Lock Read online

  She pushed the glass door open and stepped out into the night, reminding herself there was nothing to be worried over. She was back in her regular, normal life, and all the weirdness was back with Lock.

  It had nothing to do with her.

  Smiling again at the reaction of her client to her new hair, Tasha started down the sidewalk in the direction of the employee parking lot, which was part of a self-park lot just down the street.

  It was raining lightly, and she pulled an umbrella out of her purse and held it over her head just because she liked the sound of the rain on it.

  Why had she even been planning on moving to Jackie’s city anyway? Sure, she loved seeing Jackie, but she could do that on vacation. It must have just been a whim… But then why had the urge seemed oddly strong to her?

  She swallowed as she heard the sound of a car rushing by but didn’t look up as she heard water splash over the gutters.

  This was her place. She was used to it. She was—

  “Hey there.”

  She froze, about to turn into the side street where the self-park lot was as she saw a shadow leaning against the crumbling brick wall just ahead of her.

  She squinted, taking a step back, trying to appraise the situation. Whoever it was, they were wearing a dark raincoat that went down past the knees. Perhaps it was what she had seen move in front of the salon. Was someone stalking her?

  She slowly lowered her umbrella and put it away in her purse, putting her hands over the Mace she always kept there. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

  “I think the question is who are you.” The man stepped out to face her but was wearing a brimmed hat that shaded his face, giving him total anonymity in the relative darkness.

  His posture was relaxed, and his hands were shoved in his pockets.

  “I think the question is do I need call the police.” She pulled her Mace out and held it in his direction. “And the answer is maybe, if you don’t move out of the way and let me get to my car.”

  A low chuckle mingled with the wind. “Feisty. I like that.”

  She frowned, feeling her whole body start to tense with adrenaline. Why did it seem like everything was just messed up lately? Before that, her life hadn’t been perfect, but it had been pretty darn good. She’d had a lot of freedom, good friends, a job she loved. She liked to think she was loyal to those she cared about. All in all, she was a pretty normal girl.

  Yet suddenly, people were falling asleep around her and stalking her.

  “Are you going to leave or not?” she asked firmly, hoping to project bravado that she could then feel. “I’m not afraid to use this.” She moved the safety piece on the Mace out of the way.

  “You can use that, but you won’t stop me,” the man said with another low chuckle. He took another step forward. “I’ve been watching you. I’ve seen what you can do.”

  “What do you mean?” She took another step backward toward the salon in case someone was still there who could help her or so she could bolt for the door if needed.

  “At first, I couldn’t believe I’d found an alpha female out here in the wild, unprotected.” He scented the air deeply, then exhaled in a raspy breath. “But I had no idea of your lineage. No idea how such a thing is possible. I suppose I’ll check it out with the Tribunal… after we’re mated.”

  She used her free hand to rub away a headache that was threatening. She needed to remain clearheaded right now, but it was hard when he was spouting nonsense just like Lock had.

  “I’m afraid you’re wrong,” she said sharply. “I’m only human, no matter what anyone else thinks. If I were otherwise, I would know.” She took another step back, feeling her stomach drop when he took a bigger step forward, closing the distance slightly.

  At this rate, she’d never make back to the salon.

  “Not necessarily,” the man said, and the next step he took brought him into the light of an overhead lamp, illuminating some of his features.

  He was handsome in a gruff way, with a five-o-clock shadow and a strong jaw. Tanned. She couldn’t see much of his build in the raincoat, but he was tall. Probably built based on the width of his shoulders.

  “They could have erased your memory when they hid you. Or you could have been raised by humans from birth. Hard to say really. But the nose doesn’t lie.” He took another deep breath, looking nearly insane. Then he fixed his dark eyes on her, and they were glittering. “Though, you don’t smell nearly as good when you’re afraid.”

  “What’s this damn smell everyone’s talking about?” She cursed in frustration. “Why can’t I smell it? Why is it happening now?”

  The man shrugged. “I won’t be easy to put down like the others you’ve encountered. I know what you are. I won’t give you a chance to activate your powers. I’ve gone up against Felix from the Tribunal.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Felix?” She had no idea what that was about. Maybe this guy was just crazy. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder just to see how close the door to the salon was and if she’d be able to reach it before he caught her.

  But before she could even gauge it, he was right in front of her, faster than she could even gasp, as if he’d closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

  His hand wrapped around her throat. “You can’t put me out if you can’t breathe.”

  He was strong, even stronger than she could have guessed given his huge height. Her breath was stopped instantly, and she couldn’t think of anything but trying to get free. Her legs kicked desperately, and she was reduced to an animal sense of survival as her Mace dropped to the ground.

  She kicked out, trying to reach him, but her legs were too short.

  She glared at him, eyes bulging, and saw his lids grow heavy.

  “Damn, that is strong,” he said, widening his eyes as his mouth slackened. “But it won’t stop me.” He used his free hand to reach into a pocket and brought out a syringe. Then he jammed it into her arm. “Very expensive on the black market but worth it to capture an alpha female. Don’t worry. It’ll wear off in a few hours.”

  As whatever he’d injected into her flooded her veins, she felt like something inside her was collapsing, making her weak.

  His grip on her neck slowly loosened, and he set her back on the ground.

  She stumbled back, rubbing her arm where he’d stabbed her with the needle, trying to figure out which way she could run. But before she could even move, she heard footsteps running toward them.

  Just as she opened her mouth to scream, a blur in black leather shot past her and into her attacker, knocking him back with a grunt.

  As the two men struggled on the ground, rolling on the pavement, hard to make out in the semi-darkness, she thought she caught a glimpse of red hair.

  “Lock?”

  A head raised to look up at her, and even in the drizzling rain and dim light, she could make out its features. Handsome, cut, roguish. An earring glittering in one ear.

  He sent her an apologetic grin before turning his attention back to the man he was pummeling, landing punch after punch in the man’s face as he grunted and struggled.

  The man got in a punch on Lock’s face, which only made Lock snarl and hit him harder, causing both men to roll over the pavement again, grappling for the upper position.

  When Lock had the other man pinned in front of him, he reached around, rummaging in his coat pockets. When he withdrew his hand, she saw a syringe like the one she’d been injected with glittering in the air.

  With what seemed to be glee, Lock jammed it into the man’s arm, hard, several times.

  The man struggled but couldn’t move in his position, and Lock finally stepped back, tossing the syringe away.

  “Doesn’t feel so good, does it? Being stabbed, having your powers taken away?”

  The man simply rolled onto his back, giving a grunt. He rubbed his hand over his arm and glared up at Lock with developing bruises that were visible even in the darkness. “A rogue like you has nothing to d
o with this. Why are there rumors of you interfering with the Tribunal?”

  “I don’t have to answer to you,” Lock said sharply, coming forward to lift the guy by the collar to bring their faces close. He jerked his finger toward Tasha. “That’s my female. Mine. You know what that means?”

  The man shook his head. “You haven’t marked her.”

  Lock let out a hiss and shook the man hard. “Because I’m not a fucking rapist like some of you desperate bastards. But she’s mine, and I’m not leaving her. And if you come at her again, you’ll have to deal with me. And you. Can’t. Kill. Me.” Tasha could hear the smile in Lock’s voice, even though he wasn’t facing her.

  The man made a sort of gurgle. “I can stop you. Stop your healing powers. You won’t get away with this.”

  Lock reached into his coat for a vial of yellow liquid and held it up to the light. “And you won’t remember this. Or her.” He uncorked the vial with his teeth and shoved it down the man’s throat as he struggled. “Sleep tight.”

  Tasha stood still as the man’s struggles abated and he slumped onto the concrete.

  Lock glanced around him before grabbing the man by the collar of his jacket and dragging him down the nearest alley toward a faded green dumpster that smelled like garbage puked up by other garbage.

  Without ceremony, Lock dumped the man inside, and Tasha winced slightly at the clang the man made when he hit the bottom of the dumpster.

  Lock turned to her with a smile, brushing back wet dark-red hair. “They should find him before they take the trash out. Hopefully. Or not.”

  Tasha just blinked at him, wondering what the heck was happening. Lock was here. More than a thousand miles from where he lived.

  And why?

  Lock walked forward, and she stood there frozen as he checked her over, lifting her hand to pull her sleeve back so he could look at her arm. He shook his head at the injection spot. “He had no right to do that, but I had to wait until he did. I couldn’t move until he released you. Even surprising him could have made him snap your neck.” He hissed angrily. “Seeing him touch you, watching him grab you…” He took a deep breath and straightened, seeming to regain his calm. “I’m not letting it happen again.”

  He took her by the arm and gently started leading her in the direction of the self-park. “You were going this way, I think, before you were so rudely interrupted?”

  The shock of the situation finally wore off enough for her to snap back to her senses, and she jerked out of Lock’s hold and stumbled a few steps back.

  It took a second to compose herself and draw a breath so she could yell at him. “What the hell are you even doing here?”

  He shoved his hands in his pockets. Now that she had time to appraise him, she noticed he looked annoyingly handsome, as usual. His damp hair only drew more attention to his gorgeous features, and the leather jacket he was wearing was probably ruined by the rain. He had on tight jeans that were ripped fashionably in multiple places and those ridiculous leather cuffs and bracelets that showed off slim wrists in contrast to his rippling forearms.

  He took a deep breath, scenting the rain. “I’ll never get tired of you doing that, princess.”

  She swallowed tightly. “Doing what?”

  His eyes gleamed as he grinned at her, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Getting turned on by me.”

  She felt a flush from her head to her toes, no matter how hard she fought it. “What do you mean?”

  He cocked his head, and that damp, almost wet hair that was gleaming and pushed back from his face looked oh so touchable. “I told you before. I can smell it.”

  She blinked rapidly, realizing he was right and she was wet. She hadn’t even thought about it. She’d never thought she’d be having this conversation, standing across from a stranger, angry at him and madly wanting him at the same time.

  She breathed deeply and tightened her hands into fists. “You didn’t answer my question. Why are you here?”

  He brushed back a wet lock of hair that had blown over his forehead. “You didn’t think I would just leave you, did you? After what we did? Every alpha male you encounter will be after you.”

  Just when she thought she couldn’t be more surprised, her jaw dropped. “What the hell are you talking about? Why do people keep calling me alpha female? Why do people smell me? What the hell is going on?”

  He took a step forward, putting up his hand in a placating gesture. “Look, why don’t we go to your place and we can talk about it?” When she flinched back, his expression tightened. “I’m not going to hurt you, Tasha. Don’t you know that by now?”

  She gritted her teeth, wondering if she really did believe that at all. On the one hand, her friends trusted him. On the other, she didn’t trust herself around him. Plus, he’d stalked her all the way here and had apparently been watching her.

  “Fine, we can talk, but I’m not going to my place. You shouldn’t know where I live.”

  He let out a wry laugh, cocking one hip. “You really think I don’t already know? I know practically everything, Tasha. I’ve been watching.”

  Well, at least he wasn’t calling her princess.

  “You know, the sleep you put on me didn’t last that long compared to most because of my healing factor. Which is lucky for you because I was able to erase the memory of every male who tried to attack you.”

  She tried to steady her breathing. “So you know about the other men that went to sleep?”

  “That you put to sleep,” Lock said finally. “Something you can do, just like your brother.”

  Tasha felt her whole body still at that. “What do you know about my brother?”

  Lock’s grin widened, looking almost predatory. “I wasn’t sure until you used sleep on me. But alpha powers are passed down through families, so there’s no doubt any longer. I know your brother. Don’t you want to know more about him?”

  Tasha hesitated, but she knew Lock finally had her. “Fine,” she said. “But you pull anything and I’ll… sleep you again.” She felt stupid even saying it, but it had worked before.

  “Fine,” Lock said. “My car or yours?”

  She reached down to grab her purse off the wet pavement and grabbed her fallen Mace as well. Then she glared at him. “Mine.”

  Chapter 6

  The second they reached her home, Tasha ordered Lock to stay on her couch and went to change out of her wet clothing.

  As she shrugged out of her jacket, she could feel the phantom echoes of a hand on her neck, choking off her breath.

  She tried not to think about it as she shed the rest of her wet clothing and pulled on a matching set of beautiful soft gray sweats. Then she went to the bathroom to rub a towel over her hair so the blue and pink temporary dyes she put in wouldn’t run down her face.

  Looking in the mirror, she frowned at the face that looked back at her.

  Despite it only being a few days since everything had changed, she felt like a completely different person. A tired person with circles under her eyes and a faded look on her usually happy face.

  Perhaps it was just the energy it took to keep denying all the weird things that were happening. Perhaps it was finally time to sit back and accept that maybe Lock knew more than her.

  Even if she didn’t fully trust him.

  He had saved her, after all, and she hadn’t even thanked him for it.

  She took her towel, along with a spare, into the living room, scrunching the water out of the ends of her hair as she went.

  When she reached Lock, she tossed the extra towel to him, laughing when it landed on his head.

  He removed it with a grin and rubbed it over his hair roughly, trying to get out the moisture.

  “Wait,” she said, unable to watch such beautiful hair be abused like that. “Let me.”

  He went still as she came over to him, kneeling on the couch next to him so she could gently smooth the towel over his head. She moved along his ears, pressing inside to remove moisture, then ov
er his jaw and neck and back up to gently scrub at his neckline before pressing over his hair to remove extra drips.

  When she was done, he was looking at her intently, orange-yellow eyes burning.

  She set the towel aside and reached into his hair, pulling out a lock to study it in the light of her living room. “Is it natural? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  His lips lifted up at one corner in a smirk. “You’ve never seen anything like me in general.”

  She sat back, her eyes still lingering on the amazing red color of his hair, like cherries in the shade. “No, you’re right. I haven’t.”

  He nodded, sitting back with folded arms. “As it should be.” He shot her a glance. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, trying not to think about how she could still feel tightness on her neck where the man had grabbed her. Still, she rubbed it absentmindedly. “By the way, I never thanked you for saving me.”

  “Don’t mention it,” he said quickly. “I’m not typically the hero, and I don’t do it for no reason.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Why did you do it, then?”

  “I told you.” His strong jaw tightened. “I want to mate you. As my property, anyone who puts hands on you is dead.”

  She gaped at him. “I’m not your property. I’m not ever going to belong to anyone in that way.”

  He leaned back against the couch with a sigh. “It’s not the worst thing. I’d be your property, too. Max is right. It’s hard for humans to understand mating.” He laughed dryly. “Well, anyone raised human.”

  She sat back on the couch, surprised by how comfortable she felt sitting next to him. “I guess. I mean, can I really be that way and not know it?” She rubbed at her neck again, trying to assuage the ache.

  He let out a little grunt of irritation. “Can I do something about that?” He pushed up on one knee and moved over to kneel next to her.

  “About what?”

  He gestured to her neck. “I can help with that.”

  “How?”

  “I’d have to show you.”

  She sighed, figuring the night couldn’t get any weirder, and nodded. “Go ahead.”