Dannika Dark - Seven Years

He chewed on his lip for a moment, considering my request. “I’ve had my men on you since one of them first spotted you at the cemetery. He sensed you were a Shifter and word spreads fast when it comes to rogue females.”

That damn dog really was a wolf.

“Tell your friend the next time he chases me up a tree and tries to gnaw on my leg, he’s going to end up tangling with the wrong wolf. I bite back.”

Lorenzo moved forward and lowered his chin. A dark intensity flickered in his eyes. “He did what?”

“I guess your pack isn’t so loyal, after all. If you don’t give me my shoes, I’m walking home barefoot.”

“Then you’ll end up hiking over sticks, and I won’t have that. If you insist, I will see that you’re safely escorted home. But you will not be permitted to leave my house until you are well fed. There is breakfast on the tray. Use my phone to make any calls you need to.” Lorenzo made no attempt to brush away the long strands of hair that fell in front of his right eye. “My home is always open to you,” he said, inching closer so that our bodies bounced heat off each other. His mouth brushed against my ear. “And my bed is still open whenever your legs are open, my sweet Nashoba.”

I drew in a sharp intake of air and stumbled back before he got me worked up again. There was no doubt that alphas had an undeniable magnetism that lured you under their spell.

I reached behind me, grabbed a croissant, and stuffed it into my mouth.

Lorenzo laughed heartily and cupped his hand against my cheek, patting lightly. “You are a wild little wolf. I think your spirit is what attracts me to you. Have all you want, and if there is anything you desire, let me know and I’ll get it for you. When you are ready to go, I’ll be downstairs.”

Clever man. He brought me here to dazzle me with the luxuries he could offer. Money, a huge bathroom, and croissants. He seriously didn’t know what kind of girl I was.

Although, the croissants were scrumptious. They had a flaky consistency with a sweet glaze, and…

“Alexia, I do hope you change your mind and consider joining my pack. You don’t officially belong to anyone yet, so you are your own woman. Make the right decision. Cole lives in a shed and can offer you nothing.” He slowly threaded his hair away from his face, steadily watching me. “I take very good care of my own.”

I dropped the croissant on the plate and wiped the crumbs on my pants. “So tell me why you were trying to buy my junky old car?” I asked with a mouthful of pastry.

He lowered his head and crossed his arms. “To meet you. After my man spotted you, we tracked down your plates to find out who you were. We know all the Shifters in the area, and someone new stands out. I have a man who does thorough background checks, and your name showed up in the newspaper database online. You shouldn’t put your full name in the paper like that.”

“So I’ve been told,” I said, licking my thumb.

It was difficult to hate Lorenzo, even though I gave it my best effort. He didn’t go about any of this the right way, but deep down I could sense decency. He just had a serious issue with wanting to possess things. I didn’t have a desire to be possessed by any man, only loved.

After Lorenzo left the room, the first person I called was Naya, who chewed my ear off. She had taken the night off to babysit Maizy. They’d made mini-burgers and sweet-potato fries for dinner before having a Cinderella movie party in the living room. I loved Naya to death. I just didn’t care much for her psychotic cat. Since she had to go to work that evening, I promised I’d be over as soon as possible to pick up my Maizy.

Then the dreaded call to Austin. Maybe what Lorenzo said stuck in my head, but I was mad at Austin. But not as mad as he was when I used Lorenzo’s phone to call him and it showed up on the caller ID.

“Where did you go?” I asked, pacing around in the room and glancing out the window at a clearing in the woods.

“I’m coming to get you.”

“He’s having someone drive me; it’ll be quicker this way. I need to get Maizy.”

“Denver is on his way to pick her up now.”

“Why?”

Austin sighed. “We found your mother.”

My stomach did a somersault and I sank into a brown chair. “Is she okay? Oh God, please tell me she’s okay.”

“She’s fine. We brought her to the house and I’m not letting her go home.”

“Why not?”

He paused and I could hear him rubbing his jaw. “Your father got away. He’s clever; knows a lot about the Breed and how to evade us. Even has the right kinds of sprays to throw off his scent from trackers. We’ll talk about it when you get home. Your mom was… not happy to see me.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

When Lorenzo found out I was going straight to Austin’s house, he insisted on personally delivering me to his doorstep. It was the first time I’d ever ridden in a Ferrari, and I might have enjoyed it under different circumstances. He said it was an Enzo and chuckled about it because that’s what his friends called him for short. I thought it looked more like the Batmobile.

The car rolled to a stop in front of the house. Lorenzo exited the vehicle and walked around to open my door. He offered me his hand and I accepted it—all while Austin stood on the porch watching.

Nothing awkward about this at all, I thought.

Lorenzo corralled me against the car, but not forcefully. He cupped my cheek with his hand and brushed the pad of his thumb across my cheekbone. “Call me before the sun goes down, Nashoba. I don’t like that you’re in a house full of men and so close to going into heat. If Cole couldn’t look out for you last night, I have little faith he can protect you with his own.”

“Don’t doubt Austin,” I said, moving his hands away. “You don’t know him. This is about a girl that you two had a thing over, but I’m not about to get caught in the middle of your testosterone war.”

Austin’s boots crunched across the gravel and he neared the front of the sleek black car.

The wind kicked up Lorenzo’s hair and he clasped his hands behind his back.

“I want to speak to you alone,” Austin demanded.

Lorenzo accepted his invitation with a simple shift of his body.

“I’d very much like to hear an explanation of why you left a female Shifter unconscious in a parking lot,” Lorenzo said, lifting his chin. “You’re not fit to take care of a woman, but given you have none in your pack, your inexperience comes as no surprise.”

Austin flexed his jaw and straightened his shoulders just a fraction.

I stepped between the two men before declarations of love turned into declarations of war. “Where’s my mom?”

“Take Alexia to her mother,” Lorenzo said, backing down. “I do not wish to upset her as it is a happy day to see mother and daughter reunited. Another time, Cole.”

Before Lorenzo could get inside his car, Austin captured my arms and looked me over with concerned eyes. “Did he hurt you?”

I shook my head, but secretly his words melted me just a little bit. They weren’t the angry “I’m going to kick someone’s ass” kind, but were spoken with sincerity. Which also made me a little mad.

“Where were you, Austin?”

The Enzo revved so loud I jumped, and Austin let go, glaring at Lorenzo as if he could incinerate him with his eyes. Then I noticed his bruised knuckles and pulled up his hand.

“What is this? Did you run off fighting again? And what happened to your eye?”

He was still looking me over as if he didn’t believe I was unhurt. Without a word, he cupped the back of my head and pulled me to him, murmuring in my hair. “I thought I lost you. We were in public and I couldn’t shift; I thought the Mage had taken you. Then thirty minutes later, Ivan called and said he had your mother. It was chaos. My brothers went to track you down and I picked up your mother to bring her home safe, as I promised. She’s the one who clocked me in the eye.”

I laughed against his chest. Why did I find that such a disturbingly funny mental image? My mom—of all people—punching Austin Cole.

“What happened to your hand?”

He stepped back and shook his head. “Your ex was in the parking lot when I went to get the car.”

“Beckett?” I said in disbelief. “Why was he there? What did he say?”

“I want you to stay away from him, Lexi. He’s not right in the head. We can talk about this later.”

I hurried inside the house, my heart racing. The twins were in the atrium sitting in lawn chairs while a thin cloud of smoke escaped from the grill. I walked through the hallway until I reached a room with the door closed—one I hadn’t been in before. I lightly knocked and pushed the door open.

“Mom?”

The walls were the color of cinderblock. Four packages of gum were lined up precisely on the black dresser to my left. Three pairs of polished boots sat against the wall, and I immediately recognized Reno’s dark shades on the dresser. Tidy wouldn’t be the word I’d used to describe the room, but immaculate. My mom slept with her back to me on a twin-sized bed to the right.

Without saying another word, I curled up behind her and hugged her shoulder. She shifted a little and glanced back at me.

“Lexi?” she said in a weary voice. But all I heard were my tears. Mom turned over and wrapped her arms around me.

Then everything was okay.

“Where’s your sister? I need to see her; I need to make sure…”

“She’s coming,” I said with a sniff. “Austin sent someone to pick her up. She was staying with Naya. Are you okay? Did he hurt you, Mom?”