Filed To Story: Chasing the Rejected Luna's Heart (Clara & Liam) Book PDF Free
Yeah, Marcus was a typical alpha male, human or not, and thought I had just gone along with it because he told me so, but that was going to be a misconception I corrected soon enough.”Sure. I just need to talk to my boss. Where do you want to meet?””Just come outside,” he answered. Before I could ask what the hell he meant, he hung up.
I shook my head, going back out onto the floor. Fortunately, Sam was already at the bar, and the room was pretty slow.”Hey, do you mind if I take my lunch now?” I asked. “Something kind of came up.””Something came up?” she asked in a scandalous tone, raising an eyebrow as she wiped down the counter. “Is that a euphemism for you running off with your hot, rich vampire boyfriend?”
I rolled my eyes. “He’s not my boyfriend. And…yes. But it’s not like that.””Sure,” she said in a knowing tone. “You wolf girls have all the fun.””I won’t be long,” I told her, taking off my apron and hanging it up on the hook at the end of the bar.
Sure enough, a dark limousine was waiting in the lot outside, taking up three full spaces. Before I could approach, the driver slipped out and opened the rear door without a word.”Thanks,” I said warily, walking closer to see Alexander inside, shielded in shadow with a phone pressed to his ear.
He hung up without a word and gave me a knowing smile. “It makes working on the go a bit easier.””I’m sure,” I scoffed, slipping into the backseat. “I can’t be too long. I have to get back to the bar.””You enjoy waiting on cats and dogs, do you?” He leaned forward, reaching into a compartment between the seats to pull out two crystal glasses and a flask of something clear.”It pays the bills,” I answered with a shrug. Usually, it didn’t bother me what people I didn’t know thought about my sudden change in fortune, but with him, it did. I didn’t know why and wasn’t sure I wanted to, but it did.”You know, there are other options,” he remarked, filling both glasses and offering one to me.
I took it, mostly because I needed something to focus on besides my irritation. “Such as?””That brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about, as a matter of fact,” he said coolly, taking a sip of his drink as he studied me. I couldn’t help but feel like he was imagining drinking something else entirely.
Thatshould have bothered me, but it didn’t. My feelings were all haywire around the vampire, which was all the more reason to be wary of him.”What do you mean?” I asked, frowning slightly.”I want you to stay with me,” Alexander answered like it was a perfectly reasonable request. Or rather, a declaration. “I’d hoped I would have some time to acclimate you to the idea, but after what happened the other night, it’s clear that isn’t the wisest course of action.”
I stared at him. Was he crazy?”You’re kidding, right?””If I’m going to help you get to the bottom of your nature, it would only be practical to have you close,” he countered. “Then there’s the matter of your safety.””You’re not my father, Alexander,” I groaned. Even if he was probably old enough to be my great-great-great-great…
Better not to go there right now.”I understand that,” he said, not at all fazed. “But my original plans were derailed by you getting attacked.””Well, I don’t share your plans,” I told him. “And I don’t like vague hints and ‘deal with it’ comebacks. If you have something to say, say it.””You’re mine,” he said simply, but with a much more serious tone.
I found myself staring again. This guy was too much.
No, that was an understatement. The limo and the random appearances were too much. This was straight-up insane.”Excuse me?” I finally blurted out, once my tongue untied itself from a sailor’s knot.”The time for games is over,” he stated. “You became my responsibility when I saved you that night.”
I rolled my eyes. “I missed the part where I signed up for that. And I don’t take kindly to people telling me what to do.”
He set his drink down. “You don’t have to ‘take kindly’ to it. You just have to accept it.””Oh, you think so?” I snapped. “Look, I appreciate what you did, I really do. If you hadn’t come into that alley when you did, who knows what would’ve happened. And yeah, you got me through a rough heat, but that doesn’t give you the right to control my life.”
The first hint of a reaction showed itself in his eyes. It wasn’t quite strong enough to be anger, and I’d seen him plenty mad that night, so I knew he was capable of it.”I’ve already saved you twice, and that has placed a target on your head, whether you like it or not,” Alexander stated. “Denying it won’t change anything.””I don’t need some big, scary vampire to take care of me,” I said, putting my glass down to fold my arms. He’d probably hoped I would be a little mellower after a few sips, but if anything, it had just given me an injection of confidence and loosened my tongue. “I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.””Is that why you’ve been staying with a hunter?” he challenged. “And his little mongrel friend.”
I blinked at him. “So you’re a stalker now?””You could say that,” he admitted, a slight frown in place.
My eyes narrowed. “Just because you saved me doesn’t give you the right to show up out of the blue like this. And it definitely doesn’t give you the right to stalk me and then demand I move in with you.”
He stared at me calmly, but there was a storm in his eyes. “No, it doesn’t. But the blood exchange…that is another matter.”
I frowned, trying to make sense of his words. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?””I fed from you, and you drew my blood in turn,” he replied, his words drawn out with little pauses like he was trying to help me keep up. Cole’s condescension was one thing. It was overt and bitter, but Alexander’s was patient. That was about a thousand times more enraging. “That makes us bonded.””The hell it does!” My head was spinning. How was he so calm about this?”It’s the way of vampires,” he said, his frown deepening. “If you won’t listen to reason, I see no other option but to compel you.””Don’t you dare!” I shouted, out of my mind with rage. Without realizing it, I had dug my nails into the upholstery of the armrest.
For the first time since I’d met Alexander, his calm fa?ade cracked. I watched anger flash in his eyes, but he still managed to keep himself in check. “What would you have me do? I can’t just leave you. Anyone who’s worth being careful around knows about you now.””You’re being ridiculous,” I declared, knowing I was starting to sound hysterical. He was the one talking crazy, but I had to keep my temper in check. I could feel the beast riling up in my veins, and as reluctant as she had been to make her debut, it was clear keeping her in check was going to be an issue now, full moon or not.”It’s happening again, isn’t it?” he challenged. “You’re feeling the shift.””Who told you I could shift?””Word travels quickly,” he answered, leaning back with an infuriatingly casual air. “The vampires who attacked you were quite descriptive about your… shall we say,unique presentation.”
My heart hammered in my chest. “You found them?””Of course. I was already having them tracked. Unfortunately, not soon enough,” he said, his voice taking on an edge of bitterness I could tell wasn’t aimed at me, but it had a chilling effect all the same. “But there’s no telling who they told beforehand.””Beforehand” gave the impression that there was no after for the vampires he had finally captured, but all things considered, that was a question I would rather leave unanswered for the moment. “Why does that matter? So my wolf is weird. Marcus found me before I did any damage.””And yet, the reports from the humans who saw you are already circulating. It’s only a matter of time before word of it spreads through our world,” said Alexander.”I still don’t get why whatever I am makes me any more of a target than any other shifter in this city,” I countered. “I don’t even know what the other half is.”
I’d thought my wolf finally coming out would settle that matter, at least, but all it had done was raise more questions than answers.”That’s exactly why it puts you in danger. It makes you rare,” said Alexander. “And people take advantage of that. The vampires who spotted you at the bar already saw you as a tool for them to use because of me. And then, when they saw what you are… Let’s just say that would make you valuable to plenty of people besides me. People whose interest you don’t want to draw.””Is that why you’re here? Because you think I’m some kind of tool?” I asked, trying to get him to explain himself. I wasn’t ready to believe the whole bonding thing, and even if it was true, he probably had some ulterior motive for telling me. That was the only thing that really explained his interest in me.”I won’t deny that’s part of it,” he answered. “But we both know there’s more of a connection between us than that.”