Page 10 of Renegade Queen

“Probably not. They still think someone’s going to take them into the fae realm on their suicide mission,” I grumbled.

“You’re going to help them, aren’t you?” He sighed, like he was getting ready to reluctantly accept that I was about to do something stupid.

Maybe I was, but it wouldn’t be taking up the death sentence of walking back into Nymeria with three humans at my back. Even I wasn’t that stupid.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet,” I admitted. “You ready to tell me what’s going on with you?” I asked quietly.

Normally, I’d let Tank stew until he was ready to talk about it. But something seemed different this time. Plus, I could admit that it hurt to think he was pulling away from me.

“The sleuth is moving on,” Tank told me.

I felt his arms tighten around me, and I really wanted to turn to look into his eyes. I knew what I hoped he was trying to tell me. But Tank and I had been dancing around this for so long that hope seemed to be something that didn't dare raise its head anymore.

“So, the bag?” I asked, hating that tremble of hopeful naiveté in my voice.

“Gotta keep my stuff somewhere.” I heard the smile in his voice, and my heart surged. “If you'll have me, I'll stay.”

It didn't matter how hard he held on to me at that point, not even the risk of rejection would stop me from looking at him right now. I turned, rising to my knees to look him in the face. I'd never seen a blush on Tank’s cheeks before, and I had to admit, it was kind of cute.

“You know I want you to stay.”

My hands came up to bracket his cheeks. My thumbs brushed over the pinkness that bloomed there. I watched his deep brown eyes move from side to side as he tried to decide what I was trying to tell him.

“You mean it?” he asked.

“Will you be okay here without them?” I knew it was selfish of me to need him to stay. He was a shifter, and his bear needed his sleuth. But I needed him, too. And maybe for once in my life, I got to be selfish for a change. Or maybe I'd been selfish for so long that I no longer knew the difference.

“I don't think I could make my bear leave even if I wanted to,” he admitted. “He sees you, Alyssa. And he never wants to leave here.”

“This is a big step,” I warned him. “There's no turning back from this, you know. Once they've gone, they're really gone. You'll never see them again. I don't want you to wake up ten years from now and resent me for that. I'll always just be me. I'll never be like you. I can never be a bear.”

“I don't need a fucking bear, Alyssa. I need you. I've always needed you. Ever since that first moment, I walked into the garage. I knew it was you. I caught your scent, and my bear was immediately intoxicated. I was immediately intoxicated.”

I was so lost in this man, and placing my lips against his was the most natural thing I'd ever done in my life.

I felt the tingle of magic across my skin as it rose to meet him. The soft growl that flowed from his lips made my body ache. We’d danced around this for so long, but now that it was here, it made all of the problems seem so much smaller, all the obstacles in our path insignificant.

Because I had him beside me.

And for the first time in a very long time, I was ready to stand up and fight for once because I wasn't alone anymore.

I hadn't realised how much that ache had consumed me over the years. That heartbreaking feeling of loneliness. And all it took was one kiss to erase it from my mind. To be held in the arms of this perfect man. It was like the fog lifted from my eyes, and I saw the world how it truly was. I saw the greed, the violence, the hate. And a tiny part inside of me started to wonder what we could do to fix it.

Because we had to fix it.

And maybe, just maybe, we should start with the three men waiting outside this room, begging for somebody to save their brother.

Chapter 5

Maddox

Maddox

“What are we going to do?" I asked, pacing the garage floor. “We can't waste time sitting around here if she's not going to help us. We need to find a way to reach Damon.”

I knew we’d already been over this, but she’d been out there with the bear for so long that I was starting to think she wasn’t coming back.

“Give her time,” Ryder decided. “She wants to help. I know she does. But this seems like an impossible situation for her. There's a story we don't know, and maybe if we can find out why she's here, and how she got here, then we can help her in a way that will help Damon, too?”