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"We both know you don't need to use a condom." Emery had told me in great detail how shifters couldn't get any human diseases and explained how as a human omega, he even produced his own slick. I remember being jealous.

I watched, mesmerized, as he prepared me with the lube, his touches gentle but thorough. When his finger pressed inside me, I gasped at the intrusion, then relaxed into the pleasure as he worked me open with painstaking care. His thick finger worked deeper inside me, sending waves of pleasure radiating through my body. The initial stretch gave way to a delicious fullness that had me arching off the bed.

"More," I gasped, my fingers clutching at his shoulders.

Bayer added a second finger, moving with exquisite patience that was both wonderful and maddening. His eyes never left my face, watching for any sign of discomfort. When he curled his fingers just so, I cried out, my back bowing.

"There," I panted. "Right there."

He smiled, a rare full smile that transformed his entire face, making him look younger, less burdened. By the time he worked a third finger into me, I was a writhing mess, begging incoherently. The stretch was intense now, bordering on uncomfortable, but in the best possible way. I'd never felt so completely consumed by sensation, so utterly at someone else's mercy.

I remembered an ex telling me I needed a tee with the words "Tops from the Bottom" on it.

"Bayer," I breathed, my hips moving in rhythm with his hand. "I'm ready. Please."

He positioned himself between my legs, his eyes never leaving mine as he slowly, carefully began to push inside. The stretch burned, but his patience and the way he kept checking my face for signs of discomfort made the experience more intimate than anything I'd known before.

When he was fully seated, he paused, allowing me to adjust to his size. I wrapped my legs around his waist, urging him closer, deeper.

"Okay?" he asked, his voice strained with the effort of holding back.

"More than okay," I assured him, pulling him down for a kiss. "Fuck me. Hard."

He began to thrust, slowly at first, then with increasing urgency as we found our rhythm together. One of his hands slid between us, wrapping around my length, stroking in time with his movements. I clung to his shoulders, lost in the dual sensations, in the weight and heat of him above me, inside me. Everything narrowed to the sensation of our bodies moving together, the sound of his labored breathing mixing with my moans. I'd been with other men many times, but never like this—never with this raw intensity, this feeling of rightness that made my chest ache.

"Danny," he groaned, his rhythm faltering as he neared his release. "You feel so good."

I was close too, teetering on the edge as his hand worked me faster. "Don't stop," I gasped, my fingers digging into his shoulders. "Please don't stop."

When I came, it was with his name on my lips, my body arching beneath him. He followed moments later, his powerful body shuddering against mine, his face buried in my neck as he found his release.

For several heartbeats, we stayed locked together, our breathing gradually slowing. Then Bayer carefully eased out of me, rolling to lie beside me, one massive arm pulling me against his chest.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice a low rumble in the darkness.

I nodded against his chest, suddenly overwhelmed. His fingers traced idle patterns on my back, and I felt him press a gentle kiss to the top of my head. The tenderness of the gesture made my throat tight.

"What happens now?" I whispered, afraid to break the spell between us but needing to know.

"Now," he said softly, "you sleep. And tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow, we face whatever comes," I finished for him. Hearing the "you" and knowing he would stay awake and be on guard, even though I'd heard Phoenix say wolves would be surrounding the packhouse.

He tightened his arm around me. I knew he wanted to say more…something, but I wasn't going to push and spoil this.

I smiled against his skin, letting my eyes drift closed. For the first time since the accident, since learning about the revenant, I felt safe. Whatever monsters lurked in the darkness outside, they couldn't touch us here, now, in the fierce sanctuary of Bayer's arms.

I thought I heard him whisper something else—something that sounded suspiciously like "my mate"—but before I could ask, exhaustion claimed me, and I dreamed of nothing but warmth and safety and belonging.

I woke to an empty bed, the sheets beside me cold. For a moment, I thought I might have dreamed the entire thing—Bayer's touch, his kisses, the way he'd held me afterward. But the pleasant soreness in my body confirmed it had been very real. Plus, the stickiness—eww.

"Bayer?" I called, sitting up and wrapping the sheet around my waist. No answer.

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, suggesting it was late morning. I found my clothes neatly folded on a chair—definitely not how I'd left them—and a note on the nightstand.

Meeting with Phoenix. Coffee in the kitchen. Stay inside. -B

I smiled at the brevity, so typically Bayer, then noticed he'd added something else below, as if it had been an afterthought: