Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Tucker

Fae, fucking Fae. This woman, my mate, is a damn fairy. You can smell it on her. It's not as strong of a scent, from a distance you wouldn't be able to distinguish the scent from that of other humans.

Close up, however, you can smell it on her, and it's a heady scent that goes straight to my cock. It took all my willpower to keep from attacking her. Not that I'd hurt her, but I'd have taken her right there against the goddamn door.

I watched her as she took me in. I know she saw my stripes. My tiger had been close to the surface. He wanted out. He wanted me to claim her, but it was too damn soon. I could scent the fear on her just as much as I could have her being a Fae.

"You have a key?" she whispers.

Just the sound of her voice, the sing-song tone of it, even when she planted those hands on her hips and made her demands. It was like her voice was a song as she spoke. Beautiful, serene. It drew me in just as much as her scent did.

"Yeah, it's my house. I do the repairs on it," I tell her, itching to pull her back to me.

"But you can't just come in here." She balks.

I take a sidestep and glance around the little house. It's not big by any means. I bought it as an investment, to give myself something to do in my spare time. I fixed it up alongside Abel, Jett, and Quincy. We're in the process of working on another place, but it wasn't meant to be an investment, rather my place.

Before she'd gotten here, I had a moment to take the place in and the few items that she had. The house came furnished, and she's only unpacked a few things—a blanket and sheet for her bed. A night-light was placed next to the side of the bed. It looked old like something a little girl would have. It also had the scent of a shifter on it.Curious, I flipped it on, saw tigers circling around on the ceiling, and found it interesting.

A thousand questions rolled around in my head, all of them I want answers to. Like how a little Fae such as she is, has a night light that smells of shifters. Then there's the fact she's here alone.

The Fae are known to stay hidden, sticking to themselves. Staying where they can't be found. It's a rarity to have found a Fae alone as she is. They protect each other. Then again, she's not full Fae. She's only half, which I find interesting. I'd never heard of a halfling Fae. It's truly uncommon, as they're rumored to only reproduce with their own kind.

If this knowledge were to get out . . . to become known to others . . .

Fuck.

Is this the reason behind what Karsyn told me? Is it because of her parentage that she's in danger?

"I want you to leave," she says, pointing to the door. Her words bring me out of my thoughts.

She wants me to leave. I'll be leaving, but she'll be going with me. With the knowledge of what she is, there is no way I am leaving my mate alone.

"I'm not leaving," I tell her, cocking my head to the side. "What's your name?" I ask.

"What?" She blinks, head jerking.

"Name? You know mine, it's only fair I know yours."

The beauty that is my mate, she's a spritely thing. Her hair a mass of curls, all wavy and vibrant red. Her body is that of a woman demanding a man's or beast's touch. I'm willing to bet her tits would fit perfectly in my hands. If she turned around, I'm willing to bet her ass would be just as perfect in my hands. She's small, but I'd still be able to lift her and have her legs curl about my waist. Those legs might not lock together, still, she'd be able to do it while I palmed her ass in my hands at the same time thrusting inside her pussy.

Fuck me. The thought has my cock stiffening all the more. Which is exactly what I don't need it to be doing right now.

"I have a right to know your name, considering you were in my home when I got here." She huffs, cheeks turning a cute little blush color as she crosses her arms in front of her.

My eyes go straight to her chest as her movement pushes up her tits, putting them further on display. The top she's wearing isn't overly tight, but it is low cut and shows off the cleavage she has.

"Eyes up here, bucko," she snaps and cocks her hips.

I give her my eyes once again, a grin tugging at my lips. "You put it on out there, I'm gonna look, my little Fae."

"Little Fae?" Her cheeks brighten further. "I'm not your little anything."

"Oh, but you are. You're my mate," I tell her, not beating around the bush.

"I'm not your mate," she snaps rather than demanding to know why I keep saying that or what it means.

Which confirms she knows about shifters.

"You are my mate," I state sternly, reaching for her.

Unfortunately, she jumps back before I can do so and steps farther away. Far enough so, I'm not able to touch her or feel her closeness. The scent of her still lingers in my nostrils, toying with my senses.

"Stop saying that. I'm not your mate, damnit," she declares, stomping her foot. "You need to leave."

"I'm not leaving," I growl, my tiger demanding I force her to submit. The defiance I see in her riles the beast in more ways than one. "Whether you believe me or not, I'm your damn mate. I know you know what shifters are and what it means to be a mate."

"How would you know I know that?"

The way she drops her arms and plants them on those hips of hers . . . fuck . . . she's a beauty. I want nothing more than to sink my fingers in her hair, hold her still, and claim those lips. To hear her moans as I kiss her deep and thoroughly. To hear her plead for more than just my mouth touching hers, plundering her mouth as I want.

Fuck. I need to quit thinking like this before I end up losing control. The last thing I need to do right now is scare the hell out of my mate.

"Because you saw my stripes and didn't freak. You saw the tiger inside me and looked at me like I was any other person. I'm willing to bet the shifter who gave you that night light of yours was a tiger shifter." My question is, who was the shifter? There's no scent of a shifter on her, just on that night-light.

"So what?" she snipes, lip curling, but I notice the way her eyes dilate and her nostrils flare. The fear licks at my skin as it reaches out to me.

Interesting.

Taking a step toward her, she moves back. We do this until I back her against the counter dividing the small living space with the kitchen. "Tell me your name, little Fae."

My mate stares up at me with those wide eyes of hers, licks her bottom lip, and gives me the answer I was waiting for. "Lake. My name is Lake Wildthorn."

What I didn't expect was her last name. I hadn't heard the Wildthorn name in years. Not since the death of my family and the alliance between the Wildthorns dissolved. All that had been left was me, and there was no female to select.

Fate is one cruel bitch when she wants to be, and this goes without saying, she's got one twisted mind with the games she's playing. However, knowing what that game is, is a whole other ordeal. My mate has the Wildthorn last name. A tiger shifter name. But she's not a tiger. She's a Fae, half Fae. Everything grows more interesting by the minute.