by V. Vaughn
The familiar odor of chemicals carries to me as Gigi mixes color for her client. She glances at me and then flips on the water for the sink full force. “Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”
I lift my hands in frustration. “I haven’t got any idea how I’m going to escape Zander. I think he’s in on this whole scheme to run Luke out of town.”
“Mitch and I do too.” She grabs my arm. “I have an idea, but it’s going to sound kind of insane.”
“I don’t care. I need to be with Luke.”
“I know. That’s why I’m willing to deal with the consequences if Zander finds out.”
I pull my best friend in the world into a tight hug. “I love you, Gigi.”
“I know, honey. I love you too.”
Chapter 11
Gigi’s plan didn’t sound too crazy to me, but that might be mate attraction clouding my judgment. My bedroom window screeches as I open it up. The idea is that later tonight, she’ll sneak in to take my place sleeping in my bed while I’ll go to the cabin where Luke is.
Zander has stepped into my room and tilts his head at me in an unspoken question.
I say, “It smells too much like Luke in here.”
Now that I’m sure Zander is somehow involved with the group that is trying to run my mate out of town, my sympathy for his feelings is gone. The night air might be a bit cool, but it’s not like Zander or I can’t handle it.
I say, “I was thinking takeout would be good for dinner. Any preference?”
“Burgers from the diner?”
“Sure. I’ll buy if you go get them.” I squint at him. “Or do we have to go together?”
Zander sighs. “I think it’s best if we just go eat at the diner.”
“Fine.” I didn’t expect him to leave me alone, and going out where people can see me flirt with Zander is a good idea. I’ll do anything to keep my mate safe. I want to appear as if I’m trying to accept the idea that Luke is not for me. I fake a sigh as I walk to the door. “I’m sorry to be so cranky. I do like spending time with you, but feeling like I have no choice makes me want to rebel.”
“I can imagine.” Zander’s arms are crossed as he waits for me to lock my door.
“You don’t seem thrilled with this duty either.”
“Why would you say that? Every guy wants to hang out with the girl he loves knowing she’d rather be with someone else.” His footsteps are heavy and stomp as he starts down the stairs. “It’s good for the ego.”
I attempt a joke. “Well, after your day at the salon with women falling all over you, I think your ego can take it.”
Zander is at the bottom of the stairway and turns to me before he opens the door. “That’s the thing, Xena, everyone tells me what a great catch I am. Hell, even your mother wants me, so why is it the one I want doesn’t see how sexy I am?”
“Whoa. Let’s not bring my mother into this.” I reach past him to open the door to the street. “I do see it.” When we get outside, I slip my arm in his and squelch the urge to recoil from the contact. “You are a catch, and I’m lucky to have you in my life. What you’re doing for me right now is amazing.” I gaze up at him with what I hope is a loving look. “Thank you.”
Zander tucks me in a little closer. “You’re welcome. Being with me used to make you happy, and I think it still can.”
Why he thinks I can forget about a mate his friends just tried to kill is beyond me, but I decide it’s in my best interest to humor Zander anyway. “Hey, remember senior prom when Jo Ellen tried to seduce you while I was in the bathroom?”
He chuckles. “What I remember about that is how you tried to scratch her eyes out.”
“And ruined my dress with my shift.”
We stop walking as Zander opens the door to the diner and gazes at me. “Remember how hot your cat fight made me? I like jealous sex with you.”
I gasp as I hit his chest playfully. “That’s so not appropriate dinner conversation.”
A few of Zander’s friends are at the counter, and they watch our exchange. I smile as I think about how well my plan is working so far.
I ask, “Want to sit with the guys?”
Zander frowns at me. “Do you?”
I shrug. “It’s fine. Unless you don’t think it’s a good idea because of me.”
He shakes his head. “No. My friends still like you.” His words don’t ring true.
My evil side wants to see him squirm a bit, and I walk ahead toward the guys. I sit down next to a burly man. “Brayden, good to see you again.”
Zander punches him on the arm as he walks by and sits on my other side. “Hey, man.”
Brayden isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and his brow knits in confusion, so I ask, “What’s the matter? Do I make you uncomfortable?”
Craig is one stool past Brayden, and he says, “Naw, we’re surprised to see you with Zander. I thought you had a thing for some other guy.”
“Nope. Seems he wasn’t welcome in this town.” I lean against Zander. “So get used to me hanging around Zander again. You guys don’t mind, do you?”
Something must have clicked in Brayden’s head, because he says, “No. That’s cool.” He hits my shoulder hard enough to make me jerk. “Nice to have you around.”
I wince as I rub where he hit. “Thanks.”
Jenny has arrived to take our order, and Zander and I tell her what we want to eat. I listen as Craig flirts with her and tries to convince her his order of fries is too small. She teases right back with ease even though I suspect she finds his cheap ways annoying, but if she wants a decent tip, she has to. I’m not the only one playing a game to get what I want.
I’m careful not to be over the top, though. Zander knows me well, and he’d never believe I could switch off my feelings for Luke so quickly.
His friends have left by the time we finish dinner, and my hand slaps on the counter as I grab the check when it arrives. “It’s on me. I figure it’s the least I can do for my bodyguard.”
Change rattles as I set it down, and we stand to leave. When we get outside, I take Zander’s arm again.
He says, “You don’t have to do that. I think you’ve already convinced my friends that Luke wasn’t a big deal.”
“Maybe I want to.”
He sighs as he pulls away. “Don’t, Xena. I’m not Brayden. I know what you’re doing. You told me Luke was your mate, remember?”
“Yeah. Well, that doesn’t matter, does it? Because I can’t be with him, so all it does is make me miserable. Someone once told me I can choose to make the best of this or the worst.” I grab his hand and thread my fingers through his.
Zander lifts my hand to kiss it. “If that’s really true, I’ll spend my life trying to make you happy if you let me.”
I sigh as if I’m trying. I gaze up at the man who loves me so much he’s been a willing participant in running my mate out of town. My feelings are torn between acceptance of his actions because I know it’s out of love and the desire to keep me safe, and anger that he’d betray me to get what he wants. I know which one will win, but a piece of me would like to believe I used to love a good man.
“I’m not going to lie and say I’m ready for that. You have to know my heart is breaking over this.”
“I can imagine it, and I’m jealous of the guy, but I’m also mad at him for thinking he had a right to you.”
My jaw drops at his words, and I wonder if he has any idea how irrational jealousy is making him, but I snap it back shut and do my best to control myself. I need to keep my eye on the prize, and that’s going to Luke tonight. Getting angry with Zander won’t serve my purpose one bit.
When we get back to my place, we decide to watch a movie, and I do my best to concentrate on the action film we choose, but thoughts of being with Luke fill my mind. I relive every touch and sensation we’ve experienced together. Around nine o’clock, I can’t take it anymore, and the sheets are cool in my hands as I gather the linens for Zander’s makeshift bed on my c
ouch.
After he’s set up, I retreat to my bedroom to read. I have to find a way to pass the time until midnight, when Gigi is due to arrive. She’ll be sneaking up the fire escape and taking my place until I return just before dawn. Hopefully Zander won’t feel the need to check on me, but if he does, a warm body will be snoring softly in my bed.
I gaze out the window and wonder how my mate is doing. I believe werebear probably heal as quickly as werecougar do, but it kills me that I haven’t been able to nurse him back to health while he does. Rage pulses through me as I recall the explosion earlier today. My own kind wanted to kill my mate. I’m not sure I’m ever going to get over that. Sure, I know we deal harsh punishment for crimes, and that sometimes it’s death. But Luke’s only wrong was to be fated to be my mate. I feel as if I’ve been awakened to an evil I didn’t know existed. I realize that my life is never going to be the way it was before I met Luke, because my view of my clan has been shattered, and those cracks have revealed an ugly side.
I glance down at the town below. It’s dominated by humans, a species I never cared to be even if I do enjoy living in their world, and I wonder if perhaps there’s a reason for that. Maybe my destiny is to leave my clan for my mate, and we’ll live on our own where nobody will care about our differences. I inhale deeply to catch the lingering scent of Luke. I let it fill me with love as I picture his face. The crisp layer of my sheets is cool on my legs as I climb into bed. The bed I shared with my mate last night. I hug my pillow as I lie down to wait.
Chapter 12
Somehow I manage to doze off, and when the creak of metal outside my window sounds, I bolt up in bed. I listen with my cat hearing for Zander and discover he’s breathing heavily as he sleeps. I gaze at Gigi as she climbs slowly in my window. She’s in pajamas that are identical to a set of mine because we bought them together in a bestie moment, and I grin at her. The streetlight illuminates her face as she holds her finger up to her lips before she hugs me tight.
I pull back and mouth, “Thank you.”
She shoos me away with her hand, and cool night air greets me when I climb out onto the platform.
Metal chills my bare feet as I begin my careful descent down the ladder. The fire escape will deposit me behind a dumpster, and I plan to undress there before I shift and take off for the woods. Gigi texted me a map to Jim’s house, and it shouldn’t take me more than five minutes to get there. My heart is thumping against my chest as fabric rasps over my skin while I take off my clothes. I glance around to make sure nobody is watching my building, and I take comfort when I realize I’m alone in the alley. I guess I did a good acting job tonight and Zander’s friends all decided there’s no need to keep watch.
Shifting these days is always a relief. Living amongst humans means I don’t spend as much time in animal form as my cat would like. I stretch my feline limbs and revel in my powerful muscles as I take off running. It’s only a few streets before I get to the cover of the forest, and the sooner I get there, the better. It’s best I don’t alert any human to my presence as a cougar.
My feet thud rhythmically on the forest floor and release the familiar earthy scent of fallen leaves and dirt. I inhale it like an elixir. My cat isn’t the only one that misses the wilderness. As a cougar, my senses are even more heightened, and I marvel in my ability to see in the dark as twigs snap and leaves rustle when I pass by them at lightning speed. I really need to shift more often.
I arrive at Jim’s cabin before I’m barely winded. But my heart races as I approach the door and shift back to my human form.
The door creaks open, and Jim hands me a shirt. “Hey, he’s in the back. Follow me.”
I slip my arms into the soft flannel as I walk past a simple room that makes up the living space. We approach what appear to be two bedrooms on the far side of the house, and the overwhelming musk of Luke makes me push past Jim to get to him. Luke is in bear form, and I’m taken aback by his enormous body. He’s asleep on the floor, and I move quietly to his side. Fur is slick with his natural oils and soft in my fingers as I stroke it. Emotions well up in me to make my eyes fill with moisture, and my throat gets thick.
I speak softly. “You’re magnificent.” A hot tear rolls down my cheek, and I gasp as a sob comes to the surface. I almost lost you.
I turn to Jim as he speaks from the doorway. “He’s going to be fine, especially now that you’re here.”
I nod as he steps back and pushes the door closed to give us privacy. Luke groans, and his eyes blink open. He shifts before me, and I try not to show my surprise at the raw red skin left behind from his injuries. Burns must have covered the majority of his body, and his hair is a singed mess. Fortunately, werebear heal as quickly as werecougar, and within a few days, he’ll look good as new.
Luke is on his knees across from me on mine, and he pulls me against his body in a rib-crushing hug. “Xena.”
Now my tears won’t stop, and I gaze up at him.
He takes my face in his hands and sighs. “The last twelve hours have felt like a lifetime without you nearby.”
I crush his lips with my kiss, and Luke returns it with the same passion. I drink in my mate as if I’m dying of thirst as my hands roam over his body. I’m careful to be gentle because his skin feels unnaturally smooth. The shirt I had on slithers down my back as Luke removes it. If Luke has any pain, he’s not feeling it, and when I get to his cock, I’m sure that was left undamaged. It pulses in my hand as I squeeze, and he breaks away, panting.
“I need to be inside you.”
“Yes.” I turn and lower myself on my forearms. He needs to be in control, and I’m happy to let it happen.
My mate grabs my hips and pulls my bottom up into the air. Luke lowers himself to swipe his tongue along my sensitive slit. I moan at the pleasure it brings.
“So sweet, Xena.” He licks again, and I arch back as he says, “I’ll never get enough of you.”
I whimper. “Please, Luke. Fill me.”
He growls as he slips his fingers into my channel. “I’m tempted to tease you, but I’m too needy for that.”
“Then do—” I hiss as he thrusts into me, and my core flexes around his shaft as if I can keep him inside me forever. “God, you feel good.”
Luke groans as he pumps fast. He drives in deep, and the wood floor is hard on my knees as I do my best to brace myself against the force. Our cries are loud, and it’s music to my ears when Luke’s growl comes. He begins to tense for his impending release, and it triggers my orgasm. I tremble as it quakes through me, and Luke roars.
Bones thud on the floor as we collapse in a heap.
My mate cradles my breast in his hand as he curls around my back, and his breath is hot on my shoulder as he says, “Now I’m sure I’ll live.”
I chuckle and twist around to face him. “We’ve got a few more hours for sexual healing.” I raise my eyebrows. “And I’ve got a few ideas of how to play doctor.”
“Do you?”
I sit up. “Yes. But let’s try this on the bed.”
Luke stands and holds out a hand to help me up. His grip is strong and is one more indication my mate is just fine. I gaze at his burned hair, and he rubs his hand over his scalp as he says, “I think I need a trim.”
I frown. “That’s beyond help. How do you feel about a complete shave?”
Luke tugs me against his body, and his thickening cock twitches on my belly. “Later. I’ve got a naked woman in my arms and have more important things to do.”
I push him onto the bed, and the springs squeak as he lands. I lock my gaze with his as I move between his thighs and lower myself to my knees again. “So do I.”
Luke and I spend our time pleasuring each other before the alarm clock on the bedside table goes off at four to remind me that I’ll need to leave in a half hour.
I say, “As much as I don’t want to talk about this, we need to figure out what we’re going to do.” Luke is up on his arm and leaning over me as he traces my jawline with hi
s finger. I realize that I’ll probably have to make a choice between life in my clan or life with my mate, and I wonder if we should try. “I think we should petition the council.”
Luke shakes his head. “From what Jim and Mitch have told me, that’s only going to make sure you’re cast out. I can’t let you do that, Xena. You’ll lose your family and the people who matter to you.”
He’s right, and I think it’s best if we just leave so I’m able to come back if I ever want to. I push Luke onto his back to hover over him. “Then we leave, because if we don’t, I lose you. You’ve felt what it’s like to be away from me. How would that be living?”
He shakes his head. “I can’t be why you leave your life. I’m sure being without me would get better with time.”
What is he saying? I think about how being with Luke has eased the discomfort I’ve been experiencing the last few weeks. I don’t belong in North Carolina any longer. I tense up at the thought of being apart as tears burn in my eyes.
“No.” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Don’t you understand that you are my life now? Do you really want to be without me?”
“Of course not, but—”
“There is no but. I won’t live without you, Luke. I waited all these years for my mate, and now that I’ve found you, there’s no way I’m going to give you up.”
Luke’s love burns in his eyes as he stares at me. I wonder if he’s imagining life apart from his mate. He nods slightly as he says, “If you’re sure, baby. Come here.”
He pulls my head down to his chest, and I place a kiss over his heart. “I love you, Luke.”
“I love you, Xena. With all my heart.”
We make plans for me to return this afternoon so we can embark on the journey of the rest of our life. I leave with the sense that I’ve found my purpose, and I can’t wait to begin the adventure with my mate and my love, Luke Robichaux.