As it turns out, 'the bug' was the dune buggy in Luca's garage. A golf cart on steroids, it had oversized tires, seatbelts, and the capabilities of going "wicked fast", according to Bates."This is a terrible idea," Blaine said for the hundredth time as Bates helped buckle me in."Don't be a wiener," Bates told him, getting into the driver's seat.Blaine sighed before getting into the backseat."I need a helmet," he muttered."No, you'll be fine," Bates assured him."I'Il be gentle."With that, he started the engine and smashed the gas pedal giving me whiplash as I was yanked back into the seat. I praised God for the blessing that the seatbelt was for the next five minutes. Bates whipped in between trees and across fields like he was trying to kill us, giggling like a six-year-old boy the entire time.Suddenly, he slammed on breaks in a spot in the middle of the forest that looked like nothing at all, sending dust flying around us.I looked at Bates, my hair in my face and scowled."W
Luca was still seething.I sat in silence, unable to wrap my mind around Johnathan's words and nearly giving myself a headache trying to decipher the riddle I felt like he'd given me.Getting out of the bug, I followed Blaine, Bates and Luca to the door at the base of the tower. When we walked inside, my eyes took a moment to adjust fromthe bright sunshine to the darkness.The entire structure was just level after level of mesh, metal flooring with desks of computers and monitors occupied by people wearing headsets and headphones. A tall spiral staircase shot up from the center of the floor.I followed Bates, Blaine and Luca all the way up to the top, passing each floor. When we reached the top, I finally caught a glimpse of daylight through the window that ran the entire circumference of thebuilding, allowing me to see the men who circled the outside of the water tower and surveilled the land below.Lincoln was standing behind a desk, looking at a digital map when Luca walked up to
I couldn't have packed my bag any quicker than I did.I was ready to escape and not have to think about anything going on around me.Luca was still outside on the phone when I came downstairs with my duffle bag in hand."Sorry, I had to give a few people a heads up that I would be gone," he told me, walking inside."Give me a second to pack a bag and we'll leave."I nodded as he jogged off into his bedroom. Making myself a quick snack, I was done eating by the time Luca came back into the kitchen."We'll need to bring a few things to eat with us," Luca told me."To eat?" I asked."Where are we going?""Pretty far up into the mountains," he replied."I can make due on the river, but I'm assuming you don't want to eat fish for every meal."I grimaced, shaking my head. I didn't have a problem eating fish, but I certainly didn't want it for breakfast.Luca went to his garage and got a cooler that he brought back inside so we could stock up on food."Ready?" He asked as we loaded the last
"We've got to stop."I leaned against a boulder, trying to catch my breath."How much farther?" I asked breathlessly.Luca turned to me from where he stood a few feet in front of me on the trail, thumbs tucked under his backpack straps."Less than half a mile," he answered."C'mon, we can rest at the top."I could tell he was annoyed.Clearly, I didn't have the stamina to climb a mountain in less than an hour, much less keep up with someone who did."I hate hiking," I admitted, taking a gulp from my water bottle."That would have been nice to know before we got more than halfway up a mountain," he said sarcastically."I was just trying to be a good sport," I admitted, standing straight to continue walking."You've done a terrible job at it," he laughed, walking next to me."I could still see where we parked the truck behind you when you started complaining.""This view better be spectacular," I wheezed, feeling my side cramp."It'll be worth it."Luca took my hand in his and basically
I woke up that night freezing.At some point as I slept, the duvet shifted down, exposing my bare shoulders. My body had curled into a fetal position and was shivering in the chilled air.I stretched out and sat up slightly, looking over to see the curtains blowing in the frigid breeze that wafted in from the half-open window.That was not open when I went to bed, I thought.In fact, I specifically remembered Luca lighting the fireplace to warm up the room before we got into bed.He certainly wouldn't have cracked a window.I turned over in the bed to see it was empty, the covers pulled back and the sheets laid bare where Luca had once slept. I sat up all the way to see that the fire had been extinguished and the bedroom door was slightly open.Suddenly, I saw a dark figure move in the corner of the room and felt panic begin to set in."Luca?"The shadow returned my question with a slow, deep voice."No"My blood ran cold.Jonathan stepped forward, the moonlight streaming in from the
I woke up, hours later, to the bright sunshine in my eyes. Squinting, I sat up as I realized it was early afternoon. I looked around to see the room was empty, noticing the blood stains all over the sheets and duvet.Remembering what had happened, I was suddenly wide awake. I lifted my hand to my neck and felt the scab that had formed over the wound. Getting off the bed, I walked into the bathroom to inspect it further.God, I'm a mess, I thought, staring at my wild hair and the dried blood caked along my neck and shoulder. I took a washcloth and rubbed at my skin with warm water, exposing the scar and the bruising around it.The mark looked more like a bite than I had anticipated it would. Every mark I had ever seen looked more like a pale, mouth-sized ring. But then again, I had never seen a mark left by an Alpha.Their canines were longer and more prominent, meaning the bite was deeper and left behind more scar tissue.While a mark didn't technically ward off offending males, it w
"You bought them cars?" I asked in disbelief.My jaw was on the pavement as I stood outside the dealership where two identical, white, four-door Jeep Wranglers were parked next to each other.I watched as Luca shook hands with the dealer."Always a pleasure, Mr. Ronan," he said, handing the keys to Luca."Likewise, my friend," Luca returned.He threw a set of keys to me and a set to Norah."Ben can drive Norah's car home and you guys can take the Jeeps. We'll keep them at my place tonight and drive them over tomorrow before the party," Luca said."You bought them cars?" I asked again.Luca nodded nonchalantly."You can look around while we're here if you don't want to drive my car everywhere anymore," he offered.The dealer's ears perked up immediately."Yes, ma'am. We have a new line of luxury SUVs if you'd be interested," he said, thumb pointing towards the lot behind him."You look like a Mercedes woman to me..."I laughed nervously."Maybe another time," I said.Norah and I walked
I woke up the next morning on top of Luca, my bare chest pressed against his. Feeling the breeze of the ceiling fan on my back, I shuddered- realizing soon after that the chills I felt came from the long traces up and down the length of my back by Luca's fingers.They ran up to the base of my neck and down the curvature of my spine to the last vertebrae, stopping just above my panties."Good morning," he said, his deep voice still hoarse with sleep.I hummed.After laying there for a few moments, I finally placed my hands next to his body and pushed myself up."Don't move," he told me, putting both hands on my hips. I gave him a hard stare as I felt his boner pressing against my thigh."It's morning," he said defensively, despite the slight smile on his lips.Pushing myself off of him, I rolled over to get out of the bed."You're one sexy ass woman," Luca told me, watching as I walked to the bedroom door.Blushing, I opened the bedroom door quickly to go upstairs and change into cloth