by Sydney Addae
His arms tightened and then he released her averting his teary-eyed gaze. “I don’t like this.”
“I know. But it’s not forever. I’ll be back.” The promise sounded empty, but she meant it. If she could return, she would.
“That would bless me a thousand times over,” he whispered. “Life… sometimes things…” He released a long sigh. “I need to go check on the others and find out what happened.” His tortured gaze met hers. “I love you. Never doubt that for one second.”
“I know. I love you too, Daddy.” She cupped his cheek as she had when she was younger and kissed his chin.
“I see you’re packed. Guess you can leave now.” He pointed to her bags.
She jerked back. “Now? Is Barticus here?” No one mentioned his arrival.
Her father cleared his throat. “No, Adam’s here. He’ll take you. Send me a text to let me know you’ve arrived safely.
Adam? The good-looking guy with Barticus yesterday who’d asked if he could talk to her or see her again? She couldn’t recall which, and she’d said no. Outsiders weren’t allowed in the Compound.
“He’s here?” She needed to be clear.
“Yes. Barticus told him he could come, which works for the best.”
“Did he do something to set off that explosion?” She asked wondering if he followed her to the Compound.
“No, he was with me.” Her father left the room. “Now that I know you’re okay, I have to check on the others. Don’t forget to text me when you get there.”
“What happened? What was that noise?” She strode behind him and stopped at the sight of Adam standing near the wall. Had he always been this tall, big? Their gazes collided. His light brown eyes darkened as he continued to stare at her.
“Hello Bella. The explosion didn't hurt you, did it?” He asked in a low voice that skittered across her skin.
His eyes widened and he clenched his jaw so tight she wondered if he’d break it. “Think of your prayers, your songs, anything not… sexual,” he gritted out.
“What? I don’t think in terms of sex.” The moment she said the word her stomach clenched.
Adam stumbled and took deep breaths.
“Are you okay?”
He waved her back. His hands shook. His lips moved.
“Are you counting?”
He nodded, but didn’t speak.
She shook her head, turned and went to her room. “I’ll get my things. Then I need to find out what happened. Did you see anyone?”
“No. I didn’t see anything.” He sounded winded.
“You need to explain what just happened,” she said as she gathered her things.
“Pheromones. They’re very strong.”
Her breath caught as she turned to look in his direction. “You’re a… one of those…wolf people?”
He frowned. “Dual natured.”
She looked him over. “You look human.”
“I am human, with something extra.” He looked over his shoulder, took another deep breath and shook his head as if clearing his thoughts. “You need me to get your bags?”
“No.” She picked both up. “I’ve got them.” Before she reached the door, she looked at him. “Why are you here? I mean what are you doing here talking to my dad?”
“Alpha Barticus sent me.” He held her gaze for a few seconds.
After seeing his reaction just now, she’d argue about going anywhere with him. But it didn’t matter. She needed to leave sooner rather than later. She walked out the front door leaving Adam behind. The first person she saw was Mona and the Priestess standing several feet away near the inner circle. It seemed as if everyone stood outside looking around. Bella’s father stood with Chad, Jeremy and some of the other men pointing. Her father met her gaze and separated from the small group. He took her bag, wrapped his arm around her waist and changed her direction away from the crowd.
“What’s going on?” Bella asked him.
“Explosives just south of our property line. The police are looking into things. Don’t worry about it,” he said.
How could she not worry? This was her home. Her family. “That’s too close.” Her father’s gaze flicked from Adam to hers and nodded.
“Yes. It is. We’ll step up security once we find out more of what’s going on. It was nice talking to you, Adam. Drive safely. Take care of Bella.”
“Wait, I need to talk to Mona.” Bella looked over her shoulder at her friend who continued to talk to the Priestess.
“Not now. We’ve had security breaches at the store that we need to deal with. Regina’s talking to Mona now.” Her dad’s voice hardened a little at the end.
Bella’s stomach dropped. Were Mona and Jaiden on the cameras? She hoped not. With one last look at her father, home, and best friend, Bella slid into the back seat of a car like the one she’d arrived in yesterday.
“What happens now?” she asked Adam.
Adam’s gut rippled as he sat as far away from Bella as possible. Torture. There was no other word for the agonizing craving to bury his cock deep into her body. Every cell in his body hummed, buzzed and leaned toward her. He swallowed hard as the car turned onto the highway, leaving the Compound behind.
“You’re not going to answer me?” Bella asked.
“What?” He couldn’t look at her, not yet.
“Where are we going? Is there a way to fix this? To stop the pheromones?”
Yes, but you may not want to do that right now, he thought. He rolled the window down slightly, breathed and cleared the air.
“Is that safe?” She looked out the back window. “What if the pheromones go out the window? Won’t they… attack again?”
Sensing her fear, he took one last cleansing breath and rolled up the window rather than tell her he was her most immediate threat. The moment the window closed, his stomach clenched as her scent grabbed and wrapped around his throat, tightening like a noose.
His beast fought to break free and take her.
“David,” he called his brother, needing an extra layer of strength. Cool energy filled him, drowning his beast until it whimpered in submission.
“The pull is strong,” David said.
“Yes, being in the car with her is fucking crazy.” Eyes closed he leaned his head against the back seat to catch his breath.
“Open the window,” David said.
“It scares her.” He explained the short conversation he had with Bella.
“Bottom line, you need to shut her down before you run into too many challengers. From what I understand she’s a rare prize.”
Adam heard the pride in his brother’s voice but couldn’t think past the simmering need to claim his mate.
“Talk to her. She needs to choose you, Adam. Be the first man she wants,” David said.
“Yeah. I know. It’s just hard to focus with the pull.”
“Take advantage of the help you’ve gotten to ease the pull. It won’t last forever, make your move now,” David said and disengaged.
Adam straightened and looked at her. “We’re heading to one of Alpha Barticus’ homes. It’s on an island with few unmated… people. When we arrive at the pier, the boat will take us out. We should be there before dark.”
“We?” she looked at him.
“Yes.” He met her confused gaze and wondered what she’d been told about this trip. Her father never said.
“Why are you going? Isn’t this hard for you too?”
“Extremely hard, but I can’t allow anyone to hurt you or take you against your will.” He spoke the words from his heart.
“You’re security?”
“A part of your security. Alpha Barticus will have others there as protection as well.” But he would be her primary caregiver.
“Thanks.” She looked out the window again.
“Are you angry?”
She looked at him. “What?”
“About leaving after just returning home? Are you angry?” Adam asked, curious. She hadn’t seemed angry
when her father walked her to the car.
“No. Sad. Lonely. Disappointed. Confused. Sorry my presence caused problems for the Order, but not angry.” She looked at him. “Do you turn into a wolf?”
Surprised and pleased by her curiosity, he thought how to answer her and realized he wanted her to know the truth. “Yes, I can.” He didn’t know what to add and waited for her next question.
“How? I mean is that a curse or something? Most people don’t turn into wolves.” She turned in her seat to face him.
“I was born this way. My father is a full-blood wolf. My mother is a breeder…like you. All my brothers and sisters are half-breeds, or dual-natured beings. It’s not a curse for sure, closer to a blessing.”
She frowned. “Blessing? How do you figure that?”
“We live longer lives, we heal faster, can take a lot of physical abuse and keep going. We mate for life and love hard.”
“Mate for life? What does that mean?”
Adam hid a smile, this wasn’t so hard. Most women he met through the years wanted to be listened to and be seen. He could do this. Leaning forward, he spoke softly, forcing her to lean toward him to hear. “Imagine being with a man who will love and cherish you, never cheat, will give his life to protect you and your kids. His world revolves around making sure you’re happy. He’d support you in whatever you need to do, the two of you would work as a team in perfect harmony.”
“He’ll do whatever I want or say?” she asked.
That surprised him. He couldn’t imagine doing whatever anyone said. “No. The two of you would do whatever was best to keep your family strong, whole and happy.”
She nodded slowly. “Are you mated? Do you have someone?”
“I’m working on it.” He deepened his voice and glanced at her lips before returning to her eyes.
She frowned. “So, there is someone?”
He sensed if he told her the truth now, she’d try to run, so he nodded and didn’t say anything.
“Oh. Okay.” She pulled her thick ponytail up and turned away from him. “My mom lived a long time. She didn’t look old, but she was.”
The change in conversation threw him, but as long as she was talking, he’d listen. “I saw her picture at your home. She was beautiful with a great smile, like she knew a secret or was about to laugh about something.”
Her sudden, wide grin brightened the car. “She always smiled like that.” She looked at him. “It’s amazing that you looked at those pictures and actually saw her because I always felt she knew more than she let on.” She snorted. “Come to find out I was right. There was a lot more to Mama than any of us knew. Now I’m leaving the only home I’ve known because of her secret.”
He didn’t know what to say and covered her hand with his. She looked at his hand for a few moments and then gazed out the window without moving it.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
Her words pierced his heart. “I know.”
“What’s going to happen? How do I stop the pheromones?” She looked at him. “I’m not sure what’s happening or why. If one of those men catches me, they’ll rape me,” she said in a broken voice.
Adam’s stomach rebelled against the idea of anyone other than him touching her. Scooting over, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She stiffened and after a few moments relaxed, laying her head on his shoulder.
“I won’t say don’t be scared. That’s a part of life.” He searched his mind for the right thing to say and hoped he hit the right balance because he really wanted her to like him, to give them a chance. “My dad always told me to face my fears, learn as much as I can and make solid decisions about my life. You can do that. I’ve come to realize we must deal with the hand we’ve been dealt. It’s a waste of time to complain about life’s ups and down.” He squeezed her shoulder to take the sting from his words. “Here’s the thing. No one asked for this. Not you or the men who will be compelled to seek you out.” He certainly hadn’t asked to have his libido wrecked by a virgin that drove his beast crazy but he was beginning to like the idea of them together.
“I hadn’t thought of it like that.” She looked up at him. “What were you doing before you caught a whiff of… you know?”
“Last year I moved here from the states to play ball. We just finished our season, won the trophy. I was in Rome doing some sightseeing with Alpha Barticus.”
“Ball? You play sports?”
“Yes. Football or soccer.” He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.
She leaned away from him. He touched her hand while meeting her gaze. “What you’re saying is this caught you by surprise, too?”
Thinking of the sexy ladies in his bed the night they won the cup, he nodded. “Most definitely.”
“I’m sorry.” She tried to move her hand from his but he held fast. Touching her eased his beast.
“Never be sorry for being the amazing, wonderful person you are,” he whispered close to her ear.
She snorted but didn’t move her hand.
“How many women do you know have men fighting over them in the streets? And that’s without hearing your sexy voice,” he teased.
She pushed against his chest. He covered her hand and kept it there. “Don’t joke about that, Adam. It was horrible.”
His cock throbbed at the sound of his name on her lips. Inching closer, he inhaled her sweet scent. “Horrible? Granted, it was for you. But they wouldn’t have done that for Astrid.”
She gave him a crooked smile and shook her head. “That’s not nice. Astrid honored my mom’s request to train me.”
“That is me being honest. I’m not saying Astrid isn’t a nice person. I just don’t want you to ever think you aren’t special. Men look at you and see your beauty. They can’t help but want to be with you, listen to your voice, and hope for a chance at being your man.” He held her gaze for a few seconds before she looked away.
“What about you, Adam? What do you want from me?” she whispered as she turned to face him again.
“Me? I want you as my mate.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
An unusual warmth curled in Bella’s stomach at Adam’s words. A man like him could have any woman he wanted. She didn’t know how she knew that but she did. He wasn’t cocky. She couldn’t abide those kinds of people. Confident in himself. That’s what she sensed in him and it calmed her fears in ways she couldn’t explain.
“Mate? Me?” Hadn’t he said they mate for life? As in one man, one woman thing? How could she be his mate when she’d never had a boyfriend? Or been on a date like Mona? She’d never kissed a boy, not like she’d seen couples kiss in the Order.
Her parents, and others at the Compound had been affectionate, not overwhelmingly so, but enough that she understood the basics. At least she thought she did.
As usual, when she couldn’t connect the dots through logic, music rose in the background of her consciousness. This time love ballads she’d heard over the internet through the years streamed through her mind. Deep within, she pulled musical notes and beats to help process the idea of being a mate and failed. She simply could not reconcile him wanting her for something so permanent.
“Yes, you.” He leaned closer to her face, his warm breath brushed against her cheek. “What do you think about that?”
She closed her eyes, released a deep breath and sought that calm place inside she’d discovered earlier to accompany her prayers. Warmth crept up her face when he didn’t move away.
She gasped but didn’t move as he placed soft kisses along her jawline. Tingles of awareness raced to her core. Frozen in place, she cataloged every new sensation careening through her body. His fingertip traced her lip, surprising her with how soft and gentle such a big man could be.
A tremor shook her body, still she didn’t, couldn’t speak. It was if someone took a crowbar and pried open a locker of unstable emotions and inexplicable needs inside her. She leaned her head back, unwittingly granting h
im permission to continue. His kisses grew bolder, on her cheeks, forehead, the tip of her nose, even her neck but never her mouth.
Wasn’t that where people kissed? His palm grazed her breast.
Her eyes flew open and met his. His eyes had changed into golden brown starbursts with hints of burgundy. Mesmerized, she forgot what she planned to say. They stared at each other for a few seconds.
Bella watched as he lowered his face to hers. His eyes said he would kiss her. Should she stop him? A foreign, new part of her screamed, “No!” Before she could process what was happening, his lips brushed gently against hers. Shoulders tensed, she leaned back.
He followed and pressed his lips on her mouth for a brief second. His hand stroked her hair, the other lifted her chin just before he captured her mouth. His tongue ran back and forth on the seam of her closed lips.
Intent on asking what he was doing, she opened her mouth and jerked when he slid his tongue inside. Leaning away, she broke the connection.
He was breathing hard and laid his forehead on hers. “Easy. Easy,” he whispered.
“You put your tongue in my mouth.” She tried to sound horrified, but couldn’t quite pull it off.
“Kissing.”
“That’s not kissing,” she shot back.
“How many men have you kissed?” He paused. “Other than your father.”
None. She really had no point of reference when it came to kissing. “Are you telling me you kiss women like that… using your tongue?”
“Yes.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “You smell incredible. And you taste so sweet. Let me kiss you again.”
Conflicted, Bella didn’t answer right away. While she knew men and women did private, personal things with each other, she had spent her free time in the clouds with her music or helping in the Order. It never occurred to her that she’d need to make these kinds of decisions.
“Why do you want to kiss me?” She needed more time to think.
“It makes me feel good inside.”
She hadn’t expected that. “Kissing makes you feel good?” Sure, her body reacted to his touches and kisses, but she wouldn’t say they made her feel good or bad for that matter.