Chapter 44

Zander

"You don't have long before the sun goes down," William said.

As if I didn't know that. As if I didn't know that my body would change in less than an hour, and I couldn't let Piper's family see me.

If they were weary now, they would call the SWAT team if they saw the beast. "We'll deadbolt the door. It will be fine," I said, trying to calm my nerves. They'd been all over the place since my interaction with Henry.

I'd wanted to knock his head through the wall, and leave him there. The audacity he had to try and touch Piper slithered under my skin. The fact he felt he had a right to her after what happened pissed me off.

And William's pacing wasn't making anything better. His gaze traveled toward me and then to the closed door. "Her parents are uneasy."

I chuckled. "Wouldn't you be? If your daughter had been missing, shows up in a castle in the middle of the bayou with strangers and refuses to leave?"

William stopped. "They are going to try and take her tonight, you know that? As soon as they think it's safe to run. And you won't be able to stop them."

"You will," I said, sliding out of my shoes. "I have faith that you can keep them here."

William closed his eyes, stress lined his forehead. "What's keeping her from loving you, Zander?" he asked.

The question struck me as odd. "How would I know? I've done all I can do—,"

William's gaze moved toward our mother's necklace sitting on my nightstand. "You gave her mother's necklace?"

"Yeah," I said, my voice tight. "I always planned to give it to my mate. I told her I loved her, William, as you know that I already do. There is nothing more I can do, other than protect her and continue to love her. It's all in her hands now." I turned my body to face his. "And you bullying her isn't helping. Do not ever do that to her again. I understand that you're scared, but you don't bully my mate."

William nodded, his gaze lowered to the floor out of submission. "I won't."

"Bring Piper to me, please."

William left the room in a hurry, and several minutes later he came back with Piper. Her cheeks were flushed, and excitement coursed through her. The fact she stood up to her family had her body racing with adrenaline.

William shut the door behind him.

"You're excited?" I asked.

She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'm glad they aren't worried about me anymore. I'm really glad that I've told them I'm staying. It felt good to say all of that to them. All of that to Henry."

The twinkle in her eye made me smile. "I have less than an hour before the sun sets. I think you should sleep with Amanda in your room. I wouldn't put it past your parents to try to get you to leave during the night."

"Maybe," she said as if she hadn't thought about it. "But I'm not going."

I walked over and palmed her face. "There are more of them than you. They may try to forcefully remove you, Piper. They can't understand this. How would they? It took you a long time to trust me. Why would they after just meeting me?"

She nibbled her bottom lip. "I guess you're right. Maybe I should sleep in here."

"I don't want them to think I'm keeping you here, Little One. You sleep with Amanda. William will be on the lookout throughout the night."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?"

"For inviting them to stay. For staying calm and not killing Henry when he charged you. Not that I wasn't upset that you didn't beat his ass, because I think he deserves it, but my parents would have freaked if you put him in the hospital."

"I wanted to," I mumbled under my breath, rubbing my thumb against her bottom lip. "I wanted to throat punch him. The audacity of him charging me. An alpha," I teased.

"He has no idea that you could pummel him to dust," she whispered. "I wish he would test you, to be honest. He needs a good knock to the head. Maybe you should give him a room far away from mine. The basement might work, too."

I chuckled. "Don't worry. William put him on the first floor, a room passed the library. He'll be wandering the dark to get to you."

She scoffed. "Don't worry. He'd never put forth that much effort."

I chuckled and swiped my knuckles down her cheek. "It's getting late," I whispered.

Piper nodded and lifted on her toes to kiss me. The tenderness of her mouth warmed my soul—what was left of it—and I found myself diving deeper into her mouth.

She clung to my deltoids, stepping back against the wall, I trapped her there. Every nerve, every emotion poured out into our kiss. Her moans drove me deeper into a lust-filled haze that would make me forget the beast even existed.

I broke away from her mouth, biting and sucking a path down her neck and shoulders. "It's getting dark, Little One," I whispered against her skin, praying for more time. Time always seemed to be against me.

She sank her fingernails into my shoulders again. "One more minute."

Maybe it was the young boy in me, but it turned me on knowing her parents weren't far away. That her ex-boyfriend was somewhere alone in my house while I tasted, and tormented her.

"We have ten," I whispered.

"Let's make the most out of ten," she said, pulling my t-shirt over my head. The dangerous look in her eye deserved an entire night in my bed. Not ten minutes.

Once the curse was broken I planned to spend an entire night between her legs. Behind them. With them on my shoulders. It was one of the many perks of being a wolf. Knowing the one person that was meant for you, the one person that would drive you wild ... forever. Till death do us part.

Until then, I'd take what I could get.

Piper squealed when I picked her up and carried her toward the plush rug in the middle of my floor. I'd dreamed of having her porcelain skin laid out on the pitch-black fur for me.

She began to take her clothes off quickly, realizing how low the sun was in the sky. In a tangle of limbs and legs, we were naked in seconds. The excitement and adrenaline in her eyes set me on fire.

I loved how excited she was. The way her mark screamed up at me. The way her eyes held so much expression.

Grabbing her hips, I twisted her around, positioning her hips in the air for me. She gasped, and in one solid motion, I slid into her. The animalistic side of me skimmed the surface, the beast stirring awake, and driving me into a frenzy.

Piper's fingers gripped the rug, and she met my thrusts with needy moans. Twisting my finger into her hair, I tugged her backward, feeding her everything I knew she wanted.

I sank deeper to the hilt, bringing us both closer and closer to orgasm. She struggled to stay quiet, so I brought my hand to her mouth and covered it, muffling her moans.

Someone knocked loudly on my door, and I sensed the weasel on the other side. Neither of us stopped. I didn't give a damn if he heard. This was the woman I'd spend the rest of my life with—God willing, and I couldn't care any less about him standing several feet away.

Piper curled her fingers into the rug, and an orgasm shattered through her body. Her shaking and the jerks in her stomach sent me over the edge. Henry knocked again, this time I heard William speaking to him.

"I need to see Piper."

"I believe she's busy," William said. I could hear the smugness in his voice. Piper fell to the rug, her perfectly rounded ass on display for me. I slapped it, loud enough they could hear.

She turned back and looked at me with a heavy-lidded gaze. "I've never had sex with my parents in the house."

"Well, there's a first time for everything. Let's get cleaned off. I have about three minutes. Give or take."

Piper and I washed off quickly, and she chained me to the wall. I felt the beast moving, searching for his opening. She cradled my jaw. "I've never felt this way," she whispered.

I turned my face and nipped her hand. "Me either. Be sure to lock your door tonight. If I hear Henry roaming the halls, I can't promise the beast won't grow super strength and break these chains."

"I wouldn't want to miss that show," she smiled. "I'll be here in the morning. I promise. No matter what my parents say. You don't have to worry about Amanda. She's dead set on me spending the rest of my life here, and inviting her."

I chuckled. "I saw her eyeing William."

"I don't doubt it," she said. The beast thudded around, clawing and twisting for escape. "Goodnight," she whispered.

"Goodnight, Little One."

Piper walked out of the room. Henry's voice traveled inside, and then subsided when she closed the door behind her. He seemed irate, and a smile tugged at my mouth before the beast broke free.

I had no doubt they would try to convince her to leave tonight. But I knew deep down that Piper Sloane would stay. Piper Sloane didn"t love me yet, but she was rooted here, because I was her future, and she was mine.