Ch. 371..380

Chapter 371

Zev kept Sasha back, knowing Lhars and Kyelle would move more quickly. So if they only waited a couple of minutes, they could travel back to the City alone. Then he snuck her in the main gate and up the stairs, hurrying past the males who called after him with brisk instructions that they had important Alpha tasks and couldn't be disturbed.

When they reached the Alpha bedchamber, he tugged her inside, then kicked the door closed behind her and barred it.

As he turned to face her, Sasha raised an eyebrow.

"Just making sure," he said with a grin. "The Chimeran boundaries are… a little different."

Then he took her in his arms, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her.

Sasha sighed into his mouth and he felt some of the tension she'd been holding seep out of her as she leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He dragged his hands up her sides, under her furs, and didn't even bother with the buttons, just pushed up to slide the whole jacket up and off. Sasha stretched up to allow him to do it, shaking out her hair when he tossed the fur aside with a growl of approval when she was bare from the waist up.

Sasha's eyes sparkled and she smiled up at him, working on his buttons too. He wanted to watch her, but he was so overwhelmed with the need to be close to her that he just took her mouth, open and deep, teasing her tongue and exploring her body with his hands while she undressed him with trembling hands.

Once they were both naked, and urged on by her shivering, Zev deepened the kiss, his strokes clawing into her back as Sasha dropped her head to the side to encourage him to kiss her neck, and sighed happily.

Trying to make sure he wasn't too rough despite the battle he was waging with his own desire for her, Zev ran those clawed fingers from her crown, down the back of her neck, fisting her hair and tugging her head back until she arched and her throat was entirely bare.

A growl of possession puttered in his throat and Sasha groaned. "I love that noise."

But Zev opened his mouth on her throat, letting his teeth graze her skin, while he soothed it with the flat of his tongue.

Goosebumps prickled down her neck and back, and her entire body shivered.

"Are you cold?" he rasped against her throat.

"No," she sighed. "I just want you so badly, Zev. It's crazy. I need you all the time right now. I don't even understand—"

"I do," he growled, then pulled her hair even tighter and began to suck on the skin that had been pulled taut.

Sasha gasped and shivered again.

Humming in his throat, Zev walked her back towards the bed and when her legs bumped against it, he didn't wait or check in with her, he just dropped to pick up her legs and tip her backward onto the furs.

Sasha gave a playful little shriek, and immediately began crawling back, her eyes hooded and mischievous, the red mark on her neck calling him like the brand he'd left on the back, under her hair.

Fuck he wanted her.

And she wanted him. He could smell her desire, and see her eagerness. Despite the cool room, her skin was flushed and she crawled almost the whole way up the bed, biting her lip and tipping her chin for him to follow.

Follow he did, leaning down on the furs, his fingers fisted in them as he prowled towards her like the animal that inhabited his heart.

Sasha's eyes widened and her breathing picked up.

"Your eyes are so fucking amazing, Zev," she whispered, breathless. "So piercing and intense, like you're hunting me… but in, like, the best way."

"It's because whenever they're on you, I just need more," he rasped. He'd reached her legs and crawled up her body, pressing her back against the pillows.

She went willingly, staring at him with a smile on her face he could only describe as joyous. It humbled him and made his cock twitch. Fuck she was beautiful.

He was trembling now, his desire for her so intense it was overwhelming. All the stress of that day—the short night, his tension, waking up without her, and the fear… it was all fuel to the fire inside his skin that burned only for her.

He'd reached her feet and kept crawling, his lips parted to let him breathe more easily. Sasha opened her knees to let him crawl between her legs and the trust in her face, the utter abandon she gave him… it put him on his knees.

Cupping the underside of her calf, he slid his hand up her leg as he crawled up her body, leaving kisses from her knees to her thighs, to her stomach, until he reached her breasts and opened his mouth over the peak of one.

Sasha arched under him, gasping and her hands flew to his hair, holding him against her as he moved from one to the other, sucking, laving with the flat of his tongue, until her fingernails were digging into his scalp.

She clung to him like his mouth was the answer to every question her body asked and he wanted to tell her that it was, it was. But he kept going, kissing his way up her chest, back to that redness on her throat, whispering his love to her and trying to contain the desperation that only grew within him.

He'd intended to wait, to go slowly, but he reached her mouth and took it in a frantic kiss, as their hips come together and she tilted hers against him, it was too perfect. He could feel how she welcomed him and he couldn't resist.

With a moaning call, he entered her in a single, slow slide.

It was an unexpected invasion and Sasha's voice broke. She cried out, but with pleasure, her skin pebbling under his hands.

For a moment they drowned in each other, rocking together, clinging, neither of them breathing as their bodies shuddered with this gorgeous pleasure.

 

Chapter 372

Being inside her was like coming home—the only place he never wanted to leave. For a moment, emotion washed through him as his mind spun nightmares in which she'd disappeared and never returned, taken by the humans, or lost fighting them.

As he rocked into her again, a guttural groan ripped between his teeth and he squeezed his eyes closed against the images in his mind.

But Sasha's hands in his hair, her kisses on his mouth, his jaw, his neck, the way she rose to meet him, her body writhing, hot, and soft, embracing him… it all pushed the darkness back.

Then he opened his eyes and with a whispered urge to wait, but without removing himself from her, he sat back on his heels to stare down at her.

At first, he continued to roll his hips gently, watching himself enter her and his body shuddered with the sheer bliss of it. Sasha's eyes were closed and her head back, one arm braced on the wall behind her. But when he didn't return to her quickly, she opened her eyes and looked up at him, her jaw tipping back every time he rolled into her.

"Are you okay?" she whispered, reaching to lay a hand on the flat of his stomach. He took the hand and pulled it up, kissing her palm.

"I'm so much better now that you're back," he growled. Then he thrust into her again.

Her fingers closed on his hand and she braced, her mouth dropping open and her eyes closing as she let herself enjoy the feeling of him. And the picture of her, holding his hand, their bodies joined, her hips writhing… He thrust into her again, a little harder, the small hairs rising on the back of his neck in sheer desire at the way her breath would stop when he pushed in, then rush out when he pulled out.

She cried his name and suddenly he was there, right on the edge.

"Fuck, Sash," he breathed and leaned down over her, bracing on his hands and arching his back to go deeper, but still watch her.

Eyes closed and hair sprawled around her, Sasha cupped one hand around his forearm, and braced the other on his shoulder, using the leverage to increase the pressure between them.

They both groaned and her head lolled back.

Zev wanted to take that invitation, to taste her again, but he couldn't stop drinking in the sight of her, of them, marveling at how she wanted him. His thrusts grew faster, but he made himself focus on keeping the pressure, feeling her clench and release on him as her small cries grew higher and thinner, breathier, as she climbed towards her release.

But then his body began to take over. The sight of her, the sounds of her pleasure, the scent of her, and the flood of her desire… it was too soon, too fast, he wanted it to last. But they'd found that perfect angle, the pressure that took pleasure so high it was almost unbearable, and they were both reaching, grasping, closer to the peak with every breath.

"I'm sorry, Sash… I'm sorry… I'm—"

"Don't stop, Zev! Please! Oh, God, help me—!"

Her skin flushed and pebbled, and her eyelids began to flutter as her pleasure increased. Her mouth, half-open, and her lips so soft but jaw-dropping for a moment every time he thrust—it was the most erotic thing he'd ever seen.

"Sasha…"

"Please, Zev!" she gasped.

With a growl, he braced one hand on the pillow next to her head, then with the other, he grasped her hip and pulled up as he thrust.

Sasha called his name again, her eyes rolling back into her skull and she moaned, then it crashed over her—her breath-stopping, body twitching and she began to keen. Everything tightened on him—her body, her thighs, the grip of her hands—and she undulated beneath him, seeking, seeking.

Fuck she was beautiful.

Then she sucked in with a wheezing cry and Zev's orgasm hit light a freight train, slamming into him. His eyes dragged closed as it tore through him and he howled her name, his body tense and trembling with the electric current of it until finally it broke and he slumped, his head dropping. He caught his weight on his hands, but his elbows wanted to give, and he lowered himself over her, panting in her ear, both of them twitching, their bodies still crackling with the aftershocks of pleasure.

Cupping one hand over her hair, Zev buried his face in her neck, laying kisses under her ear, knowing his breath was thundering against it, but he couldn't stop. He had to hold her close, as close as two people could be.

He almost wept with the sheer joy of it—blissed out and disappointed at the same time.

He hadn't wanted it to end.

But even before he'd found his breath, Sasha turned her head to find his eyes and his lips, kissing him softly and looking at him as if he was the marvel.

"That was…"

"I know," he rumbled, his voice rough with residual heat. "You're amazing, Sash. I can't believe the way you just give yourself to me."

She snorted. "It's a really tough job," she giggled. "I mean, but you know, sometimes an Alpha just has to take one for the team."

Zev growled and took her mouth in a slow soft kiss. Her chuckles stopped and she clung to him, hugging him to her, though he worried his weight was going to be too much.

When he pulled back to ask her, she was staring at him.

"I love you, Zev. Like… that's not just fun, you know? It's like… it's like your soul talks to mine when our bodies are in tune like that."

"I know," he said seriously, tracing a strand of hair back that had stuck to her temple. "I've never… there's no one else, Sash. No one but you. You know that right?"

"I know," she whispered. Her smile was a little bit frightened.

Zev frowned. "What's scaring you?"

She gave a twisted little grin. "Just the idea that it would be so easy to lose you," she whispered, her cheeks pinking. "It seems like… like every time we turn around there's another new threat. I just want to be safe with you, Zev. I mean, both of us safe, at the same time, in the same place, and together. Without all this shit hanging over us."

He nodded. "Me too, beautiful."

"I love you, Zev."

"I love you too, Sash."

 

Chapter 373

It had been such a wonderful night, Sasha didn't want him to roll off. But eventually, they separated, and despite her muttered grumbles, he turned her over and tucked her into his chest, his lips brushing her neck and her ear as they talked.

It was, she realized, the first time outside of their Solitude that they'd gone to bed early enough—and healthy enough—to simply chat.

It felt so sweet and so normal she tried to savor every moment, just be present in it, fix it in her mind.

She didn't want to admit it, but her mind kept tumbling her back to the Compound, to Nick, to the humans, to all the ways this plan could go wrong. And every time it did, fear, clawing and jangling, wanted to close her throat.

But she pushed it away, again and again, instead focusing on the weight of his arm on her side, or his thick knuckles when she laced her fingers between his, the warmth of his chest against her back, and the low, warm, chuckled warning he gave when she bumped her ass back against his… er… thighs.

They talked about high school, and places they'd been while they were apart—both of them skirting carefully around the compound or the breeding arena. Sasha didn't feel like they were lying only… focusing on the good.

Zev told her about a time he'd followed her when she was out late and drinking—not something she made a habit of, and he'd been worried about her out in the city alone.

"I almost approached you that night," he said, his voice low and rough with his weariness. "Nick must have sensed it, because he showed up after I actually went inside the club."

"Omigosh, how far away were you?" Sasha asked him, turning around to face him and leaning up on her elbow. "We were in the same room?"

He nodded and pushed her hair back behind her shoulder. "It was so hard not to go after you—there was some asshole hanging all over you, and I was afraid he was going to spike your drink or something. You were with your gay friend and he seemed kind of oblivious."

"That must have been pre-George days," Sasha huffed. "George was the boyfriend he got later. He was a total bruiser and always hovered over us like some kind of bodyguard. It was obnoxiously cute."

Zev nodded. "I was grateful when he came along, because I knew he was strong enough to take care of any trouble. Then Rob showed up…" Zev grimaced.

Sasha smiled. "I never had feelings for Rob," she said, leaning down to kiss his chin and rake her teeth on the stubble there. Zev sighed and pulled her into a real kiss.

"I mean it, Zev," she said, pulling away to meet his eyes. "Honestly, he got sick of listening to me talk about you."

Zev's lips curled up. "Can't say that's tough to hear."

She rolled him onto his back and leaned on his chest. Eventually, the discussion moved to the time when he'd decided to actually talk to her.

"It wasn't planned. I mean, I can see now that subconsciously, I knew it was coming. But I never let myself have the thought, you know?" he said, his expression oddly vulnerable. "I think I was scared to acknowledge it in case something got in the way. But I put the cars in place and I was surveilling the buildings… It was a strange time."

"Whereas, other than going to work, I was just sitting on my ass and beating myself up because I couldn't make myself care about anyone but you."

Zev smiled. "Again… that's not hard to hear."

She glared at him. "It was hard at the time. I thought you were gone." She realized she was gripping his shoulder and made herself release him. She dropped her chin. It had been easy to forget about those days recently when everything else was happening. But the thought reminded her of that haunting hollowness that she'd lived with for five years. The feeling no one else seemed to understand.

"Hey, Sash," Zev rumbled, then pushed up on his elbow too, putting his fingers under her chin and forcing her head up, making her meet his eyes. "I was so miserable then. So… broken. I don't want to go back there either. Ever. You believe me, right?"

She nodded. "And I want you to know, I can see it now… how they would have manipulated you, I mean. I get it. I went in there knowing how evil they were and knowing that they twisted everything and it was still hard to keep my head straight. Honestly, I'm surprised you came out of it as clear-headed as you did.

He shook his head and blew out a breath. "I really don't deserve you, Sasha," he said quietly, his voice deep and rough.

He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her softly, gently, slowly. Then he cupped her face. "I'm so glad you're here."

They lay back down, facing each other this time, and let the conversation lead them where it would… which inevitably for Sasha, came back to the females and the breeding and how the male perspective on fertility was going to affect Mae and any others like her. There had to be more, right? Nick had said they made mistakes at times, or their experiments didn't result in what they'd hoped.

The chances that others among the females that had been sent over were now infertile—or maybe, just like wild animals that were domesticated, the stress shut down their cycles?

Sasha shook her head.

"What's wrong?" Zev murmured.

"I just feel so bad for Mae." The female's tear-stained face flashed through her head again. "I feel so bad for any of them that are going to get rejected because of something they can't control. It makes me reluctant to push them to reintegrate with the males."

"Don't worry about that, Sash. You can't control it. And besides, I'm still certain the established mates won't reject their females."

Sasha wasn't so sure, but she also didn't have answers and didn't know how many of the females were going to have difficulties in that area. So really, there was no point.

She was just glad that she and Zev still had a chance.

And she hoped it wasn't too selfish to think that way.

 

Chapter 374

Sasha sighed and Zev's eyes sharpened.

"What is it?"

Sasha chastised herself for even thinking in those terms.

"Nothing." She wasn't going to be that selfish. She was already Alpha, with a stunning mate who loved her, and the chance for a family. Her energy and focus needed to go into the females, into the Chimera as a whole. Because if they could get them out safe, the rest was going to work out for all of them.

Thoughts of the females inevitably led to talk of the plan and getting the rest of them back. "We have to be so careful," Sasha breathed, nerves fluttering in her stomach at the thought. "We'll only have one shot to get the females out of there because as soon as any are discovered missing the team will know that we must be taking them to Thana. And they'll come over, right?"

Zev agreed.

"So we can't have any delays. We have to get them and get them to the new place in one single night."

"What we need," Zev said, "is to get Nick into some kind of routine. He'll be harmless if he's distracted. I mean, he won't notice the creatures going through since he doesn't know most of them. Ernie will have to stay until the end, but I don't think that will be a hard sell. I'm pretty sure at this point Ernie enjoys freaking Nick out."

Sasha couldn't help but giggle. "He really did seem to be relishing it a bit when we were walking back," she said.

Zev nodded. "I've never seen him so engaged. He's usually a real loner. He and Skhal get along great, and it's apparently because both of them barely talk, and hardly ever ask the other to.

"What, they're friends?"

"Sort of, they hunt together."

Sasha swallowed. "Ernie… hunts?"

Zev, apparently unaware of her uneasiness, smiled. "It's really amazing what he can do—he can make webs that you can't even see in the right light, but it's strong enough to hold you. He could catch you like a bug and—"

"That's… super awesome," Sasha said shakily. "But I think it's better if I keep thinking about Ernie as the playful friend who wants to scare people, but is secretly just a cuddly teddy bear."

Zev snorted. "Ernie is not cuddly."

"Cuddly teddy bear! Please! Leave me with my dreams, Zev!"

Zev looked at her, surprised, then smiled and finally let her change the subject. He relayed that Skhal was already organizing for them to meet with any creatures who were willing. They'd travel to Yhet's cave in a few days to meet them.

"Once the creatures are through we'll need to choose the date for the females," Sasha said, her excitement rising. "I tried to talk to Vayl about that when I checked that I could reach them, but Vayl didn't know days or weeks. She seemed to think every day was the same for them unless the humans decided to do something new. So she just said they'd be willing to run the moment it was possible. She was making them keep bags ready and hidden. That was what gave me the idea for the Alphas."

Zev nodded. "It's what I would have done too," he said with a proud smile. But the smile faltered quickly.

"What is it?" Sasha asked.

"I don't know. I just feel like this is all too simple. Like there must be something we're not seeing. Is it really only Nick we have to avoid? I don't know," he said, frowning. "I'm afraid there must be more to this picture and we just aren't seeing it. I really think we should get some of the others involved. See what they say."

"I really don't want to risk the news of this getting out," Sasha said. "I mean, not just to protect us from them stopping us, but… I assume the humans haven't figured out the gateway can be used this way. I don't want to give them that idea. What if they use it to find other worlds and other Chimera in other places?

"I feel like we can trust the Creatures because they avoid everyone except each other. But Chimera might talk, even in well-meaning ways. And Nick is too smart. If he gets even a hint of this, he's going to figure it out, and then we're screwed."

They lay together for hours, talking, planning, trying to find holes in their own plans, and figure out what the humans were up to.

But even when the conversation was hard, Zev couldn't stop touching her, pulling her into his side when he rolled onto his back, stroking one hand up and down her side.

"I'm so glad you're here, Sash," he said as they grew quiet. "And I'm so glad you're mine."

Sasha, her head on his shoulder, turned it up to stare at him. "I still have trouble believing it sometimes," she admitted. "But I don't doubt you anymore. I know this is real for both of us, I can feel it."

She put her hand to his chest, right over the spot where he could feel that piece of her that lived inside him. Neither of them spoke as they both listened and felt their heartbeats align. Then, without breaking her contact with his chest, he turned onto his side to face her and slid a hand up her arm to cup her face.

"No matter how this goes or what happens, I'll do everything I can to keep you safe, Sash," he whispered. "No matter what."

"Me too," she whispered back, her palm still against his chest as his heart began to pound with fear at the thoughts of everything that could go wrong. "We're in this together, right?"

Then she leaned in to kiss him, and Zev just breathed her in.

Then Sasha pulled back, her eyes wide and shining. "You promise, even if…"

"Anything," he rasped and was about to pull her into a kiss. But Sasha blew out a breath.

"Even if Ernie catches me in a web?"

Zev snorted and pulled her into his chest, kissing her hair and trying not to laugh. "Even if Ernie miraculously has a thousand little babies and they're crawling all over your skin and—"

"OH STOP!" Sasha groaned. "Don't put THAT in my head. I do want to sleep at some point."

But Zev just kept holding her and grinning. Because he meant every word.

 

Chapter 375

The following several days were hectic and stressful and more than once Sasha wondered if she was going to lose her mind. But every time she would feel like she was hitting her limit, there would be a little victory that gave her hope.

Every day a new group of females would gain confidence and venture out of the hall to interact with the males. Most of them returned to the hall to sleep among the females, but a handful returned to their clans and began working towards a normal life.

Sasha continued to check with them and invite them back to the female's quarters whenever they needed a break. But most seemed to thrive once they got beyond their initial fear.

It only made Sasha more convinced that the females needed the males. That they needed their clans—even though most had no mates. There were Chimera they considered family, whether they were related by blood or not. And Sasha could see, the sooner the females got back among those they knew and loved, the faster they began to smile.

Skhal confirmed that the Creatures would spread the word to the furthest reaches of Thana and meet them all in the valley below Yhet's cave in a few days.

While Sasha was excited that things were beginning to settle, there were still so many little details and niggling concerns.

Nick was beginning to ask questions.

Yhet was gone a lot of the time—which Zev didn't seem to think was unusual, but whenever Sasha saw him, she couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't his usual sunny self. But when she asked him he just made excuses.

"I like to move, Sasha-don," he said with a thick hand resting on her shoulder. "Lately there have been many reasons to stay in one place. Now that things are calming, I'm stretching my legs as much as I can. But I'm keeping an ear on things here. Don't worry. If you need me, just yell."

"I'm not worried because I need you, Yhet, I'm worried because you don't seem—"

But they'd been joined then by some of the other males, needing Sasha's input on who should be patrolling the village that day, and when she'd turned back, Yhet was gone.

Then she'd been distracted by the made females. The two had clung tightly to each other and been the most afraid of leaving the hall—except Mae, who wasn't afraid but avoiding her mate.

Sasha had realized that those women had lived their entire life in apartments and labs. They had no clue how to function in this environment.

Well, she struggled with the lack of conveniences, too. So she spent a couple of days showing them the things she'd learned and helping them grow in courage to step out among the males.

It didn't work. One of them was crying before she got to the bottom of the stairs, and the other trembled until Sasha took them back up to the hall.

She was at a loss. How would they ever assimilate these females who had been torn from an already traumatic life into something so completely unknown—and a home overwhelmingly male? And not just the Made females who'd never been there—all of them. While the others had all lived in Thana before, more than half of them had been made in the lab and brought here as little more than children. The bulk of their lives had been spent in the compound and though they didn't want to go back, they didn't feel safe here anymore either.

Sasha was at a loss.

Surprisingly, Mae proved to be the most effective in pulling these females out of their funks and helping them prepare to venture back out into the City. Because she didn't fear the environment itself, she was great at explaining to them what they could find and where. She communicated with authority and calm. And she spoke highly of the males.

"Chimeran males are different to the humans," she'd assured those that remained in the hall. "They see the choice of your body and function as entirely yours. They will attempt to draw your attention and even share touch and smell. But they will not force themselves on you, and if you give the right signals, they will leave you alone entirely."

She gave them reminders—for those who'd lived there before—of how to signal both interest in a male, and how to ensure they didn't accidentally invite attention.

A few days after Sasha's meeting with the Alphas, Mae held one of these sessions in the afternoon, and afterward, six of the females spent the evening returning to their clans.

Sasha hugged Mae and thanked her.

"Are you certain you can't give it a try, Mae? I'll help in any way I can. I want to see you with this kind of freedom for yourself."

For the first time, she saw uncertainty in Mae's eyes. Her mate was still spending most of his time sitting in the courtyard below—occasionally calling to her.

Whenever he did, Sasha saw Mae close her eyes as if she was fixing the sound in her mind. More than once, Sasha had seen tears slip out from under her lashes. It broke her heart.

But her mate wasn't out there right now. Mae looked around the hall. They were down to about twenty females now and Sasha worried that Mae would end up the last of them, and still living in this space that was safe and warm but not designed for it. She needed a home and a bed and her mate!

But Mae just shrugged. "If I can help right now, I want to," she said. "At least then I'm doing something good."

Sasha tried to protest, but Mae wouldn't hear it.

Sasha wept in Zev's arms that night, just in sheer frustration and anger for all the pain the humans had brought on these people. But once she was calm and Zev was holding her, Sasha calmed.

Tears helped nothing. She was determined to see Mae and her mate reunited.

They just had to figure out how.

 

Chapter 376

A week after Sasha brought the females to the City, the females were calm enough as a group that she and Zev could travel to Yhet's Cave for the meeting with the Creatures. The morning before Nick had taken his first trip through the Gateway to connect with the humans. Sasha and Zev had agreed they wouldn't leave until he was back and there was no obvious sign that the humans were coming with him.

Sasha found herself both nervous and excited on the night before they would leave. On the one hand, it would be the first step towards victory over the humans—every creature that passed through the gateway and into the Safe Place was one less Chimera that would ever be harmed by human hands.

On the other, Zev and the others had warned her that most of the creatures were coming—and none were entirely human in their appearance.

But during that night, Sasha woke with a start from a nightmare of standing in a circle of aggressive, half-insect, and half-serpent Chimera, descending on her because she was human and unprotected.

It had taken a long time to get back to sleep. But she'd curled up against Zev's back and reminded herself that this trip also meant they would get some time alone—and at Yhet's cave.

That was worth the nightmare, she decided.

When the day dawned that they would travel, Sasha was hopping, like a little kid. They wouldn't meet with the Creatures until the following night, but they were going to take the opportunity to have some time to themselves.

Both of them were pinched and exhausted. Sasha could barely wait.

They'd had several Chimera to talk to, so didn't start on their way until mid-morning, and they were caught by Oska, the Hare Alpha as they stepped out of the City.

Sasha muttered a curse under her breath when he called their names from behind them, and Zev nudged her.

Stupid Chimera super-hearing.

They turned to find the male running up behind them, beaming. "Sasha-don, I wanted to assure you before you left, my fastest messengers are at the ready to get news to you if anything untoward should happen. And Ernie is assisting us, staying close to Nick to keep him distracted while you're gone."

Sasha thanked the male, who preened under her approval. "The Hares serve their Alphas. We'll send a messenger to the valley at dusk and dawn—should you need to get anything to us, just tell them. They can make the run far faster even than you, Zev."

Zev nodded. Like Sasha, he was reluctant to engage the male in a conversation. Oska was lovely, Sasha knew, but he had a lot of words.

Thankfully, either he was busy with his responsibilities, or he'd realized they were eager to get away because he bowed and gave them both jolly farewells.

Sasha turned, the skin on the back of her neck tight as Zev took her hand and they started down the trail. She was waiting for another interruption—or worse, a reason they had to stay.

But when no one had rushed up to them half an hour later, she began to relax.

"Where's the meeting going to be?" she asked Zev hesitantly. "Will they be gathering in the valley? Will we see them when we arrive?" she was worried they would get held up on their way to the cave.

But Zev shook his head. "We're going much further down the valley. Those with the sharpest scents will know when we've arrived, but they'll leave us alone. The Creatures live out of the City for a reason. They won't bother us," he said, squeezing her hand.

Sasha smiled.

But then Zev went on. "There's a larger clearing about twenty minutes walk for you—beyond where we ran into Minos. The valley is a lot wider there, and the River deeper and flows more slowly. There's a lot more room both in the water and on the land. Some of them need a lot of room."

Sasha swallowed nervously.

But Zev just chuckled. "You don't need to be scared, Sash. They all know about you and they're interested, not upset. They're glad you got some of the females back. Plus, I'll be there," he winked.

"But why does it have to be at night?" Sasha asked.

"We're less likely to be interrupted. Plus, some of the nocturnals can't be in daylight, but all the daylight creatures can be in the dark."

Sasha shuddered, her nightmare flaring back to life in her head. The idea of strange creatures surrounding them at night. It was one of the few things about Thana she really didn't like, she realized. It seemed like eyes and ears were always on them. As if it was near impossible to be private—even when they were in a cave or a home, others could hear them from outside.

"Why does that bother you?" Zev asked, curious.

Sasha frowned. "Didn't you live that way in the human world? Privacy is very important to us. Space to be… sacred. Where you can rest alone or with your family and no one else needs to know what's going on. I never feel completely free unless I'm certain we're alone. It's just what I'm used to, Zev."

"Well," Zev's voice got deep and suggestive. "I'm glad we'll have some private time at the cave."

Sasha grinned. "I'm glad too."

With Zev uninjured and carrying their bags, and moving in daylight instead of night, Sasha found the trip to Yhet's cave seemed to pass much quicker this time. She was pleasantly surprised when they turned into the valley floor, then up between the two sides of the mountains, passing that space where they'd made love in the shadow of the rocks.

She looked at Zev and his gaze got heated, but neither of them said anything. He took her hand as they climbed, wending their way up the side of the little canyon to the mouth of the ice cave.

Sasha felt like she took her first, full breath in a week when they walked inside and the gorgeous ice cave curled around them.

 

Chapter 377

Sasha had expected it to be dark again, as it was the night they arrived. But between the sunlight that made the walls glow a dark, neon blue around them, and the fact that Zev had apparently had someone come out ahead of them—the lanterns were lit, a fire crackled in the wide fireplace, though it was low now and…

Sasha beamed.

Someone had set up the massive pot to warm bathwater.

She turned a full circle as they walked into the cave, drinking in the high ceiling, the massive bed, the Yhet-sized furniture.

"I can't believe we're here!" she said gleefully, throwing her arms wide and letting herself fall backwards onto the bed.

Zev smiled, but his chin was low and his eyes intense on her as he dropped their bags next the massive set of drawers on the side of the cave and walked over to where she was sprawled on the bed.

She pushed herself up onto her elbows and met his smile, heat-for-heat.

Then she bit her lip and let her eyes scan the room around them. "So… what's first?"

Zev raised an eyebrow. "I'm submitted to my Alpha," he said with that heated purr in his throat that made her belly tingle.

"But there's so many options. How could I choose? The bath… the rug… the bed…"

Sasha's legs hung off the end of the bed, so Zev stepped up between her knees and leaned over her, bracing himself on the furs at either side of her shoulders.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, then he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, soft and slow, a low growl puttering in his throat when she took his lip between her teeth for a moment.

But before he could deepen the kiss, she pulled back and stared at him.

Zev froze, opened his eyes and stared. "What? What's wrong?"

Sasha, no longer smiling, put a hand to his forehead. "No fever," she murmured. "And you promise me that you aren't bleeding anywhere? No hidden illnesses or infections? I can't have you fainting on me again—"

With a playful growl, Zev slid his arms under her and lifted her off the bed. "Cheeky female," he snarled, nipping at her neck with his teeth. "Too many furs, too many clothes for a warm cave. Definitely need those off," he muttered, setting her on her feet and starting on her buttons—but instead of kissing and playing, he pretended to be stern as he tugged at her buttons and tickled her sides when he got his hands under her furs.

Sasha giggled and twitched, fighting him off. "I'm just m-making sure you're completely healthy—an ap-propriate m-mate for the Alpha!" she sniggered as Zev's cold hands found her ribs.

"I'm sick for you, if that counts?" he muttered.

Sasha snorted, then started on his buttons. Both of them undressing each other without kissing, but allowing themselves moments to stroke and squeeze as skin was revealed and clothes tossed to the floor.

When they were both naked, Sasha—slightly chilled, leaned into his body and lay her mouth open at that spot on his chest where the bond thrummed.

Her own heart pattered, pounding against her ribs as if it wanted to reach through and become one with his.

Neither of them were laughing anymore as Zev pulled her face up and kissed her, long and deep, slowly enough to savor, but with all the heat and promise that got her blood pumping so that she quickly wasn't feeling cold anymore.

"I think…" Zev breathed against her lips moments later, "I think we have a tradition to uphold," he whispered, dropping his chin to nudge her jaw up so he could kiss her neck.

"Hmmm?" Sasha said, focused entirely on the tingles spreading down her back and side when his lips played at her skin.

Then he took her mouth again, hard and fast, then stepped back.

Sasha rocked forward, taken by surprise, but Zev just waggled his eyebrows and hurried over to the fireplace to pull the big pot off the flames, throw more wood on the embers, and drag the massive bath out to the rug.

He made short work of pouring the steaming water in, then refilling with cold to add to it. Sasha stood there watching his muscles bunch and ripple as he shifted the huge weights like they were nothing. She loved the way his jaw cast a shadow, the way the lines of his body seemed cut from marble. The tendon that stood out on his neck when he braced to lift the heavy pot…

She still couldn't quite believe he was so completely hers, but fuck… she loved him.

Then he dipped a hand in the water of the bath and stirred at it, nodding, then looked up at her standing there watching him completely naked.

"Perfect," he breathed.

And he wasn't talking about the water.

He stepped around the tub to come for her, his long strides slow and rolling, reminding her of a cat prowling, though she knew he wouldn't appreciate the comparison.

When he reached her, he wrapped an arm around her lower back and pulled her against him. Sasha let herself lean back, let him take her weight, while she watched herself run her hands up his torso to his shoulders, then laced her fingers behind his neck.

They stared at each other for a long moment, both their chests rising and falling faster and faster. Sasha's heart trilled, wondering what he would do.

Zev didn't say a word, but his gaze only intensified as he led her back towards the tub and urged her to step in, but he held her hand to keep her up when she started to lower herself into it. She was going to ask, but something in his eyes stopped her from speaking.

When she was standing at one end of the large tub, Zev stepped in too, then put his hands at her waist before dropping to kneel in front of her. Her breath caught. The sight of him, down on his knees, his broad shoulders rippling in the light of the flames at their sides, his back a landscape of valleys and rounds when he leaned forward, was stunning.

Then he lifted his eyes to hers, nudged her thighs apart, and with a tortured whisper of her name, put his mouth to her.

 

Chapter 378

Sasha barely breathed as he licked, teased, and rubbed, her body twitching and her fingers fisted in his hair. She gasped his name over and over as her knees shook until he feared she might fall over. He'd intended to bring her to her climax first before he even entered her, but her legs trembled, and her cries for him became frantic.

"Please, Zev… please… I want y—oh fuck—" she gasped.

Zev smiled against her, humming his approval, and Sasha cried out, her knees giving, though she hadn't found her release yet. Sweeping her towards him before she fell, they tumbled backward so his shoulders came up hard against the end of the tub, and she fell onto his thighs, her arms braced on his shoulders. But she didn't give him even a breath, crawling into his lap, one hand clapped to the back of his neck, the other between them to find him and position herself, then she sank onto him, and they both groaned.

Zev shuddered, his legs trembling as his entire body was shocked by the sensation of her taking him to the hilt, warm and ready, so ready. He sucked in and gripped her hips with shaking hands as she sat her full weight onto him and pulled he legs forward to wrap around his back, pulling him forward as she leaned back.

The water rippled and broke against the sides of the tub as they moved, neither of them breathing for a long moment, consumed by the pleasure they found in each other.

Sasha had her head tipped back, her hair dangling down, and would have brushed his legs, but the water caught it, swirling with their movement.

"Zev…" she breathed, barely gasping the word before sucking in and rolling with him again.

Zev growled and slid one hand up her spine to cup the back of her head so she lay against his arm, while with the other he found her breast and began to play.

He could feel her body clench every time he squeezed or toyed with her nipple, and the sheer joy in it almost tipped him over the edge.

But he'd wanted this time to go slowly and at this rate they'd be done in minutes.

"Stop, stop," he panted against her throat, forcing himself to lift his head and hold her tightly to him so she couldn't roll away anymore.

"What? What's wrong?"

He chuckled and tweaked her nipples so that she clenched on him again, and he growled and almost gave up, but he forced himself not to push into her again.

"Nothing's wrong," he said, his voice hoarse with unquenched desire. "I want to slow down. I want to play."

Sasha smiled and rocked her hips the little that she could, smiling wider when he grunted.

"What did you have in mind?" she asked breathlessly.

He kissed her, long and slow, then pulled back to meet her eyes. "Turn around and brace on the end of the tub." His voice was low, almost a growl, and her eyes flared at the sound of it. But she bit her lip and braced on his shoulders to lift herself off him.

That delicious slide was gorgeous, but then the loss of her, her warmth, her heat, made him groan for entirely different reasons. But she carefully stood, then turned, placing her feet to either side of his legs, then bending forward to grip the other end of the tub, leaving herself completely bare to him.

Zev's jaw dropped with sheer lust.

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, her eyes dancing. She opened her mouth—to be cheeky, he was sure—but he didn't give her a chance, reaching for her, finding her with two fingers, then three, groaning as she made a small cry and clenched around him.

His breath tore from his throat, but he couldn't stop touching her, exploring, curling fingers and pressing with knuckles to see what made her breath stop, and what made her body jolt. Then he got to his feet, kissing the base of her spine as he rose, looming over her. She was too short for him to take her standing straight, which was a frustration, but with a muttered growl to trust him, he leaned over her, twining their fingers, then gripping the end of the tub with her, his chest to her back, her neck bare to his mouth and, knees bent, bracing one foot back against the other end of the tub, he took her, raising her to her toes with his first thrust because the feeling of her was so mind-blowing, he almost lost control completely.

Sasha cried out as he entered her, her fingers tightening between his and on the back of the tub, in time with his thrusts. For long minutes he played, stroking her back with his free hand, curling her hair around his wrist, biting and sucking at the back of her neck, and always rocking into her, until his legs began to tremble with the effort of keeping himself on his feet.

Then, as they both picked up the pace, Sasha's cries echoing alongside his low grunts, he lay his mouth to that spot on the back of her neck and whispered, "Hold on."

Her fingers tightened on the edge of the tub, and he gripped her hard, his arm becoming steel as he curled his free arm around her belly and lifted her, thrusting quickly and hard, until he reached the limits of her—and a moment later, she made a high, keening cry, and her body went rigid.

She tightened around him so beautifully, that Zev groaned and almost came. Her legs gave out entirely, and suddenly weak himself, he sat down in the water with a splash, their combined weight pulling her down onto him with a jolt that had them both crying out. But she was still in the throes of her orgasm, shaking and twitching, clawing at his arm as he pulled her against him.

Then she broke, her body going limp in his arms as she sucked in a breath, then found herself, kneeling over his thighs.

As Zev continued to rock into her, his breath still short and rasping, she gripped his arms at her waist and called to him, begging him to come for her.

Zev's orgasm hit and he bellowed her name, over and over, until his shouts bounced off each other in the peak of the ceiling above.

Then he slumped too, backward against the tub, pulling her into his chest so she was arched back, using him as a seat.

For a long moment, they both just breathed. Zev stroked up and down her body, stunned senseless by the joy of having her, yearning to have her again already, while their hearts slowly returned to normal.

Sasha raised one of her hands up and back to cup the back of his neck and pull herself back into him.

"Are you uncomfortable?" he whispered, then kissed the skin under her ear.

"Not at all," she breathed. "Zev, that was…."

"I know."

"Every day, Zev. Every hour if we can. I always want you like that."

"How's that?" he asked with a low smile.

"So… abandoned," she said, her voice laced with awe. "Like… like I'm a drug you can't get enough of."

"You are," he whispered. "There's never enough."

He felt her cheek pull to a smile against his. "I know the feeling." She whispered and her fingers tightened on his neck. "I really do."

 

Chapter 379

The next morning after Zev and Sasha left for the meeting with the Creatures, Lhars was just outside the City. He'd struggled to sleep the night before and ended up taking a walk at dawn just to distract himself.

But he'd found he couldn't quite bring himself to go back within the walls. There were so many things happening—some good, some bad—that it felt like those massive stone structures and walls were about to close in on his head.

He was aware of the problems Zev sometimes had sleeping inside a room with straight walls and a flat roof. He'd never struggled with those things himself, but he wondered if this was what his brother went through.

For Lhars it was just a rising tension that wanted to close his throat. But not with fear. It was words rising to choke him—things he longed to say. Mostly to Kyelle.

He'd started avoiding her when he could, though he wouldn't go out of his way. But he'd stopped seeking her out. Her eyes, whenever she looked at him, were full of confusion and fear and it broke him all over again every time he saw it. She'd been so consumed with Zev for so long, it was as if she couldn't see him.

He wanted to weep.

He wanted to fight.

He wanted to disappear.

He didn't know what he wanted. He just wanted the feelings to stop.

Watching her with the Alphas, her quiet confidence and wisdom, he'd yearned to reach for her so badly his fingers had twitched.

Seeing her soothe and lead the females who'd ventured out of the hall, help them through the frightening moments—and celebrate their victories… he'd wanted that smile for himself.

He'd wanted so badly to plant himself in front of her and demand that she see him, to scream at her—begging, demanding that she see what he felt for her… He'd had to leave.

And now that he was out of the City, now that he knew when he went back he'd see her within the hour… he found he didn't want to move.

Instead of following the last bend in the trail that took him back through those trees and into the City Arch, he'd stepped off in the other direction, put his back to a tree, and now he was sitting there, watching the sky turn from pink to blue between the tree branches above.

Fuck. He was fucking pathetic.

Slumped back against the tree he started talking to himself about the strength he had, the ability to just live and help her how he could and ignore the hollow ache in his stomach. He was strong. He was an Alpha—second among the wolves, the most powerful clan in Chimera! He wouldn't be chased from his own home by a female.

But whenever her face flashed in his mind, the ache went so deep, so painful, it stopped his breath.

He closed his eyes. Just thinking about her seemed to conjure her scent. He inhaled deeply, then blinked.

He really could smell her—

"Lhars?!" her voice was broken and hesitant.

He was on his feet in a flash, stepping out from behind the tree to find her standing there, staring at him with wide eyes, silvered with tears.

"What's wrong?!" he rushed forward.

But Kyelle met him halfway, throwing herself, sobbing, into his arms and clinging to him. Stunned, he tried to make sense of her words that were thickened with tears and pressed into his chest. All her wariness and reticence were gone. She came to him as she always had—with the freedom and ease of long friendship and understanding.

Her words were broken by cries and sniffs, sometimes muffled against his furs, or her own hands, but soon the picture became clear and his heart sank.

Lhars hadn't been the only one struggling to sleep last night.

During the night, one of the females who'd come from the labs—she'd never been in Thana before—had gone to the top of the building, climbing to the roof to sit on top of it.

They'd just found her an hour earlier.

"I don't know if she fell or… or jumped," Kyelle sobbed.

Lhars' heart squeezed and he pulled her against him. She'd invested so much in the females, been working so hard to help them. "It's not your fault," he whispered. "They were so unhappy, Kyelle. I pray it was an accident, that she simply slipped. But… you cannot take this on yourself."

"I know, I know. I just… I'm so scared, Lhars! I'm so scared that no matter what we do to help them, the females have been broken forever, and it's just so hard to watch. I thought I was unhappy! I thought I was struggling. But now I see them and I realize… My life is good. It's… it's so much better than what they've had to deal with. I've been sitting here feeling sorry for myself, but Lhars… I'm so blessed!" she pushed back against his chest, gripping his furs and staring up at him, her tears still spilling down her cheeks.

Swallowing hard, he wiped her cheeks with his thumbs. "We both are," he said, roughly. "Just… don't carry this, Kyelle. This isn't on you. Or Sasha. Or any of us. This is on them. This was done by the humans and they're the ones who need to pay for it."

"But they never will, and it's so unfair!" she cried. "Even if we get away—they still have so many there… or more they can make. Have you thought about that, Lhars? When we leave, we're taking away the last hope for any single Chimera that's left behind. And for any that they make later, there will be no hope at all. I can't… I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if I can leave knowing—"

Suddenly terrified, he gripped her hair and held her there, forced her to hold his gaze. "You can," he growled. "You can, and you will, Kyelle."

 

Chapter 380

Lhars stared down at her, willing her to hear him and to see what he saw—to be unwilling to remove herself from any of them. From him most of all. "You know as well as I do that the world is full of injustice. It is full of pain. You and I will not sentence ourselves or anyone else to a lifetime of it out of… compassion for those we can't save. Promise me. Promise me you won't do that!"

Kyelle blinked at his intensity and licked her lips quickly. "I-I do. I promise, Lhars, I wasn't—"

"I'm serious, Kyelle—you vow to me that you will not throw yourself away on their cruelty!" He was gripping her hard, he realized and forced himself to gentle his touch. But Kyelle was apparently shocked from her tears. She lifted one of her hands from his furs and put it to his face.

"I'm sorry, Lhars. I didn't mean to make you think… I'm sorry. I promise. I vow—okay? I won't stay or… or do anything stupid. I won't. That wasn't what I meant. I just… I grieve for them. That's all. I'm just grieving for them."

Somehow she was soothing him now, stroking his face and clearing her throat, making her voice strong, as if she was afraid he might do something to hurt himself if she didn't.

"I promise," she whispered, stroking his cheek. "Do you hear me? I promise."

Lhars nodded.

They stood so close their noses almost touched. She'd stopped crying, though her breath still hitched, but she was searching his eyes, as if afraid of what she'd find there.

Lhars held her upper arms, though he'd made himself loosen his grip. But her hands on him—one fisted in his furs, the other at his face—were rigid and trembling.

They stared at each other, and Lhars felt all of his love rush forward, his heart swelling with yearning and aching and joy because she was so close, and he could smell how being close to him had made her less afraid. She was touching him!

Then he blinked.

She was emotional. She'd just had a terrible shock and needed help from an Alpha, someone she could lean on without creating insecurity for the hierarchy. She'd come to him because Zev—the one she really wanted comfort from—was gone with his mate. And other Zev, Lhars was her oldest friend. She loved Lhars, but not in the way that he loved her, he reminded himself.

He swallowed hard and made himself let go. He couldn't let himself give in to this rush, this want. He couldn't pressure her. She was carrying enough. If he couldn't have her as his mate, he wanted her like this—unguarded and willing to lean on him.

Lhars straightened, clearing his throat, tearing his eyes from hers to look at the forest around them as if checking for intruders. "Are you okay?" he muttered.

Kyelle blinked, but she nodded. He dropped his eyes to the ground and she blinked again. Then her grip on his furs loosened and she stepped back, her fingers trailing down his jaw as she dropped her hands to her sides.

"Thank you," she breathed, but when he looked up, her eyes had clouded and it made him grieve. "I'm sorry I put all that on you."

He shook his head. "I want you to come to me, Kyelle. Don't ever hesitate. Please. Don't apologize."

She stared at him and took a deep breath like she might say something, but then she stepped back, then back again. "Thank you," she whispered.

Then before he could answer, she turned and darted back towards the City.

Lhars held himself together until she disappeared between the trees and underbrush, then slumped and put his face in his hands.

*****

~ SASHA ~

Sasha woke first and for a moment she couldn't remember why she felt so happy. She just knew she was warm and comfortable and loving how Zev's arm was thrown over her waist. Then she opened her eyes to the indigo glow of the ice cave in the half-light of dawn and actually smiled. Zev lay facing her, his arm outside the furs and throw over her, his face relaxed and shadowed by stubble.

She could only see the shape and shadow of his face in this light, but even that partial glimpse of his handsome face made her stomach trill.

How was it possible that she seemed to want him even more now than she had before? How was it that every day that passed, she wanted him more—yearned to be closer. Why was her appetite never sated?

She wanted to reach out from under the warm furs and stroke his face, but she didn't want to wake him. He'd had even less sleep than her in the previous days—enough that she was starting to wonder if they could find a cave somewhere near the City so he'd sleep better. Even though the Alpha bedchamber was large and quiet, he still wasn't sleeping through most nights, no matter how late they went to bed.

But here… in the cave with the smell of ice and stone, he was deeply asleep, and had been for hours.

She made a mental note to ask him during the walk back to the City. But for now, she just lay still and watched him, thinking of all the ways he'd loved her the night before.

He'd bathed her, made love to her again, fed her, loved her again. They'd lain together for a nap in the afternoon, then woken to another burning ache, but he'd laid over her this time, loving her slowly and talking to her as he did.

Sasha was overwhelmed, both by her own desire for him and with humility for the shameless way he loved her.

She'd spent so many years aching for him and now he was here. And no matter what was coming… she was never leaving his side. Never. The wave of fear that washed over her when she even thought about it was breathtaking.

Ardent, she realized. That's what this meant.

It meant they were a part of each other now. Forever.