When He's Dark (The Olympus Pride #1)

by Suzanne Wright

“I assure you that I will not reveal his whereabouts to anyone,” said John. “You have no need to protect him from me. I just want to speak with him.” “Then go hire a psychic—maybe they can help you commune with his ghost or something. Now, I have shit to do, so …”

Aleksandr Devereaux—son of James and Valentina, part owner of Pot of Gold—walked and talked with the calm of a man who was utterly sure of himself and his place in the world. He was arrogant but not self-obsessed. He just knew his own worth and valued himself. Honestly, just looking at him would push any woman’s “I need quality time with my vibrator” button. Yeah, there was a reason that batteries rarely lasted in Bree’s house.

My type of friend

Younger siblings— am I right?

Bree preferred not to waste energy arguing with them, though. She often just nodded, pretended to agree with them … and then went off and did whatever she wanted.

Same

Needing some sort of reaction from her, Alex asked, “You never told anyone, did you?” She frowned. “Never told anyone what?” He let his eyes drop to her lips. “That I know exactly how fucking sweet that mouth tastes.”

“I wanted to flip up the little dress you were wearing, shove my cock inside you, and fuck you against the wall until you screamed for me.” “Really? How vanilla of you.” Surprise flitted across his face.

They gave everything of themselves to their mate. Which sounded great. Until you considered just what it meant to be a wolverine’s anchor. They didn’t like being apart from their mate at all. They literally became their damn shadow—an unreasonably protective and uber-possessive shadow who’d adore every hair on their mate’s head while driving them insane.

“Hey, don’t get all frowny. How about we play a game later to cheer you up? We haven’t tried ‘The Tiger and the Tiger Tamer’ yet. All you need to do is open your mouth wide, and I’ll feed you the meat. I promise it’ll be fun.” Mila planted her palm in her mate’s face and shoved him back.

“He, in so many words, admitted that he was attracted to me—no, don’t get all excited, I haven’t finished—but then he also said I’m not ready for what he’d demand of me.” Alex hadn’t been back to the store since that day. Which was good, because both she and her cat were still mega ticked off at him. “He, a commitment-phobe, said that to you? Unbelievable.

What’s the betting Paxton is still alive just to cause drama

those two women look really familiar. I can’t place them, though. Did they take the same pole dancing classes that we did?” “I’m not sure,” replied Bree. Gerard blinked. “Wait, you two took pole dancing classes?” “Only for the fun of it.” Bree lazily waved a hand. “Relax, we don’t have plans to become strippers. We’re too lazy for that.” “Totally true,” said Elle.

“You can guard the cat while Helena heals her, if you want. But not if you’re all the way over there. So, would you prefer to stomp on the fox or watch over Bree’s cat?” An annoyed chuff escaped its snout and fogged the air. The wolverine’s gaze darted from the cat to the fox and back again. Finally, it slowly stepped off the fox—but not before spitefully raking its claws down his shredded back one last time.

“I would ask you not to give up on him yet. But if you feel that, in giving him time, you will be wasting your own, I understand. He has had chance to make right choice, and he has not.” Valentina sighed. “It is sad for a mother to realize she raised an idiot.”

His smile shrunk as his gaze once more landed on his cousin. “Alex.” Not even bothering to look up from his phone, the wolverine only grunted. Again. Once Calvin was gone, Bree returned to the kitchen. “You were rude.” “I know.” “It’s not nice to be rude.” “I don’t care.” “Yeah, I got that.

I WANNA KNOW!!! PLEASE TELL ME ALREADY

Dani’s mouth fell open. “Have you no ethics at all?” “I have some. They sleep a lot.”

“They are happy.” “They are dysfunctional.” “And yet happy. That is good, no?” “When she does weird stuff like knock him out with chloroform occasionally because she thinks he breathes too loud, no.”

“Why you scowl?” Valentina’s voice was low but all demand. “You have had that look on your face for days.” Alex rolled back his shoulders. “I’ve got things on my mind.” “Then you should go somewhere else to brood. You scare off customers.” He felt his brows snap together. “I don’t brood.” She rolled her eyes. “All dominant male shifters brood—they just like to pretend they don’t. You, my son, are champion brooder.”

That’s a straight up mood

Moira stopped in front of them, glaring hard at Bree. “Are you still so sure my brother’s dead? Paxton saved you in the woods, Bree. You know it was him. And how do you repay that? By shacking up with someone else. Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you’re with Alex. Paxton can do better than a little whore like you.” “It’s strange but I’m starting to get the feeling that you don’t like me.”

Well damn that’s deep

He cupped the side of her neck and gave it a little squeeze. “Don’t you get it yet? I don’t have a single interest in living a life that doesn’t have you in it.”

She swallowed and then took a deep breath. “I’m all in if you are.” The corner of his mouth hitched up just a little. “Oh, I’m definitely all in this, baby girl.” He kissed her.

“Bree,” he breathed, leaning over to lash her nipple with his tongue. “My Bree.”

“Do you feel owned yet?” He felt her deep groan all the way to his balls. “Then say it, and I’ll let you come.” “I’m yours,” she rasped, clinging to his back. “But don’t forget that you’re mine.” “Only ever going to be yours.”

That’s a straight up mood To be fair everything Valentina says is a mood she is by fair the best character

“Like my maternal grandmother, they don’t have a high opinion of any breed of shifter other than their own. That’s partly why they’re assholes to my dad. But it’s mostly that he refused to move to Russia when he mated my mom.” Bree frowned. “But they’re nice to Mila, and she’s a pallas cat.” “They claim she has the ‘soul’ of a wolverine, so her animal’s bodily form apparently doesn’t count.” Bree’s eyebrows shot up. “Right. So the meal might not go well?” “It definitely won’t go well. It never does when my father and uncles are eating at the same table. You’ll see what I mean.”

Yay!! Drama

“Perhaps we can help you, Breasha,” said Dimitri. “We will search woods near your house. If Paxton is there or has been there, we will find evidence of it. And if we find him, we will catch him.” James sliced into his steak. “Kill him, you mean.” Dimitri lifted his shoulders. “Is that not same?” “No, not even close,” replied James. “You don’t free your captives. You eat them.” “I freed you,” said Dimitri. “No, I escaped. Then I blew up your cabin.” Dimitri’s sigh was nostalgic. “It was very fine cabin. I miss it sometimes.”

I’m sorry, can we please have some context behind this…?

Sometimes, I wonder if you’ll decide I’m not worth all this drama and just walk away. I know how much you loathe drama.” He frowned. “Why would I walk away from something I need? Seriously, you worry about the stupidest shit.” He caught her face with his hands.

can you stop watching me constantly, because it’s rubbing on my cat’s nerves.” “I just want you to feel safe. To have a safe place.” “I do. You.” His chest tightened. “Careful, baby girl. Saying things like that will get you bent over the arm of the sofa.”

Isaak looked down his nose at Vinnie. “You, dumb cat, can stay here and call reinforcements if it seems necessary.” Vinnie bristled. “Like hell.” Isaak scoffed. “You cannot sneak in warehouse unseen. You will set off sensors and alarms with your big cat feet. We will not.

I thought if I could shake your emotional state and stress you out then you wouldn’t have a stable grasp on your abilities, and you just might come close to falling.” Dani sniffed. “I would only have been speeding along what would have happened if you’d gotten the position of primary. It doesn’t suit everyone. Some can’t cope with the workload. You wouldn’t have.” Bree could only gape. This skank clearly thought she was fully justified in her actions. “I know how desperate you were to believe that Paxton was gone for good, so I thought it might crush you if you thought he was back on the scene. It was Bernadette’s idea to leave the necklaces lying around your house. It was also her idea to use the retrieval agency.” “Wait, you’ve been working with Bernadette?” Could this get any more fucked up?

This bitch

Bree stiffened. A chill swept over her skin, making her skin tighten and prickle. She was sure her heartbeat stuttered for a second. Because Calvin … he didn’t seem like Calvin right then. Not at all. The cadence of his voice, the mannerisms, the dead eyes—it was all off. It was all Paxton. The bottom dropped out of her stomach. No, it couldn’t be him. That wasn’t possible. It wasn’t. The mating urge would have sprung to life between her and Paxton at some point if he’d been posing as Calvin. This had to be Calvin pretending to be his twin just to throw Dale off the scent or something. “Paxton,” whispered Dani, her eyes wide. The male cat spared her a brief glance. “Well, if it isn’t my mother’s sidekick.” Dale snickered at him. “How long have you been posing as your twin?” “A while,” replied Paxton. “Wasn’t too hard.”

I fucking knew it!!

“Is Calvin dead?” “Don’t worry, he didn’t suffer,” replied Paxton. Did she look slow to him? “I don’t believe you.” Paxton chuckled. “I doubt you want the gory details.” “How long have you been posing as him?” “Oh, about four years now.” Since Paxton had first mysteriously “disappeared.”

This is why I both want and dont want an identical twin

Dimitri sidled up to her and Vinnie. “Here.” He effortlessly sliced through the ropes binding Bree. “No material is wolverine-shifter resistant, no matter what other species say.”

I love him LMAO!! Can he be my mate.

“It’s gone on long enough? You were drugged! Taken! Gagged! Tied the fuck up! Had a gun put to your head twice! And then—” “You came,” she finished, her voice soothing. “Now I’m here. With you. Safe and alive, because of you. So could you please stop yelling and telling me to shut up all the time? Really, it’s a good thing I love you.” The bluster left him in a rush. “You love me?” “Now who’s the one asking stupid questions?” He drove both hands into her hair, boring his gaze into hers. “You love me?” She sighed. “Yes, idiot.” He held her tight again, tucking his face into the crook of her neck. “Fuck, I love you.” It was a gruff whisper, but she heard it. “Say it again,” he all but ordered. “Why?” He lifted his head and snared her gaze with his own. “Do it.” “Fine. I love you.”

“You came,” she finished, her voice soothing. “Now I’m here. With you. Safe and alive, because of you. So could you please stop yelling and telling me to shut up all the time? Really, it’s a good thing I love you.” The bluster left him in a rush. “You love me?” “Now who’s the one asking stupid questions?” He drove both hands into her hair, boring his gaze into hers. “You love me?” She sighed. “Yes, idiot.” He held her tight again, tucking his face into the crook of her neck. “Fuck, I love you.” It was a gruff whisper, but she heard it. “Say it again,” he all but ordered. “Why?” He lifted his head and snared her gaze with his own. “Do it.” “Fine. I love you.”

“Hey, guys,” the redhead greeted. “You planning to release Bree at any point, Alex?” “No,” he said. “You both need to work the room and say thanks to everyone for coming,” Elle reminded him. “But I’m not thankful—I didn’t want a party.” Bree threw him a frown over her shoulder. “Dude, that’s just mean and ungrateful.” “I don’t care.”

Alex has been a starigh up mood the entire time

Joining their group, Isaak grinned at Bree. “Ah, Breasha. You look beautiful.” He looked at Alex. “You made good choice. She is full package—beauty, strength, boldness. All female wolverines are.” James sighed. “Bree is a pallas cat.” Isaak scowled at him. “She has soul of wolverine, like our Milena. You are just jealous that you are waste of skin, bone, and fur.”

The moment she’d locked her arms and legs around him, he lined the head of his dick to the entrance of her pussy and then gripped her thighs tight. “You want me to fuck you now?”

I want him to fuck me now 🥺

Putting his mouth to her ear, he whispered something else in Russian. It gave her the chills in the best way. “What did that mean?” she asked. “You’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life trapping under the covers while I fart.”