Moon Bound

Locked Away... Again

Aiden was silent as he dragged me down the long hallway. The tension in the air could be cut with a knife. When we reached my door he shoved me against it.

I winced at the force of it, turning my head when he leaned forward to sniff me.

"You are mine. Do you not understand what that means?"

Great. Bossy, Alpha Aiden had kicked sweet Aiden to the curb and was making his presence known.

I frowned but refused to look at him. He took my chin in his calloused fingers and forced me to meet his honey eyes ringed in black.

"You are mine. In all ways. Mine to touch. Mine to choke." His hand dropped my throat, where he tightened his hold until my breath caught in my chest.

I should have been mad. I should have been scared. But instead I squirmed against his hold, my panties going slick.

His eyes darkened, a desperate hunger spreading over his face. He leaned into me with a groan, "That's what you want isn't it? You seemed to like it when he did it. I thought you didn't want a controlling mate."

My mouth opened and closed wordlessly.

I didn't want a controlling mate. I didn't want a mate at all. But being touched like this? I wanted this.

"Do not let that warlock touch you again. If you do, I'll bend you over my knee and spank you until you learn what it means to be mine."

My jaw dropped open. I was still trying to wrap my head around how he knew about Killian touching me. I wasn't prepared for that kind of threat.

He sneered at my dumb struck expression, "Try not looking and feeling so guilty next time I catch you with him. It wasn't hard for me to tell what you were thinking about."

"Stay out of my head." I whispered. Aiden's hand moved from my neck to the back of my head. My knees almost buckled when he pulled it back with a sharp tug on my hair.

I couldn't look anywhere but his wild eyes that were more black than gold at this point.

His head tipped forward, ghosting his soft lips over mine. He was so close to kissing me and I found myself wishing he would close the distance.

"I am going to make you forget all about him. I will make you feel so good you won't even remember his name when I'm done with you."

He was going to send me over the edge and he wasn't even doing anything. They were just words. Really tempting words that I really wanted to give in to.

Just as I was about to crack and beg him to kiss me, he let go.

"Take a shower. You smell like him."

Aiden reached behind me and pushed my door open. He nudged me inside and slammed it shut in my face.

The door locked with a sobering click.

"Hey!" I slapped my hands against the door, "I thought you said you were going to let me out!"

"I changed my mind."

His voice was gruff. I heard him leave with heavy footsteps.

What the hell?

He couldn't have gotten away from me fast enough.

I wrinkled my nose. I had never felt anything like that and then he just leaves me high and dry and tells me I stink.

Charming.

Sadness washed over me as the urge to text Em made my fingers itch. I needed to tell her about this and get her advice. Now that I had space, I was shocked at the way Aiden and Killian had bent me so easily to their will. My self control was fading fast.

I really needed to get out of this place before I did something I would regret for the rest of my life.

Like ripping the clothes off one of these crazy, controlling, beautiful men and surrendering to my wildest fantasies.

I shuddered at the thought. This had to be some form of Stockholm Syndrome. There was no other way to explain how I could be having sexy thoughts about my sexy kidnappers already.

I had only been here a couple days and I was already losing my mind.

With a frustrated sigh, I stomped off to the bathroom room and begrudgingly got in the shower.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Afternoon turned into evening. Aiden still hadn’t let me out of the room.

He brought me lunch, then dinner, without a single word. One look at his face and I knew to keep my mouth shut.

Irritation had pinched his brows in a serious scowl. His full mouth refused to turn up in a smile. The warmth in his eyes was gone.

I had no clue why he was so angry. Maybe Killian locking him out of his room a second time had set him off, but that didn't explain why he was taking it out on me.

Liar.

You know why.

As much as I hated to admit it, the memory of Killian's hands on me reared its ugly head more than once since I had been dragged out of his room.

But so did the memory of Aiden's words.

He was frustrated. I was frustrated. Killian was… frustrating.

The three of us were not meshing well together. It made me desperate for the opportunity to escape the cabin and run. I wanted to run until my feet bled. I wanted fresh air. I wanted distance from this crazy situation.

Even though I had taken a shower before lunch, I filled the large tub with scalding water and poured in some bubble bath soap that I found in one of the cupboards. The smell of eucalyptus wafted up from the bubbles.

Dinner had been quiet. Lonely even. Despite the kidnapping issue and the tension, I still wished that Aiden would have at least said something to me when he brought in the tray of food.

I had nothing to keep myself preoccupied. I didn't dare ask for a book or anything at all. Aiden looked like he was going to snap if I so much as breathed in his direction.

That left me with my thoughts. Of which I had too many. They were way too loud. The confusion gave me a headache.

I didn't want a mate. I didn't know Aiden. He was volatile at best. But there was a teeny tiny part of me buried way deep that would pop up every now and then to remind me that I did want him.

His body at least.

After the way he spoke to me in the hallway, I was more confused than ever. And the ache between my legs just would not go away.

I almost caved and took care of it a few times but I didn't want to risk Aiden or Killian hearing or barging into the room at the wrong time.

I slid into the bath with a sigh. The steaming water immediately relaxed me. I stared up at the ornate lights dangling from the ceiling.

How did Aiden keep this place so pristine? Surely he didn't do all the cleaning himself. The bathroom was something straight out of an interior design show.

This was the kind of home my parents could have had if I hadn't messed things up.

My stomach lurched at the thought of them.

I was starting to act like a wolf though. Was it possible that I was just a very, very, late bloomer? If I ever managed to get out of here I could change things around for us.

If I was a shifter then that had to mean there was a possibility that Aiden couldn't be completely wrong about the mate bond.

Right?

My eyes closed under the dim glow of the lights. The bathroom lights didn't just flick on and off, they had settings.

Oh, to be a rich Alpha.

I snorted to myself and swished the water lazily with my fingertips. This had to be a cosmic joke. Someone who was pretty much human and a freaking Alpha could not be destined to be mates.

Yet here we were.

But no matter how far I reached, I just didn't feel the bond. And if it truly did exist then that wasn't fair to Aiden. I could almost understand why he was so angry.

How did things get so complicated so suddenly?

My body slipped under the water and I stayed down until my lungs couldn't take it anymore. When I resurfaced the room was just as silent as before.

I kept expecting Aiden to pop in, but there was still no sign of him.

I shut my eyes again and tried to think of anything other than mates, and warlocks, and shifter curses.

After what had to be an hour I finally got out of the tub and wrapped myself in the plush bathrobe.

There were no clocks in here so I had no idea what time it was but it felt late. Meeting Killian would not be happening tonight. Maybe not ever if Aiden didn’t stop sulking.

So much for looking for a way to break the ward that didn't involve the mating ritual.

I climbed onto the bed and stared at the door, waiting for Aiden to peek in to check on me. Long minutes passed and when I realized he wasn't going to open the door I fell against the silky pillows. I curled up under the sheets and fell asleep with images of my two captors dancing through my head.