LOGINShare
Fear (James POV)
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
Related chapters
A Marriage of Convenience The mate bond
My head is spinning as I run through the darkness. I started along the road, the sound of my feet pounding against the pavement creating an eerie echo through the woods. I need to get to Dante and Joan before it’s too late. But the further I get from James, the more the ache in my chest intensifies. It’s almost debilitating. Stealing my breath from my lungs without care. It’s like every nerve ending in my body is pulling me back to where I left James alone with those three monsters. I stumble to my knees as the pain nearly sears my body in two. It feels like I’m being torn in half. Like my insides are begging to return to James.The feeling isn’t foreign to me. I’ve felt this once before. The night of our last movie night. It was similar to all of the times I’d had my episodes before, but so much stronger. Even now, the pain is far more intense than it was that night all those years ago.The mate bond. I forced myself up from the pavement, ignoring the screaming pain from where
A Marriage of Convenience Aconite
Three pairs of eyes turned at the same time, making me gasp. I’d seen the eyes on the wolves during the gathering, but none of them looked like that.Not only that, but these three smelled like death. I’ve been around enough dying people to know that scent. It’s not something that disappears from your mind.Yellowed teeth snapped at me, as if to warn me to leave them to their prey.“Ro…. Sa,” my voice fell weakly from James’ lips, “Jus…. Go.”The wolf standing on James back stepped towards me, narrowing it’s milky white eyes. He appeared soulless and a shiver snaked down the length of my spine.My fingertips carefully unscrewed the lid to the water bottle filled with poison. A puff of compressed smoke curled out from the top, making the wolf in the middle growl. The moment the sound left his lips, the other two turned their attention to me, leaving James to lie helpless in the dirt.The liquid rippled ominously in the bottle due to my shaking hands. I didn’t have a plan when I decided
A Marriage of Convenience Onyx (James POV)
My body felt as if it were on fire. Every nerve ending was pulsing in hot agony.I felt Onyx break the restraints in my mind, making my head pulse with tiny explosions of pain. Then he forced the shift, all within a matter of seconds.‘Where the hell have you been?’‘Later,’ he growled, ‘I have some business to take care of first.’I knew exactly what business he was referring to. Onyx was a bloodthirsty wolf. He loved the hunt. Loved being on the front lines. But more importantly, he loves to protect.He’s got a knight complex.Rosa’s scent swirled heavily around me, sending a shiver through Onyx. Sweet rose and savory peaches overwhelmed me like a drug coursing through my veins. I’d smelled her scent before. Faintly lingering in the house or blowing in the wind, but this was something entirely different.Even when I’d realized that Marina was my mate for the first time; It didn’t feel like this.Onyx growled, the sound shaking the earth beneath our paws. Flutters above our head sign
A Marriage of Convenience Can't fight it
A hushed conversation is going on around me, but I can’t quite make out the words. A sharp throb is simultaneously stabbing me at my temples and my right side. Every breath feels pained, and labored. My ribs are definitely broken. “She needs to get to a hospital,” James’ voice prevails through the darkness. “How are you going to explain the way she looks, boy?” Joan snaps, “Dante’s getting the car cleaned up, but it’s clear that it wasn’t a simple car accident.”A warm tingly feeling starts in my hand, spreading up through my arm. I feel a gentle squeeze as fingers lace with mine, “She saved my life,” James’ broken voice whispers, and I can’t fight the urge to smile. My eyelids flutter as I try to focus on his face, “You’re okay,” I croak, causing his head to snap up. Bloodshot eyes meet mine, and my lips pull upwards. James’ wet hair is slicked back, likely from pushing his fingers through it. “Rosa,” he gasps, standing and moving to the head of the bed.His fingers tenderly mo
A Marriage of Convenience Saved
Mud was caked on the left side of my body where I’d skidded roughly across the damp Earth. The rest of me… I’ve not had a patient come through looking this morbid in years. Crimson splattered across my skin as if someone had painted me in blood. And James pressed his lips to my dirt covered face. “Do you think you can stand?” James whispered, ignoring my obvious shock at my appearance. “Yes.”The moment my feet touched the ground, a wave of pain danced through my side, but I bit my tongue in hopes that he wouldn’t notice. “What can I do to help?” James gently wrapped his arms around me once more. “I’m fine,” I spoke through gritted teeth, reaching down to peel the sticky shirt from my body. “Rosa,” James stared into my eyes, “Let me help you. I can feel your pain.”My brows pinched together in confusion, making James tilt his head like a puppy, “Our bond. I can feel everything that you feel. Please.” He reached up, tucking my crusted hair behind my ear, “Let me take care of you.
A Marriage of Convenience As real as it gets
Joan insisted that we stay there for the evening, and to be honest; I was spent. Between the lingering pain and the cocktail of medications that she’d given me, I wasn’t sure I’d make it through the car ride.James carefully laid me on the twin sized bed in the spare bedroom, covering me with a thick quilt, “Get some sleep. I’ll be out on the couch if you need anything.”I reached out, grabbing his wrist, “Don’t leave. Please.”James’ lip curled into a lopsided grin as he nodded, “Okay.”I scooted over, ignoring the protest of my aching ribs. When he didn’t take the hint, I glanced over my shoulder, “You’re not going to hurt me. I promise.”He sighed softly before climbing into the bed, careful not to jostle me. His arm carefully draped over my body, sending tiny jolts of electricity through my body.“That’s the bond, isn’t it?”James strummed his fingers lazily across my arm, “Isn’t it beautiful?” His voice was a low whisper, but full of so much emotion, my heart stopped beating.“Do
A Marriage of Convenience Loose-lipped (James POV)
“What do we do now?” Rosa stared up at the sky through the sunroof.We’d spent the last few days hiding out at Dante and Joan’s house, but I was desperate for my own space. I love my aunt, but she was overbearing… Especially with Rosa. And she didn’t hesitate to remind me that everything that happened to her was my fault.“We’re going to start with breakfast. And then we’re going to go home and spread out in my very soft, enormous bed,” I winked at her, causing a flush to creep up her neck, landing on the tips of her cheekbones. “Everything else can wait until tomorrow.”“I suppose you’re right,” she let her head fall lazily to the side. The cocktail of pain meds that Joan has been forcing on her have kept Rosa in a constant state of high, but the fact that she’s not in pain is worth every second.The bruises on her ribs have gone from a deep, angry shade of purple to yellows and greens. She doesn’t flinch with every movement, and for that; I’m grateful.Guilt has planted itself deep
A Marriage of Convenience From bad to worse
My entire body deflated as I stared at the screen of my phone. The tiny blip of relief I felt when James told my mother off dissipated almost instantly the second photos started popping up on my screen.“I don’t even want to look,” I groaned, placing my forehead against the cool, linoleum tabletop. If my mother was calling; It wasn’t good. The only time she ever called me anymore was when it had something to do with the Red image.James snatched my phone from the table and I watched his anger turn to shock and then back to anger.“It’s bad, isn’t it?”Personally, I don’t care at the moment about my image. The meds that Joan has been giving me have kept my pain at a minimum and my mind and body loose as a goose. My mind is ingrained with the need to please my mother, but I don’t have the energy to do it today.“This is fucking ridiculous,” James roared, his voice moving between a shout and a deep growl.“What does it say now? I’ve turned to stripping because my husband is walking out o
Latest chapter
A Marriage of Convenience Guilt
“I’ve increased security and will be checking in hourly. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” James held my annoyed stare, knowing that nothing was getting in or out of these walls without him knowing.He held up his hands in mock surrender, “Fine. FINE. I get it,” he stepped towards me, his large frame crowding my space. My butt hit the counter and my crutches fell to the ground. James lifted me with ease and placing me atop the cool, granite countertop. A shiver rolled through my body as the chill seeped into my skin, “I’m allowed to worry about you, you know?”“Worry all you want, but don’t stop letting me live. Please. I’ll be fine and I trust that all of the additional security measures you’ve put in place will keep me extra safe,” I pecked his lips, attempting to pull away quickly, but he grabbed my face, crashing our lips together in a searing kiss.James held me there until we were both breathless, and my chest ached from the lack of oxygen.“The office can wait,” he growled
A Marriage of Convenience The Perfect Mate
James assisted me into a house, where the smell of bleach assaulted me the moment I walked through the threshold. A crew of cleaners froze as we walked inside, but a single look from James had them scurrying back to their jobs.The glass had been removed and the blood no longer stained the white porcelain. A new pane of glass shimmered beneath the midday sun, and I found myself frozen as I stared at the picture-perfect home.“It feels weird to see looking how it was before,” I whispered, still feeling the fear of that night swim through my veins. The large floor to ceiling window overlooked the forest in the backyard, and I silently wondered if that fear would multiply once the sun went down and the shadows of the night came out to play.James pressed his lips to my temple, “I replaced the glass from before with something graded to be bullet proof. Nothing will get through those windows again.”A shiver rolled down my spine. Either James replaced the window with bulletproof glass to m
A Marriage of Convenience Something is off
I was finally cleared to go home from the hospital, but I’m not quite sure how to feel about it. On one hand, I missed my bed and the comfort of my own home. On the other, I didn’t know how to feel about being there after the attack.Not to mention my mind has been running in circles since Marina showed up here yesterday.James came shortly after she left, but something seemed off, and I wanted to dissect everything that Marina had said before confronting James about it. But even more confusing was the fact that she’d specifically said a wolf bite, when she shouldn’t have known that small fact.She couldn’t have known that unless she orchestrated it or James had told her about it, but I was leaning towards her orchestrating the attack.“How’s Ahmed?” I glanced up at James as he wheeled me out to the awaiting car.“He’s awake and recovering. I’ve placed him on paid leave and instructed his wife to come to me if they need anything at all,” James’ voice held an edge to it, but I didn’t c
A Marriage of Convenience Cops(James POV)
The inside of the house looked like a massacre. Tiny shards of glass decorated the floor like snow. Some of the larger bits were painted with a deep, blackish crimson from the dried blood, and the smell was nauseating.‘These were definitely rogues,’ Onyx spat through gritted teeth, his anger blending with mine the more we assessed the scene.Through it all, I could smell Rosalind’s blood, and the thought of them hurting her while I was off chasing some ignorant lead on Marina made my blood boil with anger. But the anger was directed at myself.I should have been here. I should have been the one to protect her, and Ahmed did his best, but one man against multiple wolves just didn’t succeed.Rainwater had flooded most of the evidence, causing it to spread before drying. The cops wouldn’t be able to pull anything from this mess. Not anything concrete anyways.I’d learned the hard way how easily evidence can be destroyed. If you’re not on the scene within a tiny window of time, your succ
A Marriage of Convenience Our. Home
“Rosalind,” Chris shouted, shouldering through a group of nurses who were conveniently gossiping about James. They still couldn’t believe he was married to a woman like me. Sure, I was a doctor, but that wasn’t anything special when the most eligible, billionaire bachelor in Georgia was in the running. He was like a God around here. And me? Well, I was simply an average looking woman who also happened to be a doctor. My status as a Red didn’t mean a damn thing, because I wasn’t a hot man who also happened to have enough money to buy the entire United States and not blink an eye. “What the fuck?” Chris muttered; eyes wide as he stared at my elevated leg. Blood had seeped through the bandages because they couldn’t seal the wound and for someone who doesn’t see this kind of thing on a regular basis, it was pretty disgusting. “Close the curtain,” I whispered, and he did quickly, rushing back to my side.“Was that,” he pointed at my injury, “From one of them.”“We are one of them,” I n
A Marriage of Convenience Cross me(James POV)
Pure, unfiltered rage didn’t even begin to describe the poisonous feeling flooding through my veins. The anger feels like a living, breathing thing.Like a Goddamned snake slithering its way beneath my skin, releasing toxic poison in the form of fury that bleeds into every square inch of my body.I want the heads of every single person who stepped foot on my property last night. I don’t give a shit who they were or what they were doing there. If they accidentally stumbled upon the forest at the back of the property…. I’m going to find them and make them pay.Since my driver is now fighting for his life in the hospital with Rosalind, I’m forced to call and wait for a driving service to offer me a temp replacement for Ahmed.A few painstaking minutes pass while I pace a hole in the cement out front of the hospital, sweating from the sweltering, humid Georgia heat before the damn driver finally shows up.‘He is clearly incompetent,’ Onyx spats in my head, ‘Ahmed would never keep us waiti
A Marriage of Convenience No one in or out
“Rosa,” James’ voice filters through the darkness, “Rosalind, baby.”My body shakes softly on my shoulders and my eyelids flutter. The lashes on my left eye are stuck to my face, and after a few attempts, they tear free.Bright lights above my head blind me as I blink away my disorientation.The sound of multiple different voices has my eyes panning around the room. EMS workers move quickly, rushing inside the small space and focusing their attention on Ahmed. I recognize a few of the faces rushing around me, but a relieved sigh falls from my lips as I finally focus on James.“What’s going on?”My voice sounds foreign and gravelly.“Are you injured?” James rushes out, coming back to my side and ignoring the emergency personnel shouting at him to back up.“My…” I start, trying to move the leg that had gotten bit, but it felt numb and stiff, “My leg and my ribs.”“What happened here?” The gold flecks in James’ eyes glitter beneath the harsh lights of the elevator, and his eyes soften as
A Marriage of Convenience Creatures
A loud noise jars me awake and my eyes struggle to focus in my disoriented state. The sky is nearly black and rain pelts against the floor to ceiling windows at the rear of the house.The television remains on, but the show I’d been watching has long ended. Glancing at my phone, I blink away the sleepiness seeing that somehow, I’d managed to nap for the last five hours.Another loud crack startles me as the sky lights up with a flash of lightning. A few seconds later, the power goes out, causing complete darkness to blanket me. The storm raging outside is the only sound I hear, and I quickly grab my phone, illuminating the flashlight as I walk towards the rear windows.The backyard leading into the forest looks eerie blanketed in complete darkness. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and the feeling of being watched envelopes me as I squint my eyes, trying to see anything through the heavy sheets of rain.Another flash of lightning illuminates the sky, and I swear I saw someth
A Marriage of Convenience Liar
James left early this morning for work and forbade me from going into the hospital. I called in with a family emergency, and there was no questioning. They knew if I was taking off, it was necessary, even though it didn't feel that way. Chris remained passed out on the back patio, and I’m not sure if I should force him awake or let him sleep off the shockwave that was yesterday. I still don't even know if I've managed to brush off the reality that I've been a werewolf my entire life and everyone I loved kept it from me..... and I've had weeks to process it.My phone buzzing against the countertop startles me, and I glance over to see that my father is calling.Begrudgingly, I grab the phone, hesitating as my finger hovers over the small green button. I’ve been avoiding talking to either of them. Since my meeting with my father and my mother’s explosion over the scathing interview I did with Mr. Arden; I’m not sure they even consider me a member of the Red family.“Hey dad,” I finally
