Chapter 7
Had I finally lost my mind? Had Mortis' dark magic driven me insane, made me hallucinate the pull? My gorilla snarled in protest, adamant that something was here.
Then I heard a soft gasp from directly above, barely audible but unmistakable.
My head snapped up.
There, perched on the thick wooden support beams near the peak of the tent, at least fifteen feet above the ground, staring back at me, was my mate.
My. Mate!
Dull golden hair cascaded over her shoulders in tangled waves, matted and dull in places but still catching the lamplight with hints of brightness.
Her skin looked pale and drawn. There were dark marks on her cheek and arms. I couldn't tell if they were dirt or bruises, but I hoped for the sake of the one who inflicted pain on my mate that they were dirt.
Even in the flickering lamplight, I could see she was shivering slightly, her arms wrapped around her delicate frame.
Despite the chill and grime of captivity, the exhaustion etched into her features and the shadows under those incredible amber eyes, her eyes stole the breath from my lungs.
Amber. Not brown, not gold, but the color of honey held up to sunlight, the glow of fire captured in gemstone.
They were wide with shock as she stared down at me.
She was wearing a pair of grey sweats that I wasn't sure had been washed in months.
Her feet, hooked together, were bare, and as my eyes adjusted to the height and distance she was from me, I realized something.
She was breathtaking. Devastating. Mine. My mate.
My heart soared as I heard her whisper, "Mate."
My gorilla surged forward, taking control before my human brain could process what was happening.
The shift rippled through my body with a speed and violence I'd never experienced before.
Usually, I had control over my transformations, could ease into them or hold them back as needed, allowing parts of my beast to come forth. But not this time.
This time, my gorilla wouldn't be denied.
In seconds, my bones reformed, muscles expanded, fur erupted across my skin as my body grew and changed. I stood in my full gorilla form, over five hundred pounds of pure muscle and primal instinct. My massive hands gripped the wooden support pole, and with ease, I began to climb.
Nothing else mattered. Not the job, not Fang returning, not the consequences of being caught in this tent.
The only thing that existed was her—my mate—and the driving need to reach her, to be close to her, to protect her from everything and everyone.
I climbed with the speed and agility of my kind.
My gorilla form was built for this, powerful arms pulling me upward while my feet gripped the pole.
The tent shuddered with my weight, the wooden structure creaking in protest, but I didn't slow.
She watched me climb, her amber eyes growing wide the closer I got. I could see her chest rising and falling rapidly, and I could hear her breathing. To my happiness, she didn't move away, didn't try to flee to another part of the rafters. She stayed exactly where she was.
When I reached the beam where she balanced with the easy grace of someone who'd spent considerable time up here, I carefully maneuvered onto it, moving slowly so I wouldn't startle her or break the support, causing us both to fall.
The wooden beam groaned beneath me but was thick enough to support my massive weight.
I settled onto the beam next to her. Up close, she was even more beautiful. The glow of her skin was brighter, and I could smell her now—a hint of cinnamon and smoke and something woodsy, all of which made my gorilla want to roar his claim.
She was staring at me with those incredible amber eyes.
Timidly, she shifted and slid herself over to me.
Next thing I knew, she was on my lap, cuddled against the fur on my chest. I could feel the chill of her body.
Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around her and held her close.
After a few minutes of no movement, she sighed.
"Thank you," her voice went straight to my core.
With my arm, I slid her to the side so I could see her face. I watched as tears began to spill down her cheeks.
"No," she whispered, her voice breaking. "No, no, no. Of all the damn places to meet my mate, it's in this hell."
The words hit me like a physical blow. I moved her so she was back on the wood. I shifted back to my human form, needing to talk to her, needing to understand. The transformation left me crouched on the beam, my hands gripping the wood for balance as I faced her.
She immediately reached out and touched my arm. Her hand was warmer than it had been. The contact sent electricity racing through my entire body. The mate bond sang with rightness, with a joy so intense it was almost painful.
"Please, it's not you," she said quickly, her voice urgent despite the tears still streaming down her face.
"Please don't think that. I'm thrilled to meet you.
I never thought I would find my mate. Especially.
.." She held both hands out to the room.
"I'm sorry. Mate finding is supposed to be a happy thing.
A celebration. Not a..." She sniffed and wiped away her tears.
"It's not supposed to be bound to a psycho thing. "
Bound?
"I don't understand," I said, my voice rough with emotion.
I took her hand in mine. Her skin felt cold again.
"Come here." Bringing her with me, I slid closer to the main support pole.
Once there, I leaned against it and pulled her onto my lap so she could lean against me and soak in my body heat.
I secretly prayed the bulge in my pants wouldn't make her uncomfortable.
I couldn't help it. I'd been hard since our eyes met.
Swallowing as she slid her ass over my zipper, I found my voice. "Now, tell me what's happening. Help me understand."
She took a shaky breath, wiping at her tears with her free hand while keeping the other on my chest, like she couldn't bear to break contact. She opened her mouth, but I cut her off.
"Wait, first, what's your name?" I asked, needing to know, needing something to call her besides 'mate,' even though that word encompassed everything she was to me.
"Kai," she said softly. "Kai Ashborne. I'm a phoenix. And you?"
"Kai's a gorgeous name. I'm Jack. Jack Thornton, but everyone calls me Runt. You already saw—I'm a silverback gorilla."
"Runt?" Her eyebrows drew together in confusion, and despite the tears and the fear and the wrongness of this situation, I felt a spark of warmth at her expression. "What kind of name is Runt? You don't look like a runt to me."
I smiled. "It's a motorcycle club thing. I joined the club when I was young. At that time, I was the smallest of the gorillas in my club, so they named me Runt. Now, it's not exactly a term of endearment."
Something fierce flashed in her amber eyes. "That's horrible. You're..." She gestured at me, seeming to search for words. "You're magnificent."
The compliment sent warmth flooding through my chest and my cock, which I had no idea could be this painfully hard. I took a breath and forcefully blew it out.
"Are you alright?" Kai asked, looking into my eyes.
I wasn't sure what to say. I've had sex before—you weren't a member of a motorcycle club and didn't have sex with all the club pussy hanging around.
Shit, when I was sixteen, the President at the time loudly announced he would pay any of the ladies to break my virginity.
To my embarrassment, one took him up on it.
Afterwards, to embarrass me more, the guys threw a massive party.
That was the one and only time anything had been in my honor.
"I'm good," I lied.
"Is it your penis?" Kai asked with a straight face. "I mean, it's not a secret. I'm sitting on it." She smiled, wiggling her hips. "Lucky me."
I closed my eyes. She had no idea I was a thread away from jumping down and taking her on the bed below. But there were more important things to focus on. "Girl, do that again and you and I are on that bed," I warned her.
My Kai giggled. Actually giggled.
And I learned I could get harder.
"Kai," I swallowed again. "Back to what you said about being bound to a psycho. What do you mean? And why are you up here?"
Her eyes clouded over, and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "I'm up here because the heat rises. He keeps this tent cold to control me."
"Who's he?" I knew the answer, but I also needed to hear her say it.
"Mortis."
"Tell me more."
"As I said, I'm a phoenix, but not any phoenix. I was hatched in the royal nest. My parents were the king and queen of our venture. I'm the last of my nest. Mortis killed everyone, all of my family. My sister and my brothers. They're all gone."
I pulled her close and let her cry. "Kai, I'm so sorry."
Quietly in my arms, she continued. "Mortis has me magically bound to him. I can't leave. Can't escape."
"Just so I can understand, why did he kill everyone? And why did he bind you?"
"To use me."
Rage exploded in my chest, hot and violent. My gorilla roared inside my head, but I held it together, not wanting Kai to feel any of this was her fault. "What do you mean he uses you?"
I asked, prepared for the answer. If Kai told me what I thought she was going to tell me, I would kill Mortis. No matter what, if he forced himself on my mate, he was dead.
Kai looked up at me, shame and pain warring on her beautiful face. "He makes me burn."
My arm muscles tightened, and I bit the inside of my cheek to try and control my tone from being too angry. I asked, "You mean he burns you?"
"No, he doesn't." Kai moved, which brought all of my focus straight to my dick. "Phoenixes need to have a regeneration cycle. Do you understand what I mean?"
I shook my head no.