by Jen L. Grey
“What?”
“You being tight with my sister.” He tugged me closer and released my hand, wrapping his arm around my waist. “It’s actually really nice. I’d always hoped that my ma… girlfriend got along with her.”
He almost slipped with the mate word. I should have called him out on it, but I wasn’t prepared for that conversation quite yet. When I attempted to slip out of his hold, he wouldn’t let me budge. The problem was I loved that he wouldn’t. My walls were already breaking down faster than I ever thought possible. The bond was forcing itself, and my will to stay away was crumbling.
“Is your dad out of the picture?” It hurt to think that he had to put the pressure all on his shoulders.
“Nope, but he’s got a demanding job, so he can’t make extra money.” When we reached the door, he jogged in front and opened it for me. “So I’m doing this until we have enough for the right person to heal her.”
I thought about pushing him through the door and following through it after him, but I couldn’t find the strength to be an ass. “Sounds like your dad has a big job.” I figured his dad must be the alpha of their pack. If so, why wouldn’t my uncle help him?
“He does.” He placed his hand on the small of my back as I walked through. “He takes care of a lot of people and is trying to do the best he can. I’m just helping out in the background.”
“So, in other words, he doesn’t know you’re doing this.” He and I were more alike than I realized.
“Yup, and it’s going to stay that way.” He kept his hand secured on me as we headed toward the crowd.
This time, I was at the mercy of his touch.
Unlike last time when Ella and I had to push our way to the front, the crowd parted for Mason.
“Hey, man.” A guy held up a wad full of one hundred-dollar bills. “I’m staking my retirement money on you. Make me proud.”
Mason nodded at him and kept moving.
It wasn’t long before we were in the front where the fighting ring was. “Break a leg.” I turned to smile at him.
“Nope, you’re going over there with me.” He pointed to the corner of the ring where Alec had been sitting the other night.
“But there is only one chair.” The last thing I wanted was to kick his friend out of his seat.
“I’ll take care of it.” He took my hand in his and tugged me over to the corner.
“Hey, man.” Alec appeared from the back room and punched Mason in the shoulder. “Are you ready?”
“Yup.” Mason strolled into the back room and came out with two additional chairs. “Where’s Ella?”
“Oh, she’s in the bathroom.” He nodded to the door against the far wall.
“The rest of them?” Mason set the other chairs on the ground next to his side of the ring.
“They’re over there doing some betting.” Alec’s eyes landed on me. “And if they were going to say something to your parents, they would’ve by now.”
“Yeah, but that still makes me nervous.” Mason looped his finger through one of my belt loops and tugged me toward him.
The door to the women’s bathroom opened, and Ella came marching out. “You guys are so freaking cute.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. All I knew was if I didn’t get out of here soon, my will to stay away would dissolve, and my defenses would be nonexistent. It already hurt to think about it. Maybe I could sneak out when he got distracted with the fight. I could either run home or call one of my guardians to pick me up.
“She sits in between you two.” Mason pointed his thumb at Alec and pinky at Ella. “Make sure she doesn’t try to sneak out.”
“You think I’d do that?” He had me pegged and ruined my plan with little effort.
“Hell, yeah you would.” He grabbed a bag off the ground and turned toward the men’s bathroom on the other end of the wall. “I’ll be back. If you run off, I know where you live.” He winked at me. “I’m going to change real fast.”
As he strolled away, I rubbed my eyes and took a steadying breath. Tonight was a whirlwind, and I needed to get my head on straight. I struggled to do that around him.
“If you’re worried about me being upset, don’t be.” Ella quietly clapped her hands. “I never thought he’d settle down, but this is amazing.”
“Settling down.” That confirmed that he told her about our bond. “We’ve agreed to take it slow.”
She raised a hand. “I have a good feeling about this.” She sat on her seat and patted the chair next to her. “Come on and sit down. Shit’s about to get real.”
I turned around and saw the announcer, or whoever it was, head in our direction. He appeared to be in his twenties and had his long chestnut hair in a man bun. He was also stout, and he wore a tight black shirt and jeans, which accentuated his muscles. “Where the fuck is Mason?”
“He’ll be out here in a second.” Alec lifted both hands up. “He had to go change.”
“He better get his ass out here. It’s time.” The guy nodded his head at whomever Mason’s contender was.
The guy he was fighting was tall and slender, but there was something cruel in his dark eyes. He didn’t smell like a shifter but didn’t have a human scent either. What the hell was he?
“It’s about time that your ass gets here.” The man-bun guy growled as his eyes locked on someone behind me.
“Don’t get your panties in a wad, Matt.” Mason’s deep chuckle did tingly things to my insides. “I’m here.”
When I turned around, my eyes couldn’t get enough of him.
Mason was shirtless once again with his wolf tattoo on display. My eyes traveled down his body to his six-pack, and before my gaze could get lower, Ella snorted.
“You’re totally eye-fucking him.”
“What?” That hussy just called me out in front of everyone. “No.”
“Don’t lie.” She shook her head with a huge-ass grin on her face. “I mean it’s one thing that I’m happy you guys are doing whatever you are, but don’t eye-fuck him in front of me.”
“Hey.” Mason glared at his sister. “She can do anything she wants to me. We don’t need to have your permission.”
They both were goading me. However, his opponent was staring at me and making me feel a hell of a lot more uncomfortable. “You better get serious.” I didn’t want Mason to lose after what I learned about his mother.
“You think I might lose?” Mason glanced over to the guy and back at me. “How ‘bout this. If I win, I get a kiss goodnight?”
“A kiss? That’s what you want?” Those were damn high stakes considering what was going on between us.
“Yes, one hundred percent.” He held out his hand to me.
“And if you lose?”
“That’s up to you.” He stepped in front of me, his eyes holding mine. “What do you want?”
“A night out with Ella.” He had control issues when it came to his sister, and now I realized why she acted so smothered. “With you not suddenly appearing or driving us crazy.’’
“Hell, yeah.’’ Ella pumped her fist in the air. “For the first time, I’m not sure whether I want you to win or not.”
“It’s time.” Matt held the microphone up to his mouth and grinned. “So who’s ready for some fighting?”
At that moment, I realized how screwed I was. There was no way I was going to be able to stay away from him or Ella, which meant some hard decisions were going to have to be made.
Chapter Eleven
As Matt entered the ring, the crowd went wild.
My ears rang with their shouts and catcalls.
“We’ve got Mason fighting against Kurt.”
Both men circled the outside of the ring with their hands in the air.
Ella and I had gotten here later the other day, so I hadn’t been able to witness this first-hand.
Of course, Meredith was standing close by, taking Mason in when he passed by her. I couldn’t blame her though. He was a force to be reckoned with.
<
br /> “Let’s do this.” The guy leaned back and rang a bell. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Kurt didn’t waste any time as he seemed to flash right in front of Mason and punch him in the face. He hadn’t caught Mason off guard, so he was able to block it and kick out his foot toward the guy’s stomach.
Once again, the guy’s hand was barely visible as he threw multiple punches at Mason.
Holy shit. Kurt had to be a vampire.
Somehow, Mason ducked and threw his body into the guy's stomach, causing him to stumble in his tracks and fall onto the ground.
As Mason landed on top of him, he rolled off and jumped to his feet. As he went to kick the guy, Kurt grabbed Mason’s foot and yanked it out from underneath him. His ass landed with a thud that could probably be heard throughout the whole room.
My gut reaction was to jump in to help. I stood, but Ella grabbed my waist, pulling me back down. “No, you can’t go in there. It’ll disqualify him.”
Within seconds, Kurt ran over and lifted his leg, ready to kick Mason in the face.
Mason groaned in pain as if he was injured, but as Kurt kicked forward, Mason rolled onto his back and swooped the legs right out from under Kurt.
A loud crunch filled my ears as Kurt fell awkwardly on his arm. “Agh.”
Not giving any mercy, Mason leaned over and punched the guy in the face repeatedly. Soon, Kurt’s eyes rolled into the back of his head.
The loud bell rang again, and Matt ran into the ring and held up Mason’s arm. “And once again, Mason wins.”
The crowd cheered louder than in the beginning.
I had to restrain myself from jumping all over Mason when he walked down the stairs. He glanced at me and winked. “I can’t wait for my prize tonight.”
“You’re impossible.” My stomach seemed to take flight at his words.
“I had extra motivation to win this one.” He reached out his hand that was covered in blood, and I took it.
“Uh…” Ella elbowed Mason in the side. “Hello.”
His green eyes widened. “Oh, yeah.” He jerked his hand away and grabbed a towel, wiping the remaining blood off. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think.”
Oh, yeah. Humans were squeamish around blood. “Ew. Gross.” But my voice fell flat.
“Come on.” Matt patted Mason’s shoulder. “Let’s go get your winnings so I can clear everyone out of here. The longer they’re here, the more likely the cops will get a call.”
“So, um.” Alec nodded his head in the direction of my hand. “You got some blood there.”
“Here,” Ella grabbed the towel and threw it at me. “You’ll be as good as new.”
I caught the towel and took a few steps toward the ring as I wiped off the vampire’s blood. I already didn’t react like a human, so I needed at least a little space. Hopefully, the rest of the night wouldn’t get any worse.
Meredith and two other scantily clad women began talking to Alec and Ella, giving me a break from their attention.
“You smell so familiar.” An elegant, deep voice filled my ears.
Shit, could he be part of the vampire clan that the witch was trying to eliminate? I hadn’t considered it until now. “What? Are you talking to me?”
Kurt took a few steps toward me as he narrowed his eyes and stared right into mine. “You’ve been a very naughty girl.”
“I have no clue what you’re talking about.” I needed to go visit the witch and soon. “Sorry, you must have me confused with someone else.”
The vampire’s eyes glowed ever so slightly. “Why are you working with the witches?”
He was trying to mind control me. That was one of the nice things about being wolf royalty. I was too strong to bend to their power. “Once again. No clue what you’re talking about.” I turned to escape, but the vampire jumped out of the ring and grabbed my arm.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?” His voice was loud as he stared daggers into mine. “Now, answer my question.”
“Whoa.” Alec hurried over. “What’s going on over here?”
“It doesn’t concern you.” Kurt jerked me closer to him as he took a deep sniff of me. “What are you?”
“She’s a person.” Ella loudly laughed. “What else could she be?”
I refused to cower to him. That’s what he wanted. I stood straight and met his stare. “Do you actually think I would tell you?”
He hissed, and his canines began to extend.
“Get the fuck away from her.” Mason’s loud voice and growl seemed to fill the room.
But Kurt acted like no one had spoken to us. “You better be careful.” His mouth spread into a large smile. “I’m not always so gentle.” His hand clasped my neck, and he began to squeeze.
This asshole had gone too far. With all my strength, I jammed my knee into his crotch, causing him to release his grip on my neck and fall to the ground.
“I guess one person beating the shit out of you wasn’t enough.” I pretended that I was going to kick at his face, and he reached for my foot that never appeared.
Instead, I dropped with my elbow right on his neck. He went limp immediately.
“Who the hell is that?” Matt’s drab olive green eyes scanned me over. “I mean, I knew she was fucking hot, but you didn’t tell me she could fight.”
Mason shook his head and scowled. “No. No, you’re not.”
“I don’t think that’s up to you.” Matt jogged over to me and smiled. “You’re hot and badass. We could make so much money together. Where did you train?”
“First off, none of your business; and second, I’m not interested.” The last thing I needed was any attention on me. I had to stay under the radar. If my uncle somehow caught wind and saw my picture, it would all be over.
“Don’t listen to him.” Matt waved Mason off. “This is strictly a conversation between you and me.”
“My decision has nothing to do with him.” I hated narcissistic assholes that tried to manipulate people into doing what they wanted. “So, fuck off.”
Matt’s face spread into a huge-ass grin. “You say that now, but wait.”
I was done talking to him. “Are you ready to go?” Between the vampire and now this guy, I wanted to get the hell out of here.
“Yup.” He captured my hand and tugged me toward the door. “Alec, make sure Ella gets home safe.”
“Aren’t you going to the bar?” Meredith frowned and stared at my and Mason’s joined hands.
“Nope, not interested.” He waved at the other two girls. “I’ll see you around.”
“Bye, Elena.” Ella rushed over and gave me a hug. “I’ll see you in class Monday.”
“Bye.”
We walked out into the parking lot, which was pretty much dead. It was kind of eerily quiet now after all of the noise and commotion in the gym.
“That was kind of interesting tonight.” Mason chuckled as he held the door open for me.
“What was?” I slid into the seat, hoping he wasn’t going to bring up the vampire.
He shut the door and jogged to his side and climbed in. “What did that ... guy say to you?”
Vampire had almost crossed his lips. I felt bad holding back my past, but I had to protect all of us. “Oh, nothing. Rambling about me smelling familiar.” If this wasn’t confirmation that I had to stay away, I wasn’t sure what else would be. Tomorrow, Mason Lockly could no longer exist for me.
His hands tensed on the steering wheel for a second before he started the car. “You don’t seem very upset about it.”
“Guys say weird things to me all the time.” I shrugged. At least I wasn’t lying on this one. “You kind of get immune.”
“Well, I hate that I wasn’t the one to kick his ass again.” He pulled us onto the main road heading back toward my house. “You’re awfully strong.”
I figured this was going to come up. “You kicked his ass better.” I cleared my throat and gazed out the window. “Where are we going?”
“I�
��m taking you home.”
For some reason, I hadn’t expected that, and I probably should’ve. Of course, he wanted to go hang out with his friends. It was better this way. “Okay.”
“What’s wrong?” He glanced at me and reached over the console to intertwine our fingers.
“Oh, nothing.” The last thing I wanted was for him to feel obligated to spend time with me. I savored his touch, knowing it would be one of the last ones I would ever experience with him.
“Will your guardians be upset if we chill on the back porch for a little while?” He squeezed my hand comfortingly.
“Guardians?” My breathing increased. “Why would you say that?”
“Because you said they raised you and aren’t a couple.” He tilted his head and glanced at me. “So that would make them your guardians.”
“Right.” So many parts of my life were getting crazy. It felt like I couldn’t keep up. The longer Mason and Ella spent close to me, the more I’d be putting them in danger. It wasn’t right. I had to come clean or leave.
Now that I had made that decision, the drive home seemed twice as fast as normal. I took a deep breath and turned my body toward him. “Do you mind if we stay in the car for a second?” This was it. Even if I had to pull out of the university, I couldn’t be around either one of them any longer. They both already found a place in my heart. The more time I spent with them, the more they’d take.
“Of course not.” He put the car in PARK and reached over to take my hand. “I’m ready for my prize.”
“You aren’t leaving yet.”
“I never claimed it was a goodbye kiss.” His eyes once again flickered to my lips. “And honestly, I can’t get it off my mind.”
My heart raced as he leaned over the center console. “Wait, I need to tell you something first.” I had to somehow make him want to stop.
“Nothing you say will change my mind.” His fingertips touched my cheek, ever so gently caressing it.
“But we probably should know certain things before doing this.” My wolf and body yearned for his touch, but I didn’t want him to regret his decision. I was determined to make him see how wrong this was for all of us.