Page 56

“But you’re so good at the sex.” I nibbled his lip, which incited a growl.

“You know what’s romantic? Coming home from work and having someone take care of me.

You looking after my father—that’s romantic.

I don’t need flowers or poetry to feel special.

All you have to do is carry me to bed if I fall asleep on the couch, or take me out to dinner every so often.

I know you’re not much of a social guy, but we can get a corner booth. ”

“What did I tell you about those private booths?”

“Oh, nothing. Only that a man could take advantage of me and nobody would know.” I squeezed his ass.

Lucian’s fangs peeked out. “Female, you better go before I lift that skirt and desecrate the top of your Mercedes.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

After a steamy kiss that left me wanting more, he swaggered back to the house while I headed to the garage. As soon as I opened the door, a video chat request came in from my father.

“Dad. I’m on my way home. Did you need me to bring you something?”

He didn’t look like himself, and I worried his oxygen might’ve run out.

The camera panned to the left, and Henry smiled. “Me and your pops are getting to know each other. Aren’t we?” He glanced at my father before facing the camera. “I was explaining how you gave me your word, and a promise is a promise. I’m going to press charges against that Chitah.”

I wanted to argue he had no legal standing, but he was there—with my father! “How did you get in?”

“I simply rang the bell.” Henry pointed at his neck and glowered.

“Do you see that? I’m scarred for life. If I don’t do something, it’ll damage my reputation and business.

” He extended his arm to include my father in the shot.

They were lying in bed together. Henry put his arm around my dad.

“How soon can you be here? We’ve got a wedding to plan.

I’m glad you took care of selling the house, but your father seems to be confused.

He thinks you’re going to live with that Chitah.

Maybe you need to tell him the truth. Old people .

” He chuckled softly. “They get things twisted around.”

“Henry—”

“Hurry as fast as you can, and be sure that Chitah doesn’t follow.

” He suddenly moved off the bed and was walking out of the room.

His smile withered, and malevolence flickered in his eyes.

“Pulling light from the sun doesn’t get rid of venom.

I had to drain my blood—I was in serious pain.

That Chitah didn’t win the challenge; it wasn’t a fair fight. ”

“Henry, please… Let’s talk about this somewhere else. My father needs his rest. We can meet at Dragonfly’s. I’ll reserve a private room and we’ll sort this all out.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Get home. Now. Don’t even think about bringing anyone with you. Your father’s oxygen is running low. I’d hate to see him get upset in his condition. I might have to put him out of his misery.”

My blood curdled at the threat. “I’m coming. Please don’t hurt him. He doesn’t have anything to do with us.”

“That’s up to you.” Henry abruptly ended the call.

I scarcely breathed as I barreled down the road toward my house.

At one curve, I almost skidded off the road.

When I tried calling Hightower back and he didn’t answer, I called my father, but it went to voicemail.

Since Lucian was planning to transfer the security system over to Connor, he had disabled everything last night.

When I reached my drive, I slammed the brakes, flung the door open, and sprinted to the front door. It was locked. While I searched my purse for my keys, it suddenly opened.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Henry said with a charismatic grin. “Please come in.”

“Where is he?” I pushed past him and burst into the empty living room. When I spun on my heel to check the bedroom, Henry blocked the hall entryway.

“He’s fine.”

“Let me see.”

“I wouldn’t hurt an old man. Did you really think I’d give up so easily? You gave me your promise, so a challenge has no meaning.”

I squared my shoulders and strutted up to him. “Why the hell do you want me so much? If you think you can get away with breaking the law because you’re married to a Councilwoman, that’s not how it works.”

“When I want something, I get it.”

I scoffed. “You think you’re all that? I don’t want you, and you only want me so you feel like you won and aren’t the laughingstock of the town. How dare you break into my house and threaten my father.”

“And how dare you humiliate me in front of everyone!” he roared while pointing his finger in my face. “You accepted my proposal and then let some Chitah challenge me in public!”

“You embarrassed yourself.”

He slapped me so hard that I twisted to the right.

I narrowed my eyes, and before straightening up, I closed my fist and punched him in the face. “You think I’m gonna let you walk into my house and knock me around like you own me?” While he cupped his nose, I kneed him in the groin and shoved him against the wall.

Bright lights beamed through the glass on the storm door when a vehicle sped into my driveway.

I kicked off my shoes and hurried to the back bedroom. When I opened the door, I found my father tied to his bedpost with white rope. Using my teeth, I gnawed at the tight knots until I was able to free him.

“What’s going on?” he asked in a panic. “Where’s that son of a bitch?”

“Dad, stay here. I’ve got everything under control.”

With my heart still racing in my chest, I sprinted into the living room and found Lucian. He still had on his black tank top and jeans as if we’d never parted.

He stalked toward me from the kitchen hall, his nose twitching as if he was tracking a scent. “Where is he? Where’s Hightower?”

After catching my breath, I hurried into the living room. “He was just here.”

Lucian closed in. When he noticed my bloody lip, he lifted my chin with the crook of his finger. His eyes darkened. “He hit you?”

Lucian softly kissed my bottom lip. It wasn’t a kiss of passion—he was healing my cut.

“Stay here,” he said before storming off.

I caught up with him at the back door as my father emerged from the hall. “Fuck that. I’m going with you. Dad, stay inside and lock the doors.”

Once outside, Lucian sampled the air—his cheeks puffing slightly before his jaw hung lax. “He’s close.”

“He might have driven off.”

“Think again.” Lucian pulled a key fob from his pocket. “Found it on the kitchen counter. He won’t get far.” After tossing it into a flowerpot, he stepped off the porch. “You should stay.”

I stripped out of my clothes. When I morphed into my tiger, she found Henry’s scent and took off.

My animal could run up to forty miles per hour but quickly tired.

After my short burst, Lucian blurred ahead of me.

Chitahs could outrun almost any Mage, but we were also at an advantage since Henry didn’t have night vision.

While he could flash at the speed of a car, he was impaired by his inability to see plants, rocks, cliffs, holes, or even wildlife. The uneven terrain would slow him down.

I raced past a thicket of yaupon holly. The air was heavy with his scent. I only had a few minutes before I lost consciousness and hoped to hang on long enough to see this through.

My tiger growled as she tasted the heady scent of his cologne. Her paws padded across the grassy terrain as the crickets sang in unison.

A twig snapped from above. I steered my gaze up and spotted Lucian perched on a branch. He frowned, likely unsure if I was still conscious inside my animal. In a slow movement, he raised his arm and pointed to my right.

I spotted Henry doubled over by a tree, oblivious to our presence. Listening to the rasp in his throat as he panted for air, my animal moved stealthily through the brush and circled to the other side.

She immersed herself in what came natural: stalking her prey. A Mage could only flash for so long before draining their core light, and from the scent of blood in the air, he must have stumbled more than once. I prowled behind him like an ominous shadow, hungry for the kill.

My energy exploded like a cannon, and I shot toward him with enough power to knock him to the ground. Henry screamed when I sank my large fangs into his fragile little shoulder. With his good hand, he blasted my tiger in the face with energy.

When she reeled back, Henry scurried out from beneath me. But before he could flee, Lucian swooped onto the scene like a dark menace.

Blood coated my tongue. Rage gathered like a storm as my tiger shook off the residual pain from the energy blast. Lucian and Henry brawled, but Lucian had the clear advantage.

Every time Henry put out his hand to blast him, Lucian pivoted out of the way.

Henry couldn’t see clearly in darkness—only shadows beneath the light of dim stars. And his left arm hung limp at his side.

Lucian moved swiftly—a blur of exquisiteness as he ferociously beat Henry in the face. My tiger unleashed a spine-chilling roar when blood sprayed the earth like drops of justice.

“You’ll. Never. Touch. Her. Again!” Each word followed a brutal punch.

Henry twisted around and collapsed. When he grabbed Lucian’s ankles, Lucian bellowed and crumpled out of sight.

My animal lashed out with her claws and mauled Henry’s chest, ripping apart his shirt. The Mage grimaced but jumped out of sight and then onto my back. He wrapped his arms around my neck, and one excruciating energy shock after another paralyzed me where I stood.

My tiger roared in pain. When she fell onto her side, Henry’s hold loosened. She sensed his weakness. He had used up his light and lost too much blood.

Lucian crawled to me, his eyes as black as a bottomless pit. He gripped the Mage’s disheveled hair and hauled him off my animal. Henry put his hands on Lucian’s chest, and I couldn’t tell if he was pushing energy into him or stealing it.

Lucian flipped Henry onto his back in a swift movement and drove all four fangs into his neck. He bit him over and over on his arms, neck, and chest.

Henry made a haunting sound, like a death moan from a deer before it dies. He convulsed, foam coming from his mouth, eyes rolling into the back of his head, the last of his light sparking from his fingertips like dying embers. Seconds later, he went limp.

Lucian crawled to my animal and draped himself over her body, his ear against her chest as he listened to her groan.

Feeling my consciousness fade, I forced my way out and shifted.

Lucian pulled me into his arms. I sighed against his chest as a purr so deep lulled me into a state of calm. Exhausted and feeling residual aftershocks of the electric assault, I clutched him as if he might disappear.

“I wanted to save you,” he said after snapping out of his primal state.

“You did, baby.”

“I should’ve killed him that night at the bar.”

I drew back, and though I couldn’t see his face in the darkness, the rage in his voice was palpable.

“No, you did the right thing, Lucian. You gave me your word, and you kept it. That’s why I love you—that’s why I trust you.

” I cupped his cheek with one hand. “Doing the right thing is the hardest choice. It’s something I struggle with every day.

You couldn’t have known what he would do any more than I can predict what a prisoner might do when I release them.

We can’t punish people for what they might do.

But when he walked into my house and threatened my father—all bets were off.

” I lowered my hand. “You won’t get in trouble for this. ”

“Trouble? You think I give a shit what happens to me? What if I hadn’t gone back out to the garage and picked up the scent of fear you left behind? What then?”

“I would’ve mauled his ass.”

“Or died trying. Your tiger’s strong, but he’s still a Mage.”

“A Mage isn’t invincible. I’m not gonna let him rule us in death.

You hear me?” After I sat on my heels, I gripped his shoulders.

“Do you know why you walked outside to that garage? The fates are guiding us. They’re involved.

They want us to be together, but Henry couldn’t see that.

That selfish bastard only cared about himself, and after we cremate his worthless ass, I’m going to flush his ashes down the toilet. ”

Lucian slid his fingers around my nape. “I might go to prison for this.”

“I won’t allow it.”

“Damn.”

“What?”

His lips found my mouth in a sensual kiss. “Because I was looking forward to a strip search followed by a little prison sex.”

I laughed and put my arms around him. “Is that right? Well, Lucian Cross, once we get mated, you might start to feel like you have a ball and chain on your ankle.”

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

“Are you stealing my line?” I kissed his neck and realized I needed to go back. “How far out are we?” After standing up, I brushed grass and pebbles off my legs. “I need to make sure my father’s okay and call the Council.”

“Say no more.” The breath rushed out of my lungs when Lucian swooped me into his arms and ran into the night.