Page 17 of Shattered Soulmates (Stone Mountain Shifters #3)

Marissa

Driving down the highway with a horrible headache isn’t a good idea. I decided to stop at the rest area and go inside for a meal and some pain reliever. As I slide into the booth, a waitress places a menu on the table in front of me. “Hey! I’m Trish. What do you want to drink?”

“Just bring me a glass of water, please,”I answer, glancing at the menu. “And, the breakfast special.”

She takes the menu. “Ok, honey. Be right back.”

Having been in contact with Remington, I plan to go to his place and hunker down until I can get in touch with Bradley, my attorney. I know there must be something he can do to reduce my charges and get me out of trouble. In the meantime, I need a place to stay, and I always land on my feet.

A couple of months ago, when headquarters was attacked, Remington Reems and his goons broke me and some other females out of jail, where I was held for tampering with mate bonds.

This was around the time Miles and I first got back together, after I took him from Paisley.

I snarl to myself. Paisley! Paisley! Paisley!

I mock in my head, channeling Jan Brady’s repeated cries of "Marcia!

Marcia! Marcia!" I sympathize with Jan at this moment because I’m utterly fed up with Paisley.

The waitress brings me a glass of water and sets it on the table.

I lift the glass to take a drink and see our pack tracker with a few other enforcers entering the diner.

I immediately dive under the table, thankful that I had the forethought to cover myself in “Scent-Off” when I got out of the car to come inside.

The waitress looks at me with curiosity, then turns back to the newcomers.

She walks over to them, and I hear her speaking loudly.

“Hello, darlings. Can I seat you?” I peek around the booth and watch as she guides them to the far side of the room and out of my sight.

I take a few deep breaths, knowing they’re looking for me.

As I frantically search for a way out, someone sits at the booth above me.

Huddled under the table, my heart races as I see it’s a biker who slides into the booth.

His scuffed black boots and ripped jeans barely contain a pair of muscular legs.

My eyes scan appreciatively up to a muscular chest covered by a white t-shirt and a leather vest. The vest, or “cut,” is lined with images of howling wolves and a large patch that reads “Talons I smile appreciatively. The exhilaration and his dominating presence make me eager. I press against him, clearly wanting to be his ol’ lady. He nods as he mounts the bike and starts the engine .

He holds his hand out to me and grunts, “Car keys.” I pull them out of my pocket and hand them to him. He tosses them to a shifter standing in the shadows. “Get her car to the pack house.”

“Will do, boss.” The shifter murmurs and fades back into the shadows.

He gestures for me to climb on. I quickly jump onto the seat, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist. As the bike speeds off, the wind rushing through my hair, I hang onto him, feeling the adrenaline rush I crave.

See, I always land on my feet. My laughter echoes on the wind

Paisley

Having brushed my teeth and changed into my pajamas, I crawl into bed and pull the sheet up.

This is the worst time of the day, when everything settles down and gets quiet.

It’s when I miss Miles the most. After I tucked away the papers I had graded and Miles would come back from his shift perimeter checking, we would crawl into bed and curl up around each other.

The nights that I thought he and I had forever.

Before my nightly crying jag begins, I hear a tapping at the window.

I have a tiny cabin now and my bed sits right up against the wall under the window.

In confusion, I pull back the curtain and am surprised to see Miles’ face staring back at me.

“Can I talk to you for a moment, Paisley?” He asks, his voice muffled by the glass.

I unlock the latch and slide the window back. “What do you want, Miles?” I snap. My heart is aching to pull him to me for just a little while to ease the pain. But I know from experience that I can’t trust Miles. He’s an unfaithful cheater.

“I just want to talk, Paisley.” His eyes plead, but they don’t fool me. I know what Miles' charm does to me, and I’m not up for another ride going nowhere on his merry-go-round.

“I don’t think we have anything to talk about, Miles. We have said it all.”

“I disagree. I think you know how I feel about you, and I have been confused.I want the opportunity to share my side of the story, and to have another chance with you.” His hands reach for me through the window, but I recoil.

“Miles, you’re delusional if you think I’d trust you with my heart again,”I cry, tears beginning to drip down my cheeks.

This sick emptiness in my heart and stomach begs to be filled by his touch.

I hate to do this in front of him. I want nothing to do with him, but my body craves him.

“It’s time for you to leave,” I spit out, slamming the window shut and locking it again.

He persists, tapping on the window.“Please, Paisley.I’m so sorry for hurting you.I know it’s unforgivable, but I ache for us.”

Overcome by the effect of Miles’ words and the feelings he evokes, I roll over on my stomach and sob hysterically into my pillow.

I reach over and grab my cell phone from the side table, connecting it to my speaker, and I begin playing music as loud as possible.I live pretty far from other shifters, and even though we have superior hearing, I don’t think the sound disturbs anyone.

I don’t know how long Miles hangs around after I begin to blast music, but I can no longer hear him or the tapping, and I’m soon overcome with exhaustion.Too tired to care, I hear the front door unlock, and then I’m pulled into a pair of strong arms.

Without opening my eyes, I feel fingers caressing my hair and a soft voice shushing me.Boneless from the comforting touch, I drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep despite the noise .

Miles

Paisley closes the window in my face, and I watch her turn over, crying into the pillow.

My heart breaks at the sight of what I’ve done to her.

I don’t consider myself a good male anymore, but I want to stop the pain she’s enduring.

I ache to crawl into bed beside her like I used to before I lost that privilege.

I want to hold her close and make sure no one and nothing ever hurts her again.

To feel the softness of her body against me, my lips pressed to her skin. Goddess!

“Please, Paisley. I’m so sorry for hurting you. I know it’s unforgivable, but I ache for us.”I beg

In my begging to be let in to talk to her, I begin pacing back and forth beside the house. Suddenly, I’m slammed to the side by a big, hulking form.

“What the—”

Crunch! A fist crashes into my nose, and stars explode behind my eyes as my head smashes against a tree.

I leap up and see Knight glaring at me, his face alight with rage. Before I can fully steady myself, he lunges forward, aiming his fist at my face once again. I barely dodge, the air whooshing past .

I pivot and attempt an uppercut to knock him off-balance, but he easily sidesteps. We circle each other, panting heavily, both of us trying to catch our breath before the next attack.

Knight’s next move is a powerful swing, but I manage to block it with my forearms crossed. The force of the impact jars me,but I grit my teeth and land a quick left hook. He groans in pain, but continues to advance.

Our movements become a blur as we match punch for punch. I feel the bite of his hits, but I refuse to slow down. With a sharp intake of breath, he delivers a solid punch to my side, making me stagger to the ground.

“Leave her alone, Miles!” Knight hisses at me. “She’s devastated. Can’t you hear her crying?”

“I want to make it up to her.” I spit out a mouthful of blood, attempting to sit up. “I want to make it better.”

“Do you realize how messed up that statement is, Miles?” He wipes the blood from his face with his shirt.

“You can’t unbreak her heart. What’s done is done.

” He walks over to the outdoor spigot, turns it on, washes his face and hands, then dries them on his shirt.

Throwing the shirt across his bare shoulder, he points to me. “Let her heal. ”

“I want to help her heal.” I get to my feet, staggering.

“Only because Marissa dumped your sorry behind,”he spits. “I don’t know why you didn’t see that Paisley is the better person. I wasn’t here a day before I realized it. Marissa’s filth in heels.”

I can't defend that description of her. Sadly, I can’t even be angry with Knight as what he says rings true.

“Go home, Miles.” Knight seethes. “Don’t come around here again. Alpha already warned you to stop stalking Paisley months ago. I was hoping you wouldn’t make me go behind your back and tell him what you’re doing. You need to talk to Alpha before you lose your position here.”

Angry at Knight’s interference, I punch the tree behind me.

“Mature, tool! Now go home before you draw Paisley’s attention. Thank the goddess she’s got that music blaring and can’t hear us.”

Like the immature tool I’m accused of being, I give the tree one more solid punch and storm off .

Knight

I watch Miles as he stomps out of sight, and I peek through the window at Paisley. Her back is still to the window, and her shoulders are still shaking with her sobs.I touch the window, wanting desperately to comfort her as I have done frequently over the past few weeks.

I make my way around her cabin and retrieve the extra door key from under the mat.

Not wanting to scare her, I tiptoe to her bedroom.

Her cries are becoming softer as she’s tiring.

I pull my shoes off and gently climb onto the bed, drawing her into my arms. She immediately curls into me, clutching at my arms like a drowning soul.

Her tears instantly soak my shirt, and I gently caress her curls, reassuring her softly.

In moments, her cries cease, and her breathing deepens. I lay down beside her and pull her up onto my torso, the deep connection tethering us together. She sighs as I place soft little kisses across her face. Her body gets limp as she finally succumbs to the peace of sleep.