Wolf Bound (Fated) By Jenival Writes

hapter 13

Jade took in a deep breath when a figure appeared at the end of the hall and stomped in her direction. She didn’t look away, lifting her head, keeping her shoulders straight. She hadn’t wandered into a wolf’s den to be turned away. As a technician, she dealt with her fair share of di ck heads. Men always a**umed she would be naive or foolish, something she was quick to nip in the bud. This a ss hole, even if he wasn’t entirely human, couldn’t bully her unless she let him.

“What the hell do you want?” he snapped, approaching fast. “I told you that we’re not. He stopped halfway down the hall, nostrils flaring.

His dark hair was clipped short in the back and sides, the top a bit longer. His features were more arresting than she could ever have imagined, with full lips surrounded by a slight covering of shadow, a nose in perfect proportion to his face, and a squared jaw with a steady tic that made him seem dangerous.

His brown eyes turned gold, his irises striking in the dark.

Trying to shake off his presence, she responded, “Amber Quinn sent for me. Where is she??

That seemed to reach him. He shook his head and took another step. From her vantage point, she could see his arms. The deep blue T-shirt didn’t fully cover the intricate ink that covered his skin. The design contained what appeared to be a wolf and vulture within the layers.

“And you are?”

“Jade,” she answered quickly, meeting his gaze.

“Jade what?” he urged, obviously wanting her last name, and stopped in front of her. This close, standing just inches away from him, she could sniff him. Like a touch of the woods, forest, and earth. Were werewolves supposed to smell this good?

Who cares? You’re not here to get warm and cozy with a man who shifts into a hound and tramps his leg at hedges to mar his territory. Get a grip! She scolded herself.

“Simply Jade,” she retorted hotly, getting her hormones under control.

“What can I do for you, Simply Jade?” he asked an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. If he meant to break the ice, he’d fucked up big-time. He was taunting her, and she hated being poked.

“As I said, I’ve come to pick up Amber. She sent for me so where is she?” When he didn’t react and just stood there watching her, she asked between gritted teeth. “Are you deaf or something? Do I need to start using sign language before you can understand me?”

“You definitely no need to do any of that ’cause I can hear you real good. He leaned against the counter towards her, the muscles in his chest flexing with the motion. “As you can see, you made a trip for nothing because Amber Quinn isn’t here.”

Her nose flared in irritation. “Look here Mr. Tim not in the mood for games.” Relaxing her features, she smirked and moved closer. “You don’t want me to call the police, do you? I’m sure they’d love to hear that a human woman entered your establishment and then just vanished. Who knows, you might even make the evening news”

Instead of taking her threat at face value, he grinned and her insides wilted and burned white-hot. The air seemed to crystallize, making it difficult to breathe. When she drew a deep breath the essence in the air increased, swarming her mind, and making her sway on her feet.

“You wouldn’t do that,” he rasped, still looking her in the eye. “Not to me.”

The hell I wouldn’t, she thought

“Oh yes, I would” She ground out the words, forcing her heightened libido aside, recollecting why she’d come here. Amber needed her. An extraordinary-looking man with what appeared to be a glorious body wasn’t going to throw her off-guard. “I called them before coming here.”

His irises flashed, becoming gold. “You’re lying” he stated with absolute confidence, w atc hing her with eyes that saw more

13:22 Fri, 7 Jul

Chapter 13

than she wanted them to

Anger replaced desire. True, she hadn’t called the police, but there was no way he could know that.

“Are you willing to be?”

He paused as though he was trying to read her. Then his attention shifted to the dear. She heard a car pull up to the parlor, and his golden eyes narrowed. In a split-second the annoying man moved, standing in front of her one moment and beside her the next. The teasing glint in his gaze was gone, replaced with anger that sent her heart thundering in a larm.

“Son of a bitch.” He reached out, snagged her a m, and tugged her around the counter. “I don’t have time for this shit.”

“What do you think you’re doing?” She tried to yank away an d winced when his grip increased, his fingers biting into her jacket. “Hey! Let go, a**hole!”

If he heard he didn’t listen, literally dragging her down the hallway. Terrified and unable to do anything else, she tried to drop to the ground. To her shock, he seemed to know what she was going to do before she did it. He caught her, slipping his arms beneath her legs and back. She squirmed as he carried her into a room and slammed the door closed with the heel of his boot. He thrust her into a tattoo chair, knacking the air from her lungs, and took a step back. He looked intimidating. folding his ma**ive arms over his chest.

“All right, Simply Jade. Listen up, I’m only g oing t o say this once. Keep your sweet little a** parked in th at ch air until I get back. If you piss me off you won’t like what happens.”

Her heart skipped a beat before it started to race. “Are you threatening me?” A part of her hoped he was threatening her, that he wasn’t all bluff.

What the hell!

“Nope, threats are a waste of time. He glanced at the door, cursed, and returned his attention to her. “Keep quiet. We’ll talk about Amber after I take care of business.”

With that, he spur on his heel to exit the room.

“Wait,” she called out, wondering if he’d ignore the request.

He took a deep breath and glanced over his shoulder. “Yes?”

“You didn’t tell me your name.” She wanted to wince as soon as she said it, wishing she could take the words back.

Now you’ve gone and done it, dummy, she reprimanded silently. It was a silly, girly thing to say and she knew it.

She should be asking about Amber or scrambling out of the chair. Instead, she felt an odd tug in her chest, some part of her wanting to know at least something about the man standing across from her.

The amused grin on his face made her tingly in all the wrong places. I didn’t, did 1?”

Even though she was hoping for more, he left her guessing.

The door closed behind him with a soft sick. She gasped for air, realizing it was difficult to breathe. This wasn’t the woman she’d trained fierself to be. She was supposed to be strong, unbreakable, and unwilling to bend to another’s will. But right now, the pride she took in her self-a**urance was cracked, and it has left her shaken.

No one had ever affected her in this way, and the knowledge terrified her. For the first time in her life, Jade found herself staring into space without anything to say.

It was time to admit it to herself. Coming to Ink Stone had been a very very bad idea.