by Ella Goode
I dive into the back seat with Cassie and then pull the door shut. “Go,” I order. I can’t take the chance that she might change her mind. I engage the door locks.
Kristian takes one look at me and guns the engine. My mate cowers against the door.
“It’s going to be okay,” I reassure her.
I don’t think she believes me.
3
Cassie
I’ve made a huge mistake. Anne is right. I’m going to end up going home in a body bag. Edon is huge. In the single grainy picture Ronnie sent me, Edon was on the young side of thirty and well, sort of nerdy, wearing a pair of black plastic glasses and a turtleneck. His face was pale and I swear he didn’t weigh more than a hundred fifty pounds. This guy…this guy is massive. His muscles are bulging under a long-sleeve cotton shirt. He lifted and held me with one hand. His entire frame felt like one slab of stone. I don’t know if he even knows what a turtleneck is let alone allowed himself to be photographed in one.
I grab my phone and scroll to the picture I was sent.
“Who is this?” I ask, thrusting the phone screen at his face.
His eyes furrow. Then he reaches into the side compartment and pulls out a pair of glasses. Thick black plastic rims should not look hot on anyone, yet somehow this Neanderthal pulls it off. I wonder again what is wrong with him that he uses a dating service to find a girl to marry.
This man could walk into any bar or restaurant or, hell, library, and the women would trample each other to propose. It’s not just his fabulous body, but his face is one that could sit in museums. What in the hell?
“Sorry,” he apologizes. “I’m near-sighted. Or is it far-sighted?” He shakes his head. “I can never remember.”
With his glasses on…I mean, there’s some resemblance. “Far-sighted,” I mumble. “You have better distance for things far away.”
He studies the photo for a moment and then raises his piercing silver eyes to meet mine. “Where’d you get this?”
Ah ha! It’s not him. “From Ronnie. She sent this along with your medical records.” Oh shit. Were those fake, too? I feel like Alice dropped down the rabbit hole where cute is ugly and big is small and every woman is merely one matchmaker away from hot, available guys who want to marry us sight unseen.
Across from me, his beautiful mouth flattens in an unhappy line. “I didn’t know those pictures still existed.”
“Who is it?” I demand, still not quite believing that the nerdy young man on my phone screen is the same one sitting next to me inside this fancy black foreign car.
A faint pink tinges his high upper cheekbones. He rubs his hands across his thighs as if he’s nervous. What’s he anxious about? I’m the one who should be nervous!
“It’s me,” he says so quietly I’m forced to strain forward to make out the words.
“You?” I repeat.
“Yes,” he says, a bit testily. “But I was fourteen at the time. It was before I changed!” He grabs for my phone. I hug it closer.
“Delete it,” he pleads. “I’ll send you a new picture.” He sounds desperate. He bangs on the window between the driver and me. “You asshole. You gave that to Ronnie, didn’t you?”
I hear muffled laughter from the front. I pull out the phone and take another look at the image. Fourteen? He looks like a whole man in this picture. Granted, I thought he was young, but not pre-pubescent young.
Next to me, Edon groans and buries his face in his hands. “I’m going to kill your wife, Kristian.”
“It’s not that bad,” I murmur. “I mean, you look sweet.”
The laughter up front grows to a roar.
“Sweet?” Edon says in a dumbfounded voice.
“Sure. It’s better than scary, which is what you were in the airport.” I shift on the seat, the dampness between my legs reminding me that I wasn’t being entirely truthful. My body had a powerful reaction to Edon. It took me by surprise. My own immediate arousal scared me as much as Edon’s own actions. This is supposed to be a marriage of convenience, not one of instant passion.
He sighs heavily. “I’m sorry about the airport.” He drags a hand through his hair. “I was a little excited, but you’re so…” He drifts off, but the look in his eyes tells me exactly what he’s thinking, and the frank, sexual look sets off an answering pulse between my legs.
I beat back a blush and tell my body to ignore how his sexy eyes are roving over my body. I dig into my purse and pull out the two-page marriage contract. This relationship needs to be shoved back onto the foundation that we created—a mutually agreeable, passionless business deal that involves some physical interaction at a date that has yet to be decided. I mean, this man was so disinterested in marrying me that he sent other people to meet me.
From the way that his eyes are flickering back and forth across the page of the contract, it even seems as if he’s never read the contract before.
I flip to the last page and point to a large, dark scrawl. “This is your signature, right?”
Edon places a big hand next to my thigh and leans forward. If I moved a centimeter over, his hand would be on my thigh. If I moved an inch over, I could press my leg against his. If I slid onto his lap—I slap myself. Get a grip, Cassie. Business, remember? This is a business deal.
“Yes, it is my signature.” He sits back and pinches the bridge of his nose. The veins in his forearm pop slightly.
He’s all man. A whole big, fat meal that a girl could feast on for days—if she was into that sort of thing.
And I’m not. Letting my emotions dictate my life is how I got into this mess in the first place. I fell for Cody, a handsome guy in a uniform, and that blinded me to everything—his cheating, his dirty dealing, and his penchant to solve problems with the butt end of his service pistol.
Marrying someone who didn’t stir up any of those lustful, exciting feelings was exactly what I needed, not to mention that hiding out in Buffalo would keep me safe. I rub my finger along the scar under my chin and remind myself that happiness is not found between anyone’s legs.
About forty minutes out of Buffalo, we reach the Rule property.
“It starts here and goes for a mile or so,” Edon tells me, speaking up for the first time since he read the contract. Small brick pillars and weathered planks make up the fence that runs parallel to the road. Big maple trees are shedding colorful leaves onto the grass.
A pretty wooden sign that says “OBS Cabinetry” sits about twelve feet away from the road. Kristian turns down the lane, stopping in front of a low-slung black fence.
“I’ll get the gate,” Edon calls up front. He climbs out of the car and lifts the gate aside easily.
“We’ll be installing an electronic gate soon,” Kristian tells me as he motors slowly past Edon.
“I don’t mind getting out of the car to move the gate,” I tell him.
“You’ll have to take someone with you, then. That thing weighs a ton.”
It doesn’t look heavy. Edon swings the gate back into place with one hand. It must be made out of plastic.
“I guess it doesn’t matter. I don’t have a car.” Nor do I have the money to buy one. I didn’t negotiate for transportation because I hadn’t realized I’d need any. In Emmetsville, I rode the bus, but here I’m miles away from even a gas station or convenience store.
“There’ll be a car available for you to drive to town. You’re not expected to stick around here during the day,” Edon says as he gets back into the car.
He smells like a crisp fall day. The breeze has mussed some of his hair. I curl my fingers in my lap so I don’t suddenly reach out and comb through the silky chestnut strands.
“You can even get a job in town, if you like,” he offers.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Is that a joke?”
He cocks his head in clear confusion. “No.”
Up front, Kristian launches into a coughing fit. Edon swings his attention toward his friend.
“You okay up there?"
/>
“Something went down the wrong windpipe,” Kristian says. “Nice weather we’re having, isn’t it? Say, Cassie, how much did Ronnie tell you about your new home?”
“She said that it was in need of some work and suggested that you might have a job for me here.” And I was hugely grateful for that. After the mess with Cody, I wasn’t getting another job in accounting any time soon. While no charges were filed, my former supervisor made it clear that if I so much as sneezed in the direction of a financial position, she’d be the first in line to tell them I was a dishonest, untrustworthy employee.
“There’s plenty to do on the property. We’re still in the process of renovating,” Edon admits, his demeanor a bit stiff as if he’s embarrassed by the state of his land.
As we wind down a long lane, I realize that only the front of the property is well manicured. The rest of it has the appearance of an untamed wilderness. There are more trees than grass and the road turns from tar to gravel.
“It’s beautiful,” I say honestly. The land might be rough, but it’s extensive. The financial portfolio said he owned over two hundred acres. “I’m willing to do anything. I can clear away brush, clean, or work in the kitchen. Ronnie said that the entire family lives on the property and that often you all eat together.”
“Ronnie said you had an accounting degree,” Kristian interrupts. “She brought you in to help with the books.”
“Ronnie hates that stuff,” Edon adds. “So do I. If you’re good with the books and money, then you shouldn’t be outdoors doing grunt work. We’ve got plenty of hands able to do the heavy lifting, and few of my pa-people are interested in sitting behind a desk all day. Hell, it’d be a dream if you could run the damn company.”
“But…” I draw a hand across my forehead. Is it possible that they all know about my past and don’t care? It’s more likely that they don’t know and if they find out, I’ll be kicked to the curb.
What I believed was a clean and simple business arrangement is turning into a huge mess. Edon and I need to sit down and have a long discussion about our marriage. Otherwise, it’ll fail before we even get to the altar.
We pass a huge two-story home that features a porch running along the front. The paint on the siding is peeling but the structure looks sturdy enough.
“That’s the main lodge. Our single wo-workers live there. It’s nicer than it looks,” Edon assures me.
"That’s where Leif, your airport driver, lives," Kristian tells me.
"Ahh, that’s where Leif was. And Oyvind and Peter moved you."
So many members of his family helped me and I didn’t even know it. Guilt starts to prickle through me. I stare at the home as we pass it. “It’s huge.” Despite the dilapidated state, it’s large enough to accommodate a big family. “How many do you have living here with you?”
Ronnie had told me that the Rule clan has around twenty people, but I can’t imagine that they all live here.
“Twenty-four now,” Edon says. “We took some young fellows in a while back.”
So they do all live here. If Cody made it through the gate, there’d be twenty-four people to stand with me. That’s what the older lady, Aunt Steph, promised me. Twenty-four targets. Twenty-four innocent people who might be hurt if Cody finds me.
I slink down into the corner of the car. I’ve made a big mistake.
4
Edon
“This is my place. I mean, our place,” I correct, as I pull her suitcase out of the trunk of Ronnie’s car. She’s grown quiet. I wonder if she was hoping for a bigger place. I’ve lived in the cottage since I became alpha.
I wonder what she’s used to. She doesn’t look like she’s lived in a mansion, but the frayed hem on her jeans could be intentional. Signe once bought a pair of jeans for two hundred dollars and they were just a bunch of threads held up by the side seams.
“It’s not much, but I’ve got some money stowed away and you can fix the place up. Just tell me what you want and we’ll get it down.” I want my mate to be happy.
She gives me a smile that trembles at the edges, and hugs her middle. She looks scared of something. I wonder if it’s me. I’m a big man and sometimes women aren’t into that. Ronnie prefers Kristian’s lean frame to my big one. Fuck, I wish I had more experience with women. I’d be able to read this one better.
If she were pack, I’d pull her into my arms. Touching each other can chase away the fear, but from the way she reacted at the airport lounge and the way she tucked herself into the corner of the car on the ride home, I’m guessing closeness makes her uneasy. If she had a bad experience with a man, I wish Ronnie would’ve said something. First, so I could go rip the man’s head from his shoulders and second, so I wouldn’t have been so reckless at the airport.
Setting myself an arm’s width away, I gesture her inside the house.
“You live here alone?” she asks.
“Yup. Perks of being an al-in charge.” I keep making the mistake that she knows about the pack. I wonder how I’m going to introduce that information to her. Again, I wish Ronnie had given me more information about this whole marriage-by-proxy thing. “We can either eat here or go up to the lodge and have dinner with the rest of the pa-people.”
“Here’s good,” she says.
I give her a tour of the place. “We’ve got the great room, the kitchen and a bathroom.” It might be small, but it’s nice. The main area is one big space with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the woods. The wolf whines as my eyes run over the dense copse of trees. If he doesn’t get to mate, he wants to run. I push the wolf’s voice aside and head for the bedrooms. “Here are your rooms. Why don’t you wash up while I get dinner ready. Steak okay?”
“Um, sure.”
“How do you like it done?” I brace myself for burning the meat black.
Her lips curve up in a rueful smile. “Rare. The bloodier the better.”
I perk up. At least we have this in common. “Two rare steaks coming up.”
She doesn’t take long and by the time the meat is plated, she’s in the kitchen helping me set the table. I try not to notice how her thin shirt clings to her body, outlining a pair of tits that make my mouth water. Immediately my jeans grow tight.
I hustle over to the table and take a seat. I’m going to have to walk around with my hands cupped in front of my dick until I can get some control over my body. I gulp down my steak in a few quick bites and then lean back to enjoy the red wine Ronnie picked up the last time she was in town.
Cassie looks beautiful in my kitchen. Her honey hair glows under the warm lights. The fire crackles behind us. It’s easy to imagine a couple more settings at the table and the sound of chattering kids filling the air.
“It’s nice having you here,” I tell her, hoping my admission doesn’t scare her too much.
“It’s nice being here.”
That sounded genuine. Encouraged, I keep talking. I’m anxious to get to know her. “You like your room?”
Her face lights up and the first genuine smile breaks across her face. I nearly swallow my tongue at how beautiful she looks.
“It’s gorgeous. The bookshelves are amazing.”
“I built those.” I can’t believe I’m bragging about putting together a few two by fours, but here I am.
“You did? I love them. After the contract confusion and all, I thought maybe you didn’t know a thing about me, but those two rooms proved me wrong. I couldn’t have designed anything so perfect in all my life.” She leans across the table. “But I realized in there that while you know me, I don’t know much about you at all. I mean, I know some stuff like that you’re super healthy and that you’ve got this big growing business, but I don’t know much about your past.”
I drop my eyes to my wine glass. I want to be honest with her, but telling a full human that her brand new husband turns into a wolf now and then isn’t likely to have a good outcome. I wonder how the Pine Valley alpha did it. I make a mental note to call him first thi
ng.
“Well, I live here alone as you know. My parents passed away a while back in a fire. I wasn’t hurt much, but the smoke did a number on my eyes.” I tap my temple. “I get headaches when I have to read, which is why I prefer working with my hands.
“Ronnie told me. I’m sorry.”
“It was before I can remember. My pack raised me.”
“Your pack? Do you mean your friends?”
I start to make up a story, but at some point she’s going to have to learn. I might as well let her get used to our language. “They’re more than my friends. They’re my family and yours now, too. That’s why I call them a pack.”
“Like a…wolf pack?” Her eyebrows beetle together.
“That’s right. A wolf pack.” I hold my breath to see how she takes it.
“That’s cool,” she says, but there’s a shadow behind her eyes. Ever since we entered Rule territory, she’s been retreating. "It was very nice of you to help me move and pay for my travel here and all."
"It’s the least I could do."
There’s a strange note in her voice, as if she wished I hadn’t paid for everything. I feel as if she is hiding something from me.
“We went to a wolf retreat once on a school trip. They were so majestic and beautiful.” She sighs. “I would’ve loved to have gotten a dog, but I was so busy that I didn’t feel like I could be a proper pet parent and then my ex, well, he didn’t like animals. He felt that they were too dirty.” Her little mouth turns down.
An ex? Is this what she is hiding? Is my mate still in love with another man? The wolf inside me roars. We will go and hunt down this ex and kill him and then she will have no choice but to fall for me. In our world, each person has only one true mate. Deviate from that path and suffer the consequences, like Kristian.
But…Cassie is a human and humans have other ways. Still, I can’t take a human to mate even if she is the right match so I force myself to ask.
