Chapter 8

(**Irina POV**)

Sebastion said nothing further about his son, we were interrupted as Tori came back into the conference room asking if we would going back to the file room. It was good timing, I could feel my heart melting with Sebastion’s love for his son. I am not ready to bend to him so easily. There is much more I will need to know before I let him into the one place I have locked away.

There has only been Gustav and Zasha in my heart for years. I am not sure I have it in me to love another, at least not soon, but I can feel myself weakening to Sebastion. I dislike it. I am not ready for this. I want my daughter safe before I take that leap.

I follow Tori down to the file room to get back to that mess of files. There is so much on my mind and part of me hopes that she will not start a conversation with me. I know that it is a futile hope as she strikes me as the type of woman that will just want to chatter. Not that talking to someone other than Sebastion will be a bad thing, I just want the peace and quiet that I had earlier today.

“Oh, I can see you made a good start with the first cabinet. I will let you work on that and I will go further down to start the next company’s files. If you have questions at all, I will be just down there.” Tori said as she pointed to the far end of the row.

“Can I ask you one thing before we get to work?” I look at her and then at the mess I made on the floor.

“Sure.”

“Why did Sebastion’s last assistant quit?” I ask her.

“It wasn’t for any terrible reason. Leslie found her mate and left the state. If you ask me, it was a good thing. I would come behind her and file this stuff correctly, but she always ended up with a mess. I just don’t think she liked the job, so she didn’t put any effort into it.” Tori responded with a shrug of her shoulders and a grimace on her face.

“Why did they not just let her go?”

“Sebastion refused to fire he because he knew that she had nowhere else to go. She lived in a small house in town, but had no family. Sebastion didn’t like the idea of firing her, leaving her with no income, no home, and no family.” Tori smiled as she answered.

There it is again. Damn him. My heart fluttered at what Tori told me. Why did Sebastion make it so easy to hate him one moment, then so easy to want to love him the next? This man is trouble with a huge helping of sexy as hell. How long do I think I can resist him?

*Why resist him at all? He is our mate. His wolf is so lonely, Rina,* Anya whimpered.

That made me pause as I reached for a file. Sebastion had made his wolf suffer for years without his mate by choosing Gia. That must have been so horrible to live through. Knowing he had a mate out there, but Sebastion refused to give his wolf the chance to have her. Then to have that bond broken when Sebastion died. His wolf must have been so hurt and angry at the actions he had no control over.

I have missed Gustav terribly over the past five years, and I know that Anya has missed her mate too. Misha, Gustav’s wolf, was so fierce, loyal, and beautiful. He was so protective of his family. They put up the most vicious fight to protect us. The smell of Gustav’s blood and the mind numbing pain when he died will stay with me forever.

*He died fighting for us, Rina, for Zasha too.* Anya whispered.

That day is forever burned into my memory. That was the day that the human hunters found us. They thought we were just wolves, but they heard rumors that there was something more going on, so they came will silver and wolfsbane. The screams of my pack members echoed in the small valley where we lived. The smell of blood was thick in the air as the fog crept in.

That was when Vicktor and Issac made their move. They blended in with the hunters, using them to cover their true intentions. Vicktor came to my pack with one goal, tipping the hunters off that there might be werewolves in the area. He succeeded. I am the reason he came to my small little pack in Russia. I am the reason that my mate, my family, and my entire pack are dead.

Vicktor wanted me for two reasons, I am pure white wolf, and I can mask my scent. He wanted me to be his scout, to work with his tracker Eric, another wolf he broke and used as a slave. I had no choice by the time Vicktor broke me down. I only worked with Eric a few times before Vicktor realized we each work better alone.

*We will be free, Rina, Sebastion will help us.* Anya tells me.

*How are you so sure? I know you want to have a chance with his wolf, but how can you be so sure he will save us?*

*His wolf is angry, but he can feel Sebastion’s determination. I have hope for the first time in years.* Anya whispers. I can feel her excitement through our bond.

I do not share the hope she feels. The last time I had hope, someone who said they would help me betrayed my trust. That was when Vicktor started keeping Zasha away from me. That was the day my hope for freedom died. Hope can get us all killed, yet the feeling that it is real this time is hard to resist.

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

I look at my watch to see that is close to five o’clock. It is time to go home soon. I can feel Aries struggling for control. He doesn’t want to send Irina back to Vicktor. He wants to take her home with us, a feeling I fully understand. However, our wants must take a back burner to what needs to happen so that one day we can take her home.

I stand from my desk after I power down my computer for the day. There is still some work I need to do, but I can do it much later tonight after I put Jace to bed. I grab my suit jacket and briefcase as I head to my office door. Irina and Tori are in the kitchen area putting away the unused water from the meeting earlier with the vampires.

Walking to the elevator, I will wait there for Irina. I want more time with her, so I will take that time in the ride down to the ground floor. Tori walks out of the kitchen with her bag and comes to stand beside me at the elevator. She sees that I have my eyes locked on the doorway to the kitchen. She chuckles softly as she presses her palm to the scanner to call the elevator.

“I will see you tomorrow, Sebastion,” Tori says as she steps into the waiting elevator.

I give her an absent-minded wave as I walk to the kitchen to see what Irina is doing. I know that I am doing everything I can to delay her leaving me for the night. Taking her home to have her meet Jace would be perfect. Yet I know that now is not the time. I make my way to the kitchen door to look in on my mate.

My mate. That is a phrase that I will need time to get used to.

As I look into the kitchen, I see Irina staring at the table as she held a bottle of water in her hand. Her eyes were blank, but the hand that held her water shook slightly, revealing her inner turmoil. Aries is pushing for control as we both see our mate struggling to compose herself. I know that there is so much that I want to say to her, but I take the few brief steps that separate us, then I wrap her in my arms.

Irina stiffens at first, then she drops the bottle of water to wrap both her arms around my waist. Her orange blossom scent invades my senses. Her small body is still trembling, but this time I hope that it is for a different reason. I can feel the sparks as she reaches up to cup my cheek. The electricity makes me shudder as I look into her ice-blue eyes.

“I want to be open with what I feel happening between us, Sebastion, but there is so much standing in our way.” Irina whispered as she looked up at me.

“I want that too. There are more things I need to tell you about my past. Things about yours that I want to know. All that will come in time, Irina,” I tell her as I continue to hold her close to me.

“Vicktor will kill anyone who defies him, Sebastion. I am so scared that he will see past this ruse and kill my daughter. Zasha is all that I have left from my family, from my...” She stopped as a sob escaped her.

“Hey, you do not have to tell me about him until you are ready. He is only for you right now. I will do everything I can to get her out of Vicktor’s grasp,” I tell her. I rub my hand slowly up and down her back.

As I do, I realize just how thin she is. She is small already, but way too thin to be healthy. I will work on this as she continues to come in everyday. I know that food will help make her strong, help her strengthen her muscles. Maybe we can do some sparing in the file room to help hone her skills. If she is anything like me, Irina will want to be in the fight when we rescue Zasha.

I know that she will need to leave soon, but it feels so right to have her in my arms, I do not want to let her go just yet. I feel her arms tightening around my waist, maybe she is feeling the same way too. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, then I look down at her again. Her amazing eyes are staring up at me with an emotion that I am very familiar with right now.

Lust.

Yet there is something more in those amazing orbs. Another emotion that makes my heart beat rapidly. I know that it isn’t love, not yet at least, but it is similar. The mate bond creates a feeling of love, enhances emotions that are there, to help mates build their genuine love for each other. I feel those feelings growing the more time I spend with her. I have hope that one day it will be full-fledged love between the two of us.

I tense as Irina reaches up to wrap both of her arms around my neck. I can feel her small body pressing closer to mine as I stare down at her. I press one hand against the small of her back to press her even closer to me. I move my other hand up to cup the nape of her neck before I lean down to bring my face closer to hers.

“I want to kiss you again,” I tell her as I hover a breath away from her lips.

As a response, Irina closed the distance between our lips, pressing hers firmly against mine. My self-control snapped at the contact of her soft lips on mine. I growled low in my throat as I lifted her up to place her ass on the table. Then I devoured her mouth, my tongue slipping between her lips when she gasped in surprised. This fueled my desire for her.

I felt Irina’s hands delve into my hair as she kissed me back with equal fervor. The smell of her arousal was driving me crazy. I know in a part of my mind that it is purely instinct, but I don’t care, I want this woman now. I move one of my hands from her back to her hip, then I travel lower to move her leg up around my waist.

Her suit pants prevent me from touching the skin on her leg, causing another growl to bubble up my throat. I would love to have Irina naked and spread out on the table, but now is not that time. I reluctantly break the kiss when I heard the clock in the hall chime for five o’clock. I softly kiss her forehead before I step back.

Irina looked so fucking sexy as I looked at her. I would love nothing more than to dive right back in and devour her whole. Rip her clothes off and have my way with her right here on the kitchen table. As if she sensed my thoughts, Irina moved off the table, then moved a few steps away from me. Her eyes traveled all over my body as she but distance between us. That action let me know that she was struggling too.

Struggling with the attraction, the emotions, and the need bubbling between us. How long will we be able to fight it? How long will we hold out against the pull of our bond? I know that if it were all up to me, there would be no hesitation at all. Yet, the circumstances we find ourselves in makes all of this harder.

“I am sorry,” I whisper to her.

“It wasn’t your fault. I wanted you to kiss me, Sebastion. I want what you want, so very much, but I am not ready yet.” Irina spoke as she walked out of the kitchen.

I followed her to the elevator, picked up my briefcase and hers, then walked to the palm plate. “I will wait for as long as I have to for you, Irina.”

The look of surprise on her face took my breath away, then she smiled, and I felt the floor shift under my feet. I truly meant what I told her. I will wait for her to be ready. These feelings between us now will be worth the wait. We both need to be whole for that to happen. I need to fix my family first. Heal the damage I did to my son from my selfish actions with his mother.

Irina needs her daughter back in her arms before she can move forward. Vicktor will need to be dealt with for that to happen. What those monsters do to those of the supernatural world is obscene. They see us as monsters to be caged and paraded around like circus animals. I will call in as many people as Rayne can find to help break Zasha and the others from Vicktor’s cages.

For Irina, I will fight anyone that I have to. I will do anything to see that smile on her face.

Even if I have to kill Vicktor Treadstone to make that happen.

One day we will break the cage doors and free all of those in the hands of The Collectors.