Kade

by Dana Archer

  Except Zoe.

  She’s not just the body I own. She’s more. She’s a woman I’ve wanted every minute of every day since she left me.

  I press my free hand against the odd tightness in my chest, right over my heart. After several beats, the confusing emotions fade along with the urge to take what I need from Zoe, with or without her permission. Neither response is appropriate. The woman in my grasp has already proven she has no problem running from me. I won’t give her a reason to do so now. I might not survive without her.

  The moment the ’Cuda drifts to a stop on the side of the road and the brake is on, I move my other hand from Zoe’s mouth to her throat.

  “How did you get in here?” She spits the demand. It’s not a question. I feel the force of her will—and the bite of her anger—along my skin.

  The instinct to top Zoe’s attitude with a commanding one of my own is nearly overwhelming. My yearning for Zoe—her voice, her touch, her scent—stays the compulsion to impose my dominance. This time. “A spare key. You don’t really think I only had one key to my prized car, do you?”

  Her feminine growl of frustration vibrates against my palm. “In the car. How did you get in the car tonight? I was only in that store for five minutes top.”

  “Five minutes was plenty to unlock the car and hide under the blanket you conveniently left in the backseat.”

  “But how did you know I was there? Do you have cameras installed along the highway or something?”

  This time, curiosity blends into her tone. I can’t help but tell her the truth. That’s the other side effect of my scent twined with Zoe’s. Her needs become my goals. This feeling she stirs is too close to what a male feels for his mate. It messes with my mind, making me assume things that aren’t necessarily true. I don’t know what to make of these thoughts.

  The soft glide of her skin under my thumb soothes the confusion and lets me give Zoe the answer she needs. “You’ve been tailed since you left Charleston. I caught up to you a few miles back. All I needed was for you to stop.”

  “Charleston. I pulled in for gas and—”

  “And the ’Cuda caught the attention of a friend of the pride. He kindly followed you, then distracted you while I settled into my hiding place.”

  “Jarah.”

  “The oldest Royal assassin walking this earth.”

  On a sharp gasp, Zoe jerks her gaze to the rearview mirror. “Assassin?”

  The world tilts. Only Zoe’s dark blue eyes ground me. It’s the oddest sensation. Something within me shifts, knocking me off-center, yet stabilizing me at the same time.

  “You’re kidding me, right? No way was that guy a shifter. Bodybuilder, maybe. Not a shifter.”

  Holding Zoe’s gaze—my anchor in this moment while my body and head war against reality—I focus on speaking, not on why this woman upsets my balance and has from the moment I first laid eyes on her. “Jarah’s the oldest shifter alive. A firstborn without a clan. He never mated.”

  “Clan?” Zoe giggles, a sound that shouldn’t be sexy but has me fighting my primitive instincts anyway. “I can see that. He even gave the guy at the hunting shop a bear hug.”

  “And offered you a job you won’t be taking.”

  Zoe snickers. She glances away, her smile widening before she bites her bottom lip. “So your bear friend distracted me, and you caught me. Now what?”

  “Depends on you.”

  “Me?” Amusement curves her plump mouth. “I thought you were the one who had the final say in our relationship.”

  “Legally, I do.”

  “Then—”

  “Zoe.” I pause until she raises a brow. “Let’s focus on this moment, not rehash the situation that’s been forced on both of us. I never wanted an obligation, and you never wanted a keeper. But here we are.”

  “Yep. Here we are.” She sneers at me, her reflected gaze lashing me. “But let’s be real. This wasn’t some passive thing that just happened. You’re the one who forced this on us. I was perfectly fine on my own.”

  The memory returns, bringing with it the scent of Zoe’s blood and pain. “You were sewing your wounds closed.”

  “Stitching.” She shrugs, looking quite pleased with herself. “And I was doing a fine job of it too.”

  “With sewing thread and an unsterilized needle.”

  Her thick black lashes lower, obscuring the blue, but not her annoyance. “Not any less sterilized than the claws that left those wounds on me.”

  I can’t argue that.

  “Whatever. It’s done. I’m not wasting my time arguing about the past. It’s not healthy, and I’m all about letting the past go and moving on.” Zoe speaks up before I can justify my actions or my order that prevented her from seeking medical assistance in the first place. “Let’s get back to this little situation we’re in. You caught me. Now what?”

  “Like I said. It depends on you.”

  “Does it?” Zoe worries her lip, the distraction doing little to hide her contemplation or the scheme I see forming. “Then I hate to say this, I really do, but I’m going to have to rehome you. It’s just not fair to keep a pet with my lifestyle. I’m never home. I don’t—”

  I nip her earlobe, pulling on the tender flesh. Her breathy gasp feeds my primeval drives to tame this woman who ran from me. The idea is sweet, nearly irresistible. Zoe’s submission would be blissful, but I won’t take the chance that the moment the orgasm’s over, she’d run.

  Releasing her, I lick the earlobe I tugged, soothing any discomfort I might’ve caused. “I am not a pet, and I certainly am not—”

  “You are. It’s official, Kade. I gave you tags and everything. It was a rash move on my part. A foolish one, honestly. I should’ve given this whole ownership thing more thought, but you’re cute, and that little rumbly sound you make when you get all fired up is beyond adorable. I just couldn’t help myself. But I’ve had time to think about it, and like I said, it’s best if I rehome you.”

  With my nose buried in the fall of her dyed hair—the silver and purple a far cry from the jet-black locks she had last time I’d touched her—I grin, grateful she can’t see my smile. After so many months without her snarky comments, I savor this teasing, at least inwardly. She doesn’t need to know how much I’ve missed this or her. The knowledge would give her power.

  “I am not cute, and my growl is not adorable.”

  “You’re right. You’re freaking hot, and that sound you make when you’re pissed gets me all achy and makes me consider jumping you, and that isn’t right. This thing between us is messed up. Best thing for both of us is if I rehome you, like I said. Don’t worry, okay? I’ll find you a nice new owner before I go.”

  A growl rumbles my chest, but the sound isn’t one I’d planned, and neither is the irritation behind the noise something I can stop, no matter how much I wish to curtail my annoyance. “You being my beloved human isn’t optional, and the obligation that results from my claim isn’t something either of us can just end.”

  “It will if I say it does. All I have to do is run and nev—”

  “There’s a scratch on my car. Right by the door handle.” Holding her in a loose grip with my hand around her throat, I brush my open mouth over Zoe’s soft cheek, stopping her from threatening to leave me permanently and completely unhinging me. “A scratch that wasn’t there before you stole the ’Cuda.”

  “Borrowed. Not stole. And the scratch isn’t my fault. Some loser’s cart rolled into the ’Cuda. I’ll pay to get it patched up. Promise.”

  There’s a slight hitch to Zoe’s voice that has nothing to do with her feeling bad about the scratch on the ’Cuda. I can’t help but think I’m not the only who feels more than the lust burning between us. I don’t want to contemplate what it is, however. I’ve spent enough time doing so over the months I’ve ached for this woman. I won’t waste the time with her in my grasp.

  I lick my lips, and the tip of my tongue touches Zoe’s skin. Her flavor hits me, compelling me to g
et closer…to get drunk on her. “You taste like sin.”

  A small sound, not quite a laugh but not a snort either, escapes her. “Well, you did just accuse me of committing a sin or at the minimum, a crime.”

  “You admit to stealing my car, then?”

  “No.” Zoe turns her head and catches my gaze from inches away. The bold way she stares at me speeds my pulse, jacking up my excitement and the anticipation of hearing her speak. “I took it when I needed a car. Surely you wouldn’t have wanted your beloved human hitching rides. Bad men prey on girls they pick up on the side of the road.”

  She’s right, but I won’t admit it. A woman like Zoe would take that acknowledgment and run with it, remembering my words and using them against me another time. “There was no reason for you to run or take my car. You overreacted to a conversation that didn’t even concern you. What I said was for your brother’s benefit. Had you given me the chance—”

  “To explain why you planned on mating and impregnating a woman you don’t love?” Amusement gives Zoe’s dark blue eyes a sparkling quality, creating the illusion of stars in her eyes. “Come on. Do you really think whatever explanation you came up with would’ve made me want to stay under your roof? You lied to me, and you hurt my brother. He was head over heels in love with Mira, and there you were, telling him how you planned on making a baby with her.”

  “I didn’t lie.” I clear my throat. “I mean my lie wasn’t meant for you. I would’ve given you the truth eventually.”

  “After you knocked up the woman my brother loves.” Zoe smirks. “Right?”

  “You’re overreacting. It was complicated. I never would’ve actually ma—”

  “Complicated?”

  “Yes, it was a delicate situation, and what I planned had been out of love, to save Mira from having to mate a stranger who resembled her rapist. I knew that would’ve destroyed her. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I love Mira too much to see her suffer like that. The plan we came up with would’ve saved everyone involved.”

  A cloud slips over Zoe’s eyes, taking the starry night sky and leaving me with the sensation of facing a raging storm. The analogy my soul supplies is odd but accurate. Too bad I never pick up on these things before I trigger Zoe’s bad moods, however.

  “Out of love.” Zoe digs her nails into my wrist and yanks my hand off her neck. “There you go with that word again. Throwing it around now just as you did months ago without any indication you actually know what love means.”

  “Or it could be you just haven’t lived long enough to understand love.” The moment Zoe draws in a breath and fire sparks in her eyes, I rest my forefinger against her black painted lips, a harsh contrast to her porcelain skin and her silver-dyed hair. Those dark lips and the purple tips of her hair are almost a visual warning to those who’d assume she was an innocent girl. She’s a battle-scarred woman who’s not afraid to take on those bigger and badder than her. And I can’t help but get turned on by this fire she carries. “Before you crucify me, hear me out.”

  On a slow exhale, she reins in her fiery response, easing her aggressive posture and replacing the look of rage with one of guarded openness. I take in the small details, grateful my felines are hyper focused on every nuance of Zoe’s features.

  “You get one shot.” Zoe crosses her arms. “Then I’m out of here whether I borrow your car again or hitchhike out of town.”

  One shot’s all I need.

  I move the passenger seat forward, open the door, then get out of the car my twin’s mate spent months restoring to its former, albeit slightly modernized, glory. With the passenger seat pushed back and the door closed, I round the front of the car, half expecting Zoe to throw the vehicle into reverse. She doesn’t, though. She’s giving me my one shot, just as she promised, and I can’t help but respect her for that.

  I open the driver’s side door and crouch next to the car, putting me eye level with the woman who’s defied me on more than one occasion.

  “I’m alpha—the leader of my pride. Every member, whether born an Alexander or not, whether living or dead, whether residing here in West Virginia or across the ocean, is connected to me. I feel them.” I thump my chest where, during every full moon, I’m reminded of my obligation to the pride I lead. “I can’t help but love them, even those who don’t love me or the pride, and as the center of the Alexanders, I’ll do anything to ensure every member is safe.”

  “Even spend eternity trying to force a connection with another woman you supposedly only ever felt with me?”

  “Mira.” I say her name softly, with all the desire I feel for Zoe in this moment. “Say her name. Say the name of the woman who made you run from me like some insecure teenager who hasn’t outgrown temper tantrums.”

  Zoe sucks in a sharp breath, then slams the heel of her hand into my chest. The attempt to shove me doesn’t budge me. It tears a laugh from me.

  With her features contorted in rage, she rams her other palm into my chest and uses every ounce of strength she has to push me. I snatch both of her wrists and draw them down, then I lean closer, my chest brushing hers so her every heaving breath pushes her breasts into me. “The door doesn’t need to be shut to drive away.”

  “Shut up.”

  Had Zoe been a shifter, she’d likely be baring fangs at me now too. As it is, the twist of her tight mouth is the punishing kind born out of hate. I don’t doubt the depth of her feelings. This woman I’ve dreamed about every night hates me right now. Maybe has hated me since the day she ran from me.

  I can’t help the raw sound rumbling in my chest. It’s not anything close to being a noise a human would make. It’s one based on primal need.

  I stretch her arms behind her and cross them at her lower back. The move brings her lips dangerously close to mine. I don’t close the small space. I can’t. I’ve hungered too long. “Be careful with your words. You don’t know how close I was to just taking you tonight.”

  “And you don’t know how close I was to not coming back here. Ever.”

  “Yeah?” I can’t hide the excitement in my voice. Her fury feeds into my primitive side even as it angers my human side. “And doing so would’ve proved me right. You are a spoiled brat.”

  “Or a woman smart enough to know to protect herself.”

  “And what do you have to protect yourself from? Me?”

  “Yep.”

  “Because you’re upset over a conversation that had nothing to do with you. That’s childish.” I nip her chin, her bottom lip, then turn my head away before I give in and kiss her. “You’re a spoiled brat, just like I said.”

  “You told me how attracted you were to me. How no other woman, shifter or human, has ever affected you the way I do. How that makes me special. Makes me important. For a moment there, I believed you and let myself consider a future where I wasn’t alone. A future where I was with you. One where I’d finally let myself love again. Then you pulled that nonsense with Mira.” Zoe pushes her chest into mine, using me to support her full weight. “I’m grateful for it. You saved me from my own lust-induced stupidity. For that, I thank you. I’m glad I left when I did.”

  “With my car.”

  “You did tell me once to make myself at home in that big empty shell of a house you were building.” Zoe grins. “So don’t get your panties in a bunch because I took you up on your offer.”

  “That’s not an issue for me. I don’t wear panties, boxers, or briefs. I’m all for being natural.”

  “Stop trying to distract me.” Her lip quivers. “Especially when you’re accusing me of stealing your car. I borrowed it.” Zoe leans back and jerks her arms outward, trying to break my hold on her wrists. “And I’ll return it before I leave tonight. Then we can both go our merry ways.”

  I tighten my hold on Zoe, not to bruise her but to remind her she’s not getting away. Ever, if I have anything to say about it. Lucky for both of us, I do have that right. The law—both human and shifter—recognizes the unique relationship between
a shifter and his possession. “That’s not an acceptable outcome.”

  “Sure it is.” She strains against my grip, threatening to bruise herself in the process.

  “No, it isn’t.” With one hand holding Zoe’s wrists, I tug her from the driver’s seat, tumbling her body against mine, and stand with her, my free arm supporting her bottom.

  She gasps. “What—”

  My mouth on hers stops her words, then like a starving man, I feast. The taste of cinnamon flavors our kiss, compelling me to lick the inside of her cheeks and teeth. The spicy bite is from the gum she favors. I remember that from the short time I spent with her.

  I kiss her deeper, harder. I’d crawl inside this woman if I could. Take her every way a man can know a woman. The images are powerful, alluring. I want to make them happen. Now. I grasp the edge of her shirt, touch her soft skin, then slam a brake on my primal drives. Zoe’s human. She doesn’t understand the instincts riding me. More importantly, she didn’t return to West Virginia for me. She sure won’t stay for me either.

  At least not yet.

  I breathe deeply, letting Zoe’s scent imprint on me and willing that to be enough for tonight. “How long are you staying?”

  “A few hours. A night. Depends on how long it takes to find a ride out of here.”

  “The baby shower for Mira and Josh isn’t until next Sunday. They postponed it, hoping…giving you as much time as possible.”

  “They shouldn’t have bothered. I’m not staying that long. I’ll drop off my gift and—” A mechanicalized knocking sound pierces the night, and vibrations reverberate along the hood.

  Zoe laughs, a breathy sound. “My text alert.”

  I pull out her phone from her back pocket and hand it to her.

  She unlocks the phone, angling it so there’s no chance I can catch a glimpse of the message, but she doesn’t tap open the app or swipe past the main screen. She stares at the display where a preview of the text or the sender’s name might be displayed if it’s anything like my phone. After a moment, the blush to her cheeks from our kiss fades, leaving her skin as pasty white as it had been when she’d attempted to sew stitches into her legs all those months ago.