Page 128 of Ruled By The Alpha

“Exactly, Evangeline. And you’ll be on the receiving end of it if you stay here.”

“You want me to leave?” I yell, leaping to stand with my fists balled. “Are you firing me?”

“Firing you?” he spits. “No, I’m telling you to go before I fuck you into the wall. The things I want to do to you are… dark.”

“Like what?” I spit back, curious about his desires and angry he wants me to go. “I don’t want to leave. Is this about earlier? Should we talk about it?”

“Earlier was just a taste,” he proclaims. “A mere hint of the urges I have. I can’t control them, Evangeline. It’s not safe.”

For half a moment, I imagine him locking those teeth around my neck, but he takes a step closer, brushing the backs of his knuckles along my jawline.

“I’m afraid to hurt you,” he whispers, pale eyes intensely focused on mine.

“I don’t believe you’d hurt me,” I retort, taking a step closer as he stands, towering over me.

“I want to, and I will,” he says as I take another step into his space. “You need to go, now. If you don’t, you’re taking your life into your own hands.”

“It’s my life, Alistair,” I murmur, stepping closer until the tips of my breasts brush against his upper chest.

“You’re playing with fire,” he snaps, placing his hands on my waist and pushing me back gently. But the moment his hands are on me, my body responds, sinking into him as heat drips down my thighs. Alistair reaches up with one hand, gripping the back of my neck hard as he buries his nose at my throat, scenting me over and over.

“You smell like us.” His voice is ragged, unhinged. “You smell like you fucked me, and it makes me want more.”

“I want that too,” I admit, my voice quiet as his teeth trail their way up my neck. This predatory man’s fangs are at my throat, but all I can think of is how he bit me over and over, how hard I came with him buried in my skin. “I want more, Alistair,” I growl as he hisses and opens his thighs, tugging me between them.

“If we do this, you are mine, Evangeline. Mine forever. There is no other choice. This locks us together. Do you want that? Because I didn’t think I did. But everything changed the moment I gave in and touched you.”

“What does it mean?” I gasp out. “How would we be bonded together?”

Alistair grunts. “I’ll bite you, claim you, knot you with my cock. And then we’ll be a bonded pair like my brother and his mate. We’ll sense one another’s feelings.”

“I already sense your feelings.”

Alistair tenses, then his muscles relax one by one. “I didn’t allow myself to realize it until just now, but I know you did. It’s why you get me like no one else has.” He sighs. “This complicates things, Evangeline. You work for me. I should give you a raise,” he says, his voice thoughtful and absent as heat rockets through my system.

“A raise? Are you fucking serious?” I shout, shoving myself out of his arms. Even my scalp is on fire. “You want to pay me to do this, like a prostitute?”

“I would never think of you that way,” he barks back, surprised at my outburst. “But I can’t simply stop paying you if we fuck, Evangeline. If you take on extra duties, it’s only fitting you should get paid more.”

“You are missing the entire fucking point,” I yell, pointing my finger at him. With that proclamation, I turn from his office and stomp to the door, flinging it open loudly as I leave. To my surprise, he doesn’t follow, but he lets me go.

A raise? He wants to pay me? I think not. I love this job, and I realize now how intensely connected to him I am. But that’s a line I’m not crossing.

Chapter 8

Alistair

I rarely say the right thing, I know that. What I just said to Evangeline made perfect sense to me, but the look on her face was… offended? It was obviously the wrong thing to say.

I consider calling Mitchell again, but I turn my attention inward. My mind is… scattered. Closing my eyes, I catalog my thoughts and emotions. Confusion. Sorrow. Anger. Which of these emotions are mine, and which am I reading from her?

I return to my computer and attempt to throw myself back into work. But everywhere in my office, Evangeline’s scent and mine combine. It’s intoxicating, and as the minutes wear on, I suck in deep breaths even though her scent fades.

Go, find her,urges my subconscious.Take more. Make her bloom for you. Fix this.

I fend off the desire for precisely eleven more minutes before I can take it no longer. Stalking out of my office, I cross the stone driveway and jog into the carriage house, up the steps to her rooms. Her scent is stronger here, bright and wild. I read anger even more strongly here, fierce anger. She’s fucking pissed.

I don’t pause or knock at her door. Instead, I open it and slip inside, looking around for her quickly. Cocking my head to the side, I hear bathwater and irritated muttering. Crossing the living room, I open the door and step into the steamy bathroom as she gasps, eyes flying up to mine.

---