Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Navin
Brea isn’t happy about it when I force her to take a nap after lunch. She’s still recovering from a near-fatal injury, I tell her. She needs to rest.
She argues that she’s a grown woman who doesn’t take naps, and I ignore her as I not only strip off her sweatshirt, socks, and pants, but also remove her panties and put a diaper on her.
Brea squirms, her brows furrowed in frustration. “I’m not going to wet the bed,” she informs me.
“Nope. You aren’t. Because if you happen to pee yourself, it will get absorbed by the diaper.”
She growls at me, but I pop a pacifier in her mouth, turn her on her side in the middle of the bed, nestle her between some pillows, and cover her with a thick blanket. She won’t be as warm as she is when she’s nesting between my legs, but she’ll be fine.
I sit next to her and stroke her hair for the three minutes it takes until she falls into a deep sleep. Not tired, my ass.
I’m smiling as I leave her asleep and step outside. This time, I’m wearing a shirt and shoes, which makes Orion chuckle. “What? You’re not going to show me your chest again this afternoon?”
I flip him off without a word. It’s fall here, and the weather is going to start turning. It will be a bit colder every day, but when we’re working outside, we rarely bundle up more than our usual clothes and maybe a jacket or sweatshirt. Some gloves to protect our hands.
Can we step outside in jeans with no shirt or shoes?
Yes. Did I do it to impress my mate? Maybe.
Mostly I just didn’t want to wear a shirt in the house because I enjoy the feel of my mate pressed directly against my skin.
We’d only been outside long enough for me to do a demonstration shift. Clothing wasn’t needed.
I’ve put on a Henley and work boots this afternoon. The chill in the air doesn’t bother me, but I do need to remember to bundle my mate up anytime I take her outside. She’d be cold wearing as little as I’m wearing.
Ronan’s truck pulls up while Orion is still chuckling at me. This is why I wanted my mate to take a nap—besides the fact that she needs more sleep. Lord knows when she last slept well. I suspect it’s been a long time.
I wanted to unload the things Ronan and Quinn picked up for me in town and talk to them about what they found out about Mitchel without my mate present.
Quinn looks grim when he hops down from the truck. His brows are furrowed, and his jaw is set.
Ronan has the same expression as he rounds to our side.
“I take it you found Mitchel,” I say, planting my hands on my hips. They’re far too serious for a grocery and supply delivery.
Ronan growls. “Oh, we did. What a fucking piece of work.”
I cringe. “Talk to me.”
Quinn picks up, “Guy owns a storage facility, though I suspect half his units are not rented to legitimate people for the safekeeping of legal items. We snooped around a bit before we went into the office. He’s a sleazeball.
There was a woman in the office, too. She had a black eye and looked scared out of her mind. ”
Ronan grunts. “It was tough to walk away without strangling him on the spot. We considered it.”
My blood is boiling, but I knew it would be. “Did you find out where he lives?”
Quinn takes over again. “Yes. That was easy. Rundown house on the outskirts of town. It has a basement, like you said. I easily broke into one of the basement windows and jumped down inside. Your mate’s scent lingered.
The conditions he was holding her in were deplorable.
I considered going back to the storage facility to shoot the fucker between the eyes. ”
“I’m glad you showed restraint,” I grumble, mostly because I’d like to personally kill the guy.
Ronan nods. “It’s been a long time since any of us faced this kind of problem. We should have a pride meeting to discuss what we’re going to do. We need to rid the world of his type of scum, but we need to do so in a way that we are not implicated or even suspected.”
I inhale so deeply my nostrils flare. “I agree. As far as we know, no one has a single clue yet that we found a woman in the woods, especially not Mitchel, right?”
Quinn nods. “That seems to be the case. No one in town mentioned a missing girl. And we made sure no one saw us breaking into his house. If they did, they don’t recall it.
Granted, I’m sure there will be rumors spreading now that we’ve purchased women’s clothing in town, but as long as no one makes the connection between Brea and Mitchel before he’s been eliminated, we should be fine. ”
“I agree,” Ronan says. “I doubt anyone knows Mitchel was holding a woman in his basement. That’s incredibly unlikely, which means no one in town knows she exists. We can spread whatever rumor we want about how you two met, but we’ll do so after Mitchel is out of the picture.”
My brothers are thinking far more clearly than I am this afternoon. It’s hard for me to see anything but rage.
“How is she?” Quinn asks in a kinder voice.
I smile. “She’s doing amazing. I even took the stitches out. The wound healed better than I remember ever seeing on a human before. It’s been a damn long time since any of us have witnessed the healing properties we bring to a mate.”
Ronan nods. “That’s good to know. Pryce said the cut was long and deep. She’d lost a lot of blood.”
“She had.” I glance past my brothers and look around the clearing. Most of our pride are still out at one of the logging sites. “How soon do you think we can gather everyone?”
Ronan looks over his shoulder. “A few hours? I’ll head to the jobsite and let everyone know to come straight to the clearing when they return for the day. I have an idea in mind. I’ll explain it better at the meeting, but in the meantime, we need something from you.”
I cock my head to the side, narrowing my gaze. What could he possibly need?
Ronan’s expression is tense. “We picked up everything you needed from town. I’ll help you carry it inside and explain. Then we’ll meet out here in a few hours.”
Ten minutes later, I’m left to go through the bags of supplies. Some items are things I already have but will need more of in the near future, like extra food, drinks she might like, clothes, and undergarments.
We don’t buy bottles, diapers, or pacifiers from town.
Our lifestyle practices are private. No one in town needs to know how we live behind closed doors, so we order those kinds of supplies from wholesale locations and have them shipped directly here to the mountain.
It’s not cheap to have things delivered, but it’s worth it.
The purchase of clothes is what’s going to give away the fact that we have a woman with us, so we need to act fast on Mitchel. It will be tidier if he’s eliminated without anyone knowing he ever had a connection with Brea.
I’m marginally nervous about the plan Ronan has put into motion. But he’s a sharp man with a good head for solving problems.
I’ve put all the food away and started dinner. So far, Brea has only expressed disdain for broccoli, so I think she’ll like my pasta bake. I get it all put together and in the oven before I hear her stirring in the bedroom.
When I enter, she’s sitting up in the middle of the bed, looking groggy and disoriented. And adorable.
Brea tips her head back to look at me and frowns. “I guess I was tired.”
“Yes, Little love. Next time you’ll listen to Daddy and not argue.”
“Could I take a shower?”
I tug the covers away from her leg and examine it. The wound has improved significantly even in the last few hours. “How about a bath? I don’t want you standing, and I bet you could use a good soak. The wound is completely sealed, so no water will get in it.”
She touches the scar. “I can’t believe it. Even the scar isn’t as gnarly as it should be.”
“That’s what you get for hooking up with a shapeshifter,” I tease as I grab her ankles and drag her to the edge of the bed.
She giggles. “See? I didn’t wet myself.”
I remove her diaper, noting she’s right.
“That’s fine, Little love, but I don’t want you getting so worked up about peeing in your diaper that you don’t sleep well.
If I find out you’re restless or forcing yourself to remain slightly alert, I’ll put sleeping pills in your bottom and force you to rest.”
She gasps. “Daddy…”
“I mean it, Little love. Rest is important. Sleeping pills will drag you into such a deep sleep that you’ll pee yourself without your knowledge.”
“That’s a bit drastic.”
“Try me, naughty girl.” I help her to sit upright and pull the tank top over her head before removing the band from her hair and unraveling the braid.
“I love it when you run your hands through my hair,” she whispers, her voice relaxed.
I’m glad she enjoys me stroking her hair because I certainly like it, too. I intend to do it often. I scoop her into my arms, cradling her, and carry her to the bathroom. After sitting her on the bench seat, I turn on the water.
“The tub is huge,” she comments. “We could both fit.”
I test the water until I’m satisfied and add the stopper. “Sometimes I’ll get in with you, Little love, but not today.”
“Why not?” she pouts.
I chuck under her chin. “Because bathing with my naked mate would end with my cock buried in her tight cunt.”
“And what’s wrong with that plan?” she teases.
“Nothing at all except I have a meeting with my pride in the clearing soon. I can’t be late because I was busy fucking my mate until she screamed.”
Her pretty cheeks turn pink. She’s embarrassed by my crude words, which is cute, but she shakes it off quickly and asks, “Why are you having a meeting? Is it about Mitchel?”
“Yes, Little love,” I say gently. “And you’ll stay in the cabin while we meet. I don’t want you to concern yourself with our plans.”
As the water rises, I lift her over the edge of the tub and carefully set her on her bottom.
“Daddy… I’m the one he tried to murder. I think I deserve to be a part of your plans.”
I ignore her and grab a cup to pour water over her head. “Tip your head back, Little love, and close your eyes.”
She obeys, but as I start massaging shampoo into her thick hair, she continues on the same subject. “You can’t leave me out, Navin.”
I’ve learned she calls me Navin when she’s serious, upset, or about to orgasm. The last doesn’t bother me. The first two are aggravating, not because I never want her to call me by my name, but because I don’t like knowing she’s so frustrated. I’d rather avoid causing her anxiety at all costs.
I rinse her hair and switch to conditioner, rubbing her scalp in a way that lulls her. She can’t help but close her eyes and purr. If she likes me threading my fingers through her hair, she’s over the moon to have me massage her head.
“Daddy…” she murmurs even in her blissful state. “You’re ignoring me.”
I chuckle and tuck a finger under her chin. “Look at Daddy.”
She opens her eyes.
“Sometimes I will enjoy sparring with you. I love that you’re spunky and determined.
I’m sure we will have a lifetime of disagreements.
Most of them you will not win, but I’ll enjoy the back and forth, and you’ll enjoy the spanking you’ll get in the end.
However, this particular issue is not up for debate.
You will not be consulted or have any part in my plans.
My decision is final. If you mention it again, I will spank your naughty bottom and leave you unfulfilled and begging me for release. Do I make myself clear?”
I really try to sound firm, but it’s hard. She has me wrapped around her pinky.
Her eyes go wide, and her mouth drops open.
I lift a brow.
Finally she sighs. “Poop. You’re not being fair.”
“Not every decision I make will seem fair, but I won’t change my mind after it’s made up, so further attempts to dissuade me will not end well for you.”
Her shoulders drop. “I was the victim, Daddy. I should at least be permitted to attend the meeting.”
“And the answer is still no, Little love. I won’t have you knowing my plans or taking part in them. It’s safer for you. Your safety will always be my number one priority.”
She drops her chin farther. “Okay.”
Progress. At least she’s no longer arguing. Though I kind of like sparring with my Little mate, I’d rather do it over naptime or diapering than a sex trafficker’s fate.
I grab the soap and pour some onto a washcloth.
Starting with her arms, I gently wash her entire body, leaving her breasts and then her pussy for last. I love how her breath hitches and her nipples harden.
The scent of her arousal fills the bathroom even over the floral shampoo and conditioner I used.
I would much rather climb into bed with my mate and make her scream my name, but duty calls. I need to take care of the potential future threat to her life before I can fully focus on her physical needs again.
When I’m done bathing her and rinsing her hair, I let the water out and lift her into a huge fluffy towel.
She’s quiet as I dry her off and sit her on the bench. I know she’s annoyed with me, but that’s okay. It doesn’t stop her pulse from picking up or her lips from parting as I comb through her wet hair, careful not to snag any tangles.
“You don’t play fair, Daddy,” she purrs.
I chuckle. “Never. I play for keeps. You’re mine, and ensuring you’re safe for the rest of your life is priority number one.”
“What’s priority number two?” she sasses.
“Fucking you so hard that your teeth rattle.”
She twists to look at me and smiles. “I like that second plan better. Maybe we should do that now?”
“Not a chance, naughty girl. I’m going to put some clothes on you, and you’re going to sit at the kitchen table and color while I’m meeting with my pride.”
“Fine…” she says in about three syllables.