Mate Set (16 page)

If you were a werewolf then my shifting would have forced you to shift with me. We

would have shifted from skin to fur together and kept right on going. I lost control and

it wasn’t until I realized you weren’t shifting with me that I snapped out of it long

enough to get the hell away from you. I’d already started shifting and I couldn’t stop.”

Swallowing, Mika kept her gaze locked with his. “It’s all right, Grady. I’m all right.

You realized, you got control, and you didn’t hurt me. I’m fine, so calm down.”

He shook his head and spun away from her to present her with his back again. “I

can’t. I wish to God I hadn’t had to mark you. I can fuck other women if I have to but I

know you’re carrying my mark. My inner beast wants you. My animal side won’t be

satisfied unless it’s you I’m with. It would mean fucking someone but not coming if I

try to mount other women until my mark wears off you.” He moved and punched the

wall. A hole opened in the plaster under the assault of his fist. “Damn it!”

Pain sliced through Mika at the thought of him with other women. “It’s a good

thing then that you promised me to be loyal until the mark wears off so you won’t have

to worry about other women and what would happen if you tried to have sex with

someone else.”

He kept his back to her. “I’m putting you in danger. If I thought mounting other

women would protect you, I’d walk out now to go find one. I know I’d end up going

insane if I couldn’t have you. I know you’re marked as mine and I’d hunt you down

when I lost my mind from my need to be inside you. I hate mating season. This is so

screwed up. I used to love this time of the year. It meant hot sex, plenty of it, with

women throwing themselves at me. Now I’m terrified I’m going to end up killing you

and because I marked you, other women aren’t a viable option.”

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Shoulders hunched, she curled into a ball sitting up. The anger and regret in

Grady’s voice hurt. He really hated the fact that he was stuck with her through his

mating season. He wanted to be with another werewolf. She’d thought he might change

his mind at some point and be happy he was with her but he hadn’t. If anything he was

even more set on it being a mistake after spending time with her.

“Please shower,” he said softly. “I’m getting hard again and you smell like me and

sex. Clean yourself well. I need to get some air. I’ll call someone to watch the house

while I’m gone. Don’t leave. I can’t touch you anymore without condoms. The stronger

you smell of me the harder it is for me to maintain control.”

She watched him storm for her bedroom door. “Grady?”

He stopped at the door but he didn’t turn to look at her. “What?”

“Are you going to go be with someone else? Please be honest with me.”

He shook his head. “It wouldn’t do any good. My body only wants you, Mika.

We’re both damned until this is over. I just need some air to clear my head and I should

stop at the bar to check on things. I also need to grab more clothes while I’m there. I

won’t be gone long, I can’t be gone long, or my need for you will start to hurt me if I

don’t…touch…you again soon.”

She watched him leave her room as he moved down the hallway to the guestroom

and the other bathroom. She got up from the bed and limped slightly as she walked to

her bathroom. She heard Grady talking from the other room. He’d said he was going to

call someone to guard her and obviously was doing that now. She softly shut her

bathroom door and started the shower.

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Chapter Nine

Mika took an instant dislike to Eric Voigt. He watched her silently as she sat on her

couch trying to pay attention to the television. He looked at her as though she were a

bug under a microscope. The man was a blond surfer-looking type with tan skin and a

swimmer’s built. He was good looking but he made her feel uncomfortable. The sixfoot-tall man had arrived minutes after Grady had left her house. This was the man

who Grady had called to babysit her.

She turned her head and met his pale blue gaze. “Do you have to stare? I can feel it.

Do you want the remote control? I’m sure there’s something more interesting to watch

on the TV.”

He didn’t look away from her. “I’m just thinking. I didn’t mean to wig you out.”

“I’m not wigged. I’m just getting uncomfortable with the whole intense staring

thing.”

“I apologize. I’m just very intrigued by you. Omar kept you a secret from most of us

because I didn’t even know he had a niece until recently. From what I heard, Omar

threatened death to any man who touched you. Now I’m sitting here wondering how

long Grady has to live since you reek of him. Omar is going to kill him, isn’t he?”

She looked away and glanced at the commercial on TV. “Uncle Omar is aware that

Grady and I are sleeping together and Grady is perfectly safe. Beyond that I don’t want

to talk about it.”

He tilted his head, still staring at her. “Grady isn’t into human chicks. He avoids

them unless it’s an occasional one-night stand. You’re obviously more than that. He

marked you well from the strong scent you carry.”

“Ask Grady your questions.” She stood up. “I’ll be in my room taking a nap. Make

yourself at home. There are snacks in the kitchen if you get hungry. Grady said he

wasn’t going to be gone long.”

She walked into her room and shut the door. The guy was as nosy as hell and she

really didn’t want to hear more about how she wasn’t Grady’s type. It stung enough

when she got that from Grady.

She lay back on her bed, peering up at the popcorn ceiling of her old house. How

she could fall so hard and fast for a guy amazed her but Grady wasn’t like any other

man she’d ever met. He wasn’t even really a man.

She turned her head and looked at the phone, tempted to call Minnie and have a

girl talk. She didn’t reach for the phone though, knowing Minnie would just worry

about her and she didn’t want that. She was doing enough of that on her own.

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She heard the front door slam a while later and sat up. She heard soft male voices

but she couldn’t make out the words. A good ten minutes passed and then she heard

the front door slam again. She watched the bedroom door open and Grady paused in

the doorway. He looked good in the faded jeans and blue tank top. He had his kick-ass

boots on and his hair was down. His dark eyes studied her.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. How are you feeling? Did getting some air help?”

He hesitated and then nodded. “I just needed to think.”

She figured, by the tone of his voice, that nothing he’d been considering boded well

for their fragile relationship. She just waited, figuring he’d tell her about whatever had

put that tension in his voice. She scooted to the edge of the bed.

“I still don’t trust myself with you.”

“You’re not going to hurt me, Grady. I trust you even if you don’t trust yourself.”

He took a deep breath. “I came up with a solution.”

She had a bad feeling. “Why do I get the feeling that I’m not going to agree with

what you’re about to say? Are you leaving? Are you moving out?”

“I can’t do that. I’d want you and I’d go nuts if I couldn’t have you until I’m out of

heat.”

She knew it was pathetic that relief flooded through her. She wasn’t ready to say

goodbye to Grady. She knew her time with him was limited but she was unprepared to

lose him so soon. She hugged her chest and silently stared at him, waiting for him to

talk.

“We’re not mated.”

She blinked.

“Eric is a special member of our pack. His father is a werewolf but his mother is

human. He got some of the abilities of a shifter but not all of them. He can’t shift all the

way and he doesn’t suffer from mating heat but he has the strength of a full shifter. He’s

unique that way.”

Mika frowned. “Okay. Thanks for sharing that. What does this have to do with us?”

“Eric and I grew up together and we’re best friends. I explained to him what is

going on and my fear of hurting you.”

“And he had some good advice?”

Grady hesitated. “No. I just told him what I needed. He agreed with me that it was

a good idea.”

She frowned. “What do you need? What is a good idea?”

Grady leaned against the doorway. “I don’t trust myself with you. I really am afraid

I’ll hurt you, Mika. I’m afraid I’ll lose control totally one of these times. I don’t want to

be mated to you and I’m sure you feel the same way on the mating issue. I could kill

you by accident or cause you serious harm. I was too rough with you earlier. Next

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time…” He clenched his teeth. “Next time I could really do damage to you and I won’t

allow that to happen. Omar trusts me not to hurt you. I couldn’t live with myself if I

ended up doing something bad to you.”

“I appreciate that but you’re making too much out of this. You didn’t hurt me,

Grady. I’m fine.” The front door slammed again. “I thought your friend left before.”

“He did.” Grady walked into the bedroom. “He went outside to make some calls

but now he’s back.” Grady turned to face Mika again. “He’s going to be staying here

with us until mating heat ends.”

“What?”

Grady slowly nodded, staring at her. “He can make sure I don’t hurt you. He won’t

suffer mating heat so he can keep a clear head and he’s strong enough to stop me if I get

out of hand. Because we’re best friends and we’ve dated some of the same women in

the past, I know he won’t hurt you.”

Mika was swamped by confusion as she let everything he said sink in. “You want

him to stay here while we…” She swallowed. “He’d hear us, Grady. He’d be in the

damn house with us.”

Eric walked into the bedroom. Mika shot the man a frown and then turned her full

attention back to Grady. Eric stood just inside the bedroom door. Grady walked closer,

to stand in front of her. He crouched down and put his hands on the bed so her legs

were between his body and his arms. A few feet separated them as he stared at her with

a very serious expression.

“I don’t think you understand, babe.” Grady’s voice softened. “I don’t just want

Eric in the same house with us. I want him
with
us. He’ll be right here on hand to

protect you if I get out of control. He needs to be in the same room so he knows if I lose

control. When I said we dated a few of the same women, I don’t mean we just saw the

same ones at different times. We shared them. Together.”

Mika’s heart nearly stopped and then it started to pound. Emotions slammed her in

a jumble she couldn’t even sort out. “What?” She barely got the word out.

Grady lifted his hands and gripped her knees. “Have you ever fantasized about a

threesome?”

Mika reacted as though he’d physically slapped her when pain shot through her at

his words. Her horrified stare flew to Eric. He was smiling at her. Her attention jerked

back to Grady. He was watching her face closely. She didn’t think about it but just did

it. She lifted her foot and planted it on Grady’s chest. She kicked him away from her

hard enough to knock him on his ass.

She stood as Grady hit the floor on his back, hard enough to make him grunt in

surprise. She moved away from him, inching toward the bathroom. Tears burned

behind her eyes and she blinked them back. Grady looked shocked as he sat up. She

didn’t even bother to glance at his friend Eric. Grady frowned, staring at Mika, as he got

to his feet.

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“Get out of my house,” Mika said softly. “Both of you get the fuck out of my

house.”

Grady looked confused. “Babe―”

“Don’t!” she yelled at him, cutting him off.

She moved toward the bathroom slowly. She wanted a place to run to if Grady tried

to touch her. Her heart was breaking. She knew he would hurt her when it was time to

go home. She expected that kind of pain when it came time to tell him goodbye. She

never thought he’d pull something as agonizing as this.

“Get the hell out of my house now. Don’t come back, Grady. I mean it. Don’t ever

come back. Take your damn friend with you.” Her voice shook.

“Mika,” Grady growled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What is wrong with me? Get the fuck out of my house, Grady. If either one of you

touches me, I swear to God, I’ll have my uncle kill you both. Do you hear me? Get out!”

“Why are you reacting this way?” Grady was staring at her as though she’d lost her

mind. “I’m trying to protect you.”

She stared in horror at Grady. “Is that what you call this? Protecting me? I realize

that you weren’t happy about the whole forced-to-mark-me thing. You and everyone

else has made it very clear to me that I’m just a mere human and how you only think

werewolf bitches are good enough for you. I’m sorry that you had it rough growing up

the way you did. I get why you don’t want to hook up with a human after the treatment

you got since you’re not of pure blood.”

Grady paled at her words and then his mouth tensed into a firm line as he stared at

her. He didn’t cut her off though or move. He just stood there listening to her.

“Even knowing how you felt about me being human I at least figured you had to