Page 19

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

RIVER

R iver had slowly chewed two small pieces of meat and mushed the rest of the food around her plate to make it at least look like she'd eaten. She'd managed two dry rolls and a large glass of cola, but that was it. She hoped it was enough to keep Titan's suspicions at bay for the moment.

"So, what now?" she asked. "Are we going to watch a movie together, continuing this charade, or what?"

Titan's eyes flashed, and he slammed his fist on the table. "Can't you just try?"

She narrowed her eyes. "No."

"Why? You tried with them."

"They didn't kidnap me."

"Ares all but kidnapped you. He hunted you down and found you at your exhibit and forced you to go with him to his hotel."

"Where I was free to leave whenever I wanted." With a bodyguard, of course, but she didn't mention that part. "You can't be comparing what happened with Ares and me with what happened with you."

Titan shook his head. "I don't understand. You are bonded to me."

"No, I rejected you."

His eyes narrowed and then widened. "But I haven't rejected you."

The words hung in the air between them. A cold chill shivered down River's body. That was it. She'd rejected him, but he hadn't rejected her. It was why he was still determined to have her, but she had little to no feelings for him at all.

The wheels turned in his head. Wheels trying to figure out how to undo what River had done.

Wheels trying to decide if he bit her again, if it would change anything.

Wheels that churned over the idea of how a fated mate could do what she did with no repercussions.

Wheels she did not want churning at all.

River scraped her chair back and stood. "I'm tired. I'd like to go back to my cell now."

Titan growled. "The sun just went down."

"Yes, but-" River stopped. Out of the large picture window, blues, purples, and greens danced across the sky. She blinked, trying to process what she was seeing. Blues, purples, and greens? And they weren't static, they were… moving.

She took a step toward the window. "Are those… the Northern Lights?"

Titan glanced at them and back at her distractedly. "Yes, you can see them sometimes when the night is clear. River, I wish you would stop calling your apartment a cell. I-"

"I had no clue you could see the Northern Lights here."

Titan waved his hands and growled again. "It's not common, but it's been known to happen every once in a while, in Montreal."

River's gaze snapped to Titan. Montreal?

His eyes widened and then turned black. His nails lengthened as did his fangs. Quick as a blink, he was in front of her.

He grabbed her arms. "You tricked me."

River's heart slammed into her ribs. "No, I didn't."

"You've been playing me this whole time. Waiting for me to slip up. Trying to find a way to get information from me."

Her mind raced, and her wolf snarled but was unable to do more.

Venom wafted off Titan as his nails dug into her arms, pinching her skin. His wild black eyes bored into her the way he had the night he'd bitten her, sending a trickle of fear through her.

She couldn't back down. She needed to stay in control.

"Let go of me," she said.

His nails dug deeper, and the scent of blood hit her nose. Her stomach roiled, and she forced herself not to throw up.

"Let go of me, or I'll make you let go."

A snarl curled Titan's lip, and he shoved her into the wall. Her head bounced against it, forcing her to struggle against another wave of nausea.

He leaned in. "You are mine. I am Alpha. You do what I say."

She had to leave before she puked all over his fancy suit. River did the only thing she could think of. She gripped Titan's balls and squeezed.

His eyes widened, and he bared his teeth. When she squeezed tighter, she tried not to notice his length hardening against her forearm.

Neither moved for several seconds, and then River squeezed. Not hard enough to cause incapacitating pain, but enough to let him know she was serious. Again, his arousal grew against her wrist.

"Do that again, it feels good, Princess."

She wondered if she'd made a fatal mistake, but then twisted her wrist, and his grip slackened on her arms slightly.

"Let. Go."

He growled, but his eyes went from black to blue and then flickered back.

She leveled her gaze on him and twisted further.

He hissed and his nails retracted, leaving only blunt fingers gripping her arms. She waited until his fangs shortened before speaking.

"You, don't touch me. You don't ever touch me. If you touch me again without my permission, I will rip your balls off and shove them down your throat. Do you understand?"

Titan didn't move.

She squeezed tighter, and he gritted his teeth.

"Do. You. Understand?"

"Yes," Titan croaked.

"Yes, what?"

The strain on his face and the pulsing tendon in his neck told her she was pushing her luck, but she refused to back down. If she did, he'd think he'd bested her. And if that happened, who knew what he would do?

"Yes, my Luna," he ground out.

She waited a moment longer, and he let go of her arms. She took a breath and then released him.

Any human male would have doubled over in pain from what she'd done, but Titan didn't move a muscle.

Tension crackled in the air like lightning, and she wasn't sure what he would do next.

Finally, he turned and strode from the room without a word.

Several moments later, a door banged open and then slammed shut.

Afterward, a roar sounded from the backyard.

It turned into a howl and then disappeared in the distance.

The door to the kitchen swung inward, and Kane burst in. He took in the dining room, and then his gaze landed on her.

"What did you do?"

"I'm ready to go back to my cell."

He stared at her intently and then sniffed the air; his eyes drifted to her arm. Blood trickled down her arm where Titan had gripped her. And because of the blockers, she wasn't healing immediately. Even as the wounds burned and stuck to her sweater, she ignored them to focus on Kane.

He didn't move.

"Or you could let me go," she said. "It's what you want, isn't it? To get me out of here? Now's your opportunity. He's gone. He probably hates me. You can see he already injured me. Let me leave. Then you can have him back all to yourself."

Kane prowled toward her, his eyes hard, calculating.

"I would love nothing more than to kick your pampered ass out of this house and out of his life.

Unfortunately, if I did, he would do something reckless and stupid to try to bring you back, getting all of us killed, including himself.

And I care for him more than I hate you. "

She detested admitting it, but she understood Kane's feelings. They were the same feelings she had for her sister. She loved Bianca even more than she hated Titan. And if she were in Kane's position, she would do the same thing to save Bianca.

"Let's go."

River didn't move as she tried to find something to say.

"Don't make me pick you up," he threatened.

"Put your hands on me," she said. "And you'll find out why your master bolted out of this house so fast."

"Try anything with me and you'll find out just what I did to receive the scar I have."

River bared her teeth, and Kane pointed to the door, unfazed.

"I'm going to kill you one day," she said.

Kane leaned into her and bared his teeth. "Not if I kill you first."

* * *

TITAN

Titan stopped a mile from the house and forced himself back into human form. His wolf howled in anger, but Titan pushed him away. He couldn't believe it. He'd done it again. He'd lost it, and he'd almost hurt River… again.

No. He had hurt River. Titan looked down at his hands. Small flecks of her blood tinged his fingertips.

Mine. Take. Submit.

Now she'll never trust us.

Take.

Titan turned and slammed his fist into a tree, splitting the skin open. Blood trickled down his hand, mingling with beads of sweat.

NO! No take. No submit asshole!

His wolf snapped his jaws and roared to be freed.

Titan battled his wolf. Trying the techniques he'd taught himself to stave off the shift.

Memories bombarded him. Times of running with Kane. Killing. Fighting. Screwing anyone he wanted.

But not her. Why not her? He'd bitten her, claimed her almost four and a half years ago.

He'd fought to change, fought to become stronger.

To prove what he could offer her. To make penance and have her see him for who he was meant to be- King of the Lycans.

Yet still he wasn't good enough. His work wasn't good enough.

He went against every instinct of his nature to be better for her.

To win her. But it hadn't worked. None of it had worked.

Even now, with his giving her everything he possessed, she didn't want it. Didn't want him.

His anger shifted. He thought, with enough time away from his bastard half-brothers, she would feel the bond he'd started with her, and she would return to it. Embrace it even. But that would never happen. Not as long as Ares and Apollo lived.

Steps crunched up behind him, and he sniffed the air.

"What?" he asked without turning.

Bones crunched as Kane shifted to human form. "Are you okay?"

"Just fine."

Kane didn't say anything. Finally, Titan turned over his shoulder and glared at him.

"I took your mate to her room."

Titan nodded.

"We have a drop-off tonight. If you aren't up to going-"

"I said, I'm fine," Titan growled.

Kane stared at him.

"What?"

"We have an hour, want to hunt?"

Yes. Hunt. Kill.

Titan shifted before he even realized it. He hadn't hunted in almost four years. He'd sworn off hunting moments after she'd rejected him. But now he wanted to hunt more than anything. To hunt and to kill.

And what he wanted to hunt most of all were Apollo and Ares.