Glancing at Reese and then Jessica, he spoke to them silently. “Gonna go … supervise this … pretend mating. Be right back.”
“Good plan.” Reese squeezed Jess tighter. It wasn’t far from anyone’s mind she too could be in danger if these assholes recognized her by looks or scent.
Charles made his way past Tessa and her kids on the floor. Her husband, Aaron, glanced at him but remained tightlipped. Lucky bastard.
Charles coughed as he approached Michael and Alyssa. The girl was staring at his brother with a combination of emotions; shock, fear, trepidation, and, fuck it all, lust. Hopefully she was simply attracted to the man and not falling for him hard. He was a good-looking guy as far as Charles figured, but still… He was twenty. “If you’re serious about doing this, Michael, you’re going to have to smother her in your scent so it seems you two are extremely close lovers on the cusp of a claiming. Otherwise, no one is going to buy the ruse.”
“I think I can handle it, bro.” The cocky bastard didn’t even look at Charles. Instead, he took Alyssa by the hand and left the room.
Shit.
The two walked down the hall, and Charles hoped to God Michael used his big head instead of his little head with this woman.
He’d barely turned around toward the Christmas mess when a second knock at the door made him jump. That was fast.
Chapter 16
Jessica could smell a wolf. Make that two. Her senses were super heightened since she’d mated only days ago. And the men on the other side of that door were wolves.
Her hands sweated, and she wiped them on her jeans. She was a grown woman, not a ten-year-old child. She could handle anything now. She could face off with anyone who threatened her family, not cower in the corner and watch them be killed this time.
“Is that what you think, hon? You think if you’d done something different your parents would still be alive? You think you could have prevented their cold-blooded murder? Jess? You were ten. Just a small child. You can’t blame yourself for their deaths.” Reese pulled her in tighter and backed them away from the front door as far as possible.
Charles acknowledged their silent conversation as he walked past with a glance, but he didn’t stop. He simply brushed his hand across her arm on the way by.
Her flesh tingled where he’d left his light touch, as though he were still kissing her.
Jess glanced at Reese. She hadn’t realized until just now he was right. She’d blamed herself all these years. Well, not precisely for the murder of her mom and dad, but for her cowardice with regard to being frozen inside the house watching the scene unfold.
“You are not a coward. You are completely the opposite, in fact.” Charles didn’t turn around, but he communicated his thoughts with his hand on the front doorknob.
With a jerk, Charles yanked the door open. His father, brothers, and the other mated men squared off at the entrance. Even with all the testosterone filling the space, Jessica had a clear line of vision directly to the two assholes she’d hoped to never lay eyes on again in this lifetime. She sucked in a breath. Even knowing there was a good chance these same men would show up to get Alyssa the same way they’d come to collect Jessica all those years ago, she was still unprepared for the onslaught of emotion that warred inside her.
“Are these the same men, babe?” Charles asked. No one had moved an inch or said a word yet.
“Yes.” Even telepathically her word sounded breathy to her ears.
The bastards had barely changed in twelve years. They stood there all cocky, sure of themselves. They’d shot her parents in cold blood and irrevocably altered her life. Her blood boiled as she glared. She’d given them her power. Realization dawned. They were still controlling her from halfway across the country like a weak victim. Jessica had allowed these murdering beasts to make her flinch at her own shadow.
Not anymore. Her spine stiffened as she resolved to take control of her life. No longer would she be a victim. Jessica stood taller, shook herself free of Reese’s arm wrapped around her, and watched how this scene unfolded.
“Excuse our intrusion on this special holiday, but we believe a member of our pack is staying here under false pretenses. Perhaps the girl has lied to you, made up a story that has caused you to protect her.”
Richard took the lead. “No one is here but family and impending family. You are misinformed. There are no pack members other than those who belong.” His words were perfectly selected. Ambiguous.
The taller, skinnier man opened his mouth to speak, but the shorter, chubbier asshole shushed him with a look and a hand. “I beg to differ. I can smell our packmate from here. Alyssa is her name. If you’d hand her over. She’s a runaway. Her parents are very worried.”