His gaze moved to the weapon she held steadily in her hand. “Ivy shot me, not you. Although I wouldn’t like a repeat.”
“This is between us,” Jasper said.
Klyde winked at her. “Sounds like fun. I have intel that might be good. Be ready to leave in about thirty minutes. Is there still spaghetti?” He stomped down the hallway in his thick, black motorcycle boots, crushing several Legos.
“You’ll have to pay for those,” Jasper called out. “Benny was clear. No damages.”
“I already have a new set in the back bedroom that we can drop all over the place when we leave,” Klyde returned cheerfully, disappearing into the kitchen.
Jasper studied Leah. “As I was saying, you have three seconds to put down the gun.”
* * * *
Jasper couldn’t believe the woman dared to point a gun at him. He’d barely arrived in time to save her from a Kurjan she’d been hunting. Where the hell had her brain gone? “You understand you don’t have any extra strength yet, right?”
She rolled her stunning eyes. “Yes, Jasper. Although you did tell me that Maxwell mates gain extra abilities and strengths, unlike most mates.”
“Well, now.” He stepped around the sofa and closer to his wayward mate. “Just so you know, that usually takes centuries. It also takes regular contact, which is about to be our new normal.” He was finished going to bed alone every night. The fact that she now hunted danger of the immortal sort dispelled any doubts he might’ve harbored. “It’s time to come home, Leah.”
Her chin lifted.
That was it. He snatched the gun from her.
She blinked, her mouth falling open. “What the heck?”
“I gave you three seconds.” He tossed the weapon onto the dark blue sofa where it bounced next to a couple of stuffed animals. “We need to talk.”
Red spiraled into her pretty face. She’d always been lovely but had grown even more so through the years. She had those dark chocolate eyes, and her hair was thick, a myriad of different browns to black that fell gracefully to her shoulders. Taller than most of the females in his family so far, she had curves to spare. Perfect for him. “Stop staring at me.”
“All right.” He ducked his head again and tossed her over his shoulder, turning and striding to one of the guest bedrooms, sidestepping Legos the entire time. This close to her, touching her, had his entire system roaring with heat.
She struggled, her fists pounding against his lower back. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered. “Stop throwing me over your shoulder. The caveman times were long finished before either of us was born.”
“You might as well get used to it,” he drawled, kicking shut the door behind him. “Either that or learn to obey.”
Her entire body stiffened at the last statement, and she punched him square in the kidney. “Not a chance.”
Interesting. He flipped her over to land on her butt on the bed. “I explained to you when we mated what would happen.”
Her dark hair flew around her heart-shaped face. Anger and need glowed in her eyes. “Yes. You said if we ever truly mated, we’d crave each other on a level not experienced by other immortals. I believed you then, and I do so now. Thus, the only option is to stay away from each other.”
“Wrong. We’re finished doing that.” His nostrils flared as he took in her scent. All woman. All his. “I also told you I’d come for you one day.”
Her eyes flashed, lightening the brown to an intriguing amber. “I’m not ready.”
“I don’t care.” He’d stopped worrying about her readiness the second she tried to capture a Kurjan. Obviously, allowing her this much freedom for decades had been a mistake. He’d been occupied with hunting down werewolves—animals with no souls. It pissed him off to no end that he hadn’t found that Kurjan scientist. But with the treaty with their enemies ending, the scientist would have to wait. “We’re at war with an enemy I’ve never even told you about, which means you’re locked down safely.”
She leaped to her feet. “I’m made for war.”
He pressed a hand to her upper chest and gently sat her back down. “Wrong.” Did she truly mean that? “You’re an excellent spy in the human world, but you’re in my world now. My mate does not go to war.” With anybody but him, anyway. “You agreed to my terms when we mated, Leah. Period.”
She put both hands on her hips, looking haughty, even sitting on the plush, cream-colored duvet. The furniture was made of a sturdy oak, no doubt to stay in one piece with Benny and his brood staying at the penthouse once in a while. “I did agree, butwe did not dictate a timeline.” Pink infused her high cheekbones, and she shifted her weight on the bed.
His cock went rock-hard.
Yeah, being this close to each other shot a heated tension through the entire room, overtaking the cool oxygen. Years ago, he would’ve fought the pull. “The timeline is dictated by me. Period.”
Her cute nostrils flared. “That’s not how—”
