Riley blinked rapidly to bring the world back into focus. Nic had shattered her. Their loving had taken her to heights she’d never known. It had been different from the last time they were together. Better. She didn’t understand why, nor did she want to think about it. Regret would choke her.
Nic hadn’t changed his mind about them, and what they shared wasn’t a reunion.
It was good-bye.
He licked her shoulder, the spot where his bite marred her skin. Tingles spread, scattering her thoughts. “That was amazing.”
She turned her head and collided with his glowing blue eyes. Gorgeous. She’d always known he’d be beautiful with his primal side in full force.
“It was.” A sense of vulnerability washed over her. The need to protect herself followed. She’d made a mistake allowing her lusts to rule. Nic would rip her heart out and stomp on it again if she let him.
No! Not again. Riley tried to push up. She had to get away.
He drew her close, not allowing her to escape.
“Nic, what—”
He kissed her neck. “Shh. I’m not done with you yet. You’re mine to enjoy toni—”
He tightened his hold on her and whipped his head to the entryway leading into the living room. The only doors in her house led to the bedrooms and bathroom.
Heart pounding hard, she followed the direction of his stare. The sound of the front door opening reached her ears.
Nic growled. No more than a low rumble, the warning reverberated along her back. It zinged through her, tensing her body and filling her with fear.
Only a handful of people had keys to her house. She opened her mouth to yell out and see who’d entered. Nic clamped his big palm over it. He pressed his lips to her ear. “Stay here.”
In one quick move, he bent, snatched his discarded sweats, and strode away, yanking his pants on as he went.
“Riley, I saw the lights on. You still up? We need to talk.”
Ben’s voice carried through the quiet house. She sucked in a rough breath.
Nic growled and disappeared into the living room.
“What th—” Ben’s words cut off. A garbled groan preceded a loud thump.
“Nic, wait!” Riley snagged her shirt and shoved her arms through the holes. Holding the edges closed, she ran.
The sight that met her stopped her heart. Black fur covered Nic’s larger clawed hands. He held a wide-eyed Ben against the wall with talon-tipped fingers wrapped around his neck. Nic leaned into him, his face inches from Ben’s, and snarled.
Fear rushed up. Nic wouldn’t recognize Ben as pack. He would smell like a Tanner wolf, but Ben hadn’t lived with them in a couple of years.
She rushed forward and placed a hand on Nic’s lower back. “Let him go.”
A growl answered her demand. Nic squeezed Ben’s throat. Ben gasped but didn’t fight back. As a beta, he would instinctually know better.
Riley moved to the side, needing to see Nic’s eyes. A feral look simmered in their glowing depths. She swallowed hard at the confirmation that the wolf was in charge, not the man. “This is Ben. He’s not a threat. He’s an honorary member of the pack.”
“Ben?” Nic whipped his head in her direction. Wild eyes focused on her. “The male who helps at the hospital?”
Thank goodness. She nodded quickly, relief sweeping through her. “Yes. He’s Jenna’s cous—”
“You know him well?”
Riley tensed at the rough bite to his words. Instinct told her to tread carefully, but she couldn’t understand why. Ben wouldn’t hurt anyone.
“Yes. He’s my friend.” She laid her hand against Ben’s thin bicep to prove she trusted him.
Nic’s canines extended on a guttural sound. She froze, gaze on Nic’s mouth. In a move she barely saw, he snatched her hand, yanking her into his side, and shoved Ben across the room. The younger shifter fell backward. He crashed into the coffee table. Wood splintered, the table snapping down the middle with the impact. Ben hopped to his feet and crouched in front of it.
Blood ran in steady rivulets down his neck from where Nic had grabbed him. The sight of Ben’s injury spurred her into action. She shoved away from Nic and ran toward Ben. A tug on her shirt jerked her to a stop. She stumbled, and the material slid down her arms. Nic grabbed her before she fell face-first onto the floor.
He spun her and yanked her against his chest. “You touch him, and I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
She leaned back. His attention focused behind her, but the expression displayed on his face stopped her heart. Rage tightened his features. The situation had spiraled out of control.
“Nic, look…” She stopped herself before she gave him another order in front of a lesser wolf. Her first command had made things worse. “He’s bleeding. Let me check on him, please. It’s my job.”
Nic slid his gaze to her. The anger darkening his eyes faded. Some other emotion flared within their depths. She didn’t quite understand it, but it made her pulse race and lower belly warm. He ran his tongue along his lower lip, drawing attention to the wide fangs filling his mouth.
His gaze ensnared hers and kept her frozen in place. He slid one hand to her ass, the other to her back—a possessive move she recognized. She tensed, but he pulled her closer and buried his face against the crook of her neck. His heated breath loosened her muscles. She relaxed into his arms, letting him hold her weight.
He nuzzled against her throat and skimmed his fingertips across her back to her shoulder. Fur no longer covered his hands, but her skin burned under the caress.
Her skin. Oh no!
She inhaled sharply, finally comprehending their situation. Her shirt had slipped, revealing most of her upper body, including Nic’s bite.
Their secret was out.
And he was what? Staking his claim?
But he didn’t want her. Confusion settled over her.
Nic skimmed his open mouth up her neck to the spot right below her ear. “Is it your job or your desire to check on your lover that makes you want to go to him?”
Jealousy caused his reaction, not the need to keep her. It still warmed her and made her feel wanted. After the years apart from him, she’d take it.
Riley ran her hands down his back to his rear. He drew her closer, letting her feel his desire for her.
“Ben isn’t my lover. He’s a friend. He’s also an honorary member of the pack who’s bleeding. I have to help him.” Because unlike Nic, Ben’s cuts wouldn’t heal easily. She kept the truth to herself. Nic would understand once he wasn’t reacting on instinct.
He rested his cheek against her scarred shoulder. For a long moment, he didn’t move or speak. Finally, he eased back and righted her shirt, carefully buttoning it except for the top three. He gripped her arms and urged her to turn in his embrace. With one hand on her stomach, he held her against his chest.
“You’re Riley’s friend?” Nic asked.
Ben pushed to his feet. Blood still seeped from the puncture marks on his throat, but he didn’t swipe at the wetness soaking his shirt. He stood, hands loose at his sides, and gaze at the floor. “Yes. I’m sorry I disturbed you while you were with your mate. I didn’t know Riley was yours.”
“She’s not my mate.”
Hearing the words spoken out loud to another person chilled her soul. She tried to turn in Nic’s embrace, needing to hide from the shame, but he pressed her closer to his body, his heart beating wildly against her back.
“This”—Nic tugged her shirt down, exposing her scar—“was a mistake. I was young and got caught up in the moment. I pulled back before I mated her.”
Her throat thickened on tears. She swallowed hard. Ben looked at her. Sympathy softened his expression. After a moment, his image blurred. Riley squeezed her eyes closed before he saw the moisture pooling in them.
“It looks real,” Ben said.
Nic brushed his lips over the scar. Tingles radiated outward. Her body grew aroused despite her heart cracking in two. He pressed his fangs into the raised entry points, and her knees gave out. A nibble to her sensitive skin, and she moaned. She hadn’t meant for the sound to escape, but couldn’t stop it. One simple touch, and she was ready for sex.
He licked the spot on her shoulder once more and eased back. “I was two seconds away from soul-bonding with her. You understand what that means, don’t you?”
Ben cursed. “Yeah.”
“So you’ll keep this a secret.” Not a question. Nic’s words held certainty.
“Of course.”
She tipped her head to the side. “Well, I don’t. Explain it to me.” His chiding look hit her, reminding her of their company. At the moment, she didn’t care to play by the rules, but her anger didn’t overrule her common sense. Her stubborn lover wouldn’t respond if she ordered him in front of Ben. “Please, Nic. Explain to me why.”
He cupped her face between his hands. “If any future mate I take finds out about you, she’ll kill you.”
She covered his hands. “You already told me the unmated females would hurt me because I carried your mark. This is something more, isn’t it?”
He sighed. His hot breath washed over her face and filled her lungs with Nic’s scent. It didn’t comfort her as it normally would. Fear formed a lump in her belly.
“I own your body, Riley. Touched your soul, holding a piece in my grasp. Until you die, I will always be drawn to you. Desire you. Crave you. The same drives will urge you to be with me. It’s why I left. We wouldn’t have been able to stay away from each other.” He rubbed his thumb over the corner of her lip. “Even if I take a shifter mate, we’ll still feel the same drives. You’ll become a threat to her, and any dominant female, whether she loves me or not, will be obligated to eliminate you. It’ll become a social move. If she allows you to live, she’ll lose the respect of the pack.”
He dropped his forehead to hers and wrapped his arms around her middle. “You see why nobody can know? Unless I’m with you twenty-four-seven, you’ll die because I was foolish enough to fall in love with an angel.”