One Wild Vegas Night (5 page)

Sol’s eyes flashed with something dangerous, but his voice was soft. “So all this…”

“It’s too much, after everything I went through with Richard.”

Sol’s lips pulled back into a grimace. “That piece of shit should die.”

She didn’t answer him; there was such vehemence in his voice that for a second she suspected he was serious. Slowly he released her and stepped back. “I’m so sorry for scaring you, Hannah, it’s just when you ran it affected me, I couldn’t help but come after you.”

She frowned. “Affected you, what does that mean?”

Sol let out a heavy sigh, looked down, and then looked back up. “Well, you told me your secret, so it’s only fair I tell you mine.” He looked around and then drew her to one side. “I’m not what I appear. I’m not…human. I’m a shape shifter.”

Hannah opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again. She heard his words but was having trouble registering them. “What?”

Sol’s grip tightened on her. “Look, I know this sounds crazy, but I’m a shifter. I can turn into an animal, a jaguar.”

She nodded her head slowly. “Yeah, of course you can, and I can fly.”

Sol rolled his eyes. “I’m being serious. That’s why my body looks the way it does, why I’m so strong. And why my instincts are telling me that you’re my mate and I cannot, must not, let you go.”

“Your mate?”

He let out another heavy sigh. “Yes, my mate. I marked you and we exchanged vows. To my kind that’s a mating and it’s not something that can be set aside ever. That’s why I cannot agree to an annulment.”

Hannah’s shock faded to be replaced once again by anger. She snatched her hands from his. “This is unbelievable. I tell you about my ex and you make up this ridiculous story.”

“It’s the truth.”

“You expect me to believe this bullshit? I thought you were a decent guy.”

“I am decent and it’s not bullshit.” She could hear the anger in his voice but it was nowhere near her own. She stepped back, and when Sol moved forward she brought her hand up in front of her, as if warding him off.

“No. Don’t you dare come near me.” Her voice cracked. “I’ve had enough male crap to last a lifetime. I can’t stand here with you, listening to this insanity. I’m going back to the hotel and I don’t want you to come with me.”

She could see the anguish in his expression, but she was too mad, too confused, too hurt to care. She had to get away from him, had to get some space between them.

Though she expected Sol to try and stop her, he didn’t, and she walked away from him in a daze. As she hailed a cab her mind ran over what he had said.
Not human
—
shifter—turn into an animal—my mate
. God, she’d traded one type of psycho for another. One with delusions that he wasn’t human. How could anyone believe that? It was too ridiculous.

By the time she reached the hotel Hannah’s head was aching and she felt drained, a wave of exhaustion settling on her as she rode the elevator to her floor. She stumbled her way to her room, her hands shaking so much it took her three tries to get her key card into the slot.

Once inside, Hannah closed the door behind her and staggered toward the bed. Collapsing with a heavy sigh, she drew her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. This was all too much to process and right now she didn’t want to think, didn’t want to feel. She just wanted sleep to take her.

***

Time passed; how much she wasn’t sure—she must have nodded off—but a knock at the door made her sit up with a start.
It must be Sol.
With a sigh she went to the door, opening it without checking the peephole, an angry rebuke building on her lips, but the words died in her throat at the sight of her ex-husband standing in the doorway.

“Hello, wife.”

Hannah stood like ice for a second, and then tried to slam the door closed, but Richard was already forcing his way in, shutting the door behind him, trapping her in with him. She backed away until she hit the wall, her stomach twisting with sick fear at the sight of him. His handsome features were fixed in a cruel expression, that familiar anger lurked in his eyes as he looked her up and down.
God no. Please no.

Richard crossed the room toward her and with a spike of adrenaline she tried to rush past him. He grabbed her easily, slamming her against the wall, his hands locking painfully on her upper arms. She forced herself to speak past the pain. “How…how did you find me?”

He gave a cruel laugh. “I have my ways. Did you really think you’d be able to hide from me, Hannah?”

Fear crawled up her skin but she held herself still. “What do you want, Richard?”

His lips twisted into a menacing smirk. “You, of course. By my side, where you belong.”

She shook her head. “Don’t you get it, Richard? We’re divorced, it’s over. I am not part of your life anymore.”

That earned her another brain-shaking slam against the wall, but her fear was starting to dim to be replaced with anger. How dare he come after her like this?

“We can remarry.” His eyes had that maniacal gleam she’d seen so many times before, the look that always filled her with utter terror, but unexpectedly, the knowledge that she was married to Sol gave Hannah strength. No matter what Richard threatened to do to her he couldn’t legally make her marry him because of Sol.

Sol.
Just the thought of him made her feel safe, helped her fight the fear that was trying to paralyze her. She raised her face defiantly. “I don’t love you Richard, don’t want you, and there is nothing in the world that will make me marry you.”

He gripped her more tightly, pulling her toward him. As he moved her, her top pulled back from her neck and his eyes settled on Sol’s bite mark. His expression became furious. “You bitch! You unfaithful little slut. You’ve been with a man, haven’t you?” He shook her violently till her teeth rattled.

A strange recklessness overtook her and she answered him in a strong voice. “Yes, I have. And if anything happens to me he’ll call the police.”

Richard’s eyes widened for a moment, his mouth falling open at her at words, but then his expression tightened with a calculating look. “He’s here, isn’t he, in this hotel?”

“No,” she blurted out too quickly. Richard saw straight through her.

“He is. You’ll take me to him right now.” Her heart dropped, her stomach twisting in fear. She’d meant to frighten Richard away, not place Sol in danger.

“No, I won’t.”

His face flushed with rage and without warning he backhanded her, the blow rocking her head to the side, and she cried out, grasping her face with her hand. Richard’s face was fixed in a gloating smile and he calmly pulled out a knife from the inside pocket of his jacket. Icy fear licked at her as he pressed the blade to her throat.

“Take me to him, Hannah, or else.” All courage drained from her, terrible fear replacing it. Although Richard had terrorized and beaten her in the past, she’d never actually feared for her life. Now she did and a choking panic gripped her. She had no choice; she had to take Richard to Sol and hope Sol was strong enough to fight him.

“All right,” she said in a small voice.

Lowering the knife, Richard grabbed her, shoving her toward the door. He scooped up one of her sweaters, draping it over his arm to cover the knife as he pressed it to her side.

“You scream or try to run and I’ll sink this inside you, understand?”

She nodded, unable to speak, and he pushed her out of the room. As they walked down the hall, Hannah was acutely aware of his grip on her arm, of the press of the blade to her side.
Please God, don’t let Sol get hurt because of me.

C
HAPTER
F
IVE

Watching Hannah walk away from him, allowing her to leave when she was so upset, was hard, but Sol sensed Hannah was at breaking point. Her confession about her ex had made a lot of things fall into place and he admired her courage. His fists clenched, his nails digging into his palms at the thought of that bastard who had caused her so much pain.
If I ever get my hands on him…

She’d obviously been through hell, had only just gotten free of her shit bag of an ex husband, and now Sol was expecting her to agree to be married to him? Had laid on her the incredible truth about who, and what, he was? No wonder she’d reacted the way she had.

He’d known telling Hannah the truth had been risky, and her skepticism was not surprising; hell, as he heard himself saying the words he acknowledged how ridiculous it sounded. It wasn’t surprising she thought he was insane.

He watched her get into a cab before he followed, flagging one down and making his way back to the hotel. His stomach rumbled and he forced himself to go grab some food; he didn’t feel like it, but his body burned through a lot of energy and he needed to eat.

After he’d finished, Sol went straight to his room. Although everything in him urged him to go to Hannah, he would give her some time. He just hoped what they’d shared last night had been special enough that she would come around.

For now, though, he had to let his parents know. He reached for the phone and dialed their number. “
Hola?
” Sol felt a small sense of relief at the sound of his father’s accented voice.

“
Papá,
it’s me.”

“
Dios mío,
Sol, where the hell are you? Your mother is going crazy here and you’ll need to start getting ready soon.”

“That’s what I’m calling about, I can’t mate Anita.”

“Sol.” His father’s voice was harsh. “We are not having this conversation again. I know you don’t feel that way about her but it’s a good match and besides, this is about the good of the race. You have a responsibility.”

“No, you don’t understand. I
can’t
mate with her. I’ve mated someone else.”

“
What?”
Sol held the phone away from his ear at his father’s roar.

“I met a woman, a human, last night and we mated.”

“
Mierda.
How could you do this, Sol?
And with a human!”

“I didn’t mean to do it but we got really drunk.” Sol cringed as he said the words. It didn’t sound good, but he kept talking. “During the night we went to a wedding chapel and got married, but my shifter side had taken control; we were coherent, rational, and then afterward I marked her.”

A harsh inhalation of breath, then his father’s shaky voice. “A human wedding is not a mating ceremony.”

Sol’s voice hardened. “We exchanged vows, made our pledge to each other, and she wears my bite. We
are
mated.”

The silence that greeted him went on for painful seconds but then his father gave a weary sigh. “You’re right, you are mated. I suppose I better give everyone the bad news.”

“I’m really sorry you have to be the one do this. I’ll come and face Anita’s family in a couple of days.”

“You
and
your female will have to face them to satisfy everyone that you are really mated,” was his father’s terse reply.

“I know.” Sol wasn’t going to tell his father that right now ‘his female’ didn’t even want to talk to him.

“So, what is she like?”

Sol paused, picturing Hannah in his mind. “Beautiful, sexy, witty. You’ll love her, I know you will.”

“Well I look forward to meeting her then. Now I need to go and face two females in the middle of mating ceremony fever.”

Sol winced at that, sorry his father was going to bear the brunt of their anger. “I’m sorry you have to be the one to tell
mamá
and Anita.”

His father gave a low chuckle. “It’s just a good thing I heal easily, that’s all I can say. Take care, son.”

“
Gracias
papá
.
Adios.
” As he hung up, Sol felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He knew his father would be on his side; he always had been, and he’d never been truly happy with the arranged mating. It would be his mother who would be harder to bring around, but he was sure they’d love Hannah once they met her and saw how much he desired her. Just thinking about Hannah set Sol’s pulse racing and he longed to go to her. His female, his mate.

A knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts.
Hannah, it has to be.
He moved swiftly to the door, her scent hitting him as he drew closer. Sol paused; he could smell her fear, and something else; the sharper tang of another male. Hackles rising, Sol flung open the door to be greeted with the sight of Hannah standing in the hallway, her skin pale, a red mark spreading across one cheek.

Before Sol could speak a man stepped from the side, grabbing hold of Hannah’s arm and yanking her against him. Rage flooded Sol, a snarl building in his throat at the sight of another male touching his female, but a flash of metal froze Sol where he stood. The man had a knife pressed to Hannah’s side.