Page 60 of Mated
“Oh,” I begin. "Nisha ... She is mine tonight."
His eyes pulse with his beast. "You have no prior claim, and this is my pack now."
"You're not hearing what I'm saying to you," I say softly, letting my alpha command thread through every fucking note that slips past my teeth. "Nisha is mine. Tonight. Tomorrow. For however fucking long I want her. You or anyone else touches her, I'll rip your fucking hands off and shove them down your throat."
He sits back in the old leather chair. My father's chair. I roll my head on my neck, and fight down the urge to rip his throat out just for that one slight. But I gave up the pack years ago, and I have no desire to take it again.
"I'm going to say this slowly, Tanner." Callus eyes me with cool disdain. "This is my land, my pack, and my run. Nisha is free to choose who she lays with tonight. And last I knew, you were not in any place to dictate that it must be you she is under or over by sun rise."
"I will be hunting her tonight," Callus continues. "Just as everyone else will be. She is prime, fit. And all the better for her to join the pack if she finds a mate tonight as well."
The cat inside me rolls up my body, his claws spread and teeth bared.
If he touches her...
"Fine," I say, moving away before I spill his blood all over the desk. "I will leave you to your preparations." I move to walk out.
"You are not an alpha here, Tanner," Callus says from behind me, making me stop. "If you ever try to use your alpha command on me again, I will take it as a direct challenge."
I peer at him over my shoulder. "And if I ever decide to challenge you, Callus, it won't be given by my alpha command, but by my teeth in your fucking flesh." I rip the door open and stalk out.
Nisha is fucking mine.
And they are all fixing to figure that out. Including the fucking demon waiting just outside.
***
I walk across the gravel driveway back to the others. Nisha is already gone. No doubt to one of the cabins or side rooms for her to get ready. Gage and Caine watch me as I near.
"Wasn't helpful, was he?" Gage asks. There is no teasing in the Fae warrior’s tone, just a kind of dejected fatigue. And I can’t blame him. What was supposed to be a trip to relax has quickly turned into a massive fucking headache.
“Callus never fucking is.” I look at Caine. “You still running?”
He pauses and then gives a gruff nod. “I said I would have your back. And I will.”
“Then I need you to hear me when I say this … Nisha is off limits to you.” I can see Gage turn to me out of the corner of my vision, but I only have eyes for the demon. “I know she picked you as a plus one, but I want Gage with her and you with me. So I can keep an eye on you.”
He makes a mildly affronted expression. “I would never—” I raise a brow, and he sighs. “She was burning up in the store, cat. I offered to slack her lust enough to function. Nothing more. What you walked in on was more of a friendly embrace.”
Gage gapes. “You fucking tried to seduce her too?”
I look at him. “Too?”
Gage continues to eye the demon in distaste. “He tried to feed from Lilah. The night of the attack.”
“Hello,” Caine snaps. “Asmodean. I seduce. It’s what I do.” He looks between us. “I genuinely think everyone keeps forgetting that.”
“I don’t.” Horan’s voice is crisp as he pushes from a small section of pines nearby. His sword is once more down his spine. And I may have forgotten to mention that he would be here to Callus.
Oops.
“You are abhorrent,” Horan continues to Caine. “The great plight upon humanity. I will never forget that.”
Caine bats his lashes. “Oh you do love me.”
Horan snarls and I hold my hand up to silence the angel’s retort. “How’s the perimeter?”
He scowls once at the demon before focusing back on me. “The pathway is clear enough. But are we sure it is wise to leave Ruin and Lilah alone at the hospital?”
