Chapter Six

Lera sighed and stirred her coffee as she figured a way on how to best verbalize her thoughts.

“Kori, I grew up in a world that I’m not a part of. I’m the weakest one in my family. I have no power. I don’t shift.”

“Your mom doesn’t shift either,” he commented.

“Daddy would never let anything happen to her, neither would any of the rest of us, so by that alone she is damn near the strongest of us all.” She shrugged. “And I have demons which I can’t seem to outrun no matter how hard I try. I’m well used to things not turning out how I’d like. But Rissa is my best friend; her parents deserve to know the truth. Whatever it is. And I get I’m nothing special but I will see this through.” Her hand gripped the warm mug in a death grip.

Kori held her gaze. “Two things,” he began. “One, it is very admirable how you are acting toward Rissa. She is truly lucky to have a friend like you. And two, do not ever put yourself down again.”

She nearly flinched from the icy fury lacing his tone. Why does he care? Better yet, why did I just share something like that with him? Lera took another drink of coffee, licked her lips and dug deep for every shred of courage she had not to clam up.

“What does it matter to you, Kori? It’s fact. I know that’s why Daddy worries so much about me. So much more than Grigori or Irinah, even though I’m the eldest. I have accepted that, so I can say whatever the hell I want to about myself.”

“Listen to me carefully, mo chara. Verra carefully.” He refused to release her gaze. “I don’t want to hear you degrading yourself so every time you say something like it, I’ll kiss you until you don’t remember your own name.”

Heat pooled in her belly. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”

One black brow lifted the barest of inches. “Then, I guess you better not put yourself down.” He drank some coffee. “Unless you want me to kiss you.”

She swallowed hard. That was the problem. She did want that. And more. And it scared her. Instead of commenting, she picked up her fork and began to eat. The meal was silent, and all too soon, she walked at his side toward the door. Lera worried her lower lip while she slipped her arms around him for a second time. Kori drove slowly, and she jumped off as soon as possible when he stopped outside the hotel. Not hers…his.

“Why are we here?” she groused, needing some distance and time to fortify the walls he seemed hell bent on getting beyond.

“Inside, Lera.”

She clamped her jaw shut and followed him into his sparse room. Waiting right inside the door, she watched him grab a black bag and sling it over one shoulder. Then, he strode toward her, and Lera locked her knees to keep them from knocking.

“Let’s go.”

Lera crossed her arms and said, “Do I get to know where now?”

“Your hotel, of course.”

He meant it when he said he was staying with me. Drawing on the ice she knew she had within her, despite Kori’s ability to melt it, she arched a brow. “Fine. Then, can we stop fucking around and find my friend?”

Without waiting for an answer, Lera headed to her bike and swung a leg over. Her fingers moved intimately over the shiny finish, and she had a slight smile on her face as her eyes drifted closed. A shadow fell over her and, she refused to open her eyes, knowing full well who stood there.

“The way you stroke the bike, mo ghrá, is enough to make any man jealous.”

More of those unknown feelings lanced through her. When Lera did open her eyes, his gray orbs seemed to smolder as he looked down at her. Slipping on her mirrored shades, Lera started her motorcycle. Turning her head toward him as she leaned forward on the bike, she said over the noise, “Lucky for us you’re not just any man then, isn’t it?”

That said, she drove away without a single look back. Instead of going to her hotel, Lera found herself leaving Winthrop again and opening up the powerful engine, needing to lose herself in the rush the speed gave her.

Kori knew she wasn’t headed to the hotel. And he also knew she wouldn’t go to the bar, at least not without him. So he drove to her room to wait, determined not to give in and follow her and the daredevil way of riding that damn bike of hers. He could feel the tension seeping away from her the faster she went, for he lurked in a dark corner of her mind, connected to her always. Not that he knew all of her thoughts or anything like that. It was just a way for him to stay centered, by being linked to her. His mate. Part of him was bothered she found relief away from him, and yet somewhere within him, he knew it wasn’t it, not solely.

Lera was running. From her past. From her feelings of inadequacy. From a lot of things, and the only time it didn’t seem to affect her was when she drove fast. Parking at the hotel, he grabbed his bag and let himself into her room, as easily as he had the previous night.

One bed. Visions of laying her back and sliding his hard shaft into her filled his mind, and he shifted on his feet, trying to rein in his control. Kori looked around the room and frowned when he realized there was very little there. In fact, all he saw was a small brown leather pack. Tossing his bag down, he picked hers up and opened it.

Plain cotton underwear, open but in its original packaging. Same with socks. There were a few shirts rolled up, some bras, and two more pairs of pants. One jean and one leather. No ID or money. Nothing personal. All the signs of someone moving fast, who could leave at a moment’s notice and not care if something got left behind. A disposable lifestyle.

He fought a frown at that knowledge; she shouldn’t be living like that. Raking a hand through his hair, he acknowledged he wanted her with him.

‘Come to me, mo chara.’

Lera flinched, and he could feel it. ‘What the hell are you doing in my head? Get out!’

‘Come back to the hotel, Lera.’

‘I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.’

‘It hasn’t been but maybe ten.’

‘I’m going to go the speed limit. And stay out of my head, Cormac.’

He frowned over the use of his first name, but allowed her to believe he’d retreated. Kori moved his bag to beside the dresser and tried to figure out how the hell he was going to pull this off. He had the utmost respect for Dane Sidorov, but he couldn’t ignore who the cosmos had created for him as a mate.

“He’s gonna rip me to pieces,” Kori said with a resigned sigh.

Even on its best day, his wolf was no match for the thousand pound tiger Dane had the option of becoming. Not that Kori could beat him in human form either. He was basically a pup compared to the Russian in both age and battle experience. Dane’s power exceeded his own, and Dane was very, very protective of Lera, his eldest child.

Kori leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes. He remained like that until his acute hearing picked up on the purr of Lera’s bike. Another wave of lust trailed over him, and he shuddered. With a deep breath, he moved from the bed to the table and sat to await her arrival. Her steps were light as she approached the door and swung it open.

The scent of fresh air flowed from her, and he looked at her when she pushed the door shut behind her. Her glasses were off her face, and Kori was slightly taken aback by the fire which seemed to jump from her eyes.

“You stay out of my head, Cormac MacLochlainne. I don’t need you poking around in there. My thoughts are just that, mine!” she snarled, stomping over to him and slamming her hands down on the table.

The fiery vixen he faced didn’t remotely resemble the quiet and almost shy woman he had become accustomed to seeing. He lifted a brow and nudged a chair out for her with his foot. “I wanted you back here,” he stated without apology.

“Let’s get something straight. I’m agreeing to this arrangement solely for Rissa’s benefit, not to have you come in and totally take over my life. So your orders mean shit unless it pertains to something dealing with Rissa. You respect my privacy or you can leave.”

Her fury was palpable. Lera ignored the chair except to kick it back under the table. He took a deep breath. “I’m—”

“I know what you are. You’re an overbearing, alpha male who’s used to having things done his way. I have my own thoughts and my own desires. What I don’t have is the need or wish to be dictated to. I’m not your mate, Kori.”

His beast howled in rage at her comment. He knew some of his wolf leaked free for she stiffened as he stared at her. But she still didn’t back down; she was fearless. Oh, but you are my mate, Valera Sidorov. Reining himself back under some semblance of control, he tilted his head to the side.

“Is that how you see it, mo chara? Is that how your father treats your mother? His word is law and that’s it? His needs come first, to hell with anything else?” He allowed some reprimand to seep into his tone.