Blaze, page 3
Her cunt squeezes me tightly, and it’s my undoing. Our kiss breaks as I snarl, pushing her head to the side with my nose. My teeth find her neck, and I bite into her mating mark, holding us together while my cum coats her insides.
Holding her neck in my mouth is the only thing stopping me from telling her again how much I want to put a pup inside her. I want her to know that I’ve faith she will have pups. But her world is on the precipice of crashing down around her. The last thing I need is to take her out of this moment.
Lena shifts in my arms, uncomfortable, and I wince at the devastating loss from not being inside her as my dick slides out and my cum spills out with it.
“Fuck, that’s a pretty sight, faolan.”
Chapter 4
Finn
Cade’s office wasn’t big enough for everyone he needed in this meeting, so we ended up in a room of the house I only found while looking for Lena when she disappeared mini-golfing. It’s a library of sorts with a big conference table.
Thalia and Lena seem well adjusted to their places at Cade’s right. I’m drawn to sit at Lena’s side when Cade catches my eye with a toss of his head. I walk around the table to take a seat, for the first time, at his left hand.
“Millie, Adam, Michael, meet Finn O’Leary, my pack Second. If you managed to forget Lena, Deacon, and Thalia, you’re fired.” If it weren’t for his smirk, I wouldn’t be sure Cade was joking with the way those words came across cold. He nods and then indicates with an open palm to Henri. “I sure hope you’d remember Henri, the pack publicist and liaison. Let’s get this meeting started.” Cade sits, and the rest of us follow suit.
A knock comes to the door, and an older man, perhaps in his late forties, walks in. “Sorry for the delay.”
“Peter Corinth, please meet Finn O’Leary. We were about to begin.” Cade introduces him without giving any further details.
“You owe me an Audi.” Peter points to me. “Seven years ago, we were protecting one of your competitors’ daughters, and you ran it into a dumpster.”
“You’ll have to forgive me for not remembering that particular day, but I’d advise you take it up with Magnus. I think he’s got one in the collection.” I offer him a smile.
Peter laughs and takes a seat — the bad blood between us clearly all for show.
I turn to Cade, and he’s shaking his head and running his hand back through his hair. Even he can appreciate a break with the levity.
Adam speaks first as he slides a phone over to Lena. “I’ve managed to get your pictures and phone numbers into this. Somehow, every single one of your email accounts have been found. I’d write them off as a total loss. I’ll try to get some filters set up if you have anything important tied to them so we can get personal accounts and stuff moved over to new ones. We’ll have to work with the university for the rest. I couldn’t salvage the text messages or phone calls through anything. It was too many to sort through on such short notice.”
Adam draws a deep breath. “So, um. Cade’s asked me to monitor all your phone’s security. So, uh, that means I’ll get copies of all of your text messages and the images you send.” Poor kid’s face goes bright red as he chokes on his next set of words. “At least for the near future if you could refrain from, uh.” He swallows hard and then continues, changing the subject. “Temporary password is 0402. It’s probably too close to you, but since your last code was 0908, I figured it was fine.”
Thalia snickers. There’s clearly something that happened there.
Does Lena even know my birth date? This is the first I’ve heard hers. If she doesn’t know the number, Lena doesn’t let on.
“Thank you.” Lena nods, taking the new phone.
“The press has found all her social media accounts. I’ve taken over monitoring them with Adam’s help,” Henri reports as if Lena isn’t at the table.
Cade knocks once on the table with a sharp rap of his knuckles.
“Sorry.” Henri winces and turns to look at Lena. “I’ve taken over monitoring your social media. I need a list of people you trust or are close to on social media that you’d like to have access to you. We’ll make you a private generic account so you can interact with them.”
“Won’t be necessary. There isn’t anyone I trust right now,” Lena answers shortly, eyes locked on the table.
“Perfect. I’ll work with canned responses.” Henri puffs her lips out.
Tension radiates from Henri’s seat at the table. I would prefer more grace from her but understand that, perhaps, my feelings for Lena cloud my view on the situation. Rather than growl, looking for her submission, I let it go — for now.
“What do we know about the press releases? What are they saying?” Cade asks, but with the way he says it, he’s been following the news.
“They’ve made claims Lena is a submissive. They’re stating that Finn and Lena have ‘claiming bites,’ as the press is calling them.” Henri uses air quotes to punctuate those words.
There’s a collective roll of eyes from all the wolves at the table.
Deacon covers a laugh with a cough next to me.
“It seems they’ve been able to zoom in on the fact that she’s no longer enrolled at the university and that her work on reproductive health is on hold.” Henri continues her report.
Lena’s head jerks at that last one. She furrows her brows but says nothing.
“Security wise?” Cade questions, moving on around the table.
“Obviously, they know about your property here. There’s been no movement at your Wisconsin house nor her top five most frequents. But they’ve found the apartment building and are all over the university and the animal sciences buildings. I have reports from the university that people are staking out buildings Lena would normally frequent on campus,” Michael answers.
“For everyone who hasn’t worked in formal security, that means they’ve only found the places that Lena’s obligated to be regularly, through necessity of life, but not any recreational activities,” Peter simplifies.
“That’s because I have no life outside school and work.” Lena’s voice is small and laced with attitude.
No one comments back on that.
“I’d like to note that there are some hits on Finn in the dark web.” Adam speaks carefully as if he expects me to snap. “There are death threats relating to Finn. They don’t seem concerned with Lena.”
Cade snorts. “I don’t doubt people want Finn dead. I’m fairly certain he’s not allowed in Ireland without special dispensation. And I can only imagine how many other crime organizations he’s pissed off on Magnus’s behalf over the years. There’s a reason he came here looking for a home.”
I nod in confirmation. Probably should say something in my defense. But I’d be more concerned if there was a lack of people wanting me dead.
Millie speaks next. “There are threats for the rest of you, but nothing outside the usual for celebrities and royalty. It was weird before that there had been very little press in relationship to Lena comparatively. I’m not sure what sparked their draw to her.” Millie shifts in her chair. “I would recommend she not go anywhere alone. The male attention, in particular, is concerning. Flower deliveries have been attempted to the university’s labs and the apartment.”
“Here as well,” Cade confirms.
I grind my teeth. This is the first I’m hearing of any of this. Trying to rein in my displeasure that other men are taking an interest in my mate in any regard is difficult. I clench my fist, hoping to keep the rage contained. Their behavior feels especially deplorable given that we’re together and it’s been published.
Lena’s uncharacteristically quiet. She rests her head in her hands, leaning against the table.
“The question becomes what picture do we wish to push back against and how do we want to control the narrative?” Henri bends her head low, tilting it to try and catch Lena’s eyes.
“I don’t care.” Lena’s voice cracks, her eyes not coming off the table. She swallows and speaks slowly. “The pack knows. There won’t be any denying it. I can’t keep pretending. They’ll analyze everything I do. Hostility and being sharp tongued kept them at bay, but it’s not sustainable.”
My heart aches, feeling her pain with each word she speaks. It doesn’t have to be this way for her. If she’d let me in and let me anchor her, maybe she wouldn’t be saying these things.
“Okay. As for you and Finn?” Henri looks to Lena for that answer.
Moments of silence tick by before Henri finally gives up on waiting for Lena to respond and turns to me. I try to find a middle ground but can’t come up with anything.
“Is there a way we can avoid addressing it? If there’s pressure, stick with it’s new and we’re not . . .” I let my voice fade. Lena gives a slight nod. “That if there’s something to talk about, we’ll announce it ourselves.”
“I can work with that,” Henri confirms.
The way her eyes go distant, I can see the gears working in her head.
The meeting turns away from Lena for a bit as Cade and Henri talk about how to best handle my position at his side as Second. Lena relaxes slightly, slouching farther in her chair.
Michael’s been on his laptop typing and checking in on the conversation, and now, as we reach a lull, he fills the space. “The university’s animal health department is requesting that Lena take a sabbatical.”
“Fuck.” I cover my mouth just after the word crosses my lips.
Lena stands up from the table and walks out the door. Cade motions for me to follow her.
She heads up to her bedroom suite, and I’m quick, taking the stairs two at a time.
The door all but slams in my face, but I get in and lock it behind me.
Lena shatters.
A screech comes from her that rattles the entire room.
I wince. My ears are ringing by the time she runs out of air.
She crumples to the floor. Loud sobs rack her body, and she curls into a ball.
I cross the room to her, but she’s wedged too tightly between the chair and fireplace. I lift the chair out of the way and sit on the floor beside her — helpless. Fighting the urge to pull her into my lap, I let Lena cry.
Every one of her sobs aches in my chest with a pain I didn’t know I could feel for another person.
She’s hysterical, and only when she’s fighting to breathe do I make a move.
I slide the tissues on the table to us before carefully working my arms into the ball she’s made herself into. Pulling Lena into my lap, I run my hands along her tense muscles.
I attempt to push every bit of love I have for her through our bond, but it goes nowhere. Her wolf is locked off in the feral state.
Lena’s crying doesn’t stop. Every time I make progress uncurling her, she tries to ball back up again. Turning her in my lap to face me, I pull her legs from her core to either side of me so she’s forced to stay uncurled. Her arms wrap around my neck, and she keeps gasping for air.
My stomach aches as she mourns her losses.
The complication with her heat and whatever she took, leading her to believe she’ll be sterile, is enough on its own, but her little wolf has rebelled against her and gone feral. Forced into acknowledging her bloodline wasn’t what she grew up believing, she had a terse conversation with her biological parents. Then she was suspended from academia, and while I thought I had saved her from losing her job at the university, it only delayed the inevitable. Each of those events on their own would be a lot for a person to handle. Yet, Lena’s had to deal with them being taken from her nearly all at once.
Even if being pulled from her research is temporary, I know how devastating this is for her. I may not feel it in our bond, but I feel it even now as she tries to get herself under control. Between deep breaths, more sobs escape.
We’ll find who gave them this information and give her their heart and head as tribute so she knows she’s been avenged. My wolf finds a bloody solution.
But he’s not wrong. We will make the person who did this to her pay with their life.
Brayden’s threat is the most obvious, but the question is whether he’s smart enough for this sort of behavior.
If Cade’s team doesn’t uncover the source, I’ll have to do the digging my way.
Lena’s sobs subside as I rub her back, moving my hand slowly along the top.
“Can’t breathe,” Lena murmurs.
She’s congested and looking for the tissues.
I offer them to her, lowering her a bit on my lap and giving her space.
She blows her nose, but she still gasps for air, struggling through hiccups.
I pull her close to me again and whisper in her ear, “Feel my heart with yours. Focus on what you hear. Breathe, faolan, and focus on how it feels. Every bit of us is connected. You’re not alone. I got you, Kathleen. We’ll get through this together. I won’t let them take this from you. It’s a break. It’s for now.”
Lena takes minutes before her body relents, unable to continue fighting. She struggles to get comfortable again now that she’s not tense. I pull her into my lap again, letting her curl slightly to fit better in my arms. Tears still fall from her eyes, but she’s no longer frantic.
I kiss her head and keep holding her. After another fifteen minutes, my legs are prickly and my arse is numb. Adjusting my hold on her, I raise to my feet. Lena squirms to be put down, but I refuse, holding tighter until I get over to the bed where I set her down. For the second time today, I strip her.
I grab one of my shirts and throw it in her dryer, warming it up for a few minutes while I dig through her drawers to find fluffy pants. Preferably, I’d feed her and get her to drink some water, but I’m not sure I can get her to stomach anything. Her tension doesn’t lend any hope of nourishing her body. I have to settle with soothing her soul the best I can.
I tuck her in and wait until she falls asleep, softly snoring, before I finally climb out of bed to check the updates from the outside world.
Cade Alden:
I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have come out that way. Michael sometimes forgets that the clients are sensitive to bad news. Let me know what you need. I’ll send it up.
My stomach growls.
Lena’s out. I think for a while, if not the night. If possible, I’d take some food. But I can wait until morning if need be.
I’ll bring up enough for you and Lena if she wakes up. Some provisions for the night as well.
Twenty minutes later, there’s a soft knock on the door. I open it to find Cade as promised. He carries a tray and has a small cooler hooked on his arm.
After walking in, Cade sets the items on the table and whispers, “Care if I join you for a bit?”
With a flick of my head toward the sitting area, I offer him a chair. The food smells delicious. Cade is quiet while I say grace. He reaches into the cooler and pulls out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey.
A smile crosses my face.
Cade nods and, with a soft voice, offers, “I figured this might be welcome.”
“Don’t you know it.” I match his tone before starting to eat.
He serves us both a healthy pour before sipping on his own.
“How bad was it?” Cade indicates toward the fireplace where Lena is sleeping on the far side.
Shaking my head, I shrug. “I have nothing to compare it to. All I can say is that if I never see her like this again, it will be too soon.”
Cade pauses, taking a sip. “I don’t know what to do for her.”
“The only thing I can think is that we encourage her to rest.” I sigh, putting away more bites of food between speaking.
“Maybe she should see Alora and Elliot Alloway. Maybe if she can solve what happened between them, it’ll help her through some of it.” Cade scrubs a hand down his face. “Fuck, maybe it makes it worse. I don’t know. We need options for her and places for her to go that are safe. I hate to think of her cooped up here forever. Or all winter.”
“The stir-crazy type?”
It seems today will be the day I learn everything I didn’t know about Lena.
“Yeah. Lena likes to stay busy. I don’t know that she can exactly stay in one place. But if not Maine, she can go to Utah to spend time with Ansel. It’s been a long time since she’s seen him for more than a week.” Cade’s words worry me.
I’m uneasy sitting here, thinking that if she leaves, my place is still here.
“Stop.” Cade’s eyes find me, and The Leviathan is there. He continues. “Anywhere she goes, you’re more than welcome to follow. I need you here for Thalia’s heat, whenever that’ll be. But, beyond that, I’ll manage without you. I’ve done it for this long.”
“I’m sorry.” I let my shoulders fall from where they’ve hunched up around my ears.
“The rest of the meeting was simply talking about increasing security here. We’re asking the pack to limit the coming and going to the best of their ability. I’m hiring a box truck for grocery deliveries, and Thalia will work with Lauren to come up with an organization system for it.” Cade updates me.
“Are you working on the potentials for who leaked this information?” The growl comes out at my whispered tone.
Bloodlust continues.
“Yes. We’re using every means necessary. It’ll take a bit longer than I’d like because Adam’s got to cover his tracks. Peter and I agree this is one of the times that playing off the books is probably for the best. We’ve been keeping Corinth Security above reproach, but this is one of those times I’m willing to play by the old rules.” Cade raises his eyebrows and draws a deep breath.
“I wasn’t aware you haven’t always been upstanding.” I indirectly question him.
He draws the last sip from his glass. “You and I weren’t so different for a long time. There are a lot of bodies in my past. Peter was in government contracts in mercenary work for quite a while and was still doing so when I joined his team.”
