His arms and neck were clenched as he battled his release for her. He was so beautiful, so powerful, the relentless thrust of him—again and again—making her weightless. His muffled groan made her tremble.
“I love you, Mal,” she whispered.
He came instantly, his chest and stomach, arms and hips clenching. He pulsed inside her, his release driving her own. She arched into him, the slow burn blazing over her and setting each nerve on fire. She cried out, her hands gripping the edge of the bed as pure bliss took over.
He fell forward, his lips seeking hers. His kiss was heaven. Mal. Hers.
She wrapped her arms around him, needing him—needing comfort. He was all she had left now, the only real and solid thing in her life, and it thrilled her. And it crushed her.
The sting in her eyes was unexpected. Worse was the sob that slipped from her lips. She’d been so strong. Now she was going to fall apart?
Mal braced himself over her, the sadness on his face crumbling her resistance.
She covered her face and sobbed.
Mal was off her in an instant.
“No,” she said, reaching for him. “No.”
He tugged her into his lap and wrapped her tightly in his arms. “Cry. I’ve got you.” At least he shared her grief. Knowing that helped. He smoothed her tangled hair from her temple, burying his nose and breathing her in. She’d done the same, pressed her face into his chest—seeking his scent and the relief it offered. “I won’t let go.” He rocked her, leaning against the headboard and pulled the quilts up and over them.
She had nothing to cry about. Her heartache and tears were for the victims of this new life she lived. Evil had always existed, on the nightly news or the latest election cycle, but it hadn’t touched her. She’d lived in a bubble—a privileged, sheltered bubble—with no true understanding of what darkness existed.
Mal. Finn. The pack.
Ellen and Tess.
These people had always been there. While she’d been bouncing from graduate school to graduate school, they’d been fighting monsters. She’d been studying history, stressing over her GPA and whether Chase was taking care of himself since he was on his own.
Chase. Bile flooded her mouth. She’d never hated someone before—she’d never had the need. But hate was just the beginning. He disgusted her. He’d known what he was doing. She’d been a bargaining chip to him, something to use when it would best suit him.
And their father. She couldn’t think about him.
“I need to believe my mother was clueless, Mal.” Her words were broken and raw. “I need to have someone left in my past.”
“She didn’t know,” Mal assured her. “I’ve seen her, in your memories. Her eyes weren’t haunted, Olivia. She didn’t know. And she loved you completely. Like I do.”
He loved her. “You love me.”
His nod was tight—and amazing.
She clung to Mal, her arms so tight she worried she’d hurt him. But he didn’t argue. His arms were fixed, holding her close. He loved her. His heartbeat was rapid because he ached for her. Hurt with her. Understood her. Loved her. When the tears finally started to ease, her head was pounding and her arms, still vice-like around Mal, were shaking.
“I’ve got you,” he said again, his lips brushing her temple.
She looked up at him, studying the stubble-covered line of his jaw, his thick neck and strong shoulders. “I know.” She eased her hold on him.
He stared down at her, his frown and the furrow between his brows both deep. “It’s not over yet.”
She pressed her fingers between his brows, smoothing the lines away with a smile. “It’s hard to accept. Chase, I mean. But there are no more surprises. I know now what makes things go bump in the night, and that not all monsters are monsters. You and I are proof of that.” She ran her hand across his chest.
Mal was rigid, his eyes darkening.
“What’s wrong?” she w
hispered.
“I want to kill him,” he ground out. “He gave you to them. And I can’t let him live for that. Even if he is your brother.”