Page 49 of The Unwanted Mate of the Lycan Kings
Finding a small towel, I wrap it around my arm and tuck it to stay in place.A door in the hallway creaks open, and I freeze.Sucking in a deep breath, I pop my head out of the bathroom, and I hear a whimper and furious scratching.A shadow moves beneath the door, and my heart beats faster as I approach, wondering what joke Zeke is now playing.
The scratching starts again, only louder, and I recognize the whimpering as one of their wolves.I rip the door open to find Shadow, Lyon’s wolf, at my door, tail wagging.He jumps up on me, his paws resting on my shoulders as he licks my face frantically.I rustle his fur, and he sniffs my arm before a low growl rattles his chest.
“Did you sneak out?”I whisper, quickly sticking my head out the door.Lyon stands in the hall watching the wolf nudge my arm, and he nods once before going back into his room and shutting the door.
I chew my lip.Does this mean he is letting me have his wolf for the night?But why?Regardless of his motives, I’m not saying no, and I quickly step back, opening the door wider.Shadow rushes past me and jumps onto the bed, making himself at home.
Chapter 25
Last night was freezing.There was no wood next to thefireplace to start a fire, and the only warmth offered was from Shadow lying on my feet.It was so cold that my bones ached, and I could not seem to get warm.Visions of the night my granny died plagued my sleep, only now, three new monsters star in my nightmares.
The sound of my door handle rattling makes my consciousness slowly return.I blink, my eyes blurry from sleep, but I can tell it is still early.The room is lit with a dark glow that only happens moments before the sun comes up.My body still aches for sleep, but I know if I close my eyes again, their will only be more nightmares.
Rubbing my eyes, I sit up, looking around the room.When I hear no other noise, I snuggle back under the heavy, warm blankets, convinced I imagined the rattling door handle.I stretch out my legs, feeling for Shadow, but I find the end of the bed cold instead.
I hear a soft clicking noise and paws on the floor.“Come here, Shadow, and warm my feet,” I mumble, still half asleep.The next second, the mattress is upturned.A shriek leaves my lips, and I am dumped on the floor with a hard thud that leaves me rattled.
“Morning!”Zeke chirps as I groan, getting to my hands and knees to see the key Shelley placed under the mattress is now on the floor.My eyes linger on the bronze key for a second and then dart to Zeke, who is wearing his signature smirk.I quickly get to my feet, andthe first thing I notice is that the door is shut.
My eyes instantly look for Shadow, but he is nowhere to be seen, making me even more vulnerable to this prick.
“Miss me?”Zeke laughs, and my eyes move to him on the other side of the upturned bed.His eyes flash black as they roam over me with a hunger that I don’t like.A shiver travels up my spine, and I smooth my hands over the front of my shirt.Almost as if that action will hide me away from him.Zeke notices my discomfort and chuckles.
“Do you always look this tempting when you first wake up?”he purrs, and I watch him warily, taking him in.His chest is bare, and his hair is a disheveled mess like he just crawled from bed as well.Bronze skin ripples as he moves, and if he wasn’t such a prick, he would be nice to look at.His dark eyes flicker to their normal color, and his full lips tug in the corners.
“What do you want, Zeke?”I snap.It’s much too early for this, and I am not rested enough to deal with him.I don’t think anyone is ever rested enough to deal with him.This man can suck the damn energy and will to live out of anybody he crosses.
“I want many things, human.One of them you’re going to give me now,” he says, moving to the end of the bed.I take a step back, my hip bumping into the bedside drawer hard enough that I know it will leave a bruise.
“Get out!I’m supposed to spend today with Regan, not with you.You have no reason to be in here,” I tell him.
“We have plenty of time.He can have you once I’m done with you,” Zeke mocks, and his canines slip out past his teeth.He then stalks around the bed.My eyes widen, and I find myself backed into a corner.
My heart skips a beat, and he growls, reaching for me, but I jump onto the bed, rushing to the other side.It is far too early for his petty games.He chuckles, moving to the other side, and I stop in the middle of the bed, snatching up the first thing my hands land on, which has to be the most useless weapon in the world—a damn pillow.
This makes Zeke laugh harder as I brandish it like a weapon while glancing around.If only I had plants in here or the window was open.Maybe then I could at least have something more useful thanthis pillow.Yet manipulating duck feathers was not a skill I was taught.
“What are you going to do with that?”Zeke mocks, and his eyes flash sinisterly.
My heart races in my chest, and the adrenaline pumping through my veins has my mind working in overdrive as I try to figure out where Shadow has gone.I worry that maybe he has done something to hurt Shadow, but I have little time to spare much thought to that as he comes closer.
My eyes dart around the room frantically, looking for something a little sturdier to beat him with if needed.He lunges at me, and I jump back.His hands narrowly miss me.
“Now don’t be like that, love.How about instead of me making you bite the pillow, I let you use it...I wouldn’t want your knees to ache when you’re on them with your pouty lips wrapped around my cock.”His eyes flicker, and I can see the monster he truly is peeking out at me.He’s a beast and wants nothing more than to make me hurt for his own sick pleasure and entertainment.
“You bring that thing anywhere near my mouth, and I will fucking bite it off.”With the pillow between us, I keep moving, but he follows my every step.
“Looks like you’re biting the pillow, then,” Zeke snarls.“Don’t worry, it will only hurt a little.”He reaches for me, and I move to the edge, nearly falling backward, and I only just regain my balance before falling off.
Zeke chuckles, walking around the end of the bed.
“You can’t do this.It’s against the rules!”I snap, moving closer to the opposite side, trying to put as much distance between the two of us that I can.
“And who will stop me?My father?He’s not here, human.Just like you won’t be when he returns, so I can do whatever I want with or to you!Dear old daddy doesn’t need to know.It will be our little secret.One you’ll take to your grave,” he taunts me.
My heart palpitates as panic wells in my stomach, and my throat grows tight.“Shadow!”I scream, praying he is close enough to hear me call.
“Come here, boy!”I yellout for the wolf but don’t hear or seehim.I’m not even supposed to be with Zeke today!
