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“She’s really your mate?”
“Yes.” I sound exasperated because I am. Wolves don’t lie about their mates. Fate made the decision, not me.
“Jimmy was a really good guy. Kind. Gentle. And most importantly, fiercely protective. If you’re not bringing Tasha back to me, then I expect you to protect her the way Jimmy did. Selflessly.” Her voice cracks, and I’m torn between a spark of sympathy and outright jealousy.
“I’ll die protecting your sister, Tess.” The words are fierce. The honesty in them is undeniable.
She’s quiet for a minute. “Okay. Well… good.”
“Good,” I echo.
She doesn’t trust me. None of them do. But as long as I keep Tasha safe, I’ll earn their respect. One day at a time. If only patience were one of my virtues.
“Will you let her know that Dominic’s going to send a team to search for Tevin? I know how she is, she’s going to worry about everyone else first, but you tell her there’s nothing she can do right now. We’re going to find him, and I’m safe here with Dominic.
“Tell Tasha the best thing she can do for all of us is hear you out.” She hesitates. “I can’t imagine you kidnapped my sister for no reason.”
“She’s my mate.”Just walk down the hall and mark her. Then they’ll all know she belongs to us. No one can take her from us when she bears our mark.
“Paxton… I believe you.”
“Seriously?” I can hear Dominic’s muffled voice from across the phone. I can hear the skepticism in his voice, but it seems to have disappeared now from Tess’. At least that means I have one Jarreau on my side.
“If anyone deserves a second chance mate, it’s Tasha. She’s always taken care of everyone else. Now it’s her turn, so you better treat her like the queen that she is or I swear to Goddess when I lay eyes on you again—“
She’s cut off abruptly.
“I think you get the point.” Dominic sighs. “Keep Tasha in one piece and try not to piss her off too much. We’ll be checking in daily.”
“Great,” I tell him with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.
The phone line goes dead.
I’m tempted to break the phone. I’m sure Leah has one around here, but maybe I could break that one too. Then we’d really have no contact with the outside world. It’s tempting. Without interference, it might be easier to wear Tasha down.
Make her dependent on me for everything. She has to get lonely eventually, right?
I move down the hall before rational thought catches up to me. I haven’t given her enough time to fall asleep, but I catch the lingering trail of her scent, and it leads me right to the room she picked.
Light still streams out from under the door, so she’s definitely still awake. I push it open anyway.
“Seriously?” she croaks, her voice coming from the other side of the bed even though I can’t see her. “Just go away.”
I can’t. My wolf floods with so much emotion I almost shift right there in the house because my human body can’t contain it all. The sound of her turmoil is painful. I didn’t bring her here to hurt her, but I can hear the tears in her voice.
I round the side of the bed to find her sitting with her back to it, her knees pulled close to her chest in a way that makes her seem younger than she is.
“Don’t touch me.” She squeezes her arms tighter around herself as if that will somehow ward me away.
If I was good at following orders, I wouldn’t be a rogue.
I bend down and pick her up easily, pulling her into the bed with me and cradling her against my chest. She puts a hand on me to try to shove away, but I have a steel grip on her.
She’s mine. I’ll never let her go.
I tilt my head back against the headboard and stare at the ceiling so I’m not tempted to do something insane… like actually marking the mate who hasn’t accepted our bond yet.
That would be crazy.
