Tall, Dark & Heartless (Pyte/Sentinel #3)(73)

"I suppose we could spare a few things," Jax drawled as he sent a questioning look over his shoulder at Danni who trailed behind them, looking bored. "Do you need to feed as well?"

Caine opened his mouth to tell the shifter that she was fine and that if she needed to feed that he'd take care of it, but she beat him to it.

"I could eat," she said, running her eyes over the na**d shifter as she gave him what could only be described as a coy smile.

"Then it will be my pleasure to feed you," Jax said in seductive rumble as he ran his eyes over Danni in a way that really pissed Caine off. It didn't help that he could smell the lust practically rolling off of Jax.

"Is there a stream or river where I can wash up first?" Danni asked, throwing him a pointed look. She wanted to wash off his scent, the same scent that marked her as his.

Oh, f**k no, that wasn't happening.

Jax slowed his pace to match hers, not even bothering to hide his aroused state and Caine swore that if Danni looked down that he was going to throttle her.

She looked down!

Son of a bitch!

He slowed his pace to match theirs, but of course they ignored him. If the shifter so much as brushed up against Danni he was going to tear his throat out. She was his and the shifter knew it. The man should also know that just because he was going to continue sleeping with other women that didn't mean Danni was allowed to be with other men. It didn't matter that the man was a shifter and they mated for life whether they wanted to or not, and most of them didn't. They both came from a time when fidelity and marriage did not go hand and hand, not that he was married to Danni. He wasn't. By changing her he'd made her his responsibility and his body's mate, nothing more. He felt the need to have her and protect her, but that wasn't going to dictate his life.

"I brought some supplies and of course I know the perfect spot to bathe. I could help you if you'd like and then you could feed," Jax suggested in a seductive voice that he knew Danni damn well better resist if she knew what was good for her.

"That would be great," Danni agreed as his eyes narrowed on the woman. Not even ten minutes ago she was kicking the shifter's ass. Now she was willing to f**k the man?

Bullshit.

Danni wasn't into shifters, vampires or demons, he reminded himself even as unease crept up his spine. That was before he changed her. What if she was seeing things in a whole new light now? She sure as hell better not, he thought as he glared at the woman. She ignored him as they made their way through the thick brush.

"Let me check on my pack first and then I can help you find the pond," Jax said as they stepped into a large clearing set up with tents, supplies and shifters just starting to shift back to their human forms. "That is, if Caine doesn't mind," Jax said, drawing Caine's attention.

Minded? He was going to f**king gut the bastard.

"I'm not with him," Danni said with a careless shrug as she perused the campsite, purposely letting her eyes drift over the na**d forms of the males and allowing her eyes to linger where they shouldn't.

Fuck that.

"Good," Jax said, grinning. "I'll be right back."

"Don't bother," Caine said as he reached out and wrapped his hand around Danni's beautiful raven hair and pulled her to him. Before she could tell him to go to hell he dropped his mouth to hers and showed every male in that campsite that she belonged to him.

When she bit his lip in warning he chuckled, but didn't stop. By the time he released her there would be no question in her mind that she was his mate. He didn't share and if she thought to allow another male to touch her then she'd better rethink that little plan because he wasn't f**king playing around.

********

Did he really think that she was going to let him have another go after announcing that he wanted to have sex with someone else? That really was just sad, she thought as she ignored her body's response to him and shoved him away.

But he didn't go far.

He cupped her face in his large warm hands as he forced her to look up and meet his red eyes. "You're mine, Danni," he said firmly.

She reached up and gripped his wrists. "No, I'm not," she said, shoving his hands away and forcing herself to ignore how much it hurt to say that. It felt like her very soul was screaming in protest at the claim.

Sleeping with him had been a mistake. She should have never done that. She wished she could take it back. Being with him last night had been wonderful, thrilling and felt so right, so perfect. She'd forced herself to leave before either one of them could wreck it, but apparently she hadn't moved fast enough. He ruined everything when he demanded a warm body or two in front of her like she was nothing. Did he really think that it wouldn't hurt her?

No, he probably hadn't cared.

"Go feed," she said, forcing the words out of her mouth as she pretended that the very suggestion didn't leave her feeling empty. "I'm going to get cleaned up."

"Danni,-"

"Bon appetite," she said with a mock smile before she turned around and headed for the woods, hoping that she'd be able to scent the fresh water. She prayed that it was a good distance away from the camp because she knew hearing him with another woman would kill whatever hope she had left that she meant something, anything to him.

She forced herself to walk to the woods, refusing to look back at him and let him see how truly pathetic she was. While she was hoping that she meant something to him, in truth she was just a f**k. He'd admitted as much last night, but that hadn't stopped her from hoping that she'd meant more to him. She hoped he'd realize how much she meant to him and come after her. God, she really was pathetic.