Skin Walkers

by Susan A Bliler

  Fuck, she’s perfect.

  His thoughts were interrupted by Shane’s mental nudge.

  “Boss, we’ve got a transmission from StoneCrow. Monroe has invited you and Briel to the Estate for a welcoming dinner, and…”

  Without preamble, Tyce shot back an immediate, “No!” before severing the connection. He wasn’t playing Monroe’s games. Fucker should’ve known it!

  Letting his eyes dip back to Briel, he was surprised by how much just the sight of her soothed him. Granted, she wasn’t what he’d expected, and certainly not what he’d have chosen for himself. She was almost tomboyish in her dress. He’d always imagined his Angel would be elegant and refined, like King’s Lilly or Gauge’s Amanda. Briel was nothing like either. No, his Angel was rough around the edges and so damn cute he couldn’t stop staring at her. He smiled when her forehead creased as she turned and caught him staring again.

  Rolling to her side to face him, she palmed the side of her head in her upraised arm. Looking down at her body, as if she’d known he was assessing her, she frowned and fingered one of the rips in her jeans, trying to pull together the gaping, fringed hole on one thigh.

  It bothered him that she suddenly seemed self-conscious. Her actions made him wonder if she was worried about what he thought. “Something wrong?” he asked casually.

  Briel sighed. “I’m sorry I’m not more...” Her eyes left her jeans to rove up and down his crisp suit. “Expensive,” she finally supplied. “I haven’t been shopping for clothes in years. I wear what I have.”

  Her words made Aries lower her book to stare at Briel.

  Tyce’s brows shot up. “Years?” His eyes dipped to her clothes. He’d had Conn and his team gather Briel and Fena’s belongings from the hotel back in DC. He thought she wore what she wore because it was comfortable. If he’d known it was not her choice, he’d have rectified it sooner. “You’re beautiful.”

  Briel clucked her tongue and expelled an offended breath on what sounded like a feminine growl as her expression darkened. Pulling her legs in, she struggled to her feet and paced to the liquor cart where she poured herself a drink.

  He liked that she felt comfortable enough to help herself. She was starting to fit in at Apex, and that made him prouder than he could ever express.

  “I’m not,” she responded. “I look tacky. I apologize.”

  Tacky? Apologize? Well, that wouldn’t do. Standing, he crossed to her and held out his hand.

  Briel looked up with a confused expression, but took the proffered hand. “What?”

  Tyce led her toward the door. “We’re going out.”

  “Out?” She gazed up at him as she walked before turning to peer over her shoulder at Fena. “Out where? What about Fena?”

  “We’ve got her.” Aries waved as she closed her book before sitting up and then dropping to her knees to crawl toward the girls and their puzzle.

  Several Sentries met them in the foyer as if they’d been magically summoned. James smiled and handed Tyce a coat that he held up. It took her a moment to realize he wanted her to put it on, so she hurried to slide her arms inside.

  “We should be back in a few hours.”

  Shane nodded, waiting stoically beside Lok while James plopped down on the top stair in the foyer.

  Briel shot a worried glance over her shoulder. “You’re…you’re sure she’ll be okay?”

  Briel’s worried tone tore at him, and he almost felt guilty…almost.

  “She’ll be fine,” he clipped out, intentionally keeping the need to coddle her to himself. Briel needed to learn to be a little thicker-skinned where Fena was concerned. Besides, there wasn’t any other Walker on the face of the Earth he trusted more with the protection of Fena than Conn. The man was a literal beast and had grown only more aggressively protective once he’d found his Angel and she’d borne him their daughter.

  “I’ve trusted Conn with not just my life, but with the lives of every Walker here at Apex. He’s never let me down.”

  “Me and Fena, we’re not Walkers.”

  It grated on him that she was always reminding him of that fact. Part of him wanted to tell her that, once he fully bound and claimed her, she’d be as close to being a Skin Walker as any human could hope to be, but he decided to keep that information to himself. The reason? He knew she’d ask what he meant. While he understood she’d be asking about being close to actually being a Skin Walker, his mind was stuck on the ‘fully bound and claimed’ part. Even now, as his halo shone brightly around her delicate throat, the need to bury himself in the wet sheath of her pussy was all-consuming. His dick was hard as iron, and had been for days. Now, he finally understood the true toll of the affliction. He was parched, starving, and exhausted beyond belief, but the driving need that felt like razors scraping his skin raw was the visceral ache to claim his Angel. She was the key.

  No, not the key, he chastised inwardly. She’s the lock, the door, the building, the block, the fucking universe. “You’re more,” he replied, and then commanded, “Lok, bring the car around.”

  Lok turned wordlessly to do his Dominant’s bidding.

  Tyce turned Briel toward the door where she paused only a moment before slipping into a pair of socks and her only pair of shoes. He opened the door, about to usher her out, when he stopped. Monroe’s words came dancing back to bite him in the ass. “If you had something important to protect, you’d understand. I take no chances where my Angel is concerned.”

  He eyed Briel as she turned to look up at him expectantly with her warm whiskey-colored eyes. Just the thought of anything happening to her made his insides curdle. Damn Monroe StoneCrow! “Shane!” He reluctantly barked, stopping the Sentry on his way down the hall. “On me!”

  The order was so out of the norm that it took Shane a second to understand. Tyce had goaded Monroe for years for taking a Sentry everywhere he went. To prove the pointlessness of the act, Tyce intentionally went everywhere alone, no Sentries in tow unless they were transferring from Apex to StoneCrow, and simply hitched a ride, or unless they were on a mission.

  When Tyce’s request finally sunk in, James beamed from ear to ear, clapped his hands together, and laughed out, “Oh shit! Times, they are a-changin’!”

  A dark look from Tyce had James dropping his hands and quickly clearing his throat with feigned seriousness. “Sorry, boss. Anything I can do?”

  Shane opened the front door and held it as Briel went out. Tyce waited until she crossed the threshold before turning an icy scowl on James. “Yeah.” His voice was low. “You can wipe that damn smirk off your face.”

  “Got it. Will do!” James’ smirk grew into an outright grin, and he had to dip his head to hide it.

  Tyce growled his displeasure before adding, “And the chef’s been complaining about foxes trying to get into the greenhouse.” He smirked. “Take care of that.” He stalked out the door to James’, “Awww, man!”

  Chapter 20

  Arms loaded with bags, Tyce walked with Briel toward his blacked-out Humvee trying to ignore Shane conspicuously scanning the area a few yards ahead of them. The day was brisk, beautiful. The cold temperature and fat flakes lazily drifting down lent a rosy glow to Briel’s cheeks and nose. Studying her out of the corner of his eye, he felt something he hadn’t felt since he was a kid. Nervousness.

  He’d taken her to the closest clothier, which was the trading post on the Blackfeet reservation. The clothing selection was minimal, but Briel had picked out several pairs of sparkly-pocketed jeans, a couple of sweaters, some socks, several outfits and toys for Fena, and puffy coats and winter gear for them both. At the counter, he’d picked out several pairs of beaded barrettes, bracelets, and earrings for his girls, which made Briel blush. Her flush changed from the singe of shyness to one of anger when she’d made a scene about paying for her own things. That wasn’t happening. She didn’t know it now, but she’d never pay for a single thing ever again.

  When they reached the Humvee, Shane opened the back and to
ok the bags from Tyce, loading them inside. Turning to Briel, Tyce realized he didn’t want his alone time—well, relatively alone—with Briel to end. He offered hopefully, “Lunch?” Holding out his arm, he motioned toward a nearby café.

  Briel worried her bottom lip. She was hungry. He knew it, because he could hear her stomach growling, but she looked uncertain as she eyed the café and then ducked her head and turned toward the Humvee.

  It instantly pissed him off when she muttered, “Pass.”

  ***

  Briel saw Tyce’s brows spear down before she ducked her head and amended. “Thank you, but no.” She took a step toward the waiting vehicle, but Tyce caught her elbow.

  “Lunch it is!” He exclaimed. Trying to turn her back toward the café only resulted in earning him a dainty scowl.

  “Hey!” Briel attempted to jerk away. “I said no.”

  A tall native guy walking past stopped and tipped the brim of his cowboy hat that had a huge pheasant feather sticking out of the band. “Problem, ma’am?” He eyed Tyce as if sizing him up.

  Tyce flicked an unconcerned glance at the cowboy, speaking to him but keeping his eyes on Briel. “She’s fine. Keep moving.”

  His declaration caused Briel to smile appreciatively at the guy, shaking her head before allowing Tyce to pull her toward the restaurant. A few steps from the still-staring stranger, Briel leaned closer and hissed, “What is wrong with you?”

  “Me?” Tyce led her into the road and held up a hand as if he was some sort of police officer. The action forced a car to come to a sliding stop on the icy street so that they could cross.

  Briel flashed the car an apologetic smile and a wave as she hurried to keep up with Tyce’s grip on her arm. “People don’t act like that. You asked me to lunch. I said no. That’s supposed to be the end of it.” When he didn’t respond, she looked up and watched his jaw work. Hmm, typically stoic Tyce Steele was actually agitated? Good! “Plus, you can’t just dismiss people like that.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder, “Or, go halting traffic like you’re the stinking mayor.”

  “I do what I want, Briel. I get what I want.”

  His words sounded like a warning, and a shiver coursed through her slight frame. She was still off-kilter from Aries’ words, and it wasn’t something she’d addressed yet with Tyce. She didn’t know how to. The whole idea of her being ‘his’ was absurd. His actions and words now only reinforced that fact. The man was a certified bully. “And clearly people have allowed that, but I’m not them,” she argued, jerking hard to free her elbow. “Don’t manhandle me, Tyce! And don’t ask for my opinion and then completely ignore it!”

  Hard eyes landed on hers. “I heard your stomach growling. I know you’re hungry. And you not wanting to spend time in my company isn’t going to prevent me from caring for you as I should. You’re my responsibility!”

  She asked breathlessly, “Is that what you think? That I declined your lunch offer to avoid spending time with you?” Her tone was incredulous. “I haven’t spent time away from you since you kidnapped me!”

  His eyes flashed dangerously, but she kept going, her anger beginning to boil over. “I declined lunch because a woman is entitled to do so!”

  He was in her face in a flash, his nose nearly pressed to hers. “You can despise Walkers all you like, Angel; it doesn’t change anything for me.”

  She stared at him angrily. What did that even mean? Wordlessly, she shook her head and backed up a step, noting that he immediately tracked her with one of his own. “I’m worried about Fena, Tyce. I wanted to skip lunch to get back to her sooner. I love her, and that’s what love is, denying one’s own comfort and wants for the sake of another. I’d forego a thousand lunches if it meant one second of her not being alone and afraid in a new place.” She backed up another step, and when he made to follow, she held out her hand, placing it on his chest to halt him. “This has nothing to do with how I feel about Walkers.” She swallowed hard as the wind slowly picked up. “I may not know if Walkers helped kill my father, but what I do know is that Walkers protected Fena when I couldn’t.” She lifted her chin haughtily, trying to hide the frustrated moisture that pooled in her eyes. “For the rest of my days, I’ll never forget that you all came for us when no one else cared to. Not the soldiers my father dedicated his life to, not his colleagues who he sacrificed all his time for. Skin Walkers came for us. You came for us. And for rescuing Fena, I’m more grateful to you all than you could ever possibly understand. I owe you so much, and have no way to repay you. I don’t hate you. You know nothing,” she accused, before turning and racing back across the street, ignoring the waiting Humvee to hurry into a nearby park.

  Tyce snarled, watching her go. The scent of her hurt and anger swirled in the air, kicked up by the approaching storm. In his periphery, he saw Shane push off the vehicle quickly as if he meant to go after Briel, but Tyce lifted a hand and stayed him. He did this; he’d be the one to fix it.

  Chapter 21

  Tyce knew he looked like a fool, chasing Briel in his crisp, gunsmoke-gray suit and her in her tattered jeans and jacket. He didn’t care. He’d made his Angel cry, and he would apologize, which meant his hatred for Monroe blossomed tenfold. He never apologized! He hadn’t had reason or compulsion to do so in ages, because his every action was the result of determined calculation. Hell, since Briel had fallen into his lap everything had changed. He found himself barking less, coddling more. He forwent important business meetings and wondered what Briel and Fena wanted to do with the day. Hell, even dressing had suddenly become a challenge as he found himself attempting to appear less hard and more approachable. But loose knit sweaters in place of crisp business suits weren’t going to draw Briel to him, not when his attitude was still contrary, his actions too demanding. Still, he wanted to appear authoritative in her eyes, so she’d acquiesce to his needs, which invariably were her needs. Or so he thought. Apparently, feeding her when she was hungry wasn’t the right move.

  In front of him Briel hurried her pace, and he wanted to let her have this. He ached to give her space and time to gather herself, but he simply couldn’t take the chance out in the open like this. If they were back at Apex, or even StoneCrow, it’d be one thing, but out here in the dense foliage of the park, he had no idea what danger could be lurking

  It gutted him that Monroe had been right. Tyce’s once cavalier attitude toward safety precautions was out the fucking window now that Briel and Fena were a part of Apex, a part of him. And there was still the matter of finding out who killed her father. It hadn’t been Skin Walkers, he was certain of that, which meant someone knew the General was aiding them. It meant they shared a common enemy. ‘Megalya’ played over and over in his head, making his beasts stir when he thought of those fucking monsters hunting his girls.

  Catching up to Briel, he caught her elbow and spun her to him. He half-expected her to swing at him, but she didn’t. Of course she didn’t. She was too good for that, too good for him.

  “Hey,” he started, unsure where to begin. When he looked down at Briel and she dipped her head, attempting to hide her emotions, he felt hollow. Why did he keep doing this to her? How? Is it so fucking hard to make a mate happy?

  Her chin trembled, and when she wrapped her arms around her middle, soft sobs wracking her shoulders, he pulled her hard into his chest and wrapped his arms around her, unable to keep himself from holding her.

  “I’m sorry,” he crooned at her ear. “I’m a fucking…” Dick? Asshole? Inconsiderate prick? Rich, elitist, megalomaniac, Skin Walker Dominant? They all fit, but it wasn’t what he wanted to say. “You make me weak, Briel, and that worries me. And that’s a problem, because I’m not a man who likes to worry, or who likes to feel, and I sure as shit don’t want to be weak.”

  “What?” she asked, around a sob.

  “I have never been afraid of anything in my life. Nothing! And then you come along and… I lay in bed worrying about all the what-ifs. What if something happened to you or to
Fena? I worry about if one of you gets sick, or hurt, or even scared. I worry about the people who killed your father getting their hands on you.” He snorted a disgusted sound. “I’ve made fun of other Walkers for it for years. I never thought there could ever be anything so fucking all-consuming. I was wrong, and I hate it. Worse, I hate myself for it. For all the times I didn’t permit a leave of absence when I should have, when I didn’t take greater precaution where an Angel was concerned. I’m disgusted with the man I was, and now I’m playing catch up, trying to be better, be stronger, be protective where I’ve never been before.” He sighed hard, his chest expanding against her. “And I’m fucking it all up. Failure isn’t something I’m used to, and every damn time I blink where you’re concerned I screw something else up.”

  “I’m…I’m not your responsibility. Neither of us are. Everything is happening so fast, and it’s all so confusing, and I’m really sick of people telling me what to do. I’m not a people person, Tyce. I never was. I lived alone, I worked alone, and then bam! I’m given my sister to raise, my father dies, we go on the run, we’re kidnapped, and then you tell me I’m your responsibility when I’m clearly not.”

  He disagreed, but arguing that now would only set her off more. “It’s my job to protect you and Fena. I brought you here. It’s my job to care for you and ensure you’re both safe and happy. I take that job very seriously.” He titled his head to look down at her and felt a punch of remorse as tear-soaked eyes looked up into his. “You’ll never be safer than you are right now, Briel.” He chuffed a laugh. “But you’ve got me failing miserably at the making you happy part.” He shook her slightly. “Help a Walker out. I’m sorry.”

  When she choked out a laugh and sniffled, relief swamped him.

  “I’m…I’m sorry too,” she offered quietly. “I should’ve just said that I wanted to get back to Fena. I didn’t mean to be rude about lunch. I am actually pretty hungry.”