Treasured Find (Royal Pride Book 1) (5 page)

Chapter Five

Rafe retreated to the hallway while Jasmine made use of the bathroom. He needed a moment to gather his thoughts and separate them from the whirlwind of emotion his cats fed him. Sometimes it was hard to distinguish between them and him.

There were days he wished he’d been born a regular shifter, one who could take a single form, not a Royal with multiple entities sharing his body. He couldn’t change his fate, though. He was
special
. A Royal. As such, he was immortal and carried their deities’ favor.

A whole lot of good that had done for the Royals. Instead of ruling over the single shifters as they were meant to do, they were resented. Imprisoned. Tortured.

Feared.

He cracked his jaw. What would Jasmine think if she learned the truth? Would she look upon him the same way? Maybe run from him?

He snorted, letting his head rest against the wall. She would if she knew how Royals had to claim human mates—at the point of death. And if one of his cats refused her? She’d die. If his cats accepted her, however, she’d be his for eternity.

His one true mate.

The gods had promised all shifters—singles and Royals—peace in the form of a true mate. Too bad their creators hadn’t offered them an easy way to find their perfect complement, the one person who could calm both man and beast. The only advice their elders gave was to trust your instincts. That was great for the single shifters. If their animals refused to complete the bond, they’d leave their lover with a scar. If Royals picked poorly, they’d end up as murderers.

It was no wonder few Royals mated. Or found peace.

He let his gaze drift to the closed door.
Would Jasmine risk her life for me? Or would…

He snapped his teeth together.
No. I won’t go there. I can’t.

The lie she’d fed him about her boys added to the uncertainty surrounding her. Only mated shifter females could reproduce. If she’d admitted to adopting her kids, then he could believe she’d been duped the same way Tony had been with Megan. But to insist they were hers…

Rafe dug out his cell and dialed Kade, his twin and the leader of the Alexander pride.

Kade answered on the second ring. “Yeah?”

The whispered greeting set Rafe on edge. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m in the woods behind Tony’s house.”

“Why are you there?” Kade was supposed to meet with the shifter agency in Virginia about the lawyer involved in Megan’s adoption. The select few humans who knew about their kind were their biggest asset. Unfortunately, the humans’ influence was limited. Damn hard to uphold the laws protecting shifters when only a handful of people knew about them.

“Because of Devin. He didn’t sound good when he called. Kept repeating himself.”

Rafe clenched his free hand and blew out a rough breath. “Why did you send him in the first place? Devin’s got issues to begin with. Dropping him in a situation that reminds him of his past isn’t smart.”

“I was hoping to distract him. The shit with his sister has left him stressed. He’s been picking fights with anyone who even looks at Mira. One of Xander’s wolves stopped by to talk to her, and Devin nearly tore his throat out. I’m worried about him.”

Him and everyone else in the family. Devin and his twin, Mira, weren’t related to Rafe, but they were members of the Alexander pride. That meant their issues became everyone’s. The cursed prophecy surrounding Mira would damn them all.

Another fucking
blessing
from our precious gods and goddesses.
Rafe pinched the bridge of his nose.
Let it go. Our hands are tied. We won’t abandon them.

A slow inhale and exhale calmed him.

“I stumbled upon an unexpected find.”
More than one.

“And that is?” Kade asked.

“Did Devin mention the scent-marked female we smelled at Tony’s house?”

“Yeah. Several times.”

“I found her. She came to talk to Josh too.”

“And? Did you recognize the scent?”

“No, but I’m not surprised I don’t recognize it.”

“Do you think it might be younger Royals from Europe we haven’t met?”

“Maybe, but…” Rafe closed his eyes and pictured Jasmine’s face when she’d pleaded with him to understand her rejection. “She has twin boys. My instincts tell me it’s their scent on her.”

“That’s the best news I’ve heard in a long time. I wonder if she adopted them from the same lawyer Tony used.”

He pressed the heel of his palm to the thump in his temple. “She claims they’re her biological sons.”

Silence stretched. Finally, Kade cleared his throat. “Who do you think she’s lying to protect?”

“A shifter she knows maybe? Some prides still allow humans to live in their territory.”

“Did she recognize you for what you are?”

Because most humans who spent a lot of time with shifters learned to pick up on the clues that hinted at their non-human status. More luminous eyes, for example. Or their too perfect teeth and lack of body hair. Many of the non-human species shared the same traits, however. Not surprising when one thought about it. All the “other” species were tied to the gods in some manner.

“No. She’s not mated either.” But he had no problem imagining how hot a bite would look on her shoulder. Or how much he’d enjoy licking her mate mark and making her writhe in pleasure. He hissed out a strained breath. “And the claim rubbed onto her wrist consisted of two scents.”

That made the likelihood of what he suggested true. Felines were possessive, more so than wolves. Once they claimed anything—an object or person—they held their treasure close. They didn’t share and would never tolerate another’s scent mixed with theirs, unless that person was important to both of them, such as a mother would be.

“Do you have the female’s name?”

Rafe ran his tongue over the roof of his mouth where her taste still lingered. “I have more than that. I have her.”

“Good. What do you need from me?”

“Nothing. I’ll text her number to one of our brothers and see what they can find on her, then I’m following her home.”

“Her boys will scent you on her and clue her in to what you are. She might run with them.”

“I know.” And he hated what he would have to do to prevent that from happening. “I’ll make sure my scent is masked.”

“Then I’ll meet you at the woman’s house. I’m just wasting my time here. There’re no signs that the fire was deliberately set. At least that I can see. We’ll have to wait for the humans’ assessment.”

“I hope it was an accident, but it’s damn convenient.”

“Let’s just be glad Megan was with her uncle. Maybe the gods intervened to help her.”

Rafe snorted. “Yeah, just like they helped Mira, right?”

Kade’s sigh sounded overly loud on the line. “They did, brother. They guided her to us.”

Kade was right, of course. The Alexander pride was one of the few who’d extended their protection to any shifter outside of their immediate family.
And we’ve been screwed more than once because of it.

Rafe pushed aside his worry over Mira and focused on the mystery involving another female. “I’ll send you what I have on Jasmine. She mentioned she left her boys with a neighbor. Check the surrounding area first.”

Kade chuckled. “You’re lucky you’re my brother. Otherwise, I wouldn’t stand for you ordering me around.”

“Thirty seconds separated us. You’re only leader because you popped out first. You and I both know I could take the reins from you if I wanted to.”

“Don’t tempt me. I might just take you up on that offer, and I know you don’t want the damn job any more than I do.”

The line went dead.

Rafe texted Jasmine’s number to Kade and his younger brother, then settled back to wait for her. The eagerness humming within him worried him. Lust was one thing. The desire to lock her to his side was an entirely different beast. So too was the longing to look into her gray eyes or hear her voice. That kind of fascination could be dangerous. For both of them.

He came with baggage, the kind that thought nothing of ripping a person’s throat out if it didn’t like them.

Chapter Six

Jazz ended the call and leaned against the bathroom door. She breathed a sigh of relief. Everything was quiet on the home front. The boys were watching the black-and-white westerns Mr. Wilkins always had playing at his house. They hadn’t even noticed she was late picking them up. In fact, they’d begged her to stay longer. There was another episode they wanted to watch. She’d agreed. As a mother, she was both glad they felt comfortable away from home and sad too. They were growing up.

And I’m getting older.
Before she knew it, her boys would be on their own. She’d be left with a huge, empty farmhouse and nobody to share it with. It wasn’t that she needed a man in her life. She could fix a leaky faucet and take out her own garbage, but the encounter with Rafe showed her what she was missing: passion, love and companionship. Quite frankly, she didn’t want to grow old alone.

Who better to face the future with than a man who made her burn as no other had? Not only had she allowed herself to be seduced, she took what he’d offered and demanded more. She’d actually rubbed herself against his face. Fucked herself on his tongue. He’d taken her to heaven, no doubt about it. It was the way he’d looked at her afterward that stirred longings for a chance at happiness, though.

Desire, awe and satisfaction.

If she didn’t know better, she’d say he’d gotten nearly as much pleasure from making her orgasm as she had from the actual release. That was what fantasies were made of—a hot guy who enjoyed making a woman moan his name.

And he wants to see me again.
She grinned. Mr. Wilkins did have a campout planned for the weekend. He and the twins were pitching a tent in his front yard. It was perfect timing, actually. She could meet Rafe for dinner, a movie… maybe a hotel room. Definitely, a hotel room. No way did she want memories of Rafe in her bed if it didn’t work out between them.

But if it does…

She took a deep breath to settle the butterflies in her belly and turned the knob. “Do you like pizza or…”

Her words drifted off at the sight of the room. Empty.

He’d left.

Her shoulders drooped.
Guess the truth sank in, and he realized he didn’t want to deal with my baggage.

Really, could she blame him? No. She couldn’t, especially when her baggage came with feisty cubs who bit.

She sighed and grabbed the car keys from the desk.
Well, at least I found out what kind of man he was before we ended up in a hotel room.
She flung open the door.

Rafe leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the hallway, ankles crossed and thumbs in his front pockets. “Hey, beautiful. I was starting to get worried.”

“You waited?”

He closed the distance between them. With one hand pressed against the door over her head and the other by her hip, he surrounded her. Petite wasn’t a description she’d use for herself, but next to Rafe she felt small.

“Is that why you took so long? Hoping I’d get bored and take off?”

Captured by his intense stare, she couldn’t form words.

A long, heart-stopping moment passed before he bent closer. With a swipe of his tongue, he gently prodded at the seam of her mouth. She opened to him on a sigh. Instead of thrusting inside, he licked her upper lip then the lower, as if savoring her flavor. The low, appreciative sound that rumbled in his chest suggested he liked her taste. She arched into him, silently asking for more.

The slow, drugging kiss rekindled her passion. She linked her arms around his neck and clung to him while he led her in an erotic dance that felt as intimate as sex. They moved together, adjusting the depth and angle of their strokes as if they’d been lovers their entire lives and what they shared was foreplay, not a simple kiss.

She closed her eyes, loving the sensations he stirred within her. A featherlight caress along her side had her arching into him. His erection pressed firmly against her belly. The rigid length left little doubt about his desires. She wanted the same.

She stood on her tiptoes and deepened the kiss, needing him. Another hungry noise escaped him. He tilted his head and devoured her, kissing her as if he were starved. His response excited her. She wanted to tear down his control, making him as wild as he had done for her. She rubbed against the bulge in his pants, trying to show him how she felt.

He lifted her with a hand on her bottom. The easy show of strength appealed to her as much as the way he touched her body. The man was literally built for sex. She had no doubt he could pleasure her all night long. The thought fed the burning lust consuming her. Her core clenched, reminding her of what she craved.

She wrapped her legs around his waist and ground her hips against his. More. She needed more than just the pressure on her clit. She ached, the sensation growing with the fevered way he ate at her mouth.

What they were doing was naughty. Wild. Completely unlike her. It only made her want Rafe more. She loved the humming energy buzzing through her.

“Jasmine,” he groaned against her lips.

She heard the unspoken question, but the music drifting to her ears reminded her the hallway wasn’t the place to indulge in each other. “Not here, Rafe.”

He twisted the handle and shoved the door at her back open with a push of their bodies. They stumbled into the office. Without breaking their kiss, he lowered her to the couch.

Somebody clearing their throat froze them both.

“I’m sorry, but you’re not allowed back here.”

Jazz peeked past Rafe’s shoulders. Susan, the head waitress, stood at the doorway, her gaze downcast and a blush staining her cheeks.

“I really don’t want to call security, but I will.” The pleading tone in Susan’s voice was clear.

“No need.” Rafe stood, pulling Jazz with him. “We’ll make our way to the bar.”

“I really should—”

“One drink, Jazz.”

She opened her mouth to tell him she couldn’t. She was driving. He pressed a finger to her lips.

“No excuses. You can have a soda. Call your neighbor. Tell him you’ll be a little late.” He held out his cell phone for her.

“I already did. The boys wanted to watch another episode anyway.”

“Then you have no reason not to unless you’re not interested in getting to know me.”

Not interested? Here she was trying to stop dreams from taking root, and he was suggesting she didn’t want to learn more about him? “One drink, and then I really need to leave.”

Rafe smiled, triumph in his eyes. “Perfect.”

He took her hand, twining their fingers, and walked by Susan without so much as glancing in her direction. Jazz did, though, and caught Susan ogling Rafe’s ass. The nerve of her. Jazz glared at the woman, but Susan gave a thumbs up and winked. The flash of jealousy eased. Jazz grinned.

They made their way to a darkened section of the main bar area.

Rafe wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “I’m sorry. I thought she’d walk by. I should’ve closed the door behind us.”

“It’s probably a good thing she interrupted us. It’s late. I really need to start enforcing a bedtime. The boys are going to kindergarten in the fall, and waking up before noon is going to be a shock to them.”

They’d sleep most of the day away if she let them. Their animals liked to nap, so they did too.

“I understand. My mother had a hard time sticking to rules where my baby sister was concerned too. My parents had prayed for a daughter for many, many years. They kept popping out boys. When our family was finally blessed with a little girl, we all treated her like the princess she was. She got away with a lot.”

“Was? Did she die?”

“No. Not exactly.”

“I don’t understand.”

“She disappeared a long time ago. We searched for her, but couldn’t find her. The private detectives we’d hired ran into dead end after dead end, and the police gave up.” He stepped away from her. “We still keep our eyes out, hoping one day we’ll find her. Hasn’t happened yet.”

She stood on her tiptoes and caressed his jaw. “I’m sorry, Rafe.”

“Thank you, my Jasmine. Your words comfort me more than I can express.”

The butterflies in her belly took flight. “You know, I’m starting to enjoy the odd way you talk. It makes me feel as if I’ve walked into a world where princesses wait to be swept away by knights in shining armor.”

He grinned. “You would make a beautiful princess.”

“Would I?”

“One to be fought for.” He twirled a lock of her hair around a finger. “What about me? Would I fill the role of your knight in shining armor?”

She ran her hands over his chest. The sensation of hard muscle under her palms sent a shiver of awareness through her body. “I don’t know if any horse would be able to carry you for long. I see you more as a warrior. Maybe a conqueror.”

“One who demands the bonny ladies as his reward after a battle?” He swept her into his arms. She gasped and grabbed his shoulders. “Oh yes, I like this fantasy, and in it I get to choose you as my booty.” He bent closer so his golden brown eyes filled her vision. “I think I might keep you, Jasmine.”

Her breath hitched. “I think you have a wild imagination.”

“Or a hopeful one.”

She pushed against his shoulder. “Put me down. People are starting to stare.”

“Let them. It’s not my fault the men in this town were stupid enough not to claim you as theirs.”

She caught her lip to stop her grin. “You know how to flatter a woman, don’t you?”

“I’m only telling the truth.”

“Are you now?”

“Yes, and I’ll give you another fact.” He focused his lust-hazed gaze on her. “I want you.”

The look in his eyes told her exactly what he desired from her. She wanted to give in to her body’s needs too. Tonight wasn’t the right time for it. Being late because she got caught up in the moment was one thing. Ignoring her responsibilities to have sex with a man she barely knew was another.

“Look, Rafe, what we did wasn’t normal for me. I’m not like that. Easy.”

“I know.” He set her on her feet and took her hand. “Come on, let’s get our drinks before it gets any later.”

“Sounds good.”

He led her across the dance floor, weaving around the couples swaying to the music. Susan stepped from the bar, a tray of drinks held high. A guy seated on one of the stools yelled for another beer, calling her a slew of derogatory terms that made Jazz cringe. She hated how rude some people could be after they had a few drinks in them.

Rafe headed Susan’s way. He released Jazz’s hand and laid his fingertips on Susan’s arm. “Let me handle this.”

Susan sucked in a rough breath and jerked. The tray she held tipped, spilling beer all over Jazz. The pitcher and glasses shattered on the floor, spraying more booze on Jazz’s legs.

Jazz gasped.

“Oh no!” Susan dropped to her knees and gathered the largest pieces of glass. “I’m so sorry.”

Jazz ran a hand over her top. She was soaked. “It’s okay. Accidents happen.”

Rafe moved closer but didn’t touch Jazz. She couldn’t blame him. Who wanted to go home smelling like a brewery?

“Are you hurt?” he asked her.

Jazz shook her head. “Just wet.”

Susan dropped the handle of the pitcher on the tray and reached for another jagged section. “I don’t know what got into me.”

“No.” Rafe grabbed Susan’s shoulders and urged her to stand. “It’s my fault. I startled you.”

“Look at you, Jazz.” Susan pressed a hand to her mouth. “I ruined your outfit.”

Jazz smoothed her damp skirt. “It’ll wash out.” She’d just smell like stale beer until then.

“I have extra clothes in my locker.” She motioned to the employee hallway. “You can at least dry off and put them on. I’ll get your clothes cleaned.”

“I think that sounds like a good idea,” Rafe added. “Otherwise your car will smell too.”

“Yes, okay.” Jazz followed Susan back to the employee break room.

She cleaned up, using a wet cloth to wipe the stickiness from her skin left by the drinks, then tugged on Susan’s spare clothes—shorts and a T-shirt with a black widow spider on it. The stench of booze still clung to Jazz. Her hair had gotten sprayed too. Seth and Levi would cringe when she picked them up. There’d be no hugs from them tonight. Just as well. They’d smell a strange man on her. She didn’t want to have to answer any questions about Rafe, not until after their first date.

Rafe waited for her in the hallway. He gave her a small smile. “This was a memorable first meeting, wasn’t it?”

She tugged on the too tight shirt. It barely covered her stomach. “Yes, I’ll say. Let’s hope our first date is less action-filled.”

“I’m sure it’ll be pleasurable.” He raised his gaze from her chest to her face. “No matter what we end up doing.”

She blew out a slow breath. “I hope so.”

A pleased grin spread across his mouth. “How about a rain check on the drink so you can go home and shower?”

“I’d like that.”

They left the bar, and Rafe walked straight in the direction of her car, not even pausing by the other ones or asking where she’d parked. The memory of him inhaling deeply after she’d lied returned. A feeling of unease slithered over her. Hadn’t she thought how similar the act was to the way her boys tasted the air? They told her they could tell when people were lying. They could also track people by scent alone.