Inarus clenched his jaw. “Fine. Suit yourself.” He folded his arms across his broad chest and furrowed his brows. He sulked better than most teenagers.
I rolled my eyes. “Just stay here. I’ll be back after I talk to Declan, okay?”
He didn’t answer. I threw my hands in the air and left the room.
Why did grown men have to be such babies?
I found Robert—arms folded across his chest and a blasé look on his face—waiting in the hallway outside my room.
I wasn’t fooled, and I wasn’t in the mood.
“You’re spying on me?” I asked and continued walking down the hallway, leaving him to follow.
“Not spying,” he said. “Just waiting. You see, this peculiar thing happened today.”
He waited for me to respond. I rose a single brow in his direction and kept walking.
Robert sighed dramatically. "My Alpha's mate was here one moment and gone the next. She was last seen in the arms of another man, and with no cell phone to be reached at and well … " he shrugged his shoulders. "I was worried for her safety and for my Alpha's sanity and thought it best to wait in case she popped back into existence while her mate—fraught with worry—went searching for her."
I stopped and glared at him.
“Where is he?” I asked. Dammit, I had been counting on Declan staying within the Compound. I didn’t think he’d go searching for me, though even as the thought popped into my head, I knew it wasn’t true. Of course he’d go searching for me.
“Who? Your lover? I believe you left him back in your room.”
I ground my teeth together. “I don’t have a lover,” I said.
“Could have fooled me.”
I wanted to hit him. Hard. But Robert was a Clan Alpha, and I was the Pack Alpha’s Mate. There were rules. I didn’t know all or even half of them, but I was pretty sure that punching the Alpha for Clan Canidae was against them.
“You’re a very aggravating coyote,” I said.
“Thank you.”
“It wasn’t a compliment.”
Robert cackled, sounding more like a hyena than a coyote in that moment.
“Just tell me where he is,” I demanded. I let my mind fill with thoughts of punching Robert in the face and then kneeing him in the groin. Wouldn’t that be satisfying?
“I’d love to. After sending ten shifters out to look for you and also searching for you himself, he finally retired to his room. I suppose I can call the others off the search.”
Without responding, I turned and headed in the direction of Declan’s room.
I hadn’t done anything wrong, so I didn’t know why I felt like I was marching myself into the principal’s office to accept my punishment.
I stopped in front of Declan’s door and debated knocking but decided against it. He likely knew I was there anyway.
Declan was sitting in one of the two large armchairs that faced the fireplace. He didn’t bother to turn around, but I knew he was aware of my presence.
He held a glass in his right hand filled with an amber liquid.
Aha! There was alcohol in the Compound.
I stepped forward, my eyes taking a quick inventory of the room. I'd been staying in Declan's room while Noah Thorne and his shifters were visiting from the South Atlantic Pack. Despite our tumultuous relationship, we'd needed to present a united front for the visiting Alpha. It'd been awkward, sure, but necessary at the time.
It’d only been a handful of days since then, yet for some strange reason, I was surprised everything was still exactly as it’d been before, including my black leather jacket, half hanging from the corner of the bed.
Why hadn’t Declan moved anything? Or at the very least had someone put my things back in the guest room I was currently inhabiting?
The king-sized four-poster bed dominated the majority of the room with intricate carvings depicting tigers and bears in battle decorating each post. A stone fireplace lay to the right and a doorway leading to the ensuite bathroom to the left.
I took a seat in the armchair beside him, reached for the bottle resting on the accent table between us, and poured myself an ounce of the amber liquid. I drank it in one gulp, then poured another shot to sip on.
The liquid lit a path of fire down my throat that cleared my sinuses and filled my nose with the scent of cinnamon.
I hadn’t expected Fireball of all things to be in the decanter, but I wasn’t complaining.
“Your hands are on fire,” he said casually.
The flames had mostly receded on my walk to his room, but a few still licked my fingers.
“I’ll try not to burn the chair,” I told him as I settled into the leather seat, both my hands wrapped around the glass.
He grunted and took a drink from his own glass.
The seconds stretched to minutes, and I told myself to be patient and enjoy my drink. I was in no hurry for the confrontation I knew would unfold.
Anger rolled off of Declan in waves that if I’d been standing, would leave me staggering.
I’d felt his anger before, but this was different. This was broody and thick. He’d been stewing on it for hours.
I took another drink and warmth suffused me. To hell with it. I poured myself one last shot of Fireball.
I was going to need it.
“Where have you been?”
I snorted and blinked my eyes several times. I could feel the alcohol in my blood-stream, my mind already growing fuzzy.
Thank God for alcohol.
“Are you going to answer?” Declan asked and took another sip from his glass.
I eyed my drink. I knew my limits and three was certainly it for me.
“I had a visitor at Sanborn Place.”
“And you didn’t think it worth telling me first that you were leaving?”
Well, in hindsight that probably would have been the responsible thing to do.
"It was urgent," I said instead.
Declan downed the remnants of his drink and slammed the glass on the table.
“Dammit, Aria, do you have any idea how—” He stopped and gritted his teeth.
I eyed him out of the corner of my eyes and took in the hard set of his jaw. He was fuming, and it was all because of me. I felt like shit about that.
“I’m sorry.”
There was an eerie stillness about him when I uttered those words.
Declan slowly turned in his chair to face me fully.
His eyes were flecked with gold, his gaze wary. I couldn’t blame him.
“I shouldn’t have taken off without saying anything. It was inconsiderate of me.”
Declan pursed his lips, but before he could say anything, I jumped in. “But that isn’t why you’re mad at me right now,” I rushed to finish.
“I’m not angry with you,” he growled.
I snorted. Of course not. Silly me.
“You are. I can feel it. I may not be a shifter, but I know when you’re lying.”
Declan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“Can you blame me?” he asked.
No. Not really.
Screw it, I decided, and grabbed the decanter again, pouring myself another shot. I knew it was a bad idea, but at the moment, I didn’t care.
“It’s not what it looked like,” I said.
He didn’t answer, so I downed my fourth shot and shook my head.
Damn, I was going to pay for this later.
“Look—” I turned and faced him. “I’m trying here, okay? I’m used to being on my own, not having to be accountable to anyone. It was urgent. An informant was waiting for me back at the office, and Twitch is, well, twitchy. He doesn’t sit tight very long, so when he shows up, you have to act fast or lose him. I didn’t expect to be gone so long. And I certainly didn’t expect Inarus to wrap his arms around me for a port. He’s never done that before. But I felt your anger and came straight to you when I got back. I knew you’d be pissed off and would likely be an ass. Yet, I still came you.�
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He grunted beside me, and I threw my hands in the air before standing up. “What do you want from me?” I knew the alcohol was talking, but I didn’t care. “I’m trying. Can you just give me an inch here?”
Declan stood and jerked me towards him before crushing his lips against mine in a brutal kiss.
His kiss was hot and demanding. I reached for his shoulders to steady myself and gave in to the kiss, but as quickly as it had started, it ended, and Declan pulled away.
“You’re drunk.” He said and shook his head as though needing the reminder.
So what? Everything was better when I was drunk.
The alcohol made me feel lighter, hotter, and it made me want to kiss Declan all over again. I didn’t want to worry about the outside world, my mother, or anything else right now.
I just wanted Declan to kiss me again. Was that too much to ask?
“Go climb in bed,” he said softly, pinning me with his eyes. It was clearly an order, and for once, I was happy to oblige.
I turned and all but skipped to the damn thing. I didn’t care that we were still working on our relationship. I was frustrated, intoxicated, and horny. I wanted Declan to take care of at least one of my problems.
I undid the hair tie at the end of my shirt and shimmied off my pants, allowing Declan’s shirt to once again fall to my knees.
When I turned around, there was a huge white tiger with bright green eyes staring back at me.
I glared at it. “You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”
His ear twitched, and he flicked his tail.
I climbed onto the bed and slid underneath the covers. Feeling brazen, I pulled the T-shirt over my head and threw it on the ground beside me.
I gave Declan the briefest glimpse of my breasts before tucking the covers high beneath my chin. He growled deep in his throat, leaped onto the bed beside me and curled his massive feline body beside mine.
I rolled to my side and ran my fingers through his silken fur, luxuriating in the soft texture before resting my head on my pillow and closing my eyes.
I took comfort in the soft, throaty sounds his tiger made with each stroke of my fingers and swatted at him when a cold nose nudged at the blankets covering my chest.
Not happening, buddy. That's what you get when you go furry on me.
I smiled to myself before realizing I still had to talk to him about today.
“My mother was at Sanborn Place,” I told him.
He growled beside me and lifted his head to stare directly into my eyes, accusation in his gaze.
“Don’t get all growly with me. I would have told you already if you hadn’t kissed me and then gone all furry.”
He chuffed and settled back down beside me as he waited for me to continue.
“I don’t know why she was there,” I sighed, trying to figure out the best way to fill him in on everything that had transpired.
“Inarus ported me to the office because Twitch was waiting and insisted on talking to me. He said that PsyShade is assembling for something big. something to do with me.” I shook my head and paused as I tried to sort my thoughts.
Declan remained patient, though it wasn’t like he could really say anything right now.
“Twitch said she was coming after the animals. I’d assumed that meant the Pack.” Declan bobbed his head in agreement. “But then she showed up at Sanborn Place with at least twelve PsyShade members in tow. She was coming for me. I don’t know if I was just first on her to-do list or if she assumed you’d be with me. Either way, I don’t think I’ll be going to the office anytime soon.”
Declan growled low and deep in his throat before sliding his feline body closer to mine.
We’d slept in the same bed before while Declan was in cat form, but this was more intimate than before, and I didn’t know why.
Being entirely naked under the covers may have contributed to that feeling, but my head was too far in the clouds to really give it much thought.
I snuggled my face into his fur and inhaled deeply. My eyelids grew heavy, and I found myself sinking into sleep, my fingers wrapped around him as though worried he wouldn’t be there when I woke up.
11
Aria
I awoke to find Declan still in feline form curled beside me and the comforter puddled at my waist. I sat up and slowly stretched my arms out above me.
Declan opened one eye languidly and made a sound of appreciation. I looked down, realizing my breasts were exposed and snatched at the blanket.
He chuffed and then closed his eyes, giving me some semblance of privacy.
I threw my discarded shirt back on and scratched him behind the ear. “Come on. Time to get up.” We had a lot to do today if we were going to figure out what mommy dearest was up to.
I stood up, and my head spun. Dammit, why did I have to drink FOUR shots? The fact that I'd done so on an empty stomach hadn't helped.
I groaned and reached for the bedpost to steady myself. Stupid, stupid.
Declan was beside me in a flash. His head pushed against my hip, and I reached my free hand out to give him another scratch.
“I’m fine,” I told him. “Just a little hung over.” I took a deep breath and headed for the ensuite bathroom to splash water on my face.
“You shouldn’t have let me drink so much,” I chided as I closed the door behind me.
I heard him growl in response and had to bite back a laugh. Yeah, I didn’t think he would have been able to stop me either.
I found a spare toothbrush in the vanity and took care of brushing my teeth and washing my face. Despite how much I’d had to drink, I only had a dull headache and it was quickly fading.
Returning to the bedroom I found Declan back in human form. He was already dressed in a pair of loose fitting jeans and a black crew neck T-shirt that hugged his broad chest and shoulders.
Damn, did he have to look so good first thing in the morning?
I started to finger comb my hair as I looked around the floor for my pants.
“Looking for these?” Declan asked, holding up my jeans.
I headed towards him to grab them, and he caught me in a single-handed embrace and pulled me in close.
“You’re beautiful in the morning,” he said.
Heat crept up my face, and I froze as he leaned in to gently press his lips against mine.
Instinct told me to pull away, but I kept my feet planted exactly where they were and instead offered him a wide smile.
“You’re not so bad yourself,” I told him.
Declan briefly looked taken aback—not expecting the compliment—before he smiled down at me. Something about his grin had my heart doing stupid cartwheels in my chest.
He gave me another quick kiss before handing me my jeans, and I bent down to pull them on.
“I’ll have to go grab some fresh clothes,” I told him.
Declan coughed, and something about the sound had me jerking my head and eyeing him skeptically.
“I may have had some of your things brought in,” he said nonchalantly.
“May have?” I repeated.
He nodded.
“How many of my things?” I questioned, already sensing the answer.
Declan led me to the far side of the room and slid open the closet doors. I sucked in a breath.
“This isn’t just what I had in my room here at the Compound,” I said.
Declan had the decency to look sorry as he said, “After you were rescued, I had Brock and Caden pack up all of your belongings at your apartment and bring them here. Your clothes and personal items are in this room. I had the furniture placed in Pack storage for you until you decided what you wanted to do with it.”
I could feel my blood begin to boil. “You have no right—”
“You almost died,” he said, and something in the way he spoke made my heart break into a million little pieces. There was so much grief in his voice it was unbearable.
I rubbed at the blooming ache in my che
st and reconsidered my next words.
"It's a gross invasion of my privacy to send Brock—the head of Pack security—and Caden—a seventeen-year-old boy—into my apartment to rifle through my belongings."
“There was no rifling,” he said.
I leaned forward and snatched a pair of my underwear from one of the shelves. I held them up in front of his nose.
“Care to rephrase?”
He snatched the panties from my hand and tossed them back into the closet. He looked like he was about to say something, but instead he marched over toward the bed and opened the left side nightstand drawer.
He retrieved a rectangular box and stomped his way back to me. Without saying anything he shoved the box in my direction.
I eyed it skeptically but took it anyway.
“What’s this?”
“Open it. It’ll make you less upset that we rifled through your things.”
I highly doubted that but slid the wooden top off. The box was simple and crafted from cedar but was lined in a rich green velvet. Resting inside were a twin pair of blades I never thought I’d see again.
I reached for my beloved daggers and hugged them to my chest.
“How did you—? Where did you—?”
Tears flooded my eyes, and I blinked them back.
Declan gently swiped at the single tear that escaped to run down my cheek.
“I didn’t mean to upset you. I thoughts these would make you happy.”
His expression was worried, and I had to fight back the laugh that bubbled in my chest. “I am happy,” I told him.
I was overjoyed. My daggers were a gift from my late father. He’d given them to me on my sixteenth birthday. They were irreplaceable, and I hadn’t expected to ever see them again.
I’d assumed my mother had discarded them after taking me, since when I’d woke up, I’d been stripped down to my underwear and sports bra, my daggers nowhere to be seen.
I’d been so disorientated during my rescue that I hadn’t had the mindset to ask Declan or Inarus to find them for me before taking me and Irina out of there.
Branded by Fire: A Paranormal Urban Fantasy Series (Blood & Magic Book 4) Page 7