Page 30 of Twisted Mates

He slowly studies my face—eyes, cheeks, and mouth. I swear I feel his gaze as if it were his fingers gliding over my skin. He licks his lips and his hips shift over mine. In a low voice that makes me ache, he says, “I can handle you, little wolf.”

We hold each other’s stares for a second longer and then something clicks in his head. Gone is the lust that radiated off him and he rolls away from me, getting to his feet. I don’t miss how his hand mindlessly drifts to his crotch as he adjusts himself.

“I can look into getting you the keys to Kai’s Rover; he didn’t take it when he left,” he says.

I blink and draw in a sharp breath, trying to bring my focus back to the actual conversation we’d been having before... whateverthatwas. “Um, I—I have a car. I just have to get it from my parents’ house.” My voice is serious now. “I won’t hit the curb if I take your truck. I promise.” The idea of getting into Kai’s car again kind of makes my stomach turn. If I could smell him on his pillow, what would it be like in his vehicle?

“If that’s what you want to do, that’s fine by me.”

He grabs a set of keys from the top of his dresser and tosses them at me. I catch them mid-air. The hint of a smile tells me he thinks it was a cool move, but I don’t drop my poker face. There is this need inside of me to prove to him that I can match his tough guy energy.

“Thanks, Xander,” I say, sitting up and sliding off the bed, clearing my throat. “I’ll just go talk to them, grab a few things, and set up a time for my parents or one of my brothers to bring my car over. I won’t be gone long.”

“That’s fine,” he says, handing me a business card. “If you have any troubles with the truck, give me a call.”

“Okay. See you later then.”

“Be safe, Alexia.”

It takes everything in me not to shoot him a longing glance on my way out the door. Because as fast as his lust seemed to disappear, mine hasnot.I don’t know how I’m supposed to just ignore how attractive that man is and live in the same house with him.

After cleaning up and changing clothes, I’m feeling a little better. I wouldn’t say more hopeful, since I’m still certain Kai is gone for good. But I’m not feeling like such a failure. Kai is the one who left. He gave up. Not me. I was willing to try. Even though I wasn’t sure about everything either.

Jogging downstairs, I walk into the kitchen to see Clayton standing at the counter. My heart skips in my chest and my slight lift in mood plummets to the ground. He looks up and his eyes narrow on me.

“Alexia. You look awfully chipper for someone whose mate has up and disappeared.”

Chipper? Why, because I’m not sobbing?“I’m not chipper, Clayton,” I say, unable to hold my tongue. “I’m simply choosing to not wallow in misery because Kai decided to leave without telling anyone where he was going. There’s nothing I can do about it, so why sit here and cry? I did that earlier, and now I need to see what my next steps should be.”

He stirs the silver spoon in his coffee mug, staring into it as if whatever is inside is more interesting than me. “Your next step should be to help find your mate and future king. That should be youronly concern.”

“As nice as that sounds, it’s just not the case for me. I’ve been uprooted from my home and the one person I should be depending on is MIA. I have no clue where Kai is and he isn’t answering his phone. I’m at a loss on that front. The only thing I can control is myself, so that will be my focus for right now.”

I can see it in the way his eyes narrow and the tick in his jaw; Clayton isn’t one who is used to having those around him speak their mind and go against his commands. But this isn’t a ruling matter, this is a family matter, and his ruling status has no place in this conversation. Shifters are respectful to our rulers. We recognize that they were chosen by the goddess, but this isn’t pack business. Not to mention, Clayton wasn’t chosen by the goddess. I don’t have to drop to my knees and hold my tongue.

Clayton looks at the keys in my hand. “Where are you going?”

“To talk to my parents face to face. They need to hear what’s going on from me.”

He grunts his acknowledgment and flicks his hand in the air, waving me off like I’m a pesky fly.

Rolling my eyes, I mutter, “Bye to you too.” I grab my purse off the couch and exit the house, heading straight for Xander’s black Silverado z71.

My eyes widen when I realize just how big this thing is. Maybe I should have let him get me the keys to Kai’s car. Because I might need a ladder to get up in this cab. I click the key fob to unlock it and reach up to open the door. Thankful for the step bar, I grab onto the edge of the doorframe and climb in. When I’m safely inside, I start it up, startled by how loud and rumbly it is. It must be a V8, probably after-market modified like my brothers’ trucks. And it’s spotless inside. This is a lot of pressure. I hope I don’t make a mess somehow.

Or actually hit a curb.

Before I can overthink it, I back up and head down the driveway, being as careful as I have ever been in a motor vehicle. Thankfully, the snow has melted off the roads, but it is raining. I flip the headlights on before I get on my way and turn on the radio to drown out my wandering thoughts.

My parents live about twenty minutes from the Braxtons, in the valley. To get there, I’ll need to go through town, and even though Mount Selene is by no means large, thereisa shortcut to get there through the backroads. But since I’ve never driven Xander’s truck, I think I’ll stick to the main road. Fewer curves, fewer opportunities for accidents.

When I turn onto Vargan Valley Lane, the road that leads to my parents’ house, I notice something odd. The car that pulled out behind me at the top of the mountain is still there. Through all the stoplights and traffic in town. The only reason I even noticed is because when they pulled out behind me, they didn’t have their headlights on. They still don’t, even though the rain has picked up. And they’re following closely behind me. Maybe Ihave watched one too many true crime shows, but something is up.

My skin feels prickly and there’s no real reason anyone should be following me, but something about this is weird. At the last second, I decide to test it. Without using my turn signal, I take a left onto a side road that ends in a cul-de-sac. There’s no reason this person should come down this street after me. It would be one hell of a coincidence if this was their destination.

I drive a little way down the road, and the car—it’s actually a Jeep—doesn’t appear. I let out a sigh of relief. Okay, I guess I’m just para?—

But there it is, cresting the hill behind me. “What the hell?” I whisper.

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