Chapter 4 - Joshua
“You bastard!”
Joshua fought back a wince as he looked up toward the door.
He was in his office at town hall, with papers in front of him as he had been trying to pretend to work.
Kira slammed the door shut as she strode inside.
Her blue eyes flared with anger as she smashed her palms onto his desk.
The loud smack must have hurt her, but she was clearly too angry to care.
Her lips pulled back into a snarl, and if he didn’t know better, Joshua would have thought she was seconds from shifting and tearing his throat out.
“I take it you spoke with the council,” he said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible.
“You fucking bastard!”
Joshua leaned back in his chair. His wolf growled, torn between taking Kira’s anger as a threat and wanting to soothe her.
He inhaled deeply, fighting the tension that crept through him.
He’d known she wouldn’t take kindly to this turn of events.
He hadn’t realized she’d be this furious, though.
He had mostly thought she would avoid him.
“It wasn’t my choice,” he said first off. She might not believe him—and her snort proved him right again—but it was the truth. “The Council decided that we’d be matched together.”
“And you can’t say to them why?” she spat.
Because if I said no, you would have been paired with Michael, and I’d never be able to be in the same room as him again. Because I have to keep you safe. Because I want nothing more than to hold you right now, even if I have no right to love you.
Joshua would have preferred to keep his distance.
Give her space and avoid her as he had over the years.
But the demon threat was too strong, and there was evidence that a marriage would help Kira’s powers grow stronger.
He sorted through his own thoughts to find an appropriate answer to Kira’s question.
She didn’t know that he knew she had magic.
He’d discovered it by accident. He had seen her and Gwen heading off into the forest together, and he’d been struck with a sudden, wild fear that the demons were going to attack them.
So he followed, keeping himself hidden but close enough to help should the situation require it.
That was how he’d seen them practicing their magic, with Gwen coaching Kira on some simple spells.
He’d watched, fascinated, but it also settled a heavy truth in his gut.
With Kira gaining powers, she was a prime target for the demons to attack.
With her magic being so new, she couldn’t use it to protect herself yet.
If she developed it further, she’d be able to fight the demons.
So, of course, they were going to try to kill her before she accessed that magic.
But he couldn’t tell her that, not without revealing he’d been watching her. “The Council made a convincing argument.”
“So you’re marrying me so I can become a broodmare, popping out your children?” Kira demanded.
Joshua winced. “For your safety. You will be safer within a mate bond. We don’t know much about the demons, but there is evidence in our histories that the witches married shifters for their protection.
I believe that Gwen and Rafael’s marriage strengthened her ability to use magic. It might do the same for you.”
Kira slumped into a chair, fire still in her eyes but her shoulders sagging now. “So you’re going to pretend that it’s for my benefit?”
“I’m not pretending anything. This situation sucks. I don’t want to hurt you, Kira. But with things being the way they are…” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “You have to admit that the likes of Jenny Carps will treat you better when you have me standing beside you.”
“I’m not concerned about Jenny Carps.” Kira frowned at him. “You said I’ll be safer in the mating bond.”
Joshua nodded.
“I’m not your mate.”
At that, Joshua winced. He quickly broke eye contact.
Even if he had rejected her in the most brutal way possible, she was his mate.
She always had been. It was why he had to reject her so harshly, because otherwise she might try to change his mind about being with her, and he wasn’t strong enough to resist. He leaned his elbows on his desk as he tried to order his scattered thoughts.
It was different now. He knew better; he was stronger. She hated him, and that would only work to their advantage.
“A marriage union can often spark the bond,” he finally said. “And even if it doesn’t, the marriage will still connect us. It will be enough.”
Kira sucked in a deep breath, looking pained.
“There’s one more thing.” Joshua met her gaze again. “The matter of children.”
“I—”
Joshua held up his hand. “Please, let me finish.”
Kira’s nostrils flared, but she gave one reluctant nod.
“I know the Elders have put us together to have children with each other. But I will not be doing that,” Joshua said, wincing at his own choice of words. He hurried to explain himself. “If you want children, then we’ll discuss options.”
“Options?” Kira repeated.
“I will financially support your children, and I’ll claim them as mine for their position in the pack if that’s what you want. But they won’t be mine biologically.” Joshua folded his hands over his desk, waiting for Kira’s response.
She didn’t respond. Instead, she stood and headed for the door. She didn’t look back at him. Joshua watched her go, suddenly feeling exhausted. But it was the one thing he absolutely had to stay firm on. Kira might be angry with him, but better to tell her now, rather than after the wedding.
The wedding.
Joshua closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair. It was going to happen soon. Then they’d be bound together—but he’d be able to protect her. And that was all he really cared about.
***
“Do you, Joshua Woods, take this woman as your lawfully wedded wife?” Elder Priest Thera asked.
Joshua knelt next to the altar, his hands reaching over it to grasp Kira’s.
He wore one of his regular suits while she wore a sleek white dress that she must have had in her closet.
Or maybe she borrowed it. He didn’t know.
He had sent Gwen with his credit card to Kira, so she could get whatever she wanted, but there had been no charges on it.
“I do,” Joshua said, speaking without hesitancy.
Kira let out a shaky breath. Her frizzy black hair had been gelled and swept into an elegant bun at the back of her neck.
Thera turned to her. “And do you, Kira Smithson, take this man as your lawfully wedded husband?”
“No.”
Gasps rang out. The whole of the town was packed into the hall, everyone eager to be part of this sudden wedding.
Joshua’s cheeks burned with heat as his mind processed what was happening—Kira had just rejected him in front of the entire town.
She yanked her hands away and got to her feet, kicking off her high heels. She glared down at him.
“I do not take this man as my husband,” she said. She leveled her chin at Thera, who gaped at her.
“Kira,” Joshua croaked, scrambling to his feet.
Kira turned and stomped toward the back of the hall, where the back exit was.
As everyone muttered to each other, Rafael quickly joined Joshua on the stage.
Joshua didn’t wait to hear what he had to say; instead, he hurried after Kira.
His mind whirled. She’d had plenty of time to tell him it wasn’t happening.
She hadn’t been happy, sure, but she hadn’t said no!
Was this punishing him?
She attempted to slam the door behind her, but Joshua caught it and muscled his way through before she could.
“Kira,” he snapped.
“Leave me alone.” Her voice shook.
Joshua strode up to her and grabbed her wrist, jerking her to a stop. “Stop. What the hell was that about?”
Kira whirled. “That? That was me exercising my right to say no. Which you would have known would happen if you had bothered asking me instead of having the Elders try to muscle me into this sham of a marriage!”
She could have been snorting fire. And she had never looked more attractive. Her hands clenched into fists, her jaw hard and level. She stared at him as though daring him to try to change her mind. As though she’d start swinging if he did.
“They didn’t ask me, either,” he said.
“Then maybe you should have told them no. But oh, I guess getting married won’t change your ability to fucking up and down the coast, will it?
They’ll just shake their heads and say Of course he’s still sleeping around, look at how undesirable his wife is.
” Kira yanked her wrist away from him. “I’m not going to do this.
So you can go back in there and explain how it wasn’t your choice but that you were too cowardly to tell a bunch of little old men and women no. ”
Her lip curled back in a derisive sneer. Oh, she was not playing. Joshua ran a hand through his hair. This wasn’t exactly the spectacle he had been planning for today.
“It’s for your protection,” he reminded her.
“I can look after myself. In case you’ve forgotten, I’ve been doing it for a long enough time,” Kira answered sharply.
Hadn’t he thought it was a stupid idea for Rafael to force Gwen to marry him as he had? But maybe he’d had the better idea of making it private instead of something public. The humiliation at being rejected stung, but that wasn’t what made Joshua step closer.
“Your magic will benefit from this marriage,” he wheedled.
Kira folded her arms and shook her head. “You don’t care about my magic or about me. I’m not… I get that people are scared of me. But I’m not going to give up my freedom for their peace of mind.”
“That is not what this marriage is about!”
“You don’t have to worry about it. I’ve already arranged passage off the island.”