JEWEL

Flora never told me having a mate would be such a pain in the ass.

I took in the scene before me, my mind racing for what to do. They looked frozen as they stood there, Dominic's gun pressed firmly under Bear's chin, and their eyes locked in a silent standoff.

"Dom..." I said.

Dominic's eyes narrowed, but he didn't look away from the object of his rage. "What?"

"He was just kidding; weren't you, Bear?"

Bear didn't respond.

"He should stick to his day job," Dom said.

"You're right. Totally bombed it. You should see him do standup. Where's a laugh track when you need one?" I was rambling, but it was all I could think to do to kill the tension.

Dom finally glanced at me, and the look on his face let me know he didn't find me cute in the least. But he sighed out his nose, looked back at Bear, and said, "Back the fuck up, and I won't blow your goddamn head off."

Bear took a step back, and I nearly collapsed from the relief. "Thanks, Dom."

Dominic grunted, but there was something lingering in his dark gaze. Calculation. His eyes roamed over the length of me, a slow, purposeful slide meant to literally poke the bear. "I was heading out for dinner, but now I think I'll stay in. Join me."

"She isn't going anywhere with—"

"Don't worry, Cujo." Dom lifted his gun again. "You're coming too." He circled around until he was facing us, and then he reached back and pressed the button for the top floor.

The penthouse.

Dominic grinned at my expression, but I had no idea how my face must have looked. Begging? Warning? Shitting my pretty, glittery dress? I bit the inside of my cheek. There were a lot of memories involved with the penthouse, and not one had anything to do with dinner.

The elevator stopped, dinged, and the doors slid open like hell's gates. Dom waved us out with the barrel of his gun. "After you."

We stepped out, and I took Bear's hand and hurried ahead. "Don't fight," I said out of the corner of my mouth.

He didn't respond.

"Bear!" I hissed, glaring up at his profile. Dominic's door loomed at the end of the hall, and once we were inside, there would be no guarantee we would both emerge alive. "Promise me. No matter what he says, you won't—"

Dominic stepped around me, inserted his keycard, and opened the door. "Have a seat at the dining table," he said, motioning once again with the gun he'd yet to put away.

I swallowed hard as we entered, and then chanced another glance at Bear. He was scanning the room as if searching for an exit, but unless he'd grown wings recently, he was unlikely to find one.

Not much had changed since the last time I'd been here. Same dark, leather furniture. The same smell of cigars and wood polish. But the circumstances couldn't be any more different. City lights filled the many windows, the only light apart from the chandelier hanging above the heavy table. Its dimmed bulbs formed a golden spotlight atop the polished wood as if Dom had known we would be coming.

I almost laughed when Bear pulled out my chair. If he thought manners would fix the mess he'd made, he seriously needed to rethink his priorities. Though, it was hard to stay mad at him under the current circumstances.

Dom pulled out his cell and tapped away at the screen. I prayed he was ordering food and not backup.

"Don't fight. Don't say a word," I whispered again.

"I heard you," Bear murmured.

I inwardly winced at his tone, but when I tried to meet his gaze, he wouldn't look at me. An odd mix of annoyance and guilt warred for dominance inside my chest. If he hadn't restrained me the night before, I could have saved Huck, then we wouldn't need to be here. But, knowing what he was about to experience...

As if on cue, Dom slid his phone into his pocket and took the seat across from me. "It's been a while since you've been here." He placed his gun on the table and leaned back in his chair. "Do you remember the last time?"

Shit. "Vaguely."

He hummed, and his eyes seemed to dance across the awkward silence.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Excuse me." Dom picked up his gun and left us there to answer whoever had arrived.

I peeked over at Bear. He looked like a statue, his gaze fixed firmly onto nothing. His white-knuckled fingers were firmly gripping his own legs as if he needed to restrain himself to his chair.

"You're doing good," I whispered, praying a bit of praise would be enough to keep him still. Knowing Dom, things could get much, much worse.

Once again, Bear didn't speak.

Dom opened the door, and a woman entered pushing a cart. "On the table please," Dom said as he lazily followed her back to us. As she poured wine and plated pasta, Dom removed his jacket and undid the top button of his shirt, giving a peak of the tattoo I knew covered his chest. The smokey, black crow's wings spread upwards onto his neck. Once upon a time, I'd found it attractive. He knew this.

He caught my gaze, and his lip twitched. "What's it been, blondie? Three months?" He took his seat and thanked the server, and then he picked up his wine and took a sip.

"I'm not sure," I gritted out, giving him a look that begged him to stop. "So, about the—"

"I'm trying to remember." Dom took another drink and then set the glass down. "Was that the time I fucked you on the couch or in the bed?"

My breath caught, and I winced as if a bomb had just reached its last tick. I gripped Bear's hand under the table, but my fear was unfounded. To my surprise, he didn't jump up. He didn't shout. He didn't even blink.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

Dom looked disappointed.

I took a bite of pasta, eager for a distraction. "This is good, Dom. Thank you."

Dom chewed the corner of his mouth, seeming to consider how best to proceed. "Anything for you, blondie. You know you're my girl."

"I know," I said.

Bear flinched, and I laid my hand over him beneath the table. As much as I wanted to spare Bear the insult and proclaim myself taken, I needed Dom to help. We had bigger battles to worry about than a little jealousy.

"How soon can we leave?" I asked.

Dom studied me for so long, I thought he might have changed his mind. I held my breath, and just when I thought I might pass out from lack of oxygen, he nodded. "I'll get a crew together tonight. We'll head out in the morning."

"Not tonight?" I urged. The more time we took, the greater the odds became. As it stood, it might already be too late.

Dom lifted a brow. "Don't push it."

We ate in silence after that—thank the goddess. I didn't know how much longer Bear could control himself. Though, he seemed to be holding up quite well. He didn't touch his food or his wine. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I'd broken him.

Once my plate was empty, Dom slid a keycard across the table.

"Thanks, Dom." I reached for it.

He pulled it back. "You know where I'm at...if you need anything."

I nodded.

He hesitated, looking as if he'd say more. But, in the end, he passed me the card and waved us off.

No sooner had he dismissed us, Bear bolted out of his chair with a force that nearly tipped it backward. He gripped my arm, hoisting me up, then all but dragged me out of the room. As the door shut behind us, I tried to pull free.

"Calm down," I said. "If he wanted to kill us, he would—"

With a growl, Bear lifted me into his arms and pinned me against the wall. Then his mouth met mine in a savage kiss unlike any he'd ever given me before.

A small voice in my head reminded me of the night before. A nagging whisper urged me to stand my ground and demand he apologize first. Admit he was wrong for what he did. Beg my forgiveness for impeding my role as beta and doubting my ability to take care of myself.

But I pressed the keycard to his chest as a much louder voice said, "Room."

Bear took the key and looked at it before taking in the numbers lining the hallway. Ours was only two doors down, and he carried me there as if the rest of the world was on fire. He pushed inside and kicked the door closed, then his large hand gripped my dress and yanked, tearing the glittery fabric in two. He tossed me onto the bed and crawled over me as his fingers slid into my sex.

My body arched, and a small cry escaped my lungs.

"Did it feel like that when he touched you?" Bear growled.

His hand rocked, making it so I couldn't think, let alone answer.

"No human could ever give you what I can."

I shook my head, agreeing with him. He was right. He knew it. But I wasn't opposed to him proving his point, especially not when it sent sparks shooting across my vision.

"By the time I'm done with you, you won't even remember his name."