The Threat

The potential for danger overrode any snarky response that might have come to mind. The reminder of our last encounter coursed jaggedly over the left side of his face. Though the skin was no longer red and swollen, the thin white marring of his otherwise pristine features would be forever imprinted on his face.

As if sensing my thoughts, he lifted a finger to trace the thin, white trail down his cheek. “A rather permanent reminder,” he mused almost reverently, his voice deep and throaty. “Quite the price to pay for one who lives centuries.”

Making sure there was an island between us, I couldn’t help the disparaging tone that crept into my voice as I asked, “Came to get a little revenge?”

The man chuckled softly as he held his hands out before me. “No, afraid I am all too familiar with my boundaries where you are concerned, little one. There were conditions I had to agree to in order to remain in residence here.”

I scoffed. “That must have pissed you off.” My hands pressed against the granite countertop that separated me from the alpha. Even if he didn’t seem all that threatening, it didn’t take away from how deadly the man really was.

He mirrored my action, placing his palms flat against the cool stone. “You have no idea,” he let one side of his lip curve upward as he glared at me. “That was until I realized you are certainly not worth it.” He stood up and laughed as I glared back at him, crossing his arms over his wide chest and leaning back against the countertop that lined the walls behind him.

The tension that had kept my body captive relinquished some of its hold. If I wanted that sandwich, now would be the time to complete my creation and vacate the kitchen before a crowd started to gather. If Drake was still on the premises, who else might also be lurking?

I pulled a piece of roast beef from the plate and popped a piece in my mouth before slapping some on a slice of bread. “So, why are you here,” I asked through a mouth full of food.

He gave a shrug, but his eyes seemed to become very aware of our surroundings. “Call it curiosity,” he responded. Drake scanned the room, his eyes searching for others that might be nearby. When he was done, we lifted his fingers to squeeze the bridge of his nose. “You really shouldn’t be out here on your own.” I opened my mouth, but he stifled my retort before I could utter a sound by adding, “Kolbeck is an idiot for not having claimed you before now. The place is infested with unmated alphas from across the globe that would ravage you without knowing the lines they cross. A woman like you could create wars where there was once only peace.”

“A woman like me?” My nose wrinkled at his condescending tone. I snatched the plate of food and returned it to its place in the fridge. “You don’t seem to have an issue being around a woman like me,” I countered.

From his perch against the counter, he grabbed the neckline of his shirt and jerked it down to expose a massive amount of flesh. There, just below his collarbone, was a nasty bite mark. My eyes widened at the sight of the wound, and he smirked at me. “A condition I agreed to in order to remain.”

“What on earth? A condition for you to stay was to get bitten?” I was floored. How would that help matters?

Drake genuinely laughed. “You still have a lot to learn. This is not just any bite. It is a mate mark.”

“That’s just barbaric!”

“It won’t feel that way when it happens to you,” he grinned knowingly.

His words were like a sucker punch to the gut. When, not if.

Shrugging his meaning off, I took a large bite of my sandwich, chewing ferociously in defiance at his words. There will be no mercy for the man or beast that tries to leave a mark like that on me. “If you came to torture me for what happened to you, consider it a job well done.”

“I have no intention of overstepping my boundaries, little one,” he said. “In fact, maybe I ought to extend my gratitude. Why, if not for you I would not have met a woman worthy of me.” I sneered at him, but he paid me no attention. His nostrils flared just before his hand dropped to grip the edge of the granite countertop. “You will want to go back to your hiding place where Jensen or another of Lord Kolbeck’s goons can protect you.” There was dead calm in his voice, as though it were unnatural in its very existence.

“Jensen is not a goon,” I grumbled. The tension in the room grew even thicker, the sense of time slowing down growing permeable. I stood on the other side of the island, clutching my sandwich as if it were all that separated me from impending doom.

“Now is not the time for debate,” he spoke once more. His eyes met mine with a warning that burned deep within them. “When you leave this room, do not run. Do you understand me, little one?”

My eyes widened at the request. I started to nod my head in response, only to realize he was no longer looking at me. “Yes,” I whispered.

“Go, now!” The sound of heavy footfalls suddenly imposed itself on me. How could I not hear anyone else approaching?

I spun on my feet, instinct overriding his request as they moved beneath me as if the devil himself was on my heels. One of the wooden doors that separated the kitchen from the rest of the house splintered and shattered as a beast made his presence known. There was no part of its human side visible. It was tall, sleek and black, with sharp claws and teeth. The lycan was more beast than anything else that walked the earth, and more deadly.

Drake rammed hard against the mass, but I was out of range to view much more than that as my legs churned frantically beneath me. My sandwich was now little more than a strangled mass of roast, cheese, and bread as I continued to clutch it in my fingers in my panic.

The sounds that trailed behind me made me believe that there would not be much left of the kitchen, but there was no way I was about to stop to assess the damage. My legs continued to pump beneath me as they propelled me ever faster. Corridor by corridor, I ran through one after the other, hoping desperately that my panicked choices would get me to where I needed to go.

Thundering growls and snarls echoed in the entire manor, filling it with those menacing sounds that would bring fear in most of my kind. The echoes of their sounds made it difficult to determine where they were, or even how far behind me they were. It was only a modicum of relief when I heard those two beasts breaking through the door that I had come from the kitchen downstairs. I stifled a squeal at the sound of wood giving beneath the weight and strength of those beasts, another round of adrenaline bursting through me.

I searched frantically for the room that was mine, fearful that even that room would not be able to keep the beast from finding me and leaving me broken in its wake. My hands wrapped around the doorknobs of room after room, leaving behind crumbs and debris from my once rather delicious sandwich. Now, my only goal was to escape, not recognizing the trail I was leaving behind that would lead right to me.

“Stop running,” I heard a snarl rip from a beastly form.

I couldn’t see them, which means they couldn’t see me, right? So I kept churning my legs as fast as they would go. Each of my footfalls echoed in the house with their snarls. With each door I tried, I was faced with disappointment as it refused to budge with each turn.

When I made it to the next corridor, I stopped dead in my tracks. I had reached a dead end. Spinning on my heels, I tried desperately to gauge just how far behind me they actually were.

A loud snarl ripped through the air, followed shortly after by a pained whine that had my stomach clenching. Whoever whined sounded terribly wounded.

My feet slowly moved backward, moving as silently as they could so as to make as little noise as possible. Standing at the last door in the hallway, I stared at the doorknob as if I could assess the probability that it would be unlocked. Clasping my hands around the brass knob, my whole body cringed as I twisted it in my hand.

The knob gave beneath my fingers and a rush of relief fell over me. At least it did until the beast with bright green eyes slid down the corridor into view. Those vivid green eyes held mine for what seemed like an eternity, my whole body frozen in spot. This beast was so unlike the others. Their eyes all seemed to go black in their lycan forms, but not this one.

I bit my lip as I gently moved closer to the door, but his eyes didn’t miss a thing. His eyes slid right along with my movements, taking in everything. When the latch clicked open, he sprung into the air and came barrelling towards me.

Putting my shoulder into the door, I fell into the room as the mass of him flew right past me. The snarling noise he made when he landed only kicked my nerve into gear as I scooted backward on my rear and kicked the door closed with my feet. The last thing I saw before the door closed was those green eyes, glaring at me from the thick dark coat of his. I scrambled up to my knees and raced for the doorknob, turning the lock in place.

The thud against the door caused me to fall once more onto my backside and retreat to the back of the room. Darkness filled the room preventing me from seeing anything past my face. Bumping into several things, I half wondered where I might be. However, I was more interested in how I might get out.

The beast thrust against the door again, and I felt my throat tighten. As I made my way to the opposite side of the room, I felt my hand brush against the heavy brocade of the curtains. Pushing them aside, I could see a private balcony just beyond. If I could just…

A lamp on a side table clicked on, illuminating the room with its bright, white brilliance. A young, pale woman sat up in bed, watching me with a curiosity like that of a child. The thundering of the beast pounding against the door made her attention move from me to the door as she delicately slid her legs out from the covers of the bed to the wooden floor.

At first, I watched her, mesmerized by her movements and wondering at her cool demeanor when such a clamor was at her door. When she slid on her slippers and started to make her way to the door, I panicked.

“No, don’t!”

The woman smiled prettily, her gown flowing delicately behind her with each step she made. I scrambled to my feet, turning the handles on the door that would lead me to the balcony but to no avail. They were locked, and there was no key in sight.

“Please, don’t open that door,” I pleaded with her, searching frantically for anything to break the glass.

Her hand was on the knob and she spun to gaze at me. “It would be quite rude to keep my king from my bed, wouldn’t you agree,” she asked as she smiled sweetly. But there was nothing sweet that lay behind those words.

With a twist of her wrist, she turned the key in the lock.