Losing Myself in You by Heather C. Myers Page B

that same smirk stained on her porcelain face, like a pristine doll.  She didn’t even bother to hide the fact that she was enjoying the show.  His pack was resuming eating, and now most couldn’t look at him.  Some outwardly refused to do so.
    He concealed a growl and gripped the wooden arms of his chair to keep from tearing his cloth napkin to shreds.  What had he gotten himself into?
     
     
     
     
     
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Chapter 9
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    He didn't have a choice. The Elders ha d spoken and he couldn't exactly argue with them despite the fact that he didn't want to marry the woman he had accidentally on-purpose bonded with. Well, he had to admit, at least with the bond, he could feel her within him, as though she was right next to him. The bond would undoubtedly lead him to her, and there he would demand that she return to his mansion with him. She would most likely refuse him, and if it came down to it, he would hoist her over his shoulder kicking and screaming. Heh. He might enjoy that, causing her some sort of distress. Although… if he was being honest, he had already caused her enough of that. Of course, he had never intended to… but she was… Oh, what was the word?
    Intoxicating.
    Yes, she may infuriate him to no end, but she was also intoxicating.
    It had to be after midnight, or at least that was what Marcus had assumed from the moon's positioning in the night sky. If anything, she was probably asleep, probably at her apartment.
    She had better be at her apartment , he thought, gritting his teeth at the mere notion that Bridgette might be with someone else, another man. He curled his fingers into fists as though he were preparing for some upcoming battle. He would probably take on the entire world for her, which was odd because he barely even knew her. But it didn't seem to matter.  It was such an odd feeling of confliction that just thinking about it gave him a headache.  Every time he thought of dismissing her, he physically recoiled from the thought.  It was like his head and body were warring with each other, and he was afraid his body would eventually win.
    His feet were already leading him out the door and into the wilderness.  He knew he was going after her.  He knew he had to see her, to smell her, to touch her…
    The bond they now shared tugged at him, pulling him to her.  The moon hung low in the sky, giving him adequate light though he was able to see clearly in the dark.  It led him to the door of her apartment, where her scent was overwhelming to the point where he was drowning in it.  He swallowed, feeling his senses heighten at the close proximity between the two.
    Marcus had walked from his home to hers. It had taken nearly two hours, but the night was cool, and he found that small activi ty such as walking helped clear his head and made it easier for him to focus. It required no effort to break into her apartment.  The luxury community she lived in wasn’t on a busy street, and everyone was sleeping by now.  All he had to do was climb the outdoor staircase that led directly to her door.  There was a thick tree right outside her window – a rarity in the city, but it seemed to add to the serenity surrounding the place.  Luckily, he didn’t need to climb it.
    Though there was an alarm that would go off in ten seconds adjacent to her front door, he quickly disabled it. He might not actually have participated in the embezzling they were trying to get him for, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a questionable set of skills.  They tended to come in handy, whether it was being a spy in the war or breaking into a near-stranger’s apartment. He twisted the door knob and pushed the door open, slightly hoping there wasn't some barking dog or curious feline prowling around.
    His eyes easily saw everything despite the pitch darkness, and even though numerous shadows cascaded across the living room of her apartment, he could still make his way through the room. He didn’t, exactly, tiptoe, but