Page 112 of Sweetheart: Part One

I wasn’t as frightened as I should be, and Ebony Starless proved, once again, capable of triggering the self destructive thrill-seeking side of me. Three out of four, was all I could think.Threeout of four of my mates had bitten me.

It wasn’t an official claim, neither had Drake’s been, even when that had left a mark, but that was good. If it was a true attempt at a bond—which only Love could give—it would have failed. And then the dark bond on the back of my neck would have been discovered.

Still, my chest was heaving, my pulse thready as Ebony drew away, swiping a drop of my blood from his lips. I tried to pull back, but he didn’t let me go. Clearly, he was taking my stunned expression for fear—which itshouldbe. At least, I thought it should. For me, there was a sure threat behind an unwanted bite. His teeth on my skin held all the promise of what he was: an alpha, from pack, to bark, to aura. But would a beta feel the same? I assumed, since he’d just sunk his teeth into me thinking I was one—but at the same time, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ebony was often swallowed whole by his alpha instincts.

“You insist on staying, yet you’re afraid of me,” he said. “You can’t seduce my pack and leave me behind, you know that. So why did you want to get signed in at all?”

I stared at him.

“I don’t…” I tried to find my voice. “I don’t intend to leave you behind.”

“Yet you clearly can’t handle me.”

My eyebrows shot up.

Couldn’t… handle him?

How dare he.

If EbonyfuckingStarless thought he was the worst monster in my life right now, he had another thing coming.

I could handle him.

He was my mate. He was nothing compared to Alastor and the others lurking on the other end of this bond. I acted before thought, my rage getting the better of me.

All I knew was that in the next moment, I’d slid right down onto his lap, catching him off guard. I wound my fingers through his hair and pressed my own teeth to his neck.

Fuckhim.

Ebony froze beneath me, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the hottest thing I’d ever experienced. He was frozen because ofme.

It was the most empowering thing I’d ever felt, knowing that I’d just caught Ebony Starless off guard.

And…

Fuck…

I could feel him pressed against me, indisputably turned on by the feeling of my teeth at his throat.

So very slowly I leaned back, not loosening my fist in his hair. I didn’t break skin. As an omega, I’d form a connection and reveal my designation in a second. “Don’t tell me what I can’t handle,” I breathed.

The way he was looking at me had shifted completely. Calculating and dangerous, as if I’d just turned from prey to… to a threat?

I fucking hoped so.

He swallowed, clearly taking stock of the position I’d just put him in, and the truth I so obviously knew regarding his arousal.

“What in the fuck is going on here?” Rook’s voice carried across the space, jolting me back abruptly. I looked over to see him sauntering onto the rooftop, a beer in his hand as he peered at us.

“Fuck off,” Ebony growled.

I almost smiled, sensing the possessiveness in his tone, as if whatever was between us right now, he didn’t want anyone ruining it.

“I don’t think so.” Rook dropped down onto the deck chair next to us, cracking the beer casually, though his narrowed eyes were locked on us a little too intently. I shifted, intending to climb off of Ebony’s lap, but his grip clamped down on my waist, holding me against him.

I glanced back to see something possessive in his gaze, and he wasn’t paying any attention to Rook. “Don’t play with me and think you can get away so easily,” he breathed in my ear. I don’t know what his intention was, but thrill coursed through my veins.

I had climbed onto his lap and challenged him, so at his words, I relaxed, sinking against him to prove I didn’t regret a thing, even with the unrelenting feeling that I was sitting before the open jaws of a vicious predator.

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