I smiled down at her. “I know.” And because it was too heavy for her to lift with one hand, I helped her lift it to her mouth and she licked me, all shy and pretty and submissive. She moaned and cooed, thanking me for letting her suck me off.
Bliss.
With each suck and a stroke of her hand, my mating instinct came closer to the surface, and I allowed it some freedom, hoping it would show me her face so that I could recognize her when I saw her. Vice had told me I would recognize her on sight and know. Today, my mating instinct would keep my head on my shoulders. I needed to question my mouse. I might need to hurt her, and I didn’t think I could. If I gave her to Lore, it would register as a weakness.
Her pussy was gonna be the end of me.
I exhaled as the pressure of suppressing my mating instinct left my chest. I inhaled again, let the mating complete me, then headed upstairs to check the carpets. And the bathroom tile. I hadn’t had time to see the new showers I’d ordered installed.
In the bedroom, I closed the door behind me and strode to the bathroom. Wait a second. I bared my teeth and snapped my head to the bed. There was a bump under the covers. Someone slept in my mating bed! Again. Fucker. I took a step, and my foot kicked something. I picked up a wristlet, recognized it as one of the things I’d bought for my mate. I dug inside and pulled out…I blinked, in disbelief. My mate’s collar!
This bundle under my bedsheets could only be my mouse. She had stolen my mate’s bike and now her collar. I lifted the edge of the cover and peeked underneath, ready to shake her. My breath stalled, and I stumbled back, trying to find my footing, but it didn’t work. The force of recognition made my knees weak. I propped a hand on the wall lest I collapsed.
I would not die a great hunter.
Not even of boredom.
I would die of shame for being the only beast who’d failed to recognize his mate.
My mate continued sleeping, completely oblivious to what had just happened here. I looked around, seeking witnesses. This was supposed be the happiest day of my life. I thought I’d prepared for this moment, had this mating thing down to an art, obsessed over it for as long as I could remember.
One purpose. Find a mate, and master her. So simple. I was an idiot!
At the auction, my suppressed mating instinct forced my hand anyway. My mouse was mine from the moment I saw her. I wanted her at first glance, and I took her without realizing what had happened between us. After all these years, I couldn’t believe she’d find me, and I let that cloud my judgment.
But she was mine. And here in my home.
I rounded the bed and lay down behind her, put my nose into her hair. A deep breath, and I let the scent of her complete me. My dick jumped, hard and ready to fill her with my seed. Oh, she was mine all right. “How did you find me, hmm?”
Chapter Fifteen
Reagan
Whispers of touch trailed down my back. I dreamed of Mayhem and his hands and his handsome face and his plush lips sucking on my clit. Mad I’d dreamt about him, I turned and bumped into something solid and warm. I pushed at it. Unlike the feather pillows, it didn’t move. Thinking nothing of it, I turned back to lie on my right side.
I had ridden the bike in a haze of tears, not caring where it took me. Mike was dead. I didn’t know how to get back to Mayhem’s court. The strange pink bike took me to a place it was programed to believe was its home, a three-story house in a neighborhood that must’ve come from a fairy tale. A few miles out of New City, the small community of only about ten homes nested on a green hill. The homes looked the same, and each one had a big pool in the back as well as a trail leading to the river. I was in awe the entire time the bike descended. As if on autopilot, it opened, then closed the garage doors behind us.
When I walked into the home and found it empty, I showered and dressed in a nighty, then went straight into this bed. By then, I’d cried myself dry and grown angry about Mike’s death. I promised I’d avenge him. I swore on the Bible in Mayhem’s drawer that said I shouldn’t kill, but I would kill Mayhem and Maurice and anyone else having to do with Mike’s death.
Feeling better, I fluffed up the feather pillow. My God, I had never slept in a bed like this before, not even after I’d lost my virginity while rolling in hay. The roll was mediocre, as was the hard bed afterward.
The bed dipped.
Something soft touched my shoulder. Evergreen scent enveloped the room.
I frowned, then snapped my eyes open. I screamed, rolled, and fell off the bed. I scooted back until my back hit the wall.
Mayhem propped his head on his hand. “Good morning, mouse.”
“Is it really morning?”
“No.”