“Bella’s been asking about you,” Mom finished. She spread her hands wide helplessly. “Bella hasn’t left their place in weeks. If it was going to get her out of the house … I couldn’t say no to Zara.”
Now that was a surprise. My cousin and I had never been close when we lived in Long Mesa. We had maybe had a couple of conversations since she and her mom came to Blackwater seeking sanctuary.
“Why?” The word escaped me before I could censor myself.
Mom’s lips pressed together. “Honestly? I think because she’s seen that you didn’t let what happened to you before define you. She needs to see another survivor living and thriving to give herself something to hope for.”
“What we went through … Mom, it’s not the same thing,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “Cassian and his friends did stuff to me, but things never went that far.”
Fury flashed in her eyes, and then regret. Her jaw clenched. “I know, baby.”
With a heavy sigh, I reached out and opened the door.
Bella was sitting at the barstool on the small counter that bridged the galley kitchen and tiny dining room as Zara set a tray of lasagna on the stovetop.
Bella’s green eyes lifted when she saw me, but that was the only acknowledgement I got before she looked away, focusing on the paperback in front of her.
Zara tossed the oven mitts on the counter and came forward, sweeping me into a giant hug. “Welcome home, Skye.”
“Thanks, Aunt Zara,” I replied, hugging her back.
When Zara pulled back, I could see the shiny, raised scar on her temple. A permanent mark courtesy of my uncle for something she did that pissed him off.
“Dinner’s ready,” she told us, turning as Mom closed the front door to go back into the kitchen.
I took a step towards the hall. “I’m going to put my backpack in my room.”
I didn’t wait for anyone to answer me as I headed for my room at the end of the hallway. The door was already open and I smiled seeing my mom had clearly been in here.
Clean sheets were on the bed, there was a soft fragrance from a candle burning on my desk, and every surface was completely void of dust.
Mom had turned into a bit of a neat freak since we relocated packs.
I dropped my backpack next to my desk as my phone went off in my pocket. As fast as I could, I dug it out of my pocket and unlocked the screen.
REMY: Make it home ok?
A soft smile tugged at my lips, my heart warming.
SKYE: Yeah. Mom invited Zara and Bella over for dinner. We’re about to eat now.
I sighed, hesitating a second before I typed out another text.
SKYE: Mom told me about your dad’s offer to come stay with you guys. We’re going to stay in our place. Is that okay?
REMY: As long as I still get to see you.
I grinned, tucking my chin to my chest.
SKYE: Definitely
REMY: I’ll call you later, k?
SKYE: Sounds perfect
Text bubbles appeared for a brief second before his message joined the text conversation.
REMY: I love you.
My eyes slid shut for a second, my entire being centering around those three words. I took a deep breath and typed my reply.
SKYE: I love you. Be safe.
REMY: Always
“Is that your … mate?”
I nearly dropped the phone as I whirled around. My wide eyes settled on Bella.
“Hey. I didn’t hear you,” I said, putting the phone on the corner of my desk.
Bella looked better than the last time I had seen her, but definitely a lot thinner and more fragile than when she had been the reigning princess of Long Mesa.
She arched a single brow. “I get that a lot.” Her eyes moved to the phone. “That’s him?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. That’s Remy.”
Bella frowned, her pretty mouth pressed into a thin line. “Mom said that you’re bonded to him?”
“Yeah.” I took a deep breath.
A bitter look passed briefly over her face. “Good for you.”
“How have you been?” I asked suddenly, trying to shift the topic.
A blank look settled on her face. “Since being raped by a guy obsessed with you and then passed around like a joint to all of his friends? Since having my father turn his back on me? Since losing my pack?”
My mouth went dry. “Bella, I didn’t mean—”
“I know,” she cut me off with a frustrated sigh. “I get it a lot, you know? The looks. The whispers. I just wish someone would come out and say it instead of politely dancing around what happened.” She walked over and sat down on my bed.
“Do people know what happened?” I asked softly.
A dark look passed her face. “A few. I mean, my dad is an Alpha. The fact that Mom and I left caused a lot of speculation. Mostly it’s the rumors that I hear pieces of.”
I tried to pick my words carefully. “My mom told me that you’re being homeschooled the rest of the semester?”
Bella snorted delicately and picked at the hem of her sweater. “Yeah. Which adds another layer of mystery to the new girl. I just … I miss the way things used to be, you know?”
I flinched back.
No, I didn’t know. And I sure as hell didn’t want things to go back.
Bella’s green eyes went wide. “Crap. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just … I mean, we didn’t have the same experiences in Long Mesa.”
Bitterness filled my mouth, the taste acidic and metallic. “No, I guess we didn’t.”
She ducked her head. “I’m sorry. I feel like you’re the only one who kind of gets what happened to me. I mean, I know what happened to me isn’t what happened to you. At least you got out in time.”
“You mean because I wasn’t raped?” I replied coldly, folding my arms over my chest to keep from showing her how much my hands shook. “You mean because I only dealt with seventeen years of being treated like shit, listening to and watching people I loved be forced to do unspeakable things? The whole time knowing there was a literal clock over my head until it was my turn?”
Bella’s face went ashen. She fidgeted, twisting her fingers together. “I didn’t—”
Rage flushed through me, heating my blood. “I’m sorry for what happened to you, Bella. I really am. And maybe I’m luckier than you because things never went that far. But things went a hell of a lot further than they ever should have. I was a kid. I went through hell every single day.”
She got to her feet, her hands up in surrender. “All I’m trying to say is our situations were similar.”
I stayed silent, not trusting myself to say something I would regret. I could feel my wolf pushing against me, expressing her unhappiness.
She rubbed the side of her face absently. “I just miss how it used to be. My old life was … I just miss it.”
My entire body shook, the leash I had my wolf on was dangerously close to slipping through my grasp. The last few days had been a cycle of never ending drama and stress, and now she was separated from her mate. The animal caged inside of me needed an out.
“What you went through was awful,” I ground out through clenched teeth. “But if you think I’m going to reminisce about the days when things were better, I’m not that girl. While you were going to the mall and being treated like a princess, I was listening to my mother be violated every single day. You and your friends were hanging out while I was literally running for my life.”
I watched her visibly swallow.
“And since you want to remember days gone by, don’t think I don’t remember every time you walked in on your boyfriend holding me down, terrorizing me, or threatening me. You saw it, Bella, and you didn’t do a damn thing to stop it. No one did.”
A ragged sob at the door caught my attention, my head swinging towards it. I winced when I saw my mom standing there, tears falling hard and fast down her cheeks. Zara was behind her, just as pale as her daughter.
Afte
r a heavy second, Zara cleared her throat. “Bella, I think we should go.”
“No,” I cut her off, realizing I sounded like a colossal bitch, but still having way too many emotions roiling around inside of me. “I need to go for a run.”
“Honey, I don’t think you should go out there like this,” Mom whispered.
I gave her a dark look. “You said it’s safe if I stay in Blackwater.”
“It is,” she said softly, “but you’re upset. I think you should stay here.”
That wasn’t an option. In a few seconds I would lose the battle I was currently in to hold my wolf back.
“I’ll only be a few minutes, and I’ll stay near town, well inside the borders. But I can’t stay in here.” I didn’t wait for their answer, but thankfully they moved out of the way as I headed for the door.
I paused in front of Mom, forcing my lips to smile. “I’ll be back in thirty minutes, tops.”
It took minutes for me to exit the apartment and run down the fire escape. Thankfully no one was behind the building. I had my clothes off and shifted in seconds, the transition one of the fastest I’d ever had.
Once all four feet were on the ground, some of the tension leaked away. I let my wolf take over, running for the trees a few hundred yards away.
There were obvious patrols, both in human and wolf form, as I ran into the forest. Once I disappeared into the treeline, I slowed down and reached out, feeling for Remy, needing our connection to reassure me.
But all I got was empty silence.
17
The door to my room opened and a second later, Mom’s head poked in. Her expression softened when she saw me laying in bed, still awake despite saying I was going to bed almost eight hours ago.
“Did you sleep at all?” she asked, her voice quiet in the dimness of the room.
“No,” I admitted, flopping onto my back with a sigh.
After coming home from my run, Mom and I ate in silence. Bella and Zara were gone by the time I returned. I headed to my room and put away my things that had arrived from school, killing time until I could talk to Remy.
He called, but only to say he was going into a meeting. The conversation lasted fifty-eight seconds according to the log on my cell phone.
I tried watching tv, reading, and sleeping but my brain was too preoccupied and anxious to let me do anything except stare at my ceiling and replay memories I would rather not think about, including how I lashed out at Bella last night.
She didn’t deserve a lot of the shit I had said, and I owed her an apology.
Mom pushed the door open a little more and glanced down at her watch. “Want me to call Zoe and see if she can cover me?”
Mom was supposed to open the cafe at six, and it was after five now. Calling Zoe meant things definitely wouldn’t open on time, plus Zoe was pregnant and needed her rest.
“No, don’t do that. I’m fine.”
“I’ll be home by dinner,” she offered with a smile. “If you’re bored, you can always come hang out at the cafe.”
I smiled at that. “Thanks. I think I’ll call Larkin when it’s not the buttcrack of dawn. I’ll hang out with her and Katy.”
Mom nodded, her ponytail bobbing. “Sounds good, honey. Call me and let me know if you’re going out, though, okay?”
“I will,” I promised.
She started to close the door. “And try to get some sleep.”
I couldn’t suppress my yawn. “I’ll try.”
She closed my door, and I listened to her footsteps fade as she walked down the hall. A few minutes later the front door opened and closed.
With a groan, I rolled onto my side, my back to the door.
God, I wanted to sleep. I wanted to escape into that nothingness void where time flew by.
I pulled the collar of my shirt up over my nose and inhaled deeply, letting the scent of Remy steady me.
I had grabbed his shirt on a whim when I packed and pulled it on last night before I climbed into bed. If I couldn’t sleep with him, at least I could keep his scent with me.
My wolf sighed a rumble of approval, both of our frayed nerves calmed by the familiar scent of pine and earth.
I forced my eyes to close, blanking out my mind to try and find sleep yet again. I pulled the flannel sheets and comforter around my shoulders, burrowing into the little cocoon I created in my bed.
My bedroom door opened behind me.
“What did you forget?” I asked Mom, not bothering to roll over now that I found a comfortable position.
Maybe I would actually fall asleep.
The bed dipped as she sat down next to me.
I rolled over. “Mom, seriously, I’m fi—”
The words died, my eyes going wide as my jaw dropped.
Remy arched his brows down at me, a teasing smile on his lips.
“Definitely not your mom, babe,” he told me with a grin as he reached out and traced the bridge of my nose with a calloused finger.
I sat up, shoving the covers away and wrapping my arms around his neck. I pressed my nose to his throat, inhaling deeply and realizing the shirt I had on was a pale comparison to the actual scent of him in my arms.
Remy’s arms came around me, lifting me up and settling me on his lap so I was straddling him. I hadn’t bothered with shorts or pants when I got into bed, and the intimate position exposed the entire length of my legs.
I picked up my head, my hands coming around to frame his face. The dark stubble on his jaw rubbed against my palms.
“You’re really here?” I breathed.
He raised a hand to cradle my jaw, the warmth of his skin pressing to mine sending a shiver skittering down my spine.
“I’m really here,” he promised, his nose brushing mine as he lowered his head and sealed his mouth over mine.
I gasped into his mouth, my chest arching into him as my tongue met his stroke for stroke. Fire ignited in my belly, the flames spreading through my veins until I was ready to combust.
He took his time reacquainting himself with my mouth, his tongue licking and exploring, tasting and driving me crazy. His lips moved unhurriedly against mine, his teeth nibbling on my lower lip as he kissed me.
My head dropped back on a ragged breath, and he moved his assault from my mouth to my jaw. My throat, and then lower.
A low groan fell from my lips as he suckled the tender flesh on the side of my neck. I felt his lips curve into a wicked grin as his tongue soothed over the heated skin.
His hand slid up my spine, tracing the ridges and dips of my bones, smoothing over the muscles until his fingers tangled in my hair.
The hand by my knee teased the exposed skin of my thigh, dragging up and down, but always stopping when he hit the hem of the shirt I wore. His shirt.
Heat pooled lower in my belly, my center clenching as I unconsciously rolled my hips to his.
Now Remy was the one who groaned. The gutteral sound low sent shivers racing across my skin.
“God, you feel amazing,” he murmured, his eyes hooded and molten as he watched me.
I ground my hips down once more, my eyes fluttering shut for a second as my center came into contact with the hard ridge in his jeans. I bit down on my lip to stifle the cry at the sharp pleasure. I repeated the action, my movements bordering on edgy and almost animalistic.
My wolf growled inside of me, desperate for more.
His hand again trailed up my thigh … and then retreated.
I whimpered, my thighs tightening against him as I pressed against him again.
“Skye—”
“Touch me,” I begged, needing something. Needing more. Every nerve came alive, sparking and searching for his touch.
I wasn’t even sure if it was me or my wolf dictating things right now. All I knew was I needed a lot more than I was getting at the moment to put out the inferno blazing through me.
I leaned forward, my mouth landing hot and open against his throat. My teeth scraped against the soft skin that joined his
neck and massive shoulder.
That snapped whatever tether of self-control Remy had.
He flipped me onto my back, his hips settled between my legs in a way that felt so fucking perfect, but so fucking wrong.
There were too many layers of clothes separating us.
My hand blindly groped for the front of his jeans, and he hissed out a sharp breath when I brushed against the hard length of him.
“Fuck, Skye,” he whispered.
Yeah, that’s the general idea.
“Okay,” I agreed with a grin, reaching for him again.
His hand caught mine, stopping me. “Wait.”
Wait.
Wait?
My head fell back against the pillows. “What’s wrong?”
He winced, his eyes squeezing shut for a second like he was in pain.
And, judging by the impressive hard on he currently had pressing against his jeans, he very well might have been.
“This … this isn’t what I came here for,” he finally ground out, opening his eyes.
My eyes narrowed a second before I offered what I hoped was a seductive sort of smile. “Then consider it an added bonus.”
He huffed out a strangled chuckle. “I didn’t come here for …”
He trailed off, and something that looked like a faint blush tinged his cheeks.
My lips curved into a wicked smile. “A hook up?”
He chuckled warmly, pressing a chaste kiss to my forehead. “Yeah.”
“That’s why it’s an added bonus,” I repeated, kissing the underside of his jaw.
He groaned, the sound rumbling out of him in a way that curled my toes. “Babe, we have to stop … or I might not be able to. And as much as I want you? I don’t want to be too fucking exhausted to spend hours memorizing every single thing about you the first time I’m inside you.”
My cheeks heated as I looked up at him through my lashes. “Oh.”
His eyes went soft and melty as he smoothed my hair away from my face. “Can I just stay here with you for awhile?”
Now that the haze of lust was clearing, I could see the exhaustion on his face. Dark circles pressed hard under his eyes, the lines around his smiling lips were deeper than usual.
A loud yawn pulled my mouth apart before I could stop it.
Prey (Blackwater Pack Book 2) Page 15
