Reapers of the Dark (Cora Roberts #4)

Chapter 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

Felines have claws, but monsters have teeth.

T he problem with having the weight of the world on your shoulders was the guilt it brought when you weren’t spending every single drop of energy on keeping it together. It gained ownership of your life and snuck in until it consumed you.

I darted my gaze at Hudson as he stalked around our bedroom, shoving items into an overnight bag. I plucked out my clothing and placed it back on the bed.

“I don’t really have time for a dirty weekend,” I told him. Again.

He snorted. “The world can wait, Cora. You have to snatch these moments with a little more force, and if you can’t, then you can depend on me to do it for you.”

I sighed. He placed his hands on my shoulders and ushered me out of the bedroom where Rebecca and Dayna were waiting for me, then slammed the door closed. Rebecca smirked just as Harry floated through the floor. His head rose from inside Dayna, and Rebecca blinked at the scene.

“You get used to it,” I muttered.

“Miss Roberts, I apologize.”

“For what?”

He grimaced. “There was a DEFCON ten pineapple situation, and I failed to inform you.”

“What? When?”

He rose further and moved to the right so he wasn’t inside of my aunt. “Your g-g-g…”

“Grandfather?” I checked.

He nodded. “Yes, Him. I should have warned you.”

“Don’t worry about it, Harry. No amount of pineapples could have prepared me for that meeting.”

“How was He?” Harry whispered.

How was God? Umm. “He was both ordinary and otherworldly. He likes cherryade and lemon cookies.”

“I’ll make sure we always have plenty in stock,” Rebecca said. “We can’t piss off the big G.”

“I wish I could see Harry,” Dayna said with a pout.

“It was very disconcerting,” Harry added with a wistful look.

I was alive, and I found being in His presence unbalancing, so I could only imagine how the dead felt. Which reminded me. “Has the concentration of remnants dissipated from White Castle?”

He shook his head. “No. If anything, they have gained more.”

Huh. There went that theory. Unless it took a hot minute for the deity’s presence to wear off.

The bedroom door swung open, and Hudson strode out with the overnight bag clutched in hand. I glared at it, then at him. “This is ridiculous. The world is ending, and you want to go on a break?”

“The world will still be ending tomorrow,” Dayna said, making Rebecca grin.

Wait, they were in on it? Why was I not surprised? I glared at them and crossed my arms. “What do you know?”

Rebecca mimed zipping her lips. Oh, how ironic that the gossiping vampire princess was suddenly tight-lipped about this little impromptu trip.

“We aren’t going far, and Harry can come get us if there’s an emergency,” Hudson reasoned.

“Phones also work,” I pointed out.

He grinned. “Not where we’re going.”

Dayna jumped up and down on the spot, and I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I think we should wait.”

“Nope,” Hudson responded.

“But—” He bent in front of me and wrapped his hand around the back of my knees before lifting me over his shoulder. “Put me down,” I snapped.

Rebecca giggled, Dayna waved at me, Harry blushed, and Hudson ignored me as he jogged down the stairs. Aunt Liz passed us, and her eyebrows rose until Dave came up behind her and smacked her ass.

“Don’t interfere.” Even Dangerous Dave was in on whatever this was.

The Escalade was already around the front of the house; the engine running and waiting for us. He slid me into the passenger seat and clipped my belt on before stealing my breath with a kiss and slamming the door closed. He was around and into the driver’s side before I could contemplate leaping out. One night. I could take one night off. Nothing was going to fall apart in that brief space of time.

“Do I get to know where we’re going?” I asked as he sped down the road.

“Nope.”

I folded my arms and leaned my head back. I was tired. No amount of sleep was going to cure this bone-deep exhaustion, but a nap wouldn’t hurt. My eyes fluttered closed, and I let my mind drift into each corner of my life. My father, my grandfather, my grandmother, Indigo, the Serpents of the Dawn, Donn—so many moving parts I was caught in the middle of. It was no wonder my heart leapt every time my wards clanged or the phone rang. Come to think of it, my wards didn’t warn me when God was on my doorstep. But if anyone was going to thwart them, I didn’t mind it being Him.

Warm fingertips caressed my cheek. “Cora, we’re here.”

I blinked my eyes open and frowned. Judging by the dense blanket of trees surrounding us, we were in the thick of the woods. A wooden-clad lodge built on a platform suspended between the giant trees sat in front of us.

“You have a treehouse?” I asked as I unclipped my belt and climbed out of the car. Fairy lights wound up the trunks, but there were no visible stairs. I stretched my limbs before circling the base of one of the trees the house was attached to. Nope, no stairs. “How do we get up there?”

Hudson’s warmth covered my back, and he turned me to face him. His hazel eyes shimmered gold. His cat was prowling close to the surface. “I climb, you hold tight.”

He spun and crouched, making me scowl. I could let Indigo loose and fly up there, but then she might demand a date night with our mate, and despite my objections, I was now insanely curious about where he’d brought us.

He turned his head and winked at me. “Are you waiting for an invitation?”

I swung myself onto his back, wrapping my arms securely around his neck. My stomach dipped as he launched into the air, clearing a good ten feet before his claws dug into the bark. I couldn’t stop the grin spreading across my face as he tore his way up the tree, coming to a stop when we reached the wooden wraparound veranda. Hudson swung me around, holding me close to him while we entered the glass-fronted building, refusing to put me down until after he’d switched on the lights and kicked the door closed behind us.

I spun in a slow circle, taking in the space. The seamless living area consisted of one large couch placed in front of a wood stove positioned in front of the far wall made entirely of glass. It offered uninterrupted views over the treetops, which appeared to stretch for miles. The setting sun created a deep wash of orange and pale violet brushstrokes across the broad expanse of sky.

Behind the sofa was the biggest four-poster bed I’ve ever seen. Made from stripped, unstained wood, the uneven spirals wound up to the wooden ceiling. The forest green bedding matched the other soft furnishings in the room. On the other wall was a single strip of kitchen units. Nothing fancy, but enough to get by on. At the very back was a wooden door, likely offering the privacy of a bathroom. It was, without a doubt, the most stunning home I’d ever been in. Built with nature in mind, I could understand why he would pick this as a hideaway.

“Where did you find this place?” I asked as I opened the refrigerator. It was stocked with enough goodies to survive a zombie apocalypse. Probably a bad thought to put out into the universe.

“It’s mine, and now also yours.”

I spun to face him. “What?”

He dropped the bag on the floor and covered the few feet between us before he threaded his hands into my hair to tilt my head back. “This is mine. Not the pack’s, not The Principal’s. It’s my space to unwind, to escape from the pressures of the world, and now it is yours. I’ve never brought anyone here. Hell, only Dave knows the vague location. Nobody but me has ever touched this place.”

“The builders know.”

“I built it.”

My mouth popped open. When he said nobody, he meant nobody, and now he was sharing it with me. I wrapped my hands around his neck and grazed my mouth over his. “Thank you.”

My heart swelled at the gift of escape. I hadn’t realized until now that I needed somewhere not crowded with responsibilities.

His mouth coaxed mine open, his tongue sweeping against my own in a carnal promise. Oh, I could get used to this. There were no ghosts shouting about pineapples, no aunts dictating my life, no supernatural squabbles. It was dangerous, and I didn’t care.

His hands wrapped under my ass, and he lifted me against him before stalking to the bed and dropping me down on it. My arms skimmed the soft cotton, and I threaded my fingers together over my head and smiled at him as he shed his clothes in record time.

I sucked in a breath at his raw beauty. Scarred, savage, strong—he was built with war in mind. This wasn’t a body you got by going to the gym for several hours a day; it was earned with blood, sweat, and tears, and it was all mine.

I gripped the bottom of my T-shirt, but his warm hands landed on mine as he shook his head. “You are mine to unwrap.”

I scowled. I wasn’t exactly feeling patient right now. We had all night, and I didn’t plan on being dressed for ninety-nine percent of it.

He chuckled as he climbed onto the bed and caged me in. “Patience, little witch, is a virtue.”

I glanced down at our bodies and arched a brow. “You aren’t looking patient right now.”

“You need to learn to play with a cat, Cora.”

His mouth landed on my neck, and he grazed his teeth down the delicate flesh, causing my spine to arch and my hands to wrap around his back in a silent plea. He grabbed my hands and pinned them above my head before kissing the protest from my lips.

“Hudson,” I groaned as he teased me to fever pitch without shedding a single item of my clothing. “Please.”

His eyes seemed to glow. “You look good in my bed, begging me.”

His mouth landed on my nipple through the T-shirt and lace of my bra, and he sucked hard. My breathing stuttered as he increased the pressure, causing my core to clench. My fingers threaded with his, anchoring me to reality as I rode the storm. He switched to my other breast and gave it the same attention, making me squirm beneath him.

“Let me touch you,” I whispered. He growled low, making it clear that wasn’t happening anytime soon.

Indigo fed me an image, and I smiled. We could do that? Oh, I was going to have so much fucking fun. I visualized my hands gripping his length and squeezed. A rough shout of surprise left him as he jerked. I held on.

“What are you doing, Cora?”

I gave him a sultry smile. “Playing with a cat.”

“You’ve been keeping secrets.”

My lips twitched, and he tore my T-shirt in half. Good. I needed him as mindless as I was feeling. He unclipped my bra and flung it somewhere in the room, followed by my shoes, jeans, and panties. In less than a minute, I was naked. When I tried to sit up, he covered me again, forcing me back onto the mattress.

“Let me play,” I said.

He tilted his head. “I like you there.”

I dragged my bottom lip between my teeth before shimmying down between his legs. His hand tangled in my hair, like he was about to pull me up, but his breathing stuttered as my tongue snaked out to taste him. My hands wrapped around him, and I palmed his ass cheeks to guide him deeper. He thrust a little, losing his battle for control. My teeth grazed his most sensitive, most vulnerable flesh, testing out his reaction.

He clutched my hair tighter. “Fuck, do that again. Harder.” With pleasure. I alternated between shallow delicate licks and rough dangerous bites, never breaking the flesh, but keeping him guessing. He swelled inside my mouth. “Cora, I’m going to come.”

Fair warning, but wild horses couldn’t drag me away from this. Hudson pulled away, and my claws extended, keeping him where I wanted him. He wasn’t bedding a little witch, he was tangling with a monster, and it was time he treated me as such. He came with a roar that rattled the glass wall before dragging me up to bury his head in my neck, keeping me pinned to the bed for at least ten minutes, while his thundering heart slowed, beat by beat. He occasionally gave my shoulder a slow lick in a distinctly feline move that created shivers down my spine.

Those licks turned into kisses, stoking the fire inside me as I felt him harden against my thigh. He rolled us to the side, facing each other, and guided my leg over his hip. He tested my heat and found me wet and ready. Then he slowly sank inside of me, his golden gaze never leaving mine as his hand held my hip tight, keeping us connected. His mouth found mine, and he swallowed every delicious moan as he guided us into an inevitable crescendo that built and built. My spine arched as I dragged my lips away. He froze, letting me hover on the edge. I tried twisting my hips, and he clamped me tighter.

“Hudson,” I growled.

He grinned. “Yes?”

“I need to come.”

He huffed a laugh. My torment was amusing? Really? I tensed every feminine muscle I had. He groaned in response but didn’t move.

“Let it build,” he said. “It will be worth it.”

I wasn’t into delayed gratification. I preferred lots of it instead.

The pressure simmered lower, and he began moving slowly again. I tried keeping silent this time, but he knew and clamped us together to avoid me falling over the cliff.

“I hate you,” I snarled.

He snorted. “Sure you do.” Then he moved again.

“What are you trying to prove?” I ground out.

“That I love you, and no matter where you are, I will always find you. I’m proving that my heart beats for yours, because you own it. You make me feral with need, and this is a taste of what I feel every day.”

“If I own your heart, then you will give me what I need.”

His free hand tangled in my hair and arched it back so he could stare into my eyes. His gaze skimmed my face. “You aren’t feral, mate. Not yet.”

I growled and flipped us so he was on his back, then I took what I needed with a snap of my hips as I ground against him.

He rose and surged inside of me, feeding me more and more of his length. My scream split the air, and I felt the animals in the forest freeze as I came apart in the arms of a cat who had given me his heart. This spurred him on, dragging me back to awareness and building something wild in my chest. His teeth skimmed my shoulder, and they lengthened to wicked points before he sunk them into the crook of my shoulder, causing a second more powerful, deeper explosion. Something shifted in the fabric of my being, and my mouth fell on his throat. He grasped the back of my head when I paused.

“Bite me, mate. Mark me,” he pleaded. My teeth scraped his flesh, and I bit down. He exploded inside of me. Our hearts sparked to life and wove a spell, binding us on a level I didn’t understand but reveled in. This was a claiming, intangible but undeniable.

“I love you,” I mumbled before I collapsed against him.

“And I love and adore you,” he whispered as my eyes fluttered closed, and I felt the call of the sandman. “Rest for an hour, then we have places to be.”

If it was anywhere other than this sanctuary, I wasn’t interested. This was my happy place and it would be somewhere I would cling to when shit went south. This was a reminder of what I was fighting for. Soon, we would no longer have to fight for these nights—they would be our normal. They had to be. Nothing else was acceptable.

“Cora,” Hudson said. “Wake up.”

I groaned and rolled over, cocooning myself in the heavy comforter. It cannot have been an entire night yet. Where was a time god when you needed one? We got the big G and death.

He tugged the covers off me, and my eyes sprang open. It was pitch black outside. “It’s still night. Come back to bed,” I muttered, rolling onto my back.

“I have something to show you.”

I snorted. “I think I’ve seen it all now, Principal.”

“It’s chilly. Get dressed or don’t. Either way, you’re coming with me.”

The bossy alpha was in charge. With a groan, I rolled to my feet and blindly tugged on my underwear, followed by a pair of soft fleece-lined leggings and an oversized sweater.

“I can’t see a thing,” I grumbled.

He grabbed my hand and tugged me out of the house and onto the veranda. “Don’t worry, just hold on.”

I launched onto his back again, and he leapt from the deck to the floor. My heart beat hard with exhilaration as he raced through the forest, winding a path up a hill. The moon winked in the sky between the thick trees. He ran for a few minutes before the sound of rushing water met my ears. Were we by a river? My elemental twitched. Yes, that was definitely water.

He slowed, and we emerged into a small clearing as he placed me on my feet. I stepped forward and froze, captivated by the breathtaking scenery. A gushing twenty-foot waterfall fed a small lake, the moonlight and stars reflecting on the surface.

I glanced at Hudson and smiled. “It’s stunning,” I told him.

Why does he look nervous? He grabbed my hand and tugged me along the shoreline toward the waterfall. He led us across the damp rocks, only to discover a small gap behind the waterfall. Excitement bubbled in my chest as we ducked beneath the water and into a hidden cave. Crystals lined the ceiling, lit with purple and pink lights, creating a stunning sparkling display.

“Wow.”

Positioned between the breathtaking cave and the heavy waterfall, Hudson turned to face me. He licked his lips and dropped to one knee. I sucked in a breath. Oh. Oh.

“Cora Roberts, you already own my heart, my body, my soul. I would scorch the earth to protect you and walk through the fires of Hell to be at your side. Before you came into my life during a fateful night at The Pit’s speed dating event, I was going through the motions. I lived for the packs, but not for myself. You have taught me how to love, to laugh, to find pleasure in the smallest of things. The way you tuck your hair behind your ear when you are nervous. How you rub your temple when you are annoyed. The genuine smile you gift people. The fierce way you love and protect those in your circle. How you wear your heart on your sleeve even when you’ve been hurt. It is intoxicating to be part of your world, and I will never stop thanking the universe for your love.”

My hand trembled as he held it in his and continued, “I treat you with care and tenderness because I love you, not because I don’t think you are capable of handling me. You are the most precious thing in the world, more than the rarest of diamonds. And just like a diamond, your strength and love outshines all, and I won’t stop worshiping you like the queen you are.”

He rummaged in his jeans pocket and released my hand to flip open a small black velvet box. Inside was a pair of twisted platinum bands set with rows of tiny diamonds, with a round emerald positioned in the center. My heart pounded wildly, and I swallowed the knot in my throat. The bite on my neck pulsed with the reminder that we were already mated in the eyes of his people. This was for me. The ring was perfect, just like my mate.

“Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?” I nodded as tears stung my eyes. “I’m going to need some words,” he said with a small smile. “Just so I can mark this in my memory.”

“Yes, Hudson Abbot. I will marry you.”

He slid the ring on my finger, and with it came the sense that no matter the enemy we faced, we would do it together. We could survive anything thrown our way in this life or the next, because I was his and he was mine.

He stood and kissed me. “Now strip, mate. I am eager to seal the deal.”

I chuckled. “The ring saw to that.”

He backed me up against the wall and caged me in. “Strip. I won’t ask again.”

“It’s cold.” He chuckled and tore my clothes from my body within seconds, then pinned me to the wall before sinking inside of me. I let out a low moan. “Will it always be like this?” I wondered.

“Like what?” he growled, continuing to move, making my eyes roll into the back of my head.

“Desperate, wild, needy, crazy.”

He snorted. “Only for the first decade or two. Now shush and let me love my wife-to-be, because she’s an insatiable witch.”

Oh boy.