Page 13

Chapter 12

To protect and serve

LENNOX

I t takes the police several hours to process the parking garage scene so we decide to leave Charlie’s truck and return to pick it up when they’re finished.

“I should go to the office,” Charlie says dully as we walk outside to catch a cab. “I have a mountain of paperwork that’s been piling up since we began investigating the Boulder-Wolf murder.”

My protective wolf surges to the surface. She is absolutely not going to work.

I agree with my wolf, but I promised Charlie I would stop interfering with her job. “I’ll come with you.”

She nods, then frowns and shakes her head. “You don’t have to do that. I’m fine, just a little rattled. Nothing a hot tea can’t fix.”

I feel the indecision in her, hear the desperate attempt at normalcy in her tone. She doesn’t want to be alone.

“Finding a dead body isn’t normal, Charlie,” I tell her, softening my tone. “It’s okay to be rattled.”

Her brows lower and I hear her pulling together an argument in her thoughts. I’ve seen some bad shit in my time as a firefighter. I can pull myself together and act like the professional I am and do my job. I absolutely do not need some handsome man or wolf or whatever to take care of me. Not happening. I take care of myself in this world.

My wolf growls at the resolve in her brain and I prepare a counterargument, but it’s not needed.

Despite her thoughts, she says out loud, “Yeah, I don’t want to be alone and I don’t want to go back to work. The last thing I want is to investigate a murder when another just fell in my lap.” Tears shine in her desperate gaze.

“We’ll go to my place,” I say, instinctively wanting her in my sphere where I can take care of her, soothe the shock she’s had.

“Okay, yeah, sure.” She shakes her head like she’s trying to clear the cobwebs. “I mean no, I can’t. Luke will be home in…” She checks her phone and gasps. “He’s on his way home now. I can’t believe I lost track of time like that.” Jesus, I’m a terrible mother. I didn’t think about my kid once during this entire ordeal.

Her thoughts are spiralling in a direction I don’t like but I can’t respond to her without making her aware I can hear everything she thinks. Instead, I grip her shoulders, massaging as I say, “He has a key, right? He can get in the apartment?” She nods. “Good. He’ll be fine until we get there. Let’s go.”

Taking her hand, I wave down a cab and open the door so Charlie can slide in. My wolf is elated when she settles in the middle seat rather than moving to the far one.

I climb awkwardly in doing my best not to nudge her while packing my 6’5” frame in next to her. She leans her head back and closes her eyes, exhaustion taking her. As I pull her seatbelt around her, she mumbles, “Thanks,” then allows her head to loll to my shoulder.

My heart hammers at her proximity and my wolf howls his elation, which causes me to accidentally give the driver Charlie’s address in a shout.

She winces but doesn’t move her head away from me.

I hush my wolf and do my best to sit as still as possible during the drive while my mate naps against my shoulder. I watch the top of her head, contemplating my new reality. It’s been such an intense week; I’ve not spent a lot of time pondering what it means to have a mate.

Of course, I’m thrilled. It’s hard not to be when my inner wolf is throwing a never-ending party at our good fortune, but it’s becoming obvious just how much Charlie affects me.

While her presence is a boon to my soul, she is the ultimate distraction for a man who has spent centuries priding himself on being calm, cool and collected. A difficult thing to achieve for someone born to a species known for aggression.

Is that what I’m feeling? Aggressive?

Giving into the urge, I touch Charlie’s head, smoothing a lock of hair from her brow. Her breaths continue to puff out in long, slow sweeps.

Yes, aggression, but not for the sake of it. I’m feeling new things around Charlie. Possessive, jealous, humble, grateful… loving. My wolf is as unfamiliar with these emotions as I am and is reacting forcefully whenever he perceives something is threatening our mate.

Who am I kidding? I feel the same things as him. I can’t blame my instincts for the loss of control I feel around Charlie. It’s happening because I want it to. Because I’m becoming the predator I was always meant to be.

Still, I have a reputation as a protector. I must never lose sight of who I am, of the man, or shifter, I want to be.

The kiss. It was the best thing I’ve ever experienced, but it wasn’t right. I didn’t have her permission and though she was enthusiastic after she got over the shock, it was ungentlemanly. A loss of control.

I’ve spent centuries working around and with women. I have seen their strength and resilience. Their dogged determination to prove themselves in a world dominated by men.

Charlie is no different. In fact, she has to work twice as hard because her chosen field requires a certain amount of physical strength. The challenges she must’ve had to overcome to become a firefighter has my chest filling with pride at my mate.

She is fierce and determined. She deserves my respect, not some slavering wolf taking her decisions from her.

Charlie doesn’t wake when we arrive at her building so I pay the driver, then look down at her, indecision warring inside me. To the driver, a man in his mid-fifties, I ask, “Are you married?”

He looks surprised to be asked a question from someone who barely acknowledged his presence during the half hour drive we took together. He nods guardedly, “Been married 27 years.”

“Would your wife want you to carry her if she fell asleep in the cab or would she prefer to be woken so she can walk herself?” I feel like a fool for asking such a thing, but he’s my only resource.

He cracks a grin. “Well, I can’t pick my wife up as I’m short and she has several inches on me, but if I could, she’d love it if I did.” His eyes touch Charlie for a moment, not enough to piss off my wolf. “Take your woman upstairs. She’ll thank you for it later.”

It’s the best advice I’m going to get, so I gently maneuver Charlie out of the cab, hefting her in my arms without jostling her. The cabbie opens the building door for me and I thank him, carrying Charlie inside.

It’s nothing to carry her up to the third floor where I push the key I fished out of her purse in the lock. As I shove the door open, a head pops up from the couch.

“Mom!” Luke exclaims, but when he sees us, his smiling face becomes a map of confusion.

Shit, I didn’t think of the child. I should’ve woken her up in the cab.

“What’s wrong with her?” His eyes are wide and fearful.

“She’s just sleeping.” I say it as quiet as I can. Charlie doesn’t move, so I whisper, “Which way is her room?”

Luke slides off the couch, a frown creasing his small brows. He leads the way, showing me down a hallway before pushing open a door. For a moment I stand frozen as the concentrated smell of her hits me.

Her inner sanctum. The place that holds her most private moments.

I force my limbs to move and lower her gently to the mattress, careful not to jostle her more than necessary. I brush the hair from her face so it doesn’t bother her while she sleeps. Pulling her shoes off her feet, I drag a blanket over her and leave her alone in the room.

In the hall, I’m confronted by an irate seven-year-old. His arms are crossed over his chest, his lips are set and his brows are knitted. Before now I thought he looked like his father, but I can see Charlie in his serious face.

“Explain,” he says.

Biting back an amused smile, I nod toward the living room and we move further from Charlie’s door.

Lowering myself to the couch, I allow my body to feel the panic of the day for the first time. Someone targeted Charlie. Why? Because she’s my mate or because we’re investigating a murder?

In the end, it won’t matter. Whoever did this to her is going to die by my hand.

When I open my eyes, Luke is standing in front of me maintaining the pose he had in the hall.

“Your mom ran into some trouble today.” How much should I tell him? I’ve never had to explain something to a child before.

“What kind of trouble?” His frown grows fiercer, as though he’s about to accuse me of causing the thing that troubled his mom. His protectiveness toward Charlie warms me.

Deciding I probably shouldn’t tell him about the body, I give him the closest thing to the truth I can. “Someone tampered with her truck and gave her a scare.”

He shakes his head. “Mom doesn’t scare easily.”

The kid is sharp.

I lean forward, putting my elbows on my knees and giving him a level stare. “Your mom wouldn’t want me telling you and I’m bound by her wishes. What I can tell you is that she handled herself very well in a tense situation and that I got to her quickly so she wasn’t alone.”

His eyebrows lift, then he nods and climbs onto the couch next to me. “Sometimes I worry when she goes to work.”

I sit back, contemplating him. “Because of what happened to your father?”

He thinks about it, then shrugs. “Partially, but also because she is who she is. Mom likes to do things alone and sometimes it gets her in trouble.”

Perhaps human offspring are wiser than they look. “She doesn’t seem to mind working with me,” I point out.

“Yeah,” he says, like I’ve made his point. “It’s weird. She’s been a loner since dad died, but she doesn’t mind working with you.” His eyes sweep my frame and he adds, “I don’t blame her. Working with a shifter is pretty dope.”

I relax, realizing the seven-year-old inquisition has ended. “Do you think it would be alright if I stayed the night?” I ask him seriously. “I don’t want your mom to be alone if she wakes up.”

“She has me,” he says quickly, frowning again.

“I know, but you have school tomorrow.” He starts to shake his head, so I continue, “School is just as important as a job. Your mom wouldn’t want you going in tired and unfed. I’ll stay with you tonight to make sure you guys are set for tomorrow. Would that be okay?”

He seems to think about it, then nods. “I guess so, but you’ll have to sleep on the couch.”

I had assumed as much. “Thank you, Luke.”

He stares at me openly and I wonder what he’s thinking. I don’t have long to find out. “Do you know how to work an air fryer?” he asks, and at my puzzled expression, adds, “Mom was going to make dino chicken nuggets and fries for supper.”