Passion Projected (13 page)

She was shocked, but more than anything she felt confused. In the back of her mind, she knew her jaw hung open, but her brain couldn’t come up with one sentence to express the anger and perplexity she felt. What gave him the right? Marley didn’t necessarily like having all these damn bites on her. The more they bit her, the more it hurt each damn time.

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Passion Projected

95

For the last few months, Zachary noticed Jordan acting strangely, but him kissing Marley’s stomach nearly made Zachary fly into the back seat to rip his throat out. What Jordan implied by his actions not only shocked Zachary, it made him reflect on what he’d been neglecting to consider.

Just to make sure he wasn’t overreacting, Zachary watched Jordan carefully in the rearview mirror, anger igniting deeper and deeper into the core of his chest while Jordan thrust into her.

One glance at Cole and Zachary knew he had seen Jordan’s small display of dominance. Maybe Jordan hadn’t even realized he had done it, but they both observed him.

Movement brought Zachary’s eyes back to the mirror. Marley suddenly sat up, her nude back facing him, dark hair curling to the middle of her back. He was so caught up watching her that he hadn’t even noticed Cole reaching over to grab the wheel.

The thickness of his cock began to swell with every grind of Marley’s hips. She came face to face with him as she leaned back.

The taste of her mouth made him forget completely about the road.

Thrusts from Jordan caused her to suddenly scream into his mouth, but then abruptly she disappeared.

Zachary opened his eyes, noticing that Cole held the wheel. He motioned for Cole to watch Marley as he focused back on driving and watching in the mirror. Something wasn’t right. Jordan pulling her back down to the seat caused the anger once again to build.

The thrusts became harder, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before they finished. Once they were done, Zachary planned to pull Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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96

over and have a long talk with Jordan. Either the small acts of dominance needed to stop, or he’d make them stop.

At Marley’s cry, Zachary ripped himself from his thoughts.

Watching Jordan sink his teeth into Marley’s breast left his vision red from rage, not to mention the startled look that crossed her face. A part of her feared Jordan, he could feel it. Thoughts running rampantly through her mind made it hard for him to even think.

Cole clutched his forearm and gave him a signal. Zachary nodded back to him and slammed on the brakes. The thought that there might be cars behind him never crossed his mind. He just knew he had to stop Jordan from whatever he intended to do. The mark Jordan placed on Marley told him that he was right about his darkest concern.

* * * *

Marley’s blood filling Jordan’s mouth as his teeth sunk into her skin caused his eyes to roll back. If he had thought her scent emanated strong, he was wrong. Her blood proved supreme. Somehow he knew it would be. She held the power of an alpha in her blood, and it wasn’t from her carrying Zachary’s child. No, she carried lycanthropy in her veins and she didn’t even know it.

It had to have been generations back, so thinned out that she wasn’t able to shift, but it resided there, concealed and waiting for a chance to take over. The power surging through his veins told him so.

Zachary probably didn’t even know it, but Jordan did and he had big plans for Marley and her child. All three of them together would run his new pack, and after Marley gave him a son, his son would take over.

The Escalade suddenly slammed to a halt. Marley was ripped from Jordan so fast he hadn’t been able to grab her for his escape.

There would be no time for him to shift and take her. He’d come back for her and when he did, Zachary and Cole would both pay.

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* * * *

Cole ripped Marley from the back seat, clutching his arms around her like iron just as Zachary slammed on the brakes of the car. Marley didn’t budge in the seconds it took to come to a complete stop.

Before she knew it, Jordan dashed out of the car and ran toward the woods. In one leap, he transformed into a black blur. Shock registered as he came to the line of trees. A scream echoed off the interior of the car when the yellow piercing eyes turned to look at her right before he disappeared.

Zachary had already shot out of the car to chase after him. She couldn’t let him. There had to be a way to stop him from continuing farther into the forest. Marley reached inside her mind to plead to him.
Zachary, come back now. I need you. Please, come back. We
have to leave, now!

With determination, Marley pried herself out of Cole’s death grip and jumped into the back, throwing on her clothes as fast as she could. There was no time, she had to get Zachary.

“Cole what in the hell just happened? Why did Jordan bite me?

I’m so fucking confused. What happened, he looked…scary.”

Cole turned and looked at her, his face strained. “Jordan has been acting strangely for a while now. I believe Zachary thinks he’s the new alpha for the pack that’s after you. It makes sense to me. He’d want the baby, and it seems he wants you, too.

“Marley, he kissed your stomach. That alone signifies something unheard of to me. He acted as if you carried his kid or something. I’ve never seen Jordan so unrestrained before. It’s like he didn’t care that our alpha sat right in front of him or that you belonged to someone else.”

Marley slid her shoes on. “But why did he bite me?”

Cole took a deep breath, resting his head in his hands. “Now he’ll have a sense of where you’ll be at all times. Nothing like what Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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98

Zachary has with you, but he’ll know your general whereabouts. He basically marked you as his, too.”

Zachary emerged from the trees looking downright chilling. His face was a solid mask of stone, but even from the distance his eyes sent chills through her body. They glowed more than she had ever seen in any of their projections.

He jogged to the Escalade and signaled for Cole to drive.

Marley’s heart escalated dangerously fast.

The moment he got in, he pulled her into the front seat with him.

She settled into his lap feeling him shake with rage beneath her.

“I’m sorry, Zachary. I didn’t know he was bad. If I did, then I would have never given myself to him. I’m so sorry.”

Zachary pulled her into his chest slowly rocking her as if she were a child. “Marley, it isn’t your fault. I didn’t know, either. Something kept warning me, but I didn’t want to believe it. Is that the wolf you saw in your dream?”

Slowly, Marley lifted herself up to look at him. “Yes, the exact same one, the same yellow eyes and everything.”

“What happens in the dream? You have to tell me everything.”

Pulling the visions from her mind, Marley thought about her first dream, recalling every little detail. “Well, it started off with me in a forest. I’m not sure where exactly, being it happened to be my first time in a damn forest to begin with, but anyway, I began looking for you, and I noticed some light at the edge of the trees.

“I started to run, and the closer I got to the light the more I knew that something wasn’t right. That’s when I heard the growling. I turned around to see five large wolves all ready to attack me. I didn’t know what to do, so I felt behind me for something to protect myself.

When I stepped on a stick they all leaped toward me. Jordan had to be the leader. He would have gotten to me first.

“The next dream, it was just Jordan. I ran to the same light I had seen before, but this time he waited for me. When I stopped abruptly I cut myself…then he smiled. I didn’t know wolves could smile.”

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Marley shuddered. “I began to run back toward the light but he pounced in the middle of my back.”

Cole kept looking over at them. She could tell Zachary grew beyond livid with every second that passed. His frame sat so rigid underneath her it felt as if she rested on pure steel. Every muscle in his body remained frozen.

Zachary shifted while he pulled the phone out of his jeans pocket.

A moment of confusion caused an increased in her heart rate as he dialed.

“Kylie, don’t let anyone, and I mean anyone, get on the estate, especially not Jordan. He’s the new alpha for the pack that’s been out to destroy us. I’m almost positive. If he comes, you kill him. He wants Marley. He fucking marked her, can you believe that, Kylie! The fucking nerve, I swear. Yeah, all right," he growled into the phone.

Zachary slammed it shut and turned to Cole. “It looks like it’s me and you if anything happens on the way. Are you still with me, Cole?”

A grin shadowed Cole’s face. “You bet your ass, boss. . I told you from the beginning there was something wrong with him.”

“That you did, Cole. I should have listened to you. I’m sorry. Just get to the estate as fast as you can. I want Marley safe before we go and look for him. Kylie can watch over her, she’ll be safe. My sister would protect her with her life.”

“Your sister,” Marley whispered. “I had no idea Kylie was your sister.” Both of them looked at her. “What? I didn’t.” She looked at them, twisting her mouth. “Besides, I’m going with you.”

“Oh, no you’re not,” Zachary bit out between his teeth. “You’re going to stay with Kylie and protect our baby.”

When he said it that way, she knew he was right. Dammit! She couldn’t let him just leave without her knowing if he would be all right. Marley had never seen Zachary’s pack before, but she had seen Jordan and some of his, and they left her downright terrified. Why did Ebook piracy is stealing. It is a federal offense.

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Passion Projected

100

Zachary have to go anywhere? Couldn’t he just stay with her? It would be safe at the estate.

“No, Marley, I have to go. I want this finished. If I do nothing, you or someone in the pack could get hurt.” Zachary kissed her forehead.

“If you go, someone could get hurt. Please, I beg you,” she cupped his face, “please, don’t go. Stay with me, take care of me. I can’t lose you.” For the first time, she felt the ramifications of possibly never seeing him again once he left.

Everything hit her at once, feeling like a bag of bricks pounding into her chest. Suddenly, her body started shaking, her breathing increasing rapidly. Fuck, she didn’t need this right now!

The road wavered in front of her, making her feel off balance until she felt sick. The veins bulged in Marley’s hands, causing pressure to build and giving them a heavy feeling. Whether it was a full-blown anxiety attack or her blood pressure shooting through the roof she wasn’t sure. All she knew was she needed to relax and fast.

“Marley, calm down. Just take slow deep breaths. Cole, take the next exit and head east. We need to get Marley to the hospital. Can you hear her heart? Something’s not right. Marley what do you take medication for? I heard it in your thoughts earlier.”

She took a deep breath, trying to slow the spinning. “High…blood pressure.. I’m not sure that’s what it is, though. I think it’s just a panic attack.”

The window rolled down and Marley stuck her head out to get some fresh air. The wind blew her hair against her face, instantly cooling her heated skin.

“Cole, keep driving. We need to get to Virginia. I don’t want to go to the hospital. Just give me a few minutes,” Marley said, breathlessly.

Zachary opened his mouth to argue with her, but she just put her fingers over his lips. “Not now, Zachary. I’m already feeling a little better.”

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Passion Projected

101

It was true. Her heart rate gradually slowed. With it going down, she didn’t feel so anxious anymore, but she did feel extremely tired and shaky, like her body had just been through a major car accident.

The muscles ached from being so tense while the minutes went by.

Marley laid her head against Zachary’s chest. Once they made it to Virginia everything would be would be better for her, but what about Zachary? At the one question that haunted her, Marley’s stomach twisted. She couldn’t think about that right now. She’d think about that later.

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Passion Projected

102

Cole held Marley in his arms in the second-row seat. Zachary insisted that he needed to drive, saying if he didn’t take his mind off of Jordan that he would go crazy.

Somehow, Cole didn’t doubt that. He still couldn’t believe what happened. Jordan had always been too quiet, but the looks he gave Zachary behind his back made Cole suspicious. Three years ago, Jordan came to the pack, fighting his way up to be second in command.

If Jordan believed he could beat Zachary for alpha, then he sadly had been mistaken. Jordan might be a good fighter, but Cole had seen both Zachary and Jordan fight, and no way could Jordan win. Most people didn’t know that Zachery fought ruthlessly if it meant keeping the people he loved safe.

Cole had no doubt that he would kill not only his best friend, but a family member, too, if he thought they became involved in plotting or taking his unborn child or Marley. To Zachary they both were his, and no one messed with what belonged to him.