Caye

“She said she liked it,” grumbled Hayden.

“Of course, she did,” responded Caye, rolling her eyes. “What was she going to say? That she hated your home?”

“She could have. It’s not like I didn’t ask her.”

Caye sighed. “I know, and out of all the caves in the Hollow, yours is the nicest. It’s in the best location, but look around, big brother—it’s rather spartan. And don’t you prefer your home in Cornwall? How cozy and light it is?”

“This is the Underworld, Caye—not really a light-filled place by definition.”

Her older brother could be really annoying when he tried. “Yes, but you could paint the walls or maybe the cabinetry, have more colorful or softer furnishings.” She pointed toward the bed. “Haven’t you said how much you like the quilt she picked out for your bed? How good it looks?”

“The best thing laying on my bed is my naked mate,” he muttered.

Caye punched his arm, hard. He winced; she smiled. God, he can be an ass when he tries.

“You know, I’m not sure why I’m here. You make this big deal of the fact that Fallon is in London doing something with some museum…”

“It’s a big thing for her—quite the honor—and I need to be there.”

“And you wanted me to come see if I couldn’t make this place better for her. But if you don’t want to change anything, I’m going to leave. There are things happening with the Resistance, things the Shadow Sisters need to prepare for. If you aren’t going to change…”

“I didn’t say that. I just thought she was happy…”

This time, Caye chucked him upside his head. “Seriously? The woman is stupid in love with you. If you wanted to live in an ice castle, she would join you. I just think your cave looks like your cave; it’s very masculine in here, very you. The only part of Fallon I see is the quilt.”

Hayden looked around. Caye loved the fact that Hayden had changed in so many ways. He saw being Fallon’s mate as his number one responsibility. He still led the hellhounds with the same intensity as he always had, but Fallon had tempered his impatience and irritation when things didn’t go the way he planned.

In Caye’s estimation they were the perfect mates. He was every bit as tough and dominant as he’d ever been, but Fallon brought out his softer side and she seemed to look after the hellhounds’ more creature comforts. She was far kinder than anyone Caye had ever known, and even those like her brother Tanner who had so vehemently opposed Hayden taking her to mate were coming around. If he wasn’t careful, Fallon might be able to make Tanner a fairly decent person to know.

“I suppose you’re right. Well, what do you want to do?”

“Maybe get two or three rugs? The floor is gorgeous, and I know she loves it, but a rug or two would give a nice texture and color. And some paint wouldn’t go amiss.”

“What about the furniture?”

“I think leather wingbacks and a chesterfield couch are beautiful, but again, sitting on a rug would take them up a level. I’d also like to get another piece for clothing, and maybe a free-standing pantry.”

Hayden nodded. “I can see where that might be nice to have.” He shook his head. “Why didn’t she say something to me?”

“Because Fallon is practical, and right now she feels your time and effort are better spent bringing more hellhounds into the fight and working with the Resistance to figure out the best ways to utilize our skills.”

“We could use you with us, Caye.”

“I chose my path a long time ago. While it might run parallel to that of the hellhounds, it will never be the same one.”

“There won’t always be a need for the Shadow Sisters. When the League is defeated…”

Caye laughed out loud. “You don’t seriously believe that do you? The Resistance may well defeat Apophis and this latest edition of the Shadow League, but the Sisters have existed as long as there has been a League, and many say long before them. Defeating Apophis will do little to help the women who still find themselves in subservient roles and forced to do things they don’t want to do.”

“Things are changing for the better, Caye.”

“Yes, but until we are all treated equally, the Shadow Sisters will be there to help those who need it.”

It was an old argument between them, and neither was likely to change their stance, but nevertheless they’d both worked hard to keep the lines of communication open. Caye knew that Hayden worried about more hellhounds joining the Shadow Sisters, especially if Tanner kept pushing his agenda where the female hellhounds were concerned.

“Every time I think our females feel safe and aren’t inclined to leave, he starts up again.”

“True, but then I think Fallon is a good influence on Tanner and most of his followers.”

Hayden chuckled. “She does have that effect on people.”

“She does, and that’s a good thing. I think people are comfortable with your leadership and she just adds a bit of softness and emotional support.”

“Agreed. It’s almost like she’s part sister, part lover they’d like to have, and part den mother.” He laughed out loud. “She even brought the healer around.”

Caye joined his laughter. “He didn’t have a choice when people started to come to her for small things and wanted her to accompany them to see him.”

He looked around again. “You’re right; our home needs to reflect Fallon as well. I doubt you’ll have any trouble getting help while I’m gone. I’d like it to be a surprise for her when we have to return to the Hollow.”

“I think you’re right. In fact, knowing it’s a surprise for Fallon will make people more inclined to help.”

***

Hayden

He left the Hollow the next morning and traveled to London—partly using the passages in the underworld and partly using more mundane modes of transportation. He flew into Gatwick airport and passed through customs easily. Fallon was waiting for him just outside the security area.

The way she flung herself into his arms made his whole world seem bright and the burden of being alpha and an integral part of the Resistance seem a whole lot lighter.

“I missed you,” she said, pressing herself close.

“And you can feel how happy I am to see you.”

His cock had tightened immediately upon seeing her and now throbbed between them. The damn thing wouldn’t go down until he’d had her. Hayden tried to suppress the knot.

“Don’t you dare,” she whispered. “I’ve missed that most of all.”

He chuckled. His mate had an almost insatiable appetite for being knotted and tied to him and didn’t seem to care who knew. More than once, she’d sent Tanner scurrying away by her wanton need for her mate and all he could provide for her.

“Well, I was hoping you’d hired a nice town car with a roomy back seat so I could screw you on the way home. I could do with being tied to you for several hours.”

“I do like the way you think, my alpha.”

They made their way out to the car she’d hired. Hayden laughed out loud when they got in and Fallon raised the glass partition between the front and the back. It was heavily tinted, and he doubted the driver could see through it. Deciding to take control of the situation, Hayden grabbed her as soon as they pulled away from the curb, rucking up her skirt to reveal that his naughty mate was wearing no panties.

He scented the air and hoped the driver was not a shifter. Out of the terminal and away from hundreds of other people, her enhanced scent of excitement was easy to detect. Her sex was swollen, and the heightened state of her arousal glistened at the entrance to her core.

“I missed you, too,” he said, dragging her closer so that he was kneeling between her legs on the back seat.

He leaned down, capturing her mouth with his as their bodies fused together and Hayden opened his fly to release his cock, lining it up with her entrance.

“So soft and wet. I think you did miss me.”

“It wouldn’t have been so bad if you hadn’t put self-pleasure off the table.”

He chuckled. “No one gets to make you orgasm but me. I will not give that right up to anyone, especially a mechanical toy. You are mine, mate.”

With a primal growl, he thrust into her depths, relishing the tightness that enveloped him and the rightness of being with her. The sensation was electric, sending jolts of ecstasy coursing through his veins. They were no longer two separate entities, but one entity forged in the flames of desire.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him deeper into her, as if urging him to explore the very depths of her pleasure. Hayden was happy to oblige, setting a pace and rhythm that matched the sound of the tires on the pavement. Every thrust drove her closer to the edge where bliss and oblivion merged. 

Their bodies moved with a familiar and sure synchronicity; a harmony born from a longing so profound it transcended mere physicality. They were lost in a world of sensation, where time ceased to exist, and nothing mattered but the pleasure they bestowed on one another. 

Fallon clutched at him, her nails digging into his back, leaving crescent-shaped imprints as she arched up to be closer to him. Her body tensed around his as her inner walls clenched around him and her orgasm washed over her. As she clamped down in ecstasy, it made it harder to thrust.

“God, yes, Hayden. I’ve missed you so much; this is so good,” she moaned.

Her words only stoked the flames of his passion, pushing him further into a state of primal lust. He began to lose control, succumbing to the intoxicating rhythm of their bodies. Their moans intertwined, creating a symphony of pleasure that reverberated throughout the vehicle. 

“Keep taking my cock, Fallon,” he groaned, gripping her hips tighter, his fingers digging into her flesh as he thrust deeper and harder.

The sound of skin meeting skin filled the car, drowning out any semblance of rational thought. They had entered a realm where only desire and need mattered, where the only goal was to push each other to the pinnacle of ecstasy. 

As her muscles began to tighten again, drawing him deeper as if begging for release, Hayden could feel his balls draw up as the base of his spine began to tingle. Fallon arched up off the seat, a primal scream escaping her lips as wave after wave of pleasure coursed through her body.

Hayden experienced climax in a state of awe riding out her orgasm. Her second release triggered his own, and a torrential flood of his cum filled her to overflowing and consumed him completely. 

Heat receded and desperation began to fade—for now to be replaced by a profound satiation he’d only known with her.