Page 45 of Elusive Mate

“I hate to point this out, but you haven’t had much, if any, sleep in days.”

“True enough, but I sobered up the moment I realized you found her. Get the men ready, and I’ll go upstairs, grab a shower and get changed. You stay here while I go fetch my mate and bring her home.”

“How much length of chain do you want for her to have?” asked Zaiden. Lucian looked at him questioningly. “You said you were going to chain her to the bed. I’m not sure that isn’t a good idea.”

Lucian chuckled as he knew Zaiden had wanted him to do. “Let me get her home first, then we’ll figure out how to keep her here.” Lucian pushed back from the desk, stood, and then started toward the door. He stopped before exiting. “And do something about that damn bobcat.”

“Something? Like kill it?”

“Hell, no. Either see it into the wilderness or back into its enclosure.”

“Do we even know where it is?”

Lucian nodded. “Last time I saw it, the damn thing was sitting in the middle of my bed, and I don’t want him getting comfy up there.”

All Lucian could hear as he walked briskly down the hall and jogged up the stairs was the sound of Zaiden’s laughter wafting through Ice Storm.

CHAPTER 18

ZENYA

Windsong Manor

Mystic River, Alaska

The last twenty-four hours had been terrifying, triumphant, and chaotic—sometimes all at the same time. She’d kept to herself for the flight to Windsong. She was hopeful that she’d be able to just sort of disappear—find what she needed to get out and be gone before anyone noticed.

Any length of time spent under the roof of an alpha male shifter was that much time given to Lucian. She knew he and Reynolds weren’t friends. Hell, they weren’t even friendly, but Reynolds was an alpha male, the head of his own clan, and Zenya was now the marked and claimed mate to another alpha. Alphas tended to stick together.

Night was falling when they landed at Windsong. She tried to stay close to Adriana, but in the hustle and bustle of getting everyone situated, they’d been separated again. It felt as if she was being isolated from the others who had been rescued. Those at Windsong were welcoming and everyone was shown to the dining room for dinner. They were to meet with Reynolds afterward individually.

Zenya could barely touch her meal. She tried to tell herself it was her need to get away, but she knew that wasn’t really the truth. The truth was that not all of her time at Ice Storm had been playacting. She’d been happy there. In truth, a part of her had been happier than she’d ever been. Lucian had seemed to genuinely want her to be happy, but the happiness had to be lived within the constraints he dictated, and to her that meant no kind of happiness at all.

The physical ache of missing Lucian was far more profound than she’d thought it would be. At first, she’d tried to tell herself it was just the sex, but it was far more than that, and she knew it. It had been a struggle to force herself to leave him on their wedding night. More than once, she’d wanted to turn back, but she reminded herself she didn’t want her life lived on anyone’s terms other than her own.

Part way through dinner, she excused herself, located where her anorak had been hung and slipped out the back door, telling the cook she just needed a little fresh air.

“That’s to be understood, you poor lamb,” said the cook. “What all of you went through at the hands of those vile creatures. But you’re here at Windsong now. They’ll not be taking you away from our alpha.”

Zenya had just nodded and made her way out the back. When she was sure no one was watching, she tried to slip away, but ran into a man who had seemed to just emerge out of nothing. The smell of smoke and brimstone identified him as a hellhound.

“Going somewhere?” he intoned.

“Not that it’s any of your business,” she said, trying to push past him.

“I think there are a lot of people who would think it their business, Zenya.”

“You have me mistaken for someone else.”

He chuckled. “I don’t think so. Zenya Hale…only it’s Hendrix now, isn’t it? Your mate has been half out of his mind with worry about you.”

“You mean he’s pissed because I outsmarted him.”

“That too, I suspect. I know Colby wants to talk to you.”

“And if I don’t want to talk to him?” she challenged.

“Neither Colby nor I are your enemy. Both of us have strong ties to the Shadow Sisters. I believe you’ve met my younger sister.”

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