door. Her blonde hair was in disarray around her face; one eye was squinted while the other one was closed. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you at work?”
“I had to check on you,” he replied, feeling like the biggest idiot. “Are you all right? What did the healer say?”
“Come in,” she sighed, but he didn’t miss how she glanced over his shoulder to look for something. Taze was positive she was looking for her brother to pop up out of nowhere. At this point, Taze didn’t care what Malaki said…he was going to make sure the female was okay.
The drive from Memphis had given him a good half-hour to think, and while he thought, his beast pressed the issue of touching her. He’d come to realize that she was his, and she’d always been his. He wasn’t going to let her go through what she had gone through earlier in the night by herself ever again.
He just needed to tell Calla how he felt, but the idea of sharing his feelings just made his mouth slam shut. He was a Guardian. Taze had been trained to not show emotions when protecting the pride. Dropping your guard and showing compassion for anyone during a battle made you vulnerable.
“We need to talk,” he blurted. “We need to talk about a lot of things.”
“Taze,” she said with a heavy warning.
“What?” he growled, feeling his panther pushing at his skin. The animal already knew she was his, and with that, his mating scent released. He knew the moment she scented him, because her own scent amplified and he could taste her desire on his own tongue. “You can’t deny it, Calla.”
“I can, and I will.” She was so damn stubborn…always had been. “You really don’t want to tackle the mess that I am, Taze.”
“It’s not a matter of you being a mess,” he sighed and relaxed his shoulders. “The idea of being a mate scares the living shit out of me, but for you, Calla, I’m willing to do anything to help you. I don’t know everything that’s going through your head, because you won’t talk to me. Let me help you.”
“I don’t want a mate,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest after running her fingers through a few tangles in her hair.
“Then let me be your friend,” he offered. His sixth sense was on alert. She wasn’t telling him everything, but somehow, he knew whatever it was would be life shattering. “Talk to me.”
“You know damn well I can’t talk to you,” she scoffed. “I’ve already told you that we can’t be around each other. Do you not remember that talk we had the day I walked out of the training facility?”
Taze remembered that day, and he hated it. The scene played out through his mind at least once a day. He’d never been so angry in his life.
“Taze, you and I both know I won’t be able to touch you soon,” she’d said, standing strong. “It’s best if we just go our separate ways. I’ve started online classes, and I want to get my law degree. I accepted a job offer at a human law firm as a receptionist this afternoon.”
“What?” he’d snarled. “You are an amazing fighter, Calla. Why are you quitting?”
“I’m not quitting,” she’d huffed. “I’m being realistic. After my birthday, no male is going to want to train me, and I need to find a job outside of the pride. My brother…he is an issue. Things aren’t good with him when you are around. I can’t defend him to you, and I can’t defend you to him. It puts me in the middle. So, I’m walking away before it’s too late. I’m sorry…I must leave.”
“Calla, no,” he’d yelled as she walked out of the training facility, tossing her gym bag over her shoulder for the last time.
That night, he and Malaki had squared up, and they’d beaten each other to a bloody pulp out in the woods. No one heard them. No one saw the damage they’d done to each other, and they’d gone to their separate rooms in the dorms to sleep it off. By morning, they were healed and kept away from each other.
“It’s obvious your brother is still ruining your life,” he growled. “Why do you let him do this to you?”
“I really don’t know,” she said softly and walked away to take a seat at her little kitchen table. “It’s you, Taze. Everything is fine with him when you aren’t around.”
“He hates me