Page 46 of The Bookseller and the Alpha
I’d made it as far as the front of the vehicle when hard hands grabbed me around the waist. Oh fuck. I had been so focussed on getting to Luc that I had forgotten to check for threats or even think about why this was happening. Stupid. Elie wouldn’t have made this sort of mistake, but then no-one had ever trained me the way she’d been trained.
Panic made me wild. My scrambled brains finally worked out that this was another abduction attempt. I screamed. I wasn’t proud of it, because no-one likes a screamer, but give me a break. Then I stomped on his foot as hard as I could and slammed my head back into his.
“You bitch,” a guttural voice said as the hands loosened enough for me to twist out of his grasp. That’s right asshole. I haven’t used my magic all my life, so I’ve had to do things the human way, and self-defence classes are a thing.
I ran across the garage, heedless of my injured ankle, without looking back to see if I was being chased. I had to get away… get help. I couldn’t help Luc if they took me. I couldhear heavy footsteps behind me,rightbehind me, and I changed course, zigzagging away. My breaths sawed in and out as I put on a fresh burst of speed. Fingers brushed against my hair.
Fuck. I turned towards the elevator. Maybe I could get to the lobby of my building. But there was already another goon in front of me, cutting off that exit.
Panic was making it hard to concentrate… to plan. My thighs burned and I wanted to throw up. Get it together Caly. No elevator. Frantic, I searched the space for another way out, still zigzagging as I ran. I couldn’t play hide and seek behind cars for long. Going back to the ramp and the entrance wasn’t an option. A black SUV idled there. I wouldn’t get past the vehicle.
Duck. Dodge. Whoops. I almost collided with a parked car as I tried to avoid my pursuer. His breaths were loud and he’d long since stopped calling me names. Ha. Maybe I was wearing him out. I never thought I’d be so glad for my weekly sessions in the gym.
My gaze snagged on a red sign. It took a moment for my brain to process what it said. Fire exit. Yes! If I could take the stairs to the lobby and reach my building the security guard could call the police.
Hold on Luc. I’m going to get help.
As if in reply, a roar emanated from behind me. It reverberated and echoed until the whole parking garage shook with the sound. I stumbled and clapped my hands over my ears. I whipped my head around… to see Luc’s carslidethree feet across the concrete, then rise from the ground. My eyes followed it as it flew into the air towards the idling SUV. The driver didn’t have a chance of getting out of the way in time. A tonne of crumpled sports car slammed into the side of the other vehicle, pushing it into the concrete wall.
Holy crap.
Footsteps behind me. My heart lurched. I’d forgotten about the man chasing me and I’d stumbled to a stop as I watched a car get thrown across a parking garage. My shoulders tensed, anticipating a heavy hand grabbing me. Then the man ran straight past me. He was running… away. So was his buddy who’d been blocking the elevator. They stopped at the crushed SUV briefly then took off, up the ramp and out of sight.
Oh okay then.
My heart was still hammering in my chest, and my lungs heaved. My brain felt like treacle. I was still trying to catch up. Luc. Luc had been under his fancy sports car. That car was now on the other side of the garage, pinned against the concrete wall. Another thought dripped like honey. Cars don’t send themselves flying through the air.
Luc. Oh thank the gods. Luc was up and from the sounds of it, he was pissed. Another guttural roar shook the garage. Yes, he sounded super pissed. But also, very, very large. Some small part of me didn’t want to turn around. The part that had been safe and comfortable before this week; when the only thing I had to worry about was whether the heater in the shop was going to break down before the end of winter. If I turned around now my life was going to change forever.
But fuck that. It was time to accept that I had always wanted more. I had always wanted my magic to come in and I had always, always, had a thing for Shifters. You gotta be careful what you wish for Caly. It’s time to be a big girl. I stiffened my shoulders and stood straight. You want to let a Shifter court you; you gotta accept his Beast side.
I turned.
Luc was gone. Beast had entered the building. He was fully eight feet tall. Luc’s shirt had lost all its buttons, gaping open along his torso and his elegant suit jacket lay in tatters on his shoulders. His ridiculously broad shoulders. His skin was amottled silver grey and he was almost naked below the waist, his suit pants split along the zipper and seams as they struggled to accommodate thighs as thick as tree trunks. My eyes moved downward. Honestly, I tried not to look and I averted my eyes as quickly as I could. I mean it’s not my fault. I couldn’t avoid getting an eyeful of the enormous bulge at his groin. I felt a hot flush all over my body. I’m pretty sure that sex with him in Beast form would be an impossibility.
I looked at the rest of his body. My gaze dropped lower and I stopped salivating when it hit me that he was hurt. Badly. Way to go Caly. Too busy drooling to see that the object of your lust wasn’t chasing the bad guy because he was too injured to do so. His left leg was a mangled mess, bent at an unnatural angle. I could see bone. I winced. He wasn’t putting any weight on that leg. My eyes moved back up. There was a piece of metal protruding from his side. Blood dripped from around the metal and from his thigh. I swallowed, bile threatening.
I scrambled to kick my brain back into gear. First aid. I couldn’t afford to panic now. Luc had saved my life. He was injured. I needed to use my brain. I could spiral later. Fuck off anxiety. I tried to remember what I’d been taught. It was like fighting through cotton wool. But gradually I fought my way out of it. Clarity returned. Pressure on the wound. I could do that.
But first I needed him to calm the fuck down. The roaring had subsided to a deep rumble as my would-be abductors ran. What the heck do you say to your sort-of-maybe mate when he’s in Beast form?
Luc turned to me. His eyes, intensely blue against his grey skin, locked onto me like I was a target. His fists were clenched, the muscles in his arms bunching. And he was still growling, although the volume and tone had dropped to a deep rumble. Was that a good rumble or bad rumble? I couldn’t tell. His heavy brows were drawn into a scowl, but for all I know hejust had Resting Beast Face. Shit. I really didn’t know as much about Shifters as I thought I did.
I took several steps to the left. His eyes followed. Right. Definitely a target. His gaze was predatory, primal. Was Beast too far gone to know that I was his mate? I swallowed. Time to find out what a mate bond would do.
“Hi Luc, it’s me, Caly.” I started walking forward slowly and deliberately, my hands out and open at my sides so that he could see I had no weapon. “I think it’s safe now, big guy. You can stand down.” I didn’t know if my message was getting through, but I was getting a response. The frown eased, his fists unclenching, and he sniffed the air.
“Yes, it’s me. Your mate.”
“Mate,” he rumbled in reply. Okay so he was processing my words. That was a plus. My pulse was still too fast and I was trying hard not to go into a full-blown anxiety attack. I was still trying to wrap my head around the whole “mate” thing and the fact that my mate turned into an ogre was a surprise, to say the least. No wonder his whole family kept their lineage secret. What would humans say if they knew that there were Shifters who could transform into ogres? Maybe later I’d be able to laugh about it, but not yet. The intensity of emotions that I’d been feeling since I’d met Luc was like being on a giant rollercoaster with no end in sight. But I needed to swallow down that panic. Luc needed my help to get back in control. His Beast was hurting and we’d been attacked. And although the security guard in my building lobby was a Shifter, I didn’t know if Luc had kept his Beast form just hidden from me, or if he was also hiding from his own people. I couldn’t take the risk. I needed to get him out of this form.
I kept walking towards him, my pace slow and steady, and with each step, he relaxed a little more. He let me get within touching distance and I reached out a hand to his chest,keeping my eyes on his. He flinched, ever so slightly and his eyes softened. His pointed ears flicked down. I didn’t have any experience with Beast’s expressions, but I thought he was unsure. Sad even. As if he doubted me. Did he think I wouldn’t want him? Was afraid of him?
I mean, yes, he was a scary motherfucker. Eight foot tall and able to throw a car across a parking garage, with a roar that could give a lion a run for its money.
But he wasmyscary motherfucker and he was hurt. His leg had been ripped to shreds badly enough that he hadn’t chased my would-be abductors. I had no doubt that if he’d had the use of his injured leg those men would be dead.
“Hey there.” I rubbed the smooth skin of his chest. I could feel the steady thump of his heart and something else… a slight vibration under my fingers.Oh. My heart did a funny little flip. He wasn’t growling. He was purring. For me. “You did great, big guy.”
