The Amber Shift

Thirty-Three

Killian

I'm lifting weights at the bench in my bedroom when a frantic knock sounds at my door. I replace the bar and wipe my face and chest. "Come in?"

Noelle bursts through the door and slams it. Leaning against the wall, she slides down to the floor and sobs wrack her body.

"Jesus, Noelle, what's wrong?" I ask, dropping to my knees beside her and pulling her against my chest. "Breathe, sweetheart, you need to breathe."

She inhales a couple times and finally, when her chest isn't heaving, I say, "Talk to me, Noelle. What the hell happened?"

Her dual-toned gaze meets mine and the words that come out of her mouth absolutely shock me to my core.

"Elijah is my mate, and he wants nothing to do with me."

I pull her onto my lap and brush the hair away from her face. "That can't be true. It's impossible to resist the bond between mates. I've heard it is like missing a limb if you're separated after finding each other."

She shakes her head and squeezes my abdomen around my ribcage. "It's killing him to resist, and now I understand the ache that is always present. He won't touch me; he won't give us a chance. He says he can't. He said something about, about it needing to be ignited, and I guess that hasn't happened yet, so it's doable, but...fuck. He's stealing my chance to have that connection. For the rest of my life," she whispers, leaning her head against my shoulder.

"He's a fucking idiot," I say, kissing the top of her head.

Elijah always has a noble cause for everything he does, but turning down a mate? For Christ's sake, turning down Noelle? He has lost his goddamn mind. This is his chance to have something real, to have someone love him in all the ways he missed out on.

I pinch her chin and tip her head back. "I'm sorry he hurt you."

Her eyes dance across my face and I know what she's going to say before she even opens her pretty mouth. "Make me forget, Killian. Please."

"I don't know if that's a good idea. There are some things that a guy just doesn't do when his friend's girl is involved."

She shakes her head, and a bitter laugh escapes her throat. "I'm not his girl. He's made that crystal fucking clear."

I close my eyes and inhale. What the fuck am I supposed to do with this? I've got my commander's mate curled up on my lap, practically begging me to fuck her. She is so soft and fragile right now; I should take her back to her room and let her work through this on her own. But even as I think about it, my fingers glide under the hem of her shirt. He doesn't want her, or at the very least, won't admit that he does, and she needs to feel desired right now. And damn, do I desire her.

"I'm going to hell for this," I groan, dropping my lips to her neck.

"Save me a seat in your lap," she breathes as she tilts her head to the side to give me more access to the soft, freckle-sprinkled skin.

I suck at her neck, leaving a purple mark right on the curve of her shoulder, and I run my fingers over it, whispering, "I want him to know I was here. I want him to know that I made you feel good when he gave you up." It's fucked up, but the asshole deserves the pain of seeing that I had his girl, that I gave her what she needed when he refused her.

She tangles her fingers in the waves atop my head and tugs, adjusting her body so she's straddling me. "Killian, don't be gentle with me. I just want to forget everything except you and me and this moment. Don't hold back. Give it all to me; I can take it."

I grab her waist and lay her out on the floor before covering her body with mine. She's so small under me, with her delicate arms and legs wrapped around my neck and hips. I press myself to the apex of her thighs and rock to the rhythm of a slow song in my head. Lifting her tank top above her chest, I dip down and take one of her hardened peaks into my mouth. Her body responds with little effort, arching off the carpet.