Chapter 107 Chapter 9–Book 3

Warning: Language

The beast was returning home to his mistress, though he wondered for how much longer. The blood bond she tricked him into so long ago was growing thin. He could feel with each new moon that it was getting weaker. It was just a matter of time before he would be free.

He was getting pretty tired of being her whipping post and her gopher. He just had to be patient. For now, he would bide his time, hoping the weaker the bond got, the more of his memory he would regain. He was already getting snippets of images, but they didn’t make much sense. They were memories of fighting a great battle; he was on a horse in chainmail and armor. He had lifted his sword in the air and just as he was about to see more, the memory stopped.

There was another memory of a beautiful woman who was naked under a waterfall. Then the images disappeared into a fog.

Soon, very soon, he would be free.

Wait till she finds out he doesn’t have a sample of the girl’s blood, time for yet another whipping. The bond has made it easier to withhold from her; that is, unless she does that mind-rape crap.

Still, she doesn’t do it often simply because it takes a lot of her energy. He wasn't going to give her any more information than necessary. If she wanted it, she was going to have to go diving in his head for it.

Anna was just sitting in the big, overstuffed chair in the living room, watching August secure the windows and doors. She didn’t know what it was, but she found him irresistible. She was going to be 18 in a couple of months, but still, he was too old for her.

There is no way that he would ever consider a relationship with someone as young as she was. He would want a woman closer to his age, one that is sophisticated and beautiful, not a nerd with freckles.

That didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the scenery. She was waiting for Rachel to come down and start explaining things. Her mind started to drift and went back to that beast as it was sniffing the air and looking at her.

She remembered its eyes, how they looked almost human and held an intelligence in them. Oh, god, what about her friends? Are they okay? Did they get away from it?

The thoughts running through her mind took over; it was like she was trapped in a nightmare that she couldn’t find the way out of.

August was busy making sure that everything was locked down tight. He was aware of Anna watching him, and he had to admit that he liked it a lot. So did Khan, his lion; he had been acting strange since they met Anna, rolling around purring.

That was when August started to hear a low sound like a moan. He looked over at Anna, and she was tightly curled up in the chair, visibly shaking and holding her head, moaning.

Without thinking, he rushed over to her. He kneeled in front of the chair, taking one close look at her, he could tell that she was having a flashback.

“Anna!” “Anna!” “Anna, it’s okay, you are safe; it can’t get to you here. I am here, I won’t let it get you, I promise. Follow my voice, do what you need to, please come back to me.”

He reached out and touched her arm; instantly, sparks flew between them. He knew what that meant. It didn’t matter right now. Just as he thought that maybe she couldn’t hear him, she launched out of the chair and into his arms. She was crying her heart out in fear.

Rachel and Archer came running down the stairs. Rachel instantly got down on the floor with them.

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She has had a flashback; I think it had to do with that beast that was after her.”

Rachel tried to take Anna out of August’s arms, but Anna wouldn’t let go of him.

“It’s okay, Rachel, I got her. I will stay with her till she has recovered.”

August looked at Archer, mind-linking them.

“I will take care of her. Don’t worry, I know she is too young; I will wait, don’t be concerned. She is my true mate, and I can at least make her feel safe. It would kill me if I couldn’t at least do that for her.”

“I will also fill her in on things she needs to know. I will do everything I can for her, except take her as my mate. But know this, when she is ready, I will not hold back. Even though I can’t claim her yet, she is still mine.”

Archer reached down to help Rachel up, and he talked her into leaving Anna with August for now. Besides, they had many things to talk about before everyone else arrived.

Archer could tell that Rachel was reluctant to leave, and Archer thought that maybe she would protest, but she turned back to her sister one more time.

“Anna, if you need me, I will stay.”

“I…I’ll be alright… Rachel, go. Please,” Anna said between sniffles as she clutched August even tighter than before.

Rachel put up her hands and walked away in defeat. Archer was right; they had a lot to talk about. It was time she put her big girl panties on and got some answers to her questions as well.

August turned all his attention back to Anna; she felt right in his arms, and her scent was out of this world. Khan was acting like an idiot. So, he just shifted her position in his arms and carried her to the couch where he put her in his lap.

She made the front of his shirt wet. He was never going to wash it, not until she was his for good and all. He stroked her hair till he felt that she was calming down more. When he realized that she was asleep, he carried her up to her room.

When Archer and Rachel arrived back at his bedroom, Rachel decided that they were going to have to turn down the heat a bit and start talking, with their clothes on.

He started to undo the buttons on his shirt.

She gave him a look…

“Nope, you are not going to be doing that until after you start telling me everything, start with this mark on my neck. Then you are going to explain what the hell that beast was and why it wants me and my sister.”

“Then you are going to tell me everything else you were going to before things got heated and my sister started crying.”

When he scratched the back of his head, Rachel came to realize that is what he did when he felt he had been caught at something he didn’t want to talk about.

“Fine, I will answer all your questions, as long as you promise to stay calm and not try to run away again.”

“Fine, Archer, I promise not to run away.”

Not exactly what he wanted to hear, but half is better than none. So he proceeded to tell her what was on her neck and why it was there. “That mark on your neck means I have marked you as my mate.”

All of a sudden, heard throughout the whole cabin were the words…

“WHAT THE FUCKING HELL!!!”

“Rachel, please calm down, and I will explain further.”

“You claimed me as your mate!!!! Don’t you think that maybe I should have had a say in that decision?”

“Yes, you should have been given the choice, but understand I wasn’t going to let you get away. You are my true mate; without you, I would live a half-life.”

“It would be true to say that yes, I would have found someone to have cubs with. It wouldn’t be the same; there would be no bond. I may have grown fond of her, but I would not have loved her.”

“With you, it is different than just normal love; it is beyond that, it is the bond of soulmates. Our souls are tied together now; you are my Lion’s Solis’s mate. That is why he marked you; that sun on your neck is his symbol.”

“Archer, does that mean I will have to mark you too?”

“Yes, Rachel, it means just that. I would love that so much, but I will only accept your mark if you truly want to give it.”

“That is the price I will pay for taking away your right to choose.”

“Archer, what if I never want to mark you, does that mean you can be unfaithful?”

“Catnip, I will never want or need another; you are my choice now and forever.”

“I am your choice as well; neither of us will be able to stray to other people, nor will we want or need to.”

“But I am human; is it possible? I mean, don’t you have to do it with your own kind?”

“Trust me, catnip, we are compatible in every way. Once you mark me, the bond will be at full strength. It will take things to a whole new level.”

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