Chapter 6 Percival #2
“It’s a firehouse, not a warzone. Half the town passes through there on any given day.” I held his gaze, alpha to alpha. The playful energy I usually projected didn’t mean I couldn’t push back when it mattered. “She needs this. You know she does.”
The standoff lasted three seconds. Then Lucian exhaled through his nose.
“Fine.” His jaw was tight enough to crack. “But you’re not leaving our sight. Not even for a second.”
Mira’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“You need protection.”
“From firefighters?”
“From anyone who isn’t us.”
She crosses her arms. “Aren’t you being overdramatic?”
A muscle ticked in Lucian’s jaw. “Is it wrong to worry about your safety?”
“Enough.”
Solomon’s voice interrupted the argument. Both of them went quiet, though Mira was still glaring daggers and Lucian looked as if he wanted to throw something.
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning. I’d known Lucian for centuries, watched him command rooms with a single look. Nobles and warriors alike bend to his will without question. And here was this human woman, barely five and a half feet tall, going toe to toe with him.
She was perfect. Absolutely perfect.
And from the look on Lucian’s face, equal parts furious and fascinated, he was finally starting to realize it too. Those two were going to be a disaster. The fun kind. The kind that ended with either a screaming match or a kiss, and my money was on both.
Mira turned to us, a wicked grin spreading across her face. “So... are we going or not?”
I stood and stretched, letting my shirt ride up just enough to catch her eye. Her gaze flickered to the strip of skin above my waistband before snapping back to my face.
Gotcha.
“Do you want to meet my baby?”
Her brow furrowed. “Your... what?”
I just grinned and headed for the garage.
***
The Ducati sat in the corner in its matte black, chrome accents. I’d spent three months restoring her, and she was worth every sleepless night.
Mira stopped dead in the doorway.
“You are not making this on a firefighter’s salary.”
I laughed and grabbed the spare helmet from the shelf. “You’d be surprised what one could have if they’re dedicated enough.” I tossed it to her. She caught it on reflex, still staring at the bike as if it might bite her.
“Are you getting on or not? Thought you wanted to go to the firehouse.”
“I thought we were taking a car!”
“Solomon and Lucian are taking the car.” I swung my leg over the seat and settled in, then looked back at her over my shoulder. “You’re riding with me.”
Solomon appeared in the garage doorway, keys in hand. His pale eyes moved from the bike to Mira to me.
“Be careful.” It wasn’t a suggestion.
“Always am.”
“I mean it, Percy.” Lucian materialized behind Solomon, arms crossed, radiating disapproval as they moved to the car. “One scratch on her-”
“She’ll be fine.” I patted the seat behind me. “Won’t you, love?”
Mira’s cheeks flushed at the endearment, but she squared her shoulders and marched toward the bike. She fumbled with the helmet for a second before jamming it on her head. Lucian rolled his eyes one last time and followed Solomon who’s already in the driver’s seat.
“How do I...?”
“Leg over. Hands on me.” I reached back and caught her wrist, guiding her arm around my waist. “Hold tight.”
Her body pressed against my back and my wolf howled with satisfaction. Her thighs bracketed mine, her chest flush against my spine as her fingers curl into the fabric of my shirt. I could feel her heartbeat, could smell the spike of adrenaline mixed with sweetness.
I leaned back, my lips brushing the shell of her ear through the helmet gap. “Tighter than that. Unless you want to fall off.”
Her arms clenched around me, pulling herself flush against my body. Every point of contact burned.
“Very good,” I murmured. “Now hold on.”
The engine roared to life, and I felt her gasp vibrate through my spine.
Then we were moving, shooting out of the garage and down the driveway, and her grip on me turned bruising.
My body responded to hers with zero subtlety.
I shifted forward on the seat, putting an inch between my hips and her thighs, and prayed she hadn’t felt the reason why.
I’d never been so grateful for a fifteen-minute drive in my life.
By the time we reached the firehouse, I’d memorized every place her body pressed against mine.
It sat in the middle of town, red brick and old, probably been there so long it felt part of the landscape at this point. Photos lined the walls, generations of firefighters, all of them human, completely unaware that three of their current colleagues could turn into wolves.
Mira stepped inside and did what she always did. Her eyes swept the room: front entrance, bay doors, back exit near the kitchen. I watched her shoulders stay tight until she’d mapped every escape route in the building.
Solomon and Lucian were already inside when we arrived. Mira pulled off the helmet, shaking out her hair, and I watched every male head in the vicinity turn.
Fuck.
I’d forgotten she wasn’t wearing a disguise.
Her copper roots had grown out enough to catch the light, streaking through the dark dye. And with the helmet off, her mismatched eyes were on full display.
She looked the best kind of trouble.
Danny spotted us first. Mid-forties, beer gut with mustache that belonged on a seventies cop show. His eyes went wide when he saw her.
“Well, well, well.” He clapped me on the shoulder hard enough to make a normal human stumble. I barely shifted. “The three musketeers finally grace us with their presence. And they brought company.”
His gaze lingered on Mira a beat too long. My wolf snarled.
“Hi.” She extended her hand before any of us could answer for her. “I simply wanted to pay a visit.”
“You know these guys personally?” Danny’s eyebrows climbed toward his hairline. His eyes shifted between us, putting pieces together. “Lucky them.”
Solomon materialized at Mira’s side. Didn’t say anything because he didn’t have to. The temperature dropped about ten degrees with just his presence.
“She just wanted to see where we work,” I jumped in, keeping my voice light.
“Uh-huh.” Danny didn’t sound convinced, but he was smart enough not to push. “Well, any friend of yours is welcome here.”
That got a small laugh out of her. Quiet but genuine although this time, I didn’t like that it was directed at someone else.
The other firefighters trickled over, drawing as moths to a flame. Martinez reached us first. His eyes swept over Mira with obvious interest.
“Hey there.” He flashed what he probably thought was a charming smile. “I’m Martinez. Don’t think I’ve seen you around before. I’d definitely remember.”
“She’s not from around here,” Lucian said flatly, getting in between them.
Martinez blinked but recovered quickly. “Yeah? Where are you from originally?”
“East coast.” Mira’s voice was polite but guarded. “Just passing through.”
“Passing through for how long?” Jenkins appeared on her other side, leaning against a truck with studied casualness. “Because if you need someone to show you around town, I’m happy to volunteer.”
“She’s got plenty of tour guides,” I said, stepping closer. My hand was on the small of her back, possessively.
Martinez lingered, still trying to catch Mira’s eye with that too-handsome smile. Solomon materialized at her other side. Just stood there, those pale eyes fixed on Martinez with the quiet promise of a man who knew exactly how to make someone disappear.
Martinez’s smile faltered. “Okay, okay.” He held up his hands. “I can take a hint.”
Mira glanced between the three of us, exasperated. “You’re being immature.”
“It’s for your own good,” Lucian insists.
“Being supervised by childish men? Just because you’re not used to being told no.”
Lucian raised a brow. “Right. Because you are not stubborn yourself.”
“I’m not the one who-”
“Do you want to see the truck?”
Solomon’s voice intervened in their brewing argument again. He stood by the engine Mira had been admiring earlier, one hand resting on the polished red surface. Mira hesitated, clearly torn between continuing her fight with Lucian and genuine curiosity. Fortunately, curiosity won.
“Fine.” She shot Lucian one last glare before crossing to Solomon. “But only because I actually want to know things. Not because you’re distracting me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Solomon’s voice was dry, but I caught the ghost of satisfaction in his expression. He guided her around the truck, pointing out compartments and equipment. “Pierce Arrow XT. Custom built. Carries eight hundred gallons of water.”
She leaned closer to examine what he was showing her, asking a question I couldn’t quite catch. His hand moved to the small of her back as he answered.
Then I caught movement in my peripheral vision. Danny and a few of the other guys had drifted closer again, watching Mira with a little too much interest as she peered into one of the equipment compartments. When she bent forward, I saw Torres elbow Jenkins with a grin.
The playfulness drained out of me in an instant.
I pinned them with a look. Nothing friendly about it that they suddenly found the ceiling very interesting.
That’s what I thought.
Grabbing the helmet from where Mira had set it down, I crossed to her. She barely had time to turn before I plopped it on her head, tucking her hair underneath the rim.
“What are you-”
“Time to go.” I tugged the helmet down over her head until it sat crooked, the visor covering her nose instead of her eyes. “Say goodbye to the nice firefighters.”
“Percy, I can’t see anything!”
“Perfect. No peeking. The route is a surprise.”
Solomon was already moving. His hand closed around her wrist, firm but gentle, and he started guiding her toward the exit. She stumbled slightly, reaching out blindly with her free hand.
“I will whack you on the head,” she said, but she let him lead her. “I have functional legs.”
“No one’s questioning your legs.” Solomon steered her around a tool cart with practiced ease. “Just your visibility.”
“Which one of you geniuses caused!”
I fall into step beside Lucian as we follow them out. Mira grabs at the helmet, and Solomon calmly removes her hand. She tries again. He removes it again. This happens three more times before she gives up with a huff, letting him guide her through the bay doors.
“You know what’s a better way to get fresh air?” I called out to her. “Shopping. New scenery, actual stores, clothes that fit.”
My wolf snarls at me. Traitor. He wants her in my clothes forever, and honestly, so do I. But she can’t live in my oversized shirts indefinitely, no matter how good she looks in them. Practical concerns and all that.
Also, it was a good excuse to get out of here.
“Shopping,” Lucian repeated flatly beside me. “After this disaster.”
“It wasn’t a disaster.”
“Half the crew spent the last hour trying to get her attention.”
I gritted my teeth. “Fine. The firehouse wasn’t my best idea.”
“Clearly.”
I frown at him. We push through the exit into the afternoon sun.
Solomon stands on the sidewalk, still holding Mira’s wrist, waiting for us.
She’s wearing that ridiculous oversized helmet, the visor sitting crooked so it covers her nose instead of her eyes, looking thoroughly unimpressed despite the fact that she can’t actually see anything.
“Can I take this off now?” she demands. “Or am I being kidnapped?”
“Escorted,” Solomon corrects.
I head toward my bike parked at the curb while Solomon guides her over. She fumbles for the helmet, finally yanking it off, and those mismatched eyes find mine immediately.
“Percy.”
Just my name. But the way she says it, half exasperated and half fond, makes my chest ache. I grin easily.
“Yeah, love?”
She opens her mouth, probably to yell at me, but whatever she sees in my face makes her pause. Her brow furrows slightly, head tilting.
“Nothing,” she says finally. “Just... nothing.”
I take the helmet from her hands and settle it back on her head, properly this time, adjusting the strap under her chin. My knuckles brush her jaw and she shivers.
“Hold on tight,” I tell her, swinging my leg over the bike. “And no letting go.”
She climbs on behind me, her thighs pressing against mine, her arms wrapping around my waist. I felt her hesitate before she locked her hands together against my stomach. Her chest presses warm against my back.
Solomon and Lucian head toward the truck parked a few spaces down. Lucian catches my eye before he climbs in, a silent warning to drive careful, drive slow, don’t do anything stupid.
I rev the engine just to watch him scowl.
Mira’s arms tighten around me as the bike roars to life. Her helmet knocks gently against my shoulder blade when she leans in.
She had no idea.
No idea that the man who joked and teased and made her laugh was the same one who’d tear apart anyone who tried to take her from us. That beneath the easy smiles lived my starvation.
Lucian and Solomon understood. They felt it too. A bone-deep certainty that she was ours.
Not owned, never owned but chosen. Kept. Protected.
The three of us could share her. Would share her, gladly, because that’s how the bond worked. No jealousy or competition. Just completion.
But anyone else?
I pulled out of the lot, her body pressed tight against mine, her warmth bleeding through my shirt.
Anyone else who looked at her the way those men had today would learn exactly what kind of monster hid behind my smile.