.

Laughter and the patter of little feet on the floor.

A visceral need to protect this spreads through me like wildfire. My family, my pack, my entire world is these three people. Without them, there is nothing worth living for. I glance at Cade and he gives me a small, content smile. I glance at Ellis, sleepily drinking her coffee cuddled in Sterling’s lap. And Sterling. The brooding, tough alpha, with his features softened as he holds his mate. Fuck. I will do whatever is necessary to make sure my family comes through this alive. I will burn the world to the ground and bathe the ashes in blood to ensure my beloved has an eternity of happiness with the three of us.

After Ellis sets her mug on the coffee table, she looks at all of us. “Okay, now that I’m caffeinated, what decision am I making?”

Sterling shifts her slightly in his lap so he can look at her better. “We were talking about rescuing Grace and taking care of Sam at the same time. I think splitting up into two teams is the best option, but I don’t know if you want to be with the team who rescues Grace or the team who takes on Sam.”

She bites her lip as she thinks, and indecision draws her brows down. “Will you go with the group to rescue Gracie?” she asks Sterling. “Since she saw you and knows you’re my mate. It might help her feel more comfortable.”

Sterling’s mouth flattens into a thin line. He doesn’t like that idea. None of us are going to want to be separated from Ellis, but he nods. “Yeah. I can do that.”

“Okay, then I’ll go with the group to deal with Sam.” Golden light briefly flares in her amber eyes, determination straightening her spine.

Just as we all assumed. Ellis wants the last thing Sam sees to be her ending his life. If I wasn’t so worried, I’d find that incredibly sexy.

“So Cade, Kai, and Cole, you guys will go with Ellis. Connor and Drew will be with me.” Sterling falls into alpha mode, delivering instructions in a brisk, no-nonsense manner, fully expecting us to obey him. And we do.

When Sterling puts on his alpha panties, he could command anyone to do anything. His presence is that forceful. The plan he has developed is solid, and under normal circumstances, I’d feel confident—probably even cocky—about this entire thing. But nothing about this is normal. My beloved’s life is on the line. Her sister’s life is on the line. The future of this little unit, my family, my pack, could be forever changed. Too much is at risk for me to feel completely at ease.

Once the plan is in place and everyone is in agreement, Sterling stands. “Okay. Tomorrow evening, we’ll meet at the abandoned office building. Connor, make sure Allie is here and ready with all of her supplies.” He walks our guests to the door, and when he returns, he finds Cade, Ellis, and me sitting in silence.

We all stare at each other. Ellis’s heart is racing. A nervous, uneasy energy has settled in the room, and I have to strengthen my mental shields to keep everyone’s emotions from battering me. This is it. This could be the last night we all spend together.

“Can we …” Ellis pauses, her voice seeming too loud in the silence yet too small at the same time. “Can we spend the day just being together? No training. No talk of tomorrow. Just the four of us. Please?”

Sterling smiles. “Of course. What do you want to do?”

The cord to the TV drags behind me, lightly thumping on each step as I carry the stupid thing to the bedroom. Ellis wants to cuddle in bed with movies and popcorn, so that is what she’s getting.

Sterling is in the kitchen making all kinds of snacks, and Cade … I almost drop the TV when I get to the room and see what he’s doing.

“What the hell?” I ask, setting the TV down on the dresser and glance at the spot the dresser used to be in.

“What?” He looks at me, eyebrows raised, daring me to say anything.

“Did Martha Stewart abduct you and sew herself into your skin?” I look around the room with a wide grin and bat at the sheer curtains Cade hung around the bed to fall in billowing waves to the ground. The dresser has been moved to the foot of the bed, so the curtains will completely surround it and the bed, encasing us in the white material. A veritable love nest.

“Ew, Kai. That’s gross.” He shudders dramatically then continues hanging the twinkling lights along the ceiling. “I want Ellis to be able to forget about tomorrow, and give her something to remember … just in case.”

My stomach sinks at his words. It’s like a roller coaster. One second I’m fine, distracted by something and not thinking of tomorrow. Then the next, I’m plunging down the hill, stomach in my throat, about to vomit. All it takes is one word. One reminder of what’s to come.

It’s not just Ellis I’m worried about. It’s not just the little family I have in these three. It’s Cade too. My … lover? That sounds weird to me, but he is. He’s more than my best friend. He’s the other half of my heart, the half he somehow managed to pry away from Ellis. This could be the last time we have a moment together.

I snag his waist and spin him around. He gasps in surprise and I take the opening to claim his mouth. The twinkling lights hit the floor and Cade threads his fingers into my hair, pressing his body tight to mine. There was a time we never would have done this. When everything physical between us was to help me get out of my own head. But now it's a conscious choice. To kiss the man I love, to let him know exactly how I feel.

It started hard and fast, dominance and claiming. But it doesn’t stay like that. Quickly, the kiss slows. Deepens. Becomes more. My heart feels heavy in my chest, and I try not to think about how this could be the last time I hold Cade in my arms. His cedar and lilac scent surrounds me. His warmth against my chilled skin. The way he seems to fit perfectly against me. I commit it all to memory.

When we finally break apart, I stare into his violet eyes, so full of tenderness and fear. That stupid lock of brown hair that I love has fallen forward across his brow, and I reach up to brush it back, letting my fingers trail through his hair.

“I love you, Kai,” he says, a touch breathless.

My heart squeezes painfully, and I swallow down the despair that suddenly drowns me. I give him one last lingering kiss, tasting his lips, breathing in his breath. “I love you too, Cade.”

We cling to each other for another few minutes, then Cade pulls away. “Help me get the room ready?”

When Ellis enters a few minutes later, helping Sterling carry trays of various snacks and drinks, she gasps. Her amber eyes glitter in the soft white lights Cade hung from the ceiling and along the walls. I hung blankets over the windows to ensure no sunlight could peek through and dim their brilliance. She smiles when her gaze lands on the bed, the gauzy fabric hanging around it and the piles of blankets and pillows atop it.

“You guys,” she breathes, her eyes shining brighter as tears glisten on her lashes.

I pat the spot on the bed next to me and smile. “Hop in.”

Cade grabs the tray from her and she climbs into the bed next to me, snuggling against my side and pulling a blanket over her legs. “I can’t believe you guys did this for me.”

“It’s what you wanted,” Sterling says, setting his tray at the foot of the bed before laying on Ellis’s other side. “And we wanted to make it as special as possible.”

“Besides,” Cade adds, his tray joining Sterling’s. “It’s not like we don’t benefit from these cuddle sessions. We enjoy them as much as you do.” He tries to sit on my other side, but I tug him between my legs, so his back is against my chest. This way he’ll be next to Ellis as well.

Sterling turns on the movie, some new comedy that none of us pay attention to. Instead, we talk, laugh, dream. We make plans for our future and discuss the changes we want to make to the cabin. Ellis quietly mentions adding a nursery, and the surge of emotions from Sterling and Cade slips through my shields. Hope. Happiness. Fear.

It’s too much right now, and as pressure builds in my chest, I blurt out the first thing I can to diffuse the tension. “Malakai Junior.”

“What?” Ellis asks, turning her head to look at me.

I smirk and rub my thumb along her bottom lip. “Our first kid. He’ll be named Malakai Junior.”

Cade snorts and Ellis raises one brow. But it’s Sterling who brings me back down to earth, as always. “What if it’s a girl?”

“Uh … Malakina?” I say slowly as the name forms in my mind.

“Yeah, that’s not happening,” Ellis says, shaking her head.

“Besides, Sterling Junior sounds better.” Sterling crosses his arms without looking away from the movie.

All of us gape at him, and Ellis is the first to burst out in laughter. He’s always so serious, so hearing the joke from him while he keeps his gaze glued to the TV and his mouth pressed in a firm line, causes all of us to laugh. Ellis laughs so hard she snorts, and the sound causes Sterling’s lips to quirk in a smile.

“There will be no Juniors,” Ellis says breathily after we all get ourselves back under control. “That wouldn’t be fair.”

“Not to mention confusing,” Cade mutters. “Two of each of us?”

Ellis shudders dramatically. “I can’t handle that. I can barely handle you three alone.”

“I doubt you have to worry about that,” I say, brushing a curl behind her ear. “I’m sure all of our kids will take after you. Beautiful, sweet, and caring.”

“Stubborn, headstrong, and opinionated.” Sterling’s words are quiet but we all hear them.

“Excuse me?” Ellis gasps in mock outrage. “I am not stubborn.”

Sterling snorts. “Yes, you are.”

“I am not.”

He raises one silver brow. “Fine. You’re not.”

“Thank you,” she says primly, and turns back to the TV.

I grin over her head at the shifter, and wrap my arm around Cade a little tighter, his silent laughter rumbling in his chest. Yeah. I could get used to this.

Ellis is the first to fall asleep, curled between us where she is safe and loved. The three of us watch her, tracing her features with our gazes. By the time the sun begins to set, I don’t think any of us have slept, besides Ellis. We stayed awake, trapped in our own minds. Dreaming of a future that might be stolen away all too soon.