Noah gave him a look that said he wasn’t going to like what he had to say next. “Well, she didn’t listen. She was downstairs just now, trying to figure out what to do next about the threat. I don’t think she has any intention of leaving.”
“She doesn’t,” came Tarun’s irritated voice. He looked over as she came to the top of the stairs, but she barely looked at him. “She has every intention of doing the opposite.”
Noah raised his hands and slowly melted away into the shadows, as only an ex-Marine could. Dismissing him, he turned to glare at Tarun, feeling a sense of disbelief wash over him as she tried to walk past him without stopping.
Reaching out, he grabbed her arm, halting her progress and waiting on her to look at him. She never did, just stubbornly kept her gaze on the empty hallway. Fine. He didn’t need to her to look at him to be able to talk to her.
“I thought I asked you to leave, Tarun. Why are you still here?”
Her gaze shot to his then, the anger in her almost completely green gaze surprising him. “As I recall, you didn’t ask. You ordered. Again. That didn’t work out so well for you the first time, so I’m not sure why you thought it would today.”
“It’s not safe here,” he bit out, trying to rein in his temper. “I’m not sure what I need to do or say to make you understand that. It never was, but now that we know he’s perfectly willing to go after women to get what he wants, it’s even more dangerous for you.”
The door beside him cracked open and Georgie stuck her head out, flicking a disdainful look at Tarun before focusing on him. “I forgot to bring this up earlier. Since I’m staying here, I’m going to need some of my clothes. Could you send someone to my apartment to get some? Thanks, sweetie.”
Before he could tell her he wasn’t comfortable with her endearment, she pulled back inside and shut the door. The silence in the hall was deafening and he squeezed his eyes shut. Georgie had spectacular fucking timing.
Movement caught his eye as he opened them, and he glanced over to see Tarun tapping her foot rapidly. He raised his gaze, taking in her tightly crossed arms and the pissed off look on her face. Fuck.
“So I have to leave, but you invite Georgie to move in, is that it? Spin your bullshit about my safety to someone else, Carlisle.”
He winced at her use of his last name. “This is about your safety, Tarun. I asked Georgie to stay because she’s a target. This guy knows who she is and probably wouldn’t hesitate to go after her again. She’s at risk if she doesn’t stay here. You’re at risk if you do. It’s as simple as that.”
An uncertain look crossed her features, but she shook her head as she squared her shoulders. “Maybe that’s part of it, but it’s not all of it. Look, I get it. You’re worried about my safety because you don’t want to piss off my brother, and our kiss meant nothing to you. You don’t have to tell me that shit twice. But I’m staying, whether you like it or not, so you’d do best to get used to it, sweetie.”
His mouth dropped open but before he could reply, she was halfway down the hall. He didn’t know where she’d gotten those ideas, but they were all wrong. He started to follow her, but Georgie called his name and he hesitated, torn. Georgie had just been through a major trauma, and she needed someone around. He didn’t particularly want it to be him, but she was hurt because of him, so he couldn’t just walk away without answering.
Even though the need he felt to catch up to Tarun and explain to her exactly how wrong she was, was almost overwhelming.
His lion hummed with disapproval and Luke knew he didn’t agree, but it was what he had to do. The cat shook his head, telling him without words how stupid he was, and Luke had a feeling that he was right. Because not following Tarun right away was going to make it a thousand times harder to explain when he did catch up to her.
Fuck.
Tarun paced her room for a good twenty minutes, trying to talk herself into going downstairs to get breakfast. She’d already put it off by taking a longer shower than she ever had before and then walking around her room, but she was hungry, and she couldn’t keep stalling forever.
It wasn’t that she was nervous, shy, or scared. She wasn’t, at all. She just had no desire to see Luke, the two-timing snake. Oh, maybe he and Georgie weren’t together at the time he kissed Tarun, but he’d clearly been interested in the other woman, despite what Blake thought. And he had no freakin’ business kissing her while he was interested in someone else.
No, she wasn’t nervous. She was pissed the hell off and knew that if she saw Luke, she’d probably lose her shit on him. And in public, around everyone. She wanted to get better hold of her emotions before she saw him again.
I think maybe you’re judging him harshly, her tiger said, speaking inside her for the first time since she and Luke pulled up at the clubhouse the evening before.
Seriously? How can you say that? You were there for everything. You saw and heard it all. If anything, I’m being pretty calm under the circumstances.
I just think there must be more to the story. There has to be.
And what makes you think that? Seriously. Give me one reason I should give him a chance to make a fool of me again. I’ll wait. Long seconds ticked by, but her cat didn’t reply. That’s what I thought.
Her belly grumbled and she stopped pacing, squaring her shoulders. Okay. Enough. She needed to go eat, and she didn’t think waiting any longer was going to cool her ire any more. It probably wasn’t possible, so she needed to just get it over with.
Leaving the room, she then made her way down the stairs, heading into the almost deserted bar. It seemed different during the day, free of the humans who frequented it, the silence a stark contrast to the noise she’d heard in there the first two nights.
She could hear banging in the kitchen, so she knew Liam was hard at work. He must spend most of his time in there, because she’d only caught a few glimpses of him since she’d arrived.
Noah nodded to her from his seat at the bar. “You here for breakfast? Liam, make that two plates.”
A loud grunt of acknowledgement came from the kitchen and she raised an eyebrow at Noah. “Ordering for me now, are you?”
He smiled as she took the stool next to him. “He only serves one thing for breakfast for us Enforcers, but I think you’ll enjoy it. Pancakes, eggs, and bacon this morning. Still, if you want something different, he might be persuaded, since you’re technically a guest.”
Chuckling, she poured herself a glass of orange juice from the pitcher as she shook her head. “No, that sounds good. Thanks.”
They were quiet as she sipped her juice, and she sent him a concerned glance as she caught him rubbing his chest. “You okay?”
He glanced down in surprise, like he hadn’t been aware of what he was doing, and dropped his hand to the bar top. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
Turning more fully toward him as the half-truth in his voice washed over her, she arched an eyebrow. “You don’t sound all that convinced of that. Feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but you can talk to me if you want to. I’m a good listener.”
She hid a grimace as she realized what she said. It was far too reminiscent of the words she said to Luke the day before, but she pushed it from her mind. She was talking to Noah, and it was about him and whatever was bothering him. It wasn’t about her and her short lived, ill-fated wanna-be romance.
Noah rubbed a hand over the dark stubble on his nearly bald head, looking down at the bar top as he considered her offer. She’d never noticed before, but his eyelashes were white-blond. Coupled with his dark stubble and the full, thick dark beard he sported, it was a striking contrast.
Finally sighing, he shook his head as he shot a rueful glance at her. “I’m an ex-Marine. And an Enforcer, whose crew just happens to be an MC. And this might be the most unmanly thing I’ve ever said, let alone felt.”
“It’s okay. I promise I won’t judge.” Once again, the urge to grimace over her wording struck her, but she again managed to refrain.
She didn’t want him to think it was directed at him.
He blew out a breath as he turned his glass round and round on the bar top. “I’ve never felt… well, I’ve never felt complete. It’s like a piece of me is missing, and I’ve been searching for it my whole life. Only I don’t know how to find it, and I don’t think I ever will. Most days, I can pretend I feel normal, but sometimes, like this morning, it gets to me and for a little bit, I can’t pretend.”
“And you don’t know what it is you’re missing?”
Shrugging, he exhaled gustily. “No idea. I’m on good terms with my lion. I have my brothers and sister here in the Enforcers, and I don’t have any other family. Everything’s fine. My life is good. This is something I’ve felt for as long as I can remember, but trying to figure out what it is feels like searching for the proverbial needle in the haystack.”
She pursed her lips, thinking hard. “Could it be your mate who’s missing?”
He glanced over at her skeptically. “Would a four-year-old be missing their future mate? Besides, I’ve considered that. I want to find a mate, I won’t deny that. I’m ready for her, whoever she is. But the thought of her as what I’m missing feels all wrong.”
She shook her head, unable to come up with any explanation. “I’m afraid I’m not going to be any help. I wish I had some other suggestions, but mate is the best I could come up with.”
“It’s okay. You helped more than enough by just listening. You’re the first person I’ve ever told that to.”
Glancing over at him, she felt her heart warm. “I’m honored that you trusted me with it, and I promise I won’t tell a soul. I’m glad I could help, even if it was in a small way.”
Rubbing his beard, he looked at her speculatively, like he was debating whether or not to speak what was on his mind. “For what it’s worth, I’d bet everything I own that there’s nothing going on between Luke and Georgie. Him inviting her to stay is about her safety, nothing more. As is him telling you to go home. His protective instincts toward women are overwhelming for him.”
Thoughts instantly turning sour, she just barely resisted the urge to tell him he just lost that bet and needed to pay up. Liam came out of the kitchen, two plates balanced perfectly on each arm, and she focused on him, desperate to get away from that line of thinking. Anything that had to do with Luke and Georgie was off limits.
Liam looked exactly like she thought a tough biker would, and exactly what she thought a chef wouldn’t. He was tall and powerfully built, like all the Enforcers. He had a nose piercing, the silver of the hoop glinting in the morning light pouring in from the windows, and she had to wonder what it meant to him.
Most shifters didn’t bother with piercings, because the moment they removed the jewelry, their shifter healing kicked in and closed the hole up. So every time they took it out, every time they shifted, they’d have to pierce it all over again. It was an inconvenience most wanted nothing to do with.
His hair was dark strawberry blond, and her eyes fell to his beard. It was slightly redder than his hair, and just as full as Noah’s. She stared at it speculatively before glancing to her plate and back as he set their food in front of them.
“Thanks, Liam. It looks great.”
Nodding at her with a half-smile, he turned and walked back to the kitchen without replying. Come to think of it, besides an occasional grunt of acknowledgement when someone spoke to him, she’d never heard him make any other noise since she’d been there.
“Don’t worry,” Noah said, drawing her attention to him. He poured syrup over his pancakes before handing her the bottle with a wink. “I saw you looking at his beard. He takes meticulous care of it. He’d never allow a strand to fall into the food.”
Shaking her head with a smile, she turned her attention to her own food. He’d read her so well, because she’d been wondering that very thing as she watched Liam approach.
They fell silent as they ate, and it was all she could do to not moan with pleasure as she ate. Luke had been right. Liam could definitely be a gourmet chef if he ever got tired of the Enforcer gig.
She finally pushed her plate away, wanting to eat more but stuffed to the gills. She took a drink of her orange juice, her head turning as the front door opened and a man and woman walked in. Her eyebrows rose as she watched them, surprised. No one had come into the bar until the afternoon since she’d arrived there.
Noah pushed off his stool with an exclamation of surprise. “Y’all are back. It’s good to see you. I hope your trip went well.”
“It did, thank you,” the woman replied, her voice accented.
Tarun stood and Noah glanced over at her. “Tarun, this is Dmitri and Damara Costas, the Enforcers you haven’t met yet. They’re brother and sister and they’ve been in Greece, visiting their family. Guys, this is Tarun Campbell. She’s a War Cat. Her gift is sensing threats, and she came to let us know about one directed at us. She’s staying here for a bit.”
Tarun held her hand out, shaking first Damara’s and then Dmitri’s hands. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”
Dmitri nodded, glancing at Damara who spoke. “And you as well. I’m glad you’re staying here. It’ll be nice to have another woman around for a bit. It’s testosterone city here most of the time. Oh, and don’t mind my brother. He doesn’t speak much.”
Him and Liam both, apparently. Her nose wrinkled a bit as Dmitri and Damara’s scent reached her, and she frowned. She couldn’t place it. It seemed to be a mixture of mammal and flight shifter, but that made no sense. She must be smelling things wrong.
Damara laughed lightly, drawing her attention. “I think you must be trying to figure out what animal my brother and I have. You have the same look about you that most shifters we meet get. But if I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
Tarun felt her eyes widen at the completely serious tone in Damara’s voice, then was taken off guard when the other woman laughed. She watched as she glanced at Noah, received his nod, and then turned back to Tarun.
“I joke. I know I shouldn’t, but if you’d seen your face just then, you’d understand why I say that to some people,” Damara said with another laugh. The sound was beautiful. Husky and airy, all at the same time. “Noah says you are trustworthy, but please remember this is a very closely guarded secret. One that you must never tell a soul.”
She nodded, but her mind wasn’t entirely on the discussion. She’d been distracted by Blake coming into the room and calling out to Liam that he needed a tray of breakfast for Luke and Georgie.
Like they’d spent the night together.
What felt like a knife blade plunged itself into her sternum, twisting mercilessly until she wanted to cry out. She’d thought anger was the main, dominant emotion she felt—but she was learning that while she did feel it, and strongly, it was just masking the main emotion coursing through her.
Hurt.
And that just pissed her off more. It was clear she was stuck in a cycle of hurt and pain, and she wouldn’t be free of it while she was there. She was just going to have to learn how to endure it, though. She had no intention of leaving until the threat to the Enforcers and Luke was over.
He might be the cause of her hurt and anger, but she still didn’t want to see him hurt or killed. The very thought caused agony worse than the knife to shoot through her soul, stealing her breath.
“Tarun? Are you okay?” Damara’s concerned voice cut through the emotions she was suffocating under, and she forced a smile as she glanced at her and nodded.
Dmitri and Damara exchanged a glance, seeming to have a whole conversation without speaking a word out loud. They looked back at her and Dmitri spoke for the first time.
“I can see that there is something weighing on you,” he said, his voice gravelly and his Greek accent thicker, like he didn’t speak much. “I’m sorry for whatever bothers you. But in order for us to tell you what we are, we must have your promise to never tell another soul.”
Searching first his and
then Damara’s dark brown eyes, she nodded slowly as the seriousness of their request washed over her. They were probably dragons. They weren’t the first she would have met, but the dragons kept their existence a closely guarded secret to stay alive. “Of course. You both have my word that I’ll never tell a soul.”
Damara smiled impishly. “Good, because I think we could be great friends while you’re here. And it’s never good to keep big secrets from friends.” She paused and Tarun found a genuine smile, knowing her new friend was doing it for dramatic effect. Leaning close, Damara loudly whispered, “We’re griffins.”
Tarun’s mouth popped open and she felt faint as her gaze bounced back and forth from one sibling to the other like a ping pong ball.
Griffins? The mythical half lion, half eagle creatures? Those were real? She’d never in her life met one, let alone heard they even existed outside of storybooks and legends.
Holy. Shit.
Luke fought a yawn, his eyes watering as he ran a tired hand through his hair in a half ass attempt to comb it, trying to wake up. He’d finally managed to escape Georgie’s side around noon, and he went straight to his room, took a shower, and crashed.
He’d woken up early evening, his stomach begging for food, and threw on clothes that weren’t rumpled from sleep and started making his way downstairs.
Exhaling, he tried harder to wake up before he entered the bar, which from the sound of it was already hopping. He knew Georgie was milking the situation—that she was using it to try to stay closer to him than he normally allowed.
He knew it, but he hadn’t been able to make himself leave her side. Every time he saw her rapidly blackening eye, guilt swept over him and rooted him to his chair. Still, he couldn’t keep it up. He hadn’t given her any reason to believe he was suddenly into her. He stayed in his chair and never ventured close to her. But he worried his continued presence would give her hope that he was changing his mind about starting what she so clearly wanted.
And he also just plain didn’t want to spend all day in her room with her.
Control (Blood & Bone Enforcers MC Book 1) Page 6