by Donya Lynne
Seph looked down uncomfortably when Miriam glanced toward her again.
“You know, I think it’s time for us both to get off that shit,” Seph said, her lips turning up into a reluctant smile. “I was going to tell you when I got here…but then we started talking about Io…and, well….” She shrugged and looked down.
“What?” Miriam said. “What’s going on?”
Seph frowned and took Miriam’s hands. “You scared me last night. Damn it, Miri, but I thought you were going to die.”
Miriam felt bad for putting Seph through last night’s hell. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I promise I’m going to try to quit. If I’m allowed to go back to Io, I’m sure I can make it happen.”
“I know.” Seph took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I know you can.” She smiled. “And so am I. I told my dad last night that I want to be admitted into AKM’s treatment program.”
“Really?”
Seph nodded. “Seeing you like that, and knowing that could be me.” She shook her head. “We have to quit, Miri. Both of us.”
“Yes, we do. And I’m proud of you.” Miriam was truly happy for her friend, but sad for herself. “At least your father listens to you.” She looked down at her hands, frustrated that everyone else seemed to have a father willing to listen to them while her dad was…Hitler.
Her father wanted to pretend everything was perfect bliss in the royal home. He refused to notice how destructive Miriam had become, and instead of treating her like a daughter, he treated her like a convict.
Miriam had started using cobalt to get her father’s attention. She readily admitted it, especially after Io’s little provocation last night. And not just get his attention. Miriam wanted him to actually care. She wanted her father to see her, hear her…to show he still loved her and that she wasn’t just another minion to order around and rule.
Talk about a backfire. Taking that first hit of cobalt had been a major fail. The second hit had been even more stupid. By the third, Miriam had been totally addicted. Cobalt was nasty shit. Getting off it would be a major ordeal.
“I know you’ve got problems with your father, Miri.” Seph took her hands. “But at least you’ve got a mate, right?”
Good old Seph, always trying to look at the bright side and cheer her up.
Miriam nodded. “As long as my dad doesn’t kill Io when he finds out what’s happened.” Miriam didn’t deny how messed up this situation could still become.
“He won’t. He can’t. Surely, he’ll recognize the significance of a mated male’s claim.”
Miriam rolled her eyes. “This is my dad we’re talking about, Seph.”
“True, but….” Seph paused. “Everything will work out. I know it.”
Miriam wished she had Seph’s confidence, because at the moment, she felt like everything was about to fall apart.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
A couple of hours before dawn, Io paced up and down the hall, his phone in his hand. Why hadn’t anyone called him, yet?
The door opened and Micah walked in with Trace.
“What the hell?” he said, spinning around to glare at them. “That door was locked.”
Trace tapped his temple and grinned.
“Oh, I see. Another one of your fancy abilities, I presume?” Io shook his head. The more he learned about Trace, the more he realized he knew very little about how powerful the guy was.
“Yep, Trace is full of tricks,” Micah said, walking toward him. “I need a favor.”
Did Micah even acknowledge that he had broken into his house? “How ‘bout you go back out and knock like a normal person?”
“No time for that.” Micah grabbed his arm and led him toward the back of the house.
What was so urgent that they couldn’t even knock? “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.” Micah directed Io into his den and pushed him into his chair behind his oversized desk full of laptops, keyboards, and monitors. “I’ve got a job for you. Something you can do while you’re waiting for little Miss Firecracker to return.”
Io frowned, but Micah had a good point. He needed something to keep himself busy, and from the looks of things, it would involve working on his computers, and if anything had hope of taking his mind off the agony of being separated from his mate, it was his computers.
“Okay. So what’s up?” he said.
Trace sauntered in and sat down on the couch. Micah joined him.
“Gina Carano,” Micah said.
“Who?” The name sounded familiar, but Io couldn’t remember from where.
“The female who tried to perform open heart surgery on Sev with a bullet a couple of weeks ago.”
“Oh, yeah. Her. What about her?”
Micah leaned back and rested his arm over the back of the couch. “I want you to find her.”
“Say again?”
“Find her. Contact her. Get her ass back here.”
This was an unusual request. “Would you mind telling me why the sudden urgency?”
“Malek needs her.”
Either Io was completely out of touch, or Micah was delusional. He looked back and forth between Trace and Micah and saw no hint of psychosis.
“I’m not delusional,” Micah said.
“Get out of my head.”
“Yeah, that’ll happen.” Trace said doubtfully.
“Can you find her?” Micah was all business.
Io was the best at digging up intel and hacking systems. “Sure, I can find her. If she wants to be found.”
“Make sure she wants to.”
Io still didn’t understand the urgency. “Why is this so important? What’s she got to do with Malek?”
“I think she’s his mate.”
Okay, hold the phone while a bombshell drops in my office.
“Come again?”
“You heard me.”
So this explained why Malek had been walking around like a member of the pissed off walking dead for the past couple of weeks. AKM seemed to be in a mating boom, and ol’ Malek looked to be next on the list. What was up with that?
“How will Sev react to this?”
“Who cares? If she’s Malek’s mate, we need to get her back here. He’s not doing so hot.”
“Jesus.” Io fired up his system. “You heard she had a fling with Sev’s father, Lakota, right?”
“Yep.” Micah took out his phone as it beeped, read the screen, then punched in a number.
“Lakota won’t be happy to see her back here after what she did to Sev.”
“He’ll get over it.” Micah turned his attention to his phone. “Hey, babe.” He had obviously called Sam. “No, I’m at Io’s house…uh-huh…do you need me?” He paused. “Oh?” His eyebrow arched with interest then he chuckled darkly. “You are, huh?” Micah shifted on the couch. “So, you do need me.”
Awkward.
Trace looked out the window, and Io typed in his password.
Micah chuckled again. “I’ll be right there.” He hung up and looked at Io. “I’ve got to run. My mate requires my attention.” He grinned and glanced at Trace. “You coming?”
Trace stood up and followed Micah to the doorway. Then Micah stopped and turned back toward Io. “Text me when you find her, but get her back here. I don’t care what it takes. Tell her Sev changed his mind and decided to press charges if you have to.”
Io smirked. “I’ll leave that part to you. How’s that?”
“Fine. Whatever. Just find her.”
As the two left the den, Io realized that Micah would make a good team leader. What an odd thought. Before Sam, he had been the loosest cannon in the history of loose cannons. He had been an asshole loner who nobody liked, but in the weeks since meeting Sam, he had changed. Micah was turning into someone who commanded respect and displayed sound judgment and concern for his peers. All qualities necessary for a leader, and even though he was constantly in the minds of those around him, he rarely, if ever, used what he found in
their thoughts against them, and he never used others’ thoughts for his own personal gain. He kept his mouth shut and didn’t reveal secrets when it would be so easy for him to do just that. Io had never thought he would like Micah, but for the first time he felt like he and Micah might actually be able to get along…maybe even be friends.
“Wouldn’t work!” Micah called from the front hallway.
“Huh?” Io frowned.
“You and me being friends,” Micah called back to him. “It wouldn’t work, you homophobic bastard. I’ve fucked guys.”
Io heard the hint of humor in Micah’s voice. “Yeah, well I seem to be finding a guy’s sexuality and what he does with his own dick more and more unimportant these days, Micah. But then again, I’ve got the feeling you already knew that.”
A dark chuckle came from the foyer. “Yep. I’ve caught that, but I’ll still ride your ass about it.”
Io had to laugh. “Fuck off, shithead. Go home and make your woman happy.”
Micah and Trace both chuckled. “I plan on it,” Micah said.
The front door opened and closed, and Io heard the lock engage as he began his search. This would help keep his mind off Miriam. At least for a little while. Because he sure wasn’t going to be able to sleep until he had her back here, and pacing endlessly was just going to wear out his carpet.
Now, where could he dig up info on Gina? Pulling up AKM’s record of her arrest would be a start. He would find something there to go on, then connect the dots and follow her trail. If Gina really was Malek’s mate, Io could understand the importance of getting her back. The way he was suffering, he could only imagine what Malek was going through.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Malek pushed Jess’s head down against the mattress with one hand while he shackled her slender wrists at the small of her back with the other. She was bent over on her knees, his thighs opening her legs as he fucked her hard from behind.
Anger roiled just beneath his skin, and sweat poured from his body as his muscles strained against his aggression. Damn Micah to hell for making light of his feelings for Carmen. He would show Micah how wrong he was about Gina. Malek didn’t need Gina or anyone else.
He punctuated the thought with a violent thrust, grunting harshly as his body slapped hard between Jess’s legs, her ass rippling from the impact.
Jess cried out and whimpered. He was hurting her.
Good. As he saw Gina under him instead of Jess, he growled with satisfaction at giving her pain.
“I don’t need you, fucking whore.” Malek pounded hard inside her again, tightening his grip on her wrists and driving her head further against the mattress. “Do you hear me? There’s no room for you here.” Again he slammed into her.
Gina yelped again, sounding distressed.
Her cries pleased Malek. He wanted to hurt her, to make her see he had no room in his life for her. Spiraling down further into hell, Malek lashed her body with his, trapping her beneath him, showing her who was boss and that he would never see her as anything more than a fuck to milk his cock when he felt the urge to abuse her. He would never take her as his mate. Never! Fuck biology and fuck his instinctual needs. Malek would never bow down to either and take Gina as his mate. Not at the cost of tainting Carmen’s memory.
“You’re nothing, Gina. Nothing but a whore.” His voice hissed with venomous rage.
He pulled back and flipped her over, manhandling her, bruising her flesh as her wide eyes met his. Fear shone through. She was terrified of him.
Once more, his brutal fucking lashed her, his knees shoving her legs apart before she could close them, his hands pressing down her arms so she couldn’t fight him.
“Stop…Ow! Malek, stop!”
Her pleas only fueled him to take her harder, sweat dripping off the tip of his nose, his long hair damp and hanging over his face.
Gina! God, but she was beautiful. NO! He refused to see her as anything more than a vessel. She would never measure up to Carmen’s memory. Carmen, sweet Carmen. How he had loved her. Loved and lost, but never would he soil her memory by taking another.
Malek’s mind spun out of control, his lust rising, his body answering the call to let loose his desire. But no matter how hard he tried to keep Carmen’s face in his mind, it was Gina’s that kept pushing forward.
“NO!” He shouted, relentlessly abusing her body to drive back her image as he drove only to give her pain while finding his pleasure.
“Ow! Malek! Stop. Ow! You’re hurting me!”
Closing his eyes, Malek struggled to see his perfect, beautiful Carmen, fighting to hold onto her, clashing with Gina’s mental image, trying to resist her clawing hands. She reached for him, scratched him, tried to latch on.
When Malek opened his eyes again, he saw that his hands were squeezing Gina’s throat. Her arms flailed, her hands slapping him as she gagged and choked.
With a jolt, Malek pulled back.
The woman was no longer Gina, but Jess. God, what had he done?
Jess heaved for air and coughed, gasping as Malek fell backward. Wide-eyed and terrified of what he had done, Malek could only stare. He had thought the woman with him was Gina. He had tried to kill her and hadn’t even realized it.
“Oh my God. Jess. Oh fuck.” He tried to reach for her, but she slapped his hand away.
“Stay away from me, you freak! I never said I was in to asphyxiation.” She coughed again, sitting up and fixing Malek with a horrified glare. “You almost killed me!”
“I’m sorry…God, I’m sorry.” Malek scampered off the bed, paced away in a confused daze, then turned and rushed back, wanting to help her and make this right.
Jess flinched and nearly fell off the bed to get away from him. “Don’t touch me!” She got her footing and grabbed her clothes. “I thought you were different. I thought….” She shook her head. “To think I felt sorry for you last night.”
“Jess, please. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Malek needed to get his shit together. He didn’t know what was happening to him, but he needed to figure it out fast before he hurt somebody. He glanced at Jess. Well, he already had hurt somebody, which meant that if he wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again, he needed to wrap his head around what was going on.
“Fuck you. You got that. Fuck you. You can keep your goddamn money for all I care. I’m out of here, asshole.”
Malek couldn’t blame her. After nearly getting choked to death, he would split like his ass was on fire, too. But he couldn’t let her leave without paying her. Not after what he had done.
“No…Jess…”
But she was already flying at Mach speed up the stairs.
Malek grabbed his stash of bills and darted up after her, but she was already out the door. Not even caring that he was as naked as a jaybird, he ran after her, catching her wrist.
Screaming, she spun around and slapped him. “Let go of me.” She continued trying to beat him, crying out as tears streamed her face.
“Just hold on. Let me at least call you a cab. Jess! Stop fighting me.”
“I don’t want you calling me a cab. I don’t want anything from you. Just get away from me and never come looking for me again!” Her palm connected with his face one last time, the slap ringing out like the crack of a whip.
Malek pulled back, letting go of her, stumbling and falling to his ass on his lawn as the realization that he had fucked up beyond all recourse finally sank in. Jess took off, and all he could do was watch her go.
Numb, Malek sat in the grass, staring into space until the cold, early morning air caused him to shiver. Pushing himself off the ground, he gathered his bearings as best he could and went back inside.
He was falling apart. He hadn’t meant to hurt Jess, but his conflicting emotions had spun him into delirium, and before he had known what he was doing, he had almost strangled her to death, thinking she was Gina.
If Gina had just stayed in the back of his mind so he could enjoy his precious Carmen
, none of this would have happened. But that bitch had bullied her way into his thoughts, forcing him away from the one who mattered most, stealing him away from his first and only mate. Damn Gina to hell for causing this nightmare. This was all her fault.
God help Gina if Malek ever saw her again, because sure as shit, if he got his hands around her throat, he wouldn’t let go until she stopped breathing.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
King Bain dismissed the meeting an hour before dawn, but Gregos stayed behind.
“What’s on your mind, Gregos?”
His liaison bowed respectfully and stepped forward. “A matter I feel needs your attention.”
“Speak.”
Gregos cleared his throat. “Tristan from AKM called me tonight. He offered a solution to the…um…problem that plagues you.”
“What problem is that?” His eyes narrowed. He had a feeling this had to do with his daughter. Couldn’t this matter just go away on its own?
“Sire, forgive my candor, but Tristan offers a discreet solution to Miriam’s…well, her extracurricular medicinal usage.”
Clever phrasing. With the care Gregos was using to choose his words, perhaps Bain would listen to his proposal. Obviously Gregos understood how he felt about the matter of Miriam’s escapades and defiant behavior.
“Go on.” He sat back in the massive, leather chair at the head of the oval table. With a controlled wave of his hand, he gestured toward the chair beside him as he turned to face Gregos.
Gregos bowed again and sat. “Sire, Tristan and I know how delicate this situation is, and I truly feel that Tristan’s solution is wise. A member of his team used to have a similar ailment as your daughter, but he was able to overcome it. I understand this person often assists in counseling sessions conducted at AKM on the issue. He is an expert in treatment and I am assured that if you put your daughter in his care, he would treat the situation with the utmost privacy and diplomacy.”
King Bain considered the proposal for a moment. “Who is this male?”
Gregos cleared his throat and blinked several times. “Io, Sire. The male who tended to Miriam last night. And saved her life, I might add.”