Donovan had always been a lady’s man. He was romantic, but he was also controlling and manipulative. He honestly believed that quitting my job was the best thing for me to do once we were wedded. The pre-nuptials and written expectations he presented to me only weeks after he asked me to marry him were so detailed in what he wouldn’t give up and what he wanted should we part, I often wondered if an A.I. robot wouldn’t have been more suited for him.
I knew that if I called off the wedding, my friendship with Donovan would be over. He held grudges all the time. He hated being cut-off and told no. In the end, I chose the life I dreamed of as a little girl. I wanted the freedom to do my own thing. I canceled the entire wedding. Postponement wasn’t even an option for me. I went to one therapy session after my mom and aunt called me crazy for bailing on one of the richest men in the city before I decided enough was enough.
My parents had controlled so many aspects of my life growing up concerning who I could have over for sleepovers, who I could be friends with, and who I should avoid because of what their parents believed. I was done with living a cookie-cutter life. If that meant I’d have to give up my little privileged lifestyle, I was more than ready to do that.
If Donovan or my parents knew I was out here in Minnesota with plans to hide out at my best friend’s house until they got it through their thick skulls that I wasn’t going to change my mind, I’d do that.
Resolved not to think about the train wreck marriage that might have been, I looked at the door wondering when Jayce might return. I knew I was safe in his home, but I was a little uneasy about being alone. In my parent’s three-level mansion in Green Bay, there was always someone around. Either a maid or the chef. Jayce’s cabin was eerily quiet.
I stepped back from the fireplace and glanced around the home. The interior was pretty sizable with a big open floor plan. I could see a loft area on the second level from where I stood. I’d already discovered that there was a master on the main, in addition to a smaller room off the main hallway.
Despite and cozy interior of the cabin, I could still pick up the sound of the wind howling on the breeze outside. Thick tree branches seemed to scrape against the windows and shadows moved across the walls in oddly shaped patterns.
Shifters in the mountains? Well, that wasn’t odd at all once a person really thought about it. I wondered just how many of Jayce’s kind there were. From the way he talked about it earlier, there were many more.
I walked across the cabin to get to the kitchen, grabbed a glass, and filled it with tap water from the faucet. Something scraped across the window above the sink and I froze. I held my breath and peered out into the darkness. Except for moonlight shining down on a huge oak tree out in the front yard, all I could see were lightning bugs fluttering around in the grass.
I didn’t know what it was, but it felt like there were eyes staring back at me through the tall grass. Or maybe the bright yellow glow came from the lightning bugs.
Jayce had assured me that I’d be safe if I stayed inside the cabin. No one would harm me here…
I grabbed the ends of the curtains and pulled them closed and then backed away from the window.
Another sudden noise startled the hell out of me, making me drop my drink. The glass crashed to the floor and shattered on the tile.
Someone was at the door. They were trying to get in. The doorknob turned and rattled.
“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” I mumbled, swallowing down the rising fear in my throat.
Was it Jayce? Couldn’t be. They were having too much of a hard time trying to get in. Were the bad wolves here? Had they found me?
I yanked opened some kitchen drawers before I found one with a sharp butcher knife inside. I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of the knife and backed myself into a darkened corner of the kitchen just as the person swung the door open.
“Jayce!” They called out. It was a man’s voice. He didn’t sound too happy. “Jayce, where the hell are you? You need to get that damn lock fixed. The fucking door jamb is still getting stuck!”
It sounded like the person knew Jayce, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I gripped the hilt of the knife so tightly that my fingers shook.
The stranger slammed the door shut and I heard heavy boots pounding across the floor as if the man was going from room to room in search of Jayce.
Oh, my God. Please come back, Jayce. Come back, please. This was the worse time for Jayce to have a visitor. I was probably just as much a stranger as this man was. What would happen if he discovered me in the house and didn’t know who I was? Was he a shifter like Jayce?
The footsteps came nearer to the kitchen. I clasped my palm over my mouth to contain my panic and backed myself up into what appeared to be a closet.
“Fuck!” the man exploded. “He needs to clean up this shit…”
He must have stepped in the broken glass because I heard a broom being swept across the floor and the shards being pushed aside. Thank God the broom hadn’t been in the closet.
I peeked out through a crack and saw the man’s back through the slit between the door frame and the door. The guy was tall, almost as big as Jayce. He lingered in the kitchen, sniffing at the air like he was scenting food. He picked up an apple from the fruit bowl in the center of the kitchen table and bit into it. He took big healthy bites until the entire apple was nothing but a two-inch core. Then he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a beer.
“What kind of beer…?” He held the beer up the light in the kitchen. “This is that disgusting shit.” He took a swig and then another.
I frowned. What kind of guy broke into someone’s home, ate their food, drank their beer, and then called it disgusting?
With beer in hand, the guy waltzed over to the kitchen sink, leaned against the counter, and crossed one ankle over the other as he chugged down the beer.
I closed my eyes and pleaded to God for Jayce to return soon.
When I opened them again, the strange man with the thick arms that looked like tree trunks had his nostrils titled upward and he was sniffing the air.
“Who the fuck are you?”
He was staring right at the door to the broom closet.
Oh fuck.
The stranger came booming towards the broom closet and yanked the door open, revealing me. I readied and knife, thrusting it high in the air, but before I could use it as a weapon, the stranger’s fingers caught my wrist mid-air.
“Answer me, human,” he hissed, pressing so hard on the nerves of my wrist that I dropped the knife.
“I’m with Jayce. Jayce brought me here,” I blurted.
His expression seemed to soften at the mention of Jayce’s name, but then he proceeded to sniff me. He smelled my fingers, my hair…
His eyes widened as he stared at something on my wrist. Some kind of mark or maybe a pattern that I hadn’t seen before. It was probably a bruise from him squeezing me so hard.
I snatched my wrist away from him. “Who are you!”
The stranger snorted, bent down to pick up the knife, and trotted off to the counter where he threw the weapon down into the sink. “That wasn’t a toy.”
“Duh,” I said.
The stranger frowned, scrunching up his face with a look of indifference.
“Where're your pants?” he glanced down at my legs.
“They’re wet!”
A blank expression clouded his face.
“From the river,” I added.
He nodded slowly. “Riiiight.”
I rolled my eyes and huffed.
He snorted again and then said, “You have Jayce’s mark,” he said, grabbing another beer from the fridge and popping the top.
“Mark?” I shook my head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Look, I don’t even know who you are. I was waiting on Jayce to come back. Are you his friend?”
“Nope.”
He walked out into the living area. I followed him. It was odd how I felt no fear after our initial meeting. I could t
ell that he meant no harm to me. Not like those bad wolves in the forest, at least.
“Then what are you?” I asked.
“That’s none of your business.” He gave me another once over and his eyes turned to slits.
His eyes were nearly the same mossy green as Jayce’s. That’s when I knew. He had entered Jayce’s home like it was nothing. They were related.
“Are you two family? Are you two the same? Are you a shifter?” My questions came one after the other. Faster than I intended.
“Look, I didn’t come here to answer a hundred questions. Where’s Jayce?”
As if on cue, Jayce barged through the front door butt naked. He glanced between the stranger and me and let out a low warning growl. Within seconds, Jayce had closed the gap between us—possessively shielding me from the stranger. I was confused as hell. Shouldn’t Jayce have been the one shielding himself? He was the one standing between us butt-assed naked.
My eyes widened as I ogled what had to be the most perfectly sculpted male body I’d ever seen in my life. My vision hadn’t been clear out in the forest when Jayce had captured me naked, but in the light now, I saw all of him. Every last inch. He was fully equipped and well-hung. I couldn’t stop staring with my mouth open.
“What were you doing with her?” Jayce growled.
“Nothing fully dressed. I can’t say the same for you,” the stranger replied and then swooped up a pair of jeans folded on a chair. “Put on some clothes. You’re showing your ass.”
Jayce snatched the jeans and slipped them on.
“Treyton, what are you doing here?”
“There’s some shit going down around the town square.”
“What were you doing in the town square?” he asked. “I sent word for everybody to stay the fuck out of town.”
“I got the word while I was there…chilling and relaxing like guys with lives do, you know?” Treyton grinned.
Jayce huffed. “Nothing is funny about this.”
“I called Draven about what I saw. The fights and folks getting arrested for no apparent reason. He said something happened out here too. An attack on a woman. He said that I should come to see you,” Treyton said. “Is this the woman who was attacked?”
I reddened in embarrassment. How many of them knew that I’d been kidnapped and nearly mauled to death? Soon, I’d be known as the stupid, selfish paralegal who drove all the way from Green Bay, was careless, got kidnapped, and was nearly mauled to death by a pack of wolves.
Jayce and Treyton exchanged knowing glances.
After a long silence, they cast another sideways glance in my direction. I cleared my throat, hoping they’d say something rather than exchanging some silent secret code they were never going to let me in on.
“You couldn’t contain yourself around this one, could you?” Treyton commented. “I thought I knew you better than that, but you just couldn’t keep your dick in your pants.”
“Wha—?” I was utterly confused.
“What the fuck are you talking about, Treyton? I haven’t slept with her.”
Treyton rolled his eyes. “Riiiight. Do you really want me to believe that while she’s standing here in nothing but your t-shirt?”
My mouth fell open in shock.
“Uh…Violet, if you’ll excuse us, I’m going to have a word with Treyton outside.”
Feeling a little insulted that Treyton would think that we slept together after knowing each other for less than a full day, I mumbled, “Okay.”
The men exited the home where they started talking in low voices out on the porch. I sat down in front of the fireplace wondering how I’d managed to get myself in this whole mess. This was a community—an entire world, really—that I knew nothing about.
I rubbed at the bruise, mark—or whatever—that seemed to be irritating the skin on the inside of my wrist. Maybe something had bitten me. A mosquito or something.
But when I turned my arm over and looked down at it, I realized that it wasn’t a bruise. My skin hadn’t been broken there. There weren’t any bites or bumps of any sort. It almost looked like a tattoo, but the mark was embedded deep under the skin—not on the surface. The design reminded me of the sun—a single perfect circle with rays extending from it. It couldn’t have been more than two inches wide. The tone was a pale reddish-brown. It looked just like a birthmark.
“What the hell is happening to me?” I mumbled, looking at the closed door where the men were still conversing.
Without a doubt, I knew something had changed.
CHAPTER NINE
JAYCE
“You had sex with her and marked her,” Treyton claimed.
“I did not!”
Treyton pointed to the closed door. “Dude, she carries your mark plain as day.”
“Keep your voice down,” I commanded him. “Do you really think I would take advantage of her like that? She was just kidnapped, chased through the woods, and attacked by a group of rogues. Do you really think I’m going to bring her back here just to fuck her?”
Treyton pushed off from the railing and said, “I’m not sure what the hell is going on. Draven said you told him that one of the rogues bit her.”
“Yes,” I growled again just thinking about it. How could I have let that fleabag bite her? “You said you saw my mark on her?”
Treyton nodded. “I’m positive I saw it. That’s your mark on her wrist. Do you think I would mistake something like that?”
Treyton was sincere. I’d known him all my life. We had grown up together. Had spent years under the same roof. Ran through these same forests as wolves, and we’d even climb the mountain together as men.
On instinct, I rubbed at the birthmark on the back of my left hand. My sun.
All wolf shifters had a distinct mark, kind of like a birthmark. Except our birthmarks meant much more to us than a human would think. The marks also served as our mate marks. The only way two people could carry identical marks was if they were true mates. Another reason was if they’d just had sex, which initiated a temporary imprint which resulted in the human carrying the mark or imprints of the shifter he or she just had sex with. Or in the case of two shifters going at it, they’d carry each other’s marks until eventually, the imprints faded after they no longer had sex anymore. But I didn’t have sex with Violet. I couldn’t have imprinted on her. Did that mean she came to me with the mark? Was she born with a birthmark? My mark? My sun?
“This is impossible,” I blurted out. Finding a true mate was like finding a needle in a haystack. I always hated when my guardians used that analogy, but there was no other way to explain it.
“That’s what I’m thinking…that it’s impossible. But I saw it, Jayce. And why else would you be so protective of her? You looked like you wanted to bite my head off when you found me in the house with her.”
“Of course, I’m protective of her. She’s under my protection. And the Alpha approves.”
Treyton shook his head. “That wasn’t it. This was something else. Something deeper between you two. My wolf sensed it. Do you think that human could be your true mate?”
I paused, looking back at the closed door. My mind and body were on the same page. I wanted Violet more than I’ve wanted anything else in this world.
“Oh boy,” Treyton breathed. “Does she know what we are?”
“She saw me tear into the throat of three rogues,” I replied.
“Did you see which one of them bit her?”
“Yes, I saw when it happened. I killed him. I should have run to her first, but I was just so furious when I saw how they were handling her. My mind was on killing them the moment I saw her being attacked.”
“I would’ve done the same. The reason why I asked is that it could’ve been his imprints on her if he had bitten her. Since he’s dead, that theory has just been thrown out. She’s carrying your mark, cousin.”
“I have to see it,” I breathed.
“I can’t believe you didn’t see it before. It’s plain
as day now—”
“Yeah, you said that. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention. I’m attracted to her and all that, but…I’d never take advantage of her.”
“If she’s your true mate, that’s not taking advantage of her. Don’t you think she needs an explanation as to why she’s mate marked?”
“At this point, I think she’s more concerned with getting the hell out of Arrow Lake after what the rogues did to her.”
“Are you just going to let her walk out of your life? I don’t think this is how this works at all. Ask me how I know?”
I snorted. “What? Have you found your true mate?”
“No, and don’t be an asshole. I just happen to know a couple of guys that it happened to.”
“It?” I rubbed at my five o’clock shadow. “And? What happens?”
“They don’t let her out of their sights. Their wolves won’t let them. They claim her. Eventually.”
At the mention of the word claim, my canines extended and my cock twitched. I instantly recalled the unique aura that came to me when I first caught her sweet scent on the night breeze. Even now, her essence brought a calming sensation over me.
If I wanted a mate, I’d have to work to keep her. First, I had to make sure that no one could harm her again. I had to eliminate every last threat in Arrow Lake before I could start a goal of mine I’d wanted for a very long time.
I wanted a family.
Yet, I made a vow to my Alpha. Until my duties were done, I wasn’t sure that I deserved someone as innocent and pure as Violet.
CHAPTER TEN
VIOLET
Jayce came back in the house and locked the door. Treyton didn’t come back in. The expression on his face was different from before. For one, he didn’t appear to have that look of possessiveness engrained across his face. He looked a bit perplexed.
I got up from the sofa. “Is everything alright?”
“Uh…yes, no need to worry. I talked to an old Sheriff that I’m friends with and he’s going to get someone to locate your car for you and bring it out here.”
“Oh, thank you so much,” I breathed.
Jayce: Shifters of Timber Rock Page 5