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Secretly, it gave her a bit of a thrill to watch him work.
“About two minutes ago. There’s a group of hunters attacking a coven of vampires about fifty miles from here. We gotta skate. They can’t hold out much longer.”
Nick turned to Calla, but she held up a hand. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
“Either stay here until I get back or go straight home,” he ordered firmly. “I don’t want you without protection with hunters running around here.”
“I’ll go home. Promise.” She gave him a smile, and his face softened a tad.
“I’ll talk to you soon.”
With that, the commander turned and jogged with Micah toward the hangar. Calla was so intrigued by the sway of his tight ass as he ran, she hadn’t noticed that someone else had joined her.
“Quite the sight, isn’t he?” a woman’s voice teased.
Calla turned her head to see Selene, Nick’s daughter, observing her with humor etched on her angular face. Great, she’d been busted ogling the woman’s father.
“He’s passable enough.” She shrugged.
Selene laughed. “Ha! You were staring at his backside like he was a nice juicy steak, so don’t even try that with me. He seemed pretty into you, too.”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
The other woman’s smile turned contemplative. Suddenly, she leaned toward Calla and sniffed. “Holy shit, his scent is all over you. That old dog, he marked you good, didn’t he?”
“M-marked me?”
“Yeah,” Selene drawled. “Oldest shifter mating ritual on record, girlfriend, especially with born wolves. The male marks his female to warn off other guys. Guess which ritual is the second oldest.”
Nick’s daughter was fucking with her, and enjoying herself immensely. But that didn’t make what she said any less true. Calla had heard about the marking thing—she’d just never encountered an example firsthand.
Calla drew herself up and looked Selene straight in the eye. She wasn’t sure whether she was being mocked, or merely teased in a good-natured manner. “I like your father a lot,” she said directly. “I’m drawn to him as well, and to be honest there could be more than mere attraction there. Is that going to be a problem?”
She’d said as much as she could to the woman without revealing she was pretty sure Nick was her mate. Nick deserved to hear those words first, when the time was right.
“Not at all,” Selene said, dropping the teasing. Her expression was warm, and she seemed genuine when she spoke again. “I want nothing more than to see Dad happy. He’s been on the edge of a cliff, and if you’re the one who can pull him back, I’ll be thrilled.”
“Me, too. And thank you. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s good to know we have support.”
“Always. Not just from me, either, but from everyone.”
Impulsively, Calla pulled Selene into a hug. The other woman appeared surprised at first, then returned the gesture with enthusiasm. Then she stepped back and squeezed Selene’s hand.
“Thanks, but I have a feeling your dad is going to prove to be a challenge. Marking or no marking.”
And then there was Tarron and his damned matchmaking to contend with.
She wondered what the commander would think about that.
Something told her she’d better keep that tidbit under wraps where a certain possessive wolf was concerned.
Three
The ride to the site where they were to intercept the hunters was short—but it was long enough to recall every moment Nick had spent in Calla’s company this afternoon.
Was this woman for real? All he could think was, She’s too perfect. Too beautiful. She has to possess at least one flaw.
