Jason: A Dystopian Paranormal Urban Fantasy Romance (Warrior World Book 3)

by Rebecca Royce

  I took her hand like I’d do any older woman not doing well and helped her across the room to sit at a table. “You people really like to mess with DNA don’t you?”

  “We do.” She shrugged. “The world is over. It’s ended. And what is left is endless years to play with, torture, and destroy what remains of humanity until there is nothing left to do that to.”

  The words she spoke rang true. I’d pretty much thought the same things myself. But a funny thing had happened. Margot existed. And that meant there was more to this world than just pain. “Maybe humanity will surprise you. Maybe, in the end, it’s not you who will triumph. Maybe it’ll be you who is eventually gone.”

  Her smile was slow. “That’s funny. There is a way to rid the world of all of us. The Doubleday clones. Or at least to make sure we all die off. But those Genesis fools can’t figure out how to do it.”

  This was news to me. I shrugged. “Who cares about Genesis?”

  “I guess you have no love lost with them.”

  She’d answered my unasked question. They didn’t know what I was doing now. Whatever ability they had to observe us, they didn’t anymore. I’d lay money that was why they’d released the Originals now, too. Despite what this shaky woman said, nothing in this place screamed success to me. It was more like it smelled like desperation.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “What are you going to do with me now that you’ve caught me?”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “We both know that you could kill me if you were so inclined. There was a time you were so inclined, but I think that was your father’s influence on the pack more than anything else. You’re different. It’s why they wanted you back, those Wolves. You have Alpha in you and kindness, too.” She leaned forward. “They don’t tell me much anymore. They’re waiting for me to die. But I’ve always had a soft spot for the Werewolves. We had to make Vampires. Your kind hid in plain sight for as long as there were people. That’s impressive. I’m going to give you a head’s up. They’re almost ready to take down Genesis. Move your pack from the area. Wait a few months. When you come back this whole quadrant can be yours.”

  My heart rate picked up. The good news was that she’d never know. I could keep my face passive with the best of them. “How long do I have? I’m here without my pack. I have to get back to them. Do I have that kind of time?”

  Her smile was slow. “If you get out of here by tomorrow night you’ll be fine. Genesis won’t see two more sunrises.”

  I nodded. “Got any tips on how I get out of here unnoticed?”

  “How did you get in to begin with?”

  I smiled at her, giving her my best impression of a sheepish grin. “I came in through the fire place.”

  She widened her eyes. “Clever. You’re smarter than I thought you were. I guess not everything was evident on those screens. They’ll be moving around to change job posts in a minute. Someone will come to get me from here. I’m in here in case anyone wants my advice. They never do.”

  “Thanks for your help. Being around you with no scent… it’s a little bit like talking to a ghost. To have no smell? This was a trip and a half.” I took her to mean I needed to get lost and fast. I stepped out of the room and nearly collided with Margot. She opened her mouth, and I covered it with my hand, shaking my head.

  I didn’t trust Scentless Doubleday as far as I could throw her. I didn’t want her to know anything about Margot. I strung my free hand into hers and tugged her along. We couldn’t go out as we came in so we’d have to run out of the front door.

  I picked up my speed, and she kept up. We passed no one and managed to make it outside and to the tree line. I had no idea if we’d managed to do it unobserved or not. I didn’t care.

  “We have little time until they’re going to overrun Genesis. Grab the harness. Get back on me. We have to warn everyone. Then we have to get back here and burn this place to the ground.”

  Margot nodded. “Agreed. The sick experiments they’re doing in there. Jason, am I going to end up like that? Am I going to turn into them? I kept thinking that they were going to know who I was, figure me out. No one blinked. I was one of them. Someone called me Elsa. At least I had a name. Otherwise I was going to be Doubleday clone number whatever.” She put her hands on her knees. Her respiration was too fast, and I didn’t like her heart rate.

  I kissed her forehead, lingering there. I wished there was more time. She needed a minute, but we didn’t have one for her to take. “Margot, I love you. I know this is new. But you get mating, I think, as much as anyone does so I’m going to assume you understand how deep this goes for me. Fast or not. You’re mine. Period.”

  She sucked in a long breath. “Jason.”

  Her heartbeat slowed a notch. That was good. I wanted her to take comfort and relief from my touch. I would do anything for her. “You don’t smell like any of them. It’s hard for me to explain to you how much of my world is dictated by scent. Your aroma is different. It just is. There are changes in everyone and whatever it is that makes you the incredible you that you are it’s different than anyone else. No, you won’t end up like that. Besides, if you want a monster to torment, I’ll volunteer to let you have your wicked way with me in bed.”

  Margot snorted, which turned into an outright laugh. I grinned. Yes, that was what I wanted. “Thanks for stopping my panic attack, Jace.” She kissed my lips. “Who cares about how fast falling in love was? I wanted you the second you shifted. Heck, I wanted you when you thought you were supposed to be with Rachel. That’s sick, I know.”

  I smoothed my thumb down her cheek. “It’s not sick. If I’d known that you were the one, I’d never have stopped looking for you. I wouldn’t have wasted so much time confused. That’s all it was. A big cloud that you lifted off my brain. We have to go save Genesis so we can make a home there. So I can keep you safe there and you can never have to think about being related to this mess ever again.”

  She nodded. “Okay. Let’s go do that. Let’s go save it so we can figure out how to make it home.”

  “I’m serious about coming back here to torch this place to the ground.”

  I was done with the Doubledays. They had nothing to do with Margot. And I was tired of their sick manipulations. We were done. Period.

  Nine

  Genesis was quiet when we returned. Most everyone was asleep after their battle with the Vamps. I hated to rouse the masses, but they had a much bigger problem they were about to face. I looked up at the sky. My father would have called it a perfect morning. Perfection had always made me nervous. Maybe because my father was constantly seeking it for all of us. Was it possible to be the perfect son? The perfect boyfriend? The perfect student? The perfect Werewolf? The perfect person at pretending he was normal when inside he couldn’t have been more different than the masses around him?

  Was it worth striving for what was never achievable or just trying to be the best version of myself? Margot hurried toward the Warrior village, the section of Genesis where the Warriors all lived together. I caught up to her earlier. “When this is over I want you to know that I’m probably going to be a terrible father. You’re going to need to school me on what I’m doing wrong.”

  She stopped abruptly. “I didn’t have parents. I have memories of parents. But they’re fake. I was raised in a lab until I was old enough to take care of myself. If we have kids we might need outside help for both of us.”

  I kissed her cheek. “Maybe someone can give lessons.”

  A wave of dizziness hit me hard. All the shifting had finally caught up. Margot grabbed my arm, narrowing her gaze in the way that told me she’d turned on her doctor hat. “What’s wrong?”

  “Too many shifts. I’m going back to my tent to crash. Can you let everyone know what we learned? I just need a few minutes.”

  She sucked in a long breath. “First off, go to my tent. It’s our tent now. And yours sucks. Second, take more than a few minutes. We’ll need you tonight. Take hours. I’ll rou
se you if I absolutely have to if something happens.”

  “Okay.” I watched her walk off. I hated weakness but somehow with Margot, telling her I was going to pass out, didn’t make me feel like I was two feet tall.

  Her scent wafted toward me, bringing me back to the world. I was stiff which told me it had been hours since I’d rested. There were other smells. My pack was close. I lifted my head as Margot’s hand came down on my hair, running her hand through it. Had anything been as sweet as this moment?

  Reality crashed down. “How bad?”

  “How bad is what?” Her voice was low, and she slipped in next to me.

  I cleared my throat as I drew her against me. “Our situation?”

  “I didn’t wake you because of crisis. It’s just past the early dinner signal. Your pack moved in around us while you slept. They’ve all put their tents in our vicinity, which I think is smart. Plans have been made but no crisis yet. Chad made arrangements to get things in motion. Glen has invented some kind of arrow that may penetrate the extra thick layer around the originals’ hearts. We’re ready to fight if we have to. Micah got to sleep, too. I just missed you.”

  I breathed her in deeper. “I didn’t mean to conk out for the whole day.”

  “Jason you have been running on no sleep and pushing your body beyond its limit. To have you at full capacity tonight you needed to recharge.”

  She wasn’t wrong. I kissed her lips. “But I might point out you’ve been doing the same.”

  Margot shifted slightly, her boobs pressing further against me. “I’m going to catch a cat nap now. That is if you’d give in and let me have what I want.”

  “Have I been denying you something?” I didn’t think I had been. I couldn’t think of anything.

  “Jason, you are being dense.” She straddled my body, and I thought I made the sound of oomph before her mouth came down on mine. This was so awesome. I went from tired to wide-awake in two seconds, everything in me hardening at her warmth. I loved this woman, and she wanted me. How had I gotten to be so fucking lucky?

  I flipped her beneath me, and she grinned. We were both new at this, but it seemed like we’d both sorted it out rather quickly. I wanted her under me. I wanted to worship her body like this. But it went beyond that for me. I had to put myself between her and the outside world. It was a mate thing. She was mine. That meant beyond regular love for her. Letting her go the way I had when she’d headed into Doubleday headquarters was not something I was sure I could ever do again.

  It went beyond obsession for me, and I wasn’t certain there was anything I could do about it.

  “Every day I know you—fuck, every minute I know you—you matter more and more. I already love you so what it is now… it’s scary, Margot. I’m sorry for that. But I can’t change it. There is this powerful need in me to keep you safe. You make the world spin.”

  She leaned up but only to bite down on my lower lip. My body shuddered. Her eyes were huge when she spoke to me. “You think you scare me, Jason. You don’t. You’re not a monster. And even if you were, you’re my monster. Okay? You want to put yourself between me and the world? Go right the fuck ahead.”

  I loved her mouth, and I pushed mine against it to taste her deeper. Our tongues danced together. This was different than before when we’d been learning each other. Margot wanted what she wanted, and she wasn’t holding back. That was good. My mate could have all that she desired, always.

  I tugged at her shirt, and she let me take it off her. I was naked from the waist up. I wanted her skin against my own. There was something about that. Her pert, pink nipples pressed against me and my mouth watered. I wasn’t going to hold back giving us both what we wanted. Life was too short to play games.

  I took her nipple in my mouth. Her essence moved through me, the smell of her skin, the slight taste of salt on her skin mixed with the roses she always carried inside of her, the scent of her arousal. My cock hardened to the point of pain. And I bit down.

  She cried out, her back arching, drawing her even closer against me. I didn’t want her to calm. I wanted her unsettled, and I wanted her needy until I gave her pleasure. She dug her hands into the back of my hair and the pinch of pain surged me on. Fuck, I loved this.

  I touched her everywhere I could reach, eventually letting go of her nipple to travel down her body with my lips. I discarded clothes where needed, and she eventually tugged on my pants, forcing me to take them off.

  She took me in her hand. “When we’re not always fighting for our lives, I want time to play with you, Jason. I want to know what it is to have you at my mercy for an hour or two.”

  I kissed her nose. “As long as I can be between you and the door. That’s the rule.”

  She nodded. “Yes. If that’s what you need.”

  “You have no idea yet what I need. But you will.” I scooted down and pressed my tongue inside of her. I was a Wolf. We scented, we tasted. That’s what I wanted more than anything. Margot in my mouth. She moaned, and it brought me deeper inside of her. It was hard to explain, I’d never make a human understand, but she tasted like home. And. It. Was. So. Fucking. Hot.

  She was wet, hot, and she wanted me. It didn’t take long to find her spot, and she was coming in my mouth like she’d been born to do so. If I believed in that crap, I’d think that was possible. Maybe part of me did. Who cared? This was now. She was mine.

  I didn’t stop, not even after she came. She could come again. And again. It would never be enough.

  “Jason,” her voice was low, like a caress. “In me. Now. Please.”

  It was the please that undid me. “Never say please to me, Margot. Your desire is mine. If you want it, I’ll give it to you or get it for you. Anything. Anytime.”

  I scooted up, kissing the spot on her throat by her shoulder that I’d marked. I licked it, hard. She needed another bite to hold the scar there. I had to give it to her. Nothing had ever been so compelling. I positioned myself just in the right place so I could push inside of her. She stretched for me, and I moved ever so slowly. Her sighs drove me forward. She enjoyed this as much as I did.

  She hooked her legs around me tighter, drawing me further inside. I moaned, the sound almost animalistic. It wasn’t my Wolf. This was just me. I needed this woman like air. I pulled out and pressed back in, loving the sounds she made. More. I wanted more. Friction picked up between us. Each pass was more driven than the last.

  Margot held onto me tightly, her nails digging into my back. I loved the bite of pain. She could never hurt me physically, not really, but I’d take the touch of it. It just showed me how into this she was. My fangs elongated. I was going to come soon but not until she did. It was much more important that she find pleasure than I did. It would always be that way for me.

  I just knew it.

  Like I knew the second before she was going to come. Margot sucked in a breath, and I knew she’d found her pleasure. Had anything ever been better? I didn’t think so. Tears streamed down her cheeks but I sensed no pain from her. I kissed them away, letting her draw me close as I lost myself inside of her warmth. I bit down on her shoulder. She cried out again. Yes, this was my woman. These stolen moments were ours.

  Not time. Not Vampires. Not attacks. Not cloning. Not death. Nothing would take them from us.

  I kissed her temple, listening to the sounds outside. Margot didn’t have to be ready yet, but I did. I needed to speak to my pack, to Chad, to Micah. I needed to not be lying in this bed any longer. My mate dozed next to me. She’d told me she was going to take a nap, but she was out cold, snoring slightly in her exhaustion. I hated to wake her so I didn’t. I’d get her up before we were attacked. Until then she could stay asleep as long as I could keep my eyes on the door of her home. Our home. I had to start thinking of it that way.

  I stepped outside and nearly collided with one of my pack members waiting there. I rubbed my eyes. Yeah, I should have smelled him out there. I was seriously failing at this Alpha Werewolf thing.

&
nbsp; “Matt.” I nodded at my fellow Werewolf. “I was coming to find you guys.” Sort of, if I’d had to leave the sight of this tent I was going to be in trouble. I rubbed my face. This was getting complicated. I wouldn’t trade it, but I was going to have to work out some of my issues.

  Maybe.

  “Alpha.” He nodded at me. “We are all very happy about your mating. A mated Alpha is a secure Alpha. She seems like a very smart Female.”

  I cleared my throat. “Back when we all lived before the world ended, did you call women females? Did that go over well for you?”

  Matt laughed. It was a strange sound. We so rarely did anymore and I was suddenly enormously relieved that he’d understood that was meant to be funny.

  “No, totally not. My mate would have killed me. She was human.” His smile fell. “She didn’t live through the initial Vampires. She’s not one.”

  Unlike my mother, who was still out there somewhere feeding on blood. I put my hand on his shoulder. “I’d like to hear about her sometime. Was there something you needed?”

  “Just to tell you that we’re all ready to battle again. We won’t let them through again.”

  I sighed. “I’ve asked a lot from you guys, and I’ve been running around.”

  “You’ve been gathering information. We even know they’re coming thanks to you.”

  I supposed he was right but truth was I was a lousy Alpha. I’d hardly considered them at all, my mind totally taken up with Margot and mating. But I had heard mating was all-consuming and that had proved very true.

  “This is a war you didn’t ask to fight in. I didn’t bring you here for this reason. I get it if some people want to go.”

  He shook his head. “We forgot what it was like to be part of a community like this. We forgot how it was we used to live. We remembered since we’ve been here and so far most of them aren’t treating us like an us versus them thing. Not everyone has been fantastic but most people are. We want to stay. We need to battle to do that. That’s what we’ll do.”