Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
My mother wasn't home when I got back, which wasn't unusual. She was probably still at the underground working, which was fine, so I headed straight to the bathroom and had a quick shower. The hot water cascaded over me, but did little to wash away the chaos swirling in my head.
I really should have gone and done some work; I had an assignment due, but honestly, my head just was not in that. With everything from Tia, the baby, Anika, my mother—the whole thing in my head was a jumbled mess, so I just went straight to bed and flopped down, every muscle in my body protesting.
I was convinced I wasn't going to be able to sleep, but the moment I closed my eyes, boom—I was out cold, oblivion claiming me.
I must've slept deeply because I didn't hear my mother coming home. When I woke, the place was silent, the quiet pressing in on me. I rolled onto my back, yawning and stretching. My panther stretched with me, having slept just as peacefully. The flat was so quiet; my mother was probably asleep on the sofa.
I hauled myself out of bed, grabbing my lounge pants and putting them on. I eased my bedroom door open, not wanting to wake my mother, and tiptoed out to the lounge. I had a few hours before class, and with the assignment due, the library was calling my name. Still, I wasn't so sure how much work I'd get done, but it didn't matter. I needed to get onto that, and then I needed to talk to my mother and Malcolm.
My mother was going to be the hard one. If I told her I wanted to mate with Tia, I knew exactly what reaction I was going to get. The walls would slam down faster than I could blink, even if I told her about the baby. Hell, the baby news might make her explode even worse. The thought of that conversation made my stomach churn.
Maybe it was better to talk to Malcolm first, to get things in place. I could explain about Tia and ask about the permission to mate. We wouldn't mention the baby, not just yet. We had to fudge the dates on that; babies came early and late all the time. If we could just get the mating part nailed down, and then I will talk to him about the sentinels. After seeing Anika last night, there was no way I was letting my child have that kind of life. I was going to do everything in my power to look after this baby, no matter what I had to give up. The memory of Anika's haunted eyes flashed through my mind, stealing my resolve.
But also, the ten thousand I owed the humans would get cleared up. Signing up for the sentinels would get that paid off and give us a good start in life. Sure, I would miss out on the first couple of years of my child's life, but with accomplishment always comes sacrifice, and it was the only way I could see for us to get to where we needed to be.
But my mother wasn't home, and she hadn't been home. I glanced at my watch—a little after seven thirty. Not too late, but she was usually home around six-ish. There were only occasionally she was out so late. It was possible she had a client who wanted her to stay longer. Whatever it was, fine. A niggle of worry started to creep in, but I pushed it aside.
I left my mother a small note on the table: "Headed to the library. Can we talk when I get home tonight?" And I grabbed my bag and headed to the door.
The day was just a normal day. I stopped by to see Tia, but she had back-to-back classes, and so we never really got to talk. I asked her how she was, and all those things I was meant to ask. She was nervous to see me, happy maybe. Her eyes were a mix of emotions every time they met mine, making my heart race.
Later, I had my own classes, and after, I went straight to work. Tia and I were going to meet later, and my panther couldn't wait for it. I swear, if he could tell the time, he would have counted down the minutes.
My shift at Spyglass was short. Also non-eventful. I was back home by eight that evening, but the moment I walked in the door ... the place was silent, still. Too still.
"Mum?" But I didn't need to say her name; deep inside, I already knew she wasn't there. My note was still on the table. Now that wasn't right. I could understand my mother being late home in the morning. If she had a client who wanted her to stay, fine. Yes, but she had never, not in my entire remembrance, not come home all day. Even if it was just to leave me a note with instructions, she would nipped home. But nothing had moved. I stared at my note on the table as if that might actually give me some answers and let out a breath.
I had to go to the underground. See where she was. Go and talk to Sue, or my mother. I grabbed my bag—I was going to meet Tia after I checked on my mother—and headed towards the door. But it was as I put my hand on the door handle and got ready to release the lock and open it, something slammed against me, inside me. A wall of anger, a blast of power against my own. I gasped, heaving in another breath, trying to slam my shields quickly into place before they got taken over by whatever this was. The power literally knocked the wind out of me.
I braced my other hand against the door, letting my senses spread out. Using them, small inky tendrils feeling for a presence nearby. I was trying to gauge how close they were when something loud and heavy thumped against my door several times, making it vibrate.
"Open the door," a male voice demanded from the other side, the words dripping with barely contained violence.
My panther rushed to the surface, eyes shifting, ready to protect. I unlatched the door, opened it, and braced myself.
"Raven McCullough?" the man said. He was about ten years older than me, sporting blonde hair and a thick beard. Leather jacket, jeans, and boots. He wasn't as tall as me, but over six foot at least. Bright green eyes, and I could see, and feel the panther within him. One of Tia's brothers.
"Can I help you?" I asked, keeping my voice level despite the adrenaline surging through me.
"Not really. I'm here to talk, and you're here to listen." He tried to step into my flat, using his large presence to naturally push me back, but I didn't move. The space between us closed to almost nothing, but I wasn't stepping back, and I wasn't letting him in. This was a game. Me moving back would be submission against his proclaimed dominance, and I was not having that. This was my home, and I didn't care if he was Tia's brother, father, or the alpha of her pack. He was not coming in and not pushing me around.
He let out a soft growl and smirked. This was just a play on positions. I swear, did everyone have to play the who-has-the-biggest-dick game? My panther wanted to come out and play, though.
"What is it that you want to talk about? I have somewhere to be." I gritted out.
He exhaled, his breath hot with barely contained rage. "I'm here to tell you to keep the fuck away from my sister. You and her." He wagged a finger at me, raising his brow and shaking his head. "Is not fucking happening."
My panther stirred within me, a low growl rumbling in my chest. He didn't give a shit what this man said. "I think Tia and I are both old enough to decide what we do or don't want," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "It's not for you to say."
Her brother took a step back then, folding his arms over his chest. It wasn't submission; it was a predator sizing up its prey. His eyes raked over me, cold and calculating. "As her brother, it is very much for me to say. You are to stay away from her. I won't ask this more than once. In fact, I'm not even asking you, I'm telling you. You. Stay. Away."
I opened my mouth to argue, but he raised a hand, silencing me with a look that could freeze hell itself. "Whatever you want to say, it doesn't matter. You're lucky it's just me here and not the rest of us, because believe me, there was a fight for us to come here and talk to you today. I told them I'd come and talk some sense into you. So, if you know what's good for you, you'll walk away from Tia, and forget you ever knew her. Do you understand me?"
My blood boiled, and before I could stop myself, I snarled, "Are the bruises on Tia's neck also you guys talking sense into her?"
His eyes narrowed to slits, a muscle twitching in his jaw. I was pushing him, dancing on the edge of a knife, but I didn't care. Tia and I could take this guy on. Even if he was stronger and higher up the ladder than I was, I wasn't afraid. Fear had no place here.
"That is family business," he growled.
"I'm not going to walk away from her," I said, standing my ground. My panther paced beneath my skin, itching for a fight. "She has to tell me that herself. Not some bully who happens to be related to her."
His top lip peeled back in a snarl, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp for a human mouth. "You think because you got her pregnant, you have a say in this?" Something must have flashed across my face, because his expression shifted to one of smug satisfaction. "Oh, yeah. She told us. No secrets in our house."
The words hit me, but I refused to back down. "I have a right to be in my child's life," I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.
"Then you have the right to know that Tia is already pinned down to be mated to someone else," he snarled, his words like ice down my spine. "She's only here for her studies and nothing else. Any fling she has, is just that, a fling. She knows this." His eyes glittered with malice. "She has someone back home, and when she's finished with her studies and she graduates, home is where she's coming back to. And you and her, all of this ..." He flicked his wrist dismissively, as if swatting away an annoying fly. "It'll just be something she did one year. And I don't give a shit if you're going to start proclaiming that she's carrying your child. You will not be the father. She has a mate, and he will do what is needed for the child. That child is nothing to you."
I ground my jaw, the taste of fury bitter on my tongue. My eyes bored into his, unflinching. "That is my child she's carrying," I growled, each word a challenge.
"No, it is Tia's," he spat, moving towards me again. This time, he meant it as a show of dominance. And no, I did not move back. Not an inch. Because I was not backing down. "You will stay away from her. I don't know what you two think you have going on, but?—"
"And what does Tia think of all this?" I cut in. "Does she even get a say in what she wants?"
That smirk again, oily and smug. "Tia does as she's told. This is not up for debate. So, get all the stupid ideas and plans out of your head." He tapped me on the forehead with that, and I clenched my fists, every muscle in my body coiled tight, ready to snap. "You walk away."
"And if I don't?"
His eyes flared, a predatory gleam lighting them from within. I felt the excitement coming off him. It was excitement, big and bold, and it wanted me to fight. That's what he wanted. He wanted a fight, and he wanted me to attack, because this man standing in front of me was a bully. I wasn't giving him that kind of satisfaction.
"Then I'm not so sure I'll be so accommodating," he purred, the threat clear in every syllable. "You stay away."