Chapter 558 Chapter 558
Blaise studied him as he stared into the trees. What was he thinking about? “You were in a camp with Noah?”
His shoulders stiffened as he turned just his head to look at her. “To learn what my life would be if I didn’t listen to my father.”
“You were there for a year.” What kind of human could do that to their own child? Half-breed or not.
“I had a problem with obedience.” He said the last word with exaggerated enunciation.
“Thank you.” She cringed that it just popped out of her mouth. “For looking after him after he found Emersyn.” The confusion was clear in his eyes. “When they beat him because he found his mate.” He made no comment. “They’re together now.” She realized he had no idea. “Noah found her at one of the houses we,” she paused, unsure of what word to use when discussing it with him, “liberated.”
He turned toward her, “really?”
“Yeah. It’s uh,” she motioned her hand in the air, not sure how to describe anything pertaining to mates, “not exactly a normal mating, but they have each other now and her little girl,” she glanced at the house, “we found Lindon’s clan and freed them too.”
His expression darkened, “I thought Blair was Lindon for a second.”
“Yeah, well, Blair killed big brother, and now he’s alpha to a very large clan of tigers.”
“Are you part of that clan?”
She shook her head, “no, I’m still part of my family’s that came over.”
“I don’t understand about mates.”
She snorted, “neither do I. I actually never thought,” she scowled at the ground, “had hoped I’d never find mine.”
“Past tense.” He tilted his head and held her in place with a hard look, “you have a mate?”
Blaise took a step back and realized she just trapped herself by flapping her mouth. “Uh, yeah it looks that way, but it’s even more complicated than Noah and Emersyn.”
“My bear,” he frowned, “animal seems to be angry at the thought,” he rolled his eyes, “it’s all anger, but now it’s…”
“About that,” she cleared her throat. Did she want to have this conversation with him? No, yet he was, for the first time in his life, finding his animal, and after the intense display in the house, she didn’t want him to struggle with his own animal side, “I think it’s you.”
“What is? My bear is angry because of me?”
There was a reason she didn’t have lengthy conversations with others, she sucked at it. “I think, okay, my cat knows you’re our mate.”
The silence as he stood there just looking at her was painful.
“I don’t understand. If I’m,” he waved a hand around, “some kind of bear species—you’re a tiger.” His brow creased further, “is that common? Different,” he motioned between them.
Blaise blew out a breath, “I have no idea. I don’t know shit about mating and this cosmic fate crap.” She huffed out another breath, “I guess it’s because we’re both mixed.”
“Mixed?”
She pinned him in place with a ‘duh’ look, “half human, half bear, and,” she stabbed a finger into her own chest, “two tiger flavors.”
He just stood there like a statue as he digested that. She had no idea what now and hoped he wasn’t looking at her for answers.
“What-what does this mean?”
She lifted her hands and let them drop. “I don’t,” she realized he was holding his breath, “I don’t know.” She motioned between them, “aside from the mixed part, it’s not like we met at a social gathering of clans for games, and of course, the underlying reason—the hope to stumble across your fated mate.”
“Right.” His expression blanked, “I’m from the enemy team.”
“But you’re not.” Her mouth needed to stop with the free-flowing words. What was wrong with her? “The enemy? Are you?” She pointed to the house, “with the information you’ve given us, you’ll have gained a lot of favor at the Alliance.”
“Is that what I need to do? Gain favor, earn my freedom?” He looked her up and down, and she hated that her cat was all but purring inside her from his attention.
“I don’t know, maybe.” She backed up another step. Her cat wanted to rub up against him and there would be none of that happening. “Maybe go meet your clan.”
Surprise filled his eyes. “And do what, be a half-bear member of a clan I know nothing about?”
“You have to have a clan, or you’re a rogue. The Alliance doesn’t protect rogues.”
He ran a hand through his hair, leaving it messy and she thought for one fool-hardy second that it suited him more than the flattened, neatly parted hair did. “There are so many rules. I know nothing about any of this. I know nothing about what is considered normal life in either world I’m a part of.”
The anxiety coming off him made her tense. “You don’t have to learn it all in a day.” She glanced at the house, hoping like a coward that someone would come out soon and interrupt this conversation she didn’t want to have.
“I’ve never been with a woman and now I have a mate.”
Blaise blinked, wishing she hadn’t heard that, “don’t expect me to do anything about that.”
“I didn’t mean…”
“Good.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Just,” just what? “Focus on helping us shut down Tomas—that is my only priority right now.”
His expression either changed to disbelief or relief; she wasn’t sure.
“Right. Aiden needs to not be breathing before I can be anything but a vastly hunted liability to your Alliance.”
“You’ll be safe,” she’d smack herself later for saying it, “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Blaise.”
She turned to see Noah standing by the outside door.
“Devin needs to talk to you.”
Nodding, she gave Griffin a quick look and went toward the door.
“I’ll stay out here with him,” Noah stepped aside when she reached the door.
Blaise went in and then glanced back to see them both looking at her. Noah looked pleased, and Griffin was unsure. She closed the door, and the next thing they’d do is high-five each other or something equally lame. Yay, bro, you found your woman. She groaned out loud and kicked off her boots. Men were ridiculous creatures.