eyes were throwing amber sparks when hers did the same thing in return. They were both fighting their need for each other.
“I can’t say,” she replied. “Just know that it wasn’t for any bad reasons. I just needed some time alone.”
“You can’t or won’t say?” he pressed.
“Won’t.” she replied.
He nodded and still couldn’t figure out what had happened. His eyes raked over her body, making sure she was telling him the truth. His eyes lingered on her exposed skin, looking for any damage, but there wasn’t a flaw to be found.
She was perfect. She’d always been perfect.
“My panther is not in a good headspace for you to be so close to me right now, Calla,” he admitted as he felt a push from the beast. “Your mating scent is heavy.”
Her eyes widened with fear, but she quickly righted her features when he took a step toward her. He paused when she took a step back. “Why did my words just put fear in your eyes?”
“I’m not ready,” she blurted.
“I know that,” he scowled. “You know I’d never hurt you, right? I’d never raise a hand to you in anger.”
“I know, Taze,” she admitted as her shoulders relaxed.
“Your brother and I talked,” he added, holding out a hand toward her kitchen table. “Can we sit and talk?”
Calla walked over and took a seat, crossing her legs and resting her forearms on the top of the table. “What did you two talk about?”
“You, and our hatred of each other,” Taze explained with a violent curse. “There is something you and your brother are keeping secret from me…the pride. It’s obvious that it’s huge, and it’s killing me imagining what that could be. I can’t sleep during the day, and my temper is getting harder to control when I’m fighting Gadaí.”
“Are you two still fighting?” she asked.
“We’ve come to an impasse,” he shrugged. “We understand that our fighting is hurting you, and because we care for you, we’ve called a truce.”
Taze didn’t go into the ass chewing he got from the healer. It was a hard pill to swallow when it came down to it, but his care for her was worth more than the differences between him and Malaki.
“Thank the gods,” she whispered, releasing a heavy sigh.
“Have you shifted at all since you were gone?” he asked, changing the subject. Now that she was home, safe and sound, he was going to do everything in his power to help her heal. The panic attacks were bad. He’d never seen anything like it.
“No,” she replied with a shake of her head. With his question, her eyes sparked amber again, and he knew her beast was just under her skin, listening to his every word.
“I was going to run this morning,” he said. “Would you like to go with me?”
She hesitated for a moment, mulling over the idea of getting out of the house. He didn’t have to wait for her answer, because her eyes had completely changed over. “Yes, I would like that.”
“I’ll meet you outside.” Taze left her to undress, giving her privacy. It wasn’t a matter of being embarrassed about being naked in front of each other, it was his way of showing her the respect she deserved.
Outside, he stripped and shifted as he watched her front door. The panther nudged the door open and bit into the door knob to pull it closed.
When the female approached him, he took a step back, giving her the lead in their morning run. The female panther glanced at the woods and back at him before lazily walking across the backyard to the alpha’s home. Once she reached the trailhead, the panther picked up speed and eventually took off at a dead run like it’d been trying to get out of its human skin for a very long time.
Agent Murdock wrapped his arms around his woman. He’d done a lot of things to make sure her brother left him with the female when he returned to Somalia.
“When are we going to do it?” she hummed, pressing her ass into his hardened cock. “I’m ready now.”
She was always ready, but he would make her wait. He had plans for her, and giving in to her wasn’t one of them. The beautiful female was quite demanding, and eventually, she’d make the perfect bride.
“It’s not time,” he replied. “I’m still getting things in order.”
“I’m not legal to stay here until we do this,” she reminded him. Of course, she would bring that up.
“Don’t worry about a thing,”