Mate Bond(25)

"You think I can stand knowing any second you could walk away from me,  and I wouldn't be able to stop you?" His fingers bit down. "That if you  feel the mate bond with another male, you'll go-and you won't care? Do  you know what that does to me?"                       
       
           



       

Bowman released her to put both his hands to his chest, digging into his  sweatshirt. "It tears me up inside, right here. It messes with me until  I can't sleep, or think, or feel anything but wanting to grab you and  keep you with me no matter what. I'm fucked up because of you, and every  time you smile at another male, it fucks me up even more. So have a  little pity, all right, Kenz? You're killing me-a little bit every day."

Bowman twisted his shirt while Kenzie stared, openmouthed, at him, Then  he made a sound of disgust at himself, swung on his heel, and left her.


* * *

Bowman stayed out until very late that night, on into the small hours of  the morning. Kenzie heard him return, entering the house quietly.

He did this sometimes when he couldn't keep his anger down around  Kenzie. He'd never disappear for good, she knew, because he wouldn't  leave her or Ryan unprotected. He and Kenzie had to present a united  front, no matter what they felt in private, so the other Shifters would  remain stable and calm.

The Shifters picked up on any dissonance between the two, instincts  making them edgy. After a while those instincts would cancel out any  good that Kenzie and Bowman's mating of convenience had wrought.  Shifters could split themselves again between supporting Bowman's pack  or Cristian's, or splinter into individual clans, each species shutting  the others out.

As much as the world tried to humanize Shifters, as much as Shifters  presented themselves as human in order to reassure the world, they were  still animals. As animals, they had a heightened instinct to survive and  to protect their immediate families, at any cost.

Kenzie sat in the dark in bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, as she  heard Bowman go into Ryan's room. She knew he'd cross to the bed and  look down at Ryan asleep for a moment, then smooth his hair or press a  kiss to his forehead before leaving the room and softly closing the  door.

Bowman entered their bedroom, where Kenzie waited, and halted on the  threshold. All the lights in the house were out, but Bowman could see  fine in the dark.

"I thought you'd be asleep." He came inside and shut the door, and  Kenzie let out her tense breath. She'd worried he'd turn away when he  saw her awake, to go sleep on one of the living room couches.

"I couldn't," she said. "I wondered if you found out anything."

"Not much." Fabric whispered as Bowman's clothes slid from him, his belt  clinking in the darkness. "The driver for the trucking company did  steal the truck, but he sold it pretty quickly. Then he got caught  boosting another truck and has spent the last six months in prison."  Kenzie heard his jeans hit the floor. "He's not involved in this, as far  as I can tell."

Kenzie tried to keep her tone conversational as Bowman approached the  bed, though her heart was pounding. "Who did he sell the truck to?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. Pierce is on it, along with all  the Guardians, on their network. I also called Eric and Liam." He made a  sound like a grunt. "Because you know how much I love talking to other  Shiftertown leaders."

Kenzie smothered a laugh. Eric was the leader of the Las Vegas  Shiftertown, and a Feline, and Bowman didn't much like Felines. But then  all Shiftertown leaders were competitive with one another. They could  work together, but the heightened awareness in a roomful of leaders gave  off a distinctive odor.

"Did they know anything?" she asked.

"Nope. They've never heard of a creature like it. A griffin, or whatever."

Bowman got into bed as he spoke, bashing his pillows into shape as  usual. Kenzie knew he wouldn't act awkward, or apologize for his  outburst at the arena, or defend himself in any way. He'd carry on as  though nothing had happened.

That's what they always did. If they kept their relationship  businesslike, all was well. As soon as they moved into emotions,  everything went to hell.

"Both Liam and Eric want to send a couple of their Shifters to help us  look around," Bowman said. "I told them I'd think about it."

Kenzie adjusted for Bowman's bulk in the bed, the sheet sliding from her  bare torso. "An outsider's perspective might be useful. They both have  good trackers."

"I said I'd think about it." Bowman resolutely closed his eyes. "Go to sleep. We have a lot more to do tomorrow."

He pulled the covers up over his chest and pretended to drift off.

Kenzie sat still and watched him. Her Shifter sight let her see him in  the darkness, his bronzed shoulders and hands against the pale sheet,  his eyes closed, hiding their glitter from her. His lashes were thick  and very black, curling against his tanned face.                       
       
           



       

She knew he wasn't sleeping by the rigidness of his hands, which  clenched the sheet. When Bowman slept, his fingers relaxed, the powerful  grip finally calming. His breathing would deepen, his chest rising and  falling in long, slow cycles. Bowman also snored when he slept hard, a  fact he fervently denied.

At the moment, his fingers were stiff, his breathing shallow and quiet.

Kenzie slowly and carefully eased herself down beside him. She slid down  farther without disturbing the sheets, until her nose was level with  the heat of his bare hip.

Before he could reach down and stop her, Kenzie locked her hand around  his far hip, raised her head, and did what she'd dreamed of doing out by  the arena today. Bowman's cock was already hard, so he had to be  thinking about it too.

"No." Bowman jumped, his hands coming down to push her away.

Too late. Kenzie was already rubbing her tongue along the underside of his cock, reveling in the dark taste of him.

The grip that Bowman meant to stop her instead closed on her hair, his  fingers threading it. "Kenzie, you little shit," he whispered.

Kenzie smiled as she worked him into her mouth. The sheet trapped her,  as did his hands, but Kenzie didn't care. She was nestled in a warm  cocoon with her mate, darkness, and the fine feel and taste of his cock.

As she licked, nipped, and suckled, the smooth head bumped her lips, her  nose. She nuzzled him, his skin wet from her tongue, and wanted to  laugh.

"Goddess and God." Bowman spoke with jaw clenched. "Damn you . . ."

Kenzie kept on him. His hips moved under her mouth, Bowman wanting to  thrust. He'd come any minute, and she'd swallow him, the seed of her  beloved mate.

But it wasn't meant to be. Bowman reached down, seized her, and dragged  her up and out from under the covers. She couldn't fight the strength of  him, not when he was like this-needing and angry.

He had her down on the mattress before Kenzie could say a word, his  mouth on hers, his knee forcing her legs open. Then he was inside her,  every Shifter inch of him. Their hips rocked together, sweat making his  fingers slick where he held down her wrists.

Bowman thrust into her, this loving rapid and fierce, until he came, snarling, and fell on top of her, breathing hard.

Kenzie smoothed his hair, her own climax quiet this time, but still powerful.

Bowman's head was cradled on her breasts when sleep finally took him.  His grip relaxed, his hands growing slack, but Kenzie never moved,  drifting off to sleep in the strong embrace of her mate.


* * *

Bowman's cell phone going off dragged him awake before daylight.

He rolled out of bed to grab the phone from the pocket of his jeans, his  body protesting. Only a little of his soreness was residual from his  injured leg-frantic sex with his mate always took its toll.

Bowman was highly aware of Kenzie sitting up in the dark behind him, the  sheet hugging her breasts. Her eroticism was like a stinging slap. He  could never ignore her.

Nor could he ignore the insistent phone. Shifters didn't have access to  the scores of ringtones humans did, so it gave a shrill, tinny brr-brr.  Bowman had noticed, as he noticed everything, that humans, given the  huge selection of sounds their phones could make, stuck overall with the  same few.

Caller ID told him the number calling was private, but no one would call  a Shiftertown leader at four thirty on an icy morning if it weren't  important.

"What?" he asked in a rasping whisper, not wanting to wake Ryan in the next room.

"In the woods near the burn site," came a muffled voice, pitched to hide the caller's gender. "Come now. It's important."

"Why the fuck should I?"

"You need to." The caller sounded anxious, and now Bowman knew she was  female. "I don't like what he's doing. I thought he was right, but  now-this is bad. I need to show you, or you'll never believe me."