Page 46 of Alpha Chained
He reaches up to brush the hair from my face, his fingertips tracing my cheek lightly. “Yes,” he says.
“That was…” I shake my head, looking for words.
“Magical,” he finishes for me before easing me gently to the mattress beside him. It’s wafer-thin, and the springs are worn, but it feels like the most sumptuous bed I’ve ever lain in. And the way he gazes at me feels like I’m some sort of goddess.
“Thank you,” he murmurs, grazing his lips over my forehead.
“I know you’ve been locked up for a while, but it’s not really necessary to thank women for sex these days.” I wink at him.
“Thank you for saving me.” His eyes are intense. “Twice. You saved me twice. I’d still be back on that mountain if it wasn’t for you.”
“I owed you, remember?” I touch his cheek. “You shared your food. Saved me from Parker. I would never have made it out of that place without you.”
“I wouldn’t have left if you hadn’t been there.” Riot’s face clouds.
And something dawns on me. “Your sister!” I suck in a breath. “What we did…it will put her in danger.” I pause as the implication hits me. “I’m the reason she’ll be in danger. Oh, God, Riot!”
He puts a finger to my lips. “It was more, Raura. What Parker wanted from me…” He shakes his head. “I was going to lose myself in that place.”
“But what about Willow?”
His jaw works. “Parker will be locked in that place for at least a day. Then, he needs to deal with the fallout of what happened at the Enclave. With any luck, I have a bit of time before he turns his attention to her.”
“So we can go to her now!” I say quickly. “Do you know how to find her? We can make sure he doesn’t get to her.”
Something flickers in his eyes. He cups my face. “You’re fucking incredible, you know that?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” I frown. “We have to help her.”
“Anyone else would be rushing back home.” His thumb strokes my cheek. “And you’d put yourself at risk again?”
“I won’t be at risk. You’ll be with me,” I say firmly.
“We’ve already seen how that could turn out, Raura.” The side of his mouth twists. “I won’t let you get in harm’s way again. I’m taking you back to your people.”
“You’re what?”
“Steel Lakes. You told me it’s where you came from. I’m taking you home, Raura.”
I stare at him because I don’t know what I want more: to go back home or to stay right here with him. But I know that’s not possible. Because where he is, there’s going to be danger.
And yet, a part of me doesn’t care as long as I’m near him.
He feels like home.
Chapter 17
Riot
I lie there watching Raura as the gray morning light filters through the thin motel curtains. She’s a flurry of activity, packing our few belongings into the duffel bag she found in the truck. Her movements are quick and efficient, but there’s a lightness to them that makes me smile.
“We should head north,” she says, glancing over her shoulder at me with a grin. “I hear Canada is balmy this time of year.”
Her joke draws a low chuckle from me. “Compared to this, I’d bet it’s practically tropical,” I joke back, pulling a wry face at where flurries of snow drift past the window.
She amazes me.
After everything we’ve been through, her ability to find humor in our situation is refreshing. Like a cool breeze blowing away the dark clouds that have hung over me for so long.