Page 104 of Shifter Marked and Claimed

He pulled back his lips in a silent snarl. I did the same, which robbed him of his annoyance. He wrapped me in his arms and rubbed his smooth cheek against mine, instantly reigniting that need within me.

“We could return to our home and grovel to your sister. Afterward, we could swim. Clothes would be your choice.”

I snorted even as I pressed myself closer.

“I know what you’re doing. But, you can’t touch me forever. And when you let go, and I stop feeling like a monkey needing to climb a tree, I’ll be mad at you. Do you really want that? Me, angry and throwing your prized possessions in the pool?”

“They mean nothing compared to you.”

Well, that just melted my heart and brought my hands to his waist. It took a full minute of rubbing against him to realize what had happened.

“Vedar, stop it.”

He snarled lightly and pulled back only to run his nose along mine. I cupped his face in my hands and almost grinned at the suspiciousness in his gaze when I stood on my toes. Instead, I brushed my lips against his.

He groaned and pulled my hips flush with his. The evidence of how much he liked what I was doing pressed against me. Unable to help myself, I parted my lips and kissed him again.

He tasted even better than he smelled, and I lost myself in his kiss until I ran out of air and had to pull back. Clarity returned with the oxygen.

“Please, Vedar,” I whispered. “Help Chloe.”

His golden gaze swept over my face. I could see his need to protect me warring with his desire to give me everything I wanted and more. Finally, he sighed and rested his forehead against mine.

“As you wish.”

It took a few seconds for him to unfurl the fingers gripping my hips.

“I’ll stay close and won’t peek around you this time.”

He didn’t look happy or reassured by the concession. Pivoting, he strode toward the front door, and I hurried in his wake.

Like at Chloe’s, the door wasn’t locked. At least the lights were on, though.

I felt a pang of sorrow as I entered the familiar living room a step behind Vedar. That feeling disappeared the moment I heard Joey’s unmistakable voice.

“Stop right where you are.”

Trembling behind Vedar, I kept my word and didn’t lean around him. But then again, I didn’t really need to. I could see Joey in the mirror hanging over the couch. He stood behind Chloe, who was bound to a kitchen chair with her head lolling forward.

Beside him, there was another big, ugly guy.

“Release the girl,” Vedar said.

“Not happening,” Joey answered.

I watched my father’s cousin lean a little to the side. Vedar moved with him so Joey couldn’t make eye contact with me. But it didn’t matter. He knew I was there.

“Did you really think bringing some lightweight would change anything, Kelsey?” Joey asked. “If you want to save your friend, all you need to do is sit your ass down on the couch.”

Vedar growled a low warning, and I noticed the unnatural red flush spreading over his neck. I placed a hand on his back, hoping he would understand I was asking him to wait. If he shifted in my living room, Chloe would most likely get hurt worse than she already was.

“That is no way to speak to such a treasure,” a new voice said.

A third guy, who I hadn’t noticed, rose from Dad’s favorite chair. He wore a grey suit with a red tie and looked like he’d just stepped off the cover of a magazine. He exuded a confidence that belonged in some downtown office, not my old living room.

Our gazes locked.

“You are stunning,” he said, his voice smooth but not nearly as mesmerizing as Vedar’s.

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