by Jade White
As her husband it was his duty to tell her how beautiful she was. However, it also would have been his duty to leave her to die―at the auction―where no one would have found her. He was stuck with her though, because of his moment of weakness.
She shifted again, burying her head into the hollow of his neck. Her scent caught him off guard, making his muscles tense. Never before did he think lava could smell oh, so sweet and decadent. Her dark brows furrowed together as she moaned in pain.
Mason stroked her face with the back of his hand. Her skin was so soft. “Easy,” he cooed into her ear. Behave like a husband.
Only because you need a mate to become alpha. His beast reminded him. What was an alpha without his mate. She was meant to protect his most vulnerable spots. Without the mate, an alpha was as good as dead.
Her eyes drifted apart, and she peered up at him with horror in her eyes. She seemed to search his eyes before jumping off his lap and onto the car floor.
“You can’t possibly be comfortable down there,” Mason said reaching for her.
She hissed at him, baring a petite pair of fangs. “Don’t touch me.” She looked him up and down.
“Please, sit on the seat.” He patted on the seat next to him, trying to make it look appealing to her. His efforts were wasted though, and she remained on the floor of his car.
“Is she alright?” his driver asked, peering through the mirror.
“She’s fine. She’s just being stubborn.” He looked her in the eyes, giving her a silent command to remove herself from the floor. She quickly obeyed, buckling herself in with the seatbelt. Mason was glad he didn’t have to tell her to do that.
“I don’t have to worry about your mate, do I?” His driver’s eyes locked on her from his mirror.
“No, you don’t. I’ll teach her to behave herself.”
She scowled at both of them, her lovely eyes becoming two orbs of death. She had regained her strength, which was good. Mason could still sense a weakness about her, and it made him want to chew his arm off. If only that would separate their binding.
“What’s your name?” He reached out to hold her hand, but she moved away from him, covering herself up with her limbs.
“Katherine.” She looked away from him, releasing a slow, long breath.
“I am Mason,” he paused for a moment, looking her over briefly. “I’m going to call you Kat. Okay?” He reached out to grab her hand again, hoping he could feel the warmth of her flesh again. It was so intoxicating to be embraced by.
She shot her gaze at him, shaking her head. “No. Katherine. Only my friends call me Kat.” She frowned at him, her grey eyes seeming to darken just a shade. “If I had any,” she mumbled under her breath.
Mason chuckled. “You’ll be living with me for a while. It’ll be best if you and I become friends.” He ran his hand down her arm, lovingly caressing her. He had no bad intentions with her, but seemingly no good intentions either. If Mason could manage to get her to agree to laying with him in bed, then he could resume his power trip. He needed a mate though, and it was as plain and simple as that.
“So you can sleep with me? I prefer someone who isn’t your kind.” Katherine gave him a cheesy, half smile before turning away.
He scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?” His nostrils flared. Mason was ready to choke her for her comment towards shifters. Sure, they weren’t the gentlest of creatures, and were brutish, but he wasn’t anything like them. Mason set out to be quite the opposite for the sake of his image. Maybe then he could teach his kind about manners and respect. He would have to start with his bride though.
“Meatheads. You morons only think with your brawn or your dicks. There’s no in between.” She folded her arms across her chest, looking out the window.
“I don’t,” he piped out.
“I don’t see much difference between you and a meathead. You were at the auction. You bought me for your own nefarious purposes.” She kept her eyes from him, refusing to give Mason that bit of satisfaction.
“I was there looking for a mate.” No, he was there looking for a queen. Unluckily for him, he got stuck with her. Mason was thinking about going back and getting a refund―if only they did that.
“Where I come from, you earn a mate based off your ability to woo her,” Katherine snapped at him. Mason could have imagined her hair shaking back and forth with every snarky comment. If only she had long enough hair. “We don’t buy women, but we did steal them occasionally.”
“Your people stole women?” She was a hypocrite, calling shifters meatheads. Her own people were just as bad, if not worse. “Wouldn’t that make them as bad as mine?” Mason cocked a brow at her.
“My people are monsters nothing less. They’re ignorant to their crimes against nature, and crimes against life. They refuse to see the beauty in the things that were already offered to them, and instead seek more than they can handle.” Katherine’s lips pulled into a deeper frown.
How anyone could feel so poorly about their people, he didn’t know. Mason could hear the torture in her voice, like they had put her through a lot of trouble before tonight. He didn’t like the idea of her being hurt. Call it their binding, but he wanted to kill anyone who dared to bring this lovely woman any harm.
“They deserve anything they have coming to them.” He couldn’t agree less.
“Who are your people?”
She didn’t say anything. Katherine merely looked out the window, watching trees and buildings pass her by.
“If you’re going to ignore me, at least give me a hint as to what you are.” Mason deserved to know what his future offspring would be a hybrid mix of. He deserved to know what her people had given him, and he expected nothing short of the best. That was why she was at the auction in the first place.
Supernatural beings, and humanity had made a deal with shifters. They gave their best to the shape shifters, and in return they were either given protection, or given stronger bindings and stabilization between warring nations.
She turned her head, locking eyes with him. “I’m nothing more than a disgrace,” Katherine said. She gave him another fake, cheesy smile before turning her head away from him. “I’m sorry, but you’ve been lied to. Like everyone else who makes a deal with my people.”
Katherine didn’t sound like she was lying. She didn’t even make a mistake that would tell him so. Whoever her people were would have to pay for breaking a treaty between them. The shifters would not be so kind, and Katherine would be on the receiving end of their wrath.
Mason looked her up and down. If she was weak, then what had his beast sensed that was so strong in her?
Katherine wasn’t a good liar. She didn’t know how to tell him she was as strong as she could be with her people, when she was the opposite. It wasn’t in her nature to lie. She made sure she was as honest as a priest.
Mason had this look of disgust on his face. She could spot it from a mile away, and knew it all too well. It was the same look she received from her people. “Your people are fools.”
“You think I don’t know that?” She continued to look out the car window. There was so much life out there, so many trees. So many people. Why was it then, all she felt was death from each and every being outside the car; from every tree, and every building they passed by. “They’re the only ones who think they can do what they want without penalties.”
He chuckled, scrubbing his hand over his face. Mason was beautiful. He was everything her mother wanted for her daughters, except for Katherine. She wondered how she would react to know Katherine had been bound to him, and forced into a marriage with such a sultry looking man.
His skin was bronzed, dark and beautiful. His hair was tousled, light brown with ribbons of red barely creeping through. He had stubble for a beard, and it made her wonder if he would look even more like a lumberjack if he grew it out. His pale green eyes beckoned her to try and find out all their secrets. Oh, how she wanted to.
Katherine hadn’t sh
own much restraint when it came to bashing him and his people at every turn she got. She didn’t have much restraint when it came to bashing anyone who preferred to think with the strength of their muscles instead of the strength of their brains. That was who she was though.
Stupid shifters. Stupid rules. The last thing Katherine wanted was to be tied down. Sure, she wasn’t capable of fighting off a shifter, let alone brave enough to try and divorce him. Please, Katherine might have been weak, but she wasn’t stupid.
“How many people?” Mason said, trying to fill a silence that had grown.
“What?”
“How many people did that to you?” He pointed to the blood between her legs with his eyes.
She looked him up and down, trying not to give him any hint of emotion. “Why should I tell you something so personal?” Katherine scoffed.
“So I know how many people I have to kill.”
He surprised her. Never before had she met someone so stupid and sweet at once. Mason couldn’t kill her people even if he tried. Still, Katherine sighed and answered, “My whole village.” She still felt every ounce of pain running through her body, like a poison threatening to end her life. Katherine hoped it would. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with him.
As sweet as he was trying to be, as gentle as he was struggling to be, Katherine knew it wasn’t him. She knew he really wanted to cut loose on her and bash her head in. Katherine would do the same if she were in his place. “You couldn’t kill them even if you tried.”
Mason forced her to look at him as he unbuckled her and pulled her into his lap. He held her still with nothing but a gaze, and boy was it petrifying. “I will kill them, every single one of them that dared to lay a finger on you.” He kissed the top of her head oh, so sweetly.
Katherine tried to nudge him away, but couldn’t. The more she was near him, the weaker she felt. It was like he was absorbing her energy. She didn’t like it. “Let me go.”
“No. It’s tradition for the husband to carry his bride into their home.” He reached for the car door handle, forcing it to open. “Welcome home,” Mason said, scooting out of the vehicle.
The first breath of fresh air she got made her lungs burn. It was so crisp, and so clean. There were so many trees around, so many flowers and bushes that created a sort of maze to the front door.
He never let her go, not even when she pounded her fists into his chest. He didn’t even show any signs of emotions when she hurled insults at him.
“This is your home now,” Mason said, kicking open the front door. He took a few steps into the gigantic home before setting her down on her feet.
Katherine had never seen a home so big. She was so used to seeing huts and bungalows that this place became much bigger than it probably was. Marble tiles lined the floors in whites and greys. There were pillars of granite that kept up the second and third floor balconies. Yet the third floor had no stairs to get to it.
There were lush black leather couches that gathered around a burning fireplace, and a pool table that rested in front of a whole wall of books. Playing at the table was two men, and two more were reading books on the couches. This place was luxurious.
Katherine didn’t know what to say. She tried to take her eyes off the house, but they wouldn’t listen to her commands. She marveled, and marveled even more as the men approached her.
Mason snaked an arm around her waist, pulling her into him. She caught his scent of pine trees, and she nearly lost her mind.
“Is this a snack?” one of the men asked. He had a pair of mismatched eyes, and a scar that seemed to never end leading down the side of his face and under his shirt.
Katherine found herself going further into Mason’s side. She looked up at him, hoping he wouldn’t say yes. She couldn’t take any more punishments.
“She is my bride,” Mason said with much pride.
“Isn’t she a little petite to be a bride?” another one of the men said. He looked like he had been carved by the gods, his face so delicately sculpted. He was an angel for sure.
“Don’t underestimate her.”
Why wouldn’t he? Katherine underestimated herself, that was how she had continued to live without getting in too much trouble. Of course there were slip ups.
Still, she tried to play along with Mason, making her eyes glow threateningly. God, she hoped she was doing him some good. “My bite is harder than my bark,” Katherine softly said.
“She’s very soft spoken,” the angelic man said, sizing her up.
“I didn’t think the Phoenix were trading their own people,” a man with silver hair remarked.
Mason looked down at her with a deadly look in his eyes. “Nor did I.” His movements were forced as he gently ushered her to the stairs. “If you excuse me, I have other duties.” Mason’s voice was raw.
Katherine gazed down at the men as she climbed up the flight of stairs. The fourth and final man had his eyes glued on her, their rainbow hue rocking her to her core.
CHAPTER FOUR
Mason tried to be as gentle as possible with her. She was weaker than he originally thought, and needed his help more than she cared to admit. She was as stubborn as a bull, but there was a kindness to her.
Katherine leaned up against him, and they both watched as warm water filled the bathtub. She had requested a bath, and he was willing to give one to her. Mason had heard that women loved baths, he hoped she would too.
Every second of contact with her skin made his body ache, and every soft breath she exhaled made his senses go wild. She was a walking being of pure energy and passion. Of course, that was how all phoenixes were.
She flattened one of her palms on the sink counter as her breaths became more shallow. Her eyes never left the water as the tub filled.
Mason didn’t want to keep her waiting any longer. He picked her up and sat her in the bathtub. The water was just barely above her breasts as she laid back in relaxation. Mason could only imagine how sore she was, and how wonderful the water was for her.
A smile pulled her lips upwards, and it was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. “Is it warm enough for you?” Mason asked, reaching for a bottle of shampoo. He opened it, dumping just a little bit of its contents into his hands. He gently massaged it into a lather.
“It’s perfect,” she moaned, tilting her head towards him. He could only imagine that she was enjoying it.
“Good.” He rinsed his hands out in the water. “Do you mind dunking your head? The shampoo won’t remove itself.” It would, but it would fall in her eyes. She wouldn’t like that.
Katherine nodded her head, quickly submerging herself in the bath water before coming back up. “Is it gone?”
Mason nodded his head, pouring conditioner in his hands. Slowly, he ran his fingers through her hair, saturating each dark strand with the conditioner.
Katherine was glowing, her skin radiating so much heat. The water began to boil, but she didn’t jump at the feel of it. Instead she submerged herself in the water, staying under for longer than he expected. She came back up, her smile bigger than before. “That felt really good.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed that, but you must wash yourself.” Mason stepped away from the tub. Whatever was done to her, whatever trauma she went through, he didn’t want to worse it. He’d only touch her if she wanted him to.
“Can I have a bit of privacy?” She locked eyes with him, those lovely orbs softening.
No! Mason didn’t want to leave her alone. There was no telling what could happen if he left her alone. “Yes,” he reluctantly responded. Mason walked to the door, gazing back over his shoulder.
Katherine was waving to him, her breasts smashed against the bathtub. When he finally closed the bathroom door behind him, he heard the water splash, and could hear Katherine giggling with utter joy. She was enjoying herself.
Mason wanted to stay in the room longer than he did, but he couldn’t. He laid out one of his shirts for her, and a pair of his boxers and sweat
pants. They would drown her in fabric, but at least she would be comfortable, and he wouldn’t have to worry about his friends looking at her with hungry eyes.
He left the room locked from the outside, taking the key with him. The last thing he needed was her to be disturbed, or for her to escape. As calm as she was, Mason had a hard time believing Katherine would keep still in his room. Their room.
He retreated to his study, where he brushed up on shifter history. Currently, the alpha that led the entire horde of shape shifters was beyond his reach. The man was an elephant shifter, and took form of a beast that was more than triple his own size. His mate was a vicious and deadly elemental. Mason had his work cut out for him.
It didn’t take long for him to grow bored of being alone. He wanted to return to his room, but Katherine desired her privacy, and he would give her that. He needed companionship. Who better to give that then his friends?
“Have you two finally finished?” The angel-faced Kane asked with a smirk. “I hope you left me some.”
Mason had to hold in a growl. His composure meant a lot to him. Kane liked to try and piss him off every now and then, and every time Mason managed to keep a level head. “She’s resting.” He hoped that was what she was doing.
“How were you lucky enough to buy her?” the heterochromia marked Lucca asked, barely sparing him a glance.
Mason wouldn’t call it luck that he bought Katherine. He would more so call it pity. “She was fleeing, and I caught her. Fair game is fair ass.” Mason borrowed the phrase from Kane.
“That it is.” Kane tilted back a glass of liquor, swallowing the contents swiftly.
“Torrent,” Mason called out to his silver-haired friend. “What do you know about her kind?”
“Apart from them being blood thirsty brutes that live to destroy things, murder people and orgies?” He cocked a shockingly dark brow. “I know enough―I know enough to know she is not like her kind, and that her wings have been clipped. That is where a phoenix’s power is stored.” He lounged back against a shelf of books, pool stick in hand. “You have a useless woman there.”