Page 16 of Guarded By the Bigfoot
“Liar.” Her voice was gentle but unflinching. I felt her concern.
Thorne and Draven exchanged knowing looks.
“The human’s right,” Thorne rumbled. “You’re pushing too hard, brother.”
“We don’t have a choice.” My claws dug into the control panel as I pulled up the calculations I’d been avoiding. The ones that showed exactly what sealing the fracture would cost. “The Veil is failing faster than we predicted.”
“Show me.” Parker’s hand covered mine where it gripped the crystal interface. The touch sent electricity through my arm, making the displays flicker and dance. “All of it. No more protecting me.”
For a moment, I considered refusing. But the determination in her eyes, the strength in her stance, she deserved the truth.
“To seal the fracture,” I said slowly, each word weighted with inevitability, “I’ll have to channel more power than I have ever attempted. Push beyond the limits of what’s possible.” The words scraped my throat like broken glass. “There’s a good chance I won’t survive it.”
The room went silent except for the hum of technology. Parker’s hand tightened on mine, her pulse racing where our skin touched. I could feel each frantic beat echoing through the connection between us, a desperate rhythm that matched the flickering of the crystal displays surrounding us.
“No.” The word was barely a whisper, but it held steel. “There has to be another way.” Her fingers dug into my skin, as if she could physically hold me back from what was coming.
“There isn’t.” I turned to face her, trying to ignore how my soul screamed at the anguish in her eyes. My chest ached with each wave of her pain washing through our connection. “Thorne’s pack can hold the northern boundary. Draven’s clan will guard the eastern approach. But someone has to close that fracture before the Dreadnull breaks through completely.” The truth of it settled like lead in my stomach. I was the only one with the Guardian power to even attempt this.
“And it has to be you?” Her voice cracked.
“Yes.” I caught her shoulders gently, my thumbs tracing circles on her skin. “My power is tied to the Veil in ways no one else is. I’m the only one who can generate enough energy to seal it.”
“By killing yourself?” She shoved at my chest, fury and fear warring in her expression.
One by one, the pack and clan leaders tactfully ended their communications, Thorne and Draven being the last to disconnect, leaving us alone with the pulsing screens and the weight of what had to be done.
“Parker.” Her name felt like a prayer on my tongue. “I have to try. If Dreadnull breaks through completely...”
“Then we’ll fight it together!” She was magnificent in her anger, all fierce protection and stubborn determination. Her eyes flashed with intensity, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “You don’t have to do this alone.”
“Yes, I do.” The words felt like thorns in my chest. “I won’t risk you. I can’t.”
“That’s not your choice to make!” She stepped closer, her hands fisting in my shirt. The tension between us burned with raw emotion. “You think I want to watch you sacrifice yourself? You think I can just stand by while you...”
The lights flickered around us, making the displays dim and sputter.
“I have to protect you,” I growled, my restraint slipping as my feelings for her overwhelmed me. “The thought of you anywhere near that kind of danger...”
“I’m going with you!” Her voice broke. “Who is going to protect you?”
The last threads of my restraint snapped. I pulled her against me, one hand tangling in her hair, as I claimed her mouth with mine. She made a soft sound of surprise that turned into a moan as she pressed closer, her fingers pulling at my fur.
9
PARKER
The kiss was desperate, hot and clumsy in the best way, as if we both knew the world was on fire and we wanted to burn with it. Brock’s hands gripped my hips like he was afraid I’d disappear, and mine were already tugging at his shirt, hungry for more. In one swift motion, he scooped me up, his hands cupping my ass, and carried me to the bedroom, our lips never parting.
He pulled me tighter and felt all of him. Muscle and heat and size making every rational thought flee. He was solid and overwhelming. A force of nature. A raw power that made him seem more than just a guardian. He was something wild and irresistible. And in that instant, he belonged to me.
We broke just long enough for him to pull my shirt over my head, his glowing eyes trailing down as if he was seeing me for the first time.
“You’re beautiful,” he said, voice rough and reverent.
I huffed, reaching for his belt. “Less talking. More undressing.”
He growled in agreement and we fumbled with buttons, fabric flying somewhere into the ether. I barely noticed as I peeled off his shirt, but the moment I looked up, my breath caught.
