Then he moved in gently and placed a warm, rough palm on her neck right where she’d been grabbed. She gasped at first, trying to resist the impulse to go rigid, knowing she was probably safe compared to before. But then she felt something flooding through her, felt the pain abating, her neck relaxing, not so tight.
As Lock pulled back smugly, she looked over at him in wonder.
She touched her neck, noting it was still warm. “How did you do that?”
“For mild hurts? Just touching. One of my alpha powers.”
“One of? You have more than one? And wait, what are alpha powers again?”
He laughed. “I can’t tell you my other one. But yes, I have more than one, princess.”
“Not that again,” she said irritably.
He just cocked his head. “I’d rather see you angry than hurt or afraid.” He kicked his legs up on the ottoman, staring dead ahead, his usually playful expression stern. “I should have stepped in sooner. Before he even put a hand on you. But he was fast. And at first, I thought he was only going to talk to you. I didn’t want to reveal myself if I didn’t have to. But now I guess I’m glad I did.”
“Why?”
“It’ll be easier to protect you now that I don’t have to hide.”
She pushed still-damp hair behind her ear, trying to ignore the tension that came from just being near him. For some reason, he was something her body just couldn’t ignore. “I told you it’s not necessary. I’ll get a gun or something.”
“That wouldn’t help with most shifters. They’ll heal too quick.”
She groaned and covered her eyes with her hands before staring up at the ceiling as if it held all the answers. “Why is everything going wrong right now? Why did I even have to meet you?”
“It’s not because of me,” he said solemnly. “I think, deep down, you know that. You were on a collision course with destiny. It was only a matter of time before you were found out. Before the perfume wasn’t enough. And sure, maybe I drew it out of you, made your scent stronger, but that’s only because you’re drawn to me as well.” He grinned, flashing pointed canines. “Maybe I’m your destiny.”
It was so cheesy she could laugh if the situation were different.
Instead, her body tightened, still so aware of him it was hard to breathe sometimes.
“Well, like I said, I appreciate your help, but I’ve got it from here. I don’t plan to belong to anyone.” Then she straightened. “Though, I would like to hear about my brother.”
Lock eyed her, staying in his lazy, slumped position against the armrest. “I’m not even sure what I should tell you. Not sure if you’ll believe me about anything. I had hoped that after a few encounters, you’d finally understand that you need me, but you’re more stubborn than I thought.” He sat up, rubbing his hand over his neck as though something were bothering him. “I didn’t plan for this either. I have things I’m working on, things that are critical… I don’t know how to convince some naive wolf.”
“I’m not naive.”
He sent her a grin that didn’t reach his glowing eyes. “You’re naive in our world. You know nothing, you can do nothing, and once people know how to counter you, you’ll be helpless. And if I leave you, people will come.”
She swallowed. “Well, I… That’s why I need to know more about my brother. So I can contact him. You said he’s like me, so he should be able to help me, right?”
Lock’s eyes shuttered. “Not necessarily. He might not be able to be on your side.” He groaned, rubbing both hands over his face in frustration. “God, I don’t even know what to tell you. And this whole time, your pheromones are so strong I can barely think straight. I’m still trying to tell the wolf in me that you’re okay now, that I don’t need to fight anyone. You don’t even believe me about the basic parts of you. How can I explain the harder aspects of our world?”
She blinked at him. “I wasn’t trying to bother you.”
“I know,” he said, straightening with a sigh. “Wait, didn’t you say you had a letter from your brother somewhere? Something about what to do if he disappeared?”
“How did you know he disappeared?”
Lock sniffed the air. “Because you said he usually sends you perfume and you were hoping some would be waiting when you got home, and I can tell that’s not the case. Thus, he didn’t send any. And since I know he knows the importance of you having it, he’d have to be in trouble to hold back.”
She gripped the towel in her lap, heart pounding at the thought of anything happening to the one person who had given her a connection to family. “What do you mean, trouble?”
Lock put a hand over the back of the couch. “Are you going to trust me?”
She nodded hesitantly. At least about her brother, she would try.
Lock sighed, sitting back once again. Her body felt like the air was sucked out of it every time he pulled away from her.
Even though she knew he should.
“I do have a letter,” she said quietly. “But I can’t find it. I know it’s stupid, but…”
Lock scented the air. “I could find it.” He stood and reached out a hand, helping her up. “Why don’t you make something for us since I know you’re hungry after work? I’m hungry after beating up an alpha male.”
“Okay…” She moved toward the kitchen hesitantly. “But it’s kind of an odd time to—”
“While you do that, I’ll find the letter,” Lock said, striding toward the hallway confidently.
“How?”
He winked at her, tapping his nose. “Wolf. If I can’t track something of Fifi’s, something is definitely wrong with me. Do I have permission to go through your stuff?”
She nodded, feeling blank. “Sure.” Why couldn’t she smell things? Why couldn’t she feel any confirmation if she was really what he said?
But then he disappeared toward her bedroom, and she opened the fridge to see what she could prepare.
Chapter 7
Lock stood in the center of Tasha’s room, trying to detect any lavender.
It was hard because most of Tasha’s room smelled faintly of lavender due to it being part of her scent as well.
But there was a difference between her and Fifi, albeit a small one, and since he’d had quite a few run-ins with the Tribunal wolf, he had confidence he could find anything with his scent.
He tried not to notice the rest of Tasha’s room, which was cutely decorated with pink and gray accents and modern, simple furnishings. Her curtains even had little cherry blossoms on them.
He walked to them and opened the window slightly, letting in fresh, humid night air. The scent would help contrast with the room, making it easy for him to detect differences.
He walked toward her oak dresser, running his hands over the drawers, but didn’t scent anything. He moved to the bed. Nothing there as well.
He went to the closet next, opening the double doors, painted white, and looking inside it.
Her clothes were hung up neatly, and she had more shoes than anyone should know what to do with, but she also had a few boxes lined up along the top shelf.
Lock slid his hand over each one of them, breathing deeply.
When he came to a white box with pink hearts, he stopped. “Bingo.”
He brought it down and set it on her bed. He could still hear the microwave running in the kitchen, but just in case, he walked over to the door and gently pushed it closed and did the lock.
If she asked why, he could say it was accidental.
He didn’t like lying to her, but some things were more important right now, and controlling what information she had access to was one of them.
He opened the box and saw many letters, and Fifi’s—Felix’s—scent was all over them.
He rummaged through, setting aside any small ones that didn’t look very important. Mostly, they were tiny, one-sentence notes hoping she liked the perfume, reminding her to wear it.
How Felix had ever felt safe leaving his sister o
ut in the human world with only pheromones to protect her, Lock didn’t know.
Lock did know that she would be safe now with him to protect her.
At the bottom of the box, he saw a letter that was brown around the edges, as if very old, and he pulled it out delicately, careful not to rip the envelope as he pulled out the letter inside.
As he unfolded it and read the contents, his heart sank.
My Dearest Tasha,
If you are reading this, you are safe, and though I am not with you, I wish I could be. However, it is my heart’s dearest wish that you remain away from my side. My world is not for you. You could never be safe here. I can never explain, and that hurts more than anything in the world.
However, know that I love you. I think of you. Everything I do is for you.
If this sounds odd from a brother, just know that I have been with you since you took your first breath. I’ll always be watching, in some way, and the gifts I send will let you know I’m still alive.
If they fail to arrive for you, then you must get in contact with some friends of mine. I have listed the addresses on the next page.
Know that I already miss you and that I look forward to corresponding over the years, though I know it must be one-sided.
Love,
Your Brother
As promised, on the next page were some addresses of possible contacts, some of which Lock knew were already not good options for help.
Felix, or Fifi to those who knew him, would have sent this letter long ago.
As Lock folded up the letter and tucked it into the pocket, he tried not to resonate with the pain inside the message, but it struck right to the heart of him.
Lock was a hard man and wasn’t soft with many people, but he’d spent most of his life trying to protect his twin, Thor. He’d taken beatings for him, tried to shield him from the brunt of his uncle’s anger, and even done things he wasn’t proud of to try and ensure Thor didn’t come to any harm.
Lock hadn’t always made smart decisions, but he had tried to for Thor’s sake.
And this letter, from someone Lock barely considered a friend, was full of the kind of love and longing that only siblings could feel for one another.
Lock wondered if Tasha had even read this letter much since receiving it, since it seemed it was sent long ago when she must have been tiny.
As he put all the other letters back in the box, he knew there was something about the whole situation that didn’t add up.
How persistently Tasha denied her own wolfhood. How little she knew about their world. How she had somehow ended up in the outside world when the Tribunal had tight control over Felix just for having the same powers Tasha had.
He’d always known the Tribunal had leverage over Felix, but it was only now that he understood why.
Perhaps Felix was willing to live inside that terrible world so that Tasha could live outside of it.
It was only one piece of the puzzle and Lock was just guessing, but it was the only thing that sort of made sense.
He heard a knock at the door and jumped slightly, trying to regain his usual, calm demeanor and push the emotion of the past far away.
“Yes?”
“Can I come in? Why did you lock it?”
“Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to.” The lie sliced him, but he didn’t care. It wouldn’t be the last one. He stood and unlocked the door, gesturing for her to come in. “I didn’t find it. I’m sorry.”
She looked up at him, surprised. “What?”
Clearly, she hadn’t expected that as an outcome.
Lock frowned. “I’m sorry. Should we go eat?”
If he changed his mind, he could show her the letter later. But for now, he had to check in on those families, make sure none of them had rolled over for the Tribunal, before he let Tasha know where any of them were.
He didn’t like keeping his future mate in the dark about things, but he’d do it if it meant she was safe.
Surely, even Fifi would approve.
He needed to be able to think clearly. He and Tasha were at a critical moment, and everything they did needed to be precise.
“I know it’s bad, but I mostly eat takeout,” Tasha said, setting containers of what looked like Chinese food in front of Lock. “I heated them up, if that’s okay.”
Lock nodded as he quickly grabbed one of the containers and dumped it into a bowl so he could eat it.
Fighting always took energy out of him, and it was important that he always stay in top condition right now.
Normally, he preferred to solve things with words instead of punches, but seeing someone put a hand on Tasha had sparked protectiveness he’d never felt for anyone but his twin.
The way he felt it was different, though.
As he shoveled down Chinese food, his brain was still spinning about what and how much to tell Tasha since he couldn’t give her Fifi’s letter.
But how much should he tell her?
It was also odd that Lock had seen Fifi recently, in fact, the same night that Tasha had seen the club and been put to sleep.
Had she even seen her brother before he’d done it? Lock guessed not. Fifi was the kind of person you didn’t forget and probably wanted to talk about.
Tall, elegant, bisexual, with long, flowing pale hair and silvery-lavender eyes. Long-limbed with features that bordered on beautiful. Completely perverted and constantly making glib remarks.
Except when Lock had last seen him, Fifi had short hair. Been all business, except for a few quips. And he’d looked tired. Drawn.
Lock had just been grateful he’d shown up with some enhanced healing tonic, since Lock might still be out if not for that.
But why had Fifi even shown up that night? Had he been watching his sister? Did he have a way of knowing she was in danger?
Lock had a lot of questions that needed to be answered and no one he could ask.
He pushed away his empty bowl of chow mien and rested his cheek on his hand.
“You okay over there?” Tasha asked, daintily setting her fork down over her mostly empty bowl of chicken and rice. “You look disturbed.”
Lock pinned her with a glare, searching her face for any similarity to Felix. She was curvy, with a much softer form and heart-shaped face, and her eyes were a little grayer, but yes, she and her brother were similar.
It was in the little point at the end of her nose, the fine chin, the high cheekbones, the pale skin and hair.
Lock frowned. “I was just thinking about your brother. What I should tell you. What I don’t know. Who I should ask. Where we should go next.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Tasha said, taking another bite of her rice. “I’ve got clients all week.”
“Cancel them,” Lock said. “Until you get your hormones under control, you shouldn’t be out in the world.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were going to protect me.”
“I have things to do. I can’t just sit in a hair salon,” Lock said, leaning back in his chair with a huff. “I don’t think you understand what’s at stake. I swear, I’ve never seen anyone so stubborn.”
She shrugged. “Most people should be stubborn when you’re trying to overturn their entire life.”
Lock narrowed his eyes. “Do you know what would have happened if I hadn’t been there tonight?
She shook her head, avoiding his gaze as she poked at some noodles.
“You would have been raped. Kidnapped, raped, forcibly mated, used as a power play in things you can’t possibly understand—”
She flicked those gray-lavender eyes up at him. “But don’t you want to use me as a power play too?”
He blinked. “What?”
“You wanted to mate me instantly. You said I could help with things. You have plans.” She spun a noodle onto her fork and then slurped it into her mouth. When she was finished chewing, she set her fork down. “I mean, it’s not like you’ve fallen in love with me already. We’ve barely met.”
Lock bit the inside of his cheek, feeling ruffled. “I don’t know what mating has to do with love. In my world, arranged matings happen all the time. In this case, you and I would just be doing the arranging.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Seems like mostly you.” She waved a hand at him. “Don’t get me wrong. You’re super hot. I liked what we did together, even if I’m a little ashamed by it, but we don’t have anything in common. I need someone like my brother, someone unbiased, to tell me what I should do. So I need to find him.”
“We could find him,” Lock said carefully. “But to say it would be dangerous would be an understatement. First, you would have to understand who you are. Second, you would have to trust me implicitly. And even still, things could go wrong.”
She sighed, folding her hands in front of her on the table. “Things are already going wrong. I mean, you’re right. I can’t just keep going about my life, no matter how much I want to. Not with men falling asleep left and right.” Her fingers twisted, looking almost painful. “I just… You can’t blame me for trying to hold on to my life. I liked it.”
Lock hesitantly put a hand over hers. He wasn’t used to giving comfort and he was sure he wasn’t very good at it, but he didn’t want to see her in so much pain. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“But you just said things could go wrong.”
He shook his head. “If they do, they’ll happen to me.” His lips lifted at one corner. “And hey, you’d be free to mate someone else then, so that might make you happy, right?”
She frowned. “So you would sacrifice yourself for me?”
Lock hesitated. “For what I believe in. And yes, for you as well.”
She took a deep breath, then released it, running her small pink tongue over her full lower lip. “Then I’ll try to trust you. But I’m not going to mate you until my brother approves.”
Lock let out a frustrated huff, sitting back with folded arms. “You can’t be serious. If we mated, you’d stop sending out signals. It would mean a lot less fights for us.”
She shrugged. “I’m not ready to make that kind of decision. I need more information.”
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