“Yeah.”
“If I leave now, no one will know I’d ever been here,” he said. “Julianna will be able to protect you until then. Besides, I must drive my car back anyway.”
“I—” She knew he was right. It would be childish, not to mention risky, to let him stay here, even if Julianna didn’t threaten to rat him out. “Fine.”
“I’ll be at your house when you arrive. I promise.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her close, and smothered her lips with urgent fervor.
As usual, his kisses left her breathless. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“I know you will.”
As he turned to leave, she grabbed his hand. “Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Remember what I said.” She squeezed his palm. “This was my choice.”
Surprise flashed across his face, then he lifted her hand to his lips. “Stay safe.”
When the door closed behind him, an ache began to form in her chest. Her she-wolf, which had been calm and contented these past twenty-four hours, began to whine with grief.
Mine. Mine.
She started at the voice. No, I must have imagined it. Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and mentally prepared herself to deal with her sister.
Chapter Seventeen
Leaving Adrianna was difficult, to the point of painful. For one thing, he felt literal pain as his wolf was ripping him up from the inside, enraged that they would leave her so vulnerable like that. He reasoned that he was doing this for her own good, as he had no idea if Julianna would make good on her threat. Breaking territorial boundaries held severe punishments, and if the Alpha of this territory found out, there would be consequences for him and Adrianna.
His wolf didn’t understand politics or rules, of course, and so he bore the pain as he drove back to New Jersey, only taking comfort in the fact that Adrianna would be safe with her sister.
Besides, he had more pressing matters to attend to. The sooner he found out the truth from Anatoli—hopefully, that he had not orchestrated the kidnapping—the sooner he could be back with his she-wolf again.
Making love to Adrianna was better than any wildest fantasy he ever had. She was passionate but also unselfish. So eager to please him in any way. Even now, thoughts of her soft, plush body underneath his made him hard as steel. The thoughts of what other delicious things he would do to her—and her to him—made the long drive home both pleasurable and torturous.
When he saw the gate of the compound ahead of him, he began to mentally prepare himself for the confrontation with Anatoli. He needed to be smart about this as accusing his uncle of such a crime if he were innocent would not be without its consequences. Alternately, if Anatoli was responsible, then there were bigger things to worry about.
The gates opened for him, and he hadn’t even entered the garage when he saw two other enforcers already waiting for him. He recognized them as Remus and Simion, two of Anatoli’s meanest men, as well as his most loyal. They stopped him and motioned for him to get out of the car.
“Your uncle has instructed us to take you to him as soon as you arrived.” Remus attempted to grab his arm, but he sent the man a scathing look that had him faltering.
“He’s waiting,” Simion added but didn’t make a move toward him.
So, Anatoli already knew he was on the way. Whether that was good or bad, well … he would find out soon enough.
The moment he entered Anatoli’s office, the old man came at him with blinding rage. Remus and Simion held his arms back as a meaty fist connected with his jaw. “I should have you whipped!” Anatoli screamed. “Then wait for you to heal and then whip you again!”
Even when his arms were set free, he refused to cower or even wipe the blood that dripped from his lip. He was used to this. After all, when Anatoli took over for Grandfather as head of The Family, he used terror and abuse to keep everyone in line. “Why should I be punished, Uncle?”
“For foiling my plans! When those humans I had sent after Adrianna Anderson told me they were stopped by a silver-haired devil, I knew it was you!”
“You ordered me to be her bodyguard. I was only doing as you asked.”
That seemed to infuriate him even more and his face went red. “That’s not … insolent boy!” The back of his hand whipped against his cheekbone. “I—I was told she went to D.C. alone. I thought maybe she’d become annoyed with you and dismissed you. Besides, according to Mila, you’ve found out nothing useful these past days!”
“Why do you want to harm the Alpha’s daughter?”
“None of your business!” He cracked his knuckles, then his lips spread into a smile. “However, while your actions thwarted my plans for that bitch, you’ve actually made things better.”
Better? What did his uncle mean? “How so?”
“I received a call from the Alpha herself. Frankie Anderson was incredibly grateful that you were there to rescue her daughter.” He let out a cackle. “What a stupid whore!” He signaled at the two enforcers to leave, and once they did, he gave Darius a pat on the shoulders. “Now, they will be easier to manipulate. You will remain by that bitch’s side and keep gaining her trust. Then,” he licked his lips, “once the time comes, I will tell you what to do.”
Darius swallowed hard. The sick bastard hurt him for no reason other than to show his dominance around his minions, but worse than that, he was now trapped. It would be too late to confess to Adrianna that he suspected it was Anatoli who sent those men to kidnap her, but at this point, neither could he betray his uncle without tipping him off or protecting her.
“Do you understand me, Darius?” Anatoli looked him straight in the eyes. “The Family comes first.”
“Of course.”
“Good. That’s exactly the attitude I need.”
The only way out of this would be to find out what Anatoli was really planning and put a stop to it, without him knowing any better. This was obviously more than just keeping The Family’s interests in the territory. His uncle wouldn’t go to such lengths or risk death by attempting to harm a future Alpha. But that would mean playing both sides, and he knew now that he could never let anything happen to Adrianna.
He could only hope to find out the truth before she did.
Chapter Eighteen
“So, do you think Zac and Astrid are going to have a girl or boy?”
Julianna looked up at her from her phone, raised a brow, and went back to tapping on her screen.
“I think a girl would be nice,” Adrianna added. “Maybe she’ll be sassy like her mom and grandma. Though a boy would probably make Nick Vrost go over the moon.”
No response.
“Or maybe they’ll have a monkey. A cute little chimp with a furry face.”
When that didn’t elicit a response from her sister, she threw her hands up. “It’s been over a day, Julianna. Are you really going to not talk to me?”
All she got was a freezing stare.
Seeing as Julianna was determined to keep giving her the silent treatment, she instead looked outside the windows watching the clouds as their private plane flew through the skies on their way to New Jersey. She had hoped that Julianna’s silent fury would lessen especially since Darius wasn’t around anymore, but she was wrong. Her sister only seemed determined to ignore her as way to show her displeasure.
I’m a grown woman. She could sleep with whomever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Besides, she really didn’t know what was bothering Julianna. Maybe her sister needed to get laid. If she could find someone who was half as good in bed as Darius was, maybe she wouldn’t be such a sourpuss.
Of course, thinking of Darius in bed only made her remember the mind-blowing sex they had, and her core throbbed with excitement, knowing that he was waiting for her at home. Hopefully, Julianna would have cooled off by then, though she wasn’t sure how much privacy she and Darius would have with her just down the hall in Uncle Dante’s old room.
“Excuse me, Ms. Anderson,” Steve, t
heir steward on the plane said as he approached them. “We’ll be landing shortly.”
“Thank you.”
She was glad they were almost there as anticipation throbbed in her veins. God, she never thought she’d be the type to go crazy over a man, but it seems she’d found her weakness in Darius. Just thinking of his devilish tongue and his hands made her giddy with anticipation.
The jet had barely stopped on the tarmac when Julianna unbuckled her seatbelt and reached for her bag in the overhead bin.
“Where are you going?” she asked her sister.
“I have stuff to do in New York,” Julianna replied in a clipped voice. “Uncle Nick arranged for someone to bring you home.” Slinging her duffel over her shoulder, she marched toward the door, tapping her foot impatiently. The moment it swung open, she disappeared without even waving goodbye or a glance back.
She hated having Julianna so angry at her, but at the same time, her sister was being unreasonable. Maybe someday, she’d understand if she ever had a boyfriend.
Boyfriend?
She felt her cheeks go hot. Calling Darius that seemed trite. Beau? Lover? Oh dear. She couldn’t see herself introducing him that way. Wait, how was she going to introduce him to other people? And then there was the rest of her family.
“Ms. Anderson? Is there anything else I can do for you?” Steve asked as he stood next to her.
“Oh.” Embarrassed at being caught daydreaming, she quickly got to her feet. “No, I’m fine. Thank you, Steve.”
“It was a pleasure to have you on board, as always.”
She grabbed her purse and allowed Steve to help her put her coat on before she walked out of the plane. Who could Nick have sent to bring her home, she wondered? As she descended the stairs, she saw who it was and smiled.
“Adrianna!” Astrid Jonasson—now Vrost—greeted, waving her hands excitedly.
“Astrid!” She nearly tripped down the stairs in her hurry to get to her friend. The warm embrace that greeted her made her want to weep with relief. She and the younger woman had gotten along very well the last time she was assigned to be her protector.
“Nice to see you too,” Astrid laughed. “Are you okay? Was the flight good? Is Steve the steward still hot?”
She chuckled. “Yes, yes, and yes!” She squeezed her tighter. “I’m so glad to see you.” And Astrid didn’t even know the half of it.
“Me too!”
“And I have to say, I’m honored that the future Beta of New York is the one protecting me today.” After the mages attacked them at the ball, Lucas had declared that he wanted Astrid to be his Beta, much to everyone’s surprise. Astrid, after all, was not even a full-fledged member of the Lycan Security Team. However, she did prove her worth by saving Lucas which only endeared the young woman to Adrianna more.
Astrid gave her a strange look. “Say, you look … different?”
“Different?”
“Yeah … it’s like …” She leaned in. “Are you using a new skin cream? Or maybe shampoo?”
“Huh? No. I’ve only been using my usual stuff.”
“Weird.” She sniffed at her. “It’s like … I don’t know. Never mind. C’mon, let’s go.” She gestured to the black SUV behind her. She followed Astrid into the car and hopped in behind her friend. Astrid gave instructions to the driver, and soon they were off.
“So, I can’t believe Uncle Nick sent you,” Adrianna began. “I mean, I’m glad he did, but you would think he and Zac would have you wrapped up in blankets while atop ten mattresses until the baby comes.”
“Me, nah!” Astrid rubbed the non-existent bump on her belly. “Besides, this is a True Mates baby. As you know, nothing can harm me, which is why he sent me to come get you.” She picked up a large paper bag from the back. “I heard about your kidnapping attempt. If anyone tries to get to you, they’ll have to go through me first.”
“Well I’m glad—” She stopped when Astrid opened the bag and the scent of dough and sugar hit her nostrils. “Oh,” she groaned. “That smells amazing. What is it?”
“These?” Astrid reached inside and took something out the size of a baseball. “Freshly made donuts. I got them on the way here.” She took a big bite and swallowed it in one gulp. “I swear, this baby is driving me crazy, always demanding food.”
Her mouth began to water and her stomach made a loud noise. “Er, sorry.”
“No worries.” She offered the bag to her. “Want one?”
She nearly tore into the paper grabbing a donut. It was still warm and soft, and she shoved it into her mouth, devouring the whole thing in two bites. “Rmmrhhmmm … good.” She wiped her mouth with the napkin Astrid held out to her. “Sorry, it was really delicious.” It was strange though, as she just ate on the plane. In fact, she had devoured the burger and fries Steve had prepared for her.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “Want more?”
She and Astrid polished off the dozen donuts she bought, and finally she felt satisfied. She was also glad for the her presence, as being in the company of the vivacious young woman who told her hilarious stories kept her entertained throughout the ride.
“We’re here,” Astrid said. “Ooh, your house is gorgeous.”
“You’ve never been here, right?” she said. “I can take you on a tour. And maybe we can grab dinner at Muccino’s.”
“That sounds awesome, but,” the younger woman shook her head, “I’m actually just supposed to drop you off and keep an eye on you until you got home.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, sorry, I’d love to hang out, though it looks like you won’t be all alone.”
She turned her head toward the window, expecting Darius to be standing on the porch, waiting for her as he said, or even a glimpse of his gray Dodge Charger. To her disappointment, she only saw a black town car in the driveway and four burly men in dark suits on the porch.
“Who are those men?” she asked Astrid. She recognized two of them as part of the New York Lycan Security Team, but not the other two. “Did you have a new batch of recruits graduate from training?”
Astrid wrinkled her nose. “I don’t—oh!” She snapped her fingers. “I think those are the security guys for your mom’s VIP guest.”
“Guest?”
“Yeah, hush-hush security team confidential secret stuff,” she said with a grin. “Nick’s been including me in the daily briefings as part of my training. Anyway, you should head inside. Then I can say I completed my first solo assignment as future Beta of New York with success.”
“Er, okay.” She supposed she’d find out soon enough who this guest was. “It really was nice seeing you, Astrid. I know I live out of the way now, but please come see me anytime. I’ll treat you to as much food as you want at the restaurant.”
Astrid chuckled. “I will, but you may regret that promise.”
She waved goodbye to Astrid then headed into the house. The two guards from the New York team immediately recognized her and rushed to open the door to the front. When she went inside, she followed the sounds of rapid-fire Italian all the way into the living room. Frankie was sitting on the couch, talking to someone sitting on the armchair whose back was turned to her. When her mother realized she was standing in the doorway, her face lit up.
“Mimma!” Frankie got to her feet and bolted to her side. “I’m so glad to see you!” She embraced her daughter tight. “I was so scared when you told me what happened.”
“I’m fine, Mama,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.”
She wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes. “Of course I’ll worry about you. You’re my daughter. I’m just happy Darius was there to save you.”
“Yeah.” Speaking of which, where was Darius? He promised he would be here when she arrived. “Have you seen him, by the way?”
“Darius? I thought he was with you?”
So, Julianna hadn’t said anything to their mother. Yet. “Um, you know he couldn’t stay for too long. Not without permission. He left when J
ulianna came.”
“Good thinking,” Frankie said. “Oh, dear. I’m being rude to our guest.” She turned around. “Perdonami, scusami tanto, Alesso.”
The man who had been sitting on the armchair rose, and now she saw his face. “It’s quite all right, Francesca.” So, this was her mother’s guest. The man looked to be about her age, handsome with dark blond hair and hazel eyes. He gave her a warm smile.
“May I introduce my daughter and my heir, Adrianna Callista Anderson. Adrianna, this is Count Alesso di Cavour, Alpha of Rome.”
“How do you do?” she greeted politely and extended her hand. “You honor us with your presence, Alpha. It’s my pleasure to welcome you to New Jersey.” Actually, she was blindsided by his visit, but she gave him the standard polite greeting when welcoming a visiting Alpha.
“The pleasure is all mine.” He took her hand and lifted it to his lips. “I’ve heard so much about you, Adrianna.”
I bet you have, she thought as she gave her mother a sideways glance. “What brings you to our territory, Count Alesso?”
“Please, just Alesso,” he insisted as he finally let go of her hand. “Your mother and uncle were in Rome and they invited me for a visit. I have never been to New Jersey.”
“I’m sure you’ll find it riveting,” she said dryly.
“I’ve asked Alesso to come so we can have a discussion about future alliances,” Frankie said. “Since we have such close heritages, it’s a shame we never had any close ties.”
“My uncle said you broke his heart when you married Grant Anderson,” Alesso quipped. “I joke, of course. He was very happy in his final years, and he died with a smile on his face in his mistress’s bed. I can only hope to be so lucky.”
Adrianna wanted to gag, but cleared her throat politely. “So, I hope you enjoy your visit.” She let out a small yawn. “I’m really exhausted. As you know, I’ve been dealing with a crisis.”
“I heard, and I’m very sorry,” Alesso said.
Claiming the Alpha Page 13
