Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
T he heat of the day was out in full force as they hiked toward the third spirit, the sun shining through the branches. Liam pushed up the sleeves of his sweater and wished he’d worn something lighter. He’d assumed mid-October would be cooler, but apparently, he’d been wrong. He envied the simple t-shirt Kade was wearing.
Wearing very well, Liam had to admit. He followed a few steps behind Kade, giving him the perfect view of his back. His gaze lingered on Kade’s broad shoulders, then trailed down to his firm ass. From his tousled hair and warm brown eyes to his sensuous lips and strong jaw, there was no denying the guy was attractive. Even his attempts at flirting were growing on Liam.
Kade had the kind of back he could rake his fingers down, digging them into those shoulders as Kade pinned him to a mattress and railed him.
Liam blinked. That was… an extremely explicit thought. Not that he didn’t have thoughts like those, but… He had been thinking about Kade in a less than platonic manner since the airport, so he couldn’t say it was foreign…
Inhaling deeply, he tried to assess himself.
Fuck, Kade smelled divine. That scent from the car, warm and wholesome, teased Liam’s senses, demanding he get closer and confirm it came from Kade.
He was so keyed to that scent. He’d never smelled anything like it. It reminded him of fields in late summer, ready to be harvested, cooling in the moonlight. The mental image it gave him was vivid. He took another deep breath, and even with the myriad scents of nature surrounding them, the only one that mattered was Kade’s. It was intoxicating. What would it be like to have that scent all over him?
Kade would make it worth his time. Given how much of a flirt he was and Elijah’s comments, Liam had no doubt Kade knew what he was doing in bed. Shifters were so physical, so instinctual; it’d be an enjoyable ride.
He frowned. His mind wouldn’t let this go. He needed to concentrate, and not on the way Kade filled out those jeans.
Wait… was that weird? He had checked out Kade’s ass before, Elijah could attest to that, and it had been a while since he’d had sex. He wouldn’t say he had a high sex drive, not compared to shifters—or Aran—but it had been too long. Maybe that was why he was getting hot under the collar from looking at a set of muscular shoulders and an ass he wanted to sink his teeth into. How could he not fixate on that?
From a purely logical standpoint, whenever he did have sex or gave himself a good orgasm, he was more focused on his work afterward. And if he could concentrate on these spirits, he might figure out what they were.
So, really, he’d be doing it for the team. A selfless act. And Kade was the perfect guy to lend a helping… hand. He wasn’t in the market for a relationship. They’d have a fun round or two, and then Liam would return to his life. No feelings, no attachments, just a few mind-blowing orgasms and nothing more.
It was unquestionably the logical thing to do. He’d never hear the end of it from his friends, but he could deal with some teasing if he got to scratch the itch building between his shoulder blades, the raw need to get thoroughly fucked.
No. That wasn’t logical at all.
“Are you feeling a bit—?” Liam cut himself off as Kade glanced at him.
God, he was gorgeous. Liam had never understood it when people said someone’s eyes could smolder, but Kade’s were doing precisely that.
Yes, his plan was flawless, absolutely genius. No one back home had to know. What happened in Lost Creek could stay in Lost Creek. Desire ran through him at the idea.
Kade had offered him a bed. Now to arrange it. He would mention to Elijah that the apartment was too cramped for three people and that he’d be willing to take a room in the pack house so Miles and Aran could have more space. Kade could slip in for the night. Into the room, into other things. Liam had never slept with a shifter before, but from what he’d heard, it promised to be an energetic night.
“Am I feeling a bit…?” Kade prompted.
What had Liam been saying? He shook himself. Right. The spirit.
“Are you… well, to put it bluntly, feeling excessively horny?” Liam wet his lips, and Kade’s eyes tracked the motion.
“Always.” He leered at Liam.
“I mean more so than usual?”
Kade tilted his head and froze. “My mind’s not family-friendly on the best of days, but… yeah, I guess. I’m more horned up than the situation justifies. Though, feel free to justify it.”
Liam exhaled. The thought of Kade being worked up should not have sent arousal quivering through him. It shouldn’t have had him picturing Kade pounding him into a bed, fucking him until magic sparked at his fingertips, a hair away from uncontrolled. Until he was so sated, he wasn’t sure he had muscles anymore, or if they’d been liquefied by the intensity of his orgasm. It really had been too long; he needed that. And he’d return the favor if Kade was so inclined.
No. Focus , Liam thought.
“Lust?” he asked, his voice rough.
Kade’s gaze roamed over his body, taking a leisurely journey before landing on his crotch. “Yeah.”
Liam took out his book. Lust. He could do this.
He didn’t have to ask. Kade was there, holding the book for him while he sketched the sigil—its soft curves and hard lines, a sensuously entwined thing.
Liam pulled out a box and transferred the sigil into it.
Kade locked eyes with him and reached over, easing the sigil codex into Liam’s bag, and fuck, why did that feel so dirty? Why did it make him picture Kade slowly slipping other things into other places?
No, no, no. He needed to focus. No matter how hot Kade was, they had a job to do.
With shaky hands, Liam checked the map. The hazy smudge was five minutes away, but it appeared larger than it had been.
Kade stepped behind him, looking at the map over his shoulder. One hand settled on Liam’s hip, and even through his sweater, Liam swore energy tingled against his skin.
“After we catch this spirit,” Kade said, too close to Liam’s ear for his sanity, “we should take a break.”
“That’s the spirit talking.” Liam leaned back, his shoulder brushing Kade’s chest.
“Is it?” Kade brought his hand up to trail over Liam’s forearm. “We’ll have to be careful then.”
Energy buzzed against Liam’s skin, and he saw his tattoos flickering, orange and bright wherever Kade skated his fingers, like flames licking up his arm. Kade’s touch alone shouldn’t do that, but Liam watched in fascination as Kade traced over the swoops and whirls.
“I’ve always been curious about these. It’s true they’re different depending on the mage?”
Liam nodded. “Different color, different shape. Depends on the mage and their magic.”
“They grow as you get stronger?”
Liam couldn’t tell whether Kade was asking out of genuine curiosity or as an excuse to keep touching him. He didn’t care either way. “Starting at the wrists and working up our arms, covering more skin, getting more detailed and intricate.”
“For your whole life?”
Liam shook his head. “The tattoos on our arms stabilize around eighteen or twenty. Only the strongest mages get more after that, on their chest and shoulders.”
Kade pushed his sleeve up farther, revealing more of Liam’s skin, following the curve of a tattoo on the inside of his elbow. “How far do yours go?”
That wasn’t a polite question in magical circles, but Liam couldn’t be offended. Not when he was imagining Kade dragging his tongue along the few lines that had begun to creep over his shoulders.
Kade inhaled right behind his ear. “Show me?”
Fuck, Liam wanted that. But first… “Let’s capture this thing so we can take that break.”
They could do this. It was fine. They’d identified the spirit and how it was affecting them. They had this.
Kade’s hands landed on Liam’s hips, tugging him back, his half-hard cock pressing against Liam’s ass. “Looking forward to it.”
Liam needed to thank Elijah for pairing him with Kade. His plan was definitely happening.
After they took care of this damn spirit.
“Let’s earn that break.” Kade rolled his hips against Liam once more, then released him, but he didn’t go far. He stayed in Liam’s space, not touching him, but so close that it might have been less of a distraction if he had been.
Liam tried to stay vigilant for any signs of the spirit. The forest was beautiful, its fall colors in full bloom. The scars from the decay spirit weren’t as noticeable in this area.
The humid air washed over him. Sunlight warmed his skin. It seeped into his muscles, into his bones, making his body loose and relaxed. Sweat trickled down his neck. He should have worn lighter clothes for this.
“You should take off that sweater,” Kade said, still distractingly close.
“I’m not wearing an undershirt.”
“Don’t let that stop you.”
Liam laughed. Maybe he should. Given the temperature, going shirtless would be a relief.
Before he could answer, they entered a clearing—gorgeous, idyllic, straight out of a painting. On the far side, a haze shimmered. White wisps of fog floated between the trees, their edges tinted red.
That had to be the spirit, the manifestation of lust. Now they needed… They needed to…
Kade’s hands were on him, one curling around his wrist, the other sneaking under his sweater to rest low on his stomach. “Need me to touch you?”
“ Yes .” The word was breathy. He leaned into Kade, his ass fitting into the cradle of Kade’s hips, grinding back on his hard cock.
There was something he should be doing. Something important.
Kade rocked his hips, his dick nudging against Liam, offering to fulfill his every need, his every desire.
It couldn’t be that important if he couldn’t remember it, right? They deserved this break, and then they could… do whatever it was.
Wood clattered as he dropped the box. Why had he been holding a box? That was strange. His bag hit the ground a moment later, but he couldn’t focus on that. Couldn’t concentrate on anything but the patterns Kade’s fingers were drawing.
“Lower,” he said, and Kade dipped his fingers under Liam’s waistband.
“Here?”
“ Lower ,” Liam demanded.
Kade’s hands trailed downward, but not to where Liam wanted them. “Do I get to see how much of your skin your tattoos cover now?”
That sounded like an excellent idea. Everywhere Kade touched, energy caressed Liam’s skin, thrilling and addictive as their magic and energy mixed. Liam needed that sensation all over his body.
Across the clearing, the fog grew thicker, dark red streaking through it. Should they be worried about that?
Kade popped open the button on Liam’s pants, smirking against his neck. “And here I thought you wouldn’t be any fun.”
Liam grinned and turned in his arms. “I can be persuaded,” he said, quoting Kade.
Kade slid his hands into Liam’s underwear, cupping his ass, pulling him close.
This wasn’t what they were supposed to be doing; it wasn’t how this should have gone. But Liam couldn’t hold on to those thoughts when Kade’s hips fit against his so perfectly, when his dick was as hard as Liam’s, when Kade’s mouth was hovering over his, daring Liam to kiss him, challenging him to break first.
Before Liam could, Kade ran his nose along Liam’s neck, inhaling. “Please tell me you bottom?”
“Only if you can make me see stars.” Liam’s skin was tight with how badly he needed that.
Kade nipped at his ear. “When I’m through with you, you’ll have seen the entire fucking universe.”
“Big words. Can you live up to them?”
“I’ll show you something big.”
Liam huffed. “Already felt it.”
“It’s going to feel even bigger when I’m sliding it into this cute little ass of yours.”
Arousal shot like wildfire through Liam. “You have lube?”
Kade faltered. “Can’t you just… magic us up something?”
“No, I can’t summon lube out of nowhere. There’s no spell for that.”
“Why not? You and Elijah produce fire out of nowhere.”
“Fire is elemental, lube is not. I don’t think your dick would appreciate the fire.”
“Lube would be so much more useful.”
Maybe there was a vial of oil in his bag… Wait. His bag. Liam’s eyes latched on to it and the box. He needed that box. They needed to…
“I guess I’ll have to make you come twice then.”
Fuck, yes. That was exactly what they needed to do.
“You think you can?”
Kade’s gaze took on a wicked gleam, and he walked Liam backward until he bumped into a tree. “You’re going to want something to hold on to.”
He dropped to his knees, stripping Liam of his pants. Liam shucked off his sweater, tossing it aside. Bark scraped his skin as he leaned against the trunk.
Kade stared up at him, ravenous, his eyes flashing with his wolf and promising that Liam was about to be devoured.
And then he was.
Kade sucked him into his mouth, not bothering to tease, his sole purpose to make Liam come as fast as he could. His lips stretched around Liam’s cock, his mouth hot and wet and with zero gag reflex in sight. Liam was torn between watching Kade and wanting to throw his head back and feel .
The visuals won out, but he barely had time to enjoy it, barely had time to thread his fingers through Kade’s soft hair. He would have been embarrassed, but coming quickly was the point.
Kade pulled off so just the tip of Liam’s dick was in his mouth as Liam came, ecstasy sweeping him away. Liam’s knees threatened to buckle, but then Kade was manhandling him, dragging him down, flipping him over, arranging him so his ass was in the air. Kade spread his cheeks, spitting Liam’s release onto his hole.
“I wish I could taste you. Next time we do this, we do it somewhere I get to swallow,” he grumbled, then his tongue speared into Liam, and Liam’s fingers clawed into the dirt.
It didn’t take long until Kade had his tongue and two fingers in him and Liam was cursing him out for not fucking him already. He was so turned on, so ready for Kade, so relaxed from his orgasm.
“Another thing for the future,” Kade said in a low rumble. “Someday, I’m going to rim you until you come from my tongue alone.”
Liam clenched around his fingers, but Kade pulled away to undress with supernatural speed. He had less than a second to savor the sight of Kade’s cock before Kade was on him, pressing into him, and damn, Liam wished they had lube. He’d feel this in the morning, and for days after, but the burn was too good, having Kade touch him, fuck him, stretch him open. While he didn’t have shifter healing, his magic gave him an edge, and Kade’s energy was filling him too, mingling with his magic, helping things along. The discomfort was worth the fucking he was about to get.
“You ready?” Kade asked, his breathing labored.
“Yeah, come on.”
Kade pulled him up so they were both on their knees, back to chest as Kade thrust up into him, holding him close.
Even though Liam had just come, he craved more. His dick was hardening again, and Kade’s hand was on him, stroking him as he moved in him, his teeth sharp as they grazed over Liam’s skin. He mouthed at his neck.
“ Fuck . You feel so good. So tight. I want you wrapped around my knot. Want to see how full I can fill you. Need to make you feel better than you’ve ever felt before. Fuck you so deep, no one will ever make you come as hard as I can.”
Liam moaned. That was what he needed. If this felt amazing, how much better would being stretched open on Kade’s knot feel? “Yes. Give it to me. Bite me. Knot me.”
“You want that? Want my knot?”
“God, yes.”
Kade scraped his teeth over the juncture of Liam’s neck. “You want to be mine?”
More than anything he’d ever wanted or needed in his life. “Please, Kade,” he said in a desperate whine.
Kade bit down, his teeth breaking skin, and Liam gasped in pleasure and pain. He clamped a hand around Kade’s wrist, his magic surging out of him and into Kade, spiraling up his arm, then ricocheting between them. Heat seared into his back as tattoos unfurled over Kade’s chest, Liam’s magic marking him, claiming him as thoroughly as Kade’s teeth had marked and claimed Liam.
The connections between them opened, flooding him with Kade’s lust, bringing a completely new world of ecstasy—his and Kade’s mixed, letting him sense how he was making Kade feel. Liam clenching around his cock was driving Kade wild, his instincts taking over. The need to knot his mate was overwhelming.
“Do it,” Liam demanded.
Kade’s knot pulsed and expanded, tying them together. In his mind, Kade was lost in the sensation of him—how tight, how hot, how perfect. His .
Sex had never been this good, could never be this good. Not without Kade.
Kade bit his shoulder again, and that single action engulfed Liam in pleasure.
He came with a choked cry, spilling over Kade’s hand. Kade’s knot locked inside him, his world exploding in white-hot euphoria, echoing through their bond as Kade’s orgasm hit. Liam gasped, riding out their bliss.
Kade rocked shallowly in him as much as his knot would allow, his come easing their grind. He sucked at Liam’s shoulder, tongue tracing over the mark. He felt smug and satisfied, but also ready for another round as soon as Liam recovered.
“I knew you were mine from the moment I saw you,” Kade said, a feral, animalistic growl behind his words, his wolf in control. Claws pricked Liam’s skin where Kade clung to him. “I wanted to claim you right there, fuck you in that arrivals lobby, let everyone watch me make you mine.”
That should not have been so hot, but Liam was imagining himself bent over the fake leather chairs, a dozen eyes on him as Kade fucked his knot in and out of him. He was already getting hard a third time. It shouldn’t have been possible, but with that vision in his head, there was no way he couldn’t.
He ground on Kade’s dick. Kade needed to keep fucking him. He never wanted this to end.
Liam rode Kade’s knot, loving the stretch of it. Sweat poured off them and the clearing swam with that red-tinted fog, but he kept moving, driving them both toward the precipice of another orgasm, unable to think of anything except Kade’s hands on him, his cock in him, how well they fit together. He reached behind him, burying a hand in Kade’s hair and tugging his mouth to the bite mark.
There was a shout, and a sluggish corner of Liam’s consciousness pushed forward, forcing him to register it as his name.
Kade growled, but Liam couldn’t stop grinding on him. His orgasm was so damn close.
This was the best idea he’d ever had. Why had he been against fucking shifters? Kade’s dick filled him like nothing had before, like Kade was meant to fill him.
He moaned, his movements growing frantic. A little more, and he’d come again.
Another shout of his name rang out, and it took all his effort to turn his head, to see where it came from.
He stared at Elijah and Victor, at the shock written on their faces. Elijah dove for a box on the ground. His hands shook as he opened it, the purple tattoos on his arms kindling.
Why was Elijah using magic? And why wasn’t Kade moving? Didn’t he know Liam needed him to move? But Kade was still snarling at Elijah and Victor, the warning clear.
He was being foolish. Elijah and Victor were bonded. They wouldn’t want to join them, and Elijah was like a brother to Liam. But there was room enough in this clearing for them. It would be hot to watch them. Live-action porn, Aran had called it. They didn’t have to touch to enjoy each other’s pleasure.
Voyeurism had never been one of his kinks, his mind tried to tell him, but that was ridiculous. Elijah and Victor’s cocks were straining their pants. Their faces were flushed, their breathing heavy. Obviously they needed to get off as much as he did. Why didn’t they give in to their desires? Why fight it?
His eyelids drifted shut, and he rolled back onto Kade’s dick, trying to get him to move. Kade made short, aborted thrusts, like he couldn’t help himself even as he rumbled out another warning.
Liam heard a string of curses from Elijah, followed by muttering about it being too strong, feeding off them, and he didn’t understand what Elijah was talking about. He didn’t need to, didn’t want to.
When he opened his eyes again, he looked over, waiting for them to give in. Elijah’s left hand clasped Victor’s, their fingers entwined, and Victor’s other hand rested on the nape of Elijah’s neck. In Elijah’s right hand, he held that box.
There was something about it. Something Liam was supposed to remember. Something he had to do.
A hazy white tinted with red pooled in the box.
Sweat dripped down Elijah’s brow. He seemed stressed, and that was so unnecessary. Victor should help him relax.
Liam watched them in a detached daze.
What were they doing? Didn’t they realize how good it felt to be touching someone?
He frowned. Touching someone… it did feel good, didn’t it?
He shifted his weight, then winced. That certainly didn’t. Kade’s knot pulled on his rim in an unpleasant way. The edge he’d been riding, his next orgasm, slipped out of his grasp.
There were twigs and rocks under his knees, digging into his skin. That was not pleasurable.
He went to stroke himself, attempting to reclaim that feeling, but he hissed at how oversensitive he was. He stared at a tree in front of him, his brain not processing the situation.
Why was he on his knees in a forest, naked, on Kade’s dick, on his knot? Wait. His knot? Kade had knotted him… But that meant…
Kade’s growling had cut off. He pressed against Liam’s back, so motionless and rigid that it felt like he wasn’t breathing.
Liam shifted his weight and winced again when it caused Kade’s knot to tug at his entrance. Kade let out a choked-off whimper and gripped his hips, preventing him from moving.
His shoulder throbbed, and when Liam shrugged it, he inhaled sharply at how the skin there pulled, itching and burning as it healed.
Kade’s presence in Liam’s mind was chaotic, pervaded by a sense of discomfort and the impression that if they weren’t tied together, he’d be putting distance between them.
Hold on. He could feel Kade’s emotions? What the hell?
Liam was soft; the arousal he’d been experiencing had drained away. He was so open and exposed, his legs spread over Kade’s thighs, Kade’s knot stretching him wide. He wanted to grab his clothes, but they were out of reach. How had this seemed like a bright idea? He’d never done anything like this before. He wasn’t this type of person. Even when he did hook up with someone, it was always very controlled.
He shivered, cold and uncomfortable, and Kade wrapped around him tighter, the warmth of his body bleeding into him. Liam took comfort in that, though he was unsure what was going on. When this had started, it had been so hot outside.
When this had started…
Liam sucked in a lungful of air, his heart rate skyrocketing. Shit. The spirit. They’d let it get to them. It had—
The lid of a box slammed shut, and a spike of magic flared, drawing Liam’s attention.
“Got it,” Elijah said, panting.
Oh god. Elijah and Victor were there. While he and Kade were…
Liam jumped. The movement made both him and Kade hiss. Fuck, that didn’t feel good. Not even remotely.
He tried to cover himself, but they’d already gotten an eyeful.
Elijah cleared his throat, his cheeks a dark red, his gaze trained well above their heads. Victor’s face was unreadable.
“Ah,” Elijah said, “we’ll just… We’ll give you guys a minute?”
Kade swallowed, the sound loud in Liam’s ear. “It, uh, might be more like five or ten.” He was a whirlwind of emotions that disoriented Liam as much as the previous spirit had. His heart pounded so fast, it thudded against Liam’s skin.
Elijah’s eyes widened. He looked at Victor, then back. “Um. Okay.” Victor helped him to his feet. “We’ll… uh, we’ll wait on the other side of these trees.”
They left Liam and Kade alone in the clearing. It was unnaturally silent, with no haze or fog floating in the air.
Liam had no clue what to say. He stared out into the forest, trying to make sense of everything.
The spirit had possessed them. That had to be it. He’d found Kade attractive since they’d met, but he never would have done this. Kade wouldn’t have either. And while they might have been willing to do some of it under different circumstances, neither of them would have wanted to bond.
He’d thought the spirits were all negative—fear, sadness, corruption. He hadn’t been prepared for one to make him feel good, for it to merely amplify what he was already feeling, for it to weaponize his attraction to Kade until he hadn’t noticed it taking over.
But he should have known, and he still couldn’t decide what to say. How did you start a conversation after something like this? He needed to soothe the jumbled ball of emotions that was Kade in his mind, and if that wasn’t a headfuck and a half—sensing someone else’s feelings, even just the impressions of them—he didn’t know what was.
“I’m so sorry,” Kade said, scarcely above a whisper. Guilt roiled through him, strong enough that Liam could pick it out.
“No, it was the spirit. We were both possessed by it.”
Kade’s grip on him tightened to the point of pain, his breath harsh and uneven, his body shaking, and Liam’s chest constricted. Panic inundated his brain.
Oh, fuck.
“Kade.” He squeezed Kade’s wrist. “ Kade . Breathe. The spirit is gone. Elijah captured it. We’re okay.”
He tried to project a sense of calm through their bond, focusing on his own breathing, keeping it steady.
Kade inhaled, filling his lungs to their full extent before letting out a shuddering exhale. His churning presence eased marginally.
“There you go. Just breathe. We’re fine. Everything’s okay.”
He felt Kade shake his head. “No, we aren’t. You don’t understand. I bit you. I knotted you.”
Liam was quite aware of that. The throbbing in his ass wasn’t particularly easy to ignore, but he didn’t think saying that would help Kade. So instead, he said, “I may not have understood what was happening, but I clearly remember asking you to bite me, asking you to knot me. Neither of us was in our right mind.”
“I should have been able to stop this. It wasn’t the same as… But I should have recognized the signs, should have known this wasn’t…” His breathing was going shallow again.
Liam tried to look at him, but they both winced when the motion jostled where they were tied together, so he gave up. “Listen to me carefully. What happened between us, it was the spirit’s fault. Not yours. Not mine. The spirit’s .”
“I bonded you.” Nauseous self-loathing twisted through Kade, settling sick and heavy in Liam’s gut as he realized what Kade thought he’d done.
“No. It wasn’t like that. And in case you didn’t notice, I tethered myself to you in return.”
“What?”
Liam channeled Kade’s energy, marveling at how easily it rushed into him, even easier than before. As messed up as this was, it felt so good, that power flooding him, tingling in his veins. “Any new tattoos around your heart?”
Even without seeing them, he knew the answer, knew Kade felt their warmth, just as Liam felt the patterns spiraling out from the bite mark.
Kade pulled away slightly and gasped.
The lack of body heat had Liam’s skin prickling with goose bumps, and Kade tucked him back against his chest before he could shiver. It was so tempting to melt into him.
“You have control of your magic?” Kade asked.
“Complete and total control.” And even if he hadn’t, Liam was certain Kade would never take advantage of that.
“Oh, thank god.” Kade’s relieved exhale gusted past Liam’s ear.
“We’ll figure this out,” Liam assured him. “From what I’ve read, shifter bonds can be severed on new moons.”
Another wave of nausea rolled through Kade, standing out from the swirling mass with its intensity, but he nodded.
“This situation is screwed up,” Liam said, “Literally, physically, magically. But it’s not irreversible. We’ll deal with it for the next few weeks, then sever the bond.”
“Okay.” Kade’s voice was gruff, and Liam wished he could see his face. The emotions coming from him were too confusing to parse.
“I guess I get to find out if there are magical knots after all.”
The joke hung awkwardly between them. Kade didn’t seem to want to pick up their banter, so Liam dropped it. Whatever flirting Kade had been doing before must have been because of the spirit.
The next few minutes were spent in silence as they waited for Kade’s knot to deflate.
When it did, Kade withdrew gingerly, his release leaking out, and Liam cringed. He’d never let anyone come inside him before, and this wasn’t a small amount. His cheeks burned.
“Sorry,” Kade murmured, gliding a soothing hand down Liam’s side. When it made him shiver, Kade stopped.
Regret poured off him, but when Kade stood, when they were no longer touching, it became removed and indecipherable. Liam turned to look at Kade. “It was the spirit, not us.”
Kade hauled him up. His touch brought more guilt and a hundred other emotions that were too fast and violent to name. His face was drained of color, his eyes pinched. Even his movements were jerky, lacking their usual shifter grace.
Something inside Liam ached to comfort Kade, but just standing was difficult enough. His legs weren’t cooperating with him. He’d never been this shaky after sex. But then, he’d never come twice in such a short period, and he’d never been knotted.
He leaned against a tree as Kade grabbed their clothes and Liam’s bag. Normally, he’d feel self-conscious being naked outside in the daylight, but he was too exhausted to care.
Kade helped him dress, his expression shell-shocked. Each brush of their skin was accompanied by the buzz of Kade’s energy and the stab of shame. Liam would have to make sure Kade believed him when he said this wasn’t their fault.
When they were presentable, or at least as presentable as possible while covered with come and sweat, Kade called out to Victor and Elijah. He sounded absolutely wrecked.
Elijah’s face was concerned as he peeked around a tree. Liam wasn’t used to being on this end of things. He did the worrying, not the other way around.
“Are you okay?” Elijah asked.
Liam sighed. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”
“Did you… bond?”
A sharp burst of guilt tore through their connection.
“We did,” Liam said, his tone as reassuring as he could manage. “But we’ve discussed it and will sever it on the new moon. It isn’t a big deal.”
Both Elijah and Victor looked skeptical.
“Alright. Well, we should return to the pack house and regroup.” Elijah stepped toward Liam, but Kade growled, freezing him in place.
Victor tugged on Elijah’s arm, pulling him back. “Kade’s not going to want anybody near Liam right now.”
Elijah glanced at Victor, his surprise evident.
“Like I said, ideally, after bonding, you spend at least a week alone in a room, reaffirming the bond. Two weeks is better. When it’s this new, it’s difficult being around other people, especially having them close to your mate.”
“I thought that was just the first day or two. I’ve been around your entire pack these last few days. You’ve felt twitchy, but I didn’t think it was that bad.”
Victor looked sheepish. “It’s been a struggle to not kill anyone who gets too close to you. To let you out of my sight. But it’s what we have to do, so I’ve been tamping down those instincts.”
Elijah’s eyes softened, and he squeezed Victor’s arm. “When this is over, we’ll do things properly.”
That seemed to please the hell out of Victor, and Elijah appeared equally happy. Liam loved seeing Elijah at peace with himself, not trying to live someone else’s life or impress people who would never accept him for who he was in his entirety.
Kade was a distant tangle of turbulent emotions that Liam couldn’t begin to read until Kade wrapped an arm around him to help him back, but even then, it was impossible to sort through all those wretched feelings.
As they walked, Liam’s legs started to cooperate, but Kade seemed reluctant to let him go, so Liam didn’t pull away.