Chapter One Hundred–Sixty–Seven
BAINTER
“What are you saying? 1 ask, reaching out to lift his chin and mindig lots stand heaven her kes
She smiles and my chest fotters. My gundian, the whispers, has eyedpropping from my toy me and tacked om?
in
As I watch her, my mind reals, I think an Old foralling in on the shes the parking lot and the man he get dried
I
Inne she saw my Rings in the house. Does th
Thraven told you,” I say as softly as I can. Not sure how I feel about that
She nods, and 1 regard her carefully. “She did.”
She shrugs, I don’t know how to answer that. Everything, I guess, and your pack and what you are. I probably about you if I hadn’t already been thinking – well hoping that it could be true.
“Hoping? I’m almost afraid to ask.
Yes.” She blushes, biting her lip and making me want to kiss her. “When I woke up with your ripped
neck, it was hard to explain away what I’d seen you do and thats when the fantasies started rolling i
“Fantasier, huh?” 1 Lick my lips thinking we should get to the bar so that we can play out a fe
Yeah, don’t you know? Werewolves are hot.”
I laugh, stepping closer to her.
She also told me why you bit me. She says that Im your mate and that when she cuts off, tears slipping from back a sob and her beautiful face pinkers. I reach out and take her hand, squeezing genth. “When I told you that you had you panicked.” She pauses, shedding a few tears and I nod, shaking off the memory of what I bit that morning. Her emotion when she speaks next. “She says that I’m the one you are meant to be with
“Yes. Did you get my note?” I ask gently.
́ ́“I did,” she says. “I have it in my b
back pocket and it makes way more seme
e now than it did at
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Angle, I know it hurt you to find out the way you did. But I was afraid that if I told you, you wouldn
me a chance and I needed one.”
She nods. “Draven said that you married that… wumut because you never wanted to find your mate ”
“Angle,” I say, kneeling in front of her so that I can look up into her eyes. “Her name is Ang
*I know her name, I just don’t want to say it, she snaps, rolling her eyes
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Chapter One Hundred Sixty–Seven
Chocking, stretch forward, Teining my head against her shins. “I heard she showed up at the bar last night. Did she upset you?”
Fella strokes her fingers through it and I groan, loving her hands on me in any way.
Not as much as the pissed me off.” Felix says. “She kept calling me a whore, that was about it.”
(I’m angry. I get that Angle is upset, I do. But calling someone a where that had no idea I was married is not fair. If anyone is the whore,
Im sorry about that, sweetheart.” I say, stroking my hands up and down her calves.
asks suddenly.
That you
nted to find me?”
whispers and I can hear her trying not to cry.
I leap to my feet and pull her toward me. “It’s not the way that it sounds, but yeah. It’s true, I never wanted to find my mate. But I didn’t
“And then I show up.” he sight. “Ruining everything
“Hey! Not” I grab her head in both of my hands and lean in to kiss her Eps. I didn’t love Angie. I was never going to. She may not understand that now, but hopefully one day the will. What I did by manying her while knowing I would never love her, was wrong. Now the has the chance to find someone who does. It was selfish of me to do that. So you ruined nothing.”
“So then, when did you realize I was your mate?
1 grin, kissing her again, this time more intimately, I was watching a video of the shooting so that I could check out the guys I’d be looking for and I saw you on the tape. I didn’t know you were my máte yet, but I probably should have. All I knew was that there was an extremely beautiful girl whose boyfriend shot up the club and I headed for you instead of him. But the moment I stepped onto your floor at the hospital, I scented you and as much as I always said I never wanted to find you, no one could have stopped me from walking into
our rooms that day. I told myself I just had to see you. At least once.”
So you knew right
asks, shocked. “Then you had me arrested. She frowns and I once again feel like an ass.
To be honest, I think I subconsciously was trying to keep you near me, Even though having you close only made me want you more. I
I couldnt help myself.” I pull her out of the car and into my arms, holding her against me as I dip my nose into her hair. “It’s true, never wanted my But I never wanted her because I was afraid of losing her. At the time, I thought I was bring smart by marrying Angle. I thought if I already had a wife, that if my mate ever showed up, I could just walk away. But then, I met you and… I just couldn’t. In fact, that night you told me that Antman would come for Hector and then for you. I uh- well…”
ar?” she pulls back, looking up at me.
1
I may or may not have chased him through the woods as something other than a human,” I admit, squirting. “I looked at it as solidifying your freedom. And then of course I caught him and ripped him apart with my teeth.
“Seriously? You chased dhim, as a wolf?”
Her eyes sparkle and the constriction around my heart eases a bit. “I had a dream about you and him in the woods. He was dead in my
dream
shrug. “Ya know, the woods can be a treacherous place. Anything might have happened to him.”
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Chapter One Hundred–Sixty–Seven
She giggles. “I would have loved to see that! Then with a suspicious smile, she adds, “You’re the wolf I heard howding then, arent you? That’s why you came back with your buttons crooked. And to think I was all heartbroken because I thought you went out and busted) quickie with some chick.”
“I know you did,” 1 admit, placing her back in the car. “And I let you think that because I thought it was adorable.”
She sticks her tongue out at me and I close the door. Once in the drivers seat, I start the car and decide to go ahead and pop a couple of questions. “So, I came to your rescue last night, huh? Was I the big hero?”
You don’t remember?”
“No… it’s a long story t that I’ll definitely tell you later. But two, none of us knows what we did last night.”
That’s crazy. But… you knew me. You tried to protect me.”
I smile, pulling away from the curb to head for the har. “I was hoping I would. I’m glad that I did.”
Her eyes go dark for a moment. Antman shot you six times,” she shuilders. “I thought you were going to die. You were hurt, and I thre myself over the top of you. When Antman tried to finish you off, that’s when the rest of your pack appeared. They dragged him into th trees. It was actually pretty scary.” Then she smiles as if something has just occurred to her. Tm free. I can go to bed in the middle of LA. and not have to worry about one of those bastards hunting me down.”
“Well, I wouldn’t say you were free. You’re not…”
She quirks an eyebrows. “How do you figure?”
I have to laugh, Letting my eyes roam over her body suggestively. “I mean… it’s true… I still have to file for divorce, then find another house, then buy the perfect ring but… in the eyes of a Shifter, that mark on your neck says that you’re already married, sweetheart. So no, you’re not free. You’re mine.”
“Oh?” she teases.
“Ols,” I say, losing my smile as we pull close to the bar to find Bart outside in front of a busted front window, “Shit. Did you lock the doors
when you left last night?”
She nods. 1 set the automatic deadbolt like he showed me.”
I roll down the window and pull up next to Bart. “Again?”
He nods. “Yup. Same old deal. Nothing taken, everything busted.”
I turn to Felix, “Thank God you left last night”
“Is it safe to stay here?” she asks, shuddering.
“It will be. Because I’ll be staying here with you.”
