Mating Brand: 3 (Mating Heat) (7 page)

“Yes.”

“Did you wish you were with me?”

“Every day,” she confessed.

“Enough said.”

It was that simple to him. She envied his certainty. “How
can you forgive me? I know you probably felt betrayed. I worried that you’d
grown to hate me.”

“I tried.” He took a step back and blew out a breath. “It
just never happened. I just wanted you back. I refuse to let you go a second
time. I refuse to spend another nine years missing you and being furious that
you’re gone. We’re mating. That’s not up for debate.”

Why are you fighting this? He’s right here. He wants you
and you’ve always wanted him. Life is never this simple but I want it to be.
She made a decision. They might regret it later but she was willing to risk it.

Charma reached for the bottom of Brand’s sweater. “I’m yours
now. Take me if you’re sure.”

His eyes closed and his fangs elongated when his lips
parted. It turned her on, seeing his reaction. She shivered with anticipation
of what would happen. They’d strip each other, make love, and he’d sink those
teeth into the soft part of her shoulder. He’d bite down until he drew blood
and she knew it would feel incredible with Brand. It wouldn’t hurt or make her
scream from the pain of the brutality of it. She wouldn’t be trapped under a
monster intent on staking his claim—one she didn’t want.

His eyes snapped open and he inhaled. “What’s wrong?”

She pushed away the horrible memories of her first mating. “Nothing.”

“I’m scaring you.”

“I’m not afraid of you.” She hesitated, wondering if she
should admit why he’d picked up the scent of fear coming from her.

He studied her eyes closely. “Did he hurt you when he mated
you? Is that it?”

The fact that he’d accurately guessed the reason for her
hesitancy surprised and saddened her. “You don’t want to know.”

Rage twisted his features. “I do. I need to know. Do you
love him?”

“No,” her voice deepened with emotion. “I’ve always hated
him.”

He stepped forward, invading her space, and cupped her face
in his big hands. “Tell me why you mated him then.”

Tears filled her eyes and she had to look away from his. She
focused on his lips instead. Ones she’d missed kissing. “It wasn’t a love
match. I was forced to mate him. I couldn’t stand him but he was the pride
leader’s son. He chose me.”

“Then why did you agree to it? For college?” Brand’s hold
remained gentle but he snarled the words, his anger clear. “I told you I’d pay
off the money your pride leader shelled out for your education.”

“My parents were in a car accident. It was a rollover crash
and the engine caught fire. My father’s leg was pinned in the wreckage but he
found the strength to protect his mate when my mother’s clothes caught fire
from flames shooting out of one of the air vents. He tore his leg free and used
his hands to put out the flames and smashed through the back window of the car
to drag her to safety.” She paused, getting her emotions under control. “Do you
know what happens when a pride male is deemed useless? My father’s leg was
nearly destroyed and he could no longer shift. His healing abilities saved the
leg but he couldn’t put weight on it. It made him weak in the eyes of the
pride. My mother suffered internal injuries and bad burn scars. She’s human.
They had to take her uterus and she couldn’t have more children. There are four
of us kids and I was the oldest. Three of us are girls.” Her gaze lifted to
meet his gaze.

“I’m sorry about your parents.”

“The pride would have immediately killed my father if I hadn’t
agreed to the pride leader’s terms. If my father died the only way for my
mother to survive would be if another male wanted to mate her or if her
children are mated so she’s considered family. A new mate’s protection would be
extended to her children if they were too young to take a mate. Without that
protection, she would have been killed and the pride leader would have killed
my brother as well. No one would have taken him into their home to raise
because he is half human. They couldn’t risk sending him to live with humans in
case he had the ability to shift. It could have given us away for what we are.
My sisters and I would have been handed off to other prides that pay for
half-breeds who can’t shift. They would have used us as breeders. They—”

“I know what those bastards do. They took my cousin’s mate,
hoping to force a litter from her.”

She nodded. “Breeanna was just nine years old and Megan was
thirteen. I was eighteen and the only one old enough to take a mate to save our
family. Adam, my brother, wasn’t even a year old at the time.” Her gaze held
his. She needed for him to see the truth. “The pride leader would have killed
my parents and baby brother and sold my sisters into hell if I had run off with
you. That’s why I had to go back, Brand. My agreement to mate the pride leader’s
son was all that protected my family.”

“Fuck.” He closed his eyes and his forehead pressed against
hers. “You could have told me. I would have gotten them out.”

“And taken them where? Your pack and other prides would have
killed them. If you’re not inside pride lands, you’re inside pack territory, or
a lot worse. Either way, they would have been killed and my two sisters turned
into breeders. It’s sick and wrong but just the thought of a bunch of males
touching my sisters when they hit breeding age…” She took a deep breath. “Do
you get that? They don’t wait until they are of mating age. Megan would have
been sold to those monsters and she hadn’t even started high school yet. Hell,
she never would gone because most prides think educating breeders beyond
learning how to read is a waste of money and time. I also was afraid your pack
would turn on you if you brought me home. We’re natural enemies.”

His eyes opened to stare at her. “You and I are not enemies.”

“I know that but does your pack?”

“They’ll accept you. Where is your family? I’ll bring them
here and smooth it out somehow to make sure they are safe. I won’t allow anyone
to hurt them, Charma. Your sisters won’t be touched by anyone.”

“They are fine where they are now. Megan mated last year to
the younger son of a stronger pride leader in the lands adjoining ours. It was
a negotiated deal when they fell in love, between the two prides. Percy, my
pride leader, can’t harm my family without causing a war he can’t win. Their
pride is bigger, their family really large, and they’d wipe out every male in
my pride if it came down to a fight. Darbin, the other pride leader, accepted
our family as his own when Megan mated his son. To harm any members of her
family except me would be a grave offense.”

“Why not you?” His voice turned into a snarl again, his rage
clear.

“Because I am mated to Percy’s son. I’m considered their
property and not part of my family any longer. I’m not protected by Darbin.”

“You’re mine now to protect and no one will ever hurt you.
Why didn’t you come to me sooner if you could have left a year ago after your
sister and family were safe?”

“I didn’t know where you were. I thought you’d have mated by
now anyway or you wouldn’t want me back. I only found you because the prides
were declaring war on your pack and I saw your picture.”

“Us and our damn rules about not talking about our families.”
He growled. “I should have given you my address and made you memorize it. I
should have ignored you when you made that stupid rule.”

“It was safer for us both if we didn’t know where our
families lived. We knew one day we’d have to part.”

“It was stupid. You could have come to me a year ago.”

“Why aren’t you mated?” It still stunned her.

“Why do you think?” He didn’t give her time to answer. “I
never forgot you. I dated but they weren’t you, Charma. You’re the only woman I’ve
ever loved and the only one I ever will. Women find me cold and remote because
my heart is taken. None of my relationships lasted. You have owned me since the
day you touched my arm and looked up at me, thinking I’d eat you.” He smiled. “I
wanted to but not the way you feared.” He glanced at her lap. “I wanted to
strip you bare and talk you in to wrapping those pretty thighs around my face.”
He met her gaze. “And I still want you to.”

He straightened and pulled his sweater over his head. He
threw it to the floor and Charma stared at his muscled, tan upper body. He
still took her breath away. She studied the changes in the body she’d once
memorized, his apparent, massive strength. His shoulders had broadened, his
biceps were thicker than before and the inside of his right arm was marred by a
new, thin scar. Her gaze lowered to his firm, rigid abdomen that rippled with a
tight six-pack. More tiny scars adorned his lower stomach. She slid off the
counter to reach him, her fingertips tracing a few of them.

“What happened here?”

“Fights. I came home in a bad mood after college. I spent a
few years raising some hell. Just don’t freak out when you see my back, okay?”

She instantly walked around him and gasped. Two scars ran
from his shoulder blades to his mid-back. They were deep ones, white lines on
his tan skin. He spun, met her horrified stare, and smiled.

“It looks worse than it was.”

“I hope you won.”

“I did.”

“You’re bigger.” She peered up at him. “Your hair is longer.
I love it.”

His gaze slid over her body. “You’re so thin.” His features
tensed when he met her gaze. “Give me the address of where you lived. I’ll get
them and bring them home, Charma. Here with us. I’ll take some of my cousins
and we’ll fight our way in and out. I know it will be tough at first but we’ll
make it work. I love you and I’ll love them.”

She stared at him, confused.

“Your kittens, honey. I’ll take them from your pride and we’ll
raise them.” Pain clouded his features. “I swear I’ll accept them as if they
are my own.” He lowered his body to kneel before her. “I know you hear bad shit
about wolves killing young that aren’t theirs but I swear to you that I’d die
to protect them and you. That shit isn’t true. They’ll be safe here and loved.”

She stepped closer and hugged him, pulling his face against
her chest. “I never had kids, Brand. Thank you though.” Tears spilled down her
cheeks. “That means so much that you’d accept them and get them back for me…if
they existed.”

He hugged her tightly. “Why are you so thin? I thought maybe
having kittens had changed your body.”

“You’re relieved, though, aren’t you?”

He hesitated. “The idea of you carrying another male’s offspring
hurts but I would have loved them because they were part of you.”

All the reasons she’d fallen in love with Brand slammed
home. Years had passed, things had changed, but the man she knew still existed.
He had a huge heart and the fact that he’d offered to fight to retrieve her
children, face danger to do it, just made her more certain she was where she
belonged.

“I just wasn’t happy. I’m not sick or anything.”

“Good.” He pulled away to stare at her. “I’ve missed you so
much.”

“You have no idea how much I thought about you and how those
memories of us together got me through every day.”

He released her and rose to his feet. “Let’s shower together
and go to bed.” His gaze raked over her. “No more waiting, Charma. I’m making
you mine and that bastard you mated is dead when he shows up here to take you
back.”

“He won’t fight to the death over me. He won’t even search
unless his father orders him to. He’d do a half-ass job because he won’t want
me back. He’ll be relieved.”

“I don’t believe that for a minute. Any male would do
anything to find you and bring you home.”

“It wasn’t a love match. We…” She hesitated. “I hated him.
It became mutual. I couldn’t prevent mating him but I could control certain
things. I sneaked pills to avoid ever getting pregnant or going into heat. He
never guessed, just thought I was defective as a mate. After a year he became
really angry when I never conceived and he grew bitter.” She watched Brand’s
face, hoping he wouldn’t judge her. “Part of the reason he chose me was because
he thought I could give him litters of kids and make him a stronger leader when
he takes over the pride. I failed to do that and it pissed him off.”

Brand didn’t appear shocked or horrified by her admission. “I
don’t blame you. Two people should have kids out of love, not duty.”

She relaxed as the tension drained. “I never want any
deception between us. I’ve had to lie for years but I would never do that to
you, Brand. I love you too much. I’d never deceive you that way but I had to do
it with him.”

“He hated you?” Anger deepened his voice. “Why didn’t he set
you free then? I’m guessing there was no bond formed? He could have just found
a new mate without suffering emotionally.”

“He wanted to but his father refused to allow it. He wants
to keep in his father’s good graces by obeying orders since he has younger
brothers who could be chosen to take over the pride leadership instead when
Percy steps down.”

Anger narrowed his eyes. “I don’t like him already. Was he
at least good to you?”

She cautiously regarded him. “I don’t want you to get angry
enough to go after him.”

“Son of a bitch,” he snarled. “Did he call you names? Was he
mean? I know some shifters look down on half-breeds.” His hands fisted at his
sides. “Did he ever hurt you?”

She hesitated. “You’re going to want me naked in that
shower. That means you’ll see this.” She snagged her shirt and carefully
removed it. It dropped to the floor and she lifted her arm.

Rage had him sprouting hair, his eyes darkened and his claws
shot out of his fingertips. Charma held still, knowing it wasn’t directed at
her. She still trembled. He moved slowly, though, his hand gentle as he avoided
touching her with the sharp points of his nails. He held her upper arm and
turned it slightly to examine the dark bruises—marks from fingers encircling
her arm just above where he touched. He snarled and his gaze lifted.