PS02 - Without Regret (20 page)

stitches barely distracted from the pleasure of having her in his arms.

He looked past Madison towards his sister, hoping for a little backup only to find her leaning against the wall, throwing him an

angry glare that told him he could look forward to a lecture from his little sister on top of all the other bullshit he had to deal

with tonight. No doubt his grandmother would have one for him tomorrow when she found out about everything.

Just fucking peachy.

He sighed heavily as he faced his very pissed off best friend. “You need to calm down, Madison. It’s not good for the babies,”

he said softly, hoping he could calm her down enough to leave him alone for the night and let him do his damn job.

“Neither is finding out that you endangered your mate,” Madison snapped back. “What the hell were you thinking, Chris? She

could have been killed.”

“She’s fine,” Chris bit out between clenched teeth as he did his best to ignore his little mate’s trembling. The last thing he

needed was to feel protective of his little mate or anything for her for that matter, but he was having a hell of a time not giving

her some sort of reassurance to make her feel better.

He wasn’t sure if it was because women were softer, weaker in general, but for some reason he’d always felt very protective

of them. Nothing roused his temper faster than seeing a woman hurt or unhappy.

Considering who his mother was and how she raised him he should hate women in general, but he didn’t. He always saw them

as a group that needed his protection, except for Sentinel females that is.

It didn’t matter how soft or curvy looking a Sentinel female was he always saw them as equals. Whenever he patrolled or

fought alongside them he’d never given their strength of ability a second thought, which was probably why he’d expected so

much from his own mate.

Unfortunately for him she didn’t possess one damn redeemable quality that made him want her and he sure as hell didn’t count

the way she made his body react. That was more on an inconvenience and distraction, one he’d happily do without.

“She doesn’t look fine,” Jill pointed out, earning a scowl from him that only made her roll her eyes. Damn annoying little

sisters, he thought as he forced himself to look back at Madison.

“I’m not sure what you expected, Chris, but scaring the hell out of her wasn’t the way to go about introducing her to our

world,” Madison said, using that damn tone she used to use when she was a teacher and he’d fucked up and ended up in

detention. It grated on him in the worst way, not because she was talking down to him, she would never, but because he knew

she was right. He had fucked up. If he’d taken a moment and really looked at her and not assumed so damn much he would have

realized that she was different, softer, gentler, and weak.

She hadn’t belonged in that clearing anymore than his sister or grandmother did. It didn’t matter that she wore the Sentinel

mark, his mark, she wasn’t one of them and he should have known that. Hell, she’d told him she was a damn coward and he’d

ignored it completely and made so many damn excuses to cover it.

Well, now it seemed there were no more excuses to be made.

“What’s done is done, Madison. She’s not what we thought and as soon as we figure out what the hell she did to start this

fucking war she’ll be out of our hair.

Then she’ll be Eric’s problem,” he said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his tone. A mate should improve his life not

destroy it, but now thanks to her he was going to have to do a job, their job, alone.

“You’re sending her away?” Madison asked, looking truly stunned. She shot a look to Jill, who wore a matching expression.

Everyone knew how long he’d been waiting for her and they probably expected him just to accept her shortcomings and protect

and coddle her, but he didn’t have the time for that shit or even want a woman that needy or dependent on him. Didn’t they

understand that he wanted, no, needed a partner?

“Chris,” Jill started as she pushed away from the wall and came closer, “maybe you should sleep on it and-“

“You’re sending me away?” Izzy’s small, but much stronger voice said, startling him. It surprised him that he’d actually

forgotten that she was in his arms for a minute there. The fact that she’d made him comfortable enough to let his guard down

like that just went to show him that he needed to get her the hell out of here.

“Yes,” he said, refusing to look down at her and meet her eyes that were no doubt filled with terror. He didn’t need her

weakening him and making him feel bad. She was the one who’d fucked up, not him. He couldn’t allow himself to be sucked in

and allow her to have any type of hold over him.

“Good. Then put me down,” she demanded, drawing his attention almost against his will. He looked down at her beautiful

emerald eyes and felt himself weaken.

Without a word he put her down, needing space almost as much as he needed her back in his arms. What in the hell was she

doing to him? he wondered even as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at her.

“Are you ready to talk yet?” he demanded.

“No, I’m ready to leave,” she said firmly, stepping past him and heading for the front door.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked, surprised that she was willing to go back out there.

After Jill and their grandmother learned about the real world they lived in, it had taken them months before they found the

courage to go out at night again and even then they’d only venture out at night if Ephraim escorted them. But that was a human

female reaction.

Maybe he should take this as a positive sign that she wasn’t afraid.

“It’s still night time and a full moon,” Jill pointed out, making him wonder if she was still afraid. He didn’t like the idea of his

sister living in fear, especially since the stubborn woman lived on her own near town. Of course that would change if they

couldn’t end whatever bullshit his little mate had started. If they couldn’t put an end to this Jill was moving back in. End of

story.

Izzy paused with her hand on the doorknob. “There,”

she cleared her throat, “are more of those things out right now?”

“There’s a lot more out there right now than just shifters,” Chris drawled, watching her reaction very closely.

“I see,” she murmured, letting her hand drop, not surprising him, but sure as hell disappointing him, which after tonight should

be damn near impossible.

She turned around to face them, taking a slow deep breath before she said, “Could I have my bag back and a ride into town?”

He had to snort at that. She wasn’t going anywhere until she answered his questions and then she’d be going where he decided,

which was as far away from here under Sentinel supervision as he could manage.

“I’m not giving you a ride anywhere,” he said.

She blinked at him. “Oh, I wasn’t asking you. I don’t like you. I was asking him,” she said, pointing towards Joshua, who had

the balls to grin.

He shot his brother a glare, but his displeasure only seemed to make the little bastard grin more.

“If you give me a ride I’ll answer whatever questions you want,” she added, sounding hopeful.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he said, stalking forward and ignoring the urge to wipe that smug look off his brother’s face.

“You’re going to stay here and answer my questions and then you’ll go where I decide.”

“No, I won’t and secondly who the hell died and made you my keeper?” she asked, giving him the same look that he’d seen

Madison give his father when the man had fucked up, but right now he didn’t care that she was pissed. He cared even less that

she liked his brother more than him. It didn’t piss him off at all to know that she preferred Joshua over him.

Not. At. All.

“I’m your mate,” he said, stepping into her personal space and backing her up until her back hit the wall.

“That gives me all the rights I need.”

“Your mate?” she asked, incredulously. “I believe that term, whatever the hell it means, no longer applies to you since not even

two minutes ago you announced to one and all that you were getting rid of me.”

“It’s not like we have a choice,” he practically growled, his eyes dropping to her pursed up lips and he wondered if he could

kiss that frown away.

“Well, you chose to send me away so I think that means I’m free and clear of you. So if you’d just go get my bag for me I can be

on my way,” she said firmly, but he hadn’t missed the little tremor going through her body or the nervous way she licked her

lips.

“How about this,” he said softly, leaning into her until his mouth was by her ear, “you’re going to tell me whatever I want or

I’m going to put you over my knee and spank your ass. Which one will it be?”

He knew by her little gasp that he had her. She was going to tell him whatever he wanted and do whatever he wanted. It was

the only benefit of having a weak mate, he decided, but not one that made him want to keep her around.

“I-” she started only to be cut off by his father.

“Chris, we have a problem. The Sentinel network has crashed and they need her to fix whatever the hell her program did to it,”

his father announced, drawing his attention.

He stepped away from Izzy, frowning. “What program?”

he asked, feeling his stomach drop when his father rammed his fingers through his hair, looking pissed and nervous as hell and

for damn good reason.

If their network was down they were good and screwed and if any of their enemies found out, they were good and fucked.

“When the patrol came across her this morning there were several CDs lying on the ground with her belongings. The IT

department in Boston was asked to look at them. Eric said they scanned both discs several times to make sure they were safe

but,” Ephraim dropped his hand helplessly by his side, “they must have missed something. In less than a minute everything was

destroyed.”

Praying the his father and Eric were wrong, Chris pulled his Sentinel phone out of his pocket and pressed his finger to the

small piece of glass and waited for it to scan and for the small beep that would sound before the phone slid open. When it

didn’t happen he wiped the small piece of glass clean and did it again.

“Fuck me,” he breathed as he looked up and met his father’s eyes, just as his father reached out blindly and pulled Madison

into his arms.

“What does this mean?” Jill asked, shooting nervous glances between him and their father.

“It means everyone’s fucked,” Josh said, stepping further into the room.

That was an understatement if Chris ever heard one.

With the Sentinel network down no one, not one single Sentinel or their employees could call for backup, share information or

shout out a warning. Under normal circumstances this situation would be enough to make them all nervous, but with a war

starting and every Master on the hunt for one woman it was frightening as hell. If they came under attack before the network

was back up they’d be helpless.

“On second thought,” Izzy suddenly piped in, sounding cheerful, “I believe I’ll take a ride, a bite to eat, and a ticket home. Oh,

and I want chocolate. At least five king size bars.”

He turned to glare at her only to find her smiling brightly.

“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded.

“My price,” she said, shrugging.

“Price for what?” Jill asked, when he wasn’t able to do anything more than grind his teeth and barely stop himself from

wringing his mate’s little neck.

“To save your network. What else?” she asked innocently, but he didn’t miss the little gleam of triumph in her eyes. “Oh, and

you should probably know that every time one of your little buddies types in the wrong password more of your system will be

destroyed,” she announced with that damn smile that had his eye twitching as she made her way towards the front door. “Now

if someone could just grab my bag we can be on our way.”

Chapter 16

“Trust no one! Trust no one!” she cried out as the blood continued to rush to her head as she swayed. “T-r-u-s-tno-o-n-e! No

spaces!”

“Are you sure this time?” Chris drawled as he let her swing a little further away.

“Yes!” she screamed, pressing her hands tightly against her eyes so she wouldn’t have to watch the tiled foyer floor beneath

her as she swayed or rush up on her if they dropped her.

“Did you get that?” she heard Ephraim say from somewhere above her. “It’s all set,” he announced a moment later, but she

noticed that no one made a move to pull her back up.

“Let me go!” she yelled.

“Sure, but it’s a hell of a fall,” Chris said, loosening his grip on the rope just enough to let her drop several more feet and earn

another embarrassingly high screech from her.

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Are you sure? Because that’s what it sounded like to me,” Chris mused, sounding quite pleased with himself.

Of course that might have something to do with her bragging that there was absolutely nothing they could do to make her talk.

Her plan had been foolproof. She’d had them exactly where she wanted them and they’d all known it. Perhaps getting a little