she pulled back with a startled laugh. "after everything we've been through your first thought is that you can smell another man?"

he nipped the tip of her ear. "you're mine."

"yeah, i was there when it happened," she said, her voice husky.

his annoyance was abruptly replaced by a jagged burst of guilt. what should have been the most beautiful moment in cassie's life had instead been a stark necessity performed in the cramped cell of a vampire's lair. and, oh yeah, he'd been crazed out of his freaking mind.

he brushed an unsteady finger over her cheek in a soft caress. "cassie, i-"

"no," she snapped.

he arched a brow at her uncharacteristic outburst. "no?"

she stabbed her finger to the center of his chest. "you're about to make a big production out of your lack of control despite the fact you were under the influence of magic."

lack of control? he'd become a monster. and if cassie hadn't managed to stop him, he would have killed her.

"it wasn't a spell that made me attack you," he said gruffly, his voice thick with self-disgust.

"you're right." her expression was grim. "it was entirely my fault. i led you directly into a trap."

he shook his head. "cassie."

"you can't use your guilt to alter the truth." she gave him another poke. "i have put you into danger over and over and even when i knew you were going to be hurt i allowed you to remain with me. i put my dependence on you above your own life."

he grasped her finger and lifted it to his lips, nibbling at the tip. "i don't remember giving you a choice."

her eyes darkened with an aching remorse. "the choice has always been mine, but i was so selfish i was willing to risk your life just so i could have you with me." caine felt her violent shudder. "gods, i came so close to losing you."

with one motion, caine tugged his mate into his lap and wrapped his arms around her trembling body. "shh." he buried his face in the fragrant silk of her hair. "i'm not so easy to get rid of."

she snuggled into his chest, but she wasn't done with her self-flagellation. "and then i forced a mating on you when you were in no condition to make such a decision."

"forced?" had she lost her mind? with a frown he wrapped his hand around her throat, then pressed his thumb to the underside of her chin, tilting back her head to study her pale face. "why would you even suggest something so idiotic? a mating can't be forced."

she met his outraged glare without flinching. "you were in no state of mind to decide whether or not you wanted to complete the bond, but i didn't know any other way to give salvatore the connection to reach you." she gave a small squeak as he abruptly tossed her to the center of the mattress, using his larger body to pin her in place. "caine."

he ruthlessly arranged her slender body beneath him, settling between her legs and propping himself on his elbows to gaze down at her startled expression. "let's get two things straight," he growled.

she remained silent a long minute, no doubt trying to decide whether she wanted to hear what he had to say or punch him in the nose for behaving like a caveman.

at last, curiosity won out. "what?"

"i was born to become your mate." he placed a hand over her mouth when she would have protested. "just listen."

she rolled her eyes, waiting for him to remove his hand before muttering her opinion of males and their deficient dna. but thankfully she made no effort to escape. "fine, i'm listening," she at last conceded.

"my destiny has always been to protect you. always." he caught and held her gaze, laying bare his heart without hesitation. "and if you ever try to take that away it will destroy me." he heard her breath catch at his blunt honesty, a startled tenderness flowing through their mating bond.

but, lifting a hand to brush his hair from his forehead, she managed a faux chiding expression. "okay, but if i'm not allowed to feel guilty, then neither are you."

"touche," he muttered dryly, well aware that he'd been outmaneuvered.

he'd intended to spend hours, if not days, wallowing in his self-reproach. instead, his mate had cleverly snatched the rug from beneath his feet.

clever, dangerous wolf.

he leaned down to nuzzle the curve of her neck, a smile touching his lips as she shivered in ready response.

"you said there were two things," she said in a breathy voice.

he didn't need her reminder as he trailed his lips to give the lobe of her ear a punishing nip. "you're now my mate."

her hands lifted to stroke through his hair. "and?"

he lifted his head to stab her with a gaze that was only partially teasing. "and i don't want you to mention another man's name when you stink of him."

sensing his wolf was genuinely ruffled, she furrowed her brow in puzzlement. "you mean salvatore?"

"i warned you." angling his head, he sank his teeth into the flesh of her throat, his musk filling the air to brand the woman beneath him. it was the most primitive sort of marking, but the mating bond was still raw and in need of proclaiming her as off-limits to other males.

cassie moaned, the spice of her arousal teasing at caine's nose as her fingers tangled in the short strands of his hair.

"he carried you to this room and i walked beside him," she said to comfort his beast. "nothing else."

"i know." he nuzzled a path along the line of her jaw. "but i'm finding it hard to be civilized right now."

"caine." her fingers tightened in his hair as he covered her lips with slow, drugging kisses.

"hmm?"

"you need to rest."

his sucked her bottom lip, pressing his fully erect cock against her inner thigh. they groaned in unison, the mating bond only intensifying the potent desire that flowed between them.

"what i need is my mate," he assured her, stealing another deep kiss before seeking the scented pulse at the base of her throat.

"mate." she shivered as his tongue stroked her skin, his fingers tugging at the belt of her robe. "it feels . . ."

"yes?"

she heaved a satisfied sigh. "astonishing."

caine was in full agreement.

it was astonishing.

astonishing and magical and entrancing.

leaning back, he peeled open her robe, savoring the sight of her small breasts tipped with rosy nipples already hard with need.

she was exquisite.

a masterpiece of ivory and gold that perfectly matched the decor.

with a low growl, he swooped down to circle one of the tempting peaks with the tip of his tongue, chuckling at her soft gasp of pleasure. "and how does this feel?"

her fingers slid down his neck to trace the line of his shoulders. "mmm . . . nice enough, i suppose," she teased.

"nice?" the heat of his desire sizzled through him, nearly setting the air on fire. "you shouldn't provoke a hungry wolf, pet."

her hands moved to explore the bare width of his chest, a smoldering invitation in her emerald eyes. "ah, but he's my hungry wolf."

for all eternity, he silently swore, refusing to contemplate the world outside the bedroom door. in this rare moment of peace he was just a wolf with the woman who filled his heart with a joy he'd never dreamed possible.

"your wolf needs a kiss," he coaxed softly.

a slow smile curved her lips. "such a demanding beast."

"ravenous." he gave her nipple a slow lick before turning to share equal pleasure with her neglected breast. "greedy." he caught the nipple with the edge of his teeth, biting just hard enough to make her arch in encouragement. "insatiable."

she trailed her foot up and down the back of his leg, the movement brushing her thigh against his straining erection. at the same time, her lips nibbled a line of searing kisses along his collarbone.

"just how i like you," she assured him, giving his own nipple a wicked lick.

carnal bliss jolted through him, and with a shaky groan he rested his forehead between her breasts. "careful, pet. i'm a breath away from early combustion."

she stilled. "that's one of those strange exaggerations, isn't it? you're not truly going to combust?"

"it all depends on your definition of combustion," he muttered, grasping her wrists and tugging her hands over her head.

he caught a brief glimpse of emerald eyes dark with need before he was claiming her lips in a kiss of blatant hunger. over and over he devoured her mouth, his hips gently rocking against her in time with her soft sounds of growing need.

"i think i'm beginning to understand," she rasped, shivering as he released her lips and stroked his lips down the curve of her neck and then kissed the tip of each nipple.

not entirely convinced she was as close to combustion as he wanted her to be, caine continued his seductive path down the flat plane of her stomach, taking a minute to tease her tiny belly button before he was sliding off the edge of the bed and tugging her legs apart.