Page 53 of Undying
Soft.
Even after the hell I survived being turned, I still have most of my humanity.
But the way Jolie looks at me, that doesn’t feel like a negative.
Satisfied with my haul, I grab a bag that contains a change of clothes for her, then I turn and peer around the mansion, wondering where the hell everyone disappeared. The halls are eerily silent. I don’t bother calling out, not sure if anyone would answer, anyway. While the guys are part of a team and work well together on missions, none of them are really friends.
The wolves hang out in the gym, I work on my computers, while Stanton does…well, whatever Stanton does to keep the place running. I’m the youngest of the group of ancients, and the team treats me more like a mascot than one of them, each taking turns training me. They’re slowly learning to trust me somewhat, so that’s a bonus, but only as much that I no longer suspect they’d kill me if I fuck up.
Earning their trust is a process.
When you’re that old, nothing comes easy anymore, especially your belief in people.
I shake off my rambling thoughts, the approaching daylight affecting my focus. The need to see Jolie is impossible to resist. I follow the slight pull in my chest and head up the stairs. The closer I get to her, the stronger the sensation, until a warmth builds in my chest where my heart once beat.
Almost in a trance, I turn the corner, and the smell of her arousal fills the air. A frown pulls at my face, my brows lowering, and a swell of protectiveness has me picking up my pace. The thought of anyone taking advantage of her while she is vulnerable has me vibrating with rage.
I streak down the hallway, my grip tightening on the bag in my hand when my anger threatens to take over. I stumble to a stop outside the bathroom doorway. Even though I no longer need to breathe, my chest is heaving from the adrenaline pumping through me. I quickly burn through the blood I consumed that morning, something about being near Jolie making my hunger nearly insatiable.
My fangs drop as her scent becomes more potent, mixed with the unmistakable smell of sex. I’m both pissed and envious at the same time, and I run a hand down my face, trying to brace myself for what I’ll find.
Even as I push open the door, I know that I’m already too late. The newly formed connection between them is strong and bright, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Jolie is mated.
To a fucking wolf.
I didn’t even know such a thing was possible.
Then the logistics strike me, and I scowl, my grip on the bag digging into my hands. Does she even know what it means to be mated?
Self-righteous rage fills me, but my brain hiccups when it registers their compromising position, and I can only blink at seeing her straddling Castle. Despite the horror she’s gone through, her petite form is curvy, and it takes everything in me not to offer her my throat for her to feed.
I almost expected Tobias to do something so reckless, but seeing the methodical and reserved Castle taking advantage of her leaves me floundering in shock.
And absolutely furious!
She was supposed to be mine!
Unable to control my rage, a hiss rattles in the back of my throat. Jolie’s head snaps up at the noise, her dark eyes bleeding black, and she launches herself at me. Her body slams into me hard enough to knock me off my feet, and I hit the ground with a grunt, cradling her close to protect her from the fall. Her skin feels like heaven and hell where she’s pressed up against me, and it’s all I can do to keep my hands from roaming.
The instant her fangs touch my neck, my cock hardens to stone, and I can’t stop myself from offering her my throat. I lift my hands in the air to show I mean no harm, almost whimpering at the loss of her silky skin against my palms. She goes deathly still at the movement, and I practically quiver, waiting to see what she’ll do next.
“Milo?” she whispers, her expression twisting in horror, and she rears back.
Before I have a chance to comfort her, Castle drapes a towel over her nakedness and draws her upright. I curl my hands into fists to keep from reaching for her and dragging her back, irrationally pissed he would dare interfere and take her from me.
I surge to my feet, ready to demand that he release her, when I notice the protective stance he’s taken up in front of her, likeI’mthe fucking threat.
It’s instinctual for a wolf to protect his mate, and I’m furious all over again. It feels like he took something vital from me, and the knowledge that she is beyond my grasp leaves a gaping wound in my chest at the loss.
“You mated her.” I march up to him, not intimidated in the least that he’s almost a foot taller and completely naked. “Does she even know what that means? Do you? A vampire and a wolf? She already has a target on her back, but now both races are going to be gunning for her. There is no way that the four of us are going to be able to protect her.”
My shoulders slump in defeat, the jealousy melting away to raw fear at knowing that we—that I—won’t be able to keep her safe.
Castle doesn’t even flinch, his harsh expression not changing as he stands before me, his legs spread, his arms crossed—a sentinel protecting his most prized possession. He lifts his chin, tipping his head slightly to the side, proudly showing off the bite mark she left on the side of his neck.
“She’s mine. I couldn’t stop from claiming her.” He drops his arms and closes the distance between us with a giant step, his glare both fierce and awed. “Even if I could’ve stopped it, I wouldn’t. I’ve been searching for her my whole life. I’ve long since given up hope that she was even real.”
