"I've lived over a hundred years without you. I don't have any interest in going backward."

The Johnsons might as well be wolf the way they love.

She hadn't understood what Creed meant at the time, but she did now. Slade loved her. Not for the moment. Not for convenience. Not for what she could bring him. He loved her the way she loved him. For who she was. With all his heart.

"You're going to make me cry again."

"I'll overlook the weakness if you tell me what I'm waiting to hear."

"For heaven's sake I risked my life to keep you alive. You've been in and out of my head more than the thought of chocolate. You have to know ..."

He just kept staring at her. This close she couldn't miss the flicker in his energy. He wasn't as sure about her as he appeared. Reaching between them, she unzipped his pants and eased his c.o.c.k free. Thick and hard, it filled her hand, pulsing with power and life.

"Jane?"

"I'm sorry. I always joke when I'm nervous." Leaning down, she aligned her mouth to his, edge to edge. Breath to breath. Raising her hips, she aligned her p.u.s.s.y to his c.o.c.k, pressing lightly, maintaining the connection, holding him on the same edge of antic.i.p.ation upon which he held her.

This time his "Jane" was more guttural. More urgent.

"I love you, Slade Johnson. More than my life, more than my next breath, and while I may not have waited as long as you have, I'm not willing to go backward, either." She slowly took him into her body, shivering at the pleasure. Groaning as his c.o.c.k flexed within her. "I want you in my life, every day," she gasped. "In every way, no matter what comes."

"h.e.l.l yes." With a push of his hips, he took over, filling her so completely she had to pause to absorb the impact.

"Oh my G.o.d."

"Be sure, Jane," he gritted out. "Because I won't settle for less than all of you. Ever."

"Neither will I."

Unbelievably, he laughed.

"Good."

She didn't know who took whom. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that they were here, together. Her inner muscles rippled and stretched around his c.o.c.k. Her nails dug into his chest. His hands tightened on her hips. Lifting her up until only the tip of his c.o.c.k teased her p.u.s.s.y, he kept her there for a heady second before bringing her back down in a slow delicious thrust. Sweet, it was so sweet.

"Oooh."

"You like that?"

She nodded.

"So do I. Let's try it again."

They did. Again and again until sweet wasn't enough. She ground down on him. He pushed up into her. She couldn't get enough, give enough. She needed more. So much more. Pressure built in her head. Fire flared beneath her skin, energy whipped around them in a frantic storm.

"Slade!"

"s.h.i.t. Hold on."

She did, digging her nails into his chest until the scent of blood joined the scent of pa.s.sion. Holding on as he f.u.c.ked her harder, deeper, sending her spiraling higher. Looking down, she watched his c.o.c.k piston in and out of her p.u.s.s.y, lowering the barriers in her mind, projecting to him the utter perfection of both the sight and sensation. Perfect. It was so perfect.

He growled in his throat as the tension in her coiled into a hot ball. Her p.u.s.s.y flared and pulsed. His thumb slid between her l.a.b.i.a, sliding through her thick juices until it found her swollen c.l.i.t.

She screamed and clawed at his chest as his thumb circled and pressed.

"Oh yes. I like you wild."

And he did. She could feel his pleasure, his l.u.s.t, but under it all she felt his love. That incredible love. She needed to be closer. So much closer.

Pleasure blended with desire. Love with l.u.s.t. And under it all the fire burned and spread, pushing her toward ... something.

"Slade, I need..."

She didn't know what she needed, but Slade did. She knew he did.

"Please."

"Right here, baby."

"I need-"

His thumb rubbed harder. "Just let go."

She shook her head. Her hair flew about her face, blocking her vision. She couldn't.

"It's not enough. I need."

Her nails raked down his torso. Blood.

Gathering the energy around them, she thrust the image into his mind, his mouth at her neck. His c.o.c.k in her p.u.s.s.y.

"Jane. Stop."

She wouldn't stop. Couldn't. She needed this. Needed him. She gathered more energy, projected harder, cried out as Slade hooked his hand behind her neck and pulled her down. His breath hit her skin in a hot promise.

Yes!

h.e.l.l yes! She felt the graze of his teeth as he thrust up hard. Her head tipped back, inviting his bite, his possession. There was a sharp pain, and then nothing but white hot ecstasy as her body convulsed around his, taking all he had to give, milking him of every last drop of pleasure as he bound them irrevocably. Forever.

"I ought to paddle your a.s.s," Slade drawled fifteen minutes later, stroking his fingers up and down her arm as they lay together on the couch.

Jane cracked an eyelid and tried to work up to concern. "Could you wait until I recover my strength?"

Slade chuckled. "Want a running start?"

She shook her head and wiggled her b.u.t.t, smiling slightly when he gave it a pat. "I just want to have enough energy to enjoy it."

He chuckled again and brushed his lips over her hair "That was a dangerous move."

"It wasn't planned."

"I know. I was right there with you, but I gave you an order."

She tilted her head back so she could see his face. "Seriously, you're going to complain about the fact that you get me so hot I totally lose control?"

"Well, when you put it that way ..."

She kissed his chest. Beneath the lightness of his tone she could hear his worry. "I'm fine, Slade. But I do think you need to add a new entry into that notebook you're keeping in regard to conversion."

"Oh yeah?" He changed positions, coming over her, smiling down into her face. Her outlaw. "And what would that be?"

"It won't be denied."

"Not when you're the one being converted."

"Are you saying I'm aggressive?"

He laughed and deflected her half-hearted swat at his arm. "I'm saying you're perfect."

She huffed. "Perfect for you."

He traced the fading mark of his bite. "Absolutely."

Folding her hand around his, she bit her lip. As much as she hated to disturb the moment, there was something else they needed to talk about.

"I know."

"Stop reading my mind."

"It's not as easy as you would think."

"Well, try."

"Will do."

"We need to destroy the formula."

His smile vanished. "No."

"As long as it's written down anywhere, the chance that Sanctuary will discover it increases exponentially. And its potential for destruction is simply too great."

"Destroying records of it will make you the sole focus of their search."

"I'm a target anyway."

"But not like you'd be if you were the only method of getting the information."

"What else can we do? Erasing my memory isn't an option. Not only is that technology iffy, Joseph's condition isn't likely to remain stable."

"s.h.i.t." Slade sat up. "That's what you meant when you said you had a feeling we were running out of time, isn't it? It had nothing to do with Joseph."

A shiver snaked down her spine. "Yes."

"We need to talk to Caleb and the others."

She grabbed her clothes. "What are they going to do?" she asked, dragging her T-shirt over her head.

Slade shot her a look. "Prepare."

"ARE you sure you want to do this?" Caleb asked, her laptop and Slade's sitting on the edge of the big wood chipper. The kind that ground trees into dust. In a rusted barrel to the right, all the papers containing her notes were waiting to be torched.

"Are you? When they figure out my research is gone, they'll stop looking for it and come after me."

Caleb's expression was carved in stone. Beside him Allie stood, holding Joseph. Her expression just as serious. To the right stood Jace and Jared. To the left, Tobias. "Let them come."

"I appreciate your sacrifice, but you need to think-"

"Jane, you saved my brother's life twice and also my son's. Even if you weren't Slade's mate, that buys you a lot of alliances."

"But it doesn't hurt that we like you," Jace added.

In the background, a horse whinnied. She looked to Tobias. "What about you?"

His left brow c.o.c.ked up. "I think you have promise."

"As what?"

"That I haven't figured out yet." He sounded annoyed. She kind of liked the idea of being the one piece in his puzzle he couldn't make fit. Reaching out, she took Slade's hand.

"What about you?"

"You already know what I want."

Her. Any way he could get her. Taking a breath, she nodded. "Then let's do this."

The chipper made mincemeat of the laptops. The fire consumed the notes. As she watched the smoke rise into the night, a chill raced over her skin. She stared into the night beyond the compound. The darkness pressed in on her.

They were out there. And sooner or later, they would come for her.

Berkley Sensation t.i.tles by Sarah McCarty.

PROMISES REVEAL.

The Shadow Wranglers.