Chapter 18 #2
One thing about Coop is that he won’t prod unless he senses danger.
I’ll have to tell him soon, though. If Cara takes the news well, she can meet the pack eventually, and with her angel blood, I’d rather prepare them well in advance.
Since Coop already knows almost everything and they’ve technically met already, he’s the perfect first member of the pack to meet officially as my mate.
We’ve made a partial lap across the carnival grounds when Coop sighs.
“Have you eaten yet today?” My stomach chooses that moment to grumble.
Loudly. “I’ll take that as a no. You keep searching for whatever it is you’re looking for—don’t deny it—and I’ll go grab us both some chili cheese fries.
It’s not a stakeout without snacks, right? ”
He walks away before I can correct him that this isn’t a stakeout, but I guess it kind of is. I’m here to lay my eyes on Cara for as long as possible.
This has to be a mate-bond thing.
After Coop is gone, I scan the area once more and then do a double take.
There.
She’s standing next to Reagan and Carter, who are wholly absorbed in a dart game. Almost as if she can feel my gaze, she looks over and spots me.
I jerk my head in a silent invitation, then point to the haunted house I spotted a few buildings over. She smiles, says something to her friends, and then heads off toward our meeting point. Cara doesn’t look in my direction again, but I sense it’s all part of our innocent ruse.
We’re reunited again in line, though there’s a couple between us. Still, if anyone were to recognize us, this would appear as total happenstance.
The first room of the haunted house isn’t very scary, but the carnival crew amp up the horror in the second room.
People in costumes creep toward us, and the couple between us scream as they race from the room.
To my surprise, Cara doesn’t make a sound, but I can smell her fear as she quickly grabs onto my hand.
I’ll protect you, mate.
We’re alone in the next room. No one jumps out at us, but the fake blood and dismembered bodies seem to move beneath the flashing lights. Cara squeezes my hand, and I finally look at what she’s holding onto.
“Cute stuffie,” I tell her, pointing to the stuffed animal she’s holding. It’s hard to tell exactly what it is in the darkened room, but I’m pretty sure it’s a dog with a heart-shaped arrow in its mouth.
Her smile is so bright, I can’t help but grin back. “Thanks. I got it for Cooper.”
My heart nearly stops, and my hound howls in delight. I act on instinct, pulling her into me so I can finally do what I’ve been desperate to do since I saw her this morning.
I kiss her.
She grabs onto my shirt, pulling us closer together and deepening the kiss. Fuck, this woman is everything. I’ve never felt such potent desire for anyone before, but with Cara it’s always there.
When she pulls back, I force myself to let her.
This isn’t why I brought her in here. I just wanted to be near her.
“What was that about?” she says, clearly dazed.
“Uncontrollable urge,” I say, then pull us both into the next room where some dude with a chainsaw comes at us, making Cara scream. I have to push down the want to punch him in the face because it’s not real. He isn’t really trying to hurt anyone. This is his job.
The next room is blissfully empty aside from the upright coffin and mannequin inside whose arms are waving about wildly as if possessed. When I tug Cara behind the wooden structure, she comes easily, falling into my arms like she was made to be there.
Our kiss sparks a fire in me that I can’t deny. My hound begs me to bite her, to mark her and finally claim her as our mate, but I hold him off.
Not yet, but soon.
Soon she’ll be ours, and the entire world will know it.
My hand slips beneath the fabric of her skort, and someone screams nearby.
“Lucian,” Cara whispers, her voice a mixture of desperation and worry.
My perfect fucking mate.
I spear a finger inside her already drenched pussy, then squeeze in a second one. She sucks in a breath, but the screech from someone entering the room nearly drowns it out. They’re laughing, clearly terrified, but my focus is on the woman in my arms.
“Scream all you want,” I tell her, nipping at her earlobe while my fingers piston inside her. “I want to hear it echo off the walls while your pussy clenches around my fingers.”
“Oh, God,” she says, legs shaking as she tries to stay upright while I flex my two fingers inside her, hitting the place inside that makes her go wild. She grinds against the palm of my hand, the friction on her clit drawing her closer to the edge.
“Look at me,” I growl, needing to see every detail. Her eyes flash to mine and widen. For a moment I’m scared my eyes are glowing, but she doesn’t look away.
“More,” she begs, and who am I to deny my mate?
“So greedy,” I whisper and do as she demands, inserting a third finger. She detonates within seconds, crying out with her climax and making me want to bury myself to the hilt until she takes my knot fully.
When I pull my hand out, I lick my fingers clean of her juices. “Delicious,” I say, pulling her against me so she feels just how fucking hard I am for her. “I’m going to need you to sit on my face later and drown me in that pretty pussy.”
“Can we go do that now?” she asks, making me laugh.
“Soon. But you should enjoy the rest of the day with your friends. I’ll be nearby in case you want to meet back here so I can make you scream again.”
Cara pouts but nods. “Fine. But don’t think I’ll forget about your promise. Your face might just be the perfect seat.”
A chuckle escapes me as we go through the last few rooms, hand in hand. When we reach the exit, Cara goes out first while I hold back for a few minutes just to be safe. I find her in the same spot as before, grinning madly as she watches her friends continue to play the dart game.
Coop isn’t back yet, but I’m not surprised. He probably ran into our pack on his way to the food stand and got conned into riding the scrambler.
I keep my distance, leaning against the metal fence surrounding the sky-flyer ride. I don’t want Reagan to spot me, especially not while I’m watching Cara.
She laughs at something her friend says, her hair blowing softly in the breeze.
Damn, she’s beautiful.
And she’s mine.
Ours.
Beyond Cara, I spot a guy approaching her and her friends. He’s watching Cara as intently as I am—or at least that’s what it looks like from here.
I don’t like it.
The guy joins their conversation somewhat awkwardly, but I can’t tell what they’re saying even with tapping into my hound’s exceptional hearing. Cara says something to him, then Reagan waves her hand until Cara finally nods.
My hound growls, begging me to let him out, but I do my best to calm him.
We’ll figure out what’s going on.
Cara tucks her hair behind her ear and then heads off with the guy. I follow them to the entrance of the house of mirrors, but don’t get in line until they go through. I’m torn between interrupting them and watching from afar, but I don’t have all the facts yet.
Maybe Cara knows this guy. He could be an old friend from school or even a cousin. Things are precarious enough right now that I don’t want to risk ruining my chances with her any further by acting like a jealous prick.
I hand the attendant my tickets, walk through the entrance, and take a deep inhale.
Her scent fills my nose, and I stalk through the mirror-filled room in search of my mate.