Force of Temptation
Page 66
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Licking her lips, Kim glanced around. “Where’s Jesse?”
“You’re not supposed to be here.” Her cat took a swipe at the she-wolf.
“My mom and I are leaving in half an hour.”
Good fucking riddance.
“I came to say good-bye to Jesse.”
“Well, he’s not here.” Harley cocked her head. “But you already knew that. You didn’t really come here to see him. You have something you need to say to me? Let me guess . . . you’re here to tell me how happy you are that I claimed Jesse. I appreciate the sentiment.”
Reeking of envy, Kim glared at Harley. Her expression was so sour it was a wonder she had a grip on her temper. “It doesn’t matter that you claimed him. He’s still not yours.”
“He’s not?” Harley sensed the weird bitch genuinely believed that.
“There’s no mating bond. Imprinting has started, but your scents haven’t mixed.”
“Should I thank you for bringing what I already knew to my attention?”
“If you know that, then you know he won’t fully imprint on you. He can’t,” Kim added with a smugness that made Harley’s cat spit.
“You do realize that if envy was a fatal disease, you’d be on life support right now, don’t you? In your position, that would disturb me.”
“I’m only speaking the truth: you’re not officially mates until you have a mating bond.” And this clearly comforted Kim while she was dealing with the unique situation of not getting what she wanted and having to leave without Jesse.
“Want to know why you and Jesse would never have worked? You want to change him. You think he’s broken and needs fixing. We’re all a little broken. There’s helping someone, and there’s trying to shape them into someone else. The latter just breeds resentment.”
“You need him to change if you have any chance of developing a mating bond. He’s completely closed off.”
“Yeah, to you. And to most of the population.”
Kim arched a brow. “If he’s so open to you, where’s the mating bond?”
“The potential of it is close. I feel it. Like electricity in the air.” It was almost as if it was waiting for something. Harley simply wasn’t sure what. “Very close.”
“But that’s probably all it will ever be: close. That will never be enough for your animals. His wolf and your cat will withdraw from the relationship. His scent will leave your skin; your scent will leave his. At least you get to keep the mark. Although I’m not sure I’d want to forever wear the mark of a guy who left me.”
“I’d ask how long you’ve had it in your head that Jesse could be yours, but I can’t find it in me to care. If you really do feel the need to continue this pointless conversation, just call me later at 1-800-kiss-my-fat-ass.” Harley turned her back on Kim, dismissing her. The she-wolf simply wasn’t worth—
A hand knotted in her hair and dragged her back. Little bitch.
Jesse pulled his cell out of his pocket and saw “Zander” flashing on the screen. He tensed, remembering that the enforcer was guarding the road leading to the main lodge. “Tell me Hector isn’t back again.”
“It’s not Hector, but I don’t think you’re going to be any happier about who it is,” warned Zander. “Harley’s mother and uncle have showed up. They want to see her.”
Jesse swore. “Have you told Harley yet?”
“I tried to call her, but she’s not answering her cell.”
“I’ll go home and ask her if she wants to see them. In the meantime, don’t let them in the main lodge.” He didn’t trust them not to steal anything, and he didn’t want any drama Lily caused to touch the pups.
“I haven’t even let them pass the border. I’m keeping them where they are.” Zander hung up.
Jesse jogged to his lodge, not looking forward to ruining his mate’s morning by giving her this news. He’d been extremely tempted to tell Zander to turn the useless fuckers away, but Harley would hate him making any decisions for her, so he—
Kim’s scent.
For fuck’s sake, was the female suicidal or something? He followed the scent to the rear of the lodge . . . and came to an abrupt halt. A growl rattled his chest as rage surged through him in a hot rush. His mate’s hair was a mess, her lip was split, and blood was seeping through the claw marks on her chest onto the torn T-shirt she wore. Kim . . . well, she was unconscious and both gagged and bound by what looked like strips of her own sweater. She also had claws marks on her face and neck like she’d been attacked by a feral alley cat.
Jesse clenched his fists against the urge to rant and rave at what had been done to his mate; he sensed that her cat was very close to the surface and not at all happy. If he released his own anger, it would feed hers. He took slow steps toward his mate. “Baby,” he began softly, “why is she trussed up like a Christmas turkey? Not that I’m complaining.”
“She came at me from behind,” Harley replied simply.
“Ah.” He knew his mate well enough to understand that she therefore wouldn’t have viewed Kim as worthy of a true duel. Harley could really have hurt her if she’d wanted to, but she’d settled for humiliating and mauling Kim instead. That humiliation would run deep for a female as dominant as Kim.
“You should probably call someone to come and fetch her.”
“You’re not supposed to be here.” Her cat took a swipe at the she-wolf.
“My mom and I are leaving in half an hour.”
Good fucking riddance.
“I came to say good-bye to Jesse.”
“Well, he’s not here.” Harley cocked her head. “But you already knew that. You didn’t really come here to see him. You have something you need to say to me? Let me guess . . . you’re here to tell me how happy you are that I claimed Jesse. I appreciate the sentiment.”
Reeking of envy, Kim glared at Harley. Her expression was so sour it was a wonder she had a grip on her temper. “It doesn’t matter that you claimed him. He’s still not yours.”
“He’s not?” Harley sensed the weird bitch genuinely believed that.
“There’s no mating bond. Imprinting has started, but your scents haven’t mixed.”
“Should I thank you for bringing what I already knew to my attention?”
“If you know that, then you know he won’t fully imprint on you. He can’t,” Kim added with a smugness that made Harley’s cat spit.
“You do realize that if envy was a fatal disease, you’d be on life support right now, don’t you? In your position, that would disturb me.”
“I’m only speaking the truth: you’re not officially mates until you have a mating bond.” And this clearly comforted Kim while she was dealing with the unique situation of not getting what she wanted and having to leave without Jesse.
“Want to know why you and Jesse would never have worked? You want to change him. You think he’s broken and needs fixing. We’re all a little broken. There’s helping someone, and there’s trying to shape them into someone else. The latter just breeds resentment.”
“You need him to change if you have any chance of developing a mating bond. He’s completely closed off.”
“Yeah, to you. And to most of the population.”
Kim arched a brow. “If he’s so open to you, where’s the mating bond?”
“The potential of it is close. I feel it. Like electricity in the air.” It was almost as if it was waiting for something. Harley simply wasn’t sure what. “Very close.”
“But that’s probably all it will ever be: close. That will never be enough for your animals. His wolf and your cat will withdraw from the relationship. His scent will leave your skin; your scent will leave his. At least you get to keep the mark. Although I’m not sure I’d want to forever wear the mark of a guy who left me.”
“I’d ask how long you’ve had it in your head that Jesse could be yours, but I can’t find it in me to care. If you really do feel the need to continue this pointless conversation, just call me later at 1-800-kiss-my-fat-ass.” Harley turned her back on Kim, dismissing her. The she-wolf simply wasn’t worth—
A hand knotted in her hair and dragged her back. Little bitch.
Jesse pulled his cell out of his pocket and saw “Zander” flashing on the screen. He tensed, remembering that the enforcer was guarding the road leading to the main lodge. “Tell me Hector isn’t back again.”
“It’s not Hector, but I don’t think you’re going to be any happier about who it is,” warned Zander. “Harley’s mother and uncle have showed up. They want to see her.”
Jesse swore. “Have you told Harley yet?”
“I tried to call her, but she’s not answering her cell.”
“I’ll go home and ask her if she wants to see them. In the meantime, don’t let them in the main lodge.” He didn’t trust them not to steal anything, and he didn’t want any drama Lily caused to touch the pups.
“I haven’t even let them pass the border. I’m keeping them where they are.” Zander hung up.
Jesse jogged to his lodge, not looking forward to ruining his mate’s morning by giving her this news. He’d been extremely tempted to tell Zander to turn the useless fuckers away, but Harley would hate him making any decisions for her, so he—
Kim’s scent.
For fuck’s sake, was the female suicidal or something? He followed the scent to the rear of the lodge . . . and came to an abrupt halt. A growl rattled his chest as rage surged through him in a hot rush. His mate’s hair was a mess, her lip was split, and blood was seeping through the claw marks on her chest onto the torn T-shirt she wore. Kim . . . well, she was unconscious and both gagged and bound by what looked like strips of her own sweater. She also had claws marks on her face and neck like she’d been attacked by a feral alley cat.
Jesse clenched his fists against the urge to rant and rave at what had been done to his mate; he sensed that her cat was very close to the surface and not at all happy. If he released his own anger, it would feed hers. He took slow steps toward his mate. “Baby,” he began softly, “why is she trussed up like a Christmas turkey? Not that I’m complaining.”
“She came at me from behind,” Harley replied simply.
“Ah.” He knew his mate well enough to understand that she therefore wouldn’t have viewed Kim as worthy of a true duel. Harley could really have hurt her if she’d wanted to, but she’d settled for humiliating and mauling Kim instead. That humiliation would run deep for a female as dominant as Kim.
“You should probably call someone to come and fetch her.”
