The morning those we were taking to the City left the catacombs was an exercise in sheer will that I had not experienced in years.
We were surrounded and shadowed by dozens of wolves. And still, I had to fight not to grasp Jesse and roar at her to go back, not to gather the guards around the two of us and to hell with the rest, not to hold her belly and weep into her beautiful breasts at the fear of what might be on the horizon.
But giving in to fear was not how an Alpha led.
My father had been an evil fucker, but he hadn’t been wrong about that.
So, I allowed myself the indulgence of gripping my mate’s hand at all times on the journey—at times,
~ CASIMIR ~Every instinct in my body screamed about enclosed spaces and unknown enemies as we were ushered through the huge hotel, awash with unrecognized scents, then through the halls to a second elevator that opened directly into a massive suite—larger than my chambers under the mountain—with tall, floor-to-ceiling windows and multiple rooms off a main, central living area.I had kept several guards with us on the trip, and let some peel off along the route between this place and the rooms we would keep for the night to make certain that we weren’t being set up for an ambush. I’d had to bark at Ryan to slow down so his sister could keep up, which he did reluctantly—but she seemed more irritated than tired when we finally reached the huge suite. Still, I caught her eyes darting and she licked her lips more than once. She was more nervous
~ JESSE ~I felt sick. We stood in the long hallway of a wing they’d given us just for the wolves. There were guards stationed where the elevator bays opened and the wing joined the main hallway of the hotel on this floor. And a few more scattered along the hallway, just watching over the females. But we stood in the middle of the bustle of all these women finding rooms, finding bags, and putting on a very plausible show of women who were nervous and trying to settle in after long travel.Probably because it didn’t need to be much of an act.The women would look at me and Cazz, then their eyes would dart nervously to Garret—the Police Chief who had been my father’s boss and comrade
~ JESSE ~I didn’t even think.I slapped Garrett’s hand away with a growl of my own at the same time I screamed at Cazz through the bond, “NO!”I wasn’t sure if I accidentally unleashed power, or what happened, but there was a jolt inside me and the word resonated, freezing Cazz in his tracks for a split second, just in time for me to put a finger under Garrett’s nose.“I am the King’s slave, not yours,” I hissed at him, at the same time I babbled at the panting and rippling Cazz through the link.‘You can’t touch him, yo
~ CASIMIR ~It was a physical fight not to just shift and kill this sick motherfucker. Especially when he turned to me arrogantly and put himself between me and my mate. I showed him my teeth as I swallowed the growl.“That won’t be necessary—” he started.“Oh, I assure you it is,” I snapped. “You have her with me outside the door, or you don’t have her at all.”Over his shoulder, Jesse looked at me nervously, but she wasn’t the only one who knew how to deal with assholes like this. And the way her chin was up, that spine of steel that I could sense in her sending through the l
~ JESSE ~I stood there in that room, hands on my mouth, heart pounding in my ears.‘Jesse, you can do this! Just make him stop and listen, then you’ll have space to breathe…. Jesse… Jesse, what’s going on? Jesse… FUCKING ANSWER ME BEFORE I BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR.’I blinked and realized Cazz was about to ruin everything, and threw my mind open so he could see what I was seeing, shaking my hands and making myself breathe.‘Cazz, I’m sorry. I think I broke him!’
~ JESSE ~The following afternoon, the entire wing of the hotel that we’d been given was bustling with nervous energy. The seamstress and her team had taken a room and were making alterations to all the dresses the women had been given.There were hairdressers, and human make-up artists moving from room to room, polishing all of us until we glowed because we were supposed to be suitable for the richest and most powerful men in the state.And of course, the wolves were stunning. Reeca took my breath away.I’d never seen any of them in make-up, and even though something about it felt off, there was no denying that any of these women could have graced magazine covers, or celebr
~ CASIMIR ~There was no time, no sensible way I should focus on anything but the men we were preparing to take out tonight, but the moment I saw her standing in front of that mirror, her lush body glittering, her eyes like jewels, bright on black velvet, her body full and her skin glowing… dear God, she was stunning. Then as I stepped into that lavish bathroom, I caught her rich scent and it hit me what was ahead of us…I had to mark her with my scent. Claim her before any other male could even think to take her.The audacity of that male yesterday t
~ CASIMIR ~I caught her when her knees gave, wrapping arms around her middle, under her stomach, propping her up as my breath tore in and out and my chest heaved. I was sweating and had to pray that I wouldn’t sweat through the clothes because there wasn’t time to press another set.“Cazz… dear God…”“The comparison is flattering, but I keep telling you—”She snorted a laugh, then almost slid off the countertop and had to slap a hand to the edge of it to catch herself.There was a moment where my balance was off and hers was gone entirely, and we swayed together, still joined, her giggling, me chuckling, both of us shushing each other. Then I planted my feet and lift