Lock

by Terry Bolryder

  He’d been ready to take on anyone to get Fifi back, except for the Tribunal. He’d never thought they would turn on their top man.

  His heart was in turmoil as he walked down the stairs to get the letter from Fifi and then into Rowan’s office.

  Rowan looked up in confusion as Lock handed him the letter and sat down in a chair across from him, a dark expression on his face.

  As Rowan scanned it, his face was unreadable, but when he set the letter down, he looked tired. “That’s awful.”

  Lock raised an eyebrow. “What is?”

  Rowan sat back, running a hand through his hair. “A lot of things. Mostly that Tasha will never meet her brother.”

  “You think there is nothing we can do to save him?” Lock asked, knowing there probably was no hope.

  “They’re too powerful,” Rowan said. “Besides, Fifi knows them better than anyone. If he says there is no point finding him, then I believe him.” He pushed the letter aside. “I got a phone call from him a few days ago, saying to give her this. He delivered it a little while ago.”

  “Ah,” Lock said.

  Rowan’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I wonder what his final mission was. What was so important he had to betray the Tribunal and give up his life and his chances of seeing his sister again?”

  Lock felt a jolt like an earthquake had shaken him, just for a second, as he realized he could be the one Fifi was talking about in his letter.

  Lock had been knocked out, and his healing powers weren’t helping him. Fifi had brought him healing serum. If it was stronger than Lock’s blood, it would truly be a forbidden item after all.

  Lock slumped in his chair. At this point, why keep secrets? “Listen, this might be my fault. Fifi brought me something after I got beat up saving that one female from the Tribunal.”

  He expected Rowan’s ire, but Rowan just listened as Lock told him all about how he’d seen Fifi that night. How Fifi had even seen Tasha, though given no sign that he’d recognized her.

  God, it must have been hard to just set his sister on a table and walk away. To not even be able to hug her or talk to her. Because people were following him and he didn’t want them to know who she was.

  Lock let out a sigh as he watched Rowan come to grips with all the information.

  Finally, Rowan sat back with folded arms. “I don’t think you’ve done anything to be ashamed of. Fifi believed in what you were doing. He made his own choice.”

  Lock felt like he was choking whenever he tried to talk. “It’s my fault Tasha is hurting like this. I—”

  “Tasha is hurting like this because she was born into the Tribunal. It would take a miracle to take their evil asses down. You’re probably the last one out there hoping to fight them. It’s probably why Fifi thought it was worth it to help you out.”

  “Why won’t people like you fight them?” Lock spat out bitterly.

  Rowan shook his head. “We help people they hurt. We try to undo their bad deeds but within our sphere of influence. The Tribunal listens to us. They won’t if we try to take them down. And besides, none of the alpha powers in my family are significant enough to present a challenge.”

  “I know,” Lock said. “And my reflect couldn’t do it. And if Fifi had access to healing better than mine, I don’t even have that going for me.”

  He tugged a hand through his hair, trying to distract himself from the pain he was feeling just thinking about Tasha in pain.

  He’d been in the Tribunal dungeon. There was truly no way to escape. No way to save Fifi.

  Except…

  “Don’t,” Rowan said sharply. “I think I see what you’re thinking, and I beg you not to consider it anymore. Think of Tasha. If you can’t save Fifi, you’ll be leaving her alone in the world.”

  “It might be better for her,” Lock said. “It’s my fault she lost her brother.”

  “No,” Rowan said. “I must insist that you not see it that way. She wouldn’t want you to put yourself in danger. I think she cares for you, and—”

  “You think she’ll care once she realizes this is my fault?” He pulled the letter he’d been hiding out of his jacket. “Or that I’ve been hiding this from her because I didn’t want her to know I wasn’t on the list of approved families?” He shook his head. “I was never going to be approved for her anyway. She doesn’t even know that I saw Fifi the night I met her.”

  Oh God, the world was spinning like a merry-go-round, and Lock just wanted to get off.

  “I think she does now,” Rowan said softly.

  Lock felt dread engulf him as he looked up to see Tasha standing in the doorway.

  “I—I heard yelling, and…” She trailed off, tears welling, and ran from the room.

  Rowan sighed. “Well, go talk to her.”

  Lock ran after her, no idea what he would say.

  Chapter 17

  Lock had betrayed her. After all that had happened between them, why had she thought he would finally be honest?

  So her brother had helped Lock that night she was at the club? Had she seen Fifi?

  It was all Lock’s fault.

  No, it wasn’t.

  But he hid things from her. That letter. He’d said he’d never found it. He was a liar. He—

  She felt a hard embrace close around her just as she got into her room.

  Lock kicked the door shut behind them and held his arms tight around her as she tried to get away.

  “I’m sorry, Tasha. I’m so sorry.”

  She cried and struggled and then melted against him because there was nowhere else to go.

  “I was worried if I gave you that letter, you would go somewhere unsafe.”

  “Liar,” she said. “You could have told me this place was safe.”

  “I didn’t know for certain. I wanted to be with you.”

  She could hear the yearning in his voice, and it mollified her anger only slightly.

  “As for that night, I didn’t think it mattered,” Lock said. “You didn’t see him. I didn’t know if you would want to know.”

  “Liar,” Tasha shouted, pounding at his chest. “Just stop lying, please.”

  “I’m not lying now,” Lock said, pulling away so he could take her by the arms. “There’s nothing left to lie about. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything. There was so much to say at the start, and then it felt too late to say anything about him being there. And the letter? I have no excuse except for wanting to protect you. Though, I guess Rowan could have done it as well.”

  “What else are you lying about?” She tried to free her arms so she could push him away. “What else?”

  She knew she was hysterical, especially after reading that her brother might be dead. It felt like everything in her was exploding and that nothing inside her could stay intact from all the pain.

  Lock grabbed her by the face and kissed her, and for some reason, the feeling of his lips firmly claiming hers made her go still.

  “Mm,” she said against his lips, opening up, inviting him to go deeper. “Make me forget. Give me a way to not think about the fact that he could be dead.”

  Lock slipped his tongue in against hers, and despite everything going on, she gave in to sheer pleasure, feeling heat move all through her.

  At least in his arms, things were normal. No one was dead. Nothing was hopeless.

  No one was lying.

  He picked her up and carried her to the bed, and when he set her there, he kept her from kissing him again by putting a hand between them. “I’m so sorry for anything I lied about. No more lies between us. Ever.”

  “Ever,” she said, making him promise.

  Lock took her hand in his, bringing it up to kiss it. “Tasha, I love you. I figured it out tonight. I didn’t know I could love, but I do. Fiercely.”

  Tasha just blinked at him, thinking that the night couldn’t have shocked her more. Was he just saying this to make her feel better? No, she saw a sincerity in his eyes that took her breath away.

&
nbsp; He lowered her hand between them but kept ahold of it. “I love you with a power I never thought possible. I love you in a way that’s inconvenient to everything I am. I would do anything for you. Live for you, die for you. I know you’re hurting right now, and it’s an odd time to bring this up—”

  “It’s the perfect time to bring this up,” she said, cupping his face as tears bit at her eyes again. “At least there’s one good thing in all this.” She bit her lip. “Oh God, how can I get permission from my brother?”

  “I know,” Lock said. “Things are painful right now, but they’re going to get better. I just wanted you to know I love you. The second that I knew.”

  She sniffled, and Lock used his rough thumb to wipe a tear away. She felt warm just having him close. Somehow, when he looked at her and said things would work out, she believed him. She stroked his cheek. “I love you too. I knew the minute I was in wolf form.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “So you don’t feel different? Even now that you know all of my secrets?”

  She shook her head. “In the end, my heart wants what it wants. In my wolf form, I knew who you were, beneath everything. And I wanted you.”

  He pulled her forward, tucking her head against his shoulder as she tried to calm herself down. She was here. She was safe. There was nothing she could do about her brother, but—

  “Listen, your brother is going to be fine,” Lock said, looking into her eyes. “I promise.”

  She shoved away from him. “How can you promise? I know you love me and you want to make me feel better…” She trailed off. “You love me. That’s still… kind of amazing.”

  Lock laughed, scooting her into his lap. “Fifi is really valuable to the Tribunal. They aren’t going to kill him. They were going to kill me once as well, right? We just have to get him out of there.”

  She shook her head. “Don’t give me hope.” There was so much darkness inside her, and she couldn’t stand for there to be light if it was going to get dark again.

  “I’m not. I’m telling you the truth, princess. You’re going to see your brother. You’re going to meet him and hug him and laugh about how silly you were the night you thought he was dead.”

  She wiped a tear away, feeling as if she was finally starting to recover. When Lock spoke like that, she couldn’t help but hope. “Do you really think so?”

  “I know so,” Lock said. “I won’t rest until it happens.”

  She flopped back on the bed, taking big, relieved breaths. “Oh God, I forgive you for everything. Just saying that you can save him… just saying that you love me, everything feels okay again.”

  “I’m glad,” Lock said, lying next to her. “You’re everything to me, Tasha. I can’t stand to see you in pain. Not when I can help.”

  “We’ll do it together,” she said, putting her hand in his. When he was quiet, she looked over at him. “You aren’t going to go alone.”

  “Look, we’ll figure out the details later. But I promise you nothing is going to happen to Fifi. I told you I would help you meet your brother. I’m going to make that happen.”

  She nodded, feeling the knot in her throat finally release. She sat up and walked over the window. “This place is beautiful. I can recognize it now that I’m not so devastated.” She glanced at Lock. “You sure there’s no reason to worry?”

  “I promise,” Lock said. “He’s going to be fine.”

  She didn’t know how he could promise that, but she needed it to be true.

  She walked back to the bed, looking at the elegant silk covers and the man in the center of the bed who was handsome and kind and imperfect and difficult to understand.

  But who she loved no matter what.

  “Mate me,” she said softly, and Lock’s eyes went wide, the amber inside them glowing in the soft light.

  “What?”

  She got onto the bed, pulling off her clothing. If they were going to rescue her brother, she wanted to be ready. She wanted no more pheromones making other males challenge them. And more than anything, after all they’d been through, she knew Lock was the one.

  “Are you sure?” He scooted back from her slightly, a lock of dark-red hair falling over his perfect forehead. “You’ve been through a lot tonight.”

  She looked into his eyes and saw the ache she felt reflected there. “That’s why I want to. You never know how things can change in life. You love me. I love you. Everything will be easier after we do this. Besides, how much longer can we resist?”

  Lock’s expression hardened. “I can resist forever if it’s not what you’re wanting.”

  She shook her head. “It’s what I want. I don’t need time to decide on a mate. I know you’re the one for me. I don’t need alpha challenges or anything complicating what we do from here on out.”

  “So we mate, and then the focus is freeing Fifi?” Lock asked carefully.

  She nodded.

  Lock got on his knees and crawled toward her as she struggled to take her shirt off. “Are you absolutely sure?”

  “Scent me,” she said impatiently. “Can’t you feel it in the air? It’s always been there. I only feel this way about you, even when I didn’t want to.”

  Lock inhaled the air deeply and closed his eyes. When he opened them, there was fire there. “You’re mine.”

  She nodded as she reached behind her back and pulled her bra off.

  “Mine to protect,” he said, pushing her back on the pillows as he took off his own shirt.

  “Yes,” she murmured, reaching for his pants and the buckle of his belt.

  He slipped it out of the loops. “Mine to take care of.”

  “Yes,” she said, unbuttoning her jeans and wiggling out of them until he helped her pull them off.

  “And I’m yours,” he said, pulling his pants off and then his briefs, leaving him beautifully naked.

  “Yes,” she said, catching her breath at the sight of his perfect body. So tanned, so strong. He was her port in the storm, the one person she could hold on to no matter what.

  And after this, they would always be together.

  “My mate,” he said reverently, pulling her panties off so she was naked too.

  She savored the contrast of their bodies, her pale softness and his tanned hardness. Especially the hardness between his legs that she’d been craving so long, deep inside her.

  It was about to be hers.

  As he came over her, placing hungry kisses all over her shoulders, she dug her nails into his back lightly.

  “What is mating like?”

  “It’s just sex, without protection, once you’ve chosen,” Lock said harshly, still determined to kiss every inch of her neck and arms. He sucked, leaving hickeys for certain in some areas.

  He was always possessive during lovemaking but especially so tonight.

  “Oh, that sounds—” She was cut off by him kissing her, sweeping his tongue insistently inside. “Mmph.”

  “I love you,” he said against her lips while she tried to catch her breath again. “I’ll never love anyone but you as long as I live. You’re my everything.”

  She expected him to make demands of her, but he didn’t say anything.

  “And I’m yours?”

  He nodded, sucking at her earlobe. “For as long as I live.”

  She sighed, letting the sensation of his kisses take over, feeling every little electric shock as he kissed his way over her collarbone, leaving little marks where he sucked.

  When he reached her nipples, he was gentler, and she found herself arching back in pure, languid pleasure as his tongue lazily swirled one breast and then the other, drawing the points into hard peaks.

  “Oh God,” she said, digging her hands into his hair, loving the thickness of it. “I’ll never get enough of being in bed with you.”

  “I’m glad, princess,” he said softly, flicking his tongue against her nipple as she moaned.

  She was too turned on to even tell him not to call her that. She didn’t like being a prin
cess, not now that she knew the price.

  But she couldn’t help being a bit affectionate about the nickname when it came from Lock.

  It reminded her of all their moments together, poignant and sweet and hot.

  As his hand came down to play between her thighs, she knew she’d been waiting since she met him for this moment. She just hadn’t realized it.

  The invisible thread stretching between them had grown ever tighter, and now here they were, together.

  He groaned when he felt her wetness. “So ready. I want to do everything we do normally, but I also want to take you now.”

  She grabbed his head and forced him to look into her eyes. “If you don’t take me right now, I’ll never forgive you.”

  He chuckled, gently spreading her legs. “God, you’re perfect. You’re everything.” He looked down at her and his eyes practically glowed. When he looked up, hair framing his handsome face perfectly, she could barely breathe. “Tell me one last time that you’re certain.”

  “I’m certain,” she said. “You’re all I want.”

  “Good,” he said, positioning himself at her entrance. “Because you’re my everything.” Then with one smooth, taut movement, he slid inside her.

  Despite the uncomfortable initial tightness, he was the perfect fit.

  Tasha took deep breaths, fighting to relax, but quickly found the pain turning to pleasure. She loved the way he filled her up inside.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him for more.

  Lowering his brows in focus, he slowly withdrew, then pushed back in. When she sighed in pleasure, he started to move more confidently, pulling in and out with a rhythm she began to match.

  God, she loved every second of this. Loved that it meant she could do this with him forever. Everything had seemed lost, and now it was saved in one moment. As long as she had Lock, she could do anything.

  “You destroy me,” Lock said, his gaze more intense than she’d ever seen it as he stared deeply into her eyes. His thrusts grew more insistent. “You’ve changed everything about me. You showed me I could love. I’ll never forget this, Tasha. Not as long as I live.”

  “Me neither,” she said, keeping her legs locked as unbelievable pleasure surged inside her. “I could never feel this with anyone else.”