Page 54 of The Bookseller and the Alpha (Witch Twins #1)

Luc

“What are you?” My mate waited until we were inmy car on our way back to the city before she asked her question.

When I’d kissed her knuckles her pupils had dilated until the black almost completely swallowed the green.

My cock had thickened in my briefs, pulsing painfully.

It hadn’t gone down since, which was fucking uncomfortable as I drove.

I sighed. I knew this question was coming.

I also knew I was going to have to tell her at some point, but now wasn’t the right time.

She was a human and we were the rarest of Shifters.

I didn’t want her to panic. If I told her, she would want to see my other form.

Then I’d need to tell her that I’d never shifted.

That until I’d met her, I’d had no intentions to ever shift. Although now I was less sure of that.

“Later,” I said. “I promise, I’ll tell you all my secrets. Just not yet.”

“All right,” she said. “I’ll hold you to that.

” She squared her shoulders. I could see her shields in place again.

She didn’t like that I was keeping secrets from her .

Fuck. Every time I thought I was making progress I met another roadblock.

Had a douchebag ex-boyfriend lied to her?

Cheated on her? I would find him and rip his head off.

Instinctively, Beast sent a pulse of reassurance down the bond. She rubbed her chest, sensing it. Her eyes narrowed. “What was that? Was that you?”

I had to tell her something and I had promised myself I wouldn’t lie to her. Not ever. Carefully I said, “It was my Beast. He doesn’t like you being in pain.”

“Oh, okay.” She thought for a while, chewing on her lower lip. I had to fight the urge to lean over and kiss the tender skin better. “How can he do that? We aren’t… mated… yet.”

“Not fully, no. But my Beast has started to bond to you.”

I sensed that she wanted to ask me more, but her phone rang. “It’s Elie,” she said, answering it.

“It’s getting worse,” I heard Electra say. “You’ll be in danger. Soon.” Beast snarled in my chest. No-one hurts my mate.

“I’m being careful. Luc is barely letting me out of his sight.”

“That sounds interesting.” Elie’s tone was teasing. “Do tell.”

“None of your beeswax,” said my mate. “But I did want to tell you something important. Actually, I’ve got news for you and Luc has news for you and the President, if he’s there.”

“I’m here,” came Bastien’s deep voice.

Caly switched the phone to speaker and put it in the centre console. “You go first,” she said. “I don’t want to waste the President’s time.”

“You tell him. You understand the spell.”

Nerves made her voice a little higher than usual, but the summary she gave Bas was concise and precise.

“It’s only part of the spell,” she said as she finished.

“Likely the other part was stolen from a warehouse,” I added.

“Are there more? Where did they come from?”

Caly looked at me, a question in her eyes.

I shrugged. As much as it frustrated me to admit it, I had no leads.

“We don’t know,” she said. “Mine came in a mixed bundle from an auction house. I bought a whole crate for a few bucks. Typically, they don’t keep records of individual sales.

You know what it’s like. The auction company comes along and cleans out a whole deceased estate.

Then they break it up into parcels. It could have come from anywhere. ”

“The important thing is to stop them getting the piece you have,” said Elie. “And they are going to try again. I can feel it.”

“Understood,” I said. “We’ll be ready for them.” Which was really all we could do. But my skin prickled at the thought of a threat to my mate. I wouldn’t compromise when it came to her safety. “We’ll come to the Palace tonight.”

Caly squeaked in surprise. “El, I’ll call you back later, okay.” She hung up the call.

I could hear the rapid beat of her heart. “It’s not your call,” I said. “This is non-negotiable.” Mouth open, she gaped at me in surprise, but after a few moments, she gave a nod of acceptance.

“All right,” she said. “That’s fair.”

I pressed the controls to call Billy on speaker. “Lockdown protocol,” I said. “Starting now.”

The rest of the trip was quiet as my mate slipped into sleep, still tired from having her magic drained in the ritual.

The afternoon had turned chilly by the time we left my parents’ cottage.

Asleep in the passenger seat, she was snuggled down into the new coat I’d given her.

Beast purred, seeing her covered in our gift.

The sight soothed both the Beast and the man.

Caly was still mostly asleep when I pulled into the public underground garage next to her apartment block.

Parking was the one thing I hadn’t been able to improve with my security measures.

I wanted to get her to the safety of the Palace, but I knew she would want Pompy to come with us.

We’d grab the dog, and some clothes for Caly.

I’d be happy to buy her a whole new wardrobe of clothes, but I knew she wasn’t ready for that.

She grumbled, half waking when I switched off the engine.

“Wait there,” I said opening my door. “I’m coming round to get you. ”

‘‘’Kay,” she mumbled. I would carry her. The touch would be good for all of us. I got out of the car, shutting the door behind me.

Then several things happened at once. From somewhere in her bag, Caly’s phone began to ring. Louder was the sound of a car coming down the entry ramp. It was travelling at speed. Too fast.

I turned towards the threat. Headlights were coming directly towards us. I began my jump across the hood, to get to Caly’s door. Time seemed to slow. GET HER OUT OF THERE .

There was a deep boom and then noise and heat and the squeal of brakes. An explosion. Then the force of the blast knocked me off the hood as the car rocked. Tilted. Tipped onto its side. Pain lanced into me as a tonne of metal landed on top of me.

Thank fuck Caly still had her seatbelt on. I heard her cry out in shock. “Luc? What’s going on?”

I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t move. I was pinned by the weight of the vehicle. In my human form I was strong, but not strong enough for this. And there was something wrong with my left leg. And my abdomen. Pain worse than anything I’d ever experienced. I gritted my teeth. My mate was in danger.

LET ME HELP. Beast pushed power at me. It wasn’t enough.

“Ohmygods Luc.” I couldn’t move, but I still had better than human hearing. I heard the click as Caly released her seatbelt and her heavy breaths. “I’m going to get out my door and come around to get you out.”

It was too dangerous. No. But she couldn’t hear me. My voice was a whisper. The pain was a vise in my chest. On my legs. I could hear more footsteps now. And I could scent a male.

I strained against the weight of the car.

LET ME OUT . Beast was battering down my final shields. Pain in my fingertips heralded my claws erupting and in my mouth my fangs descended from my gums. Caly screamed. Whoever had been in that vehicle was coming to get her. I was losing the fight. I wasn’t enough. SHIFT! Beast roared.

Caly had the journal and she was their target. I would not let my mate be hurt. Even if it meant that she refused us once she knew the creature that lived inside me.

I dropped my shields and released the Beast.