Chapter 5
“You don’t even know me.” Misti threw up her hands. “So we slept together one time?—”
“And it was epic.” He grinned cockily.
She couldn’t deny that. “Why would you care if I live or die? You’re a Shadowed Star?—”
“I haven’t been one since I was exiled. Can’t you see that, Misti? For almost a decade, I was on my own, without a pack, beholden to no one. Not even my father saying he would reinstate me as his heir could get me to do his bidding. I couldn’t kill you, not after what we shared.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You act like you’ve claimed me already. I’m not yours.”
“No, but even humans become attached to each other when they have sex. It’s kinda like glue.”
“Glue.” She rolled her eyes. “Did you just compare sex to glue?”
He smiled sheepishly. “Well, yeah. It binds you. Makes you blind to the other’s flaws.”
“Do I have flaws?” she demanded.
“I’m too blinded to see any.” He shrugged and held out his hands in a defenseless manner.
Despite herself, she laughed. “You are…” She meant to slap his chest, but her hand touched it instead, remembering how his skin had felt beneath her fingers, his hard muscles, his smooth skin… He had a point, she realized. As much as she had been blinded by anger, she had almost been looking for reasons to delay biting his neck and killing him. He hadn’t been able to kill her, and she hadn’t wanted to kill him despite having a good reason to.
“What am I?”
His gentle whisper had her shivering. “A decent kisser.” She waved her hand as if to add so so.
“Just decent?” Before she could blink, he grabbed her, pulled her to him, and kissed her. It was nothing like their previous kiss. This one stole her breath away and ripped out her soul. It was a claiming of sorts, and she found she couldn’t stop herself from giving as well as taking, fighting him with lips and tongue to try to take his soul back in exchange.
They were both panting when they parted.
“Just decent?” he repeated.
“Yes.” She smirked with a laugh. “You’re decent with your hands, I’ll say that.” Misti held still, wishing he would touch her, burn her skin, sear her with his caresses.
But he didn’t. The playful sexiness in his eyes faded away. “I know you care about your father despite hating him.”
She bristled. “That is not?—”
“It’s how I feel, too,” he continued. “Both our fathers are bastards. To some extent, both our packs are. Fighting each other for so many years because of a woman none of us living ever knew.”
“It’s also over land boundaries,” she added, but she could not deny his words. Still, inbreed hatred ran deep on both sides. Hatred she no longer felt toward Anders, even knowing who he was. He wasn’t like the other vicious Shadowed Stars she’d met. The one she had killed had been foul-mouthed and vicious. Their battle had been long and hard-fought, but she had been the one to prevail. Strange. She hadn’t thought of this until now, but that night, she had been plagued by nightmares. Two wolves had been fighting to the death over her. She hadn’t wanted either of them to die. Both had. She had had her throat ripped out and woke seconds before she’d died as well.
Just like the origin of our rivalry. She shuddered.
“I know you won’t turn your back on your people,” Anders added.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” She turned aside, away from him. “I have to. They will hunt me down and kill me otherwise.”
“So, you will turn yourself in to be killed?”
“There is no other recourse.”
“There must be,” he said stubbornly. “There has to be a way to prevent things from escalating.”
“Tell me how,” she commanded, “because I don’t see it.”
Anders walked around her, so she had no choice but to look at him. He held out his hand. She eyed it but did not accept it. For some reason, she felt uneasy.
“You could allow me to claim you,” he said slowly.
“That again?” She wanted to push him away, to stalk off, but she couldn’t. For whatever reason, she felt compelled to hear him out.
“Yes. It would force our families to unite.”
The idea had both merits and flaws. “The possible heir of one side marrying an exile wanted for death on the other?”
He still held his hand out. “You and I both are the offspring of the leaders of the packs. You and I both are not the heirs anymore, granted, but still, it would force the two sides to see that a union is possible, that maybe peace is one day possible?—”
“I hadn’t taken you to be hopelessly naive,” she said dryly.
“Or desperate.”
Was that all this was? A desperate ploy for him to try and prolong his life? His father had vowed to kill him. Her father had done the same. Unless he found himself powerful allies and soon, he would not have long yet to live.
So what if he wished to spend some time with her before he died? Her lifespan wasn’t expected to be much longer anyhow. Claiming did not need love to be accomplished.
Yet, from the way he had kissed her, the way he was looking at her, the way he made her feel… It might not be love, but it could maybe blossom into it.
If given time.
“Do you have a better idea?” he asked, his hand starting to lower.
She seized it in both of hers. “No,” she said hoarsely.