I threw my head back laughing. “Aric, you don’t even know how pathetic I was after I met you. I ran on the beach sometimes three times a day, hoping to see you again. One day I ran five times.” I held out my hand. “Five times. Only to see you with that wereslut a few days later.”

A spark lit Aric’s light brown eyes. “I’d made the date with her before I saw you. I only kept it because my Warriors made me.”

“They made you? I doubt that.” I smirked. “I saw what she looked like and what she was wearing.”

Aric’s hand slid over my knee. “They thought something was wrong with me. I couldn’t focus and I could barely put two words together. I started to believe them. Then I saw you again and that squashed any doubt that remained.”

He kissed me then, his soft lips and sweet taste as welcoming as the first time we touched. We were both breathing heavily when he finally pulled away to pass his lips over my neck. “My father told me I’d go through a lot of females. He warned me not to marry until I found my mate. He didn’t explain how I’d find you; he just knew I would.” His hand wandered farther up my thigh. He growled when his fingers found the strap to my garter belt. I was so turned on I didn’t know if I’d be able to stop. “You had to go and wear this, didn’t you?”

I was panting heavily but forced myself to glance at the clock. My heart worked to beat. “It’s time,” I whispered.

Aric played with the lace. “The pack can do without me tonight.”

I rubbed my face against his. “No, they can’t, Aric.”

His hand tightened around my thigh. Then, very slowly, he released me. I rose, embracing him closely when he straightened. He tightened his hold and placed his chin on my head. “It shouldn’t have to be like this. We should be together all night.”

“I know.”

We kissed one last time before finally stepping away. I grabbed my purse, flowers, and keys. Aric walked me out to the car. The ward buzzed behind us as we passed through, rubbing against the small hairs on my arms and letting me know it was ready to blow anything threatening to smithereens if it approached.

Aric kept me behind him while he scanned the area. My predator’s eyes replaced my own, searching as he did for what awaited in the darkness. In leaving my house, we were leaving our escape from our worries. Outside, the reality of my life-and-death struggles and his demands as a pureblood resurfaced with a vengeance.

He opened the door to the Ying-Ying mobile and waited for me to slip inside. “I’ll follow you back to vamp camp. If you sense anything unusual, flicker your lights.”

“I will.”

Aric watched me for a moment before shutting my door. “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said quietly.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, love.”

CHAPTER 26

Aric’s phone rang.

I was topless and his hand was inside my pants.

Aric’s phone rang again, and again, and again.

The Elders were calling him, but he couldn’t seem to stop. I’m sure it didn’t help that I was screaming like a banshee and thrashing about, having lost all control.

I finished. For a moment, there was only the sound of our pounding hearts and ragged breaths. The windows of Aric’s Escalade were fogged and I’d dug holes into his leather seats with my claws.

His phone rang again. My lips swept over his. “We need more time.”

Aric growled. “We always need more time.”

He hauled himself off me and opened the door. I caught a glimpse of the hard-falling snow before he slammed the door.

Aric and I had barely seen each other over the last several weeks. The Elders continually sent him on missions or kept him busy at the Den. They suspected our relationship and these maneuvers served only to keep us apart.

My hand slid down my br**sts, still moist with perspiration from Aric’s heat. We were parked in the forest at the base of Squaw Valley again. I didn’t mind so much; it was important to see Aric any way I could.

What I did mind were Anara’s calls, and how they affected Aric.

“It’s none of your business where I am or who I’m with, Anara. I’m a Leader, not your goddamn servant.”

“Watch your words, boy,” Anara snapped on the other end of the line. “I remain your Elder, or perhaps you’ve forgotten?” Aric tried to suppress his growls, but his beast side threatened to take control. “Return to the Den now. Or face the consequences of your insubordination.”

Anara hung up. Aric exploded in a series of curses and growls. When he climbed back in, melting snow dripped down his face and bare chest. I was just as he’d left me: partially naked, sweating, and panting. He leaned over top of me. Despite the cold outside, his skin felt warm. “I have to go, sweetness.”

My eyes traveled the length of his hard chest. His excitement at hearing my cries continued to be obvious. I lightly touched the outside of his jeans. “Can’t you just let me please you, even a little bit?”

Aric swallowed hard and his light brown eyes glazed with ardor. “It won’t be enough. I need to take you completely.”

I unbuckled his pants and reached in, my eyes returning to meet his. “Then do so.”

Aric lost it. He tore my jeans and panties off in one motion. He entered me, thrusting savagely. I climaxed quickly as he growled my name. It was rough, hard—and astounding. The entire car shook wildly as he exploded inside me.

• • •

The knock on the guesthouse door saved me from explaining to Emme what my jeans were doing in the garbage . . . and why they were ripped in half. Aric had apologized afterward for “getting carried away.” I made it clear he never had to apologize for mind-blowing sex.

I opened the door to find Misha with Tim and Hank directly behind him. Misha stepped forward. “Kitten, we are needed at the Den. The matter is of tremendous urgency.” He glanced past me to where Emme had been emptying the trash. “My dear, your presence is also requested.”

I gripped the knob of the open door. My first guess was that Anara had discovered my rendezvous with Aric. But then, that didn’t make sense. For Misha and also my sister to be summoned meant the Tribe had struck once more. We marched out of the guesthouse and followed the vampires into the BYTEME Hummer.

None of us spoke on the ride to the Den. Misha seemed unusually distant despite maintaining his focus on me. “Do you know what’s up?”