Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Seth
The drive to the main house is a blur of dust and tension, the truck cab saturated with the scent of her.
It’s not just the honeysuckle and cedar anymore; it’s something richer, darker, like overripe fruit or the copper tang of blood. It sits heavy in the back of my throat, coating my tongue.
I pull up to the porch, throwing the truck into park, the tires kicking up gravel. I don’t bother with the keys. I just kill the engine and jump out.
By the time I reach the passenger side, my hands are shaking, a tremor that I try to attribute to the adrenaline. But I know better.
It’s her. It’s the pull of her biology demanding I submit to mine.
I open the door, and the wave of heat that rolls out is staggering. She’s slumped against the seatbelt, her face flushed a deep, feverish red, her breath coming in shallow pants.
I undo the belt and reach in to scoop her up. She’s light, but she feels like dead weight in my arms as I carry her up the porch steps.
“Seth,” she murmurs, her voice thick and slurred. She turns her face into my chest, her nose brushing the collar of my shirt. “Why... why are we here?”
I kick the front door open, the wood slamming against the interior wall.
“There’s a bed in the main house,” I say, mostly to myself, trying to rationalize the decision over the roaring in my ears. “It’s closer. It has the best air conditioning.”
“No,” she whines, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt, weak but insistent. “You should take me to my father’s house. I can’t... not here. The others...”
“The others aren’t here.”
I don’t know where Billy is. Tex is gone. It’s just us.
I carry her down the hallway, my boots thudding against the floorboards, each step echoing in the silence of the house. I push the door to the primary bedroom open with my foot.
The sheets are clean, turned back. I lay her down on the mattress, trying to be gentle, but she clings to me, her hands fumbling at my shoulders.
“Look at me,” I command softly, prying her hands away so I can stand up straight.
Her eyes flutter open. They are hazy, the green swallowed by the dilated black of her pupils. She looks drugged. She looks wrecked.
She looks at me with a desperation that sends a jolt of electricity straight to my groin. “Seth,” she breathes. “It burns.”
“I know,” I say. I turn away from her, forcing myself to think past the haze of lust clouding my brain. “I’m going to run a cold bath. That will help.”
I walk into the en-suite bathroom, turning the faucet on full blast. The sound of rushing water is a momentary distraction.
I grip the edge of the porcelain sink, my knuckles white, and stare at my reflection in the mirror. I look wild. My eyes are dark, my jaw clenched tight.
I can smell her from here. It’s seeping under the door, crawling into my veins. I need to make calls. I need to get a handle on this before it’s too late.
I pull my phone from my pocket, my fingers clumsy as I scroll through my contacts. I hit Tex’s name.
He answers on the second ring. “Yeah?”
“Get home,” I say, my voice rough. “Now. It’s Sedona. She’s in heat.”
“What?” Tex’s voice sharpens. “But the meds—”
“Didn’t work. Or they wore off. I don’t know. I’m at the main house. I need you here.”
“I’m twenty minutes out. I’m turning around.”
I hang up and immediately dial Billy. It rings. And rings. And goes to voicemail.
“Damn it,” I hiss.
I try again. Same result. His phone is off, or he’s ignoring it. Probably the latter. He does that when he’s brooding.
I jab the button for Jasper. The kid picks up instantly.
“Hello? Seth?”
“Jasper,” I snap. “Find Billy. Look everywhere. The barns, the creek, the fence lines. Tell him to get to the main house immediately. It’s an emergency.”
“Is it the parasite? Are you okay?”
“Just find him, Jasper!” I hang up and shove the phone back into my pocket.
I walk back into the bedroom. The sight stops me in the doorway.
Sedona is shuffling on the bed. She has kicked off her shoes. Her hands are fumbling with the button of her jeans, her movements frantic and uncoordinated.
She’s whining, a low, pitiful sound that scrapes against my nerves. She arches her back, her chest heaving, her body seeking friction against the mattress.
“Seth,” she gasps, turning her head toward me. Her eyes are wet now, tears leaking from the corners. “Please.”
I walk to the side of the bed and crouch down, bringing myself to her eye level. I have to be the steady one. I have to be the brother who thinks with his head, even if every cell in my body is screaming to take her.
“What do you need?” I ask, though I know the answer.
I know exactly what her biology is screaming for. She needs an Alpha. She needs a knot. She needs to be filled until this fire burns itself out.
She reaches for me, her hand sliding around the back of my neck. Her fingers are hot, burning against my skin.
“I need...” She trails off, her gaze dropping to my mouth. She licks her lips. “I need you to put it out.”
My breath hitches.
“Tell me,” I say, my resolve crumbling like wet paper. “Use your words, Sedona. Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to touch me,” she whispers, and her voice drops into a register that makes my cock jerk against my zipper. “I want you to put your mouth on me. I want you to fuck me until I can’t think.”
The words hang in the air between us, lewd and undeniable. In my mind, I see flashes of her thoughts—filthy, desperate images that match the ones running through my own head.
I see myself pinning her down. I see myself burying my face between her legs. I see her screaming my name.
Fuck.
I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting for control. I’m losing this battle.
“Sedona,” I groan, opening my eyes. “I’m trying to help you.”
“Then help me,” she begs, tugging me closer. “Please, Seth. Make it stop.”