“You can see yourself out.” She quickly looked away and sidestepped, trying to squeeze past into the hall. “I’m going to take a bath.”
A hand grasped her wrist and he bent down. Using his free hand, he caught her chin between his thumb and index finger and forced her to meet his intense gaze. “Don’t think you’re getting rid of me. I said I had things to take care of, not that I was leaving.”
Up until that moment, she’d never known it was possible to experience both relief and sheer panic at the same time. Even as the logical part of her grasped for comprehension, her heart absolutely thrilled in the declaration he was sticking around. Her breath caught as his lips brushed against hers, so soft it was bittersweet, yet maddening.
This was nothing like the night she had planned only days before, nothing at all like the evening she’d envisioned when she’d dressed for work and made her way to the club.
Just inside her closet, a packed suitcase waited. Her vacation to start fresh was supposed to begin the moment she paid off her brother, removed his worthlessness from her life and took a trip to the one place she always felt safest to relax and unwind. Standing here, snared in Diskant’s hold, she didn’t know if this was a beginning, middle or end.
“Listen,” Diskant shifted around and cupped her elbows in his massive palms, “I know this must be confusing for you, and I’m aware that we have a lot to discuss. Take your bath, relax, and when you’re finished I’ll answer all your questions.”
Instead of revealing her plans or arguing, she simply nodded and waited until he let go and moved from her path to scurry down the hall. She felt his eyes on her as she rushed inside the bathroom, flipped on the lights and closed the door.
Diskant didn’t allow himself to breathe until Ava was safely tucked inside the bathroom. The moment the door closed he fished out his cell, anxious to see who the fuck would call him over and over again. The moment he’d slid his cock into the blistering heaven of his mate’s body, basking in her softness and warmth, the damn thing had started vibrating against his ass.
He knew the news was bad when the phone indicated all the calls were from Trey.
Damn.
Trey wouldn’t pull him away from his female unless some serious shit was going down. He pressed send just as the sound of running water erupted behind the door. Glancing at the light spilling from under the thin crack beneath, he strode into the living room. The line clicked over and Trey didn’t waste any time.
“Where the fuck you been? I’ve been trying to call you for the last ten minutes. Get your mate and go straight to Dougan’s. Don’t stop at home and don’t fuck around.”
Dread and alarm heightened his senses. Diskant lifted his head, scenting the air.
“What’s wrong?”
It sounded as if Trey was on the move, wind drifting through the speaker, distorting his voice as he said, “Emory picked up a scent and followed it to a warehouse over in the Red Hook. It’s not good news, man. Get your mate, get to base and stay there. I’m on my way there as we speak.”
“You’d better start talking.”
“Later. Meet me at Dougan’s. We can discuss things there.”
Growling now, Diskant demanded, “What are we dealing with?”
A pause, then Trey snarled the only world that could make Diskant’s blood shift from molten hot to ice cold. “Shepherds.”
Diskant snapped the phone closed without saying goodbye and stomped to the bathroom.
Ava turned from the rising bubbles covering her legs and abdomen. Her mouth dangled open in surprise and her eyes went wide. Even though she only carried the first mark, he knew she would sense his shift in mood, experiencing a surge of adrenaline that arose from danger. While she was human, a touch of all his beasts existed inside her, and now they would always answer his call.
“What’s wrong?” she whispered hoarsely, voice quivering.
He shook off the lush temptation she presented. Grasping her robe resting on the sink, he walked to the tub and shut off the still-blasting faucets before he stepped back and held the garment open.
“We have to go. Get out and get dressed.”
When she didn’t argue, he found himself grateful for their bond for the first time. Human nature survived by questioning. Animalistic tendency, on the other hand, was to take action and ponder later.
Sliding into the robe, she moved past him and hurried into the bedroom. She chose a matching black bra and panties and slid them on as he monitored the hall. All of the beasts under his skin answered the call, ready and willing to come forth to protect what they claimed as theirs. It was ironic that the one shifter who held the most power amongst their kind placed Ava in the most danger. When Shepherds came to town, they remained out of sight before going for the throat. And there was no better way to cut the oxygen supply than to extinguish the Omega of the city.
Which begged the question—why in the hell were they here? New York was a town the zealots rarely ventured to, a location that bred and endorsed violence, sex and misery. Religion had no purpose in a city where gay pride, hedonism and vulgarity were a given.
Ava stepped into her closet, tugged on a cord and quickly chose a thin, bright blue V-neck sweater. She tugged it over her head and yanked a pair of jeans from an adjoining hanger with the first hand she slid through a sleeve. Her motions were frantic, her limbs trembling as her fingers jittered on the zipper of her pants.
Cursing, Diskant attempted to relax and calm the fuck down. His mate was teetering on the brink of something she didn’t fully understand and had no control over. Already she felt the instinct to mate, to bring him into her body over and over again until he cemented their union. She would crave him incessantly, needing his touch, his presence. Adding to that by increasing her fight-or-flight instincts via their connection wasn’t helping.
“Grab the things you might need,” he instructed softly, attempting to remain focused and alert. “I’m not sure how many days we’ll be gone.”
“Days?” She went still and studied him.
“I don’t have time to explain.” When she started to argue he allowed the importance of what was taking place to slip past the emotional barrier he’d created to protect her, ensuring that at the very least she was able to perceive the threat. “Please, Ava.”
Her face paled and she gave a jerky nod. She settled the hem of the sweater over her jeans and walked to the back of the closet. The compact duffel she collected was large in comparison to her—not as tall but nearly as wide.
At his questioning look, she explained, “I planned to make a trip to the cabin to unwind.”
“Do you have everything you need?”
“Yes.” She crouched beside a neatly stacked shoe rack and grabbed a pair.
“Good, we need to go.”
No more arguments or hesitation. The instincts were growing, her bond with him guiding her reactions and responses. He didn’t have the luxury to reflect on the wrongness of their mating occurring like this, before there was a trust established that wasn’t the result of unavoidable changes taking place inside her mind, body and soul.
He followed her from the closet and waited as she sat at the end of the bed to put on her socks and shoes. His senses were sharp now, the shifter in him prepared to change in a hurry if necessary. Directly behind the urge to shift and protect was an undeniable amount of lust and, try as he might, it refused to abate. As natural was it was, the timing was all wrong. He hoped like hell that she’d be receptive to his advances once inside the safe house full of shifters. Sex to them wasn’t anything new, just another of life’s miraculous—and enjoyable—blessings. For her, there was certain to be a period of adjustment.