Immortals After Dark 06 - Dark Desires After Dusk

was waiting for Cadeon in the parking space—singular—at the White Tail Lodge, which promised to be the final outpost before serious, isolated wilderness.
    In other words, their final destination.
    The “Lodge” itself was a strange hybrid of trailer and cabin. On the gray siding, antlers were nailed to the side, spelling Wh te T il Lo ge.
    Holly thought it should spell: We gave our lives for this??
    As Cadeon bought supplies, she patched her laptop into her sat-phone to upload all of her day’s work into a Tim-free account.
    The only lingering fallout from Tim’s betrayal was her anger and a burning desire to complete her code. And without the obstacle of her ex-boyfriend, Holly had few defenses against Cadeon’s appeal.
    She was reminded of her last look at the Veyron. Without the prop of the truck, it had helplessly crumpled. Now without the guilt and sense of obligation, Holly was doing a free fall for the demon….
    She and Cadeon indulged—often. He happily allowed her to explore him, drawing a knee up, telling her to “Have at it.” They slept in the same bed. Each time, he wrapped his body around her so tightly, tucking her close to him. She wondered if he was following some innate demon instinct to protect her.
    They showered together—one of the highlights of each day for her.
    But he never tried to make love to her, even when she’d hinted that she’d be amenable to losing her virginity. Though she could tell how badly he wanted to take it, he still made no move to.
    Was it only that he didn’t want to hurt her? Every day he noted how strong she was becoming. Did he doubt that she could handle the claiming?
    Or was there another reason he resisted…?
    When he’d returned and finished loading up the back, she asked him, “What all did you get?”
    “Food, staple goods—apparently eggs and butter are like gold if we do happen upon anyone north of here. And as many tanks of gas as we can ferry. I also found out that we’re going to have to cross a winter road.”
    Winter road—a euphemism for ice beneath tires and possibly not much more. “No way around that?”
    “Only way to get from here to there, love.”

    “This is the checkpoint? It’s adorable!” Holly hopped out of the truck, gazing at the snow-covered cabin. “It’s straight out of a winter wonderland calendar!”
    His female’s mood had certainly improved since the ice road. The normal—but loud—shifting of ice had terrified her, and she’d held on to the dashboard the entire way.
    When a fox bounded by in the foot-high snow banks, she clapped her gloved hands in delight. “Cue the fox. How perfect!”
    Cade found it too perfect with its blanket of snow on the roof and quaint chimney on the side.
    She asked, “Are you sure this is the exact location?”
    “GPS says we’re here.”
    “I guess someone will meet us?” she asked, starting for the door.
    But he swooped her back. “For all we know, this is an elevator to hell. I’m checking it out. Do not come in until I tell you to.”
    He found the door unlocked and cautiously entered it. The pinewood floored creaked beneath him. The cabin was so spotless, even Holly would approve.
    “Do you see any directions?” she called from outside. “I wanna come in!”
    “Not yet,” he called back. “Still looking around.”
    The interior was simple, with sparse wooden furniture throughout. There was a bathroom, a back bedroom, and a kitchen with a wood-burning stove and a well pump above the basin.
    A claw-footed bathtub was situated out in the main room in front of the sizable fireplace.
    The idea of seeing Holly bathing there, in front of a fire…
    With each of their encounters over the last few days, he’d found it increasingly difficult to resist claiming her. His mind was constantly filled with thoughts of being inside her, his reasoning clouded by want.
    She’d been regularly tiptoeing around the subject of sex, a question here or there, and he thought he knew why.
    Holly wanted him to take her. Completely. He was humbled by that, yet at the same time, he knew he couldn’t. Even if he didn’t trade her to Groot for the sword, the fact remained that Cade had deceived her over and over. He’d already done more than she’d likely forgive, done more than enough to earn her hatred. Taking her virginity under these circumstances struck even him as wrong.
    And he wanted more than merely sex from her. He wanted everything . Claiming her should be the