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Trace had no answer for that, but maybe her former alpha would know. “Get Jeremy from Dark Claw on the line,” he said.
__________
Patrick didn’t stop until we reached the hotel several hours later. Trace had made sure I had a full tank of gas before seeing me off that morning, which had unintentionally allowed for an easier escape. We didn’t have any luggage to carry other than my purse, leaving Patrick free to grab meby the hand. It felt wrong, not only as a mated she-wolf but also because it was something we had never done before. I had to wonder if he was afraid of me trying to run away or if he was just being weirdly affectionate.
“Hello, ma’am,” he greeted the woman at the front desk. “We have a reservation under the name Patrick Callahan.”
She looked the information up on her computer and smiled at our hands joined together, but her face quickly filled with concern when she spotted the mating bite on my neck. While most female wolves liked to display them proudly, mating marks were also known to alarm humans, who had no way of differentiating them from a sign of abuse.
“Thanks, babe,” I said to Patrick, smiling and hoping that the endearment was enough to ease the woman’s mind. I might not be mated to him, but I also didn’t want the human police involved. “It was thoughtful of you to reserve a room for us.”
Patrick’s eyes widened, and then he smiled back, giving my hand a squeeze. He leaned in for a kiss, but I covered my mouth and turned away, pretending to cough. I sincerely hoped that he wasn’t reading into what I said.
Thankfully, the human processed his request and gave him the papers to sign without issue. We found the elevator and took it up to the fourth floor. I was in awe of how ornate it was; everything was made of glass and faux gold, giving us glamorous views of the lobby and casino below.
My eyes widened when we walked through the door. The room was massive, and the view of the Las Vegas strip was breathtaking. I shot Patrick a judgmental glance when I spied the bouquet of flowers and the two-person, heart-shaped tub. No wonder the receptionist had given us those looks.
“Is this a honeymoon suite, Patrick?”
He gave me a sheepish look. “I didn’t know how…excited you’d be about leaving, okay? I thought you might want to celebrate. We don’t have to do anything if you’re not ready.”
I sighed and grabbed the bottle of champagne off the coffee table. There was a basket of fruit and chocolate that looked a little tempting, too, but I would focus my attention on the alcohol first.
The cork opened with a loudpop!, releasing a stream of bubbles. I caught most of the fizz with my hand and quickly brought my fingers to my lips. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sweet carbonation. Suddenly, Patrick was by my side. He ran a finger down the side of the bottle and took it from my hands.
“Mind if I have a taste?” he whispered, tucking my hair behind my ear. I gasped at the innuendo and spun around to glare at him, but he had already brought the bottle to his mouth. His eyes danced with laughter at the joke.
“Idiot,” I said, smacking him on the arm and stealing the champagne back. I took a long drink and passed it to him. “So, how long are you keeping me prisoner here, Patrick? Can I at least call Trace? He’s probably really worried if he knows that I’m not at the school.”
Patrick sighed and took a long drink. “When you say things like that, it reminds me of how not okay you are right now, Mare. I’m guessing he broke something in you, and I want to rip his head off for that. But I’m no dummy; I know he’d pulverize me in a fight and take you prisoner, again, so the best I can do is get you as far away from him aspossible.”
“So, your plan is to what? Keep me locked away forever?” I asked.
“No, not forever. Just however long it takes to help you remember who you are and what you want,” he answered. “Look at it this way, Mare. This is me fulfilling a promise to a friend. I couldn’t stop him from taking you from Dark Claw that day. The way you screamed my name when he carried you off still gets to me.”
Patrick’s eyes clouded over, almost like he was living through it again. I scooted over to him and rested my head on his shoulder, wanting to comfort him. “A lot has changed since then. That was over a month ago,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, but your call telling me that all hope was lost and that he had basically forced you into a mating bite was only a few days ago,” he countered. “Whatever he did to make you change your mind, it’s only happened recently. You’ll see. Maybe you’ll even want me to break his claim on you…you know, give you a new bite and become your mate. The sex wouldn't be too bad, either. We always did well in that department together, right?”
His voice sounded so hopeful, and it was breaking my heart. “Patrick, that’s not possible. And even if it was, I want you to experience the true mate thing for yourself. It’s pretty amazing, I have to say.”
“We’ll see,” he said. “Let’s give it a few days and see how you feel.”
We quickly polished off the bottle of champagne and sampled a few pieces of fruit. Since we were at an impasse, there was no reason to continue arguing about contacting Trace.
I always had the option of lifting the barrier to see if he was there, but I also didn’t want him to be privy to my thoughts. If he knew that Patrick had taken me across state lines to Vegas and booked us a honeymoon suite, his fate would be set. All I wanted was a way to contact him and let him know that I was safe.And that you haven’t abandoned him, my wolf added from where she was hiding in the shadows.
Yeah, that, too.
“So, what do you want to do with your new-found freedom?” Patrick asked as we raided the minibar. I frowned as he downed a few mini bottles of vodka.
“I’m not sure, but you better take it easy,” I said. “I have enough to cover the room and this stuff, by the way. I still need to repay you all the money you lent me.”
I grabbed my purse and pulled out an envelope stuffed with cash. Patrick’s eyes widened. It was almost all the money I had earned from working at the school, minus what I needed to spend for my phone and food while living with Gabe. I had decided not to spend it and instead give it to Patrick when he came to pick up his truck. That time had come a lot sooner than I thought.
“Jeez, Mariam. How much is that? I didn’t give you that much, not by a long shot.”
“Almost two thousand dollars,” I said, shrugging. “Consider the extra as interest and a thank you.”
