Balthazar found her standing on the back patio by the pool, her gaze on the still-dark sky above. Frustration radiated off her stance and through her mind.
But a hint of concern underlined it all.
What ifhefinds me?was a dark question whispering in the back of her thoughts, haunting her.
She’d apparently already found an off-white dress shirt, and from the look of the size and cut of the fabric, it was one ofhisdress shirts. Which suggested she’d misted into his room to grab it while he’d been wandering throughout the house.
Interesting that she’d found his closet of all five available in the house. Almost like she’d known exactly where to look.
Or perhaps it was a coincidence of choice.
However, given that she’d misted them here without directions, he suspected there wasn’t anything coincidental about it. Something else was at play here. Something neither of them fully understood.
He set the T-shirt and boxers down on the dining table and opened the sliding glass doors at the back to join her on the patio. She didn’t look at him, her focus still on the low moon. It would be morning soon.
But he didn’t care about that.
Not with the sight before him.
Leela resembled a goddess with her golden hair pulled over one shoulder and her long, shapely legs on display. The dress shirt—which was definitely his, as he recognized the brand—flirted with her thighs, giving her a sexy appeal that spoke directly to his soul.
She’s perfect, he thought, moving to stand behind her.
It wasn’t just her beauty, buther, the female. His literal equal in so many ways.
Her only flaw had been her decision to alter his memories, but hearing the justifications in her mind had calmed his ire. She’d sacrificed their connection for a superior fate. At least, that was her perspective on it.
It had been a mistake.
She shouldn’t have done it.
But she’d had no way of knowing how Balthazar would react to her purpose. He would have helped her had she just given him the chance.
Which was what bothered him most—she hadn’t trusted him enough to support her quest.
He would prove to her now that he was worthy of her faith.
And, in time, he would hopefully restore his faith in her, too.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his lips to her throat. She sighed, relaxing into him, but her mind continued to race.
How did they find us?
Doesheknow it’s me they’re tracking?
Is this even working?
How did they find us so quickly?
The questions whirled in sequence, the answers all convoluted in nature. Because she didn’t know, and that disturbed her more.
“What will they do when they find us here?” he finally asked, adding his own question to the mix. “Will they destroy Luc’s home?”
She merely shook her head.I don’t knowrepeated through her mind. Followed byThey shouldn’t have even found us that quickly.
“Maybe they knew about your flat,” he suggested.
“That’s impossible. Only Vera knew about it.”
