Page 98 of Due North

“Don’t.” My voice cracks. Fuck.

Her bottom lip quivers, and my heart pounds in my chest. There’s no way to protect her from this, but I want to try. She pushes against my chest again as she says, “I have to see. I had no choice, Paxton, but this has to be recorded, and I’ll need all of the details.”

As much as it pains me, I know I owe it to her to respect that she has a job to do. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let her go, though. I take her by the hips to turn her away from me but pull her back against my chest, cradling her in my arms. We couldn’t get any closer without me crawling under her skin.

I hate that I can’t see her face when I hear her sharp inhale as she takes it all in.

“At least it’s over,” Dominic says gruffly, coming to join us.

“Yeah,” Tasha whispers, her voice wobbling uncertainly. “It’s finally over.”

* * *

Tess leaps out of the front seat to come around and help Tasha out of the back the moment we park on Anchorage Lake Pack ground. I follow her out of the SUV, plastering myself to her back even as Tess tries to loop an arm through hers. I refuse to be any farther away from her than this. Not after almost losing her.

“I texted Al so he’s waiting for you in the pack hospital. He wants to check you over and make sure the power you used didn’t injure you in some way.” Tess keeps her hands on Tasha’s arms but pulls back just enough to study her face.

“No.” Tasha brushes her off gently. “I’m okay, Tess. Just exhausted. All I really want is to lie down in the closest thing I have to my own bed.” She laughs bitterly. It’s been too long since she’s had a proper home. I can only imagine how unsettled that makes her feel. I thrived in that sort of environment for a long time, but she wasn’t built for it. She likes having roots.

Tess starts to argue, but Callum appears and nudges her aside. I greet him with a warning growl that doesn’t deter him at all.People used to be afraid of us on sight,my wolf snipes.

Callum half-hugs Tasha before taking a healthy step back that makes me feel marginally better. Still, I don’t like him so close when Tasha wears only the shirt I gave her off my back. “I heard what happened. I’m so glad you’re okay. I was worried…” Callum trails off. None of us wants to put a voice to how easily things could have turned out very differently. “You’re a hero, Tasha.”

Her head jerks.

I need space, she whimpers in a pleading tone to me across mind link.

“Back off,” I ground out instantly. I move in between Tasha and everyone that’s gathered to see us home safe, moving her the opposite direction from the crowd. She goes easily, her entire body so tense I’m worried she might snap before I manage to get her some privacy.

“Come on, sweetheart. We can hole up in our room here as long as you want.” I ignore the silence that descends behind us as Tasha moves slowly up the pack house stairs. I know they’re all itching to talk more about what happened. I know that they want to celebrate Tasha for ending things and protecting them.

But that isn’t what she needs right now.

She needs me. She only needs me.My wolf teeters dangerously on edge. I nearly lost her right in front of my eyes. When those guns started going off, the anguish that flooded my body was unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my life. It threw me off deeply enough that I couldn’t quickly react when Dimitri and Tess restrained me.

I know everyone was trying to give her space to make the decision, but it was a mistake. I should have been by her side at that moment. I’ll never leave her side again. Next time, I’ll kill anyone who tries to separate us. In fact, wherever we live next, I’m taking all of the damn doors off inside the house. I don’t want her out of my sight ever again.

“Are you okay?” Tasha asks me softly.

I glance down at her to realize I’m strangling her hand with my grip. I didn’t even realize I had grabbed her hand. I loosen my grip and dip my head. “Sorry,” I mutter.

“Don’t be,” she says quietly as we climb the stairs to the room we’re temporarily calling home in the pack house. “And don’t let go.” She grips me tighter like she needs a lifeline, and I’m more than happy to be that for her. I almost lost her. I would happily never let her go again.

For tonight, I’m happy to take her to the room and hold her, but we’ll have to figure out our options soon. I hate the idea of being here long term, surrounded by so many people all the time. I want time alone with Tasha to strengthen our bond. I need to heal from her showdown with Langston and his men. Hell, webothneed to heal from her showdown with Langston and his men.

She doesn’t speak to me until we’re in the room and I’m locking the door to make sure the world stays out.

“Paxton,” she whispers my name in a sultry tone.

I turn so fast I nearly lose my balance. She stands in the center of the room, still in nothing but the plain t-shirt I gave her. Her eyes are hooded, and her fingers curl into the hem of the shirt like she isn’t sure what to do with her hands. I walk toward her, almost in a trance purely from the sight.

“I need…” She falters.

“It’s okay,” I reassure her. “Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you.”

I watch as she shuts her eyes and straightens her shoulders. Today was a nightmare, but she hasn’t forgotten who she is. She’s strong, my Tasha. When she opens her eyes again, there’s a resolve there that I respect the hell out of. I mean it when I say I’ll give her anything she asks for.

“It all keeps replaying in my head… All of the things I could have tried to do differently. I want you to help me think about something else for a little while.” She releases the shirt so she can run her hands up my bare chest. Her eyelashes flutter as she grazes my bare skin with her fingernails. I swear she’s trying to fucking kill me.

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