by L. P. Dover
A car rumbles down the driveway, and I can hear Phil Collins' song "In the Air Tonight" blaring over the speakers. "Amelie's home," I whisper.
Beck hangs his head and sighs. "Again, it's your choice. We both know your mate won't let you leave when he finds out the truth." He lifts his gaze to mine and takes my other hand. "You could be happy in the Land of the Fae … with me. You could keep your magic."
"But I would lose the shifter part of me, wouldn't I?" I ask, whispering the words. There's an ache in my chest at the thought.
Beck nods. "You would."
"Laila!" Amelie calls out. "I'm home."
The door slams shut, but Beck stays in front of me. "You may have a mate, but that's just the shifter side of you. Your fae side calls to me."
Amelie's footsteps pound up the stairs. "Laila?"
Beck kisses my hand and disappears through the portal just as Amelie opens my door. I'm in shock, and everything comes crashing down on me. Tears well up in my eyes, and I sit down on the bed. "Amelie, I don't know what to do."
Smile fading, she sits down beside me. "Oh my God, what happened?"
"Beck was here."
She gasps. "Was that who I heard?"
"Yes." A tear falls down my cheek, and I wipe it away. "There's something I need to tell you that no one knows."
"What is it?"
Lifting my legs onto the bed, I cross them so I can face her. "A war is coming, and not a pack war, but a fae war. If I'm found, it won't be good."
A look of confusion sweeps across her face. "Found? By who?"
"His name is Dorian. He's what you call a dark fae, and he's searching for people like me. If I can't find a way to conceal what I am, it's only a matter of time before he finds me."
Her eyes widen. "We have to tell the pack. Cedric needs to know."
The mention of his name catches me off guard. "Cedric? You know already?"
Sheepishly, she shrugs. "Faith texted me and might have mentioned it." She stands and starts for the door, but I grab her arm.
"Wait. There's more."
"Seriously," she gripes as I pull her back to the bed. "What can be worse than a fae war on our doorstep? Not to mention, we have rogues skulking about too." It's like everything is going crazy all at once.
I look right into her eyes. "Beck wants me to leave with him."
She scoffs. "Of course, he does. You're beautiful and powerful in more ways than one. What if he's trying to lure you away from us?"
"He's not. I can feel the truth in his words. The Land of the Fae is the only safe place for me and the pack. If I go, it'll keep Dorian away from here. His magic is dark. None of you would survive it."
She blows out a long-winded breath. "Does Beck know about Cedric? You can't just up and leave your true mate or your family."
I look away. "Yes, he knows about Cedric. Leaving would keep him safe. I don't want him dying trying to protect me."
I left out the part about Beck wanting to be with me. It goes against our shifter magic. Finding your true mate is something all wolves hope for. Amelie groans and flops back onto the bed. "This is a disaster."
I lay down with her. "What am I going to do?"
Amelie sighs. "If you don't want to tell the pack, then you at least need to tell your father. He'll know what to do."
"You sound like a mother saying that," I laugh, even though there's no humor in my voice.
Amelie's smile is sad. "I'd like to be a mom one day. God knows I'm old enough." She's twenty years older than me in human years, so she could literally be my mother, but we both look the same age. With having my shifter and fae blood mix, I'll look like I'm twenty-five for a couple of hundred years.
"You will be," I promise her. "You'll find your true mate."
She grips my hand. "Thanks, Laila. Maybe Seraphina can help you figure out a way to stay hidden?"
"I’ve wondered that. I'll talk to her soon." Certain gemstones can be used for protection, but the one I need hasn't been seen in centuries.
"Girls, I'm starving," Faith shouts from below. "Let's get cooking! We have to talk about Cedric!" I'm dying to know more about him. "Oh, and Colin's coming over too," she adds.
Amelie sits up and looks down at me. "Not gonna lie, but when we first got here, I thought someone like Colin would be your mate. He's a royal arctic like you."
Colin is strong, extremely good looking, and an alpha. He seemed interested in me when I met him, but alas, the connection wasn't there. "The world works in mysterious ways," I reply, getting to my feet.
She giggles and holds her hand out for me to help her off the bed. "That it does. I'm sure Cedric's going to love an unmated male eating dinner with you tonight."
I groan. "Yeah, that's the part I hate about all of this. Too much testosterone."
"It's just the way it is, Laila." And there's nothing I can do about it. Gripping her hand, I pull her up, and she stops in front of me, her concerned gaze on mine. "You promise you'll tell your father everything tomorrow?"
I don't really have a choice. "I will. You have my word." Either way, I decide, someone will get hurt.
Nine
Cedric
I was so close to her, so close to shifting and letting her see who I am. I've never felt as protective or out of control as I did yesterday at the lake. The second I felt the rogues' presence, my first and only thought was keeping Laila safe. Neither Micah nor I could figure out who they were. They weren't part of any of the surrounding packs. However, we did know what they wanted. You could smell the lust in them from miles away. I wanted to stay and fight, to rip off their balls and shove them down their goddamned throats. The protective side of me won out though. What mattered was making sure Laila stayed safe.
After seeing Laila and being in her presence, there's no doubt about her being my mate. I want to be her protector, and the only way to do that is to talk to her father. He already knows I'm her mate; it's the sole reason he backed off so I could approach her yesterday. Now that I'm off work, I'm on my way to his cabin to formally nominate myself as her protector.
My phone rings, and every time it does, I keep hoping to see Laila's number on my screen. Instead, it's Faith. I'd give anything to hear Laila's voice and to have her say she wants to see me. It would at least confirm that she feels something. My life has been fucked up from the very beginning. I should've known finding my mate wasn't going to be simple.
"Hey," I answer.
"Hello there. You on your way home from work?"
I turn out of the Grand Teton National park entrance onto the highway. "Nope. Going to see Zayne. I want to be Laila's protector."
"You know that's a royal arctic thing, right? I don't think any of the other packs pick protectors for their females."
It's true, but there's always a first time for everything. "They don't, but it's what I want to do. She's my mate, and I want to protect her."
"That's very chivalrous of you. Let's just hope she wants to be your mate."
I don't like the sound of her voice. "Why do you say it that way? What did she say?" This is what I've been afraid of. I'm not a royal arctic like her, and I don't come from a family with money. There's nothing I can offer her.
Faith blows out a sigh. "It's not what she said, but what my brother did."
My grip on the steering wheel tightens so hard I can hear the leather crack. "What the fuck did that cocksucker tell her? And more importantly, when the hell was he around her?"
I can hear the hesitance in her voice. "Yesterday afternoon. He came over for a few minutes. He kind of told Laila some things about you."
The anger burns like fire in my veins. "What did he tell her," I growl, feeling my wolf just underneath the surface. If Colin were at their cabin last night when I arrived, I would've ripped him apart. Faith grew silent, and it only pissed me off more. "What did he say?"
"He told her about all your conquests. Don't get me wrong, I value you as a friend, but I'm a little disappointed. I didn't realize yo
u were such a manwhore."
"Fucking great," I huff. "This is exactly what I don't need. She'll hate me."
"She doesn't hate you, Cedric. Although I do think she's a little wary now. All you have to do is show her who you are. You're funny, smart, loyal, and all-around a great guy. It didn't take me long to see that in you."
"Thanks for your vote of confidence."
She giggles. "Hey, just thought I'd give you a little warning. My brother really doesn't like you, does he?"
"The feeling's mutual."
"Well, anyway, don't stress over it. I'm here to help. Good luck with Zayne."
I turn down the road to his cabin, and it comes into view. "Thanks. I'll need it." Zayne prefers his solitude, but he's not too far from the rest of us in the pack, especially Laila. When I arrive, Colin's little black sports car is in his driveway. Just fucking great. They work together, so I can't be that surprised, but after what he did last night, I could kill him. He walks out, dressed in a pair of slacks and a button-down shirt, holding a handful of blueprints.
"I hear Laila's your mate," he calls out, tossing his blueprints into the front seat of his car.
I get out of my truck and slam the door. "You're right. She is. And I suggest you stay the fuck away from her."
Colin chuckles. "Or what? You mad I told her what a dirtbag you are? She deserves to know how many women you've stuck your dick in."
The sound of his laugh makes something in me snap. I lunge for him, and out of nowhere, Zayne steps in my way. "Enough!" he shouts, pushing his hands against my chest and Colin's to keep us apart. He glares at Colin. "Don't you have a meeting to get to?"
Colin glares at me and straightens his shirt. He gets in his car and speeds away. Zayne watches him go and then turns to me. "One day, his mouth is going to get him in trouble."
"It already has," I growl.
He nods and walks up the front porch stairs. "So I heard," he says, opening the front door. "I knew you'd come by." I walk inside and follow him down the hallway until we get to what looks to be a drawing room. There are two drafting benches, one for him and the other I'm assuming is Colin's. He sits down at his desk and leans back in his chair, his hardened gaze on mine. "I'm not here to judge you, Cedric. What you've done in the past is your business. With the bond, I know you'll stay faithful to my daughter."
"I will," I promise him. "That is if she gives me a chance. I'm here to ask your permission to be her protector."
Zayne purses his lips. "Think you can handle it?"
I nod. "We both know that with her connected to me, I can protect her better than you."
His jaw clenches. "I wouldn't go that far. I've been in this world a whole hell of a lot longer than you."
"You have," I agree, "but I want to do this. Laila doesn't know me, and I don't know much about her. I want to fix that. The only way is to spend time with her."
Zayne nods in agreement. "She's not like us, Cedric. She's more like her mother. Granted, Alina wasn't considered my true mate, but I loved her more than anything. Full-blooded female shifters feel the pull like us males are supposed to. Laila might not be like that. She hasn't come to talk to me about it yet. I don't think it's going to be as easy to get her to fall in love with you."
That's what I've been afraid of, but I'm not the type to back down. "I understand. I'll do whatever it takes."
Zayne stands and holds out a hand. "Then you have my permission to be her protector. I'll step down, but it's not going to stop me from watching after her."
"I understand." I shake his hand. He's her father. I can only imagine what I'd be like if I had a daughter.
"You have a lot of work cut out for you," he says, slapping me on the shoulder.
Don't I know it, especially after what Colin did. "Is there anything about her I should know?"
Zayne's lips pull back slightly. "She's smart and creative." He waves me over to his desk and picks up a stack of papers, handing them to me. "These are her drawings. I've been introducing her to some of my clients. They all want to hire her to decorate their homes."
I don't know much about picking color schemes or furniture, but Laila has a talent. I hand them back to him. "She's very talented."
Zayne stares down at the drawings. I can tell he's guarding his feelings. "She gets it from her mother."
My back stiffens the moment I feel Laila close by. A few seconds later, I hear a car come down the driveway. "She's here."
Zayne slides Laila's drawings into a folder. "Guess we should tell her the news. This is your chance to talk to her."
Or have her slap the shit out of me. All I know is that I've never been so damn nervous in my life.
Ten
Laila
My mind has been on overdrive all morning. Everything is jumbling together to the point I feel like I'll go insane. What I'm not expecting to feel when I pull into my father's driveway is Cedric's presence. The dark blue truck must be his. After the lake incident, I thought he'd come by the house and talk to me last night, but he didn't. It's probably a good thing after everything Colin told me. Was it all true? I don't know, but eventually, I'll find out. There's so much Cedric and I don't know about each other.
Heart pounding out of control, I park beside Cedric's truck and get out. My father opens the front door, and right there in the living room is Cedric. It's as if the earth stops on its axis the second our eyes meet. It's the first time I've seen him in human form. He's tall with dark blond hair, but it's his eyes that I would recognize from anywhere. They pierce through me down to my soul.
"Cedric," I whisper.
Eyes never wavering from mine, he smiles. "It's good to see you."
My father disappears down the hallway and then reemerges with a folder in his hands. "I'm assuming your drawings are what you're here for?" he asks. That, and to keep my promise to Amelie by telling him everything about Beck. I can't do that with Cedric around.
He hands me the folder, and I laugh. "And to see you. You doing okay?" I'm curious to know why Cedric is there with him.
His attention turns to Cedric and then back to me. "I'm fine. Been busy working on the Tanner account. We're meeting with Richard next week to finalize everything. He called me today, asking if you had the last two rooms completed."
I shake my head. "Not yet. I'll have them done by this weekend."
"That's all I needed to know." He clears his throat and goes to stand by Cedric. Now I'm curious as to what's going on. "Now that you're here, there's something we need to discuss." The way Cedric stares at me makes me tremble, and not in a bad way. How does he do that? I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks. My father clears his throat again. "I'm stepping down as your protector, Laila. Cedric will be taking my place. I'll still be watching over you, but we," he says, glancing over at Cedric, "think this change is for the best."
I hold the folder of drawings to my chest. "I see."
"Are you okay with that?" Cedric asks, concern in his voice. "I don't want you to think I'm trying to take over your life."
I can sense his nervousness; it matches my own. Maybe we're feeding off each other's feelings. "I don't think that," I reply honestly. "This is all just a little new for me."
He nods. "Me too."
"Why don't you two go for a walk?" my father suggests. "I'm going to get back to work." He kisses me on the top of the head and disappears down the hall to his drawing room.
Cedric moves closer. "So, how about it? Want to walk with me?"
The closer he gets, the more I feel the pull. "Sure." I set my folder down on the coffee table. "We can go through the meadow. I like walking through the snow."
Cedric waits to make a move, so I start toward the door, and he follows. He reaches for the handle, and when his arm brushes against mine, the electric jolt that buzzes through my body takes my breath away. It's the first time we've ever touched.
I lean against the door frame, and his eyes flash, clearly experiencing what I just did. "I didn't know it'd feel like t
hat," he admits.
I rub a hand over my chest. "Neither did I."
He opens the door and holds it for me. I walk out, and he stays close by but maintains his distance. When we get to the meadow, I can see him out of the corner of my eye, sneaking glances at me. "Were you disappointed when you found out it was me?" he asks, his voice unsure.
Gasping, I jerk my attention to him. "No, of course not. Why would you say that?"
Fists clenched, he looks away. "After last night, I figured you would be. I want us to get to know each other, but I don't want to let you down."
It all starts to make sense. "Faith called you, didn't she?"
He huffs and keeps his gaze straight. "Yep. Took all I had not to rip the balls off a certain wolf not long before you arrived." If I'm honest with myself, when Colin told me about Cedric, I did feel something … jealousy. Maybe I was a little disappointed as well, but there's nothing we can do about it. Everyone has a past, including me; only mine is the opposite. I've never been intimate with a man before. Jaret made sure of it. He was afraid it'd interfere with my powers.
Cedric stops in front of me and takes my hands in his. They're warm, and they make me feel at ease. I can feel his nervousness dissipate with my touch. "I'm sorry for my past, Laila. If I could go back and change my ways, I would. The last thing I want to do is disappoint you."
I look up into his steely gray eyes. In them, I can see the truth and feel his sincerity. "We all have a past, Cedric. Yours just happens to be different from mine. I'm not going to hold it against you."