Obsession: A Rejected Mate Shifter Romance (The Mate Games #1)(43)

Expert? The gall of this asshole.

“And who’s that?” Alek asked dryly. “You?”

“I’m certainly more of an expert on the topic of who she is. Who she’s meant to be.”

Alek scoffed, his eyes turning an electric shade of blue. “Down boy,” he commanded, right as the chair Kingston was sitting on disappeared and he crashed down hard on the library floor. His mouth opened to protest, but no sound came out. “And why don’t you keep quiet while you’re at it?”

The laugh escaped me involuntarily, prompting a withering glare from Kingston. “Alek, let him talk. It’s all he has.”

“Are you sure? He’s so much more pleasant to be around like this.”

The commotion had called the attention of other students and the librarian. Soon, we’d be caught, and Alek would likely end up punished because of his abuse of magic. There was no reason both of us needed to be in the doghouse. “Yeah. He’s right anyway. I need to work on both things at the same time. Controlling my anger and my wolf.”

Alek looked at Kingston with a severe expression. “That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day. Be thankful she’s here to protect you. I won’t be so tolerant the next time you piss me off.” Then his eyes flared that brilliant azure color once more, and the library was filled with the sound of Kingston’s tirade.

Profanity, loud and plentiful, flew from Kingston, warranting a strong word of warning from the librarian. Kingston gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, his whole body trembling from the effort to restrain himself.

“My goodness, Kingston. I thought you had more control in you than that,” I teased. “Maybe you and I should both work with Alek to get better at it.”

Alek’s brows lifted in amusement. “Always happy to help. I’d gladly offer my services to you both. But I should warn you, Kingston. I can be a bit of an arsehole. You might not enjoy it.”

“Fuck your services.” Kingston turned his focus to me. “Sunday, I’ll expect you to join me in the clearing by the lake tonight for our first session. If you don’t show up, I’ll come get you, toss your ass over my shoulder, and cart you out to your lesson. Understood?”

“How ‘bout this,” Alek drawled. “We’ll both be there. And if you have a problem with that, you can air your grievances with my fist in your face.”

Kingston’s eyes glowed a deep amber, a feral growl building in his chest. But before he could answer, the librarian approached.

“Whatever . . . this is,” she gestured between us. “Needs to end. Here and now. I don’t care for pissing matches, and certainly not in my library. Take it outside, or you three can visit the headmistress.”

Realizing the only one who could put an end to this was me, I sighed. “Sorry. We’re leaving.”

She glared at us over her half-moon spectacles once more for good measure before adding. “See that you do. With haste.” Then she turned on her heel and stomped off.

“Tonight. Both of you. At the clearing. But for now? Leave me the fuck alone. I’m already in enough trouble as it is.”





Chapter

Twenty-Three





ALEK





The tension rolling off Sunday was strong enough to set my blood boiling as we stood together in the clearing. There was definitely something going on between her and the shifter, though it was unclear if either of them knew exactly what it was. All I knew was he set her on edge, and it made me want to knock his teeth down his throat.

“So . . . this isn’t awkward at all,” Sunday said, looking between us.

I realized Kingston and I had been sizing each other up for the better part of the last few minutes, both waiting to see which of us would cave first. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Instead, I’d teach him exactly who he was dealing with. They didn’t call my father the Warrior of Odin for nothing. And I was every inch my father’s son.

“Here’s how this is going to work,” I said.

“Oh, so you’re in charge now?” Kingston snapped.

“Yup.”

“Put your dicks away. I’m in charge here. This is my training session, and I’m the ticking time bomb, so handle with fucking care.”

Sunday stepped between us, her anger and frustration palpable as she spoke.

I could feel power crackling through her. A storm about to break. Recalling a technique my brother and I put into practice regularly, I summoned my magic and created a target for Sunday . . . using Kingston as the dummy. Something about him taking on the form of Sunday’s rival seemed fitting. From arsehole to bitch. Appropriate for a wolf.

“Seriously? Her?” Sunday stared at the fake Callie I’d conjured, disgust plain on her face.

“Do I threaten you so much you can’t even deal with my likeness?” I made the conjured image of Callie sneer in her voice. Kingston pushed back against my magic, clearly not liking the sounds coming from his mouth. Maybe I’d gone too far, but Sunday needed to be poked and prodded if we were going to learn anything about her triggers.

“How exactly is this supposed to help her with her wolf?” Kingston asked, clearly unimpressed with his new body. You think he’d be thankful I at least gave him use of his own voice.