Chapter 13
Morning sunlight streams in through the beautiful glass wall, illuminating plants that look close enough to touch. I blink, smiling lazily as the last dregs of sleep are replaced by a small semblance of reality. Cozy blankets and the world’s softest pillow lay underneath my naked body. And another body, just as naked though a lot harder than mine, is pressed against my back. I snuggle against said body, and it responds instantly.
A hand slides up and over my bare hip, drawing me closer before cupping my breast. Kash’s breath at my ear makes me shiver, but it’s his instant erection against my ass that has me tingling in anticipation.
“Morning, Pepper,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss underneath my ear.
“Mmm.” I turn my mouth to his, and the memory of our last few hours melds with the feel of him against me now.
Reality and awareness recede until I’m once again lost to the pleasure of Kash’s magical body.
Magic.
Shit! Holy Harry Potter. That werewolf actually died from a spell cast by his alpha.
The memory of it floods in, blotting out even my own lust.
Kash pauses at my stillness, and instead of asking what’s wrong, he presses a suddenly very chaste kiss to my cheek then rolls away.
“Where are you going?” I ask as he pulls on a clean pair of boxers.
“If we’re going to have this conversation, you need coffee,” he says, heading for the door.
“How do you know what conversation we’re going to have?” I ask.
He slants a wry look in my direction. “I effectively distracted you last night. I’m not naive enough to think I can do the same thing again today.”
I scowl but decide not to admit that had he really tried, he probably could have. Were werewolves this chiseled by nature?
“And if I’m going to concentrate on the answers you want, I need you to put clothes on first.” He points at the dresser. “Bottom drawer is all your size,” he adds and then slips out.
I prop myself on my elbows, staring at the door he just exited with a deepening frown. Tossing back the covers, I hurry to the dresser to examine the clothes he mentioned. Sure enough, everything is perfectly sized and even styled after what I already own. That’s not weird.
Grabbing a pair of sweats, I hurry to get dressed. I already know the first question I’m going to ask.
Kash returns with coffee for each of us and a tray of muffins that make me even more suspicious than the sweatpants that fit me like I shopped for them myself. It had freaked me out enough that I promptly removed them and instead opted for Kash’s discarded tee. His eyes sweep my body appreciatively, but he shakes his head as he sets the tray on the nightstand and hands me a mug.
“First question,” I say even before I take a sip.
Kash takes the other mug for himself.
“Where the hell did you get sweatpants in my size? And if you say another girl left them behind after a one-night stand, I won’t need a magic spell to kill you.”
Kash’s eyes widen before he recovers and chuckles. “I wondered why you were wearing my shirt. Not that I’m complaining,” he says sliding his hand up my bare thigh and dropping a kiss on my knee before straightening again. “I told you, Pepper, you’re the only woman I’ve ever brought here. As for the clothes, I bought them.”
“You bought them?” I repeat.
He shrugs. “Is that hard to believe?”
“It’s . . .” I try to picture Kash Montgomery shopping for female sweats. “Why?”
His amusement vanishes. “I hoped you’d come here. That someday I would get to introduce you to my mother and my pack.”
His declaration takes me off guard. My heart breaks knowing that I will never get to meet the man and woman who created this amazing man. It’s a pain that mirrors my own loss. I don’t know what to say, so I take a long sip of my coffee, trying to get my bearings.
“I wish I could have met your parents as well,” I manage to whisper. “Almost as much as I wish you could have met mine.”
Kash’s brows furrow in confusion. Then, understanding lights his eyes, and sadness sweeps across his expression. He sits, pulling me into his arms. His strength surrounds me, and for the first time I don’t fall apart at the memory of my parents.
“I’m more sorry than you’ll ever know that I won’t get to thank your parents for giving me you, but I think we’ve had some kind of miscommunication.”
I pull away from him, confused. “What do you mean?”
He reaches out, his thumb trailing over my cheek before he tangles his fingers in my hair. “You seem to be under the impression that you won’t be meeting my mother, but I can assure you there’s nothing I want more.”
I jerk, startled. “Your mother isn’t dead,” I ask incredulously.
Kash jerks like I’ve slapped him. “What? No. Why did you think my mother was dead?”
Heat creeps into my cheeks at my gaffe. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry, Kash. That was so rude of me to just blurt out. It’s just that when we were at the library, you said they both would have loved me, and I guess I just assumed–incorrectly it seems–that your mother passed away, too.” The word vomit spills from my mouth, and even though I’m absolutely mortified, I can’t seem to stop.
“Oh, God. Kill me now.” I bury my face in my hands in an attempt to hide my embarrassment.
A startled chuckle escapes Kash, and he pulls me onto his lap, his strong hands rubbing my back.
“Don’t be embarrassed. I should have been clearer. My mother is still alive, but she hasn’t been the same since my father died. Let me show you something.”
I squeak as he stands, carrying me to the back wall.
I scramble down from his hold, pressing my palms against the glass as I take in the beauty outside the windows. The trimmed grass is bordered by unkempt seas of grass and wildflowers, but their beauty is eclipsed by the small pond at the back of the property. Kash’s arm encircles my waist, pulling me back into him.
“Do you see her? Just over there,” he asks, pointing to trees that line the pond. I lean forward, squinting, and finally see a frail woman sitting on a blanket under the canopy. Her long, black hair is streaked with brilliant strands of silver and hangs limply around her hunched shoulders.
Everything about her screams broken. It’s a look I remember wearing not so long ago, and I suddenly understand why Kash feels like he lost his mother when his father died, but more importantly, I understand why he’s always felt so far away from me.
“This is why you were always saying goodbye,” I tell him finally. “Always reminding me how I wasn’t good for your world. Or for you.”
“You can see now what loving my father, so much, has done to her. Our bond is so much stronger than human love. In its absence, life doesn’t really seem worth living. I don’t want that for you, but it’s more than that. There’s a lot going on right now,” he says. “Things aren’t safe for you. Not if word got out that I’d claimed you. I have enemies, Pepper. I wanted to protect you.”
He turns me to face him and steps close enough to send my heart racing. “Hell, I still want that, but not if it means giving up last night. I can’t keep pushing you away when all I want to do is hold you as close to me as possible. If I get a single day of the love they had with you, it will be worth it. I’m just going to have to figure out another way to make sure you’re safe.”
The way he talks about holding me close makes my mind wander. I lick my lips, knowing full well he can hear my pulse accelerate.
Without meaning to, I glance at the rumpled covers. When I look back at Kash, he’s smirking.
“Lots of time for that later,” he says, though I can see the gleam in his eye. The temptation to grab me and carry me over there right now.
“There are other things you want to ask me,” he says finally, and I bite my lip, nodding reluctantly.
“Danielle?” I ask. “Can we find out how she’s doing?”
“I spoke t
o Lynch while I was downstairs. She’s as well as can be expected. He’s going to stay with her through the first change.”
I nod, grateful, though I’m not sure Lynch is the best choice. He’s not exactly nurturing though it’s hard for me to get an exact read on him. One minute, he’s Jokey McJokester, and the next, he’s punching some guy in the kidney. Then again, maybe newborn werewolves need tough love.
“That guy,” I say. “Nick. His alpha did something to him to keep him from giving up a name.”
It’s not a question, exactly, but Kash nods for me to keep going.
“Some kind of spell,” I say, testing the word to see if it sounds as crazy as it did last night.
“It’s magic, but not like you think,” Kash says. “Alphas have a strong bond to their pack. It’s sort of coded into our beast’s DNA. When an alpha gives an order, the pack member is compelled to carry it out.”
“Like a general to his army or something?” I ask.
“Sort of. Except the soldier doesn’t have a choice. Once he submits to an alpha, that alpha has power over him that can’t be overrode.”
“That sounds cruel.”
“We don’t use it often. Typically only for rebellious teens whose reckless hunting threatens our secrecy. It’s actually a very sacred ceremony that requires an oath from both the new wolf and the alpha.”
“So, this oath would have been consensual.”
“Once they both make their vows, the alpha’s blood is spilled to seal the order. After that, it’s unbreakable, and if an order is disobeyed more than three times, the alpha can trigger whatever consequence was chosen at the time the ritual was performed.”
“And does the consequence always involve sudden death?”
“For my pack, it’s never a consequence.” His voice takes on an edge.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Whatever ritual this alpha is submitting his pack to isn’t one I’ve seen before.”
“More magic?”
“If it is, it’s new to me.”
Kash takes a sip of his coffee, reminding me of my own, but I’m too wired on the truth now to be bothered with caffeine.
“The other girls that have gone missing from campus,” I say, voicing the only concern that’s weighing on me enough to make morning sex with Kash a secondary choice. “Do you think Nick’s pack took them too?”
“I do.”
The rage that spears through me surprises me. “We have to get them back,” I say with way more confidence than my ability to help even warrants.
“Lynch and I plan to meet later to discuss it,” Kash says, and his tone makes it clear he doesn’t intend to let me help.
I frown as I realize how little I could contribute even if he did let me come. “Turn me,” I say without a trace of hesitation. “Bite me. Make me like you. I can help them. I can fight with you guys--”
“Abso-fucking-lutely not.”
“Kash,” I begin but he cuts me off.
“Do you understand even a little the implications of what it means to be my beast’s chosen mate?” he asks. “You’re my life. My reason for existing now. Everything has changed. Keeping you safe matters to me more than my own life. There’s absolutely no way I’m going to do something to put you in more danger.”
“So you just expect me to stay human forever?”
“If that’s what you chose.”
“And if I chose something else?”
“Changing you now would only broadcast to the world who and what you are to me. More importantly, it would alert my enemies to a new way to hurt me. Don’t ask me to change you now, Pepper. I can’t. I won’t.”
The vehemence in his eyes makes it clear I’m not going to win this one. Not today, anyway.
“This is about the people who killed your dad, isn’t it?”
“Whoever killed him is still out there. I won’t let them hurt anyone else I care about.”
My disappointment is overshadowed by my appreciation. “I’m going to let you win this one,” I say, reaching for him and pressing my hand to his chest. My lips curve in a soft smile. “But only because the only thing cuter than seeing you angry is seeing you hulking out trying to protect me.”
“Seriously, Woman? I’m a damn alpha werewolf. Not a puppy. My rage isn’t cute,” he growls.
“Sure it isn’t.”
Kash opens his mouth in protest, but I cut him off.
“I’ll make you a deal. We’ll figure out who killed your dad and find the missing girls, but after that, your ass is biting me. Because I want you to know I’m going to make an awesome werewolf.”
Kash’s lips twitch. “Is that right?”
“Hell yeah it is. I’m going to be like Bella when she gets turned. Cool as a cucumber and adaptable as fuck. Like, I was born to be a wolf. I mean, I already love bacon. And steak. And I love staying up late and sitting outside underneath a full moon. Midnight is my jam. I’m sure your stalking let you know all about my Midnight Kisses ritual.”
“What?” he demands. “Who the hell are you kissing at midnight, Romy?”
I laugh away his ire, “Guess your stalking game isn’t as strong as you thought.”
He growls, and I kiss his lips before rushing to reassure him.
“It’s a drink, Kash. Talia, Anna, and I do it every month, and it starts at midnight.” Saying their names gives me a moment of panic. They’re probably freaking out. Not only did I not call them to tell them I was safe, I don’t even know where my damn phone is. I brush the thought aside in order to focus on what I have to say. “I’m practically a creature of the night already. So, you don’t need to worry about me.”
Kash tries to smother a laugh.
“But I need something from you,” I tell him, fixing my face into what I hope is an intimidating stare.
“What’s that?”
“A promise.” I rise onto my toes and press a kiss to his throat before scraping my teeth down his skin in a quick nip. “Don’t even think about sniffing around anywhere else. I’ve already claimed your ass, too.”
Chapter 14
I bite my lip and glance out the window nervously as we get closer to campus. We didn’t find my phone in the van, and I can only assume that means I lost it somewhere in the woods last night. I sigh.
“Heavy thoughts over there, gorgeous,” Kash says from beside me. He’s driving this time. And we’re alone. Just the way I like it.
I smile over at him. “I was just thinking of how I’m going to have to replace my phone. Again.” I frown. “Losing my phone every time I see a werewolf is getting to be an expensive hobby.”
I quirk my brow at his embarrassed expression, and he sighs, reaching in front of me, and pulls my old phone from the glovebox.
“Here,” he says, handing me my bright red mobile. The one I lost to him that first night we met. “You can have them turn this one back on, right?”
“Wow. Yeah,” I say, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “I don’t know why you kept my phone all this time, but I can’t deny it’s handy.”
He shoots me a wry look. “Let’s just say I had a feeling you’d need it at some point.”
I scowl but can’t argue with him. He’s right. I do need it. I can’t afford to replace another phone so soon after the first. “Just do me a favor,” he says, turning his eyes back to the road.
“What’s that,” I ask, surprised to find my phone not only powers on but has a nearly full battery.
“Text me the pictures I took,” he says with a smirk.
I laugh and open my gallery, surprised to see not only the pictures of me from outside Hallowed Grounds and in my cupkini but also one of me fast asleep in Kash’s bed. My pulse races as thoughts of last night come rushing back, but I quickly brush them aside. “Sure, perv.”
My laughter dies as we pull into the parking lot and I witness the crowd assembled in front of my building. Panic rises within me, and I scramble to unbuckle my seatbelt. My hands fumble with the lock, but
Kash brushes my hands aside. He unbuckles me and pulls me from the car, holding my hand in silent comfort as we start toward my building.
The crowd presses in around the entrance, but as we work our way through, I finally spot the squad cars parked close and campus police standing in the center of it all. My heart rate speeds up as I start to worry that something has happened to Talia or Anna. Kash’s thumb rubs soothing circles across the back of my hand, but it does little to settle me as I pick up my pace.
My eyes scan the crowd, snagging on the bright pink mop of Talia’s hair. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see her dragging Anna behind her. They march up the steps of our building and turn to face the crowd.
My relief is short-lived, cut off by the sound of Talia’s voice through a megaphone.
“Listen up everyone! This is Romy,” she shouts.
My stomach jumps at the sound of my name, and Kash tenses under my fingertips. Anna is holding up a picture of the three of us at the beach last summer, tears streaming down her delicate cheeks as she points me out in the photo.
Brody pulls her under his arm as Talia continues.
“She was supposed to meet us at the Delta Kappa mixer last night. She texted us to let us know she was on her way, but she never showed. Nobody has heard from her since. With Danielle also missing, we’re calling any able bodies to help us search.” Her voice drones on, but it sounds fuzzy to my ears as my brain struggles to understand what she’s saying.
“What the hell, Tal,” I call out before I can stop myself. “I’m right here.”
Talia falls silent mid-sentence, her eyes scanning and then landing on me. Beside her, Anna spots me and lets out a small cry.
Kash’s hand on my waist tightens, but even his werewolf strength isn’t enough to hold off my two besties.
They surge off the steps and into the crowd, pushing to clear a path. Kash says something, but his voice is drowned out by the noise of the crowd. Shouts sound as people step aside for my friends then push in behind them to watch the drama unfold. Kash’s hand is suddenly gone, and I look over, only to be tackled by Talia and Anna.
The Girl Who Cried Werewolf Page 13
