Mating Brand
Page 46
“I already ate a rabbit.” He wore sweats and nothing else. “I was feeling a little raw after all that fighting. That’s a joke. You’re supposed to laugh.”
“I like my meat cooked.”
“You don’t shift, right?”
She shook her head. “No.” She worried that Brand’s cousin might have wanted to get her alone to warn her off. It would be understandable if he wasn’t happy with his cousin’s choice of mate. It was a natural reaction to cross her arms over her chest to protect her belly and heart.
He noticed the gesture and both eyebrows rose. “Easy,” he rasped. “You can relax. I’m cool with kittens, remember?”
“Yes.” She fought her instincts and lowered her arms.
“Sorry about the pup. He was running off at the mouth but that’s a kid for you. They are pretty thoughtless at times. He didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“He didn’t.”
He just stared at her. He reminded her a lot of Brand and she could see the family resemblance. They had some of the same mannerisms and that look stated that he wasn’t buying it.
“Not much,” she admitted.
“Brand won’t give a shit if you birth him kittens or dolphins.” A lazy grin surfaced on Rave’s face. “He’s crazy about you.”
She hesitated. “What about the rest of the pack? Will any of our kids be in danger if we’re able to even have any?”
“Never.”
“How can you be sure?”
He chuckled. “Because we’re the Harris Pack. Nobody fucks with us and lives. You’re one of us now, Charma. You also won’t be the only one who has mixed kids. My oldest half-human brother mated a human and another one is mated to a quarter-puma. We’re sturdy stock.”
“I just want them to be healthy and happy.”
A beep sounded and he reached inside the pocket of his sweats and removed a cell phone. He touched the screen. “Sorry to be rude but I need to respond to this text.” His thumb tapped out a few words before he put it away. He glanced up at the ceiling, then back at Charma. “I had to tell her I’m alive. She was worried.”
“Your mate?”
He masked his expression. “Someone I’m spending my heat with. I’ll stay with you, though, until Brand comes in.”
“I’ll be fine. Go check on her. I take it that she’s upstairs?”
“Yeah.” Heat crept into his cheeks. “In my old bedroom. How embarrassing is that?”
“I don’t understand.”
“My parents never bothered to clear out the rooms and change them around. I still have all my teenage shit in there. I’d forgotten how many posters I had with nearly topless women straddling motorcycles until I walked her in there. Would you want Brand to see the room you grew up in?”
“Probably not. It’s all pink and frilly. That was my mom’s taste instead of mine. She was always decorating our rooms the way she wanted us to be.”
He cocked his head.
“I was kind of a tomboy.”
“Got it.” He swept the room with his gaze. “How is the food supply holding? There’s more in the freezer downstairs.”
“Most have eaten. It’s pretty dead right now.” She regretted the words. “I mean—”
“Don’t sweat it,” he interrupted. “We have a sense of humor. Luckily we only lost two of the pack. How are you holding up?”
“Good.”
He studied her shirt. “You fought?”
“One of your enforcers touched me and his hands were bloody.”
“Brand is going to kill him.”
“It wasn’t in a bad way. He kind of put me in a closet to keep me safe.”
His phone beeped again and he removed it, read the screen. He typed a response. “That’s good. We don’t need any more deaths today. Sorry. It’s my brother.”
“Braden?” She hoped he’d say yes.
“Yeah.”
“Ask him how my sister is.”
His head snapped up. “What?”
“He has my sister.”
“Why?”
She sighed, telling him the facts she knew. Rave appeared grim as he typed. He paused, reading the response. “She’s fine. Her ankle was twisted but that’s about it. She said to tell you hi and she’s okay.”
Charma resisted the urge to lunge and tear the phone out of his hands. “May I talk to her?”
“Hang on.” He texted something else and then the phone rang. He held it out. “Here you go.”
Her hands trembled as she accepted it. “Bree?”
“I’m okay. Are you okay?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Fear and worry raged at hearing her sister’s voice.
“I thought the pride was tracking you. Garrett said you ran away. Did he hurt you again?”
“No. It’s a long story. Are you hurt? Randy said his brother had you.”
Her sister paused. “He’s dead. Braden saved me.” Her voice lowered. “He’s a werewolf.”
“I know. He’s treating you okay?”
“Yeah. He packed my ankle with ice and we’re hanging out in a basement. He said you mated his cousin. How is that possible? Is he lying to me?”
“No.” Charma glanced at Rave. His gaze kept darting up at the ceiling. “Listen, now isn’t the time to talk all of this out. You stay with Braden and I’ll be there as soon as it’s safe.”
“Okay.”
“May I talk to him?”
“Sure. Love you.”
“I love you too,” Charma said and waited for Braden to take the phone.
“Yes?”
“Please protect my sister.”
“I will.”
“And, Braden?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t touch her. Do you hear me?”
“I do.”
“We’ll be there as soon as it’s safe to travel. Bye.” She hung up and handed the phone to Rave. “Thank you. I was really worried. He’ll keep her safe, won’t he?”
“Yeah.” He darted another glance at the ceiling.
“Go. I’m fine. You’re worried about the woman upstairs. That’s obvious.”
“I like my meat cooked.”
“You don’t shift, right?”
She shook her head. “No.” She worried that Brand’s cousin might have wanted to get her alone to warn her off. It would be understandable if he wasn’t happy with his cousin’s choice of mate. It was a natural reaction to cross her arms over her chest to protect her belly and heart.
He noticed the gesture and both eyebrows rose. “Easy,” he rasped. “You can relax. I’m cool with kittens, remember?”
“Yes.” She fought her instincts and lowered her arms.
“Sorry about the pup. He was running off at the mouth but that’s a kid for you. They are pretty thoughtless at times. He didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
“He didn’t.”
He just stared at her. He reminded her a lot of Brand and she could see the family resemblance. They had some of the same mannerisms and that look stated that he wasn’t buying it.
“Not much,” she admitted.
“Brand won’t give a shit if you birth him kittens or dolphins.” A lazy grin surfaced on Rave’s face. “He’s crazy about you.”
She hesitated. “What about the rest of the pack? Will any of our kids be in danger if we’re able to even have any?”
“Never.”
“How can you be sure?”
He chuckled. “Because we’re the Harris Pack. Nobody fucks with us and lives. You’re one of us now, Charma. You also won’t be the only one who has mixed kids. My oldest half-human brother mated a human and another one is mated to a quarter-puma. We’re sturdy stock.”
“I just want them to be healthy and happy.”
A beep sounded and he reached inside the pocket of his sweats and removed a cell phone. He touched the screen. “Sorry to be rude but I need to respond to this text.” His thumb tapped out a few words before he put it away. He glanced up at the ceiling, then back at Charma. “I had to tell her I’m alive. She was worried.”
“Your mate?”
He masked his expression. “Someone I’m spending my heat with. I’ll stay with you, though, until Brand comes in.”
“I’ll be fine. Go check on her. I take it that she’s upstairs?”
“Yeah.” Heat crept into his cheeks. “In my old bedroom. How embarrassing is that?”
“I don’t understand.”
“My parents never bothered to clear out the rooms and change them around. I still have all my teenage shit in there. I’d forgotten how many posters I had with nearly topless women straddling motorcycles until I walked her in there. Would you want Brand to see the room you grew up in?”
“Probably not. It’s all pink and frilly. That was my mom’s taste instead of mine. She was always decorating our rooms the way she wanted us to be.”
He cocked his head.
“I was kind of a tomboy.”
“Got it.” He swept the room with his gaze. “How is the food supply holding? There’s more in the freezer downstairs.”
“Most have eaten. It’s pretty dead right now.” She regretted the words. “I mean—”
“Don’t sweat it,” he interrupted. “We have a sense of humor. Luckily we only lost two of the pack. How are you holding up?”
“Good.”
He studied her shirt. “You fought?”
“One of your enforcers touched me and his hands were bloody.”
“Brand is going to kill him.”
“It wasn’t in a bad way. He kind of put me in a closet to keep me safe.”
His phone beeped again and he removed it, read the screen. He typed a response. “That’s good. We don’t need any more deaths today. Sorry. It’s my brother.”
“Braden?” She hoped he’d say yes.
“Yeah.”
“Ask him how my sister is.”
His head snapped up. “What?”
“He has my sister.”
“Why?”
She sighed, telling him the facts she knew. Rave appeared grim as he typed. He paused, reading the response. “She’s fine. Her ankle was twisted but that’s about it. She said to tell you hi and she’s okay.”
Charma resisted the urge to lunge and tear the phone out of his hands. “May I talk to her?”
“Hang on.” He texted something else and then the phone rang. He held it out. “Here you go.”
Her hands trembled as she accepted it. “Bree?”
“I’m okay. Are you okay?”
“What the hell are you doing here?” Fear and worry raged at hearing her sister’s voice.
“I thought the pride was tracking you. Garrett said you ran away. Did he hurt you again?”
“No. It’s a long story. Are you hurt? Randy said his brother had you.”
Her sister paused. “He’s dead. Braden saved me.” Her voice lowered. “He’s a werewolf.”
“I know. He’s treating you okay?”
“Yeah. He packed my ankle with ice and we’re hanging out in a basement. He said you mated his cousin. How is that possible? Is he lying to me?”
“No.” Charma glanced at Rave. His gaze kept darting up at the ceiling. “Listen, now isn’t the time to talk all of this out. You stay with Braden and I’ll be there as soon as it’s safe.”
“Okay.”
“May I talk to him?”
“Sure. Love you.”
“I love you too,” Charma said and waited for Braden to take the phone.
“Yes?”
“Please protect my sister.”
“I will.”
“And, Braden?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t touch her. Do you hear me?”
“I do.”
“We’ll be there as soon as it’s safe to travel. Bye.” She hung up and handed the phone to Rave. “Thank you. I was really worried. He’ll keep her safe, won’t he?”
“Yeah.” He darted another glance at the ceiling.
“Go. I’m fine. You’re worried about the woman upstairs. That’s obvious.”
