by Karen DuBose
I hate when she uses reason. “I will try. That is all I can promise you.”
She rolls on top of me. Looking at her naked body is making my own go hard for her again. I can’t help but stare at her.
She laughs. “Eye’s up here lover boy. Thank you. I know it was hard for you to say that and I love you. Now let’s get some food, I’m starving.”
She jumps up and hops off the bed. I moan in protest. She is just leaving me here hard for her. Is she insane that isn’t happening? I use my speed to get out of bed and lift her up. I swing her around and wrap her legs around me. I insert myself inside her. She moans out my name. Food forgotten.
Pushing her back against the wall, I whisper in her ear. “Did you really think you were going to leave me like that?”
“No!” she moans. Going deeper and faster until she shivers with pleasure, her moans start coming out louder and louder. I couldn’t keep it in any longer, I let the pleasure take me. A deep rumble leaves me as I try to catch my breath again.
I look at her and she is smiling at me. “Can you feed me now, Romeo?”
I lean my forehead to hers. “If you keep calling me that I will show just how much of a Romeo, I am.”
Her laughter is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I love to make her laugh. I put her down and let her get dressed. Even watching her get dressed is a turn on. I need a distraction before I have my way with her again.
I get to dressing myself not facing her. There are things that need to be done. We have time to make love later. Food first, then to see what has been found out.
I take her by the hand and lead her to the kitchen. The smell of food is divine. I bet Eimear is cooking. Walking in and seeing her in front of the stove brings a smile to my face. I’ve missed her cooking. I won’t admit this out loud, but it’s even better than Keva’s cooking.
“Hello, Eimear! It’s nice to see you. By any chance can we get some of your amazing cooking?”
She turns around and places a hand on her hip. “Now you know the answer to that. Don’t act like you have manners now that Keva is here. Where were they before?”
I hear Keva chuckle beside me. I turn to look at her and gave her an innocent look. Eimear is right, I did lose my manners while Keva wasn’t here? “I apologize for that. I guess when your better half isn’t around you lose that part of you.” I regret what I said as soon as it came out. I watch Eimear stiffen. I didn’t mean any harm by it.
“Eimear, I’m sorry. I’m such an idiot. Please forgive me.”
Keva looks at me confused. She doesn’t know Eimear’s husband was killed by the Elders a long time ago. I shake my head before she says anything.
Without turning around or even making eye contact she says, “The plates are over there. Help yourself to the food.”
I feel like the biggest ass right now. I walk over to her and wrap my arms around her. She is stiff at first. After a few seconds, she relaxes into me. I whisper in her ear so she could only hear, “I would never hurt you intentionally. Please forgive me for being just a dick.”
She pats my arm. “There is nothing to forgive. I know you didn’t mean it. Somedays I’m fine, others it’s hard. Today just happens to be a hard day. Now go feed that beautiful wife of yours and go see Dariya and Runes, they should be up by the time you’re done eating.”
I completely forgot about them. “How are they doing?”
“Great considering we almost lost Dariya again. I swear she is going to be the death of me. You should see Kiernan. Runes has him wrapped around her finger. It’s so cute to watch.”
I smile at that. I bet she does. One day I hope to have kids. I know we aren’t ready for it or it would have happened already. Maybe we will never have kids and I’m ok with that as long as I have Keva, I’m good.
Keva grabs a plate and hands it to me. “Thank you for cooking this wonderful meal. If you ever need more hands in the kitchen let me know, I love to cook.”
Eimear turns to her and smiles. “We need all-hands-on-deck to feed this army. They eat more than I can cook.”
Keva nods. I love that about her. She jumps in even when she isn’t asked. She has a passion I can’t fathom. I wish I was more like her sometimes. Maybe that is why we are true mates. We balance each other out. I will never complain. She is the best.
“What do you have going in that mind of yours? I can’t hear you like I normally do.”
I grab some food and pile it on my plate. “Sorry Beautiful. I’ve been blocking my thoughts for so long I didn’t even realize I’m blocking you. Dariya couldn’t control it when she shifted at first. So, we all had to work extra hard for her not to hear us. Since we are bonded to her, she can hear us if our guard is down.”
That smile is driving me crazy. “I see. Can she control it now?”
“I guess. I haven’t had my guard down since then. I couldn’t really tell you.”
“Interesting!”
I look at her puzzled. “What’s interesting?”
“Wow! I figured you would have guessed it by now. I’m going to ask Dariya if it’s ok to bond with her like the rest of you. I can’t very well protect her if I’m not. Are you really that rusty around me?”
I went slack jaw. It took me a few seconds to recover. “Just so I know you know. Do you know what it means to be bonded to a ruler?”
The stern look she is giving me makes me feel like an ass again. “Yes! I know what it means. Yes, I’m willing to die for her just like you and yes, I know about all of it.”
She stands up, pushing her chair back. She gives me one last look and walks out of the room. I take a deep breath in and slowly let it out. I have some ass kissing to do. Why do I always put my foot in my mouth at the wrong times?
I stand up and go after her. This isn’t how I imaged us reuniting. I know she knows what it means. She was in my head when it happened. I didn’t leave her out of anything important. We talked about it before I even did it.
I jog to catch her. When I do, I grab her arm gently and turn her around to face me. “I’m sorry I’m an ass, I know this. I don’t even know why I asked that. I already knew the answer to that. I just want to make sure this is really what you want. There is no turning back.”
She yanks her arm out of my grip. “We have been mates for how long now and you still have to ask? I’m not a youngling anymore. I passed that stage of my lifecycle a long time ago so, stop treating me like one.”
I lean against the wall behind me. “I’m not trying to. Can we begin again, because this isn’t going as plan and I don’t like it or myself right now?”
She tilts her head to the side like I’ve lost my mind. For all I know I have. “What will that do? You need to take a step back and come to terms that I’m here. That’s your problem. Find me when you have.”
I’m left standing there in disbelief, but she is right. I still want her to be safe where she was. I need to get my head out of my ass and figure things out before she stays mad at me and I don’t want that.
I wipe my face with my hands and push myself off the wall. I need to get my head in the right place. I walk outside and go for a walk to clear it. I need to find the man, my wife mated with. I’ve never been an ass to her and I hate for being one toward her now. She is the one person who can bring the man I want to be out.
I think back to all the fun we had and try to find the man I was then. Being on this mission has changed me somehow. I can’t blame anyone but myself. This is my doing.
I walk around in the woods for a while. Not paying attention to my surroundings, until I hear a rustling sound. Stopping, I duck down hoping I haven’t been seen yet. I listen for the sound again. When it finally came again it’s closer than I expected.
Slowly bringing my head up, I look to see if I could find the source. When I see who it is, I let out a sigh. “Brice, what the hell are you doing out here?”
He jumps a few feet in the air and whirls around with his sword pulled.
“Damn it Rom
e! That ain’t cool. I’m out walking the perimeter. What the hell are you doing out here?”
I laugh long and hard at the look on his face, but I sober up before I confront him. “Seems to me you’re out here just to get away. If you were really out here patrolling, you suck. Now tell me the truth. Why are you out here?”
He rocks back and forth on his feet not looking at me. “It was my turn to watch over Kelso when he escaped. I didn’t make it there in time to stop him. I got caught up with an errand for Jax. It’s my fault he escaped.”
I look at him for a few seconds and let his words run in my head for a few minutes. “Did Jax know it was your turn to guard him?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t think so. I thought I would have plenty of time to get back, but I didn’t.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare at him. “What was the errand?”
He doesn’t give me eye contact. “He needed me to find one of his old friends to tell him it’s time.”
“Time for what?”
He shrugs his shoulders. “That was all I was told. He had Pim cloak me. You might want to ask them.”
“Who were you relieving?”
He looks me in the eye this time. “Ty.”
I bring my hand to my chin. “I need you to come with me and get your named clear and to tell them what you told me.”
What he doesn’t know is I think his mind has been messed with. His actions say I’m right. Not giving me eye contact, isn’t like him at all.
He looks at me with a weird look. “To get my named clear for what? I didn’t do anything.”
Now I know we have a problem. “You’re not in trouble. We are talking to everyone. Come on let’s go.”
He backs away slowly before he runs off. “Fuck!” I chase after him. Lucky for me he isn’t as fast as I am. I grab him and we both fall to the ground hard. He tries to escape my grip, making me hold on even tighter.
“Stop struggling, I don’t want to hurt you.”
He doesn’t say anything. He keeps struggling and I’m afraid I will lose my grip. Doing the only thing I can think of, I hit the back of his head hard enough to knock him out. I really didn’t want to do that to him. He is a good kid.
I stand up and look down at him. Who could have gotten close enough to mess with his mind and who else has this person done this too?
Picking him up, I sling him over my shoulder. I hope he stays knocked out until I can get him to the others. I don’t need him trying to get away again. jogging back to the cabin, I reach out to Bruno. “We have a problem. Meet me outside the cabin alone.”
“I will be waiting for you.”
I pick up my pace. The cabin comes into view and Bruno is standing along the tree lines looking toward the cabin. I whistle at him. He turns around and jogs over to me. “What happened?”
I lay Brice on the ground and explain what I think is happening. When I finish Bruno looks like he is about to kill someone. “Are you sure?”
I nod my head. “Yes, I believe so. I don’t know who or why they are doing it or if someone on the outside is influencing someone here.”
“Fuck! This is all we need right now. Let me go talk to Oceana and see if she can figure this out. Where are Jax and Pim?”
“Dude, I have no idea. I have other problems to deal with as well. If you want me to find them I will.”
“I take it you have been showing your ass to Keva?”
I chuckle. “That’s an understatement of this cycle.”
He laughs at me. “Go fix it. I will hunt them down after I talk to Oceana.”
I nod and jog to the cabin. It’s time to show my mate the real me. The parts I’ve hidden from her for so long. I can’t be the man she fell in love with anymore. I am who I am. I sigh in defeat.
I walk into the cabin and head to my room. I just hope she is still there. I open the door and she is laying down crossways across the bed sleeping. I don’t want to wake her up, she looks so peaceful.
Walking over to the bed, I lay next to her. I grab a piece of her hair and play with it. I’m stalling because I don’t know how to tell her what I need to. How do you tell your mate that you aren’t the man she always knew?
She stirs and turns to face me, giving me a smile. “I was wondering if you were ever going to come back.”
I drop the piece of hair I was holding and look at her. “I have something to tell you.”
She sits up and looks at me. Her face turns sad. “I already know what you’re going to say.”
This surprises me. “What do you think I’m going to tell you?”
“The man I fell in love with is gone, but I don’t believe it. He is still there. I will get him back when this is all over.”
It’s my turn to sit up. “How did you know?”
She snorts. “You weren’t blocking me when I entered your mind. I heard it all. I will get the man I love back or I will find a way to love the man that you are now. Either way, I am here and will always be. You’re my true mate that will never change.”
I grab her and wrap her into my arms. “I love you. I’m so glad you are my true mate. Even if you weren’t, I would still love you no matter what. You do bring the best out in me and if it wasn’t for you, I would be lost right now.”
She wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me. “I love you, too. I hope to always bring out the best in you for as long as we live.”
I don’t think, I just hold her and hope it will be a long time from now that either of us dies.
Chapter Fourteen
Knox
I won’t admit the truth to myself. Not until this is over. Even though I know she feels it like I do, Zora is smart and beautiful. Her long, blonde wavy hair and her gold eyes drive me crazy every time I look at her. Her slim, built body makes me weak in the knees.
I try to avoid her at all cost. I know I’m being a fool, I should just let what happens, happen. I’m not built like that. I need to be in control over my lifecycle. Having her as a mate will disrupt that in so many ways. I’m not ready for that.
“Have you figured it out yet?” Bruno asks
I look at him. Has he been reading my thoughts? “About what?”
He gives me a what the hell look. “Have you not been listening at all?”
‘Shit!’ “Sorry no. I was trying to figure something out.”
“Care to share? Because this needs to be figured out before more people are hurt or worse.”
There is no way I’m telling any of them. They will give me shit. Just like I did Bruno with Kira. I don’t need that right now. “No. I’m good now. What were you talking about?
He places his hand on my shoulder. “Are you sure you’re ok?”
“Yeah man. I’m good.”
He nods. “Have you figured out where Kelso has gone?”
I wish, so this won’t turn into another problem. “No. I have been trying to find any leads, but they all end up cold.”
I see the frustration in Bruno expression. I’m feeling it too. “Alright keep trying. There has to be a lead somewhere. He didn’t just vanish.”
I nod my head and head back out to find some more leads. This would be so much easier if I could shift. I know better than to do that. We aren’t ready for the Elders to find us. With Dariya out of commission for another week in a half, we would all die for sure.
I go and find Kevion so he can help me. He is great at tracking people even when he not in his shifter form. It’s kind of scary but great for us.
I know where Kevion is and I walk over to the back of the cabin. Rounding the corner, he is sitting by the huge tree sitting back against. “Hey man!”
He looks up and smiles. “Hey! What’s going on?”
“You know-- same old same old. We need to go search for more leads. Bruno isn’t going to rest until we find Kelso.”
He stands up wiping the grass off himself. “Well, let’s get going. I think I may have found one.”
He walks over to me and pats my
shoulder. I look up at him. “Really? When?”
“Right before you got here.”
He has tried explaining his gift to me and I don’t understand it. “Alright! Let’s go. You lead the way.”
I follow him around the front and stop dead in my track. Zora is standing on the porch holding something in her hands. I start to walk away when she sees me. “Knox! Can you come check this out? I found it by the stairs.”
Crap! I walk over to her to see what she has. “Let me see it.” I reach for it and graze her hand. The jolt that followed takes my breath away. I snatch my hand back and run away.
I know if I stay, I won’t be able to control myself. I hear her calling my name and I ignore it. Jogging as fast as I can to get some distance, I hear Kevion following me. You can’t mistake his heavy footsteps when he jogs.
“Hey man! Wait up!”
I don’t stop until I know I’m far enough away from her. I have been running for a while. When I finally stop Kevion almost runs me over. “What the hell was that man?”
I play it off like it was nothing, when in fact it was everything. “Nothing. Why?’
He looks at me and raises his eyebrow. “That wasn’t nothing. What happened back there? It’s like you needed to run away from her for some reason. I saw the look on your face.”
I turn away from him, looking out at a town I’ve never seen before. “Drop it ok. Where are we?”
He steps forward and takes a look. “The place I saw in my head. I don’t know what this town is called. It’s been hidden for a long time.”
Turning to look at him, I wish we would have brought back up. “So, we have no idea what’s here? How did we stumble upon it?”
He shrugs his shoulders and shakes his head. “I have no clue. I don’t even know what lives here or if it’s been abandoned.”
Great, just great. I guess we go find out and hope to make it out alive. “Let’s go and take a look around.”
I have a feeling we are going to regret it. I need to let Bruno know where we’re at.
“Hey man! Just want to let you know we found some hidden town. I don’t know how or where we are. I have Kevion with me. I will let you know if we find anything.”
