Page 11 of Briggs
“Absolutely. I think I know exactly who to ask to join us too.”
“All right. I’d like it if you joined us. We don’t run for long. John has only been shifting for about a year, and it still tires him out.” I sighed. “You realize that although my brother and sister are currently staying with Alpha Babak and his mate, they’re supposed to be staying with me, right? John especially wants to come live with me.”
Briggs offered a smile. “It’s all right,” he said. “I have no issues with your siblings living with us. It’ll be a bit different, and we’ll have to make sure certain things only happen at certain times and places, but we’re not there yet. Let’s not worry about any of that until we get there, okay? Right now, I’m just interested in getting to know you and having you become comfortable around me.”
I smiled. How was he so understanding already? “I’m not…you don’t have to treat me like I’m going to run from you because I’m a timid virgin, Briggs. Although I appreciate the fact that you’re being so open and willing to take things slow.” I shook my head. “There are a few things that I want you to know about me and be aware of before we…you know.”
Briggs chuckled. “I assume you are referring to claiming each other?”
I nodded, then shook my head. “Yeah. No…yes, but not just that. Even just sex. Although I would assume that we will claim each other the first time we have sex. But you need to know some things about me before we can do that.”
Briggs nodded. “Did you want to discuss that now, or would you like to wait until later?”
I winced. “I would love to go off and talk about all the things now, but the clinic is going to reopen soon, and I know Dr. King has an appointment right after lunch. I should probably get back to work. Can we talk about it after the run and when we drop John back off at Alpha Babak’s house?”
“We can do whatever it is that you need, Todd.” Briggs reached out, and I was much quicker this time to take his hand. “I’ll see you later. Did you want me to pick you up here, or would you like to meet somewhere else?”
I nodded. “Here’s fine. The clinic closes at four thirty. Does that work for you?”
Briggs nodded. “It does. I’ll see you then.” Briggs stood but didn’t leave just yet. “I’ll wait as long as you need me to, Todd. And don’t think your past, or mine, is going to get in the way because it won’t.”
Briggs offered a smile before he turned and left. What did he mean by that last comment though? Had Briggs been kidnapped as well? It was something I’d have to ask him about later. Right now, I needed to try and focus on getting through the next few hours before I would see the sexy alpha again.
Chapter 5
Briggs
Wow. Todd was…adorable. I had no other words to describe my mate. Everything was still sinking in. I had been gifted a mate. That was…unexpected, but I wasn’t complaining. The doctor at the clinic seemed really protective of my mate, which I kept telling my wolf was a good thing, but he wasn’t wanting to listen. He only saw the doctor as competition for our unclaimed mate’s attention. Thankfully, I had control over my wolf, and he backed down when his initial reaction was to attack the warlock for being near our mate.
But all of that aside, I couldn’t stop thinking about the blue-eyed, adorable cheetah shifter. When I had first heard his name, I’d been sure it was just a coincidence that my mate happened to be the same Todd we were on assignment for in a roundabout way. Only, it wasn’t. My mate was the same Todd who was still missing his baby sister.
I had things to do, and now that my plans and, well, life had changed, I knew I’d be making a trip down to Timber Valley todo some shopping. But first, I needed some advice, and I knew where to go.
Everyone in the council knew that we could all go to any of the created ones or their mates when it came to asking for advice of a personal nature. Basically, when we had questions about mates, go to them. It was what they were all there for, in part, and they’d all been doing it a very long time. With the exception of Master Ambrosius, that was. He’d somehow not received his beloved until recently. Not that he and his dragon alpha couldn’t answer questions. I was sure they could. But for this, I was going to Master Edison and his tiger shifter One. That was, if I could locate the created warlock.
Since I carried my badge with me at all times while on the mountaintop, I didn’t have to go home to retrieve it. That was something I was thankful for at the moment. Not that I was short on time. I had hours before I would need to be back to meet Todd for our run.
I swiped my badge on the keypad, and when the door clicked, I entered. Slater gave me a confused look, which caused me to chuckle.
“Trust me, I get it. I just left.” I handed him my badge, and after he scanned it, he handed it back.
“Yeah. Did you forget something?”
“No. But something came up. Can you tell me if Master Edison is in the building?”
Slater pushed a few keys on his keyboard and nodded. “It doesn’t show him as having left, so I’d say yes.”
“Perfect. I’ll start with his office. If he’s not there, hopefully someone there can tell me where he is.”
“Good luck. I’m not sure just how much he’s actually in his office.”
I waved as I walked away. I had to agree. It wasn’t as if any of the created ones were often in their offices. They spent themajority of their days in meetings, going over new information as it came into the council’s database. There were anonymous reports that came from packs, prides, dens, clowders, all of them. By now, word had gotten out that a governing council had been formed, and the council and its enforcers were on hand to take care of less-than-ethical paranormals.
I heard talking as I approached Master Edison’s office, but when I stepped into the doorway, it wasn’t the created warlock who was there. Instead, it was Alistair, who was talking to his grandfather, Wallace.
“What can we do for you, Briggs?” Alistair asked.
“I was looking for Master Edison, but maybe you might be a better choice. Can I ask you for some advice of a personal nature?” That had Alistair’s attention.
