Grace Goodwin - The Virgins - Complete Boxed Set

As was my mate.

My judgment had been clouded by my need to see my mate happy. I should never have let her out of my sight. She’d been open and exposed. Vulnerable. The worst had happened. Neron was here and knew of her. Fury and panic coursed through my veins. My mark pulsed, burned from something new.

Worry. Not for me, for her . My Cassie.

“What was this message?” I tried to keep my voice even, calm. She was cautious enough of Neron to seek shelter from me. I did not intend to frighten her further.

“He said to tell my mate that Maddie was just the beginning.”

Rage, red hot and nearly uncontrollable rolled through me and I choked on it, stilled my hands on Cassie’s shoulders to be sure I would not hurt her with my anger. “Did he say anything else?”

She squirmed, uncomfortable or embarrassed and I looked down into her face, shifted my hands to cup her jaw and lifted her gaze to mine.

“Tell me.”

She bit her lip and I ached to kiss it, but did not. My every sense was tuned to the surrounding wood, to listening and learning the sounds of the wild creatures so I would hear the smallest snap of a twig, so the jagged breath of a man would be out of place. If I could not rely on my scanners, I would have to hunt for Neron the old-fashioned way, with wits and strength and patience.

“Tell me, Cassie. Please.”

With a sigh, her gaze dropped to my lips, then darted back to my eyes. “He said—he said I was very beautiful and that I smelled like roses. And—”

I leaned over and breathed in her sweet scent. Roses. He’d been close enough to scent her. Long hours of the hunt, of training and discipline, held me still as I waited for the rest. “And?”

“And he asked me to walk with him.”

A thousand shards of glass splintered in my mind at the thought of Neron touching my mate, but I could not stop myself from asking the next question, the answer to which might destroy me.

“And did you want to, Cassie? Did you want to walk with him?”

I stared into her eyes, daring her to speak the truth, to deny my mark, deny the pull between mates.

“No. He made me—”

“What? He made you—?”

She licked her lips, her hands twisting in my shirt in a subconscious gesture I was sure she wasn’t aware of making. “Anxious. He wasn’t. He didn’t.” She sighed, her cheeks turning an enchanting shade of pink I hadn’t seen before. “He wasn’t like you.”

I couldn’t resist running my palm over her hair, to feel the sleek softness of it. I hoped it was a soothing gesture for her, for it eased something in me. “And what am I like? Do you fear me?”

“Yes.”

I stiffened and she must have felt my withdrawal, for her hands flew to my shoulders, her fingers gripping me with vigor.

Her eyes widened, the flare of desperation and confusion filling them. “But not like that. It’s not the same.”

I took a deep breath. “Then explain it to me. I don’t want you to fear me, Cassie. You are mine, my mate. I would die to protect you, kill for you.” I looked in the direction Neron had fled. “That man, he’s dangerous. And the next time I give you an order regarding your safety, you will obey, or I will spank your bare bottom until you can’t sit for a week.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

She shoved at me and stepped away. “I don’t think so.”

Knowing Neron could be anywhere, I did not have patience for this argument. Grabbing her by the arms, I pulled her close enough that our lips touched. “If you ever refuse to obey me when your life is in danger, I will spank you, Cassie. If you lie to me, I will lift your dress, bend you over my knees and spank your pretty round bottom until it’s as pink as your sweet lips.”

She frowned at my words, but her eyes flared with desire, with a want I did not have time to address. But I would, soon. I would wrap her wrists in gold and make her mine.

“We must leave this town, leave these people behind. You aren’t safe here.”

Her mouth fell open in surprise. I felt her little fingernails dig into my shoulders. “I do not understand the word ‘mate.’ Why did he use that word? And what do you mean leave town? I can’t leave. I have a job. Mr. Anderson needs me.”

I had conveniently forgotten she knew nothing of her mark. I’d wanted to ease her into the truth, for it would be hard for her to leave this planet, her entire life behind. I could feel the heat of her birthmark against my shoulder, but it meant nothing to her and that was the crux of the problem. She didn’t understand the importance of our marks, the extraordinary blessing it offered, the risk. Especially now that Neron had found her.

She needed to know the truth. All of it. Deep down, she knew that Neron was deadly. She’d sensed it, come to me for shelter, but that was not enough. I had to get her away from him and to safety where the others could protect her as well. The ship was genetically coded to the DNA and retinal scanners of the four hunters who had flown her to this planet. Me, Thorn, Jace and Flynn. No others could get on board. The ship’s hull was impenetrable to any weapon that existed on Earth, and to most from my own world. The Sevens took their security very seriously and our ship, though small, was one of the strongest, safest vessels in the entire Coalition Fleet. If I could just get her on board, she would be beyond Neron’s reach forever.

“If Neron has found you, he will try to possess you. Once he tires of that game, he will kill you.”

“Kill me?” Her voice quavered and she gripped my shirt even tighter.

“I won’t let that happen. We must go to my ship.”

“Ship? What ship? Where are you from? Seattle? San Francisco? I don’t want to go on a ship. The swaying of a carriage makes me ill. I don’t think I could survive on the ocean, swaying and tilting. I’ve read about the sickness in books. No ships.”

“You will survive with me. Trust me, Cassie. Please. Let me take care of you. It’s not safe for you here. You can’t go back to that town.”

A deep V marred the smooth skin of her forehead. “Why? What aren’t you telling me?”

“That man is a criminal, Cassie. A murderer who escaped from prison. I was sent here to track him down.”

“You’re a bounty hunter?” Her words were filled with surprise.

“I am a hunter, yes.” I nodded once. “But I will not collect a bounty, not this time. I gifted my bounty to Thorn. I am here to avenge my family and nothing more. Maddie was my sister. That man, his name is Neron, and he killed her.”

She released her hold and stepped back, stumbled. “He… that man killed your sister?”

I thought of Maddie, of her dark hair, her quick smile, and the usual pain filled my chest. “Yes.”

“And he came to me… here.” She waved her hand in the air to show the desolate spot by the water. “He could have, I mean if he wanted, he could have—”

She couldn’t even speak clearly. Her fear was palpable to me and I rushed to reassure her. “He’ll never get that close again. I won’t allow it. I underestimated him, Cassie. I relied on my new scanners and not enough on my natural senses. For that, I am very sorry. But he won’t get near you again. He’ll have to get through me first.”

I hooked an arm about her waist and pulled her forward, returning her to her rightful place in my arms. Her hands came to my chest, pushed at me, but I would not relent. She would run no more.

She couldn’t look me in the eye, but stared at the buttons on my shirt instead. I could see she was thinking too hard, that she did not receive any comfort from me or my words. “I… have to go back. I have to warn Mr. Anderson.”

“No. I can’t allow you to go back there.”