Taze (Rise of the Pride, Book 11)

by Theresa Hissong

  “There,” he stated as he stood. “That should warm the place up quick.”

  “Thank you,” she replied and turned for the kitchen. “Can I get you anything?”

  “No,” he replied with a shake of his head. His eyes were sparking amber again, and the icy blue darkened as his eyes traced her face. “I have to work in a few hours.”

  “How’s it going out there?” she asked, needing something to talk about to keep her mind off of how sexy he looked in his tight jeans and cotton shirt. He didn’t wear a jacket, but that didn’t mean he didn’t own one. She’d seen him several times in a black leather jacket that hugged his body as if he’d had it custom made.

  “It’s bad,” he shook his head. “Look, as much as we need the information on Manzelli, I really wish you’d stay out of it.”

  “Stay out of it?” she asked as she poured a glass of wine. “Talon asked me to help.”

  “It’s dangerous,” he replied. “You’re already too close to this. The Amburo family isn’t one to mess with, Calla.”

  “I’m not doing anything other than gathering information for the alpha,” she reminded him and took a seat at her two-person kitchen table. Taze didn’t sit, and even if he did, she wasn’t sure the tiny seat would hold him.

  Her panther prowled in her mind as his mating scent filled the room. His nostrils flared when she caught her own scent and nervously drained the glass of wine.

  “We need to talk about it,” he finally blurted.

  “No, we don’t.” Needing an excuse to move away from him, she stood quickly and took her glass to the kitchen. When she turned around, he was standing there, blocking her way out of the little alcove. “Taze, please don’t do this now.”

  “Why not, Calla?” he asked.

  “We can’t…I can’t,” she stammered. “Not right now.”

  The anxiety made her heart flutter, but she clamped down on her feelings to dislodge the stress. It didn’t work. She took in a deep breath, praying she could get him out of her house before she fell apart.

  “We are mates,” he stated as he moved closer. “We both know it.”

  “Don’t come any closer, Taze!” She threw her hand up, begging him with her eyes to not touch her. She couldn’t touch him.

  “Are you worried about what your brother will say?” he growled, taking a hesitant step back. “Who gives a fuck what he wants, Calla?”

  “I do,” she snarled, feeling tears prick at the back of her eyes. “I already told you that we couldn’t be together after I turned twenty. Since the meeting in Talon’s office, Malaki has been…difficult.”

  “What has he said to you?” Taze bellowed as his eyes glowed with the presence of his beast. The mating scent surrounded her and caused an ache in her belly. Gods, she couldn’t do this.

  “It’s none of your business, Taze,” she said through her gritted teeth. She felt the first tear fall from her eye, and she swiped it away. “It’s complicated, and I need you to leave.”

  “You’re upset,” he noted. “I’m not leaving you alone when you are upset. Tell me what the fuck is going on.”

  She closed her eyes and swiped at the betraying tears. The stress she’d suppressed in the woods earlier came rushing back, punching her right in the chest.

  Calla bent over at the waist and placed her hands on her knees as she sucked in much needed air. She felt like she was going to pass out as her heart began to race. Taze said her name, but it sounded like he was in a tunnel. She was afraid to look up for fear she would fall over.

  Gods, why did it have to be so difficult to keep the two males in her life separate? Why did they fight over her so much? Why was she even letting them do this to her?

  “Calla? Calla? Talk to me,” Luna, the healer’s mate, said as she patted Calla’s cheeks.

  “What happened?” she mumbled as she noticed the ceiling was above her. As her eyes cleared, she saw Taze and Harold standing behind the female.

  “You had a panic attack and blacked out,” Luna whispered. “Can you sit up for me?”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Calla promised as she tried to get up.

  “Let Luna help you,” Harold called out. “Go slow.”

  “I’m really fine,” Calla said, waving off any help. “I think I hyperventilated.”

  “You were having a fucking anxiety attack,” Taze blurted. He was angry, and Calla flinched from the harshness of his words.

  “Maybe you should leave,” Harold said as the healer took a stance in front of Taze.

  Calla flinched at the predatory growl coming from his body. He was right in believing they were mates, but since they hadn’t touched, he had no right to act feral when separated from her.

  “Taze, please,” she begged and pointed toward the door. “I can’t do this right now. Just go.”

  The look of disappointment on his face turned to anger, and that anger turned into disgust at himself. He didn’t even need to say the words for her to know how he was feeling. Calla cursed as he bolted out the door, slamming it as he left.

  “Fuck,” she mumbled and covered her face. “I can’t deal with them anymore.”

  “Come to the office,” Harold ordered. “We need to talk and check you over. Taze said you took a hard fall.”

  Calla touched the back of her head and felt a small knot forming. “No. I’m fine, really.”

  “This isn’t a suggestion,” Harold replied with his doctor voice. “If I need to get Talon involved, then I will.”

  “Shit,” she sighed and let Luna pull her to her feet. The three of them waited several seconds as Calla regained her footing. The beautiful white wolf patiently waited until Calla gave the nod to let her know she was ready to move.

  The inside of Harold’s home clinic was quiet for once, and she could smell the disinfectant Luna had used on the two rooms they used for patching up Guardians. Instead of going to one of them, Luna steered her toward the kitchen and offered her a seat at the table.

  “You need sugar,” she fretted, going to the fridge to pull out a large pitcher of tea. After filling the glass, she set it down with a frown. “Drink as much of that as you can.”

  Harold entered a few seconds behind and took a seat, folding his arms across his massive chest. The older male had been so gentle with her when she’d arrived after being rescued, and he’d been like a father to her ever since.

  “How long have you been having panic attacks, Calla?” Harold was straight business ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time. Very rarely did he drop the doctor mask. Hell, maybe he didn’t have another side to him. Maybe he was like that all the time.

  “I’ve always had them,” she admitted as she sipped on her tea. It was sweet and didn’t mix well with the wine she’d consumed right before she blacked out.

  “You weren’t having them when you were in training,” he reminded her with a raised brow.

  “I really wish everyone would stop reminding me of that,” she scowled. What was it with everyone bringing up her time in the training facility?

  “Is everyone giving you a hard time because you changed your mind on being a Protector?” he pressed, finally relaxing enough to drop his hands to his lap. He scooted the chair closer to the table and finally rested his arms on top. It made him look less intimidating.

  “Not everyone,” she hedged, but knew she would spill everything to the healer. “Just my brother and Taze are driving me insane.”

  “They’re still at it,” he cursed. “I have half a mind to string both of those boys up and beat some sense into them.”

  “Healer!” she gasped. She’d never heard him speak like that before.

  “Well, it’s true,” he stated matter-of-factly. “You are obviously under a lot of stress.”

  “You have no idea,” she mumbled, feeling all of the emotions over the past two years rear their ugly head. “I can’t even be within talking distance of Taze without my brother coming over and voicing his two cents on it. I’m tired of them hating each other, an
d then they complain about each other to my face. I’m being pulled in two different directions, Harold.”

  “There’s more, isn’t there?” he asked, giving her a knowing glance.

  “Yes,” she sighed. “It’s possible…well, most likely, we are mates.”

  “Ah,” he said, nodding his bald head. “I see.”

  “You see?” she scoffed. “What does that even mean?”

  “Do you want my advice?” he asked.

  “Of course, I do,” she replied. “I’ve always trusted you.”

  “Maybe we should check you out first, just to make sure that bump you took to the head is healing okay,” he hedged, standing from his seat. “After that, we can talk about the mating scent all of the Guardians and Protectors noticed at the meeting with Talon.”

  “Great,” she drawled and let the healer take a look at the bump on her head.

  Taze paced outside his home, watching the healer’s house for any movement from Calla. It’d been an hour since she had been helped over by Harold’s mate, Luna. Was Calla okay? She’d taken a hard hit to the counter when she blacked out.

  Gods, he felt like a fucking failure, because he didn’t reach out to catch her. What good would he be as a mate if he didn’t even react as she succumbed to a panic attack?

  “Fuck!” he bellowed into the night’s sky.

  He hadn’t seen her have a panic attack since she’d first started training. Had it been going on all this time? For six damn years? Six years of anxiety, and he had no clue. He was such a piece of shit sometimes.

  It was nearing midnight when she finally emerged from the healer’s home. She walked with her head dropped in shame, wiping away moisture from her eyes. He started for her, but headlights stopped him from going as Noah pulled up in front of his house. Taze stood there until Calla was safely in her home.

  As soon as he opened the passenger door, Noah’s head turned and he looked concerned. “You know you are allowed to take a night off, right?”

  “I’m not taking the night off,” he grunted and climbed in the truck. Looking for the alpha scum and their rogues would keep his mind off what he’d seen earlier. His panther protested, but Taze used all of his strength to hold the animal back. They both knew what was happening, and until Taze finally touched Calla, the beast would have to wait.

  She wasn’t ready.

  He didn’t know if she would ever be ready, either.

  “If you say so.” Noah frowned and put the truck into gear. Taze tried his hardest not to look at her tiny home as they drove past, but he failed miserably. The front porch light remained on while only a soft light shone through the front curtains. He lowered his head and wiped a hand over his face.

  I wish I knew what to do to help her.

  The drive into Memphis took for-fucking-ever. By the time they arrived at their patrolling location for the evening, Taze was wound up, and all he wanted to do was go a few rounds with some Gadaí. He needed to take his frustrations out on someone.

  Storm and Lucky were working the north side of downtown while Evie, Taze, and Noah were walking the infamous Beale Street, looking for any shifters who might be targeting unsuspecting human females.

  The bars would be closing in three hours, and that gave them plenty of time to search the hectic crowds of people filling the area. It was Friday night, and with a major concert at a venue on the east side of the entertainment area, the place was going to be packed after the show filed out of the building.

  The humans were oblivious to the dangers they could be facing. No one had broken the news of the Gadaí to the media, and they planned on keeping it that way. As far as the locals were concerned, the rash of burglaries and disappearances were nothing to be concerned about, because crime had always been bad. While Taze loved the area where he was born and raised, even he knew to watch his wallet while out on the town.

  What he and the other Guardians were doing had nothing to do with their personal belongings…it had everything to do with the way they lived their lives. Gabriel had reported to Talon that a few of his new members hated their new life as a shifter. He’d even been dealing with one of them trying to commit suicide, which was a hard act to accomplish since their bodies healed so rapidly. Unless they took a bullet to the head or heart, most shifters would survive.

  He stopped dead in his tracks as the thought crossed his mind. The panther that lived inside him rushed to the surface, causing him to sway with the increase of adrenalin.

  “Whoa, dude,” Noah said, reaching out to steady Taze. “What is it? Did you scent a wolf?”

  “No,” he swallowed hard. “I…I need to go back to the pride.”

  “Sure,” Noah replied, reaching for his keys. “I told you to take the night off anyway. Take my truck, and we will get a ride home with Storm.”

  As he hurried to the parking lot, Taze tried to keep the thoughts from rolling through his head at the revelation. Anxiety…stress…panic. Could Calla be depressed? Was she not happy at the pride anymore?

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” he bellowed as he slammed the heal of his palm on the steering wheel.

  Things between her brother and her had been bad since she started training. He’d been a complete asshole, just as Taze had been, when they both found out she was in the training facility getting tossed around by seasoned Guardians. It took a long, threatening talk with his alpha to make Taze finally see the light. He was glad he’d made it through his puberty alive.

  By some miracle, he arrived at the pride in record time, but what was he going to do? It was after one in the morning, and she was probably asleep. Axel, Ranger’s little brother, waved him through the gate as he hurried toward her house. He didn’t care about being seen at Calla’s place, because he needed to make sure she was okay.

  “Calla, it’s me, open up,” he called out as he knocked on her door. He wasn’t loud, because he wasn’t about to wake up the alpha or his mate by yelling. Calla’s house was close enough to the main house, he was sure to be heard if he bellowed her name.

  “Taze?” she asked as she cracked the door. Her blonde hair was in disarray around her face; one eye was squinted while the other one was closed. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you at work?”

  “I had to check on you,” he replied, feeling like the biggest idiot. “Are you all right? What did the healer say?”

  “Come in,” she sighed, but he didn’t miss how she glanced over his shoulder to look for something. Taze was positive she was looking for her brother to pop up out of nowhere. At this point, Taze didn’t care what Malaki said…he was going to make sure the female was okay.

  The drive from Memphis had given him a good half-hour to think, and while he thought, his beast pressed the issue of touching her. He’d come to realize that she was his, and she’d always been his. He wasn’t going to let her go through what she had gone through earlier in the night by herself ever again.

  He just needed to tell Calla how he felt, but the idea of sharing his feelings just made his mouth slam shut. He was a Guardian. Taze had been trained to not show emotions when protecting the pride. Dropping your guard and showing compassion for anyone during a battle made you vulnerable.

  “We need to talk,” he blurted. “We need to talk about a lot of things.”

  “Taze,” she said with a heavy warning.

  “What?” he growled, feeling his panther pushing at his skin. The animal already knew she was his, and with that, his mating scent released. He knew the moment she scented him, because her own scent amplified and he could taste her desire on his own tongue. “You can’t deny it, Calla.”

  “I can, and I will.” She was so damn stubborn…always had been. “You really don’t want to tackle the mess that I am, Taze.”

  “It’s not a matter of you being a mess,” he sighed and relaxed his shoulders. “The idea of being a mate scares the living shit out of me, but for you, Calla, I’m willing to do anything to help you. I don’t know everything that’s going through your head, bec
ause you won’t talk to me. Let me help you.”

  “I don’t want a mate,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest after running her fingers through a few tangles in her hair.

  “Then let me be your friend,” he offered. His sixth sense was on alert. She wasn’t telling him everything, but somehow, he knew whatever it was would be life shattering. “Talk to me.”

  “You know damn well I can’t talk to you,” she scoffed. “I’ve already told you that we can’t be around each other. Do you not remember that talk we had the day I walked out of the training facility?”

  Taze remembered that day, and he hated it. The scene played out through his mind at least once a day. He’d never been so angry in his life.

  “Taze, you and I both know I won’t be able to touch you soon,” she’d said, standing strong. “It’s best if we just go our separate ways. I’ve started online classes, and I want to get my law degree. I accepted a job offer at a human law firm as a receptionist this afternoon.”

  “What?” he’d snarled. “You are an amazing fighter, Calla. Why are you quitting?”

  “I’m not quitting,” she’d huffed. “I’m being realistic. After my birthday, no male is going to want to train me, and I need to find a job outside of the pride. My brother…he is an issue. Things aren’t good with him when you are around. I can’t defend him to you, and I can’t defend you to him. It puts me in the middle. So, I’m walking away before it’s too late. I’m sorry…I must leave.”

  “Calla, no,” he’d yelled as she walked out of the training facility, tossing her gym bag over her shoulder for the last time.

  That night, he and Malaki had squared up, and they’d beaten each other to a bloody pulp out in the woods. No one heard them. No one saw the damage they’d done to each other, and they’d gone to their separate rooms in the dorms to sleep it off. By morning, they were healed and kept away from each other.

  “It’s obvious your brother is still ruining your life,” he growled. “Why do you let him do this to you?”

  “I really don’t know,” she said softly and walked away to take a seat at her little kitchen table. “It’s you, Taze. Everything is fine with him when you aren’t around.”