the sleeves of the robe and stepped out of bed to tie the belt. The silk was soft and
cool to the skin. Thankfully, the sleeves only went down to my wrists since they
were three-quarter sleeves on Darren, but the end of the robe went down to my
ankles where it would probably stop past his knees. Whatever. I was covered. That
was all that mattered.
When Darren turned around to face me, his eyes immediately lit up with
laughter. I folded my arms and glared at him, but he couldn’t stop the chuckle that
rolled up his throat.
“Ha-ha, I know, hilarious. Can we move on, please?” I said, rolling my eyes.
Darren laughed. “Okay, come on, cupcake. Let’s get you on schedule.” He
grinned, walking over to me.
“Now, you’re adding ‘cupcake’ to the list? Can we not?” I grimaced.
“Would you prefer strawberry shortcake?” he asked with a wide grin. My eyes lit
up.
“Would you prefer to die?!” I shot back at him. I was in no mood for jokes this
morning, and I’d heard that one a million times before. Darren returned that
dangerous glare of his, lifting an eyebrow, but I was too pissed to care. “Yeah, I
went there. Get over it,” I snarled and headed for the door.
I knew I wasn’t getting away with that. Darren quickly grabbed both my elbows
and yanked me back to his chest, holding me in place while his mouth found the
side of my neck, his teeth sinking deep into my skin. Pain electrified my skin, and
for some reason, it traveled straight to my clit. I gasped, my hands turning into
tight fists as Darren bit down, sucking and gnawing at my skin, setting my clit
ablaze. He was going to leave one hell of a mark, and maybe that was his intention.
He released my neck with a jerk but kept me tight in his hold while his erection dug
into my lower back.
Way to wake him up, Jaden …
Darren’s nose trailed up my throat before it rubbed against my ear, continuing
that slow torturous tingle against my skin.
“You should know by now,” he drawled through gritted teeth, “what that smart
mouth of yours does to me. You’ve been cleared to fuck, Jaden, so unless you want
to spend your days bent over every five minutes, I suggest you keep yourself in
check. Or I will.”
My breath caught in my throat. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t release the air
trapped somewhere in my lungs. I was too fucking turned on to even respond to
that threat. Liquid heat began to pool between my legs as fear and lust mixed to
create the most poisonous chemical reaction … and that shit raced through my
veins like heroin. God, what the fuck was wrong with me?
“Got it, cupcake?” he asked with a jerk.
“Got it,” I said with a heavy breath.
“Good girl,” he approved and released me before putting his jacket on. “Now,
let’s go.”
Darren placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out of his bedroom.
We walked down a long hallway that led to the wide marble staircase, which I was
able to ascend without issue, though it wasn’t as quick as I normally could have.
When we arrived at my suite, Hank and Blondie obviously waiting for me, Darren
took me in his arms and held me tightly against his chest. He pressed his face into
my hair and inhaled, relaxing a little as he did. I liked that I had the power to calm
him, something he probably hadn’t realized he had given me. I needed to get better
at controlling that power more than anything. I preferred him calm … and happy.
He was so warm, sturdy and unimaginably solid. Even with my limp arms around
him, it felt like he could withstand anything. Just being so close to him, so
swallowed by his presence, I couldn’t help but feel considerably small. He’d broken
the bones in my body, and I willingly gave that body up to him last night.
And here comes the guilt train…
No, I would not feel guilty for the shit I couldn’t control. I needed to numb
myself to that emotion. I couldn’t feel guilt for the actions that would contribute to
my survival … even if it meant the death of others. I wasn’t just trying to save
myself here. I was trying to eliminate a global threat, and if Darren had thousands
in his empire, then thousands would die.
If I wanted to become part of the wolf pack, then I would have to become a wolf,
even if I was the runt of the litter. The omega was
