by Jenika Snow
“Who are you talking to?” Hayden asked, and then glanced at Damien. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the other man. “Um, Danika?”
Damien made this low growly noise again, but this time it was deeper, more threatening, and directed right at Hayden. Damien took a step toward Hayden, and it was like everything stalled. “She’s mine,” he said to Hayden in a deep voice that had Danika’s heart stopping.
“What?” Hayden said, knitted his brows, and looked at Danika. “Your what?” maybe it was because Hayden was so high, but he wasn’t acting as though this beast of a man was staring him down. Before anyone else could say anything Damien looked at her once more, held her gaze with his own, and then turned to leave. But his movements were tense, and it was like he was trying to force himself to walk away.
After he left she stood there, still pressed to the wall, and Hayden standing in her doorway.
Her father came in only a few minutes later, stopped at the end of the hallway when he saw the two of them, and pointed his spatula to the front of the house. “You know what happened to Damien?”
She shook her head and swallowed. “No, why?” It wasn’t a lie because she had no freaking clue what in the hell had gotten into him.
“He just said he wasn’t feeling right and had to leave.” Tyler shook his head when she shrugged, then turned and headed back outside.
For several minutes the silence stretched between her and Hayden.
“What in the hell was that?” he asked.
She stared at the hallway where Damien had just left, shook her head, and tried to get her thoughts in order. “I have no clue, Hayden. But that was the most intense situation I think I’ve ever been in.”
****
Damien had gone back to his cabin, slammed the door shut behind him, and roared out. He was pissed, anxious, and his lion wanted out. He had just found his mate, imprinted on her, and she was the daughter of his best friend. When he had seen Danika for that first time the scent of her had ingrained itself in his cells. She was young, but he didn’t imprint on her in a sexual way, but a way that wanted to protect her, make sure she was safe and happy.
He paced his living room, ran his hands over his short hair, and cursed out. “Fuck.” When a shifter male found their mate they imprinted on her, but it didn’t happen until both of them were physically mature. Even when a male imprinted on a female, and the female was young, as in this case, the urge to keep his mate safe overruled everything. He didn’t see Danika as a sexual object, not yet anyway, but more of a younger sister.
But either way this was a hard, complicated situation. His body wanted to be next to her, make sure no one hurt her, but his mind told him that she was Tyler’s daughter, and having anything to do with her was wrong. He knew she was too young for him, that even when he would want her sexually, when his animal would see her as a sexual object and one that needed to be claimed, she would only be eighteen and still too young.
He walked over to the window in the living room, stared out at the trees that surrounded him, secluded him, and felt his animal pace beneath his skin, He’d run out this angry, anxious energy. Lowering his head and closing his eyes, he could have torn his cabin to hell, destroyed everything because he was so angry over how the situation had played out.
He had lied to Tyler when he’d said he didn’t want a mate, hell, didn’t want a woman for more than a few hours. In truth he had thought about what it would be like to have a female that was only his, that was made especially for him alone. It was a heady and intoxicating realization, but with that came the fact he knew he could never be with another woman again, could never move on in that regard. His body, his mind and heart, and fuck, even his lion were now tied to Danika. She was his, and he was hers, yet she knew nothing about the imprinting a shifter went through, wouldn’t understand where he was coming from. He didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to go away from her.
But on top of the fact she needed to live her life, graduate high school, and go to college, he knew that he couldn’t be here. He had to stay away until she experienced things, until she could consciously make the decision to be with him, mate with him, and know the gravity of being with an imprinted male.
Then he had just left Tyler’s place, given some shitty reason that he wasn’t feeling right, and taken off after just seeing his friend after years’ of absence. No, this was a bad situation. He tore his clothes away until he stood naked. Looking down at his chest he ran his fingers over the nasty bullet scar that lined his side. He had a few more on his back and a knife scar on his thigh. He was a mess, a fucking mess. How could he expect Danika to ever look past the beast he really was?
He moved over to the front door and opened it partially. Damien felt the change take over him. Everything in him popped, snapped, broke, and realigned. Fur replaced skin, claws took over where his nails were, and fangs replaced his flat, human teeth. Then he stood there in his lion form, big, powerful, and used to tearing flesh and killing its enemy. He was an animal that only thought about the hunt, tracking his prey, and taking control. But even in this primitive thinking body, all he could envision was Danika and how he had probably scared the shit out of her with the alpha act back at Tyler’s place. He paced, moved back and forth, felt his hackles rise, his blood pump through his body, and needed to run.
Padding over to the front door, he pushed it open the rest of the way, and stepped onto the porch. Closing his eyes and growling out as the sun slashed through the trees, Damien opened his eyes again and looked around the property. The trees surrounded all four sides of the cabin. The freshness of the air called out to the wild part of him, and he padded down the steps and onto the ground. He tilted his head back, shook his body, and felt his skin move over his muscles and bones. Damien took off toward the woods, ran past the thick evergreen and blue spruces, heard the small animals scurry away, and growled in pleasure. He needed this, needed the freedom to get this nervous energy out of his blood.
The wind moved over his fur, ruffled his mane, and the feeling of the soft earth beneath his paws had the sensation of his nails retracting coming forth. He stopped when he heard a twig snap in the distance. Lowering himself to the ground, he scanned left then right, inhaled deeply, and caught the scent of deer in the distance. Taking off toward the direction of the animal, he inhaled again, growling low as his need to hunt it down and tear it apart filled him. Moving faster, hitting the ground harder, Damien scented out the deer, saw it in the distance, and stopped, pressing low to the ground. He waited until the animal wasn’t looking around, but its ears perked up as it scented the danger in the air. But Damien was the master of stealth, of stillness and silence. He could wait out the animal for as long as it took. But then the deer slowly lowered its head to the ground and started grazing again. Damien felt the need to attack fill every part of him, so he didn’t hold back anymore. He lunged forward, but the deer sensed him and took off right before Damien could tackle it to the ground.
He followed it through the woods, weaving in and out of the trees, and felt the pleasure move through him at the chase. He was the hunter, and he was tracking his prey. He lunged out, front paws outstretched, claws extended, fangs on display, and took the deer down. It might have sated the animal inside of him for the time being, but Damien felt the anxiousness of being imprinted rise up inside of him violently again. He’d leave for two years, wait until she was of age, until she could decide what she wanted. But even though he wanted her to be able to decide what she decided, if she wanted him as a mate, he knew that he could not just walk away from her.
Telling Tyler that a scarred beast of a lion shifter had imprinted his daughter was going to be pretty fucking hard. But Damien couldn’t just leave for good, even if that was the right thing to do. He said he’d let Danika be for now, stay away until she could decide what she wanted, but it would be the hardest fucking thing he would ever do in his life.
Chapter Three
Four years later, present day
Danika watched as Hayden winked at her in terms of his goodbye for the time being, and was all but hauled out of the living room and down the hall by some drunken girl intent on getting laid. She smiled though, because seeing Hayden wear this goofy grin on his face because he wasn’t the one having to hit on a girl, instead being all but sexually mauled in front of a room full of stoned people, was a highlight of her night. She brought her bottle of water to her mouth and took a long drink. She’d taken a beer when she’d first gotten here, and even if she was ready to leave. She glanced at the hallway again, watched as Hayden disappeared behind one of the doors, and then it slammed shut. She’d just tell him she was ready to go and that she would see him later.
Danika sat on the couch, which smelled of spilled beer and cigarette smoke, and looked at her phone for the fifth time in the last half hour. She was supposed to be home in an hour and a half for a dinner with her dad and Damien. She thought about the SEAL lion shifter, about the last time she’d seen him and the awkward way he had stared at her, as if he had wanted to tell her something monumental, but couldn’t. That had been four years ago. Even coming home during breaks from school she’d expected to see him in passing, but he’d stayed away. But tonight she’d see him again, maybe even have the nerve to ask what had happened all of those years ago. To this day it still consumed her when she thought about it, because there was some part of her that felt what had happened between them, that nonverbal, intense interaction, meant something powerful.
She’d come to this party because Hayden said she needed to let loose. After coming back home after two years of school, she knew that starting her life back in the town she grew up in was the right decision. Maybe she should have stayed another two years at school, gotten her Bachelor’s, and then come back. But the job offer to help with the Internet advertising for a small law firm in town had been too good to pass up. She wasn’t making as much as she would have if she had her Bachelor’s, but for starting out she was pleased with her salary. She already had her own apartment, albeit a small one bedroom place, but hers nonetheless. She could focus on living her life, and decide on what she wanted out of her future. Staying with her father was wonderful, and she loved him, but he was just too overbearing and overprotective at times. But despite the fact she hated being smothered at the age of twenty, she couldn’t fault her dad over the fact he wanted to keep her close. He’d lost his wife, even if it was nearly two decades ago, she knew having her by his side helped him on a level that made him feel secure.
“What’s a pretty girl like you doing here alone? Need some company?”
The slurred masculine voice coming from behind her had her rolling her eyes. Of course there had to be someone to deliver a lame pick-up line before the night was over with. She turned and stared at the guy sitting on the arm of the couch. He was definitely drunk given the stench of booze that came from him, the fact his eyes were half-lidded, glossy and red, and also because he kept leaning to the side and having to right himself.
“I’m not alone, and no thank you on the company.” She’d planned on leaving anyway, and right now seemed as good a time as any. She stood, headed down the hallway to tell Hayden she was heading home before he got too invested in his sex-fest, and came to a jarring halt when someone grabbed her arm.
She looked over her shoulder, stared at the drunken asshole she’d left back at the couch, then lowered her gaze to his hand. “Let go of me. You’re drunk, and I will kick you in the balls.” Taking Tae Kwon Do for the last two years while away from home had been her father’s idea, but she hadn’t fought the suggestion. In fact, she liked being able to learn how to defend herself.
He let go of her arm and took a step back, but he looked at her still, and didn’t turn to leave. “You’re one of those uppity bitches, aren’t you.” He didn’t phrase it like a question, and narrowed his eyes as if that statement pissed him off.
“Fuck off.” She turned around and headed toward the doorway Hayden was behind. When she got there she saw the prick had turned away and was walking back into the living room. “Asshole,” Danika said under her breath. Facing the door again she banged on the wood until she heard Hayden murmuring on the other side.
“What?” he said, then his question was followed by a female giggle and groan.
Danika refrained from gagging at the mental image that slammed into her head. “Hayden, I’m going to be going, okay?”
“What?” he yelled out.
“I’m heading home. I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” she said louder this time. There was silence on the other end. Then the sound of footsteps coming closer had her moving a step back. The door opened, and Hayden stood on the other side, his shirt off, and his jeans unbuttoned. “God, Hayden,” Danika said and looked away. Hayden was like a brother to her, and knowing what he was going to do with the slut in the bedroom, and the fact he was half naked, grossed her out.
“You’re leaving?” he asked, seeming like he was truly surprised she wouldn’t want to wait out in the living room with a bunch of drunks while he screwed a random chick.
“Yeah, I think staying is probably not the best idea, especially since that asshole over there was giving me a hard time after I turned his ass down.” She looked over at the prick in question, saw him drinking right out of a scotch bottle, and turned to stare at Hayden again. He was watching at the guy she’d been talking about, and the irritation on his face was clear. “I have that dinner thing with my dad and his friend in an hour anyway.
“I’m sorry I left you out there. Brandon is a good guy, and owns this place, but some of his buddies are real motherfuckers.” He faced her again. “Let me get dressed and I’ll leave with you.”
“No, I didn’t tell you I’m leaving in hopes you’d leave, too—”
He shook his head and stopped her from continuing. “You came here because of me, and we’ll leave at the same time, Danika.”
She smiled and nodded. Hayden was one of the good guys, and she was lucky to call him her best friend.
“Let me get dressed.”
“I have to go to the bathroom.”
He nodded and looked behind him. Hayden said in a lower voice, “She’s been with half the guys here, but I think I was hard-up for a little action. Now my dick won’t even get hard for her—”
“Hayden, too much info, seriously.”
Hayden started chucking. “Yeah, sorry about that. Give me a few minutes.”
She nodded, and he shut the door. She looked at the asshole again, who was now watching at her with this blank expression on his face. Danika ignored him and went into the bathroom. When the door was shut behind her she glanced at the bathroom and realized a man definitely lived her alone. It was filthy, with a ring of mold around the bathtub, dust in the corners of the floor, and the toilet seat up and showing a collection of film she didn’t even want to try to guess what it was made of.
“Peeing can wait until I get home,” she said under her breath and turned to the left to look at her reflection. Her light auburn hair was in a low ponytail, and her light brown eyes had these gorgeous dark circles under them. Maybe she shouldn’t have worn the top and skirt she’d decided on? Her size sixteen hips looked so wide, or maybe it was because of the way the mirror was positioned? Of course that was what she hoped. She wasn’t considered a “small girl” by society’s definition, but she loved every inch of her body. Still, right now she looked a wreck. God, wasn’t she a pretty thing—insert the heavy sarcasm after that thought. She lifted her hand and ran a finger along the bridge of her nose, tracing the light sprinkling of freckles on her skin. She’d hated them when growing up, even tried using lemon juice to lighten them. But she looked just like her mother, and now that she was older she liked all the things she used to hate about herself. She may not remember her mom, but her father had told her enough about her mom, Frannie. He told her stories about how she’d always sung to Danika before bed, and how much she loved her, and Danika felt like she did remember her
mom, who had died too young.
The doorknob turned, and before she could say someone was in the bathroom the door was opening and the douche that had insulted her just a few moments before walked in.
“Hey, what in the hell are you doing?”
He used his much bigger body to push her further back into the bathroom. The back of her legs bumped into the bathtub, stopping her retreat.
“Get the hell out of here, or I swear to God I’ll kick your nuts so far up you’ll choke on them.”
He hissed out a curse, and before she knew what was happening he had his hand on her throat, and had her turned so her back was now pressed to the wall. “You stupid fucking cunt,” he said in a low voice, his anger clear. She brought her leg up, trying to kick him in the crotch, but even as drunk as he was he blocked her assault, and wedged his knee between her thighs. Lifting his leg up and pressing his knee to her body, she struggled. She should not have worn the skirt, because it now gave him this unobstructed access to her.
Danika opened her mouth to scream, but he slapped her across the face. The instant feeling of her lip splitting, and the metallic flavor of her blood in her mouth had her spitting in the fucker’s face.
“You stupid bitch,” he hissed out again, and when he used one of his hands to wipe the blood and saliva from his cheek she felt the small gap in his hold that allowed her to use her martial arts training to get the upper hand.
Bringing her arm up, she was able to punch him in the throat hard enough that he gasped out and moved back a step. The bathroom was tiny, and the small confines would make trying to get out of this difficult. She might have two years of Tae Kwon Do training, but in the grand scheme of things it wasn’t enough to make her an expert in the least, especially when this drunken fool outweighed her by at least fifty pounds. She also wasn’t stupid, and so while he was trying to suck in air she turned, about to leave the bathroom and get out of this fucking house. He grabbed her hair as soon as she had her hand on the doorknob, and yanked her backward. She cried out from the sudden pain and fell into his body.