Earth Shattering

by L. P. Maxa

  Jace snorted. “Except Blake is a ticking time bomb.”

  “I know I shouldn’t really be offended by the truth, but still, harsh.” Blake pouted out her bottom lip, making Axie giggle.

  Riley sat down, pulling Blake’s feet into his lap and resting his hands on her shins. “I topped her off before we came downstairs.” The way they were together, the casual touches, the familiarity, had been there from day one. He should’ve seen the truth sooner. He should’ve paid attention to the feeling of home that overwhelmed him when she was near. “She should be good for a while.”

  “Is this normal for shifters?” Blake wrinkled her cute nose. “Like do you guys always causally talk about making your girlfriends come?”

  Jace choked on the sip of whiskey he’d taken, his gaze cutting to Riley. “You had to go and find someone exactly like those two, didn’t you?”

  Riley grinned, instantly understanding what Jace was saying, his comment mirroring Riley’s thoughts from moments before. Blake was a lot like Axie, and Axie was a lot like Jasper. They were a blunt, hilarious, wicked triad.

  “All these guys do tend to be pretty open about the frequency of getting their dicks wet.” Axie tapped her chin, contemplating. “They never share details though. Even when you ask for them.”

  “Can we stop talking about sex things?” Jasper squirmed in his seat. “I’m using my hand until we get back to campus, and I’m feeling pretty fucking bummed about it. Turning me on with dirty talk isn’t helping.”

  Jace reached over and punched his twin in the arm. “Don’t fucking say my mate is turning you on.” He hit him again. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “I didn’t say she was turning me on. I said this conversation is giving me a semi.” Jasper rolled his eyes, rubbing at his arm. “Can we play inside hide-and-seek or not?”

  Jace sighed. “Fine.” He pointed a finger at Riley’s face, his eyes narrowed, letting everyone know his asshole beta side was about to come out. “But if something happens down here, you two are grounded to your room until you finish that fucking bond, you understand?”

  Riley and Blake both nodded, like children who’d been scolded and warned.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Blake

  Hide-and-seek in the house sounded fun, in theory. Jace’s warning kind of took the wind out of her sails though. She didn’t want to be the reason anyone got hurt. She’d already offered to go ahead with the bond, to finish whatever the universe had created between her and Riley. It was him who was delaying things. He wanted her to be ready, to take her time and make sure she was all in. Riley was a good guy, a great guy. She’d never met someone as genuine and kind as he was. She’d seen that from the first night they’d hung out. The more time they spent together, the more good qualities she found. He was funny, smart, athletic. He was sexy in a cute way that not many dudes would be able to pull off.

  Blake felt lucky. She felt grateful. She’d lain awake that morning trying to freak out. She went over the last couple of weeks in her mind, looking for a reason to lose her shit. It was as if her mind refused to spiral. The only feelings she could conjure were contentment. Happiness. Sure, her life was a bit in danger, but she felt completely safe here in the mountains with her mate and his pack. She was made for this life. She knew that with every fiber of her being.

  Try as she might to find a pitfall in everything Riley had told her, she was excited. Ready.

  “Couples can’t hide together.” Jasper came back from the kitchen, passing out beers to everyone except Jace, who had his expensive whiskey in his fancy crystal glass. “It’s not fair and you’ll just end up humping.”

  Blake glanced to Riley, smiling when he winked. She’d love to do some dry humping in a closet. She’d found Riley attractive from the moment she first saw him, but over the past couple of weeks that feeling had grown into a monster. She wanted him every second of every day.

  “Fair enough.” Axie hopped off Jace’s lap. “Who is counting first?”

  “I’ll be it.” Jace propped his feet up on the coffee table, leaning back as he casually sipped his drink.

  “Okay, but you have to actually come find us.” Axie glared down at him, her hands on her hips. “You can’t say you’re going to be it and then turn on a World War Two documentary and never come find us.”

  Blake laughed as she sat up, taking a pull from the cold beer in her hand. She could one hundred percent see Jace doing that. Posting up, content to let them stay in their hiding places all night so he could get some peace and quiet. He was like a gorgeous broody old man.

  “I’ll seek.” Jace smirked over the rim of his glass. “But you better hide well, babe, because we both know what’ll happen when I find you.”

  Blake pursed her lips. “Wait. Can’t your wolf parts sniff us out? Is that even fair?” She’d never played hide-and-seek with three wolf boys, but she assumed they had an unfair advantage.

  “Playground rules, you’ve gotta use the clothespin. I’ll go find one.” Jasper left the room, disappearing down the hall Blake knew eventually led to the basement.

  “This is all getting more annoying by the second.” Jace rolled his eyes. “I don’t want to walk around my own home with a clothespin on my nose like I’m fucking ten years old.”

  No one said anything until Jasper came back, holding the old-school wooden pin out to his brother, a triumphant smile on his face. “Playground rules. You know it’s the only fair way.”

  Jace snatched the contraption out of Jasper’s hand. “Go hide before I change my mind and lock all of you in your rooms.”

  Blake could see why Axie and Jasper liked giving Jace such a hard time. If Riley was a sourpuss, then Jace was a stick-up-his-ass old man. He needed people to remind him life wasn’t all doom and gloom and it was okay to laugh and act his real age.

  Axie giggled at his threat, then took off across the house the moment he closed his eyes and began counting out loud.

  Blake darted into the kitchen, laughing when Riley grabbed her around the waist and started carrying her like a sack of potatoes. “What are you doing? Couples can’t hide together.” He whipped her around, set her on her feet, and started backing her into the pantry.

  “We need to stick together, it’s safer for everyone this way.” Riley cupped her face in the dark, kissing her until she melted into him. She wanted to go upstairs. She wanted to climb his body. She wanted to demand he claim her. She moaned against his lips, then stumbled as the wall behind her gave way.

  Riley caught her before she could go down, pulling her into a dimly lit room. “What is this place? A secret room behind the pantry?” Blake spun in a circle, taking in her new surroundings. There was a small kitchen, a living room setup, and a row of bunk beds against one cinder block wall. “Is this a bunker?”

  “It’s a safe room.” Riley shut the door, the sound of the click echoing loudly in the quiet room.

  “Dude, what the fuck?” Riley and Blake both spun around at the sound of Jasper’s outrage. “Why did you close the door?”

  “Where the hell did you come from?” Riley grabbed Blake’s arm and pulled her closer to his body. “Were you just hiding in the dark, listening to us.?”

  “Uh yeah, I was hiding in the dark because we’re playing fucking hide-and-seek, dipshit. I wedged myself under the bunk bed, I got a bit stuck.” Jasper pointed at the closed door, his expression angry. “Why did you shut the door? We’re locked in here now.”

  Riley shook his head. “No, we enter the code, Pen’s b-day, right?”

  “Yeah, like a year ago.” Jasper’s jaw was clenched, his gaze hard. “You honestly think the code is still the same? Does that sound like the way Jace works to you? Because I’m pretty sure he changes all the fucking codes and passwords around here every few weeks.”

  Riley turned to a small panel beside the door, typing in an eight-digit code, frowning when the keypad beeped and turned red. “Shit.” Riley tried another series of numbers, getting t
he same results. “Okay, so we wait until Jace can’t find us and then he’ll come look here. He’ll take off the clothespin and know where we are.”

  “Now who’s high?” Jasper sat on one of the bottom bunks, his head in his hands. “He’s not even going to wear the damn clothespin. He’s going to go find Axe and fuck her wherever she’s hiding. And then he’s going to toss her over his shoulder and take her to bed and fuck her some more.” Jasper picked his head up, leveling his glare on Riley. “I’ve lived with them long enough to know exactly how this is going to go.”

  Blake knew why Jasper was angry, knew why he seemed to be spiraling. It wasn’t lost on her Riley had locked the three of them in here together and the potential threat that could pose. “They have to come up for air at some point, right?”

  “Right.” Jasper nodded, meeting her gaze from across the room. “In a few hours, they’ll come up for air and they’ll come looking for us. But by that point, either I’ll be dead in the corner, or Riley will.”

  No one spoke. No one knew what else to say.

  Jasper was on edge, afraid of hurting her, afraid of his wolf.

  Riley was rigid beside her, his every muscle tense and ready for a fight.

  Blake was standing between the two of them, racking her brain to find a way to save them all.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Riley

  Riley should’ve been paying attention to his surroundings, to the smells and sounds. He had heightened senses and he should’ve damn well used them. He’d been too consumed with Blake, too ready to have his mouth on her again. She was an addiction, an obsession, and it had clouded his judgment so completely he’d made a grave mistake. He’d locked them in the safe room, effectively creating the perfect environment for a cage match of epic proportions.

  “Blake should be okay for a couple of hours. I wouldn’t have agreed to hide-and-seek if I thought she couldn’t handle it.” Riley was standing in front of the couch where Blake was sitting, blocking her body from Jasper.

  “Well, you’ve already been out of your bedroom for two hours, genius.” Jasper glanced down at his watch. “How much longer you think we’ve got before you try to rip my throat out?”

  Riley honestly didn’t know. He hoped they had more time. He hoped like hell Axie and Jace would come looking for them, would let them out of here before Blake’s body started to react to the unfinished bond. But there was no guarantee, was there?

  Jasper was right. The potential for blood was real.

  “Jasper, I’m sorry.”

  “Blake, you don’t need to apologize.” Jasper peeked around Riley’s body, making eye contact with Blake. “Look, I don’t mean to be so harsh, but it sucks. I hate I have the capacity to hurt you. I hate I can’t seem to overrule my wolf. The loss of control, the threat of what could happen. It’s heavy.”

  Riley felt for his friend, but his concern for Blake overrode everything else. Even his packmate’s dilemma. He pulled his cell out of his pocket for the tenth time, hoping to see a bar of service pop up. He tried re-sending the same text to Jace and Axie, squeezing his phone in his palm, praying it would miraculously go through.

  The three of them sat in complete silence. It seemed no one knew what to say, knew how to break the loaded potential of their situation with a joke or casual conversation.

  Riley kept doing the math over and over in his head. He’d made Blake come in the shower, twice. Then they’d walked downstairs, and he’d met with Jace, and after that Jasper had suggested this game.

  Had it been two hours already like Jasper said? Would Blake’s body up their game, escalating—

  “Fuck.” Riley glanced behind him, his gaze assessing his future mate.

  She looked up, meeting his gaze. “What? What’s wrong?”

  Riley licked his lips, his desire for her mounting with each passing second. “It’s happening.”

  “No, I feel fine.” Blake put her hands on her cheeks, her forehead, as if she was checking for a temperature. “I’ve been sitting here not thinking of anything sexy at all. I’ve been singing the states song in my head on repeat. You know…Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas.”

  “No, he’s right.” Jasper stood, pacing the room while Riley moved to stand completely in front of Blake. Jasper pulled at his hair, and his breathing turned shallow. “The bathroom, lock yourselves in the bathroom.”

  Riley grabbed Blake’s hand, dragging her up off the couch and across the room. He helped her step into the tub, then turned to shut the door. “Shit. There’s no lock on this door.” Riley pushed his back against the door, his hand on the counter to his left for extra leverage.

  “Maybe the pheromones won’t be as strong with the door between us.” Riley met Blake’s gaze, seeing the fear in her eyes. Her cheeks were flushed, her thighs pressed together. She was feeling it now, the desire for the bond overwhelming her small body.

  “That door better be fucking locked, man, my wolf is losing his shit.” Jasper sounded agitated, strained. Riley could picture him pacing the room, his hair standing on end, like a caged tiger.

  Or wolf. A cornered wolf looking for a way out, any way out.

  Riley pushed back against the door with everything he had, bracing his feet into the tiled floor. He was the only thing standing between his mate and his best friend and he wanted to be able to save them all.

  There was a loud bang on the door, and Riley jerked forward. “Fuck, man, I’m sorry. Fuck. I can’t. I need her.” Jasper was on the other side of the thin wood, his voice sounded like he was being tortured, ripped apart from the inside.

  “Just claim me.” Blake stepped out of the tub, stepping closer to him, pulling her shirt over her head. “It’ll stop after that, right? He’ll be okay once I’m all the way yours.”

  Riley shook his head, jerking when Jasper’s fist collided with the door again. “I’m not doing that. Not here and not like this. You deserve more. We deserve more.”

  “What about Jasper, what does he deserve? He’s your best friend and he’s out there losing his mind, suffering, terrified of himself and what he’s capable of.” Blake was crying, silent tears running down her gorgeous face. “I don’t need candles and flowers, Riley. That’s not the girl I am. I need you to be okay, I need Jasper to be okay. I care more about the two of you than I do myself. Please. Finish this.”

  Riley closed his eyes, letting his head fall back against the door. Blake was putting the pack before herself. He loved her, there was no denying that. He wanted her. He wanted to claim her as his own and spend the rest of his life making sure she was happy and cherished. He wanted to give her everything she deserved. He wanted to make their bonding special.

  But… Maybe this was the way it was always supposed to be. His wolf claiming his forever while Jasper’s watched. Wasn’t that what Jasper said in Jace’s office? His wolf needed closure, to bear witness.

  This was the ultimate closure.

  Riley opened his eyes, taking in the beautiful girl standing shirtless in front of him. Her blue eyes were bright from her tears and her skin had a pink tint from the flush taking over her perfect body. Her curls were down, resting over her chest and across her back. She looked so fucking perfect. “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes,” she answered without hesitation, her belief in him and his intentions shining through her small smile.

  “Jasper, man, back away from the door.” Riley sighed, taking a moment to calm his racing heart. “I’m going to bring her out, I’m going to let you see her.”

  Riley opened the door slowly, taking Blake’s hand and pulling her out into the open space but keeping her firmly behind him. Jasper was crouched down, his back against the side of the couch and his head once again in his hands. He looked tortured as he rose to his feet, making a beeline right for them.

  Riley threw out his hand. “No.” He stood his ground, keeping his body between Jasper’s and Blake’s. “You can’t touch her. If you try to touch her, I will kill you.” Jasper stoppe
d short, panting with his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. “Do you understand that? Do you understand I will rip your throat out? I will kill you. You’ll be dead. Gone forever. Blake will be sad. It’ll make her hurt. She’ll be upset for a long, long time.”

  Jasper cocked his head to the side, his gaze on Blake, like he was studying her to see if there was truth to Riley’s words. After a few tense moments, Jasper’s shoulders lowered, he hands went lax. He nodded but didn’t speak.

  Riley hoped he wasn’t making the wrong choice. He hoped like hell he was right in thinking that Jasper’s wolf wouldn’t want to make Blake hurt. It made sense. It was instinct. She was a female in his pack, and he’d protect her to the ends of the earth. He didn’t care about his own life, not when he was so focused on having Blake for himself. Turning it around, explaining his actions would cause her pain was the only play Riley had left.

  He pointed toward the small kitchen table. “Get that chair, bring it in here and put it by that bed. Not too close.”

  Riley used his hold on Blake’s hand to bring her around in front of him, putting his palms on her blushing cheeks. “It’s going to be okay, doll face. I’ll never let anyone hurt you, ever. You’re my girl, you’re mine to love and cherish and protect until I take my last breath.”

  Blake rested her forehead against his, whispering against his lips. “I think I’ve loved you since the moment I first saw you. I was drawn to you. I was compelled to know you, to make you smile, to make you live.”

  “I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure that you never regret this choice, not for one single second.” Riley glanced over this shoulder, seeing Jasper sitting in the kitchen chair, his eyes on them. He didn’t look so crazed anymore, his expression curious, full of anticipation. “I wish I could do this differently. I wish I could give you what you deserve.”

  “This is the way it’s supposed to be.” Blake leaned in, swiping her tongue across the seam of his lips. “And that’s more than okay.”