"Good boy," she purrs, satisfaction dripping from every word as if my feigned compliance has finally pleased her. "But I’ve already promisedthemthat they could have her."
Her words claw at me, setting my blood boiling beneath the surface. I don’t know who the helltheyare, but the idea of anyone laying a hand on Lakelyn stirs a raw, furious need to fight. I bite down hard, grinding my teeth together, forcing the storm inside me to stay leashed—for now. Every instinct screams to break free.
I choke down the bile rising in my throat and force my voice to stay steady. "Right. Yeah. Promises are important," I say, letting the words slide out, even as every part of me recoils.
Jenny’s face softens, a glimmer of satisfaction lighting her eyes as she takes in my words, letting herself believe them. Her hand eases from my shoulder, and a slow, twisted smile spreads across her lips.
"See?" she purrs, her fingers grazing along my jaw. "You can be reasonable."
I force a nod, keeping my gaze steady, neutral, as I glance at Lakelyn. She’s quiet, her eyes fixed on me, sharp and intent, like she’s caught onto what I’m doing. There’s a spark of understanding between us—an unspoken plan forming in the space between her steady gaze and my forced compliance.
Jenny straightens, smoothing her skirt, but keeps her eyes locked on me, like she’s savoring every second of my supposed surrender. “You know, I could make this so much easier for you, Chad. I could even let you…keep her mark as a memory.” Her tone is honeyed, but the threat lingers just beneath the surface.
Lakelyn doesn’t flinch, but her gaze sharpens, her focus still unwavering. I know she’s waiting, preparing herself for whatever might come next, and I cling to that steady connection between us, letting it ground me.
“Thank you,” I manage, keeping my voice steady. “I…I’m grateful for that.” The words taste bitter, but I let them fall, every ounce of me resisting the urge to lunge, to break free and end this.
For now, I have to wait for the right moment. And from the look in Lakelyn’s eyes, I’m not the only one.
CHAPTER 47
Mason
I jerk awake,a surge of icy panic flooding through me, stealing the air from my lungs. My heart pounds, but it’s not from a bad dream—it’s something deeper, more primal, like a warning seared into my bones. Before I can process it, Dean’s up, too, eyes wide and alert as he sucks in a shaky breath. One look at him, and I know he feels it, too.
“Chad and Lakelyn,” he rasps, the raw edge in his voice a perfect mirror of the fear clawing at my own throat.
In a second, we’re both throwing on clothes, barely getting them on as we bolt out of the room. My hands are shaking as I zip up my jacket, but there’s no time to steady myself. There’s only one thing driving me now: getting to them before it’s too late.
We tear through the house and out the door, adrenaline pulsing, nearly tripping over each other in our urgency to get to Dean’s car. It’s parked on the other side of town, but that doesn’t stop us. We run, our feet pounding the sidewalk, the early morning chill doing nothing to cool the fire surging through my veins.
Dean’s just ahead of me, his footsteps pounding against the pavement. When he speaks, his voice is tight. “There’s something you need to know.” He doesn’t look back, but I can hear the strain in his words, like he’s been holding them in too long. “Jenny…she broke into the house. Knocked me out cold and tried to go after Chad while he was hitting his first heat.”
The words crash into me, and I push myself harder, my pulse skyrocketing as I imagine what she did, what she might be capable of now. This isn’t just some unstable crush—she’s dangerous. And she’s got Lakelyn, too.
“Are you serious?” The anger rips out of me, a sharp edge undercut by a fear that digs deep, twisting my gut as I glance at him, catching the grim line of his mouth.
Dean nods, his jaw tight, picking up speed. “She was obsessed, Mason,” he says, his voice almost a growl. “When I came around, she had her hands all over him.”
“Hell,” I breathe, dread mixing with fury.
“The cops took her away, but they said they could only hold her for the night without charges being pressed by Chad. With the heat—” he trails off, but he doesn’t need to finish because I already know. Chad wouldn’t have exactly been in the right state of mind to talk to the police.
I’m not sure how long we spent in the nest, each of us out of our minds with lust, but I’m sure it was long enough for her to return if she wanted. “Shit,” I say as my feet pound the ground harder.
“If she sees Lakelyn as an obstacle…”
He doesn’t have to finish his sentence; I know how he’d finish this one, too. The way she was treating Lakelyn at the coffee shop should have told me everything about her.
All I can think of is Lakelyn, her voice, her laugh, her stubborn determination. And the fact that she and Chad are indanger makes my blood roar, the bond tugging at me, relentless and furious.
Dean’s the first to reach the car. We barely pause as he slides into the driver’s seat, and I throw myself into the passenger side, slamming the door behind me. We’re speeding down the road seconds later, the tires screeching against the asphalt as we round the first corner.
Dean’s grip on the wheel is white-knuckled, his gaze intense, as he mutters, “We’ll get them back, Mason. Whatever it takes.”
And with every beat of my heart, I know that’s a promise I’m ready to keep.
The bond pullsus out of Blue Ridge, leading us straight toward Blairsville. It’s not a long drive, but at the speeds Dean’s pushing the car, it feels even shorter—just a blur of trees and winding roads stretching ahead of us. The sharp curves are the only things forcing him to ease up, but even then, he barely lets off the gas.
