Page 95 of Locke

When Emm and I entered the middle of the courtyard, the blazing fire already hot and ready, my mate snarled toward Tajah. I had almost forgotten Emm’s dislike for her, but I knew Emm could handle her own.

“I don’t like her,” Emm said loud enough over the roaring flames. “I don’t trust someone who deliberately bullies another.”

Tajah jutted her chin towards Emm. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional. I was making sure your intentions were just.”

“By forcing a male, who isn’t used to it, to be in the field?” Emm stomped forward nearly chest to chest with Tajah. I didn't pull her back, I was actually quite turned on by the spectacle.

It was then I realized my mistake by not stopping my mate, when Emm reared her arm back and gave Tajah a right hook to the face. The small group that gathered all gasped and watch Tajah tumble to the ground. Beretta hissed, her fangs bared and lunged forward to cover her mate.

Fuck, that was hot.

Grim grunted in approval.

Emm bared fangs in return, and fuck if I didn’t get hard at the sight. “Never force someone to do your own bidding. You knew it made Switch uncomfortable, and you defied orders.”

I crossed my arms and covered my smile with my hand. It seems Emm has dug deeper in my mind than I cared to admit.What else did she know?

Tajah stumbled as she stood, wiping away the blood on the corner of her lip. “As I said before, I misjudged you. But, when you first entered our territory, your intentions were not, let’s just say, positive. I sensed your deceit. We all could. I was trying to protect what Locke had built, in his absence.”

My mate stared at everyone around the fire. The mated, even Sizzle, Bones and Switch, who had come for security all watched to see what the two strong females would do.

“You could have backed down,” Emm continued. “When Journey entered our conversation at the bar, telling you to chill out, you didn’t. With Journey being a priestess to the goddess of pairing I’m surprised you didn’t. If you had chased me off, which - by the way, you wouldn’t have,” my mate looked Tajah up anddown, “this club wouldn’t be a pack. You could have destroyed all of it withyourintentions.”

Tajah’s stern face softens, and her fists unclench. “You’re right. It was a poor choice.”

“And using Switch? You are supposed to be a family, not using him to do your fucking bidding.”

Tajah winced again and crossed her arms. “Again, trying to find out your lies. But, obviously I was mistaken—”

“Tajah has been punished,” I interrupted Tajah, taking my mate by the arm. “I didn’t go as far as hitting her in the face, but she has served time.”

My mate scrunched her nose. “It’s two strikes in my book. A third, and I can’t promise what I’ll do to you,” my mate smirked and put out her hand for Tajah. “And, by the way, I do have my own secrets, but they are to keep people safe. In time, you will know who they are.”

Tajah gave a playful smile and shook Emm’s hand. “I like her,” she said to me. “The Goddess did well. A perfect pairing.”

“What the fuck just happened?” Hawke said from the sidelines. “Are they friends or—”

“More like frienemies,” Delilah said. “Like they understand each other, but I don’t think they will be sharing nail polish anytime soon.”

Thank fuck Emm hadn’t dug too far into my head. If she had she would know that Tajah knew her secret about her family, and where they were located.

I let off a low growl, pulled my mate into my arms and whispered into her ear. “Look at you being a luna and shit. That was hot as hell.” I rub my shaft against her pussy and she let off a whimper.

“Don’t do that, I’m sensitive still.” She grabbed my vest and held it tight.

I licked the underside of her ear. “I don’t know. Fucking you in front of them might be kinda hot. Show them just how we don’t give a damn.”

“We can hear you!” Bear grunts. “Can we get this done? My mate has had about enough.”

Nadia, the smallest of the females, was being carried by Bear. Her hands covered her ears and fuck if it didn’t make me feel like a bastard.

“You’re right, let's proceed.” I adjusted myself and turned to Tajah, who held a large leather-bound book in her hand. Bram stood beside her in a long cloak, which covered his face. He held it with her and pointed to several places in the book. His voice was so low that mated pairs wouldn’t be able to hear him, but I could and it appeared that Emm could too.

“It’s powerful enough to reach Luna’s sister and her mate, so they don’t have to be present.”

“Wait, what!” Emm pulled away from me and ran toward the sorcerers. “My sister, she said she had a headache. So, she—she really is mated? And she’s close? Where is she?”

I leaned my head back in exasperation and pulled her away from them so they could continue talking. “She’s fine, but she cannot be here right now.”