Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
If I valued my life, I would never divulge to the Alpha that Hayden was my other mate. Did Torin suspect I was bonded to Hayden somehow?
I tried everything in the car to distract stubborn Torin from his unwanted curiosity about the nature of my relationship with Hayden. When he parked, I flew out of the seat, dashed to the library's stairwell, and climbed two steps at a time.
As Torin effortlessly caught up to me, it became clear there was no getting rid of him.
“We have more important things to talk about.” My high-pitched voice echoed in the otherwise quiet stairwell. “We need to open the book, for starters.”
Torin's hot breath tickled my neck, and a shiver ran down my spine.
I tilted my head and groaned at the three floors left to climb. The initial annoyance at Torin butting into my business fused with exhaustion in my veins—not a good combo.
Jittery sensations filled my stomach, the first signs of my hot temper flaring. Just as much as I triggered Torin, he did the same to me. He had no right to ask the question or be agitated when I chose not to answer.
“You shouldn’t be here, Torin,” I said, and small beads of sweat formed on my forehead.
I pushed open the heavy door to the tenth floor and stomped inside the hallway, walking toward the massive bookshelves and avoiding the confinement of my office.
“That’s enough of evading my question, Princess,” Torin whispered in my ear and grasped my hand.
He pulled me between two metal shelves with overflowing books and placed his hands on each side of my head, his inferno eyes glued to mine.
Torin was a match away from lighting this place on fire and vamping out on me. His massive body trapped me, and the hurt, humiliation, and hopelessness from so many years ago resurfaced.
But this time, there was a mixture of other emotions I couldn’t hide anymore. I was like a bomb of anger, bitterness, and resentment that was about to explode in the vampire Alpha’s face.
And I wasn’t going to feel any regret for the consequences.
THREE YEARS AGO--brEANNA 22, HAYDEN 27, LONDON
My bodyguard had texted me five days ago about his visit to London for the first time since I’d left the werewolf kingdom.
He’d stayed behind, helped Dad train the warriors, and protected the kingdom from our enemies. The King trusted him with my life and thought it was good for Hayden to check on me in London.
I wanted to see Hayden, but at the same time, I didn’t. After all, he was supernatural and part of the world I so desperately tried to avoid.
I tipped my shot glass, and the liquid burned my throat.
The nightclub Tammy chose for tonight to celebrate our college graduation and my new job at the library was not exactly how I thought the evening would go. I’d imagined more of a movie and popcorn, fuzzy socks, and hot cocoa while lounging on my couch kind of night.
My two friends didn’t know what I truly celebrated tonight—four years without having major drama with supernaturals, without having to protect myself from supernatural enemies, without supernatural bullies.
I’d have toasted to that, but Tammy didn’t know about the supernatural existence.
Plus, Hayden was here with us tonight. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings or make him feel unwelcome.
He’d saved and supported me on so many occasions that I’d developed a sense of duty to him.
It felt like I owed him something in return for risking his life for me since I was a teenager.
I mentally patted myself on the back for living the life of a human, going to work, catching the bus, grocery shopping, and all the other trivial things I didn’t do in the werewolf kingdom.
Hayden grasped my hand and pried the shot glass from my fingers. I protested, but he only smiled at me.
His blond hair had grown slightly longer than I remembered, and a few strands fell over his forehead. I leaned in and ran my fingers through it. “I wonder what you’ll look like with spiky hair.”
Hayden’s chuckle was lost in the loud music in the club, but when his chest shook, I realized my other hand had somehow landed on it. Underneath my fingertips, his heart pounded hard.
I pulled my hand to my side.
“I’m not drunk. I’m tipsy,” I said, standing from the barstool a bit too fast.
Little dots of lights appeared in my vision.
“Whoa,” I said and leaned into Hayden.
“Let’s go burn off the alcohol with some dancing. Your friend is there.” Hayden pointed to the dance floor where Tammy was rubbing herself on a dude who barely kept his hands to himself.
I grinned at her, and she gave me a thumbs-up. The black dress I’d borrowed from her was too tight around my breasts, and I constantly pulled it away from digging into my flesh.
Tammy thought I needed to let loose. When I reluctantly agreed to go out with her and Hayden, it was only to avoid being alone. Even with Tammy’s friendship, that feeling of something missing in my life didn’t want to go away.
At first, I thought it was friendship since I had no friends while living in the kingdom. But I still felt the same feeling now—a hollowness in my chest as if my heart were missing, a void I couldn’t fill.
Hayden led me among the dancing bodies and leaned in. “Relax, Princess.”
He eased himself behind me and traced up my bare arms with his fingertips, leaving trails of goose bumps and tiny shivers.
His proximity was a constant, but this gentle exploration was new territory.
I was used to his presence but not his tender caress.
My body hummed eagerly for his touch, reminding me of how starved I was for intimacy.
I’d never had a man embrace me with hot desire and longing.
A man who could make me think only about him with just a touch.
I wanted to be burned like that, feel scorching desire, and shudder in someone’s arms.
I leaned back against Hayden’s solid chest with a sigh of contentment and let my body soften against his hard muscles.
His fingertips touched the exposed skin on my shoulders and neck, caressing each curve. I liked this new feeling so much that I ignored the fact that he was my bodyguard. I couldn’t remember why I had denied myself simple human pleasures.
The song switched to something more upbeat, and everyone moved faster around us, but Hayden and I barely swayed.
I should have been celebrating tonight, but I couldn’t get rid of the gaping hole in my heart.
It was like an abyss filled with an unlimited supply of pain.
I wanted to feel anything but that. On some days, I numbed the pain into oblivion; on others, the pain won over my heart, making it ache and cloud my thoughts with darkness.
I wasn’t in love with my bodyguard, but I liked him and felt close to him after spending most of my teenage years with him by my side. I was used to him, and he was safe.
Somehow, he’d found his way under my skin without my notice until now. His jaw was sharper than before, his sky-blue eyes were brighter, and his charming smile was broader. He was a handsome man used to receiving the attention of the women in the kingdom.
I liked that he never pretended to be anything more than what he was.
He loved teasing me and getting a rise out of me because, he said, he loved watching every emotion written on my face. Hayden could tame my hot temper with his upbeat mood and silliness, getting me to laugh on most days. Back in the werewolf kingdom, Hayden had made my days brighter.
I twisted in his embrace and tilted my head back to look at him. I thought of kissing my bodyguard, and I couldn’t shake off the urge. Hayden must have read my resolve. His eyes softened, and he leaned in. I trembled in his arms.
I’d never kissed anyone else other than the beaten-up boy I found and saved in the forest when I was nine. Not because I didn’t have the opportunity but because I didn’t want anyone else besides the man who had already rejected me two years ago.
Until now.
Hayden cupped my head with gentle, giant hands and stared at me for a long moment, our faces only inches apart. His fingers moved to trace the softness of my lower lip.
He gave me time to process my actions. His patience with me was the same he displayed during training. He said patience and time would win any battle. Was this his way of winning me over?
I didn’t want him to stop or wait for me. I wanted him now. I wanted him to kiss away my doubts and fears.
I lifted onto my toes, and our lips met in a hot kiss, awakening a wild need in me I’d suppressed for years. I longed to experience passion and pleasure.
As his lips worked mine, he erased my loneliness. His mouth on me was tender, but his embrace was sure as if he’d waited his whole life to do this with me and had only one chance.
Hayden’s kiss turned greedy for more, leading me to one conclusion. He wanted me as much as I wanted him. He trailed small kisses down my neck, his mouth setting each cell on fire. My eyes fluttered shut, my head buzzing from several shots of alcohol. I was tipsy enough to let go of my inhibitions.
Hayden suddenly pulled away from me, and my eyes snapped open.
“Do you want me to drive you home?”
My mouth yearned to taste him again, and I was ready to take this step forward with him.
“Yes,” I said softly, knowing that even Hayden could hear my pounding heart over the thumping music in the club.
We said goodbye to Tammy and asked her if she needed a ride, but she only pointed to her newly found date and waved at us with too much enthusiasm.
I wanted her to have fun, and I wasn’t worried about her so much since she hadn’t had any drinks.
One of us always stayed sober when we went out, even though it wasn’t that often.
In the car, I crossed and uncrossed my legs until Hayden reached out from the driver’s seat and rested his hand on my upper thigh.