“Kettah.”
He rolled the name around in his head. He liked it, a whole fucking lot. “So then if Viktor didn’t hurt you why are you running?” Of course there were a plethora of reasons why she could have left: drugs, prostitution, trafficking.
“How do you know my father exactly?”
A low growl left him, and not because his mate asked him how he knew that bastard, but because just knowing that motherfucker was related to her, and had forced her to fear him and run, caused all kinds of violent things to churn inside of Maverick.
“We’ll get to that later.” No, they wouldn’t, because he had no intentions of telling her who and what he was, not if he could help it. It was safer that way, safer for her, and he could die happy if she never fucking found out that he had killed countless motherfuckers. “Tell me everything, Kettah. That is the only way I can keep you safe.” The hesitation was strong inside of her, but she was smart to wonder if this was safe, even if he told her otherwise. Her fear was holding her back. He needed to ease her worry. “Listen, if I worked for your father and wanted to kill you, I would have taken care of it before you even scented me.” Shit, he really hadn’t meant to say that, because that would have all sorts of things wandering through her head. “And if I had intentions of taking you back there, would I have taken you into his room to talk to me?” The hesitation slowly waned, and she shook her head.
“No, I guess not.”
“Now, all I’ll tell you about myself is that my name is Maverick Storm, and that your father and I have a past, one I will never share with you because that would cause more harm than good. But you have nothing to fear from me, and if you want my help then you need to trust me.” Maverick knew he was asking her a hell of a lot, especially since she didn’t know shit about him, and her inner cat was on high alert. “Okay?”
She nodded slowly and looked down at her hands that were entwined tightly together in her lap.
“I can’t go back there, and will die first before that happens.” Strength laced her words. Pride filled him that his mate was so strong and determined, but she knew how her father was, how men in that organization worked, and she should also know she could not do this alone. Maybe he would have helped her if they weren’t mates, or maybe he wouldn’t have. But none of that mattered since she was his. Could he let her go when this was all said and done and he knew for a fucking fact she was safe? That was the question of the century.
Chapter Four
Her mate.
It was insane, strange, and did not help her plans in trying to disappear. Kettah stared at the lion shifter in front of her. Even though no lights were on, she could see how large he was, easily over six and a half feet tall. And he was muscular, in fact the most muscular male she had seen. And that was saying something since her father had large and powerful men working for him. His hair was short and as dark as midnight, blending in with the shadows like spilled ink. And his eyes, God, his eyes were just as deep, black and bottomless. His clothes were dark, as if he were trying to blend into the night. But that didn’t come as a shock to her. He seemed lethal in every conceivable way, deadly without even lifting a finger, and this was the lion shifter she had been destined to mate with.
She had never seen him, knew nothing about him aside from the fact he loathed her father, and still wasn’t sure if she should reveal anything. The scent of his hatred for Viktor was intense and suffocating, and so she knew at least he wasn’t lying about that. In reality Kettah hoped she could escape for good, but logically she knew that wasn’t a possibility, at least on her own. She only had a few hundred dollars in her purse, and hadn’t dared take more for fear of causing suspicion. Her ultimate plan: take a bus as far as she could go, and wherever she ended or when her money ran out, well then that was that. Not really the smartest or most thought at plan, but she had just done it and stopped thinking of it. So, taking a deep breath, Kettah told him why she had run and hoped that this male, her mate, could help her.
“I am supposed to marry Marlon Ungaro.” She saw the way he tensed, and didn’t know if it was because he knew the name, or because his mate was to marry another male. The fact was that they didn’t know jack about each other, but they were bound by this chemical and physical reaction, like a wire pulling them closer together until they were one. This was how mates worked, and that was why it was impossible to leave one when they were found. But Kettah didn’t need nor want a mate, and had no intentions of staying with this lion after she was finally free of her father’s hold. He was too wild, untamed, and far too potent for her. He was also dangerous, and that scent of feral violence that she sensed inside of him had her cat backing away in apprehension, but also purring in appreciation. He was all male, and she knew he could protect her if need be, but she didn’t want that. All Kettah wanted was to be a nobody, live a boring life, and never have to think of all the things she had been forced to see living with the shifter mafia.