Page 86 of His Curse

He nods. “Yeah, later. It wasn’t exactly part of my plan, but eating your pussy while you fired a semi-automatic has my dick aching. I need to fuck you right now, Lark, and I really need to do it with you up on that counter, your legs over my shoulders, and the smell of gunpowder still in the air.”

Every inch of my body responds to that because goddammit, my alpha is everything I could have hoped for and more. And as he gets to his feet, drops my ass on the counter and growls when he looks down at me spread out before him, I have a funny feeling I don’t even know the half of what being mated tothealpha truly means. But boy, am I glad I have the rest of our life together to find out.

Chapter16

Kindred Spirit

LARK

Ismile as I carefully flip the pages of Vok’s portfolio, taking in his centuries worth of incredible talent. “I can’t believe you were able to save all of these.”

“I had no other choice.” The smile in his tone is genuine and a touch sad, but I can understand why. These portraits were some of very few things he had left of Cora, and even though he was so determined to get vengeance for her, he managed to fend off the insanity that comes from losing his mate and Havok had to hang onto every memory he had in order to continue doing that. “Eventually, I had to stop handling them so much, the parchment was all but falling apart, but that did not mean I would give them up or keep myself from looking at them when I felt as though I could no longer go on.”

“Well, they’re absolutely beautiful, and I’m glad you are able to preserve them now.”

Vok nods as he runs a finger over the protective sleeve the charcoal sketch is sitting safely inside. “As am I. And thank you. My angel was the only one I ever shared my love of art with, but since she has returned to me, I find I want all the world to see how beautiful she was then and is now, though my skills hardly do her justice.”

“You’re incredibly talented, Havok. Don’t sell yourself short.” I sigh and look up to find him staring at me with a sweet smile on his face. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t give me that. I know I’m new here, but I’m not exactly blind to looks like the one you’re giving me now.”

He shrugs and leans back against the couch we’re sharing. “I suppose it is because I find that I see much of myself in you, that’s all. Your refusal to accept things as they seemed, to give up and allow one moment in time to dictate the way you conducted yourself.” Vok tilts his head and grins. “So easily either one of us could have accepted the events with our mates as final and allowed ourselves to rot from the inside out, but instead, we refused and became resolute in our self-appointed missions, ones fueled by the love we have for our fated ones.”

Yeah, I guess that makes a lot of sense. “Searching despite what should have been a pretty final farewell. Too stubborn to give up, too angry to settle for a life that would have meant being without them.”

“Exactly. You and I are one in the same, dear wolf, and I find it makes me feel quite connected to you despite knowing you only a short week or so.”

A low rumble comes from across the room and we both look to see Colt staring at us, eyes narrowed, his lips drawn in a hard line while Cora fights her laughter next to him. If he didn’t have a sleeping Khaos in his arms, my mate would probably be on his feet heading our way just so he could sit between Vok and I. His jealousy is cute but it’s absolutely unnecessary. Something he knows but couldn’t stop his reaction to regardless.

So I just blow him a kiss and wink, then roll my eyes when he grunts out another small warning growl.

Despite the fact that he’s being ridiculous, I stare at my mate a little longer and can’t help the way my heart flutters at what I see. His jealousy is clear, yeah, but Colt sitting there holding a sweet little baby? The way he has Khaos held protectively to his chest, or how Cotlon’s big hand occasionally pats his butt when he stirs? The way that babe snuggles and burrows into my mate and holds the shoulder length pieces of his hair while he sleeps soundly? That seriously does things to me.

It makes me earn for the things I’ve always dreamt of, but it makes me want them even more.

I want my mate in a way that is absolutely primal, in the most basic and programmed way—as not only my alpha, my best friend and lover, but the father of my pups.

I’ve always wanted pups, I think most wolves do, but having my mate, being mated to the love of my life, has only made that grow. And watching him tonight as Colton played with Baby K and Dizzy, then helped get them to sleep has only strengthened my desire to have that with him.

But it’s also been a firm reminder of the harsh reality that… maybe we won’t have that.

We don’t know for sure, there really isn’t any way to know until we’ve actually tried, but the fear is there and it’s not entirely unwarranted.

I have no idea what those drugs Kentworth gave me did to my body. I have no clue what they could have done to my hormones or the parts needed to make babies, and there’s no telling what the long term effect of not going into heat for multiple decades could do to me either. Yeah, sure, I went into heat a mere few days after I escaped, and while it lasted way longer than it ever has, and it’s nice to know it can still happen, but… but having my fated one serve me during my time of need, having Colton be the one to ease my pain and essentially bang the heat right out of me means that I should have…

Birdie…

I blink away the tears I didn’t realize were forming in my eyes and shoot him a smile.I’m ok,Mahasani.

My mate sighs and gives me a look that says he knows better. “Just because you went into heat, doesn’t mean the drugs wore off completely. Who knows what else was in that fucked up concoction. It could have easily had a form of birth control too, and if that was the case, a few days wouldn’t have been enough time for it to wear off despite your need.”

“I know.”And I really do, but I can’t help how I’m feeling about it. “It just goes against everything we’ve been taught. My heat should have guaranteed pups because it was you and me, but I’m just—”

“It’ll happen, Birdie. I know, in my heart, you and I will make our own pups when the time is right, and when we do, our life will be even more perfect than it is now.”

I frown. “Going after a mad scientist and his lab of criminally insane cronies is your idea ofperfect?”

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