Taze (Rise of the Pride, Book 11)

by Theresa Hissong

  As she drank her morning coffee, Taze sat across from her looking exhausted. She didn’t know exactly what he went through at night, but from the look on his face, it wasn’t easy.

  “Everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah.” He nodded and stared at the table for a few seconds before raising his eyes to meet hers. “We found four females last night. Two of them were in the beginning stages of their change. The other two were already fighters.”

  “I’m sorry,” she gasped, wanting to reach out and comfort him. Instead, she gave him a soft smile. “At least you are making a difference. I know it’s heartbreaking when you find them, but you have to look at the positive. Those females would be in worse shape if they were taken back to the Gadaí alphas. I know firsthand how they treat females.”

  “I don’t even know how to help Evie with them,” he admitted, wiping a hand over his tired face. “She calms them as best as she can when she gives them the sedative. On the way back to the pride, she sits with them to keep an eye on them. The males we capture are feral, to say the least. Last night was no exception.”

  “What happened last night?” she pressed.

  “I had to handcuff the females who were already changed,” he began. “I know it’s my nature making me feel like I’m hurting them when they start crying and manipulating me. They’ve been trained to use that against us, and it almost works. We’ve all had moments of hesitation when we have to subdue them.”

  “So, you hesitated last night?” Calla saw the pain in his eyes and knew he was struggling.

  “Yeah,” he replied, touching his jaw. “I’ve never had to truly fight a female outside of the training facility. In there, it was a teaching position. Out on the streets, it’s life or death.”

  “But you’re strong and trained,” she reminded him.

  “One of them had a gun, Calla,” he growled. She noticed the amber sparks in his eyes, and her heart immediately plummeted.

  “Oh, Gods! Did you get shot?” She pushed back her chair to stand, looking him over for any signs he’d been bleeding. When Taze raised his hand and shook his head, she relaxed, but only slightly.

  “Not me,” he answered. “Noah took a bullet to the leg, but he’s going to be fine. It went through and through.”

  “Thank the gods,” she whispered, falling back into her seat.

  “It’s not good knowing they are now armed,” he continued. “All it takes is one head or heart shot to change the game.”

  “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I have a meeting with Talon tonight,” he said. “We are going to ask Liberty and Nova to start up the firearms training again. Talon is going to the FBI today to request we be allowed to arm ourselves. There was nothing in the original law stating we could. Originally, we were fighting a shifter war, and as you know, we don’t use human weapons.”

  “You need to be protected,” she snarled. “The human authorities have weapons, and so should you.”

  That was one more reason for her to continue down the current path she’d chosen. The Guardians and Protectors should’ve never been sent out on the streets without weapons. If the human police carried them to combat crime, so should the shifters.

  “We will address that later,” he promised, finally standing from his seat. She was still worried about him and the night he had. “Now, how about that run?”

  Calla worried for Taze and the others who were out in the streets, hunting down the rogues, but she knew she would eventually be able to give something back to the species once she got her degree.

  Taze waited for her to strip before kicking off his boots to undress for their run. Once they were in the woods, her beast slowed to a walk instead of racing through the forest. They kept to the trails, never stopping until they reached the pond at the back of the property.

  Taze never took the lead, always staying at her flank in a protective move most mated males took with their females. His actions were speaking louder than his words, and Calla took notice. He’d only lost his composure once, voicing his opinion on how much he found her beautiful. Over the past couple of weeks, she‘d noticed a hardened bulge in his pants when they were releasing their mating scents.

  As much of a coward as she was when it came to a mating, she didn’t fault him. In fact, she’d found herself aroused during some of their encounters, and at first, it confused her, but lately, she was…intrigued.

  She’d been scared to be intimate with a male, but when she was with Taze, it was easier to see herself going through with the mating. He was a virile male; large, menacing when he needed to be, but the Guardian was respectful and chivalrous. There’d been several times she’d noticed how he put her wishes first, putting his needs on the back burner. She wanted to show him how much she cared for him, but didn’t know how without actually touching him.

  By the time they reached his house, she was determined to try and get closer to him. There needed to be intimacy between them without touching until she was ready. As she shifted and picked up her clothes, Calla steeled her spine and walked into the house after him, still holding her clothes in her hand.

  “I want to try, Taze,” she blurted, standing there stark naked in front of him. She had to give him credit for not looking upon her naked body with lust, even though his eyes darkened at her words. “I’m not going to touch you, but I’d like to explore more with you.”

  “Sweetheart, you can’t be telling me these things,” he growled as he moved closer. He still didn’t pull a shirt over his head, leaving the top button of his jeans undone. He never put on his shoes, either. His soft looking skin stretched over his abs and shoulder muscles. The sight would’ve brought most females to their knees. “Especially when you are not dressed.”

  “I don’t know how to move forward with you without touching,” she told him truthfully, slipping into her clothes, forgoing her shoes. “I know that we are mates…my panther knows, too. I haven’t been with a man in an intimate nature, because I’d sworn off sex after my…well, you know, but recently, I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  “Calla, we can take forever if you need it,” he stated, but his cock betrayed him. She saw the bulge again and raised her eyes to stare up at him. “When you look at me like that, it makes me want to make you forget everything and have you start over. I know that’s not possible, but my words are true.”

  “My therapist has helped me separate what was done to me with what we will do together should we touch,” she explained, feeling a bit of heat in her cheeks. “I know it’s going to be different, and I know you will care for me when the times comes that we finally touch.”

  “Calla,” he sighed. “I will never push you to do something you don’t want to do in regards to our mating. If I have to wait until we are gone from this earth and meet in the afterlife, that is what I will do. I have cared for you since we were teenagers, and when I vowed to teach you to defend yourself in that facility, I became not only your friend, but a male who was fiercely dedicated to your protection. It wasn’t because I’d taken the vow of a Guardian, either. This protection I feel for you is straight from the male I am. I knew you could hold your own in a fight, but I’ll be damned if I let another male hurt what’s mine.”

  “So, I’m yours?” she asked, hanging on that one statement. The admission of his personal responsibly to keep her safe had her mating scent thickening in the air. Taze took a step toward her and brought himself within inches, leaning down to put his lips close to her own.

  “You’ve always been mine,” he promised.

  “I’m scared,” she whispered after a few deep breaths. Wetness pooled between her legs and she shifted slightly to control the ache. “But I want this. I want us.”

  “All you have to do is kiss me,” he smirked. He wasn’t being cocky, and she knew that. The male was as honest as they come. “You make the decision for us.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” she replied with a whisper. Calla closed her eyes and inh
aled his mating scent, feeling the ache intensify.

  “When you are ready, you’ll know,” he said with a wink. “I can scent your desire.”

  “I can’t control it when I’m around you.” Calla felt like she’d taken some damn truth serum or something. Being that honest and forward concerning sex wasn’t something she usually did, but with Taze, it was easy.

  “I will warn you, though,” he began, closing his eyes tightly for several seconds. “My panther is clawing at me to touch you. I won’t, but know that the moment you make the connection with me and we feel the magic, I will claim you. I will mount you, and I will be marking your neck with my bite and your pussy with my seed.”

  “Oh,” she breathed, feeling the stirrings of something foreign deep in her body. His words were like sex should be, and she liked it.

  “I want you to go home and relax today,” he said, breaking away from their close contact. When he took two steps back, she wanted to cry out for him to return, but she didn’t. “My door will remain unlocked if you need me. Just come on in and make yourself at home. After I wake up tonight, I will cook a meal for you so you can have the nutrition you need, because I know you’ve been eating whatever you can toss together for the past few months of school.”

  Her eyes widened at his knowledge. He must’ve seen all the junk food laying out on her counter at her house. It was true, though. Calla wasn’t much for cooking protein rich meals for herself. “I suck at making myself real food.”

  “If you are going to be my mate, then I need to keep you nourished,” he winked. “I have a feeling my panther and I will be quite insatiable.”

  She chuckled at the thought. From the condition of her panties, she was sure she would be needing all the protein and nutrition he was promising.

  “Now, go home,” he ordered. “I’ll call you when I wake up.”

  “Goodnight, Taze,” she breathed as she slipped on her shoes and left him for the day.

  Malaki sat at his post at the main gate, keeping an eye on the monitors around the land. He watched as his sister left Taze’s house, walking toward her place. She wore a smile he hadn’t seen on her since before they were taken and their parents killed.

  As much as he hated that male, Taze was bringing her joy, but Malaki wasn’t sure it would last long. The joys of first love could quickly be extinguished over the years. Just because you found your mate didn’t mean you found true love. He’d seen it in his old pride. There was an older couple who’d touched but hated each other with a passion. All of the insta-love bullshit with his fellow Guardians was driving him insane.

  He didn’t want that for her. His sister had been through hell, and even if she found her mate, was she ready for the moment they touched? Males were rough during the mating, or so he’d been told. There was no way she would get through that without issue.

  Harold had put her in touch with a therapist, and he’d suggested Malaki go as well. There was no fucking way he would be talking to a goddamn shrink about the things he’d seen during their time with the wolves. It was hard enough dealing with the manipulation he’d experienced. Throw in the visuals of his sister being raped by those men…yeah, no. He wasn’t ever going to be the same after that. No one could consciously say they were able to heal from that trauma, either. If they did, they would be lying.

  Cursing, he kicked his feet up on the counter and tried his best not to get worked up over the male. Calla was his sister and the only blood family he had left. He wanted to shelter her for the rest of her life. She’d been dealt a big ole fuck you from the gods, but he always knew they’d grow up and find their mates. He still didn’t like the idea of trusting a male to care for her and her past. Malaki just couldn’t believe a male would be willing to deal with it all.

  He wanted to make sure Taze was ready for all that with his sister. The male needed a gentle hand when it came to her, and he wasn’t sure if Taze could do gentle. It wasn’t in his nature. They were Guardians and much larger than the female shifters.

  He was still on the fence about Taze, and he figured the male would be awake when Malaki got off work. They needed to hash out some more details about his sister, their mating, and his general disgust for anything with a cock that got close to her.

  He’d left the gate and immediately headed to Taze’s cabin, taking a deep breath and knocking on the door. The male answered a moment later, looking like he’d just woken up.

  “Everything okay?” he mumbled and looked toward Calla’s home. She wasn’t off work yet, and Malaki was going to make his visit as quick as possible.

  “I only came by to tell you to take care with her,” Malaki warned. He didn’t want the male to touch his sister, but he knew it was going to happen. Thankfully, she was taking it slow, and if he was lucky, Taze would keep his paws off of Calla for a long time. “I will call a truce with you as long as you don’t touch her.”

  “Last I checked,” Taze scoffed, “your sister can make her own decisions. I have no immediate plans to touch her, so you can rest for a little longer, Malaki.”

  “She’s my only blood relative, and she’s been through a lot,” he continued, trying his hardest not to lash out at the male. “As far as I’m concerned, no male will be good enough for her, but she’s begged me to get along with you.”

  “Okay,” Taze drawled. “Look, I don’t want to fight with you anymore, but if you continue to cause her heartache, I will have something to say about it.”

  “She’s my sister, Taze,” he reminded the fucker.

  “She’s my mate,” Taze retorted.

  They stood there for the longest time, staring and waiting for one to react. Malaki had come to say what he needed to say, and he knew it was best to back down. Deep down, he knew Taze was good for her, but he was having a hard time dealing with the fact she’d found her mate in the male who’d originally treated her like shit when he’d become a Guardian.

  “There are a lot of things you will need to help her work through,” Malaki sighed. “Make sure she’s ready before you touch.”

  “Again, I know what I’m doing,” Taze replied. “Do you have anything else you need to say, or are we done here?”

  “We’re done,” Malaki said, turning on his heel.

  He headed to his cabin and immediately poured himself a drink. He closed his eyes and tried his hardest to keep the visions away. No matter how hard he tried, they were always there, and sleeping didn’t help. The nightmares were worse. In his nightmares, he heard her screams, and just like he was teleported back to those days with the wolves, he was helpless.

  “See, I told you it was like riding a bike,” he grunted as he recovered from Calla’s punch to his ribs.

  The moment she’d arrived at his house after work, the female had gotten decked out in her workout gear. She even had her old gym bag in her hand. Taze had never been more in shock or excited in his entire life.

  He’d given her a scarf to cover her face and a cap to bring down over her ears. She wore one of his old, flannel button downs that’d seen better days. With a few knots here and there, they made it work. She was covered from head to toe; the only part of her skin showing was around her eyes, and he would never in a million years touch her there anyway.

  “Are you okay?” she gasped, her eyes wide with fright. “I didn’t mean to punch you that hard.”

  “I’m fine…just need another second,” he panted as he got back to his feet, cracking his neck to stretch the muscles there. “Okay, let’s go again.”

  “Are you sure?” she hesitated.

  “Just fucking punch me, Calla,” he ordered, holding his gloves up to protect his face. He didn’t know why her brother was so worried about the female. She was perfectly capable of handling her life and safety. Okay, Taze was worried about her safety around the rogues, but as far as fighting off a human male, she knew what she was doing.

  Damn, she was still great at fighting. It gave him a bit of pride to know she was able to care for herself should an e
vent ever present itself.

  Thwack!

  “Good,” he huffed as he ducked to miss her next blow.

  He was trying his hardest to keep himself focused so he didn’t get punched again. He’d readily admit the last time she got him in the ribs was because he’d been staring at her face as it’d glistened with sweat. Her already pouty lips seemed to double in size as she exerted herself, and that short, blonde hair of hers was mussed all over her head. The freak in him wanted to tangle his fingers in her hair and lick the sweat from her body.

  “Oof,” he grunted as she got him in the jaw. This time, he made a swing at her, missing her jaw when she bent her knees to lower herself out of his reach.

  She remembered her stances, and she pivoted perfectly when she would bring her right leg up to kick him in the side or thigh. There was no denying how great she’d become before giving it all up to go to law school.

  “Ahh!” He swiped her leg so she’d lose balance. He immediately went in for the final blow, which was going to be a fake one because the area around her eyes was exposed. When he dropped to his knees between her legs, raising his gloves in the air, he smelled her mating scent and a smirk played on his lips. “Mating scent or otherwise, I still win.”

  He’d celebrated his victory a few seconds too early. Calla twisted to the right, getting both of her covered arms on the outside of his torso and brought them back in a maneuver that sent him to his side and off of the female.

  “Sucker,” she teased, laughing hysterically for the first time in what seemed like two years.

  It was like old times, and he wanted to point that out to her, but he knew better. Calla would run if anyone mentioned her former training. As it was, Taze had agreed to come with her to the gym for nothing more than a workout. She’d been the one to ask if they could spar, and he had agreed.

  “Only for you, sweetheart.” He winked as they came back to their positions. Calla didn’t wait and made the first move, going for his jaw again, but she missed. Taze got her in the ribs as he came up on his rebound.