"I'm not your responsibility," she reiterated her early words."I'll get you that water."She turned and walked quickly to the counter and grabbed a clean cup.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Katy said as she stepped close enough that her shoulder touched Lola's.
"Can you take this water to table ten?"she asked Katy without acknowledging her friend's words.What could she say?She, sure as hell, wasn't going to tell her that Bane was a friend of Callon's.Though she used the term friend very loosely considering it didn't seem like there was any love lost between them.
Katy stared at her a moment and then finally nodded.When she walked away, Lola took a deep breath and pushed Bane into the compartment where she'd shoved Callon."Do your job, ignore the panther in the room, and forget all that you've discovered in the past twenty-four hours."
"I didn't think you were coming in today," Sal said as he stuck his head out of the window that opened to the kitchen.
"I didn't either, but apparently, I miss you guys when I'm gone."She smiled and hoped that it didn't look as forced as it felt.
"Antonio," he began but Lola held up her hand to stop him.
"Katy and Maddie told me.If he comes back, I'll deal with it," she assured him, though she had no ideahowshe was going to deal with it.
"You won't deal with it alone," Sal said, giving her a pointed look."I don't know what's going on with him, Little One, but I won't let him mess with you.Son or not, I didn't raise him to behave in such a way."
Lola nodded."I know.It will be fine, Sal."It was a lie.Apparently, lying to herself was her new M.O.
Just get through the day, then you can deal with your new unhealthy habit, she told herself as she headed to check on her tables.She avoided Bane's.Dude could get water somewhere else if he was thirsty.Lola was pretty sure she was over her shifter fascination.Another damn lie.
Chapter 17
Null Your Ass.
“There is no greater darkness than the one that we willingly invite into our lives.We ushered it in like a friend, giving it space in our life.We don’t stop to consider the fact that unlike a friend, it will never leave on its own.We will have to wrestle it into submission while hoping it doesn’t consume us before we can win the battle against it.”~Callon
The sound of traffic pierced Callon's ears, but he remained motionless in the driver seat as he stared at the place where he’d last seen Lola.Her strawberry-blonde hair flying in the wind as she ran– from him.For a split second, he’d allowed himself to feel what she felt as she practically lunged from the car, so upset she hadn’t even cared for her own safety.She damn-well nearly got hit by a car.He lowered the wall he’d erected between them and he felt what his words had done to her.He’d crushed her.Any trust he’d built since meeting her, Callon had destroyed.Anguish, betrayal, confusion, and so many questions flooded into him like a tidal wave.It was too much.He blocked her, because if he hadn’t, his resolve would have crumbled.
Back at the estate, when he'd realized he’d been letting his emotions take precedence over his duty, he'd found a distraction in the situation with Ciarian.It only shielded him from the full-brunt of Lola's overwhelming feelings for a moment.When they'd made for the car and she'd responded to Bane’s presence, his resolution cracked for an instant.He'd grappled with the urge to rip the panther apart.As soon as he'd gotten into the car, Lola's feelings started oozing through the air like a toxic gas, weighing him down and threatening to choke him.He could feel her confusion, fear, hurt and rage, radiating - but it was the anger which enabled him to manage the drive back.He clutched on fiercely to that emotion, because the others were too much for him to bear.
How had things gone so wrong?
"The doubt, dumbass," he muttered to himself as he finally put the car in drive and maneuvered through the streets.
From the moment he saw Lola, there had been a part of him that kept reminding him of his obligations.Part of him wanted to give into his desires and be with her, but his sense of responsibility kept pulling him back.He felt like he was forever teetering on the edge of what was right and wrong.
Then Ciarian had come in injured on just his second day of training and Callon hadn't been there.It washisjob to train the warriors and he'd been fawning after a female like an enamored adolescent.
With that reminder he picked up his phone and hit the screen."Call Shane," he told the phone.A few seconds later the male answered.
"He's fine, Callon," Shane said before he could even ask.
"I should have been there, especially if there were new warriors coming in."Callon's hands clutched the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles grew pale.He felt like a tightly wound spring, ready to crack and break apart at any moment.His eyes were fixed ahead, jaw clenched, in an attempt to maintain control.
"You are an incredible fighter, Prince, and you have taught all of us well," Shane said, "Believe it or not, you've taught some of us so well, we’re able to train the cubs."
"Then why did today happen?"he snarled before he could temper himself.He took a deep breath and let it out."I'm sorry, Shane.That wasn't a fair question.Injuries have happened under my training as well.But thenI’mthe one responsible.I should be the one to bear that burden, not you or the others."
"You know," Shane's voice sounded hesitant."You're more than just a warrior and Prince.You're a man, just like the rest of us.You need a break from this, you need rest.Perhaps even more so than all of our warriors."He paused and then added, "You need a mate.Your royal blood may make you stronger than other unmated males, but–”
"A mate would take my time away from the things that I need to be doing," Callon cut him off.He didn't need to explain himself to Shane, but because he cared about those under his command, he would.“Keep me posted on anything that happens in training,” he instructed.“I will be checking on some things in another kingdom with our Shaman as well as others.Hopefully it won’t take long.”
“May Visata protect you,” Shane said before he ended the call.
By the time Callon pulled into the parking garage of Leonidas Global, Shane’s words had dug their claws deeply into his mind.He was on the verge of driving back to the estate just so he could let his beast loose on the tiger.The wheels screeched to an abrupt halt as he parked the vehicle.His eyes landed on the scratch marks on the hood and he snarled.It just reminded him he'd assigned Bane to guard Lola.What the hell had he been thinking?It was obvious the male was interested in her.
"Isn't that what you wanted?"he asked the empty car.It had seemed like the best idea because she was ananimus.She needed the protection of one of his kind.And his males needed mates.Being around Bane would give them both the opportunity to see if they could develop feelings for one another.
