“No, you barely knew I was alive.”
“That’s not true. I have been very aware of you for some time now.”
“Yeah?”
“Look at you.” He patted my ass for emphasis. “How could I not notice you? But looks and blasted curse aside,” he said, and I smiled at the sarcasm in his voice, “your fighting skills are well known in the packs. You haven’t lost a fight since you were prepubescent.”
“That’s not true. I lost some in my late teens, but that’s because I was cocky. Isaac taught me to fight early on.”
“He may have shown you some things, but even he couldn’t take you if he tried.”
I grunted not wanting to agree with him. I didn’t think it was a good idea to confirm I was stronger than Isaac to the man he hated most in the world. Men’s delicate egos and all.
“What about you?” I asked toying with his chest hair again.
“What about me?”
“Think I can take you?” I was only half joking because even laying here naked, I still really knew nothing about him. So, I was curious if I could kick his ass.
“Possibly. Let’s hope we never have to find out.”
“Mm-hmm… Okay, I showed you mine, now you show me yours,” I said leaning forward to examine his pack mark. I’d seen it but never really looked at it. Now that I was finally studying it, it surprised me I hadn’t noticed it before. I stared at the owl with varying shades of brown and gold feathers, golden brown eyes, and the amber moon behind it. “This isn’t your pack’s mark.”
“No. It’s my mark.”
I traced the moon with my finger. We had both chosen an amber moon. The Autumn pack tattoo was a bundle of wheat with a serpent wrapped around it representing the autumn goddess Demeter. I’d never heard or seen anyone stray from the standard pack mark except me—and no one cared about me straying from tradition because I was dead to them anyway.
“Why?”
He sat back, pulling me against him again. “I could ask you that as well.”
“Because it’s what I wanted.”
“Same. Why the amber moon?”
“I don’t know. It just came to me, and I went with it. Why’d you pick it?”
“Same,” he said.
“Uh-huh, sure.” I yawned. I could barely keep my eyes open.
“Do you still want me to stay with you?”
“Yes.”
He shifted us further into the bed, pulled the covers over us, and kissed me.
“Goodnight, Red.”
We shared breakfast on the back patio before he headed out to do whatever it was he did during the day. I took my laptop to the gazebo to work on my next book while I waited for Patricia to reply with her last notes on book five.
In book six, Chastity was helping a human detective with multiple missing teenagers in the Miami area. She was trying her hardest not to break her rule about screwing humans, but he was too sexy not to.
After hitting my word count goal for the day, it was time for a break. When he’d seen the state of my house, Philip had sent some of the female staff out to buy me clothes. I’d thanked him then ripped him a new one for making his staff run my errands, but I found that they’d chosen a lot of great pieces. I sneered realizing Philip knew a little too much about me if he nailed not only my size but also my style to a T.
I went back to my temporary room and changed into running clothes and headed back out to run through Liam’s woods. The trees were like a portal, the second I stepped into their shade all stress and worry faded away. I walked for a few minutes, enjoying the smells and sounds around me before breaking into a full run. About four miles in, I heard a branch snap behind me.
I didn’t react, pretended I didn’t hear it and kept moving forward. The footsteps got closer as I neared a small clearing in the trees. I sensed him before he could grab me, and I spun into a high kick, knocking my would-be attacker in the face.