Page 6 of Forsaken Fate

Grayson nipped at my ear and made a growling noise. “Come on, baby, tell me you did what I asked. Let me feel. Did you wear panties?”

“Grayson!” He nearly knocked me over the edge of the desk.

Grayson grew more insistent. “That’s my sexy little whore,” he said. “No panties for you, ever. Got it?”

“Not here. We have to wait. You know this. We’ve talked about it. Soon, my love. At Samhain during the full moon. At The Gathering. I promise I’ll be worth it.”

I thought I heard a noise. Was someone coming? Was that Grayson’s plan? To have someone spy on him, see me servicing him right here and now? How far would I go to keep him happy? I knew the answer was very, very far and that dark part of me responded, moistening the juncture between my thighs. I could close my eyes and pretend it was someone else. He would never know. I’d kept him at bay for months waiting for the most perfect time to let him mark me. When the moon’s power was at its zenith. When I knew his mark would give me greatest access to his mind.

“Baby,” I said. “It’s okay. I don’t know how you ... how anyone could deal with all of this. Give yourself time to process this, okay? I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. We have all the time in the world.”

Grayson backed away from me, his expression unreadable. “I just need a drink or something. Something to take the edge off.”

I bit my lip. I’d seen what Grayson drank before we left. If his edges got any more rounded, he’d be laid out on the floor. I said none of it. I kept my lips in a soft smile as I readjusted my dress and slid off of the desk. I put my hands flat on the lapels of his jacket and leaned up to kiss him. Smile, don’t make him angry. Don’t let him see.

“One more hour,” I said. “Why don’t you go out there and find your brother or one of your friends? You can all shift together. Hunt. Get out in the woods.”

He nodded. “Right,” he said. “I could do that.”

I felt the tension go out of my shoulders.

“Good,” I said, giving him a playful swat on the ass. “Just give me a minute to put myself back together and I’ll join you out there.”

Grayson nodded, reached out and squeezed my breasts one last time before he turned and left me alone. My skin was blotched where he grabbed me. If I went out there now, everyone would see.

As soon as the door shut behind him, I started to tremble. I hadn’t had more than a minute alone since the news came about Diana’s death. He’d been at my side, watching me, testing me, baiting me ever since.

It was then that I noticed a small silver refrigerator in the corner of the room. The kind you’d find in a college dorm. There were liquor bottles on top of it. I crossed the room and grabbed a vodka bottle. My fingers were shaking as I unscrewed the lid and took a shot. It was cheap, it was awful, it was perfect. I took another shot and headed for the couch. The second shot started doing the trick. I felt it warm in my belly and spread, dulling me. I just needed a few more minutes. Would one more shot be too much?

I stepped around to the front of the couch, intending to sit, and got a hell of a shock. I wasn’t alone. Theo Dorran slowly rose to a sitting position, his face flushed, his eyes flashing as his full mouth curved into a smile.

“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice deep and rich, sending vibrations through my already frayed nerves.

“Why didn’t you say something?” I asked.

He stood, shaking his head. “That wouldn’t have been very tactful, would it?”

He had me rattled. “Who are you hiding from back here?”

His smile dropped and I regretted saying it except I wanted to know the answer. Theo took a step toward me. We were close, just a few inches apart so I could feel his breath coming hot. I had the urge to touch his face. Run my fingers along the rough stubble that was beginning to shade his square jaw down the line of his chin to the sexy cleft he had there. His brown eyes flashed to silver. In my mind’s eye, I swear I saw his wolf. Huge. Gray. But no, that wasn’t possible. I shouldn’t be able to sense him like that. Unless…

“I could ask you the same question. I’d say you hated it out there as much as I did.”

Careful, I thought. I must be very careful. “People have ideas about me,” I said. “Grayson and I haven’t been together very long and his mother was very ... um ... protective.”

The laughter came back into Theo’s eyes, and I found that I loved it there. Careful. Be very careful, indeed. “His mother could be a stone-cold bitch,” Theo said. “I can imagine what she thought of you.”

“Really? And what do you think of me?”

“Why do you care?” He took another step forward. Theo was close enough that I had to crane my neck up to maintain eye contact. He was so much taller than Grayson. If I stepped into his arms, my face would only come to his chest level. And I thought about what it would feel like to step into Theo’s arms.

Something must have shown in my eyes because Theo’s expression changed. Alarm bells went off in my head and it seemed harder to breathe. What would he do if I touched him? What would I do if he touched me? I felt beads of sweat forming at the center of my back. Could I draw him in too? Would that be the smart play?

“You’re not exactly the kind of girl I pictured Grayson would end up with.”

“Why not?”

“Brynna,” he said. “That’s an interesting name,” he deflected. “How did you meet Grayson?”