Page 5 of Nita's Redemption

Chapter Two

THE IMAGE OF WHO LINK called, popped into Tank’s head, making his gut clench. The males were mated to Jaklyn, Nita’s half-sister. He didn’t doubt that he and his two best friends could handle any situation should anything go down. Hell, Jaklyn used to be their best friend before she’d found herself mated to two Ravens. However, there was a niggling deep in his soul that told him they needed to err on the side of caution when it came to Nita.

“Here you go, love, let’s have a seat. Whatcha want to drink?” Abe asked in his most charming voice, breaking through the loud chatter of the bar and grill.

“I am quite thirsty, dijete,” Nita agreed.

Ah, Tank heard the anger in their female’s tone. Fuck it all, if that didn’t make his dick hard. Actually, his cock had been standing at attention since the moment he sensed Nita outside the gaming store. The hair on the back of his neck had tingled, shooting straight down to his nether regions. He didn’t need to turn and look to know someone was staring at them, or to know that someone was their unclaimed mate.

“Female, you calling me a child? I guess I’ll have to prove to you just how unchildlike I am as soon as we are alone,” Abe growled and tugged Nita closer to his body.

Her eyes flared, probably shocked that Abe would know she was calling him a child in Croatian. She’d learn soon enough that they all spoke several languages fluently. None of them were surprised that she could speak many languages. They’d overheard her yelling at many other pack members, frequently in Spanish, French, plus a couple of African dialects that he vowed to learn, and now Croatian. Their mate was very intelligent.

His crew eased into the semi-circular booth near the back, taking the one closest to the exit. He always ensured no matter where they went, he could see the entrances and exits before he took his seat. Although he wanted to engage in easy banter like his two best friends seemed able to do, his focus was split between checking out the others in the bar and watching to see if they had followers, taking stock of their surroundings for any sign of danger.

It didn’t take long for his intuition to pay off, like he’d expected. His gaze tracked the door opening. The scents of chicory and earth he associated with the older females wafted through the air. Most of the patrons in the establishment wouldn’t have noticed the sudden shift in the atmosphere. None would recognize the unique smell of the group of women, but Tank had memorized everything about them.

The women weren’t completely human. At least he didn’t think so. He also didn’t miss the fact that all the women looked very similar to Nita. Like their female, they all had luxurious brown skin in varying shades. One would have to look very close to see any wrinkles among the smooth, unblemished skin. Although he figured the youngest of the bunch was in their late forties. It was in their eyes. His father had taught him how to gage a person’s worth by looking into their eyes, yet that didn’t always mean they were worthy. No, you could learn a lot by studying another body language and meeting their stare.

While Nita’s skin was a smooth copper tone with a very slight hint of a reddish burgundy that made his mouth water, each of the other female’s coloring was a slightly different shade of brown. From dark russet to a lighter shade of brown, all the way through to rich onyx. His gaze didn’t miss the way the female with the rich dark skin tried to hide amongst the others. Silly female, didn’t she understand that by trying to hide she stood out even more? By his guess, he’d say she was probably the youngest of the group of females, but what startled Tank was her resemblance to Nita. The females had to all be related. Possibly to their mate as well. His own tan skin stood out amongst their much richer colors.

Their similarities weren’t in looks, but hair as well. Two of the women wore their curly hair shorter, while Nita’s beautiful hair was a lot longer. Her curls had him fantasizing about wrapping them around his fingers and other body parts. While the oldest wore a scarf that matched her outfit over her head, he’d bet she too had dark, curly hair as well. The two others wore their long locks in gorgeous braids, and then there was the one who tried to hide. Her hair was a lighter shade than the rest of them, which made her stand out all the more. It too was long and left down in spiraling curls, yet none of them made his palms itch to touch the way he craved to caress Nita’s. Maybe it was the predatory way they stared at him and the others that set him on edge?

Their little female stiffened beside him, making his wolf rise slightly.

“Stay calm, Nita. We are with you. I promise we will ensure nobody can harm a single lustrous hair on your gorgeous little body.” Tank grinned as Nita glared at him. For whatever reason, he’s always enjoyed getting a rise out of their dominant little mate. “Don’t give me that look. Everyone in the pack knows that you’re a badass. Hell, I have a feeling they’re taking bets on whose ass you kick first. However, right now, the last thing we want you to do is expose yourself if you don’t have to.” Tank tried to speak calmly and concisely in a tone too low for anyone other than the four of them to hear once he realized Nita was on edge more than usual.

Hell, he wanted to pat himself on the back for being able to speak in full sentences when his wolf was trying to rip its way out of him as their mate felt threatened.

“You are so full of shit, Tank Bennett,” Nita said, sighing loudly.

“Tank might be full of shit, but he’s also correct. Now what would you like to drink?” Link asked, breaking the tension rising within him.

Tank sent him a thank you through their spiral path, knowing he was near to shifting without full provocation.

The waitress came over, blocking the others from seeing them. He recognized she was a shifter from their pack. “Hey, Bailey. How’s it going?”

With half an ear, he listened to the conversation flowing around them while keeping his senses open. The unmistakable aura of the Ravens arriving had him twitching to jerk Nita out of the booth.

“Are y’all ready or do you need more time?” Bailey asked.

Keeping his voice too low for anyone other than a shifter or someone next to them to hear, Abe told Bailey they were going to slip out the back but would like to do it unnoticed, if possible. She gave a brief nod, giving no indication they had said anything about leaving, smiling cheerily. “I’ll give you a few more minutes.”

Through their pack private path she reached out, asking if there was anything they needed from her. Nita’s slight growl was low but not undetected. Oh yeah, their little female was feeling possessive. Progress.

‘See that table of females that came in after us?’ Tank asked through the link. Once Bailey walked away, keeping his focus on the menu in front of him.

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