“What the hell were you thinking?” Reid admonished for what Carley was certain was the seventeenth time since her encounter with Miguel.
“I was thinking that I wanted to stock the shelves at the beach house,” Carley replied tersely, ratcheting up the tension that already simmered between them.
They were on their way back to Chicago, much to Carley’s relief. She’d created a scene when she screamed in the middle of the village square earlier that morning. Miguel had given her a disbelieving look—he obviously had not believed she would hold true to her threat—before he leaped from the bench and disappeared into the crowd that immediately swarmed around her.
She’d lied and said someone tried to snatch one of her grocery bags and she’d overreacted a tad. She hadn’t wanted to cause further stress by admitting she’d just been sitting next to Miguel Santiago, one of the Chosen One’s former followers who was still sought by the king’s guards. Especially because she did not want to admit to Reid that she was mated to the horrid man, and especially because all she wanted to do at that point was get out of the coterie, go back to Chicago, and stay as far away from this place as she could—forever.
He threatened to kill Reid. Her heart constricted. The idea that she would be the one to cause his death was unbearable. She’d come to care for the shifter—more than care, really—but it was more than that. It was as if she was repeating history for Reid, and it was her own damn fault. She clenched her hands in her lap and stared straight ahead, willing her heart to slow and her breathing to settle into a more normal range.
“I can tell you’re stressed out,” Reid commented after a brief silence. “You might as well tell me what’s going on.”
She shook her head. “I’m worried we won’t be back in time and I’m going to be late for work.” She glanced at the side mirror, relieved that the coterie was so far behind them that she could no longer see the fake image the magical wards portrayed to all those on the outside. She would not be fully comfortable until they were across the state line, back in the city and surrounded by hordes of humans. She doubted she would ever be fully comfortable again, but at least she would feel reasonably safe. And Reid would be safe too. That was really what mattered.
They reached the car rental place with plenty of time to spare, and then Reid asked if she wanted to go back to his place with him, or if she wanted him to take her home. She wanted them both to go to her home, where they would be surrounded by humans.
Her human shields, Reid had called them when they first met. He was right. She felt guilty for treating them as such.
“Come home with me,” she said. “I’m sure everyone will be happy to see you, too. You’ve become a part of the family, you know.”
He arched his brows as he lifted his bag over his shoulder and then grabbed the handle of Carley’s suitcase, and they began to walk toward the train station. “You think Sean missed me while we were away?”
Carley smiled for the first time since running into Miguel at the market. “No, not Sean. But certainly everyone else. Roman really likes you.”
“Roman likes to kick my ass when we play his video games.”
“Vivian likes you.”
“Vivian doesn’t like anyone. Except you.”
*
Maybe Carley was right about her friends missing him. When they arrived at the house she shared with her human coworkers, Vivian gave him a one-armed hug, while Roman gave him a high five, and Sean turned red in the face when he realized he and Reid were wearing almost the exact same outfit. He had noticed the kid watched him all the damn time, but he thought it was jealousy over his relationship with Carley. Now, he wondered if the kid wasn’t trying to emulate him. It was a weird thought, but not an altogether unpleasant one.
Carley clearly did not want to move back to the coterie, so if they were going to make a home in Chicago, he was glad to be surrounded by friends.
She retreated upstairs to her bedroom to unpack and change for work, while Reid dropped onto the worn and comfortable sofa in the living room. Roman appeared at his elbow with a beer in each hand. “Want one?” he asked, and Reid accepted it, grateful for the distraction from Carley’s spiked emotions.
He’d just about gotten used to feeling her emotions, at least until earlier this morning, when he’d shot out of what felt like a drug-induced sleep, as her fear sliced through his system. He’d stumbled out of bed, feeling disoriented, confused, and desperate to get to her. She wasn’t there, not in the bed, nor in the room, or anywhere in the immediate vicinity. He managed to pull on a pair of warm-up pants and a T-shirt before he stumbled into the hall, still feeling the effects of…something. He was not normally one who felt groggy and confused upon waking.
Cecilia happened to be walking down the hall, and she took one look at him and shouted Finn’s name. Like the dedicated mate he was, Finn came running. Cecilia wordlessly pointed at Reid, and Finn immediately rushed to his brother’s side, wrapping an arm around his back and helping him stagger farther down the hall.
“Carley,” he said, his voice raspy with sleep or…something.
Cecilia peeked into the bedroom. “She isn’t here,” she said, as if it was perfectly natural for him and Carley to share a bedroom. “Where is she?”
“Danger,” he said.
Finn shoved him into Cecilia’s arms, commanded her to take him to Olivia, who had healing abilities and would be able to fix whatever the hell was wrong with him, and then Finn shifted into a hawk and flew away.
When he returned, Reid was recovered from what turned out to be a sleeping draught, and Finn had a frightened Carley and a confused Mica in tow. Carley took one look at him and launched herself into his arms, for once oblivious to their audience.
And then she pushed him to arm’s length and said, “We have to leave. Now.”
“It was him, wasn’t it?” he had said when he followed her to the bedroom and watched as she began to throw clothing into her bag. “The guy who abused you. You saw him, didn’t you?”
He was so furious when she numbly nodded that he wanted to turn around and go back to that damn market and find the guy and beat him to a pulp. He didn’t normally have such violent inclinations—not since the same thing happened to him—but when it came to Carley’s safety, all bets were off.
“No,” she begged him. “Let’s just go. I just want to go home,” she insisted, and when she looked up at him with her big blue, haunted eyes, he knew that he would do whatever she wanted, so long as it would take that look out of her beautiful eyes.
On the way home, he’d let her have it, verbally, as he berated her for doing something so foolish as to go to the market alone—
“I was with Mica,” she had said sullenly.
“Two females,” he had scoffed. “Neither of whom are remotely trained in any sort of defense, I’ll wager.”
She hadn’t had a response to that.
“You knew he was still there,” Reid had accused. “You knew, and you’re deathly afraid of this guy, and you still put yourself in harm’s way?”
Her argument, unfortunately, had been sound.
“We were at the market. That place is packed with lightbearers during most daylight hours. I didn’t think he would approach me in the middle of a crowd.”
“Does anyone know about it? Did you ever tell anyone you were abused?”
He wished she’d tell him. Not that he particularly wanted to hear the details, but he did think she would feel better, if she had someone to confide in, someone to listen and not judge her.
“No one knows,” she confirmed. When she didn’t say more, he didn’t push. He hadn’t wanted anyone to push when he didn’t want to talk about his issues either.
* * * *
He walked her to work. Actually, he walked with the entire group, although when they reached the restaurant, he managed to pull her to the side and get in a little bit of one-on-one time against the side of the building.
“We had way more time to ourselves when we were in the coterie,” he commented as he nuzzled her neck.
Her smile was bittersweet. “I know. But we’re safer here.”
Safe from whoever abused her before she met Reid. The one who was the father of the babe she’d lost.
When he started to pull away, to let her get to work, she grabbed the lapels of his coat. “What are you planning to do while I’m at work?” she asked urgently. The fear was back in her eyes.
He gently pulled her hands off the leather. “Unpack. Do laundry. Sort through the mail. Pay bills. Terribly exciting stuff,” he said with a grin.
“Be careful,” she whispered. “And watch your back.”
But he wasn’t the one who needed to worry. Actually neither of them had to worry anymore, now that they were back in Chicago.
* * * *
He was waiting at the back door when the kitchen staff locked up and left the restaurant later that night. Carley looped her arm around his waist and clung tightly to him. He could tell she was exhausted.
“Spend the night with me?” she asked.
He arched a brow. “At your place? With all the humans?”
She flushed. “Yes. Is that okay?”
“I suppose. Is there a reason you don’t want to go to my place?” He’d hoped to have her to himself until it was time for her to go back to work the next day.
She shrugged. “No reason. I guess I missed my roommates.”
Reid considered pointing out that she’d just worked with them all evening, but he decided it didn’t really matter. His place or hers, he honestly didn’t care, so long as he could be with her.
And so, instead of having a nightcap with the rest of the crew, as he’d once done before he and Carley started sleeping together, Reid climbed the stairs with her, and they retired to her bedroom. He lay on his back with Carley curled by his side, holding her as she fell asleep.
He thought about how nice this was, the way they’d fallen into this routine. He liked that they both assumed they would spend the night together now. They hadn’t talked about the night he’d asked her to mate with him, and a small part of him was frustrated that she hadn’t answered him, when it was so clear they were perfect together.
He convinced himself it was the stress of returning to the coterie, the fear of potentially running into her ex-lover—and then having it actually happen. These were the reasons she had not answered him and had not brought up the subject again. There was no other reason that they should not mate.
It would happen. He was certain of it.
*
The next morning, Carley came awake as the sun slowly climbed high enough to pour in through the bedroom window. She was on her stomach, with Reid sleeping half on top of her, also on his stomach. She shifted, and so did he, pressing his erection into her backside. She sucked in a breath when he did it again.
He nuzzled her hair and sighed as his hand lifted to cup her chin. “Carley,” he murmured as he pushed her hair out of the way so he could kiss her neck. “Let me take you like this,” he whispered as he rolled his hips.
Wet heat pooled between her thighs as she squirmed beneath him. With Reid’s hot, hard body pressing into her from behind, it was hard to resist this temptation. She imagined it would be good…damn good. Everything he’d introduced her to so far had been damn good, hadn’t it? She squirmed again, and his hand slid under her body to cup her breast.
“Yes.” He grabbed his erection with the other hand and positioned it. “Mate with me, Carley.” His voice was an urgent whisper.
Mate with him? Realization dawned and with it came panic and fear. She rolled onto her back, so quickly that Reid was left crouching with a confused look on his face and his dick in his hand.
“You—you want to mate with me?” Her voice was a squeak. She blinked up at him, her chest rising and falling with her erratic breathing.
He propped himself up on one elbow. “I…yes. That was my intention.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Sorry. I think I was still half-asleep.” He peeked at her through his fingers. “You okay?”
“I…I think so.”
“Do you want to talk about this?”
“What, exactly do you want to talk about?”
“Uh…what just almost happened?”
Carley shook her head. “No. I don’t want to talk about it. It—it’s too soon. Don’t you think?”
Reid rolled over onto his side. “I don’t think so. We’re perfect together. I know you can see it.” He touched her face, offered a small, encouraging smile.
If she weren’t so damn frightened of him discovering her secret, Carley would have found his admission sweet, charming…wonderful.
“We both still have a lot of issues, Reid.”
He shrugged. “So? Doesn’t everybody?”
She’d always believed she was the only one with issues.
“Let’s just…let’s go slow, okay? Okay?” she repeated when he didn’t immediately answer.
He rolled onto his back. “Okay,” he finally agreed. He didn’t sound happy about her request. She needed to remedy that, so she rolled onto her stomach and climbed on top of him.
“Speaking of going slow,” she said, and then she kissed him, while reaching down to grasp his erection.
She was far more tempted than she should be by his attempt to mate with her. But they couldn’t. So she settled for slow and seductive, sweet and gentle, with her on top, and him lying on his back, his hands cupping her breasts, while she controlled the pace, and brought pleasure to them both.
When it was over, Reid lay sprawled on his back, breathing heavily, with a sated and boneless Carley draped across his midsection. “We should definitely go back to my place tonight,” he said. “I’m pretty sure the entire damn household heard that.”
“Oh lights.” Carley groaned. She’d become so wanton with Reid that she forgot all else when they were in the troughs of passion.
Maybe he was right.
What about Miguel? Her inner voice whispered the reminder.
But we’re in Chicago now. He won’t find us here.
A knock on the bedroom door interrupted her inner argument.
“Carley? You awake?”
“Yes,” she called out as she smirked at Reid.
“There’s someone here to see you.”
Carley’s gaze flew to Reid. Someone to see her? The only people she knew in Chicago were the ones who lived with her. Who could it be?
“Someone from the coterie,” Reid said, answering her unspoken question. He slipped out from underneath her and quickly dressed. “Although I would think they would just call.”
“I don’t have a phone,” Carley replied as she too quickly dressed.
* * * *
“Mica?”
Carley stood in the arched doorway leading to the living room and stared at the lightbearer who stood on the other side of the room, near the large bay window overlooking the street. She had nothing on her person except a coat, boots, and the clothing on her back. Her hands twisted round and round as she turned at the sound of her name.
“Hi,” she said with a small, awkward wave. Roman and one other person were the only ones awake and downstairs at the moment. Roman regarded her curiously, while the other human nursed a cup of coffee and read the newspaper on his laptop.
“What are you doing here?” Carley asked without moving into the room.
Mica’s gaze darted around the room again. “Is there somewhere we can…talk?”
“Coffee’s on in the kitchen,” Roman supplied helpfully. “Mornin’, Reid.”
Reid nodded at the stocky Hispanic man as he followed Carley and Mica through the house and into the kitchen. When he pushed the swinging door closed behind him, Mica gave him a wide-eyed look.
“He—he lives here, too?” she asked.
Carley felt her face heat. “Not exactly. Um…”
“So it’s true? What Miguel said? You’re…” She waved her pointer finger back and forth between them.
“Who’s Miguel?” Reid wanted to know.
Carley overrode his question with a far more panicked one of her own. “You talked to Miguel?”
Mica flushed and cleared her throat. “I…uh…” She burst into tears, sobbing into her hands, her shoulders shaking with the impact. Both Reid and Carley stared at her until Roman and a sleepy-eyed Sean came bustling into the room.
“What did you do to her?” Sean asked, throwing Reid an accusatory glare as he walked over and folded the sobbing lightbearer into his arms. She went willingly, wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head in the crook of his shoulder as she continued to cry.
Reid gave the younger human a strange look, but Carley knew him well enough to know Sean would have reacted that way to anyone who was crying. Clumsy, dorky he might be, but the young man had a heart of gold.
“We have no idea why she’s crying,” Carley explained to Roman, who busied himself with pouring the last of the coffee into a cup and then making a fresh pot.
“But you do know her?”
“Somewhat,” Carley hedged. “I actually just met her when Reid and I went back to visit…”
“Carley’s family,” Reid finished smoothly.
Roman nodded sagely. Mica’s sobs finally subsided. Sean offered her a paper towel, and she mopped her face and blew her nose. She did not step away from the circle of his arms.
Reid stared at the two of them. “Do you know Sean?”
Mica shyly looked up at the concerned human and then took a step away, out of his arms. He did not look pleased with the movement.
“N-no,” she stuttered as she shook her head. “I just—I just—” She looked as if she was about to cry again.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Sean asked, looking directly at the younger lightbearer. Her curling blonde hair was a tangled mess, her eyes were swollen and red from crying, her face was splotchy, and Sean stared at her like an adoring puppy.
Mica shook her head and said, “I’m so sorry, Carley. I didn’t know. I mean, I didn’t realize. I had no idea.” She waved her hand between Carley and Reid again.
*
Reid folded his arms over his chest and said, “I don’t think we quite understand.”
He would have liked to kick the humans out of the room, but he doubted the overprotective Sean would allow it at this point. He’d already glommed onto the watering-pot lightbearer. The only positive to the situation, Reid determined, was that he suspected Sean would no longer look at Carley with those puppy-dog eyes.
“Miguel. I believed him, Carley. I believed him. But then when you showed up at the coterie, and you had this—this—”
“Reid,” Carley supplied. Reid knew she blurted the word to keep Mica from using the word shifter, as she probably might have otherwise. He doubted the frightened lightbearer had much experience with humans, and therefore was not used to having to watch her words.
“Reid,” Mica repeated, wide eyes taking in his overly tall and wide stature. He dwarfed both Roman and Sean, besides the two females in the room. His brief experience in the coterie had shown him that, with little exception, even male lightbearers did not tend to breach the six-foot mark, let alone have the shoulder width of most shifters he knew.
“He seems so nice,” Mica whispered. “They all do. And so attentive and loving. The way Tanner treats Olivia and the babe. And Cecilia and Finn. I mean, they snip at each other all the time, but I think it’s some kind of game for them, you know?”
“Yes,” Reid said drily. “We know.”
“The queen adores the one that had white hair. Tanner’s mother. Even that younger female one. Well, she’s certainly an exception,” Mica said with a wrinkle of her nose.
“Lisa,” Reid supplied. “She’s always been something of a bitch.”
Mica nodded, still wide-eyed. “But her children, they are so adorable, and the queen just loves them so. The little girl, she’s so polite and quiet. It’s nothing like what Miguel said.” She shook her head as if she could not quite understand.
“Who’s Miguel?” Reid asked again, although he suspected he might know the answer.
At the same time, Carley asked, “How do you know Miguel?”
Mica averted her gaze, looking at the tile floor instead of at Carley.
“I—I went to a couple of meetings. I—I thought—I mean—it sounded believable, at first. I wasn’t working at the beach house at the time, so I didn’t have firsthand experience with the—the—” She stopped abruptly and glanced at first Sean and then Roman.
“You didn’t have firsthand experience with those who now live at the beach house?” Reid guessed.
Mica nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly. I had no idea they were so—so nice. I thought…I mean, the Chosen One, he was so…convincing.”
Reid looked at Carley. Finn had told him about the Chosen One and how a group of lightbearers had formed a sort of cult after Tanner, Finn, Lisa, and Tanner’s mother joined the coterie. The Chosen One believed lightbearers and shifters should not mate, that shifters were still the enemy, and that lightbearers should only mate with their own kind. First, Finn’s own pack master tried to kill the woman he loved, then one of her own kind did. Reid figured it was no wonder his brother rarely let the woman out of his sight.
“So you met Miguel at the meetings?” Carley asked.
Mica nodded and once again averted her gaze.
“Mica, why are you here now?” Reid asked, deciding to cut to the chase.
“He saw you,” Mica whispered, looking at Carley. “When you were at the coterie last week. He saw you. He was inside the beach house. He—he knows, Carley. He knows.”
She glanced at Reid, but whatever the hell she saw on his face caused her to quickly shift her gaze away. He could only imagine. He hoped to hell his eyes weren’t glowing, considering there were two human witnesses standing nearby.
“I think it’s time I had a little more detail about this Miguel character,” he said, his voice surprisingly even, given the way his insides were churning with suppressed rage. The rage was mixed with guilt. He never should have pushed her to go back to the coterie. Had she not, her abuser never would have seen her, never would have—if he was guessing accurately—renewed his interest in her.
Roman grabbed the coffeepot, poured dark liquid into two cups, then handed one to Sean. “Why don’t we give them some privacy?” he suggested. Sean grumbled, but Reid gave him a cold stare, and he grabbed the cup and followed Roman out the door.
“Wait,” Reid said, once they were gone. “He was inside the beach house? While we were there?”
Mica nodded.
“Did you let him in?” Carley asked.
Mica began sniveling again.
“Are you the one who drugged me, Mica?” Reid demanded. He knew damn well his eyes were glowing now. Good thing the humans left when they did.
Mica nodded miserably as tears began leaking from her eyes again. “I didn’t realize…”
Carley sucked in a breath. “You set it up,” she said in a breathy voice. “The market. You meant for me to run into Miguel!”
Mica shook her head. “I didn’t know what he planned, I swear. He just—he just gave me the potion and told me to slip it to the sh—”
“Reid,” he cut her off, just in case someone out there in the living area had exceptionally good hearing.
Mica nodded. “And then to get Carley out of the house. He said he would take it from there. I thought—I thought—” She dissolved into tears again, covering her face with her hands and sobbing loudly. Someone pushed against the swinging kitchen door, and Reid slapped his hand against it, to keep him from entering.
“Not now, Sean,” he called, knowing damn well it was the younger human on the other side. “You thought what?” he demanded, glaring at the nearly hysterical lightbearer.
It took a few tense moments, but Mica finally answered him. “I thought that he only meant to try to work things out with Carley. He never said he wanted to kill her. They’re mates, after all. I thought he wanted to try to win her back.”