Page 10 of The Kill

He inhales deeply, and his gaze intensifies, but he turns his broad back to me and marches on once more.

“And you decided to show your fondness for his mother by scaring Noah half to death?”

Tyson jumps over a downed tree with ease, his vampire speed and agility evident in his human form. I climb over the broken branches a little less elegantly. Tyson’s fingers twitch at his sides, lifting like he’s about to offer me a helping hand, but then quickly drop back as he thinks better of it.

Coming to a stop, hands on hips, I wait for him to explain himself. His lips draw into a thin line and he glares at me, the red widening to take up more of his iris as his anger rises. A shadow falls across his face as he continues to stare at me.

“He’s a tough kid. And my intent wasn’t to scare him, it was to worry Blake. Maybe get him to leave Steel territory. And it almost worked.”

He has the audacity to smile while admitting to terrifying my child and my luna to put pressure on his brother. Noah is the only thing that kept me going all those years of living on the run, looking over our shoulders like criminals. He is the only thing I care about.

Bristling at his callousness, I step closer to him. “Intentional or not, it was fucked up.”

Quick as a flash, he grabs me and spins us, pressing me into a tree and running his nose along the column of my neck. “I am fucked up, if you haven’t noticed. A vampire and a werewolf. A rogue, a freak. There is very little I can do about it if my very being terrifies people.”

A shiver passes through me as my body reacts to his presence. Being surrounded by his scent is intoxicating.

“It’s not your being people find offensive; it’s your personality,” I hiss, trying to hide how much he affects me.

He looms over me, dark and dangerous, clearly relishing in how my heart hammers in my chest from fear while my nipples harden with desire as his chest brushes against mine. A small part of my brain is still ringing alarm bells instead of submitting, conscious of the proximity of his sharp, elongated teeth to my jugular.

But the wolf inside me practically swoons at his dominance and the way his touch sends a jolt of electricity through me. She remembers him coming to our rescue. The man in front of us isn’t the same though and her trust could prove to be misplaced.

“I will never hurt you or your son,” he whispers. “Anyone else, however, who comes after me or mine, is fair game.” He shuts his eyes tight. As if the thought physically pains him, and I have no doubt that he speaks the truth.

Tyson has already proven how dangerous he is. If he meant us harm, he had more than enough time and opportunity to do it already. Despite how uncomfortable it makes me to acknowledge it, the violence I judged him for was inflicted for my benefit. To kill my mate, and more recently, to save my son from another vampire.

Unable to speak through the confusing emotions swirling around inside me, I give the tiniest of nods, and he sets me back on my feet, holding me steady for a moment while I regain my balance. His fingers burn into my skin, despite his cool touch, and I fixate on the spot, unable to look away.

“What do you plan to do with me? What’s next?” When I look up at him, he blinks, expression neutral, giving nothing away. In contrast, I feel like an open book; both my anger and my arousal plain to see in my flushed cheeks and rapid, shallow breaths.

“Would you believe me if I said I haven’t quite decided?” Tipping his head to one side, he studies me closely.

“Not for a second.”

He laughs, warm and loud, startling the birds who flee from the presence of this lethal predator.

“Clever girl.” Releasing me slowly and carefully, his fingers slide across my skin in the briefest of touches, sending tingles dancing along my arms and my pulse racing. With a wink, he steps away, his scent fading with him and allowing me to breathe again.

7

TYSON

Just touching her is everything.

The faint scent of fear when I lifted her from the ground may have ruined the moment ever so slightly, but when it was quickly replaced by the sweet smell of arousal, it made it all the better.

In time, maybe she’ll accept me and understand that just because I’m no longer the man the fates picked for her, I’m still devoted to her and can still be hers.

Mandy jogs every few steps to catch up rather than asking me to slow down, and I enjoy her stubbornness. I’m glad she says nothing, because I’d rather not admit the reason I’m setting such a brisk pace. We need to get home before dark. My little mate isn’t safe. We’re not the only predators living in this remote part of the old forest.

“It’s quiet here,” she comments, hinting that I’m the reason the birds have fallen silent; the reason there isn’t so much as a swaying branch. I say nothing, keen to get her indoors before I break the bad news to her.

“The old alpha was killed by vampires, long ago, after betraying them. Vampires are solitary by nature, but they’re protective of each other in some circumstances. The territory was eventually given to Weston when the other replacements failed to… regain control. Weston had the good sense to leave well enough alone, but he likes how the extra acreage looks on the map. He must be trying to compensate for the size of something else.”

Mandy hides her smile by scanning the trees on her other side.

“Have you met Alpha Weston? Or any of the council?” I fight back the urge to reach out and touch her. Her dark hair looks rich and warm in the fading evening sun, and I just know it will be silky soft when I drag my fingers through it.

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