Page 43 of Elusive Mate

Jinx laughed. “That’s one of the kinder things people used to say about him. Come to find out he’s kind of an upstanding kind of guy, but he does support the Shadow Sisters, and he too is no fan of Lucian’s. We just need to get you to Windsong.”

“Thank you. What if Manchester won’t help?”

Jinx laughed again. Zenya suspected she did a lot of that. “No worries. We’ll get you out. Trust me, Cullen has far more of us ‘rogue females’ than he’d care to think about.”

She followed Jinx out toward the dining hall, but they detoured through the kitchen where Manchester was issuing orders. “Problem?” he asked, looking between Zenya and Jinx.

“She’s a tigress from the Baihu Clan. She doesn’t want to go back.”

Manchester nodded. “We have a chopper headed to Windsong. We’d best get you on it. Lucian’s already doing some saber rattling. Lettie’s making sandwiches for all of you to eat on the way.”

“How did he know I was here?” Zenya asked suspiciously.

“The vamps kept good records. They recorded there was a tigress among those taken. Baihu was the closest tiger clan so we asked Lucian if he was missing anyone. From his reaction, it would seem you’re important to him. I was going to come look for you to see what you wanted to do. You can stay here if you prefer. We won’t turn you over to him.”

“You don’t want to fight him. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“I am not unaware of the prowess of the Baihu Clan, but I’m not inclined to just turn a female over because some snarly alpha wants me to.”

The man who had been identified as Manchester’s beta chuckled. “Fact is, Cullen and Lucian don’t like one another, so spiriting you off will just be the cherry on top for Cullen.”

Zenya could feel herself starting to relax just a little for the first time since the alley. “Thank you. Lucian really isn’t as bad as most people think. He can be, but he isn’t always, and the clan has benefited and prospered under his leadership. Clan life is not for me, though, and he can’t accept that.”

Cullen searched her face. “Few alphas want to lose a vibrant, beautiful female such as yourself, but he’ll have to learn to live with the loss. Come on, let’s get you onto the helicopter.”

Within half an hour they were airborne, and Zenya finally began to breathe easy.

The ache in her heart wasn’t as easily resolved.

LUCIAN

The night before, Lucian had been a little wobbly when a cadre of his warriors had taken him up to the chambers he now shared with Zenya. Zenya, his gorgeous, sexy, responsive mate. His cock had been perpetually hard since she’d walked down the aisle to him. If he hadn’t been so incredibly aroused, he might have worried about his performance, but it had never been an issue in the past, and he had never been as wildly attracted to any woman as he was to Zenya.

There had been much laughter and frivolity as they had carried him up the stairs, and Lucian hoped like hell she hadn’t heard some of their ribald comments. His men weren’t trying to be rude, but they were drunk and happy that their alpha had finally claimed his mate—his incredible fated mate. Zaiden had not opted to join them. Lucian knew it wasn’t that he was unhappy about Lucian taking his sister to mate, but it had to be difficult to hear about your sister having sex with anyone.

He was fairly sure his cock was going to burst if it didn’t get sunk in her depths. Perhaps releasing his barbs should wait until he was more sure of what control he would have. Besides, right now, all he wanted to do was fall on her and get inside her warm, wet pussy. And given how sweet she’d smelled at their bonding ceremony, he was pretty damn sure she was aroused as well.

Finally, his men set him down in front of the door to his chambers.

“We can help you inside and with your husbandly duties,” said one of his men.

Lucian straightened his clothes. “That won’t be necessary. The lot of you need to leave. Zenya doesn’t need to be treated to your lewd comments.”

They all laughed, wished him well and stumbled back down the staircase. They’d be lucky if none of them fell and broke something. He worried about several of them being able to do anything other than fall into a bed to sleep it off. It had been a glorious bonding ceremony.

He waited until they were out of earshot before opening the door and entering the darkened bedroom. He was a little surprised the room was dark, as a lighted room had never bothered Zenya before. Had there been candles lit, he would have thought she was being romantic. But the entire room was dark, with the exception of the moonlight flowing through the french doors.

The soft glow cast by the moon showed a form on the bed. Only it wasn’t that of his mate; it was the form of her pet bobcat. Lucky sat in the middle of their bed, licking his paws before rubbing his face and casting a baleful eye towards him as if to say, ‘fool.’

Lucian ran to the balcony and looked out into the night. There was no sign of her. He rushed to their closet and her tapestry bag as well as the clothes she had brought with her from North Carolina were missing. The only thing she seemed to have taken from her time here with him was the anorak jacket. Damn her.

He went back out onto the balcony and scented the wind. Nothing. He closed his eyes, steadying himself by holding onto the railing and tried to feel her presence along the link. Nothing. He roared into the night, hoping somehow that the sound might reach her and compel her to return. Nothing. She was gone. She had played him for a fool and had slipped away, leaving him with nothing but resentment and regret.

It was interesting how he could go from drunk and besotted with his mate to furious and sober in almost the space of a heartbeat. Heading back to the hallway, he got to the top of the stairs and bellowed for Zaiden. If he could have avoided the embarrassment of the entire clan knowing she had deserted him on their wedding night, he would have done so, but she had left him no choice. He would need to have people start looking for her and tracking her by whatever means they could.

“Alpha?” Zaiden asked, running up the stairs.

“Remember how you kept telling me this week that you felt as if your sister was hiding something?”

---