“Chloe. I’ve told you that place has the best security system invented, so even if someone is outside, they won’t be getting in.”
“Oh, okay. How long are you staying out? I’ll feel safer once I’m not alone.”
He sighs and glances at me. I don’t know what he is trying to read in my face but it makes me feel uncomfortable.
I quickly turn away and look out my window.
“I’m just taking Rosabel home. I won’t be long.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you soon,” she sings through the phone.
Theo hangs up with no goodbye, putting his phone back in his pocket. Expecting him to put the car in gear and pull away from the curb I get a shock when he just sits there, rubbing a hand over his face. I feel a wave of sadness coming off him.
“Sorry about that. Some of the pack members are worried about the kidnapper. Chloe lives on her own. My home is the pack’s home. They’re all welcome to come and go as they please. She’s staying until things become safer.”
I start to feel a bit jealous, I don’t like the fact that Chloe, of all people, is staying at Theo’s, especially since she’s the one that said she should be his mate. I hear Theo chuckle and realise the car is full of my mating scent.
Great. Could that have not been kept a secret?
“Don’t worry, she’s got no chance. I’m yours, remember?” He says as he leans across the console and gives me a chaste kiss. I can smell his arousal and realise he’s aroused by my jealousy. His body starts releasing his mating scent too.
We both laugh because it looks like we are both as bad as each other.
Seventeen
POTENT STEAM
THEO
I can’t help but be aroused by her jealousy. When Emmanuel made the comment about me being no good because I can’t protect her from my own pack members, I didn’t think her wolf would forgive me. I know she said she did, but to know that she’s jealous makes me believe it that much more.
This beautiful woman sitting next to me in my car is actually my mate.
Mine!
I pull back from the kiss, not too far. I might want to take her lips again in a more passionate kiss. “Tell you what, why don’t you come back to mine? You can shower there and I am sure I can find some clothes for you to wear,” I suggest, grinning.
“Will I need clothes?” she asks with a cheeky smile, knowing exactly what her words are doing to me.
“Be careful. I might hold you to that,” I warn, unable to hold the rasp in my voice back.
It doesn’t take me long to drive us home.
We walk in the door to be greeted by Chloe in a lacy number that doesn’t leave much to the imagination. How dare she prance around my house wearing that? I have a mate. What does she think will come of her meeting me at the door wearing something like that?
I smell Bel’s mating scent and can’t contain my anger.
“PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!” I shout.
Bel squeezes the hand she is holding and rubs her thumb over the back of my hand in a calming gesture.
I quieten my voice. “I don’t appreciate you walking around my home half-naked, Chloe.”
She turns and storms upstairs without another word, but not before giving Bel a deathly glare.
“Well. I give her a ten for trying,” Bel jokes. If she can joke about it I can calm down.
I remind myself that this is the first time Bel and I have had some time together. With people going missing left, right, and centre, we need to make the most of it. It will only be a matter of time before something comes up. Hopefully one of my guys will get a lead on the damn kidnapper because my wolf sure does want someone to pay.
I lead Bel into the one room I know we won’t get disturbed in—unless it’s an emergency. Let me tell you, if someone does disturb us, someone better be dying. I lead her to my bedroom. I am not wild in my paint taste. It’s just a good ol’ cream. I like the bed being a focal point. That’s what a bedroom is all about, after all. Glancing at the bed I am grateful for the clean black satin sheets I put on this morning but I’m starting to regret bringing her in here. My wolf wants to claim her. He always wants to claim her but seeing the bed is making him ride me harder.
I close the door behind us and show her straight to the bathroom trying to ignore the bed and my impatient wolf.
“Wow. That is some spa bath,” Bel says, looking at my extra-large spa bath. It takes up most of the left hand side of the room.
I shrug at her comment. “I’m a large guy and I like a big bath.”
I walk over to the two-headed shower and turn it on. I renovated this bathroom after my ex left, always keeping the idea of a mate in mind. What good is a shower if you can’t fit two people in it?
“I’ll just get you some clothes while that warms up,” I say, heading back into the room to go through my chest of drawers and find a t-shirt and some boxers that will be suitable.
I can feel Bel’s eyes on me, as she watches me while leaning against the doorjamb.
Once back in the bathroom, I grab a towel from under the sink and place the items on the bench next to the sink. Steam is filling the room and my wolf is getting antsy thinking about her being naked in the shower. I can smell her arousal so I know she is thinking along the same lines as me. I need to get out of here before I pin her in the shower. I try to remind myself she has had a knock to the head. It’s not the right time to be pinning her anywhere.
“I’ll be just outside. If you need anything, give me a shout,” I say, quickly escaping the steam and the smell of her arousal.
I pace the room, having way too much energy to sit still. I chant to myself. “You will not go in there.”
She deserves more than a claiming in a shower.
She deserves romance and sweet gentle love making.
“You will not go in there.”
Bel’s mating scent comes out from the crack under the bathroom door.
Oh fuck it!
I can’t hold back anymore.
It’s time to claim my mate.
Eighteen
VANISHING ACT
ROSABEL
I look in the mirror and see what a mess I am. I remove my clothes, wondering why Theo wasn’t aroused by Chloe when we came in. She is gorgeous, and as much as I hate her, I can’t deny it.
The room fills with my mating scent. It mixes with the steam of the shower, making it even headier. I step under the shower head and close my eyes, enjoying the feel of the water running over my face and body.
I feel a slight draft and open my eyes to find I am no longer alone. My eyes hungrily take in a very naked Theo before me.
“Do you mind if I join you? I thought I could scrub your back.” He reaches around me for the soap with the cheekiest smirk on his face, knowing full well from my scent there is no way I’m going to say no. I am even more turned on now by his naked body pressing against me.
I pull the bottle of shampoo from behind my back and wiggle it in front of him. “You better start from the top and work your way down.”
“Of course,” he remarks, as he takes the bottle and pours some into his hand.
He carefully works the shampoo into my hair so he doesn’t hurt my injured head. The shift helped it heal a little and with every minute that passes it is healing more. It will be fully healed by morning. The water turns a rusty colour as it runs down my body and into the drain.
He lathers his hands with the soap. Knowing he’s going to be rubbing them over my body makes it look erotic. I bite my lip in anticipation. I don’t have to wait long. His hands start at my shoulders and work their way to my chest. He bends his head and latches onto a nipple. A growl comes from deep within me. My wolf’s energy pounces out of me and latches onto Theo’s wolf.
Theo straightens and I follow my wolf, pouncing at him. He catches me and I wrap my legs around his waist as my hands go to his hair. The feel of his hard arousal pressing against the exact spot I want him sets me on fire. He takes my mouth wi
th his not caring about finesse, biting my lip to gain entry.
I can’t help grinding myself against him. I can’t believe I am acting like a hussy, but I need him. He’s my mate and I need to claim him. He spins us around and presses me against the shower screen.
Everything starts to spin and I feel dizzy. The room passes by in a blur of colours, which start to change slightly as the spinning starts to slow, until it’s normal again.
Only it isn’t normal, because I am no longer in Theo’s arms.
As I look around the strange room I find myself in, I start to panic. The arousal I had in the shower is long gone. It’s obvious by the grand heavy wood desk in the middle of the room and leather chair behind it that it’s someone’s office. Someone with very expensive tastes, if the magnificent wall tapestries hanging to cover the stone walls are anything to go by.
As I get closer to the desk I can see what looks like a robe with a note on top. Reading the exquisite handwriting and seeing my name I pick up the note and read the rest.
My Saviour Rosabel,
I thought you would appreciate the robe, so you could be covered before I enter.
Forever in your debt.
Dominick Filious Draconis
Of course, Dominick would be at the root of this.
Just as I am tying the robe closed the door behind me opens and Dominick barely enters the room before I start demanding answers.
“How the hell did I get here and what have you done with Theo?” I shout as I poke him in the chest.
“Calm down, my saviour. I have done nothing to your lover. He remains where you left him. All be it, he may be slightly concerned about your whereabouts.” He pauses and I open my mouth to yell some more, but he carries on, “You teleported here because I called you here. I wanted to tell you that I will allow you to claim your lover, even though it will break the tie between us. Think of it as a gift for saving me tonight.”
“You pompous ass! Why didn’t you just leave us to it?”
“I wanted you to know it was a gift. I thought you would prefer me to do it before rather than during the afterglow,” he says, with a smirk that I would love to slap off his face.
I pace away from him trying to rein in my anger. The pacing helps me think.
“You wouldn’t have been able to do it after because the tie would be broken. That’s why you did it now.”
“Oh, Bel. It isn’t the tie that enabled me to call you here. You have turned out to be a very interesting creature indeed. You see, Chomp has a very specific taste in blood. He loves a Druid and you have druid blood in your veins. As a druid you can teleport and be called upon, once you learn how to control it you will be able to choose whether or not to go when called.”
“Bullshit! I don’t know any druids. My parents were both werewolves.” I storm back towards him.
“I know nothing of your kin, but I trust Chomp’s word and to have druid blood you must have one somewhere in your ancestry.”
“Fine. I’m a druid werewolf. You have informed my about the gift. Send me the fuck back. NOW!” I scream.
Dominick steps around me and casually takes a seat behind his desk. “I can’t send you back, only you can do that. I can talk you through it though.”
“Let me get this straight. You brought me here knowing I knew nothing about these druid abilities and how to harness them?” I ask in disbelief.
“You are forgetting I can teleport myself, too. It may be from a different source but essentially it is the same ability. You just have to visualise where you want to be. See every detail, smell every scent, and will yourself to be there.”
I take him at his word and do as he says. Closing my eyes I try to visualise Theo’s room but I’m so angry, the only thing I can manage to picture is me slogging Dominick with a good left hook.
Taking a deep breath and clearing my mind, I try again and again with no luck. My mind is now too blank.
I can do this.
I once again close my eyes and picture the steamy bathroom—the two man shower along one wall and the huge Jacuzzi in the corner. I smell Theo’s scent filling the room and mingling with my own. I feel the steam in the air caressing my skin, and finally I will myself to be there.
I know I am there before I even open my eyes. I can feel the smooth slate tiles under my feet and I can actually smell Theo’s scent. I can’t believe it, there was no spinning this time around. Excited to be back it takes me a moment to notice that the shower is no longer running and I’m the only person in the room.
I run through his empty bedroom and down the stairs, in a panic, screaming his name.
“THEO? THEO!”
I come to a halt as I enter the dining room, which happens to be jam packed with Theo’s pack. Every head in the room turns to face me as Theo barges through the crowd wearing nothing but sweatpants. He doesn’t give me long to take in the sight. He reaches me in a heartbeat and pulls me into his bare chest.
“Bel. Am I ever glad to see you. One minute you were in my arms, the next you were just…gone. I thought…” he didn’t need to finish, I can imagine what he thought. The kidnapper. He squeezes me harder. I breathe in his scent. It feels good to be back in his arms. My wolf wants to dig her way under his skin. She wants to become part of him.
“What happened? Where did you go?” His fear fading with me in his arms, I can now hear and feel the anger behind it. So much anger, not knowing who is to blame must be hard for him. He is an alpha. He’s meant to protect his people. Someone just ripped me out of his arms and he needs to punish them.
I pull back a little to look in his eyes. “Can I speak to you in private?”
I let my eyes roam the room full of pack members to get my point across. I don’t really want to tell him everything I have just learned in front of the whole pack. I’m back where I started in Quilpie with Jared. I’m the odd one out again, not worthy of him. The minute they find out, they will push me out. I won’t be good enough for their alpha. Some of them already think that due to my upbringing with the pride, essentially Chloe. Chloe is going to love this bit of news.
He leads me back to his room with a hand on my lower back.
Once in his room I gesture towards his bed. “You might want to be sitting for this.”
He follows my suggestion without argument and I recall everything that occurred since I left his arms in the shower. I wait for him to take it all in. I start to fiddle with the hem of the robe. He’s taking too long to answer. I’m going to have to walk past the pack, humiliated.
Just as I am about to go and get the clothes he was lending me from the bathroom, he speaks.
“A druid werewolf? Okay.” It sounds more like a statement to himself but I answer him anyway.
“Yes. If you just give me a minute to get dressed, I’ll leave.” I head towards the bathroom willing to wear my blood stained clothes, as long as I can just get away quickly. I only manage two steps before he grabs my shoulder and spins me to face him once again.
“Why do you want to leave?” I can feel the worry coming off him in waves. It matches what I see in his eyes.
“I don’t want to leave but I understand you will want me to. I’m part druid, I’m not werewolf enough for you,” I say, as I try to pull away from his hold.
“There is nothing I want more than to throw you on that bed and make love to you. You are my mate, my other half. I always thought that was a corny thing men said to women to keep them happy, but the second I met you I just knew. It doesn’t matter what you are. You were made for me. It means you are more than enough for me.”
He cups my face and presses his lips against mine. My wolf pounces on that kiss, her energy pressing for more. I kiss him like it’s the last kiss I will ever have. His hands move down my body to my waist. He picks me up and throws me on the bed. I bounce once before he lands over me.
Are we finally going to do this? With the Pack downstairs.
“But the Pack?” I say, unsure about whether we shoul
d be keeping them waiting.
He gives the tie on my robe a tug and I can feel the cool air caress my skin as I become exposed. He grins down at me. “The Pack can wait.”
Nineteen
LOYALTY
ROSABEL
Lying next to my mate—my well and truly claimed mate—I could easily get used to being curled into his side, stroking his chest hairs as he plays with strands of my hair. I don’t think my wolf has ever felt this calm or content.
Theo’s energy suddenly changes from the blissful energy that was just flowing through the both of us to something that feels like fear. Before I can break the silence to ask him about it, he clears his throat.
“I was terrified earlier. I thought the kidnapper was behind your disappearance. I ran around the house like a lunatic. When you were nowhere to be found I thought I had lost you before I’d even really had you. I have never felt like that before. I have never been that terrified. Not in battle facing death myself. Not when my father was killed, not even when I became alpha. Never.” He holds me tighter against him and I squeeze back hoping to comfort him and decide to get my thoughts about the kidnapper off my chest.
We could be looking at the wrong suspect.
“I’ve been thinking. Why are you so sure the kidnapper is a vampire or werewolf? Couldn’t it be any supernatural creature, maybe a druid or a witch?” I ask, leaning up to look at him.
“It could be a druid but we haven’t had any around town for a long time. I still can’t see how a witch could overpower them if they are controlling them in some way? I don’t know of a spell that could do that. They would have to be channelling something dark to be able to strip people of free will. It’s not a white witch power like most of the witches in town practise.”
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