Page 87 of Come for Me
Dax
Icouldn’t focus on work while my mate was wasted in a club somewhere with a sexy little outfit on. I was only minutes away when Sam told me Alaina had run from him.
Thanks to my powers, the image of what the asshole was planning to do to my mate is burned into my mind. I clench my jaw every time I think about it.
I have an endless list of enemies who will die trying to get their revenge on me—this guy wasn’t any different. The moment he saw my mark, he knew who she was to me. In most circumstances, this would’ve kept her safe. Other times, it’ll make her a target.
She’s the best thing to happen, not just to me but also my enemies. Before her, I didn’t have a weakness for my foes to go after. It’s only a matter of time until word spreads.
She won’t be going out again without me, not unless we’ve completed the mating bond. It’ll be easier to keep her safe that way.
Alaina and Sam haven’t stopped arguing since we left. She calls him a playboy, a man whore, things of the like, and Sam mocks her by calling her “princess.”
Now they’re bickering about some cartoon calledRoad Runner, I think... Something about Sam being the scheming coyote and Alaina as the bird that outsmarts the coyote with her speed and feigning of innocence. Anytime Alaina tries to speak, Sam yells over her with “Meep, meep.”
I want to punch him, but I’m learning this is their relationship; they fight like siblings.
“I knew it. Iknewyou’d run from me.” Sam squints as he points at Alaina, who’s thrown over my shoulder. “I’m not babysitting her ass next time, Dax. I’m serious. Get someone else. She does thisRoad Runnertype shit every time!”
“I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Alaina lies.
He’s right. She does run from him every time. It’s become a key part of the back-and-forth in their sibling-like relationship, which is why I’ve stopped punishing him. Only in times like these do I find myself intervening. Otherwise, I ignore when Sam barks into the mindlink to “control my woman.”
Instead, I watch Alaina from my office window, who’s outrunning Sam’s wolf in her human form. I love watching her run; her speed is impressive.
Running seems to make her feel better, too. Some days, she doesn’t say much. When I ask her what’s wrong, she just shrugs. It’s been a while since she’s gone on a run, but Alaina is too stubborn to go jogging like a regular person—she always has to be bolting fromsomethingorsomeone.
That’s when I ask him to take her around the castle grounds, knowing full well she can’t resist making Sam’s life harder. When she returns, she’s more relaxed, grinning, and the smart mouth I love resurfaces. While she’s not smiling at me, I tell myself I played some part in her happiness, and for now, that’s enough for me. It is a welcome break from her hating me.
“On second thought, I’ll watch her,” Sam says, “but only if you give me the remote to the shock collar.”
Alaina gasps.
Sam had to fetch me the shock collar from the dungeon. Sam wasn’t too thrilled to leave his newest conquest to fetch anything for my own endeavor yet perked up when I informed him it was for Alaina. He was less than thrilled when he foundout I’d repurposed the torture device to a sexual nature, adding components of pleasure. Sam knew then exactly what it was for, his room not too far from mine, something he also isn’t loving.
“You told him?!”
Sam laughs at my embarrassed mate.
Alaina lifts off me with both hands, sitting up and scolding Sam. Her claws dig into me, the pain welcoming.Fuck, hurt me, baby. My wolf loves when she buries herself into me to put another male in her place, a lethal combination.
Get him, babe.
“Don’t think I won’t kick your ass, Sam.”
A sense of pride hits me because she’s all mine. I always envisioned my mate as someone who won’t take shit from anyone, drunk or sober. So did Sam. Although I don’t think either of us expected the two of them to form such a bond. When Sam finds his mate, she and Alaina will likely annoy us.
Alaina tells him to shut up as he laughs uncontrollably.
“You shut up,” Sam retorts.
With Alaina still on my shoulder, I whip around, growling at Sam.
Sam quickly apologizes, and I slowly resume our walk back to the castle.
“Ha,”Alaina says.
Goddess, they’re like children.
