Mate Set (Mating Heat Book 1) Read online

  She stood as Grady hit the floor on his back. He grunted in surprise. She moved away from him, inching toward the bathroom. Tears burned behind her eyes and she blinked them back. Grady looked shocked as he sat up. She didn’t even bother to glance at his friend Eric.

  Grady frowned, staring at Mika as he got to his feet.

  “Get out of my house,” Mika said softly. “Both of you get the fuck out of my house.”

  Grady was obviously confused. “Babe―”

  “Don’t!” she yelled at him, cutting him off.

  She moved toward the bathroom slowly. She wanted a place to run to if Grady tried to touch her. Her heart was breaking. She knew he would hurt her when it was time to go home. She expected that kind of pain when it came time to tell him goodbye. She never thought he’d pull something as agonizing as this.

  “Get the hell out of my house now. Don’t come back, Grady. I mean it. Don’t ever come back. Take your damn friend with you.” Her voice shook.

  “Mika,” Grady growled. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “What’s wrong with me? Get the fuck out of my house, Grady! If either one of you touches me, I swear to God, I’ll have my uncle kill you both. Do you hear me? Get out!”

  “Why are you reacting this way?” Grady was staring at her as though she’d lost her mind. “I’m trying to protect you.”

  She stared in horror at Grady. “Is that what you call this? Protecting me? I realize you weren’t happy about the whole forced-to-mark-me thing. You and everyone else has made it very clear to me that I’m just a mere human, and how you only think werewolf bitches are good enough for you. I’m sorry that you had it rough growing up the way you did. I get why you don’t want to hook up with a human after the treatment you got since you’re not of pure blood.”

  Grady paled at her words, and then his mouth tensed into a firm line as he stared at her. He didn’t cut her off or move, though. He just stood there listening.

  “Even knowing how you felt about me being human, I at least figured you had to feel something for me. Even just a little something. I will not be passed between you and your friend like a twenty-dollar whore! Being tag-teamed by two men is not a fantasy of mine. It’s insulting that you care so damn little about me that you’d even want to see another guy fuck me. Maybe saying I don’t share was too mild a hint for someone like you that I’m totally into monogamy. Get out of my house now, and take your damn friend with you.”

  “That’s not how it is,” Grady growled.

  “Fuck you. Get out! I mean it, Grady. Get out of my house and don’t ever come near me again.”

  A snarl tore from Grady. “You’re marked by me. You can’t just throw me out. I’ll go insane and hunt you. I’m in mating heat!”

  She jerked her chin up and glared at him. She held on to her anger so she didn’t totally fall apart in tears from her broken heart. “Then I’ll buy a big damn gun and shoot your ass if you come after me. Get. Out. I never want to see you again.” Her voice broke.

  Grady growled again. He jerked his head to Eric. “Go.”

  Eric left the bedroom and Grady’s head snapped in Mika’s direction, eyes gleaming black in a way she’d never seen before. “I don’t know why you’re so damn angry. Eric is very popular with women. Most women would jump at the chance of having two men in their bed.”

  She blinked back tears. “I’m not most women. Leave, Grady.”

  He shook his head. “I won’t do that. Tell me why you’re pissed off at me.”

  Her anger slipped away and pain took its place. “I’m not pissed.”

  Grady frowned. “You’re scenting of anger.”

  “Then take a bigger damn whiff, asshole! Inhale my pain.”

  Grady sniffed and she saw confusion on his face again.

  “For a man so concerned about not hurting me, you just did the one thing that hurt me the most,” she said softly. “I could have chalked up you not wanting a relationship with me to your childhood, and the rejection of your human side you must have suffered from your stepmother. I could overlook and forgive you for making it so damn clear that I’ll never be enough for you because I understand how important it is for you to mate a werewolf, so you get acceptance from the pack.”

  Hot tears fell down her face. Grady took a step toward her. Mika shook her head at him and threw up her hand, and he stopped advancing on her. Mika wiped at her tears and backed up so she was in the bathroom.

  “Don’t ever come near me again, Grady. You didn’t need to protect me from you physically. I needed protection from you hurting me inside. I can’t believe I gave a shit about you. I can’t believe— Just get out.” She slammed the bathroom door and locked it.

  “Babe?” Grady was right on the other side. “Open the door.”

  “Don’t ever call me ‘babe’ again. You lost that right. You lost all of your rights. Goodbye, Grady.” She closed her eyes and didn’t bother to stop the hot tears falling down her face.

  “Son of a bitch,” Grady roared from the other side of the door. “I thought you’d be excited about the idea.”

  “I’m taking a shower,” she lied. “You made me feel dirty.” That part wasn’t a lie.

  She turned on the water and then ran to the window. She unlocked it and carefully slid it open, praying the sound would be covered by the loud water pouring from her showerhead.

  Mika was out her window in seconds. She ran around the house—and that’s when she saw Eric.

  He was leaning against a Mustang and staring at the house. He turned his head and saw her.

  Fear hit Mika hard. Would he yell out to Grady that she’d escaped? Shit! She sprinted down the sidewalk barefoot.

  At the corner, she waved down a woman in a car and the woman actually stopped. Tears were freely flowing down Mika’s face.

  “Are you all right?” The woman looked concerned.

  “I had a fight with my boyfriend. I’m afraid he’ll come looking for me. Can you please give me a ride to my uncle’s house? I can give you money when we get there.”

  “Get in.” The woman unlocked the door. “Where does your uncle live?”

  Gratefully, Mika climbed into the car. She gave directions and felt relief as the woman pulled away from the curb. She’d gotten away from Grady and his friend. She wiped at her tears.

  “Thank you so much.”

  The woman reached over and patted her leg. “We’ve all been there, honey. I’m glad to help.”

  Chapter Ten

  Minnie handed Mika whiskey with ice. Uncle Omar wasn’t home, thankfully. Minnie had taken one look at Mika’s tearstained face and bare feet, and had dragged her into the kitchen. She’d made both of them drinks and sat down across from her.

  “What happened?”

  Mika used a napkin to blow her nose. “He brought home another guy, telling me he was afraid he’d hurt me in mating heat. He said the other guy doesn’t suffer from it and wanted the guy in the room with us during sex. He asked me if I’d ever fantasized about threesomes.”

  Minnie’s eyes widened and she took a good gulp of her whiskey. “Whoa. No shit? Who’d he bring?”

  “Eric somebody. I forgot his last name. Blond, about six feet tall, and he looks like a surfer.”

  “Eric Voigt.”

  “That’s him.”

  Minnie stared at her. “And this made you cry and obviously run away from home without your purse and shoes?”

  Mika’s mouth fell open. “Did you hear what I said? He brought his friend into my house and wanted the three of us to go to bed together!”

  Minnie sipped her drink and then slowly smiled. “And this hurt you? Eric is hot. Hell, Grady is hotter. You could have been the filling in a hot-man sandwich. Where did I raise you wrong?”

  “Unbelievable.” Mika glared at Minnie. “Picture this. You’re in your room and Uncle Omar walks in to tell you how he brought home another woman so the three of you can have sex together.”

  The smile was gone from