Page 67 of Bind Me

“Can you blame me?” I murmur, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She’s wearing skintight leather pants and a shirt that follows her curves, the buttons pulling across the chest, constantly distracting me. “You’re breathtaking, Sasha.”

She laughs again, the sound filling the car with warmth. Then we fall into a comfortable silence on the drive.

We pull up to a lofty iron fence, the car’s engine humming softly beneath us. Beyond the fence is an enormous property with a grand yet standard stone building, but farther beyond that, there’s a much larger mansion—no, a castle by its appearance.

The gates open of their own accord, and we roll onto the driveway. Sasha and Chowder are practically plastered to the window, staring out in awe. The car stops, and they climb out eagerly, with me trailing behind. The driver starts unloading our bags from the trunk, placing them on a winding stone path alongside the initial building leading to the back gates. Beyond them stands the enormous mansion of dark obsidian stone with lofty windows on all four levels, with a pointy roof. A winding path cuts through a sparse forest of pine trees, leading up to the grand arched doorway. The entrance steps are flanked by imposing gold wolf statues.

“It’s all right, nothing special,” I say, pretending to sound unimpressed. “Once I complete my mansion by the fjord, it will blow this place out of the water.”

“Of course you’d say that. I think it’s stunning.”

“Let’s just see if this place lives up to your hype,” I retort, though I can see a hint of a smile tugging at her lips because she’s already smitten by the place.

The driver gestures for us to follow him. “This way. You are expected.”

As we move closer, someone rushes out of the front door of the mansion, a woman about the same height as Sasha, with flowing white, silvery hair, dressed in tight black pants and a loose V-neck shirt that glints like blue pearls in the sun. She’s even more beautiful when she’s smiling.

“Sasha! You’re here!” she calls out, her voice quivering like she’s crying.

“Billie!” Sasha squeals in delight, and without a second thought, she pushes her handbag with Chowder into my hands and rushes toward the woman. The two of them clash in a huge hug, their laughter and grins infectious. There’s something so rewarding about their happiness, about having someone so close that meeting them again feels like your whole life changes.

That’s Sasha for me. She just hasn’t fully embraced that yet.

She deserves this happiness with me, even if she’s too stubborn to admit it.

Billie pulls back from the hug, holding Sasha at arm’s length. “I missed you so much! You look amazing!”

“It’s been too long, and you have no idea how much I’ve been dying to see you again.”

I stand there, holding the bag with Chowder squirming inside, trying not to feel like a third wheel. The driver, with the bags, starts moving them along the path, and I follow, keeping a respectful distance.

Billie looks over at me, her lips widening into a grin. “And who’s this handsome fellow?”

Sasha grins bashfully, and I adore seeing her stare at me that way.

“This is Kaden, who I told you about. He’s… well, he’s…”

“I’m her fated mate,” I answer for her. “Nice to meet you, Billie,” I say with a friendly nod. I can behave when required.

She’s suddenly there, giving me a hug, her friendliness showing me exactly why she and Sasha are so close.

“Welcome to our home.”

Chowder’s head pops out of the bag, and Billie gives a small laugh at seeing him.

“Oh, and who is this little guy? Is he yours?” She looks at me for a response.

“Chowder,” he answers himself. “I don’t belong to someone. Especially not him.” He cranes his head up toward me.

I chuckle, rubbing his head.

“He’s with me,” Sasha states, snatching him out of the bag. She tells Billie all about him as they stroll toward the house.

Well, guess that’s my cue to get moving.

As we reach the grand entrance, Billie turns to me, her eyes twinkling.

“Come on, let’s get you settled in your room. We have so much to catch up on, and I want to hear everything about how you two met.”

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