Kidnapped by My Mate

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.