Page 106 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“That stupid, piece-of-shit motherfucker,” Kirsten hissed. “Sick bastard fuck.”

She was still spewing her hatred for Eren as Waylan brought his truck to a stop beside us. Two cars came barreling down the road toward us, kicking up dust clouds. Behind us, our backup had arrived, cars screeching to a stop on the dirt path.

Eren’s goons slammed on their brakes and immediately turned, crashing their cars through the cornfields to head back the way they’d come. It seemed Eren was just as big a coward as I thought he was. My every instinct urged me to follow him. To chase his ass down and stomp him into a bloody puddle on the ground. But Kirsten shivered in my arms, the adrenaline that helped her escape now dissipating. I couldn’t leave her. She needed me, and that was more important than revenge at the moment.

Gently, I pulled her out of my embrace and tilted her chin to meet her eyes. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, but her lower lip trembled. Rather than breaking down, she clenched her teeth and blinked away her tears. “I’m fine. Just… really fucking tired.”

“I’ll bet,” Waylan said, grinning. “You really screwed over ol’ Eren. Good job, chick. You’re a badass.”

Kirsten glanced over at him, and a shy but happy smile cracked through the anxiety on her face. “It wasn’t easy.”

Waylan laughed. “No shit. I doubt many people could have pulled that off. Nice job.”

The smile stayed on her face, and I wanted to hug my friend. Waylan always knew how to put people at ease. I would forever be grateful for him for that.

He nodded toward his truck. “You guys take mine back to the house. I’ll bring the stolen truck. We’ll call it spoils of war.”

“I didn’t steal it,” Kirsten said.

“What would you call it, then?” I asked.

“I…uh… borrowed it.”

Waylan laughed again. “Okay, I’ll bring the borrowed truck along. See you two in a little while.”

Leading Kirsten to the other truck, I waved at the rest of my men, letting them know the danger had passed. They turned around and started to drive back home. After helping Kirsten into the passenger seat, I rounded the front and got in.

We drove in silence for several minutes. Keeping one hand on the wheel, I reached over and clasped her hand with my other. After a few miles, the full weight of what had happened sank in. Now that Kirsten was with me and safe, I could actually process how terrifying it had all been. I couldn’t handle it anymore. There was no way I could wait until we were home.

I swerved and pulled over, putting the car into park.

“Are you okay?” Kirsten asked.

I let out a sad chuckle. “I should be asking you that.” I turned to look at her. “The answer is no. I’m not okay.”

Kirsten’s brow furrowed, and she leaned forward, putting a hand on my thigh. “It’s all right, Jace. I’m safe.”

Thumping my fist on the steering wheel, I shook my head. “I was so fucking scared, Kirsten. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again. You can’t imagine what went through my head.” Tearing my eyes from the windshield, I gazed into her eyes. “I’ve never experienced that kind of loss before, not since losing my parents. That horror. Wondering what Eren was doing to you. Torture or worse. I’ve known Eren a long time, but I’m still not sure I truly know what he’s capable of.”

We sat like that for several seconds, staring into each other’s eyes. A magnetic force overtook us, making it impossible to look away. In that moment, I understood what it would really be like to be with this woman forever. And then, like a dam breaking under floodwaters, the spell was broken.

With a grunt of effort, I leaned across the seat and kissed Kirsten. She wrapped her arms around my neck, sliding her tongue into my mouth. A moan of satisfaction rumbled in her throat as the kiss deepened. The terror that had a chokehold on me since Eren had taken her faded to a faint background hiss. All that mattered was Kirsten. Her body, her taste, her scent. She was mine again, and I’d be damned if I’d let her go.

Pulling away, she gasped for breath and pressed her forehead to mine. “I’m safe, Jace,” she whispered.

I cupped her cheek. “But you weren’t. And I can’t help but feel like it was all my fault.”

“Stop. We both said and did stupid shit. That’s behind us now.”

“Yeah,” I grunted. “I just don’t know what I would have done if he’d touched you. Hurt you.”

“He didn’t.” She curled her fingers around my wrist and ran her thumb across my skin, sending gooseflesh up my arm. “He never touched me. All he did was scare me and piss me off.”

Nodding, I sat back and smiled at her. “I know. You can’t imagine how grateful I am for that.”

“Not as grateful as I am,” she said.

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