Clearly he wasn't doing his job right. Harte slid a finger inside her channel and pressed up into her G-spot. When she slithered bonelessly from her elbows to her back, he grinned against her swollen flesh. He brought up her arousal, reveling in her transparency, cherishing her honest response. He moved away and stared down at her newfound abandon. This time, he stopped before she climaxed. He wanted to feel the grip of her flesh around his cock when she came.

Eva moaned when he drew away, then opened her eyes as Harte moved up and knelt with his cock arrowed at her entrance.

“Yes?”

“God yes. Please.” She smiled a bit coyly. “Sir.”

He couldn't hold back the grin. Harte reached to a low table that held a bowl of condoms, then quickly opened and slipped one on.

“You don't need—”

“Rules are rules. That's why they're here.” They were immune to human venereal diseases and carried none of their own. Eva wouldn't get pregnant this time, but just the same, they were in Xavier's house, and his word was law. Harte gently pressed against her swollen flesh before sliding his cock through her folds, making it slick with her cream. Once again, he pressed with agonizing deliberation.

She was groaning, fighting to impale herself on his shaft, but he backed off, only to return slowly. He wanted to savor every second of this first time with Eva.

She lay back in a mound of velvet and silk, her pale skin gleaming in the dim light of the room. Her hair tumbled around her flushed cheeks, and when she opened her eyes, they were dreamy with desire.

“Please, Harte… Inside me…” She wrapped her legs around his hips, pulling him to her body. She reached her hands out to him, but he was too far away. He grinned wickedly and pulled his hips back.

She groaned in frustration, and when she was unprepared, he thrust, sinking deep into her body, lifting her hips to meet his. She gasped, and Harte let his eyes slip closed, cherishing the moment with every fiber of his being. After a long moment, he opened his eyes and moved forward into her waiting arms.


He remained braced above her body, so Eva was able to look up into his face and watch the fascinating play of his eyes in the dim light. Like a wolf, his eyes caught the light, reflecting it back with a green glow. It was eerie and wild and so beautifully Harte.

Wanting to feel more of his weight, she tugged at him, but he remained above her, his hips rocking against her with a slow, sure tempo. His cock cleaved her in steady, deep strokes. Damn, the man had stamina! She ran the soles of her feet up the backs of his legs, then dug her heels into his hard, muscular ass. That brought him a bit closer, but he stayed rhythmic as a machine, giving her only part of what she wanted—needed. When she felt ready to throw her head back and scream, he varied his movement, rotating his hips in a circle.

That froze her in place and choked the sound in her throat. A flutter of quick, short thrusts threw her over the edge, and her head arched back, her body locked in rigid ecstasy. The climax was unexpected and deep, rippling down her back and rocking right into her womb. He held very still as she used his body to reach her fulfillment.

Afterward she collapsed under him, her body a loose puddle. He didn't stop.

Harte began to move once again, leaning away just a bit to avoid contact with her sensitive clit. He returned to his knees, his face a smooth, focused mask of pleasure.

Soon Eva was recovered enough to participate once again. She began to rock her hips, meeting his thrusts.

He smiled, and the expression on his face took her breath away.

It was true. He was her mate. A freakish circumstance had brought her into this place and set her right into Harte's path. He was the one man in the world who instinctively knew how to rule her, how to read her, and more importantly, how to find and heal that wound made so long ago to her heart.

She hadn't lied when she told him she felt weightless. Eva knew enough about submission to understand the high that came from giving control over to the dom.

But the catharsis that came from letting go of her emotions had been painful and shattering. She'd been devastated—destroyed—and a new woman had risen from the destruction. That woman looked at Harte and saw more than a handsome, desirable man. She looked at him with the eyes of the wolf as well as those of the woman, and she saw forever. She saw her mate.

The power of that emotion overwhelmed her, once again bringing tears to her eyes. Harte saw and leaned over her. He kissed her lips with delicacy and sweetness. She caught his head and brought him closer, willing him to dominate her with every inch of himself.

He finally succumbed. His long, powerful body covered her completely, trapping her with his weight. He buried his face in her throat, nipping, sucking, making her his. His pace increased; she heard the slapping of his skin against hers and felt the sudden dampness of sweat beneath her palms.

“Come!” Her voice was fierce. “Come for me!”

He groaned, rising from her body. His cock powered into her fast and hard, and she met him stroke for stroke. An unexpected climax coiled through her, and Eva fought it back, willing him to surrender before she set it free. She reached down and clasped his ass in her hands, her nails sinking deep, drawing a fine line of blood.

The pain was the last straw for Harte. He cried out, plunging into her wildly, his tempo ragged and unsteady. She felt him go tense even as she teetered at that brink herself. They came together, struggling and cursing, their bodies locked in a virtual battle and then in perfect synchronicity. They clung to one another and shivered out the last gripping spasms before Harte's full weight settled over Eva's body.

When she felt tears trickling down her cheek, she blinked with surprise. The tears were not her own.

* * *

They lay together like two shipwreck survivors. As she slowly roused, Eva became aware of an ache on her neck. She reached up to find a bite.

“You marked me.” Her voice held a trace of wonder. Harte struggled upright and blinked.

“I did.” He looked at her a bit warily. “Do you mind?”

She rubbed at it idly. “Does it mean what I think it means?”

He couldn't hold back a grin. “Probably. It means I won't have to worry about Kevin flirting with you quite so much.”

Eva frowned. “Oh. But I like his flirting.”

Harte just grinned some more and stood, searching for his discarded clothes and boots. He paused as a shiver of power moved through the air. Eva's eyes grew huge, her face drained of color.

“What the hell was that?” Her voice was a whisper.

“That means Chase Montenegro is in the house. He's brought his betas with him. They amplify his power.”

“Betas? He's got more than one?” She looked up toward the ceiling. “Brian doesn't amplify your power, does he?”

He shook his head.

Harte pulled on his trousers and moved Eva onto her knees. He searched until he located her corset and carefully began to lace up the back. He didn't cinch her in too tightly; she might need to move soon. He found her discarded panties in his pocket and helped her into those. He shoved her shoes and stockings down into his bag. When he was finished, he turned her to face him.

“Eva, Chase and his men are different. They were created to be specialized soldiers—killing machines. They spent their lives in captivity, only leaving their labs to do what Abraxas made them do. Then one day, they broke free. From what I've heard, they killed nearly all their captors. They brought all the shifters and gifted humans who would come with them and eventually settled around here.

When I realized what we were facing here tonight, I called him in. Some of my own pack has arrived as well, but Chase and his men are the big guns. No one knows Abraxas like they do.”

She stared at him steadily. “Are they dangerous to us?”

“No. These guys have an almost exaggerated code of ethics, probably because they were raised by people without ethics. Chase can be brutal and uncompromising, but I trust him completely.” He pulled on a boot and looked around for the other. “In all honesty, he could crush me as an alpha. Sometimes…”

He looked away, nearly ashamed to continue. “My pack—there are some bad characters. Selfish. Greedy. Ambitious. I get tired of it sometimes. I don't have an alpha female strong enough to stand with me. I don't have a beta that I trust at my back. Back when he asked me to merge with his pack, I was tempted.”

“Am I strong enough to help you?” She didn't ask defensively. It was an honest question.

“Yeah. You certainly are.”

Eva's smile was self-satisfied. She watched as he slipped into his crisp white shirt.

“The plan. We're going upstairs to meet Chase. We'll leave and draw out the Abraxas hunters. My pack will follow them, and then Chase and his men will fill in where they're needed. We'll lead them to an unlit alley. We'll choose where we stand and fight. I want you to be ready. We're going to run. Are you up to it?” She stopped in the process of putting on her boots.

She smiled wryly. “How soon can I shift?”

“You're bait, so you'll stay human. But you'll need every skill you possess tonight.”

He looked into her face, seeking fear but finding a budding confidence. “You aren't alone anymore.”

Eva leaned in and kissed him gently. “You aren't either. Are you going to teach me how to hide in the shadows?”

“That's next on the agenda.” He stood and took her hand. Harte looked her over. Her hair was tousled; her makeup was completely washed away. She was rumpled, flushed, and completely adorable.