Page 39 of The Bookseller and the Alpha
“But I’m not properly dressed.”Oh gods. Shit. Fuck.This was bad. Maybe I could keep my new coat on for the visit. It was classy. I couldn’t visit Luc’s parents just wearing leggings and a sweater. Sure the sweater was cashmere and it was a designer brand, but I’d purchased it at a charity shop so it was far from new. It was bad enough that I was going to meet the family of a Shifter who’d stated his Intent, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Oh no, not by far. His mother was the former fucking President. I could feel myself spiralling and I started frantically searching through my bag. “I didn’t put on any make-up.”
“Caly.” One large hand dropped onto mine, covering it and squeezing gently. “Breathe.”
“Just let me get some make-up on. It’s better than nothing.”
The car slowed and Luc pulled over to the side of the road. He captured my chin with his other hand, gently tilting my face until I could see him. A frown pulled his eyebrows together. “Relax, love, it’s okay. Truly. They will welcome you with open arms.”
“Um, I doubt it.” I could imagine the sort of women he usually associated with. Women with thin waists and legs up to my armpits. In designer dresses. I didn’t understand why he would want me.
But I was starting to relax, despite myself. A feeling of calm flowed into my chest, soothing the frantic beats of my heart. Luc’s thumbs were working magic. One was rubbing myback in gentle circles; the other gently wiping away a stray tear. “You’re perfect,” he said.
“That’s all fine for you to say,” I grumbled. “But this is not the first impression I’d have gone for if you’d told me. I would have at least worn something nicer… newer.” Still, I was no longer about to puke from anxiety. Another wave of calm descended on me, flowing from Luc’s fingers into my chest… almost as though it came from Luc.
Chapter 44
Luc
My mate sat across from me in the car. I could feel her distress through the beginning of our bond. Her heart rate had skyrocketed as soon as I had said that we were visiting my parents. She had huddled into herself, then started rummaging in her bag for makeup, muttering under her breath.
Outside, a strong gust of wind rocked the car. I reached out a hand, grasping for hers,needingto touch her before Beast went totally feral. It helped, but not enough. “Breathe,” I told her, sending reassurance through the bond, not sure if I was trying to soothe her or myself. Checking in the rear-view mirror, I made a snap decision and pulled the car off to the side of the road. I couldn’t drive in these conditions. Even if I could have concentrated on the road with Beast howling in my chest at the weight of Caly’s anxiety, the beautiful scent of her arousal buried under the sour tang of panic, we needed to take a break. Her power was reacting to her emotions. That gust of wind had not been natural. And once again she had no idea she was using magic. I suddenly couldn’t believe my own stupidity, that I had forgotten to call my dad and ask him how this could happen. Caly needed some advice and I couldn’t help her. But my dad could.
I killed the engine as she muttered about needing makeup.
Okay. So this was about appearance? I was confused. Caly was perfect for me in every way. Fucking gorgeous. I loved everything about her. The way her body fitted against mine and how I could tuck her chin into my chest. Her generous breasts, and her exquisite ass. Then it hit me. She didn’tbelieveit. She didn’t understand that she was the only woman I would ever look at from the moment I’d met her. I reached up and cupped her face with both hands.
I wanted to know who had made her doubt herself. Who had made this beautiful, intelligent and complex woman believe that she wasn’t enough? I locked down the anger, almost biting my tongue as I fought the impulse to demand names. To make them pay. Not now. She would misinterpret the anger. And I never wanted her to think I could be angry with her. Not my mate. She held my heart in her hands already. And her needs were more important than mine. I had time to find out what had made my mate so unsure of herself. Now, she needed me to help her with the anxiety that pulsed between us.
“Relax, love. You’re perfect.” Relying on Beast, I sent out another wave of soothing emotion towards her. Later, when we were fully bonded, we’d be able to help her without touch. She would be able to feel my emotions, as I would be able to feel hers. We’d be able to communicate mind to mind. But until then, this was the best we could do.
Chapter 45
Calypso
My shuddering breaths eased. With a gentle touch and a few words, Luc had taken the anxiety away. After he restarted the car, he turned on some soothing music and although he’d taken his hands off my face so he could drive, he kept touching me regularly, brief touches on my wrist or my thigh. And I didn’t spiral again. Somehow he was keeping me grounded with those little touches. With his words. “You’re perfect,” he’d said. I committed the warm tone of his voice to memory.
But when Luc turned the car into a tree-lined driveway, even his Alpha voodoo couldn’t stop my nerves beginning to flutter again. I tried to give myself a pep talk. I could do this. He wasn’t bringing me to meet his parents, not inthatway. I was only here because we need his dad’s help in decoding the journal. That was all. I could fly under the radar and everything would be fine.
When he pulled the car to a stop, I looked around in surprise. This was not the sort of house I expected the former President to live in. I expected a grand mansion with a whole pile of bedrooms, a pool and a tennis court. If not more. Instead, I saw a cute timber cottage with a wraparound porch and an attached garage. It was small and at least one hundred years old.While it had been lovingly maintained, there was nothing flashy about it at all.
“Your parents live here?” My voice betrayed my doubt.
Luc’s lips tipped up in a smile as if he could read my mind. “They lived in the Palace because it came with the job, but it wasn’t the lifestyle they wanted for themselves. As soon as mum stepped down, they moved here.” One of his large hands moved to cover mine and he squeezed it gently. “Trust me?”
Swallowing, I nodded. It was true. I did trust him.
I barely blinked and Luc was out of the car, moving at Shifter speed around the hood to open my door. As he helped me out, I looked towards the house, seeing an older man waiting on the porch. His hair was threaded with grey but there could be no doubt that he was Luc’s father. They shared the same nose and chin, the same build. Before I knew what was happening, Luc threaded his hand into mine and was tugging me forwards.
I moved forward automatically, still processing what I could see in front of me.
My steps faltered. Luc’s dad shared Luc’s height and he was clearly a strong man, despite his age. And Irecognisedhim. I had seen photos of him on every copy ofIntroduction to MagicI had ever sold. This was Simon Renfrew. The world’s foremost authority on magic and a retired Professor at the Witch College. No wonder his dad was going to be able to help with the journal.
Luc hadn’t shared anything about his parents. I knew who his mother was, because it had been national news when his brother followed their mother’s steps into politics. And Luc had told me that Bastien Bowden was his brother. In Shifter tradition, they had their mother’s surname. But otherwise, the topic hadn’t come up. And I’d never seen photos of Luc’s parents together. During his mother’s Presidency, she only ever faced the press alone. Shifter news stations wouldn’t print personal stories about the President without permission, because theyunderstood and respected Shifter rules. Non-Shifter media respected that a breach of a Shifter’s privacy could lead to being disembowelled with six-inch-long claws. Which was a pretty big disincentive. So Shifter public figures had much more privacy than humans. Paparazzi didn’t follow them around. But that wasn’t the only reason my head was spinning. Simon took an eager step forward, the movement lacking the fluidity and grace that characterised his son’s movement. Holy shit.Holy fucking shit. Luc’s dad was absolutely, totally, one hundred percent human. I mean, he had to be. Shifters couldn’t cast magic. Shifters were inherently magical creatures. Their magic gave them speed, strength, regeneration and the ability to shift. Obviously. But they couldn’tcastmagic. Only humans had that type of magical power.
Luc’s mother had been the Council President as the Shifter party representative for three terms and her mate was a human mage.
Altogether, this information was a revelation. It was as though my whole world had tilted. The butterflies in my stomach were turning cartwheels of joy. Sudden hope was a jolt to my system. The doubts I’d harboured about Luc’s intentions started to fade. I mean, yes, there was still the shock that he wantedme, but the fact that I was human—maybe it wasn’t the problem I’d thought it was.
I stopped moving. Even as I tugged on Luc’s hand, he was already turning to face me, keeping himself between me and his father. He didn’t know what the problem was but as his father was the only other person around, his instincts told him to protect me. I wasn’t sure he even knew he was doing it. Instinctively keeping himself between me and any potential threat. The butterflies in my stomach danced with joy.
