by C. M. Owens
Roslyn sighs, then turns her face up so that she can see mine.
“You’re not going to just ditch me, are you? I can always just go back home.”
Again, all the beasts inside me try to roar forth. I really don’t like this feeling, and I hope someone can help me out. For fuck’s sake, I couldn’t go to sleep until I kidnapped her from her house earlier. It’s amazing that I was able to heal.
“I’m not ditching you, sweet thing,” I say, accompanying the words with my most charming smile. “I’ll be all over you once I get some things settled, and you won’t be able to get away from me the rest of the night.”
Yeah. I’m totally fucking someone over tonight and letting them take my hour to watch the woods. I don’t want to leave Roslyn alone for longer than necessary. My skin is crawling at the thought of leaving her alone right now.
She smiles shyly, but she finally nods. “Okay,” she says on a breath.
I pull her to me, unable to stop myself, and kiss her like I’m going to war or some shit. At first she’s surprised, and the small gasp she releases makes her lips part for my tongue to delve inside.
I cup handfuls of ass, growling subtly as I kiss her harder. Her surprise turns to passion when she slips her hands around the back of my neck, roughly tugging me closer in a way that has my cock straining to get out of my pants.
Fucking party.
It takes a lot of effort to withdraw, but I manage to do so. She staggers forward, looking as drunk as I feel, and I grin down at her. Yeah. No way in hell am I letting her go.
I thumb her swollen bottom lip, loving the fact that it’s like that because of me, and her warm breath comes out in small pants. Maybe I can sneak her up to one of the empty rooms after this impromptu meeting is over.
“I’ll be back,” I tell her, finally forcing myself to move. Chaz eyes me from across the room, and I use my head to gesture for him to come over.
He does so, and as soon as he reaches me, I start talking, bypassing stupid pleasantries. “Get everyone to meet me in Ella’s room.”
He stifles a laugh. “Probably best to use a different room.”
“Why?”
Seriousness takes over his expression. “Gage didn’t want Kimber around the Somage, but he didn’t want her knowing that he was stealing her away. He’s worried she might fixate on finding the traitor in their group if she spends too much time around them.” His grin returns as he adds, “So he borrowed Ella’s room to distract Kimber until they could get the Somage out of here before they saw her.”
My lips curl into a smirk, and revenge serves itself on a platter. “We’re definitely meeting in Ella’s room then.”
He laughs while shaking his head. “Alright. It’s you’re funeral.”
I jog up the stairs while Chaz goes to take care of assembling everyone. I round the hallway, moving quickly, eager to pay that douche back. As soon as I reach Ella’s room, I kick the door open without warning.
Gage’s naked ass is in full view, stopping mid-pump as he jerks his head around to see what the hell just happened.
“The fuck?!” he yells as a cover magically falls over him and the girl under him.
Keeping a bored expression on my face, I lean against the wall, ignoring his furious glare.
“Sucks, doesn’t it?” I drawl.
“Get the fuck out!”
Kimber’s suppressed laughter sneaks out from somewhere under him as I grin daringly at the cock-blocker who is now being cock-blocked.
“Hell no. You wanted me here; now I’m here. And I need to speak to everyone.”
Zee walks in, his eyes zeroing in on Gage, and he bursts out laughing as Gage curses under his breath. He dematerializes, taking Kimber with him, and he rematerializes almost immediately with both of them wearing clothes.
Kimber’s hair is definitely just-fucked, and Gage looks like he wants to rip me in half. After interrupting me earlier, I know the feeling.
“Told you he’d pay you back for that shit,” Kimber says, mocking Gage who grumbles something too low for even me to hear as he jerks her against him.
“What’s going on?” Chaz asks with a knowing grin as he walks in.
Gage rolls his eyes while sitting down on the edge of the bed, drawing Kimber into his lap. Ella walks in next, shutting the door behind her. Kane and Alyssa can’t be here. It’s too risky to have them around this many people. Dice and Karma haven’t returned from trying to locate Dice’s mother’s lover.
“Ah, shit,” Ella groans, wrinkling her nose as she goes to lean against Chaz. “It smells like sex in here. I’m crashing with you tonight, Thad.”
I crack my neck to the side. “Probably don’t want to be with me tonight. I’m going to finish what Gage interrupted.”
Ella looks between me and Gage, then she bursts out laughing. “Ah, so that’s why Gage looks like he’s ready to kill you. Payback’s a bitch.”
Kimber laughs with Ella, as Gage mutters something about neutering me.
Dick. That’s so dramatic.
The door opens, allowing room for Sierra and Deke to come in. Amy doesn’t join us, because we still don’t know or trust her night stalker enough to bring him in on the important meetings. And she’s more loyal to him than us, so she never comes to the meetings he can’t attend unless Kane makes her.
Not to mention, Amy is out scouting the woods with her night stalker right now. It’s better. She’s not here to object to what I need Sierra to do.
“Is this something we need to call Dice in on?” Ella asks, hopping up to sit on top of her dresser.
Chaz leans back against her, and she props up on him. Most people would confuse their closeness as something romantic.
“Probably,” I say with a sigh. “He might have some insight. But don’t call Kane or Alyssa.”
That gathers a few suspicious eyebrow raises.
Alyssa could order me not to do what I want to, and I honestly don’t think I’d listen to her. I start scratching my arm, feeling the beasts trying to escape and get back to Roslyn. This is really annoying.
“What’s wrong with you?” Kimber asks as Gage dials the incubus.
“I’m losing my damn leash,” I growl, feeling more frustrated by the second. “I feel like a newbie all over again. I swear my beasts are trying to claw their way out of me right now.”
“Sex was that good?” Deke asks, a taunting smile in his voice.
I really hate night stalkers.
I glare at Gage instead of the smartass night stalker, though. “There hasn’t been any sex yet.”
“Hashtag—Thad’s having performance issues.” Dice’s voice draws everyone’s attention to the phone in Gage’s hand, and I roll my eyes. Why did I think he’d be helpful?
Gage looks all too amused and cocky right now. Bastard.
“Not performance issues, jackass.” I take a breath, trying to calm down. “I’m fairly sure purgatory has unleashed the mating shit again. It’s the only way I can explain it. It seems to only be getting worse by the day”
Sierra steps up, her head already shaking in objection, while Gage pales.
“No. Lycans and a few others have ‘mates’ but not changers,” she says thoughtfully.
“Tell that to all my beasts. There’s no telling what all was set free from purgatory. I’ve heard old legends about changers having mates. The stories are pretty gory, because the mates became overly aggressive and possessive of each other.”
“Hashtag—that shit’s not good,” Dice says, adding nothing to the conversation. Seriously, why did I want to call him?
“No, it’s not,” Gage groans, cursing as he runs a hand through his hair.
You can tell who has heard the stories and who hasn’t. I’m not sure if I’m right, but if I am, then I pity any fucker who touches Roslyn. Just the thought has me wanting to shift, and I have to fight the urge down once again.
“I think we’re being a bit dramatic,” Dice finally says, leaving out his damn hashtag shit
. “What if animal boy has just finally started liking a girl for more than a night?”
“I’m having murderous fantasies at just the thought of someone even accidentally touching her,” I point out, which causes Zee to shift away from me.
“Remind me to stay away from the pretty brunette,” Chaz says, but I swear the asshole is mocking me. This is not funny. At all. And I know, because funny is my middle fucking name.
“Okay,” Dice drawls. “So change her so we can tell her what’s going on. Or see if it’s the same after she’s changed.”
And that’s what I came up here for.
“That’s insane!” Kimber and Ella both bark in unison.
I should have left them out of this meeting.
“It’s not insane. Will you do it, Sierra?” I ask, turning toward her. Even though it’s phrased as a question, she can see I’m pretty much demanding it. Now.
Her eyes widen, which confuses me. She seemed perfectly fine with this when I mentioned it the first time.
“Mates? This is a whole new level of concern,” she says. “You just admitted to wanting to kill someone for accidentally touching her. Amy went crazy when Kane wouldn’t accept their bond, but that was a fucked up situation in its own right. If I change her, what if she doesn’t accept you? She’d be lycan. And she’d probably eventually bond with a night stalker. It’s just our way.”
Deke punctuates the point by glaring at me over the top of her head and tugging her closer. He’s stupid if he thinks I’m scared of him.
“I won’t hurt you. It seems to be the thoughts of other men touching her that affects me. And I’ll just kill whatever night stalker she bonds with before he even gets to touch her. See? Simple.”
Zee snorts derisively while shaking his head, and Ella slaps me hard on the back of my shoulder as she materializes at my side.
“You’ve lost your mind,” she growls.
“Hate to point out the obvious,” Dice says, enjoying the hell out of this, “but I think that’s the entire reason we’re having this meeting. He’s losing his mind, and he’s asking for help.”
Ella glares at the phone like Dice can see her, then she looks at me. Good thing looks can’t really kill someone.
“You can’t do this. It’s too risky. She might not even survive the change, Thad. Then what?”
A lump forms in my throat, and I force it down. “She’s strong. She’s lived through hell and is still standing straight. She can handle it. And I’ll be there to make sure she does, along with Dray. Where the hell is Dray?”
“Hashtag—Dray’s getting laid. For reals. Just saw him and some dark user not too long ago. He’s supposed to be helping us track down my mother.”
“I’ll call him,” Gage says, but then he gets slapped by Kimber. What is with these mean women and hitting? Totally uncalled for.
“You won’t. We’ll figure this out. You can’t turn a person immortal on a whim. She needs to be talked to, have this thoroughly discussed with her, then given the option of what she wants to do. We can always dust her memories if she doesn’t want to do it.”
As if I’ll fucking let her memory of me be wiped. Hell no. I’m keeping her.
“Give it a few days,” Gage says to me, sighing. “Let’s see if it works itself out of your system. With all the new rules—or lack of rules, rather—we don’t know what’s really going on. You could be wrong about this.”
I might be wrong, but it doesn’t change the fact I’m not giving her up.
“Fine. I’ll wait a few days. Then someone’s changing her. I’d have already done it if I was bitten fey.”
For the first time in my immortal life, I actually envy the bitten.
Chapter 10
ROSLYN
“I don’t like being touched,” I tell the asshole who keeps putting his hand on my hips, trying to dance with me even though I’ve made it clear I don’t want to dance with him.
Jenny is the worst “friend” ever. She ditched me and left with that Alex guy that came back for something he forgot—the guy who was with the huge beast of a man who made the weird crack about the queen’s circle. Now I’ve been down here for way too long without anyone.
I glance toward the door when I peel the jerk’s hand off me again, and I debate running out of it. Then I see a girl with short black hair walk in with a dark-haired guy close behind her. She sniffs the air, looking like a damn dog, and then her gaze lands on me.
Weird. Freaky weird.
Oddly enough, she seems pissed when she sees me once again trying to escape the clingy grasp of the jerk who just doesn’t understand the word no.
“One dance,” he slurs.
I try to move away from him, but he clutches me tighter. If I get pissed enough to pass out, this could end badly for me. I don’t trust this creep around my incapacitated body.
“Get your fucking hands off her,” a girl’s voice growls.
I look up to see the dark-haired girl—the sniffer—in front of me. The guy backs away, seeming a little scared of her. Frankly, so am I. She’s not that big, but she has wild eyes and an I-fucking-dare-you sort of attitude she emits without effort.
Her eyes settle back on me, and I really don’t like the look.
“You’re Roslyn,” she says, surprising me as Mr. Annoying finds a new girl to maul. “Thad’s girlfriend?”
I clear my throat, trying to talk over the music, but finding it to be a little harder to do than she did. “We’re just talking about dating,” I say lamely, and I inwardly cringe at how stupid I sound.
She rolls her eyes, looking behind her at something, then turns her focus back to me.
“It’s not safe for you to be here. Come on. I’ll take you home. You should stay away from Thad. Trust me.”
What the hell?
“No offense, but I don’t even know you. And I’m a little creeped out that you seem to know me. Jealous ex?” Yeah, I’m stupid. This girl could hit me, I’d get pissed, I’d pass out, and she could kill me. Why am I picking a fight exactly?
Her lips twitch; she looks more amused than pissed.
“Sorry. I’m Amy. I’m a friend of Thad’s. Well, sort of. We work together. Right now, I’m the only one here who is looking out for you. I know you because he pretty much explained how you look, and I smell him all over you. He might as well have pissed a circle around you.”
The hell is she talking about?
“Umm… I’ll just stay. Thad is—”
“Right here.”
His voice elicits chills all over me, and I feel him before I see him. His arms wrap around my waist, drawing me back, and I immediately relax against his touch. He really does smell good.
“Problem, Amy?” Thad asks her, sounding more bored than irritated, yet his hands on me grip a little tighter.
Amy glares at him, and I decide I really don’t like her. I wish I could kick her ass without passing out. Fairly sure I’d lose badass points for fainting during a fight.
“Just talking to your girlfriend. This really isn’t a good place for her.”
It really isn’t any of her business.
Calm down, Roslyn. Calm down.
“You’re right,” Thad says, and my heart breaks a little. Until he adds, “Which is why we’re leaving. You can handle my shift tonight.”
She looks like she’s ready to kill him as he starts tugging me away from her. I feel a little smug. That’s right; I almost feel empowered enough to flip her off. Almost.
Thad keeps his hands on me, holding me close all the way out, so even if I had the lady balls to flip her off, there’s no way I’d be able to do it without forcing him to let me go. And that’s not happening.
“What was all that about?” I ask as the door shuts behind us, dulling the obnoxious music. A bitter taste rises to my throat, and before I can stop myself, I add, “Is she an ex?”
He flashes a grin, and I immediately wish I could take back those words.
“Is that jealousy?” he asks, giving
me that damn cocky grin I love and hate. I’m thankful that we’re away from the brighter lights as we walk toward the lake.
My lungs take in the fresh air with gratitude, happy to be free from the alcohol tinged atmosphere and sweaty bodies. I decide to ignore his question, considering he ignored mine. Obviously that makes me curious. I thought he was almost too honest, and now I’m curious as to why he’s stalling.
“Fine,” he says, a teasing lilt to his voice. “The answer is hell no. Amy and I have not and will not ever be a couple.” He shudders dramatically, and I fight back a smile. “She hates me almost as much as I hate her. And it’s not the sexy kind of hate either. She hates Alyssa, and I’ve got Alyssa’s back. Long story short, we don’t get along, and she doesn’t like a sweet girl like you hanging out with a not-so-sweet guy like me. It’s her thing—butting in, I mean. She inserts herself into everyone’s business with her self-righteous bullshit.”
He shrugs, acting as though it’s not a big deal. I really hate her now, and I don’t even know her. I’m normally not like this.
He pulls my hand to his lips, kissing it softly before winking at me. The moonlight is the only thing illuminating his face now, and it makes him look dangerous and sexy at the same time.
There’s something about him that draws me in, and I love it. I’m also a little scared of it. Thad’s not like anyone I’ve ever known.
“You ready to get back to my place?” he asks, his voice sounding sexier than I’ve heard it yet.
I should feel rushed, because he’s made it apparent what he wants, but I don’t. Still, I can’t help but tease him a little.
“What if I said I want to take things slower?” I ask, hiding my smile.
But to my surprise, he doesn’t miss a beat. “Then we’ll just go to my place and sleep. I’ll keep my hands in the safe zones.”
Yeah... I can’t stop smiling.
“Safe zones?” I muse.
He slides his arm back over my shoulders, tucking me against his side as he steers us down the quiet path.
“I’d say I’d keep my hands to myself, but that would be a lie. I have to touch you, but we don’t have to have sex.”