armoire filled with weapons, and from what I’m told, you’re a good sniper. How do you think I feel being around someone who hates me and has those kinds of skills? Hell, you don’t even have to possess those skills to end my life. You’re a shifter. You could probably snap my neck with one hand tied behind your back and without breaking a sweat.”
“I already told you. If I wanted you dead, you would have never made it out of that cannery.” Alejandro stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him. He didn’t care if he woke everyone in the house. He was so frustrated that he didn’t know what to do with himself.
Why couldn’t Shane see his point of view, understand why he was so uncertain? He still couldn’t get the looks of those men and women out of his mind. Alejandro never wanted to see that level of suffering again.
Their eyes alone still haunted him.
Filled with agitation, Alejandro went to the kitchen and stripped before he walked outside, shifted, and took off across the backyard. Running always helped to release the pent-up energy inside him.
But no matter how fast he ran in his wolf form, or how far he went, all Alejandro could think about was Shane. Could he trust that his mate was telling the truth? If he wasn’t, Alejandro would be the biggest sucker on the planet.
Until he was absolutely sure, Alejandro was living with the enemy. More like mated to the enemy, and that, most of all, crushed him.
* * * *
It had been a week now, and the time hadn’t improved Shane’s mood. Alejandro had kept his distance, only interacting when it was necessary. No doubt by now Shane had lost his job. He hadn’t even called to tell his boss he wouldn’t be coming in.
He couldn’t since Alejandro had taken his cell phone and tossed it out the window at the cannery. Alejandro also still hadn’t returned Shane’s car keys.
“Cheer up,” Elijah said as he joined Shane at the kitchen table. “If this is your prison, it’s a pretty nice one.”
Shane cocked his head to the side. “That’s not a very good pep talk.”
“Well, I’m trying,” Elijah said. “They don’t exactly make Hallmark cards for this type of situation. I couldn’t find one that said, ‘Cheer up, your prison sentence won’t last forever.’”
In truth, talking with Elijah had helped Shane during his stay. He’d seen others around the house, but Shane had tried his best to stay to himself. He didn’t plan on sticking around long enough to make more friends.
“I’m glad you’re getting a kick out of this,” Shane groused.
“Oh, honey boo, I’m not poking fun at you.” Elijah laid a hand on Shane’s arm. “It’s really not so bad. Alejandro will come around, and then things will change. You’ll see that living here is actually nice.”
Shane doubted that. It was easy for Elijah to say those things when he wasn’t the one being held prisoner in a house with unfamiliar faces.
And as much trouble as Damien had caused Shane his entire life, it was really hard living under the same roof with the man who had killed his brother.
“Oh, hey, Phillip,” Elijah said.
Shane turned, and his jaw dropped. He couldn’t stop staring. Was… Was Phillip pregnant? His extended stomach sure looked like it. Shane, a normally inquisitive guy, was too stunned to speak.
“Phillip, this is Shane, Alejandro’s mate. He’s not very happy right now because he’s Alejandro’s prisoner.”
“Rourke filled me in.” Phillip took a seat at the table. “I just came to see if there’s anything I can do.”
“With what?” Elijah asked.
“Helping Shane adjust to living here,” Phillip said.
Elijah waved a hand at Phillip. “He was held at the cannery for an entire month. The guys who held him drugged him.”
Shane instantly became uncomfortable. Did Phillip think Shane was in on it? “Are you pregnant?”
Elijah chuckled. “No subtlety for you.”
“I’m just…” Shane stared at Phillip’s stomach. It was round in a way that said he was pregnant, not just fat. The guy was too skinny to be fat, anyway. It was just his stomach that protruded, and Shane found himself fascinated.
“Yes, I’m pregnant.” Phillip rubbed his lower back. “And I can’t wait for this to be over with. I’m back to throwing up in the morning, and god, could my feet get any more swollen?”
“How?” Shane had yet to pull his eyes away.
“Well,” Elijah said, “when two people have sex—”
“I know how,” Shane said as he waved a hand