Chapter 23 #2
Kiara huffs. “Of course not. He’s more of a clingy alley cat than anything.
Don’t look at him funny or try to steal his food, you’re golden.
All he wants is to be safe, fed, and left alone.
With the occasional snuggle when he feels like it; we’re still working on acclimating him to being touched, so this is actually a huge breakthrough. ”
Mildly insulting, but… she kind of nailed it.
While Stryker blathers on, pacing the room and gesticulating with his hands, I nuzzle the side of Kiara’s throat, letting her sweet scent curb the worst of my murderous impulses.
It’s easy to tune him out when my mate is safely draped across my lap, her fingers carding through my hair absentmindedly like she’s done it a thousand times before.
As natural as breathing to offer affection without a single expectation in return.
As they hash shit out, I make myself comfortable.
Time floats by, and the longer it stretches, the more I accept that while this man’s not a threat to my mate?
He is a threat. He carries himself with the confidence of his ability to handle shit without the need to prove himself.
I’ve clocked two guns; one discreetly strapped to his ankle, given away only by the sound of his pant leg brushing against it, the other obvious in the discarded shoulder holster lying on top of his jacket.
The metallic scent of a well-used knife in one of his pockets, the tang of blood still present beneath the acrid cleaner used to sanitize it.
Honed muscles. The way he carries himself screams military training, with enough hands-on experience not to wait for orders.
He’ll be a useful addition to her guard.
The ringing of a phone startles me, and I band my arms tighter around my mate. “You already got it set up?” she asks, surprised. “How?”
Stryker finally stops pacing, offering my girl a soft smile. “Benefit of the job. I have to ditch my phone and transfer data from the cloud regularly. It really wasn’t that hard; you have like, five contacts, and no pictures. All I had to do was switch the SIM card.”
“None of that makes sense to me,” my angel says, and honestly? Same. A purr sparks up in my chest as I nuzzle the side of her throat.
The other male narrows his eyes. “Don’t get any bright ideas of biting her.”
Biting? Why would I- Oh. Oh.
As soon as I let myself imagine it, the desire nearly knocks me on my ass.
Sinking my teeth into my mate? Nobody would ever doubt she was mine if she wore my bitemark on her skin.
It’d be clear to anyone that thought to claim her as their own that she was already taken, under my protection.
Knew she had a mate that wouldn’t hesitate to tear their throats out.
My tongue darts over her skin when, suddenly, I get a spray of water in the face.
“No, bad shifter. Bad.” Stryker is in my face with a spray bottle of water and I growl, but before I can launch myself at him, my mate shakes with laughter, and all thoughts of murder are instantly erased from my mind. That sound is… everything. So carefree, and happy, and…
I’d do anything to hear it again. Take a faceful of water every day if that’s what it takes.
Still chuckling, Kiara lifts the hem of her shirt and dries my face, my breath stilling in my lungs.
She’s scent marking me back. Claiming me in front of him without an ounce of hesitation.
It clicks, then, and the onslaught of adrenaline begins to ebb from my veins, my thoughts easier to connect and hold onto.
She’s already vetted this one as a potential mate and deemed him worthy, she doesn’t need me to test him.
And my mate’s smart; if she approves, that’s all that matters.
The more mates she surrounds herself with, the better she’s protected.
If I fail again, she won’t pay the price.
There will be others to ensure the monsters that tortured me never get their hands on her.
To accomplish that? I don’t need to only be Kiara’s mate, I need to coordinate with the rest of her men.
The better we work together, the easier it’ll be to protect her.
It pains me to let him touch her, but I stuff down my own feelings and rise to my feet, carrying Kiara over and gently passing her over to him as an olive branch.
She comes first. If we’re at each other’s throats, it’s not my pride that suffers, it’s her.
And until I’m back to the guardian that used to spark legends and strike fear into the hearts of men, I’ll need to rely on Stryker and Devlin to help care for our mate.
He startles, but takes her without hesitation and gives me a nod of respect. “I’m honored by your trust. I swear, I’ll take care of her with my life.”
I dip my head in return, even though I miss the weight of her against me fiercely. But I know better than anyone that sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
Kiara beams at me as she wiggles her way down from Stryker’s arms, and a terrible part of me puffs up with smug satisfaction at how quickly she abandoned him when she let me hold her for as long as I desired.
“Well damn, if I knew all it’d take was a little jealousy to make all this progress, I’d have called in Stryker days ago.
” Over her shoulder, she snarks, “Don’t get any ideas, I’m still claiming the credit. ”
He snorts. “Wouldn’t dream of it, princess.”
She flips him off, but there’s no heat behind it.
To me, she gushes, “It’ll be a workout hauling all the bedding over after work, but trust me, it’ll be worth it.
You’ll be so warm, you’ll kick me out of the nest halfway through the night, cuddle buddies be damned.
Want to help, or is your social battery drained for the day?
You could wait for me here if you don’t want to borrow Stryker’s gym shoes, but it’ll likely take me two trips on my own-”
“What are you talking about?” Stryker interrupts. “Hauling bedding over?” He scowls. “Tell me you aren’t planning on sleeping here?”
Kiara grimaces. “Yeahhhhhh, about that. Some unforeseen problems cropped up, the heat got shut off at my place about a week ago, and Ikindasortasoldmyhouseandammovingintotheclinic,” she mumbles in a sheepish rush, rocking back on her heels and avoiding his gaze.
I didn’t know someone’s neck could turn that red, but Stryker looks like a volcano about to blow. “You’ve been living with a feral shifter, with no heat in the middle of one of the harshest winters on record, and you didn’t think that was something you should tell me?!”
A warning growl rumbles through my chest, not liking the tone he’s speaking to my mate with, and he seems to take the chastisement to heart, pinching the bridge of his nose and backing off to cool down.
Once he gets his shit together and remembers the proper way to speak to a lady, he stops his pacing in front of her and says calmly, “You can stay with me. We’ll grab your things on the way.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t you staying at the bed and breakfast? How well do you think that’d go over, bringing Z there? People can’t find out about him until he’s cured.”
Stryker gives her a pained look. “Sweet girl, you know the best thing we can do for Z is keep him comfortable, but contained, and ensure he isn’t a threat to himself or others.”
I was wrong. Apparently a person can turn a deeper shade of red.
And Kiara? She’s practically on fire as she seethes, “Just because a cure hasn’t been found yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Tell me, Stryker, do you really think he’s a lost cause?
Because despite what people say, the two of us have been in a room with him for an hour and he hasn’t hurt either of us.
I’ve been living with him for more than a week, and all it’s done is prove that he needs help, not to be locked up and left to rot.
” Exhaling slowly, she says more calmly, “Hurt people hurt people. Injured animals lash out in pain. Look at him; really look, and tell me what you see.”
As he turns his attention to me, I bare my teeth, taking Kiara back in my arms. He doesn’t deserve to cuddle her if he’s going to be an asshole.
Voice a whisper, he asks, “Do you know what happened to him?”
Kiara sighs. “Based on the hundreds of scars and burn marks, broken wing when I found him, and how defensive he gets around people, especially men? I’m guessing that someone found out what kind of shifter he is and tried to traffick him.
And when he fought back, they made it their mission to break him so they could sell him. ”
“Wait, what kind of shifter is he?”
Kiara looks between the two of us, weighing the risks before coming to a decision to trust the man. “A sphinx.”
Stryker jerks back, and I bury my nose in the crook of my mate’s neck. It’s easier to keep up with the conversation this way, though frustrating that they’re discussing my fate in front of me and being unable to speak for myself. But I… I can’t. I’m not sure I even have a voice left.
“Shit. Fuck.” He runs a shaky hand through his dark hair.
Taking a deep breath, he says, “That settles it then, I’m staying too.
If you’re right?” Holding her worried stare, his words hit every one of my fears on the head as he says, “Somebody’s looking for him.
A sphinx? Most people think they’re extinct.
That’d be a goldmine to traffickers, and if they catch you with him…
” he shakes his head, not wanting to imagine the implications, and honestly… neither do I.
I can’t keep my mate safe if I abandon her. Sticking close puts her in danger. Gods, what the hell am I supposed to do?
“Kia?” a muted, male voice calls outside the door, and Kiara pauses for a solid five seconds before springing into action, panicking.
“Oh Fates. Could he have any worse timing?” To both of us, she begs, “It’s my brother. By all that is holy, stay. Here. I haven’t told him about either of you yet and he will lose his absolute shit. Please, please, please, don’t come out until I get rid of him.”
Without waiting for a reply, she rushes out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Then it’s just the two of us sitting in incredibly awkward silence. We exchange a look, a silent communication passing between us, before Stryker bends his knees slightly, threading his fingers together.
“You’ll get way more wiggle room than me. If you go apeshit and attack her brother, she’ll think it’s endearing. If I do, I’m a problem. So here’s to hoping you’ve brushed up on your charade skills so you can fill me in when you get back.”
Surprised, but following his lead, I step on his clasped hands and push aside one of the panels from the drop ceiling.
Stryker boosts me up, and I’m careful to kneel on the grid instead of any of the actual tiles as I navigate the dusty space.
I follow the sound of my mate’s voice until I’m hovering directly above her, carefully sliding the ceiling tile an inch to the side so I can see what’s happening.
It’s easy to tell they’re related. While her brother’s hair isn’t purple, it’s just as uniquely vibrant. Reddish brown with enough gold threaded in to catch the light. They share the same shade of blue-green eyes, and even their scents compliment each other.
I don’t like him.
“-phone was broken and I didn’t get it replaced today. See?”
Her brother sighs. “I know you wanted your space when we came here, but it’s been six months and I have to admit, I’m not adjusting well.
I worry about you all the damn time, Kia.
Especially when you ghost me for days on end and I’m stuck imagining the worst!
What if we compromise? I talked to Ellis, and there’s a house available a few down from yours, and he said it wouldn’t be a big deal for me to swap.
Then I could be closer if there was a problem, but you’d still have your space.
We could do weekly Sunday dinners to catch up or something. ”
Kiara snorts. “I love you, Kills, but that’s a hard no. At some point, you’re going to have to accept that I’m not a little girl anymore. It’s not your job to take care of me anymore.”
Clearly, she doesn’t trust him with the job anymore. I puff up my chest. She trusts me, though. Otherwise she wouldn’t be sleeping in my nest.
Distracted, I miss part of what her brother replies, shaking my head to clear my muddled thoughts.
Gotta focus. My bondmate entrusted me with this task; I need to prove that I can handle it. That his faith wasn’t misplaced and I’m not past salvation.
“- come with me Saturday.”
My breath stutters. He’s trying to take her away.
I could kill him. It wouldn’t even be hard.
She hums low in her throat. “Honestly? That sounds exhausting.”
He waggles his eyebrows. “Would your big brother lead you astray? Free food and an open bar, Kia. Not to mention how good it could be for business if you network a bit. These are all rich, connected assholes trying to make themselves feel like they’re balancing their karmic scales by donating to charities.
Who knows, maybe you’ll charm a couple into donating to the clinic for supernatural creature conservation efforts or some nonsense. ”
I don’t care if they shower my mate with money, I don’t like the sound of this. At all.
Rich people are the worst; they treat crime like pay-to-play. If the punishment for a crime is a fine, it’s only illegal for poor people. If you can make a call to a ‘family friend’ and a judge sweeps it under the rug, what’s the point of even having a justice system?
Fuck that noise. My mate is staying home, far away from all that bullshit.