Chapter 5
Salem
I leave without her for the last time.
I tried to get her to come with me of her own free will.
I even held her hand gently, like I’ve seen Bane do with Saylor and Shadow do with Laurel.
I’ve watched how they treat their mates, so I know what Peach will need from me.
But she still isn’t ready to dive in deep with me.
Does she not think I’ll make a good mate?
I can provide for her and give her everything she needs.
Anything.
I know she has strong magic, but I don’t care what it is. Even if she didn’t have any magic, I have enough for both of us.
All I need is her.
I’m fucking obsessed.
When I get home, I set up the wards around my house. No one is going to get in here without my permission. Or out, including my brothers. I need some forced proximity until she falls in love with me. Until she doesn’t want to leave.
I’m whistling to myself as I finish getting everything ready. I’ve never lived with a woman before, aside from Saylor when we were younger, and I know they can be a little difficult at times.
Emotional.
Moody.
At least my sister was.
But I’m ready for all of that.
Peach can throw whatever she wants at me.
I’m not going anywhere.
* * *
The next day, I show up at the bakery before closing.
“Salem,” she says, eyes widening in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Just came to check on my mate.” I shrug, and she grins, picking up a box next to the register and handing it to me. “I was going to take this home in case you dropped by tonight.”
She’s been thinking about me?
“What is it?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
“Have a look.”
I take the box from her, sparks shooting up my hand when our fingers touch. When I open the lid, I see the four strawberry cheesecakes, and my mouth waters. “My favorite.”
“I noticed.” She smirks.
I decide to give her one last chance. “Will you come to my house tonight? I’ll make you dinner.”
She frowns, then shakes her head. Sadness flickers in her emerald eyes. “I’m sorry, Salem. I can’t. It will be too hard to—”
“To what?”
She sighs, her shoulders hunching. “To stay away from you.”
“Exactly the point,” I murmur, narrowing my eyes. “We’re mates, Peach. I want to bond with you.”
She shakes her head frantically, which gives me my answer. I nod my head slowly, and then take out a slice of cake and eat it slowly, while she watches my every move.
And when I’m done, I kidnap my mate.
* * *
“Are you insane?” she yells, pulling on the chains around her ankle.
They can’t be removed by any magic, which is essential because I don’t know what she can do yet.
I’ve cuffed her to my bed, but the chain is long enough that she can go to the bathroom when she needs to.
There’s plenty of space. She’s basically not a prisoner but a guest. I’m sitting on the edge of the bed, while she stands in front of me.
Her hands and face are expressive in her anger, and I’m trying not to grin.
I don’t care how angry she is. She’s angry in our home, where she belongs.
I zipped her here before she even realized what I had done and snapped on the chains that I know she will never be able to get out of.
“The academy thinks so,” I reply calmly.
I always thought she was beautiful, but Peach angry? Fucking stunning.
She’s been screaming at me and stomping her little feet for the last twenty minutes.
Maybe if she learns how hard it gets me, she might stop.
She is now sitting on the bed with her head in her hands. I don’t like seeing that. She should always have her head held high. “What about tomorrow when I have to go to work?”
Stretching my neck from side to side, I think about what I want to do. “Can you close it for a few days?”
“No,” she snaps.
“Okay, then I guess I’ll be coming with you. I can be your security guard.” I shrug.
I don’t have anything better to do than be with her, unless one of my siblings needs me, which could happen. We’re a close pack and kind of in each other’s business.
“No, you can’t just hang around and scare off all my customers!
” She groans, covering her face with her hands, then she stills and peeks through her fingers.
“Wait a minute, are you the reason that Irving had a black eye? He was suddenly too scared to even look at me after he’d been flirting…
” She trails off, and my eyes narrow to slits.
“Please continue. Tell me how that fucking merman was flirting with you.” I’ll track him down and kill him when he least suspects it.
“So it was you! How else would you know he was a merman! You are crazy! The rumors about you are true.” She crosses her arms over her chest, but all it does is draw attention to her perky tits.
“That fucker needs to go back into the ocean where he belongs,” I growl in a low voice, cracking my knuckles one by one. “You’re mine, no one gets to look at you, flirt with you, and definitely not touch you.”
She shows me her bare wrists where the gold mating band will be when we bond. “I’m a single female, Salem. I don’t see any bands around my wrists.”
I slowly start to see red. “They’ll be there soon enough, little one, don’t you worry,” I reply, my jaw tight.
The thought of her with another male makes me want to kill someone. I want to say I can try to rein in my violence for her, but when it comes to other men and her, I don’t think I could let them go unpunished for touching or wanting what is mine.
“How many males have you slept with?” I ask her through clenched teeth.
She throws her hands in the air. “I’m not answering that. How many females have you been with? The ones who chose you must have been real adrenaline seekers, wanting to live life on the edge. I want a peaceful life, and I’m not trading that for your brand of chaos.”
“No chaos if you don’t let anyone with a dick near you,” I growl.
She’s hiding something, I don’t know what.
I know that I intimidate people, so even when she starts to pace, with the chain clinking behind her, I remain seated so I’m not towering over her.
I’ve never tried to make myself smaller for anyone before and haven’t even thought of it.
But I want her to feel safe. And she is.
Safer than anyone else out there. I might be a monster, but I’m her monster.
“And what if I like pussy?” she surprised me by blurting out.
I can’t help but laugh. “There will be none of that for you either, sweetheart. Plus, I don’t think the fates would be so cruel to give you to me if you didn’t like giant cock.”
“Giant,” she mouths, pursing her lips. “And just how many have seen this giant cock?”
I tilt my head to the side and study her. “I could kill them all, if you like.”
“Oh my fates!” she screams, shaking her head. “You are impossible, you know that? My brother is going to be looking for me. And if I’m not at work tomorrow, so will the whole Shifter Kingdom.”
“I’ll deal with your brother.”
“If you hurt him…” she pauses, “… again. I will never talk to you again, Salem. I mean it. He’s not perfect, but he’s the only family I have left. He’s my pack.”
“I’m your pack now,” I vow, reaching out and touching her hand. “Have you finished yelling at me? Because I’m going to get us something to eat, and then I thought we could shift and go for a run together.”
I don’t know how to cook many things. I pretty much live off steak, so I can make her one of those with a salad. I have a vegetable garden in the backyard, one that Saylor planted and has grown wild.
“I’m done for now,” she replies curtly, tapping her foot. “And I am hungry. What are we having?”
“Steak?”
She grins. “Yeah, that sounds good. And then we can go for a run.”
“Don’t think about trying to run away when we shift. My wolf will like it,” I warn with a grin. “Now sit back here and relax while I get everything ready.”
I head into the kitchen. “Salem, don’t you leave me here.”
Technically, I could let her go. I don’t think she could break through my wards. But right now, I only need a few minutes of silence to think while I prepare food to feed my woman.
* * *
“The food is delicious,” she praises, chewing thoughtfully. Her plate is almost empty, and I gave her the same-size serving as mine. I swell with pride at providing for her and seeing her eat food I made with my own hands.
“Good,” I rasp, watching her every move.
Once we’re both done, I clean up and then carry her back to my room, snapping the chains back on her. She doesn’t even fight this time. Instead, she studies me so intensely, her brow furrows.
“I can’t do this with you, Salem. I’m sorry,” she says, running her fingers through her long red hair. “I’m not like you. I’ve never hurt a person in my life. I don’t even kill bugs. And you? You’re an assassin.”
“I was,” I admit, stretching my legs out in front of me. “They kicked me out of the academy…” I pause. “I was a little too good for my job.”
She stops her pacing and turns to face me. “You were too good at killing?”
I nod. There’s no point in lying to her. I am who I am, and I’m not going to change. I don’t expect her to change, either.
“You’re a killer,” she mutters.
“Opposites attract,” I fire back. “You’re gentle, and I can protect that. Nothing will touch you, Peach. Ever.”
“I don’t need protection,” she replies, but her eyes have softened. They are the prettiest shade of green I’ve ever seen, and I could look at them all day. They’re just like the stone in the ring I gave her.
“Everyone needs protection, especially the innocent.”
“My brother was innocent,” she fires back, scowling at me. Her hands go on her hips, and it’s fucking cute.
“Your brother is a pain in the ass who hangs out at a strip club.”
Her mouth opens and closes. “He says he likes the chicken wings there.”
My lip twitches. “I’m far from perfect, Peach, but I’m yours.”
She puffs out a sigh and lies back on the bed.
I wonder how she’s going to react when she finds out I’ll be sleeping next to her.