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down almost to her knees because she was so petite - with her hands on her hips and her
sister behind her, his mate looked pissed.
"The people who took you," Eli said calmly. "At least we're assuming it's the same people; they
call themselves The Company."
Bailey gasped, but Bethany just rolled her eyes. "Totally impersonal and somehow dramatic.
Sounds like them."
She didn't seem the least bit upset, which both soothed and aggravated Steele. Of course he
didn't want his mate upset, but... shouldn't she be? Instead, she looked more interested in the
waffles he'd made. Which wasn't a bad thing, but... he just didn't understand her. The he
realized that the seething mass of anger inside of him seemed to have gotten even bigger, even
darker and tinged with fear - which he hadn't felt before - and he knew that it was her emotions
he was sensing. She was hiding them for some reason - and as she handed some waffles to
Bailey, he finally realized why.
Bailey had looked scared, right up until Bethany had acted like it wasn't a big deal. Now Bailey
was sitting, calm and composed, pouring syrup over her waffles while Eli updated them on the
situation. He could feel Bethany's anxiety growing as Eli talked, but not a bit of it showed on
her face.
He thanked every deity he could think of for the bond; his mate had such a stoic poker face, he
needed it to get any kind of tap on her emotions. She'd probably had a lot of practice hiding
what she was feeling - and that thought just pissed him off all over again. Standing off to the
side, Steele had his arms crossed over his chest while he watched his mate and her sister,
keeping his face as blank as Bethany's. Every so often, as Eli talked, Bailey would glance at
him and he would give her a little, reassuring smile. She seemed to trust him. He wished his
mate would look to him as well, but she was totally focused on Eli. It's not that he was jealous
that she was paying so much attention to another man, while not even glancing at him. It would
just be nice, was all.
"Okay," Bethany said, her voice steady, once Eli had wrapped up his explanation. "So what's
the plan?"
The way she said it made Steele think that she intended to be involved in whatever plan was
happening.
Hell to the fucking no.
He straightened up, keeping his arms crossed over his chest, using his command tone. The
one he used when he needed to restore order or exert his dominance as alpha and leader of
his pack. The one that halted everyone in their tracks and had them jumping to do his bidding.
"My crew and I will keep the town safe while you and the other civilians barricade yourselves in
the bunker underneath the movie theater. Eli will send men for back-up, but hopefully they
won't be needed."
His mate snorted. Snorted! She was finally looking at him, but not the way he wanted her to.
"Yeah, I don't think so. There's no way I'm staying trapped inside a building waiting for the bad
guys to come get me. Besides, I'm not missing out on a chance to take out Dr. Montgomery."
"What makes you think he'll be here?" asked Eli, before Steele could respond. He stomped on
the urge to end the phone call, relieving his frustration with a sharp growl that had Bailey eyeing
him warily before he subsided. His mate ignored him. Fucking typical.
"He's obsessed with us," Bethany said, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. Her
waffles only half eaten, she pushed them away from her, as if she couldn't even think about
eating more while she talked about the doctor. "And he doesn't know what's happened with
Bailey. He's going to want to know how his latest... experiment turned out. If he's not with
them, I'll..." She glanced down at the shirt she was wearing - his shirt - and smiled with false
sweetness. "I'll eat Steele's shirt."
He had other things of his that he'd rather she eat... wait, dammit, he was getting distracted.
Protect first, then fuck.
"If he's obsessed with you then you're definitely not going to be out in the open where he can
get at you," Steele said, aware of the deep growl in his voice that meant his wolf was coming
close to the surface. The animal was agitated, just as frustrated as he was, and getting harder
to control.
"News flash, Mr. Bossypants," Bethany snapped back at him, "you don't get to tell me what to
do."
He stalked forward as she stood up, as if her short stature was somehow more intimidating
standing than sitting, until he could lean down with his face mere inches from hers. "You will sit
in that bunker and you will be happy about it."
"Uh, Steele?" He ignored Eli.
"No. I will not." Bethany glared back at him, her blue eyes growing darker - not from anger, he
realized, but because her own animal was surfacing. Whatever. He was not going to back
down from his tiny mate who was way too fucking eager to throw herself into the danger zone.
"I'm not letting my mate run around-"
"Then it's a good thing I'm not your mate!" she yelled back at him, cutting him off. He snarled at
her.
"Uh, Bethany? Steele?"
"What?" They both spat the word out at the same time, turning to glare at the phone where Eli's
tiny face was looking back at them. He coughed, smoothing his hand over his mouth and
obviously hiding a grin. Steele scowled at him.
"Steele... ah," Eli's eyes flicked to Bethany's throat. "Is that what I think it is on her neck? And
on yours?"
Smugness swept through him. He'd let Eli tell her. She might not believe him, even if he told
her about the bites, but she'd have to believe a third party. Ha. Then, once she'd accepted
that she was his mate, maybe she'd shut up and let him do his job of protecting her sassy ass.
"Yes." He said as Bethany's eyes widened and she brought both hands up to her throat, feeling
it.
"What is it?" she asked, almost panicked as she turned towards him. Immediately he reached
out to tug her against him, holding her reassuringly, as she looked at his throat. "What's on my
neck?"
"A mating mark," Eli said, coughing a little. Hiding laughter. This time Steele found that he
didn't mind. "You and Steele are already mated."
"WHAT?!" The shriek his mate let out shredded his ears, making him wince. Who knew a
person's voice could actually hit that decibel? But like the manly male he was, he didn't
relinquish his hold on her, despite the urge to cover his poor ears. "What mating mark? When
did it happen?! You're joking right?"
"Nope," Steel replied this time. She looked up at him with wide, panicked blue eyes, and he
tilted his head so that she could see the bite mark on his neck that was still there. That would
always be there. He grinned at her as her eyes somehow managed to get even bigger. "You
bit me first, Princess, just remember that."
******
Bethany's knees collapsed and she sat down heavily in her chair, which didn't help make Mr.
Tall-Dark-and-Looming any less intimidating.
Okay, she remembered biting him. She'd never pictured herself as a biter, but it had felt right in
the moment. But had it felt right because of human her or because of the thing inside her?
"Congratulations!" Bailey sang out, utterly oblivious to the devastation that had just been
wreaked on Bethany's world. She actually sounded happy. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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down almost to her knees because she was so petite - with her hands on her hips and her
sister behind her, his mate looked pissed.
"The people who took you," Eli said calmly. "At least we're assuming it's the same people; they
call themselves The Company."
Bailey gasped, but Bethany just rolled her eyes. "Totally impersonal and somehow dramatic.
Sounds like them."
She didn't seem the least bit upset, which both soothed and aggravated Steele. Of course he
didn't want his mate upset, but... shouldn't she be? Instead, she looked more interested in the
waffles he'd made. Which wasn't a bad thing, but... he just didn't understand her. The he
realized that the seething mass of anger inside of him seemed to have gotten even bigger, even
darker and tinged with fear - which he hadn't felt before - and he knew that it was her emotions
he was sensing. She was hiding them for some reason - and as she handed some waffles to
Bailey, he finally realized why.
Bailey had looked scared, right up until Bethany had acted like it wasn't a big deal. Now Bailey
was sitting, calm and composed, pouring syrup over her waffles while Eli updated them on the
situation. He could feel Bethany's anxiety growing as Eli talked, but not a bit of it showed on
her face.
He thanked every deity he could think of for the bond; his mate had such a stoic poker face, he
needed it to get any kind of tap on her emotions. She'd probably had a lot of practice hiding
what she was feeling - and that thought just pissed him off all over again. Standing off to the
side, Steele had his arms crossed over his chest while he watched his mate and her sister,
keeping his face as blank as Bethany's. Every so often, as Eli talked, Bailey would glance at
him and he would give her a little, reassuring smile. She seemed to trust him. He wished his
mate would look to him as well, but she was totally focused on Eli. It's not that he was jealous
that she was paying so much attention to another man, while not even glancing at him. It would
just be nice, was all.
"Okay," Bethany said, her voice steady, once Eli had wrapped up his explanation. "So what's
the plan?"
The way she said it made Steele think that she intended to be involved in whatever plan was
happening.
Hell to the fucking no.
He straightened up, keeping his arms crossed over his chest, using his command tone. The
one he used when he needed to restore order or exert his dominance as alpha and leader of
his pack. The one that halted everyone in their tracks and had them jumping to do his bidding.
"My crew and I will keep the town safe while you and the other civilians barricade yourselves in
the bunker underneath the movie theater. Eli will send men for back-up, but hopefully they
won't be needed."
His mate snorted. Snorted! She was finally looking at him, but not the way he wanted her to.
"Yeah, I don't think so. There's no way I'm staying trapped inside a building waiting for the bad
guys to come get me. Besides, I'm not missing out on a chance to take out Dr. Montgomery."
"What makes you think he'll be here?" asked Eli, before Steele could respond. He stomped on
the urge to end the phone call, relieving his frustration with a sharp growl that had Bailey eyeing
him warily before he subsided. His mate ignored him. Fucking typical.
"He's obsessed with us," Bethany said, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of her face. Her
waffles only half eaten, she pushed them away from her, as if she couldn't even think about
eating more while she talked about the doctor. "And he doesn't know what's happened with
Bailey. He's going to want to know how his latest... experiment turned out. If he's not with
them, I'll..." She glanced down at the shirt she was wearing - his shirt - and smiled with false
sweetness. "I'll eat Steele's shirt."
He had other things of his that he'd rather she eat... wait, dammit, he was getting distracted.
Protect first, then fuck.
"If he's obsessed with you then you're definitely not going to be out in the open where he can
get at you," Steele said, aware of the deep growl in his voice that meant his wolf was coming
close to the surface. The animal was agitated, just as frustrated as he was, and getting harder
to control.
"News flash, Mr. Bossypants," Bethany snapped back at him, "you don't get to tell me what to
do."
He stalked forward as she stood up, as if her short stature was somehow more intimidating
standing than sitting, until he could lean down with his face mere inches from hers. "You will sit
in that bunker and you will be happy about it."
"Uh, Steele?" He ignored Eli.
"No. I will not." Bethany glared back at him, her blue eyes growing darker - not from anger, he
realized, but because her own animal was surfacing. Whatever. He was not going to back
down from his tiny mate who was way too fucking eager to throw herself into the danger zone.
"I'm not letting my mate run around-"
"Then it's a good thing I'm not your mate!" she yelled back at him, cutting him off. He snarled at
her.
"Uh, Bethany? Steele?"
"What?" They both spat the word out at the same time, turning to glare at the phone where Eli's
tiny face was looking back at them. He coughed, smoothing his hand over his mouth and
obviously hiding a grin. Steele scowled at him.
"Steele... ah," Eli's eyes flicked to Bethany's throat. "Is that what I think it is on her neck? And
on yours?"
Smugness swept through him. He'd let Eli tell her. She might not believe him, even if he told
her about the bites, but she'd have to believe a third party. Ha. Then, once she'd accepted
that she was his mate, maybe she'd shut up and let him do his job of protecting her sassy ass.
"Yes." He said as Bethany's eyes widened and she brought both hands up to her throat, feeling
it.
"What is it?" she asked, almost panicked as she turned towards him. Immediately he reached
out to tug her against him, holding her reassuringly, as she looked at his throat. "What's on my
neck?"
"A mating mark," Eli said, coughing a little. Hiding laughter. This time Steele found that he
didn't mind. "You and Steele are already mated."
"WHAT?!" The shriek his mate let out shredded his ears, making him wince. Who knew a
person's voice could actually hit that decibel? But like the manly male he was, he didn't
relinquish his hold on her, despite the urge to cover his poor ears. "What mating mark? When
did it happen?! You're joking right?"
"Nope," Steel replied this time. She looked up at him with wide, panicked blue eyes, and he
tilted his head so that she could see the bite mark on his neck that was still there. That would
always be there. He grinned at her as her eyes somehow managed to get even bigger. "You
bit me first, Princess, just remember that."
******
Bethany's knees collapsed and she sat down heavily in her chair, which didn't help make Mr.
Tall-Dark-and-Looming any less intimidating.
Okay, she remembered biting him. She'd never pictured herself as a biter, but it had felt right in
the moment. But had it felt right because of human her or because of the thing inside her?
"Congratulations!" Bailey sang out, utterly oblivious to the devastation that had just been
wreaked on Bethany's world. She actually sounded happy. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]