Once Upon a Shifter (84 page)

Regardless of how many times he tried to assure me that this was normal behavior for new shifters, I couldn't get past it.

Phoenix, Roel, Alex, Brad, Heather, Tracy and Heath all came to check on me at different times, all of them saying the same as Ace had, but none of their reassurances seemed to help me feel better about the situation.

I didn't know if I ever would.

Ace brushed my hair back with his fingers.
"You will, Andra."

"I don't see how."

"I can teach you how. I've been where you are. I will train you to fight and show you how to be an Alpha."

"Can't I just step down, give the crown to someone else?"

"I wish it were that easy."

There were some fuzzy parts in his memories, but I did manage to see a face and put a name with it. "Who is Justice?" I said out loud.

He stiffened, and then I sensed walls being thrown up. He blocked me out of his mind completely. I sat up in alarm. "How'd you do that? Or, better yet, why did you do it?"

"I'm not ready to talk about him, okay? I promise I'll tell you, but not while you're going through this. It's a lot to swallow."

I sighed as I lay back down. "So, how did you block me?"

"The same way I think about a memory, I guess. I just imagined walls going up around them. I'm really not trying to keep anything from you, Andra; it's just not time for you to know yet. Okay?"

My mouth pulled to one side as I thought about it. At least he'd told me how to block him from my mind when I didn't want him knowing something. That made me a little happier. "Okay."

"The full moon is tomorrow night. Have you chosen a Beta yet?"

To test his theory, I imagined cement blocks going up around my mind, and he chuckled.

"You don't want me to know? That's not fair!" he said as he poked me in the ribs. I jumped in response and let out a squeal. His eyes widened, and then he dug all his fingers in, tickling me until I thought I might piss myself. "I can do this all night, Andra. Are you going to tell me?"

"Stop, stop," I said, and he did, but he was wearing a sexy smirk that told me if I didn't tell him something he was going to start again. "Let it be a surprise, Ace. You know everything about me. Please, just let me have this one thing."

He huffed as he rolled his eyes and lay back down, pulling me in close to him. He watched me as I stared at the ceiling. After a moment, he whispered, "Go with me to Las Vegas."

My head turned toward him fast enough to give me whiplash, and I stared into his eyes, horrorstruck. "You're not leaving, Ace. You can't leave. I'm here. I need you."

"And so does my pride. I can't stay here. Somewhere deep inside, you knew this conversation was coming. We need to have it now." The sexy smirk was gone, his mouth now a line of seriousness across the bottom of his face.

I sat up again and looked down on him. "When are you leaving?" I demanded.

He reached out to touch my arm, but I jerked it away from him. His lips thinned.

"Tomorrow night, after the party."

My hand shot up to cover my mouth as hot tears pricked my eyes. Shaking my head, I took my hand away and said, "No. I'm not ready to be away from you—"

"Then go with me, Andra—"

"You know I can't!" I screamed, and the tears brimmed over when I slapped his chest. "My pack is here—"

"Your Beta will take care of your pack until you return. You need to train, Andromeda. You need to learn how to fight and how to kill someone when they threaten what is yours."

I shook my head, refusing to believe this was actually happening to me. I couldn't leave. I wouldn't. I wiped my cheeks. "Phoenix is here. I'm not leaving him, Ace."

It was his turn to stare at the ceiling, but he still hadn't taken down his walls, so I didn't have a clue what he was thinking. I knew I would freak out if he really did leave me. It drove me bat-shit crazy when he was even in another room, out of my sight. I didn't want to think about what six states separating us would do to me. He couldn't leave. I would bribe him, do whatever he needed me to do in order to persuade him to stay.

"Ace, please…"

He reached out and gently caressed my arm with the tips of his fingers, and then he took hold of my wrist and pulled me to him. "Your sadness is killing me. Forget about it for now. We'll discuss it later."

"Is that a maybe you'll stay here?" I asked, hopeful.

"No. It was a 'we'll discuss it later,' now get some rest. You have a big night tomorrow night."

I snuggled in against him, desperately trying not to think about him leaving me. He was right. I did need training. I did need to be taught how to fight, but why couldn't my pack train me? And why couldn't he stay here with me for a while longer, just until I got over my anxiety of being away from him?

"Your Beta could watch your pride until you get back," I suggested.

An irritated-sounding breath expelled from Ace's mouth. "This isn't later, Andra."

"But I need to talk about it now, because you leaving me here isn't an option—"

"Then go with me—"

"That's not an option, either!"

He huffed. "I knew I should have waited—"

"Why? Why would waiting to tell me later that you're going to destroy me be any better than telling me now?"

"You can't stay here, Andromeda. The thing… the thing I can't tell you right now… about Justice, is the reason I need you with me. I thought I'd ask first, to see if you would agree, but I will have to force you on that plane if you refuse to go."

I stared at him, my anger rising to the point of boiling over. "Are you kidding me? I told you not to make decisions for me, Ace. My pack can train me and teach me anything I need to know. Go. Go back to Las Vegas! I'll be fine without—"

He grabbed my arms and pulled me on top of him, then rolled until I was under him. His mouth was on mine, hot and full of need. I couldn't help but respond. Our connection had never been stronger. It was like desire… times a hundred.

You know that perfect kiss that every girl dreams of? This was it. We were so in tune with each other physically and mentally. He knew exactly how I liked to be kissed. His left hand slid down my side, over my hip and around to the back of my thigh, pulling my leg up so he could rub his erection against me through our clothes.

Ace groaned.

I moaned.

There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted this to happen. Fighting it seemed like a foolish and idiotic thing to do, but somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it was only the bond making us feel like this. Taking this step would make this our date four. Taking this step would move us forward into another status of our relationship. And taking this step with Ace would cause me to lose Phoenix.

I couldn't let that happen.

Panicking, I pushed him off me and quickly crawled to the foot of the bed, out of his reach.

"Andra," he said, and reached for me, but I jumped over the footboard onto the floor, shaking my head as I backed toward the door. "Andra, where are you going?" I felt for the door handle and opened the door. "No!" he shouted. "Look, I'm sorry—don't go to him, please." I could barely see him through my tears, but I knew he punched the mattress with his fist then got out of bed to try and stop me when I turned to run. "Andra! Stop!"

I didn't stop. I didn't even look back as I sprinted down the hall, rounded the kitchen wall and pulled open the door to the basement. Not bothering to pull it shut, I bounded down the stairs and up the corridor to Phoenix's chamber.

He was sitting in a chair when I flew through the door and his head jerked up in alarm. I didn't stop. I was running from Ace, running from the bond, running from my feelings and running for Phoenix.

He only had time to take three steps and brace for my impact before my body slammed into him and our mouths met with a ferocious hunger.

Without breaking contact with my lips, Phoenix picked me up so I was straddling his hips and walked to the bed, bolting the door locked on the way.

The walls in my head crumbled to the ground, like a wrecking ball had smashed into it.

"Andra, nooooo!"

"I'll find a way to cope without you, but I won't leave him, Ace. I'm sorry."

There was a loud bang on the door, and then it sounded like something was sliding down it. I could feel Ace's grief washing through me, but I ground my teeth together and forced him out of my mind, throwing up extra sturdy walls as Phoenix laid me on his bed.

Chapter 62

Mena

I could feel Ace's anger the moment I woke up, but I could tell he wasn't angry with me, and Phoenix wasn't in the room.

Either Ace was out of mind-reading range, or he was blocking me from knowing what he was saying to Phoenix.

Jumping out of bed, I quickly searched for where Phoenix may have thrown my clothes the night before, and I found them folded neatly on the back of the couch. I needed Phoenix. I needed Ace. Growling in frustration, I realized I didn't know what the hell I needed, but it wasn't in this room right now.

My foot got caught on the crotch of the cotton pajamas and I nearly fell on my face, but thankfully managed to get a hand and knee out to break my fall. I yanked them up the rest of the way and threw my shirt on as I ran for the door.

As soon as I jerked it open, I was face to face with Phoenix and Ace, standing in the hall outside Phoenix's chamber. Both men immediately stopped talking and stared at me, sadness in Phoenix's eyes and anger in Ace's. Seeing Ace, being this near him, felt good. But I tamped that down. I wanted Phoenix.

"Remember what I said," Ace growled, and then walked away without looking at me again.

It physically hurt me to watch him go. Even though I had spent the night with Phoenix, I still felt like I was drowning without Ace's touch.

"What was he talking about?" I said. "Why did he say that you should remember something?"

He gestured with his hand for me to go back into his room. After I did, and he followed, he shut the door behind us.

"It's nothing, Mena—"

"Don't tell me it's nothing. I saw the two of you, and I can see the sadness in your eyes. That is definitely something. What did he say to you?"

"He was only trying to convince me that he is the better man for you."

"You don't believe that, do you?"

As he tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, he chuckled, but it sounded forced to me. "Of course not, Lupacchiotto. Why do you think he was so angry?"

I hugged him as I sighed in relief. "Good."

He kissed the top of my head. "You're shaking," he said.

I supposed it was the first time I noticed it, but as soon as he mentioned it, my teeth began to chatter. "I'm… fi-i-i-ine."

He pushed me to arm's length, but I couldn't see much of him for some reason. He was… fuzzy.

"Shit! You're not fine! You're white as a ghost and about to go into some sort of shock. You need Ace."

"Nooo… I want you."

"Mena, be reasonable. The bond is nothing to play with." He picked me up and laid me back on his bed, then pulled the cell phone from his pocket.

"Phoenix, no. It has to be something else. Maybe I'm coming down with a bug or something." That's what I meant to say, but since he put the phone to his ear and walked away from me, I was taking a wild guess that my words hadn't come out as I intended.

This couldn't have been brought on because I needed Ace's touch. I had only been away from him for less than eight hours.

"Damn it!" Phoenix shouted, and then I heard a crash.

"What is it?" I whispered weakly.

He huffed, and it was another few seconds before he spoke. "Ace collapsed in the kitchen. A few of his pride are bringing him back down here to you."

I didn't want to hear that. There was no way this would work if we couldn't spend more than eight hours apart. His pride was in Nevada; my pack was here. Phoenix was here. What would happen if he left me here to go back to Las Vegas as he'd planned? I knew I felt like shit now, and the wretched feeling seemed to be getting worse. I didn't want to imagine how even fifteen more minutes would make me feel.

"Get him on the bed!" Phoenix shouted, but it sounded like he used a megaphone to say it. I winced as my head throbbed.

Someone grabbed my hand, and I immediately jerked it away.

"Mena, we're trying to help you. You need to touch Ace."

I groaned, not wanting to believe this was real, but didn't object when my hand was lifted again. Cool fingers were linked with mine, and I felt a small tingling sensation in my hand and up my wrist, but not much else.

"Is it working, Mena? Are you feeling better?"

"A little. Not much," I muttered.

Someone huffed in exasperation, and then Phoenix started barking orders. "One of you stay. The rest of you get out of here. They need to be undressed. The more skin touching, the better."

"What?"
I shouted through my thoughts.

"Andra…"
Ace responded, weakly.

"What's happening to us, Ace?"

"It's the bond. I think it's pretty serious about us being together."

He chuckled. I didn't.

"This isn't funny, Ace!"

"I'm not trying to be. I'm only stating the obvious. Regardless of what you had planned before we bonded, there's a different plan for you now that we have. We're meant to be together, Andra. If you'll stop fighting it, you'll see it."

"We'll talk about it later."

"Is that a maybe we can have our fourth date now?"

"No. It's a 'we'll talk about it later'."

He chuckled again, but I wasn't happy. For one, Ace found this a wee bit more entertaining than I did. For another, Phoenix was trying to take my pajama bottoms off me. I assumed Ace was already naked, because I'd vaguely heard Phoenix telling someone to get out so he could take mine off me now. I was feeling a bit better, but I still didn't have the energy to open my eyes, so I didn't try.