Chapter 21
Tyce knew he looked like a fool, chasing Briel in his crisp, gunsmoke-gray suit and her in her tattered jeans and jacket. He didn’t care. He’d made his Angel cry, and he would apologize, which meant his hatred for Monroe blossomed tenfold. He never apologized! He hadn’t had reason or compulsion to do so in ages, because his every action was the result of determined calculation. Hell, since Briel had fallen into his lap everything had changed. He found himself barking less, coddling more. He forwent important business meetings and wondered what Briel and Fena wanted to do with the day. Hell, even dressing had suddenly become a challenge as he found himself attempting to appear less hard and more approachable. But loose knit sweaters in place of crisp business suits weren’t going to draw Briel to him, not when his attitude was still contrary, his actions too demanding. Still, he wanted to appear authoritative in her eyes, so she’d acquiesce to his needs, which invariably were her needs. Or so he thought. Apparently, feeding her when she was hungry wasn’t the right move.
In front of him Briel hurried her pace, and he wanted to let her have this. He ached to give her space and time to gather herself, but he simply couldn’t take the chance out in the open like this. If they were back at Apex, or even StoneCrow, it’d be one thing, but out here in the dense foliage of the park, he had no idea what danger could be lurking
It gutted him that Monroe had been right. Tyce’s once cavalier attitude toward safety precautions was out the fucking window now that Briel and Fena were a part of Apex, a part of him. And there was still the matter of finding out who killed her father. It hadn’t been Skin Walkers, he was certain of that, which meant someone knew the General was aiding them. It meant they shared a common enemy. ‘Megalya’ played over and over in his head, making his beasts stir when he thought of those fucking monsters hunting his girls.
Catching up to Briel, he caught her elbow and spun her to him. He half-expected her to swing at him, but she didn’t. Of course she didn’t. She was too good for that, too good for him.
“Hey,” he started, unsure where to begin. When he looked down at Briel and she dipped her head, attempting to hide her emotions, he felt hollow. Why did he keep doing this to her? How? Is it so fucking hard to make a mate happy?
Her chin trembled, and when she wrapped her arms around her middle, soft sobs wracking her shoulders, he pulled her hard into his chest and wrapped his arms around her, unable to keep himself from holding her.
“I’m sorry,” he crooned at her ear. “I’m a fucking…” Dick? Asshole? Inconsiderate prick? Rich, elitist, megalomaniac, Skin Walker Dominant? They all fit, but it wasn’t what he wanted to say. “You make me weak, Briel, and that worries me. And that’s a problem, because I’m not a man who likes to worry, or who likes to feel, and I sure as shit don’t want to be weak.”
“What?” she asked, around a sob.
“I have never been afraid of anything in my life. Nothing! And then you come along and… I lay in bed worrying about all the what-ifs. What if something happened to you or to Fena? I worry about if one of you gets sick, or hurt, or even scared. I worry about the people who killed your father getting their hands on you.” He snorted a disgusted sound. “I’ve made fun of other Walkers for it for years. I never thought there could ever be anything so fucking all-consuming. I was wrong, and I hate it. Worse, I hate myself for it. For all the times I didn’t permit a leave of absence when I should have, when I didn’t take greater precaution where an Angel was concerned. I’m disgusted with the man I was, and now I’m playing catch up, trying to be better, be stronger, be protective where I’ve never been before.” He sighed hard, his chest expanding against her. “And I’m fucking it all up. Failure isn’t something I’m used to, and every damn time I blink where you’re concerned I screw something else up.”
“I’m…I’m not your responsibility. Neither of us are. Everything is happening so fast, and it’s all so confusing, and I’m really sick of people telling me what to do. I’m not a people person, Tyce. I never was. I lived alone, I worked alone, and then bam! I’m given my sister to raise, my father dies, we go on the run, we’re kidnapped, and then you tell me I’m your responsibility when I’m clearly not.”
He disagreed, but arguing that now would only set her off more. “It’s my job to protect you and Fena. I brought you here. It’s my job to care for you and ensure you’re both safe and happy. I take that job very seriously.” He titled his head to look down at her and felt a punch of remorse as tear-soaked eyes looked up into his. “You’ll never be safer than you are right now, Briel.” He chuffed a laugh. “But you’ve got me failing miserably at the making you happy part.” He shook her slightly. “Help a Walker out. I’m sorry.”
When she choked out a laugh and sniffled, relief swamped him.
“I’m…I’m sorry too,” she offered quietly. “I should’ve just said that I wanted to get back to Fena. I didn’t mean to be rude about lunch. I am actually pretty hungry.”
“You weren’t rude.” She hadn’t been. He’d been the one trying to force her to do something against her will. “How about this?” He held her at arm’s length before pulling a kerchief from his pocket and handing it to her. Now that he knew she was hungry his inner beasts were roaring for him to care for their Angel. “We go back to the restaurant and order food to go. While we wait, I’ll have Shane bring in the laptop and you can video chat with Fena?”
When her eyes lit with appreciation, Tyce wanted to fist punch the air. Finally, he’d gotten something right. Without thinking, he reached out and cupped her face in both hands. He wanted to kiss her so damn bad, but he knew if he did he wouldn’t stop at just kissing.
“Tyce?” she breathed out, almost expectantly.
“Come on.” He released her, dropping his hands to capture one of hers before leading her out of the park, eyeing their surroundings the whole time. He could scent Shane flanking them, and if he hadn’t just made a huge stride where he and Briel were concerned, he’d have admonished her for rushing off like she had. For now though, it’d wait.
At the diner, Tyce—in a rare good mood—ordered way too much food. If they were taking burgers and fries back to Apex, they may as well feed everyone, and he knew from experience that James would devour at least four or five burgers all by himself. From his spot at the counter, he watched while Briel video-chatted with Fena, who apparently was totally enthralled by a game of hide and seek, because she cut the session short by waving and then disappearing from the screen with a delighted squeal.
Tyce was glad Fena was having a good time at Apex, mostly because it gave him the opportunity to be alone with Briel. They waited in a booth for their order to be prepared and Briel watched through the glass as Shane paced outside.
“He could come in. Sit with us.”
Tyce’s response was immediate. “He’s working.” Briel’s eyes kept tracking Shane, and he could sense her guilt, so he rushed to change the subject. “Are you feeling better?”
He didn’t have to ask. He knew she was, because he’d had Pyper check on her three times a day since he’d collared her. He’d also made a point of waiting on her hand and foot. He’d brought her soup, sandwiches, and hot tea four times a day until finally, she’d begged him to stop, claiming she’d had so much tea she was about to sprout tea bags.
“I’m better,” she offered quietly.
When her brow marred though, he knew she was thinking about the reason she’d been ill. She blamed him, and she had every right to.
“You’re not alone in that, you know?”
Confused eyes met his. “In what?”
“In being ill. I’m not doing so hot either since gifting you my halo.”
To his surprise, actual worry washed over her features as she narrowed her eyes on him. “You were sick too?”
“Yeah. Just not the same way.”
He knew she’d push, and before she even got the chance, he was debating how much he wanted to tell her. The last thing he wanted was to guilt her into coming to him. Still, Conn’s words played over in his head, and he truly didn’t want to wait or to hide anything from Briel.
“What do you mean, not the same way?”
He canted his head, thinking for the thousandth time how beautiful she was. Those amber eyes reminded him of his favorite whiskey. Intoxicating. Flawless skin, flawless character, flawless everything. She was outright distracting. Still, he forged on. “Aries said she told you of the affliction. Did she tell you how it affects the males?”
His words startled her. This is the first time he’d brought up the affliction, and she wondered if he was going to admit all the things Aries had told her about Briel being his. Nervously, she dipped her head in a nod. “She said it’s an instantaneous trigger. That it happens when a Walker meets his...” Heat flooded her cheeks as she considered saying the word ‘mate’, but she opted against it. She wasn’t about to put words into Tyce’s mouth, especially about something like this. If any of what Aries said was true, then she’d let him make the first move. “When a Walker meets someone he is responsible for,” she finally supplied. “She said it drops you like a sack of bricks, and there’s a loud sound and a bright flash, like…like what happened to you at the hotel.”
“Is that all she told you?”
“She said there’s no uncertainty.”
He shook his head once in affirmation. “There’s not. Did she tell you what else happens to the Walker?”
She shook her head. “N-no.”
He paused a moment, debating.
“Tyce, I’d like to know.”
He wanted her to know as well. Not because he wanted her to hurry and make a decision, and not because he wanted to force the issue, but because she deserved the truth. Still, he didn’t expect her to just take his word for it. She’d trusted him so much already. She’d been the one doing all the believing. Honestly, he was proud of how she’d handled things so far…aside from her one escape attempt. He needed to give her something as well. Conn’s words tugged at the back of his mind, telling him he needed to just be open and honest with Briel. Honestly though, he was afraid of scaring her off. She needed time to adjust. She wasn’t a Walker, she didn’t have any idea how quickly things moved with their kind once they’d found their One. Besides, she’d already endured so much change in such a short amount of time. No, he wouldn’t tell her now. He’d show her when they got back home.
“When we get back to Apex, I’d like to show you something.”
She blushed again, and goddamn if he didn’t like the way she lit up for him all the time. He understood the blush this time too because, yeah, he wanted to show her that too, but not before she fully understood what she was getting herself into.
“It’ll help you understand things between us more fully.”
“Things between us?”
Feeling bold, he reached across the table and grabbed her hands in his. She didn’t pull back, but her slight inhalation made him worry she’d try. She didn’t. Her hands relaxed in his and he gently kneaded her fingers. “Yeah. Things between us. I know everything’s been really weird for you, but you’re handling it all so well.” He squeezed her hands. “I want you to know that I see how hard you’re working to trust us, to let us help you and Fena. It means the world to me. I’m really proud of you, but I need you to do something else. I know I have no right to ask more of you, but this is really important. It’s big, Briel.”
Wide-eyed she asked, “What?”
“You remember what I told you what my halo means?”
She nodded again, lifting slim fingers to grip the band around her throat. “You said it means that I’m your responsibility.”
“It does, and you are. And when we get back to Apex, I have something I’d like you to see. If you’re willing.”
The scent of her apprehension, which only moments ago had been subtle, suddenly ratcheted higher.
Still, she nodded. “Okay.” Then, as if thinking better of it, “I’ll be safe, won’t I?”
The question made his heart clench, his inner beasts roar, and his hands itch to ball into fists. From here on out, no matter what happened, whether she chose him or not, he’d ensure she and Fena were safe for the rest of their days. “Yeah, Angel. You’ll be safe. On my word.”