A small part of me was relieved that she had such loyal friends—family, if they thought that—but a larger part of me was pissed off that they were on my mate’s doorstep.
Fucking bears.
“She’s fine. She’s asleep right now, and I would heed her warning to stay away.”
The middle one crossed his arms, trying to use his size to intimidate me. Little did he know, I could make the three of them disappear with barely a thought. They were lucky I cared too much about Tee to hurt her like that.
“I want to see her,” he insisted.
A rumble rocked my body, and I barely contained the growl. If they thought I was going to let them look at my mostly naked, asleep mate, they were fucking delusional.
“You’re treading on dangerous ground, bear. I do admire your tenacity, and I’m grateful for any way you cared for Tee while I was out of her life, but I will take it from here. You can fuck off.”
He pushed back at me, even though I could see the wariness in his eyes. He was brave, I’d give him that, but also smart enough to know the predator I was. Especially when it came to Tee.
“I’m not leaving until I see with my own eyes that she’s okay,” he rumbled, his body changing as the bear took over. His wingmen remained loyally at his side but didn’t speak.
“I’m fine, Connor. You can stop worrying.” A soft voice broke through our standoff, and I snapped my gaze to her, relieved to see she had pulled on a robe. It was tied tightly around her body, her mussed hair flying around her head. She looked stunning, and I wanted to drag her right back into bed.
She shot a smile at the middle bear shifter, who must be Connor. “I appreciate you checking in on me though.”
Connor relaxed somewhat, even though he was still nailing me with dark glares. “Okay, Liz, we’re heading back now. Got to make that big meeting, but keep me updated.”
He pulled out his phone and waved it at her, and she nodded. “Yep. Have a safe trip.”
The three turned and stomped off, and I spun to face my mate. She lifted her hands before I could move or say anything. “If you even mention once that I have to stop being friends with them, I’m gonna kick your ass right out my door and I will spend the rest of my life figuring out how to ward this place so you can’t get in.”
Her fire filled my body with energy, and I couldn’t stop from stalking closer to her. “You’d succeed as well, I have no doubt.” There was nothing she couldn’t do when she wanted it badly enough. “I wasn’t going to ask you to give them up. I know they’re family, but you’re going to have to give me some time to wrap my head around it.”
She shrugged. “That’s fair. I’ll allow you time to adjust, until … whatever this is we are doing ends.” Her voice was filled with indifference, but I could see the fear in her eyes. She was truly afraid that I would bail on her, break her heart again.
She was wrong. I’d tasted her now, and I would never have enough.
She must have read something in my expression then that clued her in on my thoughts, because her eyes filled with heat as she took a step closer to me. “The bed is awfully cold right now,” she murmured, her teeth pressing against her bottom lip as she stared up at me. The slice of innocence in her almost stole my breath away, and I had to force myself to focus because she was probably going to destroy my mind.
“I was planning on getting right back in,” I said, our bodies mere inches apart.
There was desire in her eyes as she smiled. My heart did another stupid swirl, because it was a disloyal bastard and had apparently forgotten the last time a Montgomery tore it from my chest.
Her smile faded as she turned, watching me closely. “Having some regrets?” she asked lightly, taking a step back, her hands tightening her robe. Like that would protect her from me.
Using magic, I lifted her up in a rush and dragged her right across to me. She shot me a narrow-eyed look, and then her energy fought my own, halting her movement. Desire hit me so hard I was near knocked to me knees. She was strong. So amazingly strong. Her power was like a wild, ancient bird, freely flying around the world, untouched.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that you’re my true mate,” I told her honestly. “If I’d had to list the supe most likely, it would be you. It was always you.”
“No!” she cried, and her fight died, replaced by sorrow. It drifted along our bond and I released my power on her, letting her fall gently to the ground. I wasn’t sure what had happened, and I wanted desperately to gather her close to me.
But she needed a moment, that much was clear.
When she finally lifted her head and stood tall, her face was clear and her eyes were dry. “It was not always me,” she said, cutting through me. “I had to stand on the sidelines and watch you love my sister. I had to stand on the sidelines and watch how much it destroyed you when she died. Regina was everything. It destroyed every fucking one of us!”
She had been left alone. Guilt at my part in that was coursing through me, burning my veins like acid.
“My parents checked out,” she said, “and I was pretty sure both of them were happy to die on the battlefield. Anything to be reunited with Reggie. And you … you were gone. In mind and soul and spirit. The last few times I saw you, I didn’t even recognize you. All of you left me. And I rebuilt my life here. I found new friends. Now you want to barge in and start demanding things from me. To start … making me feel for you again.” She took a few steps forward, and she was pleading with me. “Please, no more. I can’t do it again. I can’t lose you again. I can’t be second choice again.”
Because I couldn’t help myself, I wrapped my arms around her and buried my head in her hair, breathing her in. “I have a lifetime to make it up to you,” I said, a seal of promise in my voice. “I can’t take the past back, but … I would, if the opportunity presented itself.”
She froze before tilting her head back and meeting my eyes. “You’d take what back exactly?”
