Page 24 of Elusive Mate

He wins only if you let him, whispered the little voice inside her head. As usual, the little voice was right. She might have lost her home in North Carolina; she might never be able to work as a veterinarian; she might even have to submit to him physically and let herself be claimed. But that didn’t mean it was forever. There was always the possibility promised by tomorrow.

She would wait. She would bide her time. She would plan. And then she would go. She would be free of Lucian, her brother, the clan, all of them. She would find some place they would never be able to track her. She would chart her own course, her own future, her own destiny.

CHAPTER 10

LUCIAN

Lucian sighed as he walked up to the other end of the plane. Granted it wasn’t that far, but he hoped that symbolically it was far enough that she would feel he was giving her space. It was times like this he was grateful for the tenuous link between them. It allowed him to get at least an inkling of what was going on in her head.

She felt trapped, and that was understandable from her point of view, but the bond between them wasn’t only one way. He had feelings, too. When she was still in her teens, it had been easy to tell himself that she wasn’t ready, and he could wait. However, as he’d watched her blossom into the beautiful, self-assured woman that sat at the other end of the plane, it was more difficult. He knew she wasn’t ready to accept what he could offer her—not just financially but physically and emotionally.

Hadn’t she said in her commencement speech that she believed she would live in interesting times? Perhaps that was the key to making her surrender. Perhaps instead of persuading her to accept that her destiny lay with him, he should challenge her. Maybe his patience was now being used against him.

He figured at this point she was already planning her escape. He would need to cut her off from the world outside the Baihu Clan. Reynolds had refused to bargain Zenya’s freedom for the support of the clan. Perhaps there were others within the Resistance leadership who would be more amenable. After all, Deke Campbell was a cave lion shifter, and he was the head of the Resistance. Primitive pretty much covered Deke’s taking of his own fated mate. He would understand.

That was the way to go. Make a deal with Deke. After all, Deke’s mate was involved with the Shadow Sisters, and Hayden North, the leader of the hellhounds, had a younger sister that was one of them. Surely between the two, they would be willing to make a deal. They wouldn’t have to hand Zenya over to him, they would only have to ensure that the Shadow Sisters were kept at bay. In exchange, he would commit the Baihu Clan and all of its resources to their cause.

Tenting his index fingers in front of his face, he knew his smile was hidden. He couldn’t read her mind, but he could feel the confusion she felt every time he purred down the link to her. She should feel the soothing sound as it wove itself around her jangled nerves, but she was quick to throw it off. He wondered if she realized she had admitted to knowing and feeling they were fated mates. That was a start, and the rest would come in time.

Lucian stood and headed into the cockpit.

“Alpha?” Charlie said, looking up.

“Are we at a place you can put the plane on autopilot?”

“Absolutely. There was some rough air below, so I took us a little higher.”

“I’m assuming the food I ordered was delivered.”

“It was.”

“Good. I want you to put the autopilot on, but I’ll remain up here in the cockpit. Zenya is none too pleased with me at the moment and has refused to eat. I know for a fact she likes lobster rolls. I picked a couple up before I rendezvoused with her. Would you mind taking her one and a bottle of water? Ask her if there is anything else she’d like. There’s a fettuccini alfredo that can be reheated, a spinach and strawberry salad, and several other things.”

“I’ll take a look at what’s there and see if she’s interested. Can I bring you something?”

“There’s a couple of pasta dishes. I’ll take whatever she doesn’t want and some water.”

“No problem. I’ll see if I can’t entice her to eat something.”

“Thanks, Charlie. I appreciate it.”

Charlie disappeared down the aisle, and Lucian closed the door. The last thing he needed was for her to get sick. He knew that he had her brother’s support, but also expected it would be harder on Zaiden than he might want to admit. Knowing what was right and remaining loyal to his alpha might be more difficult than his beta expected. They had been close as children, and it was partly because of their bond that Lucian had returned home and challenged Zion for leadership of the clan.

At the time he had planned to wait for Zenya to grow up before taking her to mate. He’d thought by this time to have at least one or two children with her. He knew he should be thinking of his heirs, but what he wanted was for her to be happy. If that meant not having children with him, so be it. He shook his head. They needed children, preferably a male heir to take on the mantle of leadership when Lucian was gone. If for no other reason than to ensure Zenya’s safety.

He could hear soft laughter coming from the other end of the plane. When he reached down the link, he could feel her anger and turmoil edging away. When Charlie came back, Lucian planned to remain at this end of the plane. Perhaps with food in her belly and feeling that at least she was safe for the moment, she might sleep. He could feel the emotional toll being brought back had taken on her. Sleep would help.

It was another hour before Charlie, somewhat sheepishly, entered the cockpit, bearing a plate with spaghetti, bacon and pesto. It wouldn’t have been his first choice, but Lucian was grateful to Charlie for coaxing his mate to relax and eat.

“I can get you something else,” offered Charlie.

“No, this is fine,” Lucian said, expertly twirling the spaghetti around his fork and taking it into his mouth. It was delicious. “This is a lot better than I thought green goo on noodles would be.”

Charlie laughed. “I just grabbed one. I wasn’t sure how you felt about pesto. Personally, I like it a lot.”

“I can see why. She seemed calmer after you went down there. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I don’t think she’s as frazzled, but I also don’t think she’s as calm as you’d like her to be.”

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