Page 22 of Protected By Her Mate

LENNOX

Going back into Paddington Inc. the second time is a completely different experience from our first.

As Greg buzzes us into the building, he stammers out, “Thanks… uh… thanks for your service. We appreciate it. Because of your quick work, no one was injured in the fire.”

I nod at him and we head to the elevators, pressing the button. I want to gather Charlie against me, feel her body against mine, reassure myself she’s safe. The way she flung herself at that fire took a few centuries off my life.

Charlie shifts her gaze to my face. “Firefighters wear a lot of protective gear when battling fires. You know that, right?”

“Of course.”

She sighs her exasperation. “Lennox, if I were too small, fragile or delicate, I would never have been able to become a firefighter. I’m tougher than I look and I know what I’m doing. I get that you’re a big scary shifter, but I’m not nobody. I was a good firefighter and I’m an even better investigator.” She drops her gaze and shuffles her feet, frowning at the floor. “I need you to stop stepping on me while we’re together. I need to know you trust me to do my job.” She lifts her gaze, stabbing me through the chest with her vulnerability.

Her thoughts infiltrate mine.He doesn’t trust me. He doesn’t think I can keep up with him. How are we supposed to be partners, let alone more, if he can’t trust me?

I’m flooded with shame. “I’m sorry, Charlie. You’re right. I’ve been an ass.”

When the elevator arrives, I wave her in, then step in behind her. Looking at her, I allow her to see my vulnerability, the way she showed me hers. “I just… can’t let anything happen to you.” It’s lame, not even an explanation, but it’s all I can give her.

She tilts her head to the side. “Why? We barely know each other.”

I’m saved from having to answer as the doors slide open, letting us out on the twelfth floor. A receptionist rushes around her desk to greet us. “Officer Wolven-North, Investigator Lopez. Right this way.” She waves us toward a glass-walled office where she drags open a heavy glass door, putting her weight into it. “Mr. Sharptooth will see you now.”

“Thank you, Ginny.” Duncan Sharptooth’s voice booms from his desk where he stands to greet us.

A gasp slips from Charlie’s lips and a shot of instinctive fear shoots through her as the man lumbers toward us, his form packed into a suit that had to have been specially tailored to fit his massive proportions. I edge in front of her just enough to protect her but not enough that she might perceive me as trying to protect her.

“Detective Wolven-North.” He grips my hand so tight I have to hold in a wince, pumping it energetically before turning to look at Charlie, his big, black eyes gleaming with speculation. “Investigator Lopez, I presume. An unexpectedly beautiful addition to our great city’s firefighting team.”

His joviality is at odds with our chilly reception before the bomb went off. He raises Charlie’s hand to his lips, but before he can kiss her, I shove myself between them with a growl. “Back off, bear.”

Duncan drops her hand and raises a brow at me.

Damn it. I’ve given myself away.

“I see how it is.” He lifts his hands in surrender, turning his gaze from Charlie who’s looking at me with a slight frown.

Did I just step on her toes again? I can’t tell. My mating instincts are driving me insane, but I know without a doubt, had Duncan kissed her there would’ve been bloodshed. Mine most likely. Bears are fierce fighters, victory usually a foregone conclusion, despite what I said to Charlie earlier.

The bears are just as insane as wolf shifters when it comes to mating, so I know he knows. His speculative stare is making me uncomfortably aware that I set myself up by letting the bear know I’ve found my mate.

I decide to fill the silence in my usual style. Business first. “Two of your establishments have been bombed within a few days of each other. What do you know about it?” Not the smoothest beginning, but I’m still irrationally pissed at him.

Duncan stares at me for a few long seconds before nodding. “Three, to be more accurate.”

Charlie gasps. “The warehouse! You own it?”

Though he doesn’t look directly at her, he nods again. “Yes, the warehouse belongs to Paddington.”

That explains why I was having trouble finding out who the numbered company was behind the warehouse purchase. The bears are incredibly secretive and will jump through hoops to protect their business interests from shifters and humans alike.

“Why are you telling us?” I ask suspiciously. Since when do the bears give up information this easily? I’ve lived on and off in New York for over a century and this is my first meeting.

Duncan crosses his arms over his massive chest and leans against his desk. “Since I lost the best plant I’ve managed to get into ASHRA.”

The bears had a spy? “Who?” I demand, but Charlie gets there first.

“Greystone Boulder-Wolf.”

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