by Jenika Snow
She couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t think as agony and ecstasy became one. His cock gave small jerks inside of her as he finished coming, and when he pulled his canines out of her flesh, and his cock out of her pussy, his semen slipped down her inner thighs. Collapsing on her belly fully, she breathed against the pillow, and sensed Damien move beside her. He lay down, and before she could move he had the pillow out from under her, his arm around her waist, and her body pressed to his.
“I told you that you were mine, and I will do everything in my power to ensure that nothing changes that. I’ll find out who hurt you, one way or another, and I’ll make them pay.”
She didn’t argue, couldn’t even move. Danika fell asleep that way, knowing that what this man said was the truth, and that he truly would do everything in his power to make sure she would always be his. That should frighten her, but for some reason it didn’t.
Chapter Seven
Danika’s heart was beating fast, her palms were sweating, and she knew that what was about to be discussed right now would cause a hell of a lot of trouble among Damien, Tyler, and her. She had been with Damien sexually just two days ago, given him her virginity, and hadn’t regretted one second of it. In fact, it was like they had grown closer after that moment, that her body and mind were now attuned to everything that was Damien. It was the strangest feeling to just think about him and her body got ready for his cock, for his mouth and hands, and for his possessive and growly attitude. This was fast, insane, and at times made no sense, but for whatever reason she felt that it was right.
Over the last two days she and Damien had spoken about this, and she knew that although she didn’t have the same hardcore feelings toward him like he had for her, she also wanted to be with him. She’d always felt this intensity when she thought about him, and it had all started four years ago when she didn’t even have the first sense of what was happening.
“She’s my mate, Tyler.”
They’d been sitting in her father’s living room for the last twenty minutes, but her dad knew they were coming over, that they had something to say.
Her father stared at Damien, his hands tightly fisted at his side, and his jaw clenched tight. “And that means what?”
Damien looked at her for a second. “It means I’ve imprinted on her. She’s my mate, and I can’t walk away from her.”
Her father breathed out roughly and paced the room. The anger that came from him was tangible, and although she didn’t want anyone to be upset over this, she also knew that this needed to be brought up. Then her father stopped and pierced Damien with an icy stare. “How far has it gone?” her father said in a low, menacing voice.
Damien sat on the couch, his posture non-threatening and calm. “I knew when she was sixteen, when I first met her, that she was mine.”
Her father let out this deadly sound, one that she had never heard from him before. She knew he was a SEAL, skilled in killing men with his bare hands, but around her he had always been gentle and soft-spoken. But right now he looked at Damien like he wanted to kill him.
“You were seeing her when she was only sixteen years old?” her father all but roared out.
“God no, Dad. We didn’t even talk about this until two days ago, when he explained it all to me.” Danika was the one that answered.
Her dad glanced at her, this chilled expression on his face. She knew it wasn’t for her though.
“You know enough about a shifter that when they find their mates it is an unbreakable bond.”
“I don’t know the fucking logistics of all of that, Damien, and you know that.” Her dad ran a hand over his head and cursed low, seemingly all at the same time.
“She’s mine, Tyler, and you know that I’ll protect her with my life.”
Her dad held his hand out, his finger pointed at Damien, and clenched his jaw. “Don’t fucking talk to me about protecting her. I don’t even want to know what in the hell happened between you two, and how you took advantage of my little girl.”
“He didn’t take advantage of me, Dad.”
He glanced at her, the chilled expression on her dad’s face now directed at her. “Danika, sweetheart, please stay out of this.”
He turned and looked at Damien again, but this time the lion shifter was standing. “I trusted you. You two may not have known each other, but you’re like a brother to me, family, Damien. I trusted you to treat her like family, too.”
Damien took a step forward. “She means more to me than family, Tyler.”
Her dad shook his head and ran a hand through his hair.
“When I realized I imprinted on her four years ago I went away. I left, knowing she was young, even though my desire for her wasn’t sexual in any sense yet. I saw her as someone I wanted to protect, watch over, and keep safe.” Damien almost sounded defeated. “You know I went away, and when I came back two years ago, thinking I’d be able to claim her as my mate, she was gone.”
Her father cursed out.
“I stayed away still, for another two fucking years. I knew she needed to be by herself, to live her life. When she came back I’d let her decide how she wanted to proceed.” Now it was Damien’s turn to run his hand through his hair. “Obviously shit didn’t go as I planned, and I’m sorry to spring this on you, but I didn’t think waiting and prolonging telling you was the best option.”
Danika wished she could have told her father about this before she had slept with Damien, but she had needed to be with him right then and there, needed his comfort. She was an adult, knew that she could make her own decisions without letting her father know, but she also knew that telling him about this since Damien was his friend should have been a priority.
“I want to take care of her, Tyler, and I want your blessing.”
Her father’s face turned a nasty shade of red, and he took a menacing step toward Damien. She stood, knowing there would be a fight if things escalated.
“No, Danika,” her father said and lifted a hand to stop her from coming closer. “This is between me and Damien.”
“This concerns me, too—”
“He’s right, Danika. Stay back because I don’t want you getting hurt.” Damien was the one to keep her back now.
“You’re too old for her, Damien.” Her dad’s jaw clenched, and she heard him grind his teeth. “I don’t want to even think about what you are doing with her.” He turned away, gripped the hair at the base of his neck, and pulled on the strands.
“You know the age thing isn’t a factor. You were a decade older than—”
“You don’t bring my dead wife into this.”
Damien didn’t say anything else for several moments. “I would never let anything or anyone hurt her. You have to know I’ll protect her at all costs.”
And that seemed to be her father’s breaking point. He charged after Damien, and she watched in horror as the lion shifter just stood there, as if expecting to be attacked by her father.
“Please, Dad, stop.” But her words fell on deaf ears. The momentum of her father charging forward had Damien and him slamming into the couch and toppling the piece of furniture. The first punch from her father hit Damien in the gut, and then he was hit for a second time on the other side. The only thing Damien did was block the punches, because it was clear he wouldn’t fight back.
“You fucking asshole. I trusted you.” Her father hit him again and again, until blood came out of his nose and the corner of his mouth.
She charged forward, tried to pull her dad off of him, but it was like moving a brick wall.
“Don’t get involved, Danika,” Damien said in a gruff voice.
They fell to the floor with her father on top of Damien. Knowing this had to stop, she pushed her dad off of Damien with a strength she didn’t know she had.
“Stop,” she pleaded, and held herself in front of Damien. “Please, he didn’t do anything I didn’t want. I’m not saying we are in love and will elope. I’m just asking you to try and accept this, Dad.
” She stared into her father’s eyes. “Please.”
“I deserved everything you gave me—”
Her father stared at her, sat on the floor, and breathed out as if he were giving up. He looked at Damien. “You deserve a lot fucking more, Damien.”
“I do deserve a royal ass beating, worse than what you just gave to me because I didn’t tell you sooner, but you are like my brother, and the internal war I had with myself over this had me fucked in the head.”
She stared at Damien as he spoke to her father. It was hard seeing the man she had this unexplainable connection with fighting with the man that raised her and loved her unconditionally. She might not know what in the hell this imprinting or mating thing really was besides what Damien had told her, but she did know she wanted to explore it more.
Her father didn’t speak for several seconds. He stared at the floor, as if in deep thought, and having his own internal war raging inside of him. Damien was on the floor now, too, and the three of them sat there in silence.
“Dad, I don’t want anyone fighting because of this, but I also want you to know that I want to see where this thing with Damien goes.” She looked at the shifter, feeling all kinds of confused because she knew this man meant it when he said he wouldn’t walk away from her. She also felt excitement at the possibilities that this was her future, and also a little bit of fear because of the latter.
“I don’t blame you for being pissed at me, or deciding that you can no longer be friends with me because I betrayed you.”
She wanted to tell Damien that although they did sleep together without telling her father, there wasn’t a betrayal. He had left four years ago, let her have time to grow up and decide what she wanted. Even if telling her dad should have been what they did right away, they were adults, and she didn’t need permission, even if she did want his acceptance.
“But I want to tell you again, and will over and over until both of you know what mating is for my kind, and how unbreakable the imprinting really is.” Damien paused for a moment, stared at her as if he wanted her to know that she was everything to him without actually saying those exact words. He ran the back of his arm over his mouth, looked at the blood that covered his shirt, and exhaled. “I meant it when I said I’d protect her with my life, Tyler. I would die for her.”
She held her breath as she stared at her father, waiting to see what his reaction would be now that he seemed a little calmer. He stared at Damien, this hard, intense look on his face, and then sighed heavily enough she knew he had relented his anger.
“I know how the imprinting bond works, Damien,” her father said slowly, softly. “And I know how unbreakable it is for shifters when they find their mate.” Her dad looked at her then. “She’s young, though, so young and hasn’t experienced life yet.”
Her throat clogged up at the words her father said, and the sadness that was reflected back at her.
“I don’t want to smother her, or stop her from experiencing things, Tyler. I just want to be part of her life, make sure she is safe, and give her whatever she needs to be happy.”
God, she could have cried at the emotion that was coming from her as she heard what her father and Damien said.
“Shit,” her dad said under his breath. “Even though this is pretty fucked-up I do know that if I had to pick one person to take care of my daughter it would be you, Damien.”
She stared at her dad, saw the way he looked at the other man, and knew that although her father might not be okay with this right now, he was going to let her decide how she wanted to live her life.
“Shit, Damien.” Her dad stood, looked him over a few times, and then shook his head. “You better treat her well because she’s all I have in this world.”
Damien stood slowly, and she followed suit. “She’s my priority, Tyler.”
Her dad nodded and sighed heavily. “If you hurt her I’ll fuck you up so you won’t come out of it standing, lifelong friendship or not.” Although Damien was a shifter, and could tear any human apart with no effort, Damien smiled at her father’s words, and nodded.
“Understood, but there isn’t anything to worry about, because I’d rather kill myself than hurt my mate.”
“Come here, sweetheart,” her father said and pulled her into a hug before she could move toward him. “You sure you want this?” he asked her in a soft voice by her ear.
“Dad, I don’t know what I want in my life really, but what I do know is that Damien makes me feel…” She thought about how she could even describe the things she felt for this shifter, the connection and complete unity that her body felt when she even just thought about him. “It just feels right, Dad.”
He pulled back and cupped her cheeks, scared into her eyes, and she waited to see how he would respond. “I may not like this for various reasons, but I want you happy. If Damien makes you happy, then that is the only thing I can hope for.” He pulled her in for another hug, stroked her head with his hand, and she stared at Damien over the side of her dad’s arm. He wasn’t moving, not smiling, just watching her with this concentration that told her he never missed a thing. This was her life now, her father supported her, and she knew that as long as she opened herself up to the possibilities she’d be able to accept anything that was presented to her, even being mated to a hard-ass, fierce lion shifter.
Chapter Eight
Damien stared at the text message he just received. Yesterday he had sent an inquiry to a man he knew in private investigations. When he told Danika that he’d find out who had done this to her he had meant it. He had no name to go on, but he had gotten Danika to tell him a physical description, where the party had been, and the rest he could have his guy figure out. Boris was a skilled tracker, had been with the Shifter Operative Trackers for the last twenty years to get the whereabouts of dangerous men. Compared to the shit Boris had done on the battlefield for their government and kind, this was child’s play.
It was dark, and Damien sat in his vehicle in front of the party this motherfucker was supposed to be. He stared at the guy’s name again: Robert Mitchell. Damien’s blood boiled at the sound of his name playing out in his head. He was seconds from shifting, so close to losing control that it was taking all of his willpower to hold his animal back. Then he saw the fucker he was about to beat come out of the house. He staggered across the front lawn, his drunken focus on his car keys. Damien got out of the car and started following the punk as he made his way away from the party to his car that was parked in a secluded back alley. When Robert dropped his car keys he cursed, and Damien felt his claws lengthen further as the images of what had been done to Danika flashed through his mind.
Once they were in the alley he curled his nails into his palms and breathed out. “You fucked with what was mine,” Damien said in a low voice, seething with anger and ready to shift and kill this asshole. Robert slowly turned around, blinked a few times, then curled his lip. He was either fucking stupid for not showing any fear in the face of a shifter, or too drunk to realize what in the hell he was up against.
“I fucked with what was yours?” Robert slurred out, and turned his head to spit. “Get the fuck out of here with that shit. I take what I want when I want, no matter what it is.”
Maybe Damien should have felt some kind of control over himself because this dick was drunk, but he didn’t and still planned on kicking his ass to teach him a lesson. He took a step closer, and Robert shook his head.
“You’re a ballsy asshole. I was varsity football in high school.”
Damien could have laughed at that. The kid couldn’t be much older than Danika, but he was big with an athletic body. It wouldn’t help him now, because he would be the victim in this scenario. “You tried to take something from my woman at a party, pressed her up against a bathroom wall, and you got your ass handed to you even then.”
Robert looked like he was thinking, and then he started laughing. “Oh yeah, that bitch was uppity as hell.” Robert charged forward and slammed his body into
Damien’s, or as much as he could given his pathetic human strength. Damien took the force and moved with it so it was on Robert now. The other male stumbled back, but came forward again swinging. His actions were slow and sloppy, a result of him drinking all night and his anger. Damien brought his fist up, clipping Robert under the chin. He stumbled back again, blood immediately spilling from his mouth. Damien could have easily taken this fucker out without even blinking, but this was more fun. Robert turned his head and spit out a mouthful of blood. Damien was pumped with adrenaline and endorphins, and his lion wanted out. It snapped and growled, clawing to be released. The fight was half the fun, half the rush. Damien sensed a few people close by, but he didn’t pay them any attention. The shadows claimed most of the alleyway, and he wasn’t about to stop this because there were people watching.
Robert had a crazed expression on his face, but something inside of Damien snapped, and his lion pushed forward even more. He wrapped his hand around Robert’s neck and growled, hoping to have the little asshole piss himself. “You fucked with my mate, my woman. You dared to lay a hand on her and think you could take something from her that isn’t yours.” He slammed his fist harder and faster into Robert’s face.
“You lion shifting fucker.”
He slammed his knuckles into Robert’s face, heard the bone break, and felt the blood spray on his neck. “I don’t want to even think about all of the females you have taken advantage of, but this will be your last time.” Damien tossed him across the cement. Robert tried to get up, but he was bloody, had broken bones, and his strength was gone. He felt no sympathy for the man that thought hurting a woman made him superior. Damien walked over to him, and said in a low voice only Robert could hear, “If you even think about my woman again, or I find out you ever did this to any other female, I’ll hunt you down and kill you.”
