Page 19 of Unbreakable Bond
Chapter 9
Rafe couldn’t let goof her. He held her hand or rather, she held his as she dragged him down the hallway towards the emergency exit door. She’d reassured him she had the key that wouldn’t set off any alarms and as she pushed the door open he felt another surge of pride. Sneaky littlemate.
They emerged from underground into a back alley. It was dark. No lights from the street reached here. Nothing but moonlight and it made his wolf scratch at hisskin.
He wanted out. Wanted to play with his mate. Wanted to claimher.
Rafe took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He forced his wolf back down. Not yet. He was in control, not the wolf. He had to stay in control. It wasn’t about his screwed-up head and his scarred memories. This was about Zoey, his mate, and he wouldn’t put her at risk by letting his near feral wolf near her, not while the heat was sopowerful.
“Where are we going?” He managed as he followed behind her up the narrow alley. “Yourplace?”
“No way. That’s the first place Michael will look for us.” Zoeyscoffed.
“Well, since my brother took both the Hudson house and the pack lodge, I don’t exactly have a place for us to go,babe.”
Zoey stopped suddenly and spun to face him, “Did you just call mebabe?”
He froze, unsure of what to say. Was that a bad thing? A good thing? He couldn’t tell at first but then he saw it. He saw the twinkle in her eyes. The way her mouth just slightly tipped upward at one corner. Hegrinned.
“Yeah.” He used his grip on her hand to pull her closer, “Yeah, I did.” He lowered his head and nuzzled her neck again, “And you likeit.”
“Mmm.” She moaned when he licked her pulse and he groaned as her taste swarmed himagain.
In two steps, she was up against the brick wall. He pinned her in place with his big body. She fit perfectly against him. All of her curves molded to him in all the best ways. He was hard and she was so soft. He rubbed his aching length against her and she moaned his nameagain.
God he loved thatsound.
“Rafe,please…”
“Zo, baby…” He groaned as she wrapped her arms around him and opened her legs wider, letting him notch himself between them. “We have to…” He hissed when her warm heat rubbed up and down his length as her dress rucked up, “Fuck.”
“Yes.”
His head was foggy again and Rafe knew there was something they were supposed to be doing. Her. He wanted to do her. His mate. Zoey. She was his and nobody could keep her from him. The thought pierced his subconscious and he forced himself to pull back from her despite every cell in his body rejecting the veryidea.
Michael wanted to keep her fromhim.
“We have to go somewhere.” He reminded her when she made the most adorable pouting face, “Somewhere far from here, where Michael won’t think to look for us. Where can we go, baby?Think.”
Zoey chewed her bottom lip, “Uh, I… um, the cabin at thelake?”
He nodded as soon as the words left her pretty lips. The cabin. He’d forgotten about the cabin. It had been so long since he’d been there. Since the summer before the hunters took everything from him. He and Gabe had bought it together, intending to fix it up, but they’d never gotten the chance. Gabe had diedand…
No. He shook off the pain that came with that thought. This wasn’t the time. If he got lost in his head now, he’d put Zoey at risk and he couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t do that. If he didn’t get them out of here, now, he’d lose Zoey too. Not the same way he’d lost Gabe but he would lose her all the same. Michael would take her from him. Keep her from him. He had to get them out of here and he had to solidify the bond before Michael found them and tried to come between themagain.
“Come on, let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him thistime.
They were running then. Hand in hand. Running through the alley and out the other side. Running in the direction of the lake. It was late and there was nobody on the streets but even still they never paused or hesitated. Luckily the lake was on the same side of town as the Sherriff’s office. They only had to make it through three streets and then they were outside of town, running together down an empty dirtroad.
Zoey slowed and then slowed further and Rafe stopped as she struggled for air. Human. His brain reminded him and he winced at his stupidity. She couldn’t run like he could. She didn’t have shifter genes that gave her adrenaline and stamina. He cursed himself for not thinking about how far the cabin was when he’d simply startedrunning.
“Baby?”
She dropped her hands to her knees and blew out a strangled breath, “I’m okay. I just… I need asecond.”
“No. You don’t. You need a break.” Rafe shook hishead.
“No, I can go on. Ican…”
