Heartsblood (Dark Hollow Wolf Pack 10)

“You have to hurry, though. Marco’s growing weaker. He can heal himself to some extent once this bullet is out, but we’re running out of time. Do you accept the challenge, Jeremy? Are you willing to fight for me? To fight for your place as alpha of the pack?”

“What assurance do I have that you’ll go through with this if I agree?”

Nicky shrugged. “What assurance do you need? You’ll have Marco’s blood. You don’t need anything more from me. The only one you have to worry about is yourself—and whether or not you’re man enough to beat Marco in the ring.”

* * * *

Jax held tightly to Cade’s hand, feeling how heartsick he was and knowing there was nothing any of them could do except wait for Tate’s next move. Members of both Marco’s pack and their own had gathered in the yard outside Cade and Jax’s lodge, finding comfort in being close to

each other. It was late and night swirled black across the sky as the wind whipped up. Several small fires had been lit to stave off the cold and the darkness, and pack members had gathered around them, not for warmth, but for a feeling of safety, however false it might be.

Jax saw Gabe hovering close to a nearby fire and motioned him to come over and sit beside him where he and Cade crouched by their own small campfire. Zack was with Ian on the mountain, still tracking Tate and the other Hunters. They’d followed the trail, splattered with Marco’s blood and found a dead Hunter. He’d obviously been attacked by a wolf, and the others had rolled his body off the trail and just into the woods. They tracked them all the way down to where they’d parked the cars, but then they’d lost their scent. Most of the others had come back, including Casey, who knew the pack would need him, but Ian refused to give up and Zack had stayed with him.

In the old days, the wolves knew where the Hunter’s Compound was and if that had been the case this time, they would already have mounted an attack. But Tate was smarter and kept his locations hidden. They’d been trying for weeks now to locate one of his compounds but hadn’t had any luck.

Gabe sat down heavily beside Jax, his face white and scared. He leaned closer to whisper to Jax. “They’re dead, aren’t they? Rory told me there was so much blood.”

“We don’t know that. They were all still alive when the patrol spotted them. Cade said the boys told a wild story. They said Nicky changed into his wolf and fought for them, giving them a chance to get away. He was protecting Logan and Marco too. That has to be good, right?”

“Yeah, but Nicky’s always had more courage than sense. What if he pushes Tate too far, and he kills all of them? Nicky’s wolf is no match for Tate’s rifles.”

Jax patted his hand, having no good answer to his question. What he’d said was all too true. Jax had been there that day on the mountain when they’d been attacked and seen that for himself. Jax put an arm around Gabe’s shoulders. “Why don’t you go inside and lie down for a while? I promise I’ll come and get you if there’s any news.”

Gabe nodded. “I guess I will. I can’t think straight anymore, and I don’t want to think about what might be happening with Nicky and the others.” He swiped away a tear angrily and got to his feet. “Come and tell me if anything happens.”

Jax nodded and turned to watch him walk slowly back toward the lodge. He was startled when he felt Cade’s lips against his ear. “You should get some rest too. I’ll stay here with the pack.”

Jax shook his head but got to his feet and stretched. “No, but I think I’ll take a little walk—just to get away from all this for a minute or two.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned toward the woods. He wouldn’t go far, but he needed to clear his head. They had a long night ahead of them and who knew what they’d have to face in the morning.

He’d only walked a little way into the woods when he felt Cade come up behind him and slip his arms around his waist. He smiled as he turned to face him and Cade maneuvered him back against a tree. His eyes began to adjust even more to the darkness, and he looked down as he felt Cade’s hands on his belt, slowly unbuckling it and then sliding his jeans and underwear down over his hips to his knees. Jax’s thick, eager cock bounced out, and Cade fluidly sank to his knees in front of him. Jax sucked in a tight breath. How was it Cade always seemed to know what he needed before he even knew himself?

“I love you, baby. I need you,” Cade said, looking up at him from under his long, thick lashes.

“Take what you need,” Jax replied, surprised at how short of breath he was becoming. Jax rested his hands on Cade’s short, soft hair and heard himself give out a guttural moan as soft lips fastened around his cock and took him in, deep-throating him. His man was talented, he had to hand him that. Cade’s lips kept up a steady pressure, as his velvet tongue slid up and down Jax’s shaft, sometimes stopping at the head to swirl or slip down into his slit. Cade looked up into Jax’s eyes, breathing through his nose. The muscles of Jax’s cock spasmed, and he squeezed his fists, praying not to come before he could really focus on the pleasure of his mate’s mouth wrapped around him. His balls tightened, and he felt a tingling at the base of his spine. Jax was breathing rapidly and trying to hang on as Cade pulled off a little and licked slowly up his shaft, swirling his tongue over the head.

He gasped for breath as Cade ran his hands down his thighs and between his legs, still licking greedily at his cock. Cade’s hands moved up to fondle his balls, and Jax shifted his legs to open them wider and give him access. Pulling off to look up at him, Cade slowly and deliberately wet his finger with his mouth. A soft touch on his hole made Jax pant harder for breath and clench around the burn from the finger that had slipped up inside him.

Cade slid the finger up higher as Jax’s passage clenched around it. Before he could say another word, Cade swallowed his cock again, humming around his cock until Jax felt his knees start to sag. Another finger slid deep inside to join the first and then reached up higher to rub across the spot inside him that made him buck his hips and cry out even through the burn.

In one smooth move, Cade rose to his feet, flipped him around to face the tree and used his foot to spread Jax’s legs out as far as they would go, constrained as they were by his pants. His face was against the rough bark of the pine. His cock was pressed against it too, and the roughness of the bark on his sensitive skin, especially after Cade’s hot mouth, made him shiver. Cade’s fingers were still deep inside him.

Cade pulled at Jax’s hips to move him out from the tree a bit and bent him over as he leaned across his back to whisper in his ear, sweet crooning words that didn’t make much sense, but soothed him and made him feel something fluttery in the pit of his stomach. His whole body felt hot and shivery. He felt Cade stroke his back, moving the fingers of one hand down to cup his ass cheeks.

“Y-yes. God, please,” Jax groaned. “Fill me up. Don’t let me think about anything but you.”

A warm kiss dropped on the side of his neck, and Cade crooned to him again for a moment, before gently easing his cock inside Cade’s hole. Easing it into him, Cade slipped past the first tight ring of muscles, and then as he felt the by now familiar burn, he hissed in a sharp breath. Cade held still, his hands soothing Jax’s back, massaging his ass. Jax could feel Cade’s heart beat deep inside him as Cade’s cock throbbed. Slowly he moved in deeper until Cade’s balls, hot and hard, snuggled up against Jax’s ass. Jax moaned with pleasure, and Cade ran his hands up under his shirt and over his nipples. “Feel good, sweetheart?”

Still feeling shy, even after all their times together, Jax nodded his head. Cade moved his lips down the side of his neck, nibbling and licking. Jax shuddered in his arms, impaled and helpless. Cade’s fingers were under his shirt, pulling and teasing his nipples, and each time he twisted the nubs, the feelings made Jax’s cock, which had softened a little when Cade entered him, stand back at attention. Gradually the feeling of being stuffed and stretched began to recede, and Cade moved his hand down to wrap around Jax’s shaft, moving slowly up and down.

“I’ve got you, Jax. I’ll always have you.”

Cade nodded, too overcome to speak, and Cade bent him over a little and began to thrust his cock in and out in time with the slow strokes his hand was making on Jax’s shaft. The feeling was almost overwhelming, and to his horror, Jax felt hot tears filling his eyes. Every time Cade’s cock grazed his prostate, he felt a jolt of ecstasy.

“What do you need, baby?” The slow, seductive voice whispered again in his ear. One hand moved up to stroke his throat, seductive, soothing.

“I-I want…” Jax’s breath was coming so hard, he was almost panting. “I want—more. Harder, please. I need…”

“Shh, baby. I know what you need, and I’ll give it to you. Let me take care of you.”