His to Protect: Book 1 in the Bound to Him Series by Sandra Antoni (the reading list TXT) 📗

“Did I tell you how beautiful you look this evening?” I asked her, and her smile grew even wider.

“I think you might have mentioned that already this evening. You clean up rather good too,” she replied, skimming her eyes over my suit. “I definitely like what I see,” she continued when her eyes rested on mine once again.

I helped her from the couch and handed her the crutches. I had already noticed that the bruising was completely gone from her ankle. The bruises on her ribs were also gone. The scratches that had covered her arms and legs were mostly healed, and only faint lines remained as evidence of her fall.

Once she was seated in the car with the crutches beside her, I tossed a blanket into the back. I knew it would be colder later, and the dress Chelsea was wearing did not cover much. It definitely would not keep her warm.

When we got to Brady’s house, Chelsea took in the stone exterior. His house was almost as big as mine. Her expression was one of awe, and I put my hand on her back as we made our way slowly up the front walk.

There were already several cars in the driveway, and I knew that this evening would be fun. I hoped that Chelsea would not feel uncomfortable around all these strangers, but I knew that they were all good people, and she had trusted me enough to come with me. That spoke volumes to me.

I didn’t bother knocking but opened the front door and stepped inside as I usually did. I held the door open for Chelsea to make her way inside. Brady had a key to my house, and I had one to his, but we always tried to give each other a heads up when we were headed to the other’s house, just in case.

I had walked in on a scene that would be forever cemented in my head, even though I wished I could forget it. It was just after Brady and Emily had found each other. Him getting a blowjob in the kitchen was not exactly on my list of things that I wanted to see.

Needless to say, after that incident, we always try to tell the other when we were coming over. I definitely did not want a repeat of that experience. I held the door open for Chelsea and she stepped inside.

I led Chelsea through the entry hall and into the living room. Emily ran towards us. She threw her arms around me and I returned her hug, then she turned towards Chelsea expectantly.

“Emily, meet Chelsea. Chelsea, this is Brady’s girlfriend, Emily,” I said, introducing the two women.

Emily did not hesitate but threw her arms around Chelsea and hugged her tightly. Emily loved everyone, especially if they had already been vetted by one of the members of the pack. The fact that she had arrived with me meant that Emily loved her already.

“Follow me, Chelsea. The women are all hanging out in the kitchen and getting the food ready. I’ll introduce you,” Emily told her. If Chelsea had not been on crutches, I think Emily would have dragged her behind her. Chelsea looked up at me, and I grinned at her, then she followed Emily towards the kitchen.

I stepped into the living room and shook hands with the men there. Brady walked towards me and leaned towards me to whisper in my ear.

“You mated her?” he asked softly.

I was not really sure why he was whispering. The women were too far away to hear our conversation. Once I had claimed Chelsea, she now carried my scent. Any shifter would know that she was my mate, and that meant she was completely off limits. Anyone who hurt her would have to answer to me.

“She’s a shifter, Brady. I know she is. Or at least half. She was adopted by humans and I don’t think she has any idea what she is. I think her wolf has been suppressed for so long that she doesn’t feel the connection. Have you found anything on her biological mother yet?” I asked him.

“We found her death certificate, and after searching farther, I found a coroner’s report from her autopsy. She was shot twice in the chest just a few weeks after Chelsea was adopted. I think I might have another lead, but I’ll let you know when I hear anything back. I haven’t found anything on her father yet,” he told me. I turned and looked into the kitchen.

Chelsea had a beautiful smile on her face, and the handful of women were all deep in conversation and laughter. I knew that Chelsea would have no problem making friends here. She had a wonderful personality and was extremely outgoing. It helped that Emily had already taken her under her wing.

I couldn’t help the feelings that were flowing through me as I thought about what Brady had just told me. Her mother had been murdered. I knew that Chelsea didn’t know this, but it made me wonder what had really happened to her mother.

She had been murdered shortly after Chelsea had been adopted by human parents. There were definitely a lot of unanswered questions, and I needed some answers. If there were answers to be found, Brady would find them.

It was about a half hour later, and a house full of people, that the food tables were ready. I was at Chelsea’s side with two plates in my hands as we moved down the line. I filled both plates and led her into the large family room where several extra tables had been set up.

I set the plates down and pulled out a chair for Chelsea. When she was seated, I set her crutches aside. Then we both joined in the conversation around the table. I slipped my hand over her thigh under the table, and she glanced up at me and shot me a dazzling