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“You make me happy, cub,” Tillman rumbled against his ear.
Laith’s heart fluttered at the endearment. He turned in Tillman’s arms and rose up on his toes to press a sweet kiss to the bear shifter’s lips.
“You make me happy too,” he whispered.
Their tender moment was interrupted by the jingling bell above the door, signaling the arrival of customers. Laith playfully nudged Tillman toward the counter before following him out.
The afternoon passed in a blur of patrons and sugar. Laith enjoyed chatting with the regulars and sampling the wares. Tillman’s genuine smiles and frequent touches kept his spirits high.
As closing time neared, Laith started cleaning up while Tillman handled the last customers. He was just locking the front door and flipping the sign to “Closed” when a frantic pounding started up.
Frowning, Laith turned to see Daniel wide-eyed on the other side of the glass, shouting something he couldn’t make out.
His stomach dropped. Whatever had Daniel in such a state, it couldn’t be good.
Laith hurriedly unlocked the door and let Daniel in.
“What’s wrong?” Laith asked, his heart racing.
Daniel was out of breath, his eyes wild. “It’s my father,” he gasped. “I just saw him going into a bar called Fearless Fox.”
Laith cursed. He’d thought that Cade wouldn’t come around during daylight hours, but he’d been wrong. Now the threat was there, right in Midnight Falls, Laith felt dizzy with worry.
“Are you sure it was him?” Tillman asked.
Daniel gave Tillman a daft look. “I think I know what my father looks like.”
Tillman snatched the landline off the wall and dialed as Laith hurried up and locked the door, though he doubted that would keep a demon out. Still, it made him feel better.
“Hey, Jake,” Tillman said. “Got a problem.” Tillman turned to Daniel. “What does your father look like?”
Instead of describing him, Daniel pulled out his phone, touched the screen a few times, then flipped the phone toward Tillman. Laith looked and felt queasy at seeing the guy’s face again. Cade was tall, muscular, with an arrogant look about him. His eyes weren’t as soft as Daniel’s. They were soulless.
Tillman described him to Jake. “Do you see him in there?” Tillman listened for a moment. “Okay. No. Thanks anyway.”
“Well?” Laith asked.
“He was in there, but he looked around, didn’t see what he was looking for, and walked out.”
Daniel cursed. “He’s not going to stop until you’re dead, Laith.”
Laith felt his blood run cold. Cade was here, in Midnight Falls, looking for him. He glanced at Tillman and saw his own fear reflected in the bear shifter’s eyes.
Laith moved closer to Tillman, seeking comfort from his mate’s solid presence. Tillman wrapped a protective arm around him and squeezed gently. “It’s going to be okay, cub. We won’t let him hurt you.”
Despite Tillman’s reassurance, Laith couldn’t stop the panic rising within him. Cade was cunning and ruthless—he had managed to track them here. Who knew what horrors the demon was capable of if he found them again?
“What do we do?” Laith asked, hating the tremor in his voice.
Tillman’s jaw was set, his eyes hard with determination. “We get you someplace safe. I won’t have that bastard laying a hand on you.”
Daniel had been pacing agitatedly, but now he stopped. “I think I know a place we can hide out for now. My family has a remote cabin not far from here. We used to go there to get away from my father when he was on one of his rages.” His expression darkened at the memory.
“Can you take us there?” Tillman asked.
Daniel nodded. “We’ll have to hurry before he picks up our trail.”
Laith’s heart pounded as they quickly gathered supplies and headed out to Tillman’s truck parked out back. As they drove away into the dark forest, Laith pressed close to Tillman, praying they could outrun the demon on their heels. He wouldn’t let Cade tear apart his newfound happiness. He would fight with everything he had to stay by Tillman’s side.
