Taze (Rise of the Pride #11) - Theresa Hissong Page 0,71
wanted to take his mate into the woods as soon as possible to run alongside her in their shifted forms.
“You should grab some food,” he advised her as she approached. He cupped her face and pressed his lips to hers, inhaling her scent.
“You need food, too,” she frowned. “Have a meal with me?”
“Of course,” he replied, but the rumbling growl coming from behind him stopped anything else he had to say.
Chapter Eighteen
“What the fuck?” Calla jerked at the sound of her brother’s voice. She slowly stepped around her mate and narrowed her eyes as Malaki marched toward her. “So, he touched you?”
“No, Mal,” she sighed, so tired of his anger. “I touched him. It was time.”
Malaki watched as Taze came to her side. She was thankful her mate didn’t wrap his arm around her shoulders or hold her hand. It was time she did it on her own, and even as the other Guardians and Protectors gathered around them, she didn’t care who heard her.
“Before you yell and scream, I want you to know that I refuse to talk to you until you and my mate can become friends,” she stated, walking toward her brother. “We went through a lot, but that time is over, Mal. It’s been long enough. You and I have to let go of what happened and live our lives before it’s too late. This fighting has to stop.”
“You know how I feel,” he said through gritted teeth. She wasn’t worried about Taze’s safety because Malaki hadn’t taken his eyes off of her. If he intended to attack, he would’ve already zeroed in on her mate.
“I do know how you feel, but you need to understand this.” She paused to walk up to him. He finally relaxed when she took his hands and squeezed them tightly. “I love him, Mal. He completes me. With Taze, I feel free for the first time in six years. Please, please understand that we have to let what happened go. I have. I can’t thank you enough for the things you’ve done for me, especially during our captivity. You did everything you could do, and I don’t blame you for anything that happened to me.”
A tear built at the corner of his eye, and he heaved in a ragged breath as the first one fell over his lashes. “I have nightmares about what they did. I see it over and over in my head, and I don’t know how to stop it. What they did to you…I just…”
“You have to get past it, Mal,” she pressed. “Come with me to therapy? Come talk to someone about this. I don’t know how else to help you.”
Malaki shook his head and brought their conjoined hands to his lips as he kissed the back of her hand. “I don’t know if I will ever forget the things I saw. I am so fucking happy you’ve found a way to get through it, and if he makes you happy, then that’s all I want. It’s all that mom and dad would’ve wanted, too.”
“What about you, Mal?” she asked, feeling like her brother was slipping away.
“I don’t know what the future holds for me,” he admitted. “You need to stop worrying about it and live your life to the fullest. You deserve the world, Calla. You truly do.”
“So, do you,” she cried as he dropped her hands and backed away. “Mal? Mal, where are you going?”
She watched as he turned toward Taze, his eyes still wet with tears. “Take care of her.”
“I will give her the life she deserves,” Taze replied and came to her side, wrapping his arms around her body.
“I need some time, Calla,” Malaki stated as he started to walk away.
She watched as the Guardians relaxed and moved out of the way so her brother could leave the area. There was so much he needed to work through, and she hoped he would join her during the therapy sessions.
“Mal,” she cried when he disappeared down the road to his cabin. Turning into Taze’s chest, she knew it wasn’t going to be that easy. “I have a feeling he will be gone by morning.”
Talon got word of their mating and gave Taze the next few nights off of work. He thanked his leader and took Calla home to gather some of her things before finally tucking her into their mated bed. Seeing her upset made Taze upset, but he couldn’t just leave her to go knock some damn sense into her brother. Although,