“Oh, not this shit–”
“Your were pinned–”
“That was a fluke occurrence. Fluke as in not the norm!” Partial truth.
He growled, “Fluke or not you could have been–”
She held her hand to stop his next protest, “I am not your damsel in distress. I’m not the distressing kind. Or a damsel. I will be fine. If you haven’t noticed, I can take care of myself. Been doing it for a long time too so don’t get all alpha male on me.”
Koda snorted. If she only knew how much of an alpha male he was and how bad he wanted to get on her. Logic was failing him. “Listen, it’s not about that. I went to a lot of trouble to keep you safe. I’d rather you didn’t walk out of my home and get kidnapped after all this. I’m not trying to tell you can’t take care of yourself. I just want you to get home safely. Nothing more.”
She looked up in surprise and met his gaze. He could see that statement bothered her. And not in the I-can-take-care-of-myself-I-don’t-need-you kind of way. He saw it in her face. Her face softened; melted a little. She quickly recovered and looked back at his ear.
“Well, as long as that’s clear.” Why she was allowing this she had no idea. They would probably name this particular psychosis after her.
Daedumbass disorder : Symptoms are voices, strange urges, delusions and general bat-shit craziness. Known therapies are Somdamnsense which is currently not available to anybody named Dae.
“Crystal.”
They walked out of the room, him leading her through the condo. He pointed out the rooms to her as he watched her scan the new area she was in. She looked at everything, as if she was making an internal catalog. His condo was spacious furnished with comfortable contemporary pieces. She barely acknowledged the style in which the decorator gushed on about, nor did she make any mention of the feng shui of it. She never strayed at any piece long enough to show any emotion, just long enough to take note of its existence and move on.
“And that’s the door to the back balcony.” She was still sweeping her golden gaze around at all the windows and doors.
“Thanks for the tour, but it’s not necessary.”
“Isn’t it?” He caught her off guard again and she met his eyes for a split second before she shifted her gaze back to his ear. His wolf growled. They weren’t that big. They fit his head and worked just fine. But the fear scent slowly seeping off of her wasn’t working for him. He didn’t want his mate afraid. The man heartily agreed.
“I’m not moving in.” she said with a scrunched face. He wanted to lock her in his bedroom until eternity was over but settled for speaking without growling at her. Much.
“But wouldn’t you feel better knowing your surroundings?” He said as nonchalantly as was possible.
Koda saw her eyes narrow and her gaze jerked to the front door. She shrugged and made a non-committal noise. He quickly stepped in her path. She stepped back. He opened the door and flourished his arm.
“Ladies first.”
“Well, damn, aren’t we Mr. Manners all of a sudden. Wish you would have had them while you were knocking me out and tying me up.” She snapped, but he could hear the underlying teasing in her voice.
“Well, how bout I promise to obey all the rules of etiquette from now on and you promise not to talk like a sailor on leave?”
She bristled like a wolf as she back stepped her way away from him out into the hallway. He felt hurt that she didn’t trust him at her back. “Well, excuse the fuck out of me. The sailors never complained about my mouth.”
She was snarling at him again. A growl escaped he couldn’t hold back. Did she have to test him like that? That woman’s snarl could be lethal, but it seemed his body had another reaction. A completely inappropriate reaction that would have her running from him if she noticed. He struggled to regain control of his body.
“It was just a suggestion. No need to get testy.” He shrugged.
He knew what she was doing. She was trying to piss him off. He hated to admit that comment definitely succeeded in riling him up. He’d just have to act like it didn’t bother him. She visibly deflated.
They were walking toward the elevators; Dae maintained a foot or more distance between them the whole way. He pressed the button; they were on the 4th floor and he figured she’d have been more comfortable in the elevator than the stairs. He wouldn’t be, but that didn’t matter.
“What, you too good for the stairs Mr. Manners?” She accused. His eyebrows furrowed.
“You want to take the stairs.” It was a statement but also a question.
“Yes, it would appear so.” She rolled her eyes, found the door to the stairs and tried to walk off. He was next to her in an instant.
“I didn’t think you’d want to. Most people prefer elevators to stairs.”
She snorted. “I’m not most people. You shouldn’t assume, you know what they say.”
Koda was mildly curious even though he was pretty sure he knew the insult she’d readied for him. “What do they say?”
She turned her serious face to look at him. “Assumption is the mother of all screw ups.”
Koda blinked twice. “I did not expect you to say that.” He also did not expect her to forget about her no eye contact game.
“Didn’t you just prove my point? It looks like we can learn something new every day.” She said heavy with sarcasm.
They stepped out the main lobby of his condo and he nodded to the door man.
“You have a fucking door man?” she said incredulously.
“Nope. I have a regular old doorman. The fucking doorman is in the building next door.”
She chuckled and shook her head. Koda wondered what it would take to get his beauty to laugh. A real laugh. He turned abruptly and she walked right into his chest. He steadied her by her arms but didn’t move her back. He kept her right up against his chest.
Gods, it felt good. He smelled her arousal immediately. She was so stunned she looked right up into his eyes again. Her pupils dilated letting him know that her wolf was once again peeking out. Her breathing deepened. She sniffed deep, and he knew her wolf was scenting his arousal. And feeling it. Just touching her arms, having her pressed against him was making both wolf and man go insane. Color rose on her cheeks, as her wolf must have identified the scent. Her hands rose to his chest and slid their way up. Then the women regained control and she tried to push him back a step. He let her.
“My name is Koda.”
She blinked. “Ok.” And started walking away. Like it would be that easy to be done with him.
“And your name is?” Koda already knew her name, but he wouldn’t be telling her that anytime soon. Scratch that, any time, period. She was a jumpy one.
“You know you’re awfully curious. Didn’t anyone warn you about curiosity before?”
He smiled. She still hadn’t answered his question. “What, that it killed the cat?”
“Nope. Again with the assumptions. Maybe you need to hear that other metaphor.” She shook her head, “They say that Curiosity beat the cat with a 2 by 4 until it forgot its name.” She made it sound venomous, but he could see the amusement written all over her face. She liked their banter.
Koda thought he liked it too.
“I can definitively say I have never heard that before.”
“It’s ok short-bus; they must shelter you because of your ‘condition’.” She smirked. He fought his grin.
“So your name is…” He left it trail off so she could fill in the blank. She didn’t, she just kept walking about 3 feet until she abruptly froze.
She turned on him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “This is my block.”
Koda smiled as he mimicked surprise. And tried not to look smug. He purchased this condo because of how close it was to her apartment. His luck had it that the building was owned by a Lion; best of friends cats and wolves may not be but shifters always chose animal over human.
“Really? Well, howdy neighbor lady. I guess I’ll just keep
calling you that until you give me your name.”
“Fine with me, except you won’t need to call me neighbor lady after tonight. I seriously doubt we will be spending much time together.” She said it like it was a fact. If only she knew there was no escape from this. From him.
“Oh, I think we will be seeing a lot of each other.” She froze mid-step and looked over at him.
He smiled one of those 1000-watt smiles Chitrani, his sister, accused him of every time he was plotting something. He was plotting… plotting how to get into every aspect of her life, so every time she turned around, he was all she would see. He really had to try not to look smug at that thought.
He continued, “And that’s not very neighborly of you, neighbor lady. Aren’t you supposed to welcome me to the neighborhood? With home baked sweets?”
She tried to hide her smile. “Why, yes I do believe I forgot that. You just wait and I’ll bring you arsenic flavored brownies you’ll just die for.”
Koda chuckled as he watched her visibly relax an inch. The fear scent was gone. Both the man and the wolf wanted to howl at that small victory. They made their way to the entrance of her building. She punched in the security code and started to say something he was sure was going to be ‘bye’ or ‘get lost, loser’ until he cut her off.
“Oh, no you don’t. I said I would walk you safely home, not safely to your outside door.”
“My door is right there.” He glared at her. She just barely concealed her fidgeting. He wanted to smile at how calculated she was to deceive without outright lying. That took skill. She would fit right in with the Tribe.
“Liar.” She blinked. Her eyes glittered with annoyance.
“I didn’t lie.” She snapped. It was true, she didn’t, but he knew exactly where her apartment door was and it was not right there. Had she said her apartment door is right there, then she would be a liar.
They made their way up the four flights of stairs. She didn’t even bother at glancing at the elevator. Most of his kind hated small enclosed spaces. The wolf in them thought cage and it seemed his mate felt the same way.
She got to her doorway, and was about to turn to dismiss him when she froze at the halfway open door. He had enough time to notice but decided to pretend he didn’t anyway. He was pressed against her back, right where he wanted to be. He wondered when she would notice that he was not as clumsy as he pretended. He also wondered what she would do to him after that. He grimaced for a split second before he focused on the feel of her.
His arms automatically slid up hers to grip her shoulders as he towered over her. She was such a little thing for a man of his size. At 6 6’ he towered over most people. The top of her head was at his collarbone and he could smell the unscented cleanser she used to clean her hair. Unscented shampoos and conditioners were a must among his Tribe. Most scented cleaners just plain stunk to their noses. They masked their individual scents with repulsive chemicals. He was happy his mate felt the same way. Her hair tickled his chest through his shirt and he was imagining how it would feel if they were naked.
When they were naked. His wolf agreed with the correction. He sniffed deeply to take in her scent, hoping for at least some of the arousal he was feeling but caught something else he hadn’t expected. She was worried… saddened… and fearful. His head cleared of his need and focused.
She didn’t smell of the fear scent the whole time they walked, teasing each other. Her body was tense but she wasn’t afraid of him. It was something else and it set both the man and wolf on edge.
He bent to her ear and whispered, “Tell me.” A strange thing to say, a human would agree, but his beauty would understand. After all, she wasn’t fully human whether she knew it or not.
“Someone was here.” She whispered that back so faintly he had to replay her words twice to be sure he heard correctly. He slipped in front her, opening the door all the way, before she could stop him and was silently in her apartment before she could take her next breath. He paused surveying the scenery, scenting the air. A man, wearing heavy colognes and strong scented soaps was here. He couldn’t tell if he was still here –the amount of product this man used was ridiculous. His scent was everywhere. Maybe he had a body odor problem. Humans. The odor almost masked the scent of deception. Almost.
Dae was by his side in an instant. She started stealthy moving to a door to the right past that main room that functioned as the kitchen, dining room and living room. He had no idea how his mate was able to live in a place so small.
Koda hated that she lived there. Confined. Without him.
The door was cracked open an inch. He again slid in her path. She halted before she walked into him and she looked up at him with narrow near completely dilated eyes. Wolf eyes. Her wolf was in control, full control, while the women took the back seat. This, by any shifters standards, was a very bad thing. Her scent even changed from woman to wild. There was no mistaking she was a shifter now.
The man, or woman in this case, controlled the wolf for a reason. The wolf was an animal and ran solely on instinct. The wolf didn’t understand logic, patience, or consequence. It only understood need, the needs of the moment to be precise. And right now her wolf needed to defend her territory. Koda scented her fury as well and he could picture her fur bristling as she eyed him like the predator she was.
Her wolf would not understand that there was no way that would happen, then or ever again. The woman and wolf were both his. His to protect. Mine, his wolf growled. Mine, the man agreed. But the man didn’t think her wolf or the women would understand or appreciate being told that. She was strong, way too independent to give a crap about how he needed to protect her, to show her he was the alpha and she was now the beta. Dominance. Didn’t she accuse him of that before? But she was his, and she had to know that. He shook his head ‘no’ at her. Her eyes blazed and her iris’s receded completely, making her wholly wolf.
And too bad for him her wolf looked ready to rip his throat out. His wolf growled, fighting the man for control. The women and the wolf were none too trusting, even if her wolf acknowledged him as her mate. It was as if she had someone to protect too. But that was crazy; Dae had no Tribe, no family here. She only had her roommate–
Oh Shit. He should have known. The roommate was family; she was a part of his mate’s Tribe. He tried to find a silent way to explain that now that the man and wolf knew, they would protect them both. He also tried to fight back the wolf, who was wrestling with the man to be free. His wolf wanted to lick and nip at her neck to chastise her for being so untrusting.
She lifted her lip in a silent snarl and moved away from him. Daring him. It was then that the man’s control snapped and his wolf lead. He went behind her and surrounded her with his body, arms wrapped around her, locking her body to his as she tensed, sensing his approach. Then she sniffed in his scent and relaxed against him. Yes, dominance games. She could play them too. She must have scented his wilder wolf scent overriding the scent of the man. Instead of frightening her, it calmed her, soothed her even. He bent down to her neck, licked the soft spot above her collarbone where her neck and shoulders met and then bit her. Not a vicious bite, just a nibble to scold her about her actions, not her instincts. She tasted as good as she smelled. Even better. She inhaled deeply once more and rubbed her face along the side of his.
The man shifted easily back in control, which was strange enough, as her wolf acknowledged his dominance. He smelled her arousal and wanted nothing more to take her, to claim what was his. Mine, his wolf growled again. But the wolf stayed silent for that moment, knowing the man was better equipped to handle the intruder. It took all his self-control –and sanity– to pull away from her warm body.
He took a sideways glance at her to make sure she didn’t follow him. She didn’t move, probably still fully wolf. The wolf knew he was her mate, but the woman denied it. They had been standing silently in her kitchen/dining/living room area 5 feet from the door. He was at the door in another heartbeat as a pint sized
curly haired women ripped it open. She looked at him first with surprise, then fear, and then anger as her tiny fists clenched. The woman noticed Dae, who was woman lead once again, and yelled “WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN?!?!”
Five
“Where in the heck have you been?” Iya repeated, this time through her teeth as she stood in front of Dae. She was huffing and puffing like she might blow the house down.
“Well hi Iya, my dear friend. Very nice use of the word heck. To be honest, I didn’t know you had it in you. Your almost cursing really touches my heart–”
“I am NOT playing with you! Now you tell me where you have been since 6 pm last night! I was worried sick!”
6 pm last night? Dae wondered what the hell time it was now… From the sky, Dae thought it was early morning –but figuring that out had to wait.
“Well damn. How about that! I go all these years without a momma and then all of a sudden… BAM! Just like that Emeril guy on TV–”
“Don’t you tease me Holly Dae Santos! I was worried! I thought you were dead, for all I knew you could have been laying in a gutter somewhere–”
“Holly Dae? Holly Dae?!? You can’t be serious.” Koda nearly choked out. Dae almost forgot he was in the room. Almost forgot, because you really can’t forget a man who smelled, looked and felt that good. A man who made her feel like a part of herself wanted him more than her next breath. A crazy insane part she tried to beat to a bloody pulp every time she lost control. The same part she tried to strangle when it ‘told’ her how stupid it was to be afraid of him.
She was absolutely bat-shit crazy. She needed medication. No, she needed to get him gone, fast, but she had a feeling he wasn’t going anywhere. That made the sane part of her feel dread and the crazy part of her feel relief.
She needed to get the fuck away from him! Him with his wide muscular shoulders– Focus! Iya used her government name in front of the enemy. Dae hated when people used her government name.
Dae turned on him and snarled, “You shut your mouth, you damn lunatic! I didn’t have a choice on that moniker–”
Lost & Found (A Lost Ones Novel Book 1) Page 8
