His eyes were unyielding as she openly glared at him, angered by how he didn’t seem to be taking her seriously and confused by something about him that made her want to seek out comfort. “You said Niquel would be here.”
“I said ‘he might be here’. But if he knows what’s best for him, he won’t be stepping foot anywhere near this place.”
“So, we’re what,” she spat, “your captives now?”
A corner of his lips lifted into a smirk. “More like my guests,” he replied, spreading his arms wide. The bundle of muscles in his arms flexed under the fabric of his skintight shirt and raised the ends of his shirt slightly, revealing a glimpse of a flat, well-toned abs, that could’ve been molded by the hands of the heavens themselves. “Make yourselves comfortable. Hunter will show you to your room
She shouldn’t have come there. She was human. Gladdy was half-human. Werewolves and dragons and now a lady asking her to call her mom? Even her best friend had changed – she was usually so protective of her and Gladdy.Speaking of Gladdy, she had been silent the entire time like she was observing them. Something had changed with her; Emma could feel it. Gladdy seemed aware of what was taking place – or perhaps it was her mind trying to cope with the revelations from last night.“Emma!” Aidan called behind her when she was right in front of the door.Emma sighed, retracting her hand from the wooden surface and faced him. She hugged Gladdy to her chest and sneered at the man. Due to the slight difference in their height, she could easily square up to him without having him look down on her with those obsidian eyes of his. “What?”His
Emma awoke to the sound of giggling, and the quiet chuckles of a man. Lying on her side, she cracked an eye open, and through the partial opening of the heavy draperies of the canopy bed, she saw the father of her child holding Gladdy in his arms and do a ridiculous step dance – a series of side steps and forwards and backwards, while making faces, which made Gladdy giggle and coo. Niquel had a nursing cover draped over one shoulder, and would bring his face too close to hers just so her tiny hands could hit his cheeks as she toothlessly smiled up at him.They could’ve been like that – a normal family – had he never left. She would’ve accepted him regardless of his nature, without any anger or doubt in her heart. Because as much as Emma tried to push him away, she knew within herself that she wanted Gladdy to grow up with a father figure.
“I don’t care,” she said, saying words completely opposite from what she felt. “We’ve never existed in your life for a year. Surely you can continue to live that way – alone and free.”“I was never free.” He inched closer to her, his fiery scent alluring. “I’ve always, always been bound to you since the day we met. What I did was wrong. I have no right to ask this from you, but please … please give me a second chance to prove myself.”Her breath got trapped in her lungs, his fiery scent stronger. It weakened her defenses, coaxing her submission, to lean on him and trust him on this matter. His hands covered hers, and they both held their child, light, and peacefully asleep between them. The contact awoke pleasant tingling under her skin, reassuring her once more that he was physically with them. And when his warm palm cupped her cheek,
“We’re trying but nothing’s turning up, Alpha,” reported the head of the tracker team that Aidan assigned. “None of our contacts have encountered the scent and the covens are unsure if it’s the effects of a potion.”“Quit giving me excuses, Walker,” he replied through gritted teeth. His eyes flickered from to a deep shade of red as his beast fought to emerge and threaten the tracker. Restlessness – the longer this went on, the harder it would be for Aidan to keep his wolf under control. Arke needed to mate, and truthfully, so did he, but unfortunately for the both of them, not only was their mate human and therefore non-understanding of werewolf customs, the Dragon King was in their midst and he doubted his enemy would let her be alone with him. “I expected more from you.”The
He was a werewolf. They were given one mate for life and that was it. There had to be a reason why the Moon Goddess mated them together and he’d rather lose his rank than lose her then. Besides, he made a promise that he’d cherish his mate forever when he found her. Goddess, if his sister was still around, she’d be screaming his ear off because he actually thought about rejecting his mate.“Have a seat,” he said, motioning for her to sit opposite him.Emma glanced at Niquel before turning her back on him. “Leave,” she said quietly.See how that feels. What she did to him earlier was something only three women in his life were capable of, including her. Aidan met the dragon’s burning gaze. Such a shame that he had to be told the same – they were even.“Please … just go, Niq.”
Her thick lashes curled against her blushing skin as she sucked in a breath. Aidan dipped his head, warm breaths fanning her neck. She had the most intoxicating scent Aidan had ever encountered. It set her apart from all other women he had been with, and he had no intention of letting the Dragon King have his way with her. It was far too late to renege on his claim – he would make her his for good just as he must. Even if his pride wasn’t in complete agreement, his ego couldn’t take letting the overgrown lizard have what belonged to them since birth. A growl rumbled from his chest. Arke was please with her docile stillness. Surely the bond was doing wonders on her body simply from being this close to him. “Emma,” he murmured as his lips descended on her tender skin. Tingly sparks crept under his skin, fueling images in his mind that would serve to excite her. She gasped and grabbed his arms. His gums itched
Vanessa peeked from the door. “Hey,” she whispered, just in case the baby was asleep. Emma was folding the laundry, which she recognized as those that Niquel bought for her and for Gladdy. It was already past noon, but she was still wearing her pajamas, and the bed was a mess. She looked up from the cute pink onesie she was folding and offered a tired smile. Dark circles lined under her eyes and her lips were chappy from dehydration. Gladdy was on the floor, playing in her own pseudo jail of a playground. The child was already crawling, the giant teddy bears looking down on her. It was a wonder Emma hadn’t tried to escape until now. So far, there were no attempts at her life and Gladdy’s for a week, but the stress of being in this new environment where she wasn’t allowed anywhere near the door was beginning to physically show on her friend. A
“She hang up on me,” said Hunter with a look of disbelief. “Of all my years … no one had ever done this to me!” He sent the rogue flying towards the ceiling. Another came for him right after, and he quickly reached out to break his windpipe, bringing him down on his knees. It was far from enough to calm him down at this moment. His fists went down on the rogue’s face as he shouted, “Why. Are. Humans. So. Fucking. High. Maintenance!” A hand stopped him from landing another punch on the rogue’s broken nose. He looked back and saw that it was Aidan, whose eyes were gleaming a deep dark red. The Alpha was simmering in anger, but he was being more patient than him by giving the girls some space, which was an unlikely trait. Was he actually guilty about the whole thing? They were in danger for fuck’s sake! If they left the mansion, they’d be stepping out of the barrier which had been keeping them alive for a week