I shake my head once. “No.”
They don’t need to know that I may not even be a shifter.
“Hm.” The one behind me steps closer, the brush of his feet against the dirt giving him away. “Then maybe you need some guidance. Bonding’s easier when you’ve got someone showing you how.”
I glance over my shoulder at him and narrow my eyes.
There’s still no outward threat but it hangs there, heavy beneath the surface.
I plant my feet more firmly in the earth and straighten my spine, unwilling to step back. “I’m not looking for a guide,” I say, voice low but steady.
They laugh, all three of them, as if what I said was amusing.
One of them leans in close, sniffing the air near my shoulder. “She probably only smells like him due to introductions. I doubt he really clai–”
A throat clears and the three men freeze.
I don’t have to turn to know it’s him. The ground hums through my bare feet, reassuring me of my safety.
“If you’re still standing here in three seconds,” he says, voice so low it makes the hair on my arms stand, “you’re going to meet my newest animal spirit.”
I watch him step into the clearing with a slowness that makes the silence feel heavy with his approach. His shirt is gone, the sun catching on the muscle of his chest and the curve of his scars. His jaw is tightly clenched, eyes glowing faintly, and his fists curl at his side.
He tilts his head slightly as his gaze travels between the three men.
“I promise,” he adds, “you won’t survive it.”
One heartbeat passes.
Two.
They bolt.
Branches snap as they vanish into the trees, stumbling over themselves in their rush to escape the power thrumming just beneath Torryn’s skin.
He watches them leave without moving, and only when they’re gone does he exhale and turn his gaze to me.
The anger is instantly gone from his eyes, replaced with worry that lines his pinched brow and regret that shines in his eyes.
His voice is rough when he finally speaks. “Did they touch you?”
“No,” I say, my own breath still catching up with me. “They just…circled.”
His jaw clenches. “That won’t happen again.”
I don’t doubt it. Not with the way the earth seems to pulse in rhythm with his steps as he crosses to my side. Not with the way he looks at me now, making my throat dry as I try to find the words to respond.
All I can manage is a nod as a tingle trails through my core.
It reminds me of the claim I felt when Azyric all but told his council not to breathe my air, and once again, no part of me dislikes it.
He just gestures toward the path. “Come on. There’s more I want to show you.”
I glance at him from beneath my lashes as we walk in silence, and I see the tension bleed from his jaw as the seconds pass. His fingers flex at his sides like he’s trying to shake off what nearly happened, and I can’t help but brush my hand against his.
“Torryn?” I ask quietly.
He hums in acknowledgment, eyes still scanning the trees ahead like he doesn’t trust his lands with me anymore.
