And even then, it wasn't done. A new sensation of completion and ecstasy and rightness ripped through her, burning her to ashes and building her up again in the space of a second. But as awareness returned to this new self, Emily knew she was more than she'd been before, that Cade was a part of her now, and always would be. That she was a part of him.
"Yes!" Cade's roar filled the world around them, rumbling through the ground and shaking the trees.
And then his mouth found her again.
Not to kiss, but to claim her as his own.
Forever.
Chapter Sixteen
The sun was already rising high in the sky by the time Cade led Emily to his old truck and helped her up into the passenger seat.
It was the latest he'd slept in years, but Cade figured he had a pretty damn good reason: they'd spent the entire night making love after giving each other their claiming bite. Hell, after coming in from the porch, they'd fucked in every damn room in the cabin. Cade would have dragged Emily up on to the roof to do it there too if he could be bothered to get the ladder.
But once he was inside omega, all he could think about was staying there.
She was his now—really, truly his.
He was about to close the door when Emily stopped him with a hand on his cheek. The tender gesture might have embarrassed him once, but Cade didn't think he could ever get enough of her love and affection. He leaned in for a kiss that took a little longer than he expected, and when they finally broke apart, Emily closed her eyes and sighed, a sound of pure contentment.
Cade understood. He felt it too—a settling in his soul, a peacefulness he'd never known before. A sense that everything was perfectly right.
To say that Cade had never expected to feel anything close to this was putting it mildly.
It never occurred to him that the hum of tension that had been his constant companion as far back as he could remember would ever fade, even briefly. Until now, he'd thought every alpha felt it, that constant tightness in the muscles, a sensation of building aggression and disquiet that could only be dispelled with violence.
But when Emily had given him her claiming bite, it was as if a piece of her soul had splintered off and lodged itself deep inside him, soothing away the worst of that anger.
It wasn't the sort of thought Cade had often, but as he put the truck into gear and backed into the turn next to his house, it felt right.
There were probably scientists who had studied the chemistry behind bonds like theirs. There had to be doctors who knew the names of the neurotransmitters and hormones that bound an alpha and his omega tightly together.
But Cade couldn't care less about any of that.
As far as he was concerned, all their diagrams and equations and studies were just another way of saying what he already knew to be true: that no one could ever take Emily away from him.
Not today, not next month or next year—not ever.
Cade would do whatever it took to make sure it stayed that way, to keep his omega safely by his side. Even if it meant asking for help from brothers who'd made it clear he wasn't welcome among their ranks. Even if it meant backing down, eating crow, and—damn, it was going to be tough—keeping his peace and not starting any more fights.
Cade drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he thought about what could go wrong. Honestly, all he was hoping for was that when he walked through the doors of Evander's Bar, they weren't waiting to jump him for insulting their omegas' honor, or some such shit.
Although even if he was ripped to shreds—whether it was by his brothers or by Sloan and his friends—Cade knew he'd die a happy man, and it was all because of Emily. He cast a glance over at her just as a patch of sunlight reached through the trees and lit up her face, turning her eyes to sparkling ice blue, her hair pale fire.
She was heaven. Perfection. Proof that paradise existed here on Earth.
Sloan was a damned fool for not seeing the prize that was right in front of his eyes. The way Cade saw it, failing to recognize that Emily was a precious gift from the Fates was almost as unforgivable as trying to tear her down.
Emily caught him looking at her and flashed him a smile that was no less beautiful because of the tension beneath it. They were only a few miles away from the bar now, which meant there were only a few minutes left to enjoy this blissful silence.
Seconds later, that silence was shattered by the roar of another truck barreling down the road behind him.
No, not one truck—three.
Cade frowned as he focused in on the sound of the engines, the unique whirrs and clicks that acted as a signature for every alpha he knew.
He had never heard these engines before.
Cade tightened his grip on the wheel as he glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing nothing but empty pavement bracketed by dense woods on either side. But moments later, a tiny dot came into view, quickly growing into what was unmistakably a jacked-up truck—with another close behind, and a third taking up the rear.
They were powerful vehicles, and they were coming at him fast—faster than Cade could push his old clunker.
Damn—why hadn't ever taken care of the thing like Troy had been nagging him to do? Cade rarely drove anywhere but Evander's, so he hadn't seen the point in doing any more than the bare minimum in the way of maintenance—but now those worn gaskets and cracked crankcase weren't doing him any favors.
He jammed his foot down hard on the gas anyway, and the truck picked up speed—not enough to outrun the trucks behind him, but enough for Emily to notice.
"What's wrong?"
Cade hated the fear in her voice and wanted nothing more than to tell her it was nothing, but he couldn't lie to her. The best he could do was try to keep her safe.
"Put on your seatbelt," he said tightly.
Emily instantly obeyed, looking out the back window once she'd tested it. "That's Sloan's truck."
She was only confirming what Cade already feared.
"We're only a few miles from the bar. Zeke, Maddox, and Aric should already be there." It occurred to Cade that stealing that extra kiss had given the other alphas extra time to get to Evander' s—but also ensured that Sloan was able to catch up. He silently cursed himself. "If we can make it there, we should be in good shape."
If.
Cade bore down so hard on the gas it was a wonder he didn't put his foot through the floor, and willed his old truck to go faster.
Just as he'd feared, it wasn't enough. Before he hit the next curve in the road, Sloan was already on his tail, close enough that Cade could make out the vicious scowl on the man's face.
If he'd been alone, Cade would have simply hit the brakes and taken Sloan on right then and there. But in the two other trucks behind him were alphas who wouldn't hesitate to snatch Emily away the moment Cade was distracted.
As he came whipping out of the turn, Sloan smashed into Cade's back bumper, the impact jolting Cade to the core—but he still held on tight to the wheel.
Shit. They were still nearly three miles from Evander's Bar. There was no way in hell they'd make it the far—the old truck couldn't take another hit like that.
Somehow, Cade had to find a way. He took advantage of the downhill grade to pick up speed, not letting up on the gas for a second. And still, Sloan managed to gain on him in the next lane. Cade tensed, waiting for his next move—but to his surprise, the other alpha didn't overtake him.