James coughed, glancing at Malik as if knowing he was screwed.
Cringing, Malik nodded. “The latter.”
Brooke took a giant step back from Malik. “Duke said you’d bedded like six thousand women. Is that true?”
James snorted. “My guess is it’s much higher.”
Malik glared at him.
James stiffened. “Sorry.”
Brooke huffed. “And you actually have the nerve to be pissed at me over Gram? Is there any woman you haven’t had your dick in?”
James shot him a look that more than said he was totally fucked. That his past had caught up with him.
“Brooke, my sweet, I’ve lived a long time,” he said.
She blinked at him. “So manwhoring is okay if you’re in your thousands?”
He opened his mouth, only to be at a loss for words.
She gasped. “Ohmygod, did you sleep with my mother?”
“What? No!”
“Are you sure? I mean, how can you actually keep track?”
James snorted.
Malik exhaled loudly. “I swear to you, I didn’t sleep with her. I ran into her while sneaking out of a hotel room in the middle of the night. Suddenly I ran right into this tall, beautiful woman who I hadn’t noticed in the hall a moment before.”
James put his hand on Brooke’s shoulder.
Malik put his hands up. “My sweet, she was just there. I collided with her but she didn’t budge. I knew in an instant she wasn’t human. She looked at me from intensely green eyes and shook her head. She said that she was so disappointed in me. And my life would change in the coming future. That I’d see the error of my ways and that I’d better hope my mate was able to find it in her heart to forgive me.
“I laughed at her. I mean, who was this mysterious woman trying to tell me about my life and talking about a mate I knew I didn’t have?”
James rubbed Brooke’s shoulder more.
Her shoulders slumped.
“I made a backhanded comment to her and the next thing I knew, I was slammed against the wall and pinned in place by nothing more than her sheer will and power,” he admitted. “She walked right up to me and looked me up and down. She told me when she’d pushed me from afar, when I was young, to not take the throne, it was in the hopes I wouldn’t end up like my father. A demi-god who was also a cat-shifter, who saw women as objects, something to serve and sate his needs, and a man who waged wars for his own amusement, because as king he could and because he craved power.”
James lifted a brow, hearing about Malik’s past for the first time.
Malik kept going. “She said she truly thought when I walked away from a kingdom of my own, that I’d be worthy. I didn’t understand what she was saying. She said while I’d done well to avoid being power hungry, I’d failed miserably in not seeing women as objects. She told me my past would come back to haunt me. I asked her who she was, and she looked me right in the eyes and told me her name, a name everyone in the supernatural world had heard before, and she then said that if I hurt what had been gifted to me, she’d find a way to return from the other side and make me very sorry I’d crossed her.”
Brooke’s jaw dropped. “My mother basically called you a whore and then threatened your life?”
He snorted. “Yes. She did. And just like that, she was gone. Poof.”
James eyed him. “She talked to you like she knew she was going to die sooner rather than later.”
Brooke cupped her mouth. “I think they both knew. They’d make comments around me about how they wouldn’t be with me long, and then they took me to meet a woman I’d never met before. A woman they said was my grandmother but she didn’t feel like…like us. She felt like nothing. Sweet and caring, but like nothing. Yet, I really did think she was my grandmother right up until my night with Malik. Then memories flooded back to me.”
James patted her shoulder. “She was human.”
Brooke looked at the floor. “I remember my father starting to cry as he bent to tell me that I needed to learn to trust the woman. That one day he and my mother would go away on a long trip and that I’d stay with the woman, until the son of the god king came for me.”
Malik held tight to his emotions. Abasi had known all along that Brooke was to mate him. Yet he’d never uttered a word to Malik about it.
“Daddy didn’t want to let go of me and Mother told him it had to be. That they could no more change their fate than they could prevent the pain and heartache I’d face one day. And that it needed to be done. She said something about the others not being allowed to smell me or they’d know the truth. My dad was huge but in that moment, he looked so small, so broken. He shook his head and begged her not to do it. Not to suppress what I was born with—that it would make me unable to protect myself when the time came.”
James gasped. “Your mother blocked the rest of the supernatural world from being able to sense anything other than human on you. Which is why every operative who was around you swore you were human. Even Malik. But Malik’s claim on you changed that—unlocking it, for lack of a better word, along with your memories of your parents being more than human.”
Brooke started to cry. “I have the image of my father, who was larger than life to me, openly sobbing, clinging to me, trying to convince my mother that they could change fate, and he kept pointing out that my mate wouldn’t be able to sense my need of him, or know to claim me because I’d seem human to him. I remember my mom laughing softly through her tears and telling him that Fate would see to it my mate and I came together, and that my father was wrong, my mate would claim me, even thinking I was human. She told him the power she’d put over me would end then. That I’d be what I’d been born to be.”
Malik hugged her tight. “She was right. I claimed you thinking you only human.”
Brooke cried softly. “I thought when I was being held captive that I was just making it all up in my head. I tried convincing myself that it wasn’t real. That everything I was seeing around me was making me believe my parents were something more too. That seeing my father’s eyes go from dark to amber wasn’t real. That my mother couldn’t possibly do all I’d seen her do. I mean how could anyone predict the future or make things move without touching them?”
James swallowed hard. “Brooke, Gwenhwyfar was the queen of Fae for thousands of years. And then suddenly she was gone, abdicating the throne to another. And she was rumored to be able to see the future and the past. To know things long before they happened. She must have seen what would come to be and I’m guessing that was why she paid Malik a visit. She wanted to prepare him for what was to come and meet him face to face to express her dislike of the lifestyle he was living.”
Malik swallowed his emotions, knowing how painful this all was to Brooke. “Why didn’t Abasi reach out to me and tell me everything?”
James nodded. “Frankly, I’m surprised Abasi didn’t kill Malik, knowing his friend would one day be with you between the sheets.”
Malik grinned. “Hearing all of this, I’m more surprised Gwenhwyfar didn’t take me out when she had the chance.”
Laughing, Brooke wiped her cheeks.
James turned her to face him. “Listen, I can’t believe I’m about to stick up for Malik and the thousands-of-women bit, but he’s right; he’s been alive thousands of years. As a supernatural male, you can’t go too long between sexual releases or you run the risk of losing control and possibly succumbing to the darkness that always lingers below the surface until you’re mated.”
Brooke tipped her head.
“And knowing now that Malik is far more than just a cat-shifter, that he has the blood of the gods in him, I’m guessing he might require a release even more than average males. Brooke, I’m saying this to you because I honestly thought the same of him as you do right now. We all knew he came from money. And we all thought he was in effect a whore. But I get it now. I don’t think he had a choice. And you need to understand that after he claimed you, he never touched anot
her woman…but he went out of his way to make us all think he did, because I think he saw it as a weakness. I bet that mentality came from his father.”
Brooke stared up at Malik. He touched her face and nodded.
She threw her arms around him.
James didn’t walk away, instead he looked directly at Malik. “What happened at the plaza, Tut? What made you lose control of your shifter side and change forms in a crowded area, forcing several clean-up teams to bring in Fae to erase what the humans saw?”
Brooke gasped. “You did that?”
“Yes, my sweet,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose. “I was going about my day and then all of a sudden I smelled honey and lotuses, with something else mixed in. One second I was fine, and the next I found myself pinned under a bunch of PSI guys.”
Her brow crinkled…and then her eyes widened. “Ohmygod, I took Bethany for ice cream at a plaza not far from here. She’d just finished with hers when she sniffed the air and her eyes turned to amber. She looked right at me and said we had to leave right away, that he couldn’t stop the mean and the longer we stayed there, with his mean up, the more he might get stuck like that.”
Malik jerked. Brooke and his daughter had been that close to him months ago?
James snorted. “Well, mystery solved, Tut. You weren’t a dick. You were sensing your mate and your daughter. I’m guessing she was the something else you smelled with Brooke’s scent. And your daughter must have sensed you wouldn’t come back from that if their scents were still in the area.”
Malik teared up.
Brooke kissed his lips tenderly. “James, I heard you asking Malik about drawing some blood from me to help Gram. Let’s do it.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Brooke sat in the passenger seat of Malik’s luxury SUV. She’d spotted several more vehicles in his garage before they’d left for PSI. She wasn’t sure why one man needed so many cars or such a big home, but he seemed to like it all.
“Do you think they’ll be able to figure out a way to help Gram?” she asked.
Malik reached over and took her hand in his as he drove. “PSI has access to technology that won’t be on the mainstream market for years. And Gram has the greatest minds in medicine at his disposal. He’s where he needs to be, and I know that everyone is going to do everything they can to get him on his feet again.
Brooke squeezed his hand. “Thank you for being good about this.”
He caressed her hand with his thumb. “He’s done so much for my wife and my daughter that I’ll never be able to repay him.”
She looked at Malik while he drove and took a moment to let it sink in that she was married now. She was someone’s wife.
He glanced at her. “You look like you might pass out. You all right?”
“I am. Just adjusting to the fact we’re together for good now,” she confessed. “It’s a little hard to wrap my head around.”
He grinned. “Want me to enlist Duke and Rurik to sing a soft rock ballad in commemoration of our first date? Will that help you wrap your mind around it?”
Snorting, Brooke shook her head. “Please don’t. I’m still a bit traumatized from their first duet.”
Malik laughed softly.
Brooke kept hold of her husband’s hand as she looked out the passenger side window. For a few minutes she got lost in her thoughts. One thing nagged at her. “Malik, what about Elm? He won’t stop coming for me. And The Corporation wants Bethany.”
He snarled.
She took that to mean he wasn’t planning on letting anyone near his family.
She leaned in his direction. “Letting your mean out again, hubby?”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, still watching the road. “My sweet, I will unleash a hell upon them the likes of which they have never seen if they dare try to harm either of you. They’ll see exactly what I’m capable of when fucked with.”
“So, you’re a god?” she asked, totally unable to get a grasp on that.
He let out a soft breath. “I guess it depends on how you look at it. I like to think I’m just an extra awesome cat-shifter with a great ass.”
She snorted. “I will never forget Edee announcing that in Egypt.”
He laughed.
“Thank you for making her feel at home at your house. She means the world to me and Bethany.”
“Brooke, she’s family to you and therefore she’s family to me,” he said. “And it’s our home, not my home.”
“Okay, but I’m going to need about a century to come to grips with this all,” she returned jokingly.
“And, Brooke, you will not be returning to the club to work. Ever.” Malik gave her a side-eyed look. “I understand why you worked there. The money and it fulfilled your needs, but no more.”
“I’m not going to argue with you on that. I hated working there. You’re the first man I ever really touched. Before you I’d use my gifts and make the men think they were having a good time. I could have painted my nails or something and they wouldn’t have noticed,” she supplied. It was the truth. “But, Malik, I want to work. I spent a long time getting my degree. I’d like to be able to use it, if it’s ever safe for me to leave the house without a team of men with me, or a cat-shifting god with a great ass.”
He grinned. “About you working. Edee already sat me down and had the talk with me when you were healing. She laid down the law. It was adorable, so I let her rant and rave. She made Striker and Auberi sit through it as well. I’m pretty sure they’re a little afraid of her now.”
Brooke chuckled.
“She told me you’d want to work. That even though I had a house with wings, you’d want to do something,” he said. “Corbin had been in the kitchen, getting Bethany a snack and overheard everything. He stepped in long enough to inform Edee that you and she were both already set up to work within PSI if you wanted. You wouldn’t do what I do, but you’d work in the offices and labs there. We always need experts with computers and scientists. The two of you are a perfect fit. Best part is you can work as many or as few hours as you want.”
She teared up.
“And,” he said, lifting her hand slightly. “Each PSI division headquarters has its own daycare, preschool, and private school that is for supernatural children only and they’re all heavily guarded. They’re not on-site but they aren’t far from each division. Bethany could start preschool and she’d be safe. Very safe. Striker, Edee, and I already toured the local facility and it’s great. She’d be able to make friends her own age, learn, and have fun.”
Brooke cried silent, happy tears.
“If you say yes, I should warn you that my team have all informed me that they’re going to go with her until she feels safe. Otherwise known as, until they feel she’s safe and they aren’t going to worry about her.” He laughed softly. “Striker is the worst one of them all. He’s also the last teammate I’d want around her. So far, he’s been nothing but good with her.”
She squeezed his hand again. “He’s like Edee. And Bethany fully trusts Edee. If we can find a way to stop Elm, I’m all for her going to school. Thank you for handling all of that while I was healing.”
“I want the best for her,” he confessed.
“Speaking of that,” Brooke said sighing. “You cannot keep getting her so much. You heard her. You’re what makes her happy. She doesn’t need material things.”
“I understand and I know I got carried away,” he returned, taking a right turn onto a two-lane highway that didn’t look heavily traveled. “Part of it was guilt for missing out on so much of her life. The other part was out of excitement. I was so fucking excited to be a father and to have her with me that I went overboard. I promise I’ll talk with you first before I do anything else.”
“Thank you,” she said, laughing softly. She relaxed a bit and then looked forward and behind them. “Is this the same road we took to get to PSI?”
“Yes. Why?” he asked.
“Malik, it had a steady strea
m of traffic on it before. Why is it so empty and why is it darker than it should be out here? I swear I saw streetlights on the way to PSI. Why aren’t they lit now?” As the questions fell from her lips, a sinking feeling came over her. “Elm. He’s doing this.”
Malik squeezed her hand more. “Baby, I’m going to pull off the road and you’re going to drive home. Use the navigation to help you find it. Get there and tell Auberi what’s happening. I love you.”
“What will you be doing while I’m driving home?” she demanded, already knowing the answer.
He licked his lips as he pulled to a stop on the shoulder of the highway. “Brooke, this has to end. He can’t be allowed to hunt you any longer. I won’t stand for it.”
“He’s like a gazillion years old! And he’s really powerful,” she said, nearly yelling that as well.
Malik gave her a knowing look. “My sweet, take the car and go home.”
She stared at him like he was nuts. Because he was if he thought he was going to take on Elm and all his men all alone. “You’re going to get yourself killed and then what happens to Bethany and me? Do you think he’ll stop hunting us because you’re dead? No. He won’t. I can help, Malik. I can take him on with magik and slow him down enough for you to possibly kill him. Together we can fight him.”
Malik’s face remained calm. Too calm. He touched her cheek lightly. “Brooke, you have to go now. You can’t be part of this.”
“Why not?”
He teared up while gifting her a partial smile. “Because I can smell your scent changing already. Just like Cody did the morning after we were together.”
It took her a minute to wrap her mind around what he was saying. She’d have said it was impossible for him to smell the change he was talking about this soon, but she’d already seen a shifter do just that and be dead right. “Malik Nasser, every time you touch me you knock me up!”
“Yes, Brooke Nasser, I do.” He laughed softly, his eyes still moist. “Go home, my sweet.”
Act of Passion Page 22
