Page 29 of Jace's Mate

Instinct screamed at her to back away.She did, taking half a step back before she caught herself.Straightening her spine, Anikka lifted her chin andglared.

Let him look.

And hedid.He didn’t blink.His nostrils flared.His whole body tensed.

A bead of sweat slid down her back.She suddenly realized how disheveled she must look—damp, wild-haired, wearing that hideous dress that clung in all the wrong places.She’d torn it somewhere along the run, hadn’t she?

But the man was still staring.And with every step he took toward her, the scent grew stronger, curling into her lungs, threading through her blood.

She wanted to stop breathing it in.Shecouldn’t.

He smelled like—

Not rosemary.

Like something ancient.Wild.Meantfor her.

The space between them vanished.He was less than a foot away now, and she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.

Her body whispered things she didn’t understand.Submit.Bow.Expose.

But no.She wasn’t going to roll over for anyone.Ever.

“Who are you?”she demanded, voice sharp, refusing to be overwhelmed—no matter how delicious he smelled.

Chapter 8

Jacestaredattheshe-wolf, stunned.

Her.

It washer—the source of that maddening scent that had haunted him for days, slipping through the wind and driving his wolf insane.He’d torn apart half of Baltimore hunting for her trail, and now, here she was, standing in front of him like some impossible gift.

“I’m Jace,” he said, his voice rougher than usual, the sound rumbling with the weight of his wolf barely contained.“And you’re my mate.”

She blinked, stunned.

Good.Because he sure as hell was.

Her scent flooded his lungs, sharp and sweet and maddening.His inner wolf howled with primal satisfaction, already pushing to mark her,claim her, sink his teeth into her neck and seal the bond.Every instinct screamed for him to pull her close, to never let go.

He didn’t move.Not yet.

His betas lingered nearby, watchful but silent.They knew better than to interfere.

And then—she opened her mouth.

“I amnot,” she snapped, lifting her chin like she could glare the truth into something else.

Jace almost laughed.Almost.He could hear her heartbeat pounding, smell the heat of her blood, feel the pulse of her need crackling between them.She might not understand it, but her body knew.His wolf knew.They were already calling to each other in the oldest language there was.

She washis.

And he wasn’t letting her go.

“I’m Jace,” he said again, softer this time.He extended his hand.

She hesitated.Long enough for his pulse to thunder once.Twice.Then her hand lifted, trembling slightly, and settled into his.