Page 3 of Forced Mate Bride
The ritual repeated itself over and over. The library had a pleasant rhythm to it that she knew now by heart. It was easy enough to fall into her normal pattern as the hours passed and the sun shone through the windows, dipping beneath the trees and out of sight.
“God, I’m exhausted,” Jason said around a yawn toward the end of the night. “I’m looking forward to a nice, long sleep.”
He glanced at her expectantly, eyebrows raised. Nikki laughed.
“You can go ahead and leave,” Nikki said. “I’ve got to take care of a couple of things, and I don’t want you to have to wait on me.”
Jason beamed. “You’re the best, Nikki,” he said. She didn’t miss that he already had his jacket slung over his shoulder. “I’ll see you later.”
After Jason disappeared through the large oak doors leading outside, Nikki began the closing ritual. She started wandering through the halls, glancing all around, checking foranyone in the alcoves or any homeless books that patrons might have left out on tables by mistake.
She had always loved the library after closing. There was something about the way it felt when virtually deserted, the only occupants her and the towering shelves of books, that made it feel both cozy and vast at the same time. Her footsteps clacked along the tile floor while she continued making her rounds. Some people might have been unsettled by the overwhelming silence, but it was comforting, wrapping around her like a blanket. She had always liked her solitude, and the few minutes spent closing the library felt peaceful and serene. A respite after a hectic workday.
She closed the doors to the library and locked them. She craned her neck up to look at the crescent moon. It was a beautiful night out, probably one of the remaining few before they turned cold. Smiling and humming, she stuffed her hands in her jacket and began making her way home.
Things had been going so well ever since she settled into the Silverrose pack. She couldn’t think of a time when she had felt this comfortable. Her childhood had never been what someone might call easy. She had never known her real parents, and her adoptive ones hadn’t been what one might call nurturing. They had provided for her and taken care of her needs, but that had been about as far as their affection had gone. More often than not, they would find some excuse to belittle her, some little flaw or some error she’d made that they could latch onto and pick at, chipping away at her self-confidence.
It had gotten worse when it became obvious that she wasn’t a shifter. Her parents had held out hope that she might have some redeeming quality, but the age when children first shifted came and went with no change. The insults had gotten worse after that. Although she had a roof over her head, she hadnever felt like she was welcome in her house. She felt like an unwanted stranger.
Now, though, things were different. She finally felt as though she had a home. There was something about the Silverrose pack that felt welcoming in a way that nowhere else had. She didn’t think she had ever been as happy or as comfortable in a place as she did here.
It was far preferable to where she had been last, the place where the Silverrose pack had rescued her from.
Unbidden, her thoughts drifted back to when she had been held captive by the Ironbrand pack. Her skin crawled as she recalled the lewd comments and demeaning orders. Every so often, she could still feel the manacles on her hands and wrists.
The worst, for her at least, hadn’t been the alpha. It had been his second-in-command, Lucas. She hadn’t missed the lecherous stares, the proprietary touches whenever he thought Alpha Sier wasn’t looking. Sier hadn’t allowed his men to go after any of the slaves without his permission, but that hadn’t stopped Lucas. The whispers he’d rasped in her ear made it perfectly clear what he would do the second he got the chance.
She shuddered despite herself, his phantom hand on her shoulder weighing her down. For a brief moment, she was back in chains, unable to do or say anything.
It’s over now,Nikki thought.I don’t have to think about it anymore.
She didn’t even have to feel that helpless again. If something did happen, she could do something about it. The self-defense classes had given her the confidence she had never felt before. The longer she trained under Jasper’s instructions, the stronger she felt, and the less afraid she was.
She turned onto a long street that bordered the woods. The wind brushed down the street, carrying the smell of crisp fall air along the breeze. Leaves skittered along the ground. It was deserted, but that didn’t bother her. She’d walked down this street several times at this point. There was nothing to be afraid of.
Despite that knowledge, something prickled at the back of her neck, as if her instincts were telling her something was wrong. She slowed, glancing around. There was nothing there. That didn’t stop her intuition from screaming at her, from telling her to sprint home.
You're imagining things, she told herself. Her heart had begun thumping harder, her pulse speeding.
She started moving again, this time at a brisk pace, despite her repeated assurances to herself that there was nothing to be worried about.
A branch snapped. Nikki froze, her breath catching. Then she broke out into a full sprint. She didn’t care if she was being stupid. She wanted to get off this street and away from the woods as quickly as possible.
She hadn’t gotten very far when someone grabbed her from behind, yanking her back. She let out a scream that was quickly muffled when a rough, calloused hand clamped around her mouth. She caught the stench of dirt and sweat, as if whoever it was had been living in the woods. Her assailant pulled her tighter against him, arm snaking around her waist, pinning her arms to her side.
“Shh, don’t make a fuss,” a voice rasped in her ear. There was something familiar about it, but she couldn’t figure out who it was. “Make this easy and come quietly like a good girl.”
That snapped her out of her stupor. After that initial moment of panic and horror, she managed to get hold of herself. After all, hadn’t she been training for this? This had been what those lessons were for. She knew what to do. She wasn’t helpless anymore.
Her foot stomped down, the slight heel of her shoe jabbing into his foot. There was a snarl of pain, and his grip on her loosened. Her elbow rammed back into his stomach. Her assailant let out anoof, and the hand clamped over her mouth loosened. Before the man could recover properly, she bit down hard on his hand.
That did the trick—her attacker released her entirely. She took two steps before his hand snapped around her wrist, gripping it hard enough to leave bruises. Gritting her teeth, she tried to twist her arm out of his grasp. When that didn’t work, she spun around and slammed the heel of her hand into his nose.
Her attacker released her, reeling back, both hands clamped around his nose. She was about to turn and sprint away, but then the moon emerged from behind the cloud, and she got her first good look at the man who had grabbed her. She knew that muscular stature, that slightly shaggy hair, longer than it had been the last time she saw him, but unmistakable. And now she realized with sinking dread where she knew that voice from, who it belonged to.
It was Lucas.
She didn’t think she would ever forget his face. He hadn’t changed much. His brown hair was longer and less groomed than the last time she’d seen him, but his eyes had that same coldness, the same mocking edge.
