Chapter 313 Chapter 313
Deacon glanced at her as they turned the last corner to her clan’s village, she had a white-knuckle grip on her hat. Giana hadn’t said much since they’d left his cabin. They took turns driving, listened to the radio, and only stopped for a quick bite or gas. He should be happy she wasn’t trying to discuss what had happened between them, but now he just wanted her to talk. His animal was almost as tense as she was, fretting because their mate was unhappy.
Giving her another quick look, he slowed and pulled the van off the road. Giana looked over at him, a questioning look on her face. Putting it in park, he turned and looked at her. “What’s wrong?”
She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. When she opened them, he was surprised to see anger in them. “The last time I saw my parents it didn’t end well.”
He raised an eyebrow, “because you were leaving?”
“That and why I was leaving.” She slumped back in the seat and stared out the window.
“They don’t want you on the team?”
She snorted, “they don’t want me doing anything but being a perfect, pretty Alpha’s daughter.”
“Your job with Jesse is important,” he motioned between them, “what the teams are doing together now is even more so, we’re rescuing our kind.”
“I know. They get that too—they just don’t want me to be part of it.”
“I thought it was just Nox, being himself.” He said quietly.
“No. Nox’s opinion of what I do is the popular consensus of my entire family.”
“I thought one of your brothers was on your side.”
“Walker?” She looked down at her hat, “he is, but he works with our clan, so he can’t make his thoughts known or his life would be hell.” She shrugged, “I get that.” Tossing the hat on the dash, she turned and looked at him, “my father called the king to have me removed from the team.”
Deacon didn’t know what to say to that.
“He ended up getting Devin who sided with me.” She motioned to the road in front of them, “my brother was removed from the special operations because of me,” she shook her head, “I’m going to be walking into a battle, trust me.”
“If the prince wants you on the team, your father can’t have you removed.” He didn’t understand what it was to have parents that fought for you, or in her case, against what she wanted. “I didn’t know it was that bad.” He said quietly.’
Gia turned to look at him, “most think life is perfect when you are part of an Alpha family,” she shrugged, “maybe it is for some, but not me.”
“I can go in and give him the number.”
She laughed, “oh that will go over even better.” Her gaze moved to his neck, “when my father senses my scent blended with yours, and yet I’m hiding in the van.”
His hand went to the bite scar on his neck. “It’s a little late for him to object.”
“And you’re ready for the conversation about why I don’t have a mark?” She closed her eyes and sighed, “look, I get that you have—reservations about it, I do, even if they’re not really warranted, I’m still respecting your feelings on it.” She sighed and then pointed out the window, “he will not, and it won’t just be him,” she shook her head, it’s never just him, “two of my brothers are Alpha’s in training,” she made exaggerated quote symbols in the air, “so they’re going to be all up in our faces too.”
“What’s between us, is no one else’s business, Giana.”
The stressed look on her face, eased slightly, “you are the only person that doesn’t make me cringe when you use my full name, did you know that?”
He shook his head. “No, but the fact remains that this is between us and no one else.”
“I wish that were true.” She blew out a breath, “this is going to be awful.”
“I don’t care what your father has to say, we’re doing our job and then we have to move on to the next and pick up Konner.” Those eyes that felt like they were branding his soul every time she looked at him, moved over his face with a soft caressing look.
“I don’t want you in the middle of it, Deacon, my family problems.”
He tried to shrug it off playfully, “as you know I have my own problems,” he smirked, “you have no issue with all of my,” he waved his hand around, “issues, so a few barked words won’t bother me.” The anxiety coming from her was almost crippling him, his animal was angry, and wanted blood. Reaching over, he took her hand and held it in his until she looked back to his eyes. “I will do anything to protect you, from anyone.” He hadn’t intended the growl in his voice, but his animal wanted his say in this too.
Squeezing his hand, she nodded, a jerky motion at first but then he saw the resolve come back in her expression. “Let’s get it over with.”
Lifting her hand, he kissed it before releasing it and turning in his seat. “Just have a little faith, sweetheart, growling Alpha types I’m used to,” he glanced at her quickly before pulling back onto the road, “I work with your brother, remember?”
Gia grinned, “well, you’re about to meet version one and three of him, they’re more polite than Nox is, but worse in other ways.”