by R. E. Butler
“Was there anyone else with Emma?”
“I don’t really remember.”
“Is she still with you?”
There was a rustling sound and then he yawned before saying, “Nope. Bed’s cold. I’ll try not to take that personally.”
A solid blade of fear spiked through him. “Go knock on my apartment door. If Ree doesn’t answer, use your key. I’m with my parents. I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
Because Titus was such a good friend, he didn’t ask any questions, simply snapped into gear with a clipped, “On it,” before ending the call.
“What’s wrong?” his dad asked.
“I have to go. There were females from the Lewiston pride at the bar last night. I need to check on Ree.”
“Call her,” her mother said.
“I don’t have her number. I’m such a fucking idiot.”
“Get going. We’ll handle things here,” his dad said.
With a nod, he rushed from the house, nearly taking a header off the porch in his haste. He had to get the bar. He just hoped that Ree was okay.
* * *
Ree woke to a growl, and rolled over, stretching with a smile. She ached in all the right places, evidence of a night of good loving from her new guy. Or mate, as he would say. She still found the word a little odd, it was primal in a way, but she liked it nonetheless.
The covers were ripped off as the overhead light flicked on, and Ree sat up with a gasp, shielding her eyes from the glare. Two tall, blonde women stood at the end of the bed, their eyes gold and glowing, and fangs peeking from their parted lips.
“What the hell?” Ree demanded, covering her bare breasts with one arm. Looking to the side, she found the bed empty, and a quick glance around the room told her that Duke was gone.
“Get out, human,” one of the females said.
“Who are you?”
The other one flipped her long hair over her shoulder and said, “I’m Madison, Duke’s arranged mate, and you’re in my bed. Get out before I skin you alive.”
Ree blinked and shook her head. “No, that’s not right. Duke said I’m his heart-match. He bit me.” She pointed to the place on her neck that still tingled.
Madison’s eyes flashed angrily and she bared her fangs and hissed. “He already contracted with me last night to mate with him. Whatever this is, it’s not binding, and our prides will back me up.”
The other female picked up Ree’s clothes from the floor and threw them at her. “Get dressed, human. You’re nothing but a toy, a bachelor party for a male who likes to dip his dick in anything with tits. He’s contracted to mate with Madison, so whatever you think happened here last night, it means nothing to him or any other lion.”
“I don’t believe you,” Ree said.
Madison snorted in disdain. “Why do you think he’s gone? He had his fun and then he left. You’re just one in a long line of humans that he’s fucked and left, and I’m here to kick you out so I can get this place cleaned of the scent of human female. It’s disgusting.”
Ree didn’t want to believe them, but the evidence seemed overwhelming. Not only were they in Duke’s apartment, but he was gone. He’d promised not to leave her, and he had.
“Give me a minute to get dressed,” Ree said, trying hard not to cry in front of the angry lionesses.
“I’ll leave my friend, Emma, to make sure you don’t steal anything. Can’t trust humans,” Madison said. She left the room, and Ree wanted to crumple under Emma’s angry glare.
“Is this what you do, human? Fuck males you just met?” She chuckled. “I thought humans were pathetic, but I don’t think you could be any more pathetic than you are now. Just look at you – fat and weak. Tears welling in your eyes. It’s why a male like Duke would never mate a human. It’s against our laws, and he’s next in line to be alpha. Only a lioness will do.”
Ree tuned out Emma’s ranting, clenching her teeth against the sob that was welling in her chest as she dressed hurriedly and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. It was six thirty in the morning, and she had no idea how to get home since her sister had taken the car. She decided she’d call Mercy to pick her up once she got out of the bar.
Emma followed Ree out of the apartment and down the stairs, through the stockroom, and out into the bar. The bar was empty, for which she was thankful. Even though it was early morning, she thought she might run into Titus or another pride member. She didn’t think she could face anyone right then. It was far too humiliating.
Emma flipped the lock on the front door and pointed to the parking lot with a long, manicured fingernail. Ree ducked her head and walked out into the morning sunlight. The door slammed shut behind her and she winced, startled by the sharp noise. Lifting her head, she was surprised to see her car still in the parking lot.
Hurrying to it, she tested the driver’s side door and found it unlocked. Pulling it open, she looked on the seats and floor for the keys, wondering if her sister had left them. She suspected she got a ride home from Barron, but that didn’t mean she’d left the keys. Not finding the keys, she sat behind the wheel with a sigh and looked up, seeing the visor. She grabbed the visor and tipped it, the keys tumbling down into her lap. It was a miracle, and just what she needed to make a fast get away. She’d thank her sister later, after she’d had a good cry and gotten over her wounded feelings.
Without looking back at the bar, she left the parking lot and headed for home. Despite not wanting to think about Duke or the events of the previous night, she couldn’t help but replay them, wondering how she’d been such a fool. He’d seemed so damn sincere. She hadn’t planned on letting her guard down or spending the night with anyone, but she hadn’t been able to deny that she felt connected to Duke in a way that surpassed anything she’d ever felt before. It had felt good to trust him and believe him. She’d honestly been swept off her feet. But he’d never told her he was next in line to lead his pride. That was a pretty big part of his life to leave out.
She parked in front of her building and trudged up the stairs, unhappiness settling on her like a wet blanket. She’d been blinking away tears since she was woken up by the lionesses, but now, in the safety of her building and away from prying eyes, she could let go. As her key slid into the deadbolt, the sob tore from her throat and she could barely see through the blur of tears. Closing the door, she leaned against it and cried, letting out all the emotion she’d held close so she didn’t lose it in public. This would be the last time she cried for Duke. He hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye to her himself, or to admit he was a fraud and a player, so he didn’t deserve her tears.
“Ree?” Mercy’s voice came from the other side of the door, followed by two knocks. “Are you okay? Barron said he heard crying.”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine.”
“Are you going to leave me alone?”
“Not until you open the door.”
That made a half-smile curve Ree’s mouth. Sisters. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she inhaled deeply and opened the door.
“Aw, babe, what happened?” Mercy asked, wrapping her arms around Ree’s neck.
Behind Mercy, Barron stood, muscular arms folded over his chest and a frown on his face. Ree squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to cry more. “It’s just that I’m an idiot.”
Mercy leaned away from Ree and frowned. “What about? Where’s Duke? Why are you home so early?”
Gently removing her sister’s arms from her neck, Ree gestured into the apartment. Mercy and Barron walked in, and Ree shut and locked the front door. Without saying anything, Ree went to make coffee and wasn’t surprised when Mercy followed. There was utter silence in the kitchen while Ree popped a coffee pod into the machine, set a mug under the spout, and pressed the start button. The sweet scent of coffee filled the air. After fixing it with milk and sugar, she stared down at the swirling liquid, and then turned to face her sister, telling her what had happened with the lionesses.
Mercy’s mouth
was open, her eyes wide with surprise. “Barron?”
The man appeared nearly instantly, his arms surrounding Mercy in a protective embrace that made Ree’s heart hurt. “Yes, love?” he murmured. The scene was almost too intimate to watch, and they were just hugging.
“I thought you said that Duke had picked Ree as his heart-match?” Mercy said.
“He did,” Barron said. “She’s wearing his mating mark.”
“Then why did a lioness from another pride show up and claim to be his mate?” Ree asked.
Barron opened his mouth, closed it, and then shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Is he really next in line to be alpha?” Ree asked.
With a nod, Barron said, “His father is the current alpha.”
“He probably can’t be alpha with a human for a mate, right?”
“It’s against our pride’s laws. But if he mated you last night, then he’s stepped down from taking over the pride for you. Why the females showed up this morning, and where Duke is… I couldn’t say. Would you like me to call him?”
“No,” Ree said. “If he really meant everything, he wouldn’t have left me like he did.”
“Maybe he had to,” Mercy said.
“Why didn’t he leave a note? Or send me a text or call?” Pressing her fingers to her temples, she said, “I just want to forget everything. I made a mistake, but I won’t make it again.”
She looked at her sister and realized that she’d missed a mating mark on her neck. “You and Barron?”
Mercy shrugged with a grin. “He offered to take me home last night, which is why I left the car for you. One thing led to another and what can I say? He’s irresistible.”
Barron purred and nuzzled Mercy’s neck.
Ree wanted to crawl into a hole.
“Ree!” Duke’s voice rumbled through the door, followed by his pounding fist. “Open the door.”
“I don’t want to see him,” Ree said. She knew it was cowardly to hide, but she wasn’t ready to face him.
“What if he came to apologize?” Mercy asked.
“I don’t have that kind of luck. Make him go away, please.”
She walked out of the kitchen and down the hall to her room, locking the bedroom door. After gathering clean clothes, she went into the bathroom and locked that door. Her current plan was to take a shower and get dressed, and hopefully by the time she was done, he’d be gone. Maybe she’d be willing to talk to him later, but she didn’t really want to hear anything he had to say. There wasn’t anything he could say in explanation that would make it okay for him to leave her alone in his bed, or how the lionesses got his apartment key.
She’d definitely learned her lesson this time around. She would not be fooled by sexy guys again, especially shifters. Maybe someday she’d open her heart again, but staying single forever and keeping what was left of her tattered emotions in tact seemed like a much better idea.
Chapter 6
Duke stormed into his apartment and found Madison and another lioness sitting on his couch. Titus stood nearby, his face impassive and his arms crossed over his chest. Even though he knew it was a long shot, he still rushed to the bedroom and found the bed empty. He tore the covers off and threw the pillows aside, hoping she’d left a note for him the way that he had for her, but he couldn’t find anything.
Returning to the family room, he stopped in front of the couch and suppressed his instinct to throw the two lionesses out the window.
“What the ever-loving hell are you doing in my apartment, Madison?” Duke yelled.
Madison stood slowly, smoothing her dress slacks as she straightened. “You mean our apartment? When we mate next weekend, everything that is yours is mine, even this repulsive bar.” Her upper lip curled in disgust as she looked around. “We won’t be staying here much, if at all.”
Duke nearly roared. He stopped from flashing his fangs at her by only a thin margin. “Our mating is canceled. I know that you saw the human in my bed and the mating mark in her neck. What did you say to her?”
She blinked slowly, as if she had all the time in the world and didn’t have a furious lion ready to tear her to pieces. “I told her the truth. You’re lucky I’m the sort of female who can overlook dalliances such as this before we mate. If you want to chase females after we mate, you’ll do it under the radar and only with lionesses.”
Shocked, he shook his head. “I already said once that the mating is over. You had no right to come in here and chase my mate away. My father is already canceling the contract. You have no say in who I’m with or what I do with my life, but I will strongly suggest that you get the hell out of my place or I’ll use force.”
The other female stood, giving Duke a hard glare as she brandished her phone at him as if it were a weapon. “If you don’t stop the cancellation, I will call her father. He’s waiting to bring war to your pride’s doorstep if you go through with this.”
For a moment, all the wind was knocked out of Duke’s sails. He didn’t want his family or pride to be harmed because of his actions. He’d expected to take the brunt of his choices on his own, not for others to potentially be hurt.
Titus growled as he moved to stand beside Duke. “Your pride would threaten war over a broken mating contract? That’s insanity.”
“A vow is a vow,” Madison said. “I was promised I would become alpha female, and I will be. If it comes to war to make that happen, then so be it. Your pride’s blood is on your hands, not mine.”
She sauntered out of the apartment with the lioness close behind. Duke stared at the empty doorway, the lioness’s words ringing in his ears. Exhaling with a growl, he turned to Titus. “How did she get in here?”
“The lioness with Madison is Emma. She came into the bar last night and hit on me, I figured – why the hell not? I didn’t know that your arranged mate was from Lewiston or I might have been suspicious. Emma was in bed with me when I fell asleep; when you called and woke me up, she was gone and the key to your place I keep on the hook at the front door was missing. They were sitting on the couch when I got here, and wouldn’t answer any of my questions.”
“I don’t think they hurt Ree. I don’t smell blood in the bedroom.” If he had, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from physically harming the females.
“What are you going to do?”
“Find Ree. But, fuck.” He snarled. “I don’t know where she lives.”
“You could call Barron.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because he mated Ree’s sister last night. Or at least, that’s what he said he was going to do. After you and Ree headed up here, Barron pulled me aside and said that Mercy was his heart-match and he was going to take her home. He asked for the weekend off so he could fully explain mating to her. I asked him if he understood that he might be exiled from the pride by choosing her, and he said he didn’t care, that he’d make a pride on his own with his mate.”
Duke had been planning the same thing. “Exile isn’t automatic. My father may opt to let him stay in the pride, and regardless, his job isn’t in jeopardy.”
Titus arched a brow. “Do you think your dad will exile you? Your situation is different since you’re the alpha’s son.”
“I don’t know. I had to leave in a hurry.”
“Do you want me to come with you to get Ree?”
“Thanks, but no. I have a feeling I’m going to be doing a lot of begging and groveling and I don’t really want an audience for that.”
With a chuckle, Titus clapped him on the back. “Good luck.”
Duke scrolled through his contacts and found Barron, pressing the button to start a call. The call was sent to voice mail immediately. As he was about to press the redial button, a text came through.
“Ree is in her apartment at 23 Woodberry Court, Apartment Four.”
“Thanks,” Duke typed hastily as he headed for the door.
He found her building quickly, bounding up the stairs, and banging on
her door. He called to her, asking her to open the door, and with his sensitive hearing he heard her reply to someone, most likely Mercy, that she wanted Duke to leave.
Like hell he was going anywhere without her.
“There isn’t anything for you here,” Mercy said through the door.
“I need to explain.”
“Those women in your apartment explained things really well to my sister. You broke her heart. Go away or I’ll call the cops.”
There was a low conversation that he couldn’t make out, until Mercy said, “You promise?”
Barron answered, “Yes.”
The door unlocked and swung open, and a very annoyed Mercy stood in the doorway with Barron at her back. “Barron said that it wasn’t right for us to interfere with whatever’s going on between you and my sister. I don’t really agree, because she’s my best friend and I hate you a lot right now. But I trust my mate, and he trusts you, and that’s good enough for me.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank Barron. If it were up to me, you’d be standing out there all day.”
Mercy took Barron’s hand and led him out of Ree’s apartment and to the one across the hall. Duke shut the door and leaned against it, giving himself a moment to settle his pacing lion. He could hear the shower running, and the thought of his mate all naked and wet made a purr rumble in his chest. Following the sound, he reached a locked door. Taking a chance that there was a hidden key over the door, he ran his fingers along the ledge and found one, sticking the thin metal into the hole in the center of the knob. It unlocked, and he kept hold of the key just in case she’d also locked the bathroom door.
He glanced at the bed, his mind traipsing into sexy territory, but then the shower turned off and he forced himself to focus on the matter at hand – winning back their mate.
“Ree?” he said as he stood at the bathroom door. He didn’t bother testing it, fairly certain it was locked.
There was a pause, and then she said, “Where is my sister?”
“Barron took her home. Will you please hear me out? There’s been a huge misunderstanding, and I know you’re angry but I’m not going anywhere until you talk to me.”