Rille (Tribes, Book 2)

Chapter 7

Preston couldn't believe he managed to get Brielle out of the hospital without her trying to flee from the wheelchair. She had done nothing but fight him since she woke up. Preston wouldn't stand for that much longer. If Brielle were to survive on the Rille Reservation, she needed to do what he said, when he said it.

Getting her to believe the fact that he had saved her life had been the first step to gaining her trust.

Wheeling her to his car and taking her to breakfast would be the second. Neither Preston nor his wolf would be able to let her go hungry. If they overlooked her basic needs, he failed as a protector. Whether it had been his intention or not, this woman depended on him now.

A sleek black Mercedes rolled to a stop near the hospital entrance. Preston pulled Brielle's wheelchair to a stop by the back door.

Shaw—Preston's driver, bodyguard, and most trusted friend—came jogging from the driver's door to pull the backseat passenger door open.

Brielle tipped her head up to glare at Preston. "What is this? Who is he?"

"This is Shaw." Preston used Brielle's distractedness to scoop her up from the wheelchair, into his arms. "Get used to him. You'll be seeing him a lot in the future."

"No I won't. Because we're not going to be anything after we go see Lou."

"Keep telling yourself that." Preston cautiously hauled Brielle toward the car.

Brielle, of course, kicked and wiggled the entire way from wheelchair to vehicle. "Put me down! I am not a toy to be manhandled like this! Let me go!"

Thankfully, her squirming didn't manage to conk her head into the side of the car. Preston didn't need her to have a concussion on top of all her other injuries. The rabid wolf had done quite a job on her.

"I said let me go!" Brielle squealed.

So Preston did just that, as soon as he managed to get her in position over the seat cushion.

Brielle landed inside the car with a clop.

Preston shut the door firmly. If she was shut in the car, she couldn't lash out at him. He needed a few moments to pull himself together. How would he ever tame the little spitfire this way? At least if this Lou cut her off, Preston had a better claim to her loyalty.

Shaw's lips trembled like he wanted to laugh.

Preston turned his glare on the driver. "What's so funny?"

Shaw shook his head, but even the glare of an alpha couldn't keep the snicker from his voice. "So that's your mate?"

"She bears my mark." Preston spun, unable to stand Shaw's laughter. "Don't ask questions, just take us somewhere to eat."

"Yes, sir." Shaw shuffled to his own door instead of opening Preston's, but that was okay.

Preston had a calm demeanor, but that was because Brielle hadn't pushed hard enough to bring out the uneasiness below the surface. For decades, he had been taught to be stoic and logical. Brielle tested every bit of that training, more so the longer she continued to be hostile toward him.

Though he understood where she came from—after all, she had no knowledge of Preston's world—Preston could only tolerate her willfulness for so long. She needed to trust him. By the end of the day, he needed to have set a foundation for such trust. Otherwise, he would not be able to bring her onto the Rille Reservation.

Preston slid into his own seat, behind the driver, and slammed his door closed.

"Are we going to see Lou now?" Brielle asked, her tone crisp and stony.

"I told you, food first."

He had been too kind before, thinking it best because of her injuries. If he had known about her personality, her temper, Preston might not have given her leeway to begin with.

His gaze flitted to the swollen mark against her neck and shoulder, just now beginning to fade from black to blue. Preston's anger subsided a little. Brielle had every right to be angry. She had been thrust into this without warning and without a choice.

But that didn't mean he couldn't salvage the situation.

"Shaw, take us somewhere calming," Preston commanded.

Shaw nodded, but having traveled around with Preston for a number of years, he knew better than to open his mouth and say anything.

Brielle turned in her seat, her lips forming a pout that might work on a lesser man. "I don't want calming. I want quick. Let's get this over with."

Preston spun, his arm reaching out and around Brielle. It effectively trapped her in the seat. The look of shock and surprise in her wide eyes made the moment worth it. For the first time all morning, she stopped talking.

"It will go as fast as it goes." Preston pulled the seatbelt from its confines and clicked it into place at Brielle's other hip. "Be a good girl."

Those words snapped Brielle out of the trance Preston had her under. Her pout turned to a sneer. Her fingers reached up to tuck around the seatbelt and hold firm.

"I could have done it myself."

"Yes," Preston agreed. "You could have."

The car rolled forward, interrupting their conversation. All for the better. Brielle had made up her mind to refuse Preston no matter what he said or did. Fine. She could make that decision. But she didn't understand the lengths that Preston would go to, to convince her that she belonged to him. He didn't mind waiting. He only minded her stubborn outlook.Preston had plans to open her mind to other possibilities besides her "long-term boyfriend".

Whether it was his agreement with her retort or still the shock of being that close to him, Brielle didn't say another word as Shaw maneuvered the vehicle through city streets. She only questioned it when they pulled into an underground parking garage.

"Where are you taking me?" Brielle shot at Preston, then, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Preston heaved a sigh. Clearly, he would be fielding questions all day, regardless of what he did or didn't do. "I told you. Breakfast."

"What if I'm not hungry?"

"You have to eat something."

"Then why are we in a dark underground garage?"

Preston tipped his head to the side, finding Brielle's questioning gaze and holding it with his own dark one. "Because this is where parking for the restaurant is."

Until he took care of Lou, Preston found it in his best interests to answer all of Brielle's questions. The more honest he was, the easier it would be for her to trust him later. Preston needed that like he needed air.

Brielle looked away, her gaze going to the window to watch the parked cars pass by. "What kind of restaurant has its own parking garage?"

"The expensive kind," Preston threw back at her, hoping for a reaction similar to when he had reached for her seatbelt.

Brielle merely shrugged, but her facial expression reflected in the window said she might be the tiniest bit impressed. Preston would take that, for now. Impressed could be expounded upon. He only needed time.  

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