Something dangerous flashed in Jesse’s eyes. “Absolutely not.”
“I’m coming with you.”
“I said no.”
“Are you going to the jogging trail first? I’ll wait in the car while you hunt.”
“This isn’t a negotiation,” he said, his voice hard.
The vibrations sped up, threatening to make my teeth chatter. “You can’t force me to stay here. I’m not your prisoner.”
It was the wrong thing to say.
In a blink, Jesse was in front of me, backing me against the island, his thick fingers wrapped around my throat. His grip was light—a warning that didn’t constrict my breathing in the slightest. But he didn’t need to touch me to render me helpless. He held me with his eyes, his wolf staring out from irises the color of polished amber. And the beast wasfurious.
“No,” he bit out, “you’re my mate. But if you want to leave, I won’t stop you. However, youwillstay here until the rogue is dead. Then you can go. You have my word.”
The promise of freedom was worse than any threat. “I don’t want that,” I rasped through a thickened throat. The anxiety twisted, sprouting wings of desperation. They beat in my chest, where my heart slammed against my ribs. “I just want to help you.”
“By using yourself as bait? That’s not very smart, Caleb. And here I thought you were a college boy.” He ignored my growl and plowed on, his power fluttering around his words. Honing each syllable like the sharp edge of a blade. “You have no idea what rogues are like. They’re worse than wild animals. If the rogue catches you, he’ll rip out your throat before you can draw breath to scream.”
“Then let’s go somewhere else,” I said. “Forget about the rogue.”
“Not an option. He could expose us. And even if I didn’t care about that, he’ll never stop hunting you. I won’t tolerate that kind of threat hanging over your head.”
My heart pounded harder. The food I’d eaten churned in my gut. “You can’t go without me.”
“Caleb—”
“Jesse,please.”
“I won’t repeat myself. This is?—”
“Brownie.”
He drew back, his hand falling from my throat. He looked as stunned as I felt. For a second, we stared at each other as my safeword seemed to echo around the kitchen like a gunshot.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted. “I know it’s not for— I shouldn’t have used it. But you said it was a hard limit.” My throat burned like someone had taken a blowtorch to it. “This is my limit. I can’t let you— I don’t…” A hot tear streaked down my cheek.
Jesse made a low sound. The next second, I was in his arms. “You have nothing to apologize for.” He turned his head and spoke against my temple. “Nothing.Okay?”
“Yeah,” I croaked, embarrassment rising like water in a flash flood. Forget attachment issues. This was a full-on meltdown. I couldn’t face him, so I buried my head in the space where his neck met his shoulder. His scent hit my lungs, and that lazy contentment I’d felt that first night in his kitchen in Hale Valley returned. It flowed through me, ferrying away the anxiety and weird, frazzled vibrations.
After a minute, he pulled back, his hands on my upper arms. He frowned, and I braced myself for another round of arguments—or worse. But he brushed a thumb over my cheek, smoothing away the track of my tear. “All right,” he said softly. “You can come. But you’re going to do everything I tell you.”
“I will,” I said. “I promise.”
His expression hardened. “I mean it, Caleb. I can’t be distracted during this hunt. If I’m worried about you, I could get hurt.”
I covered his hand with mine. Held it against my cheek as relief weakened my knees. Later, I could freak out over my inability to be parted from him. But right now, I was just grateful he’d changed his mind. “I’ll do whatever you say. Even if I don’t agree with it.”
That earned me a smile. “Fair enough.”
Chapter
Fifteen
JESSE
