The Heir

by Ariana Rodriguez

  "We could if we did what I have in mind." He grumbled under his breath.

  "I heard that."

  He gave her his most charming smile and wiggled his eyebrows, "Want to give it a try?"

  "No!" She burst out. She didn't mean to shout her denial but his smile sent shivers down her body, her mind called her a liar and she wanted to drown the noise in her head that sounded more like a yes. If she'd thought him attractive earlier, the smile transformed him from a ten to a fifty. "I want out of this, that’s what I want." She told him in a more moderate tone trying to hide the effect that his playful side had on her.

  "I don't.” He told her as he walked slowly towards her. Like a wolf stalking its prey.

  "Of course you do," She stammered as she crawled backwards over her bed, "you want to find a girl that compliments you better than I-"

  "There is no other girl," He cut in, "even if we lived this separate life you are suggesting, there wouldn't be another for me-ever." They were on opposite sides of the bed once again and as he spoke he looked her in the eyes wanting her to see the truth from his words.

  The look in his eyes convinced her, "Ever?" She asked skeptically and he nodded "So if you touch someone else, it’s going to fall off or something?"

  Nick didn't know what 'it' was and he told her so. In answer she waved her hand at the general area of his nether regions, blushing the whole time and he couldn't hold back his chuckle. The chuckle died abruptly with her next question.

  "Would something happen if someone else touched..." She motioned down at herself.

  "Yeah something would happen." He told her in a low voice. He jumped on her bed and a second later he was in front of her, looking at her with a look that she could only describe as feral.

  Her eyes grew wide with apprehension and stepped back until she bumped into the wall, "What?"

  He followed her every step and when he was a mere breadth away; he leaned down and whispered, "I'd kill him."

  It was the gleam in his eyes that told her he meant every word. That same gleam told her she was out of her depth and sinking fast. She needed some space, fresh air to think and figure out a way out of all this.

  "I think you should go," She told him and pointed at the door in case he didn't catch her drift.

  "I'm not going until we are done talking," He leaned forward and placed a hand against the wall on either side of her head.

  Jessica ran a hand through her hair in frustration; "Look, this is too much," The smile she bestowed on him was filled with self-mockery. "Be careful what you ask for right? Well, I learned my lesson and right now I need time to think."

  "You can think later, right now we have to talk; there are things you need to know-"

  She shook her head, "uh I think I'm done talking to you, for the rest of my life actually. Ignorance is looking more and more appealing by the second."

  "As my mate there are certain things-" Jessica refused to listen to him so she closed her eyes, covered her ears and started making noises to drown out his voice.

  He grabbed her hands, pulled them down to his sides and spoke through gritted teeth. "Dammit you're the most stubborn female-"

  She tugged her hands back, stood on her tip toes and poked his chest "and you! I don’t know what you are, but I do know I don't want you"

  She was such a spitfire, all heat now-and infuriating, nothing like the wary female he'd seen when he'd barged into her bathroom last night.

  Truthfully, Nick didn't know which version of her he preferred. The one that stood before him now, testing his dominance like no one else could or the one of last night that silently screamed for his gentle side and protection. Nick could just imagine what Jessica would think of his thoughts because one thing he'd learned about her was that she didn't scream for anyone’s protection.

  Not even last night. Last night she stood in front of her sibling to protect them even though she had been just as scared.

  He'd been on his way home with Matt to catch up on the everything that occurred during his absence when he got a call from Axel. When he heard what Shane had been attempting to do, he lost control. His wolf took over and there was no stopping him. First he went after Shane a shifter that even now, Matt was trying to find out how he'd manage to fool everyone for so long.

  Once he quickly and mercilessly killed Shane, he fought his way to her with the intent of claiming her. The rush of victory was running through his veins, she was his prize and nothing or no one was going to keep her from him.

  But then he stepped into her bathroom. One look at her valiant attempt and he was able to take back control of himself. She alone was responsible for calming his wolf. It was a feat that eight werewolves had failed to accomplish before her.

  And now she stood in front of him trying to deny the chemistry between them but it was no use.

  "Liar," He murmured.

  She shook her head in denial, her eyes as big as a doe and tried to take a sideways step away from him. He moved his leg to block her, bringing their bodies close. She tried to push him away but it was like trying to push a boulder.

  He captured her hands against his chest with one of his and gave her a disarming smile that almost had her bursting into flames. She had to force herself to look away; she didn't want him to see the reaction he could have on her when he was sweet and not sparring with her.

  That had been her downfall last night. If he would have stormed in demanding and controlling she would have shown him the boot, but he hadn't and she'd been defenseless against his requests to not fight. She'd given in and she didn't want him to see how difficult it had become to hold her ground now.

  But it was too late.

  He'd caught the look in her eyes and if she would have been looking up at him she would have seen the look of triumph in his eyes. Keeping her hands trapped against his chest, he ran the back of his other hand across her cheek before capturing her chin and tipping her head back to look at him.

  "Liar," he murmured again before closing the distance between their lips.

  He'd meant for it to be just a small peck. But he soon found out that it wasn't enough. When his lips touched hers, it felt like he was being touched by lightning. Powerful, intense, addicting and he wanted more.

  She tried to struggle but he wouldn't allow it. She could lie all she wanted but she couldn't deny this, a passion so strong that a single kiss could incinerate his insides. A passion he'd felt for no other and he refused to believe that he was the only one affected.

  Slowly she gave in to his fiery onslaught and he released her hands to wrap both of his around her waist. She ran hers over his chest before wrapping them around his neck. He trailed his lips down to the base of her neck and a sigh escaped her lips when he licked the mark he'd placed there earlier.

  She squirmed unconsciously asking for more and Nick was hard pressed to deny her. He picked her up and she’d just wrapped her legs around his waist when suddenly there was a couple of knocks on the door. The interruption left Nick wanting to growl with frustration. Instead he placed Jessica back on her feet, an arm’s length away from him and took a deep breath.

  "I'm going to leave before we do something you are not ready for." He turned and walked out the door without waiting for a response or looking back. He knew that one look at her kiss swollen lips and she would entice him back to finish what he had begun.

  He wanted to, so bad, he wanted to carry her to bed and keep her there until every pore in her body held his scent. Until no one could deny the fact that they belonged to each other. But he'd done enough damage for today.

  He'd lost control and now all of his plans had gone astray, he couldn't afford to mess things up even more. He would leave Axel and Christian with her, while he went home and dealt with all the problems his long absence had caused. The thought of being away from her almost tore him apart but he consoled himself with the knowledge that soon they would be together again.

  Outside in the hallway, he was leaning against the wall
next to her door, Axel next to him, taking deep breaths trying to calm his raging emotions-and body when he heard her voice through the closed door.

  "Why?" He heard her ask herself, "Do I always end up like a simpering idiot when he kisses me?"

  Unable to let such a good opportunity pass, Nick opened the door and snuck his head back in. "Because I'm your mate." He told her with that smile of his that she seemed to hate and blew her a kiss before ducking his head back out and shutting the door.

  Chapter 11

  Jessica shrieked, threw a knife at the door and flopped down on her bed. Wishing she could say that it had all been a dream, a crazy dream. She sighed and ran her fingers across her still sensitive lips.

  He sure kissed like a dream.

  The sound of a car door opening and closing intruded into her thoughts and she rushed to her window in time to watch Nick drive away. She leaned her forehead against the glass, closed her eyes and sighed. She'd eat maggots before she admitted it to another living soul, but she missed him already.

  She banged her head against the glass and cursed. He was turning her into one of them-a demented old circus monkey. He'd been back into her life for less than twenty-four hours and he'd already managed to flip her world upside down.

  Mates.

  They'd gone from being acquaintances one minute and mates the next. They’d skipped the whole part where they decided if they wanted the forever or not. Dating, she thought ruefully, the word is called dating. They'd met, skipped the dating and just got tied to each other for life.

  He’d tied them to each other for life.

  And now he expected her to move in with him. Just like that. She shook her head, made a sound of frustration and cursed him under her breath. She told herself she wouldn't go but he was like a force of nature that she knew she had no chance of withstanding.

  Oh she could fight him, and she would, but she couldn't fight for long when she was also battling herself. Part of her was screaming to run after him already. Unfortunately for her, that was her more sensible side.

  How could she deny him and deny herself?

  Jessica sighed in defeat because she knew that it was just a matter of time until she moved in with him. She banged her head against the glass once again. What was she going to tell her parents? She'd promised to stay with-

  Her parents!

  Her eyes grew wide, remembering that they were supposed to be home this morning- any time now. She flew to the door and froze mid step when she opened it and saw Axel leaning against the wall.

  "What are you still doing here?"

  Instead of answering her, he surprised her by going down on one knee and tilting his head to the side, baring his neck to her.

  "What are you doing?" She asked him and tried to pull him up by the hand but he wouldn't budge.

  "My life is yours."

  "I don't want it!" She told him, huffing from the effort of trying to get him to stand up. It was a bit disconcerting to be around people stronger than her when living all her life feeling like super woman. "I just want you to get up!"

  "He won’t get up until you accept his oath of fealty." Christian told her from the stairs, he'd crept up behind them silently and when she turned to face him she didn't miss the laughter in his eyes.

  "Fealty, what is this the middle ages?" She shook her head and dismissed her own question with a wave of her hand before he could answer, "Never mind, how do I accept his fealty? What do I say or what?"

  "To accept his fealty, clamp your teeth around his throat-"

  "Are you serious?" Her disbelief was apparent in the look she sent him but he only nodded and after a second she gave in. "Fine." She grumbled.

  She bent down and did as he told her, when he spoke again. "If you don't want to accept his fealty, you can just rip his throat open." He added offhandedly.

  She was up and away from Axel faster than a cat out of water. As he got up, Axel growled at Christian who just threw his head back, pointed and laughed. "You guys should have seen your faces!"

  Jessica and Axel shared a look of both hilarity and exasperation regarding Christian’s antics and at that moment, her belief that they would get along great was confirmed. Unfortunately she didn't get a chance to tell him so because out of the corner of her eye she watched as Christian also went down on his knee.

  "Not you too!”

  He lips quirked at the corners before speaking. "My life is yours."

  It was the first time Jessica heard him speak so seriously, not a trace of humor in his words. She looked into his eyes and felt a bit reassured when she found the twinkle of laughter lurking behind that stoic look.

  "Do I have to accept?" She asked with mock displeasure.

  "You could always rip his throat open." Axel joked.

  Jessica looked over her shoulder at him; a smile on her lips. "And get blood over my parent’s carpet? I don’t think so." She scoffed before clamping her teeth over Christian’s neck. A second later she was up, wiping her teeth and mouth with the back of her hand. "Now you can explain why that was necessary."

  "We are your bodyguards and that was our pledge to you, our female Alpha."

  "It is an oath, to always place your safety before ours." Christian added.

  Jessica took a deep calming breath and rubbed her eyes with her finger tips. "Why?" she asked "and why didn't you do this earlier?"

  "It wasn't done earlier because we want you to understand one thing.Nick didn't order us to do this. This was our choice."

  "Nick is our Alpha and we will gladly give our lives for his," Christian interjected, "But as your bodyguards we want you to know that we are loyal to you."

  Her eyebrows shot up, "Does Nick, know this?"

  "Yes. He knew this would happen when he appointed us as your permanent bodyguards." Axel informed her.

  "Permanent!" She tried to push past them, thinking of going after Nick and putting a stop to all of this. She'd had it with bodyguards and she told them so.

  Axel placed himself in front of her. "You are an Alpha's mate now." He told her succinctly and cursed under his breath when her face turned the color of ash.

  Everywhere she turned, she found a reminder of Nick’s folly.

  Axel grabbed her by the arm and was trying to lead her back to her room when a noise down stairs stopped them in their tracks. A car was pulling into the drive. Jessica twisted out of his hold and ran down the stairs with Axel and Christian close behind.

  "My parents are home!"

  The sight in the entrance hall stopped her mid step causing both Axel and Christian to bump into her. Her parents were making their way inside, around the pieces of wood and glass that used to be the front door. Displeasure written clearly across their faces and with every step they took.

  "I hope you have a good explanation for this." Her dad moved his hand in front of him, indicating the floor, the front doorway and the two guys behind her.

  "That was one crazy party!" She quipped and looked over her shoulder at her two new goons, "Great orgy guys! We need to do this again real soon."

  Christian wiggled his eyebrows, smiled and nodded but Axel just stared at her without blinking. "You are a party pooper." She muttered to him.

  "Jessica." Her name was said in that tone of voice that parents had perfected throughout the ages. The tone that said, ‘I want answers and you are in big trouble.’

  "Don't mind him dad, he was on the receiving end of Christians loving." Jessica quipped.

  Christian exploded with laughter, Dani and Riley came running from the living room at the sound, Axel growled and her parents looked at them all dissaprovingly.

  "He didn't like it much." Jessica added in mock whisper, drawing another growl from Axel and laugh from Christian.

  "Jessica." This time her dad said her name with the tone that said 'I'm losing my patience.'

  She pouted, "You guys are no fun at all. Come on then, we might as well get comfortable because it's going to be a long explanation." She intertwi
ned her arm with Christians and they led the way to the living room. "I hope you guys have a good explanation for the door." Jessica whispered and Christian had to lower his head to hear her.

  Christian nodded and broke out in a smile when, out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the look on Danielle’s' face. He'd tried to talk to her this morning; she ignored him, asking to speak with Axel instead and her look now was like salve on his ego. She was glowering at them and Christian wanted to laugh with joy.

  "Just follow my lead." Jessica was telling him, barging into his thoughts; he nodded and made a couple of quick gestures to convey her wishes to Axel.

  Jessica noticed and she made a note in her mind to ask him about it later. When they reached the living room, she sat on the love seat, expecting to be squished between Axel and Christian; she was surprised when they went to stand behind her instead.

  She looked over her shoulder at them. "What are you doing?"

  "We are protecting you.” Axel told her.

  "Protect me from what, the sunlight?" They both shrugged and Jessica threw her hands up in the air in annoyance. "Can I rip your throats open now?" She asked sweetly under her breath.

  "Jessica?"

  She turned to face her family, all four were sitting on the sofa, Riley and Danielle on the arms, and she smiled sweetly at them, "Yes mom?"

  "Mind telling us what's going on?"

  "No not at all." She cleared her throat, "You see, yesterday, Shane..." She glanced over her shoulder for some help.

  "Shane quit."

  "Yeah," She agreed with Axel, "Shane quit and these are his replacement."

  “They are his replacements?" Her dad asked in puzzlement, "Why wasn't I notified? They know I like to interview the prospects myself."

  "I'm sure you will be notified about Shane, but them," she pointed behind her, "I got from my mate."

  "Your mate?" The whispered question came from her mom, Jessica looked at her worriedly. She seemed to have lost all of the color in her face.