you."
"Did. She's dead. My whole family is dead."
Alyssa's eyes filled with unshed tears of sympathy. "Well, now you have a new family. One that is connected to you by blood. Anyway, I want to finish telling you about Chase.
"Being the leader of the Sons is a lot of responsibility, and he handles it well. Everyone trusts and believes in him. Leaders like him are rare, especially in a situation like this, when it’s not just men that have to be led, but the panthers inside the men, too.
"But he’s had issues with Mates from the start. Maybe he’s sexist. Maybe he doesn’t like the way his men behave when they find mates: like loose cannons. Maybe his protective alpha male doesn’t like putting us in danger. And we all have been put in danger since joining the Sons. Maybe he doesn’t like the way missions have changed since we’ve come on board. Maybe it’s none or all of the above.
"Not that he's anything but kind and polite to us, but we all sense his reservations where we're concerned.”
Alyssa sighed and threw her long, honey-coloured braid over her shoulder. “Let me ask you a question, and I know it will seem totally inappropriate, but I don’t ask it out of curiosity. The answer is important.”
Again Anna nodded, even if Alyssa hadn’t actually asked her permission to pose the question.
“How do you feel about Chase? Not right now, because anyone in their right mind would be a little frightened of him right now. But from the moment you met him to – I don’t know – after he bit you?”
Anna felt a blush burning its way into her cheeks. How was she supposed to answer that question? She hadn’t even asked that of herself yet. But Alyssa seemed to need a truthful answer, and as Anna intuitively trusted this girl as she imagined she would have a sister, she answered as best she could.
“My past... It makes it hard to be around men. And yet, I felt drawn to Mr... Chase from the first moment I saw him. When he bit me, I wanted to be angry with him. I don’t allow men to be violent with me. I take self-defence classes to make sure they don’t. I can’t afford the classes. I have to cut back on many things so I can afford them. But I won’t allow men to be violent with me.
“I know I should be angry with him. But I’m not. The bite was frightening and yet it was... pleasurable. And… I never thought I would feel pleasure with a man.”
She paused, embarrassed to be talking this way, and yet wanting to get it right for Alyssa. She needed to think of the right English words to explain how she now felt about the stranger she had met only that morning. With part of her mind she registered the fact that her accent had returned. It usually did when she got emotional.
“I don’t know him, I don’t understand him, but I feel safe with him. Somehow I know that if he goes postal, he won’t hurt me. I know that’s stupid. Of all people, I should know not to trust a stranger. But I do. I feel as close to him as I have felt to anyone in a very long time. I can’t explain it.” She let out a deep sigh of defeat.
“And Caleb? What was your reaction to him when you first saw him? I know he’s pretty outrageous...”
Anna chuckled and shook her head. “Yes, but I instantly liked him and felt a certain level of safety with him, too. For four years I’ve struggled to be around men, and then I meet these Sons who make me feel oddly safe. Like the two bodyguards you had with you. I knew they would look after you. I trusted them to do that. Maybe it’s that cat I now have inside me that senses safety, because we’re the same breed. The trouble is, when it comes to men, it's not easy to trust my instincts; even though I know they're right.”
Anna could tell that Alyssa wanted to ask about her past experiences with men, but she hoped she wouldn’t. She'd given away too much already. Not even with a sister could she imagine opening up fully about that period in her life. Luckily, Alyssa seemed to
"Did. She's dead. My whole family is dead."
Alyssa's eyes filled with unshed tears of sympathy. "Well, now you have a new family. One that is connected to you by blood. Anyway, I want to finish telling you about Chase.
"Being the leader of the Sons is a lot of responsibility, and he handles it well. Everyone trusts and believes in him. Leaders like him are rare, especially in a situation like this, when it’s not just men that have to be led, but the panthers inside the men, too.
"But he’s had issues with Mates from the start. Maybe he’s sexist. Maybe he doesn’t like the way his men behave when they find mates: like loose cannons. Maybe his protective alpha male doesn’t like putting us in danger. And we all have been put in danger since joining the Sons. Maybe he doesn’t like the way missions have changed since we’ve come on board. Maybe it’s none or all of the above.
"Not that he's anything but kind and polite to us, but we all sense his reservations where we're concerned.”
Alyssa sighed and threw her long, honey-coloured braid over her shoulder. “Let me ask you a question, and I know it will seem totally inappropriate, but I don’t ask it out of curiosity. The answer is important.”
Again Anna nodded, even if Alyssa hadn’t actually asked her permission to pose the question.
“How do you feel about Chase? Not right now, because anyone in their right mind would be a little frightened of him right now. But from the moment you met him to – I don’t know – after he bit you?”
Anna felt a blush burning its way into her cheeks. How was she supposed to answer that question? She hadn’t even asked that of herself yet. But Alyssa seemed to need a truthful answer, and as Anna intuitively trusted this girl as she imagined she would have a sister, she answered as best she could.
“My past... It makes it hard to be around men. And yet, I felt drawn to Mr... Chase from the first moment I saw him. When he bit me, I wanted to be angry with him. I don’t allow men to be violent with me. I take self-defence classes to make sure they don’t. I can’t afford the classes. I have to cut back on many things so I can afford them. But I won’t allow men to be violent with me.
“I know I should be angry with him. But I’m not. The bite was frightening and yet it was... pleasurable. And… I never thought I would feel pleasure with a man.”
She paused, embarrassed to be talking this way, and yet wanting to get it right for Alyssa. She needed to think of the right English words to explain how she now felt about the stranger she had met only that morning. With part of her mind she registered the fact that her accent had returned. It usually did when she got emotional.
“I don’t know him, I don’t understand him, but I feel safe with him. Somehow I know that if he goes postal, he won’t hurt me. I know that’s stupid. Of all people, I should know not to trust a stranger. But I do. I feel as close to him as I have felt to anyone in a very long time. I can’t explain it.” She let out a deep sigh of defeat.
“And Caleb? What was your reaction to him when you first saw him? I know he’s pretty outrageous...”
Anna chuckled and shook her head. “Yes, but I instantly liked him and felt a certain level of safety with him, too. For four years I’ve struggled to be around men, and then I meet these Sons who make me feel oddly safe. Like the two bodyguards you had with you. I knew they would look after you. I trusted them to do that. Maybe it’s that cat I now have inside me that senses safety, because we’re the same breed. The trouble is, when it comes to men, it's not easy to trust my instincts; even though I know they're right.”
Anna could tell that Alyssa wanted to ask about her past experiences with men, but she hoped she wouldn’t. She'd given away too much already. Not even with a sister could she imagine opening up fully about that period in her life. Luckily, Alyssa seemed to
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