Page 30

JACKSON

The wind carries the scent of horses across our newly-merged ranch as Shiloh works with Eclipse in the round pen. Two thousand pounds of lethal black muscle that killed its last handler now yields to her quiet commands, his massive head dropping in submission.

Through the office window, I watch her demonstrate his transformation to the independent evaluator who’ll set his starting price for tomorrow’s auction. Our first major sale since combining operations, with thirty of our most valuable horses cataloged. Her expertise with dangerous stock combined with my business connections has already drawn interest from buyers across three states.

She’s magnificent—full of quiet power and confidence. The preliminary designs for her envisioned training complex lay on my desk, the first step in transforming our property into something greater than either of us built alone. When she catches my eye through the window, that private smile curves her lips. Mine. The word still thrums through my blood, but now it carries the weight of choice. Of partnership.

Lucas Caldwell’s Mercedes stops beside Morgan Drake’s battered truck in the parking area, the contrast as deliberate as everything else he orchestrates. Now Lucas watches Morgan through his tinted windows with an expression I know too well–that cold hunger that transforms everything it touches into prey. Six years ago, I wore the same expression watching Shiloh.

“Imagine Xavier Caldwell’s face,” Lucas says as he settles into one of my office chairs without invitation. “When his son marries a working rancher instead of the oil heiress he picked out.” His casual tone doesn’t match the predatory tension in his frame. “A Drake, no less. Someone who actually gets her hands dirty.”

His later grandfather’s ultimatum gives him six months to secure his position, but he’s choosing Morgan specifically to wound his father. The same way I once chose my targets, learning their patterns, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Lucas studies Morgan through the window. She’s watching Shiloh train, her spine straight despite the shadows under her eyes.

Recognition burns through me. I know that particular darkness—the need to possess warped by deeper wounds. But where I learned to channel my hunger into partnership, Lucas’ expression holds nothing but the need to break what defies him.

“Six months of marriage—of complete submission—in exchange for enough capital to save her precious legacy.” He sets his glass down with precise control. “She’ll hate herself for accepting. Hate me more for offering. But she’ll do it.” His laugh holds no humor. “And every time my father has to acknowledge her as my wife, it’ll twist the knife a little bit more.”

Through the window, I watch Shiloh guide Eclipse through another demonstration. Her gift with dangerous creatures helped build our empire, but it was her willing surrender that made us stronger. Morgan has no such choice—Lucas’ offer will come wrapped in her own desperation and his need for revenge.

But it’s not my fight. Some predators need to learn their own lessons about the difference between possession and partnership.

After the evaluator leaves, Shiloh meets me in my office. The scent of leather and horse still clings to her skin as she settles into my lap, fitting against me like she was made for me. On my desk, the preliminary auction catalog shows her careful notes on each horse’s progress. Her expertise has already doubled the projected values.

“You saw yourself in him.” It’s not a question. She traces the line of my jaw, the gesture both possessive and tender.

“Yes.” I capture her hand, pressing my lips to her palm where Eclipse’s teeth barely grazed her. The mark makes something primitive surge in my chest. “But he hasn’t learned the most important lesson yet.”

“Oh?” She shifts, drawing a growl from my throat. Even after these months together, the slightest movement from her undoes my control.

I grip her hip, holding her still. My other hand fists in her hair, drawing her head back to expose her throat. “That surrender without trust is worthless.”

Her pulse jumps beneath my lips as I taste her skin. “Show me again?”

The auction catalogs scatter as I bend her over my desk. Let Lucas hunt his prey. Let Morgan make her choices. Right now, all that matters is reminding my wife that submission is its own kind of power.

And later, when she’s marked and sated in my arms, I’ll thank whatever darkness in me recognized that owning her body meant nothing without earning her trust. Without building something greater than mere possession.

Some monsters can’t be redeemed. But with the right partner, we can be channeled.

Focused.

Just ask Shiloh.

If you’re not quite ready to say good-bye to Jackson and Shiloh, check out this scorching primal scene with a glimpse into their lives in five years. read the bonus scene today !