One look at Harold and they both dove in, Harold taking Emery, and Storm…grabbing Amaya around the waist. His teeth slammed down as he waited for the moment of connection, but it never came. His long sleeves hadn’t ridden up, and Harold’s gloves did what they were intended for.
“Amaya, calm,” he growled in her ear. “She’s new, and she has no alpha. Until she is connected to one, she will be unruly.”
“Okay,” she snarled, twisting her body in a sad attempt to get Storm to release her. “I’m fine. It’s fine, Storm. Let me go.”
“Not until your beast is calm,” he replied, loosening his hold just a little to test her. When she didn’t go after the female, he finally stepped back, checking his arms for any exposed skin. As he thought, there was none.
Emery huffed and crossed her arms the moment Harold released her, turning her back on Amaya. Storm was confused. A newly turned shifter was always on alert, but this one did the unthinkable, giving its back to an enemy even after their small altercation.
“I don’t want to talk to you,” Emery reminded her. “Could you please leave? I’m expected to catch a plane to Colorado soon.”
“The pride you are going to will help you,” Storm supplied. It was rare for him to voice really much of anything. He’d never been a talker, because he preferred to watch and calculate the actions of the shifters and humans around him. Storm started to speak again, on Amaya’s behalf, but she must’ve sensed it. His female held up her hand to stop him.
“It’s okay, Storm,” she sighed, turning for the female wolf. “Emery, I hope you find happiness in Colorado, and maybe someday, you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me.”
Amaya dropped her hands at her side and bowed her head, turning for the door. Luna watched her as she left, and Harold patted Storm on the back as he followed. The moment she reached the healer’s yard, she broke down and cried.
Storm walked over and knelt at her side. He still wore the protective gear on his hands, and remembering the way she felt in his arms when he had held her back from fighting the female, he yearned to touch her again.
“I’m risking things by touching you with these gloves on,” he began, speaking more than usual. “I want to comfort you, Amaya, but if we accidentally touch…”
She ignored his words and rushed to him, knocking him on his back as she curled her body against his chest. “I don’t care.”
He froze, throwing one arm over his neck to keep her face from nuzzling against his skin, and with the other covered hand, he stroked her back, memorizing the feel of her warm body. “I want to hold you properly.”
“She has every right to hate me,” Amaya cried, curling in on herself so much, most of her body slid off of his own, and Storm wanted nothing more than to rearrange her so she was on top of him.
“That wolf is going through a lot,” he announced, stroking her hair with his free hand. “She needs an alpha. After she is settled in this life, she may find it in her heart to forgive you.”
“Emery is going to Colorado soon, and I’ll probably never see her again.”
“That’s not true,” he replied, pulling her chin where she had it tucked. Her eyes were golden; no hazy yellow showing from her wolf. “We are close with the alpha there. I can get updates on how she’s doing if that will help you.”
“That would be nice, Storm, thank you,” she sniffled. He used his thumb to wipe away a stray tear. If he wasn’t in the healer’s front yard, he’d have pulled Amaya back to his chest. His panther purred loudly at the thought of not letting her go.
“You purr?” she asked.
“And you growl,” he reminded her. He chuckled when she laughed.
They lay there frozen for a few seconds, staring into each other’s eyes; one set icy blue and the other golden yellow. They were two different species, but Storm didn’t care…he knew he’d found her, and his beast wanted to take her back to his cabin and complete the mating. He wouldn’t force it on her, though. It would be her choice.
“Sweetheart, you are going to have to get up and move away so I can stand.” He didn’t tell her that his cock had hardened from his thoughts. As it was, he was going to have a very tough time standing easily.
“I guess we are in someone’s yard,” she said once the realization hit her.
“Well, that too,” he mumbled, but she heard him with her exceptional hearing. When she turned to move, he heard her gasp. “It happens when I’m around you.”
“Oh, wow…well,” she blushed and turned around, giving her back so he could stand. “I’m sorry.”
“No need to be sorry, Amaya. Come on,” he sighed as he came to her side. “We need to go to my cabin and talk more.”
He wasn’t going to take the gloves off, because he wanted to use them to touch her without making the mating connection yet. It was selfish, but he was going to think of himself for once in his life.
Storm’s baby brother, Lucky, stopped right at the trailhead leading into the forest behind the alpha’s home. He watched as his brother fell to the ground with the female. They weren’t tearing at each other’s clothes, so he was sure they hadn’t made skin-to-skin contact.
Well, fuck.
Storm deserved the female. It was well past time for him to mate and settle down.
When they climbed to their feet, Lucky’s panther narrowed its eyes on Storm’s hands. He wore the gloves the healer used to touch the females, and Lucky huffed. Leave it to his big brother to find a way around the magical connection to his own damn mate.
Lucky hated to get involved.
Wait, he was full of shit. He was going to do something to push them along, and the first thing was getting his hands on those damn gloves.
Or hopefully, Storm would do the right thing and claim her before the week was out.
Chapter Nine
Amaya could smell Storm’s mating scent on her clothes, and it was driving her wild with lust. The thought stunned her. The realization of being with another man hadn’t even crossed her mind since the night Sam had tried to kill her.
“Your mating scent is strong,” he interrupted her thoughts.
“As well is yours,” she admitted.
“We should talk,” he deadpanned, then cleared his throat. He took a seat on his couch, still wearing the gloves the healer had provided.
“The gloves?” she asked, jutting her chin toward his hands.
“Are staying on,” he admitted with a smirk. “I’m planning on touching you again.”
The Guardian’s eyes flashed with amber sparks, and she felt her own animal pushing to the surface, wanting out to rub herself against Storm and his panther.
“I barely know you,” she reminded him. Which was a bit of a lie. Ever since he’d saved her from that alley, the animal inside her mind and body kept telling her the male was their home. She didn’t understand it…couldn’t even conceive the notion from the females that the animal knew when their mate was near.
“That’s one of the things we should talk about.” He patted the couch and scooted over so she would have a place to sit. She did so without hesitation.
The moment she was close, he took one of her hands into his gloved ones. Their combined scents mingled in the air, and Amaya felt a tightness in her belly. Her canines thickened a little in her mouth.
“Our world is different from your old human life,” he began, staring at the spot where his thumb was rubbing circles on the back of her hand. The desire to nudge her face into his palm wasn’t mistaken. “As shifters, we have superhuman abilities, and one of those just happens to be the knowledge of the mate who was put on this earth by the gods just for us.”
There was a yearning in his voice, and what he said caused a pain to bloom in the center of her chest. She’d been through so much over the years, and knowing Sam wasn’t her true forever gave Amaya some hope.
“I’ve been through a lot, Storm,” she reminded him. “I gave up on love that day in the hospital when I stood at the mirror lookin
g at myself cut to pieces from my husband’s blade.”
“If I could change your past for you, I would,” he vowed, drawing a fist to place over his heart. “You have a new future ahead of you now, and it’s up to you how you want to proceed. Regardless of our animals recognizing each other as mates, I would never force you to touch me to find out.”
“The females say it’s a very strong, magical connection.” She paused. “The touch, I mean.”
“The touch, and the connection, is for life, Amaya,” he explained.
“That’s a lot to think about.” The sigh she heaved out was unintentional, but the action said so many things she just couldn’t.
“You have all the time in the world to think about it,” he promised, looking down at his hands. The Guardian, who Evie had told her was one of the best fighters the pride had, struggled with a war inside his own head. Then, his eyes closed. When he started to remove the gloves, she threw her hand out like she was trying to shield his gaze from what he was doing.
“Wait!”
“What?” he growled.
“Maybe you could keep the gloves on for a little longer?” she asked, feeling her cheeks heat. “It felt nice having you hold my hand earlier.”
“It did feel nice, didn’t it?” Storm took her hand into his and held it just tight enough to help her feel grounded for once.
They sat on the couch, staring at their connected hands for the longest time. Amaya still scented him, and she somehow knew he was very aware of her scent, as well. He purred occasionally, not even trying to cover the sound.
Her wolf would answer him by making low noises in its throat. She couldn’t even stop the animal, because the noises just happened. It was getting easier to live in the constant battle with the new animal taking up residence inside her mind and body, but sometimes she just had to let the animal do what it did.
“I want to touch you here,” he admitted, holding his hand close to her face. When she nodded, her wolf rumbled.
Storm’s gloved hand cupped her face; his thumb brushing against her bottom lip. “Is this okay?”
“More than okay,” she hummed as he stroked her cheek.
“One day, I will touch you without these gloves,” he admitted and closed his eyes.
Amaya didn’t move. She let him trace her face with his fingers while staring at his glowing amber eyes. In some ways, it comforted her. His beast was passionate and wanted her just as much as his human side. He stroked her bottom lip once more before dropping his hands.
“I should probably feed you,” he said, breaking their silent connection. “It’s getting late.”
“Don’t you have to work tonight?” she asked once she realized it was getting later in the day. “Are you going with them to the warehouse?”
“Yes and no,” he replied with a nod before standing. She peered up at him when he finally removed the gloves, placing them on the end table next to his recliner. “I have to be ready to go to work at midnight. The raid on the warehouse will be done after we do some snooping around to make sure we have a good layout of the area.”
“I hope you get them away from that alpha.” She prayed they could get everyone out of there and bring the bad man to justice. The thought caused a shiver to roll down her spine, but she stood to cover the reaction. “Let me help you cook.”
“No, sit.” He waved her off. “I want to do something for you.”
With a grunt, he turned on his heel and entered the kitchen that looked out over his small living room. The house was just a simple cabin, and from what she could tell, only had one bedroom and a bathroom. It was down the short hallway to the left of the front door.
Storm dug through his kitchen, removing everything he needed for the meal he had planned before stepping out the back door to light the grill on his back porch. Amaya was curious and decided to follow him outside. When she lifted her head, a soft breeze blew across her face. She could smell the propane burning in the grill and beyond that, the panthers that ran along the trails behind his home. At the back of the small, fenced in area, there was another path leading off into the woods.
“Do you run in the woods a lot?” she asked.
“I do when I need to burn off some energy,” he told her and held the door open. “Come inside. It’s going to get cold tonight. I can already feel the weather changing.”
Amaya glanced longingly at the woods and put her hands in the borrowed hoodie she was wearing. He was right. She could feel a change in the air, too.
Lucky closed the door to his cabin and walked out to his truck, pretending to search through it for something, but he kept his eyes on his brother’s cabin down the gravel road leading to the alpha’s home. He wanted to get inside and take the gloves he knew were there. Storm was a secret romantic, and he would want to get to know the female well before he touched her. Lucky wasn’t having that…at all.
He killed the overhead lights inside the cab as a smirk tugged at the corner of his lip. Storm was walking Amaya over to the old dorm before his shift. It was the perfect time to get inside.
The moment his brother disappeared into the building, Lucky took off on foot, sticking to the shadows and using his enhanced hearing to make sure no one was out in the woods around them.
He prayed he could get in and out before Storm arrived and scented him inside his cabin. If he was smart, which he was, he’d hang out on the porch and play off his presence as asking to ride with Storm to Memphis. They were both on shift tonight.
The door didn’t even creak as he entered. His eyes scanned the room and when they fell on the gloves sitting on the side table, the roar of victory in his head was deafening. It took him less than ten seconds to grab them and hurry back to his own cabin where he tossed them in the trash. Big brother wouldn’t be needing them anymore.
When he closed his cabin door, he heard footsteps across the alpha’s back lawn. “Fuck, hurry, Lucky,” he whispered to himself.
“What are you doing snooping around your brother’s cabin in the dark?” a sweet, feminine voice sounded from the darkened road. He immediately spun around, semi-crouching into a defensive stance, only to realize who was there. He straightened his spine as her sweet scent reached him.
“Sofia?” he called out. “What are you doing out here in the dark?”
“I was taking a walk,” she answered, dropping her gaze. His panther nudged his human skin at the look on her face.
“What’s wrong?” Damn, his panther really wanted to go into protective mode. What the hell was that for?
“Long day,” she shrugged. The beautiful female held her head high with a bit of sass. He liked it more than he should. The last female he should be interested in was Savage’s baby sister. “So, are you going to answer me?”
“I’m waiting on my brother to return so we can head out,” he rambled, narrowing his eyes. Damn it. He shouldn’t care about whatever was going on with her, but even though she was Savage’s baby sister, he should be worried exactly for that reason. The big ass Guardian was very protective of her. “Is everything okay, Sofia?”
“It’s fine,” she sighed. She looked around as if she was going to tell him a secret she didn’t want to share with anyone. “I’m just worried about Malaki. He’s been gone for a week.”
“Is he your mate?” Lucky snarled, covering it with a cough. Why did that question come out so harshly?
“No,” she replied with a shake of her head. “Look, I know he’s a pain in the ass, but he’s my friend. We’ve been working together for a while, and I truly worry about him. Even if everyone else thinks he’s a nuisance.”
“We don’t think he’s a nuisance,” Lucky answered even though he knew the Guardian was on borrowed time with the alpha. “He left to clear his head. I’m sure he will be back in a few days.”
“Hopefully,” she replied, softening her expression. “It was good to see you, Lucky. I’m going to head home now.”
“Be safe,” he called out as she turned, and he wou
ld’ve watched her walk toward the home she shared with her parents, but his brother’s heavy footsteps redirected his focus.
His brother was smart as hell, and even though he was only in his cabin for a very short amount of time, Lucky was worried Storm would be suspicious if he caught any hint of his scent since he hadn’t been over in at least a week.
The last time he was there, he’d tried to convince his brother to get some sleep. He’d been going nonstop since the female had been taken, and it had been wearing on him. Lucky had to threaten telling their parents to get Storm to rest for longer than a few hours.
Neither one of them wanted to tell their mother about Storm’s anxiety over the female, because she’d worry. She’d come over and things would just get out of hand. Lucky was more like her; the forceful one. Storm was like their father; the quiet giant.
He knew Storm could see him walking down the road, but he didn’t hurry his steps, and that gave Lucky the excuse to get inside the cabin. By the time Storm arrived, Lucky was sitting at his kitchen table, flipping through a fishing magazine that was tossed on the kitchen counter.
“You riding with me tonight?” Storm inquired, not noticing the gloves missing from his living room.
“Yeah,” Lucky nodded and closed the magazine. “Thought we could talk.”
Talk about how he needed to touch the female, that is.
Storm’s answer was a grunt just like he expected. It didn’t matter. Lucky was going to keep stirring the pot until his big brother got his head out of his ass and made Amaya his mate.
Storm glared at his brother from the corner of his eye. That little punk was a good kid, but he irritated the hell out of Storm more times than he could count. And he was up to something. He wasn’t even going to approach the subject of him talking to Savage’s baby sister in the dark, either.
Storm (Rise of the Pride, Book 12) Page 8