Chance Lost (15 page)

“The more I bite you, the longer the change lasts. You will not become my mate until the change from the bite does not leave you. There is one more thing I have to tell you, love. For you to become my mate, my equal, I must be the one who takes your virginity. If anyone else gets to you before I do, then I lose you to that person and their animal. You’ll never be able to be with me should this happen. Now you know why I’ve been so protective, Chance. I can’t lose you. I waited over 500 years for you and there will never be another for me, other than you. Understand, baby, I love you. It isn’t just about being my mate. It’s so much more. You are the other half of my soul. If I can’t have you with me… I…”

Chance stopped him with a finger to his lips. “I understand, Sylas, more than you know. You are the air I breathe. Without you, I feel I am nothing.” She gazed up at him, willing him to see her heart. She smiled at him and saw his eyes glow darker with passion. They kissed as if there was nothing else in the world but them.

Chance finally came up for air. Grinning like a fool, she said the one thing that had been irking at her since he confessed. “So Pretty Boy, are you thirsty?” Sylas chuckled and panted. “I know we have urgent things pressing in on us, but I need to see it. Show me, Sylas?”

Chance backed away and sat on the bed. She watched the man she loved shift in one smooth progression to a gorgeous black leopard. He leapt onto the bed beside her, sinking it with his weight. He bumped his head into her arm in a show of affection and started to purr. The rumble coming from him was the same as in her dreams. She leaned back against the headboard. He sank down beside her and put his head in her lap. She ran her hands down his back and then scratched him under his chin. “I love you, Sylas, all of you.” He licked her hand with his rough tongue as an answer.

Sylas shifted into Pretty Boy for a quick second, which brought a fit of giggles before shifting back to his human form. He laughed with her as he pulled her down into a hug. Chance sobered almost as fast. They didn’t have much time and there were a lot of things they needed to figure out from here. If the wolves/bikers had Jack, then they probably knew where he lived. They needed to move quickly and find a safer place. Chance didn’t want to think anymore on the bad stuff right now though. She was with Sylas and she felt they could take a little more time to savor this moment, and they did. They kissed and forgot the world for just a little while longer.

Chapter 28

Sylas watched Chance as she packed up her few belongings now that they’d finally come down to earth from the morning’s revelations. It felt good to finally offload his secrets to her, but now they had other worries. What to do and where to go was the main topic of conversation. The pack knew where her house was and now, more than likely, knew where Jack lived as well.

Chance finally offered up the only thing that made sense. They needed to be constantly on the move. Until he could take care of the Alpha and find Jack, she suggested purchasing a motor home. She considered getting one anyway so she could live on the property during the build. They would need to move her pod and their motorcycles into storage for now. The Jeep could be used to make short errands and hitch it to the home when on the move.

Chance got on the phone and called in a moving truck to pick up the pod and bikes. While she was doing that, he worked on finding storage nearby and priced it out. She told him they might as well get a large unit and put all of it into one. She also thought that using a climate controlled indoor unit would be best to put off any attempts to get to their things.

The next project was hiring out a security unit to patrol Jack’s house and property on a 24/7 basis. He already lost the bar and she wasn’t taking any chances with his home. She told the security team to bring a trailer with them for living quarters and gave them an advance to cover all costs.

Sylas insisted he had more than enough money to cover all of their expenses, but Chance was adamant. This was her doing, or so she thought, and she was paying for it. They waited for the head of security to arrive so they could show him the hookups already in place and hand him a key to the house. He was a shifter, so he understood what was at stake. They both stressed the importance of watching out for anyone suspicious and any animals that didn’t belong. If it wasn’t Jack in human or in puma form, their orders were to shoot first and ask questions later. They gave him a picture of Jack they found in the house and their numbers, should he happen to show up. He had already heard of the bombing in town and was aware Jack was still missing.

Once all was done, they went shopping for supplies and the motor home. The motor home came first. Chance chose one that was road ready and contained all the requirements that she was looking for. She wanted solar, washer & dryer, large refrigerator, and she wanted a regular bathroom with a large shower. Sylas gave her credit; she didn’t skimp. She ordered a hitch installed and they drove it off the lot with the Jeep in tow.

Next, they stopped a local club store and bought enough food to keep them both for weeks. She also bought things he didn’t think about needing. She took care of the entire kitchen, bed and bath supplies. She even went so far to purchase them spare clothing. Chance used the storage area and the extra bed to keep it all. They would not have to stop again for quite sometime. He shook his head when he thought back to her asking for his help purchasing things needed for her new house. He was definitely outclassed, but he was proud of her.

They found several RV campsites in the surrounding area and chose the nearest one to park for the time being. They spent most of the day organizing and putting things most needed within easy reach. The rest was stored under the camper in the storage areas.

When they finished, Sylas cooked barbecue chicken on the attached storage grill. They dined while talking about what needed to be done first. He took his time filling her in on all the details he was aware of concerning the pack. Sylas stressed to her again how dangerous the pack Alpha was. He gave her a bit of the background on them, which included that they were considered rogues until they hooked up with Craven.

Chance asked if anyone else could be in danger from the pack. He knew where her mind was instantly. She was worried about the construction crew and Rick, since the build was so close to their base of operation. He promptly assured her they didn’t want her crew and they would most likely not want to call any more attention to themselves than they already had.

“I can’t let anyone else be hurt by this, Sylas. This is my doing and I can’t have anyone’s death hanging over me. I’d never be able to forgive myself something happened.”

“Baby, they might try to stop construction, but they’re not stupid. I’m positive they have no idea my mother and I already know they are behind the bombing. All immortals know who and what I am, Chance. They really don’t want me on their backs. Little do they know, it’s too late to hide what they’ve done.”

“So how do we draw them out? If it’s me they want, then I think it’s time to set a little trap. Me as bait should do it.”

Sylas took a sharp intake of breath at her words. “NO! That is not acceptable, Chance, ever!”

Chance flinched. He regretted yelling within a heartbeat of seeing her cringe. “Baby, I’m sorry I yelled. The thought of him even laying a finger on you makes my blood boil. I couldn’t take it if you were hurt again.”

Chance stood up, suddenly angry. “Sylas, I may be human now but there is more to me than what you seem to see. I
will
be the bait and you
will
allow it. There is no other way. Until we are ready for this to happen, we will train and you will continue to help the change. I won’t take no for an answer. I want to live without fear again. I have no desire to hide forever from this asshole. I took him down twice and I could’ve easily killed him, but I held back. I won’t do it again. You forgot that perhaps?”

“Chance, I can’t help my instincts to protect you…”

She cut him off with a huff of frustration and shoved the palm of her hand towards his face.
What the fuck?  She just gave me the hand?
It was all Sylas could do to stifle the urge to laugh, but he knew it would only make things worse.
I’m learning Jack, you’d be proud,
Sylas thought while still trying to control the grin trying to creep across his face. He watched Chance pace the floor. He could see the wheels turning in her beautiful head but she was wound-up tighter than a drum. She was gorgeous even when angry.

Sylas did the only thing he knew to do to calm her down. He shifted. He started purring as he moved towards her. He watched as she turned around in surprise. She promptly fell to the floor on her rump when he head bumped her. He’d caught her totally off guard and loved it. He straddled her legs and walked up her body, pushing her completely down. He licked her exposed neck and gave her a small nip before shifting back. She was wriggling under him, trying to escape the now perfect hold he had on her.

She was still miffed but he was about to change that. His mouth descended upon hers, demanding she open for him. Her hands were pressed to his chest in a futile attempt to push him away. As soon as his tongue gained entrance, she moaned and stopped struggling. Her hands snaked up his chest to his shoulders and one continued up to his hair. She pulled him into her as she kissed him back. Next thing he knew, he was on the floor beside her curled up into a fetal position cupping his now aching balls.

Chance stood over him with her hands on her hips. “First mistake you made was exposing yourself by straddling me. Second was assuming you were in control in the first place.” Through blurry eyes he watched as she left the room still huffing and throwing her hands up in the air.

When Sylas was finally able to stand up, he walked to the back looking for her. She had taken a shower and was now lying down on top of the comforter, curled up and wrapped only in a towel. Her eyes looked as if she had been crying. They were red and puffy. She was breathing steadily but he was sure she wasn’t asleep. Sylas kicked off his boots and lay down behind her. He didn’t try to touch her, as he now understood where the attack came from. He had tried to force her to do something without her permission. She didn’t move away and took it as a positive sign.

He sighed, and whispered to her, “Sorry baby. I never meant to make you feel threatened. I thought it would calm you, not scare you. I’m here if you want to talk about it.” She didn’t respond, but he was willing to wait for as long as it took. Sylas closed his eyes to replay the fight. She had caught him unaware and taken him out. She was truly going to be an equal. He knew then and there that he needed to rethink his stance on using her as bait. She was right. There was more to Chance than being human. She was fully capable of handling any threats that may or may not come her way.

A few minutes later she turned around and curled into him. Sylas pulled her with him as he rolled to his back. She rested her head in the crook of his arm, with her hand lying across his chest. He waited for her to calm herself. Chance was shaking from head to toe. Knowing her as well as he did, he knew she was sorting out what she needed to say. When he felt her breathe deep and relax, he braced himself. He knew this was going to help her, but what was it going to do to him?

“When I was in foster care, I was moved to a lot of different homes. Never the same family for very long because of the bruises the social workers or my teachers would find. When I was younger, they hit me for stupid reasons. Sometimes it was because they thought I sassed them, or I didn’t do something right or fast enough.”

“The unwanted advances didn’t start until I was older. By then I was already experiencing a change in my body. I was stronger than a girl should be at those ages. The men… they used to mostly come in the night, drunk or high on something. I would wake up with hands on me in places they shouldn’t. I always managed to fight them off. I would scream, bite, hit, and scratch until they would leave. I refused to give in.”

“The men never beat me unconscious, but it came close a few times. They would punch or slap me in the face or stomach. I honestly don’t know how many broken bones there are in my medical records. One visit to the doctor or hospital with a broken bone would get me moved again.”

“It didn’t matter though, it was always the same. There was always an abuser in the new house. If they weren’t trying to get in my pants, they were making me clean their filth. If the house wasn’t just so, I was beaten for that too. Women can be just as cruel as men can when it comes right down to it. I don’t know if it was me they hated or life itself. I knew I was different, but why hate me so much?”

“I was just a scared little girl who needed someone to love her. I kept hoping the new house would be different, that someone there could love me. It never happened though and it broke me, Sylas. I guess now I know why I was different and where my strength to fight them off came from.”

Chance paused and whispered, “I’m just sorry that you’re stuck with such a fucked up and broken mate.”

Sylas suffered for her silently as he listened to her pour out her hurt. He wanted to track down each and every person that ever laid a hand on her. He could kill them all without a second thought. When she said the last line, he sucked air in through his teeth.

“You are not broken, Chance. Stop thinking that right now!” He sat up, taking her with him and turned her so she could see his eyes.

“You are smart, talented, beautiful, and street wise, Chance. You are who you are because of them. I wouldn’t change anything about you. If I could go back in time, I would so I could stop the tortures, but then I wouldn’t have the woman I fell in love with. Never think you are broken, baby. Cautious, maybe, but never broken.”

A tear formed and fell, tracing down her cheek. Sylas reached up with his finger and wiped it away gently. “No more tears for something you can’t change, love. Those people were wrong, not you. They were the broken ones. I love you, Chance, and we will have forever. I will show you every second of our time together what real love is. Karma always comes back to those who abuse the trust of a child and they will get theirs in the end. In the true scale of time, those assholes are just a blip, nothing more.”

Sylas pulled her in for another embrace. He would never tire of holding her. He gently picked her up and pulled down the comforter and placed her back down, pulling it back up and over her.

“Rest baby. I’m going to shower and change. I can sleep in the other room on the sofa tonight if you want to be alone.”

“No, Sylas. I’m done sleeping alone. This is our bed, not just mine. Okay?”

Sylas could see the threat of more tears shining in her eyes and it broke his heart to see it. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, love. Go to sleep. I will be here with you, always.”

Sylas turned and walked back to the front of the motor home. He pulled his phone out to check for any messages from Jack. There were none. He checked in with the security detail and no change there either. He locked everything down and walked to the back stripping his clothes off as he went. In the morning he would have to take another look at the situation with a fresh mind. Right now though, he wanted a shower and to spend the night with the only woman that made him whole.