Untamed Winter

by Cassandra Lawson

  “You’re taking her side?” Jase demanded.

  “He’s not taking her side,” Cam said with a frustrated sigh. “You’re going to feel like an ass when you calm down and think about how hurt she was by what you said, so you may as well apologize now.”

  “She’s in heat, and if I get anywhere near her, I’ll mark her,” Jase reminded them. “I’m not going after her.”

  “You don’t have a choice,” Cord insisted.

  “What do you mean he doesn’t have a choice?” Winter demanded.

  “They’re mates, just like us,” Cord explained. “I let you have a choice all those years ago, and it was a stupid mistake. I almost made that mistake again with you. Thankfully, you insisted I mark you, because it needed to be done.”

  Cam suddenly wished he were anywhere other than standing by and witnessing the disaster unfolding before him. He’d been known to say some pretty stupid things to Claire, but Cord was in seriously dangerous territory.

  “So, you think you should have forced me all those years ago?” Winter asked. The wind began to rustle through the trees. “Not only that, you’re saying you would have forced me if I hadn’t let you mark me this time around. That day, you swore you would never take that choice from me, but you would have. You lied to me.”

  “It wasn’t a lie at the time, but I would have realized what a mistake it was,” Cord replied, stepping closer to her. “I should have claimed you the day we met. Mates belong together. You are mine, and I never should have given you a chance to leave. Even you agree it was a mistake for us to be apart all those years.”

  The wind picked up, and dark clouds moved across the sky. Cam had heard enough about Winter to know she was the cause. From what he’d heard, she was cold and always in control of her emotions. The woman standing before him was anything but cold. Her power flowed around them as her anger bubbled over. “I am not your property,” she snapped. “You do not own me. No one will ever own me. Had you marked me after I’d told you not to, it would have been no better than rape.”

  Cord blinked several times as if trying to figure out what she was saying. Cam figured he might need to have a talk with Cord later about non-shifter mates. He knew from experience they didn’t respond well to being referred to as property. Claire had threatened to remove a couple of Cam’s favorite body parts when he’d made that mistake.

  “Rape? I wasn’t planning to hold you down and bite you,” he argued.

  Winter snorted. “That’s what it sounded like to me and everyone else here.”

  “Fine,” he relented. “I shouldn’t have said it that way, and you have to know I’d kill any male who hurts one of my daughters.”

  “Why?” Winter asked. “We’re all just the property of our mate in your mind. Why would it matter? You own me, and apparently, Jase owns Vexx.”

  “I never said I own you,” Cord huffed. “I simply said you’re mine.”

  “You sound like an idiot,” Winter shot back. “That is just a different way of saying you own me.”

  “I’m going to talk to Vexx,” Jase interrupted them, clearly not in the mood to listen to Cord and Winter argue. “She seems to be the sanest one here,” he added under his breath.

  “Good!” Cord exclaimed, but Winter glared at both of them. “Get her. Mark her and claim her. Hell, spank her for acting like an insufferable brat if it will make you feel better.”

  “That’s not a bad suggestion,” Jase mused with a humorless bark of laughter.

  “Don’t you dare go after her with that dominant male attitude,” Winter warned. “Believe me when I tell you, Vexx won’t appreciate it any more than I do.”

  Chapter Fifty

  Jase grinned, easing some of the tension that had been gripping him for days. He liked Winter’s attitude, and he agreed that forcing Vexx to be with him wasn’t an option. Still, he couldn’t leave without talking to her. Before she’d turned cold, he’d seen the hurt in her eyes. The desire to protect Vexx was stronger than he’d experienced with any female. That included protecting her from himself, which created a dilemma he couldn’t fully explain to others.

  “I’m not going to try to force her to be with me,” he assured Winter. “I just want to make sure she’s okay.”

  Winter nodded. “For the record, Vexx didn’t mean to hurt or humiliate you. Things just got out of hand, and she didn’t know how to tell you the truth.”

  Vexx had also told him that, and it would have made him feel better if not for the fact that she had no choice in telling him. Cord had been pushing her to meet Jase for quite some time. It was inevitable, and Vexx had to know that, so he was certain she’d been telling the truth about not hiding it from him forever. “I guess she’d have to,” Jase grumbled before walking in the direction Vexx had gone.

  Vexx’s ability to hide her scent made it harder to find her, and Jase grew more annoyed realizing she was still trying to avoid him. He caught her scent briefly, making him wonder if she had more trouble masking it when she was upset. That explained why her scent hadn’t been hidden when she’d stormed off. Just thinking about the horny males staring at her made him want to kill someone.

  “Why are you tracking me?” she demanded when he approached her in a clearing near the creek.

  “You ran,” Jase remarked with a shrug.

  “That should have been your clue I wanted to be alone,” she told him, shifting nervously from one foot to the other.

  Jase stalked toward her, getting an almost perverse pleasure from her unease. She definitely wasn’t afraid of him, but he made her uncomfortable. That seemed fair considering how uncomfortable he was.

  Vexx stood her ground, even though he suspected she wanted to move further from him. “Are you trying to intimidate me?” she demanded testily.

  Jase laughed at her reaction. “I’m pretty sure that wouldn’t be possible. Can one intimidate a witch like you?”

  “And there’s the reminder of why I didn’t want to end up in this position with you,” she muttered, moving away from him.

  Jase wasn’t in any mood to chase her down again, so he caught her arm in a vice-like grip.

  “I’m beginning to think I should take your father’s advice,” Jase remarked with a predatory grin.

  “Let me guess. He said you should mark me now. According to him, everything will work out if you do that,” she snapped, trying to tug her arm from his grip.

  “That about covers it, but he also said I should spank you for acting like a brat,” Jase told her. “The idea is sounding better by the moment.”

  “I’m not a child!” she shouted.

  “Then stop acting like one,” he replied.

  Vexx glared at him. “I’ll bet I’m older than you.”

  “You are,” he admitted. “That doesn’t change the fact that you are acting like a child, Vexx. I’m here trying to talk to you, and you’re trying to run. I’m not at my most reasonable right now, but I have a right to be pissed.”

  “You’re right,” she admitted. “What I did was really messed up, and I’m acting like a child. I’m not going to lie and say I’m responsible and mature all the time, because I am far from that. I’ve pushed my father’s limits more than once. Though, not like I did with you. You may not believe me, but I didn’t start out trying to deceive you. The first time we met, I wasn’t masking my scent to avoid you. I didn’t even expect to meet you that day. Then, after I saw you, I was afraid.”

  “Of what?” Jase asked. “Were you afraid I’d hurt you? Beat you?”

  “You did just threaten to spank me,” she reminded him.

  Jase grinned at her dry tone. “Keep pushing your luck, and you’ll find out just how much that idea appeals to me. I’m pretty sure I can make it appeal to you, too.”

  Vexx opened her mouth and closed it again. The scent of her arousal wrapped around him as she forgot to mask her scent.

  Being this close to his mate and only touching her arm was killing him. Jase had always prided himself on
his self-control, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could be around Vexx without trying to claim her. His fingers brushed along her arm before he released it.

  Vexx moaned, and her eyes closed for just a moment before she started to back away.

  “Running again, Vexx?” Jase asked.

  She nodded, and her tongue darted out to wet her lips.

  Jase groaned and prowled toward her. With each step he took, Vexx’s scent grew stronger. She was definitely nervous but also aroused and getting more so by the second. Jase felt the same, even though he’d never gotten aroused by chasing a female. Shapeshifters viewed the chase as more playful than sexual. Still, stalking his mate as she backed away from him was making him so hard, he was in pain.

  Vexx’s back hit a tree. “You seem to have run into a bit of a problem, little brat,” he murmured.

  When her eyes narrowed, Jase chuckled. “I don’t have a problem,” she replied arrogantly.

  Stopping just in front of her, Jase regarded his mate, loving the way she stood her ground while trying to seem unaffected. He couldn’t help feeling Cord was right and he should just mark her and claim her now. He wanted her to be his, and his instincts told him they belonged together.

  “Let me taste you,” he pleaded.

  “I’m afraid,” she admitted softly.

  Jase cupped her cheek and leaned in until his forehead touched hers. Once more, he inhaled deeply to savor her scent. “I won’t hurt you.”

  “Not intentionally,” she agreed.

  Jase sighed, pulling back some. “It’s supposed to be easier when we find our true mate. We both recognize it, and that won’t change.”

  “I don’t know that won’t change,” she told him, sounding almost desperate.

  “What are you so afraid of, Vexx?” he asked softly. “Is it what I said to your father?”

  She shook her head. “The lynx send away half-shifters who don’t change. Your clan isn’t very accepting of mutts.”

  “That started when we lived in Canada, and half-breeds who didn’t shift couldn’t survive long living among our kind. They had a better chance among humans. It’s been hard to change since we moved here, but we’re working on it. I don’t understand your worries since you can shift. Why would this concern you?”

  “If we had kittens, they might not be able to,” she explained. “Before you argue with me, tell me if you know of any other shifter with witch blood.”

  “I can see why that would frighten you,” he agreed. “Is there anything else?”

  “I’m not a full shifter, and I’m not as convinced that recognizing you as my true mate is enough to make us last. I don’t even know you, Jase. It’s like two parts of me are at war,” she admitted.

  “We’ll get to know each other,” he promised her.

  “You’re right,” she said with a sigh. “We’ll get to know each other in time. Our fathers will keep harassing us until you mark me, so we may as well get this over with. Can we just wait to consummate our union until after my heat cycle? I think you need more time to think about whether you want kittens with a half-breed. Just mark me now, and our fathers will be satisfied.”

  Jase had never realized he could be both amused and annoyed. With her eyes closed tightly, Vexx had her head tilted back to expose her throat to him. She looked like a sacrifice waiting for him to claim her. It should have been a complete turn off, but he still wanted to claim her. Knowing this would be a profound moment for him and his mate, he hesitated. He wanted that memory filled with passion and longing on both their parts.

  “No,” he said, taking several steps back and turning his back to her.

  “What do you mean?” Vexx asked.

  “I’m not marking you,” he replied. “We’ll get to know each other first.”

  “Really?” Vexx nearly gasped, her vivid green eyes wide with disbelief.

  Jase turned to face her with a lopsided grin. “Believe it or not, your sacrificial lamb pose wasn’t all that sexy.”

  One of her eyebrows rose, and he chuckled. “Fine. It was sexy, but everything has been negative since we started. Maybe if we get to know each other, this will work out better.”

  “My father isn’t going to like this,” Vexx told him.

  “Neither is mine,” Jase added. “In the end, it’s not up to them. I want you, but I’m also still angry. I can’t decide if I want to spank you to punish you or because the idea of your cute little ass wiggling around turns me on. I’m not over you deceiving me.”

  “I don’t blame you, and as much as I want you, I’m still not sure I like the idea of having a mate,” she admitted. “Even though that’s not what you want to hear, I need to be completely honest from now on.”

  Jase decided he’d have to be happy with her admitting she wanted him for now. It was going to take time to get past their rocky beginning. “I’d better go. If I stay, I won’t be able to resist fucking you,” he admitted. He wanted to stick to his word and get to know Vexx better. It was a struggle, but he refused to force Vexx to be with him. He grinned, realizing things might not be settled with Vexx, but they were certainly moving in the right direction.

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Winn was angry with him, and Cord was annoyed that Cam and Zane hadn’t left as soon as things started going bad.

  “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” he snapped at the lynx shifters.

  “Not until Jase is ready to leave,” Zane replied. “We’ll just stay here and keep quiet. You won’t even know we’re here.”

  “Go away,” Cord growled.

  “Stop acting like an ass!” Winn shouted, and Cord was grateful when there was no change in the weather, meaning she couldn’t be that mad.

  “We really should go,” Cam told Zane. “We can always wait for Jase elsewhere.”

  “I don’t think we should leave Winter,” Zane hedged. “I’m not sure this is how things are supposed to be.”

  “Are you suddenly claiming to be psychic?” Cord asked him.

  “I guess there is such a thing as knowing too much,” Zane grumbled.

  “Don’t ask,” Cam told Cord. “We’ll entertain ourselves while we wait for Jase.”

  Cord glared at the lynx as they walked away.

  “We should probably discuss this inside,” Winn suggested.

  Cord nodded and walked toward the cabin. Once they were inside, he glared at his mate. “Before you start telling me what an ass I am, you should consider how hard it’s been living a century without my mate. I found you all those years ago, and for just a moment, I felt like I had everything. It turned out I didn’t have anything because you walked away from me. Since then, I’ve changed, become harder and more determined to do what has to be done.”

  “Right,” Winn scoffed. “Now, you’re the big bad cougar who takes what he wants.”

  “I do what I have to for the good of my clan,” he clarified. “Ask the lynx shifters, and they’ll tell you how far I’ll go for my clan. I tried to claim their cousin as my mate because I truly believed it was best for my clan.”

  “I know you tried to claim Quinn,” Winn huffed. “You told me the story.”

  “You’ve heard the nice version of that story,” he argued. “I chased her down in the woods, and if the vampire she took as her mate hadn’t intervened, I would have given up any chance of ever claiming you by taking her back here and marking her. What I do isn’t for me. It’s for my clan. Now, my clan needs the stability of me having a mate. So, yes, eventually, I would have forced the issue.”

  “Meaning I will always come second to the clan,” she finished for him.

  “It’s not like that,” he argued, frustrated and convinced Winn was trying to be difficult. “What is best for our clan is best for you. I need to protect you, and to do that, I have to keep my clan strong.”

  Winn snorted. “Whatever.”

  When she started to walk away, Cord struggled to keep his hands to himself. “I’m beginning to see why you get along so
well with my daughter,” he grumbled.

  “You had better be about to say it’s because we are both strong females,” Winn warned.

  “Strong females who need to be spanked,” Cord muttered.

  “That’s really where you want to go with this conversation?” Winn demanded, turning to face him with her hands on her hips.

  Cord moved toward her with determined strides as she continued to glare at him. “Where I want to go is in you. I want to fuck you until you scream and come so hard you can’t remember why you’re mad at me. I’m not even sure why we’re having this argument.”

  “Because you’re an ass?” she suggested with a sweet smile.

  “That may be true, but I’m also your mate. I’ve marked you and claimed you,” he reminded her arrogantly.

  “As if I’m your property!” she shouted. “That’s the problem. I don’t want to be owned by you. I’m not the type of female who wants to be owned by any male.”

  “Too fucking bad!” Cord snapped. “I didn’t exactly like the idea of being owned either. It’s scary. If I’d been honest with myself a century ago, I would have realized you’ve owned every piece of me from the moment we met. That realization would have allowed me to see what a mistake it was to let you go.”

  Winn looked up at the ceiling and sighed, her anger seeming to drain out of her. “Great! Just make me feel like a raging bitch.”

  Cord laughed at her uncharacteristic use of profanity and held out a hand to her. When Winn took his hand, he pulled her into his arms. “You’re right about me needing to put the clan first. I can’t tell you you’ll always be first unless I step down as leader. It’s one of the hardest things about having a mate. My instinct is to only think of your needs, but I can’t do that. There are dozens of cougars who rely on me. You of all people should understand what it means to have responsibilities you can’t ignore.”

  “I get what you’re saying,” Winn agreed. “What I don’t understand is why you can’t give Vexx and Jase time to just get to know each other.”

  “Because I don’t want them to regret not taking this step,” he explained. “What would have happened if I’d marked Quinn? Then we would have no chance to be together now, and we’d all be miserable. She wouldn’t be with Danny, her true mate, and I wouldn’t be with you. There isn’t always time to wait for things to be right. What difference does it make when they get to know each other? The end result will be the same.”