“So, what happened?” Darius patted her hand.
Cici sighed and sipped her coffee. “Apparently Ryker did mark me.”
Sara’s eyes went wide. “I knew it. But shit.”
“Yeah.” She snorted. “You can say that again.”
Darius frowned. “What does this mean?”
“It means,” Sara cut a pastry in half. “That she’s engaged to the Alpha in the shifter world. Well, the Alpha of the Snow Mountain Pack. We’re a pretty large pack in case you didn’t know.”
“Way to cheat on our fake engagement.” Darius joked.
Laughter bubbled in her throat. This was why she needed her friends. They could always find a way to make her smile, even when she wanted to scream in frustration over her present situation.
“She never does things half-assed.” Sara grinned.
“So what are you going to do?” Darius’ dark gaze studied hers. “You know you love him. If it hadn’t been for those girls and their jealous mamas telling you that he’d have to mate with a shifter, you’d probably have married him and had a dozen or more fur balls by now.”
Babies. Lord that’s the last thing she needed to think about when her biological clock had started to tick months back.
“He’s right, Ciara. When you asked your mom to send you away to school so you wouldn’t have to be here, I knew why you were doing it. I chose to go with you so you wouldn’t be alone.” She twirled the spoon in her coffee in circles. “We both know that even with all those miles and years between you, you still love the man. Heck, you dated a bunch of losers and even some nice guys trying to forget him, but that didn’t work.” She pinned her with her gaze, a sad smile on her face. “Remember?”
Of course she remembered. Not thinking of Ryker every day had almost killed her. But she fought to not visualize his eyes or his sexy mouth. To not relive their one and only date and every conversation they’d had. It was hard enough when she lived hundreds of miles away, but being this close was playing havoc with her heart. Him saying he wanted her, him marking her, those things gave a girl hope.
“He came by when you were in the shower. Said he’d give you some time to think, but that he’d be back later.” Sara said.
Her mind turned into a mess. She returned to her cabin to continue the second half of her baking. If the shaking in her hands wasn’t an indicator of how stressed out she was, the fact she almost forgot how to bake one of her signature cakes was another. Thankfully, she’d remembered and shoved the cake in the oven, walking out of the kitchen to take a shower. She’d sat down to wait the last few minutes left on the second cake before it was due to come out of the oven when Michelle came by.
“Hi, I thought you might want to go for a walk.” She smiled.
She liked Michelle for Chris. She was a sweetie and from what she knew had a bad relationship before him. She was happy they’d found each other. Though she didn’t take to the change after they mated, Chris didn’t care. Hell nobody cared. They were just happy her brother and his fiancée were happy.
“You going down by the creek?” There was no way in hell Ciara was going back that way.
“No, I thought maybe the flower pads.”
Oh, she loved those. “You go and I’ll meet you that way in a few. Cake number two is about to come out. Once I set it to cool I’ll head in your direction.”
“Okay, I may go a little by the hills, but no farther.”
After Michelle left, she thought about Ryker. Maybe this was life trying to tell her she could finally have the man she wanted. He kept saying she was his. She’d have to figure out if he meant as his mate or just for sex.
Once the cake was out and cooling, Cici headed for the flower pads. She bypassed them when she didn’t see Michelle. Then she heard a bloodcurdling scream that made her hair stand on end. Instinct took over. She ran toward the sound.
Trees opened up into a grassy hill where Michelle fought a man dragging her by the arm.
“Let me go you asshole!” Michelle kicked him in the shin, but he was big.
“I don’t give a shit about restraining orders. You belong to me.” He slapped her then.
Dark anger turned her vision red.
“I’m getting married. I was never yours. We dated for a few months, Todd. Let me go!” Michelle screamed.
Cici heard the panic in her voice.
“No!” He punched Michelle this time. She fell down unconscious.
“Hey!” Cici yelled running as fast as she could. “Let her go!”
“Mind your own business, bitch. She’s mine and I’m taking her home.” He slapped the unconscious Michelle. “Stupid bitch thinks she can run. I’ll always find her.”