Beautiful Mistake: 2 (Royal Pride)

by Nancy Corrigan

  The front door opened, pulling him out of his remorseful contemplations. Snarls fell from his mouth. His lion’s body poised to attack. Oh hell, no. Lena’s house was one thing. It was stuff. Material objects could be replaced. His friends could not. He yanked on the tether linking the lion’s spirit to his and reined him in.

  Curses rang out. He cringed, his remorse increasing. Through his lion’s eyes, he watched his pride leader’s cautious approach. Kade entered the kitchen with arms spread wide, an attempt to appear less threatening. It was a lie. Kade was as vicious as him, but Devin appreciated the guise.

  “What the hell happened?” Kade asked.

  Devin considered answering through his cat—all feline royals could reach out to one another telepathically. Few did, unless they were mated or siblings. Their animal spirits were territorial of everything, including the host they inhabited. They didn’t like hearing another’s voice in their head. Although it’d be easier to stay in his lion’s body than face his friend’s pitiful expression in his human form, he shifted and propped his wary frame against the cabinets.

  “Lena left me.”

  Kade raised a blond brow. “So you decided to trash her house?”

  Devin scrubbed a hand down his face. “You were right, Kade. I should’ve gone back to Pennsylvania and let you and Xander handle Lena.”

  Kade crouched in front of him. “Your cats want her.”

  He nodded.

  “All right. We’ll get her back.” Kade blew out a rough breath. “Even if you don’t finish mating her, she’s your beloved human. Shifter law guarantees you the right to watch over her at the very least.”

  “We have to. I want her as…” Lena’s shocked cries came back to him, along with her adamant claim that she didn’t want to mate him. He cleared his throat. “She’s the key to maintaining my sanity.” He gripped Kade’s shoulders. “You understand? I fucking need her.”

  Sympathy flared in Kade’s eyes. It pissed him off. He stood and strode across the room to where his lion had left the single yogurt cup on the table, like a damn offering to his mate. Except, Lena didn’t want to be his. He grabbed the plastic container and flung it. White cream splattered over the sunny yellow walls.

  She’d run from him fully aware that there were lion shifters in town. She must’ve thought facing them was a better fate than staying with him.

  The truth tightened his throat, made it hard to breathe. His heart knocked hard against his rib cage. Darkness crept over his vision. He fell to his knees, head in his hands. A groan ripped from his throat as he tugged at his hair, hoping the pain would help him avoid the blackout. It didn’t. The damn ache in his chest grew. Made thinking impossible.

  Lena’s scent seeped through the haze, stronger than the lingering fragrance that clung to everything in the house.

  She came back. The blackness cleared. Sanity returned. He swung his head looking for her chocolate eyes and tanned skin. “Lena!”

  She wasn’t there. Kade stood in the doorway to the dining room with a mangy, stuffed jaguar. He held it out to him.

  Devin’s heart skipped a beat as he realized what Kade held. He laughed, the sound bitter and a little demented. He was, wasn’t he? Fucking crazed, not fit to live. And sure as hell not worthy of heaven.

  Of living a goddamn normal life.

  He took the toy and pressed it to his burning eyes. Her scent clung to the thing, heavy, rich and decadent. Like a two-year-old, he clutched it as if it were his lifeline.

  “I fucked up. Big time.” He cleared his throat. What the hell was it with the lump he kept getting there? He blew out a breath, waited for the weird sensation to ease. “I thought she was my one.”

  Silence met his words. Finally, he heard Kade sigh. “Did your cats recognize her as a potential mate?”

  As if he needed the reminder, they shoved a picture of Lena with her stomach swollen with multiples into his mind. He pressed the stuffed jaguar harder against his eyes. The damn burn pricked them again. “Scratch that. Lena is my one. She just doesn’t want me.”

  “You’ve known the woman a few days and she’s been unconscious most of that time. I think you’re jumping to conclusions about what she wants.”

  Devin pulled the toy away from his face, met Kade’s golden eyes. “I told her I wanted her. She allowed me into her body, took my seed, but I…” He squeezed his eyes closed. “I got carried away and bit her again. She freaked out, said she didn’t want me as a mate, only a lover.”

  Kade slammed him into the wall right next to the damn splattered yogurt. The scent of coconut mixed with that of Kade’s rage. “You broke her ties and let her fucking walk away.”

  Devin shoved him back and enjoyed watching the other male scramble to stay on his feet. “I didn’t even touch her soul!” He panted, reined in his agitated cats that wanted to rip Kade’s throat out for touching him, trying to restrain him. Nobody was allowed to restrain him, never again. “She pulled away. I just broke the skin.”

  Kade sighed but narrowed his eyes in the next breath. ”I told you this would happen. Now is not the time to mate the woman.”

  Devin groaned. “Dammit, I know that. My instincts took over. When I came inside her, it was like experiencing heaven.”

  Kade ran a hand through his hair. A splash of color darkened his cheeks. “So I’ve heard.”

  Devin knew from whom too. Rafe had made it no secret how much he loved having a mate. Hearing the stories had increased Devin’s jealousy and longing. Now he had his own female to enjoy.

  “I’m not letting her go.” Devin crossed his arms, letting his pride leader see his determination. “She’s my one. She’s just stubborn. I’ll tame her.”

  A low chuckle rumbled Kade’s chest. He held a hand up. “I’m not getting between your fucked-up cats and their mate. Like I said, she’s all yours.”

  Yeah, she was. And he’d make sure she knew it too. As soon as he found her, anyway.

  Chapter Twelve

  Lena pressed her fist to her heart once the elevator doors swooshed closed. It ached as if she’d left a piece of it behind with the frustrating man. Sure, Devin’s kisses did things to her other guys couldn’t come close to touching, even during sex. One of those wicked licks from his rough tongue could hurl her into an orgasm so strong it knocked her out. And the sex they’d shared…mind-blowing. Except for the bite, that was. Even remembering the pain didn’t dim the memory. The sheer passion he’d delivered made those few seconds of discomfort seem insignificant.

  Devin tasted of sin and his scent conjured up images of all the naughty things they could do together naked. However, missing a man who wasn’t really a man just for the sinful promises he could deliver went way beyond normal for her. She was not a clingy woman. One cock was as good as the next. Yearning for him was just a latent effect of the blood he’d shared with her. There. That was a logical conclusion and one she desperately hoped was true. Otherwise, she was in big trouble.

  She dragged in a deep breath and hit the button for the basement. Most normal billionaires would live in a penthouse of some high-rise, not below a less than reputable strip club. Only, Vader wasn’t a man. He wasn’t exactly sane either. Complicated and moody described him best. He almost reminded her of a PMSing woman, but he had the claws to strike out at the world when it pissed him off. She giggled, the lighthearted sound chasing away the desperation choking her.

  Christ, she was losing it. She dragged her fingers through her hair and tugged at the knots. Her mind flashed to those moments back in the hotel when Devin had finger-combed her tangles out, smoothing the locks with a gentleness few men ever showed.

  Dammit! Every thought circled back to him. She closed her eyes, forced her hands to drop and pushed the image of him pistoning into her core out of her mind. It was over. She’d never have to look at him again.

  She wheezed, the sharp pain in her chest stealing her breath and her sanity.

  The doors opened and she stumbled out. Moans and rough grunt
s carried through the apartment. She grimaced. Great. Three o’clock in the afternoon and Vader was screwing somebody. At least the stench of his whores overpowered the evergreen and moss smell lingering on her skin.

  The creaking of the bed stopped long enough for Vader to yell, “Be out in a minute, lover. Make yourself at home.”

  She ground her teeth so hard she feared the edges would wear down. A bottle of tequila and a broken heart had landed her in his bed five years ago. Ever since, he had to constantly remind her of their shared intimacy. She’d tried to make it work. Vader had seemed so attentive at first. He’d acted like he’d wanted her, hadn’t even minded when she said no to more sex after the first few weeks. Little did she know it was because he’d fucked the wrong Burnett.

  Vader ended up being another damn lover she regretted. Just like Devin.

  The sting in her chest stole her breath. She closed her eyes, breathing shallowly until it lessened. Obviously, she wasn’t completely healed. She’d have to get a check-up. Heart disease did run in her family.

  She tossed her wallet on the bar and walked across the cavernous room to the inviting leather sofa in the far corner. A TV hung on the wall with a bra dangling precariously from the corner. A lacy red bikini lay discarded on the floor. She kicked it into the corner with her foot and sat without hesitation. Vader never dirtied his furniture or his personal bed with the many women he fucked. He had a separate room dedicated just for meaningless sex.

  Rick had introduced her to Vader. They’d both worked on her stepfather’s task force as liaisons between the shifter’s Council and the human government’s Shifter Affairs department. She’d learned a lot about the secret world of nonhumans when her mother fell in love with Steven Burnett.

  Some days she wished her mom had never met the hardened federal agent, but the love in their eyes whenever they’d glanced at each other was enough to make any girl sigh. She’d envied her mom and the longing for a love like her parents shared set her down a path she wished she’d never taken. A decade later, all she had to show for it was a lot of broken dreams.

  She pushed thoughts of her parents away. Otherwise, the tears would start. Now wasn’t the time for them. Later. Breakdowns needed to happen when she was alone, not in front of a badass wolf who’d use it as an excuse to comfort her. She snorted. Vader’s idea of consoling her would likely involve his cock, or maybe some sex toys. Just because their relationship never made it past the two-month mark didn’t mean he still didn’t try to get in her pants.

  She turned her head and studied the big bed in Vader’s bedroom. When she’d woken up there five years ago, he’d informed her she was the first female he’d ever taken to his own room. After she’d ended things, he’d sworn he’d never let another woman between the sheets. Five years later, she was still avoiding him.

  The other bedroom door opened. Vader emerged from it looking sated and relaxed. His chin-length hair stood in jagged spikes, no doubt from the Barbie-shaped girl clinging to his arm. The black robe he wore showed an impressive chest and the edge of his inner thigh as he walked.

  He was shorter than Devin though not by much. The muscles layered on his body were as thick and stacked as Devin’s. Vader was by far one of the sexiest men she’d ever met. But as she looked him over, she felt nothing—no lust, longing or curiosity over what it would feel like to fuck him without a condom the way she had with Devin. The only thing bothering her was the stupid ache in her heart.

  Vader flashed a smile as he ushered the blonde, double D-cup sex toy out the door. The woman tried to steal a kiss. He gripped her by the shoulders and set her in the elevator.

  “You know the rules, Betty. No kissing allowed.”

  He’d kissed Lena the night she’d ended up here. Over and over he’d claimed her mouth. She’d loved it but his kisses didn’t come close to the dirty, raw ones Devin handed out.

  Vader grimaced once the elevator door closed.

  “Let me get a shower. I hate smelling females on my skin.”

  He’d made comments like that before. She’d never given them much thought until Devin had flipped out over the scent of her makeup.

  “If you don’t like how they smell, why screw them?”

  Vader shrugged as he glided toward the bathroom with a swagger she couldn’t help but appreciate. “It passes the time.”

  She snorted. He talked about the string of women he screwed the same way a man might view watching sports or napping. “What? Are you waiting for the right woman to come along?”

  “Something like that,” he said as the door closed with a soft click behind him.

  She shook her head. Five years had passed since their pathetic attempt at a relationship. Some days she doubted everything she thought she knew about him and why they hadn’t worked. It certainly wasn’t because of lack of lust. They both felt it, hadn’t acted on it after they’d called it quits. Of course, her lingering desire for Vader finally seemed to have finally fizzled. Thank goodness. She couldn’t deal with it on top of what she felt for Devin.

  He emerged in a cloud of steam with a pair of loose sleep pants hung low on his hips. Strands of wet hair replaced the sex-tousled look he’d worn a few minutes ago. He grinned at her with such genuine happiness, it tempted her to match it. She did, unable to resist. Thankfully, he didn’t tear her control completely to shreds that way Devin did.

  He motioned to his bedroom. “You ready to pick up where we left off?”

  “Not on your life.”

  He sauntered across the massive room, which was as long as the remodeled warehouse upstairs, but stopped mid-step. He lifted his head and sniffed before locking amber wolf eyes on her. “Did you tangle with a cat, lover?”

  She snorted and unconsciously pressed her hand to her stomach. “You could say that.”

  A moment later, he was by her side. He shoved her shirt up and cursed a string of vicious death threats in a voice slurred by the huge canine fangs filling his mouth. Devin’s cat teeth were nicer. Dammit, why did she immediately think of him?

  “What happened to you?”

  Lena hesitated. Trust him or not. She gnawed on her lip as she questioned her decision to come to him. Devin’s voice filled her head with his ridiculous insistence that he owned her. No, she didn’t have anyone else to go to for help. Vader was it and she was banking on his affection for her to overrule his loyalty to the Council.

  “I’ll tell you everything but let me make this clear. If you think to take Molly from us, I’ll fight you.” She leveled her hardest glower on him. “I’ll kill you if I have to. Molly will not be put down or live out her life in one of those horrid confinement facilities.”

  Rough pants heaved his chest. “Never.” He leaned forward and full amber wolf eyes filled her vision. “Those damn places will be shut down if it’s the last thing I do.”

  She held completely still as his enraged growls and hot, minty breath bathed her face. Her stomach churned. Not once in all the years they’d known each other had he ever frightened her. Until now.

  Finally, white bled into the amber and normal honey-brown eyes focused on her. He made a rolling motion with his hand. “Start talking, lover.”

  “A bunch of lion shifters came after Molly.” She explained about arriving to find her mom desperately trying to protect Molly and the promise she’d made to her dying stepdad—protect Molly at any cost.

  A haunted look settled over his face. “So where is she?”

  “A few other shifters showed up. I thought we were done for but one of the new guys attacked them. I sent Gwen and Molly off and lured the survivors away. I was afraid they’d spotted Gwen’s car parked at the end of the driveway.”

  Vader gripped her arms and gave her a little shake. “You crazy woman! You turned yourself into bait. What were you thinking?”

  She straightened her spine. Why did everyone accuse her of being crazy? She did what she’d thought was right at the time. Now, not so much. But hearing about her foolishness made her d
efensive.

  “I was thinking I didn’t want to see some huge shifter rape my five-year-old sister!”

  Vader laughed and sat back so he rocked on his feet. “Oh, baby, we might be animals but we aren’t sick.” He shook his head, disgust and anger darkening his eyes. “Most of us aren’t, anyway. Mating at Molly’s age doesn’t involve sex, just a bite.”

  A bite. I got carried away. Yeah, she knew all about the damn bite.

  Her shoulders slumped and some of her fear eased. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “I did. It isn’t my fault your dad didn’t share the info,” he said while he studied the claw mark with the featherlight touch of his forefinger.

  His brows furrowed. He leaned in, pressed his nose to her stomach and sniffed. Her cheeks heated. This was embarrassing, a complete invasion of her privacy, but he didn’t understand the meaning of a personal bubble. She’d given up years ago trying to get him to back off. He’d just hold her hands out of the way and sniff her or rub his cheek against her skin despite her protests. He never hurt her so she let him close as long as he kept his hands away from her private areas.

  This was the reason getting involved with co-workers was a bad idea. Vader might not be hers, but he’d been a permanent figure in her parent’s house. They’d both had to learn to deal with their shared past and remain civil.

  “He licked this.”

  As if she needed him to tell her. She’d been there when Devin had laved the wounds and sent her body into meltdown.

  “Yeah. He gave me blood too. He said…” She paused debating whether or not to mention who’d caused the wound. With the protectiveness Vader had always shown toward her, she decided against divulging the info. “He said my organs got pierced.”

  Vader stood and walked to the table at the far end of the couch where a picture of a pretty teenager sat, the mate he’d never gotten to claim. Lena knew the story of her short life by heart. He’d used it to justify his crazy possessiveness. The girl had been captured and sold to a research facility like the one Molly had been imprisoned at. And died there.