The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 131: Chapter 131

Lance was still catching his breath, and he glanced down at Annalia to check she was okay, heart squeezing tight when he found her with the most endearing smile on her face.
She looked so beautiful like that. All pink with exertion, and breathless, but not dangerously so. She looked happy, sated, and well-loved. Lance could not help but continue to kiss her, touch her, everywhere he could. He refused to slide out of her, not yet. He wanted to prolong their connection for as many minutes as she allowed.
Lucky him, his Anna did not seem inclined to release him either. Her hands traced his back, arms, and chest, and around again to his ass. He dipped his head to her lips, kissing her softly, gently, drinking her in and memorizing every nuance of her sweet and spicy flavor.
Tomorrow they would finish their talk and Lance would explain everything that had happened with Brenda. He would tell her all of it. But mostly, he would confess his feelings for her, because fast or not, Lance Jacosa was in love for the first time in his life.
Annalia was the most important thing in the world to him and starting tomorrow he was going to show her.
“Where is she?”
“Excuse me?” Uncle Uzzi practically barked over the phone.
Hell, the Witch would probably chew him out over his insolence, but Lance was beside himself. After the best, most poignant night of his life, Lance dozed off with dreams of the future dancing in his brain, to wake up completely alone.
He’d claimed Annalia as his mate, then she’d walked out on him, leaving the cabin with all her belongings. No note. No text. Nothing. She was gone without a trace.
Fucking hell.
He’d been in some post-claiming coma, and she’d up and headed out of Dodge. His Tiger yowled and roared unhappily. The beast enraged he’d done something to make her leave.
“Lance, what is going on? Are you with Anna?” Uzzi asked.
“I was. I mean, I followed you both back to the cabin last night, and we, uh, that is⁠—”
“Oh Lance! You claimed that human girl without explaining what it means! Do any of you pussies listen to a word I say? I swear, Hunter and I need to call a Pride meeting if I am going to continue to work with you boneheaded Tiger Shifters!”
“I apologize. Sincerely, I do, but Uncle Uzzi, I need my mate. Do you know where she is?” Lance asked, his voice hoarse.
“Of course, I know where she is. But I am not telling you,” the old Witch scoffed. “Not until you calm down and think this through like you should have from the beginning. Liebling, what do I do here?” he asked, but he was not talking to Lance. The Tiger waited as the old Witch pleaded with his departed wife for guidance.
"Uncle Uzzi?” he said after some minutes of silence had passed.
“I’ve told you all a million times. The women Fate chooses for you are to be cherished. They are smart, sassy, and deserve to know the truth up front. Honesty, you big fur ball, is always the best policy.”
“I know, Uncle Uzzi,” Lance grumbled, voice still cracking with emotion as he spoke. He was too distraught to care if that telltale sign gave anything away. “Annalia is my fated mate. I will do anything to make her happy.”
“I know you mean that Lance, and that’s why I will say this. There is a luncheon reveal for Graves Enterprises new video game release. Fire Battles is being unveiled at the Villa in Maccon City. That’s why she came here, you know, to work on the sequel. She wanted to experience, and study snow in real life,” the Witch explained. “Are you writing this down?”
“Yes, sir,” Lance grabbed a pencil and paper.
“That’s the Villa Ristorante, the one on Route 35. She was going to skip it, but after last night she needed some space.”
“If she needs space, why are you telling me this?”
“Because someone cleaned out her apartment and is tracking her down as we speak.”
“What?” he roared.
“Easy! My ears are sensitive too, you big hairball,” Uncle Uzzi huffed out a breath. “I suspect it’s her sister and her husband, Anna’s brother-in-law. She’s told you about them, right?”
“Yes,” he hissed angrily.
From what he knew, Annalia’s sister and her husband were more interested in putting down his sexy, sweet mate than in helping her.
Hell no.
They probably had some scheme to get her to go back to Florida with them. He might only have known her for a short while, but he needed her like he needed air. There was no way he was going to go home and mope while Anna’s sister and husband told her how to live her life. That was so not happening on his watch
“Then you better get a move on,” Uncle Uzzi said, and for some reason he knew the man was smiling. “Curtain goes up in ninety minutes.”
Lance knew better than to dally. Hauling ass to the shower, he went over the things he was going to say to his mate when he saw her. He was sorrier than he could ever apologize for. He’d fucked this thing up from the beginning, but he needed her to know last night was not a one-night stand.
Truth was he’d been burning with desire for her from the second he’d scented her through the door. Every fiber of his being, his animal included, knew she was his.
Anna looked so beautiful all dressed up, even better naked mused. What was it she’d said when they were dancing?
Magic.
And she was right, Being with her was like magic. But even that had nothing on the way he felt about her. She was his true and fated mate. Annalia was the one being in the whole universe who could tame his Tiger’s soul.
He’d claimed her with his bite, and even now felt their bond calling him to her. Lance jumped out of the shower, ignoring the pounding on the door until he could grab a towel.
“Open up,” the command came from the one person in the world who could make him veer off course.
The fucking Neta with his Alpha voice. He didn’t have time for this, but he could not afford to piss off the leader of the Maverick Pride. Not when he intended to bring his very human mate into the fold. Still, Lance’s Tiger growled while he tightened his towel, and stalked towards the door.
“Hunter, I⁠—”
Lance stopped talking as he got a good look at his Pride leader. What the fuck was the Neta wearing?
Lance blinked twice at the man who had one tiny precious bundle strapped to what looked like some kind of reverse backpack covered in pink bows to his chest, and the other chubby cherub was in a similar pack high up on his back, covered in pink and black tiger stripes.
That one was way better, in Lance’s opinion. His Neta’s usually recognizable shaved head was covered by a neon yellow snow cap. Obviously his mate’s doing.
Lance stifled his laughter, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. Hunter just glared at his guard. It was hard to take him seriously with his baby girls cooing and giggling with delight. One was drooling on said skullcap, and the other was kicking her booted feet into her father’s abdomen. They’d obviously been on some kind of family romp through the woods.
Lance knew it was a family walk, because a moment later he was shoved aside by a small blonde whirlwind. The Nari was in his cabin, and she was seething.
“Where is she? You are in so much trouble.” Elissa reached into her pocket and pulled out a water pistol, which she then emptied in Lance’s face. “Bad kitty!”
“Baaaaddd!” squealed Melly.
“Kiiitttyyyyyyyy!” Celia was next.
Traitorous munchkins. Lance mock-frowned at them and they giggled some more.
“Okay, enough of that,” Hunter grumbled and took the gun from his wife, who was still searching the cabin. “Where is the human?”
“Neta, with all due respect, she is my mate⁠—”
“Ha! As if that matters,” Elissa squeaked. “There are rules, buddy. You can’t just go around biting people without consequences,” she growled and finally stopped long enough to look at the younger Tiger.
“Well, at least you showed her a good time. Right? Am I right? I mean cause, Lance, I always thought of you as way too young for me, but I have to say, you look old enough to—what?” Elissa turned and rolled her eyes at her husband who was openly snarling to his twins’ delight.
Lance frowned, squirming under his Nari’s gaze. Shit. Hunter’s skin was peppered with the orange and black fur of his beast the second he caught on to his wife’s perusal of his guard’s body. Once again, Lance was almost compelled to drop to his knees.
“Please, Neta,” he said. “Allow me to put on some clothes, and I will tell you both everything.”
“Honey, stop growling.” She put her hand on Hunter’s arm. “You know you are the only pussy for me,” she whispered, not nearly low enough, but the Neta stilled, and Lance took the opportunity to grab some clothes.
Thank fuck.
He really didn’t want Elissa ogling him—as in ever. That would be like his older sister getting an eyeful.
Gross.
Even more compelling, he did not want Hunter to rip his fucking head off. The Neta was fiercely possessive of his mate. Something Lance could only recently relate to. Either way, he wasn’t into strutting with his junk out in front of the Nari. And of course, then there were the twins to think of.
Eeeek!
Even his Tiger couldn’t allow that scenario to play out. Hunter would kill him for sure. Nudity was common around Shifters, but that was between shifting. Not just for the hell of it.
Lance and his Tiger both agreed. There was only one woman he wanted to witness his nudity. His mate—only, Anna had run out on him before he had the chance to explain what his bite meant.
Shit.
“Spill,” the Nari commanded from behind the door.
Lance frowned as he tugged on his pants and socks, but he did as he was asked. Lance told the ruling couple of the Maverick Pride everything. Every. Single. Detail.
Well, except the X-rated ones. Those were personal and to be shared with one person only. His Annalia. Lance would get her back. He simply had to.
“Really, not sharing any of the good parts?”
Lance heard the frown in Elissa’s voice and he rolled his eyes.
“I saw that,” she growled.
“How?” he asked, bewildered by her scary Nari-ness.
“Just hurry already.”
“Damn,” he growled, tugging on his boots. “I’m going to be late. My car is still at the event from last night.”
Lance cursed himself for being a fool. He had no car, no girl, and the ruling couple of the Maverick Pride had come to his cabin on foot. He was beside himself. Taking a deep breath, he rested his elbows on his knees, and placed his hands on his head.
Staring at the area rug where he’d knelt and worshiped his mate’s sweet body last night. Fuck. How could things have gone so wrong, so fast? Then he saw it. Annalia’s inhaler. It must have tumbled from her purse last night.
Oh no.
What if she needed it? What if she had an asthma attack?
Shit!
He had to get it to her. He could Shift, and Elissa could tie a bag with his clothes around his neck. Yes, that could work.
“Nari,” he said, and opened the door. “Can you help me? I’m going to⁠—”
“Go outside and get the keys from Brayden?” she supplied with a knowing smirk.
“What?”
“He’s pulling up now, Lance,” Hunter explained and walked over to him, sans baby slings. The Neta clapped a meaty hand on his shoulder.
“What you did was dumb as fuck,” Hunter growled. “But we all make mistakes. Now, go make it up to her.”
“Look at him, Hunter. Our baby guard is all grown up and getting himself mated,” Elissa mumbled. She wiped a tear from her eye as the babies played on the carpet.
"Uh, are you okay?” Lance asked before he left.
“Yeah, I’m good. Remember to sweep her off her feet. And, for f—fudge’s sake, talk to the woman. Leave the bowchickawowow for after the words,” Elissa said and smiled at her mate who tsked his wife.
Their combined efforts to not curse around the two precious cubs were hardly working, but they were still the best people Lance knew. They were his Pride. They were his family. And that meant everything.
But he knew he would leave Maverick Point if Anna wanted him to go. Heartbreaking as the thought was, he would do anything for Annalia. She was his entire world now. Nothing else mattered, except bringing his mate back home. And to him, home was where she was.
Hunter would understand. Lance nodded his farewells before running outside to where Brayden had just parked one of the Maverick Development SUVs.
“Hear you have a mate to track down,” the enormous Black Bear Shifter grunted.
“Yeah, I do,” Lance agreed. “What if I fuck it up?”
“You will, about a hundred different times,” Brayden said and grinned. “But don’t worry, man, making up is half the fun.”
He hoped like fuck that Brayden was right.