store logo
GALATEA
(30.7K)
STEAMY ROMANCE NOVELS

Fifty Shades of Grey Can't Hold A Candle to This Book

LENA
Mar 25, 2024

Kidnapped by My Mate

Chapter 1

BELLE

I couldn’t keep my eyes off the man across the bar from me.

At that moment, I wished that I had dressed up for my flight to Paris.

When our eyes met for a moment, a wave rushed through my body, an unfamiliar feeling I had never experienced. It was like I had found all the answers I was looking for.

I dropped my gaze, turning to the drink in front of me. I needed to calm my nerves. Flying made me nervous.

Slowly, my eyes drifted back to the man, who was now looking down at his phone.

He was breathtaking… Large to the point that he almost looked comical in his barstool.

His muscles strained against his black shirt and blue jeans, telling me he must’ve spent quite a lot of time in the gym. He had chocolate-brown hair, mesmerizing dark-green eyes, and a jaw that could’ve cut through diamond.

His lips were luscious and full, and I unconsciously leaned in, imagining how it would feel to press my lips against them. I imagined what I might do if I were the sort of person that was confident enough to approach him.

I found myself daydreaming about the possibilities…

“What’s your name?” I would ask from across the bar.

He would smile and bring his drink along to sit right next to me. 

Then he would lean in and whisper his name into my ear, his lips grazing my earlobe.

“Meet me in the bathroom,” I would wink before walking away.

I would feel his eyes burning the back of my neck. 

A few moments later he would burst through the door, his eyes dripping with desire. 

His hard body would press against mine, nearly knocking the air out of me.

He would push me up against the sink, kissing my neck, my legs straddled around him.

“Alpha,” a man approached him. “It’s time to board the plane.”

What a strange way to speak to someone, I thought to myself, downing the last few sips of my drink.

Before he got up, the gorgeous stranger looked at me one last time, a mischievous smile on his face, like he could read my every thought.

“Final boarding call for Flight 2497 to Paris,” the announcement boomed overhead.

“Shit,” I looked at the time. I was late.

I ushered the bartender over. “May I have the check please?”

“Don’t worry about it darling,” she said. “That gentleman over there already paid for it.”

How strange… He paid for my drink and yet did not say a word to me.

I tried to push away my thoughts about the stranger as I walked across the airport toward the gate, luggage in tow. I couldn’t seem to calm myself down, even though I tried.

I absolutely hated flying.

And an eleven-hour flight to Paris was the last thing I wanted to be doing the day before Christmas Eve. But my mother had begged me to come spend the holidays with her and her husband.

I knew that she’d only invited me out of guilt.

I hadn’t seen my mother in over five years, and she’d seemed to have no problem leaving me behind after my dad had gotten sick. It had only taken her one year to get remarried and one more to have a kid.

Once on the airplane, I couldn’t keep my hands from shaking.

When I finally made it to my seat, far in the back of the plane, I looked at the man who I would sit beside for the next eleven hours. His gaze moved up and down my body, stopping at my chest for a while before meeting my eyes.

He smirked. “Well, hello there.”

Great. Just perfect. I get to spend the next eleven hours being ogled by a creep.

“Hi,” I muttered.

Ignoring Mr. Creeper, I picked up my carry-on and lifted it above me to put it in the overhead compartment.

I had almost managed to fit my luggage in when I felt hands wrap around my waist, touching the bare skin of my stomach where my shirt had ridden up.

The hands tightened around me and sparks ran down my frame. I jerked my head around to see who was attached to the hands, and felt my eyes widen as I took him in.

It was the man from the bar.

A sudden deep growl snapped me back into an upright position, and my eyes met his to find that he was watching me check him out.

I probably should have slapped him, but instead I let my eyes close and basked in the feeling of his arms around me as delicious sparks coursed through my body. I didn’t even know that it was possible to feel this good.

I felt his head move from mine as he bent to nuzzle my neck. I tilted my head to give him better access, and he let out an approving grunt.

And then I felt him place a gentle kiss right where my neck and shoulder met. First my knees went weak, then my entire body went numb as a breathy sigh exited my mouth. He smiled against my neck, chuckling and taking all of my weight into his arms as I leaned completely into him to stop myself from falling.

I was in absolute heaven.

The clearing of a throat snapped me out of my trance, and I squeaked and tried to pull away, remembering where I was.

I heard my suitcase sliding toward me and quickly ducked, waiting for its hard corner to smash into my head.

But nothing happened, and instead I heard, “Careful, beautiful.”

He smiled at me and winked before shoving my bag into the compartment and snapping it closed. Still keeping his hand on my back, he turned to look at the woman behind him who had been trying to get our attention during our intense moment. The woman looked shocked, and hesitantly cleared her throat once more.

“Sorry, I just need to get to my seat, and you guys are blocking the aisle. I didn’t mean to interrupt your reunion. You two clearly haven’t seen each other in a while,” she smiled sweetly.

Wanting to correct her, I opened my mouth to say that we had never technically met before, but the man holding me beat me to it.

“We were just finding our seats. We’ll be out of your way in a second.” His voice was smooth and reassuring.

I went to move away, looking forward to escaping the awkward situation, but the man just tightened his hold on me.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear: “Not so fast… You’re not getting away that easily.”

Then he looked at the creeper who would be sitting next to me during the flight. “Move,” he said to him.

Mr. Creeper just sat there and gawked at us for a second. It made me very uncomfortable to think he’d been watching us.

“What?” he asked.

“Move,” the good-looking man repeated. “I’m sitting there.”

“I’m sorry? I’m not moving. This is my seat.”

The man holding me growled low. “Here, take mine.” He handed Mr. Creeper his ticket. “It’s first class,” he said, watching the man look over the ticket with a raised eyebrow.

“Now, move,” he said slowly—almost threateningly—as if he was daring the man to question his orders again.

The creep looked at us one more time before he got up and quickly grabbed his bag.

“Go on, gorgeous,” my new, mysterious neighbor said, gently pushing me to the window seat while following closely behind.

“Um, sorry about earlier,” I muttered, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear and dropping my gaze. I wanted this guy to like me. “I rarely go around touching strangers like that, I promise.”

I laughed nervously. When he didn’t respond, I cleared my throat.

“Okay… So why did you give up your first-class ticket to sit all the way back here?”

My eyes met his, and his hand moved to cup my cheek.

“Because I wanted to be near you,” he said huskily. He ran his thumb over my cheekbone as he examined every inch of my face. “Wow, how did I get so lucky?”

I leaned away from him, not sure of how to respond. I must’ve heard him wrong.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

He just smiled and shook his head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it, beautiful.” He leaned toward me across the armest. We were close for two strangers.

“I’m Grayson. What’s your name?”

Almost as if I were in a daze, I heard myself say, “Belle.”

His smile widened. “Belle,” he said to himself. “My Belle.”

His eyes were so pretty. I couldn’t help but stare into them. “Uh-huh…,” I said absently.

He let out a wholehearted laugh.

Did I say something funny?

“Our bond is strong; I can tell,” he said.

Is it just me, or does nothing he says make any sense?

“What? Our bond?” I asked.

He brushed a loose strand of hair from my face. “Don’t you worry your little head about it.”

I was once again snapped out of the daze he seemed to keep putting me in when a baby behind us let out a loud scream. Realizing just how close I was to the man--Grayson--I jumped back.

I’d been able to feel his breath on my face.

My cheeks immediately turned red, but before I could feel too embarrassed, he spoke.

“Mine. Mate,” he said, his deep, husky voice ringing in my ears.

Chapter 2

BELLE

“What did you just say?” I asked.

“So, business or pleasure?” Grayson asked.

Oh, right. I had almost completely forgotten where I was. I was hearing things. It must have been the stress. My nerves picked up again as I remembered that the plane would likely take off any minute.

“Oh, um, neither, I guess. I will visit my mother and her husband.”

I must’ve been making a face because Grayson asked, “And you’re not happy to see your mother and her husband?”

I shook my head.

“No, not since she left my sick father and me to run off to Paris and marry her rich lover,” I heard myself saying.

I paused. I can’t believe I just said that.

I had told no one about my mother, and now I’d just blabbed it to a complete stranger.

I looked at him. His expression was pensive.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that. I promise I’m not that crazy person on the plane who shares her entire life story with the stranger sitting next to her.”

Grayson looked deeply into my eyes—almost as if he were searching for something—and then he grabbed the armrest between us and lifted it so it was no longer a barrier. I watched his movements closely.

“Um… What are you doing?”

“Shh…,” Grayson said. He grabbed my hips, which were already angled toward him, and tugged me so that my knees were touching his.

The delicious sparks trailed up and down my body again as his hand found its way under my shirt and onto the small of my back, where his thumb began making soothing circles.

I let out a breathy sound from the back of my throat. His other hand went up to cup my face.

“You don’t have to worry about a thing now,” Grayson whispered. “I’m going to take care of you.” He leaned down so that his lips were touching my ear. “You’re mine.”

I tilted back so I could see his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

He smirked. “I mean…” His thumb touched my lower lip, and I gasped.

“Everything”—he kissed my eyelid—“about”—he kissed my other eyelid—“you”—the top of my nose—“is mine.” Finally, his lips met mine.

My eyes fluttered shut at his kiss. The feeling was euphoric, like fireworks and explosions. My hands moved up to his huge, muscular shoulders and squeezed.

I let out a soft moan.

I felt him smirk against my lips, and I paused for a second. No, no smirking. Smirking meant that he might stop kissing me, and I really didn’t want that to happen.

Never taking my lips from his, I got up on my knees and pushed my chest into his, basking in the sparks that came wherever our bodies met.

My hands went up into his hair and tugged his face closer to mine.

He groaned approvingly.

Suddenly he squeezed my hips tightly, then lifted me onto his lap so that my knees went on either side of him. I pushed my chest against his, and he deepened our kiss, plunging his tongue into my mouth.

His hands kneaded my hips and then slid up under my shirt to grip my waist, his thumbs touching the underwire of my bra.

Oh my God, is it getting hot in here?

Someone cleared their throat next to us, and it was like they’d flipped a switch in my brain: I suddenly realized what we were doing.

I jerked backward, but Grayson tightened his grip, keeping me firmly on his lap.

I looked at the flight attendant who was standing next to us.

“Sorry, miss, but I’m going to have to ask you to return to your seat and put on your seatbelt. The plane is about to take off.”

I nodded my head quickly, feeling my face turn bright red. I scrambled to get off Grayson’s lap, and, thankfully, he let me go this time. I sat down in my seat and quickly buckled my seatbelt.

The flight attendant watched as Grayson put his on too, then she nodded and walked away.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.

I placed my hands on my face to cool my burning cheeks.

I can’t believe I just did that. What is wrong with me?

I was so embarrassed, I couldn’t even bring myself to look at Grayson. I had crawled into his lap and pressed against him like some hooker begging for him to get into my panties.

“Hey, hey, hey,” I heard Grayson say. “What’s wrong?” He touched my arm.

I jerked my arm away, ignoring how much I wanted him to keep his hands on me.

“Don’t touch me,” I snapped.

Grayson made a startling growling noise in the back of his throat. I looked at him and saw an intense expression on his face. His jaw was clenched and his breathing was deep, his chest rising and falling quickly. And, oh yeah, his eyes were pitch black. The pupils, irises, and the whites of his eyes were all black.

I gasped and scrambled backward until my back hit the wall behind me.

“Oh my God. Your eyes.”

His eyes widened and then snapped shut. He took a deep breath, and when his eyes opened again they were back to normal.

I was going insane. That was the only logical explanation. The death of my father and the fear of seeing my mother again were finally getting to me.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s just… You can’t tell me not to touch you.”

My heart started beating faster. Maybe he was the insane one. “What do you mean?”

He leaned forward, an intense look in his eyes.

“Oh, baby girl, have you forgotten already?” His hand clasped my knee and rubbed up and down my leg. “You’re mine, remember?”

My blood boiled. That was the third time he had called me his property. Who did this guy think he was? Sure, he was good-looking. I had thrown myself at him and was extremely attracted to him, but that didn’t mean I belonged to him. I was my own person. I belonged to no one.

I especially didn’t belong to some man who I’d just met and who knew no personal boundaries. I opened my mouth to give him a piece of my mind, but stopped when I felt the plane suddenly move.

I must’ve completely missed the part where they explained where all the exits were and how to buckle your seatbelt. It was probably for the best though: that just would’ve only made me more nervous.

As the plane picked up speed, my heart beat hard against my ribs and my hands began shaking. I grabbed hold of Grayson’s hand that was still clamped onto my leg and squeezed my eyes shut.

I tried taking deep breaths to calm myself down, but they came out more like quick, gasping pants.

Oh my God… Am I hyperventilating?

“Belle,” I heard Grayson say. “Belle, baby, what’s wrong?” I felt his hand come up to grip my shoulder.

I shook my head frantically, unable to find my voice. I was afraid that if I spoke, I would cry.

“Belle,” Grayson’s voice said to me. It came out calmer this time.

“Look at me, Belle. I need you to look at me, gorgeous. Let me see those beautiful blue eyes.”

I just shook my head again. The plane jumped as it lifted off the ground. I let out a whimper and pushed myself further against the wall.

“Belle, I swear to God, if you don’t look at me, I will kiss you again, and who knows where that will lead…”

Did he actually just say that? I was basically about to have a heart attack, and he was threatening to kiss me?

I opened my eyes. Grayson’s face was about a foot away from mine. He smiled.

“There are those beautiful eyes.”

My breathing slowed a bit. He was so unbelievably beautiful. How could someone possibly be so good-looking?

And charming, and sweet, and comforting, and such an amazing kisser…

The plane suddenly shook again—harder this time—and most of the passengers gasped.

The pilot’s voice came over the cabin speakers to apologize for the turbulence, saying that the weather seemed more serious than was originally expected.

I glanced out my window and saw that it was pouring rain, and the sky was filled with lightning.

“Oh my God, this is how I’m going to die,” I said. My entire body was trembling.

The plane shook again at the same moment that a crashing roar of thunder came from outside. I let out a terrified shriek as tears started pouring from my eyes.

“Belle, baby, come here,” Grayson said in an agitated tone. I looked at him and saw that he was holding out his arm, encouraging me to lean on him.

“What?” I asked shakily. “N-n-no!”

Something gripped my hand tighter. I looked down to see that I was holding his hand with both of mine. I quickly let go and pushed it away from me.

Why am I so touchy with this dude?

He ran a hand through his hair as he watched me panic. He looked pained. “Please, Belle, just let me help you.”

I grasped at the wall behind me, hoping it would stabilize my shaking body. “How?”

Before I could get my answer, the plane was rocked by crashing loud thunder and a bright bolt of lightning that I swore must have hit us. People screamed as bags fell from the overhead compartments.

I screamed bloody murder and covered my face with my hands.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God,” I sobbed. This was my worst nightmare.

“Belle,” Grayson said. His voice was clearer than before, and suddenly all other noises faded away. “Look at me.”

As if I was under his control, I removed my hands from my face and looked at Grayson. His eyes were black again. But this time, it wasn’t scary. This time, it was almost comforting.

“Come here,” he said slowly.

I nodded my head and practically dove into his chest, going as far as my seatbelt would let me. I wrapped my arms around his torso and gripped his shirt in my fists.

He wrapped his arms around me, too, lifting my shirt so that his bare skin was touching my back and stomach.

“What are you doing?” I asked, shivering from the feeling of his skin against mine, and the delicious sparks traveling down my spine once more.

I felt him nuzzle my hair. “I’m sorry, I know this must be weird for you. It’s just that the more skin-to-skin contact we have, the calmer you will feel.”

He removed my arms from around him, and, for a moment, I felt disappointed. But then he lifted his shirt and put my arms back where they’d been.

I could feel his abs…

“See? Better, right? Touching me is helping.” I felt him kiss the top of my head.

He was right. I could feel my heart rate slowing down and my nerves starting to calm. “How is this happening?” I asked. I was so overwhelmingly confused.

What is happening?

Before he could answer, there was another burst of thunder. I whimpered and pushed my face into his chest as far as it would go. His arms tightened around me, and his hands massaged my back.

“Shh, baby girl. Relax for me,” he whispered, his mouth touching my ear. I felt my shoulders slowly release their tension. His voice was so smooth, so comforting—it was like he had magical powers.

I would have done anything he told me to do as long as I got to keep hearing his voice.

“There we go. That’s what I like to see.”

More thunder shook the plane. I pressed my face deeper into his chest and gasped.

“Nuh-uh,” he said. “None of that.” His lips pressed to my ear, leaving a kiss.

“Pay attention to my voice. All you can hear is my voice, baby.” He trailed kisses down my neck.

He was right. Once again, the other noises faded away. The crying babies, the yelling passengers, the roaring thunder, the pounding rain—everything else went silent.

All that was left was him and me.

“The only thing you can hear is my voice. Isn’t that right?”

I nodded my head.

“Good. Now, slow your breathing.”

My breathing went from quick, gasping breaths to slow, deep sighs.

“Good girl.” His lips continued to move along my neck. “Don’t be scared. I’ve got you. I’ll take care of you.”

His kisses felt like magic. His voice was like magic. Everything about him was magic. I wasn’t on a plane anymore. I wasn’t anywhere anymore.

It was just me and Grayson—his arms around me, his lips on my skin. I was calm. And then his lips found a spot on my neck that made fire travel throughout my body. I gasped.

Grayson smiled against my skin. “Hmm…” He began sucking on the spot, his tongue running over my skin, leaving tingles that went to my toes.

His fingers were digging into my waist, and I felt something building up inside me—a feeling that I hadn’t had in a long time. My entire body shuddered, and I tilted my head to the side to give him better access. His deep chuckle vibrated through my body.

“Hmm… Like that, do we?” he whispered against my skin.

I couldn’t even respond. It felt like I was on drugs. Everything was moving so slowly. I let out a deep breath that sounded more like a whine because he had stopped kissing me. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted, but I needed something more—something I knew Grayson could provide.

I tilted my head some more, hoping he would keep kissing me.

He sighed. “I know, beautiful, I know. But not here. Not now.” He placed one more peck on the spot. “But I promise, I will make you mine. Soon.”

I didn’t understand what he meant. So I just moved closer to him, breathing in his heavenly scent. What kind of cologne does he use?

“That’s right,” he said. “I’m here and you’re safe. Nothing bad will ever happen to you again. We’re going to create the most amazing life together. I’m never letting you go.”

What did he just say?

“But for now,” he said, “you need to rest.”

I looked up at him. His eyes were still black.

“Sleep.”

And my world went dark.

Chapter 3

BELLE

I woke up to the feeling of being moved. I was vaguely aware of the fact that someone was unbuckling my seatbelt and then picking me up. I opened my eyes.

Grayson had placed me on his lap so that my knees fell on either side of him.

He set my head against his chest and wrapped his arms around me again.

I suddenly remembered that I was on a plane, and my heart rate picked up. How long have I been asleep for? I tried to lean back to look at him, but he just tightened his hold on me.

“Nuh-uh. Not so fast. You’re not going anywhere,” Grayson said calmly. He kissed my forehead. “Go back to sleep, Belle.”

And yet again, I was out like a light.

I dreamed of hands moving up and down my back and waist, playing with my hair, kneading my hips. I dreamed of sweet kisses being left on my ear, my nose, my forehead.

I dreamed of touching fireworks and then watching them travel up and down my body, finally exploding in my chest, leaving a warm glow around my heart.

But mostly, I dreamed of his forest-green eyes.

When I woke up for the second time, the only thing I was aware of was how warm and at peace I felt.

Everything felt so…right.

I buried myself deeper into the warmth and focused on the small firework that kept traveling up and down my back. It felt amazing. I let out a deep sigh.

Then suddenly my sigh was echoed by someone else, and I felt a kiss on my forehead. My eyes opened. Where am I?

I looked above me and saw Grayson. He had one arm around me, a hand running up and down my back and playing with my hair. The other hand was holding out a cell phone, texting someone.

His face was scrunched together as he concentrated. Oh my God. I was in his lap.

My back straightened, and his eyes suddenly snapped to mine. He smiled.

“Morning, beautiful.”

He really has a thing for pet names.

I scrambled to move away from him and he gripped my hips.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he said.

I seemed to recall him putting me in his lap. I glared at him.

“Why am I in your lap?”

He shrugged. “You kept moving toward me in your sleep, trying to put your face in my neck, and whimpering. So, when the seatbelt sign turned off, I moved you to where you wanted to be.”

I felt the blood drain from my face as I pictured myself crawling toward him in my sleep; it then immediately rushed back up into my cheeks as I remembered his lips on my neck.

Sensing where my thoughts were going, he said, “Not that I minded.”

He smirked.

Smirked!

I scoffed and tried to shove his hands off me so I could return to my seat.

“You can stay here. Really, it’s fine,” he said.

“No, really, it’s not,” I said, finally escaping his vicelike grip. I let out a sigh of relief as I slid back into my own seat. I was beyond embarrassed.

Why do I have to be so weird in front of the first guy I’ve been attracted to in years?

“I’m sorry. I usually have personal boundaries. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.”

He just waved it off, saying that it was no big deal.

“How long was I asleep for?”

He looked at his watch. “About eight hours.”

I gasped. “I was asleep for eight hours?”

He nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

“You let me sleep on you for eight hours?” I asked, completely and utterly mortified.

He nodded again.

“Oh my God.” I put my hands on my face.

“If it helps,” he said, “I fell asleep too for a while. It was the best sleep of my life.”

I looked at his smirking face and narrowed my eyes.

“You know, when you changed seats with the guy who was supposed to be next to me, I was actually relieved.

“But maybe it would’ve been better to sit next to the creepy guy who stared at my boobs. Maybe I wouldn’t have crawled into his lap in my sleep.”

It was supposed to be a lighthearted joke, but when I looked at Grayson, I could tell that he did not take it that way. His eyes were back to black, his jaw was clenched, and there were veins popping out of his neck and forehead. He looked murderous.

“Oh my God. Are you okay?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he closed his eyes, gripped the sides of his chair roughly, and breathed deeply. I started to feel worried. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but for some reason, I wanted Grayson to be okay. I wanted to comfort him.

“Can I do anything?”

He said nothing.

“Grayson?” I tried again.

When I said his name, his eyes snapped to mine, their blackness startling me. A rumble came from deep within his chest as he grabbed the back of my neck and brought my face to his.

He pressed his nose into my neck and began breathing deeply. His entire body was shaking.

“I love it when you say my name,” he said. His voice sounded deeper now, rougher—nothing like how tender it had sounded earlier.

He leaned back and looked deep into my eyes. I knew that I should be frightened by how black his eyes were. I mean, he looked possessed.

But somehow I liked his black eyes almost as much as his green ones.

“Stay here,” he said darkly. “Don’t move.”

I nodded, not wanting to go against his orders when he looked so deadly.

I watched him get up and make his way to the front of the plane and through the small doorway that led to the first-class section.

I reclined in my seat. Maybe he just has to go to the bathroom…

But then I heard people screaming, and the flight attendant ran up the aisle. Passengers were getting out of their seats. I jumped up and ran to the first-class section, wanting to see what all the commotion was.

When I entered it, the scene in front of me made my heart stop.

Grayson was holding Mr. Creeper up in the air by his neck.

Is he trying to kill him? There were people surrounding him, trying to get his attention, pulling on him to get him to stop strangling the creep.

But Grayson wasn’t moving. He was like a statue.

He was trying to kill him.

Grayson’s grip on Mr. Creeper’s neck was tightening more and more with every passing second. Out of everyone pleading with him to stop, one man was the most persistent.

He was yelling, “Alpha! Alpha! Stop! You will kill him!”

Grayson paid no attention to him, and just squeezed the creep’s neck harder. I pushed through the throng of people, making my way to where he was.

“Grayson!” I yelled when I finally reached him. I stood directly in front of him, trying to get his attention. “What are you doing?”

His eyes met mine, and I took a step back. He was terrifying.

His neck had grown two sizes, and veins ran up over his face and around his black eyes.

Fangs stuck out from beneath his lips, and foam gathered around his snarling mouth.

“Mate, move,” he said to me, his expression leaving no room for argument.

Gladly.

I took several steps backward, scared out of my mind, then a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me back closer to the doorway. I spun around in surprise. It was the man who had called Grayson “Alpha” earlier.

“You’re his mate?” he asked me frantically.

I didn’t know what he meant. “What? No!” I said, trying to escape his grip. He didn’t let me go. But then I vaguely remembered Grayson calling me that earlier.

“I don’t know!” I yelled.

He lifted his nose and sniffed the air.

What the hell?

“You’re human,” he concluded. “But you smell of the alpha.”

“What?” I screeched.

“Look, there’s no time to explain. If you don’t calm him down, then he will kill that man.”

I looked back at Grayson and saw him still strangling Mr. Creeper, whose face was now turning purple as he gasped for air and scratched at Grayson’s hand.

“Calm him down? How am I supposed to calm him down? He’s strangling someone!” I yelled.

“Touch him, talk to him, anything! Just get him to stop!”

I looked at the man in front of me. His expression was pure panic.

“Touch him?” I asked. I could do that. I could touch him. Hell, I’d been touching him the entire flight.

The man nodded encouragingly and tugged me back to where Grayson was.

The choking man’s movements were slowing, his head beginning to fall to one side. Shit… I have to do something.

I took a deep breath and then raised a shaky hand and placed it on Grayson’s shoulder.

“Grayson?” I asked. His head snapped to look at me. I swallowed. “Please stop. You’re hurting him.”

He growled—like really growled. “No.” His gaze turned back to the creep.

Well…that didn’t work.

I turned to the man behind me.

“Keep trying!” he yelled.

I whimpered, then stepped in front of Grayson and put my hands on either side of his livid face, forcing him to look at me.

“Grayson, stop now. You’re scaring me.”

That made him pause. His eyes softened a bit. His grip must’ve loosened because I suddenly heard frantic gasps of air.

I’m doing it! It’s working!

But then his expression hardened.

“Mate, move, or I will move you. I am dealing with the threat. I am protecting you.”

His voice was deadly.

I took a step back and turned to the man who had gotten me into this mess.

I could be back in my nice, cozy seat, by myself, not dealing with any of this. But no! Instead, I had to touch the livid demon man. Talk to the psychotic man strangling someone!

“What now?” I asked him.

“Kiss him!” he yelled.

“What?” I screeched. “No! I am not doing that!”

“I know this is scary, but we have no other option! Either you kiss him, or that man dies. It’s up to you.”

This made absolutely no sense. Why would kissing Grayson do any good? I looked at the man he was holding. Mr. Creeper had gone almost limp, with only his feet jerking the tiniest bit. Grayson was about to finish the job.

I had to do something.

“Fuck it,” I said. I grabbed Grayson’s face and smashed my lips into his.

At first, he didn’t respond. It was like kissing a very warm, very smooshy statue.

But then he muttered something against my lips: “Mate.”

Grayson pulled my body into his and drove his tongue into my mouth, claiming dominance over mine immediately.

He traced the curves of my body with his massive fingers, and I heard Mr. Creeper drop. I was vaguely aware of gasping and spluttering and then Grayson grabbed hold of my ass and lifted me into his arms. Then he wrapped my legs around his waist and carried me back out of first class.

No, no, no, no! This was not what I wanted. I had thought this would be a quick peck on the lips. I’d thought I would stop him from choking the creep, and then I’d sprint away for dear life.

I hadn’t thought he’d carry me away to my imminent doom.

I removed my lips from his, hoping that he’d stop and put me down, but he just growled and started kissing down my neck, still walking to Lord knows where.

“Grayson, what are you doing? Put me down!” I said, pushing on his shoulders.

Man, is this guy made of steel or something?

He didn’t even pause.

“Mate. Mine,” he said, and continued his open-mouthed kisses along my jaw.

I glanced back over his shoulder at the ‘helpful’ man from before. He was just standing there beside the doorway leading to first class, watching us as people crowded around the creep who’d nearly died.

“Help!” I yelled at him.

He just shrugged and gave me a look that said, What do you want me to do about it?

I wanted to scream.

What the hell was even happening? I’d mentally prepared myself for a long, uncomfortable flight. This was so far beyond that...

Grayson carried me into the bathroom of the plane and quickly set me down on the tiny sink. He positioned himself between my legs and gripped my hips.

“Grayson, what—”

His lips were suddenly back on mine.

And, oh my Lord, did it feel good.

Reader Reviews
I am so absorbed into these books… bye bye Netflix 😊
Shannan Penisione, Apr 8, 2023
Facebook Group
Honestly I think this app is great. I use it pretty much everyday and I love it. 👌🏻❤️
Steffie Cliff, Mar 26, 2023
App Store Review
I love this App. The books are amazing and I’m always excited to read more!
Virgo Rose, Mar 24, 2023
App Store Review
I really can’t get enough of this app. I spend most of my time reading, even at work. I just need a little taste of a chapter. The authors of the books are geniuses, I am sooo appreciative of their efforts. 💜
Kimberley Mills, Mar 23, 2023
Facebook Group