The Amber Shift

Thirty-Five

Elijah

I stare out the tinted SUV window watching the Caribbean city of Cartagena, Colombia come to life. The sun is sinking into the sea and the locals are emerging from their brightly painted homes with terracotta roofs. Horse-drawn carriages cart tourists to restaurants and bars. Steel drums, maracas, and guitars join to create songs suited for both dancing and drinking. The city's beauty and spirit thrive with no clue what kind of evil lurks in its midst.

The demons that parents warn their children about to make them behave are real, and Dante Shaw, the lycan king, is proof.

Noelle shifts next to me, leaning over Asher to look out his side of the vehicle. I hate how jealous I am of the way his hand rests on her hip and how she laughs when he tells her he plans to take her salsa dancing in the street. Asher is my best friend, he has feelings for her, and I can't give her what she needs. This should be the best solution to our problems.

She hasn't so much as spared me a glance since we left Charleston. On the plane, I'd hoped she would end up next to me in the vacant window seat, but she opted for the aisle seat next to Asher instead. I wasn't sure what I would have said to her, but I wanted a chance to ease some her frustration with me. But she is over my excuses, and rightfully so. I've created this rift between us with good intentions and my fear keeps me from mending it.

The SUV pulls to a stop in front of a sun-bleached Spanish colonial home. Black iron fixtures hold candles on the wall, and the front door is made of dark walnut wood. The driver opens our doors before removing our luggage from the back. Asher helps Noelle onto the cobblestone pathway, and I pause to examine the three-story mansion. It's too big, too many places to hide Noelle and to hold us captive.

Corbin squeezes my shoulder. "It will be all right," he gently says.

"How can you be so sure?" I glance at Corbin from the corner of my eye. "What if he tries to hurt her?"

My alpha shakes his head. "We won't give him the chance; Ash—"

"I've already volunteered to stay in her room at night," Asher interrupts, tightening his arm around Noelle's waist and gripping her hip. "I'll protect her, Elijah, don't worry about that."

There it is again—that jealousy I have no right to feel. Noelle is my mate, yes, but I am making the choice not to solidify the bond. She is going through a time in her life where she needs physical contact, and I cannot give it to her. Asher is my best friend. At least I know he will treat her well. Not that the rest of our friends wouldn't, but Asher is in love with her. He'll treat her with a tenderness no one else could.

Except for me. And that's the part that deep down, absolutely devastates me.

"I know you will," I grumble as I meet her eyes.

She stares back at me, through the wall I built to divide us. I hate this, the space between us. It feels like a million miles when she is right in front of me, and I despise myself all over again for the decisions I've made. The decisions I had to make.

"Buenas noches," a smooth voice says, belonging to the handsome lycan that comes out of the front door of the massive home. "Welcome to Cartagena." The man's accent isn't heavy, but it has a certain lilt to it that makes him sound both harmless and intimidating at the same time.

"Buenas noches, Pablo," Corbin says, releasing my shoulder and stepping forward to shake the man's hand. "This is Elijah Holt, my second in command, Asher Whitlock, one of my best guards." He takes a deep breath before continuing, "And this is my niece, Noelle Hart."

I hate the way Pablo's eyes travel up and down her body, landing on her cleavage in her low-cut tank top. Even though I wish it were me, I appreciate Asher pulling her closer and letting out a low growl, warning the king's henchman to stay far away from her.