~ SEVENTEEN ~

the steamy shower couldn’t compete with the heat Jessie’s fingers generated as they moved up Tobias’ chest to his shoulder. Her touch setting him ablaze with lust, she kissed him deeply as if savoring the taste of him. She was making him crazy, moving her body against his as she kissed him.

He bent down and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He lifted her, cradling her hips in his hands. “Lock your ankles together behind me.”

He raised her a little higher and bent his head to her breasts. Her breath burst from her lungs when he took her nipple between his teeth and lapped at it with his tongue. He tilted his head back to look up at her. “Are you ready?”

He started to lower her onto his throbbing cock when he detected a subtle disturbance in the atmosphere.

She stopped kissing him. “Wes is here.”

“Your alarm system is way too damn sensitive if it’s picking up on Wes’ trespassing while I have you up against the wall in the shower.”

She pushed on his shoulders. “Put me down.”

“Forget about him. He’ll go away.”

“I’ve spent so much time running from him, believing he would kill me if he managed to find me. I know he’s your friend, Tobias. I accept your friendship with him. Respect me enough to accept that he’ll never be my friend. I don’t care why he stalked and harassed me. He didn’t need to go out of his way to scare the hell out of me for three years.”

“You’re right.” He slowly lowered her onto her feet. “I am sorry. I should’ve realized how deeply his actions had hurt you. You tried to tell me. I didn’t listen. I kept shrugging off the possibility of him being a threat to you. I will make sure he doesn’t come around again.”

“No. That’s not what I want.” She turned away from him. “I know you’ve shared a close friendship with him for a very long time. I don’t want to disrupt your life. I just don’t want anything to do with him.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I can’t be around him.”

“You didn’t walk into my life and change it from good to bad or bad to good. You gave me life. You saved me. You’re my other half.” He bent his head and kissed the back of her shoulders and her neck. “You are everything to me.”

“Family is important. You can’t shut him out of your life. He’s your sister’s mate.”

He turned her around and framed her face between his palms. “You are my life.” He pressed his lips to hers, sharing a long, tender, passionate kiss.

***

Wes sat on the front porch and waited for Tobias. Amber had entirely disappeared. It wasn’t the first time she’d run away from him. She was always running in an attempt to escape the guilt she carried for the deaths of her parents. He couldn’t believe he’d lashed out at her and made her believe that he blamed her. He’d hurt her so deeply.

Tobias opened the door and stepped outside. “What do you want?”

“I’m worried about Amber. She ran away from me after I...”

“That’s nothing new.”

“No. I really fucked up.”

“You’re damn right you fucked up.”

“You’ve talked to Amber?”

“No. You fucked up by messing with my mate. I don’t want to see your ass anywhere near her again. You’re not welcome here. This is your only warning.”

“What are you saying?” Wes asked.

“I’ll kill you the next time I see you.”

“I wasted three goddamn years keeping her alive.”

“By harassing the hell out of her? By putting fear in her?”

“Fine. I’ll stay the fuck away from you. Have you seen Amber?”

“No.”

“She’s hunting Guss.”

“Why?”

“She thinks she needs to protect you.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I know.” Wes nodded. “But she’s entirely convinced that you’re going to get Jessie killed if you draw him to you. She doesn’t want to lose you.”

“You’re her mate. You need to take control.”

“She thinks you’re going to die. She believes you’ll follow Jessie if…”

“I would follow Jessie. I am her mate.”

“Just as your mother was your father’s mate. Amber is right. You need to do it before you even consider...”

“I am not going to rush it and hope for the best.” He cut Wes off. “I won’t risk her life. I won’t do it.”

“You don’t have a choice. You’re starting a war with another demon. A sadistic demon.”

“Enough.”

“She’s vulnerable.”

“I can protect her.”

“You can’t. Not while she’s human. One slip up, just one, and it’s over.”

“I will do it when out bond is strong enough for her to survive it. You are no longer my friend. Your opinion means nothing to me.”

“What about Amber’s opinion?”

Tobias shrugged. “She has a right to her opinion.”

***

Jessie reached for Tobias’ mind, merged her mind with his. She didn’t plan to eves drop but she couldn’t resist the temptation to do so when she realized that they were talking about her.

“You’re being reckless with Jessie’s life.”

“Did you not hear me tell you that your opinion means nothing to me?”

“You’re willing to throwaway our friendship over one human’s inability to cope with a little fear?”

“You put fear in her,” Tobias said.

“To keep her alive.”

“You could’ve found another way.”

“You’re wrong. She needed to understand what she was running from.”

“She’s human,” Tobias said. “She doesn’t belong in our world.”

She couldn’t believe Tobias was willing to admit it to Wes because he refused to admit it to her. He was a liar.

“She’s not an average human. She’s different. Her psychic abilities made her an easy target. She needed to learn to use them to prevent her from being captured and killed. If you want her to survive, you need to bring her fully into our world as soon as possible.”

“Our bond is not strong enough.”

“She’s not your mate. And you know it. That’s why you won’t properly claim her, isn’t it?” Wes asked.

“What I have with Jessie right now is enough for me. I don’t need or want anything more from her. Find my sister, take care of her, and stay the hell out of my business.”

Tobias didn’t correct Wes. It was true. She wasn’t his mate. She couldn’t believe she’d been so damn stupid. She was pathetic. He’d manufacture the fairytale about their bond as mates and she’d believed it.

“Amber blames herself for the deaths of your mother and father.” Wes stated.

“That’s ridiculous. They are together and at peace. You need to convince her it wasn’t her fault. You need to remind her that she was only a child. I tried for several years.”

Jessie continued to monitor their conversation as she tossed her backpack over her shoulder and made her way through the house to the backdoor.

“She doesn’t need or want me to convince her of a damn thing. She wants to make it right. But she can’t undo the past.”

“She wants to punish herself, Wes.” Tobias stated. “She wants to die. You need to give her a reason to want to live. You’re her mate. You’re the only one with the ability to give her a reason to live.”

“She believes I blame her.”

“Why?”

“I told her it was her fault.”

“You what?”

“I lost my temper. She wouldn’t listen to me. She thinks she needs to protect you. I told her to stay out of your way. She refused. I lashed out at her.”

“Make it right with her.”