Page 24 of Forbidden Daddy Mate

“Sure.” And I remembered some of what the vampires had said. It sounded almost familiar, as though they’d known Malcolm.

I hesitated, wondering if I should bring it up. “Those guys,” I said. “I got the impression they were targeting the Silver Wolves specifically. Do you know why?”

Malcolm’s eyes flashed with something like wariness. My heart thumped. He did know something, then.

Except he shook his head. “I’m not sure,” he said.

Any expectation and hope that he would open up to me evaporated. I thought about pressing. It was obvious he knew something and was keeping it from me for some reason. But I had never been great at confrontation. Even when I’d sensed something off about Tyr and wanted him to leave, I hadn’t told him to beat it or get lost. It had been even worse in my old pack. Running away like I had was the bravest thing I’d ever done, and the closest I’d ever gotten to standing up for myself. But even after that, I’d found it easier to go with the flow. So, sure, I wanted to know what was going on, wanted to know whatever Malcolm wasn’t telling me.

But I didn’t press. Maybe I should have.

His hand ran along the side of my arm, lingering there maybe a moment longer than it needed to.

I finally voiced the question I’d been too afraid to ask. “What would have happened if they’d managed to drag me away?”

“I would have hunted them down and gutted the lot of them,” he growled.

I gave a small smile. “If you failed, then.”

“That wouldn’t be an option,” he said. At my expression, he relented. “One of three things, most likely. First is that they would have killed you almost instantly. But they could have done that at the cabin, so I doubt that one. The second would have been that they would have…had their way with you, then killed you. Or three, they would have turned you into a thrall.”

A thrall. The first step to becoming a full vampire. And whoever turned a person into a thrall had almost complete control over them. I shivered.

“I don’t want that to happen,” I muttered, perhaps unnecessarily.

“I won’t let it,” he promised.

“Can you start teaching me?” I asked. “How to block out compulsion?”

He nodded. “Like I said, I’m not sure how well we’ll do without something to legitimately practice on. We’re not going to get the chance to see whether or not it’s working. But I can at least do my best.”

Malcolm led me to the couch, his hands electrifying my body where they touched. He sat me down, then crouched in front of me.

“I want you to picture a stone wall in your head,” he said. “You need to imagine it surrounding your entire mind. Focus only on the wall. If any other thoughts creep in, push them to the side. Block out any scents you can, too.”

That last part was a laugh because Malcolm’s scent surrounded me and was impossible to block out. Moreover, my wolf didn’t want to block it out. She wanted to get closer, not pull away. It was nearly impossible to block him out.

I focused, trying to build the wall stone by stone, imagining blocking everything out. At first, it felt nearly impossible. All I could think about was Malcolm in front of me. After a while, though, it started getting easier. I could see the wall forming. I held it there, focusing on it until my brain started to throb.

“I think I’ve got it,” I said.

“The hardest part is trying to keep it up while having to do other things,” he said. “Try to keep it up while I talk.”

But hearing his voice was enough to break it. The walls crumbled. I shook my head.

“You’re learning,” he said. “It’s a skill that takes a bit. And besides, hopefully, you won’t have to use it.”

I scowled at him, and he tilted his head in acknowledgment. “Fair. It helps also if you’re able to block out the scents,” he said. “They help with the compulsion.”

My mouth quirked upward. “So I should pinch my nose whenever I see a vampire?” I joked.

“Hey, there are worse ways,” he responded. He leaned forward. “I had to plug my nose with clothespins when I was learning.”

The thought of Malcolm with a clothespin clamped over his nostrils was too much. I started giggling, which turned into full peals of laughter. Malcolm grinned, chuckling along with me. He had a beautiful laugh, deep and rich, and his smile managed to make everything seem better.

That laughter lifted the cloud, even if only for a moment. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me close to him until I was surrounded by his smell. I leaned into him, nuzzling against his collarbone.

“It’s going to be all right,” he whispered.

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