Page 46 of Lavender and Lightning

I whine, shaking my head. Another correcting growl, and I tuck my chin. She soothes me with more light touches, and I melt.

“Remember this and keep it with you, sweetness: I claim you, Lydia Anderson. You belong to me, and I will always take care of what’s mine.”

I like it when you take care of me.

The thought floats past me, and I use it to help find my way back into the driver’s seat. I keep my eyes closed, but more of my surroundings come into focus. And with no small amount of horror, I become acutely aware that I’m sitting between Alexandra’s thighs. My head is positioned in such a way that, if I turned 180 degrees, I’d be diving face-first into the apex. My good hand is under the material of her pants of the leg I’m leaning on, clutching her skin halfway up her shapely calf. Her other leg, to my astonishment, is over my shoulder, holding me in place.

I clear my throat and take a slow, deep breath, my face heating steadily as Alexandra’s laugh fills the air above me.

“Now that I have your undivided attention, I did want to talk to you about plans for your safety going forward,” she says through her chuckles.

Not really in a position to argue—and also lacking any desire to change positions—I simply nod, trying to ever so subtly move my head away from her incredibly distracting warmth. But now that she’s found my weakness, she uses those crafty fingers to scritch at my scalp and lure me back to where she wants me.

“I found a security officer who I think will be a good fit. His name is Caleb Novak, and his resume is impressive. He’s an alpha, but he’s bonded, so he’s got experience with omegas. I explained the situation when I spoke to him earlier, and he knows what he’s getting into. What do you think?” she asks, back to that casual tone.

I swallow and consider for a moment. “If you think he’ll be the best one for the job, then I believe you. I trust you.”

Alexandra is quiet for a moment, fingers idly playing with my hair, twisting a strand around one finger. I’m about to apologize and try to explain, but then I feel her shift above me a moment before her lips brush against my hairline. I’m too stunned to speak or move, but my whole body goes hot.

“Thank you, Lydia. That means more than you realize.”

I open my mouth to question that, but the sound of an engine outside and the garage door opening makes us both jump. And it’s with more reluctance than I’d ever admit to feeling that I untangle myself from her embrace.

nineteen

Lydia

Thenextday,I’mwaiting with Rhett in the driveway of the pack house. Everyone else is getting ready for the day inside, but I have to leave early to get to work. I feel a little silly, like a child waiting to be picked up for school, and in some ways, I am. I’d let Wila know that Caleb would be with me for the foreseeable future, but I’m still nervous. Old fears about alphas have been bubbling to the surface, but I do my best to push them aside. If Pack St. Clair has taught me anything, it’s that there are good alphas out there. I just have to hope that Caleb is one of them.

“If anything happens today, please let me know. Mr. Novak is going to give reports to Lex, but I want to know if anything about this arrangement makes you uncomfortable,” Rhett says, going over the same point he’s made probably a dozen times since we woke up this morning.

I nod, biting back my sarcastic remark. My eyes snap to the hedge row down the street as a breeze shifts, my body tensing then relaxing as I realize no one is there. I swallow a yawn, taking a long drag of my coffee. Despite the scent-blocking detergent smell finally dissipating from my room, I’m still not sleeping well. Dreams of old fights and running through the dark wake me up multiple times a night, and I always have trouble sleeping after. The pack is giving me space to sleep on my own, but I’m still not familiar enough with my room to not panic slightly when I wake up from those nightmares.

Thankfully, before I can wander too far down that mental rabbit hole, a big black SUV rounds the corner and slows to pull into the driveway, stopping smoothly in front of Rhett and me. The warmth and weight of Rhett’s hand settles on my lower back, and I take a step closer to him. The driver steps out and rounds the front of the SUV, stopping a few feet away. I blink, taking him in from head to toe.

I expected someone built like a bouncer at a nightclub, or even Seth, with muscles on muscles and enough bulk to stop an oncoming car. But the alpha before me is considerably trimmer, more like Mateo or Rhett. Athletic but not bulging. He’s tall, with a well-proportioned torso and legs. He’s dressed in business casual, and I spot the outline of some sort of harness under his suit jacket. His hair is a dusty brown, close cropped in the standard military cut I’ve seen on Adam before. His eyes are hidden behind sunglasses, but I can almost feel his assessing gaze on me.

“Are you Caleb Novak?” Rhett asks after clearing his throat.

The alpha, Caleb, turns his attention onto Rhett and simply nods. There’s another tense moment of silence, and I take a deep breath. It’s then that I finally catch Caleb’s scent, and I try not to visibly melt. There’s a sharp, woody note, like cedar or fir, mellowed out by the potent mix of snickerdoodle cookies.

“Well, if you’re done with your staring contest, I’m going to be late,” I say with a little laugh, trying to break the tension.

Rhett looks down at me, his hand tightening on my lower back for a moment before he nods. Before I can stop him, he leans down and kisses me soundly. I can’t stop the soft moan that escapes my throat, but I pull away before I forget myself.

“Be good, little one,” Rhett purrs against my lips.

“Yes, sir.” I giggle and step out of his embrace, heading toward the SUV.

Caleb makes a move to open the back door, but I step around him, climbing up into the front passenger seat. I hear a few chuckles before I close the door. By the time Caleb is back in the driver’s seat and we’re pulling out of the pack house driveway, Mateo’s on the porch, waving.

“So, you’re Lydia, then?”

I turn at the sound of Caleb’s voice in the silence. There’s a hint of an eastern European accent of some kind, but I can’t tell exactly where it’s from. “And you’re Caleb. Is snickerdoodle—”

“Sylvie, my mate, yes. You’ve got a sharp nose,” Caleb says with a deep chuckle.

I smile a little at the praise, already liking him. There’s something about the way he speaks, the calm, confident way he holds himself that my primal mind recognizes instinctually as safe.

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