Page 10 of Tucker's Strike

“Can I please have my things?” Lake asks, her eyes glued to Justice’s truck.

I look at her, then to the truck, and think about how she asked to bring her night-light with her. The scent on it had to belong to Callum and his brothers. It’s the only thing of hers that really had the scent on it. With how attached she is to it the damn thing, I’m guessing one of them, probably her dad, gave it to her.

“VP, can you grab the night-light?” I ask, meeting his gaze.

“You talking about that lamp?”

“Yeah.” I nod.

Justice’s gaze sharpens for a moment before nodding. “I’ll get it and meet y’all inside. Corbin’s already inside with Karsyn.”

“Great.” This is going to be interesting, and I’m honestly not looking forward to it. I’m not ready for questions I don’t even have answers to. For that matter, to share the vision of Lake. To let even more know just what she is.

At the house, before I called Justice to bring his truck for me, I felt the change in the air. It was different. Since Karsyn placed a protection spell on all of Redwich, I hadn’t felt anything like it. Something dark had entered the town lines. There was no identifying it as you could if it were a blood witch or vampire. Those I knew instantly.

“Come on, little Fae, let’s get you inside.” I shift her closer to me. “My VP will bring the light inside. We’ll put it in my room after you meet my Prez.”

“I’m not staying in your room,” Lake protests, jerking from my side. “I don’t even know you and you think I’m going to sleep with you? What do I have whore stamped to my head?”

“Lake, you’re my fuckin’ mate, you ain’t sleeping in any other room. And I didn’t call you a whore, nor did I think it.” For a woman who was raised by shifters, she doesn’t know much about us. Then again, they hadn’t told her about what she was. They’d hidden as much as they could about her from her. It’s all I can do to keep my shit together, to keep my tiger from coming forward. Since seeing her the first time, I’ve been fighting to keep him at bay. He doesn’t like her upset. Nor does he like the thought of anyone near her without our mark or scent on her.

Taking a deep breath, I reach out and take her hand. “You got a lot to learn, woman. The only way you’re gonna learn it is if you trust me. I’m not going to treat you like a whore. We don’t do that to our mates. Fated or chosen. We got a woman, they’re treated like gold here at the clubhouse. As for sleeping in my room, that’s exactly where you’re sleeping.”

Lake opens her mouth to protest, but I stop her with a shake of my head.

“You might have been raised by shifters, but you don’t seem to know a damn thing about us. We respect our mates. Protect them. You might not like it, but oh fuckin’ well. You’re gonna bewhere I know you can be safe. I can’t do that if I don’t have you near. For my tiger’s sake and my sanity, you’re gonna do this.”

Lake gets an expression on her face I can’t decipher, and not sure I want to. ‘Cause either way, it affects me in ways I’ve got to fight to get inside her at the first chance possible.

“Thought y’all were heading inside,” Justice grunts, making it back to us before we ever get close to the door.

“Just having a chat before we get inside,” I tell him and see the lamp in his hands. The way he’s holding it, respecting the fact it’s special to Lake, proves he doesn’t have anything against her.

“Right,” he says. He looks at Lake and stretches his hand out in her direction. “Here.”

“Thank you,” Lake whispers taking the night-light and pulling it to her chest. “I appreciate you bringing it in the truck so nothing happened to it.”

Justice looks taken back by her gratitude, like he wasn’t expecting it. I definitely didn’t. Not with her voice filled with such emotion regarding the damn lamp. It also makes me wonder if there’s something else to the damn thing than just it being a night-light. More than just her need to keep what little she had left of those who were her family.

“Come on, little Fae. Time to get inside,” I tell her, guiding her to the door. My VP comes up behind us, surprising me further.

“You’re welcome,” he says to Lake’s back.

I pull the door open and ask Justice over my shoulder, “Abel and the others leave yet?”

I didn’t pay attention to see if his and Dane’s bikes were parked out front. Salem and Jaxson were going to be in the cargo van while Dane and Abel took point front and back.

“Karsyn told Dane to wait. Asked Corbin to call Orpheus and tell him to delay. He agreed because he felt what we all felt.”

“The shift in the air?” I ask, cocking a brow at him over my shoulder.

“Yeah, Karsyn said whatever it was, it was powerful enough to not only break through the spell on the town lines, but take it down completely,” he explains.

Lake’s body grows tense at the intel, and her feet come to a halt just inside the clubhouse.

“If that’s true, then they’re closer than I thought,” she whispers before yanking herself from my side once again and spins to go back the way we came. “I have to get out of here. Before it’s too late.”

“Lake, you’re not going anywhere,” I tell her, snagging her around the waist. “Even if you were, it is too late.”

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