Chapter 21 #2
He’ll eat our pets.
Shifters are nothing but beasts.
Why were people so cruel?
Just when I couldn’t stomach any more, I noticed an article from the Sun Times in Florida written about a man in a bar who swore on a Bible that Steven, the Beast, Masters had tried to kill and eat him.
Wait a minute.
The guy looked familiar.
“Hold on. Is this the guy from the bar the other night?” I shoved the phone into his face.
“Yeah, that’s him.”
“Please tell me you didn’t kill him.”
For once, he didn’t come back with a quick answer.
“Some people say we’re prone to violence because we’re dangerous predators.
Given I have a temper like my brother, I could see where people would be concerned, but I assure you that the man in that article walked out happy and healthy.
Other than what I did to his hand. And I’d do it again if it meant protecting you from a lecherous asshole.
If you need to hate me for that, I won’t blame you. ”
I shut down Instagram, closing my eyes. “I don’t hate you, Danny.
I mean Steven. I just don’t know what to think.
My entire life I’ve hidden behind what I thought I needed to do and I just…
I didn’t like being surprised by my father.
But I assure you, I don’t think like him about shifters.
I just don’t know what to believe any longer. ”
“Understood.”
The hum of the engine lulled me into a quiet moment.
“Why don’t we stop for the night? I’m sure you’re tired.” Maybe there was a little hopeful tone in his voice.
There was a huge part of me that knew the man sitting next to me was no different than the guy I’d met who’d just run over my flowers.
“I didn’t ask if you were too drunk to drive. That was terrible of me.”
He tossed me a little look. “It takes a lot of alcohol to get me drunk. Wolves have a high metabolism. It can happen, which was the reason for the beer bong.”
“Mmmm… Tell me about your other special attributes.”
“Do you really want to hear them?”
“I do.”
“Well, I can run twice as fast as humans. I guess I can bench-press a hell of a lot of weight, although according to my coach, I’m not spending enough time in the gym.
I can jump pretty high. I can see in the dark.
You were right. We were being watched in those woods, but I wouldn’t have allowed a single creature to hurt you.
My hearing is much keener as well. I could hear a conversation from across a loud party if I concentrated on doing so. ”
“And you can read minds.” Yawning, I folded my arms to keep warm, the tension starting to ease.
“Not normally.”
“Mmm… What did you say?” My head was fuzzy and with the engine rumbling, a soft wave of electricity was coursing through me. I was very comfortable in his seat.
“I said not normally. With reading minds, I mean.”
Another yawn and I finally covered my mouth. “What does that… mean? You can read mine. Right?”
Steven chuckled under his breath. “Yeah, I seem to be able to.”
“For the same… reason that we’re so… connected?” I blinked several times, trying to focus. Why was I so tired?
“You mean sexually?”
I managed to turn my head toward him, thankful I was still able to admire his good looks. “Yes.”
“We have a connection.”
“Is there a special reason?” I closed my eyes once again, trying to concentrate on what he was saying.
“Yeah, there is.”
“Mmm… K.”
“You’re not going to like it.”
“K.”
He grumbled under his breath and when he answered, his voice was little more than a soft, husky whisper kissing my skin just like he’d done before with his mouth and tongue, and his…
“Because we’re mates.”
* * *
“Because,” he muttered as he pressed his lips against my neck. When I felt a sharpness, I moaned. A wild mixture of sensations skittered down to my toes. I was wet and hot, reaching out for him. Where had he gone? “We’re mates.”
“Mates,” I mumbled and when I couldn’t feel anything as I reached out, I stirred, shifting so I could find a way of touching him. There was nothing there. Nothing but…
Jerking up, I gasped for air, blinking several times. What the hell?
Light was streaming in through the windows, so bright I winced. What had he told me? “Danny? I mean… Steven? Are you there?”
Hearing nothing but a slight hum, I took a few deep breaths. It took several seconds to realize not only that he wasn’t in the room, but that I was in my bedroom. Whoa. The fear of God tore through me and I shifted again, trying to understand not only what I was seeing, but also what had happened.
Dinner.
My parents.
My sister and her… fiancé.
“I’m a wolf.” It was as if Steven’s words echoed in my ears, but even though I blinked several additional times, I couldn’t see him or anyone in my room.
My bedroom.
I fell back against the pillows, taking more deep breaths. Was I losing my mind? It was entirely possible. How did I get here? What did I remember last? Steven was driving. I’d insisted he take me home. Here I was lying in my bed. In my room.
In my house.
My things were recognizable, including my purple comforter, which I tugged at until I pulled it over me. Oh, God. What was I wearing? I yanked down the covers to find I was still in the dress I’d been wearing the night before.
When I moved again, I also realized that I wasn’t wearing my panties. Oh, Lord. He hadn’t given them back to me. Oh, this wasn’t good. This was really bad.
Had he driven me home? Evidently so, but I didn’t remember walking in through the door or getting into bed. I dragged the covers over my head, turning on my side as the memories of the horrible night slithered front and center into my mind.
And what I’d learned.
In front of my parents.
A wolf. A shifter. How was that even possible?
Wait. Hold on.
Now I tossed the covers down, swinging my legs off the side of the bed. My head. My head was killing me. Too many shots of tequila followed by wine at dinner. Not a good combination for me.
After three tries I stumbled out of bed, still trying to put all the pieces together.
Had Steven told me I was his mate? If so, how was that even possible? When I laughed at the thought, my head hurt even worse.
I needed Tylenol. Reaching out, I used the nightstand to steady myself. What did I find?
Two Tylenol and a bottle of water.
I certainly hadn’t left them there.
Steven.
Maybe he was still here.
After popping the pills, I headed into the bathroom, glaring at my reflection in the shadows. Oh, I looked wild as could be. “Not a good look for you, bad bunny.” I giggled from making the silly statement. That was his nickname for me. It was cute.
But I wasn’t interested in having a relationship with him. How could I? He was a shifter and I was…
Human.
After splashing water in my face, I struggled but managed to yank off my dress, sliding into my comfy robe. I wasn’t certain if I wanted to find him sleeping on my couch or that he’d left.
But I did have questions that only he could answer, including what he’d meant about me being his mate.
No one would ever say I was an expert on shifters since up until last night, I’d done everything in my power to suggest they didn’t exist, but this was…
No. I wasn’t going to fall down the rabbit hole at this point.
With tentative steps, I headed into the living room.
I’d be damned if I wasn’t disappointed that he wasn’t there. I stood in the doorway, studying the room and feeling the heavy hit of silence. I’d liked being with him.
Who was I kidding? I’d hungered for him in a way that wasn’t like me.
And certainly shouldn’t be something I hungered to occur again, but I was.
No. I couldn’t think that way. What we’d shared was over. I wasn’t the girl for him. And he certainly couldn’t be my Prince Charming.
Coffee.
Coffee would make everything clearer in my mind. Then I could figure out what was real and what I’d conjured up in my mind.
With my legs aching and my heart heavy, I made it into the kitchen and to the coffeemaker. Every action perfunctory, I managed to start a full pot. I’d need at least three cups this morning to even begin to think clearly.
As I waited for the coffee to brew, I thought about how I needed a drip line for the caffeine to hit my system. That was the only way I’d be able to work through the muck in my head.
I stood at the window, staring out at my front lawn. With the sunlight streaming in, it would seem I was also hallucinating. Laughing, I rubbed my eyes, blinked several times and peered out again.
Flowers.
There appeared to be flowers everywhere.
Whoa. Hold on. That wasn’t possible.
I rushed at least as much as my legs would allow to the front door, finding it locked. He’d ensured I’d been safe before leaving.
He had said he’d protect me.
As soon as I opened the door, my senses were assaulted.
I took cautious steps onto the front porch. Not only had he replanted flowers in the exact spot where he’d run them over with his car, he’d also formed three more incredible and very large beds and they were filled with flowering shrubs and the most colorful flowers I’d ever seen in my life.
That wasn’t all. He’d continued a planting bed along the driveway leading to the house. Two more beds filled a void next to the porch.
And there were three more pots on the porch itself.
In the middle of the night, Steven, a star hockey player and shifter, had planted all the beautiful foliage as a way of apologizing.
How incredible.
But if he thought he could buy me, he was wrong.
Yet as I sat down on the step, I was forced to face the fact I missed him.
The man who’d lied to me.
The only man who’d made me happy.
And he wasn’t even human.