ROMANCE: Mason (Bad Boy Alpha Male Stepbrother Romance Boxset) (New Adult Contemporary Stepbrother Romance Collection) (41 page)

With a low whistle he wandered down the street, letting the soft tune he hummed wash away the ridiculousness of the situation, never before had he heard of a wolf pounding the streets looking for his mate, next he would be going door to door he thought with a laugh. Shaking his head in amusement he retraced his footsteps from yesterday, he had something to go on if his sense failed him, he had his dreams.

In his hour of sleep he had seen her for the first time, or at least part of her. Eyes of the brightest green had followed him, calling to him, he hadn’t realized at first; ignoring the tempting siren call of the eyes that shone brighter than any he had ever seen. He had woken with a start, her eyes still burning into his mind; they could belong to nobody else but his mate.

Increasing his pace Samuel stopped just short of a jog as the morning wore on, he was aware that it was early, he had yet to see another person but it didn’t faze him, if she was near he would find her. What would happen when he did he didn’t know, only that his life rested on seeking her out, his own fears of her forgotten for now. The humans were beginning to rise from their slumber, his nose twisted at the scent of dozens of humans rising from their beds, it wasn’t a pleasant one.

Not far from where the burning heat had left him the day before something caught his attention, something was moving across the street. He leant back against the wall, curiously watching as a woman struggled to pull something out of her car. Whether it was because she was the first person he had seen or because he was growing bored in his aimless trek, he wasn’t sure, but something told him to stay and watch.

A car whizzed past, clearly breaking whatever speed limit was in place and despite himself he craned his neck around it, unwilling to let the strange woman out of his sight. She was young, not far into her twenties, with long blonde hair, nothing else seemed to stand out about her though, and she was very much human. Finally having pulled whatever it was she was looking for out of her car she began to turn, no doubt sensing someone looking at her, Samuel thought. His body tensed and he felt something akin to nerves surged through him, why was he nervous?

Clutching his clenched fists to his side, he waited as anticipation became his unwelcome companion. Eyes of shimmering green met his own blue ones and he stilled, his breath catching in his throat. She looked at him, her head cocked to the side, he saw her smile; it was warm welcoming, if not a little confused. A small twinge told him to move closer, but that was all, they was no heat, no burning, yet she had the eyes of the woman in his dreams, something was wrong.

Chapter Four

Against everything that his instincts told him, Samuel smiled back at the strange woman who still held his undivided attention. There was some weird kind of satisfaction from smiling at her that Samuel could hardly comprehend in the moment, yet as she took a step towards him, choosing to believe his smile was one designed to beckon her forwards, he felt his heart beat just a little faster. Hoping he was not simply imagining the unique lulled content-ness at having her near, Samuel watched as slowly she moved into the road, her eyes focused on his.

He watched how her hips swayed slightly as she walked even how her eyes caught the light just a little, intensifying the brightness that already laid there. The smallest of details did not pass by his scrutinizing gaze, everything from the redness of her lips to the few stray strands of hair that brushed across her face were like a whole new experience for him, he was besotted with the woman he didn’t know. 

It happened so fast, completely overtaken with the woman he didn’t have time to notice, it was her who first heard the car that reared into the street, the one that was going too fast. She turned towards to car and Samuel saw the fear in her eyes before he could figure out why. His heart hammered as he turned with her, the car was close now, too fast to stop, too late to see the woman who stood helpless in the middle of the road. She had been distracted, the man had been looking at her, the man who made her forget everything but him in a way that was so confusing yet so right and now it was too late.

As he focused on the fear, on the terror pulsing through her veins, his body erupted. Heat surged through every single nerve in Samuel’s body, a pounding forceful heat that destroyed everything in its wake. Each emotion he had ever felt bombarded him in one relentless assault that caused his mind to darken and his body to shake like it had never done before. But there was one, one brand new emotion that had thus far evaded him, he couldn’t put his finger on it, couldn’t decide it’s source, it’s implications. It was desire, loyalty and hope all mingled into something more intense, the emotion that fuelled the fire that claimed his body.

Before he could succumb to the haze that threatened to blind him, he ran, his eyes focused on nothing but the car that was trying to stop its inevitable path. Screeching of tires filled the small street, the sound so piercing that it echoed through Samuel’s body, almost like a physical blow. He hoped beyond all rational thought that he could reach her; his feet moved quickly, pounding the tarmac, each step bringing him just a little closer to her. She turned to him one last time and he caught her.

The car struck his body as he shielded her from the impact that would likely have killed her. His arms snaked around her slender body, gripping her tight as the bones in his body shattered and the car bended around him. Caring not for the searing pain or the heat that owned him, he held her, ensuing even now when the car was nothing but a crumpled heap around him, that she was safe. The way she felt in his arms, the way the heat twisted and pulled at his heart was not something he could focus on, he sought something far more important, he sought a heartbeat.

The most agonizing second of his life passed and then he found it, the soft flicker of her heart, the one that told him that this time he hadn’t failed, that she was safe. He didn’t waste another second before pulling her out of the road, not sparing a single glance at the car or driver that could have killed her, if they had he had no idea what he would have done. Barely able to walk, let alone carry another he did what he could, ensuring all the while that she felt no discomfort.

He placed her at the side of the road, away from harm’s way before falling at her side, no longer able to keep his battered body standing. All he could do was look at her and as her eyes flickered open and he saw the brightest green in their depths, he smiled. It was only for a fraction of a second, as the last of the heat poured out of him and the darkness in his vision grew more prominent that he got to enjoy them. Then the world was dark and there was nothing but a dulling pain, a pain he couldn’t sustain any longer.

She watched as the smile on the man’s lips disappeared, his face crumpled in pain for just a moment before he eyes finally closed. She reached out to him, her fingers stopping just short of his face; indecision raked through her before finally she dropped her hand, unable to touch the handsome stranger who had saved her life. There was something about him that she couldn’t put her finger on, something that made her blindly walk across the road in pursuit of someone she didn’t know.

“Emily!” at the sound of her name, the blonde haired woman finally drew her eyes away from the man beside her.

“What happened?” her neighbor screamed before she had chance to even register the elderly woman rushing to her side, frantically looking between her and the wreckage of the car.

“Call an ambulance,” Emily whispered. It was only when a single tear dropped onto the back of her hand that she realized she was crying, crying for a man she didn’t know.

Chapter Five

The room was a murky shade of white, not quite pure or pristine, but close enough as so it made little difference to anyone other than Samuel. He awoke, groggy and disoriented, two feelings he was less than used too. The room was overly bright and had a tainted smell that he registered as the liberal use of harsh cleaning products. It took him a moment in his dazed state to realize where he was and the thought caused a deep rumbling sigh to pass through his dry lips, he was in hospital.

A slight movement beside him diverted his attention, aware now that he wasn’t alone in the room. The blonde haired woman sat beside him, her head rested gently against the side of a chair, her eyes closed as she slept. He watched her, noticing how her nose crumpled seemingly at random as she moved a little in the chair, no doubt trying to get more comfortable even in her unconscious state. He was surprised to see her, although he knew he probably shouldn’t have been, if he was in her place he would likely be waiting by her bed also.

After what only felt like a couple of minutes, but Samuel knew was likely to have been longer, the woman stirred further. Her eyes fluttered open as she shook away the sleep and in an instant they were fixed intently on his. It was a moment Samuel could hardly have imagined, the room was deadly quiet save for her light breaths, he saw how they parted her lips slightly, her eyes sparkling with something he did not recognize, it looked almost like relief but he wasn’t sure.

“Hi,” she whispered. The word, laced with sleep, made Samuel smile despite himself.

“Hey,” he replied, trying his best to keep his voice even, what he felt right now went far beyond a simple greeting.

“My name is Emily,” she spoke softly, holding her hand out to him.

He decided he liked her name and the way it made her lips curl in such an unusual way. He reached out towards her, eager to feel her touch once more; he was so close when something harshly pulled him back. Taking note of the small flash of guilt in her bright green eyes, he frowned, eying the wires protruding from his arm. In one quick movement he tore the wires connecting him to some kind of bleeping machine and took her hand in his.

The shock in Emily’s face quickly disappeared as a warmth she had never felt before coursed through her. Her eyes narrowed in on the man’s hand, the only possible cause of the heat that tumbled through her body. It was almost as though the heat was searching for something, something deep inside her, it was an unusual feeling, intense and intrusive, but in some respects it was addictive, she never wanted to be without it again.

Despite her hopes and her uncertainty, he dropped her hand after just a couple of seconds, leaving her instantly to question what exactly had just passed. “My name is Samuel,” he said and she noticed how his eyes sparkled just a little as he looked at her, the light brown in his iris’s darkening, just enough so that she could see but anyone else looking in would easily miss it.

A loud bleeping sounded in the small room making Emily jump, the connection their eyes had ended instantly. Samuel smirked, amused at the woman’s over the top reaction to a simple notice; she had, in the small moment, gained his full attention. When the noise didn’t relent and it began to ring in his ears, Samuel looked around for some way to turn it off, climbing out of the bed in the process. Emily looked as though she was about to question his movement but seeing how he walked with such ease, stayed quiet.

Looking down Samuel was grateful he was still in his own clothes, if a little blood covered; having heard stories of hospital gowns he was glad he wouldn’t have to been seen in such attire. Finding the source of the noise he switched it off quickly and the ringing in his ears stopped. “How?” Emily questioned her voice low and astonished.

Samuel turned back to where she sat; he had to suppress a laugh as he took in her bemused expression. “You were hit by a car,” she whispered when he did not comment, the words were more of a spoken thought.

“Oh yeah,” Samuel muttered, for the first time since he had woken up actually remembering why he was here. 

Emily's mouth dropped as she took in Samuel’s overly casual reaction. “You shouldn’t be walking, when I saw you, in the road, it looked bad,” she murmured, more to herself than to him.

Samuel laughed now, finding it too hard to resist the urge. “If I told you all my secrets now, where would be the fun?” he joked, making her frown.

A part of him instantly regretted the words that were harsher than he had intended. Before he could consider apologizing his attention was diverted, he wasn’t the only wolf in the hospital any longer. His body tensed as he felt their presence, those that would be less than happy with where he was right now. With a deep sigh he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing back the now extremely messy brown strands away from his face.

“Sorry about this,” he said, shooting a look at Emily only to find her still looking at him, utter confusion and a little hurt on her face.

Samuel winced, seeing her hurt was something he had never wanted. “Time to go home Samuel,” a new voice spoke, irritation clear in the man’s tone.

Samuel and Emily turned instantly to the man, annoyance registering instantly in Samuel while Emily looked completely confused by the bear-like man in the door way. “He can’t leave,” she spoke quietly, not sure as to why she felt so strongly about him staying.

The man shot her an uncaring look, not particularly happy about being given an order by a human, while Samuel sent her a sympathetic one before following the man out of the room without another word; for now she was just a human, if he showed anything else the man would catch on, she would be in danger.

Emily watched the strange man wander out of the room, showing no sign that he had even been injured. Her eyes darted between Samuel and the large man with him, wondering exactly what had just occurred. All she knew for sure was that it wasn’t going to be the last time she saw the brown haired man, the man’s whose eyes shone the brightest gold as he slept beside her.