20. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Momentary dizziness washed through her, and a touch of nausea followed in its wake. But as soon as her vision cleared, the churning of her stomach dissolved. Blinking, Ava inhaled deeply, allowing Remmus' fresh spearmint scent to fill her lungs.

Though the walls were mostly empty, the leather recliners and plush blankets looked inviting. Scores of reading material littered bookshelves, and a massive television floated above a well-used hearth. Around a corner, a modern kitchen looked well stocked, and she could just see the edges of a deck and pool beyond sliding glass doors.

When she glanced over at him, there was hesitation in his gaze. Immediately, she softened and linked her fingers with his.

"Hey. I love it."

Relief washed over him, the tension ebbing from his shoulders. "I'll admit: it's a bit of a bachelor pad. I only buy the essentials: food, movies, and blankets."

"A bit of a bachelor pad might be an understatement." Ava chuckled, running a hand over the plush fleece that was draped across the back of a recliner. "Oh, I do like this one. I'm going to keep it."

Not to wrap around herself, Ava thought, but maybe to lay upon.

"Presumptuous of you to think you can claim a blanket without claiming the man." Danger twinkled in his eyes, that smug, smoldering grin highlighting the wicked handsomeness of his face.

"Whoever said I wasn't claiming you?"

Ava chose to ignore the sudden tendril of distress that rebounded through their mating bond following her words. Walking over to a bookcase, she plucked a leatherbound book off the shelves without reading the title. "Didn't take you for a reader."

"I wouldn't classify The Tattooed Dude's Compendium as a scholarly read."

Ava's attention snapped to the book in her hands. "Seriously? What kind of person has a tattoo book sitting on their shelf? And gets it leatherbound?"

"A nerd, probably."

Something shifted in her as movement caught her attention. His home was situated close to a street or walking pathway, and she could just make out several moving figures beyond the front windows.

A hint of anxiety collected in her gut as she focused on the faces. Though she had no way of knowing who had been clanless at one point, she'd never forget how Ciru's parents had looked when they'd murdered her own.

She couldn't pass up the opportunity to study the Raeths outside. There were enough in view to have her eyes jumping from one pair to another. While she got distracted, Remmus had roamed closer and softly tugged the book from her grip.

"I promise no one will hurt you here, Ava."

The apology in his voice made her wilt. Spinning, her heartrate accelerated at his proximity. "I know. I've just never been to any clan lands before. All my life, I've been afraid of Raeths. To be here, surrounded by your breed—" she shook her head, "—it's a little overwhelming."

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth. Being here meant he'd trusted her enough to bring her to his home, but she wasn't comfortable opening the door to her past and allowing him in. Not yet. The familiar panic that she'd initially felt with Raeths hadn't fully risen, but still remained the background of her mind. Being here on clan lands and without becoming catatonic was another positive step on the journey to desensitize herself. Vengeance would come later.

Maybe after the mate bond finalized.

The last thought took her by surprise. For the first time in her adult life, something had managed to supersede her need to avenge the memory of her parents. Something that was entirely her own, and didn't belong to the past.

"Thank you for being brave enough to come home with me, Ava," he whispered, pressing his lips into the hollow between her neck and her shoulder. "It means a lot to me."

Her wolf whimpered within her at the way his authenticity filtered through their mating bond.

Every inch of her body was attuned to his, the faint flaring of his nostrils as he breathed her in. He murmured nonsensical words in her ear, and she dissolved into putty as his hands roamed her body, leaving a scorched trail of heat in their wake.

When she finally gave in to the howling cry of her wolf, she captured his mouth. Everything felt right and whole as she dissolved into his embrace, forgetting entirely about her need to catalogue the Raeths outside.

It wasn't more than a minute into their flirty rendezvous when Remmus stiffened against her. He pulled away, and his sudden intake of breath betrayed the building sense of awkwardness that came stuttering through their bond.

And then the reason became apparent.

The door opened without a knock. A feminine voice called out, "Hey handsome! You ran outta there like your boots were on fire. Listen, can we talk about what happened during the Heat? I don't want—oh."

Twin cotton candy-colored buns were coiled on the head of a female Raeth, her stunning blue eyes wide in surprise. Her lips were painted a vibrant violet, and her hand went to a corset-fitting top as if to clutch at a string of imaginary pearls. For a moment, they all just stared at each other.

Until what the intruder had said clarified in Ava's mind.

This was the woman Remmus had been with during the two-week period of the Heat. The one he'd slept with.

Deep within, Ava's wolf reared her head. Slowly, with her teeth bared, the animal rose to her feet, each movement deliberate and threatening. She braced for attack, hackles raised and head lowered. Ava's beast would never back down while the other woman represented a threat to her matehood.

The human half of her fought for supremacy, begging the beast for control and civility.

Remmus cleared his throat, trying for casual. "Celeste, this is Ava; Ava, Celeste."

"Hi Ava." The other woman dipped her chin and gave Ava a wink. "Nice to meet you, but I've gotta chat with Remmus for a bit. You mind if I steal my man here?"

Like hell.

"Absolutely not," Ava growled.

Her wolf leapt closer to the surface. Claws pricked at the ends of her fingers, her skin threatening to split apart as the pressure built. Undoubtedly, Ava's eyes had iced blue as the animal weighed her options.

Not good.

"No?" With a mocking laugh that was just this side of snide, Celeste's hands fisted on her hips. "Wolf, I need to talk with Remmus."

"Celeste, now isn't a good time."

Remmus took a step between them, attempting to halt any further hostility. While the action was meant to dissuade violence, it took Ava's mate one step closer to her.

All Ava could think about was grabbing a fistful of that puffy pink hair and shoving the other woman facedown in the mud while her wolf sharpened her teeth on—

"Ava?"

Remmus' voice stole the violent fantasy from her mind. He stared down at her, hesitation lining his face, as he tried to grab her attention once more. With a start, she realized why. Her emotions had translated through their mating bond.

Almost bashful, Ava's gaze shifted downward to where Celeste's hand rested on Remmus' forearm, her hot pink nails pressing into his tattoo in a gesture of ownership that Ava couldn't allow.

Celeste was touching her mate.

Fury roared through her with the force of a tidal wave, slamming through any tentative barrier she'd erected where Celeste was concerned. Immediately, Ava lost the battle with her wolf, the animal breaking through her skin and shifting to four legs with ease.

In less than two seconds, her razor-sharp teeth were aimed at Celeste's throat.