LOGINClosing his eyes, he blew out breaths and panicked as he heard her groan. The sound of her vomiting along with the stench hit him. Rushing upstairs, he entered her bathroom to find her leaning over the toilet. She wore a towel. Her long hair trailed down her back as she heaved.Zion didn’t think. He acted.Going to her side, he gathered all of her hair in his hand, covering her back with his. She was shivering, and he covered her body to help her warm up.“What are you doing?” she asked.“I’m giving you my warmth.” He reached around, stroking her stomach over the towel in an effort to soothe her.She groaned, heaving once again.“It’s okay. I’ve got you.” *And I’m never letting go.*Zion felt his wolf calm as he held their mate. She was the other half of him and would always be protected. He loved her, and there was no fight within him.“I’m so sorry,” she said.“Don’t you worry about it, baby.”He helped her to her feet, handing her a toothbrush. Keeping an arm wrapped around her, he
The days passed, and they turned into weeks. Zion made a lot of progress with her. Whenever he could, he’d find an excuse to take her to and from school. Sometimes he’d take her back to his place where they’d study or they’d play some video games. Jack didn’t come around when she was with him, giving him the space to woo her.She didn’t invite him back to her house, but their parents had hit it off. He’d spent a great deal of time at her place while their parents talked.Trey was officially dating Cheryl, which actually caused a few problems for Zion. With Trey and Cheryl together, it put her at their table for lunch. Zion found Maya eating around the school wherever she wanted to. He’d found her in tears a couple of times, and it was always down to Cheryl.The wolf inside him was demanding that he hurt the bitch who’d hurt Maya. He talked to his dad about the problems, but he only advised him to keep his distance. Hurting a human wouldn’t be good for the pack. There was more than one
“Yeah, steak. Anything with beef and potatoes and we’re all set.”“What about your mom?”“She’s the same. We’re pretty normal, Maya. Oh, we love chocolate.”“Okay. Meat and chocolate, got it.”“Maya,” he said.“Yeah.”“I can’t wait to see you.”Her cheeks were on fire. “Bye.”She passed Jack the cell phone, wishing she could leave but knowing it was rude.“Yep, she is. Yep … yep … bye.” Jack put his cell away.“Thank you.”“No problem. If you need any help, call me. In fact.” Jack pulled out a pen that he’d placed behind his ear. She watched him scrawl on the paper in front of him, tearing it off. “Here, call me whenever you need me and can’t get in touch with Zion.”She took the number from him. “Erm, thanks.”“See you around, Maya.”Pocketing his number, she didn’t know if she should throw it in the trash. She still didn’t trust either guy. Grabbing the trolley, she made her way toward the butchery department to find her mother still looking at the array of meats.“Beef,” Maya said.
Opening his bedroom door, he walked into his room, quickly stashing the books with her pictures in it into the nearest empty drawer. When he turned around, he found her still waiting on the threshold of his bedroom.“You’re not a vampire, are you? Can you come in?” He winced at his own words.“Erm, I’ve never been in a boy’s room before. I don’t, I’m not, I’m, erm, I’m not comfortable right now.”Feeling like the worst kind of idiot that ever lived, he went to her. “Nothing is going to happen, Maya. Seriously, I just didn’t want to be alone. I knew my parents would be home, and that’s why I invited you here.” He took her hand, leading her into the bedroom. “This is why I brought you here. I knew you wouldn’t want to be here without an adult present.”He slowly pulled her into his bedroom. She didn’t need to know that his parents being home wouldn’t stop him touching her if she let him.Zion curbed those needs instantly. She wasn’t here to help him with his dick.“See, nothing else is
“What are you going to do?” Jack asked.It was after school, and Zion leaned up against his car waiting for Maya to come out of school. He was so pissed off at what Cheryl had done. There was no way he could hurt her, not in the way he wanted to. She’d made his mate cry. When he saw Maya sitting on the bleachers, he’d been relieved, but then he saw she was crying and he’d almost lost it. He’d been hunting for his mate because Trey couldn’t give a shit, only to find she’d been hurt by that slut, Cheryl.“I don’t know.” He wanted to hurt Cheryl, humiliate her, make life so fucking hard for her that she knew what it was like to be in Maya’s shoes.He’d prove her wrong when it came to Maya. The best way to get back at Cheryl was by showing her to be a liar.“What did Trey say when I left?” Zion asked.“Nothing. I don’t even know why you were worried about him being a problem with Maya. He didn’t give a shit about her when you were gone. I’m starting to think he was just using Maya until
“Are you okay?” she asked, finally speaking.“Good, just focusing on driving.”“You don’t seem to be doing a good job of it.”“You’re in one piece, so we’re doing okay so far.” He reached over and squeezed her thigh.Maya gasped and jerked in her seat.“Shit, sorry, I was just trying to reassure you.”“Don’t worry about it.”On the way into school she noticed several of their peers were looking into his car. They were blatantly staring.“Ignore them,” he said, grabbing her hand.“It’s hard. They’re wondering where the joke is.” She forced a laugh even though she didn’t feel it.“I know it’s hard for you to think like this, Maya. There’s not going to be a joke or even a small giggle.”He pulled the car into the spot next to Jack, who hit the hood of his car.“It’s about time you got here. I’ve been saving this spot for you.”Trey was leaning against Jack’s car, laughing.Maya saw how comfortable he was around Jack and Zion. Last night he’d come around to her home and admitted he wanted
Maya went through the motions as Helen assessed her, tilting her head gently as if inspecting a prized heifer at auction.“What do you mean mate?” she asked.The men tensed. Helen ignored them and pressed a warm kiss to Maya’s cheek.“It’s so good to have another woman in the family. For some reaso
He heard and felt her take a deep breath.“This is the strangest thing that has ever happened to me,” she said.“I love you, Maya.”Zion figured he should be the first to say it. She could do whatever she wanted with the words, but he refused to hide how he felt any longer.She turned in his arms a
“I’ve got family handling the pack while I keep my little toy all to myself for a while.”The word toy should have pissed her off. It was possessive, crude, borderline insulting. But damn it, every time it rolled off his tongue it sent a rush of heat straight between her legs. She hated how much sh
Staring around the room, Maya saw over thirty couples mingling—some deep in conversation, others kissing passionately, and a few simply sitting close, hands wandering affectionately. She wore simple jeans and one of Zion’s shirts. His scent clung to the fabric, wrapping around her like a protective







