Page 12

Chapter

Twelve

Brick finished eating breakfast across the table from his gorgeous mate, whose cheeks pinked every time she met his gaze. He loved that he could affect her without even touching her.

The night before had been incredible, and earlier that morning as they’d woken up in each other’s arms and proceeded to drive each other wild in and out of bed, he’d decided that his new favorite thing was the way her eyes glazed over after she came, when she was spiraling down from the heavens and blissed out.

By the time they’d made their way to the breakfast table, everyone else was gone and his Aunt Lucy had left plates for them wrapped up in plastic on the counter.

“This is really neat,” Jade said as she finished the last bite of ham and cheese quiche.

“The food?” he asked.

“Yes, but I mean that so many people live in the alphas’ house. In my old pack, the alphas’ house was only for the alpha.”

Brick hummed and picked up his plate and hers, carrying them to the sink.

“Well,” he said as he turned on the water to wash them, “it’s always been this way with our pack.

Before Adam took over, the alpha and his family lived on the third floor, and Adam lived here, and so did I with some other high ranked members.

When Adam took over, his parents and his sister Angie moved in. ”

“Your parents don’t live here?”

“No. Adam offered them one of the spare rooms on the second floor, but they’re happy in their house.”

“And you don’t have any siblings?” she asked, mentioning that she was an only child.

“No, it’s just me. But Adam and I are close like brothers, and I count Solan and Leo as brothers too.”

She joined him at the sink and dried the dishes as he washed them.

“What’s going to happen now? With me?” she asked.

He handed her the second plate and turned off the water.

Drying his hands on another towel decorated with howling wolves, he faced her, folding his arms and leaning against the counter.

“The pack is the safest place for you. If you’re asking me if I want to take you to Alli’s and leave you there, the answer is I will, but I don’t want to.

I can’t guarantee your safety when I can’t keep you personally safe. ”

She put the plate in the cabinet and folded the towel on the counter. “You want me to stay here.”

He frowned. Something was off about her tone, but he couldn’t figure it out.

“Jade?”

She looked at him but didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then she said, “Do you only want me here to keep me safe?”

He was about to say that hell yes, he wanted her here to make sure she was safe, but he got the impression that the answer she was looking for was more complicated. And much more important.

He put his hands on her shoulders. “Sweetheart, I want you here in the alphas’ house because it’s my home, and I want to share it with you.

Even if the world was safe and no asshole anti-shifter fanatics were watching us, I’d still want you with me.

Hell, I don’t want to go to work today because I just want to spend time with you.

” Her eyes softened and he could tell that’s what she’d wanted to hear, and he was happy to share the truth with her.

“Plus,” he said, lowering his voice, “did you really think that we could rock each other’s world last night and this morning, and I wouldn’t want to keep you close? ”

She blushed and he chuckled. Giving her a kiss, he said, “Jade, if you want to take things a little slower, you can stay in the room next to mine until you’re ready to move in with me officially. But I won’t promise that you won’t find me sneaking in and driving you wild.”

She leaned into him with a sigh and he hugged her close. “This is all new to me, you know.”

“I know. It’s new to me too. I don’t want to rush things because I know you’re still worried about your old pack, and now there’s another layer of things to worry about with the anti-shifter people, but where I want you is by my side, and I’ll do anything to keep you with me and keep you safe.”

She rubbed her cheek on his chest and held herself tight against him, her hands digging into his back as she pulled herself even closer. He rested his head on top of hers and inhaled her sweet scent. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of it.

“I’d like to stay with you,” she said. “If I’m allowed since I’m not a pack member.”

“You’re my mate, which makes you an unofficial pack member and under the protection of Adam and Cinder, not to mention me. If you weren’t allowed to stay in the house, I’d just take one of the empty homes in the territory and claim it for us.”

“I like this house,” she said. “But maybe someday we could have a place of our own.”

“That works for me.”

“Oh shit. Sorry,” Adam said as he walked into the kitchen.

Brick kissed the top of Jade’s head and said, “Don’t be sorry, we were just talking about Jade officially moving into my room, and then, of course, I was going to come talk to you.”

“That’s awesome, welcome,” Adam said with a grin. The smile dropped quickly and he said, “I have a task for you.”

“Sure,” he said.

He and Jade separated, and she fixed herself another cup of coffee as Adam explained that because Cinder wouldn’t be able to shift any longer, and they were aware now that the Humans Against Shifter jerks were watching them, he wanted to have Brick talk to the Wiccans about setting up some protective wards around the territory.

“Sure, I’d be happy to go talk to them. I’ll grab Linus and Dove to ride with me.”

Linus and his sister Dove were new to the security team, but both were fitting right in and were very serious about helping keep everyone safe.

“Jade could go with you,” Adam said. “If you’d like to get out of town for a bit.”

“Really?” she asked. “I’ve never met any Wiccans before.”

“They’re a great bunch of females,” Adam said.

“Cinder was part of their coven before she and I got together. Her lygisa magic isn’t the same as Wiccan magic, so she left the coven but the North Corner Lorene is like an aunt to Cinder, and Bitty, one of the Corners, studies shifter history and mythology so we reach out to her when we have questions about things related to our people or other types of shifters. ”

“I’d love to go,” Jade said.

“Lorene’s expecting you,” Adam said. “Tell her I said hi.”

Brick nodded, then turned to his mate. “Road trip.”

“Sounds awesome,” she said. She grabbed a travel mug and poured her coffee into it.

He reached out to Linus and Dove, who met them at the security office.

After assigning them to follow him and Jade, they set off to the Cleveland Mother Earth Store, which the Northern Ohio coven used as their main office.

On the drive, he told Jade about what had happened when Adam and Cinder became mates and her lygisa power had made her a target of some pretty nasty wolves, and how Lorene had been instrumental in helping the pack to get Cinder back when she’d been abducted by her biological father for nefarious purposes.

Brick parked in front of the Wiccans’ store and got out, meeting Jade at the front of the SUV. They walked inside and the scent of sage and dried herbs was heavy in the air. A young female stood behind a counter and smiled brightly.

“Hi, I’m Lulu. How can I help you today?”

Before Brick could answer, Lorene strode into the room, her long skirt swishing around her ankles. “Lulu, Brick is here for our meeting.”

“Oh, of course,” Lulu said.

Brick looked at Dove and Linus. “Hang out here and keep an eye on things.”

“You got it, boss,” Dove said with a curt nod.

Brick took Jade’s hand and led her to Lorene. She was two hundred-something years old, but looked like she was in her thirties thanks to her supernatural long life.

“Hi, Lorene,” he said. “This is my mate Jade.”

Lorene extended her hand and when Jade shook it, she said, “It’s lovely to meet you. I’m the North Corner and head of the coven. Come into my office where the others are waiting for us.”

Inside the quaint office was a round table with three other females seated around it. Lorene introduced them as the other Corners, Bitty, Gwen, and Maritza, as they all took their seats, and Brick introduced Jade.

“The floor is yours,” Gwen said.

Brick told them about Cinder’s pregnancy and her belief she wouldn’t be able to shift until after the baby was born, which would leave the pack without her protection.

“And Foley’s paying attention to us,” Brick said. “It’s twice we’ve seen them now, and with how he operated with the tiger pride, we know it will just get worse.”

“He and his men are dangerous, but we can hold them at bay with our magic. The Corners and I will come to the pack tonight and set up protection wards.” Lorene gave Brick a long, quiet look.

“The wards are effective in many ways, but they won’t stop everything.

It’s important that your people are being careful. ”

“We will be. Thank you.”

He thanked the Corners, and he and Jade walked out of the office with Lorene. While he and Lorene discussed her trip to the pack, Jade wandered around the store, chatting with Lulu for a bit before Bitty came out and talked to her.

“We’ll do our best to help you keep your people safe,” Lorene said. She glanced at Jade and Bitty, who hugged briefly. “She’s got some shadows in her aura.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s scared. It’s a deep-rooted fear that will only heal with time. The fear will keep her from truly embracing happiness with you.”

“Even though the female who helped her get free from her old pack said she’s safe now, she still harbors some fears that her old alpha will come for her,” he said after giving a brief rundown of Jade’s situation.

Lorene shook her head. “I hate antiquated males like that. It’s the twenty-first century. Get with the dang times.”

“Agreed.”

Lorene rested her hand on Brick’s shoulder and he felt her warmth and power. “She’ll find happiness with you and the pack, but it will take time. Love her to the best of your ability and trust that she is happy with you and she does care for you, but all those emotions are bookended by fear.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Jade walked up to them and Lorene dropped her hand and turned to her. “Did you have a nice chat with Bitty?”

“Yes, she’s really sweet.”

“We’ll see you tonight. Safe travels.”

Brick and Jade said goodbye and left the store with Dove and Linus. On the way back to Thorn Hollow, he noticed she was holding something in her hand.

“What is that?”

She opened her fist and he saw a carved pendant and a silver chain. “Bitty gave it to me. For protection.”

“Really?”

“I was looking at the pendant and she told me it was for protection and asked if I felt like I needed some. I said yes, and she handed it to me. She said that protection wasn’t just about keeping danger away from us but also about building up our own strength.

Every time I start to really feel safe with you, the fear bubbles up inside me like a tea kettle on a hot stove.

I don’t feel strong enough to handle things. ”

He covered her hand and the pendant with his own.

“You’ve got more strength than you realize.

You left everything you ever knew to start over with strangers, protecting yourself from whatever designs your alpha and that dangerous male had for you.

That’s not something a meek person could do.

I think the pendant is a great idea. I want you to feel safe, but I know it will take time.

You’ll find your inner strength, and I’ll do my best to help you. ”

She gave him a grateful smile. “I’m so glad I met you.”

He smiled back, warmth filling him. “Sweetheart, I’m so glad I met you too.”