Chapter 60

MISTY

I turned to find Lloyd and Tanner striding toward us, radiating fury. Through the bond, I could feel the simmering storm of his emotions.

Without a word, he grabbed my biceps, scanning our surroundings before deciding to find somewhere more private. A quick glance over my shoulder showed Chelsea wasn’t faring any better—Tanner’s expression was thunderous.

“Relax,” I said, trying to keep things light. “I like the idea of having a pistol that can hit a target from a distance,” I explained casually.

“Misty, you couldn’t hit a target with an arrow. How in the hell do you think you’re going to hit something with a gun? Did you even ~hit~ anything?” he gritted.

I hesitated for a second, then muttered, “No…but I only took one shot. If I had more practice, I’m sure I could get pretty good—” My words trailed off as his icy glare silenced me.

“I heard ~two~ shots…”

I swallowed. “Well, yeah…Chelsea tried too. But it was ~my~ idea, so you can tell Tanner to take it easy on her.”

Lloyd’s jaw clenched. “Chelsea ~agreed,~ which means she’s just as responsible as you are,” he snapped. He opened a door on the ground floor to a storeroom and practically shoved me inside. “I should put you over my knee for being so reckless.”

He yanked me toward him and kissed me with a brutal intensity. I moaned, my arms instinctively wrapping around him, heat coursing through me.

This was fiery and raw, and I couldn’t help but revel in it. He must have felt my pleasure through the bond because he abruptly broke the kiss, his breathing uneven.

“This isn’t a reward, Misty,” he growled.

“Sure felt like one.” I grinned, still caught in the haze of the moment.

His expression hardened. “Give me the gun,” he demanded, holding out his hand.

“No.” I stood my ground, defiance coloring my voice. “I’m keeping it. And why not? What if we find ourselves in a situation where I’m unable to fight and outnumbered? What if I ~need~ to shoot someone to save the day?”

“With your aim? You might shoot ~me~ by mistake,” he snapped.

The primal growl that erupted from his chest reverberated through the small storeroom, making it feel smaller. I was sure half the palace would tremble at the sound—but not me. I grinned, unfazed.

“You like riling me up, don’t you?” His eyes narrowed.

Maybe a little. He was always so composed, so in control. I enjoyed seeing just how far I could push him. I hadn’t expected to be caught with the gun, but there was no way I was giving it up now.

“I just want to keep the gun, that’s all,” I said, standing firm.

He let out an exasperated sigh. “Hand it over, or I’ll take it by force—your choice. But if I do, then I will lock you in the bedroom as punishment.”

“What?” I shouted, incredulous.

“You heard me,” he said, his voice cold and final.

Rage and frustration boiled over inside me. What was the big deal? I stormed out, my temper getting the better of me. “I might not be here when you get back,” I spat over my shoulder as I stomped out.

Before I could take another step, Lloyd grabbed me, tossed me over his shoulder as if I weighed nothing, and sprinted up the stairs. Faster than I could protest, he carried me into our room, slamming the door shut behind us.

He dropped me onto the bed gently, but the intensity of his anger was still palpable. My backpack landed with a thud on the floor.

“Was that a threat?” he asked.

“A promise,” I shot back, arms crossed defiantly. In truth, I would never leave him, but he didn’t need to know that.

~“Really, Misty?”~ Cammy chided in my mind.

Lloyd stared at me for a long moment. “Unless you give me the gun, you will remain in this room.”

I kept stubbornly quiet.

“Fine. You have a couple of hours to decide. Until lunch.” With that, he left the room, locking the door behind him.

~“You can’t be serious,”~ I linked him.

~“Dead serious,”~ came his reply.

I flopped onto the bed in a frustrated huff and tried to link Chelsea, but she blocked me.

Great.

~“That was the stupidest fight ever,”~ Cammy observed.

~“Was it?”~

~“Yes, he is trying to keep you safe, and you don’t know how to use a gun. Lloyd is right.”~

Dammit. Tapping my fingers against my lip, I paced up and down in anger. I had to make a stand now, I couldn’t let him decide everything for me. I liked the idea of having a pistol on hand.

After a couple of hours, I was no closer to a solution. And then it hit me, and I grinned, an idea forming.

Emptying the shopping bags onto the bed, I separated Lloyd’s purchases from mine, folding the dresses neatly and placing the bodysuit on top of my pile. I then went to the bathroom and drank as much water as possible before retrieving the gun and sitting on the bed.

~“Lloyd? Fine, you win,”~ I linked him, pretending to concede. ~“I’ll give you the gun.”~

He took his time, and I swallowed my impatience; I had to play nice. He appeared in the doorway, leaning against the frame with that casual grace belying his size. His green eyes flicked between the gun and the lace bodysuit.

The way he crossed his ankles and stood there reminded me of the first day I’d been to his cottage—always watching and assessing me.

“Are those shoes for me?” he asked, eyeing the boxes with a raised brow.

“They’re not for me,” I replied, grabbing my clothes and shoving them into a drawer. Then, without much ceremony, I picked up the gun and handed it over. “Happy now?”

He turned slightly, calling Adam, who appeared almost instantly. He took the gun from Lloyd without a word and closed the door behind him. Lloyd slid onto the bed beside me, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

“So…what else did you buy for me?” he asked, a hint of a smile on his lips.

I tried to hide my smirk. He’d seen the bodysuit, no doubt. “Jeans, T-shirts, sneakers.” I gestured to the pile. “And socks.”

“And that little black lace item you stuffed into the drawer?” His hand wandered cautiously to my thigh, his voice lowering. “That’s not for me?”

“No.” I shot him a teasing look.

He laughed a low rumble that made my pulse quicken. “I guess we’ll see about that.”

“Maybe we will, maybe we won’t,” I taunted, raising an eyebrow.

Opening the boxes, he took his time inspecting the shoes. “I like them,” he said, nodding in approval. “Thank you.”

Then, as if to make me wait a little longer, he bent forward, slowly lacing them up, focusing entirely on the task. I sighed, watching him draw it out. He was definitely toying with me now, and I couldn’t help but feel both frustrated and amused.

“Ready for lunch.” He got to his feet, then threaded his hand through my hair, eyes meeting mine. He bent forward to brush his lips against mine before straightening to his full height.

He took my hand, his fingers warm and firm around mine, and we walked down to the dining room.

It was mostly empty, except for Nickie, who greeted us with a nod. “Alpha, Luna,” she said, filling our glasses with ice water before quietly retreating.

Lloyd pulled out a chair for me, gently pushing it in as I sat down. A moment later, Tanner and Chelsea entered the room. She looked flushed as though she’d just come out of the shower, and I heaved a sigh of relief.

She sat down with a wince, and my jaw dropped.

~“Chels, are you okay?” ~I linked.

~“He spanked me,” ~she replied, a slight grimace on her face.

~“Oh, hell, I’m so sorry,” ~I linked back, horrified.

~“Don’t be. I’ve never had such an explosive orgasm.”~

I goggled at her. What the fuck?

~“You should try it…”~ She grinned.

~“Fuck no!”~

No wonder she looked so flushed. As much as I tried, I couldn’t get that image out of my head. Goddess, how was I going to eat?

“You know it’s bad manners to link when you’re in company,” Tanner said mildly, his arm around Chelsea’s chair.

“Really? I think it’s bad manners to punish someone when they didn’t instigate anything,” I retorted, still horrified and outraged.

“Guilty by association.” Tanner grinned, leaning toward Chelsea and kissing her cheek.

Lloyd’s gaze flickered between us, and he put a calming hand on my thigh. I gulped the iced water, and Nickie refilled it before serving us lasagna, but my appetite waned.

Granted, Chelsea seemed okay, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Of course, I’d read ~Fifty Shades~, and it was an eye-opener, but I would never allow Lloyd to spank me.

~“He’s not the type, but if you persist with this course of action, you may push him over the edge,”~ Cammy mused.

~“Don’t you dare tell Vetus,”~ I warned.

Halfway through the meal, my bladder made its presence known as I knew it would. I shifted in my seat, trying to ignore it for a while, but eventually, I put my knife and fork down. “Is there a bathroom on this floor?” I asked.

“There is,” Tanner answered, not looking up. “Behind the double staircase, you’ll see a hallway. Males to the right, she-wolves to the left.”

I gave a curt nod, still a little annoyed with him. Rising from my seat, I walked quickly out the door. The restrooms were in the perfect location—easy access—but I had other plans.

I hurried past them and headed down the stairs toward the dungeon, intent on replacing the gun I’d just handed over.

~“This is a terrible idea,”~ Cammy warned.

~“Maybe,”~ I replied, but I had to have one. I rushed into the dungeon, only to find the table cleared.

~Dammit.~ I really did need to pee, and now there wasn’t enough time to find the stashed weapons. Turning to leave, I collided with a wall of muscle—Lloyd.

~Fuck.~

It was maddening how he could mask his scent so wholly.

“Must’ve taken a wrong turn,” I stammered, but his eyes were hard. Without a word, he gripped my arm and dragged me back upstairs. “I really need to pee,” I added in a weak whisper.

Lloyd didn’t say anything. He just marched me to the restrooms behind the staircase and walked in with me. “Go ahead,” he said, his tone icy as though he didn’t believe me.

Mortified, I chose the first stall, yanked my jeans down, and sighed in relief. I knew he could hear everything, which made it worse. After washing my hands, I glanced at him to gauge his mood.

~“Did you tell Vetus?”~ I asked Cammy.

~“No.”~

I dried my hands slowly, then turned to face Lloyd, one hand on my hip. “Go ahead, get it over with. Shout if you must,” I taunted, hoping to deflect his anger.

His eyes narrowed. “Why is having a gun so important to you? Or are you intentionally trying to erode my trust?”

My shoulders slumped, and my head dropped as guilt washed over me. This wasn’t what I intended.

“I’m not trying to undermine you,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “I just…I guess I thought if I had the gun, I wouldn’t feel so helpless.”

Lloyd’s expression remained hard, but I could feel his curiosity. His silence unnerved me, but I pushed forward, determined to make him understand.

“I no longer have magic and feel powerless—the gun mitigates that.” I missed the magic that hummed through my body and made me confident.

Lloyd stepped closer, his towering presence both comforting and intimidating. He cupped my chin, lifting my face to meet his gaze, his green eyes boring into mine with intensity.

“Misty,” he said, his voice low and controlled, “just because you no longer have magic doesn’t make you weak. You still have claws and teeth.”

“Untrained,” I stated in a huff.

“I’ll train you, but you’re just as untrained when it comes to shooting.”

I stared stubbornly at the floor, but Lloyd grabbed my chin.

“Have you ever killed anyone before?” he asked, his voice steady but sharp, grabbing my chin.

I shook my head. “No, of course not, but I’ve thought about it, especially when Axel was still alive.”

“Thinking about it and doing it are two very different things,” he said, releasing my chin and crossing his arms. “Once you take a life, there’s no going back. And it will stay with you.”

I kept quiet.

He sighed, his gaze softening just a fraction. “I understand why you feel like this. But you will have to get used to living without magic. You did before, and you will again. I just don’t want you to get hurt or hurt someone else by accident.”

My chin wobbled, and I blinked tears away. “I’m sorry. I…”

He swept me into his arms, my feet dangling. “I’ll train you starting next week, okay?” he finally said. “But for now, I need to know that you won’t go looking for another weapon.”