him.”
He stood frozen for the span of three heartbeats, then cast Seamus to the floor like a ragdoll. The growl that emanated from him was intimidating enough, but when he turned, his eyes were almost white.
“Oh, no,” she whispered.
Dragging him deeper into the hallway, back where the fluorescent lights didn’t reach, she pulled him to her. He buried his head against her shoulder, hiding his eyes from the crowd gathering in the hallway, and hugged her tightly. She didn’t have to worry about Seamus. When she looked over at the commotion at the other end of the hall, Bruiser had him pinned down. Sirens wailed in the distance.
“I can’t,” Drew gritted out in a strange voice.
“You can’t what?”
“I have to Change.”
She shoved open the back exit, but flashing red and blue lights blinded her. Riley pulled the door closed again and rubbed her cheek against his in an affectionate gesture she’d seen the Ashe Crew do with their mates. “You can’t Change now. Bear, I need Drew for a while longer. I need him.” She eased back and kissed him softly. “Please.”
The growling softened, and moments later, Drew’s shoulders relaxed under her palms and he rested his forehead against hers. His eyes were dimming by the second, and by the time the door was thrown open by the police, he looked human once again.
He’d controlled his animal tonight as he’d said he would for her. He’d already changed from the out-of-control brawler who had attacked Bruiser that first night. But more than that, he’d trusted her to come in here tonight and fight beside him, not behind him.
“You did so well,” she whispered.
Drew looked utterly exhausted, but he mustered a small smile. “My brave mate. So did you.”
Chapter Twelve
A knock sounded on the door, and Riley stopped tucking her extra pair of maternity jeans into a backpack Drew had given her. This wasn’t like when she’d packed to leave Minneapolis. The knock was much more polite than Seamus’s had been, and now she was packing for something fun—the camping trip.
“Come in!” she called out.
The screeching of the door sounded, then heavy footsteps headed her way. Tagan poked his head in with an easy smile. “Hey, Brooke wanted me to bring these by.” He held up a stack of clothes. “It’ll be chilly, so she wanted you to have lots of options on what to bring.”
Riley beamed. “Your wife is awesome, you know that?”
“Yeah,” he said with a chuckle. “I got lucky. Hey, listen. I actually wanted to say something to you, so I kind of jacked my mate’s care package for the excuse.”
“Tagan, you’re alpha here. I know I don’t understand all of the dynamics, but Drew has explained a lot of them to me, and I’m trying to learn. I know you run this place. You don’t need an excuse to talk to me.”
He strode into the bedroom and set the clothes beside her backpack on the bed. “I think what you’re doing for Bruiser and Diem is really noble.”
“I’m doing it to make up for something awful—”
“Doesn’t matter, Riley. Nothing matters to me before the day you arrived here. What matters is what you do with your life from here on. If you got mixed up in something, at least you’re trying to make up for it. How many people would do that? Not many. Most would chock it up to life experience and move on. You’re a complicated woman. Sensitive to things other people don’t feel. You demanding to be a part of getting Seamus back behind bars last night is a testament to how strong you are. You could’ve let us handle it—”
“But then human attention would have been on your crew if you just beat the shit out of him, Tagan.”
“Exactly,” he said in a soft voice. “I have to think of those things because the survival of my crew depends on my ability to put my animal instincts away and make rational decisions for us. You did that last night without me explaining anything to you. If you were a bear, I’d say you
He stood frozen for the span of three heartbeats, then cast Seamus to the floor like a ragdoll. The growl that emanated from him was intimidating enough, but when he turned, his eyes were almost white.
“Oh, no,” she whispered.
Dragging him deeper into the hallway, back where the fluorescent lights didn’t reach, she pulled him to her. He buried his head against her shoulder, hiding his eyes from the crowd gathering in the hallway, and hugged her tightly. She didn’t have to worry about Seamus. When she looked over at the commotion at the other end of the hall, Bruiser had him pinned down. Sirens wailed in the distance.
“I can’t,” Drew gritted out in a strange voice.
“You can’t what?”
“I have to Change.”
She shoved open the back exit, but flashing red and blue lights blinded her. Riley pulled the door closed again and rubbed her cheek against his in an affectionate gesture she’d seen the Ashe Crew do with their mates. “You can’t Change now. Bear, I need Drew for a while longer. I need him.” She eased back and kissed him softly. “Please.”
The growling softened, and moments later, Drew’s shoulders relaxed under her palms and he rested his forehead against hers. His eyes were dimming by the second, and by the time the door was thrown open by the police, he looked human once again.
He’d controlled his animal tonight as he’d said he would for her. He’d already changed from the out-of-control brawler who had attacked Bruiser that first night. But more than that, he’d trusted her to come in here tonight and fight beside him, not behind him.
“You did so well,” she whispered.
Drew looked utterly exhausted, but he mustered a small smile. “My brave mate. So did you.”
Chapter Twelve
A knock sounded on the door, and Riley stopped tucking her extra pair of maternity jeans into a backpack Drew had given her. This wasn’t like when she’d packed to leave Minneapolis. The knock was much more polite than Seamus’s had been, and now she was packing for something fun—the camping trip.
“Come in!” she called out.
The screeching of the door sounded, then heavy footsteps headed her way. Tagan poked his head in with an easy smile. “Hey, Brooke wanted me to bring these by.” He held up a stack of clothes. “It’ll be chilly, so she wanted you to have lots of options on what to bring.”
Riley beamed. “Your wife is awesome, you know that?”
“Yeah,” he said with a chuckle. “I got lucky. Hey, listen. I actually wanted to say something to you, so I kind of jacked my mate’s care package for the excuse.”
“Tagan, you’re alpha here. I know I don’t understand all of the dynamics, but Drew has explained a lot of them to me, and I’m trying to learn. I know you run this place. You don’t need an excuse to talk to me.”
He strode into the bedroom and set the clothes beside her backpack on the bed. “I think what you’re doing for Bruiser and Diem is really noble.”
“I’m doing it to make up for something awful—”
“Doesn’t matter, Riley. Nothing matters to me before the day you arrived here. What matters is what you do with your life from here on. If you got mixed up in something, at least you’re trying to make up for it. How many people would do that? Not many. Most would chock it up to life experience and move on. You’re a complicated woman. Sensitive to things other people don’t feel. You demanding to be a part of getting Seamus back behind bars last night is a testament to how strong you are. You could’ve let us handle it—”
“But then human attention would have been on your crew if you just beat the shit out of him, Tagan.”
“Exactly,” he said in a soft voice. “I have to think of those things because the survival of my crew depends on my ability to put my animal instincts away and make rational decisions for us. You did that last night without me explaining anything to you. If you were a bear, I’d say you
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