Pressing her back into the seat. Lelandi slipped her hand between the seat belt and her chest, trying to avoid contact with the shoulder strap. Darien began to move ft aside for her when Jake cornered Ural next to a fast-food pizza place. She willed her racing heart to slow, but her body wouldn’t obey.
Darien shouted. “Pull Into the pizzeria’s parking lot!”
“No,” Lelandi screamed and tried to tear off the seat belt.
“Quit It. Lelandi. We won’t kill the guy.”
Yet his icy look told another story. Darien attempted to brace her against the seat, his big hands pinning her shoulders back. She bit into the leather Jacket covering his arm, but it protected him.
Pinning her left arm down. Tom chuckled.
Silva slammed on the brakes in the parking lot. “He got away.”
Looking like the devil was after him—and for now he was—Ural dove down a side street, and Jake took chase again. Lelandi was impressed. She didn’t think Ural could outmaneuver the gray in a footrace in their human form. But he was a wiry little guy. If he could turn into the wolf, he’d do even better.
“Drive us home,” Darien said to Silva, pulling his cell phone out. He punched in a number and moved a tress of hair away from Lelandi’s cheek. She scowled and turned her head away. “Uncle Sheridan, get your men to the pizzeria, south on Silver Maple Street, suspect wearing a hooded copper coat. Jakes on foot chasing him. Yep, same guy who accosted Lelandi behind Hastings B&B. No. Larissa was my mate. The guy in the copper coat is small, most likely a red. Gotcha.” He looked at Lelandi, his expression one of deep satisfaction.
Despite what a jerk her cousin could be, she didn’t want the grays to harm him. She gave Darien her meanest glower and would give him more hell as soon as she could.
Darien had every intention of putting Lelandi to bed when he got her home. But after what had happened with the guy in the copper jacket, he didn’t trust her to stay put without a guard. And he didn’t trust that the guy wouldn’t come for her again.
He planned on securing her in the guest bedroom, but he was awfully tempted to put her in his bedroom suite to cut down on the amount of guards posted. Hell, as light a sleeper as he was, she’d never be able to slip away if she had a notion to. He didn’t care how his people would view his actions either—they’d adjust, but he did care how Lelandi felt about it. To that end, he wasn’t sure.
Although she sure as hell kissed him back when he kissed her. Which meant? She was probably half out of her head after being injured so badly. Or was that the reason she had clamored for his kisses? Then passed out. Yeah, it had to be the blood loss screwing up her brain.
But another thought took hold. The woman from his dreams was Lelandi. He stared at her. She refused to look at him. A sickening feeling instantly swept through him. Hell, he’d mated the wrong woman.
When they pulled into the circular drive of his wooded estate two miles from town, Darien had every intention of showing Lelandi she was his soul mate, but her injuries... he’d kill the bastard who tried to murder her.
“Tom, you have guard duty from twelve to two. Get some rest before then.”
“I’ve been sleeping most of the day, Darien. I’m fine.”
Darien lifted Lelandi out of the SUV, the fight out of her now. Soft and pliable, she looked damned kissable again, but when she groaned, he squashed that notion. “Watch her in the living room until Trevor gets here to guard her.”
“Yeah, sure, Darien.”
Darien had the greatest urge to carry her straight up to his bedroom, lay her in his bed, and ravage her. And he would, once she was healed, and he convinced her she was the one meant for him. Did she have the same dreams he did? If so, why hadn’t she recognized him? Or had she, but she didn’t want him now because he’d taken her sister as his mate? Hell.
With that damning thought, he carried her to the living room, the craving to have her growing with every step he took. Already he was as hard as granite and the friction from his jeans was making the situation worse. Her eyes widened and he was certain she could smell how turned on he was by touching her.
Clenching his teeth, he set her down on the longest velour sofa, nearly six feet in length. “Silva, can you get a spare pillow and blanket from the linen closet in my bathroom?”
“Got it.” Silva hurried off.
“Tom, you can get her some ice water. Doc said the fever’s abated, but she still needs to drink plenty of fluids.”
“Yeah, I’ll get it.” Tom headed for the kitchen.
Lelandi wouldn’t look at Darien, but held her chest lightly.
“Are you hurting?”
She nodded.
He touched her cheek and although she was still cool to the touch, the feel of her soft skin beneath his fingertips burned him. Hating how much the siren ensnared him, and he couldn’t do anything about it, yet, he pulled away. “I’m sorry for being too rough earlier.”
“My fault.” Tears glistened in her eyes.
He felt like he’d shrunk to half his size. “Lelandi.”
She quickly looked away. “I’m sorry for what my sister did. It must hurt to learn she’d...” Her voice broke and a wave of commiseration washed over him. Her lower lip quivered. “I’m sorry. I loved my sister and I wish she hadn’t been mated to him. That she’d found you first and loved you like you both deserved. She would have been happy and... and no one would have hurt her.”
He took Lelandi’s hand and rubbed his thumb over her fingers, her skin silky soft, her hand small like her sister’s. “It wasn’t your fault, and I assume she had good reason for doing what she did, in her own way. Besides, it was partly my responsibility.” He crouched in front of her and rested his hands on her knees. “Silva was right. I wouldn’t let Larissa be. I pursued her and she repeatedly said no, but not why. I figured she was playing hard to get, maybe reluctant because she feared the grays wouldn’t accept her like I did, I thought she was the one for me. When we mated, I discovered she wasn’t a virgin. That she had a living mate never crossed my mind. I guess I was too proud to consider such a thing. Why didn’t you tell me we’ve been together in our dreams?”
Her eyes widened.
He knew it.
She shuttered her eyes. “I... I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“What I’m talking about is this.” He pulled her from the couch and with one arm wrapped around her so she couldn’t step back, he kissed her mouth with a gentle sweep of his lips. Her eyes fluttered closed, her heartbeat quickened, and she fell under his trance. She wasn’t as immune to him as she let on. The tension in her body melted, and he pressed further, his mouth caressing hers, his fingers touching her cheeks, the heat of her body setting his on fire. God in heaven, she was his soul mate.
She parted her lips slightly to take a breath, but the invitation was too great. He explored her mouth with his tongue, and her hand clutched his shirt, her eyes searching his. “You are she,” he whispered thickly.
He pressed his heavy groin against her mound, showing her how much he wanted her. How much he always wanted her. Lelandi,” he said hoarsely with need, then bent his head down to touch her forehead with his.
Confusion reigned in her gem-quality eyes. “You are she,” he repeated, kissing her cheek.
She winced and bit her lip.
He cursed silently. “Are you in pain?”
She seemed torn between telling him the truth and living with the discomfort to avoid being medicated. He helped her sit back down, then saw Tom standing with the glass of water, having witnessed the whole affair. A slight smile curved Tom’s lips, and he raised his brows a hair.
“Silva’s got Lelandi’s pain pills. Get them for her, and check on Silva to see if she got lost,” Darien said.