His nostrils flared. “That son of a bitch. His? You’re not fucking his, you’re—shit, give me a minute.” He took a calming breath, one hand flying to the back of his head.
She half-expected the phone to ring again, but it didn’t. “That voice wasn’t natural. He had to have used a voice changer of some kind.” Which made her stomach roll, because … “He would only have done that if he knew I’d otherwise recognize his voice. That means I know him. And going by his ‘just come home’ comment, he really is a part of the pack.”
Luke drew her to him, curled his arms tight around her, and nuzzled the top of her head. “Don’t let him taint what the pack means to you. He’s just a piece of shit whose life has reached its expiry date—something he’ll soon learn.”
“I thought he’d be crazy mad at me for being with you; that he’d assume you and I would finally claim each other. But he apparently has it in his head that you’re not really anyone of consequence.”
Luke nodded. “In his mind, only he matters to you.”
When the bastard realized just how wrong he was about that, she suspected he truly would go crazy mad. She couldn’t say she was looking forward to it.
CHAPTER EIGHT
As Luke entered the kitchen the next morning with a glint of anticipation in his eyes, Blair’s inner alarms did a little jangle. She turned away from the coffee machine. “What is it?”
He held up his cell phone. “Just received a message from River. He came through for us. Gabriel has a condo not far from his uncle’s house. I have the address here.”
Her female got to her feet, her ears pricking up. “Which means we can go question him.” Awesome. Because while she still wasn’t convinced he—
“It means I can go question him,” Luke corrected.
Both she and her female stilled. “You can’t truly expect me to stay behind.” He wasn’t serious. He wasn’t.
“It’s the right decision, Blair.”
Okay, so he was serious. And at risk of her punching his throat. She was used to him being all bossy and pushy. It was annoying, but it also challenged her. It had long ago forced her to find and own her strength.
Generally, he was demanding without trying to steamroll her, so she didn’t hold it against him. But she also didn’t let him get away with it—that wasn’t a pattern she intended to change. As such, she asked, “Right for me? Or right for you, since your instinct will always be to cover me in layers of bubble wrap?”
He stuffed his phone in his pocket. “This isn’t merely me being an overprotective ass—though, yeah, I’m exactly that when it comes to you. This is me heeding River’s advice. He made it clear that it would be a bad idea for you to have direct contact with your stalker, remember?”
“We don’t know that Gabriel is that person.”
“But it could well be him. And, if it is, a visit from you would be a bad idea. He’ll twist that in his head to feed his sick fantasies; he’ll tell himself you came to him because it’s him you want.”
Ugh, did he really have to be rational?
Luke crossed to her and palmed one side of her neck. “I know it will be hard for you to stay behind. I know it will grate on every dominant instinct you have. I know it will grate on your female. But we have to play this smart.”
“Don’t think I don’t know that you like having a reason to insist I stay here.”
He sighed, inclining his head. “I’ll always rather you were out of harm’s way. The mere thought of anything happening to you steals my goddamn breath.” He moved closer, soaking up every inch of her personal space. “Knowing there’s someone out there who believes you belong to them, who wants to take you from me … yeah, I’m not handling that well. It plays on my mind day and night. As you know, newly mated shifters struggle more with their protective instincts, especially if the bond is only partially formed—that makes this situation harder. Not gonna lie to you, I’m going to be unreasonable at times, but that’s not what this is.”
Blair sighed, unable to dispute that. He had every right and reason to ask that she didn’t interact with Gabriel. She’d ask it of Luke if the situation was reversed.
“I’ll wait in the car while you speak to him.” She lifted a hand when Luke went to object. “It’s the best deal you’re getting, so don’t waste your breath arguing. There’s no danger in me coming along for the ride. You’d be lying if you said otherwise.”
Luke felt his jaw harden … because she was right. And he didn’t like it.
Even the mere thought of parting from her made him antsy—he wanted to be with her, protect her, strengthen their bond—but he needed her to stay home, where he knew she’d be safe. He didn’t want her in even the general vicinity of a male who could possibly be stalking her, even if that male had no clue she was close by. His cat was just as opposed to it—he clawed at Luke’s insides, insisting he refuse to make any such concession.