Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Tucker

"She's going to be the death of me," I mutter to myself, pacing outside the bathroom attached to my room.

In the past two days, I've not been able to get any further with her. It's almost as if Lake is intentionally keeping me at bay, and I don't know how to get past the barrier.

Sure, Lake talks to me, but only when I ask her questions.

The tiger within my skin is clawing to get out. The urge to give in and shift grows by the minute. I need to run. He needs to run. We need to run. To clear the mind and come up with what needs to happen next.

The club has been on guard looking for whoever the Drakon King sent. For all we know, it could be the King himself. None of us know what the bastard looks like.

To make matters worse, the longer Lake is around the clubhouse, the more I notice my brothers' change in attitude. They're becoming aggressive at times when they're usually lax.

The only ones not affected are Corbin, Big Daddy, and Daniel. It seems to be because they'd been mated. Corbin has his. But Big Daddy and Daniel both lost their fated mates. Daniel lost two mates. One chosen. The other, his fated. After Big Daddy lost his mate, he never picked another. I can't blame him, but I hate the fact he's lost what is supposed to be special to shifters. If he could have it back, I'd give it to him myself.

I've got a pretty good idea why my brothers are struggling with this by the day. They're fighting the pull of Lake. To keep from taking what isn't theirs. They know Lake is my mate, though unmated. If I could, I'd go in the bathroom right now and take her in the shower, but I can't. I won't do that to her. Lake needs to know she's safe with me before I take it farther.

The past two nights, I slept on the floor rather than in my bed next to her. Each night, I'd stare up at the ceiling, watching that damn night-light showing her something special. Something that was created for her by Callum. It's within the grains of the wood, the scent of the man who raised her. Protected her.

It might piss me off that he left her, still, it wasn't by his choice.

My brothers and I have spoken about this. How they were taken by the Drakon King and how we get them back. It won't be easy. That doesn't mean it can't be done. Precession is key in doing so.

The sound of the shower turning off draws my attention out of my head and to the door. I need to get out of here before she comes out. Lake becomes a temptation with each minute I spend with her. If I don't get away from her soon, I'll do something I'll regret.

Pivoting on my heel, I stalk away from the bathroom door across the room. I barely get the knob twisted when the bathroom door opens, and I'm assailed with the sweetest, intoxicating smell. It's stronger, far more potent than it usually is. Usually, I smell her Fae blood running through her veins, but this is different. It's seduction.

"Tucker," she whispers, and the way she does it, my name comes out huskily as if she were singing my name rather than just calling it out on a breath.

"Yeah," I call over my shoulder, not daring to look at her. If I did, I'd lose control altogether. All bets would be off, and she'd be mine.

"Why are you leaving?" she asks.It's hard to focus on her question rather than the scent of her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," I state and clear my throat. "I just need to go run."

"You're going to shift?" There's no missing the curiosity in her voice.

"Yeah." I turn the knob more, needing to get out of the room.

"Can I come?" And there's the question I was hoping she wouldn't ask.

Fuck.

There's no way I can lie to her or deny her this. She wants to come with me. More than that, she wants to see the tiger beneath the skin.

"I don't know if that's a good idea," I tell her, looking at her over my shoulder.

"Why not?" Hurt visible in her gaze, the curiosity gone from her voice. I watch her as she shakes her head and her shoulders slump. "I shouldn't have asked that. I'm sorry."

Damn. Damn. Damn.

"It's not that I don't want you to come with me. If you do, there's no stopping what could happen," I explain through gritted teeth.

Lake stares at me, cocks her head, and steps closer. "There's no stopping what? I'm your mate, aren't I?"

"Yeah, you're my mate, Lake, but I'm doing everything in my power not to force it on you. To give you time to accept the truth. You had a lot thrown at you at one time."

Lake steps even closer, and my cock stiffens to the point it's pressing into the zipper hard enough to leave imprints.

"Lake, I'm warning you, back away unless you want me to fuck you." I growl, the need for her growing heavier inside me.

"I want to come with you, Tucker. I need to see you." She's not talking about seeing me naked. She's talking about seeing the tiger I'll shift into.

The very beast inside me stretches, wanting the same damn thing. But he wants more.

Fuck me. If I end up hurting her, I'll never forgive myself.

I open my mouth to protest, to deny her, when she steps even closer and whispers the one word that becomes my undoing.

"Please."

Closing my eyes, I drop my head forward and inhale the sweet, seductive scent of her. Smelling only that of her nymph blood and none of the Fae. I'm figuring it's the way her body calls for her mate. But I can't go by the scent alone. I won't do that to her.

"You come with me, I tell you to leave, you do it, understand?"

I ask, not lifting my head nor opening my eyes.

"I understand."

I hear the agreement, though I know it's a lie. There's no way she'll leave if I tell her to.

"Fine." I nod, open my eyes, and stretch an arm in her direction, indicating for her without words to take my hand. She does something even better . . . slides up next to me and curls herself into my side.