Page 107 of Cursed Bonds: An Alpha's Destiny

“Fair enough.”

Kirsten leaned against me for the rest of the drive, and I drank in her warmth, soaking in all that she was. I was so relieved that she was safe and sound. Though she was no longer in explicit danger, that didn’t mean things were over. Eren had taken things to an extreme. Had pushed farther than he ever should have dared. Just because I had my mate back didn’t erase the fact that he’d stolen her. Regardless of whether Eren had decided to give up or not, his time was running short. This was not the end, it was just the beginning. War was coming, and I would make damn sure we won.

Chapter 3

Kirsten

As we crested the hill leading to Jace’s house, I spotted what remained of my car. It was bent, cracked, dented, and warped, and sitting on flat tires in his yard.

“Oh my god,” I gasped, putting a hand to my mouth. “How did you get it here?”

“A few of the guys in town run a towing service and garage. They hauled it up from the side of the road and brought it here. I wanted you to see if there was anything you needed before they started to work on it. I don’t think it’s totaled, but we’ll have to wait until they take a look.”

He was right. For having rolled down a hill, it mostly looked like superficial damage to the fiberglass, plastic, and glass on the outside.

“Thanks,” I muttered. “I appreciate it.”

After Jace parked the truck, I got out and walked to my car, then opened the trunk. It only opened halfway; the frame was bent and wouldn’t allow it to open wide. My suitcase and the boxes I’d packed up were still there, though the boxes had opened and spilled their contents around in a chaotic display.

“Looks like it’s all still here,” I said.

Jace walked over and reached in, pulling my suitcase out. “I’ll have some guys head to the cabin and get anything else you might need. If you end up needing something that you forgot about, I’ll send you with an escort or have them head out to grab it.”

I frowned. “Really? An escort? At the cabin? Isn’t that the safest place I could be with the ward around the perimeter?”

Jace shook his head and put the suitcase down. “At the cabin, you’ll be safe. I’m not worried about that. It’s the traveling to and from there that worries me.”

“You think they’ll try to take me again?”

“I wouldn’t put it past Eren. If there’s one thing I know about him, it’s that he hates not getting what he wants. The fact that you escaped with almost no help from me or my pack will send him into a frenzy. Honestly, I’d kind of like to be a fly on the wall at his place right now. I’d pay good money to watch him throw his tantrum.”

My memory flashed back to my escape. Eren chasing after me as I ran to the garage. The blood-smeared face twisted with rage like a spoiled child who didn’t get the gift he wanted and wanted the world to know how upset he was. Yeah, he’d be throwing a temper tantrum right about now. If I had to guess, there were some fist-sized holes in the walls of Eren’s house.

“Would they risk coming that close to your pack lands, though?” I asked. Surely, even as angry as Eren was, he couldn’t be that stupid. “Won’t he try to stay away?”

The look on Jace’s face told me everything I needed to know. His eyes darkened, and he glanced over his shoulder in the general direction of Scottsdale. “I wish that were true. If I had to guess, he’ll be watching every move you make. Hell, he may have people hiding in the woods around the cabin now, watching and waiting for you to return.”

A shiver traveled up my spine. I imagined hungry eyes watching me through the trees as I walked up the steps to the porch.

“While you are under my protection, your cabin is still outside my pack land jurisdiction,” Jace said. “Technically, I can’t tell him to stay off that land. As long as they aren’t on your cabin’s property or my land, they’re free to come and go as they please. They can basically stalk you all they want.”

The disgusting feeling of helplessness settled over me, but my slide into angry depression halted when I suddenly realized what Jace was trying to say.

“Wait.” I looked at him, brows furrowing. “Are you saying I need to move in with you?”

“Well, yeah. I thought that was obvious.”

All I could do was sputter, half-formed words and phrases tumbling from my mouth in fits and starts before I finally found my footing again.

“Hang on, I did not agree to this. Moving in together is…” I raked my hands through my hair. “God, it’s a pretty big deal. That’s not something to decide on the spur of the moment.”

“True,” Jace agreed. “But this is not a normal situation. There are bad people after you. You were kidnapped today, for fuck’s sake. You’re still learning about your magic and figuring out how to control it. Can you honestly say that if Eren and his goons somehow got past your ward at the cabin, you could fight them off by yourself?”

I opened my mouth to say exactly that. I could tell Jace about how I blasted the hell out of both Eren and Poli, that I was strong and could defend myself. Then I remembered my failed attempt at trying to melt the second doorknob during my escape. I couldn’t explain where the spells I’d used against the two men had come from. If push came to shove, my instincts might take over, but that was a hell of a gamble to make with my life.

“I’m not saying you can’t handle yourself or that you’re weak,” Jace said quickly before I could come up with a rebuttal. “What I’m saying is, you need to be in the safest place possible. You need to stay sheltered while you learn how to access and control your magic. The safest place to do that is with me. Here.”

Those were all valid points. Still, I didn’t like that he was making such huge personal decisions without consulting me, even though his thinking was logical.

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