The strike to his neck caused Taze to roar. His blood entered her mouth and she swallowed it down before releasing him to lick over the spot to heal it just enough to leave a scar, showing all females that Taze Malone was hers.
“I’m not done with you,” he said, grasping her hips. “I like you like this.” He rolled his hips and hit a spot inside her that craved more of the attention.
Calla smiled and followed his directions. It was hours later when they fell to their side, covered in sweat and each other’s mating scent.
Talon nodded toward the two chairs in front of his desk. The sheriff had arrived within seconds of his call, but the human agent, Kevin Tabor, took a little more time to arrive since he was driving in from the city. It didn’t really matter at that point. If what Calla said was true, Murdock was now shifter business.
“What did you find out?” Tabor asked.
Talon informed him of the theory Calla had brought to him earlier. The female was a damn good tracker, and he believed what she was speculating was, in fact, true.
“You know I can’t use any of this information, right?” Tabor cursed. “There’s no hard proof.”
“That’s the difference between us, Tabor,” Talon replied. “Shifters live by a different set of rules. We have special…talents that can prove someone’s guilt without physical proof. All we need are our senses.”
“And Calla sensed Agent Murdock is the alpha of these rogues?” he pressed.
“Everyone, human or shifter, carries a scent,” Talon informed the agent. “When Agent Murdock came here the first time, I immediately knew there was something different about him. He irritated my panther, and my panther is never wrong. As you well know, because you are doing your own investigation on him, Murdock isn’t the cleanest of agents.”
“What do you propose we should do?”
Talon glanced at the angel. Garrett knew exactly what would be done, but the humans wouldn’t accept it.
“In our world, shifter law prevails,” Talon stated. “Our law says that I, as an alpha, can put down any shifter who is guilty of a crime. Agent Murdock, Holden Manzelli, or whatever the fuck his name is, needs to be put down.”
“Put down?” Tabor asked, his eyes wide.
“Don’t look so surprised, agent.” Talon narrowed his eyes, feeling his panther push forward. When the room changed color, he knew his eyes had turned over to the full, glowing amber of his beast. “We are ruled by our animal nature.”
“You cannot kill him,” Tabor barked. “You will be arrested and put in prison. What would happen to your pride if that happened?”
“I know what would happen to my pride,” Talon bellowed as he stood from his chair and slammed his fists into the solid wood desk. The sound echoed throughout the room as he bared his canines at the male. “I also know what will happen should I do nothing. Murdock is a dangerous male, and he’s bringing drugs into the area that will kill a shifter. If humans get ahold of it, you know what that result will be.”
Talon wanted to hunt the male himself. The war had come to their town and right on their fucking front doorstep when one of Landon’s employees was taken. “This son of a bitch has come for one of our own, and I’ll be damned if I let him get away with it.”
“I need proof, Talon,” Tabor begged. “Without proof, I can’t let you go after him.”
“I’ll get your proof, but I’m telling you now, we need the laws changed. Holding him in a jail cell will not work. We need to go back to our ways. With the humans in our business, it’s taking longer to stop the Gadaí. If we were allowed to handle it the way we’ve handled our own kind for thousands of years, this war would’ve been over by now. I’m tired of standing back and letting the government rule my hand.”
“I will do what I can to get you the information we have on Murdock tonight,” Tabor promised. “Do not do anything rash until you have solid evidence that he is actually Holden Manzelli.”
Talon nodded, because he didn’t trust his voice. Tabor excused himself with a promise to call with a report first thing in the morning. The moment he was gone, Talon turned toward the sheriff and snarled, “I’m putting a team together to go after him tonight. We will get the evidence our way.”
Taze waited for Calla to come to the circle. With the information Talon had to deliver to the pride, not one member was allowed to miss the meeting. From the stress he’d been feeling over the past hour, he knew something big was about to go down. His alpha was pissed, and the entire pride knew it.
Being away from Calla only hours after their mating was driving him and his panther insane. He’d helped Lucky and Storm build the bonfires around the area to keep the pride warm. The women were rushing in and out of the alpha’s home with food they’d thrown together to feed everyone.
It was ten minutes before midnight when everyone started gathering. He felt her presence before she slid her tiny fingers over his forearm and snuggled close to his side. He knew the other pride members were watching them, but he didn’t even care to look away from her.
Calla’s lips were still a little swollen from their kisses, and he closed his eyes as he inhaled the scent she gave off that was his own aphrodisiac. His panther came to the surface, giving him warmth to bleed into her tiny body.
“Everyone is looking at us,” she whispered. “Maybe we should’ve made an announcement before we were seen together in public.”
“I don’t care,” he replied, turning slightly to cup her face. “The marks upon our skin will be the only announcement we need to make.”
“What about Mal?” she whispered. Her brother would be there any minute, and they both knew the male was unstable when it came to their relationship. He’d set aside his hatred for the betterment of Calla’s anxiety, but seeing them actually touching might send the male into a feral rage.
“Don’t worry about him,” Taze promised. If her brother even thought about disrupting an alpha’s meeting, Malaki would have other things to worry about than the fact that his sister had mated his archnemesis.
A commotion behind him had Taze leaning down to kiss her cheek. “I’ll find you after the meeting.”
Taze reluctantly released her and made his way to the edge of the gathering. As a Guardian, his job was to protect the alpha and pride during his speech. It wasn’t necessarily because the alpha was in danger. The formation of the Guardians had been in place for thousands of years. In the old times, the solstice and equinox runs were done out in the open, and their enemies would attack if they found a pride gathered for their rituals.
Talon exited the main house with his mate in hand. Liberty stood to his left as he took to the raised platform.
“We have gathered here tonight because our enemies are closing in. One of our pride member’s businesses was hit by what we believe are rogues. Landon’s employee, Amaya Bradley, was taken by two males in the early morning hours.” The crowd surged at the news, and Talon sent out a wave of calm to settle everyone so he could continue. “We have every Guardian available searching for her, and I vow we will find her and bring shifter law upon the alpha who sent out the order.”
Talon searched the crowd, his eyes landing on Calla. He gave her a prideful nod and addressed the crowd again. “Some new information has come to us by way of one of our best trackers. Calla Marshall has reason to believe the alpha we’ve been looking for has been living right under our noses this entire time. It is believed the FBI agent, Walter Murdock, is actually the wolf alpha the reformed Gadaí are calling Holden Manzelli.”
A round of curses filled the air, and while Taze already knew the information, he felt anger as if he’d heard it for the first time. Beside him, Storm rocked back on his feet.
“At this time, we are asking the pride to go on lockdown until we have the male in custody. There will be rules set in place for anyone needing to leave our lands.” Talon held his hand out toward his Guardians and Protectors. “If you are to leave the pride, you must take a Guardian or a Protector with y
ou. There will be no exceptions.”
Taze glanced at Calla and saw her take a deep, calming breath. He understood her need to work, but he also wanted her safe. It didn’t matter how much training she had retained, because a group of Gadaí high on Khat could not be defeated by one shifter.
Talon finished the meeting and dismissed everyone to help themselves to the food provided by the women of the pride, reminding everyone they could stay as long as they liked. A few of the teenage pride members shifted and ran through the woods. Talon hadn’t restricted their activities on the land, and Taze was thankful for that, because he wanted to take his mate into the woods as soon as possible to run alongside her in their shifted forms.
“You should grab some food,” he advised her as she approached. He cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers, inhaling her scent.
“You need food, too,” she frowned. “Have a meal with me?”
“Of course,” he replied, but the rumbling growl coming from behind him stopped anything else he had to say.
Chapter Eighteen
“What the fuck?” Calla jerked at the sound of her brother’s voice. She slowly stepped around her mate and narrowed her eyes as Malaki marched toward her. “So, he touched you?”
“No, Mal,” she sighed, so tired of his anger. “I touched him. It was time.”
Malaki watched as Taze came to her side. She was thankful her mate didn’t wrap his arm around her shoulders or hold her hand. It was time she did it on her own, and even as the other Guardians and Protectors gathered around them, she didn’t care who heard her.
“Before you yell and scream, I want you to know that I refuse to talk to you until you and my mate can become friends,” she stated, walking toward her brother. “We went through a lot, but that time is over, Mal. It’s been long enough. You and I have to let go of what happened and live our lives before it’s too late. This fighting has to stop.”
“You know how I feel,” he said through gritted teeth. She wasn’t worried about Taze’s safety because Malaki hadn’t taken his eyes off of her. If he intended to attack, he would’ve already zeroed in on her mate.
“I do know how you feel, but you need to understand this.” She paused to walk up to him. He finally relaxed when she took his hands and squeezed them tightly. “I love him, Mal. He completes me. With Taze, I feel free for the first time in six years. Please, please understand that we have to let what happened go. I have. I can’t thank you enough for the things you’ve done for me, especially during our captivity. You did everything you could do, and I don’t blame you for anything that happened to me.”
A tear built at the corner of his eye, and he heaved in a ragged breath as the first one fell over his lashes. “I have nightmares about what they did. I see it over and over in my head, and I don’t know how to stop it. What they did to you…I just…”
“You have to get past it, Mal,” she pressed. “Come with me to therapy? Come talk to someone about this. I don’t know how else to help you.”
Malaki shook his head and brought their conjoined hands to his lips as he kissed the back of her hand. “I don’t know if I will ever forget the things I saw. I am so fucking happy you’ve found a way to get through it, and if he makes you happy, then that’s all I want. It’s all that mom and dad would’ve wanted, too.”
“What about you, Mal?” she asked, feeling like her brother was slipping away.
“I don’t know what the future holds for me,” he admitted. “You need to stop worrying about it and live your life to the fullest. You deserve the world, Calla. You truly do.”
“So, do you,” she cried as he dropped her hands and backed away. “Mal? Mal, where are you going?”
She watched as he turned toward Taze, his eyes still wet with tears. “Take care of her.”
“I will give her the life she deserves,” Taze replied and came to her side, wrapping his arms around her body.
“I need some time, Calla,” Malaki stated as he started to walk away.
She watched as the Guardians relaxed and moved out of the way so her brother could leave the area. There was so much he needed to work through, and she hoped he would join her during the therapy sessions.
“Mal,” she cried when he disappeared down the road to his cabin. Turning into Taze’s chest, she knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. “I have a feeling he will be gone by morning.”
Talon got word of their mating and gave Taze the next few nights off of work. He thanked his leader and took Calla home to gather some of her things before finally tucking her into their mated bed. Seeing her upset made Taze upset, but he couldn’t just leave her to go knock some damn sense into her brother. Although, that was exactly what he wanted to do.
She’d stopped crying for her brother, knowing Malaki had to get help on his own, but she knew it was best to let him go. There wasn’t much she could do for him if he didn’t want to help himself. Taze wanted to give his mate the ultimate gift of his friendship with Malaki, but there was no way that was going to happen overnight.
“Can I draw you a bath?” he asked as he slipped beneath the covers. Every time he touched her, the electric spark of their mating sent a thrill through his body. Taze didn’t think he’d ever get tired of it.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” she murmured, but rolled over toward him. “I have to let him go, don’t I?”
“It’s probably for the best,” Taze replied, kissing her brow. “He will come back.”
“I know,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s always been stubborn.”
Taze agreed, but didn’t say anything else. He didn’t want to spend the first night of their mating in bed worrying about her brother. Malaki would come around, but it was going to take time.
He slipped out of the bed and headed for the bathroom, turning the water on and adjusting the temperature. He’d made sure to install a large, jetted tub for her when he’d designed the cabin. He’d dreamt of this very thing many times over. With the mating, the need to pamper her was ramped up more than he ever imagined.
“Come on,” he urged, holding out his hand. “Let’s take a bath and get some rest.”
Calla yawned as they entered the bathroom, both of them slipping out of their clothes. Taze stepped into the steaming water first and helped her over the edge. They both let out a moan when they sank into the water.
He made slow work of washing her body, paying extra attention to the tense areas of her shoulders as he kissed the mating mark on her neck. “I am the luckiest male in the world.”
“I think I’m the luckiest female in the world,” she hummed as she ran her tiny fingers up and down his legs. She was giving off her mating scent, and his cock couldn’t hide behind his jeans when they were wet and naked in the water.
“You can’t touch me like that, sweetheart,” he warned.
“But I want to.” Taze heard the pout in her voice and smiled as he nipped at the mating mark he’d left on her skin just a few hours ago. It’d healed nicely, but with his saliva, the scar remained.
“I didn’t know a mating was this intense,” he admitted, releasing her when she turned around, kneeling before him.
“I didn’t either, Taze,” she grinned. The smile she gave him was full of trust and love.
There was that word again. She’d come right out in front of her brother and the entire pride and said she loved him. “So, you love me?”
Calla’s cheeks reddened, and she lifted herself from her kneeling position to cup his face. “I do, Taze. I think I have since we started training in that facility all those years ago.”
“I’ve known I loved you for that long, too,” he echoed, cupping her face and pulling her toward his lips. She was breathless by the time they separated. “I will keep my promise to your brother and give you the world.”
“You already have, Taze,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. His cock hardened even more when she pressed her breasts to his chest.
“How about we finish this bath
and head back to the bed?” he asked through his extended canines. “I like the way you sit on my lap.”
“Mhmm,” she hummed and kissed him again. He could die in that moment and be a happy male. His mate’s lips were made for him, and he was going to make sure he touched them several times a day for the rest of their lives.
By the time they made it to the bed, he’d let her take the lead, climbing over his body and taking his cock with her tiny hand. She didn’t hesitate and brought it to her body, working her pussy until he was fully seated.
“You do like that,” she stated as she reached up to place one hand on the headboard and the other over his heart. When she swiveled her hips, he dug his fingers into them and rocked her body until she let out a sound that told him she was getting as worked up as him.
The end of the night came a few hours later, and his mate fell asleep cuddled against his side. He closed his eyes and said a silent prayer to the gods that Malaki would actually come back like he’d promised her, because if he didn’t, she wouldn’t take it very well.
By morning, they’d cleaned themselves up enough to join his parents for breakfast. His mother had hugged Calla the second they walked in the door. Taze watched as they laughed and bonded over her inability to cook.
“I like her, son,” his father grunted. Taze chuckled at his old man. He’d always been like that, and Taze was sure he got his outgoing nature from his mother. “You did good.”
“I think I did, too.” He smiled as his mate came around the corner. He prayed he’d always have that flutter in the pit of his stomach whenever he laid eyes on her, and although she was dealing with her past, he knew they still had a lot of growing to do.
It didn’t matter to him how long it took, because he loved her deeply. He’d protect her with his life and teach her more ways to protect herself should the day come when he wasn’t there to do it.
Taze (Rise of the Pride, Book 11) Page 17
