“I’m sorry about your sister, Madelyne. I’ll see what I can do to help look for her,” he said, taking her hand. He remembered Maddox’s story about their missing sibling. She looked up and quickly wiped away a stray tear with her other hand never letting go of his.
“I’m not sure what else can be done,” she said, picking up her fork, and began eating with one hand. Connor did the same. It was funny how Fate worked. Less than twenty-four hours ago he had to be drugged to get some sleep. Now he was sitting at a table eating breakfast with his mate after a perfect night’s rest. He chuckled at his good fortune.
“Are your waffles funny?” she asked. He shook his head.
“Just thinking about how Fate works and how different my life is now, than it was twenty-four hours ago.” He squeezed her hand.
“Twenty-four hours ago, I had packed up my entire life and got on a plane to go visit my brother. No job, no home. Nothing. Now...” She trailed off and looked at him, smiling.
“Why did you quit your job and pack up like that? I was there in the diner the day Doc was talking to you. After being around you, you don’t seem like the type of person that would do something like that on a whim.”
“You’re right. It wasn’t a whim. I really started to hate myself in New York. I hated my job. None of the cases seemed to matter. I guess I was ready for a change. When I heard about what happened with the virus, all I could think about was that it had been years since I last seen my brother. That was all it took. I’ll call my personal assistant when we get back so he can arrange to have my things sent to Arkadia, I mean, if that’s okay?” she asked.
“Sounds good to me.” Connor took another bite of his waffles.
“So what are we doing today?” she asked.
“Well we have a ton of board games, including my favorite. Trivial Pursuit,” Connor said, looking up to catch her blush.
“Oh. I thought that we would…” Connor grinned and waited for her to finish the sentence.
“Would what?” he teased.
“Oh I don’t know. Fuck like bunnies?” she suggested. He shook his head.
“Nope,” he said, his lips popping the P. She shook her hand loose.
“Why the hell not?” she demanded.
“Because when we come together it will be for me to claim you or not at all. When you’re ready to be claimed I’ll be waiting for you to seduce me,” he said, standing up and taking their plates over to the sink.
“Un-fucking-believable,” she grumbled. Connor turned back around smiling brightly.
“Monopoly?” he asked and held back his laughter as her head banged on the table.
* * * *
“Yahtzee! Take that!” Madison yelled and jumped up to do a happy dance. Connor couldn’t believe how much his mate had relaxed since yesterday. All day she had been opening up more and more. Now it felt like they had known each other for years. He thought that maybe Madison’s change of heart was too quick to be genuine, but then he remembered what Aleks had said about his first date with Rebecca. That after being together for only a few hours everything seemed to slip into place. That as a couple you start to fill the voids in each other’s hearts and how years of dating seemed to compact into hours.
“Cheater,” he said, taking the dice.
“Don’t hate. I’m running to get some chips, want anything?” she asked.
“Can you grab the mint chocolate cookies?” he asked, pouting. Laughing, she leaned down and kissed him before heading to the kitchen. Connor leaned back against the couch and laced his fingers behind his head. Yesterday he was a hated kidnapper. Today he was her best friend. He was congratulating himself when he heard her screech his name. Jumping up he ran to the kitchen to find his mate standing on the chair.
“Mouse!” she yelled. He looked at his mate.
“Really?”
“Yes really, over by the fridge. There.” She pointed. He motioned to her in the chair.
“No, I believe you about the mouse, I meant, you. You’re really up on a chair over a mouse?” he asked, eyeing his mate in disbelief. Movement caught his eye as he saw a black blur dart to the pantry. She screamed again.
“Get rid of it!” she yelled.
“You shift into a four-hundred-pound tiger, you get rid of it,” Connor said incredulously.
“Three hundred and fifty pounds, thank you very much. And what the fuck is my tiger going to do with a mouse?” she asked, her hands on her hips. “I don’t know, eat it?” he asked.
“You want me to eat a rodent?” she gasped. Connor looked at his mate’s horrified expression and quickly reassessed the situation.
“Of course not, I was kidding. How about you draw a nice hot bath. I’ll deal with Mickey Mouse, and when you get out I’ll have a gourmet dinner and a glass of wine waiting for you,” Connor said, helping her off the chair. He prayed she would never know he had been serious. Her eyes narrowed at him and she sniffed.
“That sounds wonderful. Be out soon.”
As she walked past him she leaned in and whispered.
“Nice save.” Connor let his forehead thump against the wall.
* * * *
When she walked out of the bedroom nearly an hour later dinner was almost ready. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He breathed deeply and his knees nearly buckled. There was the scent again, like apples. At first he thought it was her shampoo, but she didn’t have it with her. Then he realized that was her scent to him. He took another deep breath and a second scent had him gripping the counter. She was aroused. She had to be dripping wet for the scent to be so strong. He spun around and walked her backward until she was against the wall.
“I’m about to fuck you and claim you. Say no only if you truly mean it,” he said, his voice sounding deeper.
“All I had to do was walk out here with no panties on to seduce you?” she asked, breathless.
“Works for me,” he said before pulling her lower lip between his. He bit and devoured every inch of her mouth. He trailed down her neck and bit lightly at the tender skin below her ear. She moaned and squirmed, pressing her legs together.
“None of that. Every drop of that honey is mine.” He lifted her and carried her to the rug in front of the fireplace. He set her down and pulled the large T-shirt off, leaving her completely nude and open to him. He stared at her body and didn’t know where to start.
He pulled his shirt off over his head and threw it to one side. He quickly removed his jeans and watched as his mate cupped both her breasts together, offering them to him. Guess he knew where he was starting.
He pulled one hardened peak into his mouth and rolled his tongue over it. He gently suckled before releasing it and went to the other one. With his lips wrapped around one nipple, he sent his hand exploring down her body until he found what he was looking for.
He delved his fingers into her wet heat and pulled them away, saturated. He pulled off her breast and she protested.
He brought his hand up to his mouth and licked his fingers, the taste of her exploding over every taste bud.
“I have to have more.” He growled and crawled between her legs. He spread her wide and began to consume every inch of her glistening pussy. When she began to buck her hips he plunged two fingers deep inside her to still her motions.
“Connor, please, I need,” she begged. He continued to tease her clit mercilessly. First a gentle swipe of his tongue then a touch of his teeth. He alternated between plunging deep inside her dripping pussy and rotating his fingers and grazing her hot spots.
“Connor, please. I need you, my mate,” she whispered. Upon hearing those words his control snapped. He sat up and draped her legs over his forearms, nearly bending her in half. Without any preamble he snapped his hips and plunged his cock as deep into her as he could go. She screamed wordlessly, and he felt her inner walls convulse around him. He let her legs fall and she immediately wrapped them around his waist. Over and over again he pushed his way inside of he
r, and each time she brought her hips up to meet him.
When he opened his eyes and looked down at her he noticed her eyes had shifted to a light sky blue and her canines had descended. Her head was thrown back as she rode her passion. The sight was enough to bring his bear roaring to the surface. He felt his own canines punch through his gums and he buried his face in her neck.
“Only you. Mine. My mate,” he whispered.
“My mate.” She gasped.
That was all it took to trigger his release. He came so hard he was seeing spots. He leaned forward and bit down on the side of her neck as she bit down on his. As he felt his soul lift from his body, a second climax shook him. He felt his soul merge with hers and then split before returning to him. At last. He was complete. Shaking he dropped to one side pulling out of his mate. She moaned at the loss. He held her close and let sleep claim him.
* * * *
Connor woke the next morning to the sound of a fork scraping a plate. He opened one eye to see his mate sitting next to him wearing her T-shirt, polishing off what smelled like the dinner he had prepared the night before.
“Any good?” he asked, sitting up. He smiled when he noticed she had covered him with a blanket.
“It was amazing. Did you know you sleep like the dead? I tried to wake you like three times and all you did was grunt and roll back over,” she said putting her plate down. Connor winced.
“Sorry. I think I’ve been catching up on my sleep while being here. Normally I don’t sleep that sound.” He stretched before pulling his mate under the blanket with him. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled the back of her neck.
“Your phone was ringing,” she said. He sat up instantly. Something had to be wrong. His family knew he was up here claiming Madison, they wouldn’t call unless it was an emergency. He looked around in a panic.
“It’s on the coffee table,” she said, sitting up next to him. He reached over and grabbed his phone to look at his missed calls. He froze at the name that appeared. He immediately called the number back.
“Griffin here,” a gruff voice answered.
“Sir, it’s Arkadion,” Connor started.
“Arkadion, we need you to come in.”
“Sir. I’m on my honeymoon.”
“Sorry, son, but he has struck again. I need you in a debriefing with the council representative,” Griffin explained.
“I understand, sir. I’ll be there in a few hours.”
“Roger that.” And the call ended. He looked over to Madison.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but you need to get dressed. Can you do me a favor and pack up our remaining groceries? I’m going to get dressed and bury our garbage. We need to leave immediately,” he said. She nodded and headed to the bedroom to get dressed.
After he had buried the garbage he helped her carry their remaining groceries to the car and he locked up the cabin. She got in the front seat next to him.
“Connor, who did you call?” she asked after they were on the road. He appreciated how she waited until they were already driving before asking questions.
“Terrance Griffin,” he said.
“The Sentinel commander? What on earth was that ass calling you for?” she demanded.
“Ass? You know Griffin?” he asked.
“I’ve been working with him trying to track Madelyne down. He hasn’t been very helpful.” She scowled.
“I sometimes do work for him. I review case information to try to create a profile to help track down killers.”
“What are your degrees exactly?” She looked at him suspiciously.
“A bachelor’s in psychology, a master’s in abnormal psychology, and a doctorate in behavioral sciences,” he admitted. Her mouth dropped.
“I love getting guys like you as expert witnesses,” she said and turned to face the window.
“So Griffin wants to use your expertise, hoping you can catch something the trained professionals missed?” she asked sarcastically. He winced.
“Something like that.”
“I’m going with you.”
“Like hell you are. I’m dropping you off in Arkadia,” he said, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
“You don’t know these guys, Connor. They are soldiers and political piranhas. They will walk all over your country ass. I’m going.” She crossed her arms and sat back.
He sighed. “I do know these guys, honey. I’ve worked with them before. There won’t be an issue,” he said, grinning when she stiffened at his term of endearment.
“Honey?” she asked.
“I love your honey,” he leered. She palmed her face and he laughed.
“I’m still coming with you,” she repeated. He nodded. She was going to have to find out the hard way. He was no one’s pushover.
* * * *
Luck was with them. One of his brothers had dropped his quad cab truck off at his house and made sure that Madison’s luggage was waiting for them in the foyer.
“I need thirty minutes to get ready,” Madison said, grabbing two suitcases.
“We don’t have time for you to primp,” Connor said, frustrated.
“Connor, appearance is everything to these yahoos. I have a feeling I will be tagging along a lot on these type of road trips from now on. First impressions are crucial. I haven’t met everyone there yet. They need to meet me as the ball-busting lawyer I am, not the ‘I’ve been thoroughly fucked by my mate and I’m wearing three-day-old travel clothes’ type of woman. If I am to be an asset to you, we need to take thirty minutes for me to get ready. The dead aren’t going anywhere, and that son of a bitch knows you were on your honeymoon. Let them fucking wait,” she said, turning to face the house.
“Where is your bedroom?” she asked.
“I love you,” Connor said, completely taken with his mate. With her back to him, she hesitated.
“I know. Bedroom?” she asked again. Connor’s eyes narrowed.
“Upstairs only bedroom on the left.” She took headed up the stairs and disappeared behind his bedroom door.
Connor fought down his anger. His mate had agreed to be claimed but her heart wasn’t fully vested yet. She agreed to the claiming to satisfy the demands her body was making on her. He was going to have to up his game to get his wildcat to surrender to him completely. He ran a hand over his jaw and discovered three-day-old stubble. She did have a point about appearance.
He took advantage of the time she was using to get ready to change. He opened the bedroom door and went to his closet. In the back, hanging on the left were his old suits. He had a naïve hope that he would never have to wear them again, trading them in for his apron. He should have known better.
He got changed and stared at the man in the mirror. His shoes were polished and gleamed with a mirror like surface. His black suit made his designer white shirt look crisp and clean. He decided not to wear the tie or shave, it gave him a rougher look. Finally he looped his arm through his leather, over the shoulder gun holster. He opened his gun safe and loaded his weapon. By the time he had the gun in the holster and his jacket on, his mate was walking out of the bathroom.
Her hair looked dark brown wet, but he knew it would warm up to the auburn color as it dried. She wore pearl earrings and necklace, simple and elegant, and a simple black dress that fit her curvy body perfectly. Over the stunning black number she added a gray blazer. She went with a black kitten heel but dropped a pair of stilettos in a small overnight bag along with a shimmery ivory shrug. He liked that without even saying anything to each other, they had both planned for any eventuality, including a high-power dinner with the commander later. He smiled and stalked toward her.
When she looked up and saw him walking toward him, her mouth opened and closed repeatedly. He raised an eyebrow.
“What?” he asked.
“You look completely different. I mean I thought you were sexy before rocking the country look, but in that suit.” Her eyes filled with lust. Showing great restraint, he shook his head.
/> “Later, honey. Let’s hit the road.” He winked and couldn’t help the swagger he added to his step.
“Bastard.” He heard her murmur. He was feeling on top of the world until she said, “Just so you know. My panties are coming off at some point this evening before we get back. They may or may not end up in your pocket.” She walked past him carrying her bag.
“Son of a bitch.” He groaned and she laughed.
* * * *
When they got to the tall corporate-looking building in Brighton, Connor easily maneuvered his truck through the underground parking garage taking a reserved parking spot. He dug into the console and pulled out his swipe badge ID. Attaching it to his belt, he got out and went around to open the door for his mate.
“First stop is the front desk to get you a badge,” he said. She smiled and waved a small piece of white plastic at him.
“I have one from when I filed a complaint about my sister’s disappearance. I showed up so often they got tired of issuing me a visitor’s badge.” She clipped hers to her blazer.
“Let’s go,” he said, taking her hand. They walked through the building until they came to a set of large glass double doors. Using his badge, he swiped to unlock the door and they continued through.
“Whoo-hoo Arkadion, whatcha got there?” a male voice called.
“She sure is a hot piece. You sharing?” Another laughed.
He clenched his fists and looked down at his mate. He didn’t want to assume she couldn’t handle herself, but he didn’t want to let this shit go unchecked either. She looked up at him and her eyes softened. He knew he had made the correct decision.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Madison Claybourne-Arkadion. I’m sure you remember me from my last visit, though I find it hard to believe that you two have gone through the sexual harassment training I recommended. I’m sure the council will be interested to hear that,” she said, her voice taking on a sarcastic, hard edge.
“Claybourne?” one asked.