potential weapon. She might be smart enough to refrain from killing me, but I
made no threats for killing others, and someday, it just might come down to that,
but until then, she needed to learn to respect the people I put in place to protect
her.
“Sure, let’s call it that,” she mumbled.
Jaden’s lips formed a tight line before she finally looked away back toward the
sky, but I wasn’t done scolding her for her blatant disregard for her own safety.
“You’re welcome,” I said harshly, still waiting for the actual thank you that
would burn her tongue.
“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes still on the sky while the words
disappeared into the cold air like ghosts.
“Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I saw that wolf attack you?”
She didn’t even look at me when she responded. “I imagine it compares little to
the amount of terror I feel on a daily basis.”
“Look at me,” I ordered, taking her face in my hand and prying her eyes back to
me. “The terror you feel is in place for a reason. If there is no fear of me or the
consequences of your actions, you will never adapt to your place. It is your own fault
that I have to be so strict with you all the time.”
A ghost of a smirk appeared on her lips as I released her face to allow her to
speak. “You call threatening and killing my family strict? What about everyone else
you’ve killed because of me?”
“Necessary. If that is what I have to do to keep you in line and ensure that you
are safe, I will do it without conscience.”
She stared at me for a long time, her chest heaving heavy breaths, while her jaw
clenched and her brows furrowed in confusion. After a moment, she seemed to
relax.
“Why me?” she asked softly.
I sighed, knowing this question was coming. It was a valid question. Why her?
Why was she the focus of my obsession? Why was I so hell-bent on making her
mine? I had rationalized it in my head so often that all the explanations simply
blurred together.
“Because no matter how many times I try to snuff the defiance out of you, you
refuse to fade. You give me what no one else ever has or could, and I’m drawn to it
like a moth to a flame.”
“And what happens when that flame finally dies? How will you get your fix
then?”
I smiled. “I’m a very good fire starter, Jaden. I know just how to ignite the sparks
in you when you need it. It’s not in your nature to break.”
She released a light breath through her nose, seemingly preparing to respond,
but then the sky began to light up with bright neon color. The anticipated display of
the northern lights began to dance across the night sky in vertical waves of pink,
blue, and green, further adding to the beautiful scenery below. The alarm on my
watch then began to beep, signaling the end of one year and the beginning of
another. A year I intended to share with Jaden and many more to come for the rest
of my life.
“Oh, my God,” Jaden whispered as her eyes washed over the sky. She had tears
in the corners of her eyes, her face so mesmerized by what she was seeing. It
tugged at the thinning strings of my heart.
The aurora borealis continued to move along the sky for several minutes, the
colors fading and winding around each other, painting the sky with a light show not
even the fireworks could touch. I’d planned this days ago, and it turned out to be
the perfect timing. I knew Jaden would love this, and judging by the fact that she
couldn’t take her eyes away from the sky, I’d won.
“You planned this?” she asked as she turned to me, her voice clearly shocked.
“Mmhmm,” I moaned.
I rubbed my nose along the side of Jaden’s face before turning her head and
kissing her with a softness I wanted to last forever. She moaned into my mouth,
responding to the kiss like she wanted to, no longer denying herself the pleasure of
my touch. The northern lights continued to weave and wave above us, but we didn’t
need them anymore. We made our own damn lights.
By the time I finished kissing her, we were both breathless, her lips red and
swollen from my own, and it just made me want to kiss her more.
“Happy New Year, princess,” I whispered and went back for seconds.
45
A GAME
Two Weeks Later
“Sit,” I ordered, holding the dog treat between my fingers. Camaro’s little pink
tongue hung out of her mouth as she eyed the treat, but after a few more prompts,
she finally sat on
