I didn’t like the cold look in Clancy’s eyes. He didn’t seem to be much of an improvement as a clan leader. Whereas Hiram covered his cruelty with a veneer of charm, this guy didn’t bother. If he got his hands on me, I had no doubt he’d sell me to the highest bidder. After getting a little sample for himself, that is. Perhaps they’d all get a taste. I’d seen the lust in their eyes.
“You got your confirmation. It’s time for you to leave,” Noah said.
His men took a threatening step forward, emphasizing Noah’s command.
I placed a hand on his chest. “Noah, before they leave, I’d like to speak with my mother in private.”
Noah looked at my mother and then back at me. “All right.” In a low voice that didn’t carry, he said, “Make it quick. The skin on my nape is crawling. I prefer not to have to kill anyone today.”
The look in his eyes told me Noah wasn’t joking. “Momma?”
My mother immediately turned to the men with her and pleaded. “Clancy, Abram, would it be all right? It’s been twelve years since I’ve seen my baby. I may never have this chance again.”
I hated seeing my mother act the supplicant. It forcibly reminded me of how few rights women in my clan had. True, I’d asked Noah but that’s because he was hellbent on getting these members of my old clan out of his territory.
“All right,” Clancy said magnanimously.
My mother took three steps towards me before she was brought up short by Clancy hand on her neck. “May? Stay where I can see you and be prepared to show me how grateful you are for my generosity when we get home.”
My mother’s features turned sultry. “Of course.”
Clancy released her and gave me a narrowed-eye stare.
“Take your mother onto the sun porch. It will give you the privacy you want while still being seen,” Noah said.
The men stepped aside so that we could pass.
The minute the glass door shut behind us, I turned to my mother and gripped her hands. “Stay with me.”
“I can’t.”
“Momma, please,” I begged. “You can’t want to stay with them. I thought you were dead.”
Laughing, she freed one of her hands and cupped my face. “Baby, I’m a survivor. Take care of yourself. Don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing.”
Tears tracked my face as I silently pleaded with her to change her mind.
“You stop that crying and pay attention. We only have a few minutes and I got things I need to say,” she ordered sternly.
Nodding, I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hands and waited expectantly.
“This Noah, he been good to you?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. Hold onto him. He seems like a keeper. You remember all the things I taught you?”
“Yes.”
“I thought so but couldn’t be sure. I’m going to give you my handle and codeword so you can contact me on the dark web. Once you get settled here, I want you to think about joining The Society. The women in our family have been members since slavery days, but I don’t want you putting yourself in danger the way I have. Stay here. Make babies. Take care of that man of yours and consider opening your home as a safe house. God knows we can always use more,” Momma added, looking out the window at the house and the land.
“The Freedom Society? Agents?” I was so confused.
“Cherise, did you never wonder how I was able to get you out? I’m a plant, or what you’d call an undercover agent. Sabina, your handler, is our cousin. My brother works for the California chapter as one of its leaders. It’s good that you ran here. We need a foothold in the northeast,” she said.
I stood blinking at her. Too stunned to know what to say or think.
Momma glanced out the window again before leaning forward to give me another hug. “I love you, and I’m so proud of you. You’re safe now. Live life to the fullest. If you ever need me, I’m just a few keystrokes away.” Then she whispered her online alias and codeword into my ear.
With one last kiss on the cheek, Momma opened the door and paused on the threshold. “Stay safe. Be strong. Most of all, be free.”
After those whispered words, she walked out the door and across the front stoop to join the others. As she walked, I noticed she put an extra sway in her hips and the reactions of the men watching. I stayed where I was, knowing if I got any closer, I’d be tempted to leave with her. She hadn’t said so directly, but I knew that the last place she wanted me was with the clan.
I opened the door to the lighthouse and entered. Climbing the stairs, I reached the top floor and stepped out onto the walkway. I leaned against the rail as I stared out over the ocean. The wind was frigid enough to numb my cheeks, but I didn’t care. I stood there until Noah came searching for me.
“Are they gone?” I asked, not moving my gaze. Now that he’d claimed me, I was off balance with him. Had he meant it or was it just a ploy to keep Clancy from taking me.
“Yes.” Noah came and stood so close to me our shoulders brushed. “I know you wanted to go with your mother.”
“I’d believed she was dead. The night I ran, she created a distraction with the guards on duty so I could get away. I was sure once they discovered her deception…”
Out in the water, I saw the dorsal fins of a school of whales.
“I tried to get her to stay here with me. She refused. Said she was needed where she was,” I said.
Noah made a humming noise, as if what I said had confirmed a conclusion he’d drawn. “I think there’s more to your mother than what meets the eye. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that she’s the real power behind the throne.”
I needed to rethink my whole childhood in light of what I’d just learned.
Noah turned to face me, his chest brushing my arm. “I know you wanted a computer match, but you’re going to have to settle for me.”
I shifted to face him. “I thought that was just a ruse to get Clancy off my back.”
He lifted a hand and brushed the windblown braids from in front of my left eye. “I didn’t need a ruse to get you away from that idiot. That’s what guns are for.”
I searched his face as I slowly said, “I thought you weren’t interested in being my mate?”
Noah gave a self-depreciating smile. “Apparently, I lied.”
“I see,” I said, my voice faint. I glanced out over the water. “What happens now?”
He also leaned against the rail. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw the outline of his hard jaw. “We need to remove the bounty so no one else comes looking for you. I should probably let the staff at Mate Match know you’re safe and not still wandering around in the woods lost.”
“I meant, what happens between us? How does this whole mating thing work?” I asked.
“Whatever you want. You’re safe now, or soon will be. That’s most important to me,” he said.
Noah’s tone was conversational, almost disinterested. I frowned. Where was the passion? The dominance of an alpha male staking claim?
“If I said I wanted to keep to our original agreement?” I asked.
He grinned, and it was wicked. “I am keeping to our original agreement. I promised not to let Hiram have you. I also promised to use all of my resources to free you from the hold your clan had on you and to help you have the life you deserve.”
I felt my lips tugging up into a smile. “Are you saying I deserve you?”
Laughter danced in his eyes. “Well, no woman’s that good but for you I’ll make an exception.”
I rolled my eyes. “Someone has an ego.”
Quick as a panther, Noah had me pressed against the railing. His hard muscled body touched mine from chest to thighs. “I know a good thing when I see it. I may not have gone to the Mate Run looking for a mate, but even I’m not stupid enough to reject the right woman when she falls into my lap.”
“I didn’t fall into your lap. You hunted me down and convinced me to leave with you,” I muttered. Though I acted disgruntled, Noah’s lips were so close to mine it shortened my breath. My heartrate increased and my palms grew damp.
“That’s what I said.” His mouth on mine stopped any retort I might have made.
His kiss curled my toes and increased my heartrate. Giving into the desire coursing within me, I gradually allowed Noah full access, holding nothing back. He ravaged my mouth, and I felt the evidence of his desire pressing into me. Before things got too heated, Noah withdrew a few inches, his forehead resting against mine.
We both panted, our breaths mingling. I might be inexperienced, but I wasn’t naïve. I’d known since the night we met that Noah was as sexually attracted to me as I reluctantly was to him. I’d sensed his desire on more than one occasion. So far, he’d been a perfect gentleman and kept his distance. Now that he’d claimed me, did he think…?
My heart skipped a few beats as I said, “You know I’ve never been in a relationship, don’t you?”
Noah rested his hands on the railing to either side of my torso, caging me in. “Given your history, that’s not a surprise.”
“I’ve never been involved with a man—sexually or otherwise—and I have trust issues.” There. I couldn’t have been clearer without actually using the V word.
He snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
I rested my hands on his chest, just below his shoulders. Two weeks ago, the action would have felt foreign. Now it was only vaguely uncomfortable.
“I’m not sure I’m ready for sex,” I said, getting to the heart of the matter. I still slept with the bedroom door locked and my weapons within reach. Getting naked, being vulnerable with a man, even if that man was Noah, was unthinkable.
The hint of amusement in his gaze faded. “I know. Cherise, we can take this as slow as you like. I’m not going anywhere. Live with me. Get to know me and my clan. When you’re ready for more, I’ll be waiting.”
I stared into his eyes, wanting desperately to believe him. Noah was everything I wanted in a man and never believed I would have.
“Trust me,” he said.
“Not yet, but I’m getting close,” I admitted.
Noah cupped my face as the weight of his body rested against mine. “We’ll take it one day, one kiss, at a time. The rest will come. Be patient with me. Most important, be patient with yourself. Ingrained habits built over a decade don’t vanish in a night, or because you will it. Change, like trust, takes time.”
Slowly, almost hesitantly, I pressed my lips to his. Noah didn’t flinch away. Nor did he grab me and throw me to the ground. He let me take my time and explore this new pleasure, drawing out all of the sensations. Sparks zinged between us and for the first time in my life, I understood the irresistible lure of sexual desire. Before I could become overwhelmed and initiate something I knew I wasn’t ready for, I disengaged.
Noah once more rested his forehead on mine. “Cherise Golden, will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my mate?”
Remembering what Noah had said about how mating was handled in his clan, I smiled even as tears pricked my eyes. “It would be my pleasure.”
I’d spent years merely surviving. Now it was my time to thrive.