Negotiations

Jonathan licked his lips, a thrill of pleasure coursing through him as he watched Eleanor’s face fill with caution. A shadow of fear covered her eyes, even though she did not let it show on her face. It made him admire her even more. As far as she knew, the liquid he was holding had the power to bewitch her and leave her at his mercy. Did she think she could somehow overcome it? Was that why her fear was not winning over, or was it because she was as fearless as the rumours said? She was undoubtedly braver than most warriors he had come across. Even in the face of something that could bring her to her knees before him, she did not break. He wondered what would be enough to break her. Would she show this same resilience if he executed her mate right in front of her eyes? Or would she beg him to spare his life and submit herself to his will? He had wanted so much to force her to submit to him, but unfortunately, he had run into an unexpected obstacle. “Relax,” he told her, putting the test tube back into the fridge and closing the door. “It turned out to be useless, much to my disappointment.” Eleanor blinked, her brows pulling together in confusion. “What do you mean?” “For some reason, it has no effect on you,” he revealed. He took a few steps towards her until they were only a foot apart. His eyes studied her face in a shrewd manner, as if trying to unearth whatever secrets she held. “I wonder why. It has worked on everyone else I’ve used it on. What’s so special about you?” If the poison had worked as he had expected, by now, he would have marked her as his mate already. She would have stayed by his side willingly and led the attack against werewolf packs by his side. Failing to control her was the reason he had been forced to send Mia to Thomas instead. While Mia had butchered the plan in several ways, she had done one thing right–she had separated Eleanor from Thomas. And now, it was his turn to keep her at his side. Whether he could fake her mate’s scent or not, he was not going to let her go unless she agreed to serve him the way he wanted. Eleanor swallowed, her heart rate slowing down. Relief poured through her at Jonathan’s confession. When he had brought out the poison, her mind had gone blank for a moment. She could fight against many things, but she had no protection against his poisons. He had managed to deceive and control so many she-wolves using this substance, making them believe he was their mate. If he did the same to her, it would be the end for her. Despite the grim reality that faced her, she had recovered fast as her mind raced with possible solutions. As long as she was alive, she was not going to give in, no matter what he used against her. If there was nothing she could do to stop him, she would not let him use her to conquer the other packs. She would rather die. Hearing that the substance had no effect on her stopped that train of thoughts. She still had time to turn everything around. “Maybe there’s something wrong with your formula,” she told him. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “Nothing is wrong with my formula. It all has to do with you.” He lifted his hand and reached for her ponytail, threading his fingers through her long hair. Eleanor did not make a move, even if she wanted nothing more than to get away from him. His eyes found hers. “I cannot wait to unlock all your secrets.” He dropped his hand to her shoulder. “Now, it’s your turn. Tell me, how did you find out about my connection to Mia?” “She is not as good at hiding secrets as you think she is,” Eleanor answered. “I saw right through her from the first time she came into my house.” Jonathan narrowed his eyes and cocked his head, disbelief written all over his face. “No, I don’t believe that. She is not transparent like that. I know you looked into her background, but it has nothing to do with me. So…how?” She would never let him know that she had the advantage of her memories from her previous life. But she had an answer that could undoubtedly satisfy his curiosity. “Once I knew she was at Blackstorm under false pretences, it was not hard to figure out her motive and who she could be working with. I have to say, you showing up at Blackstorm that day helped in pointing me in the right direction. In a way, I completed the puzzle thanks to you.” “Uh,” Jonathan grunted thoughtfully. “You are smart, so maybe I should have expected that.” His hand moved from the top of her shoulder and down to her arm. Her alarms went off as the look in his eyes shifted and he moved closer to her. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this?” he asked. She took a step back, wanting to brush off his hold. But he did not move his hand, and he only stepped closer to her. “For what?” “To have you by my side,” he said, taking another step towards her. Her back hit the cool door of the fridge behind her. He bent his head and brought his mouth to her ear. “To call you mine.” Eleanor tried to escape by stepping to the side, but he placed his other hand on the door beside her, trapping her. She placed a hand on his chest and pushed, looking up at him. “You said you would let me think about it. I haven’t given you my answer yet.” “No, you haven’t,” he said. His hand moved all the way down her arm until she gripped her fingers in his. He turned his head and brushed his lips over the skin of her neck. “But I’m having a hard time waiting.” Eleanor closed her eyes and took deep, steady breaths. She could easily fight her way out of this, but what next? Even if she could overcome him, she would not get anywhere far. She was still in his lair, with no support. She couldn’t provoke him in a way that would make him change his tactic. She needed him to believe that she honestly intended to think about his proposal. “You cannot just get into a partnership with someone you’ve just met, can you?” she asked him, trying to ignore the feel of his lips caressing her skin. “You know so much about me, but I cannot say the same about you. I think we should take more time to get to know each other. That’s the only way we can know if we can work well together.” Jonathan drew his head back so he could look into her eyes. “You don’t think I can be a good partner for you?” “I barely know you,” she told him. “I cannot make a judgement at the moment.” His lips pulled up in a lopsided smirk. “You are right.” He moved his hand from the fridge to her face. He stroked his fingers down her cheek before gripping her chin and lifting her face to him. “I’ll give you three days to think it over. But I’m warning you, it won’t end well for you if you try any tricks.” He dipped his head low and brought his mouth to her ear again. “There are so many of my warriors who would like to know how it feels like to have their cocks buried inside the most famous she-wolf warrior. Don’t give me a reason to let them have their way with you.”