Chapter 24

*The beautiful thing about young love is the truth in our hearts that will last forever.*
*-Atticus*

All this driving or running back and forth was starting to wear Kade down. He never slept well to begin with but it felt like a week had passed since he last got any semblance of rest. It didn't help that for the last few nights, his mate had been sleeping in the next room or just upstairs. The mate bond tugged at his instincts and thoughts continuously. It felt like post-drinking anxiety which was trying to grow the more he ignored it.

It was safe to say that the mate-bond and the lack of sleep were making him very cranky. It took everything in him not to lose his temper when Daniel had called him and told him to come back to the patch house by the following morning. He just wanted one day where he wasn't running around after murderers or arguing with witches about pregnant mates. He really could do with just one day where all he had to focus on was Thalia and what exactly he was going to do about his exotic mate.

It was late when he made it back to the holiday park. He had walked the motorcycle from the entrance to the caravan so as not to wake anyone up. He wasn't sure if Thalia would still be awake and he wasn't going to take any chances by waking her up, especially as her body was still healing.

Kade was grateful to be done for the day. His mind was set on one thing only and that was climbing into bed and going to sleep for a few hours (hopefully). The caravan was dark but it wasn't like Kade couldn't see. He just wasn't paying attention as he let himself in, making sure the door was locked before going to grab some water. He wouldn't say he was making much noise and he couldn't sense anyone else in the caravan aside from himself and Thalia so it was one hell of a shock when something heavy hit the back of his head making him grunt. Pain exploded across his skull and Kade spun around to confront his attacker only for a fist to connect with his mouth.

"Ow! Fuck!" Kade cried out, stumbling back from the force.

"Billy?"

There was the sound of a switch being flipped before the light flooded the small space exposing Kade's attacker as none other than Thalia, her eyes wide in a mixture of fear, confusion and realisation.

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry!" Thalia gasped, rushing over to her mate to examine the bloody lip she had given him. "I thought you were an intruder!"

"Why would you think that?" Kade groaned, glancing just past the she-wolf to see a Bible lying on the laminate floor. "Did you just hit me with a Bible?!"

"It was that or a lamp and I didn't hear your motorcycle so I thought you were a burglar or… or…"

"Dante." Kade finished for Thalia, letting out a heavy sigh as all his irritation fizzled and died. "I didn't want to wake you so I cut the engine back at the entrance."

"It's okay, I wasn’t sleeping." Thalia replied quietly and shifted uncomfortably. "Let me check your head and make sure you're not bleeding."

"It's fine." Kade replied.

"Let me see. Please?"

Kade couldn't say no. Thalia's coffee brown eyes were looking up at him, silently pleading with him. He suddenly realised it wasn't so much that Thalia was worried she had done some real damage but rather was looking for an excuse to keep Kade there until her fears scuttled back into the darkness. They hadn't completed the mating bond yet but he could already feel her anxiety through the fragile link between them.

"Okay." He agreed, moving to the small dining table to take a seat so Thalia had better access.

Neither spoke as Thalia found something to clean any injuries with. Thankfully, the bible had done nothing more than give Kade a slight headache so Thalia focused on helping clean his lip which had taken the brunt of her punch. A bruise was already forming along his bottom lip which was slightly swollen as the wound glistened with coagulating blood. For Kade it was difficult to process the soft sparks of energy dancing over his skin wherever Thalia touched. He wondered if she felt the same sensation. He wanted to believe she did and that her cheeks were turning a soft shade of pink because of it. He wanted to be the reason her heart was fluttering like a caged bird. He knew it wasn’t a good idea to draw Thalia in, to get her messed up in his fucked-up life. She had already been through enough and yet the goddess had given her a mate that was a mess and no good for her…

“How come you weren’t sleeping?” He finally asked, needing to break the silence.

“I don’t really sleep much.” Thalia confessed. “It’s difficult to when at any moment someone might come to beat you or make you clean. The rogues who took me from my family would taunt me and threaten to kill me just to scare me. I thought they would as well. I knew eventually I’d stop being useful to them and they would just get rid of me.”

“Did this Dante ever hurt you?” Kade asked, feeling his blood already beginning to boil.

Thalia shook her head. “No, never. He was… nice. If I hadn’t have learned about what he really was or what he was doing with all the girls, I do think I would have considered myself lucky. I see it was all a trick though. He manipulated everything around us to fit the illusion he had built. Really all it was was a gilded cage where he controlled everything we did.”

Kade nodded. Thalia’s explanation had done nothing to settle the anger in him but he was grateful she hadn’t been harmed by the demon. Still, not all damage was physical and Kade knew all too well what it felt like to discover you were being manipulated and lied to.

He wasn’t sure why he did it but when Thalia stood to leave, his hand grabbed her wrist gently, his eyes coming up to meet hers. He wanted to believe it was just a moment of weakness but it was more than that. It wasn’t just the mate bond that was wrapping around them like rope, squeezing and tugging them closer together either. He was thirsty and Thalia was the drink. She stoked a hunger in him that Kade had never felt for anyone. It was just an attraction in a physical sense. There was something about Thalia’s soul that made Kade want to open up.

Yet it was Thalia that bridged the gap between them, leaning in slowly to press her lips to his, her lips as soft as rose petals and sweet like honey. For a moment Kade didn’t move. It took that long for him to realise he wasn’t imagining what he was feeling. This wasn’t a dream that crept in at the dead of night. This was real. Thalia’s lips on his was real. Her hands cupping his face were real. It ignited a fire within him which roared to life as he reacted to those addictive lips. Kade wasn’t sure how long this moment would last for but he was going to embrace it.

His hands were moving then, taking hold of Thalia’s hips and pulling her closer to him so she was crushed to his body, giving her no choice but to straddle his legs and sit on his lap. It let him deepen the kiss, nibbling Thalia’s bottom lip as a silent plea to let him in. She relented and a soft moan escaped her, stoking the fire in Kade. He could feel Legion stirring, eager to meet his mate’s wolf but that would come in time. Tonight it was about Kade and Thalia and Kade wanted nothing more than to feel Thalia, to worship her.

Kade broke the kiss only to bury his face into Thalia’s neck, feeling her pulse thundering against his tongue. His hands moved to slide under Thalia’s thighs, hoisting her up as he stood. He felt the familiar squeeze of legs around his waist and the weight of arms wrapped around his shoulders. Kade wasn’t ashamed he had one thought on his mind and that was to make it to the bedroom. Thalia wasn’t resisting either so he was going to take that as a positive.

Thalia felt the cool sheets of the bed under her, Kade caging her to the bed. The heat of his skin against hers sent lust licking across her skin. All she could think was she wanted more, more, more! Kade’s hands slipping under her top and over her skin was like a salve on her soul and yet an accelerant to the fire in her veins. Oh and how Kade’s mouth on hers and then on her neck was driving her wild, moans leaving her while her hands clawed at Kade’s back, pulling at his shirt, wanting it off. She needed more skin contact.

And Kade gave it to her, pulling away to pull his shirt off. It was the first article of clothing to be shed. Before long they were both in just their underwear, chests heaving and fingers and lips finding each other's skin so they could taste more.

"Thalia," Kade murmured, pressing his forehead to hers. "If we don't stop now, I don't think I will be able to help myself. I don't want to mark you if you're not ready."

Thalia smiled soft, her heart warming. Kade was like a battle weary knight in her eyes. He had his duties but he was still a gentleman.

"You're my mate." Thalia whispered, looking up into those silver eyes with flecks of granite and onyx dancing in them. "I don't think I could be more ready. But there is something I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Kade asked.

"I'm still a virgin."

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A/N: Thanks for everyone who has been reading so far but hold onto your seats because things are about to start getting crazy. Catch me on Insta @ZaydaWattswrites for sneak peeks, updates and character profiles (coming soon!)