Page 6 of Targeted By Temptation
Damn. I screwed up my nose at the musty aroma and turned around, ready to make a quick exit. But my wolf stopped me and told me to breathe.
What? I can smell the liquor and the years of dust.
No, beyond that. Inhale and scent the air.
Not wanting to argue, I did as he instructed, and I caught a whiff of a tantalizing scent. I gripped a shelf to keep myself upright, fearing I’d topple over. It was sweet and warm, but there was a hint of fear mingled with the other smells.
It’s our mate.
My brain couldn’t process what instinct was telling me. How could my mate be in this stuffy old room, as if he was waiting for me to take a wrong turn.
Find him.
My beast didn’t need to tell me twice, though I still couldn’t believe it.
He’s human.
Maynard’s mate was human, so it wasn’t unheard of in our family.
I charged through the storeroom, sniffing as the scent became stronger toward the back, behind a stack of boxes. Not wanting to scare the guy—though what he was doing hiding in a storeroom, I couldn’t fathom—I whispered, “Hello.”
I waited, and my enhanced shifter heating picked up panicked breathing.
“There’s no need to be afraid. I don’t work at the bar or anywhere nearby.” I waited before adding, “I can help you if you let me.”
A shadowy form half stood and poked his head out beside the tier of boxes.
His voice shook as he begged me not to reveal where he was.
“I'm not going to hurt you.” I kept my tone even, though my beast was howling inside me.“My name is Ezra Grey.”
“They’re coming. They'll find me. They'll make me?—”
“Hey.” I held out my hand, wanting to wrap my arms around my mate and protect him. “You're safe. I promise.”
“I have to go,” he said, trying to stand and leaning on a box that threatened to fall. I righted it before it crashed onto the floor. “I have to get away from here.”
“Okay, we’ll leave.” The Stravon Alpha had access to the agreement, so I was in the clear, sort of.
“What?” He stared at my hand as if trying to decide whether I was offering him a lifeline or if this was a trick.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.” I hoped he knew the location of the back door.
He took my hand, and warmth rippled through my body.
4
REIGN
My father hadn’t been exaggerating when he said I had no time to waste. His assistant, Giles, was at my door two minutes before my father had promised. We were really doing this—and I hated it. I never expected any less, but I had sure wished for it.
I didn’t speak to Giles the entire ride home. There was no reason for him to be there in the first place. The driver was more than capable of getting me home. He sat up front where I wanted Giles to be.
But no, my father’s assistant had to sit in the back with me, probably under my father’s orders. Like I would bolt from the moving vehicle or somehow miss my ride entirely. I had nowhere to go, nowhere safe anyway. If I had, I sure wouldn’t be in the car with them of my own free will. Not that I’d exactly call it free will, but on the outside, it could appear as such.
The truth was, I was trapped.
We went straight to my father’s mansion, the place I had once called home.
