He was so sexy. A rumpled primal male, confident, arrogant. And if the

tenting of the sheet was any indication, ready to mate.

"And I'm staying dressed." She laughed as she slapped his hands away and tugged the hem of the top back into place. "We're leaving today, remember? I'm ready to go."

To reinforce the claim, Mo-Jo bounded to the bed, certain that the evil feline-smelling man was finally fair game. Megan jumped back, laughing as dog and man growled and snarled, bared teeth and fought for dominance.

"Damn dog!" Braden cursed as Mo-Jo nipped his ear.

A fury of Breed limbs and thick canine fur accompanied Braden's snarl. Megan stood back, laughing as he wrestled the huge dog to the bed and bit him back.

The look of canine amazement on the dog's face was hilarious. His brown eyes widened, his expression going slack for all of a second before a surprised doggy cry left his lips and he twisted forcefully from Braden's hold.

He jumped from the bed, casting the two humans a disgruntled look before snarling back at Braden and stalking to the comer of the room. He plopped down on the air conditioning vent before batting pitifully at the abused ear.

"Do we have to take that mutt?’ Braden flashed his incisors at the dog, who only sniffed in disdain before rising enough to turn his back on them, then settling back on the vent.

"Love me, love my mutt?" She gave him a pointed look before a surprised yelp left her lips.

Braden had gripped her wrist, pulling her to the bed before catching her beneath his weight and staring down at her, obviously not amused at her response, or her laughter.

Laughter that his lips caught as they covered hers, that his tongue tasted as he licked at them wickedly. When he raised his head, his expression was somber, filled with arousal and enough emotion to cause her heart to clench in response.

His hand raised, his fingers touching her lips with the gentlest of caresses as he watched her. At that moment, she told herself that being at Sanctuary wasn't all bad. The nights were incredible. The days had been a pain in the ass. Being poked and prodded at by anything or anyone other than Braden was guaranteed to put her in a really pissy mood.

"You've been ready to go." He reminded her of her earlier statement as

his thumb smoothed over her lips and he continued to stare at her, his gaze possessive, warm. The Mating Heat had supposedly been stilled with the alteration of her DNA. God, she hated that word. But damn if she still didn't get so wet just from the touch of his thumb against her lips that she debated changing her panties.

"And you haven't?' She arched her brow, lifting her hands to stroke her fingers through his hair.

She watched his lashes lower, watched the pleasure that filled his expression as she ran her fingertips over his scalp, scraping against the sensitive flesh. A heavy groan rumbled in his chest and his cock began to prod her thigh.

"Down, boy,'' she ordered lightly, though her head turned for his lips to caress her neck as his hands buried in her hair. "I say we leave first and have wild sex later. I'm being smothered, Braden."

And she was. Not for breath-for freedom. For adventure. The mission Callan and the Breed Ruling Cabinet had requested they take sounded like a blast. Braden lifted his head, his gaze solemn as he sighed deeply.

"Wild animal sex later then." A smile curved his lips as he continued to watch her, as though he couldn't believe she was truly there.

"I love you, Megan." He whispered the words slowly, unused to the freedom to feel, to expect emotion in turn.

Her savage, beautiful lion was still a shade uncertain in that regard, which continued to surprise her, The emotion in his face clenched her chest and tightened her throat with tears as she smiled tremulously, basking in the savagery of his pride and his possession of her.

The horrors he had lived through in those Labs still gave her nightmares. The stories the Breed females had related to her and the reports she had read were horrifying. They were still events Braden refused to talk about. It was how he lived with it. How he retained that playful, amusing side of his personality.

"Oh Braden," she whispered, tearing up despite her best efforts not to as she glimpsed the fears in his gaze. The fear of losing her, of having the gift he believed she was, taken from him. "I love you. With all my soul, all I am. I love you. Forever, Braden."

He lowered his head, touched his forehead to hers, his eyes filled with the heat of emotion, hunger, need. All he felt for her, all he was. And in that they were equal. Because he had all she was as well.

"Forever," he whispered, his voice soft, husky. "I may have left my mark on your shoulder, Megan, but you marked my very being. Forever, I'm yours."

"Now, let's get the hell out of here." He bounded from her and the bed, leaving her to stare at him in surprise.

"I'm ready to hit the road, woman. What are you doing lazing around?

Don't we have a mission to complete?"

Megan tossed her pillow at his back as he chuckled in delight before disappearing into the bathroom, the taut line of his buttocks drawing her gaze as she moved from the bed.

Maybe they had a little bit of extra time after all, she thought as she began stripping off her clothes and following quickly. Yep, definitely enough time to love her mate before they headed out. There was always time for that.

Jonas stared out at the gated driveway leading from Sanctuary, a frown creasing his brow as the newest in the line of law enforcement~military vehicles headed toward the main road.

The plain black model-eight SUV appeared as harmless as any other on the road. The stealth and armed advancements to it were anything but harmless though. The computerized display screens engaged quickly, with voice or manual commands; the small computer that folded into the dash had a secured link into one of the most advanced satellites orbiting in space. A nice little gift donated to the Breed community by a benefactor with more money than he knew how to spend.

The vehicle was occupied by the latest Mated pair of the community: Braden and Megan Arness.

Jonas tucked his hands into his black slacks, his head lowering as he watched the vehicle drive out of sight and the wide gates close securely behind it.

He remembered the last time he had watched such a vehicle leave Sanctuary. The ever-present pain sliced through his chest as he thought of Aimee.

He hadn't suspected that she had Mated with Mark.

There had been no signs of it until the autopsy was performed.

The Mating mark hadn't been placed on her shoulder as normal, but rather in the tender flesh of her upper breast. Mark's had been placed similarly. And the marks hadn't been fresh.

His fingers balled into fists at the thought. She had Mated with the other man years before, even before their rescue from the Labs, and never revealed it. Neither Breed had shown a sign of Mating, only one of a very close friendship.

His lips tightened at the thought, his teeth clenching with enough force to send a jarring ache through his jaw. He had cared . He shook his head, pacing from the window and staring around the neat, expensive office he inhabited.

Head of National Breed Security Affairs. He had an office in Sanctuary as well as one in Washington. He had a personal assistant, the latest in gadgets and the freedom he had always longed for. But the woman had eluded him. She had chosen another.

Not that he blamed her. He had been unable to protect her in the Labs when she had come of age. What would have made her believe he could have protected her now?

He snarled as the fury bit at his soul. So many wasted lives. He had been his Pride's leader; it had been his responsibility to protect the younger females, to deflect the Trainers and guards and to lessen the horrors of their lives.

He blocked the memories. Years of practice had taught him how to blur the edges of that night, how to push it back into the recesses of his mind. But he never truly forgot. It was always there, waiting to strike, ready to destroy him.

"Mr. Wyatt?" His personal assistant knocked timidly at his door, her voice hesitant.

"Enter," he snapped, doing nothing to hide his impatience at the distraction.

The door opened slowly as the normally confident, balls-busting secretary stepped into his inner sanctum. Her cool gray eyes flickered over him with only a hint of nervousness, her composed features never shifted, the emotionless mask never dipped. She was as cold as an iceberg and as efficient as a robot. And it was all a very brilliant, very impressive facade. He could feel the nervousness, the hint of fear that raced through her. To give her credit, she hid her fear of him much better than others did.

"We received a message from the liaison in Washington. You're needed back at the office for a meeting first thing in the morning with the Oversight Committee regarding Senator Cooley. Senator Tyler is requesting that you take care of this personally. He'd like to get the amendment to the Breed Articles pushed through quickly to allow for the dismissal and prosecution of Agents Farrow and Harding."

Farrow and Harding. Sanctuary's Washington liaisons would never see the inside of a court for their crimes. They would never be seen again, period.

"And have Farrow and Harding been found?' Their disappearance had

raised more than one question within the law enforcement community.

Mia regarded him steadily. "Agents Farrow and Harding have not yet been located," she informed him.

"We have several patrols out looking for them though."

A waste of fucking manpower, but necessary. Farrow and Harding were enjoying their entrance into hell, via a drop into the burning lava of an overseas volcano. If nothing else, the Council had taught the Breeds how to dispose of bodies properly.

"Very well. Gather what we need together and we'll leave after dark. I want a profile pulled on the two liaisons in Washington as well. 1 want to know every detail of their fucking lives right down to their last fart. And I want it yesterday. This will not happen again." He was aware of Mia's flinch as he growled the final sentence and he didn't really give a damn. He wasn't there to make anyone comfortable, least of all his PA.

"Right away, sir." She nodded with a quick little jerk of her head before leaving and closing the door behind her.

And once again he was alone.

Jonas stared around the room, the antique cherry desk, the large chair behind it. The carefully polished bookshelves and the leather couch and chairs. The room reeked of class and formidable power. Power that the

Breed community was slowly amassing and putting to use to secure their place in the world.

The Feline Breed Ruling Cabinet worked quietly, outside the public eye, to secure their place in the world.

There were so few Breeds, and procreation wasn't an easy process. Unfortunately, it would appear that the longer life spans would cause them more problems than anything else. Especially considering the leak in Sanctuary by one of their own.

He paced back to his desk, picking up the file he had gathered together and staring down at it grimly. Killing a few non-Breed agents with delusions of the riches to be gathered by betraying the Breeds didn't affect him either way. Killing another Breed for turning the Mating results over to the Council was another story. Especially a female Breed.

He breathed in deeply as he shook his head in regret.

And reminded himself, there could be no regret.