by Jen L. Grey
You’ve done enough. Mason’s tone was low and angry.
What the hell does that mean? He was acting like this was my damn fault.
"Not from you." Mona tilted her head in my direction. "That dress doesn't look like it's very comfortable."
That was an understatement. This was just another excuse I could use to not wear one since people attacking us seemed to be a common occurrence nowadays.
"I can help." Ella bent down, flaunting her jeans and shirt at me.
Not really, but it still felt that way at the moment.
"Maybe you shouldn't." Louis backed away, causing the dagger to dig more deeply into his arm since Mona was gripping it. "Ow ... Dammit."
"Well, don't move." Mona shook her head as Mason squatted beside her. "Mason, hold on tightly to his arm."
"Why don't you hold his hand?" Mason glanced at his sister. He pointed at Louis's uninjured arm and then gripped the prince’s shoulder tight. "I bet this is going to hurt like a bitch."
"Wow, thanks for the comforting words." Louis frowned and wrinkled his nose. "It's hurting pretty bad right now."
"Then, I guess you better buckle up." Ella took his hand and grabbed his chin, turning his head so he was looking at her.
"You better be glad I love you." Louis narrowed his eyes. "Because if it was anyone else, I'd kick their ass for doing that."
Kassie walked back into the room. "She's on her way." She cringed when she saw what was about to go down. "Oh, damn. That's going to hurt."
"Really?" Louis pouted and growled. "Do you people honestly need to keep telling me this?"
Both Ella and Mason's eyes were on Mona, and she gave them a slight nod. Then, the three of them worked like clockwork. Mona jerked the dagger out of Louis's arm as Mason clamped down, preventing his arm from moving."
"Agh!" An ear pounding screech left Louis, and he sagged against Ella. Tears ran down his face.
"I'm so sorry, baby." Ella reached over and placed his head in her lap. "But that had to happen."
"Some warning would've been nice." His voice was low and raspy.
"I promise they did you a favor." Kassie walked out into the hallway, and after a few moments, she stepped back in. "Here." She tossed a clean white towel at Mona.
"Thanks." Mona pushed it against the wound, and even then, blood stained the material. "We need to get him upstairs to the apartment. That's where Gracie will go."
"Can you walk?" Mason released his arm and glanced at the bottom of his pants. "Man, I thought I was careful."
A huge spot of blood had soaked the bottom of his pants leg where he’d stepped through it.
"My shoulder is hurting, not my legs." He lifted his head from Ella's lap and clutched the injured arm. "Damn, I need some whiskey or something."
Ella scrambled to her feet. "Here, let me help you." She bent down and grabbed his uninjured arm.
"No, I’ve got it." He took a deep breath, and his face began turning a shade pale. "I thought it would hurt less."
"You didn’t tell him." Kassie chuckled. "Smart woman."
"Thanks." Mona arched an eyebrow and pursed her lips. "Sometimes, it's good if you let me have my secrets."
"Well, I'm glad she didn’t," Louis said as he stood on his feet and clutched his free hand to his side. "I wouldn't have let her do it otherwise."
"And that's actually why she did it." Those two women were amazing and knew how to get people to listen to them.
"Let's get you upstairs. She should be here soon." Mona patted Louis’s back, and they filed out. As I moved to follow, I noticed that the mate bond link between Mason and me was blocked. A chill ran through me.
As I turned toward him, I confirmed what I already knew. His jaw was clenched, his eyes were tight, and he was scowling at me.
"Mason ..." I'd never seen him look that way at me before.
"No, don't." He shook his head. "Not now. The most important priority is getting Louis medical care since he was injured to protect you."
"I didn't mean ..."
"Save it, Elena." He brushed past me and paused to look at me one last time. "I can’t talk to you right now." He turned his back to me and followed the group, leaving me behind.
Angry tears threatened to pool in my eyes, and my heart ached at the loss of our connection.
A warm hand touched my shoulder, causing me to startle.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Tommy's deep voice brought comfort. "Gabby is locked in and settled into her new room."
"Did she say anything else?" We had to figure out who this new enemy was. Obviously, they knew where to hit me.
"No, she didn't other than her usual crazy mumblings." He gave me a sad grin.
"Okay, thank you." I needed to catch up with the others and make sure Louis was okay. Hell, that prince was growing on me more and more each day. After this, I didn't think I could think of him as anything but family.
"He's hurting."
"I know. Gracie should be here soon to take care of him." I took a step when his hand caught me once more.
"No, I meant Mason." Tommy dropped his hand and licked his bottom lip. "Your father and mother had the same argument at least once a year."
"Really?" I had always remembered them as being happy and loving with one another.
"It's because they loved each other so much." He sighed and stared down the hall as if his mind had gone to another place. "Being a royal, you have to know when to stand tall and when to back down."
"I couldn't back down with her ..."
"Oh, I agree … but I'm talking about Mason." He tilted his head to the side and gave me a huge smile. "Your parents would be so proud of you."
"What?" I hadn't been expecting that.
"You know right from wrong and truly care. Your father wanted his brothers to feel and understand that same sentiment, but they never did. He’d be so proud to see you now.” He took a few steps closer to me and laughed. "You care more than he ever did, and you understand things in ways that he never could."
"And he knew how to rule without messing up every few days." No matter which way I went, someone wound up getting hurt—Alec, Louis, Mona, Kassie, and Mason. They'd all been attacked in one way or another because of me. "I should've never let them get so close. They just get hurt because of me."
"They're the reason you're as strong as you are." Tommy nodded his head toward the door, and we began walking at a snail's pace. "He just needs time. He'll come around."
"Will he?" Even though we were fated mates, that didn't mean we had to be together. Fated mates rarely die at the same time, and the other can still live a normal and happy-ish life. If he wanted, he could walk away. "You know what they say. There is a thin line between love and hate."
"That's what humans say." Tommy chuckled and shook his head. "That doesn't really work with mates."
"You never know." Mason had never been so cold to me before.
"Oh, I do." He opened the door for me and waved me through. "Just give him some time to process. He won't be able to stay away from you for long."
Yeah, I doubted that.
When we entered the apartment, there was a short woman standing in the foyer with Mona.
"Here is Queen Elena." Mona waved toward me.
"Your Highness." The girl bowed her head, causing her carrot red hair to fall, framing her face. "It's so nice to meet you even though I wish it was under better circumstances." When she raised her face to meet mine, her light green eyes stared into mine.
"Gracie." That's the only person I could reconcile with her. At this point, I doubted they'd let anyone else into the house right now.
"She just got here." Mona pointed at the big black bag. "I was giving her a brief update on what happened."
"I'm so glad you didn't get harmed." She gave me a small, forced smile.
"Thanks, I just wish none of us had gotten injured." It didn't seem right to say thank you. "Is he in the living room?"
"Yeah, let's go." Mona led
the way.
"I'm going to head into the kitchen to grab a drink." Tommy nodded as he peeled off from us.
When we stepped into the den, Ella and Louis were on the couch.
I scanned the room and didn't find Mason. Did he already leave? "Where's Mason?"
"He's out there." Ella pointed to the balcony. "Pouting."
"Let's take a look at your arm." Gracie walked over to Louis and gave him a small smile. "I'm here to stitch you up."
"What … I won't heal?" Louis pouted as he stared at her bag.
"You will, but it'll leave less of a scar if we stitch it closed. I'll come by in two days to remove the stitches too."
That was one of the nice things about being a shifter. We did heal fast.
"Fine." Louis removed the towel so she could inspect the wound. “I need to look my best for my baby.” With a smirk, he winked at Ella.
Right then, I was envious of their flirting. "If you guys don't mind, I'm going out onto the balcony." Now that Louis was getting taken care of, I wanted to go ahead and get things cleared up between Mason and me.
"We'll let you know if we need anything." Kassie waved me off.
It only took a few strides to reach the balcony door. It connected around the side of the apartment, and there were stairs that led up to the balcony attached to our bedroom.
When I stepped outside, I didn't see him but could smell his scent in the air. I took a deep breath of his signature earthy smell and followed it up the stairs. I found him in our normal spot, sitting on the large loveseat, staring at the lights of the city that never sleeps. "Hey."
He took a deep breath and glanced behind him. "Hey."
"Can I join you?" I'd never felt like I had to ask before, and it bothered me.
"Yeah." He patted the open seat next to him. "I was hoping you'd come find me."
"Well, at least, there's that." I slowly walked over and sat next to him. "You said you wanted to talk."
"Yeah, I did." He sighed and placed his head in his hands. "But I don't know anymore. Why didn't you leave when I asked you to?"
"Because I needed answers. If I left every time I didn't want to hear or do something, I'd never get anything accomplished.” I needed him to understand.
"But I asked you to." He lifted his head and sighed. "Do you have a death wish?"
"What? No." Did he think I was insane? Wait, I probably didn't want to know the answer to that question.
"It sure seems like it." He reached over and tugged me into his chest. "How many times do I have to watch you almost die?"
"But I didn't."
"Only because of Louis." He reached over and brushed his fingers along my cheek. "I can't keep almost losing you." He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine. Then, he pulled back ever so slightly. "You need an entire bulletproof suit."
A giggle escaped. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that was going to happen. I don't like my near-death experiences either. Maybe I'm like a cat."
"Well, if so, you're out of half your lives." He kissed me and opened our bond back up.
His feelings of love, devotion, and fear filled the empty hole he had created. "It's not fun being cut off." I had to at least admit that to him.
"Yeah, I know that feeling all too well." He kissed me again, his feelings colliding with mine. He growled as his hands dug into the sides of my dress. He grabbed my waist and pulled me on top of him. "I love you so damn much."
"I love you."
His fingers inched under my dress, and soon my body began to respond.
I couldn’t hold back my moan. "We need to go to our bedroom." There were weirdos all over the city, and I didn't want anyone, even accidentally, seeing us. I need you now.
"Fine." He wrapped his arms around my waist and hoisted my legs around him.
It was only a minute before he had the door to our bedroom opened and was letting me fall back onto the bed, my red hair cascading over the covers. He bent over me, kissed my lips, and then deepened the kiss.
As I attempted to pull him down on top of me, he leaned back. I’ve got blood all over my pants. Do you feel like a shower?
That sounds perfect.
He reached under me, lifting me again, and our mouths connected. As I sucked on his tongue, he carried me to the bathroom.
Stumbling through the bathroom door, he felt his way into the large walk-in shower and then put my feet back on the ground.
I reached around him, turning the water on.
Despite the cold temperature, it did nothing to cool the fire between us.
His hands dug into my sides as he reached around me to unzip my dress. In one quick motion, he pulled the dress down my hips and tossed it to the floor. You’re so damn beautiful.
Your outfit is ruined. Grasping the front of his shirt, I ripped it open, and the buttons flew everywhere as I pushed it off and tossed it down next to my dress.
My eyes scanned his body and locked on his ink, the wolf pawprint on his upper arm. That tattoo always did something to my insides.
He leaned over me at first, brushing my lips with his, but then began trailing kisses down my neck. My arms wrapped around him, and I dug my nails into his back.
A low growl emanated from his chest. His hands unclasped my bra and cupped my breast, making me moan.
My hands went straight for his pants, removing every article of clothing from his body. He was hard in all the right places.
He pulled me against him once more, trailing kisses down my breast and flicking the nipple in the exact way that I loved.
Our feelings for each other colliding only made me that much more desperate for him. I can’t wait any longer.
His fingers brushed the inside of my thighs and they slowly trailed up to my waist. He yanked my underwear off, causing it to rip in two.
Once we were naked, I needed to feel him in every way. I wrapped my arms around his neck and climbed up his body, and he thrust inside me.
Each thrust brought me closer and closer to the edge.
The tension from the day vanished, and all that mattered was him and me in this moment. He bent down to nip at my breast as he brought me closer to the edge.
Love you. His words growled in my head as we both climaxed at the exact same time.
We clung to each other as he pushed me so my back was up against the wall. The water was now hot and washing away the evidence of what we’d just done.
It wasn’t long before we had bathed each other and crawled into the center of the bed. In this moment, everything felt right in the world, and we couldn’t keep our hands off of each other.
We’ve had a long day and better get some sleep. His voice was like a whisper in my head. He pulled me beside him so that we were spooning. Soon, my eyes grew heavy as I took in his heartbeat and felt our true connection between us. We loved each other so much, and we could never live without one another. I just hoped we could find whoever it was out there hunting me before it was too late.
Chapter Four
A few days passed with nothing happening out of the ordinary, which usually meant something big was brewing if the past few situations had taught me anything. Thankfully, Louis healed. Still, I couldn't help but wonder where and when the next person would get hurt.
We were attempting to head out to Matteo's again. For some reason, going to his restaurant to eat always triggered some kind of attack. The first one had happened to one of his own workers there, a pack member. Then, the next time, my crazy cousin and aunt broke out of prison. Hopefully, this time it would go down without a problem.
"No dress tonight?" Mason appeared from the walk-in closet attached to our bedroom at our brownstone home and stared at my reflection in the mirror.
"Nope." I ran my hands over the black, wide-legged jumpsuit that I'd chosen. "At least, I can move comfortably in this."
"And you still look hot." He made his way over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I'm one lucky man." He kissed down my neck, causing my body to warm.
> "You know we can't be late." I turned around to face him, brushing my lips against his. Maybe we can be a little late.
"Don’t tempt me. But after we had to cancel so suddenly, we’d better not push our luck." He growled and stepped back. "However, if you want to change my mind, just keep looking at me that way."
"So dramatic." I rolled my eyes and decided to press one of his buttons. "I see where Ella learned it from."
He wrinkled his nose and pointed at me. "You knew that was too far. I'll have to punish you later."
"Promises, promises." I walked past him and ran my hand along his black slacks, touching one of my favorite places.
He caught my hand and pulled me into him. "You're not doing a good job of getting out of here." His lips crashed on to mine once more.
"Hey, guys. Are you ..." Ella entered the room and stopped in her tracks. "Eww." She huffed the rest of the way to step between us, pushing us apart. "You're going to mess up your makeup."
I tried calming my breathing. When my eyes landed on Mason, I couldn't help but snort. He had lipstick smeared all around his lips.
"And what have I told you about messing up her makeup?" Ella growled as she headed over to my makeup counter and picked up a cloth. "Wipe the lipstick off your face," she instructed Mason and turned toward me. "And you, fix your lips."
"It's not that bad. I have a neutral color on." I rolled my eyes as I glanced in the mirror. My lipstick was a little smudged. I'd decided to wear dark eyeshadow instead of red lips. I touched it up and turned to her. "Done. Let's go."
"Fine. Louis is waiting for us." She turned on her heels and stopped at the door. "Come on. I'm not leaving the two of you alone or you’ll cause us to be late. Louis wouldn’t let us be late, so you can’t have that kind of fun either."
"All right, Mom," I growled as I took Mason's hand and led him through the bedroom door.
"Is the car pulled out front?" I headed toward the front door when Kassie stepped in front of me, blocking my way.
"No, we can't risk it." Kassie pointed to the door that was at the end of the hallway past the den. "We're going through the garage."
