Atria peered up at him through her dense, curling lashes. Raw longing gleamed in the warm brown of her eyes. After days and days of rest, they had only just gotten a bit of that bratty sparkle back. “Why don’t you then?”
“Because you’ve got a world to save, and even if you didn’t, we’d have to face people eventually anyway, no matter how much I don’t want to.”
“Who’s coming, Kaz?”
He let out a short, sharp exhalation. “My family.”
As if on cue, the secondary proximity alarm chimed. A cool, mechanical voice bled from the speakers in the ceiling.“Arrival: two adults, no weaponry detected. Would you like me to dismiss them?”
They glanced down at the tablet in his free hand at the same time. There, in full color, was his worst nightmare — his grandparents waiting at the door.
He was extremely tempted to give the security system an affirmative. No part of him wanted to face his grandparents again. He hadn’t seen or spoken to them since his mother’s funeral and, at least as far as he was aware, both parties were content with that arrangement.
But he knew they would seek him out eventually. It was perhaps only luck that they had not stormed their door until that moment, and he knew from experience that they were both dogged old coots. If he ignored them, they’d camp on the stoop. If he sent them away, they’d come back.
The only way to deal with them was to face them head on.
“My grandparents, Frances and Tosun,” he explained, tilting the tablet so she could get a better look.
“Oh.” She glanced away from the screen to give him a worried look. “Do you want me to tell them to go away?”
Kaz’s chest constricted like it was squeezed by a great fist. Touching her cheek with the pad of his thumb, he asked, “You’d do that for me?”
“Of course. You’re my mate. I’m here to protect you.”
How was it that such a simple phrase, spoken in her soft, serious tone, was able to so easily wipe away the sickly feeling in his gut? Staring down at the determined face of his mate was an instant balm.
Shewanted him.Sheadored him.Shethought he was good enough, even when she saw all his sharp edges, his ugly past. No one else’s opinion mattered. Not anymore.
A smile curled the corners of his lips. “I thought that wasmyjob.”
“Can’t we have the same job? Or is that not allowed?”
“It’s allowed,” he said, bending to give her a light, skimming kiss. She met him halfway.I love it when she stands on her tiptoes to meet me.
Reluctantly pulling back, he allowed himself a deep breath before he set the tablet down. “But in this case, I think we have to deal with it together, princess. They won’t go away until we do.”
Atria slipped her hand into his. “Okay, but if they try anything funny, I’m going to telekinetically knock them over the border.”
“So fierce,” he teased, pulling her along.
“For you? Yes.”
He didn’t know how to tell her how much that meant to him, so Kaz let his purr and his emotions speak for him.
By the time they reached the door, he was more relaxed than he ever would have imagined himself being in their situation. Perhaps that was one of the many benefits of having an empath for a mate. Atria steadied him. In general, he felt far more even-keeled, his emotions less volatile, his past lighter. And in moments of stress, such as this one, he didn’t feel tense or like he needed to have his bolt gun in his hand to be in control.
Everything would be fine. His usual response to stress was aggression, but that beast had been tamed — or perhaps simply put on reserve for when it was truly necessary, like when his mate was threatened.
He was certain he’d marvel at his own stupidity in thinking he’d havelesscontrol of himself as a mate for the rest of his life.
The past had tainted his entire world view, and it had very nearly robbed him of the best part of his life. Now that same past stood on his stoop.
Setting Atria carefully behind him, Kaz climbed the steps that led to the front door. He braced himself as he deactivated the lock.Whatever they say, it doesn’t matter. You have a family that loves you and you have a mate who’d fight for you. They can’t take anything away from you, no matter how hard they try.
A soft, warm hand settled on the bare skin of his lower back. In a quiet voice, Atria said, “I’m here, big guy.”
Kaz risked a glance over his shoulder. She stared back at him, her heart-shaped face set in lines of pure determination.
