Spark

by J Marie

  In the warmth of his embrace, I could see skiers and snowboarders off in the

  distance, sliding down the snow and kicking up clouds of white powder in their

  wake. I became instantly envious that I wasn’t down there with them. I wanted to

  fly like they were.

  “Do you snowboard?” I asked Darren.

  “Occasionally,” he replied.

  “Are you any good?”

  He released a soft chuckle. “There isn’t much I’m not good at.”

  I covertly rolled my eyes. Of course, he was good at nearly everything.

  “I miss it,” I added.

  Darren was silent for a moment before he answered. “Maybe next year we’ll hit

  the slopes.”

  “Really?”

  “Sure, when I’m confident in your durability.”

  I shook my head and sighed. “You’re doing it again.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Treating me like a flower.”

  I felt Darren lower his lips to my ear. “How should I treat you then?”

  I gulped back my response but answered anyway. “How about as your equal and

  not your prisoner?”

  “You have yet to earn that status.”

  “I am trying…”

  “Are you sure? You seem very content with challenging your guards to the point

  of attempting to manipulate me into killing them.”

  I scoffed. “I’m curious. What would you have me do when the men charged with

  watching over me taunt me?”

  “Taunt you how?”

  “Romero and Alex enjoyed pushing me in ways that encouraged my natural

  rebellious behavior.”

  “Then you will come to me, and I will handle it.”

  “And if they don’t let me? If you’re gone?”

  “Then you will deal with it until I return. They will not keep you from me.”

  “You know how well that will go down,” I said, shaking my head. “Dealing”

  wasn’t exactly my specialty.

  “And how do you think it will go down when I get home and find out you took

  matters into your own hands?”

  “I imagine you would thank me for handling my own shit, so you don’t have to.”

  “Don’t be a smartass. These men are here to protect you, which they clearly

  failed to do when they allowed you to sneak away from them. If you don’t allow

  them to do their job, you jeopardize yourself. Have you not learned that yet?”

  “I can take care of my damn self. I don’t need them.”

  “If that were true, you wouldn’t be here with me now. This isn’t up for debate.

  When we get back to the estate tomorrow, Clive and Owen will resume their

  positions, and you will do as you’re told. I imagine Camaro will provide an easy

  distraction from your life as my prisoner.”

  My jaw clenched at his comment, the acid of his tone burning my skin. I wanted

  to continue arguing, but it was exhausting with him when I was always on the

  losing end.

  Exhaling the last of my argument, the sound of cracking boomed aloud followed

  by the bright spray of exploding color in the sky. Fireworks blasted off in the

  distance, shooting all sorts of colors and designs into the air. It was only eight p.m.,

  so I wasn’t sure why they were going off, but I didn’t care. I allowed myself to get

  lost in the moment, taking comfort in Darren’s warmth behind me as I watched the

  sky. With the mountains in the background, and the white snow glistening over the

  top, it was the most beautiful display I had ever seen.

  When it was over some half hour later, and my eyes were still mesmerized by

  magic, Darren tilted my head back and planted a firm kiss on my lips. It made me

  melt as I kissed him back, not because he wanted me to, but because I wanted to. I

  decided I would take advantage of him when I could. I didn’t have to enjoy the

  words that came out of his mouth, but I could certainly appreciate the skill of the

  tongue that created them.

  “Come on,” Darren said, breaking the kiss. “I have another surprise for you.”

  44

  LIGHTS

  I t took about a twenty-minute drive to get to the drop-off site just outside of Eagle

  River. I knew of a clear trail that would take us to a primal spot for optimal

  viewing. The sky was perfect, and the weather wasn’t even as chilly as I had

  predicted. Jaden was going to fucking love this.

  Stepping out of the car, Jaden followed me around to the trunk of the Range

  Rover. When I opened it, her eyes lit up in total confusion.

  “What’s all that for?” she asked, gesturing at the contents of the trunk.

  That was when the truck that had been following a mile behind us pulled up with

  the trailer carrying the Arctic Cat XF 9000.

  “It’s for that,” I said, nodding over at the truck as it pulled up. I thought her

  eyes were going to bulge out of her head.

  I switched out my coat for the heavy-duty parka in the trunk, my eyes never

  leaving Jaden as she watched my men unload the snowmobile and fire it up. Her

  excitement was palpable, and I was hoping for that exact reaction from her.

  “Come on, you need to get changed,” I urged her as I slipped into a pair of black

  snow pants. She couldn’t contain her smile as she eagerly grabbed the hot pink

  snow pants and slipped them on without a single grudge in the world. She might

  complain about how bright the color was, but what she didn’t know was that color

  was meant to help me keep an easier eye on her. It was much harder to disappear

  when you looked like a walking highlighter.

  When we were both fully dressed, I led her smirking ass over to the idling snow

  machine.

  After her little inspection of the Arctic Cat, her eyes found mine, and a

  challenging smile formed on her lips.

  “So where’s yours?” she asked, that confident and cocky attitude of hers that

  made my cock hard rising up again. Her arms crossed over her chest as she jutted

  her hip out, waiting for my reply.

  I returned her smile in earnest and tossed her the helmet sitting on the seat,

  which she caught easily.

  “Yeah, right,” I said, lifting my leg over the seat and sitting down. Like I’d let

  her have enough control with her own snowmobile. I don’t think so. “Come on,” I

  prompted, patting the seat behind me for her to take. I turned around and put my

  own helmet on as I felt Jaden’s weight settle behind me.

  “Ready?” I called behind me.

  “Yeah!” she shouted over the noise of the engine and gripped my sides. The feel

  of her clinging to my body for leverage brought a smile to my face. I wanted more of

  it, and I never wanted her to stop.

  Shifting the snowmobile into gear, we took off down a path that had been used

  several times by Scott, not only to prepare this ride so that it was safer for Jaden,

  but to travel back and forth from hunts when I couldn’t. The machine cut through

  the snow without an issue, giving Jaden a nice little ride as I took us over hills,

  between trees, and driving further up the mountain for the best view. A full moon

  was out in full force tonight, bathing everything in white light and giving the snow

  an eerie pale glow. We passed a herd of elk and the occasional deer, all of which

  Jaden pointed out like a little kid at the zoo. It was adorable. She might not have

  be
en able to enjoy herself much in the presence of the public eye, but out here,

  where she was alone with me, she could breathe a little easier. Her excitement

  behind me was beyond evident, and I was satisfied in knowing I was the cause of

  that excitement. For a small moment, she was happy.

  After about an hour of fun, I pulled us over to the side of the mountain that

  would grant us the best view and cut the engine. I lifted my helmet, Jaden following

  suit, and set them on either handlebar while stepping off the snowmobile.

  “How was that?” I asked her.

  She gave me that look she gives when she doesn’t want to admit the obvious,

  but eventually, she conceded.

  “Okay, that was a lot of fun,” she said. “Thank you.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  “You should let me drive on the way back,” she added.

  “I don’t think so. You’d probably lead us right off the side of the mountain.”

  She glared back at me, the cuteness of her anger not lost on me.

  “Don’t tempt me,” she threatened, her eyes narrowed as she moved off the

  snowmobile. I could help but chuckle.

  “Come here,” I said, holding my arm out for her to huddle to my side, the weight

  of her warm embrace enough to satisfy me. When she settled, she looked down the

  mountain to gaze upon the best view of Alaska. Her eyes widened as she took in the

  scene while I took in the simple beauty of her.

  “Wow,” she beamed. “This is … amazing.”

  “Agreed,” I murmured, my eyes still lingering over her.

  After a moment, a stick cracked in the distance of the trees, causing Jaden’s

  head to whip to the source of the sound, her breath hitching in a gasp. I couldn’t

  help but smile.

  “Don’t worry, princess,” I said, sitting down on the snowmobile and pulling

  Jaden onto my lap. “No wolves out here. I made sure of it.”

  She scoffed but nodded. I watched as her facial expression softened into

  something uncertain as she seemed to withdraw into herself. I squeezed her hand,

  hoping to encourage her to give voice to her thoughts, but she looked away back

  toward the world below. My eyes followed suit.

  She sat there with me for a few moments, just admiring the scene around us

  until she finally said something I thought I would never hear.

  “I never thanked you,” she muttered quietly, her eyes lost in thought. I knew

  where she was going, but I never got what I truly wanted unless I pushed her for

  more.

  “For what?”

  Jaden released a deep breath before answering, as if thanking me was the most

  painful thing for her to do.

  “For killing the wolves.”

  “You mean for saving your life,” I corrected, anger rising in my voice at the

  thought of even having to save her from a situation she had caused in the first

  place. The thought of her in danger had my blood boiling in seconds.

  Jaden’s warm amber eyes met mine, fire licking through her irises as she glared

  at me. She didn’t want to admit that I had rescued her from a fatality she could not

  have escaped from by herself. My warrior princess didn’t want me to be her hero; it

  would contradict her image of me being the villain, and wasn’t that something to

  smile about?

  Jaden wanted to be her own hero, her own knight in shining armor, but I was

  diminishing her independence by forcing her to rely on others for her safety. I had

  no doubt that if Jaden had been armed, she could have handled the wolf pack

  herself, but it was too soon to trust her with anything even closely deemed as a

  potential weapon. She might be smart enough to refrain from killing me, but I

  made no threats for killing others, and someday, it just might come down to that,

  but until then, she needed to learn to respect the people I put in place to protect

  her.

  “Sure, let’s call it that,” she mumbled.

  Jaden’s lips formed a tight line before she finally looked away back toward the

  sky, but I wasn’t done scolding her for her blatant disregard for her own safety.

  “You’re welcome,” I said harshly, still waiting for the actual thank you that

  would burn her tongue.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes still on the sky while the words

  disappeared into the cold air like ghosts.

  “Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I saw that wolf attack you?”

  She didn’t even look at me when she responded. “I imagine it compares little to

  the amount of terror I feel on a daily basis.”

  “Look at me,” I ordered, taking her face in my hand and prying her eyes back to

  me. “The terror you feel is in place for a reason. If there is no fear of me or the

  consequences of your actions, you will never adapt to your place. It is your own fault

  that I have to be so strict with you all the time.”

  A ghost of a smirk appeared on her lips as I released her face to allow her to

  speak. “You call threatening and killing my family strict? What about everyone else

  you’ve killed because of me?”

  “Necessary. If that is what I have to do to keep you in line and ensure that you

  are safe, I will do it without conscience.”

  She stared at me for a long time, her chest heaving heavy breaths, while her jaw

  clenched and her brows furrowed in confusion. After a moment, she seemed to

  relax.

  “Why me?” she asked softly.

  I sighed, knowing this question was coming. It was a valid question. Why her?

  Why was she the focus of my obsession? Why was I so hell-bent on making her

  mine? I had rationalized it in my head so often that all the explanations simply

  blurred together.

  “Because no matter how many times I try to snuff the defiance out of you, you

  refuse to fade. You give me what no one else ever has or could, and I’m drawn to it

  like a moth to a flame.”

  “And what happens when that flame finally dies? How will you get your fix

  then?”

  I smiled. “I’m a very good fire starter, Jaden. I know just how to ignite the sparks

  in you when you need it. It’s not in your nature to break.”

  She released a light breath through her nose, seemingly preparing to respond,

  but then the sky began to light up with bright neon color. The anticipated display of

  the northern lights began to dance across the night sky in vertical waves of pink,

  blue, and green, further adding to the beautiful scenery below. The alarm on my

  watch then began to beep, signaling the end of one year and the beginning of

  another. A year I intended to share with Jaden and many more to come for the rest

  of my life.

  “Oh, my God,” Jaden whispered as her eyes washed over the sky. She had tears

  in the corners of her eyes, her face so mesmerized by what she was seeing. It

  tugged at the thinning strings of my heart.

  The aurora borealis continued to move along the sky for several minutes, the

  colors fading and winding around each other, painting the sky with a light show not

  even the fireworks could touch. I’d planned this days ago, and it turned out to be

  the perfect timing. I knew Jaden would love this, and judging by the fact that she

  couldn’t take her eyes away from the sky, I’d won.

  “You planned this?
” she asked as she turned to me, her voice clearly shocked.

  “Mmhmm,” I moaned.

  I rubbed my nose along the side of Jaden’s face before turning her head and

  kissing her with a softness I wanted to last forever. She moaned into my mouth,

  responding to the kiss like she wanted to, no longer denying herself the pleasure of

  my touch. The northern lights continued to weave and wave above us, but we didn’t

  need them anymore. We made our own damn lights.

  By the time I finished kissing her, we were both breathless, her lips red and

  swollen from my own, and it just made me want to kiss her more.

  “Happy New Year, princess,” I whispered and went back for seconds.

  45

  AGAME

  TwoWeeksLater

  “Sit,” I ordered, holding the dog treat between my fingers. Camaro’s little pink

  tongue hung out of her mouth as she eyed the treat, but after a few more prompts,

  she finally sat on her hind legs. “Good girl,” I praised and tossed the treat toward

  her, which she almost caught.

  At three and a half months, she was already at thirty-five pounds, and she was

  getting stronger and faster every day. Once we got back to the estate from our trip

  to Anchorage, Darren hired a personal dog trainer to come out and help me train

  Camaro. She blew past my expectations, learning basic commands in a matter of

  days. I was still working on some tricks of my own with her when we were by

  ourselves. She was able to keep me busy, and I welcomed the distraction now that I

  was back at the estate.

  I had to admit something had changed since Darren and I returned from Alaska.

  He was somehow sweeter, gentler, less demanding when I was cooperative, and he

  made an effort to spend time with me outside of meals. He’d continued to care for

  my bite wound, removing the stitches himself like some kind of medical pro. It was

  healing nicely, but I knew it was going to scar. I could see the tiny teeth indents on

  my skin like an astrological sign, connecting the dots that told the story of how I

  was almost eaten by wolves … and admittedly, though begrudgingly … saved by

  Darren.

  I almost felt guilty when he would look at my arm with disdain and regret,

  smoothing his hand over my skin like he could somehow rub it away. It shocked me